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

2. In the Doctrine section of his sermon, when Edwards says "as the heart is now a sink of sin, so, if sin was not restrained," (408), this is an example of which literary technique?

3. According to Edwards, what key difference exists between God and earthly authorities?

4. Which of the following is a key point that Edwards makes as he argues the seventh point in the Doctrine section of the sermon?

5. 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?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the end of the Doctrine section of his sermon, what criticism does Edwards make of religious authorities who do not believe what he believes?

2. 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?

3. 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).

4. 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)?

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

6. 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.

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

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

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

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 poem by Phillis Wheatley (her work is widely available online.) Explain how the poem exemplifies the ideas of the Great Awakening.

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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