Claudine Caluza

Mrs. Storer

English 3H Block 5

8/29/2019

God’s Plan

Faith will always maintain a role in the play of life. Anne Bradstreet in “Upon the

Burning of Our House” explores God’s positive impact on her, while Jonathan Edwards’ sermon

“from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” portrays God as one to be feared. Bradstreet and

Edwards perceive God as one who punishes to teach a lesson, but Bradstreet presents Him as one

who punishes so that people can focus on Heaven, while Edwards recognizes Him as one who

punishes because of his wrath onto humanity.

Both strongly imply that one who is under God’s discipline is meant to be taught a

lesson. For instance, while Anne Bradstreet mourns over the loss of her house, she reminds

herself, “It was His own, it was not mine, Far be it that I should repine” (Bradstreet Line #17-

18). She mentions to the reader that she should not mope just because her possessions are gone

since it really belonged to the Lord. Bradstreet perceives God’s punishment to teach a lesson

because she herself learns that even though it may be her “house” she learns to repent and

recognize that it is not, and really is in God’s possession. When Jonathan Edwards speaks about

humanity's relationship with God, he tells the reader, “ There is nothing between you and hell but

the air; it is only the power and mere pleasure of God holding you up” (Edwards 97). Edwards
identifies to the reader that everyone is sentenced to hell, and it is only God’s will that prevents

one from receiving eternal punishment. God’s punishment, ultimately, is Hell, but because He

has the power to avert us from that fate, the lesson taught to the sinner that they must obey God.

Ironically, Bradstreet complying with God and His will is what Bradstreet interprets as God’s

way to get a being to understand the graces of heaven.

Throughout Bradstreet's suffering, after her house is aflame, she still believed and looked

up at God. After grieving the loss of her house, she says, “And to my God my heart did cry To

strengthen me in my distress” (Bradstreet Lines 8-9). Bradstreet prays for strength from God

during this time of hardship. Even though her house was lost, including all of her possessions,

she still looks up to God and learns that she should not be worried about her Earthly possessions,

for that in Heaven it will be reimbursed. The house burning down was God’s “punishment”, but

it taught her to remain resilient in times of struggle in order to focus on what truly lies ahead,

which is Heaven. At the end of the poem when she fully accepts her living space being ablaze,

she states, “The world no longer let me love, My hope and treasure lies above” (Bradstreet Lines

53-54). She comes to a decision that what she thought was genuinely essential for her life on

Earth was false, and what she needed was up in Heaven with God. Since her house burned down,

she becomes aware that what she needs to focus on is what she is going to receive in Heaven

with God. Rather than focusing on Heaven, Jonathan Edwards believes that God’s intended

punishments are meant to pull one closer to Hell.

Jonathan Edwards’ views of God almost completely contradict Anne Bradstreet's,

claiming that God punishes us because of his wrath towards humanity. In the middle of his

sermon, after attacking the reader with “you” statements, he recites, “The bow of God’s wrath is

bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart…”
(Edwards 98). It is up to people as sinners to receive the same amount of justice they deserve

while committing sins. Edwards recognizes that God’s undeniable wrath onto humanity,

however, implies that He is the one providing one justice by having the choice to send one to

Hell as a punishment. At the very end of Edwards sermon, when telling the reader about Christ’s

mercy, he says, “The wrath of Almighty God is undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this

congregation: Let everyone fly out of Sodom! Haste and escape for your lives, look not behind

you, escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed.” (Edwards 99) Edwards claims that everyone

is guilty of sin, and only the most sinless can reach salvation, while sinners are doomed to be

consumed by God’s wrath. Only a few can really “escape” God’s wrath and the decision to

punish humanity. Edwards perspective of God and his understanding of why God punishes

contrast Anne Bradstreet's views.

In the end, with all of Bradstreet and Edwards differences, they still share many identical

prospects of God and what He decides to do with humanity, whether it be to benefit humanity to

send them looking forward to Heaven according to Bradstreet or have them afraid of God’s

wrath, according to Edwards. In society, there are many disagreements that people must face, but

instead of looking at the differences, they should focus on what views are the same, they can live

a more positive and healthier life.