Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God Analysis

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The values of the seventeenth century and the eighteenth century varied greatly as new opportunities and an expansion in spectrum were arising. People in the New England area were challenging their ideas and shifting their perspectives. While some of the underlying ideas were kept, other ideas became more valuable. Instead of basing the overall idea of life on the eternal realm, people began shifting their regards to the temporal world. Two examples of this shift from the Puritan period to the Enlightenment period are Jonathon Edward’s, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, and Benjamin Franklin’s, The Way to Wealth. Edwards was a minister whose strong opinions correlated closely with Puritan beliefs which cost him his position. The severity…show more content…
He compared humans to insects, grasshoppers, and “worms of the dust,” (437). He also consistently compared God’s wrath to a furnace and to fire, holding humans over the pit of hell as though they were nothing. However, Edwards partially explained that those who turned to God would find mercy within Him and would have happiness due to a new found hope. For example, Edwards said, “And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to Him, and pressing into the kingdom of God,” (440). The sense of happiness was described, “…that you are now in a happy state, with their hearts filled with love to Him who has loved them,” (440). Edward’s tone shifts significantly during that brief passage about how turning to God would substantially change humans’ lives. He goes from explaining hellfire and God’s wrath to explaining God’s mercy and love for those who repent of their sins and ask for mercy. He was very adamant that the overall idea was that those who refused to repent would surely be cast into the pit of hell and that the only way to heaven was through repenting to Jesus Christ. Benjamin Franklin had a different take on life. He viewed life as something that should be approached with high values and people should strive for success during their…show more content…
As he explained the virtues of a wealthy man, Franklin also explained, “Your credit had authority, at his pleasure to deprive you of your liberty, by confining you in goal for life, or to sell you for a servant, if you should not be able to pay him,” (462). His passage could convey a slightly relevant idea to that of the devout Puritans in that by not following the way that God had for humanity, He will have further control over the outcome of their choices. Another way to consider the idea there are consequences for
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