What do you think?
Rate this book
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
This is a reprint of Jonathan Edward's famous sermon. Many have said it is the most famous sermon ever preached. The sermon was first delivered in Enfield, MA on July 8, 1741. The sermon had an amazing impact on the audience.
35 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1741
691 people are currently reading
2,947 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Edwards
1,367 books502 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database named Jonathan Edwards.
Jonathan Edwards was the most eminent American philosopher-theologian of his time, and a key figure in what has come to be called the First Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s.
The only son in a family of eleven children, he entered Yale in September, 1716 when he was not yet thirteen and graduated four years later (1720) as valedictorian. He received his Masters three years later. As a youth, Edwards was unable to accept the Calvinist sovereignty of God. However, in 1721 he came to what he called a "delightful conviction" though meditation on 1 Timothy 1:17. From that point on, Edwards delighted in the sovereignty of God. Edwards later recognized this as his conversion to Christ.
In 1727 he was ordained minister at Northampton and assistant to his maternal grandfather, Solomon Stoddard. He was a student minister, not a visiting pastor, his rule being thirteen hours of study a day. In the same year, he married Sarah Pierpont, then age seventeen, daughter of Yale founder James Pierpont (1659–1714). In total, Jonathan and Sarah had eleven children.
Stoddard died on February 11th, 1729, leaving to his grandson the difficult task of the sole ministerial charge of one of the largest and wealthiest congregations in the colony. Throughout his time in Northampton his preaching brought remarkable religious revivals.
Yet, tensions flamed as Edwards would not continue his grandfather's practice of open communion. Stoddard believed that communion was a "converting ordinance." Surrounding congregations had been convinced of this, and as Edwards became more convinced that this was harmful, his public disagreement with the idea caused his dismissal in 1750.
Edwards then moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, then a frontier settlement, where he ministered to a small congregation and served as missionary to the Housatonic Indians. There, having more time for study and writing, he completed his celebrated work, The Freedom of the Will (1754).
Edwards was elected president of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University) in early 1758. He was a popular choice, for he had been a friend of the College since its inception. He died of fever at the age of fifty-four following experimental inoculation for smallpox and was buried in the President's Lot in the Princeton cemetery beside his son-in-law, Aaron Burr.
Jonathan Edwards was the most eminent American philosopher-theologian of his time, and a key figure in what has come to be called the First Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s.
The only son in a family of eleven children, he entered Yale in September, 1716 when he was not yet thirteen and graduated four years later (1720) as valedictorian. He received his Masters three years later. As a youth, Edwards was unable to accept the Calvinist sovereignty of God. However, in 1721 he came to what he called a "delightful conviction" though meditation on 1 Timothy 1:17. From that point on, Edwards delighted in the sovereignty of God. Edwards later recognized this as his conversion to Christ.
In 1727 he was ordained minister at Northampton and assistant to his maternal grandfather, Solomon Stoddard. He was a student minister, not a visiting pastor, his rule being thirteen hours of study a day. In the same year, he married Sarah Pierpont, then age seventeen, daughter of Yale founder James Pierpont (1659–1714). In total, Jonathan and Sarah had eleven children.
Stoddard died on February 11th, 1729, leaving to his grandson the difficult task of the sole ministerial charge of one of the largest and wealthiest congregations in the colony. Throughout his time in Northampton his preaching brought remarkable religious revivals.
Yet, tensions flamed as Edwards would not continue his grandfather's practice of open communion. Stoddard believed that communion was a "converting ordinance." Surrounding congregations had been convinced of this, and as Edwards became more convinced that this was harmful, his public disagreement with the idea caused his dismissal in 1750.
Edwards then moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, then a frontier settlement, where he ministered to a small congregation and served as missionary to the Housatonic Indians. There, having more time for study and writing, he completed his celebrated work, The Freedom of the Will (1754).
Edwards was elected president of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University) in early 1758. He was a popular choice, for he had been a friend of the College since its inception. He died of fever at the age of fifty-four following experimental inoculation for smallpox and was buried in the President's Lot in the Princeton cemetery beside his son-in-law, Aaron Burr.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 419 reviews
October 3, 2018
"God hates you," is the thesis of Jonathan Edward's 1741 masterpiece of Puritan dickery, "And I do too." Hard as you try not to be shitty, "your foot will slide in due time." So when you're hit by a truck later today, which is likely since "the arrows of death fly unseen at noon-day," you will burn in exquisite torture forever and ever, because you are the worst.
It's been slightly fashionable for writers like Sarah Vowell to try to redeem Puritans lately - to show their more tolerant side. I think that's a lost cause, and certainly Edwards isn't doing anything to help as he picks out all the grossest quotes from the Bible, like the one that imagines us crushed in "the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God" (19:15 of the gloriously Grand Guignolish Revelations). "He will crush you under his feet without mercy," Edwards elucidates, in case you weren't clear on the image here: "He will crush out your blood, and make it fly, and it shall be sprinkled on his garments, so as to stain all his raiment." That's God, just stomping gleefully around in his blood-spattered robe, poppin' dudes like bubble wrap.
So obviously this is terrific fun and highly recommended. Listen: your forefathers were assholes, and Jonathan Edwards is the high priest of fuck you. "It would be a wonder if some that are now present should not be in hell in a very short time," he predicts. "Nor will God then at all stay his rough wind."
Puritan God will fart in your face, friends. And it's gonna stink.
The God that holds you over the pit of hell much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked,says Edwards, describing his vision of God as a squeamish child. You can picture Him complaining about it later. "I was so dreadfully provoked!" He says. "This world is icky."
