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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. What is Edwards' eighth argument for the truth of his statement of doctrine?

2. Edwards' claim, the the Doctrine section of his sermon, that "Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering" (408), is what type of argument?

3. In the Doctrine section, what Biblical story does the "serpent" allude to?

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

5. In the Doctrine section of his sermon, Edwards calls corruption "immoderate" (408). What is he claiming about corruption?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

3. 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)?

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

5. 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?

6. 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).

7. 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?

8. In the Doctrine section of his sermon, Edwards compares God's power to the power of a human to crush a worm. Explain the meaning and significance of this analogy.

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain how Edwards uses metaphor to make abstract ideas more concrete for his listener.

Essay Topic 2

Within the syllogistic logic of his sermon, Edwards also uses other types of argument. One of these is argument by analogy. What this means is that Edwards claims that the situation of the sinner is like another situation, and therefore what happens in the second situation will also happen to the sinner. Find an argument by analogy in this sermon, and write an essay in which you both explain and critique Edwards' analogy.

Essay Topic 3

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is both a model of logic and a model of horror. How does the constraint of horror inside the boundaries of a logical argument actually increase, rather than decrease, the sense of danger? Write an essay in which you use the analogy of a horror story or horror movie to explain how Edwards' restraint makes the danger seem more real and more terrifying than it would in a less controlled, less carefully organized context.

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