N05663:192
A careful and strict enquiry into the modern prevailing notions of that freedom of…
A careful and strict enquiry into the modern prevailing notions of that freedom of will, which is supposed to be essential to moral agency, virtue and vice, reward and punishment, praise and blame. By Jonathan Edwards, A.M. Pastor of the church in Stockbridge. ; [One line from Romans]A careful and strict enquiry into the modern prevailing notions of that freedom of will, which is supposed to be essential to moral agency, vertue and vice, reward and punishment, praise and blame. By Jonathan Edwards, A.M. Pastor of the church in Stockbridge. ; [One line from Romans]
printed by S. Kneeland, 1754
Part 2 › Section 7: Concerning the Notion of Liberty of Will consisting in Indifference.
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.
Therefore, if there be the least Degree of antecedent Preponderation of the Will, it must be perfectly abolished, before the Will can be at Liberty to determine it self the contrary Way. And if the Will determines it self the same Way, it was not a free Determination, because the Will is not wholly at Liberty in so doing: It's Determination is not altogether from it self, but it was partly determined before, in it's prior Inclination: And all the Freedom the Will exercises in the Case, is in an Increase of Inclination, which it gives it self, over and above what it had by foregoing Bias; so much is from it self, and so much is from perfect Indifference. For tho' the Will had a previous Tendency that Way, yet as to that additional Degree of Inclination, it had no Tendency. Therefore the previous Tendency is of no Consideration, with Respect to the Act wherein the Will is free. So that it comes to the same Thing which was said at first, that as to the Act of the Will, wherein the Will is free, there must be perfect Indifference, or Equilibrium.
To illustrate this; If we should suppose a sovereign Self-moving Power in a natural Body: But that the Body is in Motion already, by an antecedent Bias; for Instance, Gravitation towards the Centre of the Earth; and has one Degree of Motion already, by Virtue of that previous Tendency; but by it's self-moving Power it adds one Degree more to it's Motion, and •oves so much more swiftly towards the Centre of the Earth than it would do by it's Gravity only: It is evident, that all that is owing to a self-moving Power in this Case, is the additional Degree of Motion; and that the other Degree of Motion which it had from Gravity, is of no Consideration in the Case, don't help the Effect of the free self-moving Power in the least; the Effect is just the same▪ as if the Body had received from it self one Degree of Motion from a State of perfect Rest. So if we should suppose a self-moving Power given to the Scale of a Balance, which has a Weight of one Degree beyond the opposite Scale; and we ascribe to it an Ability to add to it self another Degree of Force the same Way, by it's self-•oving Power; This is ju•t the same Thing as to ascribe to it a Power to give it self one Degree of Preponderation from a […] Eilibrum; and so much Power as the