A27004:220
The reasons of the Christian religion the first part, of godliness, proving by natural…
The reasons of the Christian religion the first part, of godliness, proving by natural evidence the being of God ... : the second part, of Christianity, proving by evidence supernatural and natural, the certain truth of the Christian belief ... / by Richard Baxter ... ; also an appendix defending the soul's immortality against the Somatists or Epicureans and other pseudo-philosophers.
London: printed by R. White for Fran. Titon, 1667
Part 1 › Chapter 5: What this Cause is, in it self. That it is God.
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.
The Holiness of Man consisteth, 1. In his separation from common uses unto God. 2. In the Rectitude of his Will, as habitually thus inclined and bent to Moral Good, and hating evil. 3. Whereby it is conform to the governing Will of God. And hence we may learn what Holiness is in God, though not formally the same with that in Man.
§. 22. The Benignity and Love of the first Being is his Essence or Nature, as inclined to complacency in all created Good; and to benevolence or doing good to creatures, freely and agreeably to his infinite Wisdom.
The Love of complacency to all created Good, is necessary in God, supposing the continued existence of that created Good, which is the object. But it is not necessary that such created Good do continually exist. The Love of Benevolence is also natural to God in this sense, that it is his natural perfection as respecting the Creature to be used agreeably to his ⟨p. 26⟩perfect wisdom; but the exercise of it is not necessary, because the being or felicity of the Creature is not necessary; but it is acted freely, according as the infinite wisdom seeth it fit, as to those Ends to which all Creatures are but the Means.