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Edwards was unable to convince many in his congregation to repent of their sin and trust
in the only deliverance from eternal condemnation.
That Edwards preached on hell and used extremely graphic imagery to do so
seems undeniable. That he did so prior to "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"
indicates that the more famous "Sinners" was not an anomaly. Jonathan Edwards
preached on a wide variety of theological themes and topics, including hell. Thus,
although he was not solely a "hell fire" revivalist, he did use hell to attempt to motivate
his audience to repentance. And this practice seems to be a result of his theological
convictions and his pastoral compassion. Edwards believed that hell is real and that the
punishment awaiting those without faith is eternal, conscious torment. His preaching,
therefore, was designed to warn them of their eternal destiny and to encourage sinners to
receive God's gracious salvation.
In this sermon, he does not devote much attention to the description of God's
salvation provided through faith in Christ. This seems likely because he knows his
audience has heard the message of hope repeatedly. This sermon is designed to get them
to recognize that they are sinners and therefore will be fearfully surprised when the wrath
of God is poured out on them, unless they repent. Until then, they will remain, tragically,
sinners in Zion.