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,…

4. Gods Will approveth of all that is good, so far as it is good: It approveth of habitual Holiness in Adam, and would have done in his Infants had he stood; and doth so in all Christians now: And I will believe that Christ, before he actually obeyed, was under▪ Gods approving Will. But not as one that had merited by Obedience: For God doth not ⟨p. 21⟩suppose any to do that which they do not, nor oblige them to do to-morrows work to-day.

§. 44. M. S. The issue in a word is, 1. Suffering for Sin is not doing, nor equivalent in point of Justification, 2. Nor can God, having satisfaction for what was done cross to his Law, lay aside that in order to the conveying of Life, and substitute believing instead of it. Therefore Faith justifieth ratione objecti only. Now we [Do] in another, Christ, instead of doing in our own persons.

An. I doubt this is another Gospel than the Apostles delivered us; though I hope that practically we meet in one. 1. To the first I answer, It's true; but you do ill to intimate that we think otherwise. Suffering by the Sinner never satisfieth, because it must be everlasting: Suffering by Christ satisfieth not merely as suffering, but as the voluntary suffering of God-Man, aptly glorifying Justice and Love, and securing the ends of Government. This Satisfaction is not equivalent to doing in Justification: For Doing all required, would have justified us against this Charge, [Thou art a Sinner, by Omission and Commission, and thou hast deserved Death, and hast not deserved Life, according to the Law of Works.] Against this Charge, I look for no Justification, but confess it is all true. But Christ's Satisfaction justifieth us against this Charge, [God must damn thee (by pain of loss and sense) or else he is not just, because thou hast deserved it.] And Christ's perfect Righteousness also justifieth us against this Charge, [God must damn thee and deny thee life, because thou didst not merit it by perfect Obedience]. The Justifier says, No: because Christ's Merit in Doing and Suffering hath glorified the Law and Justice of God instead of my Merit, and hath procured us Pardon and Life given by the New Covenant.