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,…

I. The first sort of Grace lieth in the enacting of a new Law of Grace, called also in several respects, The new Testament, the new Covenant, and the Promise. And as to this it is agreed, 1. That God made this Law, Covenant or promise in the first Edition with Adam and Eve after the fall, Gen. 3. 15. (the seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head,) and did by Actual Remission, of their sin, and not-punishing them as the first Law threatened, yet more plainly manifest to them the pardoning Grace of this Covenant; And that he made this new Law or Covenant to all mankind in and by them: And that he again renewed the same Covenant of Grace with all mankind in Noah after the deluge. Those few inconsiderate persons that deny this, are not so valuable as to be an exception to our Concord. It is an intolerable conceit of any to think that the tenor or sense of the Conditional Covenant of Grace (for I talk of no other) extendeth not universally to all men, but that any men are yet lest under no other Law or conditional-promise or Covenant, than that of Innocency. For if that were true, 1. Then God should be supposed to make men a promise of Life, on a condition of present natural impossibility; And to say to sinners [If you be not sinners, you shall live.] 2. And to oblige men to the same Impossibilities as the means of their salvation, saying still to sinners [I require you sinners that you be no sinners that you may be saved.] 3. Which is indeed to say that the case of all that are under the first Law of Innocency only is desperate, and they have no more hope or remedy than the Devils. 4. And then Christ had mistaken the matter himself, when he commanded his Ministers to Preach this Gospel or Covenant to all the world, and every (humane) Creature, and tell them that If they believe they shall be saved, and to offer them Baptism if they consent. 5. And either Preachers must preach an untruth to many, or else not know what man to preach to. 6. But the actu-all force and obligation of the Covenant, puts all out of doubt, that the world is under a Law of Grace: For what man, that by siding hath not his understanding utterly distorted, to look only on one side, can say that none but the Elect are bound to Believe in Christ, or to Repent of sin, or to turn to God? and this as a means of their salvation?

I. The first sort of Grace lyeth in the enacting of a new Law of Grace, called also in several respects, The new Testament, the new Covenant, and the Promise. And as to this it is agreed, 1. That God made this Law, Covenant or promise in the first Edition with Adam and Eve after the fall,