Who was Jonathan Edwards's audience?

"" was a sermon delivered in 1741
by , a theologian of the Congregationalist Protestant sect. The sermon was initially delivered
in Massachusetts and then, more famously, in Enfield, Connecticut.

The text
of "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is considered by scholars as a historic
literary work that showed the early beginnings of the First Great Awakening, or Evangelical
Revival. It also offers a glimpse into colonial America's Puritanical foundations.

The title of the sermon itself indicates the type of audience it was intended for:
sinners. Edwards warned the colonists of eternal damnation if they continued to commit sinful
acts. At the time the sermon was given, the people of the Thirteen Colonies were still attuned
to Puritan traditions, but the fast economic progress of the colonies provided more
opportunities for the citizens to commit sins.

Jonathan Edwards saw instances
of these sinful acts and believed the sermon would be an effective way to proliferate his
Protestant philosophy. The sermon addressed his own congregation directlyparticularly in
Massachusettsbut it was also intended for the general public.