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…

Glory be to God in Christ, and peace upon Israel.

Glory bee to God in Christ, and peace upon Israel.

If the serious consideration of two covenants did turn the ¹stream of your thoughts into this ^*covenant, it should seem you do acknowledge a third covenant, distinct from the former two. Therefore I conceive there is an error in the writing, and that whereunto the stream of your thoughts was turned, is not a different covenant from the former two, but rather an opinion concerning reprobation, different from that which is most generally received amongst our Divines. And albeit hereupon you fell on this; yet herehence it followeth not, but that you might hereby fall upon laying a ground for three covenants ere you are aware. Yet do I not charge you with this. As in some respect you may seem to make three; so in another respect you may seem to make but one; if the covenant of retribution according unto works be but one; For I see no reason but Gods purpose of election, may well pass for a purpose of retribution; and consequently, if the purpose of election and reprobation be reduced unto one, why may not the covenant of works and the covenant of grace, by your rules be reduced into one? As election is Gods purpose to bestow everlasting life, seeing God doth not purpose to bestow it, but by way of ⟨p. 262⟩reward of obedience, of faith and repentance, and good works; it necessarily followeth that Gods election is his purpose of retribution. But there is besides in election, a purpose to work a certain number of men unto faith, obedience, and good works, and unto a final perseverance in them all. So likewise between the covenant of the Law and the covenant of Grace, there is this principal difference: that God enables his elect to the performance of the one, not of the other; but as touching the reprobate, he enableth them to the performance of neither condition. Subservient to Gods election of some is each covenant. The covenant of works to humble them, not only upon the consideration of their sins, whereby they have merited eternal death; but especially upon consideration how their natural corruption is so far from being mastered and corrected by the Law, as that on the contrary it is irritated and exasperated so much the more. Then the covenant of grace to comfort them, considering how the condition of life is adulced and tempered, being from exact and strict obedience changed into faith and repentance;