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…

God chose us before the world in Christ our head, Eph. 1. 4. Therefore he chose Christ also to be our head before the ¹world was. For if we be chosen in him, it implieth that he, as our head, was chosen before us in order, and we in him, Now if we who ⟨p. 9⟩were chosen in Christ, and so after Christ in order; if we (I say) were chosen before the world, and so before the consideration either of creation or fall, how much more Christ, who was chosen before us?

God chose us before the world in Christ our head, Eph. 1. 4. Therefore hee chose Christ also to bee our head before the ¹world was. For if we be chosen in him, it implyeth that he, as our head, was chosen before us in order, and we in him, Now if we who ⟨p. 9⟩were chosen in Christ, and so after Christ in order; if wee (I say) were chosen before the world, and so before the consideration either of creation or fall, how much more Christ, who was chosen before us?

1. 1Answ. 2.

In the allegation of Saint Pauls text, I find something left out that pertains to the completing of the sentence: for the sentence ¹is this, Who hath chosen us in Christ, that we should be holy: Here the latter part of one entire sentence is quite left out. And by your dismembering it, the sentence is made causelessly obscure, and so the fitter to serve for advantages. This is Arminius course, Exam. Pag. 31. Apostolus ait, nos in Christo electos esse; The Apostle saith, we are elected in Christ. And as something in the text is left out: so something besides the text is put in, God chose us before the world in Christ our head. This likewise Arminius insists on, Exam. Pag. 158. And mark I pray you how he works upon each; To be elect in Christ, is with him, to be elect being in Christ: for, nos in Christo, with him is, nos existentes in Christo. And seeing we are not in Christ but by faith, hereupon he makes the object of election to be fideles, the faithful; or in Christum credentes, such as believe in Christ. We answer: first, We may take as great liberty to interpret it, for explication sake, by supplying a participle of the future tense, thus, elegit nos futuros in Christo, he chose us hereafter to be in Christ: (like as it follows, who hath predestinated us to be adopted. Now we are adopted by faith,