A34689:3883
A34689:3883
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.
Perfect, is diversly taken, sometimes it is taken for sound and unfeigned; thus Amaziah did not that which was good in the sight of the Lord, with a perfect heart, 2 Chron. 15.2. But David and good King Hezekiah did that which was good in the sight of the Lord, with a perfect heart, 2 King. 18.3. that is, without hypocrisy and rottenness, Let a man profess love to God, and not love to his brother, his love is not true, but hypocritical; but if a man unfeignedly love his brother, he doth soundly love God: a man cannot find God pardoning his sins, healing his infirmities, but he will love his brethren, and do good offices to them.
Perfect, is diversly taken, sometimes it is taken for sound and unfaigned; thus Amaziah did not that which was good in the sight of the Lord, with a perfect heart, 2 Chron. 15.2. But David and good King Hezekiah did that which was good in the sight of the Lord, with a perfect heart, 2 King. 18.3. that is, without hypocrisie and rottennesse, Let a man professe love to God, and not love to his brother, his love is not true, but hypocritical; but if a man unfeignedly love his brother, he doth soundly love God: a man cannot finde God pardoning his sins, healing his infirmities, but he will love his brethren, and do good offices to them.
2 Perfect is all one with entire, as a child is then said to be perfect, when he hath all the parts of a man; this perfectness is opposed to that which is maimed, so his love is perfect, which is entire to God and man: All our duty is to love God, and to love our neighbour as our selves, 1 John 4.21. He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to walk humbly with thy God? that is, to express thy love to God, and to do justice, and love mercy; that is, to our brethren, Mic. 6.8. This is perfection of spirit, Rom. 13.10. Therefore saith the Apostle, He that loves, fulfils the Law, the law of the first and second Table, and God would have the chiefest part of our love to him expressed in our love to our brethren, 1 Cor. 13.12. the chiefest of those is love; we do God more honour by faith and hope; but we edify the Church more by love: so that God requires, as we see, 1 Cor. 13.1, 2, 3. our love to him to be expressed by doing good to the sons of men, Hence our Saviour will reason with the sons of men at the last day, Come ye blessed of my Father. Matth. 25.34. to the end; so that all the love God expects we should show to him, should be poured out to our brethren; if thou be righteous, what dost thou then give to God? Job 35.6, 7, 8. 1 Cor. 11.10. I have abounded more then they all, (saith St. Paul) by the grace of God, and that good was by doing many good offices to the Brethren; hence God would have all the sons of men to serve him in their general callings, with such graces, 1 Cor. 16.14. as they may show forth in their particular callings in doing all their duties in love, when David was earnest with God for the pardoning of his sins, Psal. 51.8. & vers. 18. and 12.13. shows you; that as he would spend himself in Gods praise, so he would labour to bring on others in the ways of grace.
2 Perfect is all one with entire, as a childe is then said to be perfect, when he hath all the parts of a man; this perfectnesse is opposed to that which is maimed, so his love is perfect, which is entire to God and man: All our duty is to love God, and to love our neighbour as our selves, 1 John 4.21. He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to walk humbly with thy God? that is, to expresse thy love to God, and to do justice, and love mercy; that is, to our brethren, Mic. 6.8. This is perfection of spirit, Rom. 13.10. Therefore saith the Apostle, He that loves, fulfills the Law, the law of the first and second Table, and God would have the chiefest part of our love to him expressed in our love to our brethren, 1 Cor. 13.12. the chiefest of those is love; we do God more honour by faith and hope; but we edifie the Church more by love: so that God requires, as we see, 1 Cor. 13.1, 2, 3. our love to him to be expressed by doing good to the sons of men, Hence our Saviour will reason with the sons of men at the last day, Come ye blessed of my Father. Matth. 25.34. to the end; so that all the love God expects we should shew to him, should be poured out to our brethren; if thou be righteous, what dost thou then give to God? Job 35.6, 7, 8. 1 Cor. 11.10. I have abounded more then they all, (saith St. Paul) by the grace of God, and that good was by doing many good offices to the Brethren; hence God would have all the sons of men to serve him in their general callings, with such graces, 1 Cor. 16.14. as they may shew forth in their particular callings in doing all their duties in love, when David was earnest with God for the pardoning of his sins, Psal. 51.8. & vers. 18. and 12.13. shewes you; that as he would spend himself in Gods praise, so he would labour to bring on others in the ways of grace.
