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…

Neither do the places alleged by you, give any testimony to these your uncouth assertions, much less evident testimony. Indeed I blame you not for desiring your Reader would take them so, to save your pains of proving it. For you take no pains at all to enforce any place, by Logical argumentation to give evidence to such a sense you put upon them, though it stand in manifest opposition to the nature of God even to the bereaving him both of his omnipotency and immutability, to make him to contradict himself, and strangely to go about to persuade the world that God intends the repentance of those men, to whom he denies those helps, without which none can repent, as your self also acknowledge.

Neither doe the places alledged by you, give any testimony to these your uncouth assertions, much lesse evident testimony. Indeed I blame you not for desiring your Reader would take them so, to save your paines of proving it. For you take no pains at all to inforce any place, by Logicall argumentation to give evidence to such a sense you put upon them, though it stand in manifest opposition to the nature of God even to the bereaving him both of his omnipotency and immutability, to make him to contradict himself, and strangely to go about to perswade the world that God intends the repentance of those men, to whom hee denies those helps, without which none can repent, as your self also acknowledge.

So that we need not to be put to deny the sufficiency of Gods word to those ends whereunto God hath given it, which is to instruct in all points of Faith and duties of life; and to admonish us to give obedience unto it, and reprove them that do not; and consequently to take away all excuse for want of any of these gracious operations. And thus it is sufficient ex parte, Dei, and ex parte hominum too, as for God to admonish thereby, and men to be admonished and instructed.

So that wee need not to bee put to deny the sufficiency of Gods word to those ends whereunto God hath given it, which is to instruct in all points of Faith and duties of life; and to admonish us to give obedience unto it, and reprove them that doe not; and consequently to take away all excuse for want of any of these gratious operations. And thus it is sufficient ex parte, Dei, and ex parte hominum too, as for God to admonish thereby, and men to bee admonished and instructed.