It's been slightly fashionable for writers like Sarah Vowell to try to redeem Puritans lately - to show their more tolerant side. I think that's a lost cause, and certainly Edwards isn't doing anything to help as he picks out all the grossest quotes from the Bible, like the one that imagines us crushed in "the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God" (19:15 of the gloriously Grand Guignolish Revelations). "He will crush you under his feet without mercy," Edwards elucidates, in case you weren't clear on the image here: "He will crush out your blood, and make it fly, and it shall be sprinkled on his garments, so as to stain all his raiment." That's God, just stomping gleefully around in his blood-spattered robe, poppin' dudes like bubble wrap.
So obviously this is terrific fun and highly recommended. Listen: your forefathers were assholes, and Jonathan Edwards is the high priest of fuck you. "It would be a wonder if some that are now present should not be in hell in a very short time," he predicts. "Nor will God then at all stay his rough wind."
Puritan God will fart in your face, friends. And it's gonna stink.
March 9, 2016
This is not just a sermon, but also a warning of what awaits those should they slip into sin. I’m not a Christian, so please don’t think this is about me spreading religion by writing a review of this. Quite the contrary, this is about the sheer power behind these words. Edwards is a passionate writer who, to his mind, is trying to save people through his speech. It is forceful, authoritative and completely compelling. I should imagine that if I was a Christian, at the time of its original publication, I’d be weak at the knees after reading it through.
“That the reason why they are not fallen already and do not fall now is only that God's appointed time is not come. For it is said, that when that due time, or appointed time comes, their foot shall slide. Then they shall be left to fall, as they are inclined by their own weight. God will not hold them up in these slippery places any longer, but will let them go; and then, at that very instant, they shall fall into destruction.
The intensity to his words and the devotion to his faith are undeniable. I don’t have to be religious to appreciate his message. I merely just need to appreciate his creative zeal. He suggests that we all owe our lives to god’s mercy, and that he can throw us down to hell in a moment. If we should slip, we will endure a perpetual damnation at the hands of the devil; we will have no soul, no freedom and no retribution. But, if we are in hell, then we deserve to be so; it is God’s sovereign justice. Therefore, in life we have to be extremely careful; we must ensure that we do not make that one slip that will condemn us. This is told through an impressively energetic voice that only had his fellow man’s best interests at heart. It’s quite touching really, but his preachy message will be redundant to most ears. To me though, this was a very interesting read.
“That the reason why they are not fallen already and do not fall now is only that God's appointed time is not come. For it is said, that when that due time, or appointed time comes, their foot shall slide. Then they shall be left to fall, as they are inclined by their own weight. God will not hold them up in these slippery places any longer, but will let them go; and then, at that very instant, they shall fall into destruction.
The intensity to his words and the devotion to his faith are undeniable. I don’t have to be religious to appreciate his message. I merely just need to appreciate his creative zeal. He suggests that we all owe our lives to god’s mercy, and that he can throw us down to hell in a moment. If we should slip, we will endure a perpetual damnation at the hands of the devil; we will have no soul, no freedom and no retribution. But, if we are in hell, then we deserve to be so; it is God’s sovereign justice. Therefore, in life we have to be extremely careful; we must ensure that we do not make that one slip that will condemn us. This is told through an impressively energetic voice that only had his fellow man’s best interests at heart. It’s quite touching really, but his preachy message will be redundant to most ears. To me though, this was a very interesting read.
March 1, 2018
This book is composed of a number of sermons by the great preacher Jonathan Edwards. It is worth reading for the famous "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" sermon alone as it will definitely convict, challenge and hopefully inspire. There is also a shorter sermon on Use of Time which is very practical. I found the rest of the sermons hard going...obviously they are Biblical but repetitious in places and very long. I would recommend this for theology students or as a reference book rather than for reading cover to cover.
Recommended reading for all Christians.
Recommended reading for all Christians.
August 19, 2016
Update: 8/19/16
For some reason I've been thinking about this book and some reactions I've noticed from it. I want to explain something most people here already know, because you read, which means you have an intelligent mind that strengthens every day. Edwards wrote this sermon for hardened, arrogant Christians, not unchurched, non-religious people. He had to be hard on them because they had established themselves in their own righteousness instead of the righteousness of Christ, by faith in Him alone for salvation. You see Jesus doing this in the New Testament to hardened self-righteous people. Unfortunately, many self-righteous and arrogant people live today, and destroy the conception of true Christianity in the eyes of the masses. True Christianity concerns love, and love alone. If you haven't experienced a Christian's love, you haven't experienced Christianity. You know the kind of people Im talking about -- mean, judgmental people who think they're better than others. Those people make up the intended audience of this sermon, and this explains why the content comes at the hearers with such strong force.
Just something I've been thinking lately. I don't believe this sermon works well with "unbelievers," because "unbelievers already know they aren't better than everyone because of personal righteousness. They need to be convinced of God's love and sacrifice for them, and many don't display that love to them, because they group with Edward's intended audience. God wants Christians to be kind to unbelievers, and love them, not hate them for their sin.
--------------------
I first discovered this sermon in an 11th grade English class. The sermon made a dent in history as it started a "Great Awakening" of the Christian religion in America. Edwards writes with amazing literary skill, using vivid imagery to describe the wrath of God. Reports say people screamed and cried out during this sermon and some thought the floor shook and opened up to drag them under. I wanted to hear it, so I found a video on YouTube from a Pastor. I chose a pastor so it may be more dramatized, rather than an audio reading. If you're interested: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L48iGIr...#
For some reason I've been thinking about this book and some reactions I've noticed from it. I want to explain something most people here already know, because you read, which means you have an intelligent mind that strengthens every day. Edwards wrote this sermon for hardened, arrogant Christians, not unchurched, non-religious people. He had to be hard on them because they had established themselves in their own righteousness instead of the righteousness of Christ, by faith in Him alone for salvation. You see Jesus doing this in the New Testament to hardened self-righteous people. Unfortunately, many self-righteous and arrogant people live today, and destroy the conception of true Christianity in the eyes of the masses. True Christianity concerns love, and love alone. If you haven't experienced a Christian's love, you haven't experienced Christianity. You know the kind of people Im talking about -- mean, judgmental people who think they're better than others. Those people make up the intended audience of this sermon, and this explains why the content comes at the hearers with such strong force.
