A26883:3069
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.
The fourth Crimination.
A. They make it impossible for any man to believe in Christ at first, by a rational and true Faith: For his dying for men, being the Object of Faith, must be before the Act. And no man by their way can know that Christ died for him till he is a Believer; and yet they say that our first saving Faith must be a believing and trusting in Christ, as one that died for us. So that men must stay till they believe that Christ died for them, that they may have reason to believe that he died for them. For before the first Faith, or belief of it, they can have none.
B. You still make the world believe that men hold that which they do not. This concerneth not the Churches, but some singular men. The common Protestant Doctrine is, That Christ by his Death hath procured the universal conditional Gift of Pardon and Life, contained in the Covenant of Grace, Mark 16. 16. Joh. 3. 16, &c. And that his death was thus far efficient, by which it is sufficient for the actual Justification and Salvation of penitent Believers. And that this is it that men must first believe, and so accept of an offered Saviour for Justification and Life, and give up themselves to him in the baptismal Covenant: which when they do they are justified and adopted, having right to and union with Christ, and in him right to the Covenant-benefits. And then Christ's death which was sufficient by its efficiency of Satisfaction, Merit, and the Covenant-grant, becometh efficient of Justification, &c. And are not you and they agreed in this? I confess that many singular Divines have given you this occasion: But what's that to the Churches?