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
then to finde no rest nor fruite of his labor at night but I say to thee if thy walking be not to please God thou shalt neuer get any frute of thy walking if thy walking be not euer to please thy God thou shalt neuer get the right way thou shalt goe like a doting bodie and be the farther from that glorious butt and in the end thou shalt effectuat nothing but in that great day thou shalt curse all thy labors and exercises and thou shalt say Alas my labours are all lost I haue wearied my selfe and now I am no better But if thy walking be to please God thou shalt finde a sweetnesse in thy labor and joy in the end thereof And when that blessed day of resurrection shall come thou shalt say Blessed am I in my labours that I wrought to please my God for now I haue gotten the butt I finde the frute of my laboures Paul sayes 1. Cor. 9. 26. I runne but not to an vncertaintie Learne neuer to runne to an vncertaintie but euer runne to a butt effectuat something by your doing The onely way to make you runne well is to please God A Minister or any other in the world who woulde runne right must run to pleasure their God and then they shall finde sweetnesse in their running Now well is the soule that can endeuore the selfe to pleasure God for ther is no joy in the creature but when it is set to glorify God night and day in this world for to this end are we set in the world 1. Cor. 10. 31. and if we doe this he shal set vs in the heauens to glorifie him Now in the next verse he takes themselues to be witnesses that he had set before them the preceptes and lawes whereby they should walke in the journey Ye knovve vvhat commandement vve gaue you by the Lord Iesus It is an happie thing to a Minister in his calling when with a good conscience he appeals the consciences of the people that he cried to them and saide ô people I bade you goe I prescriued you rules to goe into your blood be on your owne head I haue discharged a faithfull duetie to you Brethren what auailes it vs if we should euer preache the Gospell if we be not saued thereby And when we teache you the Gospell we also stir our selues forward to come to that butt Christ our owne teaching is the meane whereby we are saued as it is the meane whereby ye are saued Therefore let all goe forward together in the rinke Now in the verse following he beginnes to set down to them the rules of walking and going forward That which he had spoken by tongue being at Thessalonica the same thing he puts in writ by his pen. It is a foolish thing to a man to say The Apostle spoke one thing and wrote another No brethren Paul neuer spake one sentence to confirme any people but it is registrate to vs. It is blasphemie to thinke that Paul and Peter c. wrote not that which they spoke it is follie for there was no sentence they spoke pertaining to our saluation but it is written Then the rule is The vvill of God vvhich is your sanctification That is that ye be holie in your soules and the whole affections thereof in your bodie and all the members of your bodie and all the actions of your members So he drawes the whole rules which are to be obserued in this course and rinke we haue to Heauen and life euerlasting to holinesse and sanctification Then in one word there is the manner how thou shalt goe forward to this butt Be holie be holie thou must be holie holie in heart hand mouth foot in all the members of thy body separate thee from the worlde which is full of sinne full of foull affections displeasing the eye of thy God and put on holinesse Who euer they be that goe forward in holinesse assuredlie they shall come to the marke Liue thou an holie life what vocation that euer it be in assure thee thou shalt come to the prise of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus Philipp 3. 14. To turne it ouer againe Busie thy self as thou wilt if that thy businesse be not in holinesse thou art foolishe the faster thou runnest thou art the farther behinde Alas how many are there who busies them selues in wickednesse and the more they wearie themselues the farther are they from Heauen Blessed are they who can goe forward to Heauen Stryue to holinesse and say Lord I am on my journey I cannot goe forward except I finde an holie heart to thinke an holie mouth to speake an holy hand to touch Lord sanctifie them that I runne not in vaine The way to runne holilie is to keepe euer before thy eies God that holie one in the face of Iesus and to cry O Lord guide me in holinesse And I assure thee if thou wilt striue to liue holilie and cry to God to guide thee in holinesse thou shalt come to that endlesse joy But if thou let God out of thy eye thou shalt perishe Brethren this life will away and therefore set your harts to run to that euerlasting life Nowe hauing set downe the generall he deduces it in parts and the first part he takes vp is cleannesse of the bodie as he would say fyle not the bodie with fornication fyle thou thy bodie with fornication thou shalt not thinke a cleane thought speake a cleane word or doe any cleane deed Surelie all sinnes pollutes and fyles The sinne that comes from the heart if it were but an euill motion it goes back againe and leaues a foull blot behinde it a rotten deed leaues a blot behinde it a foull worde in the mouth goes back and leaues a foull blot in the hart when thou hast spoken a word thou art not quite thereof but it comes back againe and fyles the soule It goes not from thee so lightlie as thou trowest no it leaues ay a foull blot behinde it So this corruption growes daily Brethren I tell you all sinnes fylles the bodie yet of all sinnes harlotrie especiallie fyles the bodie Looke the comparison the Apostle vses 1. Cor. 6. 18. The bodie of an harlote of all bodies is the foullest Alas such a fyling of the bodie and soule followes vpon adulterie that it is wonderfull to tell Seeing therefore speciall pollution of the bodie followes on fornication I beseech you as ye would present your selfe before God in cleannesse abstaine from harlotrie An harlot will trauell long ere he come to heauen thy heart and bodie must be sanctified before thou come to Heauen And so as thou would come forward to Heauen stryue to keepe a cleane bodie and soule to God and speciallie abstaine from this vyce of fornication Lord keepe vs from it vntill we come to the end of our journey that we may be presented clean before christ To whom with the Father and holie Spirit be honour and praise for
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
stampe that is with such a Majestie in speaking with such gratiousnesse and spiritualnesse both in words and matter that they that hes a spirituall eye to discerne betweene light and darknesse will take it vp to be of God I pray you tell me how was the olde Scripture tane vp to be of God The Papist will say because the Church said it they were of God Is that all the warrand And who told the Church If the olde and new Scripture bare not the markes of the Spirit in themselues the Church had neuer tane them vp to be of God So the marke of the Scripture is that stampe of the Spirit that Majestie in such a simplicitie of wordes that gratiousnesse and power which shows both in the wordes and matter these things telles vs they are not mans writs for mens writtes hes not the gratiousnesse and power that is in the Scripture Brethren this marke of Pauls subscription is away albeit we haue the Epistle but a better marke bydes the stampe of the Lord bydes and this telles that it is the Scripture of God and Pauls writing Now followes the saluation The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be vvith you all I see the affection of the man in the end of his writ is powred out on this Church of Thessalonica and when he takes his leaue he burstes out in frequent prayer and al his praier is for heauenly and spirituall thinges Then first we learne we must not euer bide al together and we cannot haue euer conference either by word or writ But how is our sundring recompensed To wit with greatnesse of affection let thy loue grow And how shalt thou vtter it In prayer to God for them with whom thou may not dwell affection is nothing worth without praier And what should we pray for Especially for heauenlie things Pray for heauenly peace for the presence of Iesus Christ and that the grace of Christ may be with him Pray also for things earthly but so that they may further him to heauenlie thinges And I say the man that cannot pray for heauenly things cannot pray truely for earthly thinges Dare thou pray if thou seeke not first the kingdome of Heauen no thou cannot pray if it were for thy dinner except thou pray first for the kingdome of God Now the next word is grace that is free fauour of God I reade not of such a commendation of any people as of these Thessalonians He commended them in both these Epistles from their faith hope loue and all the dueties of loue Yet he sayes not The Lord render you a rewarde for your merite but he sayes grace be vvith you This is contrare to all merite Read the 2. Timo. 1 16. there ye will finde a very notable exemple to this purpose There he sayes Onesiphorus vvas very beneficiall to me he oft refreshed me he thought no shame of my bondes he sought 〈◊〉 Rome very diligently How should he be requyted for this He sayes The Lord grant that Onesiphorus may finde mercy vvith the Lord at that day He is but a miserable man when he hes done all this And therefore this shall be my prayer for him for it will not be his merite that will do him good but it is the free grace and fauour of God O foole all thy merites shall stinke in that great day and then thou shalt see what free grace shall do for in that day none shall stand but such as stands by free grace Now whose grace is it he prayes for It is Iesus Christs No there is no grace but Christs grace How is it the Lord Iesus Christs He hes boght of the hand of the Father all grace al gifts of the holy Spirit all glorie in Heauen and earth with a pryce euen the pryce of his precious bloude And therefore the Father hes giuen him all So there is no sparke of grace giuen to any creature but it must come through Christ his hand euen the hand of the man Iesus All righteousnesse sanctification and glorie must come from him he must be the giuer thereof Therefore it is said he gaue gifts to men Ephes 4. 