A26923:682
An end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches
An end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches by reconciling explication without much disputing. Written by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for John Salusbury, 1691
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.
§. 16. It is an abusive miscarriage of those Disputants, who in the Words [CAN] and [CANNOT] use to confound not only, as aforesaid, natural and moral Power, but even Logical also, which is neither, and signifieth no more but that in ordine probandi; such Premises being put, the Conclusion Can or Cannot follow: For so it may be truly said, That no man can do, speak, or think any other than he doth; and nothing can ever come ⟨p. 178⟩to pass, but what doth come to pass; even from Gods fore-knowledge this will follow: For seeing nothing ever will be otherwise than God foreknoweth it will be, a Disputant will say, It can be no otherwise; but he must only mean that posita praescientia divina, the Conclusion cannot be true, that the Event will be otherwise: when yet as to the nature of Causation, we must say, sensu physico & morally, that it Can be otherwise oft-times, though it will not be otherwise.
§. 16. It is an abusive miscarriage of those Disputants, who in the Words [CAN] and [CANNOT] use to confound not only, as aforesaid, natural and moral Power, but even Logical also, which is neither, and signifieth no more but that in ordine probandi; such Premises being put, the Conclusion Can or Cannot follow: For so it may be truly said, That no man can do, speak, or think any other than he doth; and nothing can ever come ⟨p. 178⟩to pass, but what doth come to pass; even from Gods fore-knowledge this will follow: For seeing nothing ever will be otherwise than God foreknoweth it will be, a Disputant will say, It can be no otherwise; but he must only mean that posita praescientia divina, the Conclusion cannot be true, that the Event will be otherwise: when yet as to the nature of Causation, we must say, sensu physico & morali, that it Can be otherwise oft-times, though it will not be otherwise.
§. 17. These things considered, it appeareth that we are commonly agreed as followeth: 1. That all Men have natural Powers and Free-will to good, even spiritual good; that is, Whenever such good is chosen or willed, it is done by the natural Power or Faculty; and when it is not willed, it is not for want of a natural Faculty, but its due Disposition.