Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God, by
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
You may also want to Read Jonathan Edwards great book:
Religious Affections
Here are some excerpts from the above sermon (preached in 1741):
"It
would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God
for one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no
end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you
shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you which will
swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your souls, and you will absolutely
despair of ever having any deliverances, any end, any mitigation, any
rest at all; and you will know certainly that you must wear out long
ages, millions and millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with
this Almighty merciless vengence; and then when you have so done, when
many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know
that it is all but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will
indeed be infinite."
"...Natural
men are held in the hand of God over the pit of hell; they have
deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is
dreadfully provoked: his anger is as great towards them as those that
are actually suffering the execution of the fierceness of his wrath in
hell... "
"The
devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather
and flash about them, and swallow them up; the fire pent up in their own
hearts is struggling to break out; and they have no interest in any
Mediator... "
"The
use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons to a
conviction of their danger. This that you have heard is the case of
every one out of Christ. That world of misery, that lake of burning
brimstone, is extended abroad under you..."
"the
sun does not willingly shine upon you, to give you light and to serve
sin and Satan; the earth does not willingly yield her increase, to
satisfy your lusts; nor is it willingly a stage for your wickedness to
be acted upon; the air does not willingly serve you for breath to
maintain the flame of life in your vitals, while you spend your life in
the service of God's enemies..."
"There
are black clouds of God's wrath now hanging directly over your heads,
full of the dreadful storm, and big with thunder, and were it not for
the restraining hand of God they would immediately burst forth upon
you."
"The
bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string; and
justice directs the bow to your heart, and strains at the bow; and it
is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God,
without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one
moment from being drunk with your blood..."
"...all
you that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from
the dead in sin, to a state of new, are in the hands of an angry
God..."
"However unconvinced you may now be of the truth of what you hear, by and by you will be fully convinced of it..."
"There
is no other reason to be given, while you have been hearing this
address, but his mercy; yea, no other reason can be given why you do not
this very moment drop down into hell. O sinner, consider the fearful
danger you are in!"
"You
hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing
about it and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder; and
you have no interest in a mediator..."
"How
awful are those words of the great God, I will tread them in mine
anger, and will trample them in my fury: and their blood shall be
sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiments"- Isaiah
63:3
Now
God stands ready to pity you, this is the day of mercy; you may now cry
with some encouragement of obtaining mercy. But when once the day of
mercy is past, your most lamentable and dolorous cries and shrieks will
be in vain..."
"Some
may be in hell in a very short time, before this year is out. And it
would be no wonder if some hearers, who are now in health, and quiet and
secure, may be there before tomorrow morning..."
"There
case is past all hope, They are crying in extreme misery and perfect
despair; but here you are in the land of the living, blessed with Bibles
and Sabbaths, and ministers, and have an opportunity to obtain
salvation. What would not those poor damned souls give for one days
opportunity such as you now enjoy?"
"And
now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherin Christ has
thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands calling and crying with a
load voice to poor sinners."
