Jonathan Edwards Figurative Language

Words: 583
Pages: 3

Throughout his 6 hour sermon to the people of his congregation, Jonathan Edwards emphazises the important role that god plays in everybody's life. In order to grasp the attention of his listener's, Edwards uses several figerative language devices to emphazise the consequences that come with god's wrath. When reading the sermon, the reader can quickly see the vast amounts of similies, personifications, and imagery that Edwards repeatedly uses to describe his message. The main goal of this sermon was to make his congergation acknowledge that if one does not obey god, it will only lead to a path of regret and sorrow.

Jonathan Edwrads knew that at the time in which he lived, many people did not care as much for god anymore. In order to reassure his congregation that god was still mighty and more powerful than ever, he incorperated a similie to emphazise his point. In the first paragraph of his sermon, Edwards mentions, "the wrath of god is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher....". As mentioned by Edwards, god was growing stronger
…show more content…
When explaining this , Edwards does not hold back on details becuase he is trying to emphazise his point. In the second paragraph Edwards gives a glimpse of what is in wait for those who do not listen when he mentions, "there is hell's wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor anything to take hold of; there is nothing between you and hell but the air". By using thi personification, Edwards shows his listners that with the disobediance to god, it will lead to nothing more but hell. As the congregation hears what their future might hold, it scares many of them and pushes them to worship god to an extent in which their future will be rewarding rather than