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…

Sed non frustra illi dictum est, Judicia tua sicut abyssus multa. Non frustra exclamat Apostolus, O altitudo divitiarum sapientiae & scientiae Dei! quam inscrutabilia sunt judicia ejus, & investigabiles viae ejus! Quis enim cognovit sensum Domini, aut quis consiliarius ejus suit, aut quis prior dedit illi, ut retribuatur ei? And again in the same Chapter; Sequitur propter hoc, Tradidit illos Deus in passiones ignominiae. Audis propter hoc, & quaeris inaniter quomodo intelligendus sit tradere Deus, multum laborans, ut ostendas cum tradere deserendo: sed quomodo libet tradat, propter hoc tradidit. Propter hoc des•ruit, & vides ejus traditionem, qualem libet, & quomodo libet intelligas, quae consecuta sunt. Curavit enim Apostolus dicere, quanta paena sit a Deo tradi passionibus ignominiae, sive deserende, sive alio quocunque, vel explicabili, vel inexplicabili modo quo facit hoc summe bonus, & ineffabiliter justus.

Thirdly, as touching the third, there is as little sounding in that also, for already you have confessed, that the Apostle in answering this objection, to justify God, hath recourse to Gods sovereignty over his creatures, as great as the potter hath over the clay, who maketh vessels of what fashion he will, and to what end he will. But in the last place you feign most unreasonably, ⟨p. 285⟩a justification of Gods course in hardening whom he will, from the consideration of the persons hardened, as being sinners. I say this is most unreasonable.

Thirdly, as touching the third, there is as little sounding in that also, for already you have confessed, that the Apostle in answering this objection, to justifie God, hath recourse to Gods soveraignty over his creatures, as great as the potter hath over the clay, who maketh vessels of what fashion hee will, and to what end hee will. But in the last place you feign most unreasonably, ⟨p. 285⟩a justification of Gods course in hardning whom hee will, from the consideration of the persons hardned, as being sinners. I say this is most unreasonable.