Just something I've been thinking lately. I don't believe this sermon works well with "unbelievers," because "unbelievers already know they aren't better than everyone because of personal righteousness. They need to be convinced of God's love and sacrifice for them, and many don't display that love to them, because they group with Edward's intended audience. God wants Christians to be kind to unbelievers, and love them, not hate them for their sin.
--------------------
I first discovered this sermon in an 11th grade English class. The sermon made a dent in history as it started a "Great Awakening" of the Christian religion in America. Edwards writes with amazing literary skill, using vivid imagery to describe the wrath of God. Reports say people screamed and cried out during this sermon and some thought the floor shook and opened up to drag them under. I wanted to hear it, so I found a video on YouTube from a Pastor. I chose a pastor so it may be more dramatized, rather than an audio reading. If you're interested: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L48iGIr...#
January 6, 2018
(this is not exactly my book cover, and mine is paperback, but both have the same picture, so I used this.)
"God hath had it on his heart to show to angels and men, both how excellent his love is, and also how terrible his wrath is."
Don't let the title - or the author picture - put you off reading this slim book, the sermon is not as harsh as one might think, but more on it later. It's a quick read, but I could clealry see why it had such a powerful response back in summer 1741.
This book has, besides the sermon, a short biography, article on Edwards' role in the first Great Awakening in the upper East Coast of USA, a short summary of the sermon (but I feel it's not really needed), plus some information on all Great Awakenings (it's agreed that there's been three so far, though some say a fourth has also happened).
Edwards was a preacher and missionary in 18th c. Massachusetts, very well-read and intelligent, though sometimes misunderstood (particularly in his later career). He had quite a positive view on science and women, and was also the ancestor of many well-known people, like Aaron Burr, Edith Roosevelt, and the author O.Henry.
Now on the sermon itself, a bit deeper: don't let the title put you off! It's true that God is good, merciful and long-suffering, and does mourn when we go away from his, wishing we would turn back. But this is about his other side, the one who hungers for justice, and expresses his anger at sinners - not the type of anger that is sinful, but righteous one. He has given sinners time to repent and believe in Christ, restraining his wrath from immediate death and descent into Hell, but eventually the time comes when enough is enough.
However long the time of His restraint is, we should know that the end of mercy and restraint could come at any moment, and wrath and justice and the end would come. Just being nonreligiously virtuous, but without belief and repentance, is futile - even if you're the member of a some church's congregation. Edwards addressed his sermon to his own congregation, so it's not just the people clearly outside the churches that have to watch out!
Even if that sounds harsh, reading the sermon I felt that it was rooted more in calm sense of the man, Edwards, and not just angrily sending thunderbolts here and there. There is concern and an urgent feeling of needing to wake up people behind it - watch out you won't end up in the sad place of Hell, where there's no way back. Not judgement, but seeking to motivate people, is what I feel is behind this strong sermon.
Something to ponder on, even these days, and even more, these days. Doesn't matter if the reaction of the reader is not as strongly shown outside as those who heard it back then, crying out their need to become better believers. This sermon can make anyone work on being a better believer, now.
"God hath had it on his heart to show to angels and men, both how excellent his love is, and also how terrible his wrath is."
Don't let the title - or the author picture - put you off reading this slim book, the sermon is not as harsh as one might think, but more on it later. It's a quick read, but I could clealry see why it had such a powerful response back in summer 1741.
This book has, besides the sermon, a short biography, article on Edwards' role in the first Great Awakening in the upper East Coast of USA, a short summary of the sermon (but I feel it's not really needed), plus some information on all Great Awakenings (it's agreed that there's been three so far, though some say a fourth has also happened).
Edwards was a preacher and missionary in 18th c. Massachusetts, very well-read and intelligent, though sometimes misunderstood (particularly in his later career). He had quite a positive view on science and women, and was also the ancestor of many well-known people, like Aaron Burr, Edith Roosevelt, and the author O.Henry.
Now on the sermon itself, a bit deeper: don't let the title put you off! It's true that God is good, merciful and long-suffering, and does mourn when we go away from his, wishing we would turn back. But this is about his other side, the one who hungers for justice, and expresses his anger at sinners - not the type of anger that is sinful, but righteous one. He has given sinners time to repent and believe in Christ, restraining his wrath from immediate death and descent into Hell, but eventually the time comes when enough is enough.
However long the time of His restraint is, we should know that the end of mercy and restraint could come at any moment, and wrath and justice and the end would come. Just being nonreligiously virtuous, but without belief and repentance, is futile - even if you're the member of a some church's congregation. Edwards addressed his sermon to his own congregation, so it's not just the people clearly outside the churches that have to watch out!
Even if that sounds harsh, reading the sermon I felt that it was rooted more in calm sense of the man, Edwards, and not just angrily sending thunderbolts here and there. There is concern and an urgent feeling of needing to wake up people behind it - watch out you won't end up in the sad place of Hell, where there's no way back. Not judgement, but seeking to motivate people, is what I feel is behind this strong sermon.
