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THE PRACTICA. L
L/
, CH RI ST IAN.
VOL. I.
D e v 0 • e d f 0 T." u • It a Ii d It i go 11.• e 0 usn e s s "
MENDON, MAS S ., AUGUST 15, 1840. No. 8.
THE PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN
Is published twice every ca lenda r mont h- at
One Dollar per annum, payable always in adva nce '
~ no credi t beyond No. 2 of each volume. Per;
sons respo nsib le for six copies receive the se vent h
gratis. No subscription r eceived for less tha n one
year.
" Hegular Contrib utors to the \ Vork.- ADIN
DALLOU, ( Editor and Pu blishing Agent ;) DAVID
R. LAMSON, GE< lRGE W. STACY, DANIEl. S.
W HITNEY, WILLIAM II. FISH, SAMUEL J.
IIh v. '
All let ters, remittances and communications to
be s. ml ( post pu id) to A, diu Bal/ vll, AI. IUI,"', 1I1a.....
EXPOSITION OF : E'AITlI.
C II AI' T E R JI.
S F. C T IO~ 2.
0 011 is infinite in powerrwisdom nnrl gooclness .
" His g reatnesse is unsearchable." Psal. I ( S: 3 .
' I ' h nt which nei ther has 1101' ca n huve limits
is prop erl y ' te rmed in finit e. , T his is tru e of
God's power , wisdom a nd good ness. T herefi'rtl
in eac h of them he is in finite.
1'. God is infi ni te in power. By tire infinite
IlOwer of God, is ' mean t hi s nhility . to produc e
, any' a .. d e ver y su pposab le result, no t in ill' ua l
ure un a hso lute lmpo- sibilit y. T o pro duc e .
tw o ; Iclj llcent ni ounllli ns with ou t a ru lley he t
weel.' th em ; to rnn ke th e eM11r re vo lvo rou nd
tire su n in tw o contra ry di recriou s lit. the sallie
ti llle ; to , cllnse a mall 10 be uoth df",, 1 lind
Illive ' in th e SlIrHe se nse a l tile snlllC in st llnt ;
tlll lse a l'P. nll:< o lutB impossi hilities , wh ich lire
e xc luded eutirely li'fllII my de finit ion of infiuit
e J"" v.> r . I fI ,,~ lrt lliso to uoti ee th e di stiu
c tion whic h I nl~ hee n mllde hetw een nalul'Ul
~ 1I 11 1 moralahili ty. Na tu l'lIl a hility is lit e pow e
r wh ic h lilly Ii,: iu g posse~ ses to uct, IIn. 1 to
_ p" od llce rClslllts, wiil lllllt rega l'll to ri ght and
wrong . Thus ,; 1111111 lIlay possess tire natuml
:. hi lity to d efraud , ' or w h, or ; n u l'fler a notl ' er.
BUI lit i he sa ' lIe tillw he mllY he morally Ulla hie
In (' o lll l" it thes fJ sins. ' Vhy ? Beellnse
lie is tflOgool l II man, too co nsci e ntions. SfI it
i, n n, e, th ut " a ll tltings ar e , possible with God,"
i n resp ect to natnral power; aud ye t it is
..~ q ll ll ll y tl'lll:, tha t " it is impossihl e, fol' him to
li e," or tfl do' . a llY ac t of iujusticp , c rue lty , or
w wnl! whlltso e," er; hecau se hi s perfeet holilI"~
S tilrh ids. SUI'h is lhe di stin ction betw een
" · tllltu rill IInclmoral uhility. \ Vh at J am now
'> lllleavol'ing to l;' iaint uin is, th at thel! e is no
l l ein g, t1lin/ r, s pir it, Ilrin ci llle, or influen ce, ' in
th e wh ole ! l" iverse, not ahsolutely nlHlcr God's
· c ont 1' 01; tha t he cnn crea te or d estroy, exa lt
< II' ah use, litcilitate or imped e, regul at e 01' res
t1' ll in, es ta hlish or annHI, promot e or 11,"~ n r t
- lllly ti ling, lin d eve ry tbitlg, lit his own sov erei
~ u plellsllre ; th at he cnn cnUSfJ what he
w ill, pel'l il it wha t he wi ll, 1I1111 pl'e\ ' en t whnt
he wi ll, t liro ng ho nt nil natmc;. so tlrllt there is
lI O par ticle of IlIlItter, a uill, ate or in a nimnl e, ill
th e physical ~\' o rld,- an d no atom o f spir it or
sentime nt ill th e mo rul world , which he enlluot
govcrn just as h e pleases. What Ire p leuse!' to
. do, how he pleases to gov ern, lind what use I, e
j, lell.' es to mnke nfthis omipoten ce, a re qu ellt
ious to he c o n ~ i d e red, alHlllnsw eni, I,' U1~ cl er
~ lII o t her Io eatl . ' fhis, d ~ et rin e of infin ite pow,
er filllowl3 necessarily li'om th e pro pos ition estuloli:!
loed in the preced ing S ect. iou. F or if
, Gotl is th e O ne su pre me, self. ex is t ~ lI t , in'co lllpreh
en sihl e, nu cl, anging Spirit, he llIust he
omni pot'! III; , He ca ll IllIve 110 snpe rio r, no rio
\' al , no necessitRting F Ule. ' fhe S crip tu res
teuch t his great twth . in su ch Jlllssa ges as lit e
following;
" And lh e L OI'lI a ppeared unto Ahl'lllll, a nd '
' Suid Ullto llil ;' , I llln th e Almighty Gotl. " Gen.
] 7: I . " Is any thing too hard fil l' th e Lord."
lb. ] 8: 14. " Our Go. 1 ill in the heav en s ; he
hath don e' whatsoeve r he pleased ." (> Slll.] 15:
~ . " Befor e th e day wils I am he; and th ere
i,:! nOlle · tl; ut CUll deli ver out of my hllncl: I
will work and wh o shall let it ?" ISII. 43: 13.