8. The Father giues no graces immediatly but all are giuen through the hand of Iesus Christ Therefore let vs haue recourse to this Lord of grace and seeke not to the Father without him but seek all from the Father in him Now how far should this grace extend Euen as Iesus Christ is an head that extends himselfe to al so the grace that commes from him is sufficient for all it is sufficient if it were for a thousand yea infinite worlds Rom. 5. 15. The Heauens are not capable of the greatnes of the grace of Iesus Christ Greatnes of the grace of Christ so that if there were a thousand worlds there is sufficiency of grace in him for them all There is no inlack in him but the inlack is in thy narrow hart it is capable but of a very small portion Learne here then by the exemple of Paul that we should not haue narrow harts to wish this grace to a few but we should wish it to be giuen to all Looke what he sayes of himselfe 2. Cor. 6. 11. My meuth sayes he hes bene vvyde open vnto you my hart is dilated ye dvvell not narrovvly in my hart So all men should haue an open and a dilated hart in wishing grace spare not to be liberall in wishing fill thy hart and mouth with his grace and 〈…〉 with liberalnesse to others seeke that grace of Iesus to all that if it were possible all the world might be saued For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Sauiour vvho vvill that all men shall be saued and come vnto the acknovvledging of the trueth 1. Tim. 2. chap. 3. 4. vers Yet the Lord hes his owne and so many as he hes written in his booke shall be saued Therefore thou should seeke all the warrands thou can to assure thee that thou art Iesus Christs fore-ordeinde to lyfe euerlasting for if thou be of the number of the elect the grace of Christ shall extend to thee and thou shalt haue glorie with him for euer To this Iesus be all praise honour and dominion for euer and euer AMEN FINIS
they may see what danger they incurre by controlling the libertie of the worde in the Church There is his moderation in teaching Now one thing more Al this power is in the beginning in his enterance to them The Apostle is now afflicted in Macedonia when he comes to Theslalonica all his preaching is but a battaile last shamefully is he put away and goes to Berâ—â—a What shall I say of this If Paul had had no more but the spirite of a man he would not haue immediatlie gone to Thessalonica and there teached and being in Thessalonica he would not haue vttered any thing that would haue displeased them No but he does otherwise the power of God neuer so well appears in men as vnder affliction for when man is weakest God is strongest in them My strength sayes the Lord 〈◊〉 shovven in infirmitie 2. Cor. 12. 9. And in the fourth chapter of the same Epistle vers 7. he showes the Lord hes put a treasure in earthen veshels that the excellencie of his povver may be knovven Then he falles out in a probation of this power My bodie is daylie slaine where euer I go there is nothing but afflictioÌ„ But saith he by this I know the lyfe of Iesus is manifest in me He hes not a better token to knowe the life of Iesus nor by affliction and none can know the life of Iesus so well as in the last agonie of death Other countries hes experimented this power of God that appeares in affliction better then we haue done Scotland hes no manifestation thereof in respect of other Churches Well brethren our tyme is comming fast on The Lord of Heauen that is strongest when man weakest giue vs strength and courage to abyde that tyme and holde vs vp in our infirmities that he may be glorifyed in our affliction To this God the Father Son and the holie Spirite be honour and praise for euer AMEN THE FIFTH LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 2. vers 3. 4 5. 6. 7. 3 For our exhortation vvas not by deceite nor by vncleannesse nor by guile 4 But as vve vvere allovved of God that the Gospell should be committed vnto vs so vve speake not as they that please men but God â—vâ—o trieth the hearts 5 Neither did vve euer vse stattering vvordes as ye knovve nor coloured couetousnesse God is record 6 Neither soght vve praise of men neither of you nor of others 7 Wheâ— vve might haue bene chargeable as the Apostles of Christ but vve vver gentle amoÌ„g you euen as a nource cherisheth her childreÌ„ BRETHREN the purpose we haue in hand and hes had these dayes bygone is the rejoysing of the Apostle together with the Thessalonians for the graces of God bestowed on theÌ„ The Apost falles out in a narration concerning himself the manner of his entrie among the Thessalonians setting out the grace of God that vvas vvith him vvhen he entered in among them to this end to let them see the ground wherevpon their faith vvas builded vvas not faire vvordes but that effectuall grace of God that was hid vp in the 〈◊〉 The last day vve shevve the Apostle proponed his manner of his entrie among them it vvas not in vaine it vvas not fectlesse but fectfull and when he come and entered amongst them he come vvith a libertie and boldnesse vttering the Gospell of Christ and a libertie not grounded on man or on his ovvne affection but on the power of God This boldnesse he amplifies in respect of the afflictions vvhich before he had suffered at Philippi in respect of that suffering he had while he preached that word of the Gospell with libertie among them Now to come to this text we haue in hand The Apostle in the third verse of this chapt answeres to that which might haue bene thoght and objected by the Thessalonians for he meetes the thoght of the heart Thou sayes thy entrie amonge vs was with libertie boldnes but looke with what sincerity thou entered among vs it is not eneugh to preach with boldnes libertie but there must be sinceritie looke that thy preaching hes not bene with deceat to deceiue vs with vncleaÌ„nes with guile If any of these thre things haue concurred with thy preacing exhorting al thy liberty in preaching exhorting auails not The Apostle answeres marke euerie word for our exhortation vvas not by deceit nor by vncleannes nor by guile Look to the vvords Our exhortation our doctrine or preaching for by a speciall part of the doctrine which is exhortation he vnderstandes the whole and that because all doctrin ends in exhorting Exhortation is the coÌ„clusion of all doctrine exhortation sayeth he was not with deceat with vncleannes nor with guile that is to say was not with any kind of fainednes neither in substance of doctrin which is called deceat false doctrine deceiues Neither in affection in vttering the Gospell which is called vncleannesse neither in the manner of delyuerie which here is called guile In a word our exhortation was voide of all sort of vnsinceritie no part was simulate Marke the lesson on this verse Ye see here this meeting the Apostle makes to the verie thoght of the heart and to the opinion they might haue conceyued that he was not sincere in doctrine vtters plainlie that there is oft-tymes a verie opinion and suspition in the heartes of the hearers that there is vnsinceritie in the teacher in delyuering the doctrine and this will make such a doubt in the heart that it will hinder edification and faith And therefore the teacher had much neede to take head to himselfe in teaching to his affection and to eschew all sort of vncleannesse if it were but in his thoght and affections before he speake he should striue to get a sanctifyed heart and in word let him meete the verie thoght and suspition of the people to remoue all blame of vnsinceritie in preaching and vttering the Gospell that edification and faith may increase His end in preaching is faith that the people may beleeue and be edified Let him therefore put away all occasions that may stay the edification of the people that the worke and building may goe vp and faith may grow Then secondlie ye se there are sundrie sorts of vnsinceritie A man may be vnsincere in teaching many wayes he may teache and yet teache false doctrine he may be vnsincere in his heart in teaching he may be vasincere in delyuering and thereby deceyue thee And there is none of these wayes but they will stay edification if the people take a suspition if it were of an vnsinceritie of the heart it will stay the worke And therefore in all manner of way the teacher should striue to be sincere in vttering the Gospell that if there be any stop it may be in him that heares and not in him who teaches for if the preachers stryue not for his part to sinceritie and the people for their
