Friday, January 27, 2017

Jonathon Edwards: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

      This sermon was given by Jonathon Edwards in Enfield, Connecticut on Sunday July 8, 1741. It was put into the book The Works of Jonathon Edwards(1829-30), vol. 7, edited by Sereno E. Dwight. Jonathon Edwards was born in East Windsor, Connecticut in 1703. Edwards was known as the "Pope of Connecticut Valley". Jonathon Edwards graduated from Yale College in 1720. He succeeded Solomon Stoddard in 1729 as a pastor, after Stoddard died. Edwards was known for his many brilliant sermons that he gave in his home church, which continually grew because of those sermons. In 1734 the Great Awakening occurred. This was when many people were converted to Christianity. Edwards taught many new believers at this time. He taught by his experiences and his knowledge to lead great sermons.
         One of these sermons is know as "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". Edwards starts off his sermon by explaining Deuteronomy 32:35. This verse says "Their foot shall slide in due time". This is he explains is the possibly meaning the fall of the Israelites. Edwards does a good job of explaining a deeper meaning in this sermon. He takes about how they are the downfall of themselves. That if man walks a slippery path they will fall on their own. Edwards explains the power of God. He states " There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God." Edwards is a knowledgeable about the Bible. One excerpt I really like from this sermon is when Edwards says "What are we, that we should stand before Him, at whose rebuke the earth trembles, and before whom the rocks are thrown down?" The people like what he says in his sermons because of his word choice.

      Later in his sermon Edwards begins to replace the word "they", meaning the Israelites, with the word "you". This is referring to the people of Enfield, Connecticut, in the congregation. his words are so powerful to the people. These people in the congregation got very emotional that day. At a point in his sermon he say "O Sinner". How would it feel to be in that congregation and be called a sinner, knowing it was true? Edwards taught that God punishes people for their actions, whether they be good or bad. Edwards begins to close his sermons by telling them to run to God. That now is the time to ask God for forgiveness of their actions, and ask God to wash them of their sins. Edwards tells the people to never leave this season of happiness that they can be in if the are forgiven. Edwards had so much power in his words because this is what the people needed to hear at the time. Edwards teachings can help everyone, even in the world today.

3 comments:

  1. Hey Tyler!
    I enjoyed reading your take on Edwards' sermon. It is certainly very interesting to read a document from one of the first preachers of "fire and brimstone". I think that he was really trying to convey his point that if you go to church every Sunday and do good deeds during the week, that doesn't save you, and it doesn't matter in the end--the only thing that can lead you to God, and away from His wrath, is your faith in Jesus Christ. He put extra emphasis on the hell and damnation part of course, and I believe it was because he was trying to scare the congregation about the fate they would come to face when life was over. I also find it interesting that this is something that is still taught in Baptist (perhaps among other denominations as well) churches today (at least in my experience with them). This shows the true timelessness of not only the Bible and it's strong messages, but of literature as a whole.
    It's also interesting to me that people were so moved by his sermons. You would think that hearing him basically tell you that you would burn in the fiery pits would make someone think that he was offensive, as many people claim of Christians today. But to hear that people were emotionally moved is certainly an interesting observation.
    I enjoyed reading your blog post, and look forward to the next!

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  3. Hey Tyler!
    I really liked your take on Edward's sermon. I agree with Kaylyn, it's interesting how teachings in churches today (at least some) are not that different from the teachings of the past. It also made me think about how religion varies from then, to now. Back then, I think it was virtually unheard of for someone to not be incredibly religious in some manor. Even the ones who weren't as devote would be considered very religious today. I think it is interesting how his sermon affected others. I believe that the way it was written was incredibly smart. Perhaps that why it's still being read and talked about today is because of how he took something that was uniting the congregation against the Israelites, and then turned it around on them. The amount of surprise they must have felt makes it really intriguing. Like Kaylyn said, you'd think if someone were telling you you're going to hell virtually no matter what you do, they would receive a negative response. But that wasn't the case. I think it shows just how influential religion was and how people truly devoted their lives to serving their religion. Even the most devout Christians today may not seem as much so during their time period. The amount of fear they had regarding God and the end of life and what happened after, was so great. Not that it isn't still prominent today, but it seemed to be taken much more seriously by people in the past. Edward's sermon serves a message today, that literature can not only be powerful, but also timeless as it still applies to life today.
    -Lacy

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