N13864:843
A history of the work of redemption. Containing the outlines of a body of…
A history of the work of redemption. Containing the outlines of a body of divinity, in a method entirely new. / By the late Reverend Mr. Jonathan Edwards, president of the College of New Jersey[.]
Boston: printed by Draper & Folsom, 1782
A HISTORY Of the WORK of REDEMPTION. › Period 3 › Part 2 › Section 1
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 in his providence now seems to be acting over again the same part which he did a little before Christ came. The age wherein Christ came into the world, was an age wherein learning greatly prevailed, and was at greater height than ever it had been before▪ and yet wickedness never prevailed more than then. God was pleased to suffer human learning to come to such a height before he sent forth the gospel into the world, that the world might see the insufficiency of all their own wisdom for the obtaining the knowledge of God, without the gospel of Christ, and the teachings of his Spirit: and then, after that, in the wisdom of God, the the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe. And when the gospel came to prevail first without the help of man's wisdom, then God was pleased to make use of learning as an handmaid. So now learning is at a great height at this day in the world far beyond what it was in the age when Christ appeared; and now the world, by their learning and wisdom, do not know God; and they seem to wande• in darkness, are miserably de•uded, ••mble and fall in matters of religion, as in midnight-darkness. Trusting to their learning, they grope in the day time as in the night Learned men are exceedingly divided in their opinions concerning the matters of religion▪ run into all manner o• corrupt opinions, and pernicious and foolish errors. They […] submit their reason to divine revelation, to believe any thing that is above their comprehension; and so being wise in their own eyes▪ they become fools. and even vain in their imaginations▪ and turn the truth of God into a lie, and their foolish hearts are darkened. See Rom. • 21▪ &c.
God in his providence now seems to be acting over again the same part which he did a little before Christ came. The age wherein Christ came into the world, was an age wherein learning greatly prevailed, and was at greater height than ever it had been before▪ and yet wickedness never prevailed more than then. God was pleased to suffer human learning to come to such a height before he sent forth the gospel into the world, that the world might see the insufficiency of all their own wisdom for the obtaining the knowledge of God, without the gospel of Christ, and the teachings of his Spirit: and then, after that, in the wisdom of God, the the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe. And when the gospel came to prevail first without the help of man's wisdom, then God was pleased to make use of learning as an handmaid. So now learning is at a great height at this day in the world far beyond what it was in the age when Christ appeared; and now the world, by their learning and wisdom, do not kow God; and they seem to wande in darkness, are miserably deuded, mble and fall in matters of religion, as in midnight-darkness. Trusting to their learning, they grope in the day time as in the night Learned men are exceedingly divided in their opinions concerning the matters of religion run into all manner o corrupt opinions, and pernicious and foolish errors. They submi their reason to divine revelation, to believe any thing that is above their comprehension; and so being wise in their own eyes they become fools. and even vain in their imaginations and turn the truth of God into a lie, and their foolish hearts are drkened. See Rom. 21 &c.