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,…

Yet we will say, that he is an enemy to Gods Providence, that holdeth that man can possibly do any wickedness, unless God thus predetermine both Will, Tongue, Hand, and every active part, to every act which he hath forbidden with all its circumstances. XV. Sin is caused by God as to the circumstantiated Act which is the materiale, but not as to the formale: And yet we must confess, that the Relation is caused by causing the subject, foundation▪ and term, (all which God principally doth,) and can be caused no otherwise. XVI. But the formale of sin is but a defect or privation, which is nothing: Therefore man and not God is the cause of it; For God cannot be a deficient cause, nor have any privation. And yet we cannot deny but that 1. There is as much positivity of Relation in disobedience as in obedience, in curvity as in rectitude, in disconformity as in conformity. 2. Nor that God can be a Cause of Privations (such as death is,) though not a subject of them; even such a cause as they can have. 3. Nor that some of ours (even Alvarez) say that sins of commission (and habits) are positive in their formale. 4. And sin is such a Nothing, as is mans misery, and he is damned for and by. And if it be such a Nothing as can have no cause, man can no more be the cause of it than God. 5. And that the Reason of non existences, negations, or privations, is as notoriously resolved into the will or non-agency of the ⟨p. 83⟩first necessary cause of the contrary, as existences and positives are resolved into his will and agency. And if a man cannot think a good thought by any help that God can give him, unless he physically predetermine him to it, then the reason why man doth it not is as notoriously to be resolved into Gods not-predetermining him to it, as the reason why he doth it into his predetermination: and as it is night, because the Sun shineth not. XVII. But at least we can say that God is not the cause of sin, because he is under no prohibiting Law. Though it be true, 1. That his nature or perfection, the root of all Laws, is more than a Law: 2. And we know indeed that this proveth him not at all to be no cause of the sin of man, but only to be no sinner himself though he cause it: which is none of the question. XVIII.