ON GOD'S FOREKNOWLEDGE.

TO THE EDITORS OF THE SABBATH RECORDER:

I noticed in your paper of Dec. 11, 1851, in T. B. B.'s reply to certain questions asked by N. V. Hull in the same paper, that he uses the following language: viz.:

to say.

Concerning God's foreknowledge we have but a few words From all eternity he foreknew that Bro. H. would write us just such a communication as the foregoing. It was just as well known to him from all eternity, as it is now that the circumstance has actually taken place. To suppose the contrary is to suppose that his knowledge may be increased, or in other words that he is not omniscient. Now if from all eternity He certainly foreknew the event, the certainty of it must have been from all eternity established, or decreed, otherwise it could not have been foreknown."

Now, from all this we must conclude that Bro. B. means to maintain that every other event, however minute, was as certainly foreknown as was that of Bro. H.'s communication, otherwise his knowledge must have been increased long before now. But how Bro. B. come to know all this is very strange indeed, since the Bible has told us no such thing. It is true that the Bible has told us some particular things that were foreknown, but it nowhere tells us that all things were foreknown or that God's knowledge could not be increased, or that he is omniscient, for the word omniscient is not in the Bible, and if it was who under the sun could tell how much is meant by it. The Bible tells us "great is our Lord and of great power, his understanding is infinite." But who can tell how much is meant by the word infinite. In the book of Nahum, 3: 8-10; we are told of populous No, a very mighty nation, that Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; yet

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she was carried away captive. By this we understand the word infinite here to signify nothing more than very great. But be the extent of the word whatever it may, I should think that a being whose understanding is infinite, might acquire knowledge much faster than our common scholars. We should think one of Adam's race almost a natural fool if he was incapable of having anything added to his knowledge, and I query whether you have not represented the all-wise God, to be in just such a predicament, incapable of knowing anything more than he knew from all eternity, and even that he could not have known, you say, if it had not been first decreed and established. Let me ask, if this is not degrading his character. I assure you I do not write this for the sake of argument or contention, but I do think men ought not to argue so much for a thing that they know nothing about. I verily thought that the Bible had told us all that it was necessary for us to know, in order to secure our happiness in this world and the world to come. But that God knew all that he ever could know from all eternity, the Bible does not tell us. Indeed, there are many passages of Scripture that plainly signify to any unprejudiced mind, that he did not foreknow every event that has taken place. It tells of some things that the people had done, that he said came not into his mind, and most surely he could not foreknow anything that never came into his mind. In one instance we are told that he repented of the thing that he had said that he would do, and did it not. Now who can believe that God would ever say he would do a thing, if he knew at the same time that he would not do it.

At another time God said to Moses: "I have seen this people, that it is a stiff-necked people, now, therefore, let me alone, that I may consume them, and I will make of thee a great nation." Now here we may see an extraordinary instance of the efficacy of prayer. For Moses commenced praying with all his might, begging and beseeching the Lord to turn away from his fierce anger, and spare that people. Now do you think the Lord was only in jest about it, knowing at the same time that he would not then and there destroy them, and that he said it merely for the purpose of having a little sport, to see what a panic Moses would be in about it? No, indeed, I do not believe God would trifle with such a man as Moses was, and try to make him believe that he meant to do a thing, knowing at the same time that he had decreed the contrary. No doubt that Moses thought the Lord

was in earnest about it, and I believe he was too, and did not know that he should then and there consume them; and the scriptures have plainly told us that he would have destroyed them, had not Moses stood in the breach to turn away his fierce anger. Psalms 106: 23.

