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In the mean time, I take the liberty to say, that every proposition delivered in the New Testament by our Sa viour, or his apostles, and so received by any Christian as of divine revelation, is of as absolute necessity to be assented to by him, in the sense he understands it to be taught by them, as any one of those propositions enumerated by the creed-maker: and if he thinks otherwise, I shall desire him to prove it. The reason whereof is this, that in divine revelation, the ground of faith being the only authority of the proposer: where that is the same, there is no difference in the obligation or measure of believing. Whatever the Messiah, that came from God, taught, is equally to be believed by every one who receives him as the Messiah, as soon as he understands what it was he taught. There is no such thing as garbling his doctrine, and making one part of it more necessary to be believed than another, when it is understood. His saying is, and must be, of unquestionable authority to all that receive him as their heavenly King; and carries with it an equal obligation of assent to all that he says as true. But since nobody can explicitly assent to any proposition of our Saviour's as true, but in the sense he understands our Saviour to have spoken it in; the same authority of the Messiah, his King, obliges every one absolutely and indispensably to believe every part of the New Testament in that sense he understands it; for else he rejects the authority of the deliverer, if he refuses his assent to it in that sense which he is persuaded it was delivered in. But the taking him for the Messiah, his King and Lord, laying upon every one who is his subject an obligation to endeavour to know his will in all things; every true Christian is under an absolute and indispensable necessity, by being his subject, to study the Scriptures with an unprejudiced mind, according to that measure of time, opportunity, and helps which he has; that in these O sacred writings he may find what his Lord and Master hath by himself, or by the mouths of his apostles, required of him, either to be believed or done.

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The creed-maker, in the following page, 256, hath these words:"It is worth the reader's observing, that notwithstanding I had in twelve pages together

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(viz. from the eighth to the twentieth) proved, that several propositions are necessary to be believed by us, in order to our being Christians; yet this shamanimadverter attends not to any one of the particulars which I had mentioned, nor offers any thing against them; but only, in a lumping way, dooms them all in those magisterial words: "I do not see any proof he produces," p. 21. "This is his wonderful way of confuting me, by pretending that he cannot see any proof in what I allege: and all the world must be led by his

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Answ. "It is worth the reader's observing," that the creed-maker does not reply to what Mr. Bold has to said to him, as we have already seen, and shall see more as we go on; and therefore he has little reason to complain of him, for not having answered enough. Mr. Bold did well to leave that which was an insignificant lump, so as it was, together; for it is no wonderful thing not to see any proof, where there is no proof. There is, indeed, in those pages the creed-maker mentions, much confidence, much assertion, a great many questions asked, and a great deal said after his fashion; but for a proof, I deny there is any one. And if what

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I have said in another place already does not convince him of it, I challenge him, with all his eyes, and those of the world to boot, to find out, in those twelve renowned pages, one proof. Let him set down the proposition, and his proof of its being absolutely and indispensably necessary to be believed to make a man a Christian; and I too will join with him in his testimonial of himself, that he is irrefragable. But I must tell him beforehand, talking a great deal loosely will not do it.

Mr. Bold and I say we cannot see any proof in those twelve pages: the way to make us see, or to convince the world that we are blind, is to single out one proof out of that wood of words there, which you seem to take for arguments, and set it down in a syllogism, which is the fair trial of a proof or no proof. You have, indeed, a syllogism in the 23d page; but that is not in those twelve pages you mention. Besides, I

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have showed, in another place, what that proves; to which I refer you.

In answer to the creed-maker's question, about his other fundamentals found in the epistles: "Why did the apostles write these doctrines? Was it not, that those they writ to might give their assent to them ?" Mr. Bold, p. 22, replies: "But then it may be asked again, Were not those persons Christians to whom the apostles preached these doctrines, and whom they required to assent to them? Yes, verily. And if so, What was it that made them Christians before their assent to these doctrines was required? If it were any thing besides their believing Jesus to be the Messiah, it ought to be instanced in, and made out.

But to this Mr. Edwards answers not.

