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…

You are willing to acknowledge that Gods decree of delivering Christ to death, was absolute, as a work of mere grace. As for the condition of Adams fall to be premised to this decree, sure I am, that is not your Opinion: neither doth it become any to maintain any decree of God to be both unconditional and conditional. And why that sin more then any other for which Christ satisfied should be imagined to be premised as a condition of this decree; I see no reason: and if every sin must be presupposed, why not the sin of crucifying Christ? This sin started Arminius; and this is it, and this alone, which he thinkee good to except in this case. I do nothing wonder that his learning and his honesty were so well met both of a very temperate nature. But albeit the fall of Adam was not preconceived to this decree of delivering of Christ to death; yet I am not of your Opinion, who think hereupon, that the decree of sending Christ into the world, was before the decree of permitting Adams fall: concerning which I have discoursed enough, while I examined how well you cleared the first doubt. But when you distinguish of Gods decree to deliver Christ to death, and to deliver him to a sinful death; you take a course to make mad work amongst Gods decrees. As if God did first intend the generality of a thing, and not till after the foresight of somewhat else intend the specialty thereof. I will not tell you how undecent a course School-men conceive it to be, to attribute decrees to God of things indefinite; I never found any Arminian take such a course, Philosophy hath taught us, duplicem ordinem naturae, a double order of nature; as namely, nature generantis, & naturae intendentis, in generation ⟨p. 250⟩and intention. And albeit, secundùm naturam generantem, communia & generalia, are priora specialibus, in generation, things common and general are before their specials: According as a man in generation, prius vivit vitam plantae, first lives the life of a plant, then vitam animalis, the life of an Animal. Lastly, vitam hominis, the life of a man; yet quoad naturam intendentem, as touching the intention the order is quite contrary, & that the more specials (as more perfect) are first in intention. And whereas intentio rerum gerendarum, the intention of things to be done, is for the production of things in existence;

You are willing to acknowledge that Gods decree of delivering Christ to death, was absolute, as a work of meere grace. As for the condition of Adams fall to bee premised to this decree, sure I am, that is not your Opinion: neither doth it become any to maintaine any decree of God to be both unconditionall and conditionall. And why that sinne more then any other for which Christ satisfied should be imagined to bee premised as a condition of this decree; I see no reason: and if every sin must bee presupposed, why not the sin of crucifying Christ? This sin started Arminius; and this is it, and this alone, which he thinkee good to except in this case. I doe nothing wonder that his learning and his honesty were so well met both of a very temperate nature. But albeit the fall of Adam was not preconceived to this decree of delivering of Christ to death; yet I am not of your Opinion, who thinke hereupon, that the decree of sending Christ into the world, was before the decree of permitting Adams fall: concerning which I have discoursed enough, while I examined how well you cleared the first doubt. But when you distinguish of Gods decree to deliver Christ to death, and to deliver him to a sinfull death; you take a course to make mad work amongst Gods decrees. As if God did first intend the generality of a thing, and not till after the foresight of somewhat else intend the specialty thereof. I will not tell you how undecent a course School-men conceive it to bee, to attribute decrees to God of things indefinite; I never found any Arminian take such a course, Philosophy hath taught us, duplicem ordinem naturae, a double order of nature; as namely, nature generantis, & naturae intendentis, in generation