A34689:4759
A34689:4759
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.
3. A third act of spiritual life is growth. Now a carnal man is far from growing in grace; apt is he to grow in sin, to proceed on in evil, to increase in ungodliness, 2 Tim. 3.17. Jerem. 9.3. From covetousness to ambition, from ambition to voluptuousness, this is his best growth.
3. A third act of spirituall life is growth. Now a carnall man is far from growing in grace; apt is he to grow in sin, to proceed on in evill, to increase in ungodlinesse, 2 Tim. 3.17. Jerem. 9.3. From coveteousnesse to ambition, from ambition to voluptuousnesse, this is his best growth.
4. A fourth act of life was expulsion of noisome lusts. Now by nature we are loath to part with our lusts. Jer. 4.14. O Jerusalem! wash thy heart from wickedness, how long shall vain thoughts lodge in thee? We by nature will never cleanse out our lusts, but if we do cast out any thing, its the motions of Gods Spirit, we think them superfluous and burdensome, and hinderers of our credit and pleasures, so that all good motions and good counsels that have been put in us, we cast them out. Ahab is struck with fear and humiliation, but he casts out all by calling a Council for War; Let Cain have a good motion, he puts it off by building a City, and so takes off his thoughts from once seeking to God to heal his sins. Felix, when Pauls words made him to tremble, he would hear him no more at that time, Acts 24.25. As Paul complains of the Jews, Acts 13.46. And Stephen, Acts 7.52. Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart, ye have always resisted the holy Ghost. They are not well till they have cast out all such thoughts; we are not well, till we are alive to run from God; wise are we to do evil, but to do good we have no knowledge, Jer. 4.22.
4. A fourth act of life was expulsion of noysome lusts. Now by nature we are loath to part with our lusts. Jer. 4.14. O Jerusalem! wash thy heart from wickednesse, how long shall vain thoughts lodge in thee? We by nature will never cleanse out our lusts, but if we doe cast out any thing, its the motions of Gods Spirit, we think them superfluous and burdensome, and hinderers of our credit and pleasures, so that all good motions and good counsells that have been put in us, we cast them out. Ahab is struck with fear and humiliation, but he casts out all by calling a Councell for War; Let Cain have a good motion, he puts it off by building a City, and so takes off his thoughts from once seeking to God to heal his sins. Felix, when Pauls words made him to tremble, he would hear him no more at that time, Acts 24.25. As Paul complains of the Jewes, Acts 13.46. And Stephen, Acts 7.52. Ye stiffe-necked and uncircumcised in heart, ye have alwayes resisted the holy Ghost. They are not well till they have cast out all such thoughts; we are not well, till we are alive to run from God; wise are we to doe evill, but to doe good we have no knowledge, Jer. 4.22.
5 A fifth act of life was begetting men to grace, but we è contra endeavour to beget them to the devil, and make them seven times more the children of the devil then before, Mat. 23.15. Though we understand that chiefly of corrupt Teachers, yet Jeremiah speaketh it of all men by nature, Jer. 6.28. They are all corrupters; not only bad themselves, but corrupters of others, none that comes amongst them but is made worse by them, kept off farther from God, they would not have their friends, look towards matters of Religion. All flesh have corrupted their ways, Gen. 6.11.
5 A fifth act of life was begetting men to grace, but we è contra endeavour to beget them to the devil, and make them seven times more the children of the devill then before, Mat. 23.15. Though we understand that chiefly of corrupt Teachers, yet Jeremy speaketh it of all men by nature, Jer. 6.28. They are all corrupters; not onely bad themselves, but corrupters of others, none that comes amongst them but is made worse by them, kept off farther from God, they would not have their friends, look towards matters of Religion. All flesh have corrupted their wayes, Gen. 6.11.