The next thing in controversy between Mr. Bold and the creed-maker, (for I follow Mr. B-d's order) is about a matter of fact, viz. Whether the creed-maker has proved, "that Jesus Christ and his apostles have taught, that no man can be a Christian, or shall be saved, unless he has an explicit knowledge of all those things which have an immediate respect to the occasion, author, way, means, and issue of our salvation, and which are necessary for the knowing the true nature and design of it?" This, Mr. Bold, p. 24, tells him, "he has not done." To this the creedmaker replies, p. 258,

"And yet the reader may satisfy himself, that this is the very thing that I had been proving just before, and, indeed, all along in the foregoing chapter." Answ. There have been those who have been seven years proving a thing, which at last they could not do; and I give you seven years to prove this proposition, which you should there have proved; and I must add to your score here, viz.

LII. That Jesus Christ, or his apostles, have taught, that no man can be a Christian, or can be saved, unless he hath an explicit knowledge of all these things which have an immediate respect to the occasion, author, way, means, and issue of our salva

tion, and which are necessary for our knowing the true nature and design of it.

Nor must the poor excuse of saying, It was not necessary" to add any farther medium, and proceed to another syllogism, because you had secured that proposition before," go for payment. If you had secured it, as you say, it had been quite as easy, and much for your credit, to have produced the proof whereby you had secured it, than to say you had done it; and thereupon to reproach Mr. Bold with heedlessness; and to tell the world, that "he cares not what he saith.". The rule of fair dispute is, indispensably to prove, where any thing is denied. To evade this, is shuffling: and he that, instead of it, answers with ill language, in my country, is called a foul-mouthed wrangler.

To the creed-maker's exception to my demand, about the actual belief of all his fundamentals in his new creed, Mr. Bold asks, p. 24, "Whether a man can believe particular propositions, and not actually believe them ?"

But to this Mr. Edwards answers not.

Mr. Bold, p. 25, farther acknowledges the creedinaker's fundamental propositions to "be in the Bible; and that they are for this purpose there, that they might be believed:" and so, he saith, " is every other proposition which is taught in our Bibles." But asks, How will it thence follow, that no man can be a Christian until he particularly know, and actually assent to, every proposition in our Bibles ?"

But to this Mr. Edwards answers not.

From p. 26 to 30 Mr. Bold shows, that the creedmaker's reply concerning my not gathering of fundamentals out of the epistles is nothing to the purpose; and this he demonstratively proves.

And to this Mr. Edwards answers not.

The creed-maker had falsely said, That "I bring no tidings of an evangelical faith :" and thence very readily and charitably infers: "Which gives us to understand, that he verily believes there is no such Chri

stian faith." To this Mr. Bold thus softly replies, p. 31: "I think Mr. Edwards is much mistaken, both in his assertion and inference:" and to show that he -could not so infer, adds: "If the author of the Reasonableness of Christianity, &c. had not brought any tidings of such a faith, I think it could not be thence justly inferred that he verily believes there is no such Christian faith: because his inquiry and search was not concerning Christian faith, considered subjectively, but objectively; what the articles be, which must be be'lieved to make a man a Christian; and not with what sort of faith these articles are to be believed.”

To this the creed-maker answers indeed; but it is something as much worse than nothing, as falsehood is worse than silence. His words are, p. 258, "It may be questioned, from what he [the animadverter] hath the confidence to say, p. 31, viz. There is no inquiry in the Reasonableness of Christianity, concerning faith subjectively considered, but only objectively," &c. And thus having set down Mr. B-d's words otherwise than they are; for Mr. Bold does not say, there is no inquiry, i. e. no mention, (for so the creed-maker explains inquiries here. For to convince Mr. Bold that there is an inquiry, i. e. mention, of subjective faith, he alleges, that subjective faith is spoken of in the 296th and 297th pages of my book.) But Mr. Bold says not, that faith, considered subjectively, is not spoken of any where in the Reasonableness of Christianity, &c. but "that the author's inquiry and search (i. e. the author's search, or design of his search) was not concerning Christian faith considered subjectively." And thus the creedmaker, imposing on his reader, by perverting Mr. Bold's sense, from what was the intention of my inquiry and search, to what I had said in it, he goes on, after his scurrilous fashion, to insult, in these words which follow: "I say, it may be guessed from this what a liberty this writer takes to assert what he pleases." Answ. "To assert what one pleases," without truth and without certainty, is the worst character can be given a writer; and with falsehood to charge it on another, is no mean

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