" My cOllnse l s ha ll stll nd a nd I will do a ll Illy
~ l l eusllre." lb. 46: 10. " Lord Goel, heh olcl
1ho ll hllst made t ile heaven a nti the ea rlh hy
t hy greut powe r anti s tre tc hed out arm, and
th ere is nOthin g too hurd for th ee . " J er. 32: 17. ,
': 1 urn th e Lord God of all flesh : is th ere a ny
t hi ng too hard fo r me?" lb. 32: 27 . " W ho ' is
he thnt Iluit h alii! it c6 111elh to pass, when th e
Lonl comma ntlelh it not ?" Lam. 3: : 37. " lie
d oeth accor din g to his wi ll in th e army of
heaven,' and am ong th e inhahitnutss o f th e
ea rth ; and t ~ on e CUll s tay h is han d or suy unto
hi m, what doest thou ?" DIIIl. 4: 35. " With
God all thi ngs lire possible," Mutt . ] 9: 26. "
He worketh all th ings ufie r th e counsel of
his own wi l l." E phes. I: 11.
2. God is infi nit e in ~ w i sd om. I mean by
wi sdom, comprehensi ve ly allthat is sig l) ified
by th e word s in tellect, reason, kllolOledge, understanding
ami prudellce, ' hut ruur e pa rticula rly
the pow er of d isc ern ing thetrue fitness uf
th ings an d judg ing iu errahly. T he infi nit y of
God's w isdom necessarily implies absolute infinity
ofmi nd in ull res pe cts, He! ICe it , nlust
be th at he perfectl y u nd erstuu ds th e nature of
every bei ng a nd lhing in the who le u niverse ;
a lso the precise relations wh ich they bear to
euc h other and the great wh ol e, a nd con sequeurly
the ir exact infl uence nnd . tendency . s-- "
' Ve lik ewise in fer th at he mu st ulwavs ma intai
n suchan on iui pres eut intimacy ~ i'th cre nte
ll he ings uml t ldll gs, as to huve a positive
kn ow led ge of what ' tak es place th rough out
houudless iu uu eu si ty ; and rhut rilis kn owl ed ge
mu st comprehend so " Inch of what we ca ll th e
past, p resent lind future, us p resent s for th e
timc heiug a iiiII lind perfect view o f Il' ings in
their prop el' co n nec tion. " \ Ve further infer
that his wisdolll is illtuitive; i. e. IllIIt he ueeds
uo st udy, no resea l'l: h , no rc flectio ll, uo pro'
c: ess of reason in / r, to clllih ie him to forl1l r igh t
co nel usio us ; hu t lhat his first thought s lire alwllys
, perfect lind infidl ih le,- thllt he intni li\' e Iy
disce rns 11, le trn e fill! ess " ft hi ngs, lIIul iller rah
ly det el'lll ilws on what i" hest. CUllse-
. quc lltly, we may cOllch, de th llt he ne ver did,
IIl1d ' ne vpr wi ll COIUlllit , lhe s lig htcst poss ib le
er ror . He is a ll e)' e, a ll ear, a ll touch, ulll'erce
ptio n, a ll judgment e \' ery whe re, th rou gh out
c · rell tio n. ' l' I, cl'clill'e no a tQm' of matt cr clln
sti r, uo plll'licle of lile vihl'llte , no th ou gh t, cles
ire , se ntil1l(: nt, IIIOti\' tl, in tellli on 01' volition
wke plac", wi lhout hi s sinlUltuneOll13 a nti com!
llete cogni lion. He is hi mself ped ect orde r ;
th er efo~ e he tlecds 110 extel'lla l' pl llll of out lines
lI11d de tllils to regul ate h is cond uc t. He lIeed s
no cOllllsello r ;: lor he is ne ver uu certuin ofthe
right. He CUllIlOt be :! urprised wi lh what is,
sll'lluge ; 101' he' k llows perf eclly th e Ulliu re
IIl1d leu detl ey of a ll op el'lltiug causes. ' He ca nnot
he d isap poin ted j for he d uly pel'cei\' es
the , a pproac h of 11 11 e vetlts . He ca ntlo t be
li'ustl'llted ; for he read ily overru les all th iligs '
alik e 10 th e prop er e nd. He uceds uo rep'ose ;
lor, h e is never wcar y : no re th, shment j 101' he
il3 tle\ ' er ex ha usted: uo succour;. 10:' he is:
tle ver eu teebled : alll i no rcc reati un ; fo r he is;
alwlI)' s a li!, e vigorou s . His in te llect, reaso n~
ku owledgl!, uu der slundin g, pruden ce- o::?' his
W I SDO~ l, is illfiuile. T his geneml doctrille i",
ta ught in suc h passages of Scripture as these :
" He looke th to t he ends of the earth, 1I11l!
seelh ulldeI' th e wb ole lienveu." J ob 28 : 14. "
His eyes are upon til e way s 0' 1' mau , and he
see th all hi s go ings. There is 110 d arl~ lI ess:
nor sftadow of dea th, where Ille workers of
iniqnity m'ay ' hid e them selves." l b. 34: 2' 1,2' 2"
He knowelh th e secrets of th e hellr t." I' sal .
44: 21. " He tha t plutlted the enr, s hull he not:
hear ? He that form ed tl~ e eye, s hu ll he not:
se e ? He dlUt teach et h mUll Iwowle dge; slllli L
he 1I0t kllow? The Lo rd . kllo wet l!, the th o'l s,
of man . ~ l b. 94: 9, 10, I. " 0 Lord , tholl hnst
sea rched I. ne, a nd Iwo\ vn me. TLtou kllo west
my do wlI, si tti ng olld mi ne up rising; th ou un derstallllest
' lIly th ou ght afitl · oft . T hou co mI;
asseth Illy'path, a nd my Iy il; g Il o ~ vn , a nd art
acquuillle d wilh a ll IllY ways. FOl' th ere is
not a wo t: d . in Illy ton gn e, but, 10, 0 Lord, t h Ol~
kn owest it n/ together . Thou hast beset me
beh illd a lld befor e ; alii I laid th in e IlUnd np on
me. S ud l kn owled g. e is t oo wonderful fo'l'
me ; it is high, I cunnot a ltni n unto it ." III. 139:
1- 6. , " Gre!! t is our Lord , and of greu t pow er
; his , inder sta ndi ng fis in fillite.' · I h. 147: 5.
