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,…

513. As far as any mortal man can prove God hath no such Act of Reprobation at all, as is, 1. Either a Decree that a man shall not eventually Repent. 2. Or a Decree not to give him Repentance. 3. Or a Decree to Permit his Impenitence. 4. Nor can we prove an after Volition of his own former non Volition which is asserted by Scotus. But the three first we have great reason to lay by; and so not only to say as Davenant that this part of Reprobation is an Act negative quoad objectum, but that it is no Act, and there is no other Reprobation as to this part save, 1. Gods not decreeing to give faith, 2. And his not giving it.

514. 2. And as to Damnation, so much of it as consisteth in sin it self, God no otherwise causeth than as he doth all sin, which is properly, not at all; It being but the Act as an act which he causeth as the Cause of Nature, and not as sinfully qualified: and so no more decreeth this than other sin.

515. And most men little think how much of damnation lieth in sin it self, and the privative consequents which need no other cause. 1. To be ignorant of God and Goodness. 2. To be void of the Love of God and Holiness, and Holy persons, and all the Holy employment of Heaven. 3. To be thereby void of all the Delights of Holy ones, which consist in such Knowledge, Love and Employment, Praise, Obedience, and holy Communion. 4. To be uncapable of the Reception of Divine complacency; as he that maketh himself blind is uncapable of the light, or he that maketh himself unlovely is uncapable of immediate Love. 5. To be defiled and diseased with all kind of sinful lusts, and malignity, and made like the Devil. 6. To have all sorts of Lusts in violence when they can have no fuel or satisfaction, and so to be tormented with these lusts. To have extreme selfishness and Pride, when they have cast themselves into the utmost shame and misery. 7. To see that no Creature can deliver them, and to despair of ever being better, as having no hope from God or any other. 8. To see or know that others enjoy the Glory and everlasting felicity which they have lost. 9. To think how easily once they might have attained it; and how it was offered freely to their choice. 10. To think of all the solicitations of mercy that importuned them, and all the time and means they had. 11. To think for how base a vanity they lost it, and that misery was their wilful choice. 12. To