Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT70 .B397 1675

Of Redemption. But that I benot over tedious, I prayyou perufe inDalhei Apolog. To. 2. the citations out of theConfeffions and Catechifms, and Litur- gies of the ReformedChurches, viz. Of Berne, Auguft. Bohm. Helvert. Saxon. Anglec. Palatin. Synod. Dord. Colloq. Torun. with a multitudeof Proteilant Divines. The fourth Crimination. A. "They make it impofble for any man to believe in Chriii at firff, by a rational and true Faith : For his dying for men, being the Objelt of " Faith, muffbe before the Al?. And no man by their way can know that `t Chriii diedfor him till he is a Believer; and yet they fay that our firll "favingFaith muff bea believingand trufting in ChriFt, as one that diedfor " us. So that menmutiflay till they believe that Chrift died for them, that "theymay have reafon to believe that he diedfor them. For before the fir]? " Faith, or belief ofit, they can have none. B. Youbill make theworld believe that men hold that which they do not. Thisconcernethnot theChurches, but Come fingular men. The commonProtefiant Doûrine is, That Chrift by his Death hathprocured the univerfal conditional Gift of Pardon and Life, contained in the Covenant of Grace, Mark i6. i6. joh. 3. 16, &c. And that hisdeath was thus far efficient, by which it is fufcient for the aikual Juftification and Salvation ofpenitent Believers. And that this is it that men mull firfl believe, and foaccept of an offered Saviour for Jultification and Life, andgive up themfelves to him in the baptifmal Covenant : which when they do they are juftifiedand adopted, having right to andunion with Chrifl, and in him right to the Covenant-benefits. And then Chrift'sdeathwhichwasfuficient by its efficiency of Satisfal'tion, Merit, and the Covenant - grant, becometh efficient of juftification, &c. And arenot youand theyagreed in t his ? I confers that many fingular Divines havegiven you this occafion : But what's that to the Churches? . The fifth Crimination. A. "They tell men that they mutt believe a Lye, or an unrevealed thing, G0 that by believingit, it may become true, a,d'they may be faved, and elfe " they (hall be damned. For they fay that Chrill died for none but the "Eleét : And yet that others alfo are bound tobelieve that Le died for them: "And becanfe they believe not this Lye God will damn them : But if they "did believe it, it would be true : As if the Objelive Truth were not be- "fore the belief of it. B. Thisalto is but your quarrel with fingular men, and not with the Churches, unlefs you wrong them. Their commonDotrine is, that no maniahis firft all of Faith is bound to believe that he is Eledt, or that Chrift died for himany more than for loft Mankind. But that he mull firft believe that Chrift by hisDeath hath fo far fatisfied and merited for Mankind in general , as to procure the univerfal conditional Gift of Chrift, Pardonand Life g And that they muff believe that this is pro- cured for, and offered to, themfelves as well as other Sinners. And hereupon they are to accept this free Gift, and foit is theirs. What lye or

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