changed and get the next sight This before ye heard taught to you Now in the text we haue red the Apostle takes occasion of that which he spoke of immediatly before concerning the ranking and order of those that shall bee found dead on that great day To enter in this matter more deeplie and to fall out in a description of the Lords comming in that latter day He pointes out the manner of it and that glorie that shall appeare Thereafter he commes to that effect that shall follovv there-vpon The first effect shall be the resurrection of the dead ere euer they vvho are alyue be changed vvhich shall be in a moment the dead rysing first shall be rest vp to the cloudes and then they vvho shall be changed shall be rest vp after them The estate of both is they shall meete the Lord and bee vvith him for euer Then in the last verse he desyres the Thessalonians vvith such speaches as these euerie one to comfort another vvhether he sorrovv for his owne or for anothers death and to speake one to another of the resurrection and of the glorie that shall followe on it Now this text standes in a narratiue of the forme of Christes comming vvhereof I vvill speake no farther nor I can gather thereof out of the Scripture and with as great shortnesse as I may For it is follie to speake any thing heerein vvhich is not reuealed and spoken of in the Scriptures Now Brethren I shall speake first according to the Scriptures of God of the signes and tokens that shall appeare in the world before Christes comming For ere he be seene they who shall be found aliue at that great day shall see signes and tokens of his comming Next I shall speake of his comming and of the manner of it And in the third rovvme I shall speake of the effectes that shall followe in the vvorlde immediatlie on his comming As for the signes that shall be seene ere he be seene There are some of them that shall goe before his comming immediatlie before he ryse out of his Throne vvhere he sittes at the right hand of his Father euen immediatlie before his rysing there shall some signes be shovven to vvarne the vvorlde that the King of Glorie is comming Then there shall be some other signes that shall be adjoyned vvith his comming as hee commes through the Heauens and aire to judge the world So the signes are of tvvo sortes some signes before his comming immediatlie Signes immediatly preceding Chrâ—stes comming some joyned with his comming The signes immediatlie preceeding the Lords rysing out of his Throne to judge the vvorld are The vvhole vvorlde shall shake Heauen and earth shall trimble they who shall be liuing at that day shall see it The vvhole povvers of the Heauen shall be shaken The Sunne the Moone shall be darkned all shall be obscured the Sunne shall haue no light the starres shall fall downe or at the least shall appeare so because they shall giue no light and light shall be away nothing in the face of the earth but darknesse nothing in Heauen but darknesse Ye may read this Matt. chap. 24. verse 29. Luke chap. 21. verse 25. Christ giues these same signes himselfe that shall be immediatlie before his comming What shall be the estat in the mean-time of those who are liuing when these signes shall appear Al consciences shall be wakned all shall get vp there shall be no sleeping The murtherer vvho hes his conscience sleeping now shall be wakned then the harlots conscience shall waken There shall be two sorte of folke found liuing then some reprobate some elect the world is neuer vvithout these tvvo As for the reprobate vvhen they shall looke vp and see such a wonderfull alteration the shaking of the Heauens the darkning of the Sunne and Moon then they shall beginne to shudder and to be striken with such a terrible fear that they shal be as they wer dead and for fear of that judgment that is to follow they shall run and seeke holes and secret places to hide them from the face of the Lord and cry Hilles fall dovvn on vs Mountains couer vs Yea euen ere they see the Lord before his comming down Read of this in Luke 21. 27. Reuelat. chap. 6. verse 16. c. Now as to the elect that shall be found aliue at that tyme they shall conceiue at the sight of these first signes an vnspeakable joye and shall not be afraide but shall avvaite for that Redemption which they shall see to be at hand that full Redemption in the Redeemer the Lord Iesus And therefore they shall not runne away and seeke holes to hyde them in but they shall stand vp and lift vp their heades and faces to the Heauens and shall looke greedilie for the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ indeede it is true they shall conceiue a sorrowe and shall be touched vvith a remorse and shall vveepe bitterlie but a sweete weeping they shall weepe that euer their sinnes procured the death of the Lord Iesus Christ that Lord of glorie Therefore they shall be both joyfull and sorrowfull joyfull because the Redeemer is at hand sorrowfull for their sinnes that Christ should haue died for them that they should haue peirced him through with them Reade of this at length Luke chap. 21. verse 28. Zachary chap. 13. verse 11. Reuel chap. 1. verse 7. yea they who peirced him through with their sinnes shall bewaile him All the godlie Kinges of the earth shall bewaile him all the elect shall sorrow that their sinnes should haue procured the death of this sweete and glorious Lord. This for the signes immediatly going before his comming Vnderstand brethren that there shall be a processe of tyme in the day of judgement so that one thing shall by a certaine space goe before another It shall be sodaine but not so sodaine but they who are aliue shall see one thing done by a space of time before another it shall be so sensible that euerie one that is liuing at that day shall see euery thing done sensible Now to come to the signes joined with his comming At his down comming Signes ioyned vvith the comming of Christ when the Lord rises out of his Throne before he be seene the whole world that shooke before he rose shal be set on fyre and there shall be a terrible dissolution All thinges shall be dissolued and so shaken lowse that the world shall not appeare vnto the tyme it bee made a nevv Worlde a nevv Heauen a new Earth as Peter speakes Come to the particulares As to the Heauens they shall bee burnt vp and being burnt vp they shall passe away with a sound and noyse saies Peter as the sounding of Chariot-wheeles The elements the aire the water all shall be consumed with fire and be burnt vp and euanish The earth and all the workes on the earth planting building all shall be burnt vp with fire nothing shall be spared
workes shall be the tokens of the true cause which is the onely justice of Christ imputed vnto vs by faith I dare say albeit the reprobate wortheâ—â—e shall be damned according to their workes yet they shall be speciallie condemned that they beleeued not in Iesus Christ but contemned his Gospell without faith Then to come to the sentence The Lord will beginne at the elect as best and worthiest and he shall giue them their sentence Come ye blessed of my Father and vvherâ—â—â— the Kingdome prepared for you before 〈…〉 of the vvorlde Matt. chap. 25 verse 32. From once this sentence is past out on them when this absolution from death and damnation is pronounced looke what estate they 〈◊〉 be in They shall stand with the Angles as assessours to judge the reprobate So Paul 1. Cor chap. 6. verse 3. saies knovv 〈…〉 iudge the Angels that is to say we shall allow that most just sentence of Iesus And among all the rest of the 〈◊〉 the twelf Apostles speciallie shall haue place For they shall sit on twelfe Thrones to justifie that just sentence that shall passe on the reprobate Then shall the sentence passe out on the reprobate the voice shall goe downe throgh the aire to the earth a terrible voice 〈◊〉 accursed of my Father to the fire prepared for the Deuill and all his Angels Brethren thinke not this a fable manie will not beleeue this vntil they feele it in them selues Now to be short To speake of the lyfe of the reprobate after this sentence they shall noâ— remaine on the earth In the verie moment of the doome that is certaine they shall passe to dâ—mnation 〈…〉 At that same verie moment thou receiuest the sentence of lyfe thou shalt goe to Heauen The moment the reprobate receiues sentence of damnation they shall go to Hell Now to speake of this death and lyfe I will not be curious there is much spoken in the Scripture thereof both to let vs see the glorie of the elect and the torments of the reprobate But I tell you in one word it was neuer all tolde Neuer Prophet nor Apostle expressed the greatnesse of the joy that shall come to the godlie nor of the paine that shall come to the vngodlie There shall bee another paine nor fyre and brimstone to bee tormented in Neyther can any expresse the joye in Heauen There shall be such glorie and joye as the eare of man neuer heard of the eye hes not seene nor yet hes it entered in the heart of man Novv looke hovv Paul speakes of this joye heere He sayes 〈◊〉 shall be 〈◊〉 vvith the Lord. He contentes him with these wordes To be with the Lord imports not a dwelling only vvith him but a lyfe and glorious lyfe joye that is vvith him vnspeakable I cannot tell it all the tongues in the vvorlde cannot tell it For all the joye in Heauen it is in the Sonne of God and shall shine through him that is through the naturall 〈◊〉 of man couered ouer vvith a Majestie and so all Heauens joye and glorie shall be vvith him and they vvho shall bee vvith him shall be in that glorie and joye vvith him I dare say more These thinges shall not be outvvith vs onely but vvithin our bovvels The joye and glorie shall not be outvvith the godlie as it is novv Commonlie the glorie the pleasure are ouâ—vvith vs the matter of joye outvvith vs and vve 〈◊〉 to it But then all matter of joye shall be in vs Christ first be in vs and God shall be all in all and God in 〈◊〉 be dvveling in vs and then vvhen thou hast all vvithin thee vvhat shall thou vvant And therefore in the Reuelation chap 21. verse 2 it is said We shall not neede thinges outvvith vs. neyther a Temple nor Sunne nor Moone for God being in thee shall be vnto thee a Temple hee is all in all and hee being in thee 〈…〉 all 〈…〉 thee In one vvord He shall be vvithin the◠〈…〉 because God in Christ shall dvvell vvithin thee and 〈…〉 part of that glorie and felicitie of that lyfe Novv is there no more nor this What matter if it vverfor a tyme vve vvere to be with him What matter of Heauen if Heauen lasted not What matter of a Kingdome that vanishes away A man set vp on a pompe to day casten down to morrow what matter of heauenlie glory let be the earthly glory if it lasted not but the Apostle saies we shall be with him for euer Take vp then our blessednesse It stands in two pointes first a passing and exceeding joy and glorie and secondlie in an eternity and euerlastingnesse of joy and glorie Paul plainly and pithilie settes these two together 2. Cor. chap. 4. verse 17. He calles it a weight of glorie that is excellent Then he calles it an euerlasting glorie There are two a weight of glorie and an euerlasting vveight of glorie and more excessiuelie excessiue He cannot get wordes to vtter it It is a weight that will vveigh dovvne all the vvorlde and then a weight of glorie excessiuelie excessiue and then eternall and euerlasting So our felicities in glorie and passing great glorie and an euerlasting glorie As for the paines of the reprobate I will not insist to speake of them because the Apostle is speaking heere to comfort the elect Now when the Apostle hes made a discourse of the comming of Christ He makes his exhortation and sayes and so I say also Comfort one another vvith these vvordes Brethren many hes sought comfort death is dolorous and wearisome in the owne nature and therefore many of the Heathen hes busied themselues to get comfort and matter of consolation in the houre of death What matter of death if there be a comfort therein but then is death dolorous when it is without comfort But vvas there euer any that got comfort that knew not Christ and the resurrection and a life after this life no neuer man neither king nor Emperor As for all the comforts they had all was but vanitie and dreames of comfort Againe I say Was there euer anie that gaue comfort to a bodie in death or that gaue comfort to them that vvas heauie for the death of their freinde but that man that hes a sense of that glorious resurrection of Christ and of his comming And therefore as thou wouldst haue comfort in death giue comfort for death know that the Lord is to come in the world knovv that there shall be a glorious resurrection and after the resurrection there shall be an eternall joy and glorie in Heauen And looke that this be not onely wordes in the mouth There are many vaine bablers of Christ and of that glorious resurrection A knaue an adulterer a murtherer will flatter himselfe and clatter of that glorie and joy but all is vanity Wilt thou be a knaue and then speake of these thinges The Lord shall punish thee Looke therefore that thy speaking of the latter
sayes 14. vers the Lord 〈◊〉 come vvith thoulands of his Sâ—ints And I say as I think there shall not be an Angell in Heauen but all shall come with Iesus And what shall be then habite They shall come like an armie al as it were in aâ—mes Men who are in their armour in their harnes they appeare most glorious to the world So all the Angels shall come as an army armed with power and therefore it is said Angels of his povver terrible to the wicked because they shall be enarmed against them comfortable to the godly for they come for their defence The Angels in their owne nature are strong by their creation potent they are principalities powers by vertue of their own nature But the word would import more They shall not onely be strong with their owne power but they shall come enarmed with the power of Christ with an exceeding and extraordinary kinde of power such a power that they were neuer sene in before in such a majesty as neuer was seene of before and al to the glory of that glorious Lord Iesus who is Lord and judge blessed for euer An earthly king when he is in his greatest glory is but accompanied with selie infirme creatures who hes little strength But the Lord Iesus who is King of kings shall be accompanied at his comming with Angels of such an infinite strength that the deuill and all the world shall not be able to withstand any one of them Now to goe forward the next companie that shall be with him shall be creatures something inferior Not so glorious as the Angels Flaming fyre shall accoÌ„pany Christ. but very glorious a flamming fire a fire with a great flame and therefore fire that shall cast downe from it exceeding great heat and light to the world Ye will aske what fire will this be I will not be curious heerein but I think that that fyre that shall be at that day shall be that same naturall element that the Lord created when he made the rest of the creatures This appeares very vvell of Peter in his second Epistle chap. 3. vers 6. 7. When he sayes the first world was destroyed by vvater and the second vvorld shall be destroyed vvith fyre Certainely as the first vvorld vvas destroyed by a naturall vvater so shall the second vvorld be destroyed by a naturall fyre This fyre shall then appeare in such a glorie quantitie and light as it vvas neuer of before because it is imployed in the seruice of a most glorious Lord. Would ye knovve vvhat shall be the vse of this glorious fyre Read 2. Epist of Peter chap. 3. This fire going before him shall burne first the heauens then it shall come to the elements and melt them all vvith heat It shal next come to the earth and shall burne vp the earth and all the works Would ye know what shall come after There shall be a new heauen and a new earth And so this fire shall serue for the purifying and burning of the drosse of the creatures for all the creatures the Heauen the Earth the Sunne the Moone heâ— drawen on a corruption through our sinnes But is there no other vse of this fire This fire shall also in the Lords justice be a fire to deuoure the aduersaries Heb. chap 10. verse 27 to burne the reprobate for eeuer And therefore vaine man who takes pleasure in thy sinnes let â—he memorie of this flamming fire terrifâ—e thee that in tyme thou may repent Now this much for that glorious companie where-with the Lord Iesus shall be accompanied in that glorious comming Now come to the effects in the next words When he is come from the Heauen accompanied with the glorious Angels and flamming fire certainely he will not come for nothing Kings in the earth may fliâ— their campes for nothing but the King of glorie will not doe so Now the effect in one word is rendering repaying recompencing the judgement is in rendering to euery one his owne due In rendering first he beginnes at the godles and wicked after his comming in such a glorie He shall render the wicked that which is due to them that is vengeance To whom To them that knovv God on this earth 〈◊〉 them that obeyed not the Gospell of the Lord Iesus Marke it The Lord keepe vs from the causes of this rendering There shall be none that knew not God Faith accoÌ„panied vvith a troup of graces and obeyed not the voyce of Christ in the Gospell but vengence shall ouertake them in that glorious appearing of that judge in the world These are the two great â—aultes and sinnes that shall procure in the day of judgement vengence from Iesus Christ Now as there are two thinges that procures this vengence so there are two things that brings life at that great appearance of the Lord Iesus Christ The first is the knowledge of God The next is the knowledge of his Sonne the Lord Iesuâ— Christ Iohâ— chap. 17. verse 3. This is lyfe euerlasting to know thee to be the onely God and whom thou hast 〈◊〉 Iesus Christ knowe these two knowe God knowe Christ in his Gospell 〈◊〉 vengence shall not ouertake thee Then by the plaine contrare There are two grounds and causes of death and damnation The misknowing of God and the 〈…〉 of Iesus heere 〈◊〉 in his Gospell and these two are 〈…〉 gether Then brethren in one word Let not the Iew be bold to say he knowes God when he knowes not his Son all the knowledge a man can haue of God when he knowes not his Sonne is nothing for God the Father cannot be knowne but in his Son Iesus Christ and without the knowledge of God in his Son there is no saluation from judgement The Son is the Image of God and God will be knowne in him Heb. chap. 1. verse 3. He is the brightnesse of his glory and the ingraued forme of his person So that there can be no sight of God but in the face of Christ the man Ioyne these two together know God know the Son know the Son that thou may know the Father for no sight of the Father but in the Son This further wold be marked When he speaks of obedience to Christ He sayes not they that obeyed not the Lord Iesus but he sayes They vvho obeyed not the Gospell of the Lord Iesus This is spoken to the commendation of the Gospell and of the preaching of it and this base ministry which men esteemes so litle of Looke how he rankes this Gospell and the preaching of it with Christ himselfe He counts them that obey the Gospell to obey Christ and he counts them who are rebellious to the Gospell to be rebels to Christ And therefore say I boast as thou wilt of Christ and of the knowledge of him if thou despise this Gospel and this base ministry vengence shall light on thee Thou wilt say thou knowest Christ and in the meane time there wil be nothing in
LECTVRES VPON THE FIRST AND SECOND EPISTLES OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS Preached by that faithfull seruant of God M. ROBERT ROLLOCK some-tyme Minister of the Euangell of Iesus Christ and Rector of the Colledge in EDINBVRGH EDINBVRGH PRINTED BY ROBERT CHARTERIS Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majestie An. Dom. M. D. C. VI. Cum Priuilegio Regiae Majestatis TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL THEIR MOST LOVING FRIEND IN THE LORD MAISTER VVILLIAM SCOT OF ELY grace in this life and euerlasting glorie in the lyfe to come ALL knowledge and all sciences inuented by the wise men of this world without the knowledge of IESVS CHRIST by whom remission of sinnes is obtained to the miserable soule are but vaine and vnprofitable The Apostle reckoning out his prerogatiues Philip. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. which were many counts them all in respect of the excellency and knovvledge of Christ Iesus to be but losse and dung Euen so it is with all sciences if they be seuered from the knowledge of Iesus Christ in the Gospell For what auailes it a man to knowe the height of the Heauens the courses of the Starres the breadth of the earth if in the mean-tyme his conscience accuse him for his sinnes to be vnworthie both of Heauen and earth What auailes it a man to seeke by Physick to prolong afraile temporall life to the bodie if his conscience tell him in the mean-tyme that his soule shall perish for euer What auailes it a man to brag of the knowledge of the Lawe if his conscience accuse him to be most vnjust and worthie of eternal damnation In these and such like things the wise men of this world doe glorie and yet they make not the soule the better The knowledge of Iesus Christ in the Gospell is the onely knowledge that preserues the soule and makes it to liue for euer Ioh. 5. 39 as our Sauiour sayes Search the Scriptures for in them ye thinke to haue eternall lyfe Ioh. 17. 3 and they are they vvhich testifie of me And againe This is life eternall that they knovv thee to be the onely verie God and vvhom thou hast sent Iesus Christ Then this science is to be sought praised and preferred to all others in all respects Look how highly PAVL commends it 1. Cor. 2. 6. 7. 8. 9. Wespeake sayes he vvisdome among them that are perfite Not the vvisdome of this vvorld neither of the Princes of this vvorld vvhich come to nought But vve speake the vvisdome of God in a misterie euen the hid vvisdome vvhich God had determined before the vvorld vnto our glory Which none of the Princes of this World hath knovvne for had they knovvne it they vvould not haue crucified the Lord of glory But as it is vvritten the things vvhich eye hath not seene neither eare hath heard neither came into mans hart are vvhich God hath prepared for them that loue him But God hath reueiled thē vnto vs by his Spirit Other sciences were inuented by men but God himselfe is the Author of this science he reueiled it Other sciences are all inuented in tyme but this science is before all tyme from all eternitie other sciences handles things corruptible and changeable the knoweledge whereof albeit it be pleasant and profitable for this present life yet it cannot reforme the soule to eternall life for all their vertue is but the couerture of vyce but this science settes out and reueiles to a broken harted sinner a fauorable and reconciled God in Iesus who is aduantage both in life and death and in whom the heigh and wonderfull things of God and all things that the soule of man can require for grace or glory pertaining either to this or to that other life Col. 2. 3. 9 10. is contained For in him are hid all the treasures of vvisdome and knovvledge in him dvvelleth all the fulnesse of the god-head bodily Now this pretious treasure the Lord hes committed to earthen vessels he hes set in his seruice base and contemptible persons to carie the message of reconciliation and to proclame to weary and loaden sinners the glade tydings of saluation he sendes out simple men to manure his husbandrie he sends them out as souldiers to that spirituall warfare vvith vveapons that are not carnall 2. Cor. 10 4. 5. but mightie through God to cast dovvne holdes to cast dovvne imaginations and euery high thing that is exalted against the knovvledge of God and to bring into captiuitie euery thought to the obedience of Christ. Whom for the message they carie the Gospel they preach the word of life they offer that hid treasure that is committed to them the Lord craues we should haue in singulare account honour and loue And indeed if we had the sight of the fearcenesse of that eternall wrath of God for sinne it could not be possible but we would say O hovv bevvtifull are the feete of them vvhich bring glade tydinges of peace Rom. 18. 15. and bring glade tydinges of good things We cannot honour loue and highly esteeme of the Maister and respect the Gospell if we hate and contemne the seruant and messenger And if we loue our parents of whom we haue nothing but misery who hes conceiued vs in sinne nurirished and trained vs vp in sin and who by nature makes vs aires of wrath and hell for that vvhich is borne of the flesh is flesh Ioh. 3. 6. O how excedinglie should we loue these whom God makes instruments of our regeneration to beget vs to God to make vs his sonnes and to translate vs from darknesse to light from miserie to felicitie from death to life from hell to heauen And yet this vnworthie world neuer duely accounts of them but of all men they hate most malitiouslie the true seruants of Iesus Christ And to passe by other ages and Countries the Lord of the haruest stryuing against our ingratitude hes sent out from tyme to tyme into this Land sundry painfull laborers and faithfull preachers of the Gospell who preased in all respectes to approue themselues to God to a good conscience and to the consciences of so many as beleeued of whom the world was not worthie Among the rest whom God did bewtifie with singulare graces the Lord in the person of M. ROBERT ROLLOCK that faithfull and reuerent seruant of Iesus Christ gaue vs no sober token of his loue For we cannot tell if vpon any almest in this Land the Lord bestowed greater aboundance and varietie of graces of his Spirite if in any there was a more spirituall and heauenly soule if any spared themselues lesse and vndertooke greater paines that they might be found faithfull and finishe their course with joye if any preased more to approue themselues to God and a good conscience then he O what and how many giftes and graces were in the person of that man in conceiuing he was quick in judgement solide he vttered the Word with great libertie he preached with euidence
al in al thy speaking and doing on the glorie of that God I confesse there are many impediments casten in betwixt thy eyes and the glorie of God but striue to get a sight of that glorie or else thou shall neuer be partaker of that glorie Thou may haue a shadow of glorie in the world for a while but as the must before the Sunne vanishes away so shall thou and thy glorie vanish away to thy euerlasting confusion if thou striue not to haue the glorie of God before thy eyes Then hes thou anie good graces in thy selfe giue God the glory What hast thou that thou hast not receyued 1. Cor. 4. 7. Giue him the glorie and praise of all if it were eating and drinking at thy dinner looke that thou eat to his glorie and drinke to his glorie 1. Cor. 10. 31. And say in the meane-tyme I doe not this so much to feede this mortall bodie as I doe it to glorifie thy Majestie When thou liues liue to him deying die to him consecrate thy life and death to him Fye on vs that can not learne to giue the glorie of all to our Redeemer As for mee brethren I craue nothing more nor that the glorie of God may shine before my eyes in my vocation that when I speake or thinke all maye be to his glorie that in the end I may haue this assurance that I shall bee glorified vvith him for euer But yet to sticke to the wordes He sayes not I giue thanks but vve giue thankes I and Siluanus and Timotheus giue thanks Hee sayes not for an handfull or a certaine nomber of you but for you all He sayes not for a tyme but alvvayes Marke all these wordes He sayes vve all and that for all vve thanke euer It is a large thanking and it testifies that the graces shovvne on the Thessalonians vvere large When the graces of God are shovvne on me on thee or on anie people thy heart must not bee narrovv but it must bee enlarged and thy mouth must be oppenned vvyde to praise and magnifie God the geuer of all Or else I assure thee vvhen his grace is large if thy heart be narrovv and thy mouth be oppenned but a little the Lord shal draw in his hand diminish his grace to thee So is sene of it in Edinburgh this day the graces of god on thee ô Edinburgh were large but thy heart was narrow and thy mouh was not oppened wide Therefore the Lord is pinching his graces if it so continew woe will be to thee Go this grace of the Ministrie away and the Lord close mens mouthes and let them not speak to thee all thy grace is gone and I thinke the Lord is beginning to pinche his graces on vs for that glorious Gospell which was preached with great libertie and was so powerfull in the land hes lost the power and the nomber of the godlie of the land is contracted for the one depends vpon the other therefore cry that the Lord may make his grace abound and that he would continew with vs the light of his Euangell Now to the next words He joynes with thankes-geuing prayer Praier ioyned vvith thāks-geuing Making mention of you in our prayers It is not aneugh to thank God for the grace that eyther we or others haue receyued but also thou must pray Cry for grace and continuance of grace for I assure thee if vvith thankes-geuing there be not prayer for continuance the grace receyued shall decay Amongst all the rest of the meanes the Lord hes appoynted for continuance of grace earnest prayer to God is an especiall meane So as thou vvouldst haue thy selfe standing in grace pray euer for grace for there is no moment but vve are readie to fall away except the Lord hold vs vp The meane to entertaine grace is earnest prayer The Lord holde vs vp and let vs not fall but if the meane be not vsed fall shall vve thogh all the vvorld had said the contrair It is to be marked farther He sayes in our prayers As hee would say in our daylie prayers we are accustomed to pray to God in our daylie prayers we forget you not but we remember you Marke this Brethren He is not meete to pray for others that can not pray for himselfe nor hes no acquaintance nor accesse to God Who can solist for any man when he hes no accesse to him vvhom hee folists Canst thou pray for me to my God and thou haue no accesse to him He vvho vvill pray for others must be vvell acquainted vvith God and haue a daylie accesse to him And hovv svveete a thing is it to haue familiar accesse to him for all the joy of the world is not comparable to that joy which the soule findes when it is exercised with the Lorde familiarlie for when thy heart is with him no doubt he is with thee Alasse beastlie man fy on thee that euer thou was borne and thou haue not that svveete sense of joy that flowes from the meditation on the Lord wilt thou let thy soule be euer stupide and senslesse vvilt thou neuer be a Citizen of Heauen expecting for the glorious comming of Christ but ay ly as a sowe muzling and grountling vpon the earth vvilt thou neuer look vp with thy eyes to Heauen vvilt thou ay be looking dovvn If thou doe so thou shalt fall dovvn at last to that euerlasting damnation The Lord raise vs vp for heauy are we we are dead lumps ay tending downward can get no rising vp the Lord raise vp our soules therfore to heuen Now followes the cause wherefore he rejoyses with them in the next verse Without ceasing remembring your effectuall faith That is one and diligent loue that is tvvo the third is and the patience of your hope in the Lord Iesus Christ in the sight of God euen our Father Heere brethren not to escape the wordes I see first an vncessant and perfite remembrance of the graces God hes geuen his people as Faith Charitie and Patience I see then in the example of Paul Siluanus and Timotheus that in the memorie and heart of the godlie the graces of God showen eyther on themselues or others makes a deepe impression when they see the graces of God they take a deepe apprehension of them In the wicked it is otherwise let God raine down graces from Heauen on them selues and others also as they come so they goe they remember neuer a good turne doen to them Now on this remembrance followes prayer they remember with joy euer praying remembring by night euer praying remēbring by day euer praying at lest in the hart if not outwardly in words Marke it a man that would pray wel to God must be of a good remembrance vvould thou pray well remember well Prepare thee to pray by remembrance of the blessings of God and pray then What matter hast thou of prayer when thou remembers not his blessings So all tends to this that thou
