Footnotes1.Note A.2.The theory of Dr. E. Beecher, as it has not been accepted by any denomination, is not referred to here.3.Most of the extracts in this and the preceding chapter are furnished by Dr. E. Beecher in his Conflict of Ages.4.In scientific language, theobjectof desire is called theobjective motive, and thedesireitself is called thesubjective motive.5.These references are to portions of the volume before mentioned which are not introduced into this work.6.Metaphysicians have mystified this subject thus:—They say“the will”(or choice)invariably,“is as is the greatest apparent good.”But when it is inquired, does“greatest good,”as here used, signify that which the intellect decides to bebest far all concerned, and thusright, or does it signify that which causes thestrongest desireas measured by our own consciousness? It will be found that, in this metaphysical statement above, it meansboth. This leads to the same sort of confusion as would result from using the wordstraightto include the two ideas of bothstraightandcrooked. With such an enlarged, but improper, definition, it could truly be said that meninvariablygostraight, and as truly that they alsoinvariably go crooked.The only way in which the expression,“the will is as isthe greatest apparent good,”can be true, is to use the term to include both what is the greatest good as judged by the intellect, and also the greatest good as causing the strongest desire, thus making one word express twodiverseideas.It is this want of discrimination in the use of the term“greatest apparent good,”by President Edwards, which accounts for the fact that one class of the most acute metaphysicians regard him as the defender of free agency, and another class, equally acute, maintain that he teaches the exactly opposite doctrine of fatalism. It is by this deceptive use of the wordsgreatest apparent good, andstrongest motive, that suchinvariableness of antecedenceandconsequentsis made out, as is the proof ofproducing causesandnecessary effectsin the material world. Thus results the idea ofirrational free agency, making the mind of man like irrational brutes, inevitably and necessarily controlled by the strongest desire, (or strongest motive) and destroying all idea ofrational free agency.7.This is a very important point in regard to the question of adepraved nature.8.This refers to those theologians who teach that regeneration consists not in a change ofnaturebut ofpurpose.9.In the Greek, the word in the New Testament translated“peacemakers,”is more correctly rendered“happiness-makers.”10.Note B.11.Note C.12.Note D.13.This account is taken from Rev. Howard Malcom'sTravels in Asia.14.The Arminians hold that Christ's death has purchased the return of God's Spirit withdrawn for Adam's sin, and that owing to this aid, man has some power to obey God previous to regeneration, so that all the doings of the unregenerate are not sin.15.Those new school Calvinists, who teach that regeneration consists in the formation of a ruling purpose by man himself, hold that this never takes place until the Spirit of God more or less rectifies the depraved nature consequent on Adam's sin, and that previous to regeneration every moral act of every mind is“sin, and only sin.”16.Note E.17.“State of the Impenitent Dead,”by Alvah Hovey, D.D.18.From the article on Sanctification, in the magazineBeauty of Holiness, January, 1859.19.Note F.20.In regard to the author of theConflict of Ages, the writer is still uncertain whether he would or would not assent to the common-sense view of regeneration, here stated, as exact and complete, or whether he supposes that the“habit of sinning, generated in a preëxistent state,”is changed by some direct operation of the Spirit of God on the“nature”or faculties of the human mind, which is antecedent to any right voluntary action on the part of man, and without which, every moral act of every unregenerated mind is“sin, and only sin.”These personal references are introduced to illustrate more effectively the vague and diversified teachings of theologians and religious teachers in answer to the great question, on which they claim that an eternity of blessedness or misery is depending.21.The extent to which Judaism had spread among the upper ranks is strikingly shown by the fact that one of the first inquisitors, Peter Arbues, was assassinated by a conspiracy formed of the chief officers of the Arragonese government, who were most of them, according to Llorente, of Jewish blood or connections. The Inquisition, however, was odious on other grounds, as a royalist institution, like our Star Chamber.—See Llorente'sHistory of Inquisition.22.Note G.
