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,…

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.

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. Acts 10. 33. 1 Cor. 7. 10. John 15. 14

That which hath a Precept making Duty, and a Promise and Threatening, instituting the Retribution by Rewards and Punishments, as an Instrument of Government, hath all the Essentials of a Law: But such is made by Christ: Ergo— The Minor (which only needs proof) I prove by parts and instances. 1. There is a Command to believe in God as our Reconciled Father by Christ: 2. To believe in Christ as Incarnate, and the Mediator, conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, fulfilling all righteousness, dying, buried, for us, justifying us by his blood, rising, ascending, glorified, interceding, that will raise the dead, and judge the world, &c. We are commanded to believe all the Gospel: And to give up our selves to Christ in the Covenant of Baptism, to trust in him, to pray in his name, &c. We are commanded to believe in the Holy Ghost as the Spirit of Christ, and to live in Communion with the Christian Church, to observe the Lords day (the first of the Week,) to preach and hear the Gospel, to receive the Lords Supper, to imitate Christ, to receive his Apostles and Ministers, to relieve his members as such, to take Moses Law as abrogated or ceased; And do you that are so strict in condemning all humane impositions as bold additions, believe that Christ himself hath made no Laws for Ordination, Sacraments, Preaching, Worship? and why fear you adding then? can one add to Nothing? And what a lawless sort of persons are you, if you will neither have Christ nor Man to make Laws for you? 2. And as to Promises and Threats or Penalties (of a far sorer punishment, Heb. 10.) I am ashamed to stand to prove them to you. [He that believeth shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned] is sure a Law. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation? ⟨p. 245⟩See that ye reject not him that speaketh—Heb. 4. & 10. These mine enemies that would not that I should reign over them, bring them hither and slay them before me, Luke 19. 27. with abundance such. Pardon here that my indignation suffereth me not to be longer or colder, but shortly to tell you further, that to deny Christs Law is, 1. To deny him to be a King, and to be Christ, 2. To deny his Kingdom, 3. And his Government, 4. And his Gospel, 5. And his Officers power, both Kings and Pastors, 6. And your own subjection, 7. And all duty and obedience to him, 8. And the being of all sin as against his Laws. 9.

And all Judgement according to his Laws, 10. And all reward for keeping his Laws, 11. And all punishment for breaking them, 12. And all duty to preach, learn or meditate on them, 13. And all blame on such as silence such preaching, 14. And indeed the very being of all Law and Government in the world: For since the Promise Gen. 3. (or at least now) there is no Law of God in the world, but what is the Redeemers Law: Even the Law of Nature now is in his hand, and is the Law of the Redeemer to lapsed Nature. And all the world had a new Law of Grace made to Adam in the first Edition; and the Church hath it now in the second Edition. And now what part of Christianity do you not destroy? Choose you now whether you will come off by confessing that you erred and differed from us but in a word not understood, or whether you will allow us to take you for downright Heretics? And bethink you whether those rash and self-conceited Divines that have reviled Papists and Arminians for saying that Christs Gospel was a Law, or that he made a new Law, have done good service to the Christian or the Protestant Cause▪ or have rather done much to harden the Rapists into a more confident conceit that Protestants are Heretics?

And all Judgement according to his Laws, 10. And all reward for keeping his Laws, 11. And all punishment for breaking them, 12. And all duty to preach, learn or meditate on them, 13. And all blame on such as silence such preaching, 14. And indeed the very being of all Law and Government in the world: For since the Promise Gen. 3. (or at least now) there is no Law of God in the world, but what is the Redeemers Law: Even the Law of Nature now is in his hand, and is the Law of the Redeemer to lapsed Nature. And all the world had a new Law of Grace made to Adam in the first Edition; and the Church hath it now in the second Edition. And now what part of Christianity do you not destroy? Choose you now whether you will come off by confessing that you erred and differed from us but in a word not understood, or whether you will allow us to take you for downright Hereticks? And bethink you whether those rash and self-conceited Divines that have reviled Papists and Arminians for saying that Christs Gospel was a Law, or that he made a new Law, have done good service to the Christian or the Protestant Cause▪ or have rather done much to harden the Rapists into a more confident conceit that Protestants are Hereticks?

CHAP. V. Whether Christ be the only Party in Covenant with God? and not Believers, or lapsed man?

Lib. IV. Mr next Charge it, that you feign the Covenant to be made with us, which is made only with Christ. Do you not remember that even the Westminster Assembly say in their larger Catechism, that [The Covenant of Grace was made with Christ as the second Adam, and in him with all the Elect as his seed?] But you feign it to be made with the Elect, nay, to others immediately, and not only as Christs seed, in him, nor to Christ at all.

P. I will not waste time in expounding or censuring other mens words: but as to the matter, is it not a most shameful thing, that a man of your profession and pretensions to knowledge, should confound those two Covenants which children should be taught in their Catechism to distinguish? By [a Covenant] here we mean, 1. A Covenant offered and imposed, which is also a Law: 2. A Covenant consented to and mutual. And now tell me, Quest. 1. Was it not a distinct Law that was made to us, from that which Christ was obliged by? I mean the Law of Grace and Faith? Was ⟨p. 246⟩Christ commanded to Repent of his sin? or accept a Saviour? or pray for pardon? or mortify his lusts? or trust another to reconcile him to God? or be Thankful for such mercies? or any such like Remedying means and duties for himself?

P. I will not waste time in expounding or censuring other mens words: but as to the matter, is it not a most shameful thing, that a man of your profession and pretensions to knowledge, should confound those two Covenants which children should be taught in their Catechism to distinguish? By [a Covenant] here we mean, 1. A Covenant offered and imposed, which is also a Law: 2. A Covenant consented to and mutual. And now tell me, Quest. 1. Was it not a distinct Law that was made to us, from that which Christ was obliged by? I mean the Law of Grace and Faith? Was ⟨p. 246⟩Christ commanded to Repent of his sin? or accept a Saviour? or pray for pardon? or mortifie his lusts? or trust another to reconcile him to God? or be Thankful for such mercies? or any such like Remedying means and duties for himself?

Lib. No: that must not be imagined.

P. Quest. 2. Is not all this commanded by the Law of Grace?

Lib. Yes: If it be a Law.

P. Quest. 3. Was not Christ under a Law, which bound him, 1. To obey all the precepts of nature perfectly without sin? 2. To obey all the Mosaical Law as far as he was capable? 3. To do all this a sa Mediator to reconcile God and man, And to dye for sinners, to work Miracles, to send out Apostles, to gather a Church, to intercede for us, and to present us Justified and perfect to his father? And are we obliged to do so too?

P. Quest. 3. Was not Christ under a Law, which bound him, 1. To obey all the precepts of nature perfectly without sin? 2. To obey all the Mosaical Law as far as he was capable? 3. To do all this a sa Mediator to reconcile God and man, And to dye for sinners, to work Miracles, to send out Apostles, to gather a Chruch, to intercede for us, and to present us Justified and perfect to his father? And are we obliged to do so too?

Lib. No one so imagineth.