A26977:9
Of the imputation of Christ's righteousness to believers in what sense [sic] sound Protestants…Of the imputation of Christ's righteousness to believers in what sence [sic] sound Protestants…
Of the imputation of Christ's righteousness to believers in what sense [sic] sound Protestants hold it and of the false devised sense by which libertines subvert the Gospel : with an answer to some common objections, especially of Dr. Thomas Tully whose Justif. Paulina occasioneth the publication of this / by Richard Baxter a compassionate lamenter of the Church's wounds caused by hasty judging ... and by the theological wars which are hereby raised and managed ...Of the imputation of Christ's righteousness to believers in what sence [sic] sound Protestants hold it and of the false divised sence by which libertines subvert the Gospel : with an answer to some common objections, especially of Dr. Thomas Tully whose Justif. Paulina occasioneth the publication of this / by Richard Baxter a compassionate lamenter of the Church's wounds caused by hasty judging ... and by the theological wars which are hereby raised and managed ...
London: printed for Nevil Simmons and Jonathan Robinson, 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 Preface.
Reader, IF thou blame me for writing again, on a Subject which I have written on so oft, and so lately (specially in my Life of Faith, and Disputations of Justification) I shall not blame thee for so doing; but I shall excuse my self by telling thee my reasons. 1. The occasion is many loud accusations of my self, of which I have before given an account. I publish it, because I see the Contention still so hot in the Church of Christ, and mens Charity destroyed against each other; one side calling the other Socinians, and the other Libertines, (who are neither of them Christians) and if I mistake not, for the most part in the dark about one Phrase, and that of mens devising, rather than about the sense: But if indeed it be the sense that they differ about, it's time to do our best to rectify such Fundamental Errors. I find that all of us agree▪ in all the Phrases of Scripture. And a Mans Sense is no way known but by his expressions: The ⟨image 3⟩question is then, Which is the necessary Phrase which we must express our sense by? We all say that to Believers, Christ is made our Righteousness; We are made the Righteousness of God in him; He hath ransomed, redeemed us, as a Sacrifice for our sins, a price; He hath merited and obtained eternal Redemption for us, that Sin is remitted, covered, not imputed; that Righteousness is Reckoned or Imputed to us; that Faith is Imputed to us for Righteousness, and any thing else that is in the Scripture. But all this will not serve to make us Christians! What is wanting? Why, we must say that Christs Righteousness is Imputed to us as ours, and that Christ satisfied for our sins! Well; The thing signified seemeth to us true and good and needful, (though the Scripture hath as good words for it as any of us can invent.) We consent therefore to use these Phrases, so be it you put no false and wicked sense on them by other words of your own: Though we will not allow them to be necessary, because not in Scripture; (And we are more against adding new Fundamental Articles of Faith to the Scripture, than against adding new Orders, Forms or Ceremonies). But yet it will not serve: what is yet wanting? why, we must hold these words in a right sense! What? yet are not your own devised