Mr Cottons Clearing Doubts Concerning Predestination, Title page – Errata
A TREATISE OF Mr. Cottons, Clearing certaine DOUBTS Concerning PREDESTINATION.
Together with AN EXAMINATION Thereof; written by William Twiſſe, DD. Paſtor of Newbury.
Prov. 19. 21.
There are many devices in mans heart; nevertheleſſe the counſell of the Lord that ſhall ſtand.
2 Cor. 4. 3.
If our Goſpel be hid, it is hid to them that are loſt.
LONDON, Printed by J. D. for Andrew Crook, and are to be ſold at his Shop at the Signe of the Green Dragon in Pauls Church-yard. 1646.
The Authors Epiſtle unto the Reader.
IT was my purpoſe and reſolution at the firſt, to let this piece, in anſwer to Mr. Cotton, paſſe without a preface; for it was put into a Stationers hand ere I was aware: Neither did I ſee the mans face untill the whole book was printed. And for certaine yeares I knew not what was become of it, which I imputed to the confuſion of theſe times. But ſo it was, that a Knight of our County, ſent over unto mee the Miniſter who lived in his houſe, to intreate me to communicate unto him my anſwer to a book, intituled, Gods love to mankind: which I condeſcended unto; willing to ſatisfie ſo noble a friend as Sir Francis Pile. The Miniſter perceiving this anſwer of mine to Mr. Cotton lying with it, deſired that hee might take that alſo along with him, that Sir Francis might have a ſight of that together with the other: whereunto I yielded, upon promiſe made, that both pieces ſhould be returned into my hands very ſhortly, within a monethmonth or two.
But evill times followed not long after; and for a whole year we were full of diſtractions in the Countrey. My chiefeſt care was, for the preſervation of my manuſcripts, which I brought with me to London at the firſt: But this piece in anſwer to Mr. Cotton was wanting; I had utterly forgotten what was become of it. Sir Francis removed to Southhampton, and took care of my copies to have them along with him. It was ſomewhat long ere they were brought to London; but in good time they arrived here ſafe and ſound. And Mr. Gilbert, who brought me the firſt word of it, ſhewed me withall that he was well acquainted with a Stationer, who would undertake for the ſetting forth my Anſwer to Gods love to mankind: OnelyOnly his deſire was, he might begin with the printing of my anſwer to Mr. Cotton, becauſe that was a ſmall piece. And thus ere I was aware, I came to underſtand, that my ſtray ſheep, which I gave for loſt, was found.
And ſince that, conſidering certaine paſſages of divine providence, cauſing ſome interruption in the proceedings of bringing forth this Treatiſe unto the light of the preſſe: I have been moved thereby to prefixe this preface, partly on mine owne behalfe, and partly on the behalfe of Mr. Cotton: For men may perhaps conceive me to be well pleaſed with an adverſative diſpotion, and to affect a courſe of oppoſition, as well to the friends of the Bridegroome, as to his enemies: As if I were like Iſmael in part, of whom it was ſaid, that his hand was againſt every ones; which is enough to make me like unto him in the other part alſo, and provoke every one to have his hand againſt me. Truth it is, all my writings, both printed and manuſcript, that have an eye towards the preſſe, are of a reſponſorious nature; but the originall motive cauſe unto me was meerely mine owne ſatisfaction; and that in the points of grace and predeſtination. In arguments of this nature, I promiſed to my ſelfe more comfort then I could expect in ſtudying Tranſubſtantiation, or Purgatory. And becauſe truth is never ſufficiently known in a ſcholaſticall way, unleſſe we are able to maiſter the ſtrongeſt oppoſitions that are made againſt it; therefore I gave my ſelfe to take notice of the greateſt ſticklers in their oppoſitions againſt that doctrine, which is maintained by our Divines: and all this meerely for mine own better progreſsion in the inveſtigation of truth, without the leaſt thought at that time of publiſhing ought. And for the ſame cauſe I ſet my ſelfe upon thoſe paſſages, which ſeemed to containe the greateſt difficultie: And therefore in examining Arminius, I began in the midſt of his anſwer to Mr. Perkins, to ponder well his digreſsion and diſcourſe about divine permiſsion; for in that argument I had found no ſmall difficultie; and I made tryall, whether by that diſcourſe of his I could find ſatisfaction; but I found no ſatisfaction at all from him; neither was I able to worke out ſufficient ſatisfaction to my ſelfe: about that matter was the firſt digreſsion I began with, but it was one of the laſt that I finiſhed.
Other diſcourſes of mine, many of them, yea, moſt of them, were written by me onelyonly at the inſtance of others. My anſwer to Mr. Hords diſcourſe (which ſince is printed with Mr. Simſons additions, and ſet forth under the ſpecious title of Gods love to mankind;) was performed by me at the requeſt of Sir Nathaniell Rich. My anſwer to the Synod of Dort, after reduced to practiſe, was penned by me to ſatisfie friends, two copies thereof manuſcript being ſent unto me from ſcholar friends in Oxford: but eſpecially I was glad, that I had ſo good an opportunitie thereby to quiet the ſpirit of my lord Say; his honour being not a little moved with the ſcoffing carriage of Tilenus, the Author of that piece (who dyed ſhortly after as I was advertiſed) and by his lordſhips honourable care it was brought forth to light. I could give the like account of many other pieces written by me, and imployed therein by others; many of them being as meane in condition as my ſelfe. This very piece of Mr. Cottons, the anſwer whereunto is now put forth, I undertooke meerely upon the motion of Mr. Bets, a young Miniſter, who at that time lived at Broughton, in the houſe of my lord Say: he intreated me to take it into conſideration, and ſhew my judgement concerning it: And to gratifie him I undertooke it; and my lord Say himſelfe liked well of it, and communicated it unto Mr. Cotton, who carried it with him into New-England; whereby I was put to my ſhifts to get a copy of it as I could for mine owne uſe.