Use 3. It may teach us to bemoan all those our friends that yet lye in the state of nature. Hast thou any child, or wife, or friends that lye in the state of nature, look at them as thy dead children, and dead friends; and if our friends lye dead, how bitterly do we mourn for them? Zach. 12.10. They so mourn, that they will not be comforted, Matth. 2.18. All was full of mourning, and lamentation, because all the children were dead, and have not many parents many children lying in their natural condition, and is not the spiritual death far worse then the bodily? if they be alive in grace, Blessed are the dead that dye in the Lord, Rev. 14.17. Therefore mourn not so […] for their natural death, but if they be spiritually dead, without God, without Christ, without the life of grace; why, weep then for this child and that friend that lies dead before you. It may be thy whole house is full of dead carcasses, not one child or servant alive. Oh! then weep over them, mourn for them, •e earnest to God for them, and never leave till thou hast got life propagated to them. And if thou dost th••, he […] hath given thee children will give them life, some of them at […] that promise is full, 1 John 5.16. If any man see his Brother sin a sin which is […] unto death, he shall ••k, and he shall g•ve him life. You may therefore so handle the matter, that as you have given them natural life, so you may give them spiritual life. You know what a sore and bitter cry there was in Egypt, so that they arose at midnight; why, what was the matter, there was not one house wherein one was not dead; what would they have done then, if there had been but one alive in every house? Such is the case of many families, that a man may rise up in the ing, and not find one alive in his family beside himself, it is a just occasion of bitter mourning, if there were but one dead, how much more then when there is hardly one alive? Therefore pray heartily for them, that their soul may live in Gods sight. If you have the bowels of parents, be earnest with God till you have procured life for them.
Use 4. To condemn the Church of Rome, that think by nature men have free will to lay hold on Christ; but I would ask them, when they lay hold on Christ, whether they have Christ or no before; why, before they have received him, they have him not, and if they have him not, they are but dead men, and how shall dead men lay hold on Christ? If they do lay […] it's an act of life, if we be either able or willing to do any good, it proceeds from the grace of Christ, Phil. 1.12, 13.
Ʋse 4. To condemne the Church of Rome, that think by nature men have free will to lay hold on Christ; but I would ask them, when they lay hold on Christ, whether they have Christ or no before; why, before they have received him, they have him not, and if they have him not, they are but dead men, and how shall dead men lay hold on Christ? If they do lay 〈…〉 it's an act of life, if we be either able or willing to do any good, it proceeds from the grace of Christ, Phil. 1.12, 13.
Use 5, Let it teach us all, if we yet be without Christ, let us not give rest to our eyes, nor slumber to our eye-lids, till we have procured Christ to our selves and ours. What if a man have wealth, and honour, and beauty, if he hath not Christ, he hath not life. Therefore labour for Christ, that having him thou mayst have life.
Ʋse 5, Let it teach us all, if we yet be without Christ, let us not give rest to our eyes, nor slumber to our eye-lids, till we have procured Christ to our selves and ours. What if a man have wealth, and honour, and beauty, if he hath not Christ, he hath not life. Therefore labour for Christ, that having him thou mayst have life.
Motives.
1 From the sweetness of life. Skin for skin, and all that a man hath, will he give for his life; and he means natural life, but truly our spiritual life is worth the laying down our natural life. What shall a man gain, if he ⟨p. 410⟩win the whole world, and lose his own soul. If a man live and dye without Christ we may say of him as Christ did of Judas, It had been good for that man if he had never have been born. Mat. 26.24.
1 From the sweetnesse of life. Skin for skin, and all that a man hath, will he give for his life; and he means natural life, but truly our spirituall life is worth the laying down our natural life. What shall a man gain, if he ⟨p. 410⟩win the whole world, and lose his own soul. If a man live and dye without Christ we may say of him as Christ did of Judas, It had been good for that man if he had never have been born. Mat. 26.24.
2 Consider, if we have Christ we have life, and that in abundance. If you have all the promises, for in him they are yea and a men, 2 G••. 1.20. All the blessings of God are yours, both spiritual, Ephes. 1.3. and temporal, 1 Tim. 4.8. 1 Cor. 3.2. last vers. If you have Christ, the world is yours, all the dealings and carriages shall be serviceable to you, whatever you want, peace, or comforts, or outward things, if you have Christ, you have all things, Rom. 8.32.
