In the sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, what does Edwards mean when he says, The bow of Gods wrath is bent, and the arrow made...

In the
sermon , Edwards admonishes his audience to turn to God before they are
damned to Hell because of their own inherent wicked nature. Edwards spends a great deal of the
sermon reminding his listeners not to waste time and to make a decision for God right away. By
providing theof a strung bow, Edwards demonstrates the swiftness of God's wrath, which is
symbolized by an arrow. Edwards also demonstrates through this metaphor that God is in control
of the sinner's fate just as an archer is in control of when and where to shoot the
arrow.

While many in Edwards's congregation might not have fired a bow, they
realized that the bow was a more reliable weapon than the firearms of that time. By using this
metaphor, Edwards made sure to drive home the point that God's wrath was sure if the listener
did not repent. If the listeners did repent and turn to Jesus, then they would be spared the
wrath of God, just as archers can change their minds...