fall down before a stock or stone Slauery of Idolaters of all slaueries this is the greatest it is true it is a slauerie to be subject to a tyrannous man in this worlde to his foull affections to abyde all things he will injoine thee but in the meane tyme while as thou serues the liuing and true God thou art a free man and thou hast a singulare comfort and consolation in thy heart and if anie will call the a slaue care not for that for thou art a free man to God 1 Cor. 7. 21. but albeit he were a King and had all the vvorld vnder his dominion if he be a slaue to a false fained God an Idole of all slaues he is the greatest slaue for not to knovve the true God is the greatest slauerie that is for there is no consolation but in God if thou had all the libertie in the vvorld thy soule is in slauerie if thou serue not the liuing and true God I will not call a Nation a free Nation a King a free King if they serue not that liuing God Will I call a Kingdome a free Kingdome that is subject to a miserable slauerie of Idolatrie Woe to that slauerie and thou Scotland if thou lose the seruice of the liuing God of all slaues thou shalt be the greatest because so shamefullie thou hast lost it Dauid in the 16. Psal vers 4. telles of the miserie of the Idolaters and of the libertie of them who serues Iehouah As for the Idolaters saieth he They multiple sorrovv vpon sorrovv to themselues then he rejoyses in his owne felicitie who serues the liuing God Iehouah the Lord saieth he is the portion of my inheritance Therefore ere thou lose the seruice of this true God and Christ his Sonne lose thy life and all that thou hast in this world This is the onelie liberty to serue the liuing and true God Now followes the second end of their conuersion which is to looke for the Sonne and his comming the first was to serue the Father of this life the second is to awaite for the comming of the Son Marke euerie word It is not eneugh brethren to serue the Father the liuing and true God in faith in loue in all seruice that pertaines to him in this lyfe except thy eye throgh hope reach out beyonde this lyfe in the meane tyme of thy seruice Hope of life to cōe Thou art heere novv seruing him looke that thy eye reach out beyonde this life to see and to hope for an other life There are many in wealth in honour in ease in healthe of bodie in this worlde that vvould make a Couenant with God and say Lorde Let mee dwell still to serue thee heere and it were for euer and I oblishe me neuer to looke for more at thy hand giue me this lyfe and wealthe and pleasure thereof I shall serue thee to let me liue heere for euer and I shall binde my selfe neuer to craue more of thee alas I trovv there be many of this sort Fy on it this can not be rooted out of the hearts of the most godlie euen as if either God had gotten glorie sufficientlie or we could get perfite happinesse in this life Alas if our hope were onelie in this lyfe and our blessednesse reached not out beyonde this life of all men the christian man wer most miserable I had rather chuse to be a Turke nor a Christian except my hope reache out beyond this life all the pleasure and seruice I can do to God in it If thou prease to be a true christian think not with thy self I shall driue ouer this life quietly shal stand fast in al trouble but thou must bide tossing toyling otherwise thou can not be a christian for throgh many tribulations thou must enter into the kingdom of heauen Act. 14. 22. Thē ye who wold serue God serue him as pilgrimes in a strange country far frō him what euer thou be doing here in his seruice walking in thy godly exercise in the mean time let thy hart be with Christ let thy hart be wher thy life is hid vp with Christ Paul giues an example of this in his own person saying I liue here as a Citizen of Heauen Philip. 3. 20. A Citizen in the heauen is a pilgrime on the earth And therfore he subjoynes liuing as a pilgrime heere and a Citizen of Heauen I hope for my saluation in Christ A pilgrime hes euer his eye out of this world The second Epistle to the Corinthians Chap. 5. vers 7. 8. he shovves that in this lyfe he walked in faith and confidence but saieth he I chuse rather to flit and remoue out of the bodie and to dvvell vvith my Lord Iesus Fy on thee that is so nailde throgh head and heart to this world that thou hes euer thy heart and sight heere Certainelie I am of this minde that the thing that euerie one of vs should most care for should be to steale away peece peece from this earth Lowse thy heart peece and peece and free thee from this wofull life Now this hope and looking is for the Sonne something pertaines to the Father thou must serue the liuing and true God something pertaines to the Son thou must looke for him from Heauen Thinke not to honour the Father without the Sonne The Iew is vaine that thinks to honour the Father without the Sonne No it will not be serue the Father but honour the Son also or else the Father shall accept no honour at thy hand Ioh. 5. 23. For all the honour of the Fathers is in the Sonne But marke the speciall honour that is geuen to the Sonne in this life The Sonne is honoured in faith in this life in beleeuing that he is alreadie come in the world that he is come in our nature and suffered the death for our sins that he died was buried rose againe from the death thou honoures him in beleeuing this But this is the speciall pointe of this honour to hope that he shall come againe as he come once so looke that he shall come againe But brethren neither hes his glorie yet appeared as it is in deed and shall appeare neither yet your grace appeares as it shall when he shall come againe And therefore the speciall seruice we can doe is to await for his comming ad to glorie vnder that hope No beleeue thou in the Father as thou wilt if thou hope not for that glorious returning of the Sonne thou honours him not This is all to stirre vs vp by hope to looke for an other life for all these things King and Kingdome vvill avvay and they who hoped for him in this lyfe shall shine in glorie with him in that life eternall Fromwhence shal we hope that he comes where shal we cast our eye if we looke for a man to come from one part our eye will euer be on that part where from he should come whither it be
East or West South or North Where then should we cast our eye Neither to the East West South nor North nor to any part of this earth but cast thy eye vpward to Heauen Iesus is in Heauen and he shall come from Heauen he is not in the earth and therefore ye see in him that hopes as the hart breakes vpward so will the eye looke vpward the hand the head will be raised vpward as Christ sayeth lift vp your heads Luke 21. 28. so his behauiour will tell thee from whence Christ shall come And againe thy behauiour wil tell that thou hast no hope when thou tends altogether downewards thy face euer towards the earth thy hart moyling in the earth when any man sees al thy care and minde onelie vpon the earth he may say this bodie hes no hope he lookes not for the returning of the sonne of God Then followes Whom he raised from the death meaning the sonne of God the Father raised him I will not insist but so farre onelie as the text will beare me Beleeue that Iesus is raised from the dead and that he is in heauen beleue the thing done past and then hope that he shall come againe first be a beleeuer and then hope he that hopes for a thing to come must be a beleeuer of the thing by gone Fasten thy beleef on the things bygone that Christ died was buried and rose vp by the power of God and ascended to the heauen beleeuing all these things by gone hope shall take hold on things to come but if thou beleeue not these things bygone thou shalt neuer hope that Christ shal come againe to thy deliuerie All these things bygone goe before the thing to come he hes told all the articles of the beleefe ere he come to this cōming of Christ againe therfore thou must beleue these things bygone ere thou hope for Christs cōming Then he brings in a descriptiō of the son of God from his name a Sauior from his office a deliuerer a sauior must be a deliuerer his name bears his office for Iesus must be a sauior of men There are two things joined together Christs comming and our eternall deliuerie when he came first in the world he began with deliuerie and by his death redeemed vs when hee shall come againe he wil make an end of our deliuery there shal be no more sin death Our deliuerie dependes on Christs comming trouble or sorow So al our deliuerie depends so on christs cōming that if he return not we shal neuer be fully deliuered by the contrair Iesus returning of necessitie thou must get a full deliuerance They that looke for deliuerie there is the order of hope their hope is euer first in the comming of Christ vpon the which their deliuerance dependes then in the seconde rowme they looke for their deliuerance They are fooles that look first to be deliuered that is a backward order therefore say I hope Iesus shall come againe and then say I hope to be deliuered ye see in the Reuelation the cry of him who lookes for saluation is Come Lord Iesus Reuel 22. 20. The meaning is When vve desire Christ to come we desire the performance of our deliuerance when we desire Doomes-day vve desire the perfection of our eternall deliuerie and it will not be vntill that day if thou be founde in Iesus thy deliuerance shall then come in the full accomplishment thereof Now from what should he deliuer vs From the vvraith to come Christ deliueres vs from the vvrath to come That is from all paine and vexation All the terrors hell that shall follow on the wrath of that great God that shal be reuealed in that great day for that effectuall wrath of God shall strike in that great day are called the vvrath to come No doubt the Apostle by this word would stirre vp our mindes to looke for a greater wrath then euer was seene in this world there was neuer since the first day to the last such a wrath of God seene in the world as shall be seene in that last day The Lordes vvrath hes bene vttered oft times in great measure since the beginning as in that great deludge in the burning of Sodome and Gomorrha with fire and brimstone in the particulare destruction of manie people and sundrie nations but all is nothing to that great wrath all is but play in respect of that last wrath And therefore they are fooles who measures the greatnesse of the wrath of God by the selie momentaneall afflictions that is laid on men and wemen in this earth Some thinkes God can not powre a greater wrathe nor when he casts a man in great sicknesse when he causes one to be rugged in sunder one part from an other when he causes one to be burnt with fire and foolishe wretches will say What can God doe more to me Knowest thou not that there is an euerlasting wrath in God or euer it light on thee it shal make each member shake in sunder when thou sees it comming down on thee thou shalt cry Mountaines and Hilles fall downe on me and couer me from the wrathe of the Lambe Reuel 6. 16. Againe mercie is not to be measured by the mercie we get heere it is a blasphemie to thinke that God hes no greater mercie to shovv on thee nor he shows here So the greatest affliction that can fall on vs heere is nothing in respect of that last wrath Therefore that last day is called 2. Rom. vers 5. the day of vvrathe There was no day before called the day of wrathe Now brethren as the greatest wrath shall be powred out that day so the greatest mercie shall be showne to the godlie that day And they who shal be founde vnder the couert of the wings of this Iesus the Sauiour wrath shall passe by them but they who shall not be found vnder his winges the wrath shall tumble on them Alas if we could consider this Learne to seek Iesus in tyme. The way to find Iesus a couerture in that day it must not be to beginne then thou wilt not get him then if thou got him not before thinke not to cry then Iesus couer mee but the waye to make Christ a couertour to thee must be in this lyfe beleeue in him heere beleeue that he came into the worlde to releeue thee from this great wrathe that day beleeue that he died for thee rose againe for thee and hope that he shall come againe to that eternall deliuerance Misse not this hope Paul to Timothie 2. Epist 4. 8. speaking of that crown of righteousnesse he shall receyue he communicates that crown with others but who are they they that hopes for his comming If thou in some measure hunger not and thirst not for his comming in this life looke not to be couered by him hereafter grone therefore and thirst for Iesus in some measure that he may keepe thee in that great
childe so he takes a similitude from a mother toward her infant there is no busines nor care the mother wil leaue vndone for the infant nor respecting her hyre or gaine but vpon an inteere affection to the infant Then learne shortlie A pastor must be like a mother Paul Gall. chapter 4. verse 19. compares him selfe to a mother trauailing in birth vntill Christ be reformed in them O my little children vvith vvhom I trauaile in birth vvhile Christ be reformed in you Novv he coÌ„pares the pastor to a nource taking paines to nourish them when they are borne vpon a motherlie affection without eyther respect to goods or honor and he compares the people who by the pastor are fed in Christ nourished by the sincere milk of the vvord to infants As a yong infant craues no other nourishment but milke no more shouldst thou craue to be nourished with any other food but the sinceere milke of the word and as the infant would die except he be fed with milke so all they that refuses to be nourished with this sincere milke of the word if they continew die shall they Thou Lord Laird or Barron Husband-man die shall thou if thou be not nourished with this sincere milke of the worde If it be so betweene the people and the Pastor Affection of the Pastor to the flocke as betwene the childe and the mother the Pastors lesson is Looke what tender affection the mother hes to her birth to cherishe it to take paines and trauaile to wake and watch ouer it and all vpon a motherly affection without respect of honour or gaine the lyke shoulde thy affection be towards thy flocke and on paine of thy lyfe looke thou seeke them and not theirs The Mother seekes the well of her childe and not his goods nor honour so seeke thou the well of thy flocke and not their goods nor honour and let thy affection be motherlie and when thou sees the motherlie affection of the mother to the childe say The Lord giue me such an affection to my people as this mother hes to her childe let my honour and gaine be to get them nourished The honour of a Minister is in Heauen and not in earth his gaine is in Heauen So Paul sayeth 1. Thess 219. What is our hope or ioy or crovvn of reioysing are not euen you it in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ at his comming to glorifie his elect To this Christ with the Father and the holy Spirite be glorie and honour for euer AMEN THE SIXT LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 2. vers 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 8 Thus being affectioned tovvard you our good vvill vvas to haue dealt vnto you not the Gospell of God onelie but also our ovvne soules because ye vvere deare vnto vs. 9 For ye remember brethren our labour and trauaile for vve laboured day and night because vve vvould not be chargeable vnto any of you and preached vnto you the Gospell of God 10 Ye are vvitnesses and God also hovv bolilie and iustlie and vnblameablie vve behaued our selues among you that beleeue 11 As ye knovve hovv that vve exhorted you and comforted and besoght euerie one of you as a father his children 12 That ye vvoulde vvalke vvorthie of God vvho hath called you vnto his kingdome and glorie THE Apostle ye remember brethren leauing off for a tyme the purpose that was in hand to witte that rejoysing he had with them for the graces of God was in them In the second chapter he falles out to a discourse concerning himselfe making mention of his manner of entrie among them how it was not in vaine For when he entred among them he entred with libertie although that hee had suffered immediatlie before at Philippi notwithstanding of the battaile he had in the meane tyme while he preached to them Thereafter ye heard the last day he remoued from him selfe all suspition of vnsincere dealing in preaching the Gospell chalenging to him self sincerity in preaching Seing in preaching and speaking he had not man before his eyes but God not content onlie to remoue from him vnsinceritie in 〈◊〉 he discends to the fountaines of vnsinceritie and vncleane dealing which are three namelie flatterie auarice 〈◊〉 and these three rootes of vnsincere and vncleane dealing in the 〈◊〉 he remoues from him he flattered them not he was not greedie of their goods he was not greedie of honour Albert saieth he I might haue beene chargeable to you as the Apostle of Christ ye were addebted to me both of your goods and honour yet I would haue none of them but I liued in the midst of you vnburdensome submitâ—ing my selfe to all fashâ—ie and paines for your sakes as a mother nourishing her childe will vndertake all paines for the childe so did I for you Now in the first vvords of this text we haue red that vvhich he spoke of the nource cherishing her childe he applyes to him selfe Thâ—â— sayes he 〈…〉 tovvardâ— you The vvord is in the first language I was desirous of you I had a longing desire of you such desire as a mother hes to her infant she can not suffer her infant to be out of her sight to be absent from her incontinent she grieâ—es for it she is not well vvhile thee haue it in her sight The same affection sayes the Apostle I beare tovvards you I loue you I can searcelie vvant your presence for being absent from you I haue a continual care of you There is the meaning of the wordes in the which ye see that loue that motherlie affection to call it so the Apostle bare to this Church of Thessalonica The first grace in the Pastor is to loue his flock this is the ground of all the rest if he want it all the rest is deare of the hauing if he had all the learning and eloquence and vtâ—â—â—ance of men and Angels all is nothing if there be not loue and affection in his heart to his flock Paul 2 Cor. 6. recounting our many marks of the Apostle which he bare amongst the rest in the 6. verse of that chapter he accountâ— vnfamed loue to be one for nombring those marks he declares what spirituall loue he bare to the Corinthians saying in the 11. verse O 〈◊〉 my mouth is open to you our heart is made large so that if it were possible I vvould take you in my heart ye dvvell not narrovvlie in me but ye dvveâ—l 〈◊〉 in your ovvne bovvelles I loue you but ye loue not me so intirelie as I doe you In the 11. chapter of that Epistle verse 28. stryuing vvith the â—alse Apostles he shovves vvhat carefulnesse he had of the Church Beside sayeth he 〈…〉 I haue the care for 〈…〉 of the vvorlde 〈…〉 but I am afflicted I vnderstand there are none afflicted but I am afflicted vvith him 〈…〉 It is vvonderfull to knovve vvhat affection hee bare to the Church of Christ Ye
glorie of God in Christ he takes it and puts it not in veshelles of siluer and golde no but in a veshell of earth 2. Corinth 4. 7. and all this is that the vvorlde shoulde not esteeme the treasure according to the veshell Therefore the Lorde will put in a veshell of claye the treasure that is Heauen in Christ Now will ye see mans famous wisdome When he heares the vvord comming out of this base and infirme man he sayes the veshell is nothing worth it is made of clay it serues for no purpose a sillie fellow from whence came he therefore this word that is in his mouth it can not be the word of God would euer he haue put so pretious a thing in so vylde a veshell O rebellious man that is euer contrarie to God in all thinges and speciallie in the Gospell Experience teaches vs of the enimitie that the wicked men in this Realme caries in their heart against God and his Ministers they will not let God be wise in his wisdome he hes in his Ministerie but they will be wiser Well fight on his wisdome will winne the fielde and thou wilt lose it to thy euerlasting destruction Now to goe forward He casteth in a parenthesis saying As it is in deed the vvord of God Ye esteemed it not as the word of men but of God as it is in deed Receyue it as ye please account it Gods vvorde or mans as ye please it is and shall abyde Gods vvord and thy mouth in the end shall be shutte vp so that thou shalt not vtter one vvord if thou account anie otherwise of it So vvhat euer be the opinion of men in the vvorlde and their speaches their saying or gainesaying alters nothing Th' instrument neither adds nor diminishes the glorie of the vvord The vvord of Iesus abydes and shall abyde the true vvord and shall retaine the ovvne authoritie and glorie thy vvordes vvill neuer be able to make any change No brethren the mouth of man for as infirme and gracelesse as it is will not be able to impare a jot of the glorie of that God and by the contrair put it in the mouth of neuer so glorious a creature if it wer in the mouth of an Angell nothing will be added to the glorie of it it is powerfull in the selfe the creature will not be able to make any alteration In deed it will honour the mouth when it is put in the mouth of a man it will make him honourable but he can not honour it if he were neuer so noble or eloquent Set vp a king to preache trow ye he will honour the Gospell no but he shall get honour by the preaching of it No if it were all the Angels of Heauen that would preache this glorious Gospell they can not giue it honour but they are honoured by it And when the Angels came and cryed to men this word of God they got a singulare honour Paul to the Galat. chap. 4. vers 14. sayes ye receiued me as an Angell of God yea as Christ Iesus Wherefore was this for Pauls ovvne presence no but for the word of God in his mouth which made him to be accounted as an Angell of God Neuer man shall be able to ad any honour to the word or diminishe the honour thereof Now blessed is he who gets this grace to deliuer this word with an earnest zeale to glorifie God and Christ by preaching thereof Now in the end of the verse He thinkes it not eneugh to call it the word of God but he giues a proofe of it The vvord of God vvher euer it be Pâ—â—er of the vvord will euer prooue it selfe to be the vvord of God it can not be idle it must be quicke and effectuall in the hearer it must vvorke liuelie it vvill pearce lyke a tvvo edged svvord and therefore it is said vvhich also vvorketh in you that beleeue Hovvbeit it vvas vttered by an infirme man yet the vveakenesse of the persone hinderes not the povverfull operation of the vvorde It vvill not be the mouth of the speaker that vvill holde back povver from the vvord of God But vvhen the Lord puts his vvord in his mouth and sayes I will put my vvord in thy mouth go thy vvay if all the world had said the contrare that vvord shal be powerfull Well is that man in whose mouth this word is put and vvell is that people that hes a man in vvhose mouth the Lord hes put his word the basnesse and infirmitie of the man will not be able to hinder the povver thereof If the Lorde once put his vvorde in his mouth it is so vvonderfull a thing Set vp eloquent Dememosthenes diuine Plato facunde Cicero c. vvho vvere like as manie vvonders in the vvorld let them come in vvith their eloquence they shal not haue such operation in the harts of men as a sillie fellow and simple of speache shall haue vvhen he speakes the vvord in the name of the Lord. And if there vvas euer a vvorke in the vvorlde maruellous that vvorke vvhich the Minister by the Spirite and vvorde of God workes is most maruelous For to regenerate a man vvho vvas once dead it is not a mans tongue his eloquence his instancie that can doe it but onelie that powerfull and blessed vvord of God that all glorie and praise of his povverfull operation may be giuen to his Majestie Marke a word farther He sayes not that workes in euerie one of you but he sayes in you vvho beleeues In the 1. chap. Rom. vers 16. The Gospell is called the povver of God to saluation to them that beleeues In the first to the Corinthians chap. 1 vers 24. It is the povver and vvisdome of God to them that hes that effectuall calling and hes gotten the heart oppinned to take head and drinke in the worde onelie in these is the worde of God effectuall to saluation Brethren it is true it is offered with power to the vnbeleeuers as well as to the beleeuers but this is the difference If thou hast not an heart hand to take it when it is offred to thee with power thou shalt neuer receiue its thou wantst power to receiue it but there is power in the word very sufficient vnto saluation Alas how manie heare the vvord with their heart so hardened that the word strikes on their hart as an hammer on the studdie The hardnes of thy heart beats it backe againe so that it is not powerfull to thee My counsell is except thou preasse to haue thy heart mollified and crauest at God to mollifie it hear not the word or I le assure thee the more thou hearest the more thou vvilt be hardened Manie make a showe of hearing the Lord and the Laird will come and sit in their daskes and heare the worde and will come forth without anie profite because their hearts were not attentiue to heare Ieast not with the word it shall eyther saue thee
hes beene afflicted before him and scarcelie shall he see a godlie man but vvith his burdene on his backe all is not laid on him alone But aboue all let the persone that is afflicted first set his eye on the Lord Iesus Let him looke ouer to Golgotha vvhere Christ is hanging on the Crosse and in Christ let him looke to tvvo thinges first to the glorie worthinesse of that personage who sufferes next to the extremitie and ignominie of that passion looke to these two things in him and then looke down to thy selfe and looke what thou art first not a Lord if thou were a King but a seruant all the Kings on the earth are but seruants in respect of him then go to the affliction thou suffers and thou shalt finde thou suffers not the thowsand part of the affliction he suffred for thee there is great inequalitie betweene thee and him and then beginne to reason The seruant is not greater nor his Lord the disciple is not greater nor his Maister The Lord Iesus is my Lord I am not but a seruant yet the Lord Iesus my Lord suffers and in such great extremity then may I not be content to suffer the thousand part of his suffering Of this comes contentment of heart and patience to suffer for the Lord. For except thy eye be set vpon that personage of Iesus Christ it is not possible for thee to suffer with joy the simplest crosse that is for the Lords sake The next point of their dittay they haue slaine their ovvn Prophets Persecution of the Prophets This they did ere they slevv the Lord albeit it be set in the second rovvâ—â—e They haue slaine vvhom Prophetes vvorthie men Whose Prophets not strangers but men of then own nation Iewes as they vvere their ovvne Prophets sent by God to them to teach and prophecie to them to bring them to the way of life yet they haue runne vpon them and haue slaine them all aggreages their fact Ye vvill aske vvas these Ievves that slevv the Prophets the same that slevv the Lord Iesus they wer not in the Prophets dayes they came long after I answer he vnderstands the whole bodie of that people fathers and children which makes vp a bodie The fathers slew the Prophets Therfore Steuen sayes Act. 7. 52. Which of them is he vvhom your fathers haue not persecuted Then he comes to the children as for you that are children ye haue betrayed and slaine the iust one This is it that Christ sayes in the 23. chap. of Matt. vers 32. Ful 〈◊〉 out that or follow out that that your fathers haue left vndone slay me and my Apostles Yet there may be an other answere made to this It may be that he will lay to the charge of them that slew the Lord Iesus the slaughter of the Prophets as though they had slaine them with their owne hands Posteritie guilty through their fathers For ye must vnderstand that the children that come after their Fathers are inuolued in the whole guiltinesse that their fathers were in before them Was he a murtherer thou art guiltie of murther were thy Grandfather and his father murtherers thou art inuolued in the same guiltinesse and except thou by grace be transplanted out of the rotten stock of thy fore-fathers in Iesus thou shalt die for that murther of thy fathers All the sinnes of thy progenitors shal be hung about thy neck if thou be not exeemed and â—lanted in Iesus Christ Yea that sinne of Adam for eating of the frute shall be laid to thy charge and thou shalt pay for it if thou be not transplanted out of rotten Adam and ingraft in Iesus Christ the second Adam Rom. 5. 14. Not onelie is this naturall corruption drawen to children throgh propagation but the children are inuolued in the guiltinesse of the verie action of the progenitours All serues to this to make fathers to be waie and to take head to their actions that they slay not themselues allone but the multitude of their posteritie as Adam slew vs all Yet there is an other ground and answere to this These Iewes that slew the Lord Iesus are counted to haue slaine the Prophets before them The ground and cause is this I would that all murthereis did heare this Slayest thou an innocent man such as Abel the whole innocent bloud that was shed since the beginning lights vpon thee thou art guiltie of it And therefore Christ Matt. 23. 36. layes to the Ievves charge the whole innocent bloud shedde since Abell vnto Zacharias that vvas slaine betweene the temple and the altar Therfore murtherer take head thou shalt drowne in bloud for by thy act thou giuest approbauen to al those murtherers that were from the beginning Thou makest it a pastime to dip thy hand in innocent bloud but wo to thee if thou be not washed in the bloud of christ This for the answer to the question Now marke brethren When he speakes of the slaughter of the Lord Iesus committed by these Iewes he forgets not the old Prophets and with the Lords he joines his seruants neither forgets he the Apostles Both the persecution the persecutors are recent in Gods memorie and vs also haue they persecuted al are put in one catalogue the olde Prophetes the Lord Iesus the Apostles and Martyres that were slaine And who doeth this It is not so much Paul as the holie Spirite that doth it which is a token that all the martyrdomes that haue bene is and to be was not is not nor shal not be forgot of the Lord they are all in recent memorie And suppose there were not a booke of Martyres vvritten in the earth yet there is a booke in Heauen written and all the Martyres from the beginning are registrate in it and that book shall be laid oppen before man Angels ye shall see them not in pictures but in face And again he remembers the Iewes who did it so as there is a booke of Martyres in heauen so is there a booke of persecuters wherein all their names are written and in that great day the booke shall be laide oppen and shall be presented to their eyes to their rebuke shame and eternall confusion So the Lord hes all in remembrance the Lord hes a recent memorie a thousand yeeres are but like a day to him and a day as a thousand yeeres albeit we will forget all yet all is recent in his memorie And this is verie comfortable to the afflicted and it is terrible to the persecutors Woe is that man that hath not his sinnes forgote and pardoned of the Lord. There is not one teare of the sufferer but it is put vp in his bottle This for the second point of their dittay Let vs novve come to the third point The Iewes vvere not content with the slaying of the Prophetes and of the Lord Iesus himself but when he is away they persecute his Apostles A wonderful thing that this people can not hold
