03-14-2008, 05:43 PM
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 | Puritanboard Junior | | Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Orange County, CA
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Since I mentioned Shedd earlier, perhaps his distinction between fate and the Divine Decree might help clarify the difference: Quote: |
The divine decree differs from the heathen fate. (a) Decree is the determination of a personal being; fate is merely the connection (nexus) of impersonal causes and effects. The divine decree includes causes, effects and nexus. (b) The divine decree has respect to the nature of beings and things, bringing about a physical event by physical means and a moral event by moral means; fate brings about all events in the same way. (c) The divine decree proceeds from a wise insight and knowledge. It adapts means to ends. Fate is fortuitous. It is only another word for chance, and there is no insight or foresight or adaptive intelligence in mere chance. (d) God, according to the heathen view, is subject to fate: ten pepromenen moiran adynaton esti apophygein kai theo (Herodotus 1). Say Plato (Laws 5.741), “Even God is said not to be able to fight against necessity.” But the divine decree is subject to God…
| ( Dogmatic Theology, p. 322-323)
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