A34689:2123
A34689:2123
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.
Out of false things we may sometimes conclude falsehood, and sometimes truth, but out of a true principle, you can never gather falsehood; so St. John here out of the truth you cannot conclude any lye, any false Doctrine; so that no lye is of the truth.
Out of false things we may sometimes conclude falshood, and sometimes truth, but out of a true principle, you can never gather falshood; so St. John here out of the truth you cannot conclude any lye, any false Doctrin; so that no lye is of the truth.
For Explication.
A Doctrine may be said to be of the truth, or not of it, in a double respect.
A Doctrin may be sid to bee of the truth, or not of it, in a double respect.
1 Of the truth, as the cause of it, John 8.37. he that is born of the truth, 1 John 3.19. so to be of the truth, is to be a Child of the truth, so that when it is said, it it not of the truth, that is, it is not born of the truth, and it is not bred of the truth.
1 Because it springs not from the Gospel of truth.
2 It springs not from the Spirit of truth, but from a lying spirit.
3 It springs not from the truth of their own hearts, not from the very moral civill truth; they neither spring from the divine truth of the Gospel, nor from the Spirit, nor from the moral truth in their own hearts; a man may speak not from the Spirit of truth in the word, and yet speak from an honest heart, but an Heretic speaks not from the truth of his own heart, Tit. 3.10, 11. so that these mens errors are not from ignorance or infirmity, but merely from the spirit of falsehood.
3 It springs not from the truth of their own hearts, not from the very morall civill truth; they neither spring from the divine truth of the Gospel, nor from the Spirit, nor from the morall truth in their own hearts; a man may speak not from the Spirit of truth in the word, and yet speak from an honest heart, but an Heretique speakes not from the truth of his own heart, Tit. 3.10, 11. so that these mens errours are not from ignorance or infirmity, but meerly from the spirit of falshood.
2 It is not of the truth, that is, it keeps not correspondency, or fellowship with the truth, and the reason is, because no Antichristian Doctrine, but it comes from the spirit of lying and murder, and such a spirit is the Devils spirit, John 8.48. Satan's intendment is to lye, and deceive, and murder mens souls; and that proceeds from the enmity betwixt Christ, and the seed of the Serpent, now the seed of the Serpent is not only Heretics, but Heretical Doctrine, and they strive to root out one another, Amos 7.10, 11. which shows what little fellowship falsehood hath with truth, 2 Cor. 6.14, 15. and therefore they would not suffer Christ to live, and so they persecuted the Apostles, because they spoke the word of truth.
2 It is not of the truth, that is, it keeps not correspondency, or fellowship with the truth, and the reason is, because no Antichristian Doctrin, but it comes from the spirit of lying and murther, and such a spirt is the Devills spirit, John 8.48. Satans intendment is to lye, and deceive, and murther mens souls; and that proceeds from the enmity betwixt Christ, and the seed of the Serpent, now the seed of the Serpent is not only Heretiques, but Hereticall Doctrin, and they strive to root out one another, Amos 7.10, 11. which shewes what little fellowship falshood hath with truth, 2 Cor. 6.14, 15. and therefore they would not suffer Christ to live, and so they persecuted the Apostles, because they spoke the word of truth.
Use. 1 May exhort all professors of the truth, to take heed of lying; if no lye be of the truth, then if you speak falsehood or lies, you walk not like your selves, such words come not from the Spirit of truth, but from the lying spirit, the spirit of wickedness and falsehood; and therefore what have the Children of the truth to do with falsehood, with false words, and false dealing? and especially take heed of false Doctrine for it is not of the truth, but lies; therefore have nothing to do with the spirit of falsehood, the spirit of Popery, or the spirit of separation, to draw you from the truth of Christ, from the communion of the Church.
Ʋse. 1 May exhort all professors of the truth, to take heed of lying; if no lye be of the truth, then if you speak falshood or lyes, you walk not like your selves, such words come not from the Spirit of truth, but from the lying spirit, the spirit of wickednesse and falshood; and therefore what have the Children of the truth to do with falshood, with false words, and false dealing? and especially take heed of false Doctrin for it is not of the truth, but lyes; therefore have nothing to do with the spirit of falshood, the spirit of Popery, or the spirit of seperation, to draw you from the truth of Christ, from the communion of the Church.
Use 2 If no Heresy be of the truth, then certainly it will never be for the truth; no stream riseth higher then the spring from whence it comes; if such Doctrine comes not from the truth, it will never rise so high as the truth; never look for true dealing from an Heretic that lies against the Gospel, and against his own conscience, never believe any Doctrine of theirs, for they aim at subverting; if they deal not truly with God, they will not deal truly with man, it is a conclusion of the council of Constance, fides non est servanda cum Haereticis, why? because they are Heretics; but you should know they were Heretics that swore it, and therefore they show such false dealing; therefore you shall never find any true honest dealing with Antichristian states in any negotiation.
Ʋse 2 If no Heresie be of the truth, then certainly it will never be for the truth; no stream riseth higher then the spring from whence it comes; if such Doctrin comes not from the truth, it will never rise so high as the truth; never look for true dealing from an Heretique that lyes against the Gospel, and against his own conscience, never beleeve any Doctrin of theirs, for they aim at subverting; if they deal not truly with God, they will not deal truly with man, it is a conclusion of the councill of Constance, fides non est servanda cum Haereticis, why? because they are Heretiques; but you should know they were Heretiques that swore it, and therefore they shew such false dealing; therefore you shall never finde any true honest dealing with Antichristian states in any negotiation.
Use 3 It may teach us, there is no safe reconciliation with these Doctrines, nay, no safe toleration, for no lye is of the truth; how can you reconcile night and day? light and darkness? there is as wide a difference between the truth, and Antichristian Doctrines; therefore there is no safe toleration of them, but one of them will be rooting out the other, either lies or the truth will be banished.
Ʋse 3 It may teach us, there is no safe reconciliation with these Doctrins, nay, no safe toleration, for no lye is of the truth; how can you reconcile night and day? light and darknesse? there is as wide a difference between the truth, and Antichristian Doctrines; therefore there is no safe toleration of them, but one of them will be rooting out the other, either lies or the truth will be banished.
Use 4. It may refute an Error of some, that say, As Anabaptism sprang from Luther, and Libertinism from Calvin, so Separation from Puritanism; but this cannot be, for no lye is of the truth, therefore these could not spring from any truth of Luther, or Calvin, or Puritanism.
Ʋse 4. It may refute an Errour of some, that say, As Anabaptisme sprang from Luther, and Libertinisme from Calvin, so Separation from Puritanism; but this cannot be, for no lye is of the truth, therefore these could not spring from any truth of Luther, or Calvin, or Puritanism.