N05035:334
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.
or than it is for a Man who has no Valour, but is a grand Coward, to have an honourable Commission in an Army; which only serves, by the listing him up, to expose him to the deeper Reproach, and sets him forth as the more notable Object of Contempt.
ANSW. 3. Concerning the Tendency of this Way of confining Baptism to Professors of Godliness and their Children, to promote Irreligion and Profaneness; I would observe, First, That CHRIST is best able to judge of the Tendency of his own Institutions. Secondly, I am bold to say, that the supposing this Principle and Practice to have such a Tendency, is a great Mistake, contrary to Scripture and plain Reason and Experience. Indeed such a Tendency it would have, to shut Men out from having any Part in the Lord (in the Sense of the two Tribes and Half, Josh. xxii. 25.) or to fence them out by such a Partition-Wall as formerly was between Jews and Gentiles; and so to shut them out as to tell 'em, if they were never so much disposed to serve God, He was not ready to accept 'em; according to that Notion the Jews seem to have had of the uncircumcised Gentiles.—But only to forbear giving Men Honours they have no Title to, and not to Compliment them with the Name and Badge of God's People and Children, while they pretend to nothing but what is consistent with their being his Enemies, this has no such Tendency: But rather the contrary has very much this Tendency. For is it not found by constant Experience through' all Ages, that blind corrupt Mankind, in Matters of Religion, are strongly disposed to rest in a Name, instead of the Thing; in the Shadow, instead of the Substance; and to make themselves easy with the former, in the Neglect of the latter? This over-valuing of common Grace, & moral Sincerity, as it is called; this building so much upon them, making them the Conditions of enjoying the […] or God's Covenant, and the appointed Privileges, and honourable and sacred Badges of God's Children; this, I can't but think, naturally tends to sooth and flatter the Pride of vain Man, while it tends to aggrandize those Things in Men's Eyes, which they, of themselves, are strongly disposed to magnify and trust in, without such Encouragements, to prompt 'em to it, yea, against all Discouragements and Dissuasives that can possibly be used with them.