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,…

R. I hope you your self would write to defend Gods retributive Judgement, and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him, Heb. 11. 6. If you would let an Infidel carry it, that pleadeth that obedience and patience have no Reward, the Christian cause is little beholden to you. Justice, Reward and Merit are Relatives in their sense; and you must deny All or none: For nothing can be Rewarded but a Rewardable act, which they mean by meritorious, (as nothing can be Punished, but a real or imputed fault; Poena and Culpa being so related also:) Though as Affliction may be without the commerit of culpability, so a mere Gift may be without Laudable merit. And Judicial Justice is the virtue of equal Judicial retribution, according to laudable or culpable actions. But what Aquinas and his followers hold, it's easy to see in himself, in Cajetan, in Ferrariensis and abundance such: I will now turn you but to such an Epitomizer as Carbo, (or Vignerius,) where it's soonest found. Carbo 1. 2. q. 21. art. 4. saith [Actus humani habent rationem meriti & demeriti per comparationem ad Deum; Quia omnes actus sunt referribiles in Deum ut est ultimus •inis, & ut regi• communitatem universi, & ità debet eis pro justitia retribuere; aliàs non haberet universi procurationem. ⟨p. 276⟩2. Homo quantum in se est, aliquid subtrahit vel exhibet Deo, cum servat, vel non servat ordinem à Deo constitutum. 3. Homo sic movetur à Deo ut Instrumentum, ut etiam moveat seipsum; & ideo meretur & demeretur. 4. Homo non ordinat se totum ad rempublicam, secundum omnia sua; & ideo non omnes ejus Actus sunt meritorii respectu reipublicae: sed totus ordinatur ad Deum, respectu cujus omnis actus est meritorius vel demeritorius. So that here is a meriting of God in the same sense as there is a demeriting and a meriting of God as the Rector of the Universe: not for any real profit to God, but for a free referring all our actions to him as the end, and keeping the order he hath constituted in the World, & quantum in nobis with a loving and honouring mind returning to him that which is his own. And do you deny any of all this?

R. I hope you your self would write to defend Gods retributive Judgement, and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him,