A treatise of justifying righteousness in two books ... : all published instead of a fuller answer to the assaults in Dr. Tullies Justificatio Paulina ... / by Richard Baxter.

Aphor.

THese Absolute Promises, are but mere gracious Predictions what God will do for his Elect.

Animadvers.

I dislike not this: but your self elsewhere seems to dislike it; viz. Append. p. 49. For it being objected, [But all these are rather Prophecies, than Promises.] You answer, If that which expresseth the engaging of the Word, or Truth of God, be not a Promise, I would you would tell me what is.

Reply.

In the last you perswade me, that others agree with me more than I was aware of: And here you agree with me, but I agree not with my self. If I can but so well accord with you, and others all along, I hope to be fairly reconciled to my self, and then we are all agreed.

1. How far this Promise belongeth to God's Le∣gislative Will, and how far to his Will de Eventu, I fully told you my thoughts, Append. p. 43, 44. To which I need not add much more.

2. You know the chief part of my words there, are those which you leave out: I say, [If that which expresseth the engagement of the Word, and Truth of God, to bestow good upon a man, &c.] Mere Prophecies may discover God's mind to do good; and thence we may collect, that they shall certainly be fulfilled, because the Speaker is true. But they are not an engaging of God's Word and Truth, to bestow good on any man, or Society: For if they so engage, it is to some body, and to them it is a Promise.

3. These Absolute Promises are directly Predicti∣ons, and so belong to the Will of Purpose, or de Eventu: But, as is explained Append. p. 44. they

are also Promises, and therefore called by the Apo∣stle, a Covenant; and so belong to the Legislative Will. There is nothing written in Scripture, but what belongs to God's Law, and respecteth Due one way or other: But then some parts are essenti∣ally and directly God's Law, and do directly de∣termine of Due. Others do directly speak de Eventu, and do but indirectly speak de Debito; or it may be are but subservient to those parts which do speak de Debito, and so belong Reductivè to the Law; or are Adjuncts of it: And so are all Scripture-Prophe∣cies and Histories; as in mens Laws, the Pream∣ble and Historical Narratives of the Occasion of the Law, is an Adjunct, and in some sense a part of the Law.

4. There are Promises that properly belong not to the Legislative Will, nor do speak de Debito: The English word Promise, comprizeth all those three, or is applicable to them all; which Grotius menti∣oneth de Jure Belli, l. 2. c. 11. p. 210. 1. Assertio explicans de futuro animum qui nunc est. 2. Polli∣citatio, cum Voluntas seipsam pro futuro tempore de∣terminat, cum signo sufficiente ad indicandam perse∣verandi necessitatem. Neither of these, as such, be∣long to Law, or speak de Debito Constitutivè. But the last doth, which is, 3. Promissio perfecta: ubi ad determinationem talem accedit signum Volendi Jus proprium alteri conferre, similem habens effectum qua∣lem alienatio dominii. Est enim aut via ad aliena∣tionem rei, aut alienatio particulae cujusdam nostrae libertatis. Illuc pertinent promissa dandi: huc pro∣missa faciendi.

Notes

• Page 9.