Jonathan Edwards Exemplifies American Culture in "Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God"
In his 18th century sermon, "Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God," the puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards make it clear that mere humans enjoy a brief corporeal existence only by virtue of a loving God who benevolently tolerates them. For instance, Edwards states, "There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God." In this context, American culture in the late 18th century can be regarded as being the result of the cumulative effects of Puritanism on the consciousness of the people who were trying to carve out a meaningful existence in the wilderness. One of the more interesting points made by Edwards, though, is just how fleeting this divine allowance is and how it can be revoked at any time if God so wills it. In this regard, Edwards adds that, "By the mere pleasure of God, I mean his sovereign pleasure, his arbitrary will, restrained by no obligation, hindered by no manner of difficulty, any more than if nothing else but God's mere will had in the least degree, or in any respect whatsoever, any hand in the preservation of wicked men one moment."
Inherent in this observation is the potential for punishment to be carried out if and when God deems it necessary, but the fact that Americans continue to persevere two centuries later suggests that the Almighty has a soft spot in his heart for people who heroically struggle to overcome the numerous adversities and challenges that are routinely thrust into their lives. More to the point, Edwards also makes it clear that it is only by the grace of God that wicked humans are allowed to live in this world at all. In support of these assertions, Edwards elaborates several key points concerning the Israelites as follows:
1. That they were always exposed to Destruction, as one that stands or walks...
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Works Cited Baumgarten, Linda. (2002). What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America: The Colonial Williamsburg Collection. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Bilhartz, Terry D., and Elliott, Alan C. (2007). Currents in American History: A Brief History of the United States, Volume 1. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. Crunden, Robert Morse. (1996). A Brief History of American Culture. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. Fisher, John Hurt. (2001). "British and American, Continuity and Divergence"
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