Fire and Brimstone

Gustavo Quintero
English 48A
October 11,2007
Journal #12 Edwards Pg. 432


Quote:
"For behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire...the words are exceeding terrible. If it had only been said, 'the wrath of God'".


Summary:
In Jonathan Edwards fiery sermon he warns all the practitioners attending that they had better repent or else. God is coming to cleanse all the sinners from the earth and he will be showing no mercy. This is not the caring and forgiving God that most people associate with but rather the angry one that shows no mercy.


Response:
Wow, is all I can say. I would by no stretch of the mind call myself the most religions person but I do believe in God and Jesus Christ. While reading Edwards sermon, I felt as if the apocalypse was about to come. The images and words that he uses are so vivid and lifelike that it makes his sermon seem that much more important and real. As Scott said in class, "Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God", is one of the most extreme pieces of work by Edwards. His other Pieces all mild in comparison. Although the sermon was read in a monotonous tone, the words themselves are enough to make the heaviest sinner fear for his life.

This fire and brimstone sermon was given at a time in the 1700's during a time known as the "Great Awakening". Churches prior to this period had suffered from a decline in practitioners. When this period hit people began to embrace their faith again and return to church. Edwards uses this sermon to prevent people from ever straying away from the church again. He makes sure to use the angry God and not the forgiving God. The image of God coming in a chariot of fire parallels that of Satan. I am by no means saying that God is similar to Satan, but the Bible associates all the wrath and fire with Satan. It is almost a disturbing image but Edwards does later point out in his sermon that even though God is angry at all the sinners he is still willing to forgive them if they commit themselves to the faith.