A26883:3954
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.
B. You talk contradictions! God doth not undertake to secure your Salvation whether you will or not, or care or not, or labour or not: But to cause you to will, to care and labour. And you say, If God will make me willing I need not be willing: If God will make me think of it, and care and labour for it, I need not think of it, or care or labour for it. The Sun need not shine if God will make it shine! You need not eat if God decree that you shall eat. Are not these weak Contradictions?
A. But as weak as you make it, the Contradiction is their own: For they first make God to make their falling away to be impossible or certainly non-futurum, and yet say, that he will make them fear it: that is, to perform an Act without the proper Object: As if God decreed that they should fear Good as Good, or love Evil as Evil: No man can fear that which neither is, nor is taken to be fearful: An impossible (or certainty non-future) hurt is not fearful, or an Object of fear, unless to a mad man.
B. There were much weight in what you say, but for that which you leave out: 1. That objective certainty may be separated from subjective certainty: that is, men may be uncertain of that which is certain in it self. 2. Yea few of the Godly have a strong assurance of their sincerity and Justification. 3. And no man in this life hath a perfect assurance, no more than other perfect Graces. 4. And every mans faith it self in Gods Promises and fidelity is imperfect. Therefore while all these are imperfect, and not only so, but liable to sad assaults, and interruptions, and decays. 5. Yea and the person liable to such heinous sins, as look terribly towards Apostasy, you cannot say that fear is needless. For though God decree the certainty of their perseverance, that proveth not that they are perfectly certain of it.
B. There were much weight in what you say, but for that which you leave out: 1. That objective certainty may be separated from subjective certainty: that is, men may be uncertain of that which is certain in it self. 2. Yea few of the Godly have a strong assurance of their sincerity and Justification. 3. And no man in this life hath a perfect assurance, no more than other perfect Graces. 4. And every mans faith it self in Gods Promises and fidelity is imperfect. Therefore while all these are imperfect, and not only so, but liable to sad assaults, and interruptions, and decays. 5. Yea and the person liable to such hainous sins, as look terribly towards Apostacy, you cannot say that fear is needless. For though God decree the certainty of their perseverance, that proveth not that they are perfectly certain of it.