A34689:978
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.
A. 1. From the contrariety of our tempers naturally to any Commandment, so thnt if you see any one willing and ready to be at Gods command, you may say, certainly the love of God hath overcome him, the Commandments of God do cross his will, cross his affections, cross h•s profit and pleasure, so that if you see any one give himself up to keep Gods Commandments and cross himself, it is an undoubted sign that there is the love of God in him, which constrains him to do what Nature would not do.
A. 1. From the contrariety of our tempers naturally to any Commandment, so thnt if you see any one willing and ready to be at Gods command, you may say, certainly the love of God hath overcome him, the Commandments of God do crosse his will, crosse his affections, crosse h•s profit and pleasure, so that if you see any one give himself up to keep Gods Commandments and crosse himself, it is an undoubted sign that there is the love of God in him, which constrains him to do what Nature would not do.
2 You may know such a mans love to be perfect that keeps his Commandments, because whatsoever weak beginnings of love you find in such as keep Gods Commandments, that mans love grows perfecter every day, such a man still grows in fruitfulness, he grows ready to every good work, Joh. 15.2. so that the love of God is perfected in him by obedience; As a fruitful Tree, the more it sticks his root downward into the ground, the faster it grows, so a Christian, the more he sticks his root on Christ, the faster it grows. And so the Husbandman will have more care of a fruitful Tree to prune it, he hath no such care of a sower barren Tree, but if a Tree be fruitful, he cuts off all superfluous Boughs that hinder the increase of such a Tree, so a man that is fruitful in Gods Commandments, he doth not only stick his root, his faith and hope deeper in Christ, but the Lord himself is willing to cut down all those noisome Lusts that suck away the sap of grace; if God see a man set himself fully to follow God, and keep his Commandments, the Lord will cut off all cumberances, all corruptions, all things that hinder the growth of grace.