them exhorting comforting rebuking them so must a Pastor stand in the midst of his flock to exhort comfort and rebuke them loue must be in dealing with discretion and all men must not be delt with alike all men must not be exhorted because all lyes not back in the way they who are sluggish must be exhorted all must not be comforted there is some ouer proude and haue need of a reprofe they onlie who mouâ—nes are to be comforted In a word that which is spoken to Tim thie 2. Epist â— â—5 there must be a right cutting of the word a Pastor must be a cutter and caruer and according to his discretion he must giue to euery man Now I finde this and ye see it he takes God to be witnes and the people among whom he dwelt saying ye know ye are witnesses to me Learne it The flock amongst whom the Pastor hes bene shall be witnesses to him in that great day either to allow of him and his doing or to disalow to absolue or to condemne If he hes discharged a faithfull duetie in his life his flock will stand vp before God and Christ and justifie him in their presence in that day if he hes bene vnfaithfull they shall make a complaint of him that he was an vnfaithfull Pastor who hes not done his duetie in his vocation Therefore let euery man take head hovv he behaueth himself vvith any people for either they shall be condemners or absoluers of him Now he exhorts them To vvhat thing To vvalke Not to ly down and sleep but to get vp on foote and vvalke in this world because this life is but a pilgrimage and a sleeping pilgrime is nothing worth If thou goe not on thou shalt neuer come to thy journeyes end How should they vvalke Not euerie vvay for it were better for men to be sitting or sleeping then to be walking wrong Walke vvorthie of God There is a kinde of comelinesse in going on the vvay a man may goe on the vvay in a comelie manner or else he may goe on the vvay in an vncomelie maner Rule of vvalking What is the rule of this comelinesse Walke vvorthie of God vvho hes called you to his Kingdome In a vvorde the rule is this glorious calling of God to be a Christian man and to be partaker of his kingdome He vvho is called to be a christian man or vvoman is also called to the Kingdome of God and Christ Brethren euerie mans life should be measured according to his calling and as his calling is so should he walke and that calling should be a measure of his life The king should vvalke in Majestie to command the people in loue and humilitie to obey the Minister in vprightnesse to teache the people in holinesse to vvalke before him a marchant a man of law each one of them is bound in their manner of liuing according to the rule of their calling So they that haue their calling to be christians should haue their walking according to their calling Is thy calling to be a christian Liue not as a Pagane then but as a christian Thou wilt say thou art called to be a christian and then thou wilt be in the meane tyme a murtherer an harlote a thiefe Is that thy walking in thy calling No this christian calling is to a Kingdome and glorie There are none who are called to be a christian but they are called to a glorie and Kingdome they are traÌ„slated from the power of darknesse to the societie of Christ Therefore seeing their calling is to a kingdome they should walke like Kings sonnes we are all made by our calling the sonnes and daughters of God adopted in Christ and heires of that glorie that God dwels in Then walke worthie of God and glorie As our kingdome is aboue flee and mount aboue this earth in some measure so far as the heauinesse of this corruption will fuffer lift vp thy selfe sinne holds thee down cast off sin and preasse vpward that life that is in God must be gotten aboue in Christ otherwise if our harts be not lifted vp to that kingdome glorie if our conuersation in some measure be not answerable to our calling we are vnworthie of that calling and we haue neuer bene effectuallie called thou was called by the eare onelie thou heard the Gospell thy heart neuer receyued the Gospell nor saw this Kingdome and glorie that thou was called to These wicked lyues of men showes vs that they were neuer effectuallie called So as thou wouldst be a citizen of that heauenlie kingdome and partaker of that glorious calling liue an holie lyfe that after this lyfe thou mayest be a king raigne with God for euer in Heauen To this God the Father Son and the holie Ghost be all praise for euer AMEN THE SEVENTH LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 2. vers 13. 14. 13 For this cause also thanke vve God vvithout ceasing that vvheÌ„ ye receyued of vs the vvord of the preaching of God ye receyued it not as the vvord of men but as it is in deede the vvord of God vvhich also vvorketh you that beleeue 14 For brethren ye are become follovvers of the Churches of God vvhich in Iudea are in Christ Iesus because ye haue also suffered the same thinges of your countrymen euen as they haue of the Ievves THE Apostle ye remember brethren in the beginning of the second chapter he digresses and he falles out in a discourse concerning himselfe his entering among them what it was his sinceritie and vprightnesse in his whole dealing This he does in the second chapter vnto the 13. verse In which verse he returnes to his principall purpose that he had rejoysing together with them for the graces of God bestowed on them through his ministrie This rejoysing as he shew you in the beginning it stands in a thanks-geuing to God who is the geuer of all grace for without him no matter of rejoysing all matter of rejoysing is in him who is the geuer of all grace and mercie to vs. The occasion of his returning to the principall purpose is this In the verse immediatlie going before he hes spoken of his evvne carefulnesse in teaching them all manner of waye 〈…〉 and teaching them that they walk worthie of God that had called them to his kingdome and glorie Nowe in this xiij verse he thankes God for that meeting againe he found in them He teached he instructed exhorted â—nd comforted the effect They beleeued they 〈…〉 they heard and receiued the thing he spoke they embraced it not as the vvord of man but as the vvorde of God as it vvas in very deede It was not ineffectuall in them but as they embraced it so it vvrought in so manie as beleeued it was powerfull and made in them a wonderfull alteration and 〈◊〉 the operation thereof it shewe the selfe to be the word of God The meaning of the text is plaine And
exhortes Ye may marke this verie oft in the Epistles of Paul Now the wordes are dowbled He is not content to say I beseech you but he sayes also I exhort you There is no vvord lost heere This doubling of the vvordes testifies of the earnestnesse that vvas in his heart to haue this people going forvvard in this godlie life and consequentlie of the necessitie that lyes on euerie one of vs to liue holie in this life For vvhere there is no necessitie why should a man be earnest but seeing there is a necessitie lying on all people that either they must liue a godlie life in this worlde or else be damned woe to that Pastor that is no busie to stirre vp the people to liue godlie and holilie As there is a necessitie in them to liue holie so there is a necessitie in him to charge them to liue holie And therefore blame not the Pastor to be busie eyther to pray admonishe or othervvayes to correct and to reproue sinne For he hes a necessitie laid on him vnder the paine of damnation to pushe you forvvard to Heauen For the Lord Iesus sake that is as euer they vvoulde looke for mercie and grace at Iesus hand as he would say if ye liue wel ye shall finde him to be a merciful God otherwaies if ye liue euill to be a terrible judge to you This is some seueritie against them Sweetnesse and sharpnesse must be joined together thou must be moued to thy duetie partlie by sweetnesse partly by sharpnesse therfore with his request he joines this so weghty an obtestation this is a common custome to this Apostle 2. Cor. 10. 1. More this telles that howbeit a man vse prayer and faire wordes where he might command yet we should not abuse his lenitie and patience for if thou meete lenitie and patience with disobedience it shall bring on a greater judgement nor if he had vsed threatning and seueritie The greater lenitie that a man vses to thee to winne thee if thou wilt not be winne the greater shall be thy condemnation and thou heapst on coales on thy owne head Now what is this he exhorts them to That they euer ease more and more That they goe forward still on with instantnesse vntill they come to the mark for this course of holinesse hes a faire end Brethren there is no standing for vs in this course of Christianitie and holinesse of life When thou enterst once in the way stand not there A man will begin and runne on till euening and then set down his staff and rest him but we must ay runne sleeping waking eating drinking c. ay forward there is not an halfe houre granted thee no not so much tyme as to looke ouer thy shoulder to rest thee but ay thou ought to haue thy eie on the marke And when thou runnest striue not onely to ouerrunne them that runnes with thee but more the words meanes that thou shouldst ouerrunne thy owne selfe if thou runnest fast this day runne faster to morrow and ay prease to run forward and when thou art lying on dead-bed runne fastest then and so shalt thou finde exceeding great comfort in thy running The Lord hes bidden thee run and cryes out of Heauen Run as thou wouldst saue thy selfe What is the Pastors office Paul when the Thessalonians are running out before him he cryes Runne ye are in the rinke runne forward excell your selfe runne out before your selfe vntill ye come to the end of the rinke This is the office of the Pastor to cry behinde you when ye are running and this shout of the Pastor behinde the people when they are in the rinke is so needfull that except he cry continuallie Run out and excell they shall linger and ly down That all the world may see the great necessitie we haue to haue this ministrie continuallie crying in our â—are runne runne Would to God we could let the necessitie of this cry to runne to sinke in our harts that we might obey it If ye would be safe haue pleasure in this cry and runne on identlie vntill ye come to the high prease of our calling Now followes the forme and manner of this running forward vntill they come to the end of their rinke No other forme but the forme set downe before ye haue receiued of vs hovv ye ought to vvalke and please your God Brethren as there is a running and an instant course craued of vs so we must run not in euerie sort nor after euerie manner but we must runne with an ordor There are rules prescryued to vs how we should runne Order in running The Apostle 1. Cor. chap. 9. verse 24. sayes Runne so that thou mayest get a grip of the crovvne To Timothie he saies ye who striues and wrastles and runnes if ye striue not lavvfullie according to a good ordor ye shall not winne 2 Tim. 2. 5. So when we runne we must runne according to good ordor not rashlie according to our owne fantasie but according to the good lawes of God There is no well ruled life on earth but that life that is ruled by the rule of God So we all running in this rinke must be ruled by good lawes As Paul besoght them to runne and cries grow more and more euen so he giues them the Lawes to runne by So as the Minister is bound to cry to men to runne so the word of God is giuen to him to tell thee thou shouldest runne by this rule or that rule the King by his rules the counseller in his own calling by his rules what man that euer he be except he run in his owne calling according to his rules he shall neuer attaine to the marke And if the Lord take away this word that telles vs the rule whereby we should runne miserable shall we be This is plaine Take this word out of the land all shall runne wrong Yet there is one word heere to be marked He calles their going forward walking Borrowing the language from a man who is going a iourney Ye will see in the worde many lawes many commands many admonitions to put men forward in the way to go and run but ye heere no precept in the Scripture to sit still eat drink and take thy pleasure seeing thy life is short So we learne the Lord bids vs walke The Lord hes not ordained vs to rest heere Whatsoeuer calling he hes giuen thee he hes giuen thee a continuall walking and trauelling therein vntill thou come to the end of thy journey and then thou shalt rest he is a foolishe bodie who will promise to himselfe rest heere if thou rest before thy journey be complete it shall be to thy vtter destruction And therefore doe as he hes bidden thee albeit it be painefull heere yet in the end thou shalt find rest Now in the next words he defines this vvalking and calles it to please God It is a paine to a man to walke all day from morning to euening and
