A26883:849
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,…
Richard Baxter's Catholic theology plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriors who, 1. by contending about things unrevealed or not understood, 2. and by taking verbal differences for real,Richard Baxter's Catholick theologie plain, pure, peaceable, for pacification of the dogmatical word-warriours who, 1. by contending about things unrevealed or not understood, 2. and by taking verbal differences for real,
London: printed by Robert White for Nevill Simmons, 1675
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
560. 4. And note, that this restriction of the Divine operation is not from any finiteness of his power, as if he could do no more, but from the freedom of his Will, and the Conduct of his Wisdom, who seeth it good to do no more.
561. 5. Above all note, that as all Divines agree, that God doth not Act ad ultimum posse, as natural agents do, so the truth is most evident in the finiteness of the World, and the effects of his Power: For God doth not make as many men or other creatures as he could do: He doth not make every man as strong, or wise, or good, or long-lived as he could do: He doth not make every Stone, or Clod, or Tree as Active as he could do, nor move every thing as swiftly as he could do. Now all that is undone which God could ⟨p. 89⟩do, all possibles which are not existent or future, do tell us plainly that God doth freely suspend the action or operation of his Power, totally as to them: which is much more than to suspend it but in part with free agents, and to give them a Natural self-determining power, without further pre-moving predetermination of them. If all the World tell us, that he hath the far greater suspension, why should we think the less absurd?
562. 6. And Reason telleth us (what the Schoolmen oft say) that God who showeth us that he delighteth in wonderful variety of his creatures, doth very fitly thus beautify the Universe by a middle rank of creatures, that stand between Confirmed Angels, and the Brutes, viz. Intellectual-free-agents, left to a natural Power of free choosing or refusing, without necessitation, in the midst of various objects, to prepare them by trial for a better state.