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

Doct. The seed of God in the hearts of Gods children, preserves them not onely from sin, but from possibility to sin.

To be born of God, is the same with the seed of God.

What is this seed of God? 1 Pet. 1.23. The Word of God is an immortall seed, and that not in the letter, but in the spirit.

To be born again, is when the Word and Spirit hath framed a man to the image of God. A man is then born again, when the Word and Spirit hath done the work of seed. For many a man knows the Word is true, the Devill knows the Word well enough; but the Word is then seed, when the soule of a man doth not onely receive the Word, but conceives of it, and is framed to the will of God, and being born of God, he is alwayes his childe. When a man is transformed into the image of God, his judgement and heart stampt with the image of God, he delights in God and his wayes, and children, his judgement and heart are carryed that way, they are all for God: repentance is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, his minde is then changed, Prov. 23.26. My Son give me thy heart, his heart is given to God. The seed of Gods Word was not in Herod, John 2.24. Psal. 119.11. 1 John 2.27. The seed of God remains in the chil∣dren of God both Word and Spirit.

Reas. 1. From the mighty power the Word hath had in his soule, when he was first begotten and born of God. It was such as did so affect and terrifie, as no earthly comfort was able to satisfie his heart, he hath been so over∣whelmed with fears and doubts, as that he will be afraid to sin as long as he lives.

2. From the strong possession that the Word and Spirit have in the heart, as they doe abide in the whole man, so especially in the conscience and will. I doe not allow what I doe, but what I hate, that doe I; which shews, that the Word hath taken such fast hold of his judgement and will, that both are for God, Jer. 32.40. Psal. 119.161.

3. From the great change this seed makes in the heart of a childe of God. It makes him from a wilde olive, to be a sweet olive. A good tree (Mat.18.) cannot bring forth evill fruit. Every thing brings forth fruit according to the seed.

Obj. There is a seed of corruption, cannot a man bring forth according to that?

Answ. There is an old man, but he is crucified, if we sin, we doe not trade in sin, our judgements and hearts are against it. When some lawlesse lusts have carryed us captive, and we complain of them to God, and desire that they were cast out, God looks at them, not as ours, Rom. 6.14. Psal. 110.28.

Ʋse 1. To refute all such doctrines as teach the apostasie of Saints. They say such as are born of God may come to sin totally and finally. This errour fights against a double doctrine of the Apostle. He saith, Whosoever is born of God, the seed remaineth in him. If a man can shake out the Spirit, how doth it remain? 2. The Text saith, there is no possibility of sinning; they say, he may sin.

Obj. They say, Whilest he is a childe of God he cannot sin, but he may cease to be a childe of God.

Answ. 1. He cannot sin, whereby he should be made no childe of God.

2. There is a doctrine of the Papists and their Divines, that teach, liberty of will cannot be nisi ad opposita, that a man may will a thing or not.

I ask whether a childe of God forbears a sin willingly or not. We say, wil∣lingly. If a childe of God walk in innocency from sin, he can doe no other∣wise. Whereas their doctrine is, a mans will is not free, unlesse a man may

doe a thing or not to doe it. What doe they think of Saints and Angells in Heaven, or God himselfe? whether have they free-will or no? I hope none of them can sin, yet doe they good most freely. Wherein stands liberty? Not onely that a man doth a thing without constraint, but that he follows the counsell of his own will, he follows his own judgement and reason.

2. For tryall of our own hearts, whether we be born of God or no. If we be, our ordinary course is good, we dare not sin, know not how to go about it, that seed which is in us, sets our hearts and judgements aright, Gen. 39.9. Other men may think it strange, that we cannot doe as they doe. This is a good evidence that thou art born of God.

3. See what to judge of those that have made a profession, and yet fall away. They were never born of God▪ for then they could not have sinned.

4. This may be a ground of much comfort to every childe of God. He will preserve us spotlesse and blamelesse. Here is a double comfort,

1. He looks not at thy course as sin, if thou be humbled for it, and he will take a course to mortifie it.

2. You can never lose the favour of God, because if you be once begotten, you can never be unbegotten. You are begotten of an immortall seed, and therefore cannot die.

Obj. This may seem to be a doctrine of presumption, for then a man may live as he list.

Answ. Suppose a Physitian could give us the apple of the tree of life, that so we should never die, but yet bids us take heed to a diet, for although we could not die, yet we should have such pangs, stone, gout, strangury, as that we would wish death rather then life. So God will make the best of his ser∣vants know what it is to wax wanton against him, and make them curse all the occasions that lead them to sin.

5. This should teach us that have received any seed of God, to take heed that we sin not, and therefore inform the judgement aright, out of the Word of God, 2 Tim. 1.3. that so you may come to sound judgement and wis∣dome. One errour of judgement will shake you much in your way, 1 John 5.18.