N03467:448
Discourses on various important subjects, nearly concerning the great affair of the soul's eternal…
Discourses on various important subjects, nearly concerning the great affair of the soul's eternal salvation, viz. I. Justification by faith alone. II. Pressing into the Kingdom of God. III. Ruth's resolution. IV. The justice of God in the damnation of sinners. V. The excellency of Jesus Christ. : Delivered at Northampton, chiefly at the time of the late wonderful pouring out of the spirit of God there. / By Jonathan Edwards, A.M. Pastor of the Church of Christ in Northampton. ; [Three lines from Deuteronomy]
Boston: printed by S. Kneeland and T. Green, 1738
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Discourse 4: The Justice of GOD in the Damnation of Sinners.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
God may permit Sin, tho' the Being of Sin will certainly ensue on that Permission: And so, by Permission, […] may […] and order the Event. If there were any such Thing as Chance, or mere Contingence, and the very Notion of it did not carry a gross Absurdity, (as might easily be shown that it does) it would have been very unfit, that God should have left it to mere Chance, whether Man should fall or no• ▪ For Chance, if there should be any such Thing, is undesigning and blind. And certainly 'tis more fit that an Event of so great Importance, and that is attended with such an infinite Train of great Consequences, should be disposed and ordered by infinite Wisdom, than that it should be left to blind Chance.
God may permit Sin, tho' the Being of Sin will certainly ensue on that Permission: And so, by Permission, 〈…〉 may 〈…〉 and order the Event. If there were any such Thing as Chance, or meer Contingence, and the very Notion of it did not carry a gross Absurdity, (as might easily be shown that it does) it would have been very unfit, that God should have left it to meer Chance, whether Man should fall or no• ▪ For Chance, if there should be any such Thing, is undesigning and blind. And certainly 'tis more fit that an Event of so great Importance, and that is attended with such an infinite Train of great Consequences, should be disposed and ordered by infinite Wisdom, than that it should be left to blind Chance.
If it be said that God need not have interposed to render it impossible for Man to sin, and yet not leave it to mere Contingence, or blind Chance, neither; but might have left it with Man's free Will, to determine whether to sin or no: I answer, If God did leave it to Man's free Will, without any Sort of Disposal, or Ordering in the Case, whence it should be previously certain how that •ree Will should determine, then still that first Determination of the Will, must be merely Contingent or by Chance. It could not have any antecedent Act of the Will to determine it; for I speak now of the very first Act or Motion of the Will, respecting the Affair that may be looked upon as the prime Ground, and highest Source of the Event. To suppose this to be determined by a foregoing Act is a Contradiction. God's […] this Determination of the Will, by his Permission, […] at all infringe the liberty of the Creature 'Tis […] Respect any more inconsistent with Liberty,