A23636:42
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 Chap. 1. of the Holy Scriptures.
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.
2. Let us see how far his Instances will help him; he gives us Five, though one to the purpose had bin worth five hundred such as these.
1. The first respects a man's Assurance of his present state of Grace, in his inward Calling; as he entitles it, The knowledge whereof, he saith, is a part of God's Counsel; i. e. it is God's will, and his duty that he be acquainted with it. That it is a duty we never denied; but that it is by the Scripture that we know it to be a duty, we believe, see 2. Cor. 13.5. 2. Pet. 1.10. But then, the Assurance it self cannot be infallibly gained by Scripture or Scripture Consequence, but only by the Spirit of God: and for this he cites Rom. 8.16. very unhappily for himself, if he had thought of it; for by this very Citation, he gives us another point; viz. that it is ⟨p. 13⟩by the Scripture that we come to know that •e must have our assistance from the Spirit •lone; nay more, he grants that the Scripture gives the infallible marks of such an estate; […], but the Spirit must apply all this, or it cannot be known; that is the Mystery then, •ut what avails this? Why only this? •he Work of the Spirit is neither Scripture nor Scripture-Consequence; and who knew not that as well as he? But if the Scriptures be the Instrument which the Spirit useth to work this Assurance in us by, his instance is impertinent. We assert and believe,
1. The first respects a man's Assurance of his present state of Grace, in his inward Calling; as he entitles it, The knowledge whereof, he saith, is a part of God's Counsil; i. e. it is God's will, and his duty that he be acquainted with it. That it is a duty we never denied; but that it is by the Scripture that we know it to be a duty, we believe, see