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,…

The seventh Crimination.

1. *Mans ignorance of the way of Gods operation on second causes, told us by Christ himself, Job. 3. should end such quarrels and teach us all with judicious Davenant to profess uncertainty; and with judicious Jos. Placeus de lib. arb. p. 174. (speaking of the dependence of the second cause on the first, and the Papists digladiations about concurse and predetermination) to say, Nos quidem qua reverentia erga infinitam Dei majestatem ducimur, non audemus definire quanta sit dependentia causae secundae a prima: Nobis sufficit, modo ne Deo ullam peccatorum nostrorum vel minimam labem aspergat, non posse nimiam stately. To which also the very judicious Lt Blank subscribeth, Thes. 51. de concursu, &c. The Remonstrants Sin. ar. 3, 4. p. 15. &c. do profess that Gods operation of the Intellect, Affection, and Will, do thus differ, that the converting work on the will is more resistible than the other. And to the question, An convers•o contingens sit et in certa, an vero necessitate causae aut eventus insallibiliter sequatur in •o qui convertitur, Respondent, conversionem esse contingentem quia Libera est: nec tame• D•o incertam, quia praecognita est; nec sequi necessitate causae, sive consequentis, quia resistere poterat homo; sed necessitate consequentiae, &c. Et pag. 17. Declarat. [Quare dicimus hominis voluntatem ad volendum bonum non necessitari, sed hominem posse resistere, hoc est, non-velle, et saepe actu non-velle et resistere grati sufficientis operationibus.