" The L ord by wisdom hath fon llded' th e ea rth '
- hy under stan d ing ha th he es tah lish'ed the
heaven s." Prov. 3: 9 . " The Lord possessed
me [ wisdom] ill the beginn ing of hi s way, befor
e hi s works of old. I was sei lip frolll ever Insting,
81' ever the earth was." lb. I:!: 22 , 23.
' ~ Th e eye s of th e L ord ar e in e \' e ry 1. llIce, be -
h oldi ng th e evil and th e goo d." lb. 15: 3. "
' I' llere is no searching of hi s understand ing. "
I s. 40: 28. \ " T he re is no wisdom, nor co unsel,
no r u nderstandi ng against th e Lord." P rov o
2 1: 30. " IIIIIl God andthere isnone like rne ;
d eclari ng th e eud from th e begi nuing, and
from a nci en t tim es th e ' things that a re not yet
d one. " . I s. 46: 9, 10. " He, _ hath \ siablished
th e world hy hi s wisdo m, a nd ha th s tretc he d
Olll the heuveus hy his d irection." J er. 10: 12 .
" For thi ne eyes are up on a ll th e ways of the
SO Il~ of men. " Ih. 32 : 19 . " He revea leth the '
d eep lIt1d secre t th ings : he kn oweth what' is
in the rlurkuess, lind the light dw elleth with
him." 2: 22. " qllto th e on ly ' wise Go d be
honor a nd g lory for ever and ev er." 1 T im .
1: 17. , " All ~ h i n gs lire nak ed and ope ned uuW
t h ~ eyes of him wi th wh om we have to do."
Hell. A : 13. " God is greater than our heart,
and know eth all th ings." 1 John, 3: 20. " 0
th e ile pth of th e rich es, hoth of the wisd om
anrl k nowledge of God! 1I0w un seareh uble
am h is j ud gment s, a ud hi s ways past fiudi llg
out!" Rom . l l :~.
It will he pel'lfe ivell from th e view I have'
giv en ufGod':! infinit e wisd om, that I do 1I0t
belie ve in the do ct r ines o f fore kno w led ge and
foreord iuatio n, li S held by most theologiuns. T
lmt God for ekllo ws, or rath. er k noios a ll wh ich
it is necessa ry he shou ld in order to a perfect
cqulp rebe nsio n of passin g ev ellts a nd lIn lin ·
e rr ing adrn ini strillio n of th e go vernment of the
u niverse, I adnl it and be lieve. Nor do I pre .
'; 1I111' 3 to se t lim ils to this kno wledge; Ullr to
. 1 ~ lIbt tb nt Ire is ubl e at lmy 1) 10ment to reca ll
Ih e. luos t d istlln t flllst, 01' to bri ng , hefore him
. tb e UIOSt relll o! e lu tn re. And wh arever he de-
. d ures cOllc erlling thi s s ubject in b is word . I
e mhrace with liriliai th. But t hat God ha s at'
each moment , a nd co ntinually , a di sli nct per ce
ptio n, II particular view, of a ll being:!, thin gs,
e vent s, ein; ulll sllluc es , ulHI inc: idents, wi t,! l a ll
, l lwii' mot ious , c1l11 ng es Ulld mi nute peelli iari .
t i e~ , ji · o lll ll1l cl" to nil ete l · lIity.•. is ll. I'I'! JI'O,! iti lin so
extramgalll, a llll so u nlike lIny t hin g wh ich
I find tllngbt ill th e llible, thnt I feel uncleI' no ,
SOl' 1 of ohligu tion to heli e \'" it. I rio not knolC
thaI th is pl oposi tioll is nlllrne.- nei ther wi ll I
deb ilte witb those wbo think they rn u ~ 1 believe
it.; bill lis I filld neilher Scriptnrc nor reason
in its favor, auclns I ha\' e no lise fill'. it in Illy
system 01 lait h, I Iny it asid e.. , T hose who
c hoose 10 c onsllit d ivine revellltion will fili cl
ver y littl e said aho ut th e for ek no wled ge of
God- aud t his litt le vel'y unl ike tllli nsulIl spe c ·
ul at ions Ot1th / lt subj ec t. T he \' ~ rb, j oreknow,
occu rs hill t ~ v i c e, IIl1d the lIulln, f oreknowledg e,
also twice, I be lie \' e, in tbe whole sacred volun
le; lind in e \' el'y instllnee th ere ill 1II1 exc l",.
