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Anastasia Zink Mr. Phelps English 3 Honors, hour 1 21st of September 2011 Hope Through Hell and Back In Jonathan Edwards Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Edwards gives his audience hope of salvation much unlike the previous traditional puritan beliefs. This known sermon brought the great awakening to a whole new level, opening many eyes as he uses powerful and vivid messages of hope. Before the great awakening Puritans believed that no matter who they were, or what they did, they would always be sinners in the eyes of God, Without Gods forgiveness for sins in life, a person would burn in hell for eternity. (McCormick, par 3).The Puritans would work so hard to try and find this sign that would save them from hell, but for most Puritans, it never came. The Puritans worked to the bone as death and evil surrounded them, making it harder to see this salvage. Jonathan Edwards talked about how their hard work and letting Christ be a part of their lives will bring them salvage, This is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ: that world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you. (Edwards, page 98, par 1). Even though Jonathan Used fiery words and this clear picture of hell he brought hope to many people. Jonathan talked about if God thought that a person was a complete sinner, that person would already be in hell, With great weight and pressure towards hell; and if God should let you go, would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless pit. (Edwards, Page 98, par 3). Here he is saying that God could easily let the people fall into the depths of hell and not care. God knows

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that the Puritans are sinners but have accepted Christ in their lives which then save them. God also holds them by strings ready to make them fall into hell if they ever rejected Christ. Jonathan Edwards uses his sermons, such a Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, to show the puritans that there is such thing as hope. He uses vivid and intense words unlike the puritan plain style to get his point across and to create feeling in his audience, which wasnt allowed and was considered a sin. This extreme usage of words and beliefs proves that Jonathan greatly connects with the Great Awakening, while making the audience feel this sense of hope in a time of hell.

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Work Cited Edwards, Jonathan. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Enfield, Connecticut: 1741. 98101. Print McCormick, Meaghan S. The great awakening and Its Effects on the Society and Religion of the Connecticut River Valley. Oshkosh, WI: Oshkosh West High School