Baxters Aphorisms, Part 2 · Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
The following Doctrine of Mr. Baxters Book reduced to ſome few heads, and the queſtion between him and the Proteſtants about Juſtification by works ſtated.
HItherto we have been buſied about the view of Mr. Baxters ſwelling, which the more and the farther we gazed on, the more it increaſed, and after a long expectation of an iſſue, at length the impoſthumated matter breaks out in the ſight of all men, to the offence of all ſpiritualized men, Juſtification by workes. This is the declared and profeſſed Subject of all the following part of this Treatiſe, what before he did but hint and whiſper in a kind of darkeneſſe, now he preacheth on the top of the houſe, proclaiming it as the ſole Soul-ſaving doctrine, canonizing as Saints the Papiſts for the conſtant holding forth of it, and Anathematizing all the Proteſtants Churches as Apoſtaticall for departing from it, as by examining what followes in this his Tractate will appear.
For the avoiding of confuſion, and prevention of a voluminous prolixity, into which I ſee my ſelf already carried by following him Theſis after Theſis, (being neceſſitated thereby as he ſpeaks, ſo to examine and anſwer the ſame things often in many places;) I ſhall endeavour to reduce unto ſome few heads, the ſum of what he ſaith upon this Queſtion, examining that which is to the purpoſe, and leaving the reſt that is inconſideraable or impertinent to it.
1 Then I ſhall endeavour to draw out from him the ſtate of the Queſtion what he holdeth, and how he holds it forth to us.
2 I ſhall examine his Arguments and Reaſons, by which he endeavoureth to confirme his aſſertion or aſſertions.
3 I ſhall alſo examine what force there is in the Reaſons which he bringeth to clear himſelf and his doctrine from being derogatory to the grace of God and full efficacy of Chriſts mediation; or from all tainture of Popery, Socinianiſm, or other hereſies. Within this Triangle I conceive the whole fabrick of his doctrine of workes to be comprehended; and in examining of theſe fully, nothing to be left unexamined, that may make for his purpoſe.
1 The ſtate of the Queſtion, or his aſſertions which he maintaineth, I ſhall (as neer as may fitly be done) tranſcribe from him in his own words: thus,
1 The bare act of beleeving is not the only condition of the new Covenant but ſeverall other duties alſo are part of this condition, [viz. of Juſtification] (For this is his meaning, and if he be not ſo underſtood, he is underſtood beſides his meaning, and in what he ſaith he ſaith nothing. His Tractate contains Aphoriſms of Juſtification only. And the conditions of the new Covenant which tend to Illumination, Sanctification, Glorification, &c. muſt not be confounded with thoſe of Juſtification; if it were granted him, that the Goſpell diſpenſeth all or any of theſe upon conditions. In this ſenſe therefore he muſt, he will be underſtood.) Theſ. 60. pa. 235.
2 That theſe duties coordinate with Faith to our Juſtification as conditions thereof, are Repentance, praying for pardon, forgiving others, love, hearing the word, conſideration, conviction, godly ſorrow, knowledge of Chriſt, aſſent to the truth of the Goſpell, ſubjection, conſent, acceptance, cordiall covenanting, ſelf-reſigning, eſteeming and preferring Chriſt before all, loving him above all, ſincerity, perſeverance, affiance, ſincere obedience, and works of love, ſerious, painfull and conſtant uſe of Gods ordinances; hearing, praying, meditating; in a word, all good works, i. e. all the works of Righteouſneſſe, holineſſe, mercy, &c. which the Law requireth: [yet with this proviſo that all theſe legall workes muſt be called not our Legall but our Goſpell Righteouſneſſe.] Theſ. 60. p. 235, 236. & p. 240, 241, 242. & Theſ. 73, 74, p. 289. 290, 291, 292.
3 That the non-performance of any one of theſe doth hinder, but it is not one or many, but a concurrence of all theſe together in one, that ſufficeth to condition us unto Juſtification, Theſ. 61. So that when the promiſe of life is made in Scripture to our beleeving in Chriſt, or to any other inſeparable concomitant of Faith, you muſt underſtand it Caeteris paribus, viz. that your knowledge, repentance, obedience, good workes, &c. are not an inch behind your faith; or in ſenſu compoſito, that it is a compounded Faith, hath all other vertues not only included in it, but alſo actuated, and cooperating with it for juſtification, or elſe you muſt be ſhaken off unjuſtified; yea though all the reſt be in act and but one out of act, Theſ. 61. and its Explication. He ſaith not this indeed totidem verbis, word by word: But let him deny the leaſt particle of all this to be his meaning, he ſhall by ſuch a denyall extremely wound, if not wholly ſubvert his cauſe, and yeeld it to us.
4 It is not the habit of theſe vertues as infuſed from above into us, but the act or work of them as ſet in operation by us, that juſtifieth. For ſo ſaith he of Faith it ſelf (much more implieth it of the other vertues) that it is the act of faith alone, as it is our act or work that juſtifyeth, a…d conſequentially that we are juſtifyed wholly by works, viz. as the alone condition or cauſa ſine qua non.
5 That ſome of theſe juſtifying vertues or works, are antecedaneous to, or fore-going preparatives of, ſome integrall parts, ſome proper, eſſentiall, formall acts, ſome differentiall and eſſentiall▪ parts, ſome modifications, ſome in ſeparable products, ſome both parts and neceſſary conſequents, and ſubſervient acts, ſome neceſſary continuing and exerciſing means, and laſtly ſome ſeparable adjuncts of Faith, yet tending to the well being thereof; and thus having adorned faith like the Corniſh Chough with the feathers of all the beſt birds, he ſends it to ſcar aloft with theſe plumes to heaven for juſtification, which without this borrowed help, of it ſelf it was not in a capacity to do, pa. 240, 241, 242.
In theſe particulars I take the whole ſum of his doctrine about this Queſtion to be comprehended. He addeth indeed ſome lenitives here and there to mitigate and make tolerable the aſperity and harſhneſſe of theſe his aſſertions, which we ſhall examine among the reaſons that he brings to manifeſt his doctrine not to be derogatory from the glory of Gods grace, &c. as being more proper to that then this place. All the forementioned particulars may be ſummed up in this one, That all the acts or works of all morall vertues, and of all inſu…ed Habits (if he grant any ſuch) are required coordinately with faith to make up the conditio, upon which we ſhall, and without which we cannot be juſtifyed.
In oppoſition to this, all the Proteſtant Churches do and ſtill have maintained that Faith alone, and the ſame not as it is in the conſideration of a habit or vertue, or as an act of ours, but by way of a means or inſtrument (as hath been before explained) juſtifyeth, without any concurrence of works with it in the act and office of juſtifying. This aſſertion he endeavours to deſtroy, and eſtabliſh his own, with many Arguments, which we ſhall examine ſeverally either after other.