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,…

128. ^*Another maxim is, that God knoweth things even Intuitively eternally in himself (his Will) when they exist not. Answ. As Abstractive and Intuitive are words signifying the divers modes of Gods knowing things, they are but presumptuous figments, for ought I see; It being past ⟨p. 21⟩mans reach to know the mode of Divine intellection, more than above the reach of a bird or beast to know the mode of ours. But as we may more easily and safely distinguish and denominate Gods Knowledge from the objects, so we may well say, 1. That he knoweth not that Creature to exist in nunc temporis which doth not so exist. 2. And that esse Volitum is not esse existens. And therefore to know the former is not formally to know the latter.

1. *See the marginal citation, sect. 16. out of Pet. Alliac. Cam. who giveth three reasons against Scotus his making Gods Volition to be the reason of his knowing future contingents, 1. Because it falsely supposeth priority and posteriority in God. 2. Because it maketh Gods intellect in primo instanti to be neutral de futuritione, and so in that instant daretur medium in contradiction. 3. Because it falsely supposeth one Act of God to be a medium & ratio of another. Therefore he concludeth, 1. That the case is unsearchable. 2. But most probably Intellectualis & aeternus Dei oculus est quaedam Intuitio quae immediate super quamlibet rem actualiter vel potentialiter existentem simul fertur: Ideo tam circa futura quam praesentia vel praeterita omnium contin•entium veritatum certum habet judicium: & divina intuitio est talt immensum judicium.See the marginal citation, sect. 16. out of Pet. Alliac. Cam. who giveth three reasons against Scotus his making Gods Volition to be the reason of his knowing future contingents, 1. Because it falsly supposeth priority and posteriority in God. 2. Because it maketh Gods intellect in primo instanti to be neutral de futuritione, and so in that instant daretur medium in contradictione. 3. Because it falsly supposeth one Act of God to be a medium & ratio of another. Therefore he concludeth, 1. That the case is unsearchable. 2. But most probably Intellectualis & aeternus Dei oculus est quaedam Intuitio quae immediate super quamlibet rem actualiter vel potentialiter existentem simul fertur: Ideo tam circa futura quam praesentia vel praeterita omnium continentium veritatum certum habet judicium: & divina intuitio est talt immensum judicium.