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…

Thirdly, if God doth harden out of his absolute will, then also he did purpose to harden of his absolute will. Whence I infer that then God did not purpose to harden for sin. For Gods purpose to harden only in respect of sin, is commonly accounted (and that by your self) a will conditionate, and a will conditionate is opposite to a will absolute.

Thirdly, if God doth harden out of his absolute will, then also hee did purpose to harden of his absolute will. Whence I infer that then God did not purpose to harden for sin. For Gods purpose to harden only in respect of sin, is commonly accounted (and that by your self) a will conditionate, and a will conditionate is opposite to a will absolute.

Lastly, I deny that God doth harden for their sins, as hardening denoteth a denial of saving grace; For to harden for sin is to punish, but to deny saving grace to them that never had saving grace, is not to punish them; to leave a man in the state wherein he finds him, is not to punish him. And therefore when Epaminondas ran his Javelin through a Sentinel whom he found in sleep, saying, I did but leave him as I found him, because sleep is usually said to be Mortis Imago, the Image of death, had he no better Apology for his fact then this, he had no way freed himself from injustice. If God may harden man for sin, and yet sin shall not be a primary cause moving God to harden him, by the same reason, though God condemns man for sin, it is not necessary, that sin should be a primary cause moving God to condemn him, which is directly contrary to your tenet in the point of reprobation. And this consideration of your own, if you hold your self unto it attentively, may bring you into the right way, from which you have erred, and the want of it hath ⟨p. 198⟩been a means I fear to confirm many in their errors. We acknowledge it to be Gods absolute will to condemn for sin, but withal we say it is his absolute will to permit whom he will to sin, and continue in sin by denying saving grace to raise them out of sin. And this denial of grace cannot be for sin, as I have already proved. To harden a man, in opposition to Gods showing mercy on him: we take to be nothing else then his refusal to cure him. Now let any man judge whether it be a decent speech to say, that because a man is sick, therefore God will not cure him.