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Sinners in The Hands of An Angry God
Sinners in The Hands of An Angry God
Sinners in The Hands of An Angry God
Literary Skills
Understand
figures of
speech.
Reading
Skills
Identify an
authors
purpose.
Most writers have a purpose for putting words to paper. Some writers want
to create a whole imaginative world of their own. Some want to share
information. Some want to convey a message to their readers. Others hope
to tap into readers feelings or reason and persuade them to accept a way
of thinking or to take some particular action. Jonathan Edwardss vivid,
intense sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God was written with a
clear purpose_to make the experience of hell so real and frightening that
people in his audience would change their lives.
Review Skills
Understand
figurative
language and
imagery.
22
Part 1
REVIEW SKILLS
from
Jonathan Edwards
So that, thus it is that natural men1 are held in the hand of God,
over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are
already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked, His
anger is as great toward them as to those that are actually suffering the executions of the fierceness of His wrath in hell, and they
lay hold on them, and swallow them up; the fire pent up in their
The use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons in this congregation. This that you have heard is
the case of every one of you that are out of Christ. That world
20
under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the
wrath of God; there is hells wide gaping mouth open; and you
1.
2.
3.
4.
23
constitution
(knst tn) n.:
physical condition.
stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is
let loose. It is true, that judgment against your evil works has
not been executed hitherto; the floods of Gods vengeance have
been withheld; but your guilt in the meantime is constantly
24
Part 1
increasing, and you are every day treasuring up more wrath; the
waters are constantly rising, and waxing more and more mighty;
and there is nothing but the mere pleasure of God that holds the
waters back, that are unwilling to be stopped, and press hard to
healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best
inconceivable
(inkn sv bl) adj.:
unimaginable; beyond
understanding.
omnipotent (m nip tnt)
adj.: all-powerful.
all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk
with your blood. Thus all you that never passed under a great
change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon
your souls; all you that were never born again, and made new
creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new,
and before altogether unexperienced light and life, are in the
hands of an angry God. However you may have reformed your
life in many things, and may have had religious affections,7 and
Copyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
they were saying, peace and safety: Now they see, that those
things on which they depended for peace and safety, were nothing but thin air and empty shadows.
25
The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one
90
100
was suffered to awake again in this world, after you closed your
eyes to sleep. And there is no other reason to be given, why you
have not dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but
abominable
( bm n bl) adj.:
hateful; disgusting.
that Gods hand has held you up. There is no other reason to be
given why you have not gone to hell, since you have sat here in
great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire
of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose
wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against
many of the damned in hell. You hang by a slender thread, with
the flames of divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every
moment to singe it, and burn it asunder;9 and you have no
26
Part 1
Authors Purpose
To scare his congregation into obeying the word of God
Passage 1
Passage 2
Passage 3
27
Word Box
provoked
(1)
appease
(2)
constitution
contrivance
inconceivable
omnipotent
fears of his audience. Instead, he wanted them to believe that Gods anger
was (4)
abhors
the
abominable
induce
28
Part 1
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
omnipresent
arguable
attendance
converge
breakable
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
come together
able to be argued
state of being present at (an event)
able to be broken
everywhere; present at all times
ascribed
22
Part 1
Review Skills
Understand
figurative
language and
imagery.
Reading
Skills
Identify an
authors
purpose.
Literary Skills
Understand
figures of
speech.
IMAGERY
Language that appeals
to the senses.
FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE
Language used in a
nonliteral way, usually
involving imaginative
comparisons such as
similes and metaphors.
REVIEW SKILLS
Most writers have a purpose for putting words to paper. Some writers want
to create a whole imaginative world of their own. Some want to share
information. Some want to convey a message to their readers. Others hope
to tap into readers feelings or reason and persuade them to accept a way
of thinking or to take some particular action. Jonathan Edwardss vivid,
intense sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God was written with a
clear purpose_to make the experience of hell so real and frightening that
people in his audience would change their lives.
Writers use figures of speech to help us see the world in new, imaginative
ways. A figure of speech compares one thing to another, very different,
thing. In Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Jonathan Edwards uses
figures of speech to make his readers experience the horrors he is describing. In one memorable example, he describes wickedness as being heavy
as lead. By using this figure of speech, a simile, Edwards compares the idea
of wickedness to an everyday material his audience is familiar with. The
figure of speech helps them feel the dead weight of wickedness.