Now concerning Mr. Cotton, it may be his reputation will ſeeme to be touched in this; but let the indifferent Reader conſider what I ſay in my obſervation. Both Auſtin and other great Divines have written freely and largely of Election, but very ſparingly of Reprobation; the reaſon wherof I conceive to be this, There appeares more ſeeming offenſive harſhneſſe in the doctrine of Reprobation, then in the doctrine of Election. Secondly, I am perſwaded, they manifeſtly perceived, that by ſtating the doctrine aright in the point of Election, the truth, by juſt analogy and proportion, did there-hence neceſſarily follow in the point of Reprobation, to all judicious Divines. Now Mr. Cotton, as I have heard, is very ſound and orthodox in the point of Election; and comes to this work with a gracious intent, to clear the doctrine of Predeſtination (and that in the ſpeciall of Reprobation) from ſuch harſh conſequences as ſeeme to be derived there-hence; which doe very frequently break forth, as I have obſerved, when the order of Gods decrees is not ſtated aright: And by experience I have found the manifold odious imputations of ſtrange harſhneſſe layd upon Gods proceedings, and repreſented by the Remonſtrants in their Antiſynodalia Dordracena, in number 10. as I remember; but they all vaniſh and come to nothing upon the right ordering of Gods decrees: wherein, if any Divine faile, it may be his failing is only in a point of Logick, provided that he be orthodox in the point of grace; but if he be corrupt in that, then the more corrupt his Logick is, the better it may ſerve his turn for the countenancing of his erroneous wayes in matter of divinity.
Laſtly, I have been given to underſtand by Mr. Simſon, one of the reverend Divines of the Aſſembly, that Mr. Cotton upon the receiving and peruſing this treatiſe of mine, ſeemed to be moved therewith not a little; and that in ſuch a way, as not to be provoked thereby, but rather to incline to the receiving of ſatisfaction! Mr. Cotton is a Divine whom I never ſaw; but ſo much I have heard of his pietie and parts of learning, that his name ſhall ever be of reverend remembrance with me. Nevertheleſſe, becauſe this diſcourſe of his, whereunto I addreſſe my anſwer, is in the hands of many, and ſome of them may be ſtrengthned in their erroneous wayes, by this writing of his; and I have heard, that certaine Arminians have taken advantage, to juſtifie them in their wayes, from ſome paſſages in this very diſcourſe of Mr. Cottons: Others, though orthodox, may hereby be miſled into errour, in ſuch ſort, as to corrupt both themſelves and their brethren into ſuch opinions (too pleaſing unto fleſh and bloud) as may ſhake the orthodox doctrin of Gods free grace, in the precious points of Election, Predeſtination, & Regeneration. This danger I deſire to prevent; and upon my knowledge, my labour and paines herein have bin taken in very good part, by thoſe who are the very good friends of Mr. Cotton; and ſome not his good friends onelyonly, but great and right well approved of by Mr. Cotton himſelfe; they have deſerved no leſſe at his hands. The God of all grace, bring all his into an unitie of faith, in the acknowledgement of his grace, which is the onelyonly ſure way unto glory.
Faults in Printing correct thus.
Page 6. line 15. if read of. p 10. l 1. thus, r. this. p. 12 l. 25. contradictions, r. contradictious. p. 27. l. 28. Apoſtle, r. Epiſtle p. 33. l. 1. r. what was Gods. p. 38. l. 29. Queſtion the 2. it ſhould be Doubt the third: the want whereof made us ſuſpect that the whole and intire Anſwer to the third Doubt was miſſing. p 39. l. laſt ſave one, hen, r. when. p. 40. l. laſt ſave one, confeſſeth, r. confeſſe. p. 43 l. 21 bought, r. brought. p. 52. l. 15. decrees to ſave, r. decree was to ſave. p. 57. l. the laſt, diſtinct, r. disjunct. p. 61. l. 33. diſtinct, r. disjunct. p. 76. l. 18. grants, r. grant. p 87. l. 9. after the word feigne there ſhould be ſuch a disjunction as this [3]. p 98. l. 12. objects, r. objection. p 114. l. the fourth from the end, controverſies but; read it thus, controverſies; but. p. 117. l. 16. manner, r. nature. p. 131. l. 18. raſh, r. harſh. l. 19. raſh, r. harſh. p. 182. l. 9. in his his purpoſes, r. in Gods purpoſe. p. 190 l. 27. r. obduration. p. 194. l. 17. like, r. life. p. 199. l. 26. objection, r. Objector. p 207. the fifth Doubt, Queſtion the fifth, line the ſixth and ſeventh ſeems to be obſcure; but yet compared with the former, and well conſidered, the miſt will break up, and the ſenſe of the Author appeare. p. 209. l. 4. mans, r. man. p. 225. l. the fourth from the end, ſerves, r. ſeems. p. 227. l. 30. leave out the word and. p. 234. l 30. effectuall, r. and effectuall. p. 236. l. the laſt, r. informe him. p. 137. l. 29. that without, leave out the word that. p. 239. l. 6. ſhort of, r. ſhort of them. p. 250. l. 3. ſpeciall, r. ſpecials. l. 13. Genius, r. genus. p. 254 l. 15. it, r. in. p. 255. Queſt. 7. l. 10. of a grace, r. of grace. p. 267. l. 17. naturalls ſhould, r. naturalls right, ſhould. p. 283. l. 20. agat, r. aget. p. 284. the laſt line ſave five, ſounding, reade ſoundneſſe.