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

Doct. Such as doe the will of God, are not as the World and lusts of it, of a fading transitory condition, but they stand in a permanent abiding Estate.

Q. 1 What is it to abide for ever?

A. 1 It implies, he is not of an unsteady fleeting temper, but of a constant and even frame of spirit and life, not now in and now out, and never of a con∣stant frame, but of an even temper, as mountaines are not easily shaken, or dri∣ven to and fro, but remaine in their strength and place; why so, such as trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, that shall not be moved, Psal. 125.1. and he gives the reason, vers. 2. without any changing or removing.

2 He is said to remain for ever, because he doth abide in that Estate for e∣ver; there is a difference between constancy and perseverance; a man may be said to goe to London, though he keeps not even on, but goes out and in; so such a man as aimes at heaven, and goes on as evenly as he can, and if he goes out, he gets in again, such a one perseveres in his way to heaven.

Q. 2 What is it to doe the will of God?

A He that doth the will of God, stands in opposition to the World, and the lusts of it, and by this will is not m••ant only the will of Gods pleasure, but the will of Gods Commandement, for all the Creatures doe the will of Gods good pleasure, for they all doe things, so far as God wills; so that if a man doe his own will, he sh ll not goe besides Gods will; but here he means the will of Gods Commandement; Not every one that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter into Heaven, but be that doth the will of my Father, Mat. 7.21. t••at is, the revealed Will of God, Joh. 8.51.

For the ground of the point, why they abide for ever?

1 Because they are born of the unchangeable Will of God, of his own Will begat he us, Jam, 4.18. and he means that Will, which is not dependant on the Creature, but free, Rom. 9.15. There is no cause moving, but the only Will of God, he will have mercy, because he will have mercy; therefore when God bestows any mercy on the Creature because he will doe it, it puts the Creature on an unexchangeable condition.

2 From the vigour and strength of doing the Will of God, no man doth the Will of God, but the more he shall be inabled and caused to doe it, the doing of Gods Will, is the ground and strength of a Christian life, Joh. 4.34. he means not only he did it chearfully, but it was that which refreshed his soul, and strengthened his body, so that he felt neither hunger nor thirst, but it was strength and freedome of spirit to doe his Fathers Will, so that though he was thirsty, yet his words to the woman did so refresh him, that it was his strength and refreshment; now if it be so, that the more a man doth the Will of God, the more strength he hath to doe it, nay it conveyes not only strength to the soul, but also to the body, as a Tree, the more fruit it brings forth upwards, the deeper rooting it takes downwards, so a Christian, the more fruit he brings forth to God, the deeper he strikes his root in Christ, John 14.21, 22. if it be thus, I say, well may he abide for ever.

3 From the near union which such have with Christ, that doe the Will of his Father, Christ came for that end, to doe his Fathers Will, Joh. 6.38 there∣fore he that doth the Will of his Father, is near to Christ, he is Father, and Mother, and Brother, and Sister, Mark. 3. ult, because they are born of the same Father, of the same Spirit, and they doe the same work, if therefore we doe his Will, not as Servants, but as Children, then we are as heirs, and remain in the house for ever, Joh. 8.35, 36.

4 From Gods readinesse ever to hear the prayers of such as doe his Will, as the blind man said, Joh. 8.34. If any man doe the Will of God, him he hears, wherein he shews that suitable to our hearing of God, God hears us; if we hear God in his Commandements, he will heare us in our petitions, if

we take up Gods Word, he will take up our prayers that they be not lost; if we be sinners God hears not us, why? because we hear not him, God is as ready to doe our wills, as we are to doe his, Mat. 7 2. with what measure we meet to him he will meet to us; if we be careful to attend to his Word, and in∣dustrious to doe his Will, God will certainly doe our wills, as we have done his, Psal. 139. ult. he desires to be led in everlasting wayes, that is the Will of God, for that is only everlasting, and a Christian praying to doe Gods Will as the Angels, God will fulfil his will, and his Will is to abide for ever, and so it is Gods Will that he should abide for ever.

