A treatise of Mr. Cottons clearing certain doubts concerning predestination together with an examination…A treatise of Mr. Cottons clearing certaine doubts concerning predestination together with an examination…

Your second instance, of voluntas beneplaciti, is no less extravagant; as when you make the object thereof thus; If they repent, they shall not perish: If they repent not, they shall perish: for promises and rewards are but adjuncts to voluntas signi, and nothing secret, but plainly revealed. But to whom God will make his commandments, backed with promises and threats, effectual to the working of repentance, this is a secret; and this we commonly account voluntas beneplaciti. When you add, saying, Thus the will of God revealed in a distinct axiom, is always consonant to his revealed will, and never frustrated; You continue still in a miserable confusion, worse rather then better: as when you talk of a disjunct axiom, in reference to that which went before, when no disjunct axiom at all went before, but certain conditionate axioms; as these, If they repent, they shall not perish: If they repent not, they shall perish: whereas disjunct oppositions are such as these; They shall repent or no: They shall perish or no: And to say such axioms are consonant to Gods secret will, is a wild expression; whereas indeed they are neither consonant nor dissonant, save only in enunciating that in an indeterminate manner, which Gods will hath made determinate; and in that respect it is dissonant enough.

Your second instance, of voluntas beneplaciti, is no lesse extravagant; as when you make the object thereof thus; If they repent, they shall not perish: If they repent not, they shall perish: for promises and rewards are but adjuncts to voluntas signi, and nothing secret, but plainly revealed. But to whom God will make his commandements, back'd with promises and threats, effectuall to the working of repentance, this is a secret; and this wee commonly account voluntas beneplaciti. When you adde, saying, Thus the will of God revealed in a distinct axiome, is alwayes consonant to his revealed will, and never frustrated; You continue still in a miserable confusion, worse rather then better: as when you talke of a disjunct axiome, in reference to that which went before, when no disjunct axiome at all went before, but certaine conditionate axiomes; as these, If they repent, they shall not perish: If they repent not, they shall perish: whereas disjunct oppositions are such as these; They shall repent or no: They shall perish or no: And to say such axiomes are consonant to Gods secret will, is a wild expression; whereas indeed they are neither consonant nor dissonant, save onely in enuntiating that in an indeterminate manner, which Gods will hath made determinate; and in that respect it is dissonant enough.