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,…

Answ. And so must we in that sense as the Scripture doth: We will say, and must say of some Nothings, that God Nilleth them. I hope the Learned will not take it amiss, if I speak where the Schoolmen are too silent, as well as desire silence where they unprofitably speak, as long as the case is, 1. Weighty, 2. And made plain, 3. And I go the middle healing way.

488. In all these cases and respects we ascribe Nolitions unto God• I. He that by a Positive operation causeth a limited cause, may be said to cause the limitation of effects by consequence. And he that positively willeth realities with such limitations, from whence the consequence necessarily followeth [Nothing else will ever be] is said Morally, or •reputatively or by Consequence to Will that Nothing else shall be. And he that knoweth all things that belong to the perfection of knowledge, is improperly said to know all Nothings, in that he knoweth that Nothing more is or will be. And so as knowing Beings is by consequence reputatively or morally called the knowing of Nothings by men, we are fain to use such terms of imperfection even of God, lest we seem to make him Idle or Ignorant. When we say, that God is the Cause that th•re is no more creatures, we mean but that he causeth not more creatures. And so to say, that God willeth that there shall be no more Worlds, meaneth but that God willeth not that there shall be more.

488. In all these cases and respects we ascribe Nolitions unto God• I. He that by a Positive operation causeth a limited cause, may be said to cause the limitation of effects by consequence. And he that positively willeth realities with such limitations, from whence the consequence necessarily followeth [Nothing else will ever be] is said Morally, or •reputatively or by Consequence to Will that Nothing else shall be. And he that knoweth all things that belong to the perfection of knowledge, is improperly said to know all Nothings, in that he knoweth that Nothing more is or will be. And so as knowing Beings is by consequence reputatively or morally called the knowing of Nothings by men, we are sain to use such terms of imperfection even of God, lest we seem to make him Idle or Ignorant. When we say, that God is the Cause that thre is no more creatures, we mean but that he causeth not more creatures. And so to say, that God willeth that there shall be no more Worlds, meaneth but that God willeth not that there shall be more.