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,…

Resp. What is it that a man, yea, a pious man in a blind zeal of God and self-conceit, may not pour out confident words for? What a case is the poor Church in, when the unlearned people must be on both sides charged by their Teachers with blasphemy, what way ever they go? This man will tell them that they are ^*blasphemous, and overthrow all reason and Religion, if they say that God only Permitteth sin, and doth not himself will the being of it, and move unavoidably all wills, and tongues, and hands, to all the blasphemies, persecutions, and murders that are done, and damn men for it when he hath done. And others will as confidently say that he is a Blasphemer, for charging God to be much more the cause of all forbidden acts of wickedness than Devils and men are, and the• damning them for it, and for putting God into the shape of the Devil, and painting him odious to humane nature, that man may not love him: What shall poor people think when they are thus torn and tormented by their holy Guides? But all his arguments are before answered, when I showed him how many ways God hath to secure the Effects and Events in the world, and attain all his Ends, and yet only Permit, and neither Will, nor Love, nor Cause the sin.

Resp. What is it that a man, yea, a pious man in a blind zeal of God and self-conceit, may not pour out confident words for? What a case is the poor Church in, when the unlearned people must be on both sides charged by their Teachers with blasphemy, what way ever they go? This man will tell them that they are ^*blasphemous, and overthrow all reason and Religion, if they say that God only Permitteth sin, and doth not himself will the being of it, and move unavoidably all wills, and tongues, and hands, to all the blasphemies, persecutions, and murders that are done, and damn men for it when he hath done. And others will as confide••ly say that he is a Blasphemer, for charging God to be much more the cause of all forbidden acts of wickedness than Devils and men are, and the• damning them for it, and for putting God into the shape of the Devil, and painting him odious to humane nature, that man may not love him: What shall poor people think when they are thus torn and tormented by their holy Guides? But all his arguments are before answered, when I shewed him how many wayes God hath to secure the Effects and Events in the world, and attain all his Ends, and yet only Permit, and neither Will, nor Love, nor Cause the sin.