20
10
23
1.
2.
3.
4.
wrath of God; there is hells wide gaping mouth open; and you
under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the
the case of every one of you that are out of Christ. That world
lay hold on them, and swallow them up; the fire pent up in their
them, the flames gather and flash about them, and would fain3
up one moment: The devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for
ing the executions of the fierceness of His wrath in hell, and they
over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are
So that, thus it is that natural men1 are held in the hand of God,
Jonathan Edwards
from
Collection 1
13
14
30
24
Part 1
50
and there is nothing but the mere pleasure of God that holds the
waters are constantly rising, and waxing more and more mighty;
increasing, and you are every day treasuring up more wrath; the
let loose. It is true, that judgment against your evil works has
stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is
the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and
The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for
influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spiders
healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best
swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your
and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and
constitution
(knst tn) n.:
physical condition.
a falling rock.
hand, they would avail no more to keep you from falling, than
own life, and the means you use for your own preservation. But
Your wickedness is as
40
into hell.
80
70
60
wont be saved.
He believes they
25
He compares Gods
inconceivable
(inkn sv bl) adj.:
unimaginable; beyond
understanding.
things on which they depended for peace and safety, were noth-
they were saying, peace and safety: Now they see, that those
upon most of them; when they expected nothing of it, and while
you, see that it was so with them; for destruction came suddenly
Those that are gone from being in the like circumstances with
life in many things, and may have had religious affections,7 and
your souls; all you that were never born again, and made new
with your blood. Thus all you that never passed under a great
all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk
strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God,
on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart, and
The bow of Gods wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready
times greater than it is, yea, ten thousand times greater than
Collection 1
26
Part 1
110
100
The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one
your own, nothing that you ever have done, nothing that you
the flames of divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every
of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose
great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire
given why you have not gone to hell, since you have sat here in
that Gods hand has held you up. There is no other reason to be
have not dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but
was suffered to awake again in this world, after you closed your
nothing else, that you did not go to hell the last night; that you
did his prince; and yet it is nothing but His hand that holds you
His sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in His
cast into the fire; He is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in
abominable
( bm n bl) adj.:
hateful; disgusting.
and to a serpent.
to a spider or insect
He compares them
90
There is nothing between you and hell but the air. . . . (lines 25=26)
Passage 3
Passage 2
The devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them. . . . (lines 8=9)
Passage 1
Authors Purpose
To scare his congregation into obeying the word of God
27
Collection 1
15
16
provoked
28
Part 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
omnipresent
arguable
attendance
converge
breakable
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
e
_____
b
_____
c
_____
a
_____
d
_____
come together
able to be argued
state of being present at (an event)
able to be broken
everywhere; present at all times
abominable
was (4)
DIRECTIONS: Using the information in the box, match each numbered word
with its definition. Write the letters on the blanks.
Vocabulary
Skills
Use vocabulary
in context.
Understand
prefixes and
suffixes.
the
fears of his audience. Instead, he wanted them to believe that Gods anger
appease
induce
ascribed
abominable
abhors
omnipotent
inconceivable
contrivance
induce
omnipotent
(2)
appease
constitution
(1)
provoked
Word Box
DIRECTIONS: Write vocabulary words from the Word Box on the correct blanks to complete the paragraph. Not all words will be used.
VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
What I Learned
29
Reading
Skills
Make inferences
about an
authors beliefs.
Literary Skills
Understand the
characteristics of
autobiography.
In some pieces of literature, the writer may directly state a personal belief;
for example, I never believed communism was the answer. Sometimes,
however, writers only hint at their beliefs, leaving us to infer, or make an
educated guess, about what they are. In this autobiography, Olaudah
Equiano does both: He directly states some of his beliefs and hints at others.
Subject of Autobiography
Interesting Lives
Think for a moment about autobiographies youve read.
Write the author or subject of the autobiography in the left-hand column of
the chart below. Then, in the right-hand column, provide one or two details
you learned about each person.
by Olaudah Equiano
Collection 1
Name
Class
Selection:
Date
Author:
Figures of Speech
A figure of speech is a word or phrase that describes one thing in terms of another and
that is not meant to be taken literally.
DIRECTIONS: The chart below describes the most common figures of speech. Fill in the
chart with examples from the selection. (Not all selections will include all types of figures
of speech.)
Figure of Speech
200
Graphic Organizers