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Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
Edward in his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” depicts the depravity of man in his believe that all men are born pathetic creatures and in God’s eyes they are insignificant. According to him, man’s strongest point counts as nothing in God’s power. His elaboration of how man is helplessly under the mercies of God is quit profound. His argument is that God’s will is what determines man’s fate rather than his efforts and doing. There is no power whatsoever that surpasses God’s power; man is solely depended on God and is vulnerable to His wrath against human wickedness.
On the other hand, God is sovereign and all-powerful and is in control of everything in the universe. He punishes the wicked men into the agony of hell. God has the power to cast evil men into hell so easily through His sovereign powers.
The author brings out the sovereignty of God in a very clear way when he says that even the strongest cannot resist his word and that none can deliver out of his hands what he decides to punish or cast into hell. In his writing, Edwards depicts hell as a place of infinite punishment for the sins of men. Hell is the home of the devil and is likened to a hungry lion to symbolize danger.
I think Edward succeeded in frightening his listeners about hell in his writings from his angle of discussion. First, he deliberately shows how vulnerable man is. By making the listener feel helpless; he has used a tactic that will see many want to avoid hell in all means. The feeling of vulnerability is intended for that specific purpose. In addition, the devil is poised as a waiting monster in search of a victim persistently.
Puritans and the Edwards’ doctrines compare in a few aspects concerning God’s intentions of hell. The Puritans believed that man could only do those things that God has said. Like the doctrine of Edwards, the Puritans held the opinion that there is nothing men can do to avoid the agony of hell. The two doctrines insist that the decision rests solely on God’s will. The Puritans further hold that God knows the number of people that will go to hell and that no man knows his fate. Edwards on his side thinks that God is under no obligation to keep any man out of hell and that he has not made any promise about eternal life or deliverance from eternal death. The reason why a human being still stands is because God is not ready to take them yet, both doctrines agree.
Another difference between the Puritans and the Edward’s doctrine was while as Edward emphasized on the undeserved favor by God to man and the innate depravity, the Puritans choose to act a righteous life and live up to God’s standards. The Puritans believed in a perfect community based on shared value, while Edward believed in the mercies of God and His grace to man from birth is undeserving of God’s love.
Edwards’s dismissal due to his public announcement of the names of children from influential families found reading a midwifery book suggest that he was pro-grace and anti-perfection . The church allowed all people to become members but they would not partake the Holy Communion. Edward changed the covenant and allowed non-covenant members to partake communion. He went on and reduced the church congregation. This built a tremendous unrest that ended his practice as a preacher. Hence the great awakening of the England church was a planned reprisal against Edwards Jonathan in what historians see as a move to settle scores.
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