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…

The fifth is drawn out of Luk. 16. 11, 12. If ye have not been faithful in the wicked riches, who will trust you in the true treasures? And if you have not been faithful in another mans goods, who shall give you that which is your own? Hence you seem to infer, that carnal men, natural men, have power and ability to perform faithfulness in the administration of temporal riches: and you might proceed further to infer, that by performing such fidelity, which is in their power to perform, they should have true riches, and such as should never be taken from them. And what is to maintain that God doth dispense grace according to works, if this be not? And yet this ⟨p. 216⟩latter is with more probability inferred then the former. For certainly God doth reward faithfulness in little, with the bestowing of greater gifts, as Matth. 25. 21. 23. But albeit they that are unfaithful in little, are unworthy to have greater gifts bestowed upon them; yet herehence it doth not follow, that mere natural men have so much power of goodness in them, as to be faithful unto God in the use of those natural gifts which God hath bestowed upon them, (yet in spite of this unworthiness, which God finds in his Elect, before their calling, he doth nevertheless trust them with true riches. And if they were faithful therein, they would be found faithful also in greater things. For ver. 10. our Saviour professeth, That he who is faithful in the least, is also faithful in much.

The fifth is drawn out of Luk. 16. 11, 12. If yee have not been faithfull in the wicked riches, who will trust you in the true treasures? And if you have not been faithfull in another mans goods, who shall give you that which is your own? Hence you seem to infer, that carnall men, naturall men, have power and ability to perform faithfulnesse in the administration of temporall riches: and you might proceed further to inferre, that by performing such fidelity, which is in their power to perform, they should have true riches, and such as should never bee taken from them. And what is to maintain that God doth dispence grace according to works, if this bee not? And yet this ⟨p. 216⟩