Tuesday, August 6, 2013

What are some transition words in "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"?

Because Jonathan Edwards gave this sermon orally, he used many types of speech techniques to assure his audience followed his logic. Simple transition words (like coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) help him transition from his thesis that God is a wrathful God to what will or will not happen to the sinners if they do not change their ways, such as in this example:

Yea God is a great deal more angry with great Numbers that are now on Earth, yea doubtless with many that are now in this Congregation, that it may be are at Ease and Quiet, than he is with many of those that are now in the Flames of Hell.
So that it is not because God is unmindful of their Wickedness, and don’t resent it, that he don’t let loose his Hand and cut them off.

The simple transition word "So" (which teachers often tell students they cannot use at the beginning of a sentence) leads Edwards's audience from his discussion of how angry God is with them to an explanation of why nothing detrimental has occurred; it's not because God does not see the sinners, it's because He has chosen not to act upon the sin at this point.
Subordinating conjunctions are also used throughout the sermon. These types of conjunctions (like "therefore," "however," "nevertheless," etc.) create a link between ideas and often indicate a cause-and-effect relationship, like this example from the end of the sermon:

Therefore let every one that is out of Christ, now awake and fly from the Wrath to come.

This sentence introduces the final paragraph and gives the audience the answer to his dire predictions that without change, God's wrath will rain down on the people.

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