N05401:308
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.
It may also be worthy to be considered, whether it be reasonable to suppose, that the Faith which a Man must profess, in order to being in the visible Kingdom of Christ, and not in the visible Kingdom of the Devil, must not be some other Sort of Faith than that which the Devil has: That seeing the very Design of a public Profession of Religion is to declare on which Side we are, whether on Christ's, or on the Devil's, no other Faith is required to be professed, than such as Satan himself has, and such as is not at all inconsistent with being a willing, cursed Servant and Slave of the Devil, and Enemy to Christ; as Mr. W. says, all unsanctified Men are.
It may also be worthy to be considered, whether it be reasonable to suppose, that the Faith which a Man must profess, in order to being in the visible Kingdom of Christ, and not in the visible Kingdom of the Devil, must not be some other Sort of Faith than that which the Devil has: That seeing the very Design of a publick Profession of Religion is to declare on which Side we are, whether on Christ's, or on the Devil's, no other Faith is requir'd to be profess'd, than such as Satan himself has, and such as is not at all inconsistent with being a willing, cursed Servant and Slave of the Devil, and Enemy to Christ; as Mr. W. says, all unsanctified Men are.
Mr. W. in his Reply to my Argument from the Epistles (P. 55. speaks of it) as an unaccountable Thing, that I should represent as if according to the Principles of my Opposites, the primitive Christians were not admitted under any such Notion of their being REALLY godly Persons, or with any Respect to such a Character*: and yet in his Discourse on the same Head, he abundantly insists, that it was not REAL Holiness, but only FEDERAL Holiness, which was the Qualification, which the Apostles had Respect to in admitting them; expressly, from Time to Time, distinguishing federal Holiness from real. In P. 56. e. and 57. a. It makes it evident (says he) that this Manner of treating Churches and Bodies of Men, and such Expressions used to them & of them, are to be understood in NO OTHER SENSE, than to signify FEDERAL Holiness. —So in P. 60. he affirms the same Thing, once and again, distinguishing federal Holiness from real. He says, They formed no positive Judgment of their REAL Piety.— And knew nothing at all about them, but only that they were FEDERALLY Holy. And again, They did not make a positive Judgment,