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

Doct. Opinion and Profession of perfect righteousnesse even in those that are cleansed by the bloud of Christ, is not onely an Errour, but a blasphemous and heretical Errour, it is Sacrilegious and Heretical.

For having told us before, that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and that the bloud of Christ cleanseth us from all unrigh∣teousnesse, yet if after this we say we have no sin, we doe not onely make our selves lyars, but God a lyar, for if he be not a true God he is no God, and his word is not in us; that is, no part of the Word is in such a man.

Q. But why doth St. John repeat this thing, had he not said enough before, that he repeats it?

Ans. 1. Before it might be thought that he spake of Carnal men, there∣fore to make it manifest, that even those that had confessed their sins, and were cleansed from unrighteousnesse, yet even those if they should say they had no sin should make not onely themselves lyars, but God a Lyar; therefore he repeats it.

2. He saw that men were ready to cleanse themselves from sin sinfully; if we can by any pretence, we will be ready to free our selves from such opinion of sinfulnesse, therefore he presses it, that indeed we are so foul that if we say the contrary we have no spark of Religion in us, not one spark of the Word dwells in us.

3. Because it is a point of great necessity to believe the contrary truth, there∣fore he takes up this conclusion again;

• To say, is either In Heart,
• In Word,
• In Carriage:

Well, to say thus, is to make God a Lyar, and so no God, for if he be not a God of Truth, he is no God; for, Verum & bonum convertuntur.

Q. Why doth he make God a Lyar?

A. 1. Because God hath given his Son Christ to cleanse us from all sin, and to what end should he send Christ to cleanse sin, if we had no sin; he that saith

he hath no sin, overthrows the coming of Christ, and the cleansing virtue his bloud.

2. God hath often said, all men are Sinners, in his Word, Rom. 3.23. Gal. 3, 22. Job 15.14. What is man that he should be clean? Job 7.20. David an holy man, yet professeth, Psal. 130.3. Psal. 143.2. the perfectest of Gods Ser∣vants have testified of themselves, that they are Sinners, therefore if we say we have not sinned, we make God a Lyar.

Q. What is meant, when he saith, the Word is not in him?

A. 1. It is not in his judgement, when he is not perswaded of it.

2. It is not in his heart, when he trusts not in it, and receives it not in love, and the saving efficacy of it; he that saith he hath no sin receives not the word; he speaks of the Word here, as Verbum salutiferum, Acts 20.32. 1 Thes. 2.13. 2 Tim. 3.15. Now the Word is said not to be in a man when there is not so much Word as will save; a man may be ignorant of some Divine truths, and yet the Word of God may be in him, but if he want the Knowledge and Faith of such Points, without which he cannot be saved, the Word dwells not in him; now he that denies sin to be in him, there is not onely a denial of that truth, but he is empty of all other saving truths.

All the Saving Truths of God are comprehended;

• 1 In Repentance for Sin.
• 2 Some lead on to Faith for pardon.
• 3 Some lead to Mortification of Sin.
• 4 Some tend to Sanctification from Sin, to be accomplished in due time; now if a man be without sin, to what purpose are all such exhortations to Repentance? To what purpose are all Scriptures tending to faith in Christ? To what purpose are such as tend to Mortification, or Sanctification; so that he that denies sin to be in him, he not onely sins against God, and makes him a Lyar, but he doth also Heretically erre in overthrowing all saving Truth; the Doctrine of Repentance, of Mortification, of Faith, of Sanctification, all these are over-thrown.

If a man apprehend or professe perfection in himselfe, it is impossible a man should have any truth of Grace, believing he hath no need of Repentance, or Faith in Christ, or Mortification, or Sanctification, this is a terrible point; St. John may well be called Boanerges, a son of Thunder, for these are thun∣dering speeches; he that saith he hath no sin is a Lyar, against himselfe, against God, a Blasphemer, an Heretick.

