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Matthew Dharmawan

Mrs. Storer

English 3 H American Literature

29 August 2019

The Unfortunate Destination

Only God chooses the destination of his creation. In Jonathan Edwards’s sermon titled

“From Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” he examines the fate of those who end up inhell,

and he explains how each member of the congregation may land there if they are not careful.

Edwards terrifies the sinners to realize a change of heart when he paints a picture of hell using

the literary devices of metaphor, hyperbole, and repetition.

Edwards portrays the sinner’s irrelevance by the eyes of God from his usage of

metaphors. The first image he compares the congregation to is the block of lead. He says it is

their wickedness that makes them “lead… tend[ing] downwards with great weight and pressure

towards hell” (Edwards 98). Lead is known to be a very heavy and poisonous element. The use

of this metaphor shows the weight of the people’s sins; it sinks to the lowest place, including the

bottom of a bottomless pit. The poisonous aspect of lead further contributes to his message

saying only those who are toxic to society are sinking further down into the depths of hell. The

only way to rise out of the abyss is to have a genuine change of heart and to repent. Edwards also

uses the metaphor of a small, feeble spider to enforce his message. Edwards states God “holds

you over the pit of hell, as much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect, over the fire”

(Edwards 98). Edwards uses his speaking ability to display the metaphor of the spider. Spiders

are insignificant creatures when compared to humans. The metaphor displays how God belittles

the sinners. Even the powerful rulers and strong leaders are feeble spiders; God may as well wipe
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away their webs and stomp on them with ease. Only those who are significant with their gracious

deeds will be noticed by the eyes of God. He sternly pleads to his audience to recognize a change

of heart and be the great outlier from the group of averages. To have this change of heart,

Edwards continues to strike fear into their hearts by displaying a fiery hell using hyperboles.

Edwards makes the concept of hell vividly realistic using hyperboles. At the start of the

sermon, Edwards claims the devil is always following them: “The devil is waiting for them, hell

is gaping for them” (Edwards 97). Great preaching is assisted by an impression of something that

is at stake. The devil is punished by God, and the devil is now waiting for God to bring forth the

ultimate punishment. He describes the risky position of the members to those on a tightrope and

how they can easily fall into the abyss if they fail to follow God’s call and message. Edwards

successfully utilizes the intense image of hell that is widening so more can be contained in it. In

addition to his claim of hell, Edwards exaggerates the congregation’s evilness, comparing them

to the devil. He compares the members to be “ten thousand times so abominable in his eyes, as

the most hateful and venomous serpent” (Edwards 98). The serpent lives at the absolute bottom

of the earth. This contributes to his message of hell being real, terrible, and terrifying. The

exaggeration of saying how the members are abhorred by God exemplifies the intensity of his

message. The statement pierces the audience’s heart, proving they need to change in order to be

saved. The use of hyperbole makes it real, but the usage of repetition makes it personal.

Edwards uses repetition to enforce his portrayal of the corruption of sinners, making it

personal. After his statements on the image of hell, Edwards proceeds to verbally attack the

congregation: “’Tis doubtless the case of some that heretofore you have seen and known, that

never deserved hell more than you, and that heretofore appeared as likely to have been now alive

as you” (Edwards 99). Jonathan Edwards is not afraid to point out people in his sermons with his
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words. The constant repetition of the second person pronoun in a negative way makes the

congregation fearful. The word focuses on every member of the congregation. It is a direct attack

that enhances the message of change. Wrapping up the sermon, Edwards rotates the usage of the

word in a positive light because of Christ: “Now you have an extraordinary opportunity… Many

that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in, are in now a happy state”

(Edwards 99). After the constant words of condemnation, Edwards finishes the sermon by

probing the workings of the heart like in surgery. Christ opens the door of mercy. The usage of

the word is inviting. It further strengthens the message, saying each individual must personally

accept Christ knocking on the door and invite Him in. Christ locates the infection of sin, and

Christ extracts it out. This is the only way for a sinner to escape the angry hand of God: genuine

repentance.

In the end, Edwards sermon describes the only way sinners can escape hell is by

repentance and deeds. By his use of metaphors, hyperboles, and repetition, Edwards creates a

strong sermon by displaying hell as terrifying and full of fear, which convinces his audience to

make a change. Edwards’s revelation on sinners has a profound impact on the world, leaving

society to have the personal choice to accept mercy or fall indefinitely into the unfortunate

destination of hell.
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Work 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.