A26998:18
The Protestant religion truly stated and justified by the late Reverend Mr. Richard BaxterThe Protestant religion truely stated and justified by the late Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter
The Protestant religion truly stated and justified by the late Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter ; prepared for the press some time before his death ; whereunto is added, by way of preface, some account of the learned author, by Mr. Daniel Williams and Mr. Matthew Sylvester.The Protestant religion truely stated and justified by the late Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter ; prepared for the press some time before his death ; whereunto is added, by way of preface, some account of the learned author, by Mr. Danel Williams and Mr. Matthew Sylvester.
London: printed for John Salusbury, 1692
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.
3. Of the Merit of good Works: Note, Reader, that he is not fond of the word Merit, but his Adversary leads him to the use of it, as thou mayst see p. 96. But let us hear ⟨image 5⟩what his sense is of this point: p. 119. All Saints are saved by the full sufficient Merits of Christ, and have none at all of their own, unless the amiableness of Grace freely given them, be called their Merit; and, p. 95. we do with Paul renounce all Works of our own, that are thought to make the reward to be of Debt, and not of Grace; and that are set in the least opposition, or competition with Christs Merits, or in any place, save commanded subordination to him: nay, he says he firmly holds, That Works done with a conceit of obliging God by Merit in commutative Justice, or as conceited sufficient without a Saviour, and the pardon of their failings, do more further their Damnation, than Salvation. Yea, p. 97. none but Christ merited of strict distributive Justice, according to the Law of Innocency, nor by any Works that will save from the charge of sin, and desert of death. And that thou mayest know what he ascribes to our Graces, Holiness, or Works: He tells us, p. 119. we mean by Merit but the moral aptitude for the reward of a free Benefactor, who also is Rector, when the ordering of a free gift suspended on official conditions, is sapientially made a means of procuring obedience. This one Clause, if understood (and he is a bold Traducer of so great a Man, that cannot understand words so ⟨image 5⟩plain) will acquit Mr. B. and inform thee of the place of all Gospel-Conditions. 1. All Gospel-blessings are the free gifts of Christ as Benefactor, they have their being without any regard to what we do, therefore nothing in man is a jot of the righteousness or merit for which they are bestowed. 2. Christ is our Rector or Governor, he will rule us as well as be beneficent to us. 3. As a means to incline us to comply with him as Rector, he suspends these blessings on terms of what he makes our Duty; and wisely orders them as Motives to our Obedience. 4. Any Act of our Obedience is no more than a conformity to that Order of his, and doth not hinder all we receive from him to be of free gift.
3. Of the Merit of good Works: Note, Reader, that he is not fond of the word Merit, but his Adversary leads him to the use of it, as thou mayst see p. 96. But let us hear