Jonathan Edwards

What was the reaction to Jonathan Edwards’s sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"?

I chose to answer this question because after reading "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" all I could think about is how did people react. Reading this frightened me, and I couldn’t even imagine being there while he preached. So, I can’t help but wonder if the people were just as frightened as I was? Did everyone automatically react to his sermon?

Jonathan Edwards was unlike most Puritan preachers because he used the “fire and brimstone” approach to confront his congregations. He literally tried to scare the devil out of the congregation and make them feel pathetic. Scaring everyone wasn’t Edwards’s main goal. He wanted to let people know that they desperately needed God (http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200201/200201_104_johnathan.cfm). In my opinion, we could use some Jonathan Edwards’s in the world today. Even though Edwards preached many sermons "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" became the most famous one.

 In this sermon he reminded the people of the power of God and His capacity for doing away with sinners (http://www.articlemyriad.com/puritan-ideology-sinners-hands-angry-god/). This sermon is widely known because it made the audience want to change their sinful ways by using compelling and fearful imagery (http://edwards.yale.edu/education/one-day). Edwards preached this sermon because he believed fire of God was falling everywhere. He first preached the sermon at his home church and got no reaction from them. Then Edwards went to preach at the neighboring town of Enfield, Connecticut where he felt led to use the sermon again. Nothing in Edwards’ style or presentation could account for what happened that day at Enfield. The only account of what happened is from diary entries of people that were there. One eyewitness, Stephen Williams, wrote in his diary "We went over to Enfield where we met dear Mr. Edwards of Northampton who preached a most awakening sermon from these words, Deuteronomy 32:35, and before the sermon was done there was a great moaning and crying went out through the whole house…. ‘What shall I do to be saved,’ ‘Oh, I am going to Hell,’ ‘Oh, what shall I do for Christ,’ and so forth. So yet ye minister was obliged to desist, ye shrieks and cries were piercing and amazing.” (http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200201/200201_104_johnathan.cfm) Edwards couldn’t even get through the whole sermon before the people at Enfield went crazy. They reacted by thinking they were going to hell. Also they couldn’t wait to change and do everything they could for Christ. Williams continued, "After some time of waiting the congregation were still, so yet a prayer was made by Mr. W. and after that we descended from the pulpit and discoursed with the people, some in one place and some in another, and amazing and astonishing ye power of God was seen, and several souls were hopefully wrought upon that night, and oh ye cheerfulness and pleasantness of their countenances." Williams is saying that the power of God was seen in the town. Even after the sermon people were getting saved and right with God. I found that it is estimated that 10 percent of New England was converted during time of The Great Awakening. It seems Jonathan Edwards was one of the reasons for that (http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200201/200201_104_johnathan.cfm).