sive re( erenc e to C hris t ' lmd hi s s/ li nts . I
kn ow it is oft en nsserte d, th at . God IIInst hn\' e
filrek nown from 11 11 eternity wba t would take
' place' to a ll ete rn ity 01' els e he cllnnot he infi ·
n ite , in wisdom. I repl y th at thi s does hy n o
means nec essa r ily follo \ v, nnless it be tr ne thllt
Go d cannot judge infil llih ly with ont a pr ocess
o f cn lcu lation lind reasoni ng. JI' he ca nno t
c1ec ide on wh at is fit a nd best wi tho n t ' snc h a
process, th en is his wisd olll witiv e, allli of
cOlII'se finite ; whic h dest roys tbe IIrgumenl. No
w, ' il; as J have pre; iously sa id, Go d pel'-
, J
fec tly nnderst ands th e natu re o f e very bei ng
aI, d tb ing in th e u niverse, al so the pr ecise reo
lat ions wbie h they bear to eac h ot he r a llll the
grea t wh ole, conseq uent ly their exacl. infl ne
l; ce a nd ten den cy j a nd if he a lways main ·
tIlins , such all Qmniprescnt in timacy with c re a
led natures, as to have a posi tive knowl edge
0 1' 11 11 thll t is taking pluce th rou gh ou t honnd less
immen sity ; and if fur thermor e Ihi s kn o wled ge
co mprehends " so much of wbat we call the past,
present lind future as p resent s u per fect \' iew
of things in thei r necessar y co nllection; lhen
what more C; 1Il be requ isit e to lh e infinity of
his wi sclolll ? It seellls to me tfHlt th is is
enOl," gh, ami th ut it is as fil l' as we ha\' e a ny
reason 101' go ing ou th e subj ect. Her e, ther efor
e, I rest in the cll ~ e . I ca nn ot enc umhel'
my fa ith with lIlll. re s pec u lativeextrilVuga nces,
whi ch lit the sume tim e ontrun ali definite
' coueeptions of the miud. ·
With resp ec t to ' the do ctriu e th at God from
all ete r nity foreo rd ained whatsoev er co tiles to
pass, I rej ect it with abhor ren ce, usone. which
mak es God th e author of all th e sins forbidden
and punished und er h is moral governmeut. cThis
I co ns ide r a sta b at his hon or iii its most
. vi ta l point. The Bible, as I understand it,
leach es no su ch doct rin e. It do es ind eed
co n ta in th e word, f01' eordailled, twice, applied ,
in bot h in stances to Christ, also th e words, decree
a mi decreed. a few tim es , always with reference
to some defin ite an d part icu lar matter ;
a lso th e word s, purpose predestilla tf, and th e
like, in a few ins tances, but never re lative to all
th at comes to pass. I kn ow 1I0l on wh at tes tim
on y of Scripture a doctrine so derogatory
to th e glory of God , aIHI so pernici ou s 10 th e
mora Is of mankind , ClUl fasten for su pport--
T hat Go d has purposed , appointed, foreor duin
ed, fo rek no wn a nd pr edi cted mallY things,
many g rand events , I rend in his word , ami rej
oice to beli e ve, Hnl th at he has from all e ternit
y foreord ained whatsoever cuines to pass, I
rea d on ly in hum an s pec u lations an d creeds ,
lin'! cannot be lieve. Neit her do es re ason to
my under stan din g len. l to suc h a " conc lusio n.
iIlutaphysi ciuns and polemics hav e un derrnken
to te ll us that - di e perfec t ord er of nature ,
an d th e regular I II: o ce~ s 01 1111 that ex ists thro"
successive stages, bot h i, l) th e J ~ h y si clIl and
mornl world, result from a ce rtain plan 01'
s)'~ te lll which God ' adopted in prefereu c'e to '
a ll other possihle, ones, some tillle in post eternity
. They wpuld hav e us imagine that the
infini te Miud, ' long hefore time began, ga \' e
Ilimselfn p TO profiHlnd Ileliberu tio n concern ing
his fnture con r~ e of pro cced ing throngh all
eoming etern ity ; th at he hronght up befor e
hinl u vari ety of syste ms, lind aft er re\ ' ol ving
th elll ' mat'urely, ~ h ose one from llmo ng them,
liS prefe ra ble 10 the rest ; thlll th is is th e pres- '
e lll ord er lIncl system ofthings, wi th a ll its pec
uli ar ities a ud det ails, down e \' e n to th e positioil
of ato ms and th e, veri est appurelit trifles ;
a nd that having, with so mn ch deliberat ion
se ll l..'; '~ JJ. iliJ; rea l. J~ la n, I!! J now s trictly a d ~ e ~ s
to it i'l e very particu lar . li enee ull eve nt:!
come to pass, and e very thi ng takes place, exaet
ly acco " di nl; to his lo reo n liullt ioll- from
mi nute to mi nute , hon r to honr , day to day,
year to yellr ; und age to age, world wi th ont
CUll. Thc tilles (' ome ' aud go, with j ust sitch
II nnlllher of particies, ill Jnst . mclt ordm · - the
willds hlow iu jll ~ t such dir ections, llll ll with
j ust Stich force- the gnlss lind th e tr ees put
Ijll'lh j ns,! stich s pir es IInll lellves, in unmber,
for lll und qn ul ilYj- man thi nk s, desires, feel!',
speaks anducls pr ecisely so- commi ts jnst so
n, lUny ~ i n s, cloes j llst so mlldl goo d, a nd rece
ive s just so IIlne h huppines:! or misery,- lIs
was foreo rda ined . So a ll goes on lik e c lock
. work, in one grea t harlll ou y, comprehe ns ihle ,
ollly ' to its a ut hor . I f on e j ill' s ho uld hnpp eil',
if one litt le act or event shou l. 1 take place con tmry
to th e origi nal pllln, th e who le system
woul d he snlwe rted a nd c rnl! lbl ~ int o fraglIler'lts
. Hut God so fixed an d es tah liehed his
system, tl. lUt thi s , is impossihle ; th cr efore all
wi ll go on just us he for eorduin ed , world with ont
end .
This is t he fiIlIlOtlB. doctrine, that GOtI fj'om
all ete rn ity foreonlained wha tsoever com es to
pIlSS. This is th e great plun, wil ho nt which ,
it would seem, that a n all- w ise God could not
get on with the crea tio n lind ; go vern me nt of
l h ~ world. But to'my a pprehellsioll it ' d egra
de s God to the level of a mer e c reatur egreut
and tnte llige m, pe rhaps, but 6nite ' and
imperfect . L ook at it . o::?' T here was a n
ete rn ity dU~' in g which Go d had no se tt led plan
ofaetion. At len gth he i nv eute~ I, hy means
of pr ofiHllld s tndy, ca lculation an cl deliberu tion
, hi s present sc heme. ' Vith out it , we ure
left to in fer, he woul d , not kn ow what to do.~
All hi s wisdom and kn owled ge hy nuture
wou lli he wh olly insuffi cient to direct him
:' \ vithollt th is ~ ud ied pl ati. Without this perfect
in vention Ire would he in col1lpe te n ~ to s up
e ri nte ~ d t he u ni\' e rse . But now, ha vin g ull
the ontlines a nd th e lia rticnla r dC\ 1lils laid Ollt
befor e ! l im, as on a lIIlIp or cha rt, he ca n successfully
muua ge th e helm of goverme lit. Do
we 1I0t see that all thi s is d, erogato ry to tire
ch aracter ofali infin ite , God ? That it destroys
th e vel'y idea 01 hi s inhereut origilla l. p er fec-
L/
, CH RI ST IAN.
