Jonathan Edwards' Sermon on Hell and Repentance

The only thing between you and Hell

Air and the power and pleasure of God

What has made you 'heavy as lead'

Your wickedness

Comparison of 'righteousness' if falling into Hell

A spider web trying to stop a falling rock

Image explaining the 'wrath of God'

Great waters dammed for the present, conveying that more buildup leads to harsher punishment

Description of the 'bow of God's wrath'

Bent, arrow on the string, justice bending the arrow at your heart

God's perception of us according to Edwards

As His mere pleasure that keeps us from everlasting destruction, contrasting common perceptions

God's view of us over the fires of Hell

Worthy of nothing else

Reason for Edwards' strong encouragement to convert and repent

To avoid magnified terribleness of God and ineffable torments' strength

Edwards' purpose in the sermon

To induce repentance and conversion to Puritanism through fear, effective in the 18th century but less so today