Footnotes1.Note A.2.The theory of Dr. E. Beecher, as it has not been accepted by any denomination, is not referred to here.3.Most of the extracts in this and the preceding chapter are furnished by Dr. E. Beecher in his Conflict of Ages.4.In scientific language, theobjectof desire is called theobjective motive, and thedesireitself is called thesubjective motive.5.These references are to portions of the volume before mentioned which are not introduced into this work.6.Metaphysicians have mystified this subject thus:—They say“the will”(or choice)invariably,“is as is the greatest apparent good.”But when it is inquired, does“greatest good,”as here used, signify that which the intellect decides to bebest far all concerned, and thusright, or does it signify that which causes thestrongest desireas measured by our own consciousness? It will be found that, in this metaphysical statement above, it meansboth. This leads to the same sort of confusion as would result from using the wordstraightto include the two ideas of bothstraightandcrooked. With such an enlarged, but improper, definition, it could truly be said that meninvariablygostraight, and as truly that they alsoinvariably go crooked.The only way in which the expression,“the will is as isthe greatest apparent good,”can be true, is to use the term to include both what is the greatest good as judged by the intellect, and also the greatest good as causing the strongest desire, thus making one word express twodiverseideas.It is this want of discrimination in the use of the term“greatest apparent good,”by President Edwards, which accounts for the fact that one class of the most acute metaphysicians regard him as the defender of free agency, and another class, equally acute, maintain that he teaches the exactly opposite doctrine of fatalism. It is by this deceptive use of the wordsgreatest apparent good, andstrongest motive, that suchinvariableness of antecedenceandconsequentsis made out, as is the proof ofproducing causesandnecessary effectsin the material world. Thus results the idea ofirrational free agency, making the mind of man like irrational brutes, inevitably and necessarily controlled by the strongest desire, (or strongest motive) and destroying all idea ofrational free agency.7.This is a very important point in regard to the question of adepraved nature.8.This refers to those theologians who teach that regeneration consists not in a change ofnaturebut ofpurpose.9.In the Greek, the word in the New Testament translated“peacemakers,”is more correctly rendered“happiness-makers.”10.Note B.11.Note C.12.Note D.13.This account is taken from Rev. Howard Malcom'sTravels in Asia.14.The Arminians hold that Christ's death has purchased the return of God's Spirit withdrawn for Adam's sin, and that owing to this aid, man has some power to obey God previous to regeneration, so that all the doings of the unregenerate are not sin.15.Those new school Calvinists, who teach that regeneration consists in the formation of a ruling purpose by man himself, hold that this never takes place until the Spirit of God more or less rectifies the depraved nature consequent on Adam's sin, and that previous to regeneration every moral act of every mind is“sin, and only sin.”16.Note E.17.“State of the Impenitent Dead,”by Alvah Hovey, D.D.18.From the article on Sanctification, in the magazineBeauty of Holiness, January, 1859.19.Note F.20.In regard to the author of theConflict of Ages, the writer is still uncertain whether he would or would not assent to the common-sense view of regeneration, here stated, as exact and complete, or whether he supposes that the“habit of sinning, generated in a preëxistent state,”is changed by some direct operation of the Spirit of God on the“nature”or faculties of the human mind, which is antecedent to any right voluntary action on the part of man, and without which, every moral act of every unregenerated mind is“sin, and only sin.”These personal references are introduced to illustrate more effectively the vague and diversified teachings of theologians and religious teachers in answer to the great question, on which they claim that an eternity of blessedness or misery is depending.21.The extent to which Judaism had spread among the upper ranks is strikingly shown by the fact that one of the first inquisitors, Peter Arbues, was assassinated by a conspiracy formed of the chief officers of the Arragonese government, who were most of them, according to Llorente, of Jewish blood or connections. The Inquisition, however, was odious on other grounds, as a royalist institution, like our Star Chamber.—See Llorente'sHistory of Inquisition.22.Note G.
