Baxter:

1) 61. In this Law or Covenant is made a free universal Deed of Gift of Christ first, and of Pardon, Spirit and Glory in and by him to all Mankind without exception, who will believingly accept it in its true nature, as it is offered therein; Or [If they will so accept it as Believers.]

62. This Covenant is to be preached by Christ’s ministers, and men invited to believe and consent: And all that do so, are to profess that consent by a solemn covenant in their Baptism, and so give up themselves devotedly to God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost; renouncing the Devil, Flesh and World. Richard Baxter, Catholick Theologie (London: Printed by Robert White, for Nevill Simmons at the Princess Arms in St. Pauls Church-yard, 1675), 1:2:44.  [Some reformatting; italics original; and underlining mine.]

2) 76. This Covenant of Grace, being a conditional pardon of all the world, is universal in the tenor or sense of it; It is of all Mankind without exception that Christ says, “If thou confess with thy mouth, and believe in thy heart, thou shalt be saved:” No person antecedently is excluded in the world. Richard Baxter, Catholick Theologie (London: Printed by Robert White, for Nevill Simmons at the Princess Arms in St. Pauls Church-yard, 1675) 1:2:46. [Some reformatting; italics original; and underlining mine.]

3) 2. I have proved to you that Christ was after the fall made the Head of the new Covenant, and that this Covenant was made with all mankind. And that he is the Administrator General to all Mankind, and all things, Power and Judgment is committed to him: that he s now the Owner, Ruler, and Judge of all 3. Therefore all the Light, Means and Mercies that are in any parts of the world, are as truly from Christ as the universal Mediator, as all light is from the Sun. (Even in Dungeons and Caverns, and where there is least.) And as the Sun sends forth some light before it arises, and some after it is set, and some in the night, even by the moo, &c. so does Christ enlighten all the world, so far as they have light though in various degrees. Richard Baxter, Catholick Theologie (London: Printed by Robert White, for Nevill Simmons at the Princess Arms in St. Pauls Church-yard, 1675), 2:188. [Some reformatting; italics original; and underlining mine.]

4) 1. The first sort of Grace lies in the enacting of a new law of Grace, called also in several respects, The new Testament, the new Covenant, and the Promise. And as to this it is agreed, 1. That God made this Law, Covenant or promise in the first edition with Adam and Eve after the fall, Gen. 3:15: (“the seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head”), and did by Actual Remission, of their sin, and not-punishing them as the first law threatened, yet more plainly manifest to them the pardoning Grace of this Covenant. And that he made this new law or Covenant to all mankind in and by them. And that he again renewed the same covenant of Grace with all mankind in Noah after the deluge. Those few inconsiderate persons that deny this, are not so valuable as to be exception to our Concord. It is an intolerable conceit of any to think that the tenor or sense of the Conditional Covenant of Grace (for I talk of no other) extends not universally to all men, but that any men are yet left under no other Law or conditional-promise or Covenant, that of Innocency. Richard Baxter, Catholick Theologie (London: Printed by Robert White, for Nevill Simmons at the Princess Arms in St. Pauls Church-yard, 1675), 3.4 [Some reformatting; italics original; and underlining mine.]

So that I may take it for granted that we are agreed, that as to the first Edition of the Law of Grace to Adam and Noah, it extends or is in force to all the world, at least, till by enmity against Grace, they have made themselves desperate as the Serpent’s seed: Yea then, the Law of Grace is in force to them, though they reject the Grace of it.

2. And as to the last Edition of the Covenant of Grace by Christ, 1. The tenor extends to all; as is visible Matth. 28:19, Mark 18:16, John 3:16. 2. And Christ has made it the office of his Ministers by his commission to promulgate and offer it to all. Richard Baxter, Catholick Theologie (London: Printed by Robert White, for Nevill Simmons at the Princess Arms in St. Pauls Church-yard, 1675), 3:5. [Some reformatting; italics original; and underlining mine.]

This entry was posted on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 12:10 pm and is filed under God who Covenants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

Comments are closed at this time.