that calles and God that is calling on you his vengeance shall sease vpon you And now it is no time to thee to ly in vncleannes when the Pest is at the doore woe to thee dying therein being in the puddle of vncleannes but well is thy soule that turnes to God howbeit thou die in the pest of the body Now followes another argument to moue vs to holines He who wil not be holie when God calles on him disobeyes not man but God As there are two thinges to moue vs to holinesse first our vocation to holinesse secoundlie the caller so there are two sinnes that accompanies the disobedience of that calling one sinne against the holie calling another sinne against the holie God the caller ConteÌ„pt of God the vvord the greatest sinne There is no sinne by the selfe allone One sinne must euer haue another with it and committing one sinne we sinne manie waies Compare these two the sinne against the calling and the sinne against the caller by all appearance the secound is the greatest The greatest sinne that can bee is to contemne God Thou that playest the harlote thy sinne is double first by thy harlotrie thou sinnest against thy calling thou was called to and this is a great sinne but the other is greater Thou contemnest the voyce of the high Majestie of God that called thee The oppressor sinnes by his oppression but his sin is the greater in that he contemnes his caller And in the latter day ye shall finde by experience the challenge shall not be so much against the adulterer for his adulterie as for that in sinning he contemned the voyce of God calling him from adultery This shall be a chiefe challenge dirtlay especially of christians who hes heard this word and Gospell of God that they contemnd the majestie of God who called them by this word Gospell And surely all these particular judgements of God that falles on men and these particular judgements on Scotland and on Edinburgh this day either the Pest or the famine fals not somuch for vncleannesse and other sins as for the contemp of the Gospel and God that calles thee by this base ministrie And therfore the right cause of all these judgements is the contempt of God calling vs to holinesse For we haue not onelie sinned in committing of sin but in contemning God calling vs from sin and we haue spitted as it wer in his face Put away the contempt of the word of God if ye put it away who wait but but God wil be mercifull If we contemne still looke for greater judgement The contempt of God and of this foode of the soule offred by the base ministrie hes caused this plague of famine and the Pest fall on this land The Apostle sayes In resisting ye resist not men but God There is no blessing in tyme that God giues but he ministers it by men He wil not come out of Heauen to speak to thee but he will speak to thee by the ministrie of selie simple men He tels thee of remission of sins of justification of sanctificatioÌ„ c. if thou dispise the ministry of base men though thou wer Monarch of all the earth thou shalt neuer get remission of sinnes sanctification nor glorification Now this is the thing that beguyles the world When they looke to the vyle ministrie of men they cannot see God in it They looke to the selie man they goe no farther Who speakes A selie man speakes Who calles me I heard a selie man and so through the man be looks not vp to heauen to se God speaking by the minister And from this flowes the contempt and resisting man thou resists God that is the principall worker The word is then contemned when the man is contemned in speaking it Resisting man thou resists God who sent the man Can any man resist God and not be plagued therefore if there be no repentance So they who are called to the ministrie let them care for nothing but to speake the word of God and open their mouth to glorify God And if he be resisted he is not resisted but God who sent him is resisted And at that last day it shall be seene it was not man thou resisted but God Happie are they therefore who gettes a sight of this in tyme and that giues obedience to the worde Happie is the bodie that receiues this word as the word of god and not of man Now the last argument followes Who saies he hes giuen vs his holy Spirite Looke now what he hes done He hes chosen vs from all eternitie to be holielie and hes giuen vs his Spirit and al graces to this end to be holy When the Lord hes begun to call vs to holinesse Spirite of god dâ—velling in vs bindes to holinesse if he stand there and doe no more it will not doe the turne if he giue vs ouer to our owne nature and free vvill and take away his Spirit when he hes broght thee on a point of holinesse and leaue thee there thou shalt neuer enter in Heauen And therefore when he hes done all these thinges to thee then he will put into thy soule and bodie his Spirit of grace to cleanse the foulnesse out of thy soule and bodie to bring in holie motions actions and speeches So that thou art made now as Paul speakes 1. Corint 6. 19. the Temple of the holie Spirit and then that same glorious person the holie Spirit comming from the Father and the Son will dwell within thee in soule and bodie as assuredlie as we are within this Church presentlie and thy soule and bodie shall be as sure Temples of this Spirit as this Church is to our bodies And is not this a great honour that in substance this glorious person will dwell within vs So this learnes vs that all is of grace the beginnig of grace the midst of grace the end of grace Our predestination in God our vocation our justification and sanctification all in God our glorification in God Brethren the highest estate we can come to in this life is sanctification We passe from predestination to vocation from vocation to justification from justification to sanctification we cannot reach higher so long as we are heere We may growe in this estate but we cannot come higher As to glorification we get it in the lyfe to come when we leaue this life All our actiones heere are impersite and all mingled with the corruption of nature but heereafter all will be perfited For when we leaue this lyfe we goe not backward Thinke not that bodie that sleepes in Christ that he goes backward That body is predestinat called sanctified heere in some measure after this life passes a degree vpward and commes to glorification for holinesse in this life it passes vp to glorie we are holie heere but glorious in the life to come We are not called to be glorified in this lyfe but to be sanctified when we
part of sanctification As for exemple Even this one grace of almous deeds of beneficence showing our liberalitie on them that haue need if this be not in some measure in anie man or woman Liberalitie if there be nothing in the person but gredines auarice and a closed hand who can say that that person hes anie true or solide grace of God If one of these vices raigne in thee as auarice raigning in the highest degree if thou be a slaue to it who can saye that anie true grace is in thy soule Thou mayest wel count thou hast this grace or that grace but I can not say that anie grace of that spirite raigne vvithin thy soule make no account that ther is anie grace within thee if any sinne raigne in thee without controlement Count not of thy abstenance thou wilt bee abstinent in mouth and then an auaritious man But look that euerie grace of God in some measure be within thee and that sanctification goe through thy vvhole soule and bodie Peter in his sec Epist 1. chap. linkes together all the graces of God amongst the rest he countes this brotherlie loue he linkes this linke among the rest to help faith for I assure thee faith will not stand it self alone Cast to sayes he to faith vertue to vertue science and so forth vntill ye come to this brotherlie loue Adde to thy brotherlie loue charitie and so forth vntill all graces be linked together Paul 2. Corinth chap. 8. verse 7. hes a speciall regarde to this grace showing our liberalitie to our poore brethren As ye abound in all thinges in faith knovvledge 〈◊〉 â—â—oke sayes he that ye abound also in liberalitie and doing of almous deedes And as in all the graces of the holie Spirite in vs there is a resemblance of the Image of Christ So ospeciallie in this grace of beneficence Ye knovv sayes Paul â— Corinth chap 8. verse 9. the bountifulnesse of the Lord vvho vvhen he vvas 〈◊〉 vvas made poore for our saâ—es that vve might be made riche in his pouertie Novv this is the grace that is heere recommended and novv I recommend it to you for if it was in any age craued now certainlie at this tyme thou hast more nor matter to shovve thy well doing and almous deedes to the poore Certainlie charitie vvas neuer so colde and mens handes vvere neuer so hard contracted and men vvere neuer nearer to themselues nor they are now The latter dayes are neare for the nearer the end of the world be we are the nearer our selues and the nearer our selues the farther from God The Apostle when he exhorts them to this grace he comes not on so plainlie but he vses an holy colour and kinde of simulation He exhorts them and yet he lets not on him he exhortes And as it vvere obscurelie and passing by he giues them a watch-ward and wakens them vp to be beneficiall To teach 〈◊〉 Ministers to be wyse in speaking to the people We should not leaue off to exhort any person in whom there is grace to do any duetie but yet we should doe it so discreetly that our exhortation 〈◊〉 not so much an exhortation as a commendation For the grace of God in any person shoulde not be misknown but known and reuerenced both for his sake that is giâ—er and for his sake that hes gotten it both that God may be glorified in giuing him that grace and the person may be stirred vp to perseuere in that grace For it is an old prouerb Vertue being commended increasse Ioh. 1. Epist 2. 