N05035:117
An humble inquiry into the rules of the Word of God, concerning the qualifications…
An humble inquiry into the rules of the Word of God, concerning the qualifications requisite to a complete standing and full communion in the visible Christian church. By Jonathan Edwards, A.M. Pastor of the First Church in Northampton. ; With an appendix by Mr. Foxcroft. ; [Ten lines of quotations]An humble inquiry into the rules of the Word of God, concerning the qualifications requisite to a compleat standing and full communion in the visible Christian church. By Jonathan Edwards, A.M. Pastor of the First Church in Northampton. ; With an appendix by Mr. Foxcroft. ; [Ten lines of quotations]
Boston: : Printed & sold by S. Kneeland in Queenstreet, 1749
Title page typeset from the transcription.
An Inquiry into the Qualifications for full Communion in the visibl… › Part 2
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 great Confirmation of what has been said under this Head of covenanting, is that Text, Psal. 1. 16. But unto the Wicked God saith, What hast thou to do, to declare my Statutes, or that thou shou••est take my Covenant in thy Mouth? This Term, the Wicked, in the more general Use of it in Scripture, is applied in that Extent as to include all ungodly or graceless Persons, all that are under the reigning Power of Sin, and are the Objects ⟨p. 39⟩of God's Anger, or exposed to his eternal Vengeance; as might easily be made to appear by a particular Enumeration of Texts all over the Bible. All such are in Scripture called Workers of Iniquity, The Children of the wicked one. Matth. xiii. 38. All such are said to be of the Devil, […] Joh. iii. 8. And to be the Children of the Devil, ver.10. The righteous and the wicked are in a multitude of Places in Scripture put in Opposition; and they are evidently opposed one to the other, and distinguished one from another in Scripture, as Saints and Sinners, holy and unholy, those that Fear God and those that Fear him not, those that love him and those that hate him. All Mankind are in Scripture divided by these Distinctions, and the Bible knows of no Neuters or third Sort. Indeed those who are really Wicked, may be visibly Righteous, Righteous in Profession and outward Appearance: But a Sort of Men who have no saving Grace, that yet are not really wicked Men, are a Sort of Men of human Invention, that the Scripture is entirely Ignorant of. 'Tis reasonable, to suppose, that by wicked Men here in this Psalm is meant all that hate Instruction, and reject God's Word (v. 17.) and not merely such wicked Men as are guilty of those particular Crimes mentioned, ver.17,—20. Stealing, Adultery, Fraud and Backbiting. Tho' only some particular Ways of Wickedness are mentioned, yet we are not to understand that all others are excluded; yea the Words, in the Conclusion of the Paragraph, are expressly applied to all that forget God in such a Manner as to expose themselves to be torn in Pieces by God's Wrath in Hell, v. 22. Now consider this, ye that forget God, left I tear you in Pieces, and there be none to deliver. We can no more justly argue, that because some gross Sins are here specified, that no Sinners are meant but such as live in those or other gross Sins, than we can argue from