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Priscilla Ceja

Ms. Storer

English 3H, Block 5

8 October 2019

Edward’s Persuasiveness Rewrite

Any person that can convert others to the Protestant religion must be a persuasive, strong

speaker. Jonathan Edwards was a leader who not only used impressive speaking skills, but also

convincing writing to convert others to Puritanism. In the sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an

Angry God,” Edwards uses tone, metaphors, and strategic placement of hope to effectively

persuade the congregation to repent and believe in the one, true God.

Edwards demonstrates effective use of tone with his ominous and aggressive word

choice. When speaking of people who had not repented or been baptized, Edwards alarms the

audience with the phrase, “the devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them” (Edwards 97).

With such intense words, Edwards triggers in his listeners the urgency to appease an angry God.

Thus, Edwards convinces his audience to convert and repent giving them the desire to change.

Furthermore, Edwards uses the phrase, “they have…nothing to take hold of; all that preserves

them…is the …uncovenanted, unobliged forbearance of an incensed God” (Edwards, 97). Since

“incensed” people are unpredictable, Edwards sets a tone of insecurity. This makes the

congregation not only feel the need to repent, but also to repent as soon as they can. Edwards

sparks the flame of conversion among his followers, which he continues to fan with the use of

metaphors.

To make his point, Edwards utilizes metaphors comparing lead with sin and the snake

with sinners. Edwards conveys the wretchedness of sin to the congregation by telling them that
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their “wickedness makes [them] as it were as heavy as lead” which “[tends] downwards with

great weight and pressure towards hell” (Edwards 98). Edwards presumably says this to shock

his listeners with the image that every sin makes you “heavier,” and therefore closer to hell. This

concept no doubt made the audience think “I need to get rid of my ‘weights’ if I want to go to

heaven!” In addition, Edwards reminds his listeners of the dreadfulness of being a sinner. He

explains, “you are ten thousand times so abominable in His eyes, as the most hateful and

venomous serpent is in ours” (Edwards 99). What Edwards refers to as the serpent is Satan from

Genesis. Even if the audience would not repent to satiate an angry God, they would most

definitely have repented in order to not be as despicable as the devil. However, knowing that a

great deal of people would be discouraged at the thought that they could change their ways,

Edwards decides to place some much-needed hope at the end of his sermon.

Edwards uses the literary device of strategic organization to encourage his audience at the

very end. To give his listeners the belief that they had a chance at heaven he tells them, “What

would not those poor damned, helpless souls give for one day’s such opportunity as you now

enjoy!” (Edwards 99). Upon hearing this, the listeners must have realized that they should still

have hope because they were not truly doomed yet; they still had time to turn back from their

evil ways even if it was hard. With this being said, Edwards places in his audience the hope that

they could change because the situation was not as bad as it could be. Had Edwards reversed the

order of his sermon, he would have given the congregation hope at first but then taken it away.

Moreover, for those who still believed that it must be impossible to alleviate the anger of a God

who was so furious, Edwards tells them, “Christ has flung the door of mercy wide open, and

stands in the door calling and crying…to poor sinners” (Edwards 99). By saying this, Edwards

encourages his listeners to repent because it is possible to appease God. He proves that it is
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possible because they had Jesus Christ, who “calls out to sinners” and would intercede for them.

Again, Edwards demonstrates correct use of organization; this sermon would not have the same

effect if the order of hope being placed were changed. Edwards uses organization greatly

because he frightens his audience at first, and afterwards he lets them walk out with hope. With

this combination, Edwards almost guarantees that his listeners would go to confession and

believe in God.

This great sermon certainly left Edwards’s audience with a sense of awe. However,

Edwards did not want awe; he wanted results. Edwards ensures results with his use of literary

devices including tone, metaphors, and organization. Those seeking to convert people to their

true beliefs could take Edwards example of literary devices.

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Works Cited

Edwards, Jonathan. “from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Glencoe American

Literature, by Jeffrey D. Wilhelm et al., Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2009, pp. 97-99.