The defence of the nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of the matter…

And because I must expect that from others that are driven to it, this will be the last refuge; I will add, that even the wisest Papists themselves do maintain only such moral Causality in Sacraments.

§ 11. And here, with respect to the forementioned Article of the certainty of Baptized Infants Salvation; and also the answering of this Objection, I shall cite some of their words, to show you at how great a loss the most Learned Papists are about things that every poor English Minister may be certain of, or profess to hold, or else be silenced or ruined: Though it be ascribing too much to the opus operatum in Sacraments that we grievously accuse the Papists of.

§ 11. And here, with respect to the forementioned Article of the certainty of Baptized Infants Salvation; and also the answering of this Objection, I shall cite some of their words, to shew you at how great a loss the most Learned Papists are about things that every poor English Minister may be certain of, or profess to hold, or else be silenced or ruined: Though it be ascribing too much to the opus operatum in Sacraments that we grievously accuse the Papists of.

I. Aquinas of the Efficacy of Sacraments, saith, 1. That they are aliquo modo Causae gratiae. 2. Not meerly Causa sine qua non. 3. Aqua baptismatis habet operationem propriam in Corpus, & ut instrumentum Divinae misericordiae, habet effectum ulteriorem; non ad gratiam quasi eam attingens in virtute principalis agentis, sed ad dispositionem praeviam; quae in quibusdam sacramentis est Character, in aliis aliquis ornatus animae proportionatus Characteri. 4. In sacramentis est aliqua virtus supernaturalis quae est ipsis principium agendi in ⟨p. 50⟩quantum sunt instrumenta Divinae misericordiae. Et haec virtus est Ens spirituale, incompletum sive intentionale.