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,…

3. To the third I answer, It is notoriously untrue, that Faith justifieth only ratione objecti, unless you mean that efficiently it justifieth not at all, which is true. For we are justified by it also ratione foederis, because that which is materially Faith in Christ (a justifying Saviour) and so connoteth its Object as the meritorious Cause of the free Gift and Pardon, is (by reason of this aptitude) made the Condition of that New Covenant or Gift, which is its nearest interest or reason of our being justified by it. And it is the Law of Grace by which we must be judged and justified. And at that Bar, the question which Life or Death dependeth on, will be (supposing Christ's Merits) whether we are penitent Believers, or impenitent Unbelievers, and so have part in Christ or not: And if Satan accuse us as being impenitent Unbelievers, and the question be whether we have true Faith or not? my Opinion is, that we cannot be herein justified by pleading the Object, when the Act is questioned, and saying, That Christ fulfilled that Law: unless you could prove that ⟨p. 22⟩he justifieth impenitent Infidels, and (as Saltmarsh said) repented and believed for us.

But the grand Case remaineth, Whether we are justified by the Law of Innocency, by fulfilling it, and meriting in another, without any sort of doing of our own by our selves?

Mr. Wotton, Mr. Gataker, and abundance more, have long ago said much to confute your Error, besides Mr. Bradshaw, whom you name; But I add, I. I have before proved that by the deeds or sentence of the Law of Adam or Moses, no man can be justified: 1. He that hath sinned against it cannot be justified as not having sinned: For factum infectum fieri is impossible to God himself. 2. The Law that condemneth us doth not justify us. 3. What Paul,