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,…

588. 4. To avoid tediousness, in sum, This opinion seemeth to me, to leave very little or no place for the Christian Religion. For 1. It overthroweth the formale objectum fidei, which is Veracitas Divina, and leaveth no certainty of any word of God: For if he do will and predetermine by premotion, ut fiat omne mendacium, quod fit, then we have no way to know that he did not so by the Prophets and Apostles. 2. It maketh the Scripture false, which saith so much of Gods hatred and unwillingness of sin. 3. It obliterateth the notion of Gods Holiness, which is made the great reason of our holiness. 4. It maketh mans Holiness to be no Holiness, but a common or indifferent thing. 5. It maketh sin, so little odious (as being a Divine off-spring) as will destroy the hatred of it and care to avoid it. 6. It will thereby nullify all our Godly sorrow, repenting, confession, and all practice of means against any sin. 7. It will hardly let men believe that Christ came into the world, and did and suffered so much to save men from sin, and to destroy it. 8. Or that it is the work of the Holy Ghost to sanctify souls and mortify sin. 9. It will hardly let men believe that there is any Hell, and that God will damn men for ever, for that which they did upon his prevolition and predetermination, unavoidably. 10. It seemeth to give Satan's description to God, and more. For Satan can but tempt us to sin, but they make God absolutely to will that it be, and physically to predetermine us to it. And so Christ that came to destroy the work of the Devil, the father of lies, malice and murder, should come to destroy the work of God. 11. It taketh away the reason of Church discipline, and purity, and of our loving the Godly and hating wickedness. 12. It would tempt Magistrates accordingly to judge of vice and virtue, good and bad in the Common-wealth.

588. 4. To avoid tediousness, in sum, This opinion seemeth to me, to leave very little or no place for the Christian Religion. For 1. It overthroweth the formale objectum fidei, which is Veracitas Divina, and leaveth no certainty of any word of God: For if he do will and predetermine by premotion, ut fiat omne mendacium, quod fit, then we have no way to know that he did not so by the Prophets and Apostles. 2. It maketh the Scripture false, which saith so much of Gods hatred and unwillingness of sin. 3. It obliterateth the notion of Gods Holiness, which is made the great reason of our holiness. 4. It maketh mans Holiness to be no Holiness, but a common or indifferent thing. 5. It maketh sin, so little odious (as being a Divine off-spring) as will destroy the hatred of it and care to avoid it. 6. It will thereby nullifie all our Godly sorrow, repenting, confession, and all practice of means against any sin. 7. It will hardly let men believe that Christ came into the world, and did and suffered so much to save men from sin, and to destroy it. 8. Or that it is the work of the Holy Ghost to sanctifie souls and mortifie sin. 9. It will hardly let men believe that there is any Hell, and that God will damn men for ever, for that which they did upon his prevolition and predetermination, unavoidably. 10. It seemeth to give Satans description to God, and more. For Satan can but tempt us to sin, but they make God absolutely to will that it be, and physically to predetermine us to it. And so Christ that came to destroy the work of the Devil, the father of lies, malice and murder, should come to destroy the work of God. 11. It taketh away the reason of Church discipline, and purity, and of our loving the Godly and hating wickedness. 12. It would tempt Magistrates accordingly to judge of vice and vertue, good and bad in the Common-wealth.