Something to ponder on, even these days, and even more, these days. Doesn't matter if the reaction of the reader is not as strongly shown outside as those who heard it back then, crying out their need to become better believers. This sermon can make anyone work on being a better believer, now.
July 1, 2024
Reflecting on Edward’s sermon, there’s nothing technically wrong with it and yet still it doesn’t ring true. It doesn’t sound like the same God I have come to know through the Jesus I’ve met in the Gospels. Where is the Abba, Father we are supposed to address our prayers to?
Yes, Jesus does become angry in the Gospels. In the Gospel of Mark in particular, Jesus is portrayed as rather impatient, brusque even. He curses the fig tree—symbolic of barren Israel and a parable on the fate of Jerusalem—and it withers. He trashes the moneychangers in the Temple and then he teaches. Like all good parents, he gets his children’s attention with a little anger and then proceeds to explain its meaning, why he lost his temper.
And why did he become angry? What are the wayward children doing which has led to this? What does Jesus tell them? That God delights in holding his children in Divine suspension until it is His pleasure to send them to the fiery abyss? No. ‘That the reason why they are not fallen already and do not fall now is only that God's appointed time is not come?’ No. Hear what happens in the Gospel immediately after the incident at the Temple with the moneychangers:
Yes, there will be justice along with mercy; that is in fact true mercy. Those who deliberately, with full knowledge, choose to turn their backs on God will get their heart’s desire.
I wanted to be moved by this famous sermon. Well, I suppose I was, just not in the way I’d hoped. God is a God of Love and Love is the most powerful force in the universe, more powerful than anger by far. Perhaps where Love is weak, we humans build up other things to fill the gap. I don’t know.
The thing I am most sad about, however, is that Edwards didn’t persuade me. We have no shortage of sin and I know it must cause Our Lord a great deal of anguish because he loves us all so very much. Sadly, Edwards is 100% right about the eternal suffering of those who are bent on refusing and denying God. They will surely get what they have asked for.
An excellent rendering of this classic sermon may be heard on Sermon Audio. However, I suspect the reader, David Bruce Sonner, presents a much more matter-of-fact version of this hellfire and brimstone text than that which was first given by Edwards on that July day in 1741.
Yes, Jesus does become angry in the Gospels. In the Gospel of Mark in particular, Jesus is portrayed as rather impatient, brusque even. He curses the fig tree—symbolic of barren Israel and a parable on the fate of Jerusalem—and it withers. He trashes the moneychangers in the Temple and then he teaches. Like all good parents, he gets his children’s attention with a little anger and then proceeds to explain its meaning, why he lost his temper.
And why did he become angry? What are the wayward children doing which has led to this? What does Jesus tell them? That God delights in holding his children in Divine suspension until it is His pleasure to send them to the fiery abyss? No. ‘That the reason why they are not fallen already and do not fall now is only that God's appointed time is not come?’ No. Hear what happens in the Gospel immediately after the incident at the Temple with the moneychangers:
‘Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered." Jesus said to them in reply, "Have faith in God. Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen; it shall be done for him. Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours. When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions." (Mark 11:24-26)Peter sounds like a little boy excitedly reporting news to his favorite teacher, which in fact was exactly what was happening. Jesus told them to believe in God, to pray and to forgive each other so that God would be able to forgive them in kind. Does this sound like an angry God? Not to me. And if you go back and read that whole chapter slowly and in context, I promise a fuller picture emerges—as always happens when you sit down with the Jesus of the Gospels. He is desperate to talk to us. Angry? No. Passionate? Yes! There is love and deep compassion in his every word. Or, perhaps this is a form of anger most good parents can relate to...? As with all emotions, in and of themselves they are not bad or good. It is how they are used by us, against us, to what degree, when, where and how which determines their positive or negative connotations.
Yes, there will be justice along with mercy; that is in fact true mercy. Those who deliberately, with full knowledge, choose to turn their backs on God will get their heart’s desire.
I wanted to be moved by this famous sermon. Well, I suppose I was, just not in the way I’d hoped. God is a God of Love and Love is the most powerful force in the universe, more powerful than anger by far. Perhaps where Love is weak, we humans build up other things to fill the gap. I don’t know.
The thing I am most sad about, however, is that Edwards didn’t persuade me. We have no shortage of sin and I know it must cause Our Lord a great deal of anguish because he loves us all so very much. Sadly, Edwards is 100% right about the eternal suffering of those who are bent on refusing and denying God. They will surely get what they have asked for.
An excellent rendering of this classic sermon may be heard on Sermon Audio. However, I suspect the reader, David Bruce Sonner, presents a much more matter-of-fact version of this hellfire and brimstone text than that which was first given by Edwards on that July day in 1741.
October 24, 2024
WOW!!! Such a powerful sermon/book!
It makes me think of Paul Washer, only it kinda makes Paul Washer feel like a little kitten compared to this big lion.
Very compelling, very eye opening, certainly makes you think, and certainly makes you want to spread the Gospel.
It makes me think of Paul Washer, only it kinda makes Paul Washer feel like a little kitten compared to this big lion.
Very compelling, very eye opening, certainly makes you think, and certainly makes you want to spread the Gospel.
September 10, 2017
1 star
I just reread this piece for an American literature class and I greatly disliked it more than I originally did. Again, it's good for discussion, but the rhetoric is angry, cruel, and hypocritical. I'm not impressed and this is a work that doesn't get better when you come back to it, but worse.
Original Review:
2 stars
This sermon is really uncomfortable to read. I couldn't even imagine how horrible sitting there and having Edwards talk down to his congregation must have been. It's a good literary piece to analyze, but besides that it's... uncomfortable. Nobody wants to be told that their lives amount to the life of a bug dangling over a pit as God plays spider. It's just horrible, but a good analytic piece. Besides that I never want to read this again.
