tremble at his word your Brethren that hated you that cast you out for my names sake said let the Lord be glorifyed but he shall appear to your joy and they shall be ashamed This is encouragement to those humble ones whose Hearts stand in awe before the Lord not willing to be lead of any against the leadings of the Lord or to subject themselves to that which is contrary to the teachings of the Lord in them though they be therefore despised and cast out by their Brethren And it may also be a caution unto others to teach them to take heed how they hate and cast out of their esteem the poor and humble in Spirit upon the account of any outward formality For what hast thou to doe to judge thy Brother or to set at nought thy Brother for any outward observation or formality Whereas thou canst not tell whether Christ our Lord doth lay it upon him or not Behold we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ One man keeps a day to the Lord another keeps not a day two contrary things Canst thou believe that these two contrary things may both be done in obedience to the Lord at his requirings Surely they may or else I judge that Paul would noâ— have defended them both against eacâ— other and have judged nothing but their judging of one another in such case Therefore Men and Brethren whosoever loveth our Lord Jesus Christ and his Government lay aside all emulation and wrath and disesteem of one another for such things and learn to love one another though you be not of the same stature one with another even as Christ hath loved us and doth love us and feed us in several pastures And learn what this means in my Fathers House are many mansions or dwellings that so you may not despise one another An Appendix concerning Faith BEcause Faith is so Essential to a Christian and comprehends as I may say the very substance of the Gospel in so much that all Christianity is sometimes expressed under that very word of Faith as Gal. 1.23 Rom. 1.5 c. Therefore it is here a little further insisted upon partly by way of recapitulation holding forth 1. The foundation of Faith layd out of us in the love and mercy and Truth of God and in the sufferings and resurrection of Christ 2. The Work and Fruits of it in us by the Spirit First The foundation and ground of Faith that must of necessity be something not out of us which is to be believed Therefore that thing is the material thing to be published or preached among men for the begetting of Faith For the understanding must be opened to understand it before one can believe it Therefore Philip opened the understanding of the Eunuch in the Scriptures concerning Christ and then he believed And Christ he opened the understandings of the two Disciples that were going to Emaus when their Faith was shaken concerning him that they might understand the Scriptures And so the Apostles when they preached the Gospel of Salvation still they opened the things to be believed by the Scriptures that so those whose Heart God was pleased to open might see what a sure ground there was layd in God and in Christ for men to believe on him For our Salvation or our life is hide with Christ in God The foundation of all is in God in his kindness in his love in his mercy And therefore all glory redounding from thence ascends unto God This is that which makes us truely to glorify God in our Hearts and Spirits when we see him the foundation of all the beginner and finisher of all That takes a man off his Pharisaical exaltation in himself arising from his own righteousness Oh how humbly did the Apostles of our Lord give all glory and honour unto the kindness and mercies and love of God manifested to us in Christ Jesus In all their Epistles to the Saints raising up their mindes to the great love of God in christ Jesus For he was the Vessel filled with the love of God to convey it to us And this was the glory which his Disciples beheld in him We beheld his glory full of grace and truth Joh. 1. Grace is good will kindness love mercy this is Gospel this is the glad tydings which came by Jesus Christ The Law came by Moses but grace and Truth by Jesus Christ This love of God revealed in us by his Spirit is the Rock of ages and while we live and walk in that we live in God for God is love This was Israels Rock while they continued in his love and he lead him and instructed him and kept him as the Apple of his Eye until he waxed fat and kicked and lightly esteemed the Rock of his Salvation as Moses sets forth in his Song Deut. 32. And Hannah in her Song 1 Sam. 2. And David in his Song 2 Sam. 2. likewise Psal 62. saith he truely my Soul waiteth upon God from him cometh my Salvation He only is my Rock and my Salvation several times doth he repeat those words in that short Psalm and then saith ver 8. Trust in him at all times ye People pour out your Heart before him God is a refuge for us Selah Surely men of low degree are vanity and men of high degree are a lye so neither of them are to be trusted to though a man be exalted as high as Heaven above all called Gods or above all Earthly powers yet he is but a lye and not to be trusted to Therefore to be built upon a man is but to be built upon a lye But to be built upon the Revelation of the love of God in Christ Jesus there 's the Rock That was the Rock that Christ would build his Church upon Vpon this Rock will I build my Church saith he to Peter What was that upon Peter No he was Petrus so named from the Fathers revealing of his Son to him which was Petra the Rock upon which Peter himself was built and the Church in all ages Matt. 16.16 17 18 19. And in that Revelation of the Son of God by the Father and in his power and presence there stands the power of binding and loosing which also was given to any two or three of the Church as well as to Peter Mat. 18.18 19 20. by vertue of the presence of him with them who is truth and is no lye For that 's given as the reason both of that power of binding and loosing transgressions and also of that power and prevalency of the prayers of two or three concurring with one accord to ask any thing of God Why For saith he where two or three are gathered together eis to onoma emon into my name there am I in the midst of them ver 20. Here is the infallible Rock and foundation not Peter as a man and therefore lest any should take him to be the infallible foundation the Lord suffered him to slide sometimes
