46 Of the Nature, ÌÇnonledge, Dill EfeitingAci. But many conceive that God caufeth all things meerly by willing them. (Though I feenot but that will muft be a Powerful cma-' nant operative will, which is more than meer will.) And we are fo unacquainted with God, and all Aétivenatures, as that we cannot faythat "Vim exparte agentis may not be fine termino, obje o b efetlis. And all Philofophical Divines agree that God bath no Power out ofAí9 ; but an !give power alwayes equally in act, ex parte fui, and fo is a pare act. Let us (per pofbile vel impoffibile ) fuppofe the Sun to be whack is, and no other Creature to be with it in being : This Sun would in vacuo emitt its motive, illuminativeand calefaEtive radios byA&ion. And . yet nothing would be moved, illuminated or heatedby it : There would be no Terminus, and no efeü=. And fuppofe afterward all other Crea- tures to be made ; then the divers Termini and Recipients would make a diverfity of effects, and the various dfeftion of the Recipients would make that one Action of the Sun, to produce motion in one, light in another, heat in another, fweetneff from the Rafe, and Rink from Weeds, and fo of other effects. I do but tell you why we muft not perempto- rilydeny much more of God. That the Potentia area- 279. Prefçience with Predefinition or Decree do not inferr caufally riva in Dec te. prroximmnag ndi that n,eceflity of the event as predetermining premotion doth : Becaufe ad extra, SeePennot. 1. 3. theydo (alone) nthal ponere an objetlo. So that if it could be proved c.13. n.v. Aquin. 1. that God doth eternally Decree or will the event of fin, and mens dam- d. 45. e. 3. ad. 2. nation abfolutely, it would not prove ( alone) that he is therefore the caufe of them. It is not thereforethe Predeterminationof bare Decree which we lay thofe confequenceson, but efficient predetermination. aradwardine 1.'3. e. 5o.p. 280. Lombard, d. 45. well concludeth That even that free-will ofGod 809. argueth, that Gods by which he willeth, decreeth, and lovech the Creature, is his effence: win de ç eandea, was an- But yet the Name [Amor Petri, odium eccati &c. j fignifiethnot his tecedently free; and yet 'concomitantly and con- Effence as frith, but his Eflential will as denominated from the created fequently neceffary, and or humaneobjeót. both immutably from Eternity. 281. Therefore it cannot be inferred hence, that Gad is a Creature, be- carafe he willethor Loveth the Creature: Becaufe his Loving it denomi- nateth his Effence as terminated on or connoting the objet, and not as in it felf fimply. 282. It is not fit or lawfultoask after anyCarafe of the Will of God; Becaufeit is the firs carafe of all things elfe, and bath nothing Superiour or antecedent to Cade it And Goths abfolutely independent, and isnot .74 who faith that Gods to be calledtheCaufe of himfelf. will hash a final caufe, 28 Even the Acts of Gods free-will or Decrees have no Caufe meanedt but a final ob. 3 f jeft, as he confeffeth. even in God himfelf ; no more than thofe called Neceffary. For we A Tree is a pafhve re- muft not faythat any thing in God is an efeld. dplent caufeof the Ter- mutationof the Suns ca- 284. Yet as Gods Ads are oft denominated by Conhotation from the lefacient aft and of the object, (which in man is a conftitutive Caufe of theAá, locomateria, ) effeft as received :but {o extrinfick oh 1 }' f ects maybe called The Cara es (but rather the Ob eC s ) not of the aft ex. parte four. of God will, Love or Knowledge, not as his Effence, but onlyas fo deno- minated bythat Connotationof theobject. 285. Thefe diftributions of 'Gods Volitions in Number, and by ffieci- fying objeels, and individuating objects, which are called material confu- tative carafes of the act, are all according to humane weaknefs ; in us who know God but enigmatically, and in a glafs : But yet if any man ufe fuch words in a broader manner than we think fit, before we cenfure and condemn him we mutt hear his fence explained. For all that ever we can fayof God is improper; analogical, yea metaphorical ; And it is but in degrees of impropriety that all words about Gods attributes and
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