I just reread this piece for an American literature class and I greatly disliked it more than I originally did. Again, it's good for discussion, but the rhetoric is angry, cruel, and hypocritical. I'm not impressed and this is a work that doesn't get better when you come back to it, but worse.
Original Review:
2 stars
This sermon is really uncomfortable to read. I couldn't even imagine how horrible sitting there and having Edwards talk down to his congregation must have been. It's a good literary piece to analyze, but besides that it's... uncomfortable. Nobody wants to be told that their lives amount to the life of a bug dangling over a pit as God plays spider. It's just horrible, but a good analytic piece. Besides that I never want to read this again.
February 14, 2017
A masterpiece of ultimate dickery.
November 7, 2017
Fire and Brimstone
4 November 2017
This is probably one of the more famous sermons that has been written, or more precisely delivered. In fact if somebody were to ask me to name some famous sermons this would probably be the only one that I could list. Sure, there have been a number of sermons published over the years, particularly those delivered in the pre-20th century days, however for some reason when it comes to famous sermons this is really the only one that comes to mind. Mind you, as far as sermons go, they are generally delivered on a Sunday and then promptly forgotten, though one thing that a lot of pastors do is that they build up a collection of their sermons and every so often trot them out when they suffer writers block (one of my pastors would deliver the exact same sermon every Christmas day).
This is one of those sermons, if taken out of context, can have the effect of really angering people – how dare he focus on God's wrath and completely ignore his mercy. In many cases it can simply be put down as one of those 'fire and brimstone' sermons that do more to scare people into Christianity than to remind people that God is actually a merciful God and that due to the self sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our sins have been forgotten and we are viewed as if we were perfect. Well, that may be the case, but there is a background to this sermon that we must remember when we are reading it.
One of the biggest problems that the church faces is the nature of middle class society. If we are middle class, living in relative luxury, and have never been in trouble with the law, then there is this automatic assumption that we are good. This is the attitude that Edwards was confronting in his day. What he is saying in this sermon is that no, we aren't good. In fact we are rotten to the core, and it is only through God's mercy that we have any chance of salvation. This isn't something that we have earned, or more so, we are entitled so, this is something that we have been given through God's grace.
Edwards uses the analogy of the spider's web numerous times in the sermon. God's mercy is the barrier that prevents us from being cast into the fires of hell. In fact, without God's mercy, we might as well be lying on a spider's web because the threads are so fine, and so weak, that our weight will no doubt cause them to break, plunging us into eternal damnation. Salvation isn't something that we have earned, or something that we are entitled to, but rather a gift from God that we don't deserve.
The middle class entitlement is something that is still prevalent today, particularly in the church. Many of us in the middle class, especially those of us who have never been in trouble, quickly forget that we are just as bad as many of the people that we consider low lifes. We look at the street criminals and say 'at least I am not like them', yet it is these people that fully welcome God's mercy when they learn of it. In fact it has been suggested that some of the most faithful Christians are those that have fallen foul of society, only to discover that God's grace is so all encompassing that even they can claim salvation.
4 November 2017
This is probably one of the more famous sermons that has been written, or more precisely delivered. In fact if somebody were to ask me to name some famous sermons this would probably be the only one that I could list. Sure, there have been a number of sermons published over the years, particularly those delivered in the pre-20th century days, however for some reason when it comes to famous sermons this is really the only one that comes to mind. Mind you, as far as sermons go, they are generally delivered on a Sunday and then promptly forgotten, though one thing that a lot of pastors do is that they build up a collection of their sermons and every so often trot them out when they suffer writers block (one of my pastors would deliver the exact same sermon every Christmas day).
This is one of those sermons, if taken out of context, can have the effect of really angering people – how dare he focus on God's wrath and completely ignore his mercy. In many cases it can simply be put down as one of those 'fire and brimstone' sermons that do more to scare people into Christianity than to remind people that God is actually a merciful God and that due to the self sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our sins have been forgotten and we are viewed as if we were perfect. Well, that may be the case, but there is a background to this sermon that we must remember when we are reading it.
One of the biggest problems that the church faces is the nature of middle class society. If we are middle class, living in relative luxury, and have never been in trouble with the law, then there is this automatic assumption that we are good. This is the attitude that Edwards was confronting in his day. What he is saying in this sermon is that no, we aren't good. In fact we are rotten to the core, and it is only through God's mercy that we have any chance of salvation. This isn't something that we have earned, or more so, we are entitled so, this is something that we have been given through God's grace.
Edwards uses the analogy of the spider's web numerous times in the sermon. God's mercy is the barrier that prevents us from being cast into the fires of hell. In fact, without God's mercy, we might as well be lying on a spider's web because the threads are so fine, and so weak, that our weight will no doubt cause them to break, plunging us into eternal damnation. Salvation isn't something that we have earned, or something that we are entitled to, but rather a gift from God that we don't deserve.
The middle class entitlement is something that is still prevalent today, particularly in the church. Many of us in the middle class, especially those of us who have never been in trouble, quickly forget that we are just as bad as many of the people that we consider low lifes. We look at the street criminals and say 'at least I am not like them', yet it is these people that fully welcome God's mercy when they learn of it. In fact it has been suggested that some of the most faithful Christians are those that have fallen foul of society, only to discover that God's grace is so all encompassing that even they can claim salvation.
December 28, 2022
I recommend this book to all. I shall give a full review at a later date.
September 30, 2011
The greatest sermon that I have ever read. I only wish that I could have been there to have heard it in person.
