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,…

XLVI. Doth not he take the directest course to root out the Love of God and all Religion from the World, and to tempt men to hate God, and so to begin a Hell on Earth, who describeth God in Satan's likeness and much worse; as much as being the principal cause of all sin in men and Devils, is worse than sinning when predetermined, and tempting others to it?

XLVI. Doth not he take the directest course to root out the Love of God and all Religion from the World, and to tempt men to hate God, and so to begin a Hell on Earth, who describeth God in Satans likeness and much worse; as much as being the principal cause of all sin in men and Devils, is worse than sinning when predetermined, and tempting others to it?

XLVII. I think that the Dominican Predetermination, directly and necessarily overthroweth all certainty of Divine Revelation, by man, or Angel, and consequently all certainty of the Christian faith: even by overthrowing the very formal object, the Divine Veracity. For if God efficiently premove and predetermine all wills and tongues and pens to all the lies that ever are made in the world, then 1. To do so, is not inconsistent with his perfections or his will; 2. And then we can never know when he doth not so, unless by the event. This is grounded on these suppositions,

1. That Gods revelations to us are not Immediate only by himself, but by some Creature, Angel or Man, or a created voice or sign. 2. That the Ratio certitudinis of such Revelations by a Creature, is because it is God that is the chief author of them. 3. That it is not conceivable how God can by any way of Revelation be more the author of it, than by physical efficient immediate adequate predetermining both will and tongue to the act with all its circumstances. Call it by what name you please, Inspiration, Vision, Illumination, Impulse, &c. it can speak nothing more of Gods Agent efficient Interest than this predetermination doth. 4. If it did do more, yet it would overthrow all certainty of our faith: Because if God can efficiently cause, and that as the total principal cause by predetermination, all the lies that ever were told in the world; we can never be sure that the other mode of his operation so far differeth from this, as that he cannot be the chief cause of a lie in this way as well as of all lies by predetermination. I have driven many to say their utmost, and could never yet hear any such difference assigned, as could prove any Inspiration whatsoever, to have more of Divine Causality in it, than physical predetermination doth signify and import: nor how this principle leaveth us any certainty that the tongues of all the Prophets and Apostles were not predetermined to speak falsly, (ab antecedente; and so their pens.)