A34689:4132
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.
Obj. Though our love and faith began but now, yet he fore-saw it from eternity, and therefore it might move him to set his love on us.
Answ. It's all one with God, whether you have respect to that which is now, or what he knows will be hereafter, so a wise man serves a Prince, not out of mere affection to the Prince, but because he loved himself first; for he fore-saw if he served him carefully, he should have abundant recompense: Now to the wise man it's all one, whether he have respect to the future foreseen recompense, or to the present, and therefore still his service is mercenary; therefore when God loved us, it was not for any thing we did, or was ⟨p. 335⟩foreseen to be done by us, for then we had not loved him, because he first loved us, but he had loved us, because we first loved him.
Answ. It's all one with God, whether you have respect to that which is now, or what he knows will be hereafter, so a wise man serves a Prince, not out of meer affection to the Prince, but because he loved himselfe first; for he fore-saw if he served him carefully, he should have abundant recompence: Now to the wise man it's all one, whether he have respect to the future foreseen recompence, or to the present, and therefore still his service is mercenary; therefore when God loved us, it was not for any thing we did, or was ⟨p. 335⟩foreseen to be done by us, for then we had not loved him, because he first loved us, but he had loved us, because we first loved him.
2 In Scripture account, that which comes after, is not the cause of that which went before, therefore our love coming after cannot be the cause of Gods love going before: To Abraham and his seed were the promises made, not by works or obedience to the Law, for the Law was given four hundred years after,