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…

Again, if the glorifying of Christ were in Gods intention before the permission of Adams fall, then were it before the permission of reprobates to fall in Adam, as well as of Gods elect, and consequently before the permission of all sins of the reprobates, unto the end of the world, and before their generations; and all these should be first in execution, as means tending to the furthering and promotion of the glory of Christ Secondly, I deny that the intention of glorifying Christ doth infer either the creation of Adam or his fall; yet, by the way, I am glad to see you acknowledge, that the intention of the end doth infer the intention of congruous means: But seeing, by that I have already showed, it must infer as well the generation of all mankind, to the end of the world; therefore, I pray, what colour of reason can be devised, why it should infer the generation of such a number of men as shall be, precisely, rather then more or less? So in respect of permission of Adams fall, I have already ⟨p. 27⟩proved, that the glorifying of Christ must be before the permission of mens sins, to the end of the world, as well as of Adams fall, and consequently infer that as well as the other: And what colour of reason can be given, why it should precisely infer the permission of just so many mens sins, and just so many sins of such men as shall be to the end of the world, neither more nor less? Again, if the intention of glorifying Christ doth infer Adams fall, then seeing by denying the Consequents the Antecedent must be as justly denied, it followeth manifestly, that if Adam had not sinned, Christ had not been glorified, and consequently, had not been advanced to an hypostatical union with the second person in Trinity: And yet to make question thereof, you profess to be no less frivolous than curious. I confess, it is rather frivolous than curious to draw that into question, the negative whereof doth evidently follow upon that which is positively received. Again, others, of the same opinion with you, are driven to take notice of this Question, for to derive this opinion of yours from a more ancient original than Mr. Baynes upon the •p•stle to the Ephesians, Petrus Alphonsus Mendoza, a Spaniard, maintains the same;

Againe, if the glorifying of Christ were in Gods intention before the permission of Adams fall, then were it before the permission of reprobates to fall in Adam, as well as of Gods elect, and consequently before the permission of all sinnes of the reprobates, unto the end of the world, and before their generations; and all these should be first in execution, as means tending to the furthering and promotion of the glory of Christ Secondly, I deny that the intention of glorifying Christ doth inferre either the creation of Adam or his fall; yet, by the way, I am glad to see you acknowledge, that the intention of the end doth inferre the intention of congruous meanes: But seeing, by that I have already shewed, it must inferre as well the generation of all mankind, to the end of the world; therefore, I pray, what colour of reason can bee devised, why it should inferre the generation of such a number of men as shall be, precisely, rather then more or lesse? So in respect of permission of Adams fall, I have already