Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (Edwards)
Short Summary
Massachusetts, 1741. A sermon delivered to a congregation warned of the imminent danger facing unconverted souls. The preacher explained that sinners were constantly at risk of falling into hell, held back only by divine mercy.
The sermon emphasized that nothing prevented immediate damnation except God's arbitrary will. Natural means of preservation, such as health or wisdom, offered no protection against divine judgment.
The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire.
The preacher described hell's torments in vivid detail, explaining that the punishment would be eternal and unbearable. He warned that many in the congregation might be in hell before the next morning. The sermon concluded with an urgent call to salvation, particularly addressing the elderly, middle-aged, young people, and children who remained unconverted during this time of spiritual awakening.
The final appeal warned that this might be their last opportunity for salvation, as God's spirit was being poured out abundantly, and those who rejected this chance might be forever lost.
Detailed Summary by Sections
Section titles are editorial additions.
The Natural State of Man Under Divine Judgment
Edwards began his sermon with the biblical text from Deuteronomy 32:35, 'Their foot shall slide in due time.' He explained that this verse threatened God's vengeance upon the unbelieving Israelites who remained void of counsel despite God's wonderful works toward them. The expression implied that they were always exposed to destruction, like one standing in slippery places, and that this destruction would come suddenly and unexpectedly.
Edwards emphasized that sinners were liable to fall by themselves, without being thrown down by another's hand. The only reason they had not fallen already was that God's appointed time had not yet come. When that time arrived, they would be left to fall by their own weight, like someone standing on slippery ground near a pit's edge.
Your wickedness makes you as heavy as lead... if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf.
The Power of Divine Wrath
Edwards declared that there was no want of power in God to cast wicked men into hell at any moment. No earthly strength could resist Him, nor could any deliver from His hands. He compared human defenses against God's power to light chaff before a whirlwind.
There is no fortress that is any defence from the power of God... They are as great heaps of light chaff before the whirlwind; or large quantities of dry stubble before devouring flames.
He explained that sinners were already under a sentence of condemnation to hell. The sentence of God's law stood against them, binding them over to eternal punishment. Every unconverted person properly belonged to hell - that was their place, assigned by justice and God's word.
The Present Danger of Damnation
Edwards warned that sinners were already the objects of the same anger and wrath expressed in hell's torments. God's wrath burned against them, and the pit was prepared with flames ready to receive them. The devil stood ready to seize them as his own at whatever moment God would permit.
The devil stands ready to fall upon them, and seize them as his own... like greedy hungry lions that see their prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back.
He described how hellish principles reigned in the souls of wicked men, which would kindle into hell fire if not for God's restraints. These corrupt principles were powerful and violent in nature, comparable to the troubled sea. If God withdrew His restraining power, these principles would immediately turn the soul into a fiery furnace.
The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present... the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is let loose.
The Urgency of Salvation
Edwards emphasized that no earthly precautions could secure sinners from hell for even a moment. Neither health, care, nor prudence could prevent sudden destruction. He noted that many people deluded themselves about their chances of escaping damnation.
Almost every natural man that hears of hell, flatters himself that he shall escape it... but each one imagines that he lays out matters better for his own escape than others have done.
He declared that God had made no promises to keep any natural man out of hell. The only promises of preservation from eternal death were contained in the covenant of grace through Christ. Those who had no interest in the Mediator had no shelter from God's wrath.
The Application to the Congregation
Edwards applied these truths directly to his congregation, warning that they hung by a slender thread over the flames of hell, with nothing but the air between them and eternal fire. God's wrath was like a bent bow with an arrow aimed at their hearts, held back only by God's pleasure.
The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart... and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God that keeps the arrow one moment from being drunk with your blood.
He described the fierceness of God's wrath, which would be manifested in the extreme sufferings of the damned. When God executed His vengeance, the whole universe would be called to behold His awful majesty and mighty power. The punishment would be eternal, with no end, mitigation, or rest throughout endless ages.
Edwards concluded by addressing different groups in his congregation. He spoke to the elderly who had lived long without being born again, to young men and women who were neglecting their salvation while others of their age were converting, and to little children who were still unconverted. He warned that this time of God's patience was likely to be short, and that many who were present might remember his words in hell.
He emphasized that this was an extraordinary opportunity, as Christ had thrown open the door of mercy wide. Many were flocking to salvation, coming from all directions, and those who were recently in misery were now rejoicing in hope. He urged his listeners not to be left behind at such a day, warning that their hearts would harden if they neglected their souls now. Edwards concluded that this was likely a decisive moment - those who obtained salvation would likely be brought in now, while the rest would be blinded, making this sermon either a means of salvation or an occasion for deeper condemnation.
The sermon ended with a final warning that God's patience would not endure forever. Like the axe laid at the root of the trees in John the Baptist's time, every tree that did not bear good fruit would soon be hewn down and cast into the fire. Those who remained unconverted, despite their religious observances and moral reforms, remained in the hands of an angry God, preserved only by His unobligated pleasure from immediate destruction.