EARLY AMERICAN LITERATURE MAGAZINE Early American Literature Magazine exam | Page 13

LITERARY SAMPLE
SINNERS IN THE HANDS OF AN ANGRY GOD
by the
Rev. Jonathan Edwards
A Sermon Preached at Enfield, July 8th, 1741
At a Time of Great Awakenings, and Attended with Remarkable Impressions on many of
the Hearers.
Their foot shall slide in due time.—Deut. 32:35.
In this verse is threatened the vengeance of God on the wicked unbelieving Israelites,
who were God’s visible people, and who lived under the means of grace; but who,
notwithstanding all God’s wonderful works towards them, remained (as Deut. 32:28.)
void of counsel, having no understanding in them. Under all the cultivations of heaven,
they brought forth bitter and poisonous fruit; as in the two verses next preceding the
text.—The expression I have chosen for my text, their foot shall slide in due time, seems
to imply the following things, relating to the punishment and destruction to which these
wicked Israelites were exposed.
1. That they were always exposed to destruction; as one that stands or walks in slippery
places is always exposed to fall. This is implied in the manner of their destruction coming
upon them, being represented by their foot sliding. The same is expressed, “Surely thou
didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction. (Psalm
73:18)”
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