L1: Evidence bow of God's wrath diction: anger, wrath, hell "it is nothing but his mere pleasure that keeps you from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction" "it would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity" "unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering" "a day wherein Christ has flung the door of mercy wide open" "hearts filled with love to him that has loved them and washed them from their sins in his own blood" L2: Association L3: Rhetorical Purposes Blended Sentences anger Edwards intends to scare people into stop sinning by illustrating the anger in God acting as a bow and arrow ready to execute sinners when they offend him with their deepest wrongdoings. deep loathing By expressing deep loathing within God towards people opposing His will utilizing diction like anger, wrath, and hell, Edwards effectively delivers his purpose of frightening people into stop sinning. God's ultimate control Edwards declares, "It is nothing but [God's] mere pleasure that keeps [people] from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction," to explain God's ultimate control over every single person's life, which further intimidates anyone who sins. scares the listeners of his sermon into stop sinning eternal suffering Edwards intends to scare people into stop sinning by using the idea of damnation as described that "it would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity." wrath of God By revealing the wrath of God towards unconverted people walking on Earth ignoring His existence like they are just "[walking] over the pit of hell on a rotten covering," Edwards successfully conveys his purpose of frightening people into stop sinning. mercy Edwards states, "A day wherein Christ has flung the door of mercy wide open," to illustrate an image of a merciful God who is always ready to forgive sinners, which further gives the listeners hope. generosity By arguing that sinners’ "hearts [are] filled with love to [God] that has loved them and washed them from their sins in his own blood,” Edwards proves how generous God is despite all different types of sins to provide hope of being in Heaven in the afterlife to his listeners. gives the listeners of his sermon hope that they can be saved if they resolve their relationship with God "rejoicing in hope of the glory of God" God's glory gives the listeners of his sermon hope that they can be saved if they resolve their relationship with God Edwards reassures people that there is still hope for them if they obey God’s words by emphasizing His glory in asking sinners to “[rejoice] in hope of the glory of God.” "let everyone that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the wrath to come" welcoming Edwards displays an extremely welcoming God to anyone by encouraging unconverted people to “awake and fly from the wrath to come,” giving even people out of Christ hope of eternal joy. "lest you be consumed" commitment Edwards urges his listeners, “Lest you be consumed,” implying the weight of their commitment to God, which further assures sinners that their relationship with Him can be fixed to prevent damnation.