27. vses this same wisdom I need not saies he teach you the holy spirit hes taught you all thinges and in the mean time he is teaching them continually yet when he is teaching them he saies he needed not to teach theÌ„ So Paul when he is making a coÌ„mendation of the grace in them he saies it is not needful to exhort you to the grace ye haue a better teacher nor I Teaching of the holy spirite God teaches you therfore I need not to teach you the Lord teaches you by working in your harts by his holy Spirit what needs me to teach you by my pen Brethren Ther are two sortes of teachers God and man Men teaches Philosophers in schooles teaches Ministers out of pulpets teaches many sorts of teachers If man be the onely teacher of grace and vertue to be embraced by the auditor and if Gods Spirit should not concur inwardly to instruct the soule and heart there would neuer be a good scholler in the schoole of christ none of you to the worlds end would get good by teaching It may be men teaching thee vvill informe thy minde and make thee to vnderstand vvhat is spoken but man can neuer teach the hart that is to embrace that is spoken no it will passe mans power to reforme the hart if the holy spirit moue thee not to embrace that which is spoken thou wilt neuer embrace it for all that man can say As for example I may stand vp and lay out before you this whole grace of liberalitie and beneficence and paint it out in all the colours thereof and make you vnderstand this whole vertue in all the parts But when it commes to the heart to be practised in your life and conuersation if the holy Spirit go not down to reforme the hart ye shall neuer be the better but the worse for the knowledge shal but serue to aggreadge your condemnation Then be neuer content with the voice of men but euer cry for the inward doctour the Spirit of God from Heauen And say Lord come with this word and teach my heart otherwaies all is but winde and shall be an aggreading of my condemnation at the last day It is thou Lord who is the onely inward teacher and therefore except thou teach me I shall not be taught So except that holie teacher be with vs in teaching all is but lost tyme. Now to come to the wordes What is this the Lord craues of them what teaches the Lord them that euerie one should loue another He teaches not onely loue but loue that meetes loue he will not teache thee onely to loue him but him to loue thee againe This is mutuall loue As he teaches thee to loue me so he teaches me to loue thee loue must be mutual Friendship standes not in the one side but friendship must be conjoyned to friendship There is no bond in that blessed bodie of Christ except there be a mutuall bond if I loue thee neuer so well if thou loue not me thou shalt neuer be in the bodie For as the rest of the members of Christ loues thee so thou must loue them againe or else thou hast no fellowship in the bodie Marke the order which the Apostle vses in teaching When he instructes men in any grace there are some fundamentall graces that are so called because they are the grounds of al graces to wit Faith Hope and Charitie
affirme if there be not a better meeting and greater care to reuerence this calling and to loue and honour it and to prouyde sustentation for them that laboures the eyes of our posteriue shall see this Ministry decay It is going away Men beleeues it is well if they get the teyndes If the Lord and Laird get the teyndes Teinds he will indent and subscryue all with you But either must these things be redressed or else certainly there shall be a decay and then farewell all grace Shame and confusion to Scotland Trowes Scotland that the common-well shall floorishe or that the estate shall be good if this Ministrie goe away No there shall be nothing but desolation If they were heere to whom this matter and this admonition pertaines I woulde charge them in the name of God that they would show a better meeting to entertaine this Gospell or else shame shall ouertake them Now this farre as the wordes of the text furnishes to me I haue spoken of the duety of the people Nowe there is another precept added to this exhorting to peace Peace cōmanded Be at peace sayes he among your selues This is agenerall precept giuen to Ministers to people and to all men commaunding peace loue vnitie and concord of mynde This is the fountaine of other graces She goes before vs as a mother other graces as children followe her If she goe not before no following of graces Where peace is there is grace where peace is not there is no grace And therefore Paul first to Tim. chap. 2. verse 1 sayes Pray for Kings for what end that vve may lead a quyet and a peaceable lyfe in all godlinesse and honestie Where he meanes where peace is these two followes godlinesse which is the ground of the first table and honestie which is the ground of the second table Where peace goes avvay farevvell these tvvo Will ye looke to your ovvne families if there be not peace betvveen the Husband and the Wyfe tell me what grace can be in the familie tell me can godlinesse can grace be in the familie vvhere there is nothing but stryfe and enuy can common honestie be there No no grace Go to a Cittie where there is nothing but dissention can therebe grace godlines or honesty there Goe to a Kingdom or common-well where a Kingdom is rent in peeces can there be grace holinesse or honestie there So it is the peace in Iesus Christ vvhich is the mother and conquerour of all graces where the hearts of men and wemen are bound vp in peace there is floorishing either in Citty or houshold But yet vvhat peace should this be Wherein standes it It stands not in a faire vvord in a faire goode morrow nor in an outvvard behauiour or false fained smiling vvith thy mouth vvhen thou hast no loue in thy heart but this peace standes chieflie in the lenitie and conjunction of myndes and heartes Paul to the Eph. chap. 4. vers 3. sayes Studie to keepe the vnitie of the Spirit in the bond of peace where he earnestly recommends an vnion of myndes Paul to the Philippians in the 2. chap. vers 1. sayes If there be any consolation in Christ if any solace if any communion of the spirite if any bovvels of pittie fill vp my ioy and wherein standes it Be sayes he of lyke minde and affection There my joy let your affection be one haue one loue haue one minde dwell with all your soules together Ioyne so your hearts together as if they were one heart joyne your soules together and make vp one soule of all And as concerning your judgements he sayes be not of contrare opinions and judgementes There are some that euer delytes in contradiction When one will say one thing they will make a contradiction to it Now ye see wherein this peace stands and this is the peace that makes vp the Kingdom of God Paul sayes to the Romanes 14. 17. The Kingdom of God standes not in meate and drinke but in peace and righteousnesse tovvards God Indeed the Kingdom of men will be made vp of an outward counterfaite peace The Grecian Kingdom the Roman Impire stoode of an earthly peace but all vanitie the Kingdom of Christ is made vp of an vnitie of our soules knit together in Christ When our conscience is peaceable then our souls is knit to him Reade the 4. chapter to the Ephesians ye shall not finde so many arguments in no place as there to exhort men to vnitie There is sayes he but one bodie one spirite one hope of your vocation one Lord Iesus one faith one baptisme one God one Father of all Then if there be so many one thinges why should ye not be one Now the whole blessing of men standes in vnion Yea the blessednesse of God standes in an vnion the Father the Sonne and the holie Spirite vnited together in one God-hood The blessednesse of our nature standes in the vnion with our head Christ and in the vnion of the members among our selues Where this vnion is not there is nothing but miserie In the Kingdom of Heauen there is nothing but vnity by the contrare there is no peace in Hell If the father and the sonne goe to Hell together trow ye there shall be any loue betweene them No nothing but inuy all inuy and hatred is among the Deuils all peace and vnity is in God who drawes the soules of men and wemen together and makes one soule as it were in that glorious bodie of Christ The Lord giue vs this bond of vnitie and loue that we may be joyned with the rest of the members in one bodie to our head Iesus Christ To whom with the Father and the Spirite be immortall praise honour and glore world without end AMEN THE XXIII LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 5. vers 14. 15. 14 We desire you brethren admonish them that are vnruely comfort the feeble mynded beare vvith the vveake be patient tovvarde all men 15 See that none recompense euill for euill vnto any man but euer follovv that vvhich is good both tovvard your selues and tovvard all men WE goe forward brethren in these exhortations and preceptes concerning goode maners and godly conuersation vvhich the Apostle settes downe heere to the Thessalonians As for these whereof we haue alreadie spoken as that wakrifnesse that should be in them that sobernesse that spirituall armour vvherevvith they shold be armed concerning that mutuall exhortation euery one of them ought to other concerning that duetie that the flocke and the people ought to their Pastour concerning that mutuall peace that should be among them we speake nothing now recommending all to your memories who heard vs. Now in this text we haue reade presently first we haue three particulare directions concerning three estates of persones first concerning vnruely men secondly concerning feeble minded men and last concerning them that are infirme and vveake in saith vveake in the knovvledge
