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…

To put the case home unto you; you know what admonition David upon his death-bed gave to Solomon concerning Shimei, Thou shalt not count him innocent, for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; and thou shalt cause his hoar head to go down to the grave with blood: yet withal, Solomon must have a care of David his fathers oath; for when Shimei came to meet David at Jordan, David sware unto him by the Lord, saying, I will not slay thee with the sword: Now while Solomon meditated on some course to take with Shimei, suppose God should reveal unto him, saying, If thou proposest such a condition unto him, to wit, of building him an house in Jerusalem, and to stay there, and not pass over the brook Kidron, he will transgress; but if thou proposest any other like condition, he will observe it: and hereupon Solomon should be moved to propose this condition, which he ⟨p. 109⟩knew Shimei would transgress; judge, I pray, whether this course proposed to Shimei were an evidence of Solomons earnest and serious affection, concerning the saving of Shimei's life; and not rather concerning his destruction? In like sort, when God persuades many by his Ministers to make them new hearts and new spirits, and himself alone, by the power of his Spirit, is able to take the stony heart out of their bowels, and give them an heart of flesh; when he resolves to afford this grace unto some, but not unto others; let every one judge hereby, whether God can be said earnestly to desire the changing of their hearts, when he resolves to forbear that course which alone can change them? No, no, this discourse favoureth strongly of a conceit, that it is in the power of an unregenerate man to change his own heart, and of an heart of stone to change it into an heart of flesh: And in this case, I confess, it were very probable that God should earnestly desire it; provided that any ineffectual and changeable desires were incident unto God.

To put the case home unto you; you know what admonition David upon his death-bed gave to Solomon concerning Shimei, Thou shalt not count him innocent, for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to doe unto him; and thou shalt cause his hoare head to goe downe to the grave with bloud: yet withall, Solomon must have a care of David his fathers oath; for when Shimei came to meet David at Jordan, David sware unto him by the Lord, saying, I will not slay thee with the sword: Now while Solomon meditated on some course to take with Shimei, suppose God should reveale unto him, saying, If thou proposest such a condition unto him, to wit, of building him an house in Jerusalem, and to stay there, and not passe over the brook Kidron, hee will transgresse; but if thou proposest any other like condition, hee will observe it: and hereupon Solomon should be moved to propose this conditon, which hee