The majority of Edwards's sermon has a vexed, or perhaps troubled, tone as the Puritan minister preaches at length about God's displeasure with sinners. Edwards uses words such as "destruction" and phrases such as "cast into hell" to describe the condition of those who are out of favor with God. Edwards also uses imagery to emphasize the horrors that await those who will not be saved; they are "as great heaps of light chaff before...
The majority of Edwards's sermon has a vexed, or perhaps troubled, tone as the Puritan minister preaches at length about God's displeasure with sinners. Edwards uses words such as "destruction" and phrases such as "cast into hell" to describe the condition of those who are out of favor with God. Edwards also uses imagery to emphasize the horrors that await those who will not be saved; they are "as great heaps of light chaff before the whirlwind" and will be cast into hell where "the furnace is now hot, ready to receive them."
Late in the sermon Edwards modifies his tone to urge people who desire salvation to change their ways. He speaks of an "extraordinary opportunity" on a day "wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open," waiting to receive them and wash away their sin. Edwards describes those who "are now in a happy state, with their hearts filled with love to him who has loved them" in profound contrast to how he berates his listeners for the majority of the sermon. Perhaps, then, the congregation who heard the sermon found this part of his message something that they could relate to; there was still time for them to do something to help themselves avoid damnation.
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