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,…

354. But the effect of the commanded or forbidden act is sometimes said •o be commanded or forbidden: And this may be contrarily decreed of God. And men that think not truly of the matter, think that this is to Decree a thing forbidden, and so they err by such confused thoughts. E. G. Gods command is that I shall relieve a poor man, and not let him fa•ish; and that I shall heal the sick, &c. and yet God may decree that this •oor man shall be famished, and this sick man dye; And yet no contradiction. For indeed [Relieving] in effect, is but the End of the Act which is commanded me, and not the act it self: I am bound to offer him •elief: But if one cannot take it, and another will not, yet I have done my duty: And so in the other instance. So God commanded Abraham •o sacrifice his Son, and yet decreed that he should not be sacrificed; And •his without any contradiction. For the act that under that name was commanded Abraham, and made his duty, was not actual eventual sacrificing. (For then it had been a duty to resist the Angel and do a thing impossible.) But to consent and endeavour on his part to sacrifice his Son: which he did. So the preservation of our own and others lives is commanded us by God, and yet at the same time mens death decreed: Because the thing indeed commanded, is not Preservation as it signifieth the effect and success, but only Preservation as it signifieth our true endeavour. So the Jews were forbidden to kill Christ, and yet God decreed that Christ should be killed: For the thing forbidden them was their own Consent and wicked act: But the thing that God willed and decreed was only the effect, without any Will of their Act that caused it (unless in genere actus,) but only a permission of it. Men of gross brains that cannot distinguish and judge accurately, may blaspheme God in their ignorance, in a case that to a discerning judgement is very plain.

354. But the effect of the commanded or forbidden act is sometimes said •o be commanded or forbidden: And this may be contrarily decreed of God. And men that think not truly of the matter, think that this is to Decree a thing forbidden, and so they err by such confused thoughts. E. G. Gods command is that I shall relieve a poor man, and not let him faish; and that I shall heal the sick, &c. and yet God may decree that this oor man shall be famished, and this sick man dye; And yet no contradiction. For indeed [Relieving] in effect, is but the End of the Act which is commanded me, and not the act it self: I am bound to offer him elief: But if one cannot take it, and another will not, yet I have done my duty: And so in the other instance. So God commanded Abraham o sacrifice his Son, and yet decreed that he should not be sacrificed; And his without any contradiction. For the act that under that name was commanded Abraham, and made his duty, was not actual eventual sacriicing. (For then it had been a duty to resist the Angel and do a thing mpossible.) But to consent and endeavour on his part to sacrifice his Son: which he did. So the preservation of our own and others lives is commanded us by God, and yet at the same time mens death decreed: Because the thing indeed commanded, is not Preservation as it signifieth the effect and success, but only Preservation as it signifieth our true endeavour. So the Jews were forbidden to kill Christ, and yet God decreed that Christ should be killed: For the thing forbidden them was their own Consent and wicked act: But the thing that God willed and decreed was only the effect, without any Will of their Act that caused it (unless in genere actus,) but only a permission of it. Men of gross brains that cannot distinguish and judge accurately, may blaspheme God in their ignorance, in a case that to a discerning judgement is very plain.