seuere them that should be joined as it is the worke of God to joine them together Now let vs goe to the last part of this text containing a weightie reason first of his desire and next of his purpose to come to them These are the wordes For vvhat is our hâ—pe ioy vvhat is crovvne of my glorying There is the question and demand The answere of it is Are not ye in the presence of our Lord Iesus at his comming Then he doubles it yea sayes he yee are my ioy and my glorie and so he endes Where a mans hope is there is the thinge he hopes and lookes for where his joye and crowne and glorie is there he would be that is to say where his blessâ—â—â— is there wold he be Noâ— Paul vvold say Ye Thessalonians are my hope my joy my crown of the which I glorie therefore I woulde be with you There is the force of the argument Now the style of the language would be marked for the same Spirite that dytes the matter dytes the style and spirituall matter craues a Spirituall style 1. Cor. 2. 13. The holie spirite of Iesus must be the speaker as wel as the dyter His language ryses vp by degree by degree the lowest degree is in the vvord hope the next degree is in the word joy the last and hiest degree is in the vvord crowne vvhereby is meaned a most high and excellent glorie This learnes vs this lesson Heauen would haue an high style that crowne would haue an hie style the grace of Iesus Christ woulde haue an hie style when it is spoken of And brethren if Heauen be in the heart as it is in the mouth and if glorie be in the heart as it is in the mouth and if the Crovvne of glorie be in the heart as it is in the mouth the mouth vvill euer be readie to speake of grace of joye and of glorie in a glorious style for it is true Of the aboundâ—nce of the heart the mouth speaketh And I vvould demaund of you what is the occasion that men doe speake so couldlie and careleslie of the Lord of glorie and so baselie of so glorious thinges as of heauen and of the joye thereinto Alas the occasion is the vvant of sense in the heart the heart is not filled with such thinges and therefore an emptie heart an emptie mouth if thy hear be full of vanitie thy mouth vvill be full of vanitie and euanish in painting out of vanitie for looke as thou art disposed in heart in like manner shalt thou bee disposed in mouthe Therefore seeke to haue thy heart furnished fullie vvith the Spirite of Iesus No man sayes the Apostle can call Iesus Lord but by the Spirite 1. Epist Corin. 〈◊〉 12. 3. Yee more Speaking of this joye he passes vp by degrees The lowest is hope then he comes to an higher my â—oy then the highest is 〈…〉 on their glorie The greatest glorie in the earth is a crowne and when a man is crowned in the earth he can be no higher But there is the difference The crowne in the earth is corruptible but the crowne of heauen is incorruptible It is of this crown of heauen he speaks Yet not these three degrees for I marke this passing vp by degrees in sundry 〈◊〉 parts for when the Apostle begiâ—â—nes to speake of Iesus he can be satisfie himselfe in vvords and 〈…〉 Praying iâ— God 〈◊〉 yee may 〈◊〉 sayes hee vvhat is theâ— hope of his calling there is the first step he stands not there he goes vp to see what the 〈…〉 his glorie what glorie of his 〈…〉 〈◊〉 among his saints this is the second degree yet he stands not there and vvhat is that excellent greatnes of his power according to the efficacie of his strong strength There he stands Brethren these are not vvords but this rising vp tels vs the hight of the glory of heaueÌ„ is wonderful that thou mayest attaine to it thou must rise to it by degrees that is thou must passe from sense to sense from grace to grace from light to light from oye to joye from glorie to glorie as the Apostle speakes 2. Corinth 3. 18. So long as thou liuest thou must finde this climming of thy heart sensiblie that thou growest in joye and that thou hast more joye this yeere then before and so striue continually vntil thou come to the point euer striuing for perfection in this lyfe which shall be compleat when we shall see our Lord Iesus Christ Now he calles it the crowne of glorying that is that makes him to glorie in God who crownes him Brethren when the heart is filled with glorie in Iesus christ the mouth shall not be dumbe but it shall oppin and vtter that passing joy and the persone shall euer glorie in him vvho hes set that crowne on him O that infinite glorie and rejoysing that shall be in that glorious Majestie now we tyre searcelie are we begun to glorie in him but the heart beginnes as soone to tyre but then there shall be no tyring nor wearying the voice shall neuer cease but glorie in that Creator for euer and ever Byde in patience while ye attaine vnto this glorie and in all troubles let the hope of this glorie comfort thee Rom. 5. 2. For there is nothing that abydes but this glorie col Now if hope made vs to rejoyce how much more present sight present joy and the crovvne put on our heads vvill make vs to rejoyce and vvith gladnesse and loude voyce to praise him who â—â—es crowned vs for euer In the latter end of the verse he makes an answer to his owne demand are not ye sayes he c. He calles the Church â—isâ—oy and his crowne not that properlie his blessednesse was in them for onelie Iesus Christ is called our hope our joy our glorie and crowne Onelie Iesus Christ is our lyfe onelie Christ is our solace he hes no companion but he calles them his hope and joy in an other sense Because they wer the meane and matter wherby he attained to the joy solace and crowne which is in Iesus Christ It is then an improper fashion of speaking for the people in whom our ministrie is effectuall to saluation is the meane whereby we shal be glorified in the Heauen Marke this speaking of the matter of his joy He speakes not of his Apostleship and sayes not it is the meane of my joy but he sayes the blessing giuen me in my Apostleship in sauing you is the meane of my joy Faithfull discharge of a calling a mater of ioy The matter of thy joy in the lyfe to come and of thy crowne where-with thou shalt be crowned in Heauen it is not so much a calling if it were the calling of a King it will not be that that wil make thee be crowned in Heauen no it must be the faithfull discharge of thy calling toward them with whom thou hast adoe Art thou a King the faithfull
end our life in Iesus Christ we passe vp to a wonderfull glorie Now how comes this glorie Comes it on any thing we haue done heere in earth Comes it of our workes or merites No as holinesse in this life comes of the free mercie of God in Christ so the crowne of glorie in that life onelie comes of the mercie of God in Christ We shall be glorified in Heauen but hovv Through the grace of God that he will giue vs in Christ And as the crowne of glorie shall be giuen vs of free grace so the standing in that estate of glory shall indure for euer of grace So all comes of grace Perseuerance of holinesse in this lyfe is onely by the grace of God All perseuerance in glorie in the life to come of grace and mercie nothing in earth nothing in Heauen but free grace in mercy Wherefore is this the Lord will haue nothing in Heauen nor earth but mercie To this end that all the glorie of our saluation may be giuen to him and he that glories in it should glorifie him Grace free mercie onely in him And let this be our song on earth vvhen vve speake of the grace of God on earth Glorie to God mercie to vs onelie in God The Lord giue vs grace that we may giue al and the onely praise of mercie and of glorie in this life and in the life to come To this God with the Son and the holy Spirite be immortall praise and glorie foreuer AMEN THE XVI LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 4. vers 9. 10. 11. 12. 9 But as touching brotherlie loue yee neede not that I vvrite vnto your for ye are taught of God to loue one another 10 Yea and that thing verelie ye doe vnto all the brethren vvhich are throughout all Macedonia but vve beseech you brethren that ye increase more and more 11 And that ye studie to be quyet and to meddle vvith your ovvne businesse and to vvork vvith your ovvn hands as vve cōmanded you 12 That yee may behaue your selues honestlie tovvards them that are vvithout and that nothing be lacking vnto you THE Apostle brethren after hee hes set downe his general exhortation to sanctification and holinesse This is the will of God sayes he euen your sanctification that ye be holie in soule holie in bodie holie in all your actions within and without He discends and comes to the particulare parts of this generall exhortation The first part of it respects a man or vvoman in their own person that they keepe their person to God as the vessell of honor keepe it from fornication which is a sinne that especiallie and in the highest degree fyles the person of a man both in bodie and soule which should be keeped in holinesse to God who made it The next part of this sanctification concernes our brother our neighbour that wee doe no wronge nor oppresse him by violence we circumvene him not by fraude and guile in businesse concerning this life but in all affaires we be as carefull he haue aduantage as we are that our selues haue aduantage When thou art onelie set to make vantage to thy selfe by thy own selfe loue that aduantage is wrong We heard the arguments the Apostle vses to moue them to this First the will of God If the will of God will not moue thee from harlotrie from doing euill vnto thy neighbour let the vengeance of God moue thee for that is the second argument and it shall ouertake thee in the end if thou continue therein Then he came to that holie and Christian calling that should moue vs to liue holie We are called to be holie let vs keepe therefore our owne person holie let vs be holie to our brother let vs be holie in our hand holie in our faculties Then he goes forward to another argument He that will not be holie when he is called by man he saies it is not with man he hes adoe but with God It is God that bids thee keepe thy bodie cleane from harlotrie thy hand from wrong Therefore thou disobeying thou disobeyes not man but God What is it to disobey me or him that speakes It is that great God that thou rebellest against and in that great day thou shalt be challenged as a rebell to that great God These argumentes are all set downe to this end to moue vs to holinesse Then at last in the end of the last verse he castes to an argument from the holie Spirite giuen vs by God to this end Getst thou the holie Spirit to play the harlote getst thou that holy Spirite that glorious gift the third person of the glorious Trinitie dwelling in thee as in a Temple to the effect thou shouldst commit filthinesse No as all things oblishes thee to be holie so especiallie the holie Spirite of God dwelling within thee crauing an holie Temple craues holinesse otherwayes with thy filthinesse thou shalt disludge him and anger him vntill at last he shall depart from thee and then that foull spirit of wickednesse shall possesse thee Nowe to come to the text In the first part thereof he goes forward to another particulare part of this sanctification which is brotherlie loue So the third part of this sanctification stands in brotherlie loue called beneficience and liberalitie to thy brother a grace and vertue crauing an open hand to bestow on the necessitie of thy brooher So when he hes exhorted not to doe wrong to thy neighbour not to oppresse him by violence or surprise him by deceite then he exhorts that thou be beneficiall to him liberall to him to support his want and necessitie Hee sayes then But as concerning brotherlie loue bountifulnes towards thy brother ye neede not that I vvrite vnto yo◠The reason of it is What need haue I who am a man to be ouer diligent in teaching outwardlie when God is the inward teacher of you and when he teaches this point of doctrin in special to loue euerie one another Ther is the substance of the first words Now to obserue something on the wordes Ye see it is not eneugh not to do euil but true sanctification craues that we do good also De◠〈◊〉 from euill sayes Dauid in his 34. Psal vers 15. and doe good There are two things It is not eneugh not to do wrong to our neighbour or brother not to oppresse him not to beguile him but true holines craues that we benefite him we bestowe on him a goode deede we supplie his necessitie want and pouertie All the parts of this which we call sanctification holines of life that are as manie graces of God in Christ are so inseparablie linked together as the linkes of a chaine are one in another All the parts of sanctification link it together that if anie of them be a missing in anie person man or woman and be not in him in some measure I cannot saye that that person hes truelie anie
so stagring as thou art except thou leane on Christ This is most true It is not so much our apprehension we haue of Christ as his apprehension of vs that holds vs vp A chylde that is learning to goe albeit he grippe he cannot holde himselfe vp but it is the grip of the Nourse that holdes vppe the chylde It is so betweene God and vs We are all infantes Iesus hes vs in his hand we make a glifring to grip him againe but when he lettes vs goe then we fall So this is our comfort that vve are gripped by God and his grip vpholdes vs for vvhen he grippes to the heart of any man his hand neuer lowses againe and thou shalt neuer goe out of his grippe yea euen in that time when thou thinkest thou art gone and the Lord hes casten thee offyn the meane-time he hes thee in his grip and in that meane-tyme vvhen thou appearest to be left call to remembrance that he hes gripped thee and then assure thee yet he grips thee And say Who shall be able to separate me from the loue of Christ Rom. 8. 35. And Iesus sayes None is able to reaue my sheepe out of my hand Iohn 10. 28. Who shall be able to lowse his hand This is all in one vvorde Seeke this apprehension and stand fast in Christ and death shall not seuer thee from him but lyfe shall follow death glorie shall follow ignominie immortalitie shall svvalovv vp the mortalitie that vve are heere subject to Well then brethren who wait when we shall be striken Therefore let vs euer be prepared and let vs not looke to the Pest Nothing shall be able to seuere vs from God if he haue gripped vs ` Paul sayes Philipp 3. 8. 9. that he counted all thinges but dongue that he might be found of him and knowe him and the force of his resurrection Yet to insist in the words expressing this resurrection he saies that God shall bring vs vvith him that is with Christ So our resurrection what is it VVhat is our resurrection but a bringing of vs to God to be joyned with him in that blessed societie Our felicitie and blessednesse both in body and soule is to be joined with God For vnderstand so long as thy bodie lyes in the graue lyes in ignominie in a maner it is seuered from God it is apart from God in some maner it is not so near him as it wil be it is yet lying in ignominy Now in the resurrection of the dead that body that was separated frō God and lay in ignominie for a tyme ryses to be joyned with God to the end it may be glorified for euer This is the resurrection of the bodies of the godlie But it is farre otherwaies with the resurrection of the vngodly They rise indeed and must rise for they shall be pulled out of the graue for faine would they ly still they must ryse to receiue that paine of damnation they shall ryse but neuer to be brought to God The Scripture indeed speakes that they shall rise but neuer to be broght to God but they rise to be seuered from God more nor they were They are seuered when they are in the graue but when the body shall be joyned to the soule then they shall be farther seuered And looke how far is betweene the hie Heauens and the low Helles as far distance shall there be betweene God and the reprobate They shall not be conuoyed vp to meete Christ in the cloudes as the bodies of the godly are No but they shall stand on the earth Yet to insist Are the bodies of the elect broght them alone to God No what euer bodie must be brought to God in the resurrection it must be broght in companie it must be in a societie and conjunction ere that bodie be conjoined with God He saies vvith Christ. That bodie must be brought to that glorious societie with God but first it must be joyned with Iesus otherwaies thou shalt neuer rise to God Then would ye haue the order Paul speaks of in this resurrection for euerie one shall rise in order The first is Christ Christ the first of them that rises his glorious body rose first Then after that they who are in Christ that is they who stands in that conjunction with him as imps in the tree vvho are ingraft in his bodie then they shall ryse with him Therefore in one word Wouldst thou knowe whether thou shalt be joined with God or not looke if thou standst fast in that conjunction and vnion with Christ in this lyfe and if thou finde thy selfe vnited with Christ in this lyfe then in the glorious resurrection with God shalt thou be And so this is a thing that I euer aduertise you of Looke euer that thou be a member of that glorious bodie Be either an eye or foote or hand be some part of the bodie of Christ And certainly being joined with him when he is joyned with God euen God the Father of necessitie thou being a member of the bodie thou must be joined with God For thy conjunction with God is not immediat but thou must first bee joyned with Christ and being conjoyned with Christ thou shalt be joyned with God also in glory Now vvho shall be the doer of this It is a great vvorke to draw vp this bodie out of the graue to Heauen and set it in that glorie Will the bodie rise the alone where got it that strength will any Angell draw it vp No all the Angels in Heauen is not able to raise vp a bodie to Heauen all the power in earth cannot raise vp a dead bodie Then who must doe it No power in Heauen nor earth but the power of God Paul Ephes chap. 1. verse 19. calles it the effectualnesse of the strong povver of God There is no vvorke in this vvorld vvherein the povver of God appeares more nor in the vvorke of the rising first of Christ vvhen he vvas dead and then of our bodies that are in him The power and strength of God as greatlie appeares in the raising of the bodie as it did in making of the world when before it vvas not It is as great a matter to make a thing to liue as to make it There is as great power to make the dead to liue as to make any thing of nothing And this povver is onely proper to God The power of the world may put out the life but no power can giue lyfe but onely Gods There are many slayers but none to giue lyfe but onely God Therefore let vs glorifie the God of lyfe Then marke two causes of our glorious resurrection 2. causes of our resurrectiō He speakes not of the resurrection of the reprobate The first cause is the conjunction with Iesus begunne in this lyfe The second cause is the power and might of God in raising of them being found in Iesus Take any of these two away thou shalt neuer be brought
to God If thy conjunction be not with Iesus in this lyfe the power of God in the latter day shall not raise thee to joyne thee to God Take this first cause away the second shall not follow Then againe if the hand of God at the day of the resurrection should not be put as it were out of Heauen to take vp thy bodie thou wouldst ly still Therfore joyne these two First the conjunction with Christ that is by Faith then joyne with Faith the power and vertue of God and so ryse shalt thou and be joyned with God in glorie Now as to the power of God to raise vs it is not extended to vs heere but we shall see it in that great day but the thing vve haue to care for is to looke that we haue saith and of necessitie the second must follow Hast thou faith and art thou joyned with Christ by Faith of necessitie the power of God must reache to thee to raise thee out of the graue Thou needest not to feare if thou be found in Christ All mercie power and glorie is in him if thou be out with Christ no glorie nor mercie but damnation for thee for the power of God shall be extended to thy destruction Now to the next verse Yet he goes forward and teaches them that not onely they shall rise and be broght to God and be joyned with him But he sayes This say vve vnto you by the vvord of God that vve vvho liue and are remaning at the comming of the Lord shall not preueene them vvho sleep He speakes heere of himselfe as thogh he should haue bene liuing at the day of judgement and yet he died more nor a thousand yeere since To teach vs euer to be in readinesse no houre nor moment should be but we should look for the cōming of Christ and think we shall be liuing whē he commes This is our vain thoght we think we shal die before the day of judgment No Paul spok not so we should not speak so but be ay ready to meet the Lord at his glorious appearance Now the third head wherein he instructed them is the order and ranke of men that shall meete the Lord in the cloudes All that judgement shall passe by order The God of order shall be judge Order in meeting the Lord after resurrectiō and all shall be in order and men shall be in ranke they who shall be raised vp from this earth to meete the Lord shall haue their own place and ranke Now the Apostle would teach them that they shal haue this order They who hes departed first this lyfe shall not be preuented they vvho shall be aliue shall not be put in the ranke before them but they who are dead shall be in the first ranke and order and ere euer that sodain change be made of them vvho shall be found alyue changing them from mortalitie to immortalitie vvhich change shall be in the twinckling of an eye the dead in the graue shall be raised vp first by the power of God their bodies shal be first glorified and then shall come on that sodain change of them who shall be aliue then all shal be rest vp to the clouds first they that were dead next they that were changed and so we shall come all to meete our head Christ This is the order Now to be short This same verie speaking of the Apostle and his instructing of them in this preferment teaches vs that there should be in vs such a desire to meete with Christ that we should striue who shal meet with him first striue to be first and not to be last cast vs to haue a parte of this preferment and considering this preferment is promised to them vvho dies first it should make vs joyfull to die first and to say to them vvho are standing about vs vvhen vve are on death-bed I vvill get a preferment I am called to death first before you I shall be preferred to you in meetting vvith my Lord in Heauen Ye shall liue after me but I shall meete first vvith my Lord. O vvhat it is to get preferment in heauenlie glorie Ye vvill count of preferment vvith Kinges of this earth and men vvill striue vvho shall first meete vvith the King O then should vve not striue to meete vvith the King of Kings in Heauen The Lord grant vs faith that we may be joined with Christ in this bodie that at that last day soule and bodie may be glorified in Heauen vvith Christ our Head To vvhom with the Father and the holy Spirite be all glory and praise for euer AMEN THE XVIII LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 4. vers 16. 17. 18. 16 For the Lord himselfe shall descend from heauen vvith a shout and vvith the voyce of the Archangell and vvith the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ shall rise againe Then shall vve vvhich liue and remaine be caught vp vvith them also in the cloudes to meete the Lord in the aire and so shall vve euer be vvith the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort your selues one another vvith these vvords THE Apostle brethren in this present text by the way as it were instructs the Thessalonians in that head of doctrine that concernes those who are departed this lyfe Of the which either they were ignorant or thought not of it as they should haue done And therefore in the death and departure of their kins-folke and friendes whom they loued well they mourned excessiuely as though there estate had beene miserable as though after this world there should haue been no more of them but they should perish like beasts And therfore the Apostle to the end that for death they shold not mourne so desperatlie he instructs them in certaine heades of doctrine concerning the departed The first was that they that died died not so much as sleeped this death is not so much to be called a death as a sleepe for there shall be a waking againe as a man lying down to sleepe shall awake againe The second point Their resurrection shall be glorious Being laid down in the graue they shall not ly for euer but shall be gloriouslie raised againe for heere he speakes of the resurrection of the elect and chosen Now the third thing he instructs them in is an peece of honour they shall haue in their resurrection They that are dead first shall see the Lord before them that shall be found aliue for the dead shall ryse first and then the change shall be made of them who are then liuing And as the dead shall rise first so they shall be first in ranke among them who shall goe to meete the Lord in the aire first the dead after their resurrection shall be rest vp to the cloudes then they who shall be liuing shall be rest vp after them So the dead shall get the first sight of Christ then they who shall be found alyue shall be
These shall be the signes that shall be joined inseparablie with Christs comming The signe of Christ In the meane tyme he shall come down when all the world shall be on a fire And this is called by Matthevv 24 verse 30. the signe of Christ the signe that shall be conjoined with his comming Reade of this whole matter in this 24. chap. of Matthevv verse 30. 2. Epist of Pet. chap. 3. verse 10. 12. Reuelat chap. 20. verse 11. and chap. 21. verse 1. Then brethren if there was such a commotion in the heart of men in the first signes that past before what commotion shall there be in the harts of men when they shall see the whole world on fire A wondrous thing When all this consumption shall be no body shall be burnt but the power of the judge shall reserue the bodies to the judgement that is to follow immediatlie Peter when he hes tolde of these signes saies If such a dissolution of the world be what maner of men should we be how should we studie to prepare vs to meete the Lord So on that great day all these thinges shall not make the godly to shrinke but they shall ay prease forward to meete the Lord in the cloudes As to the reprobate ô that horrour and terrible feare that shall ouertake them at his comming Now this for the two sorts of signes The first going before his comming the second joined inseparably with his comming down to judge the world Now shortly to speake of Christs owne comming And this is it which the Apostle speakes of in this place Which for our vnderstanding I shall gather out of this and sundry other places of the Scripture Christes coÌ„ming Now as for the comming of the judge he shall not come from the Sea from the Earth from the Plane Wherefrom commes all the Kings of the earth when they are in their triumph The Romane Emperours came out from the Capitoll in their Chariots But the King of Kinges shall come from the Heauen of Heauens abone all these heauens that we see from the highest place The maner of his comming is sodaine These signes that I spake of shall come on a sodaintie and yet there shall be a processe of tyme in doing thereof He shall come on a sodaine as the deluge of Noah did as the 24 chap. Matt verse 37. telles The people knew not of the deludge that ouerwhelmed them vntill it came No more shall this miserable world know Christes comming vntill he come sodainlie And therefore considering this in the Scripture the Lord giues a watch-word to his Disciples Many hundreth yeeres are past since and repeate it heere he saies Matt. 24. 42. Watch for ye knovv not vvhen the Lord shall come The sodaintie vncertainty of his comming shoulde make vs euer readie to looke for it The Chariot he shall be caried in is the cloudes of the aire As in his ascending the cloudes resaued him from our sight so shall the cloudes resaue him at his comming Such a Chariot got neuer Emperour in all his highest triumph none of them was caried in the clouds The company that shall conuoy him he shal come saies Matt. chap. 24. verse 30. with the Angels and a flame of fire that fyre that shall burne vp the world and shall burne vp the reprobate in the owne tyme. 2. Thess 1. 7. 8. Iude sayes verse 14. He shall come with millions of Angels there shall not be an Angell but all shall come in that conuoye to let all the worlde see that all the Angels are but seruants to that Lord and seruantes standing about him to obey his vvill vvhat hee commandes that his glorie and Majestie may be seene In the meane-tyme he hes no neede of them for they neyther can adde to his glorie nor diminish it yet it hes pleased him so to vtter his glorie to the vvorld And in that meane-tyme when he is comming he will not come in silence Ye see when an Armie marches forward there is a great noyse and crying shouting and blovving of trumpets So there shall bee a noyse in the Lords comming dovvne The Angels of Heauen shall blovve the trumpets So he speakes Matth. 24. verse 31. Paul in this place sayes there shall ryse a sound The worde in this place is a vvorde of exhortation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 borrovved from that sound vvhich the Mariners vses to others euerie one to moue others to rovv A shout direct to the dead that lyes in the graue it shall pearce through the graue and eares of the dead and shall waken them vp With the shout shall be conjoyned the voice of the Archangell and with the voyce of the Archangell the sound of the trumpet of God and this shall be the last trumpet and neuer shall the voyce of the trumpet be heard againe and it shall be the shâ—â—llest trumpet that euer was heard Now when the Lord in his comming downe shall come to the place where he is ordained to sit to judge the worlde which shall be in the cloudes Then all the Angels shall showe their presence and the Angels shall make a glorious Throne to the Lord of glorie and there he shall sit This much shortlie for the comming and appearing I shall be short in this matter For I will speake nothing but make a narration of it out of other parts of Scripture Would ye vnderstand the effectes that followes on his comming Effectes follovving Christs coÌ„ming Certainlie notable effectes must followe on it The Lord prepare vs for it The Father shall be there the Sonne shall be there coÌ„ming the holie Spirite shall be there vvith all their power and all their Majestie The glorie of the Father neuer appeared so glorious as it shall appeare that day The glorie of the Sonne neuer appeared so glorious as it shall appeare that day The glorie of the holie Spirit neuer appeared so glorious as it shall appeare that day Ye see in the Parliament the Kings of the earth appears in their greatest glory to the people so the Lord of the world shall appeare with an infinite and vncapable sight of glorie Now to come to the effects that shall follow on his comming AsseÌ„bly The first effect There shall be an assemblie a conuention the fairest conuention that euer was since the world stoode There are none that euer tooke lyfe but all shall bee there all shall be sommonded with the shout of the trumpetuall shall compeare no excuse the graue shall not excuse death shal not excuse dead and liuing neuer man nor woman excepted all shall be there So the first effect that shal follow the comming of the Iudge shall be a conuention of the whole world elect reprobate dead and liuing And I shall tell you after what order it wil be by the Scripture The first that shall come there to the conuention shall be they who were dead they shall preueene them who were alyue And Adam and
