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,…

And so it's clear, 1. That in the first case, the Motion will be if it be not hindered. But that it is not caused by not-hindering it, but by its proper moving causes. In the second case the consequence of futurity is false: And where the inclinations to good and evil (that is, to superior and inferior prohibited good) are equal; yea, though antecedently somewhat unequal: Yet bare permission ascertaineth not futurity. 3. Much less in the third case; where the soul must have positive help or provocation. Sure he did not think that all or any ungodly men would infallibly Love God, if God did but Permit them.

And so it's clear, 1. That in the first case, the Motion will be if it be not hindered. But that it is not caused by not-hindering it, but by its proper moving causes. In the second case the consequence of futurity is false: And where the inclinations to good and evil (that is, to superiour and inferiour prohibited good) are equal; yea, though antecedently somewhat unequal: Yet bare permission ascertaineth not futurity. 3. Much less in the third case; where the soul must have positive help or provocation. Sure he did not think that all or any ungodly men would infallibly Love God, if God did but Permit them.

But Gods Permitting or not hindering sin may respect divers acts. 1. I• God continue not his natural support, man will be no man, but be a•••• lated, and so will neither do good nor evil. 2. If God uphold mans n• ture, in its Integrity as it was in Adam, and give him not Moral means and helps of Grace, and his natural concurse, Adams sin would have necessarily followed. 3. If God give Adam both such support and means to stand, and do no more, Gods permission would not have inferred the certainty of Adams sin, when he fell, any more than before: For God withdrew no grace from him which was necessary to his standing. 4. I• God give a lapsed sinful man Nature and common grace, it followeth not necessarily because God doth no more, that he will commit every sin that he is not further hindered from: but it's certain that he will not do the works to which special grace is necessary. 5. If God give to the faithful the Holy Spirit, and continue his influx necessary to the continuation of the Power and Habits of holy actions, with necessary means, and do no more, this man will do some good and some evil, and though he may be equally said to be Permitted to do this sin as another, yet he may do one and not another. 6. God totally permitteth no man to sin, but hindereth them many ways, though he hinder not all alike. 7. It's possible for two men to have equal helps to duty and equal hinderances to sin (or the same man at several times,) and yet for one to do the duty and forbear the sin, and the other to commit the sin and omit the duty; As many Schoolmen have copiously proved. Yet in this case Permission would be the same thing to both.