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,…

Th. 1. There are certain outward works, ordinarily required of men, before they are brought to the state of Regeneration ¹or Conversion, which use to be sometime freely done by them, and sometime freely omitted: as to go to Church, to hear the Preaching of the Word, and such like. Th. 2. There are certain inward effects, which are excited in the hearts of those that are not yet justified, previous to Conversion and Regeneration, ²by the virtue of the word and spirit: such as are, the knowledge of Gods will, the sense of sin, the fear of punishment, the thoughts of deliverance, some hope of pardon. To the state of Justification—Gods grace useth not to bring men by sudden Enthusiasm, but prepared and fitted (or disposed) by many previous actings by the Ministry of the word. As in natural Generation there are many previous dispositions ³before the reception of the form; so in the spiritual we come to the spiritual birth by many foregoing actings of Grace. If God would immediately Regenerate and Justify a wicked man, not prepared by any knowledge, any sorrow, any desire, any hope of pardon, there were no need of the Ministry of man and the Word Preached to do it— Th. 3. Those that God thus affecteth by his spirit by means of the Word, them he truly and seriously calleth and inviteth to faith and conversion. We must judge of the helps of Grace by the nature of the offered benefit and by Gods plain word, and not by the abuse and event. Se•ing the Gospel of its own nature calleth men to Repentance and Salvation, seeing the excitements of grace tend to it, we must not think that ⁴God here doth any thing dissemblingly—Nor can it be imagined that that calling by the word and spirit can make men unexcuseable, which is given only to that end to make them unexcuseable— Th. 4. Those whom he thus affecteth, God forsaketh not, nor ceaseth to promote them in the true way to conversion, before he is forsaken by them, by voluntary neglect, or the repulse of this initial grace. The talent of grace once given men of God, is not taken away from any man, till he bury it by his own fault. Therefore we are oft warned in ⟨p. 68⟩