Jonathan Edwards Selected Shor
72. Dr. Stebbing insists upon it, that conversion is the effect of God's Word, and supposes that therefore it is demonstratively evident that it must needs be the effect of men's free will, and not the necessary effect of the Spirit of God. But I say that by their doctrine of selfdetermination it cannot be the effect of the Word of God in any proper sense at all. That it should be the effect of the Word, is as inconsistent with their scheme, as they suppose it to be with ours. Self-determination is utterly inconsistent with conversion's being at all the effect of either the Word or Spirit.
73. They say that commands, threatenings, promises, invitations, counsels, etc. are to no purpose in our scheme. But indeed they can have no place in their scheme: for their scheme excludes all motives.
74. In many particulars their scheme contradicts common sense. It is contrary to common sense, that a being should continually meet with millions of millions of real, proper disappointments and crosses to his proper desires, and not continually lead a distressed and unhappy life. It is contrary to common sense that God should know that an event will certainly come to pass, whose non-existence he at the same time knows is not impossible. It is contrary to common sense that a thing should be the cause of itself, and that a thing not necessary in its own nature should to pass without any cause: that the more indifferent a man is in any moral action, the more virtuous he is, etc.
75. If the grace of God is not disposing and determining, then a gracious man's differing in this respect from another, is not owing to the goodness of God. He owes no thanks to God for it, and so owes no thanks to God, that he is saved, and not others.