Jonathan Edwards and the Covenant of Grace

Description

Twentieth century discussions of Edwards' covenant theology frequently named a tension in the purity of Edwards' Calvinism. Was his insistent teaching on the covenant of grace suggestive of incipient Arminianism, or was Perry Miller correct in asserting that Edwards rejected the covenant, with its abridging of God's freedom, by his categorical insistence on God's absolute sovereignty in salvation?
Bogue explores the breadth of Edwards' writing, including many unpublished manuscripts, and interacts with a broad spectrum of secondary works to demonstrate conclusively that Calvinism and the covenant of grace are entirely consistent and do not exclude one another. The covenant of grace is not a device of man acting autonomously; it is a provision of the eternal, sovereign, electing God. As set forth by Edwards, it is simply the way the sovereign God has committed Himself to carry out what He has decreed from all eternity pertaining to the redemption of sinners.

Subjects

• Books
• Savoirs
• Religions

Informations

• Published by: Wipf and Stock Publishers
• Published: 05 January 2009
• Reads: 0
• EAN13: 9781725224353
• Language: English
• Document size: 59 MB

Exrait

The Jonathan Edwards Classic Studies Series

The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University is pleased to offer this volume, in grateful cooperation with Wipf & Stock Publishers, as part of its mission to encourage ongoing research into and readership of one of America’s most original thinkers and one of its most significant historical and cultural figures. As much as the Edwards Center is devoted to presenting Edwards’s own writings in a comprehensive and authoritative online format, we also see providing secondary resources as vital to supporting an ongoing understanding of Edwards’s extensive and varied corpus, which can be accessed at http://edwards.yale.edu. Writings about Edwards’s life, thought, and legacy continue to accumulate from authors representing a broad range of disciplines and agendas. Within the voluminous secondary literature, the Edwards Center recognizes the importance of insuring that certain key works—which sadly have gone out of print but yet remain in demand—are available for new generations coming to the study of Edwards and are recognized for their worth. These monographs represent some of the very best and most pioneering studies of Edwards, his times, and his influence, from scholars over the past half century and more. Indeed, these works not only greatly influenced the study of Edwards but American history in general. We hope these landmark studies, ranging from biography to intellectual and social history to philosophy and theology, continue to be sources of inquiry and inspiration for decades to come.

Harry S. Stout Director The Jonathan Edwards Center Yale University

Jonaan Edwards Classic Sudies Series

he Young Jonatan Edwards William Sparkes Morris Wi a new foreword by Kenne Minkema

Jonatan Edwards, Pastor Paricia Tracy Wi a new preface by e auor

Jonatan Edwards’s Moral hougt and Its Britis Context Norman Fiering Wi a new foreword by Oliver Crisp

Beauty and Sensibility in te hougt of Jonatan Edwards Roland A. Delare Wi a new foreword by Micael McClenaan

Religion and te American Mind Alan Heimer Wi a new foreword by Andrew Delbanco

Samuel Hopkins and te New Divinity Movement Josep A. Confori Wi a new foreword by Douglas Sweeney

Edwards on te Will: A Century of Anglican heological Debate Allen C. Guelzo Wi a new preface/acknowledgemens by e auor

Jonatan Edwards: he First Critical Biograpy, 1889 Alexander V. G. Allen Wi a new foreword by M. X. Lesser

Jonatan Edwards and te Covenant of Grace Carl W. Bogue Wi a new preface by e auor

______________________ Fuure volumes are forcoming. For curren updaes see p://edwards.yale.edu.

CARL W. BOGUE

Wipf and Stock Publishers 199 W 8th Ave, Suite 3 Eugene, OR 97401 Jonathan Edwards and the Covenant of Grace By Bogue, Carl W. Copyright©1975 by Bogue, Carl W. ISBN 13: 978-1-60608-365-9 Publication date 12/2/2008 Previously published by Mack Publishing Company, 1975 ACADEMISCH PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad van Doctor in de Godgeleerdheid aan de Vrije Universiteit te Amsterdam, op gezag van de Rector Magnificus Mr. I. A. Diepenhorst, hoogleraar in de Faculteit der Rechtsgeleerdheid, in het openbaar te verdedigen op vrijdag 11 april 1975 te 13.30 uur in het hoofdgebouw der universiteit, De Boelelaan 1105 door CARL W. BOGUE geboren te Vincennes, Indiana, U.S.A. 1975 Mack Publishing Company

