Richard Baxter's Catholic theology plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriors who,…Richard Baxter's Catholick theologie plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriours who,…

§. 25. Now if this be the question, Whether this Divine Impulse, which is the first effect of Gods spirit, be of its own nature efficacious to produce ¹our Faith, Love, &c. as the second effect, I answer, 1. Sometimes Gods Impulse is so Great, as propriâ vi, doth change mind and will and overcome resistance, and procure our act. 2. Sometimes it is so strong as that it prevaileth against the contrary ill-disposition, so far as to give man a Moral Power to the Act, with some Inclination, which yet contrary habits and temptations do overcome, and the Act doth not follow, which yet was not for want of Power to have done it: And this is called sufficient Grace. 3. We have great reason to believe that as in some Instances Gods greater Impress is the chief differencing Cause, so in other Instances an equal Impulse of God on unequally disposed subjects, doth produce the Act of faith, &c. in one of them, which it produceth not in the other, through the incapacity of the recipient. 4. Therefore there is a double degree of efficacy or Vis, One which only so far moveth and helpeth the will, as that it can do the act, and sometime doth it without more: Another which is so strong as that the second effect always followeth it. 5. But whenever the Act of faith is produced (by force or Impulse more or less) God is the first and principal cause of it, and man but the second, and the praise of it is accordingly due. And I think this decision accommodateth both sides of our contenders.

§. 25. Now if this be the question, Whether this Divine Impulse, which is the first effect of Gods spirit, be of its own nature efficacious to produce ¹our Faith, Love, &c. as the second effect, I answer, 1. Sometimes Gods Impulse is so Great, as propriâ vi, doth change mind and will and overcome resistance, and procure our act. 2. Sometimes it is so strong as that it prevaileth against the contrary ill-disposition, so far as to give man a Moral Power to the Act, with some Inclination, which yet contrary habits and temptations do overcome, and the Act doth not follow, which yet was not for want of Power to have done it: And this is called sufficient Grace. 3. We have great reason to believe that as in some Instances Gods greater Impress is the chief differencing Cause, so in other Instances an equal Impulse of God on unequally disposed subjects, doth produce the Act of faith, &c. in one of them, which it produceth not in the other, through the incapacity of the recipient. 4. Therefore there is a double degree of efficacy or Vis, One which only so far moveth and helpeth the will, as that it can do the act, and sometime doth it without more: Another which is so strong as that the second effect alwayes followeth it. 5. But whenever the Act of faith is produced (by force or Impulse more or less) God is the first and principal cause of it, and man but the second, and the praise of it is accordingly due. And I think this decision accommodateth both sides of our contenders.