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conscience_n spirit_n testimony_n witness_v 1,787 5 10.0023 5 true
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A27064 Universal redemption of mankind, by the Lord Jesus Christ stated and cleared by the late learned Mr. Richard Barter [sic] ; whereunto is added a short account of Special redemption, by the same author. Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691. 1694 (1694) Wing B1445; ESTC R6930 282,416 521

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Young Converts that hold not Universal Satisfaction may be sincere though not rightly ordered grounded or raised Answ True for if one should conceit that Christ Dyed but for Englishmen or for a very few at least and that he is one of those few he might truly love Christ for dying for him though yet he grounded his apprehension amiss of his interest in Christ But still here is no certainty of Faith without certainty of Love Nor certainty or any knowledge of Election without the knowledge of both Faith and Love Object Then a Socinian can have no ●ertainty of Election For he that believeth not Christs Satisfaction can have no Love or Thankfulness for it Answ No wonder if he have no certainty of Election who can have no grounded hope of Salvation If it be not only some circumstances or Terms or Law-notions but the substance of this Doctrine which any Man shall deny viz. That Christ hath taken away Sin by the Sacrifice of himself and having made Purgation of our sins is ascended c. And hath by one Sacrifice perfected for ever them that are sanctified and became a Curse for us to free us from the Curse and so hath taken away the Sins of the World quoad pretium And hath born our transgressions that we might be healed by his stripes and hath Dyed for us the just for the unjust so that now we must be justified by his Blood I say he that believeth not this I think is no Christian See 1 Cor. 5. 7. Heb. 9. 26. and 10. 1 2. c. and 1. 3. and 10. 14. Gal. 3. 13. Isa 53. 4 5. John 1. 29. 1 Pet. 3. 18. Eph. 1. 17. Rom. 3. 25. and 5. 9. Col. 1. 20. Heb. 9. 22. and 13. 12. 1. Pet. 1. 2. 19. I know nothing more of moment that can be here objected and therefore will go to the next Reply 2. Which was that men may know their Election by the Testimony of the Spirit To which I answer 1. The Spirit sheweth to us the things given of God of which Love to Christ is a principal 2. The Spirit witnesseth our Election mediately and not immediately that I know of 1. By giving those graces that will prove it and do flow from it 2. By exciting them 3. By illuminating us to see them and try by them 4. Filling the Soul with those sweet affections which are a kind of tast of the Love of God But all affections are raised mediante intellectu and therefore knowledge goes before them Who can know that he rejoyceth Spiritually and that his Joy is a fruit of Election that knoweth not why he rejoiceth 3. However it is desperate Doctrine to teach poor Christians that they have no ground to Love or Thank Christ for Redeeming them till the Spirit have without any signs revealed their Election to them which I think it never doth Lastly The Spirit witnesseth with our Spirit Now our Spirit witnesseth only from evidence that we are Gods Children and not without and therefore whether the Spirit be a concurring witness in the same Testimony or its Testimony be a concomitant Testimony distinct from though conjunct with that of our Conscience I think the former yet all 's one to the point in hand seeing they witness together So much for the Minor viz. that the Elect are bound to love and thankfulness for Redemption before they know themselves Elect. Now for the consequence of the Major it it clear from what is said that the Elect could not be bound to this except the Non-Elect are also Because as is proved no Man can know whether he be Elect or not before he know himself so much as obliged to love and gratitude for Redemption For Elect and Non-Elect are not to to be discerned till Faith and love do put a difference And therefore methinks I may conclude confidently that the Non-Elect are bound to love and thankfulness for Redemption or satisfaction and therefore they are redeemed or satisfyed for If any shall make the common objection viz. The Non-elect or the Elect not yet converted are bound to love and gratitude to Christ for satisfying for all that will believe I have answered this oft already 1. The Doctrine which I oppose is that Christ hath not only died for Men if they will believe but died only for the Elect that they might believe so that it is determined by name for whom he Died and the rest he Died not for at all and therefore his Dying for another is not that which obligeth a man to Thankfulness And their Ignorance that they are excluded I have shewed can add no obligation 2. Mens believing will not cause Christ to Die for them nor is it a condition of it as if Christ would Die for Men if they will believe Believing presupposeth Christs Dying for us and what then can be their meaning that say Christ Died and Satisfied for all men if they will Believe When they say absolutely withal that he Died not for all at all but only for the Elect that they might believe Will they say that he Died for the Non-elect if they will believe Then either they must mean that he underwent the Penalty and left it undetermined quorum loco in whose stead and for whose sins it should be till their believing determine it But 1. This is as much denyed by those whom I oppose as by me 2. And it is a contradiction For it is Essential to Punishment to be propter peccatum that Relation is its formal Nature as it differs from Affliction in general And therefore Christ suffered no Punishment if it were not determinately for Sin And the meritorious cause is considered as before the effect and not after it Or else if they speak of Believing not as any condition on mans part but a Divinely-infused Character of those for whom Christ Died then the sence of their words is but this Christ Died for the Non-elect if they be Elect or Christ satisfied for all men if all men be Elect or Christ Died in stead of all if he will give Faith to all And who sees not that these words are a plain Negation and all one with these Christ satisfied not for all q. d. I leave in my Will such a Legacy to Titus if Titus be not Titus but Sempronius what Lawyer knows not that is a denyal or an illusory nothing And how then can this bind men to Love and Gratitude If I could bethink me of any other considerable Objection I would answer it But I cannot Furthermore for the Antecedency of the obligation to love mark how Christ maketh it a condition to his own Love and his Fathers as in a greater degree and as manifested Joh. 14. 21. He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self to him Christ Loveth Men before they Love as he is Dominus Absolutus and a free Benefactor and as a Natural Lover of his own
