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…

It is no part of my meaning to dispute, much less to determine, whether Christ should have been incarnate, if Adam had never ¹fallen: I conceive it a question no less frivolous, then curious. The purpose of glorifying Christ, though it presuppose not the creation or fall of man, as making way for such an intention in God, yet doth it enforce the creation and fall of Adam, as making way for this purpose.

It is no part of my meaning to dispute, much lesse to determine, whether Christ should have been incarnate, if Adam had never ¹fallen: I conceive it a question no lesse frivolous, then curious. The purpose of glorifying Christ, though it presuppose not the creation or fall of man, as making way for such an intention in God, yet doth it enforce the creation and fall of Adam, as making way for this purpose.

1. 1Answ.

Nothing, usually, doth cause more perturbation and hinderance in the inquisition of truth, than incommodious expressions: The ¹purpose of glorifying Christ (say you) presupposeth not the creation and fall. No marvel, for the creation and fall are things temporal; but Gods purposes are eternal. Again, such a purpose (you say) doth not make way to any such intention: This phrase, such intention, is spoken in reference to the creation and fall; as if they ⟨p. 25⟩were intentions, which indeed they are not; but rather executions of intentions: it should run thus, As making way for the intentions of such things in God. Purpose and Intention signifying the same, it is good to keep our selves in one sentence to the use of one of them, lest we expose our Readers to distraction, possibly suspecting they may have different significations. Your meaning, questionless, is this, Gods intention of glorifying Christ doth not presuppose the intention of creation or fall of Adam: And I am of your mind in this. But your meaning contains two things more, whereof the first is this, Gods intention of the creation and fall, doth presuppose his intention of glorifying Christ: The second is this, Gods intention of glorifying Christ, doth infer the intention of creation and fall of Adam. As in both these I differ from you, so I will endeavour to disprove your opinion in both. And first, I prove that the intention of glorifying Christ, was not before the intention of creation, and permission of Adams fall. For although this may seem plausible, for as much as thus the glorifying of Christ, as it is first in intention, so also shall it be most congruously last in execution; yet according to this very rule, the issue will fall more foul then you are aware of; For, to begin with the Creation; if the glorifying of Christ were before creation, then also was it much more before the generation of all mankind: but this will appear to be most untrue, by the same rule; for, if in comparison of the glorifying of Christ, with the generation of all mankind, the glorifying of Christ was first in intention, then accordingly it should be last in execution, which is most untrue; for that of the Apostle,