A26883:2530
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.
VII. Here again, 1. I think he giveth too much to free-will in innocency, and too little to God. For Gods Help did not then serve mans will so much as Gods; and God fulfilled all his will while Angels used their power and liberty, and they did no good but what God willed and caused as he saw best. And while man and Angels used their liberty, they fulfilled Gods will in all their duty, as much as if they had been necessitated by natural predetermination.
2. And it is not true that their sufficient grace gave not Merit to the will: For it followeth not, that because they could have omitted a duty, therefore in doing it they did any thing of which God was not the prime cause: He that gave them all their power, disposition▪ objects, helps and motives, did give them that which he calleth Merit.
3. It is his grand error that Gift and Reward are repugnant, and that Life would not have been to Adam, and was not to the Angels of free gift, though of Reward. For it is impossible that any creature can merit of God as a Proprietor in point of Commutative Justice; seeing God is the absolute Owner of us and all things, and no creature can give him any thing but what is his own: Therefore there is a natural impossibility that quoad valorem rei, aut ipsum beneficium a creature can have any thing but of free gift: But God who is an Owner and Benefactor is also a Rector, and so the cause of Moral Order as well as of real Benefits; And so that which as a Benefit is a mere gift, yet quoad ordinem conferendi is given by God per modum praemii to those that will Accept the Gift according to its nature, and denied to those that will despise it and refuse it. As a Father will give a purse of Gold to the Child that will thank him, and humbly take it; and not to the Child that will spit in his face.