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…

2 It refutes an error of the Papists, that think it a point of presumption to say, that a man knows his state in grace, why St. John writes it to all sorts, to old men, to young men to Babes, that they know their Father.

If it were extraordinary it would not be so common; and this indeed may justly discourage us from Religion: that woman that holds it impossible that her Child should know his Father, is a Strumpet; so that Church that holds her children cannot know their Father, is an Harlot, because they worship so many gods, they know not of what seed they be, for if they were begotten of the Seed of the Word, hereby we might conclude, we know that we know him, because we keep his Word; neither let them put it off, and say, We have a conjectural knowledge, but not a certain knowledge, for when we say we know such a thing, we do not say we think it; Opinion breeds conjecture, but Knowledge breeds certainty; Contingentium est opinio, necessariorum & certorum est scientia, whether it be à causis or effectis.

If it were extraordinary it would not be so common; and this indeed may justly discourage us from Religion: that woman that holds it impossible that her Childe should know his Father, is a Strumpet; so that Church that holds her children cannot know their Father, is an Harlot, because they worship so many gods, they know not of what seed they be, for if they were begotten of the Seed of the Word, hereby we might conclude, we know that we know him, because we keep his Word; neither let them put it off, and say, We have a conjecturall knowledge, but not a certain knowledge, for when we say we know such a thing, we doe not say we think it; Opinion breeds conjecture, but Knowledge breeds certainty; Contingentium est opinio, necessariorum & certorum est scientia, whether it be à causis or effectis.