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…

By helps I should understand outward means, after mine own phrase of speech, and by yours also I have good cause; for as much as in the words immediately going before, you join helps and means together, and confound common graces with them both. As for means of grace, they are not given upon condition; for what condition can be imagined whereupon the Gospel should be given to a Nation? shall it be the using of their naturals right? how will you be able to make it good, that heathen men before they enjoyed the Gospel, did use their naturals right? Did the Corinthians who were carried away with dumb Idols even as they were led? 1 Cor. 12. 2. And for not honouring God as God, did not God give them up into a reprobate mind, to do things inconvenient as well as others, thereby to receive the recompense of their errors? Judge of this by that which the Apostle minds them of, 1 Cor. 6. For after he had told them that neither Fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor Adulterers, nor Wantons, nor Buggerers, nor Thieves, nor Covetous, nor Drunkards, nor Railers, nor Extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God, ver. 9. 10. forthwith he addeth [Greek or Hebrew], ⟨p. 267⟩these things were some of you, as much as to say, some of you were fornicators, some adulterers, some Idolaters, some wantons, some buggerers, some thieves, some covetous, some drunkards, some railers, some extortioners; or some of them in diverse kinds, if not in all these kinds liable to condemnation, and utter exclusion out of the Kingdom of God: But (yet for all this) ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the spirit of our God, ver. 11. And is it not manifest that when the Gospel is first preached to any Nation, it is preached as well to the uncivil as to those that are civill: as well to the debauched as to the moral?

By helps I should understand outward means, after mine own phrase of speech, and by yours also I have good cause; for as much as in the words immediately going before, you joyn helps and means together, and confound common graces with them both. As for means of grace, they are not given upon condition; for what condition can bee imagined whereupon the Gospel should bee given to a Nation? shall it bee the using of their naturalls right? how will you bee able to make it good, that heathen men before they injoyed the Gospel, did use their naturalls right? Did the Corinthians who were carryed away with dumb Idols even as they were led?