the Scripture And this thing the Servants of the Lord witnessed as to their own condition as well as others We our selves saith the Apostle Tit. 3.3 4 5. were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hatefull and hating one another This was their state before the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared to them but after that appeared to them which is the very ground of Faith then came the washing from these things and Salvation But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared not by works of rightousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour Here Faith is plainly implyed in this work For the kindness and love of God appearing is received and that 's Faith and in this receiving of the love and kindness of God comes the washing of regeneration without which washing we have no part in Christ Joh. 13.8 And so here comes the renewing of our Hearts by the Holy Spirit which the Apostle calls the renewing of the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit That is the renewing of our Hearts by him who is let in by Faith for it s we that want renewing not the Holy Spirit So here the new Creature is begot by the Spirit which is created in Christ Jesus unto good works Mark In Christ Jesus that is in the ministration of the Gospel or of the kindness and love of God whereof Christ Jesus is the Minister not in Moses or in the ministery of the Law which consists in works But in Christ Jesus whose ministery is in Faith in this is the Creation unto good works that we should live in them and no longer to serve the evil and impure lusts of the Flesh For if we live after the Flesh we shall dye but if we through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body we shall live Rom. 8.13 Now the Heart thus washed and renewed that which proceeds out of the Heart savours of cleannes and purity Out of the aboundance of the Heart the mouth speaks and so better language is hereby learn't Corrupt language comes under judgment being felt inwardly to be contrary or a burthen to thâ— Spirit of life now in measure received And thus the Lord fulfills hiâ— promise to his People in turning to them a pure language The leaâ—â— grain of Faith though it be but aâ— a grain of Mustardseed inclines thâ— Heart thus after righteousness anâ— Holyness And if through temptation the Heart be sometimes overtaken with evil yet it hath not rest there but it turnes again in pursuite of righteousness until it get Victory over the World and the lusts thereof and in Faith is the victory 1 Joh. 5.4 And here 's the Heart that hungers and thirsts after righteousness which it hath received a taste of by the Holy Spirit shed abroad upon it And this is one inseparable Fruit of true Faith thus to work against sin and to thirst after rightousness from the seed of Sanctification sown in the Heart which springs up to eternal life Secondâ—y Another inseparable Fruit of true Faith is Love Gal. 5.6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by love Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision no outward badge or character is now available with God but Faith which worketh by love No outward distinction nor every Faith neither is available with God but that Faith which works by love Such a Faith as is of the true stamp which hath the nature of Christ Jesus in it which is love This is that Faith which pleases the Lord. And this therefore discovers all killing and destroying Faiths all persecuting and hurtfull Faiths to be ungrounded and false Faiths They are not right they bear not a resemblance with the Faith of the Apostles and ancient believers But such a Faith is a Heterodox Anti-christian Faith Its not of a right birth but spurious begot by thâ— Law of works or from the evil one and not from the kindness and love of God in Christ Jesus It s a kin to the faith of Devils The Devils believe and tremble but remain Murderers So these that believe and remain Mutherers and persecuters stand as yet ingrafted into the murthering and persecuting Spirit The works of their Fatheâ— they doe who was a Murderer from the beginning But he that come to the true Faith he works according to the nature of that Spirit that begets his Faith and that is to save life to doe good and not to destroy The destroying Faith is of Apollyon that is a destroyer but the saving Faith is of him that came to save mens lives and not to destroy That Faith that saves us teaches us to save or preserve others not to seek their destruction It matters not how zealous men be for their Faith if it carry the destroying nature in it it s not right in the sight of God it springs but from works at best not from grace nor is it according to knowledge The persecuting Jews had a Zeal of God but not according to knowledge and so may false Faiths have and hereby they are discovered to the true seed that they are not according to true knowledge This is the second Character of true Faith it works by love Thirdly It brings peace and consolation Rom. 5.1 Therefore being justifyed by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Therefore saith the Apostle the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing Rom. 15.13 It must needs follow that he that sensibly believes this love of God in Christ Jesus to all men and to him in particular It must needs be I say that peace will spring up in his Heart thereby And so here 's the entrance into the Kingdom of God by Faith The Kingdom of God is within and it consists in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit And into this Kingdom or Heavenly Canaan we enter by Faith While unbelief and fears lye upon us and shut up our Spirits we are short yet of our possession of the Kingdom There are some to whom the Kingdom of Heaven belongs who are not fully entred into the possession of it as an inheritance may belong to an Heir before the time come that he possesseth it such are the poor in Spirit who go mourning under the sense of the body of sin not yet shaken off and who go hungring and thirsting after righteousness which they have not yet attained unto as their Souls desire Such I say are under a blessing and have right to the Kingdom of God though as yet they go mourning For Christ Jesus our Lord applyes the right of the Kingdom to them Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
