A26911:182
The defence of the nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of the matter…
The defence of the nonconformists plea for peace, or, An account of the matter of their nonconformity against Mr. J. Cheney's answer called The conforming nonconformist, and The nonconforming conformist : to which is added the second part in answer to Mr. Cheney's Five undertakings / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for Benjamin Alsop, 1680
A DEFENCE OF THE NON-CONFORMIST'S Plea for Peace, AGAINST Mr. J. CH… › Chapter 18
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.
§ 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.
Scotus and Ockam confute this at large; and Pet. de Aliaco Card. Cameracensis (a most judicious School-man) briefly after them in 4. q. 1. B. C. contending that Sacraments are properly no Causes of grace, but improperly; because Deus in sacramentis ordinavit sic agere, non quod ipsa sacramenta agant: Et de tali ordinatione & libera promissione ipse certificavit Ecclesiam: Vel ex sola voluntate alterius ut Causa sine qua non, quae non invenitur in naturalibus; sed (sicut meritum) in Moralibus; & proprie non est causa: Et quod sacramentum sive per virtutem propriam, sive per virtutem ei collatam, non est proprie Causa Efficiens alicujus dispositionis in anima ad gratiam praeviae (aut ipsius gratiae.)