A26923:602
An end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches
An end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches by reconciling explication without much disputing. Written by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for John Salusbury, 1691
Chapter 12 › Section 5: Of the Law or Covenant of Grace in the last Edition, or the Gospel.
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.
§. 37. There is a three-fold Dueness (or Desert) here considerable (without distinguishing of which, many such Questions cannot be answered.) 1. A Dueness of natural Congruity, without any Remedy which the Law gave, or took notice of: So Death was due for every sin by the Law of Innocency (as I think).
2. A Dueness of natural Congruity with an affixed Remedy, which hindereth the guilt from being complete and fixed. And such is the Dueness of punishment to the least real sin, by the Law of Redeemed Nature, to which the Law of Grace is annexed, giving a Conditional Pardon to all the World for the Merits of the Redeemer. As if God said, [Thy sin in strict Justice is worthy of death, but I will forgive thee, if thou repent and believe in Christ.] Here is so much Dueness as needeth pardon; but it is virtually, conditionally pardoned as soon as committed; and so it is not a plenary Obligation to punishment.
2. A Dueness of natural Congruity with an affixed Remedy, which hindereth the guilt from being compleat and fixed. And such is the Dueness of punishment to the least real sin, by the Law of Redeemed Nature, to which the Law of Grace is annexed, giving a Conditional Pardon to all the World for the Merits of the Redeemer. As if God said, [Thy sin in strict Iustice is worthy of death, but I will forgive thee, if thou repent and believe in Christ.] Here is so much Dueness as needeth pardon; but it is virtually, conditionally pardoned as soon as committed; and so it is not a plenary Obligation to punishment.
3. A Remediless Dueness (or Guilt) by natural Congruity and peremptory determination of the Lawgiver: And such was the Guilt of temporal death for sin against the Law of Innocency, (at least the eating of the forbidden Fruit) (for so far it is not forgiven); and the Guilt of perpetual misery to impenitent Unbelievers and ungodly Ones, that so die.