A26883:2570
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,…
Richard Baxter's Catholic theology plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriors who, 1. by contending about things unrevealed or not understood, 2. and by taking verbal differences for real,Richard Baxter's Catholick theologie plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriours who, 1. by contending about things unrevealed or not understood, 2. and by taking verbal differences for real,
London: printed by Robert White for Nevill Simmons, 1675
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
XVI. That Christs grace is Love, or Complacency in good, is a truth which I highly value: but with all these exceptions to his doctrine. 1. It is the Heart of the new Creature, and that which must communicate it self to all the rest, or else they are lifeless and unacceptable: For the will is the man in Gods account; And complacency, or love, or appetite is the first act of the will; which is it that he calleth with Augustine Delectation: Grace lieth principally in a Placet. But the man hath more parts than his Heart: And all other parts of sanctification are graces of Christ▪ in their several places, and not love only.
XVI. That Christs grace is Love, or Complacency in good, is a truth which I highly value: but with all these exceptions to his doctrine. 1. It is the Heart of the new Creature, and that which must communicate it self to all the rest, or else they are lifeless and unacceptable: For the will is the man in Gods account; And complacency, or love, or appetite is the first act of the will; which is it that he calleth with Augustine Delectation: Grace lyeth principally in a Placet. But the man hath more parts than his Heart: And all other parts of sanctification are graces of Christ▪ in their several places, and not love only.
2. Though no man is to love himself as God, nor instead of God, nor above God, nor as the noblest ultimate object of his love▪ yet all men are necessitated by nature to love themselves; and therefore to desire their own felicity in loving God, next to God as the final object of that love; And so our end is finis amantis vel amicitiae which includeth mutual complacency and union, though not in equality. And to such an end, grace causeth us to use the means: And Christ is proposed to us as our Saviour, and all his grace as for our good, and all Gods commands as necessary for our happiness, and sin is described to us to be hated as our o•• evil and destruction, and against our good as well as against Gods will and honour. And with us this is denied scarcely by the Antinomians themselves: Much less by any judicious Christians.