N05035:295
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.
ANSW. Unless it be an evident Truth, that what the Lord's Supper may have Tendency to promote, the same it was appointed to promote, nothing follows from this Argument. If the Argument affords any Consequence, the Consequence is built on the Tendency of the Lord's Supper. And if the Consequence be good and strong on this Foundation, as drawn from such Premisses, then wherever the Premisses hold, the Consequence holds; otherwise it must appear, that the Premisses and Consequence be not connected. And now let us see how it is in Fact. Don't scandalous Persons need to have these very Effects wrought in their Hearts, which have been mentioned? Yes surely, They need them in a special Manner: They need to be awakened; they need to have an affecting Discovery of that terrible Wrath of God against Sin, which was manifested in a peculiar Manner by the terrible Effects of God's Wrath in the Sufferings of his own incarnate Son: Gross Sinners need this in some Respect more than others: They need to have their Hearts broken by an affecting View of the great & important Things of God's Word: They need especially to fly to Christ for Refuge, & therefore need to have their Hearts drawn. And seeing the Lord's Supper has so great a Tendency to promote these Things, if the Consequence from the Tendency of the Lord's Supper as inferring the End of its Appointment, be good, then it must be a Consequence also well inferred, that the Lord's Supper was appointed for the reclaiming and bringing to Repentance scandalous Persons.
ANSW. Unless it be an evident Truth, that what the Lord's Supper may have Tendency to promote, the same it was appointed to promote, nothing follows from this Argument. If the Argument affords any Consequence, the Consequence is built on the Tendency of the Lord's Supper. And if the Consequence be good and strong on this Foundation, as drawn from such Premisses, then wherever the Premisses hold, the Consequence holds; otherwise it must appear, that the Premisses and Consequence ben't connected. And now let us see how it is in Fact. Don't scandalous Persons need to have these very Effects wro't in their Hearts, which have been mentioned? Yes surely, They need them in a special Manner: They need to be awaken'd; they need to have an affecting Discovery of that terrible Wrath of God against Sin, which was manifested in a peculiar Manner by the terrible Effects of God's Wrath in the Sufferings of his own incarnate Son: Gross Sinners need this in some Respect more than others: They need to have their Hearts broken by an affecting View of the great & important Things of God's Word: They need especially to fly to Christ for Refuge, & therefore need to have their Hearts drawn. And seeing the Lord's Supper has so great a Tendency to promote these Things, if the Consequence from the Tendency of the Lord's Supper as inferring the End of its Appointment, be good, then it must be a Consequence also well infer'd, that the Lord's Supper was appointed for the reclaiming and bringing to Repentance scandalous Persons.