The Puritan man must tread lightly and avoid sins in order to enter the good graces of God. Otherwise, the undeserving man will plunge by God’s own hand into the pits of hell. Mercy is not easy to come by and those sinners who are not embraced by the kingdom of Heaven will live in eternal, painful misery. Jonathan Edwards’ sermon was obviously not intended to encourage his congregation, but to frighten them into …showed first 75 words of 777 total…

…showed last 75 words of 777 total…black, horrific, figurative language. The terrified people had no desire to anger the new, angry God that Edwards spoke of, and so they bent to their pastor’s will, hoping to keep themselves in the safety of God’s hand, just above Hellfire. However, Edwards still chose to end his sermon on a negative, lasting note, reminding his audience, “the wrath of Almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this congregation.”