2 Consider, if we have Christ we have life, and that in abundance. If you have all the promises, for in him they are yea and a men, 2 G••. 1.20. All the blessings of God are yours, both spirituall, Ephes. 1.3. and temporal, 1 Tim. 4.8. 1 Cor. 3.2. last vers. If you have Christ, the world is yours, all the dealings and carriages shall be serviceable to you, whatever you want, peace, or comforts, or outward things, if you have Christ, you have all things, Rom. 8.32.
Q. But what shall we do to get Christ? Are we not by nature unable and unwilling to receive Christ? To what end then is this your exhortation?
Answ. Though this be our sinful distemper, yet our exhortations be not in vain, for God by his Word oft-times conveys a power whereby we are enabled to lay hold on Christ Peter spake to a lame man to walk. Acts 3.6, 7. Would you not think it was a vain word? No, because he conveyed strength withal, whereby he was enabled to rise up and walk.
Answ. Though this be our sinfull distemper, yet our exhortations be not in vain, for God by his Word oft-times conveys a power whereby we are enabled to lay hold on Christ Peter spake to a lame man to walk. Acts 3.6, 7. Would you not think it was a vain word? No, because he conveyed strength withall, whereby he was enabled to rise up and walk.
Means to help us to get life i• Christ.
1 Consider how de•d and lost thou are by nature. Christ came to call such as feel themselves lost, Luke 19.10. Mat. 9.12, 13.
2 If thou knowest any fin•lly thy self, •id thy hands of it, cast them such thee. Many a man lives in sin, which if he would but renounces God would receive him to mercy, 2 Cor. 6.17, 18. Isa. 1.16, 17, […] •f the Passover, except they put away •••en, Exod 12.19, So if […] the old leave•, we shall become a new […], 1 Cor. 5.7, 8. Is•. 55.6, 7.
2 If thou knowest any fin•lly thy self, •id thy hands of it, cast them such thee. Many a man lives in sin, which if he would but renounces God would receive him to mercy, 2 Cor. 6.17, 18. Isa. 1.16, 17, 〈…〉 •f the Passover, except they put away •••en, Exod 12.19, So if 〈…〉 the old leave•, we shall become a new 〈…〉, 1 Cor. 5.7, 8. Is•. 55.6, 7.
And how is this done?
Ʋse 3. It may teach us to bemoan all those our friends that yet lye in the state of nature. Hast thou any childe, or wife, or friends that lye in the state of nature, look at them as thy dead children, and dead friends; and if our friends lye dead, how bitterly doe we mourn for them? Zach. 12.10. They so mourn, that they will not be comforted, Matth. 2.18. All was full of mourning, and lamentation, because all the children were dead, and have not many parents many children lying in their natural condition, and is not the spirituall death far worse then the bodily? if they be alive in grace, Blessed are the dead that dye in the Lord, Rev. 14.17. Therefore mourn not so 〈…〉 for their naturall death, but if they be spiritually dead, without God, without Christ, without the life of grace; why, weep then for this childe and that friend that lyes dead before you. It may be thy whole house is full of dead carkases, not one childe or servant alive. Oh! then weep over them, mourn for them, •e earnest to God for them, and never leave till thou hast got life propagated to them. And if thou dost th••, he 〈…〉 hath given thee children will give them life, some of them at 〈…〉 that promise is full, 1 John 5.16. If any man see his Brother sin a sin which is 〈…〉 unto death, he shall ••k, and he shall g•ve him life. You may therefore so handle the matter, that as you have given them natural life, so you may give them spiritual life. You know what a sore and bitter cry there was in Aegypt, so that they arose at midnight; why, what was the matter, there was not one house wherein one was not dead; what would they have done then, if there had been but one alive in every house? Such is the case of many families, that a man may rise up in the •••ing, and not finde one alive in his family beside himselfe, it is a just occasion of bitter mourning, if there were but one dead, how much more then when there is hardly one alive? Therefore pray heartily for them, that their soul• may live in Gods sight. If you have the bowels of parents, be earnest with God till you have procured life for them.