Wesley Corpus

The author of two volumes, entitled “Man,” rationally rejects all the preceding schemes, while he deduces all human actions from those passions and judgments which, during the present union of the soul and body, necessarily result from such and such vibrations of the fibres of the brain. Herein he indirectly ascribes the necessity of all human actions to God; who, having fixed the laws of this vital union according to his own good pleasure, having so constituted man that the motions of the soul thus depend on the fibres of the body, has thereby laid him under an invincible neces sity of acting thus, and in no other manner. So do those likewise, who suppose all the judgments and passions neces sarily to flow from the motion of the blood and spirits. For ThouGHTS UPON NECESSIT Y. 463 this is indirectly to impute all our passions and actions to Him who alone determined the manner wherein our blood and spirits should move. 4. The gentleman next mentioned does this directly, without any softening or circumlocution at all. He flatly and roundly affirms, The Creator is the proper Author of everything which man does; that by creating him thus, he has absolutely determined the manner wherein he shall act; and that there fore man can no more help sinning, than a stone can help falling. The Assembly of Divines do as directly ascribe the necessity of human actions to God, in affirming that God has eternally determined whatsoever shall be done in time. So likewise does Mr. Edwards of New-England; in proving by abundance of deep, metaphysical reasoning, that “we must see, hear, taste, feel the objects that surround us, and must have such judgments, passions, actions, and no other.” He flatly ascribes the necessity of all our actions to Him who united our souls to these bodies, placed us in the midst of these objects, and ordered that these sensations, judgments, passions, and actions should spring therefrom. 5. The author last cited connects together and confirms all the preceding schemes; particularly those of the ancient Stoics and the modern Calvinists. III. 1. It is not easy for a man of common understanding, especially if unassisted by education, to unravel these finely woven schemes, or show distinctly where the fallacy lies.