In a former article on the efficacy of prayer, Bro. B. told us "that our prayers excited in God no new feelings." Now can any man suppose there was no change or alteration in God's feelings or intentions excited by Moses' prayer. I think it entirely unreasonable and unscriptural to think that there was not and to affirm that there was not, I should think very little short of presumption. For it was immediately said that God repented of the evil that he thought to do, and who can believe that he thought to do what he had no mind to do, and knew at the same time he had decreed the contrary. Surely if the Bible signifies anything it here signifies that God did not know at that time that he would not then consume the stiff-necked people. And if he had known it before, most surely that part of his foreknowledge had just then slipt his mind. And now if you will not believe what the Bible says, neither would you be persuaded though one rose from the dead. But, notwithstanding all these passages and many more that might be adduced to the same purport, yet Bro. B. seems to think that every event that ever did or ever will occur was certainly foreknown, and that too from all eternity. And also that it could not have been foreknown if it had not been first decreed and established. Now, I should think, that if all this was foreknown from all eternity, and could not been foreknown if it had not been first decreed, it would follow of necessity that it was decreed a little while before eternity begun.

This, I say chiefly for the purpose of trying to make people see that they do not know what they are talking about. And I don't wonder that Bro. B. should say, "How to reconcile it with what the Scriptures tells us about the efficacy of prayer is not quite so clear." Yet he thinks best to receive them both, however contradictory, and leave it with God to reconcile it, the best way he can. For I don't know but he thinks there is nothing impossible with God, even reconciling the most palable contradiction. But we must rememember that the Bible tells us of one or two things that it is impossible for God to do: one in particular is, that it is impossible for him to lie. But pray tell me if

you can, what it was better than a lie, when he told Adam: "Thou shalt not eat of it, neither touch it, lest ye die," if indeed, he had from all eternity made it impossible for him to let that tree alone, by an immutable decree. Would you not naturally suppose, speaking after the manner of men, that he snickered in his sleeves and said to himself, or to one of the angels:

"There, now, I have made Adam believe that he can let that tree alone, and not even touch it. But I know he cannot let it alone, for I have fixed matters, so that if he does not eat of that tree, I am no longer omniscient."

But, says the angel, I thought you hal made Adam a free agent, so that he can do or not just as he will."

"Why, yes, to be sure, he is a free agent, and can do just as he will; but then you know it would not do to let him will to act contrary to my decrees, for that would ruin me, therefore it is necessary that his will should be wrought upon by some means or other. And if nothing else will do, I must set the devil at work upon him, until he is willing to will to act just as I would have him do. My decrees does not affect the agency of man at all: every man acts as freely as if no decrees had ever been made, and is accountable for all his actions, for my decrees were made for no other purpose than just to make myself omniscient, so that I might know from all eternity just how everything would be. But then you know man's freedom and agency must be narrowly watched and operated upon by a secret influence unbeknown to him, and guided along so as just exactly to suit and compare with my decrees, otherwise my omniscience would be in dan ger."

Now, if Adam had known that the Lord had served him such a trick as that, I don't know but he would have been mad enough with him to pretty near kill him if he could. On the whole, I think Bro. B. must be mistaken about it, for I cannot believe that our God was ever so much delighted with wickedness as to decree and establish from all eternity, so much wickedness as has been carried on in the world. I am aware, however, that it is not a new doctrine, for I suppose it has been cultivated in some families ever since the days of John Calvin, and I remember of reading in the old Westminster catechism, when I was a child, that God of his own free-will and for his own glory, from all eternity foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, and I suppose that Bro. B. was taught to believe every word of that catechism when

he was young, and has never thought enough about it, to get rid of those impressions that were made on his infant mind. I remember too, that that same catechism said, that the seventh day was the Sabbath from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, and the first day was to be the Sabbath from that time to the end of the world. And I rejoice that Bro. B. has seen his error, in one of the two propositions. And I am not without hope that he will soon see his error in the ocher; for if possible, I think, this last error is worse than the first, because it has such a strong tendency to make universalists and infidels. For we know nothing about how much God foreknew and foreordained, except just what the Bible tells us, and I have no doubt that our God has the capacity of looking into futurity just so far as he thinks best, without being under the necessity of decreeing a thing to make him foreknow it. It really seems to me that your ideas of the capacity of God, are quite too contracted. We must remember that his understanding is infinite. Truth alone is my object, and it has been my constant and ardent prayer while writing this article that I might write nothing but truth. But who, in explicating so sublime, so intricate a subject, can well pass the peril of plunging into error?

WM. STILLMAN.