, 1729 During the latter half of 1729, Edwards wrote no less than five sermons on the Petrine epistles.1 Just as I Peter is notable for its dramatic language, compact diction and warm tone, so Edwards’ three sermons on that book employ rustic metaphors and vivid imagery. His rhetorical style conveys the evangelical thrust of his compositions: the necessity for conversion, spiritual discipline and practical piety. The first of these sermons on I Peter, True Happiness, is an elegant