Richard Baxter's Catholic theology plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriors who,…Richard Baxter's Catholick theologie plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriours who,…

An. Doing is a word of doubtful sense: It's one thing to Do all that the Law of Innocency required; and another thing to do all that the Law of Grace maketh necessary to life: It's one thing to Do all our selves, and another thing for a Mediator to merit Pardon and Life (to be given conditionally by a new Covenant) by Doing all in kind (and much more than all that we should have done) for us (though not in our persons). The way to Life now hath many parts, 1. Christ's perfect, habitual, active and passive Righteousness, (fulfilling the Law of Innocency, and the Law of Moses, and the peculiar Law of the Mediator,) to merit Pardon, Spirit, Adoption and Glory to be given by the New Covenant on its terms. 2. The said New Covenant as the donative Instrument and Law of Life, and Pardon, and Adoption by it. 3. Our doing or performing the Conditions of the New Covenant by Grace. But our personal Doing all according to the Law of Innocency ⟨p. 18⟩really or reputatively, to be justified by that Law, is none of the way of Life, which you think the only way. (And I hope we shall both meet there).

§. 39. M. S. It's clear as the light of the Sun, that their fundamental distinction is absurd, to make sinning and suffering equivalent to doing: because he that hath born the utmost penalty, hath done no more towards living, than he that never sinned or suffered: else Adam in Innocency should have been sentenced worthy of life. If a Servant instead of his Service steal, and restore it, he meriteth not his wages, &c.]

An. 1. It's certain that you mistake and wrong us: I never put sinning among the things that are equivalent to doing or meriting: Of this before. 2. I doubt you noted not sufficiently that no Creature can merit commutatively as a Proprietor of God, as a Servant doth his wages; nor can have any thing of God but what (in respect of such merit and the value of the thing) is an absolute free Gift: free as to commutation: And that all Gods Laws of Life, are but a prescription of the wise Order in which he will give his free benefits; As a Father will give Lands to the Son that will behave himself decently and thankfully, and not to the contemptuous Rebel: So that as to commutation no Man or Angel hath other merit, than not to commerit the contrary (perdition): God is never the better for our Doing. If you dream of meriting commutatively from a Proprietor by work for wages, I can soon tell you what we set up instead of such merit: I hope you had no such thoughts, but want of due distinguishing. But as to Doing and Merit in respect to Paternal Justice, that which I set instead of fulfilling the first Law is a aforesaid, (not sinning and suffering, but) 1. Christ's Satisfaction, and the Merit of his complete Righteousness. 2. The Gift of Pardon and Life by a new conditional Covenant merited and made by him. 3. Actual Pardon of all sin thereby. 4. Actual Adoption. 5. Our fulfilling the Condition of that Covenant, that these may be ours.