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…

5 As for the occasions of slandering and reviling the orthodox truth of God, which as you conceive, this doctrine of yours cutteth of to the cavilling and froward spirit; you have not so much as expressed what they are, much less justified them, to be such occasions as you speak of, or showed how they are removed by your doctrine, and not by ours. In like sort, what is that equity of the ways of God, the credit of the clearing whereof, you attribute to your own doctrine, and derogate from ours, you take no pains to explicate. If your meaning be, that you maintain, that God condemns no man but for sin voluntarily and freely committed by him, and withal do obtrude upon us the contrary, you do us the greater wrong, provided you speak of men of ripe years. As for the damnation of infants, I doubt you fear so much to offend men, that you come too near the Pelagian and Arminian tenet hereabouts. And if you think there is any active power in a natural man to believe and repent, we will not fear offence to resist you, or any man in this, the scripture having so plainly expressed the contradictory to this; 1 Cor. 2. 14. and Rom. 8. 8. Or, if your opinion be, that God doth not harden whom he will, as well as he shows mercy on whom he will; (where the good pleasure of God is as evidently signified to be the cause of the one, as of the other) we shall not forbear by Gods grace, through fear of offence, to resist you in this also. And if Pharaoh shall hereupon object and say, Why doth God complain of my not letting Israel go, when he himself hardens, my heart, that I may not let Israel go; we ⟨p. 146⟩think it fit to take the Apostles course to stop such a ones mouth; and say, O man who art thou that disputest with God, shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power, &c. And let men take heed, they do not take upon them to be wiser then the Holy Ghost, and think to satisfy men by devises of their own, when the word of God doth not satisfy them. Yet, in all this, the Apostle doth not impeach the liberty of their wills, nor Austin neither, but rather justifieth it throughout; yet is he bold to pronounce, that libertas sine gratia, non est libertas sed contumacia.

5 As for the occasions of slandering and reviling the orthodox truth of God, which as you conceive, this doctrine of yours cutteth of to the cavilling and froward spirit; you have not so much as expressed what they are, much lesse justified them, to be such occasions as you speak of, or shewed how they are removed by your doctrine, and not by ours. In like sort, what is that equitie of the wayes of God, the credit of the clearing whereof, you attribute to your owne doctrine, and derogate from ours, you take no paines to explicate. If your meaning be, that you maintaine, that God condemnes no man but for sinne voluntarily and freely committed by him, and withall doe obtrude upon us the contrary, you doe us the greater wrong, provided you speak of men of ripe yeares. As for the damnation of infants, I doubt you feare so much to offend men, that you come too neere the Pelagian and Arminian tenet hereabouts. And if you thinke there is any active power in a naturall man to believe and repent, wee will not feare offence to resist you, or any man in this, the scripture having so plainely expressed the contradictorie to this;