Footnotes1.Note A.2.The theory of Dr. E. Beecher, as it has not been accepted by any denomination, is not referred to here.3.Most of the extracts in this and the preceding chapter are furnished by Dr. E. Beecher in his Conflict of Ages.4.In scientific language, theobjectof desire is called theobjective motive, and thedesireitself is called thesubjective motive.5.These references are to portions of the volume before mentioned which are not introduced into this work.6.Metaphysicians have mystified this subject thus:—They say“the will”(or choice)invariably,“is as is the greatest apparent good.”But when it is inquired, does“greatest good,”as here used, signify that which the intellect decides to bebest far all concerned, and thusright, or does it signify that which causes thestrongest desireas measured by our own consciousness? It will be found that, in this metaphysical statement above, it meansboth. This leads to the same sort of confusion as would result from using the wordstraightto include the two ideas of bothstraightandcrooked. With such an enlarged, but improper, definition, it could truly be said that meninvariablygostraight, and as truly that they alsoinvariably go crooked.The only way in which the expression,“the will is as isthe greatest apparent good,”can be true, is to use the term to include both what is the greatest good as judged by the intellect, and also the greatest good as causing the strongest desire, thus making one word express twodiverseideas.It is this want of discrimination in the use of the term“greatest apparent good,”by President Edwards, which accounts for the fact that one class of the most acute metaphysicians regard him as the defender of free agency, and another class, equally acute, maintain that he teaches the exactly opposite doctrine of fatalism. It is by this deceptive use of the wordsgreatest apparent good, andstrongest motive, that suchinvariableness of antecedenceandconsequentsis made out, as is the proof ofproducing causesandnecessary effectsin the material world. Thus results the idea ofirrational free agency, making the mind of man like irrational brutes, inevitably and necessarily controlled by the strongest desire, (or strongest motive) and destroying all idea ofrational free agency.7.This is a very important point in regard to the question of adepraved nature.8.This refers to those theologians who teach that regeneration consists not in a change ofnaturebut ofpurpose.9.In the Greek, the word in the New Testament translated“peacemakers,”is more correctly rendered“happiness-makers.”10.Note B.11.Note C.12.Note D.13.This account is taken from Rev. Howard Malcom'sTravels in Asia.14.The Arminians hold that Christ's death has purchased the return of God's Spirit withdrawn for Adam's sin, and that owing to this aid, man has some power to obey God previous to regeneration, so that all the doings of the unregenerate are not sin.15.Those new school Calvinists, who teach that regeneration consists in the formation of a ruling purpose by man himself, hold that this never takes place until the Spirit of God more or less rectifies the depraved nature consequent on Adam's sin, and that previous to regeneration every moral act of every mind is“sin, and only sin.”16.Note E.17.“State of the Impenitent Dead,”by Alvah Hovey, D.D.18.From the article on Sanctification, in the magazineBeauty of Holiness, January, 1859.19.Note F.20.In regard to the author of theConflict of Ages, the writer is still uncertain whether he would or would not assent to the common-sense view of regeneration, here stated, as exact and complete, or whether he supposes that the“habit of sinning, generated in a preëxistent state,”is changed by some direct operation of the Spirit of God on the“nature”or faculties of the human mind, which is antecedent to any right voluntary action on the part of man, and without which, every moral act of every unregenerated mind is“sin, and only sin.”These personal references are introduced to illustrate more effectively the vague and diversified teachings of theologians and religious teachers in answer to the great question, on which they claim that an eternity of blessedness or misery is depending.21.The extent to which Judaism had spread among the upper ranks is strikingly shown by the fact that one of the first inquisitors, Peter Arbues, was assassinated by a conspiracy formed of the chief officers of the Arragonese government, who were most of them, according to Llorente, of Jewish blood or connections. The Inquisition, however, was odious on other grounds, as a royalist institution, like our Star Chamber.—See Llorente'sHistory of Inquisition.22.Note G.
Metaphysicians have mystified this subject thus:—They say“the will”(or choice)invariably,“is as is the greatest apparent good.”But when it is inquired, does“greatest good,”as here used, signify that which the intellect decides to bebest far all concerned, and thusright, or does it signify that which causes thestrongest desireas measured by our own consciousness? It will be found that, in this metaphysical statement above, it meansboth. This leads to the same sort of confusion as would result from using the wordstraightto include the two ideas of bothstraightandcrooked. With such an enlarged, but improper, definition, it could truly be said that meninvariablygostraight, and as truly that they alsoinvariably go crooked.
The only way in which the expression,“the will is as isthe greatest apparent good,”can be true, is to use the term to include both what is the greatest good as judged by the intellect, and also the greatest good as causing the strongest desire, thus making one word express twodiverseideas.
It is this want of discrimination in the use of the term“greatest apparent good,”by President Edwards, which accounts for the fact that one class of the most acute metaphysicians regard him as the defender of free agency, and another class, equally acute, maintain that he teaches the exactly opposite doctrine of fatalism. It is by this deceptive use of the wordsgreatest apparent good, andstrongest motive, that suchinvariableness of antecedenceandconsequentsis made out, as is the proof ofproducing causesandnecessary effectsin the material world. Thus results the idea ofirrational free agency, making the mind of man like irrational brutes, inevitably and necessarily controlled by the strongest desire, (or strongest motive) and destroying all idea ofrational free agency.
In regard to the author of theConflict of Ages, the writer is still uncertain whether he would or would not assent to the common-sense view of regeneration, here stated, as exact and complete, or whether he supposes that the“habit of sinning, generated in a preëxistent state,”is changed by some direct operation of the Spirit of God on the“nature”or faculties of the human mind, which is antecedent to any right voluntary action on the part of man, and without which, every moral act of every unregenerated mind is“sin, and only sin.”
These personal references are introduced to illustrate more effectively the vague and diversified teachings of theologians and religious teachers in answer to the great question, on which they claim that an eternity of blessedness or misery is depending.