N05035:255
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 3
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.
OBJECT. V. Christ says, Matth. xx. 16. and again Chap. xxii. 14. that many are called, but few are chosen. By which it is evident, that there are many, who belong to the visible Church, and yet but few real and true Saints; and that it is ordinarily thus, even under the New Testament, and in Days of Gospel-Light: and therefore that Visibility of Saintship, whereby Persons are visible Saints in a Scripture-Sense, can't imply an apparent Probability of their being real Saints, or truly gracious Persons.
OBJECT. V. Christ says, Matth. xx. 16. and again Chap. xxii. 14. that many are called, but few are chosen. By which it is evident, that there are many, who belong to the visible Church, and yet but few real and true Saints; and that it is ordinarily thus, even under the NewTestament, and in Days of Gospel-Light: and therefore that Visibility of Saintship, whereby Persons are visible Saints in a Scripture-Sense, can't imply an apparent Probability of their being real Saints, or truly gracious Persons.
ANSW. In these Texts, by those that are called, are not meant those who are visible Saints, and have the requisite Qualifications for Christian Sacraments; but all such as have the external Call of the Word of God, and have it's Offers and Invitations made to them. And it is undoubtedly true, and has been Matter of Fact, for the most Part, that of those called in this Sense, many have been but only called, and never truly obedient to the Call, few have been true Saints. So it was in the jewish Nation, which the Parable in the xxth of Matth. has a special Respect to; they in general had the external Call of God's Word, and in general attended many religious Duties, in Hopes of God's Favour and Reward, which is called labouring in God's Vineyard; and yet but few of them eventually obtained Salvation; nay, great Multitudes of those who were called in the Sense, were scandalous Persons, and gross Hypocrites. The Pharisees and Sadducees were called, and they laboured in the Vineyard, in the Sense of the Parable; for which they expected great Rewards, above the Gentile Converts or Proselytes; wherefore their Eye was evil towards them, and they could not bear that they should be made equal to them: But still these Pharisees and Sadducees had not generally the intellectual and moral Qualifications, that my Opponents suppose requisite for Christians Sacraments; being generally scandalous Persons, denying some fundamental Principles of Religion, and explaining away some of it's most important Precepts. Thus, many in Christendom are called, by the outward Call of God's Word, and yet few of them are in a State of Salvation: But not all these that sit under the Sound of the Gospel, and hear its Invitations, are sit to come to Sacraments.