A26883:4404
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.
CHAP. XI. Whether a Justified man should be afraid of becoming unjustified?
L•b. This fear of losing our justification, which you teach men, is most injurious to Gods free grace and immutability, and a rack for Conscience to destroy mens peace.
L•b. THis fear of losing our justification, which you teach men, is most injurious to Gods free grace and immutability, and a rack for Conscience to destroy mens peace.
P. I have said so much of this before about Perseverance and Assurance, as forbiddeth me tedious repetitions. Here needeth no more but this explication of the matter which you confound: 1. Fear is either Causeful or Causeless. 2. Fear is either such as hindereth comfort, or such as helpeth it. 3. Fear is either a Duty, or an unavoidable natural passion, or a sin of unavoidable infirmity, or a more deadly or heinous sin. 4. It's one thing to cause and cherish Fear, and another thing to teach men that cannot avoid it, how to deal by it. And now I assert, 1. Too many are confident that they are justified, who ought not only to Fear that they are not, but to know it. 2. Too many that are Justified fall into such decays of Grace, and heinous sin, as that it becometh thereupon their duty to fear lest their hearts ⟨p. 257⟩should deceive them, and they prove unjustified, till they rise by repentance and revived Faith. The uncertainty becoming unavoidable, some Fear in an uncertain person is a duty, without which he would show a contempt of God and his salvation. 3. Too many Justified persons have Grace so weak and unactive, and sin so strong, as that in that case, both uncertainty and fears are unavoidable to them: A Certainty beyond fear, supposeth a very high proportionable degree of all other Graces; (For the new creature in the chief parts useth to increase or decrease together:) But few have such high degrees of Grace. 4. A fear of particular great and heinous sins (which must be Repented of, if you will be saved) must be moderately feared by all Christians; none being certain that they shall escape them. 5. A believing lively apprehension of the dreadfulness of Gods Judgement, as he is a consuming fire, and one that can cast soul and body into Hell, with so much as is necessary to vigilancy and labour for prevention, is all mens duty,