VOL. I.
D e v 0 • e d f 0 T." u • It a Ii d It i go 11.• e 0 usn e s s "
MENDON, MAS S ., AUGUST 15, 1840. No. 8.
THE PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN
Is published twice every ca lenda r mont h- at
One Dollar per annum, payable always in adva nce '
~ no credi t beyond No. 2 of each volume. Per;
sons respo nsib le for six copies receive the se vent h
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EXPOSITION OF : E'AITlI.
C II AI' T E R JI.
S F. C T IO~ 2.
0 011 is infinite in powerrwisdom nnrl gooclness .
" His g reatnesse is unsearchable." Psal. I ( S: 3 .
' I ' h nt which nei ther has 1101' ca n huve limits
is prop erl y ' te rmed in finit e. , T his is tru e of
God's power , wisdom a nd good ness. T herefi'rtl
in eac h of them he is in finite.
1'. God is infi ni te in power. By tire infinite
IlOwer of God, is ' mean t hi s nhility . to produc e
, any' a .. d e ver y su pposab le result, no t in ill' ua l
ure un a hso lute lmpo- sibilit y. T o pro duc e .
tw o ; Iclj llcent ni ounllli ns with ou t a ru lley he t
weel.' th em ; to rnn ke th e eM11r re vo lvo rou nd
tire su n in tw o contra ry di recriou s lit. the sallie
ti llle ; to , cllnse a mall 10 be uoth df",, 1 lind
Illive ' in th e SlIrHe se nse a l tile snlllC in st llnt ;
tlll lse a l'P. nll:< o lutB impossi hilities , wh ich lire
e xc luded eutirely li'fllII my de finit ion of infiuit
e J"" v.> r . I fI ,,~ lrt lliso to uoti ee th e di stiu
c tion whic h I nl~ hee n mllde hetw een nalul'Ul
~ 1I 11 1 moralahili ty. Na tu l'lIl a hility is lit e pow e
r wh ic h lilly Ii,: iu g posse~ ses to uct, IIn. 1 to
_ p" od llce rClslllts, wiil lllllt rega l'll to ri ght and
wrong . Thus ,; 1111111 lIlay possess tire natuml
:. hi lity to d efraud , ' or w h, or ; n u l'fler a notl ' er.
BUI lit i he sa ' lIe tillw he mllY he morally Ulla hie
In (' o lll l" it thes fJ sins. ' Vhy ? Beellnse
lie is tflOgool l II man, too co nsci e ntions. SfI it
i, n n, e, th ut " a ll tltings ar e , possible with God,"
i n resp ect to natnral power; aud ye t it is
..~ q ll ll ll y tl'lll:, tha t " it is impossihl e, fol' him to
li e," or tfl do' . a llY ac t of iujusticp , c rue lty , or
w wnl! whlltso e," er; hecau se hi s perfeet holilI"~
S tilrh ids. SUI'h is lhe di stin ction betw een
" · tllltu rill IInclmoral uhility. \ Vh at J am now
'> lllleavol'ing to l;' iaint uin is, th at thel! e is no
l l ein g, t1lin/ r, s pir it, Ilrin ci llle, or influen ce, ' in
th e wh ole ! l" iverse, not ahsolutely nlHlcr God's
· c ont 1' 01; tha t he cnn crea te or d estroy, exa lt
< II' ah use, litcilitate or imped e, regul at e 01' res
t1' ll in, es ta hlish or annHI, promot e or 11,"~ n r t
- lllly ti ling, lin d eve ry tbitlg, lit his own sov erei
~ u plellsllre ; th at he cnn cnUSfJ what he
w ill, pel'l il it wha t he wi ll, 1I1111 pl'e\ ' en t whnt
he wi ll, t liro ng ho nt nil natmc;. so tlrllt there is
lI O par ticle of IlIlItter, a uill, ate or in a nimnl e, ill
th e physical ~\' o rld,- an d no atom o f spir it or
sentime nt ill th e mo rul world , which he enlluot
govcrn just as h e pleases. What Ire p leuse!' to
. do, how he pleases to gov ern, lind what use I, e
j, lell.' es to mnke nfthis omipoten ce, a re qu ellt
ious to he c o n ~ i d e red, alHlllnsw eni, I,' U1~ cl er
~ lII o t her Io eatl . ' fhis, d ~ et rin e of infin ite pow,
er filllowl3 necessarily li'om th e pro pos ition estuloli:!
loed in the preced ing S ect. iou. F or if
, Gotl is th e O ne su pre me, self. ex is t ~ lI t , in'co lllpreh
en sihl e, nu cl, anging Spirit, he llIust he
omni pot'! III; , He ca ll IllIve 110 snpe rio r, no rio
\' al , no necessitRting F Ule. ' fhe S crip tu res
teuch t his great twth . in su ch Jlllssa ges as lit e
following;
" And lh e L OI'lI a ppeared unto Ahl'lllll, a nd '
' Suid Ullto llil ;' , I llln th e Almighty Gotl. " Gen.
] 7: I . " Is any thing too hard fil l' th e Lord."
lb. ] 8: 14. " Our Go. 1 ill in the heav en s ; he
hath don e' whatsoeve r he pleased ." (> Slll.] 15:
~ . " Befor e th e day wils I am he; and th ere
i,:! nOlle · tl; ut CUll deli ver out of my hllncl: I
will work and wh o shall let it ?" ISII. 43: 13.