3 Perfection of degrees, which he means here, and though no man is perfect ⟨p. 309⟩in all degrees, yet he is more and more perfecting, he is on the growing hand, Ephes. 4.15, 16. As no member can grow in the body, except it be knit to the body by joints and sinews, so Col. 3.14. in the body of Christ love is the bond that knits us together to God and our brethren, 1 Cor. 18. and 13.1, 2, 3.
3 Perfection of degrees, which he means here, and though no man is perfect ⟨p. 309⟩in all degrees, yet he is more and more perfecting, he is on the growing hand, Ephes. 4.15, 16. As no member can grow in the body, except it be knit to the body by joynts and sinews, so Col. 3.14. in the body of Christ love is the bond that knits us together to God and our brethren, 1 Cor. 18. and 13.1, 2, 3.
4 A thing is perfect when it is expert; thus Ezra 7.8. so is a mans love to God perfect to any good office, a loving Christian is a perfect Christian, you cannot set him to any good duty, but he is perfect to it; love oils the wheels of his affections, and sets him on that which is helpful to his brethren, and hence it is, that when our Saviour would set Peter on to feed his lambs, he would lead him on to this work, by propounding this question, whether he loved him or no? John 21.15, 16, 17. he pressed upon him this love; every time he asked him, his love required him to feed his lambs, 2 Cor. 4.15. The love of Christs constraineth Paul to be ready for doing and suffering: A man that goes about a business with ill will, he always bungles it.
4 A thing is perfect when it is expert; thus Ezra 7.8. so is a mans love to God perfect to any good office, a loving Christian is a perfect Christian, you cannot set him to any good duty, but he is perfect to it; love oyls the wheels of his affections, and sets him on that which is helpful to his brethren, and hence it is, that when our Saviour would set Peter on to feed his lambs, he would lead him on to this work, by propounding this question, whether he loved him or no? John 21.15, 16, 17. he pressed upon him this love; every time he asked him, his love required him to feed his lambs, 2 Cor. 4.15. The love of Christs constraineth Paul to be ready for doing and suffering: A man that goes about a businesse with ill will, he always bungles it.
5 A thing is then perfect, when it is durable; so is it with a mans love, it is durable if it be nourished with love to our brethren; if it make a man ready to be doing good offices to his brethren; this will make it not only grow and continue, but also to abound for ever, Ephes. 2.4, 5, 6, 7. If love continue not, the Church will not continue, that is, the whole body of Christians, the body of faithful Ministers and people; the Church will be removing, if love begin to remove.
5 A thing is then perfect, when it is durable; so is it with a mans love, it is durable if it be nourished with love to our brethren; if it make a man ready to be doing good offices to his brethren; this will make it not onely grow and continue, but also to abound for ever, Ephes. 2.4, 5, 6, 7. If love continue not, the Church will not continue, that is, the whole body of Christians, the body of faithful Ministers and people; the Church will be removing, if love begin to remove.
Use 1. A sign of the truth of our love; we must have as great a care of the truth of our love to our brethren, as of faith and repentance from dead works: How shall we know our love is perfect to God? How stands your love to the brethren? If your love be closed up from your brethren, then your love is very unsound, or very sick, so much love, so much life; and so much failing in your spiritual love, so much failing in your spiritual life, Gal. 5.6. Faith works by love, and that avails much with God: we must receive the Sacrament oft, that we may be strong in love, according as our love works, so works our faith.
