Comments on: Divine Necessity

By: Our Daily Bread « ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ (in Christ Jesus)

Our Daily Bread « ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ (in Christ Jesus) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:20:29 +0000

[...] HT: Justin Taylor [...]

By: Joseph

Joseph — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:28:28 +0000

Joe,

No one is saying that they don’t know who said the quote that Justin posted; it has always been attributed to John Newton. You can disagree that the quote I found is the original version of the quote, but I don’t think it’s necessary to say that the “paraphrase,” as I put it, didn’t come from Newton.

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:54:46 +0000

If no one knows who said it, it was none of these guys. Period. How about anon., rather than “paraphrase,” when it is nothing of the sort!

By: Wesley

Wesley — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:33:25 +0000

Thanks, first of all, for your gracious correction of my ‘Owen’ for ‘Newton’ mix up, and secondly for your clarification: i see what you’re saying now and they are, surely, tackling different issues.
God’s peace.

By: Justin Taylor

Justin Taylor — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:03:28 +0000

Thanks, Wesley. Yes, Augustine pre-dates Newton, Owen, etc. I think Augustine is talking about something different though (if God wills something, it will necessarily happen), while Newton is talking about what we need (God will give us everything necessary to do his will).

Blessings!

By: Wesley

Wesley — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:00:02 +0000

I believe this is actually a quote of Augustine’s. Excuse my ignorance but i think he pre-dates Owen – yes? no? This quote is taken from Calvin’s Institutes:

“I will not hesitate, therefore, simply to confess with Augustine that the will of God is necessity, and that every thing is necessary which he has willed; just as those things will certainly happen which he has foreseen (August. de Gen. ad Lit., Lib. 6, cap. 15)

By: Joseph

Joseph — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:53:29 +0000

Pardon me. I meant pg. 249!

By: Joseph

Joseph — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:49:31 +0000

Justin,

I believe this is from the Works of John Newton, specifically a Letter (Letter XVI) called “On the Inefficacy of Our Knowledge.” Most people actually paraphrase this quote from the actual which reads:

“He chooses for his people better than they could choose for themselves if they are in heaviness there is a need be for it and he withholds nothing from them but what upon the whole it is better they should be without” It’s on page 245.

http://books.google.com/books?id=BnMAAAAAMAAJ&dq=out%20of%20the%20depths%20john%20newton&pg=PA245#v=onepage&q=&f=false