" My cOllnse l s ha ll stll nd a nd I will do a ll Illy
~ l l eusllre." lb. 46: 10. " Lord Goel, heh olcl
1ho ll hllst made t ile heaven a nti the ea rlh hy
t hy greut powe r anti s tre tc hed out arm, and
th ere is nOthin g too hurd for th ee . " J er. 32: 17. ,
': 1 urn th e Lord God of all flesh : is th ere a ny
t hi ng too hard fo r me?" lb. 32: 27 . " W ho ' is
he thnt Iluit h alii! it c6 111elh to pass, when th e
Lonl comma ntlelh it not ?" Lam. 3: : 37. " lie
d oeth accor din g to his wi ll in th e army of
heaven,' and am ong th e inhahitnutss o f th e
ea rth ; and t ~ on e CUll s tay h is han d or suy unto
hi m, what doest thou ?" DIIIl. 4: 35. " With
God all thi ngs lire possible," Mutt . ] 9: 26. "
He worketh all th ings ufie r th e counsel of
his own wi l l." E phes. I: 11.
2. God is infi nit e in ~ w i sd om. I mean by
wi sdom, comprehensi ve ly allthat is sig l) ified
by th e word s in tellect, reason, kllolOledge, understanding
ami prudellce, ' hut ruur e pa rticula rly
the pow er of d isc ern ing thetrue fitness uf
th ings an d judg ing iu errahly. T he infi nit y of
God's w isdom necessarily implies absolute infinity
ofmi nd in ull res pe cts, He! ICe it , nlust
be th at he perfectl y u nd erstuu ds th e nature of
every bei ng a nd lhing in the who le u niverse ;
a lso the precise relations wh ich they bear to
euc h other and the great wh ol e, a nd con sequeurly
the ir exact infl uence nnd . tendency . s-- "
' Ve lik ewise in fer th at he mu st ulwavs ma intai
n suchan on iui pres eut intimacy ~ i'th cre nte
ll he ings uml t ldll gs, as to huve a positive
kn ow led ge of what ' tak es place th rough out
houudless iu uu eu si ty ; and rhut rilis kn owl ed ge
mu st comprehend so " Inch of what we ca ll th e
past, p resent lind future, us p resent s for th e
timc heiug a iiiII lind perfect view o f Il' ings in
their prop el' co n nec tion. " \ Ve further infer
that his wisdolll is illtuitive; i. e. IllIIt he ueeds
uo st udy, no resea l'l: h , no rc flectio ll, uo pro'
c: ess of reason in / r, to clllih ie him to forl1l r igh t
co nel usio us ; hu t lhat his first thought s lire alwllys
, perfect lind infidl ih le,- thllt he intni li\' e Iy
disce rns 11, le trn e fill! ess " ft hi ngs, lIIul iller rah
ly det el'lll ilws on what i" hest. CUllse-
. quc lltly, we may cOllch, de th llt he ne ver did,
IIl1d ' ne vpr wi ll COIUlllit , lhe s lig htcst poss ib le
er ror . He is a ll e)' e, a ll ear, a ll touch, ulll'erce
ptio n, a ll judgment e \' ery whe re, th rou gh out
c · rell tio n. ' l' I, cl'clill'e no a tQm' of matt cr clln
sti r, uo plll'licle of lile vihl'llte , no th ou gh t, cles
ire , se ntil1l(: nt, IIIOti\' tl, in tellli on 01' volition
wke plac", wi lhout hi s sinlUltuneOll13 a nti com!
llete cogni lion. He is hi mself ped ect orde r ;
th er efo~ e he tlecds 110 extel'lla l' pl llll of out lines
lI11d de tllils to regul ate h is cond uc t. He lIeed s
no cOllllsello r ;: lor he is ne ver uu certuin ofthe
right. He CUllIlOt be :! urprised wi lh what is,
sll'lluge ; 101' he' k llows perf eclly th e Ulliu re
IIl1d leu detl ey of a ll op el'lltiug causes. ' He ca nnot
he d isap poin ted j for he d uly pel'cei\' es
the , a pproac h of 11 11 e vetlts . He ca ntlo t be
li'ustl'llted ; for he read ily overru les all th iligs '
alik e 10 th e prop er e nd. He uceds uo rep'ose ;
lor, h e is never wcar y : no re th, shment j 101' he
il3 tle\ ' er ex ha usted: uo succour;. 10:' he is:
tle ver eu teebled : alll i no rcc reati un ; fo r he is;
alwlI)' s a li!, e vigorou s . His in te llect, reaso n~
ku owledgl!, uu der slundin g, pruden ce- o::?' his
W I SDO~ l, is illfiuile. T his geneml doctrille i",
ta ught in suc h passages of Scripture as these :
" He looke th to t he ends of the earth, 1I11l!
seelh ulldeI' th e wb ole lienveu." J ob 28 : 14. "
His eyes are upon til e way s 0' 1' mau , and he
see th all hi s go ings. There is 110 d arl~ lI ess:
nor sftadow of dea th, where Ille workers of
iniqnity m'ay ' hid e them selves." l b. 34: 2' 1,2' 2"
He knowelh th e secrets of th e hellr t." I' sal .
44: 21. " He tha t plutlted the enr, s hull he not:
hear ? He that form ed tl~ e eye, s hu ll he not:
se e ? He dlUt teach et h mUll Iwowle dge; slllli L
he 1I0t kllow? The Lo rd . kllo wet l!, the th o'l s,
of man . ~ l b. 94: 9, 10, I. " 0 Lord , tholl hnst
sea rched I. ne, a nd Iwo\ vn me. TLtou kllo west
my do wlI, si tti ng olld mi ne up rising; th ou un derstallllest
' lIly th ou ght afitl · oft . T hou co mI;
asseth Illy'path, a nd my Iy il; g Il o ~ vn , a nd art
acquuillle d wilh a ll IllY ways. FOl' th ere is
not a wo t: d . in Illy ton gn e, but, 10, 0 Lord, t h Ol~
kn owest it n/ together . Thou hast beset me
beh illd a lld befor e ; alii I laid th in e IlUnd np on
me. S ud l kn owled g. e is t oo wonderful fo'l'
me ; it is high, I cunnot a ltni n unto it ." III. 139:
1- 6. , " Gre!! t is our Lord , and of greu t pow er
; his , inder sta ndi ng fis in fillite.' · I h. 147: 5.
