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

Doct. The Lusts of the world, young and old are to be weaned from.

The love, of Christians is not to be set on the lusts of the world.

The Holy Ghost dehorts from this by Scriptures that enforce restraint from these lusts, 1 Pet. 2.11. 2 Tim. 2.22. Fly youthful lusts, and St. Peter wishes them to abstain from them, as if they were some deadly poyson, that would stain and infect our souls; it implies some great danger, Rom. 13.14. fly from them, make no means to accomplish them.

2 There are other words which shew more enmity, as mortifying; Col. 3.5. there he calls Lusts the members of the body, implying, there is a body of sin; now this mortifying is a metaphor taken from Chirurgions, who when they would cut off a Member, they mortifie it, by binding it, and hindering the recourse of the bloud and and spirits, and so benumb it. Secondly, They apply Corrosives to stupifie it, and then cut it off, lest it fret and kill the whole body; so we ought to mortifie our lusts, by restraining and binding our hearts from delight in any pleasure, Psal. 119.101. my feet, that is, the inclination of my heart, he had bound up his spirit from them, and restrained it from any fel∣lowship with them.

2 As Chirurgions apply Corrosives, so Christians to mortifie their lusts apply such Corrosives may subdue their lusts, Rom. 8.13. If ye walk after the flesh ye shall dye, but if ye through the Spirit mortifie the deeds of the body, ye shall live; either kill your lusts, or else you will kill your souls, therefore mortifie your lusts through the Spirit that you may live; which is a notable Corrosive to mortifie them by the Spirit of God; so another Corrosive is, when a man applies the threatnings of God to his soul, and against his Lusts; if you shall lay to heart all the dangers of your lusts, it will eat out the corruption of the flesh. Another special Corrosive is the Death of Christ, when we consider Christ dy∣ed for us, and we are dead in him, how then should we live any longer to sin, Rom. 6.1 to 6.

3 As Chirurgions cut off that Member that is thus mortified, so Christi∣ans, that they may not love their lusts, must cut off those lusts, and cast them away, Matth. 18.8, 9. were our lusts as near and precious to us as our right eye, were they never so convenient or necessary, even as our right hand,

though we should dis-inable our selves in our Callings, yet cut them off, it is better you should be lame in your businesse, better you should goe with re∣proach and shame in the world, than at length be cast body and soul into Hell fire; cut off the members of sin, which are as near, and dear, and necessary unto you, as right eyes and hands, in regard of your worldly employments, yet away with them, mortifie them.

Like to this phrase of Mortifying, is the Crucifying of the flesh, with the affe∣ctions and lusts, Gal. 5.24. they that are in Christ have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts, they have crucified the whole body of sin, partly in the affections, which are not sinful in themselves, but as they are inordinate, but they keep in their affections and passions in such order, that they sinne not in anger, or joy, or love, &c. and partly their lusts of the flesh also, co∣vetousnesse, pride, vanity, wantonnesse, they are crucified; they look at all their lusts as Crucifying Christ, and they look up to Christ for the pardon of sin, and so also for the healing of sin, for pardoning and healing goes to∣gether, Hos. 14.3, 4. 1 Joh. 1.7, 8. they that are Christs looking up to the vertue of Christs Death, they find their lusts not only pardoned, but healed; crucifying of our lusts, hath some resemblance with Christs Death; as,

• 1 They attach Christ, seek him out, and are content to give money rather than to find him; so will a Christian doe in regard of his lusts.
• 2 He layes them open as enemies to Caesar, to the great God, and desires vengeance on them.
• 3 He considers that Christ is dead for him, and he is crucified with Christ, therefore what hath he to doe to live to the world, or the lusts thereof?

Reas. 1. Why, all should be weaned from lusts, from the enmity which these lusts have against God, which is a sufficient motive to weane us from the world, Gal. 5.17. if they be enemies to God, then a Christian hath reason to hate them as enemies to his best friend, and indeed he cannot love God, and those lusts too, He that loveth the world, the love of the Father is not in him; he is not fit for any duty, he that loves the world cannot accomplish the will of the Father; every lust hinders spiritual duties, hearing of the Word, Prayer, receiving of the Sacrament; any one lust tolerated, or lived in, hinders all Spirituall duties.

Reas. 2. From the enmity they have against our souls, 1 Pet. 2.11. Dear∣ly beloved, as strangers and pilgrimes abstain from fleshly lusts which fight against your souls; they fight against your souls, and so fight, that either you must kill them, or they will kill your souls; either mortifie them, or they will mor∣tifie your souls; either captivate them, or they will captivate your souls. Therefore seeing they are so contrary to God, and any Spiritual life, and our own souls, as we would not have our lusts hinder our peace with God, and eat out our grace, as we would maintain our communion with God, and the life of our souls, Love not the world, nor the lusts of the world.

Ʋse 1. To teach us, it is not enough for us to abstaine from outward gross sins, but love not your lusts: thou mayest refrain from the outward acts of sin, but yet thy heart may be strongly affected towards sin, and thou mayest delight therein; if thou dost, thou lovest the world, and the things of the world; therefore labour to cleanse your selves from secret lusts. Circumcision was the cutting off the fore-skin of a secret member, and yet God would have another Circumcision more secret, and that is of the heart, we must not content our selves with outward reformation, but circumcise our hearts: Levit. 3.3, 4. God took speciall care that he might have all the Kidnies and Fat; the Kidnies and Fat are our strongest desires and lusts, why, when we come to offer Sacrifice, we must bring them before the Lord, and burn them, there is no savour so sweet in Gods nostrils as the burning of our strongest lusts, the more our lusts stink in our nostrils, the more sweet smelling savour

it is to God, so long as our lusts smel sweet in our nostrils, so long we are loath∣some to God.

Ʋse 2. It must teach us, it is not enough to cut off some lusts, but those that we love most; a good husband that hates prodigality, you shall not need to exhort him to frugality; so prodigality cannot endure covetousnesse, it hates basenesse and pinching, he cannot abide it, it is not his own lust; so ano∣ther he cares not for this pride and bravery, so he may ly close at the pot, or an Harlot; why this is no great matter to cry out against those lusts that are not ours, but it is a Christian duty, not to love our own lusts; covetousnesse is not thy lust, but if prodigality be thy lust, doe not thou cry out against covetous∣nesse; and thou which art covetous, doe not thou stand out against another mans prodigality, but strive against thy own covetousnesse; there are lusts which are to us, as Eves apple, fair to the eye, such lusts as our souls lust after, Rev. 18.14. look thou to these lusts which thy soul lusts after, let them depart from thee.

Ʋse 3. This reproves our aptnesse to cherish and nourish our own lusts; when we are commanded not to love them, to mortifie them, not to make provision for them, if we then provide for them, we are justly to be reproved, Job 24.15. Prov. 7. Woe be to them that draw iniquity with the cords of vanity, and sin as it were with Cart-roaps, Isa. 15.18. that take occasion to fulfill their sins, that draw them on with Cart-roaps, that give way to such reasons, and such intentives as draw on a lust, woe be to them that put away all feare of judgement, and so draw on lusts with the cords of vanity.

Ʋse 4. To teach us all to wean our selves from these lusts. Young men I write unto you, love not the World, nor the things of the Werld; and old men have no∣thing to doe with them, refrain from them, apply such corrosives, such threat∣nings, such promises, Christs death, and cut off all occasions of sin, root it out, challenge your hearts, arraign them before God, bring them as enemies to your souls, and labour to cut them off utterly.

If any man love ••he world the love of the Father is not in him.