Eue shall be with the first and in the first ranke For before they vvho in the vvorlde shall be changed which shall be in the twinkling of an eye and it shall stand to them in stead of death ere this change be made the dead shall ryse first 1. Corint 15. 51 52. Some of them who are dead shall ryse to lyfe and honour to witte the elect Some of them to wit the reprobat to dishonour ignominie and death and a worse death nor they ly in presently Then when the dead is raised vp and compeares first then shall follow that sodaine change of them who shall be alyue the elect that shall be alyue shal be altred in a moment in the twinckling of an eie to a glorious estate The reprobat aliue shall be altered to but if they wer ignominious before they shal be more ignominious then for not only their soule but soule and body shal be vgly and if they had any beauty Estate of the bodies of the elect it shall bee changed in a wonderfull foulues But to speak of the body of the elect for the Scripture speaks most of them Paul 1. Cor. 15. verse 35. moues the question with what bodies shall they ryse what bodie shall the elect haue For he is not curious of the bodies of the reprobate but he markes narrowlie the rising of the bodies of the godlie at that day And the first qualitie he giues them is that whereas their bodies wer naturall when they were laid down in the graue their bodies in that day shall be made spirituall Not that our bodies shall be changed in spirites no our bodies shall be bodies indeed of that same substance they haue now The verie same substance of the bodie thou hast in this lyfe the same verie substance thou shalt haue in that lyfe and no other It shall be present at that day that same verie bodie that same very hand and foote c. and no other bodie nor no other hand nor foote c. And there shall be none of the ashes of the bodie but it shall be keeped vntill that day and shall be gathered vp and joined better nor euer it was before Then the bodie shall abyde Our lyfe shall be much better I liue heere a naturall lyfe by a naturall power in my soule but in the resurrection my lyfe shall be spirituall and I shall not liue a naturall lyfe Now I liue by a naturall power in my soule but then I shall liue spirituallie by a spirituall power in Christ Yet there shall be more Another propertie of the bodie shall follow on this This bodie if it were neuer so faire yet in respect of the glorie it shall take vp it is but ignominious but the bodie shall rise glorious and shyning as the Sunne not by this naturall skin and colour that we haue here but by a passing light and brightnesse conforme to that brightnesse of Christ when he was transformed on the Mountaine Reade Matt. 17. 1. and conforme to his glorie in Heauen as the Apostle telles Philipp chap. 3. verse 21. Yet more ye see our bodies weake The strongest man is soone beatten downe for all his strength all the povver of man is feeble and weake but in the resurrection the bodie shall be strong and pithie One man to be homely with you stronger in the resurrection nor an hundreth yea nor thousands are now For all feeblenesse shall be left behinde him in the graue and he shall ryse strong lyke the Angels in glorie and strength Yet more then this What matter of all this former glorie if it were possible that this spirituall bodie could perish The Apostle addes to this We shall rise incorruptible immortail to lyfe euerlasting when we shall ryse in that strength that power and freedome immortalitie shall follow after mortalitie glorie after ignomnie strength after weaknesse spiritualitie after naturalitie In lyfe we shall be spirituall in qualitie glorious in tyme euerlasting there is no end of it This is the propertie that Paul speakes of our bodies in the resurrection Now to goe forward There shall followe more in this conuention That same power that shall conueene all men together Separation of the elect from the reprobats that same power shall make a seuering The Angels the Ministers of that glorious judge shall stoppe in betweene the elect and the reprobate and putte them a sunder They shall seuere the sheepe from the goates they shall put the sheepe at the right hand of the judge and the goates at the left hand Reade Matt. chap. 25 verse 33. Appearantlie Paul heere would meane to vs another kynde of seuering and yet all is one This appearantlie vvoulde be his meaning They shal al be gathered together on the earth and all shall stand together in a troup and then this seuering shall be made Then all the elect shall be rest vp to the cloudes to meete the Lord in the cloudes As for the reprobate they shall all stand still on the earth and shall not get that honour to be rest vp in the aire but shall byde on the earth and receyue their judgement there For Paul vvhen he sayes they shall be rest vp to meete the Lord in the aire he speakes onely of the elect Then there shall be a seuering after which there shall neuer be a meetting againe a great golfe shall be betweene them that none may passe We are all mingled heere through other and none knowes other The sheepe oft-tymes are taken for the goates and the goates for the sheepe but at that great day the sheepe shall be seuered from the goates and shall neuer meete againe be it man with wyfe parents with children There are two effects a conuention of all and a seuering of all Yet the Iudge and the power of the Iudge shall passe forwarde and the third effect followes When the Judge hes all gathered together and none avvay vvhen the rovve is called and all are present Then vvhen one sorte shall be placed at the right hand IudgemeÌ„t pronounced and the other at the left hand then shall he fall to judgement He cannot judge before he seuere the verie seuering telles the judgement but before the seuering the judgement shall not be pronunced Then generallie he shall judge all according to their workes The bookes shall be opened the book of conscience shall be opened the booke of workes shall be opened and al their judgement shal be according to their works 〈◊〉 vnderstand this The elect man shall be judged according to his works not that his works shall be the cause that shal proâ—â—â— his lyfe but he shall be judged by his works as a testimony of his faith in Christ and of the maner of lyfe that he hes liued in the worlde as a member of Christ So he shall be judged by his workes not as a cause but as a token of the true cause as ye would judge a man by a witnesse for the
part of the text The Apostle Paul not onely in this place joines these three together but also in the 4. chap. to the Philipp ye shall finde the same three precepts joined together howbeit not in this order he beginnes there Patience ioye and praier ioined together at joy and he sayes reioice in the Lord alvvaies againe I say reioice then he commes to patience in suffering wrong let your patient minde let your moderation be knovvne 〈◊〉 all men for the Lord is at hand And last he commes to prayer and saies be not carefull for any thing but in all things let your requests be shovvne to God in prayer and thankes-giuing Then he commes to peace of conscience again and the peace of God vvhich passes all vnderstanding shall preserue your harts c. These three are joined together The precept of patience joy and prayer because these three graces of God patience joy and prayer are vnseparable euerie one of them joined vnseparably with another tak one away thou shalt not get the other tak praier away thou shalt not haue joy take joy away thou shalt not get patience in suffering So these three are so vnseparably lined together that if they be not altogether in the hart of a man none of them can be in the hart and if one be in the hart all shall be in it Howbeit patience be set down first here yet it is not the first grace praier is first joy next and then patience for praier first bringes joy then this heauenlie joy being broght forth and entertainde by praier it bringes patience in suffering troubles Now brethren what shal we mak of this ere we come to the words Only this the graces of God which are parts of our new-birth called Regeneration are so inseparably locked together that they cannot be seuered and therefore he that would haue any one of them let him seeke them al he that would haue patience let him seeke joy and he that would haue joy let him seeke praier let him seeke them altogether either seeke them all and get them all in some measure or it shall passe thy power to keepe any one of them either keepe all or want all this is their nature ye saw neuer a chaine so linked together as these graces of regeneration are linked It may be that a man haue the outward showe of a grace but indeed it shall passe his power to haue a true grace except he haue the whole graces of this new-birth in some measure Many will seeme to suffer wrong and yet they will not haue the joy of the holy Spirit but they that wants the joy of the Spirit albeit they seeme to suffer many wrongs yet they are but hypocrites Therefore seeke one seeke all want one want all either haue all or want all But to come to the text and speake of this joy Reioice sayes the Apostle euermore True rejoicing or joy is that joy that entertaines patience in suffering Goe to experience and try it There is none of vs that hes tasted of this heauenlie joy but we will finde by experience it raise vp the hart of man and woman aboue all these thinges earthlie in some measure It raises vp the hart to an higher kingdome nor all the kingdomes in this earth this heauenly joy raises vs vp to the kingdome of God This kingdome of God saies the Apostle Rom. chap 14. vers 17. Is peace and ioy in the holie Ghost So that they who hes this joy are in another kingdome as far aboue these earthly kingdomes as the heauen is aboue the earth and by this joy they are lifted vp to heauen and being vp there they look downe to all these things on the earth the troubles afflictions and persecutions as thogh they were nothing and thinkes them nothing joy being in the hart it swallowes vp the heauiest displeasure that can be looke this by experience A little measure of it in the hart will swalow vp sadnesse suffering of wrongs and injuries in this world This world is but a world of suffering In the 5. chapter of the Acts verse 41. ye see the Disciples of Christ after his ascension are drawen in before the Councell there they are scourged manassed and threatned that they should not speake in the name of Christ But what doe they when they are dimitted They go away with joy is there matter of joy heere they are beatten scourged and boasted yet they goe away with joy reioicing that they vvere counted vvorthiâ— to suffer for Christs sake Brethren if joy had not swallowed vp sadnesse the Apostles had not rejoyced Reade the Psalmes of Dauid He beginnes with such a sadnesse in many of them all that he would appeare to be in Hell and ere the Psalme be ended ye will see that he burstes out with exceeding great thankfulnes This meanes that there was a joy and an exceeding great heauines in the hart and there was a battell betwixt them and in the end joy got the victorie and swallowed vp sadnesse But now what is this joy that he meanes of when he saies Reioyce euermoâ— It is no other thing but that which he calles in the fourth chapter to the Philippians Description of â—oy The peace of God that passes all vnderstanding standing about the hart as a guard And to speake the trueth of this it is the end and crowne of all the graces of God in Iesus Christ it is that end whereto all the graces of God tends and when they come there they go no further Wherfore came Christ in the world but that we should haue peace and joy in conscience Wherefore died he that we should haue joy Wherefore rose he that we should haue joy in his resurrection Wherfore are we all called to be Christians that we shold rejoice Wherefore are our sins remitted onely to rejoyce This is the end of all joy What is Heauen but joy What is life euerlasting but joy vnspeakable What is glorie but joy Paul joynes these two together joy and the crowne of glorie 1. Thess chap. 2. vers 19. Therefore in one word what is true happines nothing but joy joy in God throgh Iesus Christ What is any thing vnder Heauen without joy in the hart If a man haue all the world and all the honour and riches of the world except he haue joy in them what auaill they So joy is the blessednesse of men and women And therefore when the Apostle bids vs rejoice euermore what craues he but that we should prease euer forward to our blessednes and Heauen begin thy blessednes here or thou shalt neuer get blessednes hereafter Life euerlasting begins here in a measure of joy that is not persite and ends in the next life in glory which shall be perfited Yet brethren the nature of joy would be better seene and knowen that men be not deceiued with it The joy that is craued of what kinde is it There are sundrie kindes of joy Is it a
faile thee or else thou shalt faile them if thou were a King thou must faile in thy kingdome thou must leaue 〈◊〉 either shall the worldly things be taine from thee or thou from them What Monarch euer yet since the beginning of the world for al their dominions if they had not God and Christ had euer a sparke of joy at the houre of his death A dram weight of this joy is worth all the kingdomes of this earth and if thou hast gotten a little peece of this joy thinke it better nor thou wert made Monarch of all the world No question the least peece of Christes graces and of this regeneration is worth all the Kingdomes of this world Euen so these earthlie thinges cannot bee the matter of this joye Thou shalt neuer get the joy of the holy Spirite if thou seeke it in the world Then wherein standes this joy Paul 4. chap. to the Philippians verse 4. sayes Reioyce in the Lord. He sayes not rejoyce in the world or kingdomes of the world but he sayes rejoyce in the Lord and in all those graces he hes broght with him in remission of sins in life euerlasting c. Take heed compare this joy with the matter thereof This joy is spiritual Iesus is a Spirit all his graces are spirituall Then these two agrees very well a spirituall matter a spirituall joy Then againe this joy is continuall Christ is for euer Heb. 13. 8. His graces standes for euer Al the mercies of God in Christ are eternall and vnchangeable How well then standes these two a joy continuall a matter continuall a joy that is eternall a matter that is eternall But thou wilt say 〈…〉 albeit that matter of my joy Christ Iesus neuer perishes yet we must perish and albeit he stand yet we must fall No no. Paul to the Rom. chap. 8. vers 35. saies What shall separate vs from the loue of God in Christ No if thou be once well imped in him by his Spirite and a lyuely faith all the world shall neuer bring thee back againe thou shalt neuer be separate heauen and earth shall first perishe ere they who are imped in Christ be separate from him death shall not separate them Paul sayes Christ is to me both in life and death aduantage Philipp chap. 1. vers 21. These earthly thinges may vantage thee in this naturall and transitory lyfe 〈…〉 riches may vauntage thee in this lyfe honour may be pleasant to thee here but when death commes then may thou justly say I will get no more vantage of my riches I will shake all off me and go naked to the graue but Christ will go to the graue with me yea euen to the resurrection he shall accompany thee and then soule and body shall be joined together and thou shalt be with him for euer In one word the matter of this joy are not earthly things but spirituall It is Christ and his graces that is the ground of all this joy vntill thou come to that lyfe euerlasting And this for the opening vp of the words Learne Vseâ— then There are none of vs that walkes in the light of the Gospell of Christ and hes taine the name of Christians vpon vs but we are bound and oblist to rejoyce and be glade and that not for one tyme onely one day or one night or one yeere or one season but euermore and at euery occasion in prosperitie in aduersitie in life and death euer rejoyce and weulde ye know the paine all obligations are vnder some paine the paine of it is vnder the paine of banishing vs out of Gods Kingdome out of heauenly Ierusalem He that would not rejoyce vnder the hope of heauenly Ierusalem must be banished out thereof Rom. 14. verse 17. Gods Kingdome in righteousnesse and peace and ioy in the holy Ghost if thou prease not to rejoyce in Christ and his Kingdome in life and death prosperity and aduersitie thou shalt be shut out of it I say they who neuer felt of this heauenly joy and neuer rejoyced in Christ in his Redemption of vs from sin in that life purchast to vs by his bloud who neuer rejoyces in these but ay is glad when he is exercised about these earthly things that man neuer yet saw Christs Kingdome And albeit he be outwardly in the Church the Church is called the Kingdome of God in the Gospell yet indeede he is not one of the Kingdome he is going vp and downe in company with them of the Church but he was neuer in the Church for thou must be spiritually in it and not bodily And if there be a great sin in the world this is one not to rejoyce in such a matter of joy God offers thee saluation in Christ if thou rejoyce not therein thou cannot doe a greater contempt to the light of the Gospell wherein life and saluation is offered noâ— a greater injury to God thou bereaues God of his glory for what shall be the chiefe glorifying of God but a rejoycing in his mercies through Iesus Christ Alas what great blessednesse we defraâ—d our selfes of when we rejoyce not in the worke of our Redemption It is wonder what joy the Angels haue in looking in to this worke of the Redemption of man Peter in his 1. Epistle chap. 1. vers 12. sayes The Angels desires to looke in to this misterie Were not the Angels preachers to the shiephirds of that joy and blessing that came to the world Luke chap. 2. verse 13. 14. Fy on thee Christ is come to redeeme thee and not the Angels and yet they rejoyce and wilt not thou rejoyce The earth and heauen leapes and rejoyces for the hearing of their deliuerance by Christes comming againe and thou cannot rejoyce fy on thee When all the dumme creatures aboue vnder and about thee rejoyces and thou cannot rejoyce Waken vp that dead hart of thine and rejoyce in God or else the spirit of sorrow and sadnesse shall waken thee that thou shalt weepe for euer The tyme of joy is pretious if thou rejoyce not heere thou shalt neuer get that joy in Heauen hereafter Now ye will say should we rejoyce ay The wise man sayes Ecclest chap. 3. vers 4. 〈…〉 All thinges hes the tyme there is a tyme of vveeping a tyme of laughing How should we ay be glad I aunswere it is true there is a tyme of mourning and a tyme of sadnesse and I trow this same verie tyme is the tyme of sadnesse But I tell thee againe for all this sadnesse rejoyce must thou and when thou art commanded to be sad for sin thou art commanded to rejoyce in Christ for remission thereof where nothing is in the hart but sadnesse it will bring a man to dispare Sadnesse would euer be mingled with joy sadnesse for miserie would be mingled with joy for hope of reliefe or else the end shal be dispare And it is wonderfull to see the Spirit of Iesus at â— tyme to
he sayes not Onesiphorus deserues well at Gods hand and I pray that the Lord would rewarde him according to his demerites No but he sayes The Lord shovv mercy on Onesiphorus And he doubles it ouer againe and he saies God grant as I haue found mercy at Onesiphorus so he may finde mercy at the Lords hands in that day He sayes mercie not reward but free mercie and so I end Nothing but mercy and free grace when we haue done all we can nothing but mercy mercy in earth mercy in heauen On paine of lyfe when thou hast done all the good thou may doe beware thou think of any deseruing at the hands of God But cast thy selfe on thy knees and hold vp thy hands and cry for fre mercy and pardon of thy sinnes and say away with all my workes they are but dung and filth I craue pardon for my sinnes of thy free mercy in that bloude of Iesus Christ Except thou craue this thou shalt neuer haue solide joy in thy hart And shall I say that one of these false quenchers of the Spirit felt euer this sweetnes in Christ which onely ryses of the assurance of the free mercy of God Therefore let our onely reposing be vpon this free fauour in Christ To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise for euer AMEN FINIS LECTVRES VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF THE APOSTLE PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS PREACHED BY THAT FAITHFVLL seruant of God Maister ROBERT ROLLOK some-tyme Minister of Gods vvord and Rector of the Vniuersitie of EDINVRGH EDINBVRGH PRINTED BY ROBERT CHARTERIS Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majestie Anno Dom. M. D. CVI. Cum Priuilegio Regiae Majestatis THE ARGVMENT OF THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS THIS second Epistle to the Thessalonians seemes to haue beene written soone after the first The occasion of the wryting thereof may be gathered of the Epistle it selfe The Thessalonians were at that tyme persecuted and heauily troubled for the faith of Christ and lykewise there entered in amongst them false teachers and deceiuers who went about to perswade them that the comming of Christ was instantly at hand taking occasion as it appeares by the Thessalonians mistaking of certaine speeches vttered by the Apostle in the first Epistle especially these wordes in the fourth chapter We vvhich liue and are remaining in the comming of the Lord shall be caught vp in the cloudes vvith them that are dead in Christ after their resurrection to meete the Lord in the aire and so shall vve euer be vvith the Lord. Where-vpon the Thessalonians concluded that Christ should come before they died and they should be on lyfe at his comming The deuill to confirme them in this errour raises vp these deceiuers who went about to perswade them of it as though it had beene true that they should haue beene liuing at the comming of the Lord alledging that they had it both by the reâ—elation of the Spirit of God and also by the tradition of PAVL The Apostle therefore thought it needfull to 〈◊〉 this second Epistle to the Thessalonians partly to comfort them against the persecutions of their enemies partly to admonish them that they giue not eare to these false deceiuers assuring them that before Christ come the Antichrist should come and there should be an vniuersall defection from the trueth The Epistle may fitlie be diuyded in six parts The first part is the salutation in the two first verses in the first chapter The second is the Preface wherein he rejoyceth for their perseuerance and increase of Faith of Loue and Patience in all their persecutions and tribulations from the third verse to the fift In the third part he comfortes them against the troubles and persecutions that they sustained for the faith of Christ from the fift verse to the end of the first chapter In the fourth part he admonishes them that they giue not eare to these false teachers that said Christs comming was at hand showing them that before the second comming of Christ the Antichrist should be reueiled and there should be an vniuersall defection from the faith of Christ Yet he comfortes them against the feare of defection and exhortes them to abyde constant in the doctrine they had receiued from him crauing 〈◊〉 comfort and constancie to them at Gods hands This parâ—e is conteinde in the whole second chapter The fifth part containeth exhortations to good maners and Christian dueties from the beginning of the third chapter to the sixteenth verse In the last part he concludeth the Epistle with prayer and salutation from the sixteenth verse to the end THE FIRST LECTVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 2. THESSA CHAP. 1 vers 1. 2. 3 4. 5. 1. PAVL and Siluanus and Timotheus vnto the Church of the Thessalonians which is in God our Father and in the Lord Iesus Christ. 2 Grace be vvith you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Iesus Christ 3 We ought to thanke God alvvaies for you brethren as it is meete because that your faith grovveth exceedingly and the loue of euery one of you tovvard another aboundeth 4 So that vve our selues reioyce of you in the Churches of God because of your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye suffer 5 Which is a token of the righteous iudgement of God that ye may be counted vvorthie of the kingdome of God for the vvhich ye also suffer HAVING ended Brethren as God gaue the grace the first Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians I thought it meetest to goe forward in the second Epistle for otherwayes the worke would seeme not to be perfyted and the matter conteined in the second Epistle is very worthie to be insisted vpon And it appeares very well among all the Epistles that Paul vvrote that these two directed to the Thessalonians were the first This second Epistle which we presently haue in hand appearantly hes beene written soone after the first The occasion of the wryting of it appeares well of the purpose and argument it selfe The Apostle in this Epistle comfortes the Church of the Thessalonians vvhich vvas persecuted and heauily troubled for the faith of Christ Another occasion we take vp in the second chapter There entered in this Church for the deuill can neuer be idle false teachers and deceiuers who went about to perswade the Thessalonians that the comming of Christ was instantlie at hand The Apostle therefore taking occasion hereof admonishes them not to giue eare to these men and he telles them that before Christ come the Antichrist should come and that there should be an vniuersall defection in the world I take these to be the two occasions of his wryting There are three chapters of this Epistle In the first after he hes saluated them and giuen thanks to God for them he enters in to comfort them against all the troubles they were in for the present In the second chapter he admonishes them not to