" The L ord by wisdom hath fon llded' th e ea rth '
- hy under stan d ing ha th he es tah lish'ed the
heaven s." Prov. 3: 9 . " The Lord possessed
me [ wisdom] ill the beginn ing of hi s way, befor
e hi s works of old. I was sei lip frolll ever Insting,
81' ever the earth was." lb. I:!: 22 , 23.
' ~ Th e eye s of th e L ord ar e in e \' e ry 1. llIce, be -
h oldi ng th e evil and th e goo d." lb. 15: 3. "
' I' llere is no searching of hi s understand ing. "
I s. 40: 28. \ " T he re is no wisdom, nor co unsel,
no r u nderstandi ng against th e Lord." P rov o
2 1: 30. " IIIIIl God andthere isnone like rne ;
d eclari ng th e eud from th e begi nuing, and
from a nci en t tim es th e ' things that a re not yet
d one. " . I s. 46: 9, 10. " He, _ hath \ siablished
th e world hy hi s wisdo m, a nd ha th s tretc he d
Olll the heuveus hy his d irection." J er. 10: 12 .
" For thi ne eyes are up on a ll th e ways of the
SO Il~ of men. " Ih. 32 : 19 . " He revea leth the '
d eep lIt1d secre t th ings : he kn oweth what' is
in the rlurkuess, lind the light dw elleth with
him." 2: 22. " qllto th e on ly ' wise Go d be
honor a nd g lory for ever and ev er." 1 T im .
1: 17. , " All ~ h i n gs lire nak ed and ope ned uuW
t h ~ eyes of him wi th wh om we have to do."
Hell. A : 13. " God is greater than our heart,
and know eth all th ings." 1 John, 3: 20. " 0
th e ile pth of th e rich es, hoth of the wisd om
anrl k nowledge of God! 1I0w un seareh uble
am h is j ud gment s, a ud hi s ways past fiudi llg
out!" Rom . l l :~.
It will he pel'lfe ivell from th e view I have'
giv en ufGod':! infinit e wisd om, that I do 1I0t
belie ve in the do ct r ines o f fore kno w led ge and
foreord iuatio n, li S held by most theologiuns. T
lmt God for ekllo ws, or rath. er k noios a ll wh ich
it is necessa ry he shou ld in order to a perfect
cqulp rebe nsio n of passin g ev ellts a nd lIn lin ·
e rr ing adrn ini strillio n of th e go vernment of the
u niverse, I adnl it and be lieve. Nor do I pre .
'; 1I111' 3 to se t lim ils to this kno wledge; Ullr to
. 1 ~ lIbt tb nt Ire is ubl e at lmy 1) 10ment to reca ll
Ih e. luos t d istlln t flllst, 01' to bri ng , hefore him
. tb e UIOSt relll o! e lu tn re. And wh arever he de-
. d ures cOllc erlling thi s s ubject in b is word . I
e mhrace with liriliai th. But t hat God ha s at'
each moment , a nd co ntinually , a di sli nct per ce
ptio n, II particular view, of a ll being:!, thin gs,
e vent s, ein; ulll sllluc es , ulHI inc: idents, wi t,! l a ll
, l lwii' mot ious , c1l11 ng es Ulld mi nute peelli iari .
t i e~ , ji · o lll ll1l cl" to nil ete l · lIity.•. is ll. I'I'! JI'O,! iti lin so
extramgalll, a llll so u nlike lIny t hin g wh ich
I find tllngbt ill th e llible, thnt I feel uncleI' no ,
SOl' 1 of ohligu tion to heli e \'" it. I rio not knolC
thaI th is pl oposi tioll is nlllrne.- nei ther wi ll I
deb ilte witb those wbo think they rn u ~ 1 believe
it.; bill lis I filld neilher Scriptnrc nor reason
in its favor, auclns I ha\' e no lise fill'. it in Illy
system 01 lait h, I Iny it asid e.. , T hose who
c hoose 10 c onsllit d ivine revellltion will fili cl
ver y littl e said aho ut th e for ek no wled ge of
God- aud t his litt le vel'y unl ike tllli nsulIl spe c ·
ul at ions Ot1th / lt subj ec t. T he \' ~ rb, j oreknow,
occu rs hill t ~ v i c e, IIl1d the lIulln, f oreknowledg e,
also twice, I be lie \' e, in tbe whole sacred volun
le; lind in e \' el'y instllnee th ere ill 1II1 exc l",.
sive re( erenc e to C hris t ' lmd hi s s/ li nts . I
kn ow it is oft en nsserte d, th at . God IIInst hn\' e
filrek nown from 11 11 eternity wba t would take
' place' to a ll ete rn ity 01' els e he cllnnot he infi ·
n ite , in wisdom. I repl y th at thi s does hy n o
means nec essa r ily follo \ v, nnless it be tr ne thllt
Go d cannot judge infil llih ly with ont a pr ocess
o f cn lcu lation lind reasoni ng. JI' he ca nno t
c1ec ide on wh at is fit a nd best wi tho n t ' snc h a
process, th en is his wisd olll witiv e, allli of
cOlII'se finite ; whic h dest roys tbe IIrgumenl. No
w, ' il; as J have pre; iously sa id, Go d pel'-
, J
fec tly nnderst ands th e natu re o f e very bei ng
aI, d tb ing in th e u niverse, al so the pr ecise reo
lat ions wbie h they bear to eac h ot he r a llll the
grea t wh ole, conseq uent ly their exacl. infl ne
l; ce a nd ten den cy j a nd if he a lways main ·
tIlins , such all Qmniprescnt in timacy with c re a
led natures, as to have a posi tive knowl edge
0 1' 11 11 thll t is taking pluce th rou gh ou t honnd less
immen sity ; and if fur thermor e Ihi s kn o wled ge
co mprehends " so much of wbat we call the past,
present lind future as p resent s u per fect \' iew
of things in thei r necessar y co nllection; lhen
what more C; 1Il be requ isit e to lh e infinity of
his wi sclolll ? It seellls to me tfHlt th is is
enOl," gh, ami th ut it is as fil l' as we ha\' e a ny
reason 101' go ing ou th e subj ect. Her e, ther efor
e, I rest in the cll ~ e . I ca nn ot enc umhel'
my fa ith with lIlll. re s pec u lativeextrilVuga nces,
whi ch lit the sume tim e ontrun ali definite
' coueeptions of the miud. ·
With resp ec t to ' the do ctriu e th at God from
all ete r nity foreo rd ained whatsoev er co tiles to
pass, I rej ect it with abhor ren ce, usone. which
mak es God th e author of all th e sins forbidden
and punished und er h is moral governmeut. cThis
I co ns ide r a sta b at his hon or iii its most
. vi ta l point. The Bible, as I understand it,
leach es no su ch doct rin e. It do es ind eed
co n ta in th e word, f01' eordailled, twice, applied ,
in bot h in stances to Christ, also th e words, decree
a mi decreed. a few tim es , always with reference
to some defin ite an d part icu lar matter ;
a lso th e word s, purpose predestilla tf, and th e
like, in a few ins tances, but never re lative to all
th at comes to pass. I kn ow 1I0l on wh at tes tim
on y of Scripture a doctrine so derogatory
to th e glory of God , aIHI so pernici ou s 10 th e
mora Is of mankind , ClUl fasten for su pport--
T hat Go d has purposed , appointed, foreor duin
ed, fo rek no wn a nd pr edi cted mallY things,
many g rand events , I rend in his word , ami rej
oice to beli e ve, Hnl th at he has from all e ternit
y foreord ained whatsoever cuines to pass, I
rea d on ly in hum an s pec u lations an d creeds ,
lin'! cannot be lieve. Neit her do es re ason to
my under stan din g len. l to suc h a " conc lusio n.