Obj. Doth not David complain, I am tossed to and fro as a Grashopper? Psal. 109.22.

Ans. He speaks not there of his inward estate, which was constant and even, but his outward estate, which was very unconstant, sometimes puld from the Ordinances, he hopt from one place to another, from Mountains to Woods, and Caves, from place to place like a Grashopper, but his inward frame was constant and even.

Obj. But was not Davids inward frame s metimes very uneven? he that had sometimes shewed much kindnesse to Mephibosheth, after took away his Lands; he that sometimes was smitten for cutting off Sauls skirt, after sticks not to commit Adultery, and slay Uriah, and after that to number the people.

Ans. He may erre through infirmity, as a man in a Journey, he propounds no other end but to goe on, but yet he goes out of the way sometimes through ignorance, and carelesnesse, but then when he knows it, he makes the more hast to get in again; so a Christian, he aims at a good course, even wayes, but sometimes through heedlesness, or ignorance, he falls into by wayes, but when he knows it, he makes hast to recover himselfe, and the cause why he goes aside, is because he doth not the Will of God, but his own will.

Ʋse 1 Justifie the Doctrine of the perseverance of the Saints, and confutes the contrary opinion of their Apostacy, for every Christian doth the Will of God, now he that doth the Will of God abides for ever, such make Gods Will their meat and drink, and so they lead an everlasting life, they feed on everlast∣ing food, Joh. 6.26. they have neer union with Christ, they are such as fulfill Gods Will, and therefore he will fulfil their desire.

Ʋse 2. A ground of direction to all such as would find comfort in Life and Death, if you follow the lusts of the World, they will not last alwayes, Consci∣ence accuseth, God will judge you, Eccles. 11.9. Rejoyce O young man in thy youth, &c. so Riches endure not always, nor Honour, therefore though a man now pride himselfe in his youth, or riches, or lusts, why these will not hold, time will come when you shall be weary of all these, but would you abide for ever? why this is the way, doe Gods will, and then thou chusest that part which shall never be taken from thee, Luke 10. two last verses Psal. 125.1, 2. let a man be doing Gods Will, he shall never dye, there is no man but would have his Estate confirmed to perpetuity, from age to age; why all the lusts of the World continue but for a while, but would you turne all to per∣petuity? be doing Gods Will, and then you shall abide for ever; so, would you heal all the fleeting unstablenesse of our spirits? sometimes you are much inlarged, sometimes as much straitned; sometimes you have vigour of Spirit, and sometimes you are dull, and quite out of frame, what is the reason? all this is because thou art out of the way, and therefore the Star hath left thee as it did the Wise men, when they went out of the way to Bethlehem to goe to Jerusa∣lem; even so when thou art in the way to Bethlehem to seek Ch••ist, and give up thy selfe to such courses as leads to him, why all this while the comfortable power of the Spirit shall goe with thee, but when thou consultest with flesh and blood, to satisfie any lust of the World, the Star will leave thee, till thou come into the way again; so if you walke in the even wayes of God, you shall find your selves always enlarged, though sometimes more, sometimes less, yet alwayes so much as is sufficient for your present condition.

Ʋse 3 Of consolation to every obedient Christian that breaks off from his own will, and sets himself with all his power to doe Gods Will, and is grieved when he doth any thing against it; why this is your comfort, that is an ever∣lasting way which leads to eternity, He that doth the Will of God, shall never see Death; that is, with fear or danger; nay he shall stand as a Mountaine that shall not be shaken, which is a great blessing for a poor Christian.

Obj. May not mountains be shaken and removed, are they not shaken by Earth∣quakes? so may not Christians be shaken and removed; are they not tossed up and down in the World, and never in a setled condition?

Ans. Mountains may be shaken and removed, Isa. 54.10.11. and Christians may be tossed in their outward Estate, but yet though Mountains remove, and hills be shaken, yet Gods loving kindnesse shall never depart from them.

Now from the scope the Apostle aims at, observe thus much.