A89735:79
The heart of N-England rent at the blasphemies of the present generation. Or A…
The heart of N-England rent at the blasphemies of the present generation. Or A brief tractate, concerning the doctrine of the Quakers, demonstrating the destructive nature thereof, to religion, the churches, and the state, with consideration of the remedy against it. : Occasional satisfaction to objections, and confirmation of the contrary trueth. / By John Norton ...
Cambridge: printed by Samuel Green, 1659
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.
The Subject spoken of, are such persons, which are actually the people of God, such in whose hearts the Law is written. The knowledge of God, is taken either for that knowledge of him, which is essential to effectual vocation or for the knowledge of edification. Taking knowledge in the former notion, of writing the Law in the heart indelebly: this being a property of the Covenant of grace, the sense naturally flows, viz: that after conversion once wrought, there shall be no need, to speak unto such, to know the Lord: namely with a knowledge essential to vocation, as if they were ignorant thereof, for this were in effect to deny, a characteristical privilege of the Covenant, and to affirm falling from grace. Regeneration is not iterable, they who are once converted, need not to be converted from the state of nature to the state of grace a second time. This seemeth to be the genuine sense of the place.
The Subject spoken of, are such persons, which are actually the people of God, such in whose hearts the Law is written. The knowledg of God, is taken either for that knowledg of him, which is essential to effectual vocation or for the knowledg of edification. Taking knowledg in the former notion, of writing the Law in the heart indelebly: this being a property of the Covenant of grace, the sense naturally flowes, viz: that after conversion once wrought, there shall be no need, to speak unto such, to know the Lord: namely with a knowledg essential to vocation, as if they were ignorant thereof, for this were in effect to deny, a characteristical priviledg of the Covenant, and to affirm falling from grace. Regeneration is not iterable, they who are once converted, need not to be converted from the state of nature to the state of grace a second time. This seemeth to be the genuine sense of the place.
If we take knowledge in the latter notion, viz: for the knowledge of edification; then the interpretation proceeds comparatively, thus: comparing the Gospel-Israel, having the law written in their hearts, being also under a clearer dispensation, & under the promise of an efficacious, & copious influence of the Spirit: with the ⟨p. 16⟩