A practicall commentary, or an exposition with observations, reasons, and vses upon the first Epistle generall of John by ... John Cotton ...

Doct. He that was from the beginning, truly God, was in the fullnesse of time, true man.

A plaine Doctrine you will say, and well known to the meanest in this Con∣gregation; be it so, yet it is fit to put you in remembrance of it, 2 Pet. 1.12, 13. Rom. 15.14, 15. 2 Tim. 2.8.

But you will say unto me, Were it not much better to omit to speak of the person of Christ, and rather to speak of the benefits we receive by him, Justification, Adoption, Sanctification, by the Spirit of God, Faith, Hope, Love, Repentance? &c.

Take heed this be not one kind of spirituall Harlotry and adultery. If you should see a Virgin affianced to a man, to desire still to hear and speak of the gifts and presents he hath, and will bestow upon her, as Rings, Brace∣lets, Jewells, &c. and to have no minde at all to hear or speak of his person, would you not say she loved his gifts and his tokens more than himselfe? so here, if we find our souls affected to Christ (I would to God, yea it were the joy of my heart, if I could draw you to be in love with the Gifts and Graces of Christ, our hearts are dead and dull even at the mention of them, how much more at the mention of his person or nature) yet thou that hast tasted of his bountifull Gifts and Graces, be led on further, willingly to hear and speak of his person, (Cant. 5.9 When the Daughters of Jerusalem had asked of the Spouse of Christ, what her beloved was more than anothers beloved? she in 8 verses following, enters into a long, and large, and lovely description, not of what he had given her, but of his person) especially seeing this part of his person, his human nature is an excellent gift of God to us, and the foun∣dation of all the rest. Yea what Doctrine soever John teacheth us in this whole Epistle, tendeth to this end, that our joy may be full, which is a spe∣ciall benefit arising from all, Chap. 1.4. Now the manhood of Christ is pro∣ved by two reasons,

• First, By the Titles given to him.
• Secondly, By the properties of a man agreeing to him.

First, By the Titles given to him, he being called 1 Flesh, John 1.14. Rom. 1.3. Heb. 2.14. and this Flesh is not phan∣tasticall, but palpable, John 20.27. 2 Man, Acts 17.31. 3 Son of Man, Luke 19.10. Acts 7.56. 4 Seed of David, 2 Tim. 2.8. Abra∣ham, Gal. 3.16. The Woman, Gen. 3.15. 5 Emanuel, Isa. 7.14 Mat. 1.23.

Secondly, By the Properties of a Man agreeing to him, 1 Born of a Woman, Mat. 1. ult. 2 Hunger, Mat. 21.18. and with it thirst, John 19.28. 3. Wearinesse, John 4.6. 4 Griefe and Sorrow, Isa. 53.3, 4, 10. Mat. 26.38. and from it weeping, John 11.35. Sighing and groaning, John 11.33. 5 Bleeding and sweating, Luke 22.44. 6 Dying, John 19.30.

Now for the Reasons why Christ became man, they are

First, That he might be a middle person, or of a middle nature, between the persons offending, and the persons offended; if he had still remained God, he had been the person offended with us; or if onely man, then he had been the party offending: and therefore that he might be of a middle condition, it was needfull he should take upon him our nature.

Secondly, That that nature of ours which had offended, might make satis∣faction; if he had not taken on him our nature, he could not have satisfied for our sins, Heb. 2.16.

Thirdly, That he might be able to suffer death for us, Heb. 2.9. which God could not doe.

Fourthly, That he might be the better compassionate of our infirmities, Heb. 2.17, 18.

The Reasons why Christ became not an Angel, which the Schoolmen render, are divers, principally these;

First, Angels being created all at once, and not propagated one from ano∣ther by generation, though many of them fell, yet God lost not the whole kind, because many of them stood: but men proceeding all from one stock or root, he being corrupt, all his Off-spring were in the same Estate; so that if God had not provided this means of Christs incarnation for him, he had lost the Creature wholly.

But to this I answer, God might have made many men once, as well as Angels, and so might have provided another means of saving some of them, as he did the Angels, but that he would set forth the abundant riches of his love to man, in saving them, by giving of his own Son.

Again, though all men had perished, they had had but their desert, and God might have had more service, by one Angell redeemed, than by many millions of men.

Secondly, The Angels fell of themselves, but man by their procurement.

