Morning journal and courier., 1880-09-09
The Unpubiished Edwards 1Ianuscript.

Messrs. Charles Scribner & Sons, New York, will publish on the 9th the unpub
 lished manuscript of Jonathan Edwards, concerning which so much has been said re- gently. The title page reads :-"Observa-
 tions Concerning the Scripture Fconomy of
 the Trinity and Covenant of Redemption"
 by Jonathan Edwards, with an introduction
 and appendix by Egbert E. Smyth. We take
 the following concerning the main points of
 the manuscript from the Hartford Cou10nt
 The author begins by the assertion that there
 is Q subordination of the Persons of the
 Trinity, in their acting, with respect to the
 creation particularly in the affair of the re- demption the Father acts as the head Of the
 Trinity, the Son under Him and the Holy
 Spirit under them both. The Persons of the
 Trinity are not inferior one to another 1n
 glory and excellence of nature. The subor-
 dination of the Persons must be conceived of
 as in some respects one of mutual agreement,
 as if of their own will they had formed
 themselves into society, and this is by natural decency that obGges the Persons to
 come into order and economy. This order of the Trinity with respect to actions Gb ert7u
 is to be conceived of as prior to the covenant
 of redemption. We must conceive of Gods
 determination to glorify and communicate
 Himself as prior to the method that His wis
 dom pitches upon tending best to effect
 this. Gods purpose to glorify Himself in redeeming certain number of fallen men is oA the Trinity about this particular affair. God
 is the Person injured by sin, whose wrath is enkindled, whose justice and vengeance are
 to be executed and satisfied. His determina- tion to allow redemption precedes the agree ment of the Persons to carry it out. The Father chooses the Person who shall be the
 Redeemer and appoints Him the Son has His authority in His office wholly from the Father This makes it evident that that Gcono- my by which the Fatheris Head of the Trinity is prior to the Covenant of Redemption. The establishment by which the Father is invest ed with His character of Head of the Trinity is prior to that which invests the Son with His character of Mediator. And prior to the covenant of redemption 1t is conceived that all the Persons act on O level
 The Gconomy of the Persons of the Trim ity remains after the work of Redemption is finished. The author argues at length that the covenant of redemption is 8 distinct es- tablishment from that which is the founda- tion of the Economy of the Persons of the Trinity. The Son in redemption is the Fathers vicegerent. The promises made to the Son in that covenant are made by the Father only. But for the priority spoken of, the promises could not have been made by the Father any more than by the Holy Ghost.
 Besides the original subordination of the Persons of the Trinity, there is a new kind of subordination and untried obligation between two of the Persons arising from the new GOV enant There is subordination and hu- l initiation of the Son. The Spirit is also put ! under the Son by twofold subjection, as the Redeemer and in the Gconomy of the Trinity. The Covenant of Redemption is only between | two Persons of the Trinity-the Father and the Son. There is no intimation in Scripture e of any covenant of the Father or the Son with l the Holy Ghost. Yet the Holy Ghost is con- cerned in the work of redemption and also in l the covenant; it is as great and it is as hon orabIe and yet it is not that of party cov- enanting.
 The author closes his essay with the cor ollary:
 l 'tFrom the things that have been observed I it appears to be unreasonable to suppose, as some do, that the Sonship of the second Per son in the Trinity consists only in the rela ] ton be bears to the Father in His mediatorial character; and that His generation or pro- ceeding from the Father Son consists only in his being appointed, constituted and authorized of the Father in the office of me diator; and that there is no other priority of | the Father to the Son but that which is vol untarily established in the covenant of re- demption. For it appears by what has been
 said that the priority of the Father to the l Son is, in the order of nature, before the GOV enant of redemption. And it appears evi- dently to be so, even by the scheme of those I now mentioned, who suppose the contrary. For they suppose that it is the Father who | by His power constitutes the Son in His office of Mediator. and so that the Mediator ! is His Son, i. e., is made a mediator by 1 Him, deriving His being in that office wholly | from Him. But if so, that supposes the
 Father, the Economy of the Trinity, to be | before the Son or above Him (and so to in vest with authority and thus to constitute and authorize the other Person Tn the Ir1nl- | ty) before that other Person is thus author ized. which is by the covenant of redemption,
 and consequently this superiority of the Father is antecedent to that covenant And l the whole tenor of the gospel exhibits this same thing For that represents the wondrous love and grace of God as appearing in ap- pointing and constituting His own only be- gotten and beloved Son, to be our Mediator, which would be absurd if He were not Gods lSo;o till after He was appointed to be our Mediator"
 It will be for the theologians to determine the relations of the terms "subordination" and priority to equality"