N05401:80
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.
17. What is said by Mr. W. of the visible Church's being the School of Christ, and Men's being admitted into it as Disciples or Scholars, some of them in Order to attain Grace (P. 81. & 83.) is nothing to the Purpose, if it be as Mr. W. allows and asserts, that in Order to be admitted into this ⟨p. 32⟩School, they must be supposed, in a reasonable Judgment, to have this Attainment already, and make a Pretence to it, and a solemn Profession of it, and must give moral Evidence that they have it, and must be admitted into the School under no other Notion than that of their being already possessed of it.
17. What is said by Mr. W. of the visible Church's being the School of Christ, and Men's being admitted into it as Disciples or Scholars, some of them in Order to attain Grace (P. 81. & 83.) is nothing to the Purpose, if it be as Mr. W. allows and asserts, that in Order to be admitted into this ⟨p. 32⟩School, they must be supposed, in a reasonable Judgment, to have this Attainment already, and make a Pretence to it, and a solemn Profession of it, and must give moral Evidence that they have it, and must be admitted into the School under no other Notion than that of their being already possess'd of it.
18. If it be as Mr. W. expressly says, That Persons are not visible Saints without a credible Profession, Visibility and moral Evidence, not only of moral Sincerity, but true Holiness (P. 139.) Then all is wholly insignificant & vain, that is said to prove, that the Children of Israel were visible Saints without any Evidence of such Holiness, by Reason of the Idolatry and gross and open Wickedness of vast Multitudes of 'em, who are yet called God's People: And so likewise, all that is said to prove, that the Members of the primitive Christian Church had no other Visibility of Saintship than they, because they are grafted into the same Olive: And also all that Mr. W. has said to prove, that many of the Members of the primitive Churches were as grossly wicked as they.