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…

Thus have I declared how far, or rather how little I have departed, and upon what grounds, not so much from the received doctrine of our Church, as the received manner of the explication ⟨p. 129⟩of it. In all which I humbly submit my spirit, not only to the judgment of the reformed Churches, whether of England, or of foreign countries (if ever they come to take notice hereof) but also of every learned godly brother, into whose hands this discourse may fall.

Thus have I declared how farre, or rather how little I have departed, and upon what grounds, not so much from the received doctrine of our Church, as the received manner of the explication ⟨p. 129⟩of it. In all which I humbly submit my spirit, not only to the judgment of the reformed Churches, whether of England, or of foreigne countries (if ever they come to take notice hereof) but also of every learned godly brother, into whose hands this discourse may fall.

As for that place of Jude, [Greek or Hebrew], ¹the sense hereof (you say) is given to be, that these false teachers were of old ordained to judgement: viz. As they take it from eternity, and so before themselves were, and had given any former cause of such condemnation. This you make the interpretation of the place given by others, and their doctrine accordingly: And the consequent thereof you make to be this; namely, That according to this sense the subject whereabout the decree of Reprobation is conversant, is not the world as fallen in Adam, much less as fallen from Christ, but as considered in massa pura, before they had done good or evil, yea, before they were. Now I have diverse things to object against you in this. First, were I of your opinion in the point of Reprobation, I should utterly deny that there is any such consequent, that may be lawfully inferred from the former interpretation and doctrine: For, albeit men are from eternity ordained to condemnation, and consequently before themselves were, or had given any former cause of such condemnation: yet, if when God did ordain them hereunto, he did foresee, not only their fall in Adam, but their final infidelity and impenitency also, and thereupon did proceed to ordain them to condemnation, as it is acknowledged on all hands at this day; both Papists, Arminians, and orthodox Protestants, your self only (that I know) excepted: then surely herehence it will not follow, that massapura should be the object of Reprobation, but massa corrupta; and that not in Adam only, but with actual sins, and that throughout the whole course of their lives all along, even until death. And I persuade my self, you also will be of the same opinion, if you give your self to a due and serious consideration of it; which might have saved you all this pains in straining a poor text to serve your turn in a miserable manner, and that most causelessly: For, certainly you fear in this place, where there is no cause of fear at all on your part. Secondly, why should you strain courtesy to acknowledge Gods ordination (which is no other then Gods decree) of men unto condemnation, to have been