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,…

Gods Volitions and Nolitions here are his essential will denominated from the effects and objects. And that effect of God from which he is said to Nill both these, is as is said, 1. His Laws, 2. His grace or help. And in this we are agreed, 1. That he forbiddeth sin and commandeth us the restraint of appetites and senses, &c. 2. And that he helpeth us so to do: Therefore the rest of the School-Controversies here that trouble the world, are but logomachies, about the Names of Nolitions and Nolitive Decrees. 21. The thing properly willed by God in a Law, is but the debitum, the duty of the subject to do what is commanded, and not to do what is forbidden. 22. It is not a meer non-agency that is meant by a prohibition, but a positive nolition of the subject, restraining him from the forbidden act: And all proper moral obedience or disobedience, Good or Evil, is primarily in the will, and no further secondarily in the exterior act or restraint, than as they are Voluntary; and in non-agency but in a third sense or instance as the consequent of nolition and the refraining act. 23. If any therefore will say in this sense, that God doth positively Nil the forbidden Act, and so will a non-entity sub ratione mali moralis in this remote sense, we will not contradict him but say as he. 24. And accordingly we may say that God hath a positive Decree of non-entities, or against moral evil; where non-agency is loco materiae, that is, in tantum, so far as to do all that he doth against it; but not absolutè ne eveniat, ubi evenit. 25. But we may not therefore speak so unaptly as to say that he willeth ⟨p. 78⟩positively all or any non-entity or non-futurity of mere naturals that are non-futura. 26. Therefore we may much less say it of his own Natural Impeditions, that he positively willeth non-impedire ubi non impedit: For he is not to be thought of as a restrainer of himself by Law or self-opposition. It is enough to say that non-vult impedire. 27. Much less may we say that positively vult non velle-impedire, lest we make another Veil necessary to that Veil, and so in infinitum.¹ 28. It is proper to say that Deus non vult permittere peccatum, ubi id non permittit; and that vult permittere aliquid indifferens quod per legem positive permissum est: quia permissio ista est quid positivum. 29.

Gods Volitions and Nolitions here are his essential will denominated from the effects and objects. And that effect of God from which he is said to Nill both these, is as is said, 1. His Laws, 2. His grace or help. And in this we are agreed, 1. That he forbiddeth sin and commandeth us the restraint of appetites and senses, &c. 2. And that he helpeth us so to do: Therefore the rest of the School-Controversies here that trouble the world, are but logomachies, about the Names of Nolitions and Nolitive Decrees. 21. The thing properly willed by God in a Law, is but the debitum, the duty of the subject to do what is commanded, and not to do what is forbidden. 22. It is not a meer non-agency that is meant by a prohibition, but a positive nolition of the subject, restraining him from the forbidden act: And all proper moral obedience or disobedience, Good or Evil, is primarily in the will, and no further secondarily in the exteriour act or restraint, than as they are Voluntary; and in non-agency but in a third sense or instance as the consequent of nolition and the refraining act. 23. If any therefore will say in this sense, that God doth positively Nil the forbidden Act, and so will a non-entity sub ratione mali moralis in this remote sence, we will not contradict him but say as he. 24. And accordingly we may say that God hath a positive Decree of non-entities, or against moral evil; where non-agency is loco materiae, that is, in tantum, so far as to do all that he doth against it; but not absolutè ne eveniat, ubi evenit. 25. But we may not therefore speak so unaptly as to say that he willeth