Question

read the excerpt from \sinners in the hands of an angry god.\

you will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that all is but a point to what remains. so that your punishment will indeed be infinite. oh who can express what the state of a soul in such circumstances is!

edwards uses the phrase oh who can express what the state of a soul in such circumstances is! in order to

• show what might happen if the reader disobeys edwards.
• describe what endless suffering looks and feels like.
• illustrate that this type of suffering is unimaginable.
• prove that very few people have survived limitless suffering.

Explanation:

The phrase "Oh who can express what the state of a soul in such circumstances is!" implies that the suffering described (infinite punishment) is so extreme that no one can put it into words, meaning it is unimaginable. Option A is incorrect as the phrase isn't about disobeying Edwards. Option B is wrong because the phrase is about the inability to express, not describing the suffering. Option D is incorrect as the text doesn't discuss surviving suffering.

Answer:

C. illustrate that this type of suffering is unimaginable