S06 Philosophy of the Human Miftd, [Chap. Xlt, 



none; and that he has approached as near to a de- 

 monstration that the doctrine of moral necessity 

 (as explained and guarded by him) is the only 

 scriptural and philosophical doctrine on this sub- 

 ject, as the nature of such inquiries admits, is cer- 

 tainly the opinion of some of the best judges in 

 every part of the literary world *. The extremes 

 to which the system of the venerable president has 

 been carried by several subsequent writers, and the 

 consequences deduced from it, were far from be- 

 ing recognised by him ; and with respect to some 

 of them, they are, beyond all doubt, illegitimately 

 drawn. 



It is worthy of remark that Mr. Edwards 

 appears to ha\e been the first Calv'mist who 

 avowed his belief so fully and thoroughly in 

 the doctrine of moral necessity as his book indi- 

 cates f. Though all Calvin istic writers before 

 his time were characterised by^. a firm adher- 

 ence to the doctrine of predestination ; yet they 

 seem, for the most part, to have adopted a 

 kind of middle course between his creed and that 

 of the Arminian contingency. The penetrating 

 and comprehensive mind of Edwards went fur- 

 ther ; demonstrated that this middle ground was 

 untenable, and presented a more clear and satis- 

 factory view of the doctrines of free grace, when 



"* Soon after the publication of president Edwards's celebrated 

 work on the Will, he received the tlianks of several professors of 

 the universities of Holland, and of other gentlemen of distinction, 

 in various parts of Europe, for having, in their opinion, thrown 

 more light on th? subject than all preceding writers. This pub- 

 lication has long ben considered and quoted as a standard work oa 

 the side of this question which it is designed to defend. 



f See Additional notvi>*^[LL.) 



