A26883:2197
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,…
Richard Baxter's Catholic theology plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriors who, 1. by contending about things unrevealed or not understood, 2. and by taking verbal differences for real,Richard Baxter's Catholick theologie plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriours who, 1. by contending about things unrevealed or not understood, 2. and by taking verbal differences for real,
London: printed by Robert White for Nevill Simmons, 1675
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.
§. 30. Obj. But the will of God is the first differencing and effectual Cause: And that not as it is his essence, but as it is terminated on the Creature and decreeth such an effect.
Answ. 1. It is no will but his essence which is so terminated or decretive. 2. That termination maketh no difference at all that's real in the will of God, but only in the effect or object. 3. What is the difference then between Gods will simply in it self, and as willing from eternity a thing not yet existent? None really at all. And that which is not yet, being Nothing; what Relative, Connotative and Denominative difference such Nothings can make on the will of God, besides the variety of imperfect notions in mans frail Intellect, let the wise consider.
§. 31. From whence it is that School-divines after Augustine say, that with God there is no futurum velpraeteritum, no fore-knowledge or fore-decrees, properly, because no difference of time, but only knowledge and will of things as present.
§. 32. Yet Gods Vital Activity, Knowledge and Will as he himself is the object of them, have a Greater distinction; because to be self-living, self-knowing and self-loving are his Essential Acts on himself the eternal object (which made many Ancients account them the Trinity of persons.) And also to Will an existent Creature is an extrinsic denomination from existence: But to will that which is not, (that man shall be, that he shall believe hereafter, &c.) as it is nothing really different from Gods essence, so it is but an extrinsic denomination of his essence, from nothing.