Baxter - BT763 B397 1658

; 7 ) i may fafely conc'ude ex.n:=turn rei , that the tai<ing of brill for our f a acher and Lord, is as truly a part of the condit'on of our Juflification, and our i aflification lied) as much upon ir, as the. Affiance in Chrifts Puff rings. If you fay, [Rut the efficiency is net equ .4,though it be equally a Condeti,n ] I anfwer; Neither of them hive any proper effi- ciency in' jut Eying us, unlefs you will unfitly caul the Candttie, nay>t) an E .ciency,or the Ace.eptabley,efi of believing in the fight of vod, an efficiency; there. is no filch thing to be afcribed to our faith as to the died ofJuílification,But this belongs to ano- ther Controverfie.. I know not what can be laid more againfl this, unlefs by the Antinorri.znt who deny the covenant of Grace to have any pro- per Condition, bu; only a priority and pofcriority of Duties. Bui the exprefs conditional terms of the Covenant do put this f) far out of doubt, and_I have laid fo much of it in other writ- ings, that I (hail not trouble my felf here with this fort of Ad- verfaries : Only to prevent.their miftake, I ¡hall tell them this : that in a condition there is fomewhat Ejfential, and that is found in the conditions of Gods Promife ; and therefore theyare-pro- per conditions : and there is fomewhat e,fccidentai : as Fir( , fometirrie that the thingbe 'Uncertain to the Promifer : This is not in Gods Conditions : It is enough that in their ownnature the things be contingent. Secondly, That the matter of the condition be fomewhat that is gainful! to the Promifer,or other- wife have a merit, or moral caufflicv : But this is feparable In our cafe it is fufficient that it be fomewhat that God Icketh9 loveth, or is pleating to him, though it properly merit not. And the evident Reafon why God hash made force Promifes conditional, is,that his Laws and Promifès may be perfect ly fuit- ed to the nature of man on whom they muff work, and fo may thew forth Gods Infinite Wifdom, andmay ina wayagreeable to our natures attain their ends :- and man may bedrawn to that which he is backward to,by the helpof that which he is natural- ly more forward to, or by the fear of that evil which naturally hedoth abhor : ! s alto that the Holinefs of God may thine forth in his Word; and it may be feen that he loveh Juítice, Ho:ìnef3, Obedience, andnot only the perforas of men and fo F ; 3 all

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