Puritan Vs Edwards

During the era of Puritan writing, William Bradford’s journal, Of Plymouth Plantation, and Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” show two very Puritan points of view, but how the points of view are shown is extremely different. Bradford’s journal shows how a group of Puritans traveled to America and their journey in survival, all by God’s good graces. The sermon by Edwards tries to show those who have not stayed with the Puritan religion that without God, they are a disgrace to Him. Bradford and Edwards both have a main goal of showing others how a proper Puritan would act. Bradford’s efforts to prove to the Church of England, where the Puritans had traveled from, that they were still fully obliging to the faith. His
Edwards mentions that those in a “miserable” state can be brought to a “happy state” where God will fill their hearts with “love to him who has loved them” (Edwards 3). The sermons’ ending tries to prove that by rejoicing God and staying true to the Puritan faith, people will want to be joyful and hopeful in the glory of God. Both of these works show how to be a good Puritan in the eyes of Bradford and Edwards. While the journal and sermon both represent strong ways of Puritanism, the way Bradford shows it is in a very positive way with a loving God, while Edwards shows a very resentful and hateful God. As Bradford begins to describe the story of the Puritans’ journey, he explains how God helped them in their travels. He writes that the travelers “fell upon their knees” once they landed because they knew the “God of Heaven [had] brought them over” to this new land and they wouldn't have been able to make it over the “furious ocean” without His help (Bradford 70). The journal continues to prove that God is an amazing, helpful, and glorious God that always goes on to support the Puritans with everything that they