Dogmatic Theology Vol 3 - Shedd - XIV - Anthropology continued

Required reading

Dogmatic Theology Vol 3 by William G.T. Shedd (Available from Amazon or here)  - Continue Anthropology by reading up to the paragraph beginning: 'Vol II. p. 172. How (Vanity of Man as Moral, sub fine) argues in the same way as Anselm'.

My summary  

Today's reading is more quotes regarding the human will, including on:

(i) the distinction between inclination and volition;

(ii) the freedom of Adam;

(iii) the power to sin;

(iv) the tree of knowledge;

(v) the sin of Adam.

What grabbed me

I liked Matthew Henry's comment on why the tree of knowledge was the tree of knowledge: “The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was so called not because it had any virtue in it to father or increase useful knowledge, for surely then it would not have been forbidden; but (1) because there was an express positive revelation of the will of God concerning this tree, so that by it Adam might know moral good and evil. What is good? ‘’Tis good not to eat of this tree.’ What is evil? ‘’Tis evil to eat of this tree.’ The distinction between all other moral good and evil was written in the heart of man by nature, but this which results from a positive law was written upon this tree. (2) Because in the event it proved to give Adam an experimental knowledge of good by the loss of it and of evil by the sense of it. As the covenant of grace has in it not only ‘believe and so be saved’ but also ‘believe not and be damned’ (Mark 16:16), so the covenant of innocency had in it not only ‘do this and live,’ which was sealed and confirmed by the tree of life, but ‘fail and die,’ which Adam was assured of by this other tree; so that in these two trees God set before Adam ‘good and evil,’ the ‘blessing and the curse’ (Deut. 30:19). These two trees were as two sacraments or symbols.”

The knowledge of good and evil came from eating fruit of that tree, because that was the tree God had  forbidden.

Next week's reading

Conclude Anthropology.

Now it's your turn

Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.