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

Doct. That in stead of loving God with all our hearts, the great and first com∣mandement now is, that we believe in the Name of the Lord Jesus.

When the holy Ghost would rank all the commandements under two heads, he reduces them to these two.

First, That in stead of loving God with all our hearts, we must believe in Jesus Christ.

Secondly, In stead of loving our neighbour as our selves, that we love our Brethren, as Christ commands. When Christ was demanded what was the first and great commandement, he answered, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and the second is like unto this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe, Mat. 22.36, to 39. But the Apostle John he sums up the commande∣ments in these two. He saith not here, these are the commandements, but this is the commandement: As if he should have said, there is no more commanded of God. 2 Tim. 1.13. Keep a pattern of wholsome words, which is the sum of them? Faith and love in Christ Jesus.

Q. What is meant by the Name of Jesus Christ?

Ans. Here is not meant the letters or syllables of the Name of Jesus. There is no other name under heaven whereby we can be saved, but by the Name of Jesus, Acts 4.12. It were superstition to believe there were virtue in the letters or syl∣lables of the name Jesus. He means, there is no person under heaven, whereby we can be saved, but onely by him who is named the Lord Jesus. As it is, Gen. 13.4. Abraham called on the name of the Lord, that is, upon the Lord, Phil. 2.10. The Apostle saith, At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. So Isa. 45.24. there you may see what is meant by the Name Jesus, and what is to bow to the Name Jesus. Rom. 14.11. To bow to, or worship the Name Jesus, is to worship the Person of Jesus. He doth therefore add Name to the Lord Jesus, because we do believe in Christ by those attributes given to him, it is by Christ we are saved. Now if we did not consider him, as a Priest, a Prophet, and a King, he could not have saved us, these offices of Christ are the name of Christ.

Q. What is meant by believing in his Name?

A. There are three acts of Faith in believing in the Name of the Lord Jesus.

1. To be perswaded of his goodnesse and promises. Doubting is oppo∣sed to faith, Rom. 4.20. Doubting and perswasion are acts of the minde.

2. Faith is an act of a mans will, whereby he trusts on the name of the Lord Jesus. Not to beleeve in God, is not to trust on God for his salvation, Psal. 78.22. Credere in Christum, 1 Pet. 2.6. is as it were to rowle our selves upon Christ. There are two things in Gods promises:

• 1. Truth.
• 2. Goodnesse.

Ʋnderstanding believes the truth, will accepts and closes with the goodnesse. These be acts about a promise.

3. There is a true faith, but yet weak, which doth not reach to those, and yet reach to believeing in his Name, and hath salvation by his Name; which is, when a man can abide by the Lord, and will not away till he blesse him, like Jacob, Gen 32.26. This is the same with drawing neer to God, Psal. 73.28. A man draws neer to God, when he is willing to for∣ake all his lusts, and can find no satisfaction in earthly things, but onely in the Lord.

Reas. 1. It is a work of greater honour to God to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, then to love God, when we know him to be our friend. When a Chri∣stian doth first begin to believe in Christ, he doth not take God as a friend, but as an enemy; now, to cleave to God when he is an enemy, is more then to love God when he is a friend unto us. For a soul to throw it self on God when he is terrible, and seems as an angry God; now, not to let him go till he shews us mercy, is a famous thing. The faith of a weak Christian becomes more famous then the love of a strong Christian. The one hath had the ex∣perience of Gods love, the other never felt the warmth of Gods Spirit in the heart.

2. This doth magnifie the grace of God, because such a soul as believes in Christ, doth rely on Christ for every blessing; he doth not trust on the best graces he hath received, he doth not trust on his own faith, but he trusts on Christ for the favour of God, and he believes that for his sake every promise shall be fulfilled. This great commandment gives God & Christ all the honour.

3. Because by faith we rest on God for all the good we stand in need of, Rom. 4.16.

4. From the wickednesse of our nature, and impossibility to love God, before we trust God, and before we be perswaded that our sins are forgiven. The end of the commandement is love. Whence comes this love? From faith unfained, 1 Tim. 1.5. John 14.1. Christs disciples were much troubled, be∣cause he was to leave the world, but he labours to comfort them, saying, Believe in God, believe also in me. but verse 6. No man must think to believe in God, before they believe in Christ.

Ʋse 1. This reproves a sinfull error of the Doctors of the Church of Rome▪ who say that Faith may be severed from Love. A man may believe in God and yet not love him. Which is contrary to this great commandment. We, do no sooner believe in God, but we love him.

2. To exhort every soul, as they would desire to do any thing pleasing to God, to make this their greatest duty, to believe in the Lord Jesus. Faith and Love are correlatives. Let no man flatter himself in this, That he is born of good parents, that he lives in the bosome of the Church, and that he enjoyes Gods ordinances, but trust thou on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Psal. 9.10. Now, we cannot trust on God before we know him.

3. It teacheth this: That this believing on the Name of Jesus Christ, is a divine thing. For Christ Jesus is no creature, but equall with the Father, John 14.1.

4. Of comfort to every soul that believes in the Name of the Lord Jesus. He fulfils this great commandement. Is not this a great comfort to a man, when he knows there is little that he can either do or suffer, but yet this he is perswaded of, that he abides in Christ Jesus, and trusts in God.