Jonathan Edwards was one of the last, great Puritan ministers during the "Great Awakening" in the early 1700's New England.
In addition to the "Puritan Code," which you read, he is famous for his preaching and revival of the Puritan influence, which had been waning in the early 1700's. The decline was due, in part, to the reaction to The Salem Witch Trials, growing awareness of corruption in the Puritan hierarchy, and increased influence of non-Puritan groups of European settlers in New England.
When Jonathan Edwards gave his sermon, the reaction of the congregation was shock, consternation, anxiety, and in some cases panic leading to several recorded fainting individuals in the meeting house.
No, I am not giving the reading to make you Puritan; rather, this sermon will help to illustrate the thinking of the Salem judges in Act III-- how and why they react the way they do to proceedings in the court.
While you read:
1. Ask yourself "Who is the intended audience of this sermon?" and "What is its purpose?"
2. Pay attention to the imagery he uses-- how does he describe God? the Puritans?
3. Ask yourself "If I were a Puritan listening to this sermon, how would I react?"
LINK to pdf text