Ʋse 1. To confute perfect obedience to the Law, as the Papists hold, that Justification is by Works, were there no other Errours but this, it is Blas∣phemous, Atheisticall, and Hereticall, and overturns the foundation of Reli∣gion, for what is the foundation of Religion but the Doctrine of Repentance, and Faith? and if any be justified by Works, he hath neither need of Repen∣tance, or Faith, if righteousnesse be by the Law, then Christ dyed in vain, and his bloud is of no effect, Gal. 5.14. therefore that opinion is vain, that Popish Religion and ours may be reconciled, let St. John put in his judgement, he tells you, that he that saith he hath no sin, that he hath fulfilled the Law, and is justified by Works, there is no truth, no saving truth in that Religion that teacheth so, therefore it is impossible he should have any saving Religion in him, that holds Justification by Works, that holds Merits, he makes God a Ly∣ar, and his Word is not in him; For,

1 God then should send his Son in vain, Gal. 2.19, 20.

2 Christ himselfe should be in vain, and should lye, for he teacheth us to pray, Forgive us our debts; now if we have none, Christ lyes in say∣ing so.

3 The Holy Ghost should be a Lyar, when he was sent to convince us of sin, and there is none in us, he should lye unto us.

2 It shews the wickednesse of their Opinion, who say, the Virgin Mary had no sin; if she had said so her selfe, she had been a Lyar, and no truth had been in her.

3 It reproves the Catharists of old.

Ʋse 2. It shews us a necessity of taking up daily such a perswasion as this, that this day we sin, this day we have need of Christ, and need of Faith; we must daily take up this perswasion, or else we have no saving truth in our hearts, and if every day we be possest with a perswasion that we are subject to sin, not onely Venial but Mortall; that we have need of Christ, of Repen∣tance, of Faith, and that we can never say, This is the day wherein I have not sinned, if we be thus possest, it will lead us on to all that saving Know∣ledge of God, and of the Word, as may keep our hearts alwayes in an holy frame, such a man will be ready to think I have need to renew my Repen∣tance to day, I have need to lay hold upon Christ, I have need of Mortifica∣tion, therefore the Apostle would have us take up a daily continuall perswa∣sion of this, that we are sinners; therefore we are daily to consider with our selves wherein we have failed, and to renew our Repentance, and to look up to God for pardon of such and such sins, and for sanctification, otherwise we shall weaken our grace; and Divine truth daily; if we daily take not up such a perswasion, we shall begin to sit loose from the saving truths of Gods Word, and the power of it in our hearts: not but that many Christians may sit loose from this truth, yet so far as we neglect this, so far we dishonour God, and weaken our grace.

Ʋse 3. It will serve to teach us, that whosoever walks in the sence of his own sinfulnesse, is possest of it, and conscious of it, such glorifie Gods Truth, and magnifie the power of his Word in their hearts, God hath said it, and we witnesse it in our hearts, we bear witnesse that Christ was not sent in vain, that the Holy Gost was not sent in vain, Mat. 21.31. Publicans and Har∣lots enter into the Kingdome of God before you; Why? because Publicans and Harlots were sensible of their sinfulness, and so would soon be convinced of their sinfull estate, and so acknowledge their need of Repentance, of Faith, of Mortification, and Sanctification, whereas the Pharisees that thought them∣selves just, they were not sensible of their sinfull estate, and so saw not the need of Repentance, &c.

Ʋse 4. And because St. John writes this Epistle, that their joy might be full, that the joy of a Christian may be always like the Moon in the Full, never in the Wain and Eclipse, as any Christian therefore desires such fulnesse of joy, let him be daily sensible of his sin, what is the reason that many Christians faile in thir confidence, and fall into doubts concerning their estate? I would ask you, whether you have walked in a sence of your sinfulnesse daily? If not, no wonder though your joy be over clouded and Eclipsed; Saint John would have us strongly perswaded of this, If we say we have no sin, we make God a Lyar, &c. therefore if any Christian can go all the day without any sence or remorse for sin, his heart startles him not, if it be thus, no wonder though his joy be eclipsed; On the contrary, if you go on continually in a sensible apprehension of your sinfulnesse, and so renew your Repentance, and Faith, and Mortification, this will make you still to cleanse your selves daily, and so you would keep your joy renewed daily. We never had cause to com∣plain of our estate, but it was by reason of hardnesse of heart, and how come our hearts to be hardned, sin gets within us, and we perceive it not, and so we are hardned by it, and then our joy is overclouded, Heb. 12.13, 14. Heb. 3.13. therefore if we would keep our hearts from hardnesse, let us labour to spy out our sins, and be humbled for them daily, and so you will keep a soft heart, and a soft heart is commonly peaceable.