of Iesus Christ and of the thinges that concernes him not firmely persvvaded of them as vve shall heare 3. diseases vvith their remedies in the ovvne rovvme So there are heere three diseases or speciall sicknesses The first is vnrulinesse that is louse liuing the next feeblenesse of hart the thirde is vveakenesse and infirmitie in faith and in that persvvasion that vve should haue tovvardes Iesus Christ and the Gospell And as there are three diseases So the Apostle prescryues three seuerall remedies against these three diseases Marke it For euery disease he prescryues the ovvne proper remedie and cure for in ordinate liuing and vnrulie lyfe Admonition for feeblenesse of mynde and casting dovvne of the Spirite Comfort for weaknesse in faith and infirmitie bearing vvith to beare vvith the vveake and infirme in faith Now to goe throgh these and first to the diseases and next to the remedies thereof The first disease is vnrulinesse 1. Vnruelinesse inordinatnesse The Apostle 2. Thessa 3. chap. verse 6. telles vvho are these he calles vnrulie they that liue not according to that doctrine and instruction he gaue them The vvord of God is the rule of lyfe The man that liues not according to the vvord of God is vnruly Yet more plainely in that same place he descryues the vnruely He calles them 11. verse they vvho labours not for their liuing they vvho haue not a trade of lyfe Then he addes that are busie bodies busie in other mens turnes doing nothing in their ovvne and therefore they must be exercised in euill exercises in thinges that pertaines not to them pratling and babling here and there puting their hand to this mans and that mans offices There are tvvo properties idle and exercised idle in their ovvne tume exercised in other mens turnes An euill sort of men these men are vnruly Now to come to the remedie shortlie The remedie is admonishing reprouing This vnrulinesse it is an euill maladie and eneugh to cause a man die What medicine should vve vse to such men shall we foster and entertaine them in their folie No he sayes admonishe them vse them sharply and seuerely in admonishing tell them they are out of rule The 2. Thessa chap. 3. verse 10. he telles hovv hee vsed them hee denounced against them that if they vvrought not they should not eate but their mouth should be bound vp so that they should die for hunger Also in that same place he giues a charge to all men of seuere themselues from these men that they may be ashamed of that life it is a good and an honest thing to see a man well exercised and that in his owne calling Novve to come to the second disease and remedie for it The next disease is feeblenesse of mynde 2. Feeblenesse of mynde vvhen the heart of man is casten dovvne troubled assaulted heauie so that there is no spirite nor courage but ay going in the vvay of dispaire What is the medicine and remedie of this man Deale not roughlie vvith one vvho is diseased after this maner adde not affliction to affliction afflict not him vvho is afflicted trouble not the troubled the proper medicine to such is comfort Comfort them that are dejected in spirit Dauid in the 41. Psalme 1. verse he pronounces a speciall blessing to him that vvill comfort the afflicted Blessed is the man that iudges vvysoly of the poore that is that can haue compassion on a troubled conscience Now the arguments of consolation he vses in that Psalme are tvvo The first from the promises of God to be bestowed on them in Christ The other is prayer Promise then grace to the troubled heart in Iesus Christ and then pray for it If the hart be dejected no comfort for it but from God Al the world all the powers in Heauen and earth are not able to comfort and raise vp the soule but onely the power of God through Christ and his blessed Spirite Novv to the third disease and remedie thereof It is vveakenesse in faith 3. Weakenesse in faith vveakenesse in the knovveledge of Christ and the Gospell vvhen a man hes not a through sight and perswasion of these thinges that concernes Iesus and the Gospell when he knowes them not vvell neither is confirmed in them Such as concerning diuersitie of meates all meates are sanctified in Christ many knew not that and therefore made conscience in obseruing diuersitie of meates and likewise as concerning daies that put difference in daies and keeped them these he cals weak ones The remedy is beare with them breake not the brused reede quench not the smooking slax no enterteine the least beginning of grace in the weakest body A fire that hes smook in the beginning if thou enterteine it it will in end grow a faire fire What knowest thou but these that hes a little sparke of faith if they be enterteinde by processe of tyme will grow to an high measure of knowledge and will be as strong as thou Paul 15. chap. Rom. 1. verse speaking of these same weake ones sayes We vvho are strong in faith that is knowes the libertie in Christ Iesus let vs beare the infirmities of the vveake take their burdene off their back and lay it on our shoulders heape not on them burdene vpon burdene but releue them and that vve please not our selues and make off-casts of others Therefore he addes let euery one please their neighbour Please their neighbour and beare with him that is the word and he commes on with Christs exemple Christ he bare not vvith himselfe selfe-loue caried him not as it does vs but as it is written the reproches of them that rebuked thee fell on me He spared himselfe so little that these igneminies and reproaches that should haue lighted on vs sinners he tooke them on him He tooke our burdeene on him There are the wordes shortly Marke our lessons This world is all diseased men and wemen in this world are full of diseases yea and they that thinks themselues wholest are sickest I will not speake of the diseases of the bodie There are few without their owne diseases and that is the rewarde of sinne yea and death followes on the end of them but I speake of the sicknesse of the soules of men and wemen neuer one but they haue their owne diseases in their soule He hes this sicknesse in his soule she hes that sicknesse in her soule he is miserable in his soule another feeble in minde the third weake without a sure knowledge of Christ euery one of these sicknesses are deadlie euerie one of them eneugh to cause a creature die Art tho vnruely if it continue with thee and be not cured in tyme it shall cause thee die not such a death as the death of the bodie it is a sicknesse in the soule thy soule shall die The sicknesse of the bodie will cause the bodie die if it be not cured the sicknesse of the soule will cause the soule die if
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
fleshly and carnall joy 〈…〉 that will be in the mouthes of prophaine people be merie eat drinke Is that this joy no no. When Paul bids thee rejoyce he bids thee not passe the time like the Epïcurians Eate drinke and be merie The joy that he craues the nature thereof is not fleshly but it is cleane holie and spirituall To speake the trueth it is in the hart all joy is in the hart of a bodïe but it is not so much the joy that is of the naturall affection as it is the motion of the spirit of Christ within vs vsing the affectiones of our hart as a parte to reioyce in when he is dwelling in vs. When a man reioyces naturallie it is his heart that reioyces but this is another kinde of reioycing It is the Spirite of consolation that comforts the Spirite of Iesus that dwelles in the hart and wakens vp the affection aboue nature and makes it It is 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 that was naturall as supernaturall it cannot be so well tolde as felt Rom. chap. 8. verse 26. The Spirite of God requests for vs vvith sighes vnspeakable Then the Spirite sighes within the heart If the Spirite of God be within the heart the sighe will not be so much the sighe of the bodie as of the Spirite of God 〈◊〉 It is so with that spirituall ioy the ioy in the hart if will not be so much the ioy of the heart as the ioy of the Spirite of God a ioy vnspeakable No no tongue can tell the greatnesse of it And brethren if there vvere no more but this that it cannot be toulde it telles you the nature of it it is not a naturall ioy the naturall ioy can be all toulde the heart of man is comprehensible and the affectiones of the hart can be toulde but the joy of the Spirite of God is incomprehensible The joy of the Spirite of God in the heart of the poore sinner cannot be toulde by all the Angels of Heauen let be by the tongue of man For no man can reâ—â— the infinitnesse of Gods Spirite Therefore put a difference betweene it and all other ioyes The property of this ioy is here expressed Propertiâ— of this ioy It is continuall it lastes euermore it is continuall it alters not it is without interruption it is not broken off prosperitie will not breake it aduersitie vvill not breake it lyfe vvill not breake it death vvill not breake it it abydes in lyfe it abydes in death yea euen to the verie poynte of death vvhen it pleases the holie Spirite to vvorke it vvill be in a greater measure in his soule than nor it vvas in the life-tyme When we thinke the body should be heauiest and saddest then it is most joyfull This earthly joy is soone broken off he is now in joy in the twinkling of an eie it shall be broken off this houre glade the next houre wo. Balthazar was a mery man when he was prophaning the vessels of the Lord and banketting in the meane tyme of his merinesse came the hand writting