According to
Edwards, those who are spared the
wrath of God are the converted. Edwards describes these people
as
the holy and happy children of the King of
kings.
They are the fortunate individuals who
have
accepted Christ as lord and, therefore, have received
salvation.
Edwards's
sermon is aimed squarely at the
unconverted, whom he names five times. The unconverted man,
Edwards says,
rightfully belongs in hell and walks over the rotted boards of the pit of
hell,
liable at any moment to fall into its flaming fires. He hopes to show
the unconverted the
immense danger they are in, with the lake of brimstone
very close. He says to these
people,
There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of
the wrath of God;
there is hell's wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon,
nor anything between you and hell but the air.
He
also
informs the unconverted that they will be tortured in front of the holy
angels of heaven and in
front of Jesus, the lamb of God, so that the might
and wrath of God might be on full display.
Edwards also tells the unconverted
that they are the children of the devil and that God is angry
with them day
and night.
The converted need to fear none of this, as they
are
protected and beloved by God. The choice that Edwards offers his
listeners is stark, with
absolutely no middle ground: either you are in the
good graces of God through accepting Christ,
or you are on the brink of
never-ending punishment, torture, and suffering.
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