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,…

144. If we go to the Jesuits Scientia Media (as it deserveth not that name, so) it is insufficient to this use. For all those circumstances in which God sore-knoweth that the will shall determine it self, are such as necessitate the will so to do, or not: If they say the first, they give away their own cause, and the cause of Religion (speaking of sinful Volitions). If the latter, the case is still as difficult (and the same) as if they had never mentioned those circumstances or conditional knowledge: viz. How God knoweth that a will still free and not necessitated will choose sin rather than duty? For from non-necessitating circumstances it followeth not.

144. If we go to the Jesuites Scientia Media (as it deserveth not that name, so) it is insufficient to this use. For all those circumstances in which God sore-knoweth that the will shall determine it self, are such as necessitate the will so to do, or not: If they say the first, they give away their own cause, and the cause of Religion (speaking of sinful Volitions). If the latter, the case is still as difficult (and the same) as if they had never mentioned those circumstances or conditional knowledge: viz. How God knoweth that a will still free and not necessitated will choose sin rather than duty? For from non-necessitating circumstances it followeth not.

145. If we go the way of Scotus, and say that he fore-knoweth it in the determination of his own will de rerum futuritione, either that will is supposed to be a Causing efficient will; or not? If it be, it reacheth not the case of sin, seeing Gods will doth cause no sin. But if not, then still the difficulty is the same as before, How God that willeth the Event, but causeth it not, doth know that his Will shall be done? For it is not from the Cause to the Effect. To say that his own Immutability proveth it, is no proof: For if his Immutability Cause not, the Effect ariseth not from it: And to say that his Omnipotency or Absoluteness inferreth it, is no ⟨p. 25⟩proof, unless his Omnipotency Cause it. And to say that it followeth Logically Necessitate Consequentiae, though not Causally necessitate effecti vel consequentis, that what God willeth to be, shall be, is most certain: And so is it from his fore-knowledge (which medium yet the Scotists say is here insufficient.) But that is because it is here supposed that what God so knoweth or willeth to be future, he willeth to be future by the causation of some Cause: for he willeth not any thing to be without a Cause. Besides that still sin is not willed by him to be future at all.