God's Will, Man's Will and Free Will -- Jonathan Edwards

GOD'S WILL, MAN'S WILL, AND FREE WILL Is it possible for a creature to have a free will and to continually exercise that will in complete conformity to the will of God? Yes Are the creatures who thus conform their wills continually to the will of God in servitude? Are they slaves? Yes If God plans, fore-determines and predestinates each and every deed of a man's life, powerfully controlling all circumstances, all persons, even all forces of whatever variety and magnitude that affects his life, can that one be free? Yes In this little book the large subject of God's Will, Man's Will, and Free will is keenly examined by five different authors who make use of the Holy Scriptures to answer the multitude of questions, and of objections to what is written HORATIUS BONAR notes three things about men without Christ: 1. Their souls are not at rest. 2. Their conscience is not at work. And, 3. They do not tremble at the Word of God. The Lord has spoken. There is no room to question when His voice is heard. JONATHAN EDWARDS notes that God is the Supreme Orderer of all things, but that His ordering of all things (His orderings of the heart and fixing the steps of a man - Proverbs 16:1, 9) does not interfere with a man's ability to choose. C. H. SPURGEON notes that men will not come to Christ that they might have LIFE because they are dead in trespasses and sin. Can there be a soul that will not become wiser from these discussions? Edwards (1703-1758) is by far the best known American