Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT70 .B397 1675

1o4 Ofgod's graciows Operations on Man's Sou^ 1 XVI I I. His judgement of theMatter of the Reward ( that it is but God himfelf feen and perfeéily loved for himfelf ) is of great ufe: But yet it is both lawful and ex individuations principüs ¿r ex natura ha_ mana necefiàry that we take and delire this as our own felicity, and fo under God intend our felves. And quoad rationem præmii it is the Re- ward of a Rewardable dare or work, and therefore of the free ad ofa creature not meerly neceflitated : It may be a gift without Refpeét to our Liberty and Obedience, but not a reward: But it is both a gift and aReward. X I X. That Fear and its effedls are good, and yet not ofChrifts grace; that they are ofGods Spirit, but not the Spirit given by Chrift, but the grace of fome other Providence; All this I take for unfound and inju- rious to Chrift and grace. Where doth the Scripture cell us lince d:e fall, of any grace given to the World but by the Redeemer, kvho is Head over all things to his Church e If you fay, that God can give men the grace to fear him and depart from evil without a Saviour or Mediator, how can you prove, thathe may not do fo by the reft? Either he giv- eth this grace as Reótor according CO his Laws or not : If not, then on the fame reafon you may feign that molt men are not his fubjeéts, not under any LawofGod; and fo fin not, nor are punilhable : If yea, then is is according to the Law of Innocency, or of Grace, ( For if mores LaW as 3ewifh be called a third, it is nothing to our cafe. ) If it be by a Law ofgrace, it isChrifts Law, either of the firft Edition, called the Promife, or of the fecond, called the Gof el : TheSpirit and grace (in various meafures) given byboth, are ofChrift. It's a dangerous afferri- on, that there is any, yea, fomuch grace, which is not Chrifts : It pre= judiceth me againft anfenius's Opinion, that it fhould caft him on filch abfurdities, as to deny fomuch of thegraceof Chrift, while he pretend- eth to honour it, and to fee up fach a feigned way and fort of grace without aSaviour, and yet fpeak fo hardly of the Pelagian as hedoh for wronging grace. 2. AsFear is one of mans natural paffions, though but fubfervient tà love: fo the fanélifying of it is one part of the Work of Chrifts Spirit. 3. I am fure: Chrift himfelf commandeth Fear, Luke t 2.4, ç. He6.4.r; &rz.28,á9. & palm. And is it our own Legal Righteoufnefstoobey the commands ofChrift:' Indeed if Fear were all; or had no conjunét hope and love, it would be Legal, and thew the Spirit of bondage, from which Chrift deliverethus by theSpirit ofPower , andLove, anda found mind, which are the fruits of the Spirit of Adoption : For mofes Law feparated by the InfidelJews from the Law of Grace or Promifeofa ja- ftifying Mediator, could haveno better effects than Fear : But 44abam that believed and forefaw Chrifts day, rejoyced in that Faith, and yet had a Law cf obedience which had its penalty ; and fo hath the Law of Grace which we obey. XX. Of Free-will I have faid enough before : Natural Liberty as di- dint from theMoral freedom from fin and ill difpofition , is fure more than meer voluntarinefs: 'And I think if God gave Satan or man power, to take away from aSaint all his Habitual and Aítual love of God and goodnefs, whiled antecedently the perfon did hate fach a change and pray againft it, by making him willing of evil, and making a Devil of him remedilefly , he would take away or crofs the Natural as well as the Moral Liberty of his will , though it were wsflingnefs that were canted. If any think otherwife , remember that it is but de nomine, for

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