vpon the wall and then he beginnes to shake and his countenance is changed with shuddering and shaking 〈…〉 Ye heard in this same chapter when the wicked saies Peace all things are sure then a sudden destruction ouertakes them So this worldly joy is ay interrupted it is ay turned in sorrow if thou be content with a worldly joy proceeding of a worldly thing if it were all the kingdomes of the earth thy joy shall be turned in a weeping for euer but the spirituall joy is continuall without interruption Then if this be the nature of it it is spirituall it is cleane and pure heauenly not rude fleshly nor earthly If this be the property of it Matter of spirituall ioy it continues ay for this propertie must follow on the nature of it a spirituall thing must euer abide What can be the matter of it there must be some cause of this joy No joy but there must be some cause and matter that moues it Then what is the matter of it There are two sorts of things in the world that wakens vp joy in the heart of man The first is earthly things ye know the things worldlie honor riches they waken vp joy in the hart Another sort is called spritual heuenly clean There is no other but these two either things heuenly or earthlie to cause men to rejoyce Then are these earthly things the matter of this spirituall joy he speaks of Examine the nature of it it is spirituall it is the joy of Christ Will these worldly things if there be no further consideration of them cause the Spirit of Christ rejoyce within thee Will a kingdome make Christes Spirit within the hart of a man to rejoyce if there be nothing more but as it is a worldly kingdome No I say they will not be the matter of this joy looke to these worldly things how thou resauest them if they be not resaued out of Gods hand as arlespennies of heauenlie thinges and tokens of better benefites and of life euerlasting they shall neuer make the Spirit of Christ to reioyce in thee Thy hart may be blyth for worldly thinges because thou art an earthly bodie A King may rejoyce in a kingdome c. but if they be not taine out of Gods handes as arlespennies of heauenly and spirituall benefites the Spirite of Christ shall not rejoice in thee Take heed if it wer but a morsell of meate if thou take it out of Gods hand as a token of that heauenly food to life euerlasting the Spirit of Christ shall rejoyce in thee Therefore be neuer content of earthly things as earthlie things onely nor of the naturall joy of the hart of man A sow hes a naturall joy 〈◊〉 in filling the bellie No beast in the field but it hes a sensuall joy in the selfe by nature in the foode thereof Fy on thee that cannot haue more joy nor a beast Thou art made for Heauen and not for Kingdomes here Therefore rejoyce in heauenly thinges and I say the Kow and other beasts are better nor thou if thou rejoyce not with that heauenly joy for the kingdome prepared for thee in Iesus Christ Woe to thee that hes not the joy that proceeds of the Spirit of Iesus Againe this joy lasts euermore it is continual it bides in the night it bides in the day it perishes not These worldly things are al perishing He will be a King the day and will be casten down to morrow He is riche the day and will be begging to morrowe How can thinges changeable be matter to me of joy that standes euermore No they cannot If my joy restes on earthly things when earthly things failes me of necessity my joy must faile me When the ground of joy failes my joy must faile Worldly things must faile therefore the joy in worldly things must faile and specially in death Either shall earthly things
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
to Christ and are translated from this vvorld that ye thanke him in prosperitie and aduersitie in vvell and vvoe there is the meaning Then ye see in this place a speciall vvill of God concerning this calling vve stand in and the speciall vvill of God concerning vs Christians is that vve thanke him Christian men and vvemen are most debtfull to thanke him and ought aboue all creatures to thanke him Fy on thee that vvill take the name of Christ on thee and not thanke him Thanke him in all things he can lay before thee It is his will that thou thanke him at least striue to thanke him for well and woe prosperity and aduersity for death aswell as life As for other men Iewes Turkes and Pagans c. that are not Christians God craues not this thanksgiuing at them A maruelous thing The Turke he hes the glory and wealth of the vvorld and yet the Lord sayes I vvill haue no thankes of thee neither in vvell nor in vvoe because thou art not in Christ all my glory is in Christ all the seruice I craue in the vvorld is in Christ So the pratling of the Turke and Ievv that makes them to thanke God is all but vanitie he craues it not of them O hovv great a honour is it to call a man to thanke and to serue him No neuer King got such great honour as vve get vvhen vve are called to thanke and to serue that King of Kings all our glory standes in seruing and making homage to God so blessed are they that are called to this honour through Iesus Christ Therefore he sayes through Christ meaning that in Christ is the matter of all thanksgiuing There is matter in Christ of all thanksgiuing In vvell and vvoe Christ is to me aduantage both in lyfe and death sayes Paul If thou hast aduantage in death vvhy should not thou thanke him In one word where Christ is there is matter of thanksgiuing to God in the greatest misery we can be in the world Againe where Christ is not and who are not in him as members of that glorious body ioyned in society with that glorious head if they had all this broad world they haue no cause to be merie nor to thanke no to open their mouth to praise And to speak the trueth they cannot be merie They may laugh but the true ioy is in God he is the Lord of ioy a man may well laugh but he can haue no true ioy except he haue Iesus in his hart That man in aduersitie and in the point of death will laugh more sweetly and vtter greater ioy nor the greatest worldly man in the midst of his prosperitie So I say and I command thee looke that thou reioice not without Christ I say to all men reioyce not but be sad if thou hast not Christ The Lord hes not ordeined thee to be glad it is his will onely that they that are in Christ reioyce and be neuer glad vntill thou get Christ I counsell you if ye had all the world if ye find not Christ in the hart be neuer glad What matter hast thou to be glad when the great God turnes his back on thee It may be he will cast a kingdome to thee ouer his shoulder as it were a bone casten to a dog what is that to thee if thou get not his ioyfull presence Read Dauid in all his Psalmes he was neuer glad but when he had the presence of God Now I come to the next precept Quench not the spirit The wordes are few but they conteyne great matter Quench not the spirit put not out the holy Spirit of Christ Take heed He â—es bene speaking before of the graces of God What is patience in suffering wrong What is joy What is thankfulnesse but the graces of the Spirit He hes beene before speaking of his graces and recommending them to thee Now he commes to that glorious person himselfe vvho is the giuer and vvorker of all these graces of Patience of Joy of Prayer and Thanks-giuing The holie Spirit the third person of the Trinitie that God giues to me and thee if thou be Gods seruant It is vanity to think that a true Christian man gettes onely the graces of the Spirit they get the verie Spirite No it is not the graces of the Spirite that will dwell in the hart and soule and bodie of a man no but the Spirit it selfe The Spirit will dvvell as surelie vvithin thy hart as euer a man dvvelt in an house That Comforter that Christ promised to his disciples when he was going vp to Heauen was not the graces of the Spirit no but the Spirite it selfe to dwell in our hart and to work it in al the graces So it is not the graces but the spirit he speaks of here when he saies quench not the spirit Paul saies Ephes chap 4. vers 30 Grieue not the holy spirit It is a simple guestning to make thy guest sad make not the spirit of Christ sad Paul saies in another place that the spirit is giuen thee as an arlispenny of thy saluation Ephes cha 1. vers 14. Thou â—oses the arles-pennie if thou make him sad But to the wordes The speache when he saies Quenching of the spirit quenche not the Spirit appeares to be metaphoricall It is borrovved and not proper and it is borrovved from a fyre or candle that vses to giue light and heate Then if it must not be quenched It must follovve that the Spirite of Christ must be a fyre vvithin vs It must follovve he must be a light inlightning our soules as a lanterne and lampe of light set vp within the darke and dead soule to let the soule and affectiones haue light and the Spirite of Iesus shynes vvithin the darke soule of a man as a lanterne shynes in a darke night and puttes out that masse of darknesse that is in the soule of man And therefore because it is as a fyre he sayes Quench not And Paul to Timothie 2. Epistle chap. 1. vers 6. sayeth stir vp or kindle the gift that is in thee it is lyke a flamming fyre the gift of it is but a light or flam that commes from this fyre So he sayes Stir vp kindle vp the gift that thou hast receiued Now ye see by experience a fire or light is two maner of waies quenched take me away coales timber or such other matter to burne take me away the nourishment that holdes in the fire it will die out Another way cast water on it smore it it will also die out albeit ye take not burning thinges from it So it is with this heauenly fire First draw me away the meanes whereby the Spirit is fostered and the fyre of the Spirit is holden in for as the fire feeds on the subject so the fire of the Spirit feeds on the own nutriture and foode take me away this foode of the Spirit as thou seest a fire die out so he will die out Take me
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
