N05401:29
Misrepresentations corrected, and truth vindicated. In a reply to the Rev. Mr. Solomon Williams's…
Misrepresentations corrected, and truth vindicated. In a reply to the Rev. Mr. Solomon Williams's book, entitled, The true state of the question concerning the qualifications necessary to lawful communion in the Christian sacraments. / By Jonathan Edwards, M.A. Minister of the Gospel at Stockbridge. ; [Five lines of Scripture texts]Misrepresentations corrected, and truth vindicated. In a reply to the Rev. Mr. Solomon Williams's book, intitled, The true state of the question concerning the qualifications necessary to lawful communion in the Christian sacraments. / By Jonathan Edwards, M.A. Minister of the Gospel at Stockbridge. ; [Five lines of Scripture texts]
Boston: printed by S. Kneeland, 1752
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
MR. W. does very greatly misrepresent the Opinion I am of, and the Principles I maintain in my Book, in many Respects.
I. He says, P. 5. d. The whole Argument, and indeed the whole Controversy turns upon this single Point, viz. 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? Mr. Edwards seems to suppose, this must be the highest Evidence a Man can give of Sincerity; and I apprehend to be the lowest Evidence the Nature of the Thing will admit. —But this is very strange, since I had particularly declared in my Stating of the Question, (P. 5.) that the Evidence I insisted on, was some outward Manifestation, that ordinarily rendered the Thing probable. Which shows, that all I insisted on, was only, that the Evidence should amount to Probability. And if the Nature of the Case will admit of some lower Kind of Evidence than this, or if there be any such Thing as a Sort of Evidence that don't so much as amount to Probability, then 'tis possible that I may have some Controversy with Him and others about the Degree of Evidence: Otherwise 'tis hard to conceive, how he should contrive to make out a Controversy with me.
I. He says, P. 5. d. The whole Argument, and indeed the whole Controversy turns upon this single Point, viz. 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? Mr. Edwards seems to suppose, this must be the highest Evidence a Man can give of Sincerity; and I apprehend to be the lowest Evidence the Nature of the Thing will admit. —But this is very strange, since I had particularly declared in my Stating of the Question, (P. 5.) that the Evidence I insisted on, was some outward Manifestation, that ordinarily render'd the Thing probable. Which shews, that all I insisted on, was only, that the Evidence should amount to Probability. And if the Nature of the Case will admit of some lower Kind of Evidence than this, or if there be any such Thing as a Sort of Evidence that don't so much as amount to Probability, then 'tis possible that I may have some Controversy with Him and others about the Degree of Evidence: Otherwise 'tis hard to conceive, how he should contrive to make out a Controversy with me.