What does Edwards think of the congregation before him?

Why does Edwards believe that some of his congregation do not fear Hell?

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BRIDGETT SUMNER, M.A. eNotes educator | CERTIFIED EDUCATOR

Edwards delivered his famous sermon during a revival movement intended to reinvigorate church attendance and bring more converts into the faith. He recognized that people were drifting away from church and relegating their faith to the background of their lives. The entire sermon is designed to shock listeners and instill a sense of urgency in their return to religion.

Edwards likely believed that Hell was an abstract notion to many of his listeners, and so he loaded the sermon with horrifying sense imagery to try to convince the congregation that Hell was a concrete place of eternal tortures.

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