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,…

So that the Sun, though but Causa Universalis, yet is also the Universal Cause (and sole efficient) of all these Particular motions and alterations; And yet the Ratio differendi is not to be given from it, but from the different Receptivities, according to which it still produceth them. So the Rain falleth equally on the stones, on the earth, on vessels of various shapes and sizes: The stone retaineth none: The vessels variously retain it: As they are round, square, long, great, or small, so are they variously filled. The efficient cause of the difference, is the descent of the rain. The material constitutive cause, is the different quantities and shapes of the water. But yet the Ratio differendi is to be assigned from the diversity of Receptive dispositions in the vessels. And that you may see that these Receptivities are no efficients, and yet contain the chief Rationem differendi, note that the Reason to be given from them is, ex alter a differentium part, still Negative or Privative, as on the other it is Positive: E. g. Why doth the Sun make the Rose smell sweet, and not the stone or dunghill? Because the stone or dunghill have not those odoriferous particles to be suscitated by it as the Rose had. Why doth the Sun move the Flies and not the Stones? Because the Stones had not that vital principle to be suscitated, as the Flies had. Why did not the rain fill the Stones as it did the Cisterns? and this Vessel as that? Because they had not the same Receptive and Retentive shapes.

So that the Sun, though but Causa Universalis, yet is also the Universal Cause (and sole efficient) of all these Particular motions and alterations; And yet the Ratio differendi is not to be given from it, but from the different Receptivities, according to which it still produceth them. So the Rain falleth equally on the stones, on the earth, on vessels of various shapes and sizes: The stone retaineth none: The vessels variously retain it: As they are round, square, long, great, or small, so are they variously filled. The efficient cause of the difference, is the descent of the rain. The material constitutive cause, is the different quantities and shapes of the water. But yet the Ratio differendi is to be assigned from the diversity of Receptive dispositions in the vessels. And that you may see that these Receptivities are no efficients, and yet contain the chief Rationem differendi, note that the Reason to be given from them is, ex alter a differentium parte, still Negative or Privative, as on the other it is Positive: E. g. Why doth the Sun make the Rose smell sweet, and not the stone or dunghill? Because the stone or dunghill have not those odoriferous particles to be suscitated by it as the Rose had. Why doth the Sun move the Flies and not the Stones? Because the Stones had not that vital principle to be suscitated, as the Flies had. Why did not the rain fill the Stones as it did the Cisterns? and this Vessel as that? Because they had not the same Receptive and Retentive shapes.