Preface o e 2009 Ediion

he researc for is book began almos a generaion ago. A e ime I ad e sense a I was riding e wave of e renaissance of Ed- wardsian sudies. he early volumes of e Yale Universiy Press de- finiive ediion of Edwards’ wriings ad appeared. he ineres was amazing and a sream of publicaions, academic and popular, was a delig o see. As a young suden i was no small privilege o be graned access o e necessary manuscrips, many of em unpub- lised, wonderfully preserved in e Beinecke Rare Book and Manu- scrip Library a Yale Universiy. Wa I never envisioned was a I was bu riding e firs of many “waves” in is resurgence of iner- es in Edwards and a e sream of publicaions would become a flood, relaively speaking, of available lieraure. Since e publicaion of is book in 1975, e seer volume of books, aricles, and graduae disseraions abou is Purian gian living in Colonial America is saggering. In e Appendix of Jon H. Gersner’s ree-volume work on Edwards, David F. Coffin, Jr. provides a lis of all suc wriings e could find from 1979 o 1991. he lis amouns o almos iry pages and as around 450 publicaions. From 1991 o e presen ere would be no reason o expec a ere were no a leas a many addiional publicaions. Noing ese ings begs e quesion: Wy, wi so muc maerial available, reprin a book over 30 years old? hroug e years I ave coninued o receive inquiries as o weer i is sill in prin, ow o ge a copy, or weer I inend o reprin i. Happily, an easy answer is now a and, anks o e kindness of he Jonaan Edwards Cener a Yale Universiy. A e ime is work was publised, ere ad been no compreensive sudy of Edwards’ docrine of e covenan nor e disincive relaionsip of is docrine o e wole of Edwards’

Preface to te 2009 Edition

eology. Nowisanding e uge volume of work on Edwards since, ere sill appears o be no suc work. Also, owever one mig value e inerpreive esis of is work, i provides accessibiliy o e weal of Edwards’ commens on e covenan from sermons and miscellaneous wriings a were unpublised. he fac a Edwards imself never wroe a major reaise or book on e covenan does no argue e unimporance of e opic. I ave aemped o sow a covenan eology was a naural framework for Edwards’ biblical inking and in fac pervades e warp and woof of is sysemaic eological inking. I cerainly beooves a candid observer o bring e peculiar genius of Edwards o bear on conemporary discussions of federal eology in general and specific covenan issues in paricular. Curren debaes abou covenan eology ave sited from wa ey were a generaion ago. Ye e modern scolar, earing debae wiin Reformaion eology oday abou new perspecives and visions in covenan eology, may profi from Edwards’ saure as bo a predesinarian and a covenan eologian. One furer quesion mig well be raised as o weer a significan revision of is work would be preferable o a reprin. Wi e weal of researc and wriing sparked in par by e ambiious publicaion projec of Yale Universiy Press, an expanded ineracion wi is lieraure mig make e work more valuable. Apar from ediorial and economic issues, owever, suc a projec would be massive and well beyond e focus of is sudy. A mere annoaed bibliograpy of e lieraure would be a leas a graduae degree projec. Every generaion as o some degree refleced a prevailing inerpreaion of Edwards wic in one way or anoer is called ino quesion by e nex. Some make pilgrimages on a ques o reurn o e real Edwards, wile oers seek e real Edwards idden benea wa seems apparen o e casual observer. Sill oers are willing o exal wa ey admire in e man, wi no sense of obligaion o embrace e encumbrances of e Eigeen Cenury rappings. And because of e obvious brilliance of e man, ere will always