seemes to make the other resurrection which is to be general out of the graves to be more marvellous Secondly the first of these resurrections is in order to bring men to live the life of righteousness but the second or general resurrection is after â—â—ey have done good to give them their reward The first is only a raising up to life The second is a raising up of some to life and of others to condemnation according as they have done good or evil in their life time For we must know that this is after men have done good or done evill that is at the last day which our Saviour often mentions for the comfort of the righteous who are before hand raised up to life by him Joh. 6.39 40 44 54. And this is the Fathers will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day And this is the will of the Father that sent me that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day Again No man can come unto me except the Father which sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day Again saith he Who so eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day This is not a raising up out of the death oâ— sin unto life but a raising up again of those that before hand have eternal life And this is spoken for the comfort of all such as also many other comfortable words are left upon record for such which also clearly hold forth this Doctrine of the general resurrection Take this one place for concluding of this particular 1 Thess 4 13. to the end of the Chapter But I would not have you ignorant Brethren concerning them which are a sleep that ye sorrow not as others that have no hope For if we believe that Jesus dyed and rose again even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the comming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are a sleep For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voyce of the Archangel and with the Trumph of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the Ayre and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words Here he calls the death of believers a sleep as Christ said of Lazarus he sleepeth when he was dead and it s frequently said in the Old Testament such a one sleept with his Fathers when he was dead Death is but as a sleep out of which men must rise again therefore sorrow not saith the Apostle as others that have no hope For if Jesus dyed and rose again even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him And further the Apostle here describes the order of the resurrection The dead in Christ shall rise first and with them such believers or Servants of Christ as are then alive shall be caught up together with them in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Ayre and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Now comfort one another herewith saith the Apostle Here is a stedfast ground for Hope to Anchor upon One thing he expresses in the 1 Cor. 15. which is here passed over concerning them that are alive at that day namely they shall not dye but they shall be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an Eye for this mortal must put on immortality and the natural body must be made a Spiritual body I have spoken the more of this because although the common notion hereof is retained among People yet the lively sence of these things is to much buryed and out of minde For surely if men did seriously meditate hereof it would have a weighty influence upon their lives and conversations to make them inoffencive in the World Another thing collateral with this is that as there shall be a resurrection of all so there shall be a day of judgment for all when every man shall receive according to the things done in the body whether good or bad It may be some will say this is rather a ground of fear then a ground of hope True it is so to them who take pleasure in iniquity and are strangers to Christ Jesus and to a righteous life But to those that are innocent in the World and believe in Christ and meet with afflictions and tribulations here it is a most comfortable ground of Hope For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory But before we speak more of it see first how certainly it is grounded upon Scripture that there shall be a day of judgment Act. 17.30 31. The times of this ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all men every where to repent Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the World in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead Hence it s plainly held forth that the raising of Christ from the dead is a sure Testimony to all men that God will in an appointed day by him judge the World and that in righteousness For every man shall receive according to his deeds done in the body whether good or evil Again the Apostle Paul tels us of a day of wrath and righteous judgment of God Rom. 2.5 and so forward But thou after thy hardness and impenitent Heart treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath and day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God Who will render to every man according to his deeds to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality to them he will render eternal life But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the Truth but obey unrighteousness to them indignation and wrath Then he goes over with it again ver 9 10. Tribulation and anguish upon every Soul of man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile But glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile Again minde what our Saviour Jesus Christ said to his twelve Disciples when he sent them forth with power to preach or publish the Kingdom of Heaven to be at hand and therefore to call them to repentance and to heal the sick and cast out Devils c. saith he whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words when ye depart out of that House or City