Qualifications for Communion in Vol I of the Works - Edwards - VII - Part III continued

Required readingInquiry Concerning Qualifications for Communion in Vol I of the Works by Jonathan Edwards (Available from Amazon or free here) - Continue Part III by reading Objections IV to IX.

My summary.

Today we continue hearing Edwards answers to objections that are raised in support of admitting those who won't profess faith to the Lord's Supper.

Today's objections are:

(i) Christ says that many are called, but few are chosen. By which it is evident, that there are many who belong to the visible church, and yet but few real and true saints; and that it is ordinarily thus, even under the New Testament, and in days of gospel-light: and therefore that visibility of saintship, whereby persons are visible saints in a scripture sense, cannot imply an apparent probability of their being real saints, or truly gracious persons;

(ii) When the servants of the householder, in the parable of the wheat and the tares unexpectedly found tares among the wheat, they said to their master, "Wilt thou that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them; let both grow together until the harvest." Which shows the mind of Christ, that we ought not to make a distinction between true saints and others in this world, or aim at admitting true saints only into the visible church, but ought to let both be together in the church till the day of judgment;

(iii) Christ himself administered the Lord's supper to Judas, whom he knew at the same time to be graceless; which is a full evidence, that grace is not in itself a requisite qualification in order to coming to the Lord's supper; and if it be not requisite in itself, a profession of it cannot be requisite;

(iv) If sanctifying grace be a requisite qualification in order to due access to Christian sacraments, God would have given some certain rule, whereby those who are to admit them, might know whether they have such grace, or not;

(v) If sanctifying grace be requisite to a due approach to the Lord's table, then no man may come but he that knows he has such grace. A man must not only think he has a right to the Lord's supper, in order to his lawful partaking of it; but he must know he has a right. If nothing but sanctification gives him a real right to the Lord's supper, then nothing short of the knowledge of sanctification gives him a known right to it: only an opinion and probable hopes of a right will not warrant his coming.

What grabbed me

I appreciated Edwards' comments relating to church discipline: 'Concerning purging the tares out of the field, or casting men out of the church, there is no difference between me and those whom I oppose in the present controversy: and therefore it is impossible there should be any objection from that which Christ says here concerning this matter against me, but what is as much of an objection against them; for we both hold the same thing. It is agreed on all hands, that adult persons, actually admitted to communion in the visible church, however they may behave themselves so as to bring their spiritual state into suspicion, yet ought not to be cast out, unless they are obstinate in heresy or scandal; lest, while we go about to root out the tares, we should root out the wheat also. And it is also agreed on all hands, that when those represented under the name of tares bring forth such evil fruit, such scandalous and obstinate wickedness, as is plainly and visibly inconsistent with the being of true grace, they ought to be cast out. And therefore it is impossible that this objection should be any thing to the purpose.'

We don't discipline for the slightest errors or we'd uproot much wheat. 

But if someone won't profess faith in Christ, that's a serious matter and there is no place for them in the visible church.

Next week's reading

Continue Part III by reading Objections X to XVI.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.