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,…

And we see in Gods Works of Nature, high Excellencies are rare. There are not so many Suns as Stars, nor Stars, as Stones, or Leaves, or ⟨p. 124⟩Trees; nor so much Gold as Earth; nor so many Men, as Flies, Fishes, and other Animals; nor so many Kings as Subjects; nor so many Teachers as Learners; nor so many men of learning and wisdom as ignorance. And we see there are not so many godly as ungodly.

370. And, as I told you before, that as Israel was not all Gods people in the world before Christ's Incarnation, and that the Catholic Church now succeedeth them in their high and rare Peculiarities and Privileges above the rest of the world, and far exceedeth them in the greatness of our Mercies; and that Christ's Incarnation hath put the rest of the world into no worse a condition than they were before; and that all the world is under a Law of Grace, and none under the Law and Covenant of Innocency only: So I now add, that all shall be judged by that Law which they were under; They that have sinned without a (written) Law, shall be judged without that Law: And what state each particular ¹Soul is in, the Judge only knoweth, and not we, who are insolently arrogant, if we will step up into his Throne, and judge his Subjects without his Commission. But this we know that God hath various degrees of Rewards and Punishments (as to Infants and Adult, so to the Adult among themselves.) And that he that gained but two Talents shall be Ruler of two Cities: And he that had but one might have improved one, though he could not have improved more than he had: And that they that have done good shall go into everlasting life, and those that have done evil to everlasting punishment. And the kinds and degrees of their different ²punishments hereafter, how great, and how far involuntary, they are beyond the very miserable case of their sinfulness it self, are things that are unknown to us. But certain we are, that the Judge of all the world will do righteously, and that all wise and righteous mens judgments, when they shall see what the number of Sufferers, and the sorts and degrees of their punishment are, shall be fully satisfied of the Goodness, Clemency, Wisdom and Justice of God, and never once wish it had been otherwise. And that the Servant that knew his Lords Will, and prepared not himself, nor did according to his Will, shall be beate with many stripes: But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy