Dear Bro. Pendleton: - Please permit me to trouble you with another question on man's free agency. How can man, who is a slave of the Devil, be a free agent, when even his master is not a free agent? Man willingly serves his master, the Devil, in the day of his power, and he willingly serves his Master, Christ, in the day of his power. Man is an agent, but where, except in Christ, is his freedom?Reply
The above is from a correspondent in Georgia. That the Devil is not a free agent, I can by no means admit. I have no doubt Satan would be glad to believe he is not free. But he cannot believe it. He knows that in his impious rebellion against God be acts freely -- acts out his depraved inclinations. Could the Devil persuade himself that he was forced, in the first instance, to rear the standard of revolt from the divine government, and that all his subsequent wickedness has been the result of coercion, be would then consider his present condition pitiable rather than culpable. He would regard himself as unfortunate rather than guilty, and look upon his banishment as arbitrary rather than the righteous consequence of his transgressions. Satan acts freely, as certainly as does Gabriel.What is free agency? Andrew Fuller says it is the power of acting according to one's inclinations. Does not Satan act according to his inclinations? Or, are his inclinations holy, and does he sin in spite of his proclivities to holiness? There is no holy desire in him. Does not man act freely in sinning against God? My correspondent says man is the slave of the Devil. True enough, but is it not a willing slavery? Is man necessitated to serve the Devil? Is it not a voluntary service? Most assuredly it is. The question is not whether Satan tempts men, and by means of temptation influences them to sin. The question is, whether in sinning they act according to their inclinations. If they do they are free, for voluntary action is the essence of free agency. So with regard to the service of God. The question is not whether men without the influence of the Holy Spirit would serve God, but whether, when divinely influenced so to do, they serve God willingly. They are willing in the day of the Messiah's power, my correspondent being judge. If they are willing they act willingly, and this is free agency. - Some labor under this mistake: They suppose that as no man will serve God till supernaturally influenced to do so, the Christian himself is not a free agent. Does not the Christian serve God voluntarily? Does not his service result from choice? If not, how can it be acceptable to God? Will he accept a reluctant service? What mean those Scriptures which require that the heart be right with God. -- There is an awful illustration of free agency in sinners, for they sin of choice; there is a sublime exemplification of free agency in saints and angels, for they serve God voluntarily and cheerfully. - P.
========= [From the Tennessee Baptist November 26, 1859, p. 2, via microfilm on CD edition. Source location from Thomas White, Cedarville U, OH, Selected Writings of Pendleton... Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
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