New-York tribune., 1889-10-13
JONATHAN EDWARDS.
A NEW BIOGRAPHY.


,mposinc figure. even the excesses Of his theo-
sa-dcal zeal contisae to be interesting. and there
n no intellectual career in which II is so easy 10
study the elimination OF those tenets winch carrieu
over into the Reformation some OF the harshesU
doctrines of the old Church and, Just before the
dawn of Rationalism, pressed them 10 thelr eA-
tremest logical implications. 1t is somewhat un-
fortunate that the materials for writing the carry
life of Edwards have proved so fragmentary ana
defective for one result of this Is an uncertainty
as n the period in which his Notes on the
Mind were produced; and because OF that un-
certainty doubt rests upon the genesis of more
than one OF his views, and also upon the true
nature of certain parallelisms between his ideas
and those of contemporary authors. His present
biographer, though cautiously abstaining from
positive conclusions apparently leans toward the
opinion that most of Edwardss philosophical views
were worked out by him independently. lie may
have seen Berkeley but there is no evidence OF
il. He never refers to that philosopher in his
writings and it is quite credible that so strong an
intelligence meditating long may have 1aiien
upon the SANG interpretations and explanations
Of the scheme of things.
Not the least interesting circumstance in the
evolution OF Edwardss theology is his early bent
toward what can only be termed pantheiSm'
Here too. is another yexatious hiatus i'll his in
the process of reasoning by which he presently
Jassed TO the beliefs which became established In
his mind Mr. Allen thinks that no regular
process of reasoning was undergone, indeed; but
that he arrived at his conclusions by species oil
intuition and that he owed this inexpicabie but
not tie less permanent, change TO that element on
mysticism in his character which was perhaps the
principal source of attraction in him; WHICH IN
formed his austere and essentially repellant the
ology with a glow ard fervor that hghtened lts
chilling severity. Jonathan Edwards the
abIest exponent and defender of the most ultra
Cavinstic doctrine. AT the same time he was
one of the purest tenderest and most upright ci
men in all domestic and social relations. In this
respect he was only an illustration of the happy
inconsistency which has so often enabled men to
live cheerfully and well while holding intellectually
beliefs incompatible, logically, with anything but
gloom and despondency. But Edwards. with all
his polemic skill ard power of reasoning, was not
even consistent intellectually Throughout his
life he was balancing between two
mutually destructive tenetS: that oil
the irresponsible sovereignty of God and that
OF His position as the moral governor of the world
Mr. Allen has pointed out many instances in which
Edwards shifts from to the other OF these
positions, though it is clear that he held most
firmly 10 the first-named.
His ministry opened at a time when doubt on
many points of the old theology was spreading.
Among the theological tenets,' says Dr. Allen,
"which were beginning to be questioned so early
as Edwards's time may be included the doctrines
of endless punishment, the Trinity, the atone
ment justification by faith, or the imputatlon OF
Christ's righteousness as the ground Of salvation
Arminiansm was gaining ground, and it was to
combat this alleged heresy that all the poemical
xrorlyc of Edwards were written. What he
thought upon some Of the tenets then beginning
TO be questioned is thus set forth by his bi-
ographer: The doctrine of endless punishment
Edwards regarded essential that If 1t were
denied, the foundations, not only OF Christian be-
lief, but of common morality, would be over
thrown lie expresses amazement that the great
Archbishop Tillotson, who has made such figure
among the new fashioned divines should have ad-
vanced an opinion calculated TO weaken ialth IN
such an important truth. If this doctrine were
10 be abandoned as untrue. there would he no
evidence left that God is the moral governor of
the universe The oonce, ,'tion which Edwards had
formed of humanity as deprived since its creation
of any divine supernatural principle, made it i'm
possible for him to hold that the law of God as
n moral governor could he written within the
heart to such an extent that the divine penalties
against sin could be realized through the con-
science in this present world. lie makes
no appeal to the human conscious
ness wherein is contained, as If in miniature,
the picture of God in his relation TO all
that is not God. Since the conscience Of the nat.
ural man does not participate in divine supernatural
light what else could he hold than that this
world is no theatre for the display of divine
Justice The present is rather confused, mys-
terious dispensation in which God is carrying on
Ills strange work Everything here has
i,xro cd in he
by Gods withdrawal from humanity, that it is TO
another world that must look for evidence that
God rules this world in the interest of eternal
justice"
Believing as he did that there was literally no
good in the natural man; that the atonement was
only partial and arbitrary; that election was
purely gratuitous exercise of the divine pleasure;
that no possible conduct could in itself make man
other than totally depraved and deserving of
damnation, there can be no room for surprise
at the ferceneSs of Edwards's denunciation, the
savageneSs of his so-called imprecatory sermons"
or the uncompromisng extremism of his po-
stions generally The real cause for wonder is
that, holding what he did, he should have found
II possible to offer the least encouragement to his
congregation. Nor did he do so in those terrible
discourses called by DR.. Allen the imprecatory
sermons. These were devoted to considering the
fate OF the wicked, which term included the great
majority Of the human race to affirming latter
Augustine) the Of the punishment of the wicked
as foil 10 the happiness of the elect; TO disSpat
ing every remnant of confidence in the efficacy of
works; and, one would think, to creating a
general condition of hopeless despair. One of his
most dreadful sermons he concluded in these words :
If we knew that there was one person and
but one, in the whole congregation, that was TO
be the subject of this misery, what awful thing
Il would be 10 think Of. II we knew who it
was, what an awful sight it would be 10 see
such a person. How might all the rest of the
congregation lift up lamentabe and bitter
cry over him. But. alas! instead of one, how
many il is likely will remember this discourse in