"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is a sermon that was given by Puritan minister Jonathan Edwards. In this sermon, Edwards uses the fear that God at any time can punish the wicked to keep his people under control. This was a practice used by the puritans to make the people live correctly under the laws of the Bible and of the church. This essay will point out examples of this in his sermon.
             Edwards begins by using a simple Bible verse from Deuteronomy, Chapter 32, Verse 35. It says, "Their foot shall slide in due time." He uses this short and simple verse to explain to his congregation that at any time, God could decide that it was their appointed time to leave this world. Edwards concludes that this verse is referring to the punishment and destruction that the Israelites were exposed to. He thinks that because the Israelites were exposed to so much destruction they would fall, just like a person walking across a slippery floor is always in danger of falling. He then says that no one is able to predict whether he will stand or fall, and he uses Psalm 73:18-19: "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them into destruction. How are they brought into desolation as in a moment." Up till now, the Israelites have managed not to fall because God has always been there to give them a hand, and has kept them from falling. Edwards surmises that one day at God's appointed time, he will no longer help them and they will be allowed to fall. He ends his sermon with the thought that, "There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God."
             Edwards wants his people to always be wary that at any time God can take away their lives and that they should always be ready for this. He paints God as a cruel ruler who enjoys playing with the life of his people. I think that he does this so that the people will fear and respect God. If a person is always trying to live right bec...