A34689:1004
A practical commentary, or an exposition with observations, reasons, and uses upon the first…A practicall commentary, or an exposition with observations, reasons, and vses upon the first…
A practical commentary, or an exposition with observations, reasons, and uses upon the first Epistle general of John by ... John Cotton ...A practicall commentary, or an exposition with observations, reasons, and vses upon the first Epistle generall of John by ... John Cotton ...
London: printed by M.S. for Thomas Parkhurst, 1658
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
2 There is another being in Christ, which is actual, namely, of such, who ⟨p. 71⟩being called out of the estate of Nature, bring forth the fruits of new obedience, Rom. 16.7. who were in Christ before me, not elected before him, but called before him, he was a Persecutor when they were Professors; thus we are said to be in Christ, when by faith we lay hold on him, John 1.12.
2 There is another being in Christ, which is actuall, namely, of such, who ⟨p. 71⟩being called out of the estate of Nature, bring forth the fruits of new obedience, Rom. 16.7. who were in Christ before me, not elected before him, but called before him, he was a Persecutor when they were Professors; thus we are said to be in Christ, when by faith we lay hold on him, John 1.12.
Q. 2. What is it to know we are in Christ?
A. It is more than opinion, or thinking so, for we are never said in any speech to know that which we only think to be so, no man knows this to be gold or silver, if he but think it to be so. No man grounds his knowledge upon conjecture, and indeed opinion flows from contingency, it may be so, or otherwise, but Knowledge is on sure grounds; what then, is it Faith? No, they go together, yet they differ much, there is as much difference between them as between hearing and seeing, Faith comes by hearing, when we assent to any thing upon Divine testimony, as if God hath given us some word, we believe it, but if we see a thing by sense, or by experience, or by some certain Arguments of Gods dealing with us, that we do not now only believe it from Gods Word, but we plainly see it by experience in our hearts from some love of God, from some obedience and humility, &c. if we have found our consciences pacified after much horror: Again, we find that our hearts have been proud and unclean, but now down falls pride and uncleanness, and we begin to conform our selves to Gods will, now we know that Christ is in us, or else we could not have turned our selves to any good thing.