Veritas Redux - Evangelical Truths Restored - John Edwards 1707 - Chapter 1a - Of the Eternal Decrees, or Predestination

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VERITAS REDUX

Evangelical Truths Restored

The Contents of Book One — Chapter One

The Divine Decrees are general. But more especially they extend to men. The term of man’s life is fixed. The usual answer to the texts, whereby this doctrine is proved, taken off. All times and seasons are fixed. So are all circumstances of man’s life. This proved form Scripture and reason. Particularly from the consideration of God’s infinite knowledge, from the infiniteness of his will, from his immutability, from his perfection. The proof of the same truth from experience. The objection founded on Isiah 38: 1, 5 fully answered. An answer to what is objected from Psalm Lv.23 and from Psalm cii 24 and from Ecc 7:17. The objection about the use of means answered. Another from self-murder. A reply to what is objected from Ecc 9:11. The foresaid doctrine acknowledged by Christians, Jews, Pagans. The useful inferences fro the whole.

Book One

Of The Eternal Decrees, or Predestination

Chapter One

Among the articles of religion mentioned in the title prefixed to these discourses; this of the Decrees, is the first and chief and on which all the rest depend. It is certain, that this mightily influences on every one of them; lo that the right decision of them cannot be expected, without a clear understanding the nature of the Divine Decrees.Therefore I will begin with this; and I will make this proposition as clear and manifest as any in our whole religion, that God hath from eternity decreed all things that come to pass in time, and all things that shall be to eternal ages. The Apostle’s assertion is universal, He worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Eph 1:11. Everything that happens, is according to this counsel of God’s will, called the determinate counsel of God, Acts 2:23. This is no other than his eternal decree, (for the decree was an act of his will) whereby he hath determined what things shall be: whereby he hath purposed to do or not to do such and such things; to permit or not to permit them; whereby he hath appointed how everything shall happen, in what order and manner they shall be effected: And nothing is done, nothing happens, nothing is effected, but according to this divine counsel and will. The decrees are large and comprehensive, and have respect to all causes, effects, and events; all things past, present and to come, whether they relate to Angels, good or bad, or to men, and to any other creatures whatsoever. The eternal decrees reach not only the end, but the means in order to it: They extend not only to persons and things, but to time and place, and all other circumstances belonging to them: Which shall be afterwards distinctly and clearly proved.

Yea, all natural, and even inanimate things, and their effects and operations, are fixed by the divine decrees, and are thereby immoveable and unalterable. concerning the glorious works of the creation, the Psalmist thus speaks, He hath made a decree which shall not pass, that is he hath made an unchangeable decree concerning them, Psm 148:6. Particularly concerning that noted meteor the rain, Job assures us, that God hath made a decree for it, chap. 28:26. It is the very same word*[Chuk, Statutum] in the original, that is used by the Psalmist in the fore-mentioned place. The number of the showers of rain and of the very drops of them, is determined: And the particular places and cities which shall have the benefit of them, are also appointed, Am 4:7. And God himself, speaking of the wonderful confining and restraining of the vast ocean, saith thus; I brake up for it my decreed place, Job 38:10

Or, according to the Hebrew, I established my decree upon it. It is the very same word still in the original. So again, in Prov 8:29. He gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment:And we are informed from vs. 23 that this decree was from everlasting, from the beginning. Then it was determined, that the profound and spacious cavities of the Earth, should be the receptacles of the waters of the sea, and that the shore should be the boundaries thereof. Therefore God himself saith, He hath placed the sands for the bounds of the sea by*[Chuk gnolam] a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it. Jer 5:22. By virtue of this decree the roaring waves, the raging billows, which of themselves are apt to fly out, are kept within their proper channels.

This divine decree or order concerning the regulating of natural bodies, and their motions and operations, is mentioned in other places of Holy Writ, where we read of the ordinances of Heaven, Job 38:33; and the ordinances of the Moon and Stars, Jer 31:35; and the ordinances of Heaven and Earth, Jer 33:25. In which texts the same* [Chukkoth] Hebrew word is made use of, that I took notice of before; and it lets us see, that the decrees and the ordinances in these places are the same: Unto which it must be attributed, that all things appertaining to the Heavens and the Earth, are invariably kept up and maintained: and that they remain in the same equal and steady posture thro all generations. It is by virtue of the decree that there is this settlement.

But tho the divine decree be thus general and extensive, and is God’s eternal purpose and disposal, concerning all things and beings whatsoever, yet we are more specially to consider it as it hath a particular respect unto men; and that, first, as to their temporal and bodily concerns; and secondly as to those which are spiritual, those that relate to their souls, and the condition of them in this and the other world. My present undertaking obliges me chiefly to speak of the decree, as it respects the salvation or damnation of mankind; but yet, to lay open fully the doctrine of the decrees, I will consider them in their utmost extent and latitude: And accordingly, for the sake of the true lovers of God and Truth, I will first shew, that all the temporal and worldly concerns of mankind, are the object of the divine decrees; and then I will more largely and amply discourse of these decrees, as they regard to our spiritual state, namely, that of Grace and Salvation, and that other of Sin and Perdition.

First, I shall make it evident from the express and frequent testimonies of the inspired writings, which are the infallible rule and standard of all divine truth, that man’s life here upon earth, and all things appertaining to it, are unalterably appointed and predetermined: The very individual and precise term of his continuance in this world, is prefixed and limited by the Almighty. Which being admitted and believed, we can scarcely doubt whether all mens particular conditions, together with all the circumstances and concomitants of human life, be not also irrevocably fixed and determined. Wherefore I shall endeavour the proof of the former, and then I reckon that the latter will be granted, as a consequent of it: However, lest any should presume to deny it, I will evince the truth of it.

