Surely, no man can look upon the awesome Creator of the universe and live. If, however, God merely showed the world His love and not His justice, His mercy and not His judgment, His grace and not His wrath, then He would be denying Himself one of His attributes, something which He clearly cannot do. In his first published sermon, Edwards identified some of the privileges that man receives from the sin of our first parents. We were in our first estate dependent on God for holiness. . . Some people would also find it helpful that he included many Scripture references to support his positions.
Some difficulties still remain, however.
Many, like Dr. Whitby, argue that God is nevertheless the author of all sin by knowing that Adam would sin and refusing to prevent him. Others might question how or why Adam's sin was transferred to his posterity, making them a certain way without their choosing, as it were. Yet, in the end, the focus of the reader, whether agreeing with Edwards or no, should lie not so much on man and his liberties, as on the Divine Creator and His actions and motivations. Jonathan Edwards did not argue his positions in the face of conflict merely for intellectual prestige, nor did he hold certain views because of their orthodoxy. The writings of Jonathan Edwards stand out in the end, as a beacon for all those who endeavor to understand that Being who is Infinite Love, Infinite Joy, and Infinite Wisdom.