giue eare to these false teachers that said that Christes comming was at hand And therefore he prophecyes of the comming of the Antichrist and of the vniuersall defection of men in the world And in the third and last chapter he enters in as his maner is to exhortations and Christian admonitions to the end of the Epistle Now to come to the first chapter first he salutes them next he commes to a congratulation for the graces of God receiued by them last he commes to the consolation As to the salutation it is the common forme he vses in all his Epistles and there is not one word altered from the salutation he vsed in the first Epistle And therefore because I handled euery word in the first Epistle I mynde not to insist in it here againe onely this far There are three persons that salutes Paul Siluanâ— and Timotheuâ—â— Paul an Apostle Siluanus and Timotheâ—â— two Euangelists These three persones salutes the Church of God at Thessalonica That Church he sayes that is in God the Father founded and grounded first on him Then in the Lord 〈◊〉 Christ the Sonne builded on the Father and the Sonne All 〈…〉 must stand on the Father and the Son The graces he wishes to the Church are these common graces he vses in all his Epistles The grace of God the peace of God that is from the Father and from the Lord Iesus his Sonne Now onely this far by the example of the Apostle we learne of the salutation that he permits before his Epistle When we enter in to speake of any Church to wryte to any people concerning faith concerning Iesus Christ to make a declaration in the entresse of that loue that beneuolence that hartlinesse that we beare to that people to the end that they may be prepared againe to heare with alike loue beneuolence and hartlinesse and so the Pastor vttering his lyking to the people and the people againe their lyking of the Pastour the Pastour may haue courage and libertie to goe forward in doctrine the people may giue audience and receyue the better instruction There is the end of all the salutation Now I goe forward to the thanks-giuing and I will speake something of it as God will giue me the grace We should thanke God alvvaies for you He sayes not we thanke God simply but vve should thanke we are addebted bound and oblist of duetie to thanke him Then the lesson is cleare Thanks-giuing to God is a debt that we are bound and oblist to pay to God Gods benefiâ—es matter of thanksgiuing for we giue him not thankes for nothing Ye will not beare the Apostle say we thanke him simply but ye will finde a matter wherefore he thanks him euen for his graces and his benefites There are two sortes of his benefites and graces there are some bestowed on our selues some on others As for them that are bestowed on our selues out of question there is none but he vvill confesse he is debt-bound to thanke God for them at lest he must confesse this in word thinke as he will As for the benefites bestowed on others we are bound likewayes to thanke God for them As concerning the Pastor that hes adoe with any people if euer man was bound to thanke God for any benefite he is bound to thanke him for the benefite showen on the people he hes adoe with because their blessing is the frute of his labours and trauels and therefore he is bound to be thankfull for it I say more There is no member in the Church of Christ but he hes cause to thanke God for euerie blessing he bestowes on another I am bound to thanke God for the blessing he bestowes on thee thou art bound to thank God for the blessing he showes on me And euery one should thanke God for others blessinges All is for the well of the bodie the grace I get is for the well oâ— the bodie The grace thou gettest is for the well of the bodie We are al members of the body and therfore we are al bound to thank God for the benefites bestowed on the bodie I shall giue you a familiar similitude Should not the hand of a man thanke the man that hes cured the foote if the foote hes bene sore The eie likewise in a maner wil it not be thankfull to him that hes cured the hand and so of all the rest of the members Now would to God we were as sensible members of the spirituall bodie of Christ as the members of the naturall bodie of man are sensible among themselues and could vnderstand that euerie one is a member of that bodie But let our sense be as it will if thou be a member of the bodie of Iesus Christ thou art as much bound to be thankfull to God for any benefite bestowed on another as the hand is bound to be thankfull for the graces bestowed on the foote otherwayes thou shalt be challenged at that day of judgement for vnthankfulnesse Paul 12. chap. to the Romans 15. vers sayes Reioyce vvith him that reioyces and mourne vvith him that mournes Now to go forward We should thanke God â—lvvaies Then brethren thanks-giuing is an euerlasting debt a continuall debt we ought to God there is no end of it there is no intermission or leauing of it day nor night As Paul speakes of charitie to the Romans chap. 13. vers 8. Ovve nothing to any man but loue euery one another Charitie is a debt that should neuer be payed out at the ground but ay continuing in paying Euen so thanks-giuing to God is a debt we should euer be paying but neuer put an end to paying of it for it can haue no end in earth euer thanking in Heauen when we are with â—im euer thanking and our glory shal be in an euerlasting thanking of him for why if he could leaue off to show grace and could draw his hand froÌ„ vs as men does then we had cause to 〈◊〉 from thanking But the graces of God in Christ are endlesse grace for grace And therefore seeing his grace hes neuer an end why should thou make an end of thanking him when his hand is opened liberally to thee why should thou close thy mouth and not render thanks to him Yet further We thank him alvvayes for you sayes he as it is meete Marke the words as it is meete as it is worthie The word sounds so in the proper language as if he had said He is worthy of all thanks and therefore we should thanke him There is a worthinesse in God for the blessinges he bestovves on vs there is a deseruing in him there is a merite in him it is be onely that deserues and merites There are two thinges debt and merite I but touch them euerie one respectes other where there is a debt there is a merite and where there is a merite there must be a debt God onely merits man is debtor These two wordes answeres to other There is
no merite vnder the Sunne but Gods merite when God hes to doe with man As for vs there is nothing but debt no deseruing in vs all that we can doe to our God is meere debt as euer a man was addebted to another All the thanks-giuing vve can giue him is debt all vvorkes vve can worke are debt what euer he gettes of vs he merites and deserues it This is the trueth and yet the enemies of the trueth will turne this euer againe and will ascryue the merite to stinking fleshe and the debt to God The debt that appertaines to vs they ascryue to God and the merite that appeartaines to God they ascryue to vs. They sette vs aboue God for he who merites is aboue the debtor Lord what a change is this Paul to the Romans chap. 11. verse 35. sayes Who gaue him first that hes bound him to giue them againe Wilt thou be before him gaue thou him first any good if thou can doe it then thou merites if not then it is a blasphemie to thinke that thou can merite Fy on thee there is nothing in the part of the creature but debt yea meere debt nothing on the part of God but merite Now to goe forward in the matter of this thanks-giuing that neuer hes an end that should be without intermission and that God deserues at our handes The matter and cause of thanks-giuing is grace The first grace is Faith not a simple faith but an exceeding grouth in faith Because sayes he your faith grovves exceedinglie The next grace is loue not simple loue but aboundance of loue and abounding in mutuall loue so that the hearts of them ranne ouer in loue as a veshell will doe when it is ouer full Well then there is the matteâ— and cause of this thankes-giuing an exceeding grouth of sure faith al â—undant mutuall loue that euery one bare to other Then compare this place with that which is in the first Epistle chap. 1. verse 3. He thanked God for their faith and loue not for their grouth now his style is higher and he thankes God not for faith simply but for grouth not for loue simply but for abounding in mutuall loue Then ye see since the first tyme the Apostle wrote the first Epistle to them the Thessalonians hes growen in faith and loue There is the lesson Grouth in faith in loue There must be a grouth in grace grace must grow in vs and we must grow in grace If thou grow not in grace faith and loue if thou goe not forvvard of necessity thou must goe backward Thinke not that a man will stand still in one estate of faith and loue so that he will say I wil fix my stalfe here and I will goe no further nor this pointe If thou fix down thy stalfe in faith and loue thou shalt fall faster backward nor euer thou came forward and thou shalt neuer come to the end nor mark If thou fix thy stalf and neuer prease to go forward thou shalt neuer come to that glorious resurrection in plaine talke thou wilt neuer come to Heauen To be homely with you We should haue a care euer to grow in this lyfe for so long as we liue we are either children or at the farthest we are springels to vse that word Then I aske will a childe come to the stature of a man or woman if there be not grouth No Euen so if is impossible to one to come to the stature of that spirituall man without growing we are men when we come to Heauen and are joyned to our head and no sooner and there our grouth ends Can thou come to a spirituall mans stature if thou grow not in faith and loue in this earth And therefore as euer ye vvould come to Heauen and obtaine that glory prease to grow in grace to spring in faith and loue in this world in some measure marke your grouth in grace as euer ye did in stature He will be busie to see it he be higher this yeere nor he was the last yeere but whom marks if he be growne higher in spirituall things this yeere nor he was the last yeere This stature will away these earthly things will away but this grouth â— Christ abydes for euer Of this grouth read Ephes 4. chap. vers 13 14. 15. where he exhorts vs to grovven faith to the 〈◊〉 age of Christ and to grow in loue vntill we be joyned with our head Yet marke more As â—n the first Epistle 1. chap. verse 3. he thanked the Lord for faith simplie and loue simplie so here he giues him all thankes for the grouth therein Marke it He thankes not them for the grouth he giues them not one part of the thankes and God the other but he thankes God for all And good reason for who is able to put one inche to his stature Art thou able to make thy selfe growe in this bodily grouth No it is impossible Then far lesse is there any grouth in the spirituall man but that allanerly which God giues No standing nor perseuerance in grace but that which God giues Al is giuen by God Fy on that stinking doctrine of the Papists When God say they hes giuen man a grace he permits a man to his free will to goe forward as it were in mans owne option whether to goe forward or not I only touch this As the graces commes of God so of necessity the increase grouth of graces commes of God and not of any grace left in vs. In one word Giue him the praise of the beginning of grace giue him the praise of thy progresse in grace giue him the end giue him the praise of all For he it is that giues the grace the progresse and grouth therein it is he that crownes his worke in thee it is he that works all that all the glory of grace may be giuen to him Yet to insist What is this Faith Faith is nothing but a joining of vs with God in Christ What is Loue this mutuall loue Nothing but a joyning of vs with the Church here on earth What is grouth of Faith Nothing but a growing nearer and nearer to God to dravv him nearer and nearer to vs. What is the growing in Loue Nothing but a drawing nearer and nearer to the Church which is the bodie of Christ Then draw neare to the head draw neare to the bodie seuere not thy selfe from it Then what is the matter of thanks-giuing Euen this that they were drawen nearer nor they were before to Christ and to his Church Then brethren when haue we matter of thanking God for any man for any people Euen when we see any man or people drawing nearer to Christ and the body of Christ nor they wer If a man had al the kingdomes of the earth there is no matter to rejoice for in him if we see him ly aback from Christ and from his Church if he draw not nearer and nearer to Christ and his church in
other according to the just nature of God Now in the end he addes to this word vvith vs. He shall render relaxation to you and to me also I am troubled as you are And therefore I hope for the same deliuerance and relaxation that I promise to you Promise nothing to the people but the thing thou thinkest to get a parte of thy selfe Promise no resurrection except thou thinkest to get a parte thereof But the thing I marke is this I see all grace and glorie is in a societie vvith the Saintes resurrection lyfe euerlasting is vvith the godlie For as there is a communion vvith the Saintes in afflictiones 1. Peter chap. 5. verse 9. so there is a communion with the Saintes in rest in grace and glorie Ephes chap. 3. verse 14. 1. Thessa chap. 3. verse 13. And this thing we may take vp euer in this Apostle he speakes of no grace but euer together vvith the Saintes all is in one conjunction Let none therefore prease to come to Heauen but in this conjunction Thou wilt leape from the Church but I assure thee leape as thou wilt and think to come to Heauen without that societie thou shalt neuer come to Heauen thou shalt neuer get relaxation but in this society Thinke it no small matter to be of the number of the godly thou shalt neuer be glorified in that latter day if thou be not one of that nomber Then marke another thing He sayes they shall get relaxation with him Then it followes that he was afflicted with them Who gettes rest but they who are troubled Who will come to Heauen None but they who for Christs sake on the earth hes suffered some affliction either within or without No look not that a man will come sleeping to Heauen Heauen is a relaxation out of bondes who can be lowsed but they who haue â—ene bound This may learne vs to take in patience to be bound to be euill spoken of and to suffer either one thing or other for the hope of that lyfe euerlasting Novv to goe forvvarde in the text follovving ye haue a short but a pithie description of the Lord Iesus comming to judgement to render and repay When shall this rendring be When shall affliction be rendered to the afflicters and relaxation to the bound and troubled When our Lord Iesus Christ shall come to iudge the vvorld Not till then There is the dyet nothing but patience vntill then Thou art ouer sudden Thou would haue the Lord rendering to thee rest and to thy enemie trouble at the first moment Thou would haue him to put thee in Heauen at the first hand and thy enemies in Hell at an instant No byde till the tyme of the manifestation come Tyme of rendring Then the tyme of rendering is the tyme of manifestation of light it is the day of light of such a light as was neuer in the world for while Christ come all is hid Heauen is hid Hell is hid Right is hid wrong is hid damnation is hid saluation is hid lyfe hid death hid godlie men is hid reprobate men hid all hid till Christ come to judgment 1. Iohn chap 3. verse 2. When Christ shall come he shall be first reuealed from Heauen an infinite light shall come from Heauen accompanying that glorious Majestie Then Hell shall be seene Heauen shall be seene faire and broad lyfe shall be seene death shall be seene all shall appeare then as they are So byde still a whyle and byde in patience thou who would haue relaxation and thy bondes shall be loused in patience byde till that tyme. Thou that would see afflicters afflictedâ—ly still in patience for in that moment when thou shal see the Lord comming from Heauen thou shalt see an end of all these thinges such rendring as euer thou would haue desyred So nothing but patience Now marke the style the Lord gettes in this reuelation and comming He is called The Lord A style of glorie a name of power So the Lord in his comming and manifestation shall be manifested lyke a Lord and in a surpassing power ouer quick and dead Rom. chap. 14. verse 9. He died and rose againe that he might be Lord both of the quick and the dead Then againe he is called Iesus that is a Sauiour as he shall be manifested at that day as a Lord so shall he be manifested as a sweete Sauior Iesus to the just and godly of this world So then his appearance shall be as a Lord and Sauior to the comfort of his elect and as a Lord in power to the destruction of the wicked Now to goe forward I shall not be â—urâ—ous but shall open onely the wordes The Lords comming and reuealing himselfe as Lord and as Iesus the Sauior is descriued and set out in an high glorie Christ shal come froÌ„ heauen His reuelation shall first be from the Heauen That word Heauen is not put in lightly He is reuealled not from the earth or from any low part No Monarchs that euer reuealled themselues in the world came downe yet from Heauen The Lords reuelation when he shall show himselfe to the world shal be from the Heauen The Heauen now is a vaile casten in betweene our eyes and the Lord. So that we cannot see him but at that day the Lord of glorie shall break downe throâ—gh the vaile and come down to the aire to be seene by vs. Now if ye wil aske what an Heauen this is Paul 4. chap. to the Ephes vers 9. 10. saies he was caried to an heauen aboue aâ— theâ—e heauens which we see And therefore these Heauens from the which the Lord shal appeare is a place aboue He shall break throgh all these Heauens while he offer himself to be seene in the clouds Then this comming from Heauen lets vs see he shall come to his in glory The greater glorie the greater comfort to vs the greater discomfort to the wicked the greater feare and trembling to the reprobate Take heed to this ye who takes pleasure in sin what feare and terror shall ouertake you in that day So this is the first part Now in the next wordes he is desâ—ryued from his companie that shall conuoy him Angelles shal accoÌ„pany Iesus in his coÌ„ming The Lord in his second comming he shal not come his alone in the first comming he came in the world basely like a poore man accompanied with no glorious traine The Lord was made poore that thou should be made rich the Lord took vpon him igâ—â—miny that thou shold get glory Now in the second comming he shall be gloriously aâ—companied No neuer Monarch was so accompanied when they came to their kingdom as the Lord Iesus shal They shal woÌ„der that he going in his first comming in the world so poorely should haue such glory The first company he shal come with shall be Angels the gloriousest creatures that euer was not one or two but millions of Angels principalities and powers Iude
thy hart but a contempt of the Gospel of the preachers of the Gospell But boast as thou wilt of the knowledge of Christ thou shalt finde if thou be impenitent in this pointe vengence shall light on thee Rebels to the Gospell and preaching thereof in earth rebels to Christ in the Heauen Think not when thou hungerst the Gospell out of the land by drawing away in thy â—lookes all the thing the Gospel should be sustained on that thou knowest God and Iesus Christ What matter of the hungring of the bodies of men in respect of the Gospell When thou closest the mouth of men so that for hunger they are not able to preach say not thou knowest Christ and loues the Gospell thou liest falslie WheÌ„ throgh thy gredines thou art an hinderer to the ministrie whom the Lord thrusts out to be dispensators of the foode to the soules of men thou hungerst the Gospell When thou doest this say not thou louest Christ Thou wilt say in that great day Lord where saw we thee hungring where saw we thee naked c. But the Lord then shall say What euer thou did to the Ministers of the Gospell thou did it to me thou stayed the planting and progresse of the Gospell throgh thy auarice O sacrilegious Abbot Bishop and Priour and the rest of that rable and ô ye rauening woolfes that deuoures the teinds to the prejudice of the plantation of this ministry and Gospel to the hungring of innumerable soules Look to this matter and tak vp your selues that the Lord meete you not in vengence looke to this at this tyme and with draw not the moyen whereby this Gospell may be propagated in the world I speak no more of this matter One day will show the trueth of these things Yet ere I leaue the words Marke further He is speaking of the godlie that were persecuted and he brings in the Lord Iesus rendring and yet he sayes not he shall render vengence to them that afflicted and troubled the godlie he speaks not of them that were afflicted But he sayes to them vvho obeyed not the Gospell of the Lord Iesus So he touches the groundes persecution and troubling of the saints rises euer on this ground rebellion to God rebellion to Christ no persecuter but a rebell to God a contemner of the Gospel of Christ be is a contemner of God and Christ And in the meane-tyme with this he comforts the persecuted Thessalonians they shall not escape trouble who hes troubled you because the Lord hes his entrest And therefore assure theâ— if there were no other thing but this rebelling against God and Christ of necessitie vengence must follow Trouble euer rises of misknowledge of God What matter of men in afflicting men they â—rebell against God and that rebelling shall not escape punishment Now in the next words he commes more particularly to the vengence To scaâ—se of these thinges oueâ— far it is but vaine curiositie Therefore it is expedient in these things to â—old fast the plaine words that we alter not to the one side nor to the other Curious spirites hes spoken much of this matter without any grounds It might haue bene asked What can this vengence be He answers and calles iâ— a perdition Then he cals it euerlasting perdition and wrack of the creature There are sundry sorts of vengences all vengences are not the vtter wrack of the creature for many men after punishment will get vp their heads againe and come throgh but after this punishment vtter wrack and perdition shall follow A beast when it dies and is feld it is wracked but looke the nature of this wrack it shall be euerlasting a wrack without an end a death without a death a death that shall neuer haue an end ay dying and neuer dead So first it shall be perdition and an vtter wrack and then neuer shall haue an end The hoâ—ling and vtter cry of the reprobat in Hell â— how dolorous is it But what matter of the extremity of it if it had an end but alas extremity without end of pain how dolorous is it Many wil neuer know this till they be shot in Hel Heauen and Hel is thoght mocking Many wil neuer know there is an Hel vntil they feele it in experience The Lord waken vs that once we may think of this Alas there is such a stupiditie in the hart of man that he can neuer beleue this So there the vengence a perdition and an endlesse perdition Now in one word He resolues this particular vengence in the own grounds there is first a perdition then an eternity of perdition In the next words he lets you see the groundes first of perdition and then of the eternitie thereof As to the perdition it selfe He sayes it commes from the face of God The wicked shall not see so soone the face of Iesus Christ the Iudge at that day but as soone they shall melt away as the waxe at the fire and as ye see the matter of melting is in the waxe it self so the matter of the melting of the wicked shall be in themselues But what matter if it had an end And therefore next he layes downe the ground of â—rernitie â—aine from the glory of the power of the infinite Iudge The power of the glorious Iudge is eternall infinit and endles the power of man hes an end He is a mighty monarch to day but to morrow euanishes his power lasts not But the power of the lord Iesus shal neuer hauean end and from once he begin to puâ— the finger of his power on the soule of the wicked they shall neuer be free of vengence It is a terrible thing to faâ—in the hands of an angry God from once he grip thee his hand shal neuer louse his power indures euer and therefore shall thy paine indure euer So ye that will thinke an endlesse paine cannot be lift vp your eyes and consider the eternitie of his power and infinitnes of God and then ye may see the great and euerlasting vengence that he hes to be poâ—red on the wicked and great and euerlasting mercy on them that pertaines to him in Christ The Lord giue vs eyes to see it euen for his Christs sake To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be praise for euer AMEN THE THIRD LECâ—TVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS â— THESSA CHAP. 1. vers 10. 11. 12. 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be made marueilous in all them that beleue because our testimony towaryou was beleeued in that day 11 Wherefore vve also pray alvvayes for you that our God may make you vvorthie of his calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodnes and the vvorke of saith vvith povver 12 That the name of the Lord Iesus Christ may be glorified in you 〈◊〉 in him according to the grace of our god of the Lord Iesus Christ THE last day ye heard brethren
and the 〈◊〉 Christ is both the beginning and the ending the shining begins at him and ends at him And therefore it is said Rom. 11. chap. 36. verse For of him and throgh him and for him are all things to him be glory for euer Now what shall be the cause of this glorie of ours He sets it downe in these words according to the grace of our God and of the Lord Iesus Christ Grace is the cause of our shining Grace from the Father grace from the Sonne Then there is nothing but grace there shall be nothing but grace in Heauen grace in earth no merite in this earth no merite in Heauen No merite in this earth but Iesus merite no merite in Heauen but onely grace grace and mercy in earth all standing here and in Heauen is only by grace And so the cause of our euerlasting standing is euerlasting grace the onely grace of God in Christ To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all glory for euer AMEN THE FOVRTH LECTVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 2. THESSA CHAP. 2. vers 1. 2. 3. 1 NOW vve beseech you brethren by the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ and by our assembling vnto him 2 That ye be not suddenly mooued from your mynde nor troubled neithr by spirit nor by vvord nor by letter as it were from vs aâ— though the day of Christ vvere at hand 3 Let no man deceiue you by any meanes IN the chapter preceding ye haue heard brethren first of the saluation of the Apostle wherein he wishes to the Thessalonians grace from God the Father and from the Lord Iesus Christ Then we came to his preface wherein he rejoices and giues thanks to God for the increase of grace of faith of loue they had receiued And thirdly we came to that consolation that he ministers to them against the affliction and trouble vnder the which they lay for the faith of Christ Now to come to this chapter In it the Apostle first admonishes the Thessalonians that they giue not eare to deceiuers and false teachers who would perswade them that the comming of the Lord Iesus was at hand and thereafter â—e enters in a refutation of this pointe of false doctrine and heresie Now to make this more plaine The occasion as it appeares of that which the Apostle wrytes in this chapter is this In his first Epistle written to them and fourth chapter thereof he spoke concerning the second comming of the Lord Iesus 〈…〉 and beside other thinges as we may read there he specifies these wordes We sayes he vvhich liue and are remaining in the comming of the Lord shall be caught vp in the cloudes vvith them vvho are departed this lyfe after their resurrection The Thessalonians reading this incontinent concludes Christ shall come ere euer we die we shall be found on lyfe at his comming and we shall be reâ—t vp in the aire to meete the Lord in the cloudes vvith them who are departed Now in this meane-tyme the deuill is busie to confirme them in this error and therefore he raises vp deceyuers and false teachers that went about to perswade them of the trueth of this as though it had beene true that they should be liuing at the Lords comming These false teachers alledged for them partlie the reuelation of the Spirite of God partlie a tradition of Paul which both were false Therefore the Apostle vnderstanding this tooke occasion to vvryte this Epistle and especiallie this second chapter wherein he admonishes or rather effectuouslie requestes them that they suffered not themselues to be deceiued as though the comming of the Lord were at hand and thereafter falles out in a refutation of this error To returne to the wordes In the wordes we haue read in the first verse we haue the earnest request of the Apostle together with an obtestation adjuring them with all grauitie by the comming of the Lord Iesus by the assembling of the elect to him at his comming that they should not suffer themselues so to be deceyued as though the comming of the Lord were at hand Now to insist in this first verse Novv vve beseech you sayes he by the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ and by our assembling vnto him The words bears a great obtestation wherein he straites them vnder the paine of lyfe and death that as euer they wold look to haue joy in Christs comming and to communicat with his glory they shold not suffer themselues to be deceiued Then brethren ye see in requesting and that in lenity he obtests and adjures them in grauity and in some seuerity He joines and tempers two contrare things together sweetnesse and lenity on the one part sowrenes and seuerity on the other part First he dravves them on and intreates them vvillinglie to obey that vvhich he requyres of them and then againe in a maner violentlie he pulles them He both leades and dravves Requesting in lâ—â—â—tie he leades them obtesting in seuerine he dravves them as it vvere violentlie Commonlie ye shall finde he vses this forme of requesting In the 2. Epist to the Cor. 10. chap. 1. verse 〈◊〉 I Paul myselfe beseech you by the meeknesse and gentlenesse of our Lord Iesus Christ. There ye haue the request vvith an adjuring and charging of them Novv brethren take these tvvo take lenitie vvith seueritie together they vvill haue a great force in the hearers to bring them forvvard sunder them none of them vvill be so effectuall lenitie the alone hes lesse force seueritie the alone is ouer sharpe It will destroy more nor vvin bind them together they haue a great power In the 2. Epistle to Timothie 4. chap. 2. verse 〈…〉 there is â—eueritie and againe exhort vvith all 〈◊〉 suffring and 〈◊〉 there is meeknesse Looke that these two be not seuered This was the Apostles maner of doing and thus forme â—e vses bindes euerie one of vs that speakes in the Church of God to the end of the world to vse the lyke Yet to insist in the vvordes I beseech you by the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ and by our assembling vnto him Ye see tvvo thinges heere vvhereby he adjures them to obey his request The first is the coâ—â—â—ing of Christ The second is our assembling to him at his comming Then it fellowes that seeing he obtesâ—s by these two thinges that we should not doubt but the Lord Iesus will come and when he commes that we shall assemble vnto him for all obtestations are made by things which are counted vndoubted trueths The things whereby any man objures and obtests another man should be sure grounds Now the Apostle obtests them by these two things Therefore we should not doubt but these two are true Christs secâ—nd comming to the cause of our assembling vnto him that Christ shall come and we shall assemble vnto him Yet compare these two together the first is the cause his comming the second is the effect our assembling vnto him
