JONATHAN EDWARDS ON OUR NEED FOR WRITTEN REVELATION

Edwards includes in his "Mischellaneous Observations" several arguments for the truth of the Christian religion (his apologetic scheme). He points out the superiority of a religion with written revelation over those without:

"For though it must be granted, that men who are willing to transgress, may abuse written as well as unwritten laws, and expound them so as may best serve their turn upon occassion; yet is must be allowed, that, in the nature of the thing, revelation is a better guard than a bare scheme of principles wtihout it. For men must take more pains to conquer the sense of a standing, written law, which is ready to confront them upon all occasions. They must more industriously tamper with their passions, and blind their understandings, before they can bring themselves to believe what they have a mind to believe, in contradiction to the words of an express and formal declaration of God Almighty's will, than there can be any pretence of occasion for, when they have no more than their own thoughts and ideas to manage. These are flexible things, and a man may much mroe easily turn and wind them as he pleases, than he can evade a plain and positive law..."