August 8, 2017
Read for English 11
This "sermon" (which is more like the ramblings of a mentally disturbed person) has one of the most disgusting and venomous messages I have ever come across.
In this inane screed, Edwards essentially tells his audience that God hates and is disgusted by humans. That we are "abominable", "miserable creatures", "wicked" and "hateful" (and yes, all actual quotations).
I honestly feel sorry for this man that he had such a poisonous view of himself and his fellow humans! I truly pity those who view humanity with such disdain and self loathing. That kind of attitude isn't healthy at all and it's flat out wrong too. Humanity has evil in it, true, but there is also much goodness contained within it.
But there's more! after Edwards finishes scolding his audience for being human beings, he tells them that "Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open" and that's the only reason they aren't currently burning in hell. So...correct me if I'm wrong, but he's basically saying "you're disgusting and wicked and you should be grateful for god's mercy in not immediately destroying you". if that's your idea of mercy, you're seriously fucked up. A merciful god wouldn't have created hell. A merciful god wouldn't punish humans for acting the WAY HE MADE THEM.
There is nothing benevolent or merciful about the kind of god that these type of Christians worship. The god Edwards describes is tyrannical and abusive and so is his religion. Fuck this. I'm so sick of this type of Christianity, where humanity is seen as inherently evil and people are forced to repent for EXISTING. Fucking what?! Their only crime is being human! How are you so messed up that you see your own species with such disdain??
Tl;dr version- this piece of shit is morally reprehensible and no amount of poetic language can disguise that. in the words of Clarence Darrow: Nothing but a distorted or diseased mind could have produced his "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". Nothing but the puritanical, cruel generation in which he lived could have tolerated it.
This "sermon" (which is more like the ramblings of a mentally disturbed person) has one of the most disgusting and venomous messages I have ever come across.
In this inane screed, Edwards essentially tells his audience that God hates and is disgusted by humans. That we are "abominable", "miserable creatures", "wicked" and "hateful" (and yes, all actual quotations).
I honestly feel sorry for this man that he had such a poisonous view of himself and his fellow humans! I truly pity those who view humanity with such disdain and self loathing. That kind of attitude isn't healthy at all and it's flat out wrong too. Humanity has evil in it, true, but there is also much goodness contained within it.
But there's more! after Edwards finishes scolding his audience for being human beings, he tells them that "Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open" and that's the only reason they aren't currently burning in hell. So...correct me if I'm wrong, but he's basically saying "you're disgusting and wicked and you should be grateful for god's mercy in not immediately destroying you". if that's your idea of mercy, you're seriously fucked up. A merciful god wouldn't have created hell. A merciful god wouldn't punish humans for acting the WAY HE MADE THEM.
There is nothing benevolent or merciful about the kind of god that these type of Christians worship. The god Edwards describes is tyrannical and abusive and so is his religion. Fuck this. I'm so sick of this type of Christianity, where humanity is seen as inherently evil and people are forced to repent for EXISTING. Fucking what?! Their only crime is being human! How are you so messed up that you see your own species with such disdain??
Tl;dr version- this piece of shit is morally reprehensible and no amount of poetic language can disguise that. in the words of Clarence Darrow: Nothing but a distorted or diseased mind could have produced his "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". Nothing but the puritanical, cruel generation in which he lived could have tolerated it.
April 12, 2011
This is a little pocketbook sermon Edwards preached in Enfield, Massachusetts in 1741. From the back cover: “With this marvelous sermon, Jonathan Edwards changed history and helped spark a spiritual awakening … Historians recognize Edwards as one of the most brilliant men of all times.”
The torments of hell are vividly described, but according to the book, “Throughout the sermon Edwards demonstrates the utmost compassion for the lost.” See if you can locate the compassion in this quotation from the sermon:
The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked; his wrath toward you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire.
I’m speechless. What can I say? My generic rating of three stars reflects an utter refusal to grade the sermon.
One minister on the platform pulled on Jonathan’s coat and cried, “Mr. Edwards! Is not God merciful?” Yet the results were remarkable. People cried aloud and grasped the back of the pews lest the ground open up and swallow them alive into hell. Others fainted, wept uncontrollably or quivered like a leaf in the wind.
Gimme that old time religion.
(The text of the sermon may be read here: http://www.biblebb.com/files/edwards/... )
The torments of hell are vividly described, but according to the book, “Throughout the sermon Edwards demonstrates the utmost compassion for the lost.” See if you can locate the compassion in this quotation from the sermon:
The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked; his wrath toward you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire.
I’m speechless. What can I say? My generic rating of three stars reflects an utter refusal to grade the sermon.
One minister on the platform pulled on Jonathan’s coat and cried, “Mr. Edwards! Is not God merciful?” Yet the results were remarkable. People cried aloud and grasped the back of the pews lest the ground open up and swallow them alive into hell. Others fainted, wept uncontrollably or quivered like a leaf in the wind.
Gimme that old time religion.
(The text of the sermon may be read here: http://www.biblebb.com/files/edwards/... )
October 9, 2015
The human capacity for masochism astounds me sometimes- especially when I can relate to it myself.
October 30, 2017
I absolutely love the fire this book presented.
December 4, 2022
Logic put in the service of a lunatic — doth produce such screeds. Sick people.
October 22, 2009
A very powerful and moving sermon given by Edwards. That said, it is perhaps a bit overdone to accomplish his noble affect of "scaring the hell out of people."