that will vpset it The lose thou getst by deceite will neuer be vpset all the kings and doctors vnder Heauen will neuer set vp thy lose thou getst by defection Alas what hes that 〈◊〉 win when he hes win all the world and lost his soule by falling away from the trueth Now the Lord let euery man see that there is nothing comparable to this hurt of deceiuing What pleasure can thou haue of all the kingdomes of the world when thou hast a troubled hart and conscience when thou hast an vnquyet soule within thee Therfore as we say It is good to sleepe in a sound skinne Change not a setled minde and pacified hart with all the world and preferre a sound minde inlightned with the knowledge of Christ to all the honours and dignity in the world And because we are so vnstable mynded and so ready to alter that except we be surely anchored on Christ we shall be euer beatten away with euery light wind of false doctrine Therefore we haue to pray that our soules may be anchored by a sure faith on Christ The Lord therefore by his grace anchor our soules on Christ To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour and praise for euer AMEN THE FIFTH LEC TVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 2. THESSA CHAP. 2. vers 34. for that day shal not come except there come a departing first and that that man of sinne be disclosed euen the sonne of perdition 4 Which is an aduersary and exalteth himselfe against all that is called God or that is vvorshipped so that he doth sit as God in the Temple of God shovving himselfe that he is God WELBELOVED brethren ye haue heard the request the Apostle makes in the beginning of this second chapter to the Thessalonians He requests and adjures them by the comming of the Lord Iesus and by our assembling vnto him at his comming that they suffer not themselues to bee deceyued or put by their mindes troubled in hart and affection especially in this head of doctrine that concernes the comming of the Lord in the latter day and that they should not be deceiued by false teachers who weÌ„t about to deceiue them in this point teaching that the day of the Lord is at hand he shall come incontinent ye shall be found aliue when he shall come This age and generation shall not be past when he shall come This pointe of false doctrine that these false teachers went about to perswade the Thessalonians and so to vnqiuet them held them ay in vexation of sprit and minde looking ay for Christs comming assuring them that he should come ere that presentage should end Now in this text the Apostle enters to a refutation of that false doctrine and he proues that the day of the Lord was not instant that the day of the Lord would not beat such a tyme that it should not fall out in that present age Now marke his reasons If the day of the Lord were instant then there should not bee an vniuersall Apostasie and defection from the faith of the Lord Iesus Christ before the day and comming of the Lord Vniuersal defection must goe before the Lords coÌ„ming For vvhy This Apostasie must craue a large space of tyme. Then he subjoines but so it is before that day shall come there shall be an vniuersall Apostasie and defection from the faith and trueth of Christ Iesus And so hee concludes Therefore it is not so as they say The day of the Lord is not instant and is not so neere hand as they goe about to perswade you Marke his reason The proposition and first part of the argument is not expressed in the text The next parte the assumption is sette dovvne in the text to witte The day of the Lord shall not bee before that an vniuersall defection be first Now before I come to the wordes take vp shortlie this one thing The Thessalonians to whom he wrytes being deceiued thought that incontinent Christ should come and that they should be rest to the Heauen with him and glorified from hand The Apostle to put them out of this consaite tels them ere they and the Church be rest vp to Heauen and glorified there that they shall suffer yet on the earth some trouble there shall be yet a great alteration and vexation in the Church of God Brethren mark it The battell must goe before the victory let none looke for the victory before he fight thou wilt not come sleeping to Heauen Thou must fight on earth ere thou come to glorie and ere thou triumph in Heauen thou must be victorious on earth throgh many tribulations we must enter in the kingdom of heauen This is that which the Apostle teaches the Thessalonians Novv to come to the vvordes of the text and to make this matter plaine we shall insist particularlie on euery word taking vp the meaning of Gods Spirite heere And first â—here occurres this vvord Apostasie which must be before the day of the Lordes comming This Apostasie is nothing but a falling avvay a flyding aback This Apostasie is not a particulare Apostasie or defection of this man or that man onely of any one person or any two or three persons onely But it is an vniuersal defection of multitudes of men and wemen in this world For the word ye see is generallie set downe in the text to be a departure without any restriction It is not said a departing of this man or that man but generallie a departing Therefore the Apostle must meane of a departing and falling away of multitudes and great multitudes Now all the question is what Apostasie meanes the Apostle of I am not ignorant how a great number of the olde Latine fathers in the Church vnderstandes this Apostasie to be meant of the defection of many Nations from the Empyre of Rome It is true indeede the Nations of the world fell away from the Romane Empyre But how well and rightly they vnderstood this Apostasie of that falling away from the Romane Empyre God knowes And it is a wonder that so many learned and quick spirited men should haue erred together in this pointe so long Indeede it is likly that when one of them fel in this error all the rest followed on in troupes without further discretion or judgement But I leaue them What Apostasie is this then that the Apostle meanes of heere I shall tell you It is an vniuersall defection not from an Emperour or earthly King but from the King of Heauen Iesus Christ and from his faith This agrees with the course of this text and with that which followes immediatly of the Antichrist the head of this Apostasie This agrees with the speaking of this same Apostle in sundry other places In the 1. Tim. chap. 4. verse 1. he foretels of this vniuersall defection from the faith The wordes are The spirit speakes euidently that in the latter dayes some shall depart from the faith and
Constantinople Constantine 〈◊〉 being Pope of Rome at that tyme. Iohn in his first Epistle chapter 2. verse 18. sayes that the Antichrist is to come Then he subjoynes euen novv there are many Antichrists By the many Antichrists Iohn meanes these forerunners little Antichrists false Prophets and little Heretikes vvho vvere forerunners to prepare the vvay to this great Antichrist the monstrous beast of Rome against his comming By the Antichrist that vvas to come he vnderstandes the great Antichrist the head of the Apostasie the mid-man betvveene the Dragon and the Antichristian kingdome and the Church Reuelation chap. 13. verse 16. Novv to goe forvvard to the description of the Antichrist 〈◊〉 it follovves He is first descryued from his nature Secondlie from his properties Description of the antichrist And thirdly from his actions and effectes he bringes in the vvorld vvhen he commes Marke it This is a Prophecie not of the little false Prophets but of the great Anchrist and false Prophet that 〈◊〉 at Rome What is he of nature His nature A man like vnto other men of nature not a deuill nor substance of a deuill but he is of an humane and manlie substance Some thought that the Antichrist should be the deuill or a beast it is but solie He is not a beast of nature but he is called in the Reuelation a beast for his beastlinesse and for his filthinesse O how capable is the nature of man of euill if God giue it ouer to be guyded by the deuill Then what maner of man is he His properties The first propertie the Antichrist hes he is a man of sin He calles himselfe the seruant of the seruants of God No but he is a slaue to sinne his meate and drinke is sinne The second propertie he is the Sonne of perdition destinate from all eternitie to Hell and euerlasting damnation Peter in his second Epistle chap. 2. verse 3. sayes Long agoe his damnation is not idle or his destruction sleepes not but wakes He gettes this style that Iudas gettes in the 17. chapter of Iohn 12. verse the sonne of perdition adjudged to perdition from all eternitie in the secreete counsell of God These two properties standes well together the man of sinne addicted to sinne destinate to perdition The second is the ground cause of the firste For hee whom God from all eternitie destinates to perdition that man will neuer doe a good turne Nothing will come from his mouth hart or hand c. but all sinne Alas when we looke and see men who can doe nothing but sinne sinne in the house sitting eating drinking and in the field euer sinning what shall we speake of them who does so if they take not vp another course ere this lyfe be ended but they are men from all eternitie destinate for Helles fire Let euery man try himselfe Alas if thou looked to thy bloudie hart and hand thou would thinke thou had little warrand of thy salâ—ation Now this for his nature and properties Now to his actions and doinges What doing shall he haue The first action His actions He shall oppone himselfe against all that shall be called God and shall be vvorshipped This is the first action a plaine opposition to all thinges that keepes the name of God His first action and is worshipped in Heauen and earth He shall oppone him against all powers and magistrats and against all thinges that caries the name of a magistrat whether they be Princes or Emperors on the earth or in Heauen God and his Christ and from this opposition he is called an aduersary as the deuill is As the deuil is called Satan that is an aduersar so shall he get the name of an aduersar And he is called Antichrist that is an aduersar to Christ Now let vs see who must be this man I make my reason He that oppones himselfe to euery thing that hes the name of God or is worshipped either in Heuen or earth that man of necessity must be this Antichrist this is the action that properly is competent to that person Who is this man then look about al nations if ye can take vp such a man Who is it in Europ or out of Europ that oppones himselfe to Iesus Christ the Lord in doctrin first in life and conuersation next I tell you if ye finde such a man he is the Antichrist Now I shall tell you some points of Christs doctrine wher-vnto this aduersar oppones himselfe that by them ye may find out Pope the antichrist who is this Antichrist The Lord Iesus saies and teaches Thou shalt adore the Lord thy God onely and him onely shalt thou serue What man of this world is it that commes in and saies No thou shalt not worship him onely worship Angels worship men the soules of men departed this life worship Images dead mens bones called relicts do reuerence to graues and aboue all thou shalt giue that worship that is due to God only to that breadie God in the Masse Who does this and teaches it Is there any so ignorant that knows him not Againe Christ forbids to worship God with such worship as men hes inuented to worship him with men traditions inuentions Who is he that saies he must be worshipped by infinit traditions which are out with the book of the Scripture and many against the booke of the Scripture and bids serue him according to a rable of vyle traditions inuented by the brane of man Yet more Christ sayes this Scripture the olde and new Testament is perfite it is sufficient to make the man of God perfite it conteines all thinges necessarie to our saluation Who is he that sayes it is confused difficle mutilate manked the mother of all Heresies Who sayes this Looke ouer to Rome who but the Pope Woe to him and all his adherents Yet further Christ sayes I am the onely Mediatour betweene God and man Who is he that sayes No there must be many moe intercessours and mediatours Is it not the Pope Christ sayes Iustification is onely by true faith in me Who sayes No no thy merite and goode workes must be a parte of thy saluation and thou must deserue it Is it not the Pope Christ requyres of vs a sure confidence that in his bloude our sinnes are for giuen and that thereby we shall be safe and get lyfe euerlasting Who sayes it is an high presumption to beleeue so firmely and biddes thee doubt whether thou shalt get lyfe or not Is it not the Pope Christ sayes it is impossible to fulfill the Law of God Who sayes it is possible to fulfill iâ— is it not the Pope A plaine contradiction Christ sayes the onely price of remission of sinne is my bloud Who sayes I shall giue thee Indulgences and pardones for thy sinnes is it not the Pope Christ commanded to minister the Sacrament or the Supper vnder both the kindes Who sayes the bread may suffice the laikes let the
Priests take both is it not the Pope Christ permittes the vse of mariage to all persones without difference Who commes in with that doctrine of deuils forbidding mariage and meates which the Lord hes commanded Wherefore should I be long Who is he that oppones himselfe to euerie article of our faith beginne at the one end and leaue at the other he oppones to them all Is it not the beast of Rome Knowe ye not this to be true His life ye shall see it in that great day Then come to his lyfe and behauior wherein he denyes Christ Christ when he was in the world was holy yea holinesse it selfe But what command is there either in the first or second Table which he transgresses not most euidentlie Who is the head and cheefe Apostate from Iesus Christ the head of the Church Who is the cheefe Heretike vnder the Sunne The cheefe Idolater the cheefe Magitian and sorcerer vnder the Sunne Who is the cheefe blasphemer vnder the Sunne Goe to the second Table Who is the dishonourer of all powers and Empyres vpon the face of the earth Who of all murtherers is the greatest murtherer and can not be satâ—ate with the bloude of all the Saintes Who is most adulterous and filthie Who is the greatest theefe and oppressor reauing kingdomes Who is the most perjurde person And come to the last Who is most full of all concupiscence in this worlde Who is he that settes himselfe aboue all men in this earth and with an vplifted hand oppones himselfe to God in all thinges Read the Popes hues written all by their own men So I gather in one word This Antichrist that maks opposition to the great God of Heauen to all power and majestie on the earth he was neuer he is not now nor neuer shall be if he be noâ— that man of Rome who sittes not in Peters chaire but in the chaire of scorners in the seate of pestilence He is the very Antichrist and thou hast no eyes to see if thou seest not this Now come to the next action His secoÌ„d action He prophecyes of another action that shall be when he shall come He shall not onely in malice oppone himselfe to euery thing that is called God but in the pryde of his hart shall exalt himselfe aboue euery thing that is called God and is worshipped on the earth against all power both heauenly and earthly Now who is this that exaltes himself this way Spy this man who hes this action in his hand and without doubt this man is the Antichrist Now I will aske some few thinges that we may finde him out the more easilie Who is he that exalts himselfe aboue the Emperour Who vnder God is the head-man of the world Who is he that wil cause the Emperour stand and hold his stirrop and will cause the Emperour holde to his shoulder that he may leane on it and cause him hold water to his hands and goe before with his first mease to his dinner Who will say he hes an absolute power to make and abrogate lawes at his pleasure He will make account to no man He hes an absolute power to close the Heauen and open it at his pleasure To cary with him cartfulles of soules of men to Hell if it please him Who is able to comprehend this matter Is there any here that hes bene in Rome and seene the Pope in the solemne tyme of his jubile and who hes heard or reade of it How he commes out of his Palace with such a rich and glorious arrayment that he makes the world to wonder with his threfold crowne of gold and pretious stones on his head mounted vp on mens shoulders in a golden chaire with his relicts and his breadie-god borne before him Then he will go to his paradice the people on euery side crying for remission of sinnes Then when he commes to Paradice with an hammer of gold he will knock and bid the gate open and he enters in and there he giues indulgences some giues this homage and some that yea such as is competent to God onely Fy on him such is his pryde that he will scarcely affoord to put out his feete to kings to kisse them â—s not this an horrible abhomination and monstrous villainie I will not insist His third action There followes two particular actions which rises on his pryde The first is He shall be so proud that he shall sit in the Temple of God as God that is in his Antichristian kingdome which yet keeps the name of Christ because it keeps a kinde of profession of the word of God and in some respect hes the ensenzies of the Church But how shall he sit Not like another man but as God he puts God out of his chare and sittes down in Gods chare What is the seat of God Gods chare is the consciences of men and wemen which all the Angels dare not prease to Yet he will sit downe there and giue out Lawes bind the consciences Now will ye spy this man out Is this the Mahomet Papist I aske at thee sittes the Mahomet in the Temple of God sittes he in the Church that hes the name of the Church of God O sayes the Papist this that shall be the Antichrist iâ— not yet come This that shall be the Antichrist shall be a wicked man that shall be borne at Babylone of an Hoore in whom the deuill shall dwell bodily a Iew by nation of the Trybe of Dan who should be circumcised and broght vp in the citties of Chorasin and Bethsaida who shall be detestable for his forceries and witchcraftes who shall come to Ierusalem and there reedifie the Temple of Salomon and take vpon him the name of Christ and shall reigne by the space of three yeeres and an halfe with great tyranny and cruelty against the Christians and shall slay Enoch and Elias the forerunners of Christ and then shall come the latter day when in the Mount of Olyues Christ shall destroy him and condemne him to Hell A faire fable It is thou ô man of sin thou beast of Rome that sittes in the consciences of men it is thou that shalt be beatten out of the chare to the Hels It is thou ô beast of Rome that sits in the Temple of Christ Another effect of his pryde He shall showe himselfe to be a God sitting in the chare of God 〈◊〉 fourth action in the Church of God He shall giue himselfe forth as God as prease to counterfoote God in his name style dignitie and all other circumstances and bereaue God of that which is proper to him Well spy this man Who is he that taks the name of God on him in the earth He is not God onely not man onely but he is a midde thing betweene a God and a man Who takes to him the style of a king and power aboue all the kings of the earth Who sayes he hes the right to beare both the
swordes Heard you euer of a Pope Benifacius the â—ightâ— of whom it is said He entered in lyke a Tod raigne like a Lyon and died like a dog In the tyme of his jubile in the first day thereof he commes out in the Popes weed and as he goes he blesses the people In the next day he commes out in Cesars warlike clock and a naked sword horne before him and sitting downe he cryes out Behold two swordes heere I am the head of the Church I am the Pope and Cesar I haue the Empyre in Heauen and earth Who calles himselfe the head of the Church A style onely proper to Christ Who calles himselfe the Vicar of Christ The brydgrome of the bryde the Church Who calles himselfe the high Priest Styles onely proper to Christ Is it not this beast of Rome Whereto should I insist It is wonder that the earth can beare such a proud filthie villaine It is a wonder that the Heauen can couer him but we must reuerence the long suffering patience of the Lord. And seeing the Scripture hes pointed him out so euidently it is a wonder that men should be so blinde that they should so reuerence him when he rages this waye in sinne and that they will call him the successour of Peter and the head of the Church What shall I say all reading and hearing will not inlighten the mynde and perswade men except the Spirit of God be present to open the hart Therefore leauing this beast I pray God to send his Spirit to let men see that they may abhorre such an enemy to God and Christ and that they may imbrace the light of Iesus and that he would keepe vs that we be not deceyued by these vanities To this God euen the Father Sonne and holie Spirit be all praise for euer AMEN THE SIXT LECTVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 2. THESSA CHAP. 2. vers 5. 6. 7. 8. 5 Remember ye not that vvhen I vvas as yet vvith you I told you these things 6 And novv ye knovv vvhat vvithholdeth that he might be reueiled in his tyme. 7 For the mysterie of iniquitie doth already vvorke onely he vvhich novv vvithholdeth shall let till he be taken out of the vvay 8 And then shall the vvicked man be reueiled vvhom the Lord shall consume vvith the spirit of his mouth and shall abolish vvith the brightnesse of his comming THE Apostle Brethren ye heard proues against the false teachers that the comming of the Lord was not so neere hand as they thought and as they teached He takes his argument from one thing that was to fal out in the world before Christs latter comming Ere euer become sayes the Apostle there shall be an vniuersall defection from that faith of Iesus Christ This matter will conteine a long processe of tyme and therefore would the Apostle conclude Christs comming is not so neere hand as they make the people beleeue He expresses not the name of the Antichrist but for the name he hes a long description and painting out of him This description we entered in the last day and he lets them see when he shall be when he shall come He pointes him out in his nature First in his very essence he shall be a man of nature lyke other men Then he commes to his properties What shall they be First a man of sinne a wicked man as euer was or shall be in the world The next propertie He shall be the son of perdition a man long agoe ordeined to destruction Then he commes to his actions when he shall come and reueile him in the world he shall oppone himselfe against euery thing that shall be called God or shall be worshipped That is against euery superiour power and Majestie whether earthly or Heauenly against God himselfe and his Sonne Iesus Christ Another action He shall not be content onely to oppone himselfe in malice but in pryde he shall exalt himselfe aboue all thinges that shall be called God and worshipped either in earth or in Heauen Then he commes to two speciall actions of his pryde first exalting himselfe aboue God he shall sit in the Temple of God in the Church of God For so the Antichristian Church is termed because shee keepes some ensenzies of the Church of God the Word and Sacraments He shall sit there as God on the consciences of men and wemen to thrall and controle them at his pleasure The other particulare action of his pryde he shall showe himselfe as God in the properties perteining to God he shall take them all on him This far we proceeded the last day in the description of the Antichrist whom the Apostle prophecyes will come in the world ere Christ come againe onely this I aduertise you as I did before Take not this man whom ye call the Antichrist to be a single man one person take him to be a succession of men euery one following another in one kingdome and tyranny The kingdome of Antichrist all is termed vnder the name of a man They are but one kingdome of all one purpose of all to exercise tyrannie on the Church of God heere on this earth Now brethren to the text He leaues off this description for a tyme vntill he come to the ninth verse following and there he returnes againe Now in the meane-tyme he falles out in some speaches and admonitions to them concerning the Antichrist and in the first verse we haue red he confirmes the thing he hes spoken of the Antichrist from the speaches he had with them when he abode among them in Thessalonica Concerning the Antichrist I wryte would he say no other thing to you now nor that which I told you when I was with you That which I then spoke that same thing now I wryte vnto you Then in the next verse he showes to them that the Antichrist and Antichristanisme is come and begun already in the world albeit his reueiling and his comming to his pryde is not yet yet the Antichrist is come Antichristanisme and fals religion is begun Then againe he telle what withholdes him that he is not reueiled so soone and hastily There is an impediment casten in which I told to you when I was with you He insistes on this impediment and telles when this impediment shall be tame out of the way then this wicked man of sinne shall be reueiled And last as he hes tolde of his comming out and growing to an height in his pryde so he propecyes of his decay and his destruction Now to returne to the wordes Remember ye not sayes he vvhen I vvas vvith you I told you these thinges To assure them the more of the trueth of these thinges that he wrytes to them concerning the Antichrist hee calles them to remembrance of that which he spoke to them face to face concerning this same purpose and in doing this the vtters some peece of anger Remember ye not He vses some sharpnesse in wordes because
beatting dovvne of the beast onely Iesus Christ ought to haue the glorie of the victorie Whether ye looke to him who strikes the battell the armour or them who are souldiers in the battell all lettes you see the glorie should be giuen to Christ alone What is more vyle nor the vvord of the crosse and this vyle ministrie and yet he vvill haue him vvreaked and consumed with the word and ministrie He chuses not great and mightie things not kings and Emperours to this worke wonder not nor be not moued that ye see so many kings stand by the beast to see the Emperour the kings of France and Spaine stand for him but the Lord will vse base meanes to destroy the beast that the glorie may be giuen to him allone Now to come to the other pointe his abolishing He is abolished at the last When shall this be When Christ shall come againe How shall it be The face and presence of Iesus shall deuoure him As soone as the Lord shall come downe as soone shall he vanish and be burnt vp as caffe with the fire The word of the Gospell consumes him and burnes him but not quyte vp But the face of Iesus in that day shall burne him quite vp and then that prophecie of Iohn Reuel chap. 20. verse 10. shall be accomplished He shall be casten in a lack of fire and brimstone which shall neuer haue an end Then brethren beware of this word for if it worke not to lyfe but be a sauour of death to death if it doe thee no good in this lyfe be assured that most glorious face of the Lord in the world to come shall destroye thee Therefore looke that the word be an instrument to thy consolation and the power of God to thy saluation Looke how the word is effectuall to thee in this life for so shall the presence of Iesus be to thee in the life to come either to thy saluation or damnation The face of the Lord shal consume thee if the word hes wroght no renewing of thee in this life It is said in the chapter preceeding verse 9. They which did not obey the Gospell shall be punished vvith euerlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the gloree of his povver one blenke of that face shall consume in an instant all the reprobate Craue then that the word may be powerfull that ye may escape this fire of that presence of Iesus in his comming Then heere ye may perceiue that the kingdome of the Antichrist is not altogether abolished it takes a long tyme ere it be taken away Wonder not that he hes such a power in this earth for certainly this prophecie telles vs that there shall be some face of the Antichristes kingdome vntill Christ come Looke not that Papistry end ere Christ come look not that euery reformed Church shall be quite of them but they shall be as thornes in their sides till Christ come and let no man ouer soone triumph but let euery one make him for the battell There are none of the professours of Christs trueth but they should prepare them for battell Therefore let euery one seeke this armour that being enarmed with that spirituall armour so far as God will giue the grace echone may breath on the beast to his consumption that so God may be glorified and then shalt thou triumph for euer with him To whom be praise and glore for euer AMEN THE SEVENTH LECTVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 2. THESSA CHAP. 2. vers 9. 10. 9 Euen him vvhose comming is by the vvorking of Satan vvith all povver and signes and lying vvonders 10 And in all deceiuablenes of vnrighteousnesse among them that perish because they receiued not the loue of the trueth that they might be saued WE returne again in this text to the description of the Antichrist to be reueiled the Apostle before had casten in some things in the way pertaining to the present purpose Ye heard the Antichrist to be reueiled was descriued from his nature First of nature he should be a man like other men then hee is descryued from his properties first a sinfull man addicted to sinne a slaue of sin and iniquitie next the sonne of perdition a man from all eternitie ordeined to perdition Then he came to his actions that he shall doe when he shall be reueiled first in malice of his hart he shall oppone him to euery thing called God in Heauen and earth to the powers and majesties here on earth to the Majestie of God and Christ in Heauen Another action when he shall be reueiled in pride he shall exalt himself aboue all thing that is called God and is worshipped in the world Yet more in pride he shall sit in the Temple of God not like a common man but as God in Gods seate on the consciences of men and wemen in the Church of God And last he shall showe himselfe to be God in all things in all his titles and styles and al his dignities and shall bereaue God so far as lyes in his power of all dignities and honors that pertaines to him allone Novv to speake nothing of that hes beene spoken before In this 9. verse the Apostle returnes againe to the description of the Antichrist and in this place he descriues him from the effectualnes or effectuall power he shall haue in men ordeined for perdition when he shall come and be reueiled in the world Then to come to the words Satan effectual by and in the antichrist Whose comming sayes the Apostle shall be according to the effectuall povver of Satan As he would say when he shall come and be reueiled in the world Satan that sent him shall be effectuall and powerfull by him powerfull in men and weâ—en that perishes that are ordeined from al eternity to perdition Heerein shortly learne then Euen as God by Iesus Christ in his ministrie whom he sends out will be effectuall in these who are his if all the world had sworne the contrare So Satan the enemy of God and â—atan in this pointe will prease to be like God and in his maner will be effectuall and powerfull in them that are ordeined for death by the Antichrist As God in his church for saluation will be powerful by his ministry so the Antichrist wil be powerfull to them that are ordeined to perdition Yet brethren the words imports more to wit that Satan shall not onely be effectual by the Antichrist outwardly but he shal be effectuall inwardly in the hart of him and when he shal work by him he shal not work by the mouth or hand outwardly but by the effectual working in his hart and will inspire in his hart to do the turne In this pointe likewise Satan preases to be like God When God by his minister as effectuall he not onely workes by his mouth or his hand or any outward member but he workes by his soule and inward affections cheefly 1.
