"We are faced in the prophecy of Isaiah with the truth and reality of a Biblical view of history for mankind, especially fallen mankind; for those engaged in political philosophy in our modern day; for those who are evolutionary in their thinking. We commonly think of history as progressive from the past into the present and from the present into the future. A Biblical philosophy of history, which is the only true philosophy of history, is that time progresses from the future into the present and from the present into the past, because of divine predestination. There are those who deprecate any idea of predestination, but without predestination we cannot have in the Word of God either prophecy or promise, and all certainty is removed." -- William R. Downing on Isaiah 45:13-25
"I wish the reader to consider the unreasonableness of rejecting plain revelations just because they are puzzling to our reason. There is no greater difficulty attending this doctrine than the contrary, nor so great. So that, though the doctrine of the decrees is mysterious, and attended with difficulties, yet the opposite doctrine is in itself more mysterious, and attended with greater difficulties, and with contradictions to reason more evident to one who thoroughly considers things so that even if the Scripture had made no revelation of it, we would have had reason to believe it. But since the Scripture is so abundant in declaring it, the unreasonableness of rejecting it appears the more glaring." -- Jonathan Edwards on Job 7:1 and Isaiah 16:14
"I believe that nothing happens apart from divine determination and decree; even the little things in life are not overlooked by the all-seeing eye. All things are under regulation, and have an appointed place in God's plan; and nothing happens, after all, but what He permits or ordains." -- C. H. Spurgeon on James 4:13-17
Compiled by W.F. Bell 10/1/08. "That in all things He [Christ] may have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:18).
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