N05401:314
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.
'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!
'Tis true, the Servants were to invite all, both bad & good, to come to the Feast, and to compel them to come in: but this don't prove, that bad Men, remaining in their Badness, have a lawful Right to come. The Servants were to invite the vicious, as well as the moral; they were to invite the Heathen, who were especially meant by them that were in the High-Ways and Hedges: Yet it will not follow, that the Heathen, while remaining Heathen, have a lawful Right to come to Christian Sacraments. But heathen Men must turn from their Heathenism, and come: so likewise wicked Men must turn from their Wickedness, and come.