Destiny

DESTINY, in Latin Fatum. We do not meet with this word in Scripture. By Destiny we understand an order, or chain of second causes, which carries with it a necessity of the event. The Heathen Philosophers not daring, on one side, to impute those misfortunes to the Gods, which befel them, as they pretended, unjustly; and being unwilling, on the other, to acknowledge that they were any way owing to their own faults, forged this chimæra of Destiny, whereof they never had any distinct Idea. The ancient Hebrews ascribed every thing to God, every thing both good and evil, except sin: the just and avenging Deity sent misfortunes, diseases, war, and pestilence; the good and merciful God granted favours and prosperity of all kinds: he made use of good Angels in doing good to mankind, and evil Angels in inflicting evils on them. All evil was sent either for the punishment of our own sins, or of those committed by our parents, princes or children, or to display the works of God. This is the System of the Hebrews, adopted by the Christian Church.

They believed that all events, even those which seemed most casual, were ordained by Providence ; that not so much as a bird fell to the ground without the direction of our heavenly father ; that the hairs of our head were numbred ; that Providence extended to the least animals, and plants. The question here is only, whether the looser and more debauched Jews believed a Destiny, and whether we find any footsteps of this opinion in the Scripture ? It appears that the wicked, whose sentiments are expressed by Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes, were of the opinion of the Stoicks, that every thing was ordained by a superior cause, which nothing was capable of resisting. I have seen just men afflicted, as if they had been guilty of all the practices of the wicked, and I have seen wicked men who lived with as much assurance, as if they had done all the good that ever was performed by the most righteous.——I found that man was not able to penetrate the reason of God’s works, and that the more he labours to discover it, the farther he is from finding it.——Man doth not know whether he deserves love or hatred. Every thing happens equally to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and bad, to him who sacrifices, and to him who despises sacrifices, &c. I have observed that the race is not to the swift, nor the battel to the strong, nor bread to men of understanding, nor favour to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. Here methinks Destiny seems to be clearly described.

Josephus¹ the Historian speaking of the several Sects which prevailed in his time among the Jews, says, that the Pharisees imputed every thing to Destiny, but nevertheless without robbing man of his free will, and the liberty of determining himself, because God uses such a medium with man, that altho’ all things happen by his decree or will, man notwithstanding preserves the liberty of chusing either vice or virtue. In another² place he says, that the Pharisees attribute all things to Destiny and God: that generally the doing good or evil depends on man, but that Destiny assists him in doing either the one or the other. Here is an Idea of Fate rectified by the Jewish Religion, which acknowledged God to be just, good, merciful and powerful ; but I do not know what he underunderstood by Destiny, nor how far he extended its power, nor allowing this, what could be left for man? Notwithstanding he pretends, that to do good or evil was for the most part in his power. It is doubtless very hard to reconcile all this, and distinguish acurately in one and the same good or bad Action the several parts which God had, Destiny, and Man.

Bullus Harmon. Apost. Dissert. post. c. 15. See Basnage hist. des Juifs. l. 3. c. 2.Some have been of opinion, that they attributed necessary events to Destiny, or the influences of the stars, excepting only a very small number, for which they left a kind of liberty; nay, they insisted that God was aiding in free actions. Thus we are to understand the following axiom of the old Rabbins, Every thing is in the hand of heaven, excepting the fear of God. That is to say, that every thing happens necessarily and by an absolute fatality, and that the Will of man is free only in matters which relate to Religion. The Chaldee Paraphrast Eccl. ix. 2.explaining the words of Solomon, All things come alike to all, there is one event to the righteous and the wicked, says that this is owing to Destiny; but he adds immediately, that it was so ordained in heaven, and that it was the resolution of God. This has a respect to such events only as we call natural, and not to actions morally good or evil, which are produced by the free Will of Man, but assisted by Destiny, according to Josephus, probably because of the co-operation of God, and the concurrence of second Causes and Circumstances, which help the Will, and remove the obstacles which might determine it to the contrary. The modern Jews allow a great deal to the influences of the stars; they confess that there is no dispute among wise men on this subject: Their wish to their friends upon their wedding-day is, That their planet may be Maimon. More Nevoch. part. 2. c. 10. Thalmud. in Moed. Katm. fol. 28. Abenezra, Abarbanel, &c.happy, and they carefully observe under what planet, and what sign of the Zodiack their children are born: notwithstanding all which, they are not induced by it to abstract any thing from the privileges of God’s omnipotency, and power over the Heart and Will of Man; but they have not disputed near so much concerning grace and liberty, and the manner of reconciling both, as we have done in the Christian Schools.

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