How do you think that most people in Edwards's audience responded to his "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" speech?

Edwards
wanted his sermon to have a powerful effect; not just on his immediate audience, his
congregation, but on everyone throughout the American colonies. He wanted his words to enter
into the hearts and minds of all who heard and read them, changing their lives completely, and
for the better.

The immediate response of Edwards' audience was one of fear
and great emotional torment. Edwards' words were so lurid and descriptive, his oratorical skills
so powerful and overwhelming, that many in the audience fainted at what seemed like the very
real prospect of being confined to the raging flames of Hell for all eternity. Those who didn't
pass out and managed to stay the course for the duration of Edwards' sermon will doubtless have
resolved to change their ways there and then. They will have taken to heart Edwards' compelling
message that society was becoming increasingly lax in its adherence to the tenets of Christian
morality, and urgently needed to repent of its sins.