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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. The expression "The arrows of death fly unseen at noonday" (408), which Edwards uses in the Doctrine section of his sermon, could properly be called an example of which literary technique?

2. In the Doctrine section of his sermon, what does Edwards say is a typical way for sinners to think?

3. In the Doctrine section of his sermon, Edwards calls God's laws "immutable" (407). What is he saying is true of God's laws?

4. In the Doctrine section of his sermon, Edwards makes reference to the "manifold" experience of the world. What kind of experience is this?

5. In the Doctrine section of his sermon, what does Edwards say the Bible recommends be done with the tree with poisoned fruit?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to the Doctrine section of Edwards' sermon, what is God's attitude toward the sinners who are not yet in hell?

2. Why, in the Doctrine section of his sermon, does Edwards say that sinners should not be comforted by the fact that there is no "visible means of death at hand" (408)?

3. According to the Doctrine section of Edwards' sermon, what different promises has God made to the converted and the unconverted?

4. When, in the Doctrine section of his speech, Edwards says that "The Scripture represents them as his 'goods'" (407), to whom does he refer when he says "them" and "his," and what point is he making about these people?

5. Explain what Edwards is saying, in the Doctrine section of the sermon, about the nature of the souls of sinners when he says "There are in the souls of wicked men those hellish principles reigning, that would presently kindle and flame out into hell fire, if it were not for God's restraints" (408).

6. In the Doctrine section of his sermon, what does Edwards mean when he says that the "mere pleasure of God" (406) is all that keeps sinners out of hell?

7. Explain why, in the Doctrine section of his sermon, Edwards says that God is not like an earthly prince.

8. What reasons does Edwards give, in the Doctrine section of his sermon, for divine justice not stopping God from casting sinners into hell?

9. When, in the Doctrine section of his sermon, Edwards says of sinners that "The glittering sword is whet, and held over them, and the pit hath opened her mouth under them," (407), what does he mean, and what analogy found elsewhere in the sermon is he making reference to?

10. Why does Edwards say, in the Doctrine section of the sermon, that those who think that they are protecting themselves from hell are fooling themselves?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain how Edwards uses images to create fear in his listener.

Essay Topic 2

Choose a passage from "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" that makes use of parallel structure. Explain what makes the structure parallel and defend a claim about the rhetorical purpose of this parallelism.

Essay Topic 3

The theology of Edwards' sermon relies on both the idea of free will and the idea of divine providence. After some brief research, make and defend a claim about whether these two ideas are compatible.

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