On July 8, 1741, in a small town in the British colony of Connecticut, Jonathan Edwards began speaking. The assembled congregation was a pious enough group which nonetheless had resisted the passionate arguments being made throughout the colonies in support of a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
In tones that were forceful but not oratorial, he began to tell them exactly what their flaw was and how it would cost them.
Their foot shall slide in due time. Deuteronomy 32:35
Their foot shall slide in due time. Deuteronomy 32:35
Starting from this prosaic biblical quote, he considers what it means to slide, to fall. Perhaps the person starts walking, has no trouble, sees no danger, while every second there is the possibility of disaster. From here he built to an indictment of the congregation's hopes and an explication of their fears.
The best they might believe of themselves was nothing in God's eyes. The worst they might think of their potential punishment, was a shred of what they truly faced. His scrutiny could not be avoided, there was no safety, there was no hope - except for those who accepted Jesus as their Savior. By the end, people were asking "What must I do to be saved?"
It was called Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God, and it was not a sermon like those that had come before. In the Great Awakening, it was not unusual to have vast crowds following preachers who were speaking of the dangers of hell and the importance of a true conversion in Christ. The religious experience, they said, didn't have to be like the Anglican church brought from England or the Catholic rituals before that or even the focused but unimpassioned Puritans who had founded some of the colonies in this New World. It could be an exuberant brand of religion that went beyond going to church, doing the rituals, and going home after - even if you prayed frequently around constant reminders of your faith. Far from those old and ossifying traditions, this could be the start of a completely independent belief, one that was certain to prevail.
The best they might believe of themselves was nothing in God's eyes. The worst they might think of their potential punishment, was a shred of what they truly faced. His scrutiny could not be avoided, there was no safety, there was no hope - except for those who accepted Jesus as their Savior. By the end, people were asking "What must I do to be saved?"
It was called Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God, and it was not a sermon like those that had come before. In the Great Awakening, it was not unusual to have vast crowds following preachers who were speaking of the dangers of hell and the importance of a true conversion in Christ. The religious experience, they said, didn't have to be like the Anglican church brought from England or the Catholic rituals before that or even the focused but unimpassioned Puritans who had founded some of the colonies in this New World. It could be an exuberant brand of religion that went beyond going to church, doing the rituals, and going home after - even if you prayed frequently around constant reminders of your faith. Far from those old and ossifying traditions, this could be the start of a completely independent belief, one that was certain to prevail.
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