Many Puritans, or Separatists, from England came to the Americas because they wanted religious freedom and the ability to express their views freely. Two important figures of the 16th and 17th century are William Bradford who wrote Of Plymouth Plantation and Jonathan Edwards who wrote Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Bradford’s piece is a Separatist’s interpretation of the Reformation in England and the early years of the newly founded Plymouth colony. Edward’s piece touches upon the topic of the seriousness of sin in his Puritan congregation. One common theme among the pieces, Of Plymouth Plantation and the Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, is that Puritan faith, beliefs, attitudes, and values is based on charity and hard work involving …show more content…
He uses fear and guilt to compel his audience to turn to God. In this sermon, Edwards condemns people to hell in hopes that this will straighten them out. His Puritanism is the driving force of his message. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is a sermon spoken by Edwards to a Puritan congregation to convince the listeners of the seriousness of sin and instruct them to seek salvation from the punishment they expect they will receive from their just God. Throughout the text, Jonathan tells his listeners that once you sin you are prone to sin again, ultimately creating a bad habit for yourself. For instance, Edwards wrote, “Their Foot shall slide in due Time…” (Edwards 156). In this quote, Edwards states that sin is like a slippery slope where destruction is inevitable once committed. The only thing that can stop the destruction of one are God’s loving hands. Edwards also teaches that everyone must repent for their sins. Puritans believe in the concept of predestination that God chose each human being from birth for salvation or for condemnation. Also in this sermon, Edwards indicates that God is extending mercy by calling out to the sinners. Edwards mentions that God is giving them an opportunity to accept Jesus' sacrifice and start a new life of obedience to Christ. For example, Edwards wrote, “The observation from the words that I would …show more content…
Because of stirring events he has witnessed and the shaping of his faith, he had a narrow minded view. Similar to Edwards, Bradford believed that a man’s salvation and worldly success is in the hands of God only. However, unlike Edwards, Bradford believes that God is moral and almighty. He believes that the passage to the New World was God’s way of saying that the Puritans were doing the right thing and that others should follow in their footsteps. Dissimilarly to Edwards, the main purpose of Bradford's narrative was to persuade those who remained in England to come to America. He described in detail the benefits of religious freedom. He believes that all answers could be found in the Bible. For example, an editor wrote, “He had witnessed stirring events that he had helped to shape, but he was himself shaped by a faith that gave him a narrow, partisan view. He was tolerant in all things but religion. He saw the Separatists as God’s elect. He believes that Quakers, the ‘darkest of popery,’ and Indians were all instruments of the Antichrist” (McMichael 46). Unlike the Quaker, Catholic, and Indian religions, he believes that Puritanism recovers the original idea of the church like Christ’s Apostles practiced in the Book of Acts. Bradford believes Catholicism adds to the history of the church, which according to the Puritans would lead them away from the light of divine