A26883:4329
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.
Lib. III. You bring in your doctrine of personal Righteousness to Justification, by feigning Christ to have made a new Law; whereas the Gospel is but a Doctrine, History and Promise, and not a Law, and so no Rule of Righteousness and Judgement; And this many Protestants have asserted.
Lib. III. YOu bring in your doctrine of personal Righteousness to Justification, by feigning Christ to have made a new Law; whereas the Gospel is but a Doctrine, History and Promise, and not a Law, and so no Rule of Righteousness and Judgement; And this many Protestants have asserted.
P. I have read some such sayings in some men: And some I think meant no more, but that Christ did only expound, and not add to the Law of Nature, called by them the Moral Law: And these I have excused for their unhappy kind of expression. But for the rest, that mean as the words sound universally, they subvert Christianity, and as the Arians denied Christs Godhead, so do they his Office and Government, and are somewhat worse than the Quakers, who say, that the Spirit within us, is the Law and Rule of Christ; which is better than none: I pray answer me, Quest. 1. Is Christ the King and Ruler of the Church?
P. I have read some such sayings in some men: And some I think meant no more, but that Christ did only expound, and not add to the Law of Nature, called by them the Moral Law: And these I have excused for their unhappy kind of expression. But for the rest, that mean as the words sound universally, they subvert Christianity, and as the Arrians denyed Christs Godhead, so do they his Office and Government, and are somewhat worse than the Quakers, who say, that the Spirit within us, is the Law and Rule of Christ; which is better than none: I pray answer me, Quest. 1. Is Christ the King and Ruler of the Church?
Lib. Yes.
P. Quest. 2. Is not Legislation the first and principal part of Government?
Lib. Yes.
P. Quest. 3. Do not they then that deny Christs Legislation, deny his Government?
Lib. Yes.
P. Quest. 4. Is it not essential to Christ as Christ (the name signifying Relatively his Office) to be King?
Lib. Yes.
P. Quest. 5. Do they not then by this deny Christ to be Christ?
Lib. No: for they confess that he hath a Law, but not that he made any since his birth.
P. We grant 1. That the Law of Nature now is His Law: 2. And that the first Edition of the Law of Grace to Adam after the fall, was his Law: 3. And Moses Law was partly his. But you will not say that we are under this last, nor I hope that he hath no other than the two first.
Lib. Why, what other can you prove?
P. It is the Name or the Thing that you deny; (for you use to confound the cases:) 1. Whether the name be fit, judge by these Texts. Gal. 6. 2. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the Law of Christ. James 1. 25. The perfect Law of Liberty. Rom. 8. 2. The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, &c. Rom. 3. 27. Boasting is excluded? By what Law? Of Works? Nay, but by the Law of faith. Mic. 4. 2. For the Law shall go out of Zion, &c. So Isa. 2. 3. & 8. 16, 20. & 42. 41. The Isles shall wait for his Law. 1 Cor. 9. 21. We are under the Law to Christ. Heb. 8. 10, 16. I will put my Laws into their minds—and hearts. James 4. 12. There is one Law-giver, &c. Isa. 33. 22. ⟨p. 244⟩2. For Name and Thing note the terms of Equivalence and Connotation: 1. All the Texts where Christ is called a King, and his Kingdom named, (why should I needlessly recite them?) 2. All the Texts that mention his Commanding and Commandments, the same which we mean by a Law. Matth. 28. 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you. Acts 10. 42. & 13. 47.
P. It is the Name or the Thing that you deny; (for you use to confound the cases:) 1. Whether the name be fit, judge by these Texts. Gal. 6. 2. Bear ye one anothers burdens, and so fulfil the Law of Christ. James 1. 25. The perfect Law of Liberty. Rom. 8. 2. The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, &c. Rom. 3. 27. Boasting is excluded? By what Law? Of Works? Nay, but by the Law of faith. Mic. 4. 2. For the Law shall go out of Zion, &c. So Isa. 2. 3. & 8. 16, 20. & 42. 41. The Isles shall wait for his Law. 1 Cor. 9. 21. We are under the Law to Christ. Heb. 8. 10, 16. I will put my Laws into their minds—and hearts. James 4. 12. There is one Law-giver, &c. Isa. 33. 22. ⟨p. 244⟩2. For Name and Thing note the terms of Equivalence and Connotation: 1. All the Texts where Christ is called a King, and his Kingdom named, (why should I needlesly recite them?) 2. All the Texts that mention his Commanding and Commandments, the same which we mean by a Law. Matth. 28. 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you. Acts 10. 42. & 13. 47. Acts 10. 33. 1 Cor. 7. 10. John 15. 14. If ye do whatsoever I command you. 17. These things I command you. So John 15. 12. & 14. 21, 31. 1 Tim. 1. 1. Titus 1. 3. 1 John. 3. 23. & 4. 6. John 13. 34. 1 John 5. 3. & 2. 4. & 3. 24. 1 Cor. 14. 37. Acts 1. 2. Acts 17. 30. Blessed are they that do his Commandments, &c. Rev. 22. 14. 3. All the Texts that mention his Covenant, (〈non-Latin alphabet〉 being a Legal institution.) Heb. 8. 6. He is the Mediator of a better Covenant, & 8. 13. & 8. 10. & 10. 16. & 12. 24. Gal. 4. 24. 4. All those Texts that not only call him Lord of all, but say that All power in Heaven and Earth is given to him (therefore Legislative power) Matth. 28. 18. and all Judgement committed to him, John 5. 22. The Government is laid upon his shoulders, and of the increase of his Government there shall be no end, Isa. 9. 6, 7. 5. De re, how can that man be a Christian, that denyeth that Christ hath made us any Law, and so denyeth his Kingdom and our obedience? I argue from the definition: That which hath the essential parts of a Law is a Law: But Christ hath made that which hath the essential parts of a Law: Therefore he hath made a Law. The Major is past dispute; The Minor I prove:
