Puritan society in the New World was a radical combination of hard work and no play. The desire to reach salvation through physical and mental reform led the Puritan colonists to focus on the eradication of sin within their colony. As stated in 1 Peter 5:8, “the devil… walketh about, seeking whom to devour.”. This mentality of always being wary of sin led the Puritans to always be sober and vigilant, under threat of satanical intervention. Because of the focus on purity, society began to police itself through norm and taboo. Those who wanted to stay in good grace with the church did not stray from the rules set by the Puritan ministry, for fear that they would be exiled by the community as well. Puritans also envisioned themselves as God’s “ambassadors” to the New World. This is emphasized by the third text which describes the “city upon a hill”. Puritans believed that if they strayed from the desires of the church, they would disgrace the name of God, and by proxy, the name of their neighbor. They believed that “they are charged with saving the world from itself” (text #4). This “divine importance” motivated the strict guidelines set by the church and as a result pressured the Puritans to refrain from sin.

 

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

 

Read about Jonathan Edwards, then begin reading the sermon...

 

Page 1...

 

What does the preface tell us about the author's purpose and audience?

 

 

Page 2...What mood is suggested by the diction of the title?

 

What are the SOAPS for the text?

 

What is the subject?

 

Who was the immediate audience? Who are the secondary audiences?

 

Who is the speaker?

 

What is the occasion?

 

What is Carmel (an allusion)?

 

Where was this printed?

 

What was it near?

 

Where was it sold?

 

What was one of the background texts for this sermon?  Where would we find that?

Homework...Read and annotate to the top of page 5 (rhetorical elements, strategies, appeals, audience, purpose, main points,  structure of arguments and textual support he draws upon)