trueth It is not thy eare in hearing of the word nor thy mouth in speaking well of it that will make thee a good receiuer of the trueth but it is the hart Looke there be an vnfained loue to the trueth in it and then hold vp thy eare and it will sinke in so sweetly in thy soule that thou shalt feede on it so joyfully as no tongue neither of man nor Angell can tell It is not the outward profession nor the outward receiuing if thou should sit a thousand yeeres hearing that will bring thee to life First thou must haue hart and soule disposed inwardly with an vnfained loue to God to Iesus Christ and his Gospell and then Heauen and earth shall got together ere thou perish An hart that loues Christ and this light shall neuer perish on the other part al the outward forme of doing the protestation subscription and the rest of these outward things shal not saue thee in the day of the Lord if there be not a peece of this loue in thy hart And so I end with this word 〈…〉 accursed be he that loues not Iesus Christ and his trueth And by the contrare blessed are they that loues Iesus Christ and his truth euen this word preached by this baâ—e ministrie and blessed shall they beforeuer To this Christ with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise for euer AMEN THE EIGHT LECTVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 2. THESSA CHAP. 2. vers 11. 12. 13. 14. 11 And therefore God shall send them strong delusion that they should beleeue lyes 12 That all they might bedâ—mned vvhich beleeued not the trueth 〈◊〉 had pleusure in vnrighteousnesse 13 But vve ought to giue thanks alvvay to God for you brethren beloued of the Lord because that God hath from the beginning chosen you to saluation through sanctification of the Spirit and the faith of trueth 14 Where-vnto he called you by our Gospell to obtaine the glory of our Lord Iesus Christ. THE dayes bygone beloued brethren in the Lord Iesus we haue heard a Prophecy of that uniuersall Apostasie that was to come and of the reueiling of the Antichrist who should be the head and ring-leader of this vniuersall Apostasie We heard of the Antichrist to be reueiled he is painted out and deferyued in his owne collours before he was reueiled euen as we see him this day For Paul could not haue set him out more viuely in his nature properties and actions if he had seene him nor he hes done in this Prophecie for he descryuos him euen as if he had seene him with his eyes He hes descryued him from his nature He shall be a man sayes he not a single man simplie but he meanes by this word one man a succession of men in one kingdome As for his properties he sayes he shall be a man of sinne and addicted slaue to sinne Next he shall be the sonne of perdition destinate to destruction and euerlasting perdition from al eternity As for his actions first in malice of his hart he shal oppone himselfe against all thing that is called God and is worshipped either in Heauen or in earth He shall oppone himselfe both against the Majestie of God in Heauen and against the majesties of Kings and Princes on earth Againe in pryde of his hart he shall lift himselfe aboue euery thing called God More in the pryde of hart he shall sit in the Temple of God as God in Gods seate vpon the consciences of men to control them which thing properly pertaines to God No creature hes power ouer the consciences of men it is proper to God onely More he shall showe himselfe in all his styles dignities and names as God He shall reaue these from God and shall cloath himselfe with them Last he is descryued from that effectualnesse and powerfull working which he shall receiue of Satan and which at his comming he shall haue in the harts of men partly by working wonders partly by false and fraudulent doctrine But in whom He sayes in them that perishes that is in them that are ordeined to destruction before the foundation of the world was laid in these he shall be powerfull they shall beleeue him in all that he does and sayes Then he sets down one cause of the perdition of these men in whom the Antichrist is and shall be effectuall To witte their owne merite and desert they will not receiue the loue of the trueth they contemne the light of the Gospell and therefore perish shall they God indeed hes decreed from all eternitie that they shall perish but before the decreete be put in execution their merite shall interuene and in tyme they shall contemne the trueth of God which shall procure that damnation to the which from all eternity they were predestinate In the first verse we read the Apostle showes by what order damnation and perdition shall follow vpon the contempt of the light of God in Iesus Christ Marke this Damnation shall not follow vpon the contempt of the trueth immediatly but something shal interueene first there shall follow one plague of God for he shall send vpon these men strange illusions that is he shall hound out the Antichrist with his effectualnesse and he comming with the effectualnesse of Satan shall deceiue them he shall blinde them as it were and put out their eyes What shall followe on that Being blinded they shall goe forwarde in their sinne and so goe downe toward Hell as it were by another steppe And as they contemned the light before so now being deceiued they shall embrace greedilie lies And what shall followe vpon this Embraceing lyes and vanities damnation shall ensue This is the meaning of this verse Then ye see a man is not shot in Hell at the first No when a man hes committed one sinne God will not put him in Hell at that same instant but he shall make him goe to Hell by degrees from steppe to steppe and from sinne to sinne in his just judgement he shall make him stop from a smaller sinne to a greater sinne and this he will doe by plaguing of him and inflicting on him either spiritual or temporall judgements and being beatten he will not amend No mark this A reprobate will neuer mend all the temporall judgements in the world will not better him but he will be ay worse and worse so that if he sinned before now being plagued he shal go to a greater sin and shal not make an end of sinning till he end in judgement Marke another thing here Ye see what the Antichrist is with all his force and effectualnesse his wonders and his doctrine whereby he is effectuall in them that perishes Is he without God trow ye No he is no other thing but a burrio sent from the Tribunal of God to plague the ingrate world as the king would send an hangman to hang a thiefe or murtherer God in his just judgement sends him to
wrought by the Spirit of God thou must liue holilie in his sight and then thou must beleeue thou must haue faith that is throgh the trueth of Iesus Christ or else thou wert neuer chosen If thou hast not faith if thou hast not an holy life no saluation for thee Then shortly in the next verse Hauing spoken of faith he showes how a man commes by faith how he gets it He sayes vnto the vvhich ye are called Faith thou is gotten by calling if a man be not called and cryed on as it were with a shout from Heauen O the dead bodie will not waken for if thou be not cry edon thou wilt not get grace to beleeue if thou be not cried vpon by the cry of God in his word thou shalt neuer get faith for faith is kindled vp by the voice of the Euangell The Lord sayes Iohn 5. 28. 29. The houre shall come and novv iâ— vvhen the dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God and they that heare it shall liue meaning the dead in sinne So faith rises by a crye and call when he sayes come out of that death thou that sâ—eepest if thou heare thou shalt incontinent arise and beleeue O the power of the voice of God! It is his voice onely that makes the dead soule heare and to beleeue It is not thy free-will that makes thee to answere it is the cry of God onely that kindles vp faith in thee and what meanes vses he to call men by Euen the Gospell of Iesus Christ which is the voice of God For what is the word of God but the voyce of God shouting and crying vpon thee So calling is by a word and voice Now calles he thee by the voyce of the Law No long would thou haue lyeâ— ere thou had answered to the voyce of the Law the more it cry vpon thee thou wiltly the longer dead What is the voice then The sweet voice of the Gospell of Iesus Christ when it is tolde to thee that the Sonne of God is incarnate for thy sake he hes suffered and is risen that thou may get remission of sinnes and life euerlasting in one word the speach of the crosse of a dead man it is the speach that puts life in thee and so no faith without calling and no calling without the voice of the Gospell and no life without the voice of the Gospell Thou shalt neuer see the face of God without thou heare the voice of the Gospell Yet marke He sayes our Gospell that is that I Paul and my fellow laborers ministred Then I aske what is the mouth out of the which the voice of the Gospell sounds and by the which the Lord calles the dead man Euen the mouth of sillie simple men and therefore Paul cals it his Gospel Pauls mouth Peters mouth and the mouth of all the faithfull ministers are the voice of God to the end of the world calling thee to faith and therefore doe they call this Gospell their Gospell The Lord hes so ordeined that without the mouthes of sillie men no voice of God should be heard in the earth Goe to thy chamber read as thou wilt thou shalt nor come to Heauen if thou contemne the mouth of sillie men for without the voice of sillie men that soundes this Gospell there is no voice of God calling thee to faith And therefore without this base ministrie is no saluation for thee I say farther If the mouth of this ministrie whereby the Lord speaks be contemned by thee there is no faith no life appointed for thee God hes so bound himself to this ministrie that if thou contemne this ordinance thou shalt neuer see Heauen He will haue thee safe by a foolish preaching or else thou shalt neuer see heauen Say not might he not send Angels No close thy mouth for by foolish preaching thou shalt be safe and by no other means Mark this ye that contemne the preaching of the word of God out of the mouthes of sillie men Now in the end of the verse he sets downe another end of this calling the first end was faith the other is the participation of the glorie of Heauen in Iesus Christ all is in Christ glorie is in him so thou shalt not get either grace or glorie if thou get not Christ alwaies this is an end both of election and vocation life euerlasting Election is from all eternitie vocation is in tyme and lyfe euerlasting followes as the onely effect and end of both Now the calling beginnes here and what other thing is al our preaching but this come to Iesus Christ the Anchor of your faith and life and this cry holds 〈◊〉 till Christ Iesus come and then he will cry out that last cry Come ye blessed of my Father and inherite the kingdome prepared for you and then the chosen shall enter in the participation of that glorie through Christ that neuer shall end And therefore to this Iesus the Anchor of our life and the caller of vs to life and glory with the Father and holy Spirit we render al praise and honor for now and euermore AMEN THE NINTH LECTVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 2. THESSA CHAP. 2. vers 15. 16. 17. 15 Therefore brethren â—tand fast keep the instructions vvhich ye haue bene laught either by our vvord or by our Epistle 16 Novv the same Iesus Christ our Lord and our God â—â—en the Father vvhich hath loued vs and hath 〈◊〉 vs euerlasting consolation and good hope through grace 17 Comfort you harts and stablishe you in 〈…〉 and good vvorke AFTER the Apostle heâ— ended that Prophecy of the vniuersall defection from the trueth and faith of Christ Iesus and of the reueiling and manifesting of the Antichrist and his power he doeth three things in the end of this chapter First he comforts the Thessalonians against this Apostaâ—ie and defection assuring them it should not touch them because they were grounded vpon that stable foundation of the eternall election of God of the which they had sure tokens and testimonies the sanctification of the Spirit and faith in the trueth the calling of God to faith and participation of the glory of Iesus Christ Next in the text we have red there are conteined two things The first is 〈◊〉 exhortation to the Thessalonians to stand and perâ—euere to the end The other is a prayer conceiued by the Apostle to God the Father and to the Lord Iesus that it would please them first to comfort the harts of the Thessalonians next to establish them in euery good word and worke Then shortly to come to the text We haue set downe in the first words an exhortation to the Thessalonians that they should standfast But first we shall consider how this exhortation followes on the doctrine passing before Therefore sayes he Then it must be inferred by a consequent vpon the doctrine preceeding The cause of their standing and perseuerance must be in the text preceding
and speaking of it There is another sort when it runnes through the harts of men that is when in her course she is powerfull in the harts to worke a true faith in them working sanctification an altering and changing of the soule and reforming the harts of men and conforming them to the Image of God As concerning the first she gets no glorie nor honor but she is rather stayned by it As to the other she runnes with glory and majestie and she is caried throgh the world like a glorious Queene and is magnified by men and Angels Now among whom is she glorified and among whom is she defamed When she is powerfull in men to sanctification there she is glorified who euer liues holily glorifies the Gospel and when men hes nothing but a bare word of it and liues licentiously and wickedly then the Gospell is defamed and shamed by these men as the Apostle witnesses Rom. 2. 24. out of the 52. of Esay For your sakes sayes he my name is blasphemed among the nations all the day long Then they who liues a life contrare to the Gospell of Iesus they shame the Gospell and therefore in the world to come they shall receiue shame for shaming of the Gospell In the end of the verse he sayes as it is vvith you To moue them to this purpose to pray for him or rather for the Gospell he brings in their own example and experience Thessalonians I wish you not to pray for another thing but that ye haue experimented your selues see whether or not the Gospell be glorified among you yea it is glorified Ye are not bare professors of it then are ye not bound to pray the Lord to communicate to other that grace that is bestowed on you So they who findes the Gospell glorified in themselues and findes her powerfull in their harts to a sanctified lyfe are bound to wish and craue this blessing to euery soule if it were possible Wherefore shall I haue a grace if I pray not to God to communicate that grace to another Wherefore should I enter in Heauen and not put out my hand to helpe others to that kingdome if it be possible Wherefore should I not pray thy kingdome come which is nothing in effect but Lord open Heauen to thy people and let many enter in that thou may be glorified And it is most certaine that col if a man haue entered himselfe in Heauen he will not inuy to haue others with him but he will stryue to make rowme if it were to all the world that they may enter in He will not be like the Pharisies that will not enter in Heauen themselues neither yet will let others enter in it A man that is once in the light he would haue all in the light As a man that is in darknesse would haue all in darknesse with him Now in the next verse he desires them to pray for his owne person and for the rest of his fellow-laborers that they may be deliuered from vnreasonable and euill men Marke something before we enter in the words Ye see the next care is of himselfe that he may be fred from his enemies The thing that man shold care for next after the Gospell that worthy thing should be the person of the men that caries this Gospell before the world for when she runnes she is borne vp in the harts and mouthes of men so next her selfe there should be a special care had of them that beares that glorious Queene that they that sees her may be safe Next that Heauenly treasure the Gospell that is the vnsearchable riches of Iesus Christ care I say should be had of the laime vessell wherein it is contained 2. Cor. 4. 7. A man is but a laime vessell wherein the Lord puts so rich a treasure But wherefore should there be a care of him Euen for the treasures sake for that pretious things sake The person himselfe or the Minister is bound to care for his owne person in respect of the treasure And the people to whom he distributes so pretious a treasure is bound as euer any man was bound to any thing to haue a speciall care of the person of the Pastor for the treasures sake for if he haue this treasure they will get more good of him nor he will get by any benefite in this world that they can bestow on him God himselfe for his treasures sake ere he suffer the vessell to be broken Mark the great care God hes of his pastors he will mingle Heauen and earth together and stupifie the world with wonders and by wonders he will worke the deliuery of the man in whom he hes put his treasure so long as he hes adoe with him for the dispersing and distributing of his treasure for the saluation of men Heauen and earth shall goe together ere that man perish Was not Peter casten in a strate prison were there not watches within and watches without was not the doore locked was he not in irons Act. 12. and yet in the night an Angell is sent from Heauen and he commes in the house with an exceeding light and calles vpon Peter and bids him rise he shakes off his fetters the doores are made open and all without doing of any man the watches perceiues not Peter escapes Wherefore does he this Peter vvas a vessell in the which the Lord had his treasure This vessell was not yet emptied of the treasure The Lords worke was yet in Peters hand but as soone as Peter had finished his worke he suffered him to die without much adoe so did he with Paul for albeit oft-tymes before wonderfully he deliuered him yet when he hes done his worke with him the Lord let him goe his way and suffer without any miracle So long as the Lord hes ought adoe with any man all the world shall not be able to to beat him off his seete he hes such a care of him Now to end this I dare say and affirme they that hes no care of the persons of men whom the Lord vses to be his mouth to preach this his Gospell that they had neuer care of the Gospell it selfe If thou hast no care of the preacher praise the Gospell as thou wilt thou art an enemy to the Gospell He that would breake the vessell he would scatter all the riches of Iesus Christ that is in that vessell that is he would make a lose of the glorious riches of the Gospell Therefore vvhen ye haue adoe vvith this base ministrie it is not vvith men that ye haue to doe but vvith the treasures of Heauen and vnsearchable riches of God Lord if men novv vvould once consider this Now to the words Pray for me sayes he and my fellow-laborers And wherefore that we may be deliuered in our owne person was he in any danger at this tyme wherefore he craues their prayer Appearandly he was in his journey towards Ierusalem and so he was to go among as
cruel and sauage by nature for by nature a lyon or tyger passes not a man in cruelty Now what turnes thee froÌ„ the nature of a beast nothing but this faith of Iesus Christ And thou shalt not haue faith so soone but thou shalt be changed O how good is it to liue in the company of the faithfull for thou must liue with them for euer take thee to such company in earth as thou wold haue to be with thee in heauen If thou delite not in their company in earth thou shalt neuer be with them in Heauen The wicked shal not be there Yet to go forward They might haue bene offended when he said al men hes not faith It is a rare gift giuen of God Now they might haue doubted whether they were of that number and if they wer whether they should stand or not For brethren as it is an hard matter to get faith so it is as hard a thing to keepe it for in keeping it a thousand doubts wil rise in the hart whether one will perseuere in it or not and especially they that are most carefull to keep it they are most assaulted with tentations for others that hes no care of it they wil not be moued with tentations and so a careful keeper of faith is most subject to doubts This tentation is met by the Apostle in the next verse he saies The Lord is faithful vvho shall stablish you and keep you from euilâ— As if he had said ye shal not lose your faith And wherfore because God who hes giuen you it is in mutable and repents him not of any gift giuen in Christ for his gifts are vvithout repentance Rom. 11. Therfore doubt not but leaning on that God ye shal be keept steedfast to the end Then I see here how ready the godly are to stumble they are so ready that whateuer they heare they fal in stumbling with it No so long as we are here we are subiect to doubting thy feet shall be euer subject to slyding It shal be impossible to go forward without offence al the the things thou shalt see al that thou shalt hear shal moue thee doubts and thou shalt offend at them These Thessalonians scarsly can heare one word of the Apostle but incontinent they are offended at it They wer offeÌ„ded at the multitude of the enemies of Paul and againe they are offended at the remedie he giues them therfore he giues another remedy The godly are very ready to offend But what is the duety of a Pastor Euen with Paul euer where he sees one to stumble to put out his hand to hold him vp the godly wil stumble but God forbid they fal to the ground theÌ„ bewar with speaches wheÌ„ thou vtters any thing by word thou suspects will offend the godly thou should goe about to meet it and to take it away for the Pastor had need to be a discreet man in speaking especially to the godly as for the reporbat they will not care what ye speake but the godly is sooneâ—â— moued euer ready to doubt Againe I see a man or woman once hauing receiued the faith of Iesus Christ shall neuer lose it altogether Faith once receiued can neuer be altogether 〈◊〉 againe get once true faith thou shalt neuer lose it altogether Indeede thou may be at sometimes without the sense of it but be assured true faith that once takes roote in the hart shall neuer be rooted out altogether of the hart againe Fy on these men that defendes that men hauing true faith and the Spirite of regeneration may lose it againe that is false doctrine For the grace of regeneration once giuen shall neuer be lâ—st againe altogether Come to the ground of this doctrine In the matter of faith there are two things first there is a giuer and next there is a receiuer God giues and the soule receyues Now what is the ground of the stabilitie of faith vvherefore it shall neuer be lost againe being once giuen Is it the receiuer No ground it not vpon the receiuer it is hut foly so to do as thogh thy soule wer so sure a keeper of the grace giuen thee but the ground wheron thou must leane is in the giuer He is vnchangeable true and neuer alters Heauen and earth shal turne vp side downe ere he alter one jote So the immutablenesse of faith and that it loses not in him that hes receiued it once depends on the stable nature of God onely and not in no receiuer nor power of man Therefore if thou would haue an assurance of â—aith that thou shalt not lose it anchor not thy selfe on thy selfe but on that immutable God thou euer alters because thou art not immutable in thy selfe no thou hast no stabilitie in thy selfe Therefore set thy soule on that that is immutable set it on God and stick by that immutable nature of his and thus doing thou shalt neuer lose the grace receiued for it is the nature of the elect and godly to set their hart on the giuer of grace and therefore they keepe the grace fast and are established I dare promise thee hold thy eyes on God and put thy confidence on him thou shalt neuer lose the grace receiued He sayes He shall stablish you and defend you from euill There are two actions of God here set downe first to establish secondlie to defend The one is in keeping vs in stabilitie the other in holding off all aduersary power I shall giue you the reasons of these two actions requisite in our standing The first is the infirmitie in our selfe for the ouldest of vsâ—â— not able to stand alone more nor an infant that is newe borne is able to stand alone The other cause supponing thou wert able to stand yet there is such an aduersary power so many enemies so mighty so powerfull that thou shalt not be able to stand against them of thy selfe and by thy strength Now God in holding vs vp respects both therefore as the nurse will hold vp the childe and defend it from falling So the Lord holdes vs vp by the one hand and by the other seeing the aduersary power comming on vs for o his inuasions are fearefull and mighty he holds it off he holds aback the deuill and all our enemies And therefore ye see two actions giuen to God one in holding vs vp by the one hand and the other in holding aback all the aduersary power Hast thou not matter to pray then first to hold thee vp against thy owne infirmitie and next against the aduersary power that wil haue thee to the earth if that hand of God hold it not aback Now he sayes from euill The word may be taine generally of al sort of euill yet I agree with this that it is vnderstood cheeflie of one Satan as 1. Iohn 2. 13. So then the lesson rises it is not with flesh and bloud we haue to doe Many thinks if they be free of men that they are well
