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

Doct. 1. The love of God to us is altogether free, un-prevented and un-de∣served on our part.

If the question be, why God loved us? it was not because we had done him any service of love, but he loved us before we loved him. 2 Tim. 1.9. He called us not according to our works, but according to his free purpose and grace. Deut. 7.7, 8. The Lord did not set his love upon you, because you were more in number then any people, for ye were the fewest of all people, but because the Lord loved you. So Deut. 9.4, 5. he loved them because he loved them, and therefore surely without prevention or desert on our parts.

Reas. 1. From the removal of such causes of love, as might prevent God on our parts, if there be any cause on our parts, he loved us either out of foreseen faith or good works; but from neither of these; not from foreseen faith, for it's the love of God to us that produceth faith. Acts 13.48. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed, so that our faith springeth from Gods love, choosing us to life; nor for our good works, for we are his workmanship, cre∣ated in Christ Jesus to good works, so that good works did not cause Gods or∣daining us to life, but Gods ordaining us to life causeth good works, so that faith and good works are not causes, but fruits of Gods love to us.

Reas. 2. From the eternity of Gods love to us. Je. 31.3. I have loved you with an everlasting love. Now if Gods love be eternal before the world was, then it was not for our sakes, who were made after, Ephes. 4.5. Nothing tem∣poral can be the cause of that which is eternal, our love and faith began in time, his love was eternal.

Obj. Though our love and faith began but now, yet he fore-saw it from eterni∣ty, and therefore it might move him to set his love on us.

Answ. It's all one with God, whether you have respect to that which is now, or what he knows will be hereafter, so a wise man serves a Prince, not out of meer affection to the Prince, but because he loved himselfe first; for he fore-saw if he served him carefully, he should have abundant recompence: Now to the wise man it's all one, whether he have respect to the future fore∣seen recompence, or to the present, and therefore still his service is merce∣nary; therefore when God loved us, it was not for any thing we did, or was

foreseen to be done by us, for then we had not loved him, because he first loved us, but he had loved us, because we first loved him.

2 In Scripture account, that which comes after, is not the cause of that which went before, therefore our love coming after cannot be the cause of Gods love going before: To Abraham and his seed were the promises made, not by works or obedience to the Law, for the Law was given four hundred years after, Gal. 3.17. and therefore God had not respect to it, as the A∣postle argues; So that which we have done four thousand years after the world was made, cannot be the cause of Gods love before the world was, Rom. 9.12, 13, 14. If the Apostle there had not excluded foreseen works, his arguing had been of no effect; for he speaks not onely of what was then, but hee considered nothing that might be afterwards as the cause of his love.

Ʋse 1. To refute those that make Gods love to us depend upon our love to him, they expresly blot out this Scripture, to say that any one is beloved of God for his fore-seen faith, is to say, that God loved us, because we first loved him, which is expresly contrary to this Text, so that if we enquire the cause of Gods love to us, we must seek it in God, not in our selves, for he loved us, be∣cause he loved us.

Ʋse 2. May teach us to love God betimes; for you can never begin too soon, but he hath prevented you, you can never begin so early, but he hath been up before you: what a shame is it for men to deferre this, till 30. 40. 50. yeares, till their old age? God was up betimes to manifest his love to you, and will not you begin to love God, till you are going out of the world?

Ʋse 3. To such as have already given their love to God; let them learn to maintain their love, and increase it: a man is wont to make much of an old friend; Thine own friend, and thy Fathers friend forsake not, Prov. 27.10. Why, God is the ancientest that ever thou hadst, he loved thee before thou wert, before thou knewest what the world was, or what love was, therefore love him again.

Ʋse 4. Of consolation to such as have experience of Gods love towards them, if God loved us before we loved him, when we were strangers and ene∣mies, then surely he will not cast us off for our infirmities in our after loves, it may be we may be loose and sinful; but God loved us at first, not for our goodnesse, neither will he cast us off afterward for our wickednesse. Yet this is no encouragement to licentiousnesse, for God knows how to put us to angui∣shes and straights, and crosses, and yet reserve everlasting life for us. There is never a servant of God, but had he cast him off for his failings, he had never been saved, none but have failed in many things, and abused Gods grace; but God knows how to heal such distempers, and yet reserve his mercy to us; if he began to love us, before we loved him, then as he was first in love, so he will be last.

Ʋse 5. May teach us to be free in our love to God and our brethren, Mat. 10.8. Freely ye have received, freely give. God loved us, when we loved not him; So though men prevent you not with love, yet prevent you them; and if they provoke you, be fast in your love, be like God in your love, begin first, and continue last, and so come off freely in your love to God; be content to part with all for him, for when shall we be able to give more to God, then he hath given us? If you ask In quo consistit efficacia gratiae? What makes grace effectual to any soul? the answer is, the love of God to us.