To this also I say, That the greater the Angels sin was, the greater is their misery, and the greater their misery is, the greater mercy had God shewed to have redeemed them.

Thirdly, The Angels conceiving things, not by discourse, but by a present view of all things that any way pertain to those things they turn themselves unto, they doe all things with so full resolution, that they cannot alter their mind, or repent; but man conceiving things by discourse, findeth them in the event many times to prove otherwise than he expected, and so may come to alter his mind, and be fit to be brought to repentance.

To this take this answer, That the Angels being of a finite nature, must needs conceive one thing after and upon another, which is discourse, and so subject to error, and so of themselves capable of repentance; was not the De∣vill deceived in Job? Job 1.11.

Fourthly, The Angels being pure, immateriall, intellectuall Spirits, dwel∣ling in the presence of God, and in the light of his countenance, could not sin by error or mis-perswasion, but of purposed malice, which is the sin against the Holy Ghost, irremissible; but man fell by error and mis-perswasion.

For answer hereunto, take this, That though the Devills dwelt in the pre∣sence of God (which cannot be proved) yet they received no more light than God would communicate to them, and who can say that God communi∣cated so much to them, but that upon wilfull not attendance to him, they might be deceived?

Fifthly, As men have a time, after which there is no place left for helping or altering their Estate, so was it meet Angels should have the like; that time to men is bodily death, which because Angels are not subject to, it was not un∣meet their time should be their first spirituall death, their first sins, hence Da∣mascen saith, Hoc est Angelis casus, quod hominibus mors.

To this I say, That the Angels might have had another time, beyond which there hath been no place for repentance, namely not their first sin, but their wilfull rejecting of a Saviour, if he had pleased to have offered them any. Thus you see that all these (and so are the rest) but mens devices and conje∣ctures; the true reason you have, John 3.16. Gods love to us, which also cau∣seth the Lord to say, as Jer. 8.4. God neither turneth nor returneth, Angels turn, but return not, men both turn and return, through this unspeakable love of God.

Ʋse 1. To confute the Heresies of Eutiches and the Maniches, who taught Christ had no true, but a phantasticall body.

Secondly, To stir us up to some duties, 1 of Meditation, 2 of Practice.

First, Of Meditation, and that 1 Concerning God, and 1 Concerning his Justice, so severe against sin, as all the meer men in the world could not satisfie for it, and therefore Christ became man, and that is the reason why

the damned are tormented, because they cannot satisfie.

Secondly, His mercy and and love to us; the Father to abase his Son, the Son to abase himselfe for us.

Thirdly, His Wisdome, to find out such a means to save us, when he passed by the more glorious Angels.

Secondly, Concerning our selves, who were in so wretched a condition, as the blood of Bulls and Goats could not save us, men and Angells could not help us, onely the Son of God must empty himselfe of Glory and Majesty, and become man for us: if therefore thou hast not part in Christ Jesus, the same sins which plucked Christ from Heaven to Earth, will pluck thee from the Earth to Hell.

Secondly, It may stir us up to some duties of practice. 1. To teach us Humility, Phil. 2.6, 7. Psal. 22.6.

1. By Considering our own Estates, and the misery thereof, which caused him to take upon him the form of a servant.

2. By Considering his example, who took upon him the form of a ser∣vant, to be serviceable to us; so ought we to abase our selves to be service∣able to our Brethren.

Secondly, To stir us up to labor to be united to his nature, as he was to ours, 2 Pet. 1.4. he became the son of man, that we might become the sons of God; we cannot answer the intent of his incarnation better.

Thirdly, To move us to an holy thankfulnesse and joyfullnesse in the Lord, as

• 1. Zachary blessed the Lord in this behalfe, Luke 1.68.
• 2. Mary magnified him, Luke 1.46.
• 3. John leaped at it for joy in his Mothers belly, Luke 1.41.
• 4. Abraham long before, John 8.56. he saw it in the promise, and laugh∣ed, Gen. 17.16, 17. and hereupon called his Son Isaac.
• 5. The Angels, who have lesse benefit than we hereby, Luke 2.14.

And sure if John wrote every Doctrine in this Epistle, that our joy might be full, as chap. 1.4. then hence also let us raise up our hearts to this holy affecti∣on, this is the fittest exercise for Christmas, otherwise usually spent in carnall delights, because men have no part in this joy.