Solparvus
Puritan Board Senior
Another post concerning Baxter. Sorry guys, I may not be off the Baxter bandwagon for a while.
What is below comes from Baxter's directions to new and weak Christians in the section where he warns against antinomianism. I understand that Baxter got off in his Neonomian trajectory In overreaction to the antinomianism he had witnessed while an army chaplain. In the section Baxter lists a number of antinomian doctrines. Some truly are antinomian, though others I'm wondering if he might be misunderstanding a real Gospel.
I'm asking because I'd like to repost this on my blog, though I want to make sure the whole of it is sound in itself.
Now, these were all originally in one block of text. It's me that broke them out into paragraphs.
Antinomian doctrines:
#3 I'm not sure what to think. When the Spirit applies Christ's redemption then certainly we have died and rose with Christ. Is he saying the antinomian heresy is that the elect before believing have participated in his death? Makes sense if you take it as a statement in conjunction with #2 and #4.
Thoughts welcome on any and all of these, and if any of them smells like he's mistaken Gospel truth for antinomianism. Would prefer not to debate the man himself right now.
What is below comes from Baxter's directions to new and weak Christians in the section where he warns against antinomianism. I understand that Baxter got off in his Neonomian trajectory In overreaction to the antinomianism he had witnessed while an army chaplain. In the section Baxter lists a number of antinomian doctrines. Some truly are antinomian, though others I'm wondering if he might be misunderstanding a real Gospel.
I'm asking because I'd like to repost this on my blog, though I want to make sure the whole of it is sound in itself.
Now, these were all originally in one block of text. It's me that broke them out into paragraphs.
Antinomian doctrines:
- The moral law is abrogated, and that the Gospel is no law; (and if there be no law, there is no governor or government, no duty, no sin, no judgment, no punishment, no reward
- that the elect are justified before they are born, or repent, or believe;
- that their sin is pardoned before it is committed, that God took them as suffering and fulfilling all the law in Christ, as if it had been they that did it in him:
- that we are justified by faith only in our consciences:
- that justifying faith is but the believing that we are justified:
- that every man must believe that he is pardoned, that he may be pardoned in his conscience; and this he is to do by a Divine faith, and that this is the sense of the article, ‘ I believe the forgiveness of sins,” that is, that my sins are forgiven; and that all are forgiven that believe it:
- that it is legal and sinful to work or do any thing for salvation:
- that sin once pardoned need not be confessed and lamented, or at least we need not ask pardon of sin daily, or of one sin oft:
- that castigations are no punishments;
- and yet no other punishment is threatened to believers for their sins;
- and, consequently, that Christ hath not procured them a pardon of any sin after believing, but prevented all necessity of pardon :
- and therefore they must not ask pardon of them, nor do any thing to obtain it:
- that fear of hell must have no hand in our obedience, or restraint from sin.
- And some add, that he that cannot repent or believe, must comfort himself that Christ repented and believed for him: (a contradiction.)”
#3 I'm not sure what to think. When the Spirit applies Christ's redemption then certainly we have died and rose with Christ. Is he saying the antinomian heresy is that the elect before believing have participated in his death? Makes sense if you take it as a statement in conjunction with #2 and #4.
Thoughts welcome on any and all of these, and if any of them smells like he's mistaken Gospel truth for antinomianism. Would prefer not to debate the man himself right now.