Who is more able to inform us concerning the determination of the time of man’s life, than holy Job, whose days were imbittered by all sorts of troubles, afflictions and calamities, and who was reduced to such a deplorable and wretched condition, that he was weary of his life, and passionnately longed for a period of it? This put him upon studying this grand point, and enquiring into the true state of this question, namely, Whether the divine destiny had set any particular limits and boundaries to his life, and to the lives fo all other men? And now hear his resolution of this problem; Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? Job 7:1. which way of speaking, by way of interrogation, is equivalent with a positive assertion, in the ususl style of Scripture; and there it is as much as if he had directly and expresly averred, that the time of man upon earth is appointed. Indeed the Hebrew word tsaba, is translated by some a warfare; the particular set time of a soldiers being in arms; and more especially of being upon service and action. And thence it comes to denote any set and prefixed time, and consequently is fitly and properly rendered here an appointed time. Such is man’s life, saith our inspired author, in this world; it is set and determined by Him who gave him his being.

And therefore, in another place, is called by this holy man the days of our appointed time, Job 14:14 because the days of it are appointed and determined by God; because there are certain limits set to it, beyond which there is no sallying forth. Which is confirmed by what the holy man there saith, that he will wait till this appointed time which is accompanied with so great a change, shall come. Which clearly implies, that the period of his days was precisely fixed, and that it could not be hastened or delayed. That is the reason why he waited for it, and patiently expected it. Whereas if the term of our life were not immovable, we could not be said to wait till it arrived; this importing, that we must weather out all the time with patient and contented minds, not entertaining a fond imagination that it can be either lengthened or shortened: And therefore there is good ground for our patient waiting.

I return back to the first verse of the seventh chapter, where we had these words, Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? And then it immmediately follows, Are not his days like the days of an hireling? Where we see, that the latter clause explains the former, and instructs us n this doctrine, that the days of our lives are set and fixed; for they are the days of a hireling, which are set and determined for a particular time; and when these are expired, he is no longer an hireling; for he was hired only for a determinate time. To which purpose let those words in Isa 16:14 be consulted, The Lord hath spoken, saying, within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned: And those in Isa 21:16. Thus hath the Lord said unto me, within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail. Whence tis evident, that the years or days of a hireling, signify a precise and prefixed time, and such as is absolutely determined. The reason of which is plain; because of old (as well as since) hired workmen or servants were agreed with for a certain determinate number of years or days, and as soon as that term was ended, they looked for their hire. Thus this fit similitude doth both prove and illustrate the truth which I’am now advancing, That the days and years of all mens lives are fixed by an eternal decree. The similar comparison which the Holy Ghost makes use of here, doth sufficiently establish us in this belief.

Again, I might mention Job 30: 23 where the grave is called the house appointed,*[Beth mogued.] or the house of appointment, for all living: For Sagnad, whence the Hebrew word here used is derived, signifies to constitute, appoint, or set a certain time or place for anything, and so Mogned is an appointed time or place. And therefore the solemn congregations and assemblies of the Jews, which were determined by God to set and prescript times of the year, were called by this name*[Mognedim, appointed feasts, Isa 1:14]. Which plainly shows, that the house appointed before-mentioned, denotes unto us, that the end of our lives is exactly determined; and that we must descend into the grave, which is the house here meant, at that very moment which was prefixed by the divine decree.

But the plainest, fullest, and most unanswerable text that can be produced, to prove the fixed term of man’s life, is that in Job 14:5, “His days are determined: the number of his months are with thee; thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass.” The obvious sense of which words is, that the term of our lives is fixed from eternity, and beyond this no man can go, and none can fall short of it.

And that we may be assured of the truth of this, it is set forth in three sorts of expressions; first it is said, man’s days are determined, but lest that should not sufficiently express the holy man’s meaning, it is added, the number of his months are with thee; nor is this thought to be enough, and therefore, to render the thing unquestionable, and not liable to the least doubt, it is further added, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass. So that it is matter of amazement to me, that a truth which is thus repeated and reiterated, should meet with contradiction. I know it is confidently affirmed by some, that this text denotes only the brevity of man’s live, which is confined within a small space, and is shut up and circumscribed in certain bounds: But if we seriously and distinctly weigh the words, and mind the emphasis of them, we may easily discern something more in them, namely, that they speak of a precise space of time, a definite term of days and months, a particular period of every man’s age, that God hath appointed and ordained. Here is plainly expressed the particular decree and counsel of God from eternity, concerning this; whereby he hath set particular limits to every individual person: So that some shall arrive to such an age, and others to another. Thus these words are to be understood, his days are determined; that is, limited and confined by the predetermination of Heaven: The number of his months is with thee; that is, in thy eternal purpose: So that none can make the number of his days fewer or more; none can add to them, or detract from them: Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; that is, it was by thy divine appointment and constitution, that not only in the general man’s life should be contracted here on earth, and reduced to a short space of years, but more particularly, that there should be a prescript term of every man’s life, and consequently that the time of his death should be prefixed and determined, which is the sense of words that immediately follow, vs 6 He accomplisheth, as a hireling his days, that is, every man hath his particular time set him, as a labouring man that is hired; but of this I have spoken before. I look then upon this remarkable passage of Job, together with what he had said before, as a most signal confirmation of the doctrine which I offer, to-wit, That the particular limits of all mens lives are determined by God before the foundation of the world; and that no person ever went beyond these limits, or came short of them. If there were no other proof of this than the texts already mentioned, I think we might rationally acquiesce in it, for the places are very plain and prespidcuous; but I proceed to others.

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