the Communication of himself to his Creature is his End either you speak of the Acts of Communication as in God and so it is himself as before expressed Efficiently and not Finally Considered Or else you speak of the form produced by it or as received by the Creature and so it is quid Creatum extra Naturam Divinam and too low to be his End I conclude therefore that man is uncapable of a clear and full conceiving of the Nature of Gods End or Intending But the conception and expression which I judge to be most favoured by Scripture and Reason is That Gods will is the Beginning and End of all things Whatsoever pleased him that did he And when he hath done it the pleasing him is his End And therefore he Rested after the work of Creation and expresseth himself well pleased by and in his Son in the work of Redemption as seeing his work in both to be very good and therefore instituted a day of Rest in Commemoration of both The term Rest expresseth the End and his Well-pleasedness Content or Will is his Rest and so his End And in this sense God himself is his own End and indeed this Pleasing him should be Mans End also 2. But besides this Ultimate End though properly God can have no End but himself yet there are some means so closely conjunct with this End as being the immediate matter of Gods Approbation Delight that they may not unfitly be called Gods secondary or less principal ends themselves especially we may so say in regard of Christs intentions who is Man as well as God And these are 1. The Glory or Image or Perfections of God as appearing in all his works thus his own Power and Wisdom and Goodness there shining forth is that Glory in which he is well-pleased and which he loveth And thus the Glory of God is materially only or objectively his utmost End as that in which his Will doth Rest 2. The Glorifying of the Mediator in his Human Nature and his full satisfaction and content in the fruits of his Redemption 3. The Glory and Happiness of his Elect who are his Body 4. Their Everlasting perfect Praises of God loving him and rejoycing in him 5. And even in this Life the Just Wise Merciful Administrations of the Mediator in his Kingdom and the imperfect Deliverance and Holiness of the Saints and the glory that redounds to God hereby may not unfitly be said to be the Ends of the Redeemer But I will meddle with this Order of Intention no farther as intending God willing to speak more fully and accurately of that Question de ordine decretorum de fine de mediis in a fitter place 2. But let us consider of the Order of these Ends as Executed I mean of the Effects of Christs Death And they are 1. Such as immediatly follow it as it is the Discharge of the Sufferers undertaking being indeed 1. Part of his Work in its Moral Consideration 2. Or else the immediate results of that Discharge These are 1. That Christs Death doth demonstrate Gods justice and hatred of Sin 2. In it an Example is given for the deterring of Offenders 3. And for preserving the Lawgiver and the Law from contempt 4. And a demonstration made of unspeakable Love to Men. 5. And in and by these 1. The Lawgiver satisfied 2. And the chief Ends of the Law are attained though we cannot strictly say that the Law it self is satisfied because its sense and nearest end is not fulfilled Thus satisfaction of Justice is the sum of these most immediate Effects And the whole work together may well be called A Satisfactory Penalty 2. Satisfaction being thus made there are immediately hereupon several Relative Effects resulting from it Whereof some are from the Nature of the Work supposing that which is called The Covenant between the Father and the Son that is Gods Acceptation And some are given as it were by way of Retribution or in Communication to Christ for his satisfaction Of the first sort are these 1. Christ himself is now free from his Voluntary obligation to suffer In the same sense as he was before made Sin he is now Justified and upon his Resurrection declared just He oweth no more nor can any more be required of him 2. The Father therefore doth give him an Acquittance and acknowledgeth the satisfaction proclaiming himself well-pleased in his Son 3. And hereby is Christ become Conquerour over Death and Him who had the Power of Death even the Devil Supposing his Resurrection 2. Satisfaction is so pleasing to God that upon the giving thereof the work becomes Meritorious of Reward to the satisfier 1. Because it was not Due from Him nor Compelled but voluntary 2. Because though God be not capable of receiving good yet it was from his own earnest desire which he was moved to by Compassion to Man and so it was reputative in bonum Dei as being pleasing to him The things given to the Satisfier by way of Retribution are 1. Some directly to himself as necessary to the Ends of Redemption 2. Some for the Sinners in whose stead he suffered To himself is given 1. Something to be received before the End and Delivering up of the Kingdom and something after Before he Received 1. Real the glorifying of his person 2. Relative Fruits Novum jus Dominii a full Propriety in the Creature as his own which he bought And that is 1. Over Mankind whom he Redeemed 2. And all the Creatures as they may be serviceable to his Ends. By his Propriety in Man he hath Power 1. To use what means he seeth meet to perswade them to himself Either 1. External 1. As the Word or 2. Works 2. Or Internal by his Spirit and their Conscience 2. And to succeed the means By his Propriety in other Creatures he hath Power to dispose of 1. Persons both 1. Angels and 2. Enemies as Devils and 2. Things As 1. Creatures 2. Actions and Thoughts so as many serve his Ends of Redemption 2. Beside this Propriety he hath Novum Jus Imperii and is become Rector of the Rational Creature whom he Redeemed This is partly consequential to his Jus Dominii For every Man hath Power to Rule his Own according to its Capacity By this Rectorship Christ hath Power 1. To Determine both 1. What shall be Due from Man 2. And What shall be Due to him Which he doth 1. By making Laws de novo 2. And disposing of the Old at his pleasure And as he hath this power of the Laws So 2. Of their Execution 1. By Sentence 2. And by the Execution of the Sentence Thus much of that which Christ himself was to receive for his satisfaction in this time before the End 2. After the End he was further to receive 1. The continuation or perpetuating of his Personal Glory and Blessedness 2. A full Content in the perfect accomplishment of his work 1. In the just Destruction of his