A26865:484
An apology for the nonconformists ministry containing I. the reasons of their preaching, II.…
An apology for the nonconformists ministry containing I. the reasons of their preaching, II. an answer to the accusations urged as reasons for the silencing of about 2000 by Bishop Morley ..., III. reasons proving it the duty and interest of the bishops and conformists to endeavour earnestly their restoration : with a postscript upon oral debates with Mr. H. Dodwell, against his reasons for their silence ... : written in 1668 and 1669, for the most of it, and now published as an addition to the defence against Dr. Stillingfleet, and as an account to the silencers of the reasons of our practice / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for T. Parkhurst and D. Newman, 1681
AN APOLOGY FOR THE SILENCED MINISTERS, Especially for their not cea… › Part › Objection 23
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
7. I should open the nature of [Power], and show what goeth to make [Power] in a proper sense: And whether God may be said to give sufficient Grace to believe, when he giveth proper Power to believe? And that Grace sufficient ad agere, est efficax ad posse: And what Austin meant by Posse Credere est omnium; Credere vero fidelium. Especially I should distinguish of Natural and Moral Power, and show that no man wanteth the former, which is the faculty it self; And I should show, that Moral Power sometime signifieth strength, which not only can perform an act, but do it easily; and so it is nothing but special Grace, or the Holy disposition and liveliness of the Soul, by which it hath such a degree of power to things spiritual: But sometimes Moral Power signifieth no more, but that the Natural Power is not so far destitute of Moral helps, and disposition to the action, but that it ⟨p. 125⟩may be properly said to be a Power Morally, with that measure of Moral helps it hath; and that it is not a thing impossible properly, for the effect to be produced without any more grace. And I would show how far this extendeth. But above all, that confused Disputers are never in one sentence to be suffered to cheat their Readers or Hearers, with [Can] and [Cannot] with [Power and Impotency] unexplained, but still forced to show what sort of Power or Impotency they mean. Every one hath the Natural Power of Repenting and believing, which is not plenarily and properly called a Power to that which from any other Cause remaineth simply and naturally impossible; nor is it a Moral Power to that which remaineth Morally impossible: Every man hath a Moral Power so far as he hath Grace, and that is in all men to be better than they are, and omit more evil, and to do more good; but only the faithful have Moral Power in the more excellent degree.
7. I should open the nature of [Power], and shew what goeth to make [Power] in a proper sense: And whether God may be said to give sufficient Grace to believe, when he giveth proper Power to believe? And that Grace sufficient ad agere, est efficax ad posse: And what Austin meant by Posse Credere est omnium; Credere vero fidelium. Especially I should distinguish of Natural and Moral Power, and shew that no man wanteth the former, which is the faculty it self; And I should shew, that Moral Power sometime signifieth strength, which not only can perform an act, but do it easily; and so it is nothing but special Grace, or the Holy disposition and liveliness of the Soul, by which it hath such a degree of power to things spiritual: But sometimes Moral Power signifieth no more, but that the Natural Power is not so far destitute of Moral helps, and disposition to the action, but that it