34 Mow frith is an mffrttntene. C H P. 28ö, borrowed expreflìons, the fame proper , & Formal Efficacy, Efficiency and influence , which is importad by thefe Expreffions, when ufed about Natural Caufes & Effects. But Mr. Baxter againli Mr. Blake §. 5. tels us , what great;reafons he had to move him to quarrel with this calling offaith an Inftrument vi, . he found that many learned divines did not only afftrt this Inflrumentality, but they laid fo great a flrefs upon it , as if the maine deference betwixt us 4.7 the Papifir lay here. And yet any might think, that they had reafonPfo to do, when Papifl's on the other hand , laid asgreat ftrefie upon the denying of Faiths Inflrumentality. He tels us moreover , that our divines judged Papifls to erre in "unification fundamentally , in thefe points i. about the formal Caufe, which is the for - mal Righteoufnefs of Chrift, as fuffering & perfectly obeying for us. 2.About the way of our participation herein , which as to God's at is Imputation , & that in this fenfe , that legaliter we are efleemed to have fulfilled the Law in Chrid. 3. About the nature of that faith which juftifieth. 4. About the formal reafon of faiths interefl in juftification , which is as the Inftrument thereof; , I doubt not ( faith Mr. Baxter ) but all theft fo:i are great errors. But we neither may, nor can call all errors , which Mr. Baxter calleth errors, We have feen above how neceffary truthes the two firfi are , and have ex- plained, in part the third, wherein I confeffe,. too many ( yet not all ) of the forraigne divines have, as to exprefflou, miffed the explication of. true 'unifying faith & it may be , it was not their defigne to defcribe it fo , as, it might agree to the faith of every fincere , though weak beleever : but rather to shew its true nature , grounds & tendency , when at its heft ; yet what Papifls hold , on the contrare , is more falle & abfurd. But as to- this fourth, it feemes , that it bath a neceffary dependance upon the fore- going; and this to me feemes to be the maine reafon why our Divines did owne & plead for Faiths Initrumenrality, in the matter of Junification, becaufe the Righteoufnefs, which they called the Formal, or others the Material Caufe thereof, was not any Righteoufnefs inherent in us; as Pa- p ifls laid ; but the Surety. Righteoufnefs of the Cautioner Chrift,'without us : And therefore they behoved to look on Faith , in this matter , other - wayes then Papifis did , and not account it a part of our Formal Righteouf- nefs , but only look upon it, as an hand to lay hold on & bring -in the Sure- ty-Righteoufnefs of Jefus Chritt; and therefore judged it molt fit to call it only an Inftf umental Caufe. And how ever Mr. Baxter exaggerarcthis mat- ter, as complying with Papifi"s in condemning us, as to all thefe contro verfies, and think it no wonder they judge the whole Proteftantcaufe naught , becaufe we erre in thefe, and yet make this the maine pairtof the Ftoteftantcaufe; yet we muff not be fcarred from thefe truthes; Yea, be- caufe this point hath fach aconnexion with the other , concerning that Righ- teoufnefs ,. upon the account of which we are to be Juflified in the fight of Cod , we are called, to contend alto for this, & that fe much the rather, that,. hough .Papifl's do utterly mifake the Nature of Junification, and confound it with Sandifçation yet Mr. Baxter hath more ratidnal apprehenfions there. about ? and yet will nor ban Chrift'S Righteoufnefs to be that For-= - mal
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