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,…

1. That God hath such a decree of Election or eternal purpose as he describeth, and calleth the Constitution of the Covenant. 2. That God doth wisely and graciously execute this Decree. 3. That all Grace and Mercy is given by Christ: (And therefore so far as Mercy is common, Christ is the common cause of it.) 4. That Christ himself is a blessing or gift decreed, and also freely given by God, even from his love to the World, Joh. 3. 16. 5. That God's electing Act, or Decree, as in him, hath no condition: nor his purpose to give Christ as a Saviour to mankind. 6. On our part no condition is required, either that God may elect us, or that the first promise of a Saviour be made, or that Christ come into the World, or that he fulfil all righteousness, or that he obey, or die, or rise, or be glorified, or come to judgment, or raise the dead, or that he enact it as his Law of Grace, that [he that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved; and he that believeth not shall be damned.] 7. Nor is any condition on our part necessary (absolutely, necessitate medii) ⟨image 20⟩that the Gospel, or the first Grace, yea the first special Grace be given us. 8. That Christ by his suffering and merits hath procured to his elect, not only pardon and life if they believe and obey him, but Grace to cause them effectually and infallibly to believe, repent, obey, and persevere. 9. That no man can or will believe and repent, but by his Grace. 10. That to give men a promise of pardon and life if they will believe, repent, and obey the Gospel, is not the whole of Christ's Grace to any: but where-ever he giveth this, he giveth also much means, and gracious help, by which men may do better than they do, and so be more prepared for his further Grace. 11. That if God only gave men a promise of pardon if they believe, and gave them no Grace to enable or help them to believe, it would be no saving Covenant. 12. God did not repeal his Law of Innocency, (or as he had rather call it, of Perfection); nor did properly dispense with, or relax the preceptive part of it: Nor is it absolutely ceased, as to a capable subject: And therefore Christ was bound to perfection. 13. God would not have his Law to be without the honour of the perfect performance of mans Mediator, though it be violated by us all. 14. No man is saved or justified but by the proper merit of Christ's perfect obedience;

1. That God hath such a decree of Election or eternal purpose as he describeth, and calleth the Constitution of the Covenant. 2. That God doth wisely and graciously execute this Decree. 3. That all Grace and Mercy is given by Christ: (And therefore so far as Mercy is common, Christ is the common cause of it.) 4. That Christ himself is a blessing or gift decreed, and also freely given by God, even from his love to the World,