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…

Not that I maintain any such order, but only to represent the weakness of your discourse, approaching shrewdly to such a disorderly constitution of Gods decrees, and nothing at all preventing the most harsh tenet that can be devised. Again, this that here you deliver, were it granted you, yet doth it nothing hinder the corrupt mass in Adam, to be the object of Gods decree of condemnation. For, albeit God the Father, and God the Son fail not of performing all this you speak of, yet if by reason of the general impotency which is come on all, they are nothing able to obey these motions of Gods spirit, and withal God purposeth to deny them a further grace to make them to obey; shall not this be sufficient to expose them to condemnation, even for this sin of resisting the motions of Gods spirit? But now let us consider your discourse it self, and what weight it carrieth, which only makes a show of much, but comes to nothing in the end. First you please your self in devising distinct works, applied to the distinct persons in the Trinity, without all ground in my judgement: We commonly say, Opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisibilia. Were not the Son and the Holy Ghost as active in the creation, and are still in the works of providence, as the Father? How Christ enlightened the world by his death is a mystery to me; his doctrine I confess did, and much more the doctrine of his Apostles: But in this ministry of Christs servants, were not the Father and the Holy Ghost as operative as the Son? As for the ⟨p. 116⟩knocking of the spirit at mens hearts, you nothing distinguish it, for ought I found hitherto, from the ministry of Christs servants in admonishing and exhorting; which work is yet the Fathers and the Sons aswell as the Spirits. But whereas you say, all this is done for this very end, To turn them to the Lord, that iniquity might not be their destruction; I pray you observe your own words well: all the operations you specify are drawn from these two heads, Instruction and Admonition to turn to the Lord; and the end of all this, you say, is to turn to the Lord. Put these together, that you may behold the sobriety of this discourse. God exhorts them to turn to the Lord, to this end, to turn them to the Lord:

Not that I maintaine any such order, but onely to represent the weaknesse of your discourse, approaching shrewdly to such a disorderly constitution of Gods decrees, and nothing at all preventing the most harsh tenet that can be devised. Againe, this that here you deliver, were it granted you, yet doth it nothing hinder the corrupt masse in Adam, to be the object of Gods decree of condemnation. For, albeit God the Father, and God the Sonne faile not of performing all this you speak of, yet if by reason of the generall impotency which is come on all, they are nothing able to obey these motions of Gods spirit, and withall God purposeth to deny them a further grace to make them to obey; shall not this be sufficient to expose them to condemnation, even for this sinne of resisting the motions of Gods spirit? But now let us consider your discourse it selfe, and what weight it carrieth, which onely makes a shew of much, but comes to nothing in the end. First you please your selfe in devising distinct workes, applyed to the distinct persons in the Trinitie, without all ground in my judgement: Wee commonly say, Opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisibilia. Were not the Sonne and the Holy Ghost as active in the creation, and are still in the workes of providence, as the Father? How Christ enlightned the world by his death is a mystery to me; his doctrine I confesse did, and much more the doctrine of his Apostles: But in this ministerie of Christs servants, were not the Father and the Holy Ghost as operative as the Sonne? As for the