Misrepresentations corrected, and truth vindicated. In a reply to the Rev. Mr. Solomon Williams's…

I. MR. W. often speaks with Contempt, of my supposing it to be a Duty required of such as come to Sacraments, that they should explicitly own the Covenant, and disputes largely against it. (P. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and many other Places.) He says concerning me (P. 22. a, b.) 'Tis very unhappy, that this good Gentleman should use the Scripture in such a Manner, to prove a divine Institution which never had an Existence; and after all that is said, is but a mere Imagination and Chimera; it being evident, there never was any such divine Institution for the Church under the Old Testament, binding particular Persons publicly and explicitly to own the Covenant, in order to their enjoying the outward Ordinances of it. —However, it falls out something happily for me▪ that I am not quite alone in this Chimera, but have Mr. W. himself to join me in it; who abundantly asserts the same Thing (P. 5. c. P. 8. a. P. 9. b, c. and many other Places) who uses the Scripture in the same Manner, and supposes the same divine Institution; and who (in P. 5. b, c. of the Treatise in Hand) having stated the following Inquiry, What is that Evidence, which by DIVINE APPOINTMENT the Church is to have, of the Saintship of those who are admitted to the outward Privileges of the Covenant of Grace? makes this Answer to it: The SCRIPTURE has determined the Matter thus, that the open Profession & Declaration of a PERSON's believing in Christ,— and an hearty Consent to the Terms of the Covenant of Grace, and Engagement on his Part to fulfil it, &c. is the sole & entire Ground of that public Judgment, which the Church is to make of the real Saintship of Professors. —'Tis manifest, he can't intend merely that they should be the Posterity of such as thus owned the Covenant, or declared their Consent to it, and so are looked upon as those that owned the Covenant in their Ancestors, at the Beginning of the Covenant-Line ⟨p. 79⟩(tho' sometimes he seems to suppose, this is all that is necessary, as I shall take particular Notice by & by:) For here he expressly speaks of a personal owning the Covenant, or the open Profession and Declaration of a PERSON's Consent to the Covenant. And thus he often speaks of the same Matter, in like Manner, as a personal Thing, or what is done by the Person judged of, & received. (See P. 10. c, d. 31. e 32. e. 33. a. 34 b, c. 73. b. 84. a. 139. a.)

I. MR. W. often speaks with Contempt, of my supposing it to be a Duty required of such as come to Sacraments, that they should explicitly own the Covenant, and disputes largely against it. (P. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and many other Places.) He says concerning me (P. 22. a, b.) 'Tis very unhappy, that this good Gentleman should use the Scripture in such a Manner, to prove a divine Institution which never had an Existence; and after all that is said, is but a meer Imagination and Chimera; it being evident, there never was any such divine Institution for the Church under the Old Testament, binding particular Persons publickly and explicitly to own the Covenant, in order to their enjoying the outward Ordinances of it. —However, it falls out something happily for me that I am not quite alone in this Chimera, but have Mr. W. himself to join me in it; who abundantly asserts the same Thing (P. 5. c. P. 8. a. P. 9. b, c. and many other Places) who uses the Scripture in the same Manner, and supposes the same divine Institution; and who (in P. 5. b, c. of the Treatise in Hand) having stated the following Inquiry, What is that Evidence, which by DIVINE APPOINTMENT the Church is to have, of the Saintship of those who are admitted to the outward Priviledges of the Covenant of Grace? makes this Answer to it: The SCRIPTURE has determined the Matter thus, that the open Profession & Declaration of a PERSON's believing in Christ,— and an hearty Consent to the Terms of the Covenant of Grace, and Engagement on his Part to fulfil it, &c. is the sole & entire Ground of that publick Judgment, which the Church is to make of the real Saintship of Professors. —'Tis manifest, he can't intend meerly that they should be the Posterity of such as thus own'd the Covenant, or declared their Consent to it, and so are look'd upon as those that own'd the Covenant in their Ancestors, at the Beginning of the Covenant-Line