It is clear that Christianity today sadly finds the "wrath of God" as politically incorrect, Edwards view is perhaps not entirely accurate either in terms of how he portrays God. Yes, God is angry and wrathful toward sinners, but He is at the same time compassionate and merciful to them. Edwards does address this point, but fails to make the emphasis clear enough. It seems clear that people who develop a disdain for an arbitrarily ticked off deity come from sermons like this. It is also woefully incorrect to imply that God is a wrathful deity in the OT, but is now a humble pacified God in Jesus. God is the same in the OT and the NT. There is ample proof of God's mercy, love, wrath, and anger in both testaments.
Our emphasis should be on preaching reconciliation and relationship with God through Christ. We must inform people of the whole truth, including God's wrath and the realties of hell, but our emphasis should rest on restoration of our broken relationship with God due to sin. It is sin that God is wrathful against, not humanity. It is only when humans choose to stick with sin and reject God that His wrath is rightfully meted out on man.
It is clear that Christianity today sadly finds the "wrath of God" as politically incorrect, Edwards view is perhaps not entirely accurate either in terms of how he portrays God. Yes, God is angry and wrathful toward sinners, but He is at the same time compassionate and merciful to them. Edwards does address this point, but fails to make the emphasis clear enough. It seems clear that people who develop a disdain for an arbitrarily ticked off deity come from sermons like this. It is also woefully incorrect to imply that God is a wrathful deity in the OT, but is now a humble pacified God in Jesus. God is the same in the OT and the NT. There is ample proof of God's mercy, love, wrath, and anger in both testaments.
Our emphasis should be on preaching reconciliation and relationship with God through Christ. We must inform people of the whole truth, including God's wrath and the realties of hell, but our emphasis should rest on restoration of our broken relationship with God due to sin. It is sin that God is wrathful against, not humanity. It is only when humans choose to stick with sin and reject God that His wrath is rightfully meted out on man.
March 27, 2022
This book will make you want to crawl into a ball because of the depth of your sin that Jonathan edwards so clearly illustrates. I needed this sermon. And I suspect many other believers need to be face to face with the reality of their sin, and the eternal consequences that come with it.
Hand this to a friend who is apathetic to their sinful lifestyles or isn’t convicted of their sin. The world needs this sermon.
Hand this to a friend who is apathetic to their sinful lifestyles or isn’t convicted of their sin. The world needs this sermon.
August 1, 2021
It is absolutely brutal out here
August 16, 2024
powerful, forceful, and quickening. this is perhaps the best thing written on the wrath of God, the urgency to repent, and what is really at stake in the gospel. this sermon once changed my christian walk, to where i still clearly recall the images of the spider's thread, or God's sword dangling over us. iykyk. but this sermon is not just fire and brimstone. rightly understood, it will increase your view of God's holiness, righteousness, and especially His grace. it will make you savor and cherish the cross like no other writing that is so succinct. insane bang for buck. highly recommended reading. praying that God would make this more real to me with each passing day.
"If it were not for God's mercy, the earth would not be able to bear you for even a moment; you are a burden to it. The creation groans under your corruption, and the sun, the earth, the air, none of them willingly serve you in your pursuit of sin and Satan. The sun does not willingly give you light, the earth does not willingly yield its bounty to satisfy your desire, and the air does not willingly provide you with breath to sustain your life while you serve God's enemies."
"The bow of God's wrath is drawn, and the arrow is ready to be released. Justice has the arrow aimed at your heart, and is ready to fire. It is only God's will, and that of an angry God, that is preventing the arrow from piercing you."
"The God who holds you over the pit of hell, much as one would hold a spider or some loathsome insect over a fire, abhors you and is dreadfully provoked. His wrath towards you burns like fire; he sees you as worth of nothing else but to be cast into the fire. He is too pure to bear having you in his sight. You are infinitely more abominable in His eyes than the most hateful, venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended Him more than any stubborn rebel has ever offended their prince. It is only His hand that holds you back from falling in the fire every moment."
"When He looks at your desperate situation and sees how your soul is crushed and overwhelmed He will have no compassion. He will not lessen His punishment and nothing will be withheld, even if it is too hard for you to bear."
"If you cry out for mercy, He won't show you any kindness or compassion. Instead, He will trample you under His feet, even though He knows you can't bear the weight of His omnipotence. He will crush you mercilessly, and your blood will be splattered on His clothes, staining all His garments. He will not only hate you, but He will have you in utter contempt, treating you as nothing more than dirt beneath His feet."
"When you look ahead, you will see an endless forever, an infinite span of time before you, which will overwhelm your thoughts and astound your soul; and you will have no hope of ever being freed, of ever having any respite, any relief at all; you will know for certain that you must endure countless ages, millions upon millions of ages, while struggling and battling with this almighty, merciless vengeance; and then when you have done so, when so many ages have passed, you will realize that it is only a drop in the ocean compared to what remains."
"If it were not for God's mercy, the earth would not be able to bear you for even a moment; you are a burden to it. The creation groans under your corruption, and the sun, the earth, the air, none of them willingly serve you in your pursuit of sin and Satan. The sun does not willingly give you light, the earth does not willingly yield its bounty to satisfy your desire, and the air does not willingly provide you with breath to sustain your life while you serve God's enemies."
"The bow of God's wrath is drawn, and the arrow is ready to be released. Justice has the arrow aimed at your heart, and is ready to fire. It is only God's will, and that of an angry God, that is preventing the arrow from piercing you."
"The God who holds you over the pit of hell, much as one would hold a spider or some loathsome insect over a fire, abhors you and is dreadfully provoked. His wrath towards you burns like fire; he sees you as worth of nothing else but to be cast into the fire. He is too pure to bear having you in his sight. You are infinitely more abominable in His eyes than the most hateful, venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended Him more than any stubborn rebel has ever offended their prince. It is only His hand that holds you back from falling in the fire every moment."
