N05401:313
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. in answering my Argument from Matth. xxii.11. allows that the King's House, into which the Guests came, is the visible Church. P. 43. c. & 44. d. So that the Man's coming in hither, is his coming into the visible Church. Nor does he at all dispute but that by the Wedding-Garment is meant saving Grace; (for truly the Thing is too evident to be disputed:) And yet he says, (P. 43. b, c.) We read nothing of Christ's condemning the Man for coming into the Church without saving Grace. So that Mr. W—ms's Answer amounts plainly to this; The King, when he comes to Judgment, will say, I don't at all condemn thee for coming in hither without a Wedding Garment: but Friend, How camest thou in hither without a Wedding Garment? And no wonder; The Case is too plain to allow of any other than such a lamentable Refuge, as this is.—If the Wedding Garment be saving Grace, which is not denied; and if coming into the King's House be coming into the visible Church, as Mr. W. owns; Then if the King condemns the Man for coming into the House without a Wedding Garment, He condemns him for coming into the visible Church without saving Grace.
'Tis plain, the Thing the Man is blamed for, is something else than simply a being without Grace, or without a Wedding Garment. The King's Words have Respect to this as it stands in Connection with coming into the King's House. If Christ has commanded Men who are not converted, to come into the Church, that they may be converted, He will never say to them, upon their obeying this Command, Friend, how camest thou in hither before thou wast converted? Which would be another Thing than blaming him simply for not being ⟨p. 133⟩converted. If a Man, at his own Cost, sets up a School, in order to teach ignorant Children to read; and accordingly ignorant Children should go thither in order to learn to read, would he come into the School, and say in Anger to an ignorant Child that he found there; How camest thou in hither, before thou hadst learnt to read! Did the Apostle Paul ever rebuke the Heathen, who came to hear him preach the Gospel, saying, How came you hither to hear me preach, not having Grace? This would have been unreasonable, because Preaching is an Ordinance appointed to that End, that Men might obtain Grace. And so, in Mr. W—ms's Scheme, is the Lord's Supper.—Can we suppose, that Christ will say to Men in Indignation, at the Day of Judgment, How came you to presume to use the Means I appointed for your Conversion, before you were converted!