Ʋse 1. A signe of the truth of our love; we must have as great a care of the truth of our love to our brethren, as of faith and repentance from dead works: How shall we know our love is perfect to God? How stands your love to the brethren? If your love be closed up from your brethren, then your love is very unsound, or very sick, so much love, so much life; and so much failing in your spiritual love, so much failing in your spiritual life, Gal. 5.6. Faith works by love, and that avails much with God: we must receive the Sacrament oft, that we may be strong in love, according as our love works, so works our faith.
2 It exhorts us all to the love one another, for by this means God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in our hearts. As you desire therefore that your love to God may be found entire, and thriving in your souls, give your selves to the unfeigned love one of another; edify one another in love.
2 It exhorts us all to the love one another, for by this means God dwels in us, and his love is perfected in our hearts. As you desire therefore that your love to God may be found entire, and thriving in your soules, give your selves to the unfaigned love one of another; edifie one another in love.
3 Comfort to such a man as knows he is of a loving heart, his love to God is perfect; you may know your love to God is perfect, if your love be sound to your brethren.
1 JOHN 4.13. Hereby we know that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
They that love their Brethren they have a two-fold benefit, they have Gods Spirit dwelling in them, and they know it.
THey that love their Brethren they have a two-fold benefit, they have Gods Spirit dwelling in them, and they know it.
What is meant by this, that God hath given us of his Spirit?
1 It implies that God hath given us that spirit of grace that accompanies salvation; this branch of that spirit that dwelleth in God, Numb. 11.25. Moses spirit was not diminished, though God did communicate it to the seventy Elders, God did cause it to be enlarged in them, that were in the place of Magistracy with him; so who so loves, dwells in God, and the same spirit of love do they communicate to their brethren, so that they walk by the ⟨p. 310⟩same rule, and aim at the same end. The fruit of the Spirit is love, Gal. 5.27. But the works of the flesh are adultery, &c. They that walk in love, have received of the Spirit; they have received of the Spirit of the holy Ghost, for the Spirit lusts against envy, Judg. 9.22, 23.
1 It implies that God hath given us that spirit of grace that accompanies salvation; this branch of that spirit that dwelleth in God, Numb. 11.25. Moses spirit was not diminished, though God did communicate it to the seventy Elders, God did cause it to be inlarged in them, that were in the place of Magistracy with him; so who so loves, dwels in God, and the same spirit of love do they communicate to their brethren, so that they walke by the ⟨p. 310⟩same rule, and aim at the same end. The fruit of the Spirit is love, Gal. 5.27. But the works of the flesh are adultery, &c. They that walk in love, have received of the Spirit; they have received of the Spirit of the holy Ghost, for the Spirit lusts against envy, Judg. 9.22, 23.
Use 1. It teacheth us, there is no love to be found towards our brethren, but amongst spiritual men; for if we love one another, there is a Spirit of God in us; where the Spirit is not, there is no love; Love is not a fruit that grows upon thorns, or on such a stock as nature brings forth, the old Olive.
Ʋse 1. It teacheth us, there is no love to be found towards our brethren, but amongst spiritual men; for if we love one another, there is a Spirit of God in us; where the Spirit is not, there is no love; Love is not a fruit that grows upon thorns, or on such a stock as nature brings forth, the old Olive.
Object. But many of Gods servants bring forth sour fruit, which will neither benefit themselves, nor others, therefore how is it said that Gods Spirit is in them?
Object. But many of Gods servants bring forth sowr fruit, which will neither benefit themselves, nor others, therefore how is it said that Gods Spirit is in them?
Answ. They have sour Oil distilling from the old stock, for there are many branches in us that suck sourness from the old stock; though there be a spirit of love in Gods children, yet many times it doth not run forth: But when you see Christian love expressing it self, it springs not from nature, but the Spirit of God.
Answ. They have sowr Oyl distilling from the old stock, for there are many branches in us that suck sowrnesse from the old stock; though there be a spirit of love in Gods children, yet many times it doth not run forth: But when you see Christian love expressing it self, it springs not from nature, but the Spirit of God.