N05663:305
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 11: The Evidence of GOD's certain Foreknowledge of the Volitions of moral Agents.
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.
So that, according to this Notion of God's not foreseeing the Volitions and free Actions of Men, God could foresee Nothing pertaining to the State of the World of Mankind in future Ages; not so much as the Being of one Person that should live in it; and could foreknow no Events, but only such as He would bring to pass Himself by the extraordinary Interposition of his immediate Power; or Things which should come to pass in the natural material World, by the Laws of Motion, and Course of Nature, wherein that is independent on the Actions or Works of Mankind: That is, as he might, like a very able Mathematician and Astronomer, with great Exactness calculate the Revolutions of the heavenly Bodies, and the greater Wheels of the Machine of the external Creation.
And if we closely consider the Matter, there will appear Reason to convince us, that he could not with any absolute Certainty foresee even these. As to the First, namely Things done by the immediate and extraordinary Interposition of God's Power, these can't be foreseen, unless it can be foreseen when there shall be Occasion for such extraordinary ⟨p. 111⟩Interposition. And that can't be foreseen, unless the State of the moral World can be foreseen. For whenever God thus interposes, it is with Regard to the State of the moral World, requiring such Divine Interposition. Thus God could not certainly foresee the universal Deluge, the Calling of Abraham, the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Plagues on Egypt, and Israel's Redemption out of it, the expelling the seven Nations of Canaan, and the bringing Israel into that Land; for these all are represented as connected with Things belonging to the State of the moral World. Nor can God foreknow the most proper and convenient Time of the Day of Judgment, and general Conflagration; for that chiefly depends on the Course & State of Things in the moral World.