A26883:2248
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.
§. 5. Seeing God is not to be blamed for making such a creature as man (of a middle, defectible, undetermined Will, left to his free choice, with necessary helps,) it being part of the beauty of his works to be diversified; He is not then to be blamed for any of the sins of such a creature, because he supporteth his Being and his Active Nature, and is his first cause of Action.
§. 6. God could prevent all future sin, if he absolutely willed so to do, either by destroying the World, or disabling the sinner, or by withholding his Moving Influx, or by such a change of his nature, as should make him indefectible. But he that made man in this Middle state, will so continue him, and not make a change in the frame of Nature, to fulfil our wills.
§. 7. No Act as an Act, no Vital Act as Vital, no Intellection, no Volition as such, is Virtue or Sin; And therefore to cause it as such is not to cause either moral good or evil.
§. 8. As God is Related to us as our Owner, Ruler and our chief good, (efficiently as our Benefactor, and finally as our End;) so to consent to these Relations, and to the Duties of our correlations, and to Practise them, is the sum of all Moral Good; even Dispositively and Actually, to be Resigned and devoted to God as our Owner, to obey and please him as our Ruler, and to be Thankful to Him, and totally Love Him, as our Benefactor and our ultimate End. All Moral Goodness lieth in this.