iIlutaphysi ciuns and polemics hav e un derrnken
to te ll us that - di e perfec t ord er of nature ,
an d th e regular I II: o ce~ s 01 1111 that ex ists thro"
successive stages, bot h i, l) th e J ~ h y si clIl and
mornl world, result from a ce rtain plan 01'
s)'~ te lll which God ' adopted in prefereu c'e to '
a ll other possihle, ones, some tillle in post eternity
. They wpuld hav e us imagine that the
infini te Miud, ' long hefore time began, ga \' e
Ilimselfn p TO profiHlnd Ileliberu tio n concern ing
his fnture con r~ e of pro cced ing throngh all
eoming etern ity ; th at he hronght up befor e
hinl u vari ety of syste ms, lind aft er re\ ' ol ving
th elll ' mat'urely, ~ h ose one from llmo ng them,
liS prefe ra ble 10 the rest ; thlll th is is th e pres- '
e lll ord er lIncl system ofthings, wi th a ll its pec
uli ar ities a ud det ails, down e \' e n to th e positioil
of ato ms and th e, veri est appurelit trifles ;
a nd that having, with so mn ch deliberat ion
se ll l..'; '~ JJ. iliJ; rea l. J~ la n, I!! J now s trictly a d ~ e ~ s
to it i'l e very particu lar . li enee ull eve nt:!
come to pass, and e very thi ng takes place, exaet
ly acco " di nl; to his lo reo n liullt ioll- from
mi nute to mi nute , hon r to honr , day to day,
year to yellr ; und age to age, world wi th ont
CUll. Thc tilles (' ome ' aud go, with j ust sitch
II nnlllher of particies, ill Jnst . mclt ordm · - the
willds hlow iu jll ~ t such dir ections, llll ll with
j ust Stich force- the gnlss lind th e tr ees put
Ijll'lh j ns,! stich s pir es IInll lellves, in unmber,
for lll und qn ul ilYj- man thi nk s, desires, feel!',
speaks anducls pr ecisely so- commi ts jnst so
n, lUny ~ i n s, cloes j llst so mlldl goo d, a nd rece
ive s just so IIlne h huppines:! or misery,- lIs
was foreo rda ined . So a ll goes on lik e c lock
. work, in one grea t harlll ou y, comprehe ns ihle ,
ollly ' to its a ut hor . I f on e j ill' s ho uld hnpp eil',
if one litt le act or event shou l. 1 take place con tmry
to th e origi nal pllln, th e who le system
woul d he snlwe rted a nd c rnl! lbl ~ int o fraglIler'lts
. Hut God so fixed an d es tah liehed his
system, tl. lUt thi s , is impossihle ; th cr efore all
wi ll go on just us he for eorduin ed , world with ont
end .
This is t he fiIlIlOtlB. doctrine, that GOtI fj'om
all ete rn ity foreonlained wha tsoever com es to
pIlSS. This is th e great plun, wil ho nt which ,
it would seem, that a n all- w ise God could not
get on with the crea tio n lind ; go vern me nt of
l h ~ world. But to'my a pprehellsioll it ' d egra
de s God to the level of a mer e c reatur egreut
and tnte llige m, pe rhaps, but 6nite ' and
imperfect . L ook at it . o::?' T here was a n
ete rn ity dU~' in g which Go d had no se tt led plan
ofaetion. At len gth he i nv eute~ I, hy means
of pr ofiHllld s tndy, ca lculation an cl deliberu tion
, hi s present sc heme. ' Vith out it , we ure
left to in fer, he woul d , not kn ow what to do.~
All hi s wisdom and kn owled ge hy nuture
wou lli he wh olly insuffi cient to direct him
:' \ vithollt th is ~ ud ied pl ati. Without this perfect
in vention Ire would he in col1lpe te n ~ to s up
e ri nte ~ d t he u ni\' e rse . But now, ha vin g ull
the ontlines a nd th e lia rticnla r dC\ 1lils laid Ollt
befor e ! l im, as on a lIIlIp or cha rt, he ca n successfully
muua ge th e helm of goverme lit. Do
we 1I0t see that all thi s is d, erogato ry to tire
ch aracter ofali infin ite , God ? That it destroys
th e vel'y idea 01 hi s inhereut origilla l. p er fec-
Page 29 of Volume 1 from The Practical Christian 1840-1841
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Ballou, Adin
Date
1840
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Ballou, Adin, “Page029,” Digital Commonwealth , accessed May 20, 2013, http://digitalcommonwealth.org/items/show/437.
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