"When He looks at your desperate situation and sees how your soul is crushed and overwhelmed He will have no compassion. He will not lessen His punishment and nothing will be withheld, even if it is too hard for you to bear."
"If you cry out for mercy, He won't show you any kindness or compassion. Instead, He will trample you under His feet, even though He knows you can't bear the weight of His omnipotence. He will crush you mercilessly, and your blood will be splattered on His clothes, staining all His garments. He will not only hate you, but He will have you in utter contempt, treating you as nothing more than dirt beneath His feet."
"When you look ahead, you will see an endless forever, an infinite span of time before you, which will overwhelm your thoughts and astound your soul; and you will have no hope of ever being freed, of ever having any respite, any relief at all; you will know for certain that you must endure countless ages, millions upon millions of ages, while struggling and battling with this almighty, merciless vengeance; and then when you have done so, when so many ages have passed, you will realize that it is only a drop in the ocean compared to what remains."
February 21, 2024
"O sinner, consider the fearful danger you are in! [...] Here you are in the land of the living, blessed with Bibles and sabbaths, and ministers, and have an opportunity to obtain Salvation. What would not those poor damned, hopeless souls give for one day’s opportunity such as you now enjoy? And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands calling, and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners..." - Jonathan Edwards
March 10, 2024
Romans 2:4-5
Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
February 4, 2021
I have two things to say: First, reading this book, for class, I gained an appreciation for the unique perspective of the puritans. Second, there is a reason they had to sail here to start a new life, to build their christian kingdom: they were crazy! So crazy, Europe kicked them out. Of course Jonathan Edwards was born well after those first settlers, but he is famous for revitalizing their crazy ideals—The Great Awakening.
Just read this and see for yourself:
"If you cry to God to pity you, he will be so far from pitying you in your doleful case, or showing you the least regard or favor, that instead of that he’ll only tread you under foot: and though he will know that you can’t bear the weight of omnipotence treading upon you, yet he won’t regard that, but he will crush you under his feet without mercy; he’ll crush out your blood, and make it fly, and it shall be sprinkled on his garments, so as to stain all his raiment. He will not only hate you, but he will have you in the utmost contempt; no place shall be thought fit for you, but under his feet, to be trodden down as the mire of the streets."
Does that sound like a loving God to you?
This was the most popular sermon for two hundred years, and the original fire & brimstone style preaching that continues to this day in backwater evangelical America. I know, I was once entangled in it. I spent years thinking everyday, with every mistake, I was suddenly going to be punished by God. I lived in fear. It took a long time to detach myself from all that.
I appreciated reading this in the context of early America. However, I could not help but grow angrier and angrier every time I turned the page. I was thrown back into an ineffable fear.
This is not who God was, and this is not who God is!
Happy Reading
www.w-alexander.com
Just read this and see for yourself:
"If you cry to God to pity you, he will be so far from pitying you in your doleful case, or showing you the least regard or favor, that instead of that he’ll only tread you under foot: and though he will know that you can’t bear the weight of omnipotence treading upon you, yet he won’t regard that, but he will crush you under his feet without mercy; he’ll crush out your blood, and make it fly, and it shall be sprinkled on his garments, so as to stain all his raiment. He will not only hate you, but he will have you in the utmost contempt; no place shall be thought fit for you, but under his feet, to be trodden down as the mire of the streets."
Does that sound like a loving God to you?
This was the most popular sermon for two hundred years, and the original fire & brimstone style preaching that continues to this day in backwater evangelical America. I know, I was once entangled in it. I spent years thinking everyday, with every mistake, I was suddenly going to be punished by God. I lived in fear. It took a long time to detach myself from all that.
I appreciated reading this in the context of early America. However, I could not help but grow angrier and angrier every time I turned the page. I was thrown back into an ineffable fear.
This is not who God was, and this is not who God is!
Happy Reading
www.w-alexander.com
January 8, 2016
This is, by far, the most revolting thing I have ever read. How can its adherents not view the lost in the same manner that they believe God views them? He frequently mentions the arbitrariness of God. What?! This book is of the devil, if anything is. It presumes that God desires worship that is motivated by threats. What a sad world we live in. Once again, Christians play a large part in its savagery.
God loves our loved once far more than we could. Christ died for them, after all. He died for his enemies to make friends of them. God is so much better than the Church's portrait of him and far less self-centered than they. Christians are special to God, but no more than are his prodigal children- for whom he is ever waiting.
God loves our loved once far more than we could. Christ died for them, after all. He died for his enemies to make friends of them. God is so much better than the Church's portrait of him and far less self-centered than they. Christians are special to God, but no more than are his prodigal children- for whom he is ever waiting.
June 16, 2022
Fire and smoke, Hell and brimstone preaching at its finest--convicting and frightening. What centuries of Baptist, Pentecostal and Presbyterian ministers have tried to mimic but end up with congregations of cowed sinners rather than repentant saints. When all is said and done, this is a fascinating piece of oration.
December 24, 2022
Was inspired to read this sermon from Jonathan Edwards because it is the title of a chapter from the “Holiness of God”. It is heavily referenced throughout the chapter, so I decided to read it for myself. I was reminded that the wrath of God is just as prevalent as the gentleness of God. It is compassionate to make unbelievers aware of the fate of their sin.
February 6, 2018
Greatest sermon in American history. But because of the vivid imagery, it has give people the false assumption that Edwards was hard and just talked about Hell & destruction. Read his other works, including his sermon Christ’s Agony”.
September 1, 2014
I'm not a Calvinist so that kind of explains my rating as to be honest.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 419 reviews