that are not reueiled as yet on Iesus Christ to come vpon that glorious reuelation of him and full redemption that he shall bring with him to thee Novv fy on me and thee if our harts be bounded within the things or graces of this lyfe if we hold our harts onely on the thinges of this lyfe then as Paul sayes of all men vve vvere the most miserable 1. Cor. 15. 19. And therefore the hart should put out the head of it beyond this lyfe and lift it aboue this earth aboue all the Heauens vp to that place vvhere Iesus Christ is vvho shall once be manifested Brethren as concerning hope and that life to come I think ye finde how ye are disposed concerning it vvill nature teach you that euer Christ shall come againe to this world I shal tell thee thy nature will answere all foly and men will say doe well to me in this life I shal take my venture of the lyfe to come This lets thee see what is in nature for nature will neuer tell thee that there is a lyfe to come nature is far from all expectation of glorie after this lyfe Therefore this is the second thing vve should craue to the bovved hart that he vvould set it straight vpon the hope of life and as he prayes so should we pray and say Lord my hart is declyned from the hope of lyfe and lookes neuer Christ will come Lord righten it that I may waite vpon the comming of my Redemer for I shall not attaine to that life except I hope for it and persist in it till he come Well ye see then what is the good disposition of the hart of man and woman be not be beguyled with it When may thou haue a vvell disposed hart an euen hart When things falles out that pleates thee store of honors of riches of pleasure then thy hart is aloft and glad but I say if this disposition be not in thy hart that i◠loue God first and next that thy hart hopes for saluation woe to that hart if it be not otherwise disposed before thou die vvoe to that hart for euer So if thou vvould vnderstand vvhen thy hart is well disposed go downe to it and say my hart louest thou God if it answere I loue him then thou art well And againe say my hart hopest thou for a lyfe after this lyfe and to see the Lord Iesus to thy euerlasting saluation if it say I hope so then in joyfulnesse rest there I beseech you for Iesus Christs sake thinke not ye haue a well disposed hart except sensibly ye feele in it the loue of God and an hope for a better lyfe Stryue to this sense of the loue of God that thou may be persvvaded that he hes loued thee first and if thou feele that sweet loue of this then it will lowse thy hart to loue God with a joy vnspeakable fy on all carnal and fleshly joyes in respect of this solide joy Yet one word He calles it Patience by the which he meanes a patient on waiting and hope for brethren this vnderstand that there cannot be an hope of lyfe except patience concur vvith hope in the hart If thou hast not patience to byde look not for that finall redemption Therefore this patience is the necessary companion of hope for hope is nothing else but a faire looke yea a verie far looke to a thing that is far from vs. Well except thou hast patience trowest thou that thou wilt hold vp thy head from morning till night to await on Iesus Christ his comming No such thing thou may call a blenke and away at an instant but thou shalt not stand without patience no hope And againe ere thou attaine to that lyfe trowest thou that thou shalt goe euen forward a sound course so that neuer a crossing shall come in thy way no affliction touch thee till thou be set in Heauen Is that thy opinion that thou may liue in quyetnesse haue goods honor and store and none say to thee ill goes thou on the way Any man may take ease in patience No no if thou hast hope of glorie assure thee an hundreth stayes shall be casten in the way and thou shalt be beatten and tosted here and there And ofttymes there shall appeare such darke cloudes that the fight of glorie shall be plucked out of thy eyes Therefore if thou hast no patience to abide til that cloude be remoued thou shalt haue no hope and without hope looke not for glorie And therefore it is not without cause that Hope and Patience are joyned together He that would hope for lyfe let him cast him for troubles and crosses for if lyfe be ordeined for thee the Lord will cast in stumbling blocks euer to exercise thy hope vntill thou get that that thou hopest for for the Lord hes appointed here continual suffring The Lord grant that we may be enarmed with Patience euer till hope be turned into sight The next verse conteines another speciall precept As the former precept concerned the hart and the direction of it so this precept concernes the outward societie and familiarity we haue with men in this world for so long as we liue we must be in a societie but beware with whom So the effect of this precept is this vvithdravv your selues from euery brother that vvalketh inordinatly in his lyfe that goes out of order and keepes not his owne station that liues inordinatly There are two things to be considered in this precept First the forme Next the effect of it The forme is We denounce and charge you not in our name but in the Name and authoritie of our Lord Iesus for neither Apostle nor Pastor hes any power to denounce any thing in his owne name for there is no authority in the Church ouer the consciences of men but the Authoritie of God and of Iesus Christ And therefore no man can say to the conscience I charge thee in my name It is onely proper to God to charge the conscience Now gather the lessson This forme he vses lets vs see how hard it is Men naturally inclyned to eull company to be seuered from euill company albeit many will cursse it in the end It wil not be a light word that wil make thee to leaue euill company but ere thou come from it there must a charge interueene and that in the name of the highest authoritie euen the great God and that by the mouth of his seruant The Lord must say I charge thee in the Name of the great God seuere thee from euill company Brethren knowe ye not your nature neuer thing stak faster to another thē this nature of ours cleaues to euill and euill men so that by a great force they must be pulled asunder Now to come to the matter he sayes vvithdravv your selues He sayes not shoote them from you but drawe your selues from them so it importes not a publick excommunication but a quyet separation of a
them the presence of the Lord himselfe to be with them all Last he salutes them and the effect of the saluatation is a prayer for them The grace of our Lord Iesus be with you all Amen So all consistes in prayer Then learne He beganne this Epistle with prayer and salutation throughout the whole Epistle prayer is mingled Now in the end he multiplies prayer What meanes this Euen this that in vaine is all doctrine exhortation admonition and precept whatsomouer all preaching is nothing except the Lord by his Spirit worke inwardlie in the harts of the hearers all is nothing but vvinde except he moue their affections Now the way to obtaine this inward and secreete operation of the holy Spirite is oft-tymes to turne to God by prayer beseeching him to be povverfull and to joyne his Spirite vvith the vvord and to joyne vvorking vvith speaking And therefore hovv oft so euer we teach and ye hear the hart and eye should be lifted vp and set vpon him who hes keeped Spirit and power in his owne hand to giue as he pleases No man can giue you it neither the Preachour nor no Angell can giue you it It is onely in the hand of God and Iesus Christ to giue thee Spirite and povver and to joyne vvorking vvith speaking And therefore the eye in preaching should euer be set on Christ The Pastour should pray and haue his hart aboue to dravve dovvne grace to himselfe and the people that the vvord spoken may be effectuall in the hart othervvise preaching and all hearing is in vaine Now to come to the words The first thing he prayes for and wishes is peace The Lord of peace sayes he giue you peace for euer and euery vvay The thing then he wishes is peace that is quyetnes rest and tranquillity concord agreement all these words expresses the meaning of the word Peace The contrare is vnquyetnes What peace is dissention c. This Peace is the blessednes felicity happy estate of Christs kingdome which is his Church both in earth and Heauen And all the graces we haue in Iesus Christ tends to this end that his subjects may liue in peace quyetnesse and joy for euer and that shall be the end when we are in Heauen peace and joy for euer Ye see the happy estate of a worldly kingdome what is it When men liues in rest and enjoyes peace and quyetnes that is the happines of a worldly knigdom therefore in the 1. Timot. 2. 2. he commaundes prayer to be made for all men For Kings and superiour povvers To what end Euen to this same end that vve may liue a peaceable and quyet lyfe Euen so the blessed and happie estate of Christs kingdome is an heauenlie peace concord and quyetnesse And therefore Rom. 14. 17. he makes this peace to be essentiall to the kingdome of God that he defines it by this peace saying The kingdom of God is righteousnes peace and ioy in the holy Ghost This Heauenly peace is onely in Christs kingdome in his Church in Heauen and earth And the subjects of the kingdome of Iesus Christ are onely they that enjoyes this peace here and after this life for euer for without the Church of Christ there is no true peace If thou be no subject in his kingdome thou hast no rest no true peace for there is no true peace for the vvicked sayes the Prophet Esay 57. 21. If thou be of that number that is without the kingdome of Christ no peace for thee and the end shall proue thou hadst neuer true peace in this world Now to go forward He craues that it may be giuen to them Then Peace the gift of god it is a gift Heauenly peace is the gift of God thou hast it not by nature None is borne with peace but with warre and inimitie by nature all are borne with dissention strife and debate there is no heauenly peace by nature And the whole lyfe naturall what is it but a continuance in war debate and strife first against God next with thy selfe and thy owne conscience And againe a strife against the Angels in Heauen and men on earth and all the creatures of God thou art an enemie to them and they vnto thee vntill the tyme thou attaine to that new birth in Iesus Christ and then by vertue of that birth thou getst this heauenly and spirituall peace for then thou beginst to liue at peace first with God himselfe and next with the Angels in Heauen and men in earth and with all his creatures So looke how needfull it is for thee to haue regeneration for if thou want it thou shalt be at war for euer thou shalt haue no peace But how getst thou it It is a gift And who shold giue it The Lord of peace The giuer of it must be the Lord with dominion and power with command And as vnder his Lordship other things must be so peace must be at his command either to giue it or hold it Now who is this Lord that hes this power of peace and war Who is he that sayes All povver is giuen to me in heauen and earth Matt. 2â— 18. This Lord is Iesus Christ And therefore ere euer he came in this world and tooke on him our nature Esay 9. 6. he styles him the Prince of peace And Paul Ephes 2. 14 styles him peace it â—elfe he is our peace-maker And in Iohn 14. 27. Christ speaking to his Apostles takes on him to be the giuer of peace and sayes My peace I leaue to you and giues you So this Lord of peace is the Lord Iesus Christ who hes in his handes all grace and glorie in Heauen and in earth Yet to goe forward The lords style ansvver able to the grace 〈◊〉 praier Why is it that he makes a choise of this style rather then of any other Certainely this style he receiues here agrees with the petition and thing asked at his hands peace is craued he is styled the Lord of peace what euer we aske of Christ it should be in faith that he hes power to giue it aske iâ— thou peace aske it not but in an assurance that it is in his hand and that he is able to giue it Now this assurance that all is in his hand it cannot be better vttered then by the Name and style we giue him askest thou wisdome say Lord of wisdome giue wisdome askest thou peace say Lord of peace giue me peace askest thou mercie say Lord of mercy giue me mercy So the name and style we giue to the Lord when we craue ought at his hands should be answerable to the grace and mercy we aske for then we vtter our faith and assurance that he hes such a grace and power to giue vs. This hes bene the forme of Pauls prayer and of godly men of old and should be imitate by vs. The Lord hes many styles he is called the Lord of peace mercy and justice the Lord
of glorie There is not a Monarch that prydes himself in honourable styles and names that is comparable with the great Creator the Lord of the world yea set them altogether all are nothing in comparison with him because all are his all grace power and dominion in Heauen and earth is his and therfore look by how many graces his Majestie hes spread it selfe through Heauen and earth look how many graces he hes in his hand to giue so many seuerall and honourable styles may he receiue there is no end of his glory nor no end of his Names from his wisdome he is called the Lord of wisdome from his justice the Lord of justice from his mercy the Lord of mercy from his peace the Lord of peace from his glory the Lord of glory Now to goe forward Tvvo properties of peace 1. It is euerlasting There are two properties giuen to this peace The first It is for euer alvvayes it is not for a tyme onely but for all tymes It is not for this lyfe onely but for the lyfe to come This worldly peace serues but for this lyfe onely but the peace of Iesus Christ serues for the lyfe euerlasting The peace of God is not peace in prosperitie onely but in aduersitie also It is not peace in life onely but in death also And therefore Symen in his song when he had seene Iesus he sayes Novv Lord 〈…〉 depart in peace Luke 2. 29. the seruant of God as he liued in great peace so also departed in peace so this peace lastes for euer And therefore Esay 9. 7. when he hes called him the Prince of peace he sayes the largenesse of his dominion and increase of his 〈◊〉 at and peace shall haue no end his kingdome is an endles kingdome and there is an endles peace in that kingdome I called this peace our blessednesse Now this is the nature of blessednesse it cannot be bounded within any tearms if it be true selicitie bound it not compasse it not within a yeere within twentie yeeres or within a thousand yea within ten thousand yeeres for the nature of true blessednesse is euerlasting And therefore ye see worldly men that places their happinesse in worldly peace will dreame an eternity and perpetuitie to that peace of theirs that neither they nor their peace will haue an end That rich man in the Gospel Luke 12. 19. said to his soule Liue at ease eate and drinke and take thy pastime thou hast store laid vp for many yeeres trow ye not but he thought to liue for euer and thought that that aboundance should abyde with him for euer and so faires it with all worldlings they dreame a rest and peace for euer but the end will proue that they wer dreaming all their dayes Therefore Lord set our harts on that peace of Iesus Christ that lastes for euer This is then the first propertie of this peace of his It lasts for euer The second propertie of it is It is 〈…〉 of vvay It is peace in all respects not in one respect onely nor in some respects onely 2. It is in al respects but in euery respect I shall make this plaine The peace of Iesus Christ is peace in respect of God when our soules standes in friendship with him when we are reconceiled to him by the bloud of Iesus as it is said Rom 5. 1. Being iustified by faith vve haue peace tovvards God Then it is peace in respect of our selues an euill conscience is an euill enemie when thou stryuest not against thy owne affections but satisfies them then thy conscience will let thee get little rest it will ay be accusing thee but when once this peace of Iesus be giuen thee so that thou beginst to be regenerate and to lead an holy and sanctified lyfe then thy conscience rests and thou beginst to enjoy a joyfull peace in thy soule Philipp 4. 7. The peace of God that passes all vnderstanding preserue your harts and myndes in Christ Iesus and Col. 3. 15. Let the peace of God rule in your harts And againe it is peace in respect of the creatures of God with Angels in Heauen with men on earth man is enemie to man by nature then hauing this peace thou art at peace with Heauen and earth man and Angell for all are enemes to thee so long as thou art outwith Iesus Christ we are enemies to them all and they all to vs but being in Christ all things are reconciled to vs in heauen and earth Ephes 1. 10. Col. 1. 20. so in all respects it is peace Looke how many sortes of enimities was as many sortes of peace must be we are enemies to God to our owne conscience to Angels and men yea and that that is most conjoyned to vs by nature be it bloude asfinitie or any other bond if there be no more but nature there is nothing but enimitie the conjunction of man and woman if there be no more but their natural bond is enimity the parents and the children without this spirituall peace of Iesus are at enimitie So looke how many sorts of enimitie there is there are as many sorts of peace and our blessednesse standes in this peace Now looke the nature of it As blessednesse must indure for euer so our blessednes must be perfite If thou hast that peace of Iesus thou must haue it in all respects if thou hast peace with God thou hast peace with all men so far as lyes in thee Rom 12. 18. otherwise thou hast no true peace with God Men oft-tymes beguyles themselues I will haue peace with God will he say and yet I shal be this man or that mans enemie I shall slay him folie folie if thou glorie in debate with man and does not that lyes into thy power to be at peace with all men thou shalt haue no peace with God that thing which the Lord joynes seuere not thou the Lords peace is with al if thou seuere it and pryde thee in enimitie with any thou shalt not haue peace with God nor with thy self What peace hes a murtherer with God or with his owne conscience Aske at him I demand thee ô murtherer knew thou what that peace of God meanes when that bloudie affection raged and caried thee to bloude Thou lookest for friendship with God folie thou art neither at friendship with God nor his Angels nor none of his creatures It is a wonder that the Heauens falles not on thee The earth is thy enemy and it is a vvonder that it swallows thee not vp for al that bloud that thou hast shed on it but once it shall present it to thy damnation if thou repent not This far concerning prayer for peace I goe to the next words The Lord be vvith you all He goes to a deeper ground Before he wished the grace of the Lord Iesus to them Novv he vvishes the Lord himselfe to them the presence of Iesus Christ in his ovvn person not onely that he shall
that remembrance they had of him in his absence and of this rememberance a desyre to see him and that because he had grounded them in that faith in Iesus Christ and that loue to their neighbour Brethren as the first pointe of goode tydinges that can bee reported of anie is the imbracing of this Gospell of Christ and Christ in the Gospell So the last thing that can bee reported is the imbracing of the Ministers of this Gospell the imbracing of them in their presence the remembring of them and the desyring of them in their absence These are Paules ovvne vvordes And I affirme if anie people haue no lyking of the Minister of the Gospell no man can tell one good vvord of good tydinges of them If Timothie could not haue reported this farre of the Thessalonians concerning Paul that they had remembrance of him but had said that they remembred not of Paul Trovvye that Paul vvould haue counted of the report of their faith and charitie No he vvould haue said they had no faith nor charitie for where there is not a loue to the Minister of the Gospell no faith nor loue there Many vvill say I loue the Gospell I loue my nighbour but vvhen it comes to the ministrie then if there be any vyle and contemptible speaking it will be of them My Lord or the laird will sit vp and speak of that calling with such disdaine and despite that the verse Ethnick can not go beyond him and in scoffing will say away with these fellowes wherefore serue they they holde the countrie in ado Fyon thee that euer thou sholdst take the name of Christ in thy mouth when thou so heatst his seruants For it is impossible where the loue of Christ and the Gospell is to seuere thee from the loue of the seruants of Christ Thou deceiuest thy self thou neuer louest the master when thou heatst his seruants thou neuer louest God when thou heatst the faithfull Minister he sends to thee Alas among all the curses that procures heauie judgement at Gods hand this is one the contempt of this ministrie God is as it were wrestling with vs in this great contempt to hold in this light but if we continue we shall lose this light to our vtter ruyne for God will not wrestle ay vvith vs. Take heed to this and learne this lesson vvith Paule As ye would haue a report of well doing looke that this report may be tolde of you that ye haue a remembrance and desyre of your faithfull ministrie otherwise all other reports is nothing worth For where there can not be a report of your lyking of the good Ministers it can not be possible that a goode tale can be tolde of you The wordes in the end of the verse is to be marked Desyring to see vs as vve also doe you There is a meeting Marke the vvord There is a mutuall duetie craued betvveene the Pastor and the stock a mutuall desyre and remembrance euerie one of other a mutuall lyking euerie one of others Kyndneste vvill not stand on the one part onelie Now who should beginne one must beginne Paul beginnes he remembers of them before they remember of him he desyres their presence ere they desyre his presence he lykes of them ere they lyke of 〈◊〉 Speaking to the Corinthians Epist 6. 1â— he sayes Our mouth hes 〈◊〉 opened vnto 〈◊〉 our heart 〈…〉 made large 〈◊〉 haue not dvvelt narrovvlie in our bovvels Then he sayes 〈…〉 to you 〈…〉 be children desiring 〈◊〉 lyke recompence And teiles them as he was the beginner to loue them he desyred a rendring of the lyke loue to him Gal. 4. 12. Be ye as I am for I am as ye are I craue not first of you but I shal beginne with loue to you render ye me the lyke And certainelie when the Pastor beginnes not loue to the flock the people is not to be accused for not louing of their Pastor So the Pastor must beginne and when they follow him not be it betweene them and their God and without question it will not goe away without judgement Now to goe to the effect of these things Therefore brethren sayes he vve had coâ—sâ—lation and to aggreadge this consolation he sayes when he tolde me these good tydings my miserie was great I was lying at Athens miserable but when Timothie reported these good newes to me I vvas quickned in hearing of your faith perseuerance loue among your selues and towards vs. So brethren these tydings are not without great joy they minister comfort Neuer one of these things are tolde but joy and comfort breaks vp in the heart Trow ye that it was the good report that raised this consolation in the heart No there was an higher ground If Paul had not had an greater loue to the Thessalonians all the good tydings that was reported by Timothie of them to him should not haue wakned joy in his heart It is true in deed when we heare of the grace of God to be in any other there is matter of joy to vs we should not heare so soone that the grace of God is in any man or woman but we should rejoyce therein euen as it were in our selues When thou hearest of faith or loue in any man or woman thou shouldst rejoice when thou hearest of any sinner that is penitent turnes to God rejoyce when thou hearest of any loue in any person there is matter of joy all is true But brethren Who rejoyces when it is reported that any grace is in any person I answere None but the louer he that loues that people or person will rejoice As for others that haue no loue to the persone the more is tolde to them of the grace of God in him either spirituall or temporall the more they inuy it This is all our nature What is it that inuyes not Paul sayes Charitie inuyes not 1. Cor. 13. 4. And vnderstand this he who loues rejoyes when he heares of any others well Take me away loue and charitie no rejoysing in the heart of any man for an others well Alas this inuy that is among men of the prosperitie of an other testifies there is no loue When thou hearest the report of the graces of thy nighbour aâ—â—mnyes it and speakes euill of thy nighbour thou vttest thou hast no loue to God and thou depryuest day selfe of a great grace for thou depriuest thy self of that joy thou shouldst haue of the grace of God thou rejoysing thou getst part of that grace he that hes the grace gets not all that grace his alone but when thou rejoycest thougetst a part of that grace By the contrare if thou inuy thou spoiles thy selfe of that joy the joy thou shalt haue in Heauen shall not be of the grace thou shalt haue in thy self onlie and assure thee as thou shalt haue joy in Heauen thou must haue joy in earth but it shall rise of the graces of god bestowed on others on the earth and thou
shalt not see a glorious member beside thee but of sight of it thou shalt haue such joy as no tongue can tell So I beseech you as ye would rejoice in Heauen beginne to joy and learne in tyme to rejoyce for the graces of God bestowed on others here and learne in time to loue thy nighbourâ—ó thou licentious bodie learne to loue ô contemner learne to loue thou back byter learne to loue thou who wouldst rejoice with a true joy learne to loue or thou shalt neuer rejoyce in Heauen What trow ye ` Paul is doing now when Timothie is turned back to him and makes this good report of this charitie and is rejoysing I tell you he is gathering vp the frutes of his trauell taking vp his rent and stipend from the Thessalonians Pastors stipend What is the rewarde of a faithfull Pastor and his proper stipend Is it this little thing on the earth his gleab and manse two or three chalders of victuall no. What then is the proper rewarde of the Pastor It filles not the hand but the heart not the mouth of this world but the mouth of the soule with joy Fill out my ioy sayes Paul Philipp 2. 2. fill it out I haue not gotten it all What is that that fils the hart of the Pastor with joy The grace of God fils the heart vvith ioy ye heare not that Timothie bringes any substance from the Thessalonians But the thing that filles Pauls heart is the grace of God in the Thessalonians the saith of the Thessalonians the loue and good affection the Thessalonians bare to him That is the matter of his joy Men standes on this earth and is loath to giue one penny to an other but to draw al in to them selues but I say to thee if thou be one of Gods and of his people he shall get more of thee nor al thy heritage nor all thy lands and riches in the world if he be a faithfull Pastor he shall get more of thee For thou shalt haue no grace nor faith nor charitie but he shall get the glorie of it thou shalt haue no glorie in Heauen but that glorie shall redound to his glorie for that chiefe Pastor of al Pastors hes communicate this to his Pastors that all the graces bestowed by him on the people shal redound to their glorie So he will haue all the trauels bestowed on the people by his Pastour to redound the glorie of his Pastor Paul sayes 1. Thessa 2. 19. What is our ioy or crovvne of 〈◊〉 are not ye Thessalonians my glorie and my joy The Lord shall take you by the hand giue you to me and say haue there the man thou hast win take the glorie thereof to thee and giue me the whole glorie of him and of all ô the shinning glorie that Paul shall haue in Heauen ô the shinning glorie of these men who hes trauelled on earth to get soules to God! they haue a glorious preferment but it is not seene heere in that day ye shall see it clearlie Now he aggreadges that joy he receiued of that report from the great trouble he had in Athens and sayes vve had consolation in all our affliction and necessitie In Athens he was troubled by the Epicurian and Stoick Philosophers Alas worldlie-wise men are not meete for the kingdome of God he that would be wise in God let him be a foole So he is in trouble HeaueÌ„lie ioy svvalovves vp vvorldlie payne yet this consolation through the report of Timothie swalowes vp the trouble ô that heauenlie consolation and joy how it will swalow vp the displeasure and heauines of the soule Albeit the soule wer filled with sorrow when this heauenlie joy comes in it swalowes vp that heauinesse it is true that this is not without a battell and a hard battell but in the end the spirituall joye vvill get the victorie Therfore thou vvho art in heauines prease to get some spark of that heauenlie joy prease to rejoice in Christ grow in rejoycing in God Thou who wouldst haue any paine mitigate that is laid on thy bodie if it were sicknesse or death it selfe if thou wouldst haue it made light seeke that spirituall joy for as it swalowes the dolor and displeasure of the hart so it swalowes vp the paine of the bodie trow ye thaâ— the Martyres could haue suffred so great paine as they did if that the joy of the heart had not swalowed vp the half of the paine No if the joy had not impared the paine they vvould haue curssed God and man So let a man or vvoman vvho would haue their paine mitigate seeke to get this joy We see how sweetlie they vvill depart out of this life vvho hes that joy in Christ and therefore differre not till the last houre thinking to get joy then but in tyme vvhen thou art neither sicke nor sore in soule nor bodie prepare thee to get a sense of that joye that may be steadable in trouble acquaint thee vvith heauen as euer thou vvouldst goe to heauen Avvaye with the securitie of men who playe the vvanton and will promise to them selues heauen if they get but leaue to aske mercie in their last breath Fy on them they shall be deceyued It is true Delay of repentaÌ„ce daÌ„gerous the theefe that hung at Christs right hand got mercie but the other theefe got none Therefore repent amend your liues in time for vvhere one gets repentance at the last houre of their death a thousand wants it Now ere I leaue this marke Certainelie it appeares that Paul loued the Thessalonians well for vvhen he heares the report of these good newes he who was in trouble is reuiued and if he had not loued the Thessalonians exceeding well hee had not receiued such exceeding joye Loue is the occasion of ioy Ye see who loues a man vvell when anie good report is made of him he will rejoice for it O the great loue of Paul in all parts it may be a mirror to all pastors Woulde to God that such loue or halfe loue were in our hearts wee are bounde to a Congregation and yet we can not loue them as he did hauing manie Congregations for he vvas minister as well at Corinthus Galatia Ephesus c. as Thessalonica Neuer did any man loue a sonne begotten of himself more intirelie nor Paul did all his Churches Surelie a Pastor should loue his flock so well that he should giue his life for them In the end of the verse he giues the reason wherefore he rejoyced vve liue sayes he if ye stand in the Lord. Ioy comes of life and naturall life brings naturall joy that heauenlie lyfe begun in this life brings joye vnspeakable He reasones Ye are nâ—y life what wounder then that hearing of your standing in the Lord which is my life I rejoice Then if he be a louing Pastor who loues the soule of the people well as Paul did the grace that the people gets of