Sinners in T h e Hands
of A n Angrj) God A Sermon Preached in 1741. It is said the Hearers Groaned 'withConviction and Hundreds Cried toGod for Mercy. Over 500 were converted that night.
B Y R E V . J O N A T H A N E D W A R D S T he Famous Revivalist. Died 1758
he shall stand or fall the next: and when he does fall, he falls at once, without warning, which is also ex pressed in that Psalm 73:18, 19. “Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction: how are they brought into desolation as in a moment.” 3. Another thing implied is, that they are liable to fall of themselves, without being thrown down by the hand of another; as he that stands or walks on slippery ground needs nothing but his own weight to throw him down. 4. That the reason why they are not fallen already, and do not fall now, is only that God’s appointed time is not come. For it is said that when that due time, or appointed time comes, their feet shall slide. Then they shall be left to fall, as they are inclined by their own weight. God will not hold them up in these slippery places any longer, but will let them go; and then, at that very instant, they shall fall into destruction; as he that stands in such •slippery declining ground on the edge of a pit that he cannot stand alone, when he is let go he immediately falls and is lost. The observation -from the words that I would now insist upon is this: There is nothing that keeps wicked men at at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God. By the mere pleasure of God, I mean
Their foot shall slide in due time.—- Deut. 32:35. In this verse is threatened the vengeance of God on the wicked unbe lieving Israelites, that were God’s vis ible people, and lived under means of grace; and that notwithstanding all God’s wonderful works that he had wrought towards that people, yet re mained, as is expressed in verse 28, void of counsel, having no understand ing in them; and that, under all the cultivations of heaven, brought forth bitter and poisonous fruit, as in the two verses next preceding the text. The expression that I have chosen for my text, their foot shall slide in due time, seems to imply the following things relating to the punishment and destruc tion that these wicked Israelites were exposed to. 1. That they were always exposed to destruction; as one that stands or walks in slippery places is always exposed to fall. This is implied in the manner of their destruction’s coming upon them, being represented by their foot’s slid ing. The same is expressed, Psalm 73:18, “Surely thou didst set them in slippery, places; thou castedst them down into destruction.” 2. It implies that they were always exposed to sudden, unexpected destruc tion. As he that, walks in slippery places is every moment liable to fall, he cannot foresee one moment whether
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