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 Answer is rightly conceived, as freeing God from injustice, by reason of the sovereignty he hath over his creatures and liberty thereupon to deal, not only as here it is expressed in general, diversly, or unequally with persons equal (for so he deals even with his Elect) giving a greater measure of grace to one, as even to Saul a persecutor and less to another though never so moral, and free from such as the world accounts foul sins before their callings, but so unequally as to show mercy unto one, and to deny mercy unto the other. For the more full explication whereof we are to consider, that righteousness or Justice is taken in a double notion. The one is, ⟨p. 277⟩when things are carried towards men according to their works: The other is, when a man doth no other thing then he hath power to do; as in executing the power that God hath given them over inferior Creatures, we are just though we do kill Sheep, or Oxen, &c. Not in reference to any works of theirs, but only in reference to our own necessary use, and unto that lawful power which God hath given us to serve our own turns of them. And thus God is not unjust or unrighteous, but righteous and just, in showing mercy on some, and not on others, when there is no difference between them.

The Answer is rightly conceived, as freeing God from injustice, by reason of the soveraignty hee hath over his creatures and liberty thereupon to deale, not onely as here it is expressed in generall, diversly, or unequally with persons equall (for so hee deales even with his Elect) giving a greater measure of grace to one, as even to Saul a persecutor and lesse to another though never so morall, and free from such as the world accounts foule sinnes before their callings, but so unequally as to shew mercy unto one, and to deny mercy unto the other. For the more full explication whereof wee are to consider, that righteousnesse or Justice is taken in a double notion. The one is, ⟨p. 277⟩when things are carried towards men according to their works: The other is, when a man doth no other thing then hee hath power to doe; as in executing the power that God hath given them over inferiour Creatures, wee are just though wee doe kill Sheep, or Oxen, &c. Not in reference to any works of theirs, but onely in reference to our own necessary use, and unto that lawfull power which God hath given us to serve our own turns of them. And thus God is not unjust or unrighteous, but righteous and just, in shewing mercy on some, and not on others, when there is no difference between them.