N05663:334
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
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.
as much so, as to say, that God may know Contradictions to be true, for ought we know, or that he may know a Thing to be certain, and at the same Time know it not to be certain, tho' we can't conceive how; because he has Ways of knowing, which we can't comprehend.
Corol. 1. From what has been observed it is evident, that the absolute Decrees of God are no more inconsistent with human Liberty, on Account of any Necessity of the Event which follows from such Decrees, than the absolute Foreknowledge of God. Because the Connection between the Event and certain Foreknowledge, is as infallible and indissoluble, as between the Event and an absolute Decree. That is, 'tis no more impossible that the Event and Decree should not agree together, than that the Event and absolute Knowledge should disagree. The Connection between the Event & Foreknowledge is absolutely perfect, by the Supposition: because it it is supposed, that the Certainty and Infallibility of the Knowledge is absolutely perfect. And it being so, the Certainty can't be increased; and therefore the Connection between the Knowledge and Thing known, can't be increased; so that if a Decree be added to the Foreknowledge, it don't at all increase the Connection, or make it more infallible and indissoluble. If it were not so, the Certainty of Knowledge might be increased by the Addition of a Decree; which is contrary to the Supposition, which is, that the Knowledge is absolutely perfect, or perfect to the highest possible Degree.
There is as much of an Impossibility but that the Things which are infallibly foreknown, should be, or (which is the same Thing) as great a Necessity of their future Existence, as if the Event were already written down, and was known and read by all Mankind, thro' all preceding Ages, and there were the most indissoluble and perfect Connection possible, between the Writing, and the Thing written. In such a Case, it would be as impossible the Event should fail of Existence, as if it had existed already; and a Decree can't make an Event surer or more necessary than this.