Jonathan Edwards was a major agitator of the Great Awakening, the rebirth of Protestant faith in North America in the middle of the 18th century. His sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", was delivered before a congregation of Protestants, as well as unconverted persons. The timeliness of Edwards's sermon was impeccable: It was delivered when the fear of hell was predominant in the minds of Christians. Edwards acknowledged this vulnerability, which is why he chose to play the 'hell' card and focus his sermon on the threat of eternal damnation.
             Early in his sermon, Edwards establishes that God is supreme, and that the actions of men are nothing compared to God's will. "If God should let you go...all your righteousness would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider's web would have to stop a fallen rock,"he said. In essence, the audience is given a terrifying image of a sovereign God who will not forgive those who have sinned, but will cast those sinners down into the pits of hell without regret. The theme of God's supreme will seemed to emanate throughout the sermon, as did the theme of God's anger.
             The way in which Edwards described God's anger might have confused a member of the audience as to the difference between God and Satan. Edwards's sermon could be considered the mascot for all the bad parts of the Bible. "The Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire," he says, employing such vivid descriptions to send the congregation an image of the ferocity of God's wrath. His images of God's anger and supremeness along with unbalanced biblical quotation made his central assertion seem valid.
             Edwards's central assertion is his philosophy that no mortal can control his or her own judgement. He proclaims that confessions and good deeds will not guard the sinner from the fires of hell. He al...