A23636:173
The principles of the Protestant religion maintained, and churches of New-England, in the profession…
The principles of the Protestant religion maintained, and churches of New-England, in the profession and exercise thereof defended against all the calumnies of one George Keith, a Quaker, in a book lately published at Pennsylvania, to undermine them both / by the ministers of the Gospel in Boston.The principles of the Protestant religion maintained, and churches of New-England, in the profession and exercise thereof defended against all the calumnies of one George Keith, a Quaker, in a book lately published at Pensilvania, to undermine them both / by the ministers of the Gospel in Boston.
printed by Richard Pierce, 1690
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Introduction › Reflections on Cap. 6. of Christ's dying for all, &c.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
A gross Error it is in him to say (p. 110.) That the knowledge & faith of Christ belongs to the finishing work of Salvation, but not universally to the beginnings of it: for how shall they believe &c. Rom. 10.14, 15. his instances in Nathaniel & Cornelius give him no •elief, & its his ignorance (if not his maliciousness) to say that they were Unbelievers when that testimony was given o• them, Joh. 1.47. Act. 1.2. They had believed in a Christ to come, tho' at present they knew not that He was come in the flesh, till it was further revealed to them: And it would do well to observe concerning the latter, that though he had an Angel sent to him to direct him how he might be acquainted with that necessary Truth, yet Peter must come and preach it to him: and whereas he saith (p. 112.) that he had not faith in a crucified & raised Christ, but in God, and in the Word of God in his heart; We answer, that Faith in the word of God in the heart, without Christ, is not Saving, Act. 4.12. Nor is Faith in God without Christ so, Joh. 14.6. •nd he is greatly mistaken, when he saith, ⟨p. 95⟩The mystery of Christ crucified was not firstly necessary to be known, as not being fully preached. It was preached from the Beginning, Gen. 3.15. tho' more clearly in Gospel-times. All the Rites and Ceremonies of Moses's Law preached Christ; though the Veil is now taken off, and the glory of the Truth is more manifest and resplendent: he therefore concludes before he has proved his Assertion, That the express knowledge of Christ crucified, is not of absolute necessity, especially (he is very cautious) where it hath not been preached, to the beginning of a man's salvation, though indispensably necessary to the finishing of it: And surely,