cannot loue him except he loue vs first 1. Iohn 4. 19. There is none that loues him but he that hes the sense of Gods loue in his hart furnished by the Spirit of God O the joy and consolation in the hart when it findes the Lords hart powred out on it And without this sense of Gods loue towardes thee fy on thee if thou wert a king for all thy kingdomes if thou wert ruler ouer all fy on thy glorie and pleasure for all the things vnder Heauen may well minister to thee a false joy and peace in thy hart but they shall neuer giue thee the true joy for there is no true joy but through the sense of the loue of God in thy hart So there is the first gift and argument whereby he assure these Thessalonians that the thinges he askes for them shall be graunted to them without all doubt The next argument is And hes giuen vs consolation eternall In this word he summes vp all the blessinges giuen to man in Iesus Christ in tyme The secoÌ„d is eternall coÌ„solatioÌ„ our effectuall calling our justification through his righteousnesse forgiuenesse of sinnes and an acceptation in his fauor our sanctification by his Spirit the resurrection of the bodie and life eternal in glorie al these we haue in him to whom Paul maks this prayer So all the blessinges of God commes and meetes in the hart of man as in a centre they end all in consolation our effectual calling ends in consolation our justifying ends in consolation Therefore sayes Paul Rom 5. 1. Being iustified by faith vve haue peace tovvard God Then in one word As all blessing beginnes at the hart of God and at that loue he powres our on vs so al blessing ends in our hart The beginning is Gods the end is ours and our end is this that peace that passes all vnderstanding This loue of God is as a floode through the which slowes downe all these blessinges bestowed on vs which are as as many springs and conduits comming from that great and vnspeakable loue of God and entering once in vpon our harts wakens vp an infinite and vnspeakable joy in vs For from once that waâ—eâ— of the loue of God touch the hart there flowes such a consolation as is vnspeakable The Lord of Heauen giue euery one earnestnesse to seeke this consolation for it is the arlespenny of these euerlasting joyes which once we shall haue in Heauen throgh Iesus Christ He calles it eternall because it is a fontaine that neuer is stopped it neuer goes dry but euer runnes when the fountaine euer â—â—mes the riuer that runnes from it will neuer goe dry And therefore when that fountaine of loue in the hart of God commes in thy hart thy consolation must laste for euer his loue running down in thy hart makes thy joy euerlasting The thinges of this world when thou gettest them will waken vp some joy in thy hart but that joy which thou hast the day thou wilt want to morrow for it is not permanent but as for that joy which proceeds of the loue of God it hes no end it is eternall and therefore they that will seeke consolation in Iesus shal neuer haue an end of joy Indeed sometymes this our joy seemes to be troubled heere because it is compassed with many crosses and afflictions but the Lord from tyme to tyme makes our joy sensible and wakens it vp in vs and when thou shalt be in Heauen thou shalt haue an endles consolation without any vicissitude or alteration for euer Seek then I pray you for this loue of God as ye wold be euerlastinglie blessed with this joy vnalterable Now the third benefite is good hope He calles it good because it is of the best thing The third good hope that euer was that is it is of that cheefe felicitie for vvhat is it vve hope for Euen that consummation of our cheefe and euerlasting felicitie vvith our God vve hope for that possession of the glorie of our Lord Iesus and therefore it is not vvithout reason that it is called good hope Wherefrom flowes it Euen as consolation flowes from loue so hope flowes from consolation Rom. 15. 4. and consolation is as an arlespenny that God puttes in thy hand that thou shalt get theÌ„ full payment of the whole summe And therefore it wakens vp thy hart to hope so that when I get a peece of consolation I am induced to hope certainely that that Lord that hes giuen me that arlespenny shal not leaue me till he fil my hart with the fulnesse of consolation for the saciety and full contentment is not till we see Christ face to face and vntill this tyme we must liue by hope In end he sayes all these thinges are by grace Loue is by grace consolation is by grace hope is by grace that is of the free fauour of God without any desert or merite on mans part And it is vvell vvith vs that it is noâ— so that all is of free grace vvithout out merite for if any blessing of God hang vpon a mans merite vpon his doing and deseruing alas vveak vvould this ground be and there vvould not be one day but vve should fall from the grace If it 〈◊〉 depended on me I vvould lose it euerie moment of the day So the ground of thiâ— suretie and stabilitie of Gods blessinges is onely in God euen his free grace and loue When the Lord regardes thee not for ought that is in thee but lookes to himselfe then thou hast stedfastnesse by the grace of God as ye may collect of the 4. chap. to the Rom. verse 16. Therefore it is by faith that it might come by grace and the promise might be sure to all the seede If the inheritance hang vpon thy stinking vvorkes for thou fylest the vvorkes of the holy Spirit in thee thou shouldst neuer see Heauen And thou that vvilt stick by such a ground and say Heauen and saluation depends on thy vvorks thou shalt find thy selfe frustrate in that day and shall not attaine to that inheritance that thou looked for for there is no blessing of God in Christ but that that hangs vpon the free fauor and mercy of God to vs in Iesus Christ All the vvorld shall not louse this ground In the last verse vve haue the thinges he prayes for to these Thessalonians I pray the Lord Iesus Christ and God euen our Father that they would comfort your harts The next establishe you in euerie vvord of the trueth and euerie good vvorke Praier for consolation These are the tvvo thinges he prayes for consolation and perseuerance in well doing Hes he not said before that God the father had giuen them eternall consolation what is the crause then he praies for it as though they had not gotten it He sayes he hes giuen vs eternall consolation and now he sayes I pray the Lord Iesus that he would comfort you How can these two stand Mark brethren
not thou laborest to get thy ovvn liuing He answers no I haue just right to tak for my preaching I writ not this as if I had no authority but this I haue done when I might haue taâ—e of you yet I tooke not to learne you to labour and to shame them that are among you idle bodies that vvorkes not for their liuing Novv yee see heere in the persons of the Thessalonians hovv readie men are and hes beene at all tymes to thinke that a Minister of the vvord hes no right to these temporall things as to eate to drink 1. Cor. 9. 4. to mary a vvife to take a stipende Any man hes a good right to all these thinges but a Minister they inuy that Minister should get so much as this common aire They come forward from thinking and speaking they come to doing Scotland proues this euidently eneugh by violence by cauillation of lavves by one vvay or other they wil reaue these temporall things from them that the Lord hes set in his seruice a minister hes no right to personage nor vicarage nor teindes What hes the Minister adoe vvith them they haue no right to them Hes not my Lord or the laird or vvhat he is a Charter of them But Paul sayes if any man hes right I haue right And I say a Minister hes as good right to these things as any Earle lord laird or vvhat euer man he be hes to his heritage but the ground of this is men knovves not what life is what the kingdome of Heauen is albeit they will prattle much of it Now this ministrie is the ministrie of the Spirit and of the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ And therefore all vvordes of these things are but vvinde to them and they thinke a man that traueiles in this calling is but an idle man they count of no exercise but that that is in these earthly thinges O Lord that heauy count that shall be in that glorious appearance of Iesus Christ in that terrible day Then this reafe and violence shall appeare to be reafe and violence indeed Then no vvordes no cullour of Lavve shall be an excuse to thee More yet on Pauls parte marke hovv readie good men should be vvhether they be Ministers or others to giue ouer their rightes vvhich they may most justlie challenge Paul gaue ouer his right hovvbeit he might haue taken a stipende Yet least it should seeme to common people that Ministers had no right or title to take by their labours he meetes it and vvill not prejudge the right of the ministrie that should follovve but he telles he had authoritie to take Thou mayest vpon good occasions leaue thy right some-tymes but looke it be not to the hurt of thy brother looke thou impare not his right by giuing ouer thy right othervvise thou hast no sinceritie in thy doing for if thou hurt him there is no sinceritie in thee Novv in the end of the verse he telles the cause vvherefore he gaue ouer his right To be an ensample sayes he to you to follovve vs. Brethren the thing that the Lord craues of euerie one of vs is that vve stand vp to be a good ensample to others euerie one is bound to this duetie for vve are not borne to our selues onely and it is hard to vvinne to this and before a man attaine to this he must suffer many thinges he must suffer many injuries and vvronges he must passe from his right oft-tymes and that that he hes just title to he must let it goe So vve that vve may be ensamples of vvell doing must suffer many thinges and doe many thinges Ye see a meane heere set dovvne to moue idle bodies to labour it is set dovvne in Pauls doing Paul needed not to vvorke onely preaching might haue done his turne but to moue idle men there among the Thessalonians to vvorke he vvould vvorke So the lesson is It is requisite that euen honest men that hes no necessitie to put their ovvne hands to vvorke put to their handes to vvorke to moue seruants men and vvemen that hes no other moyen to liue by but by vvorking to doe their duetie As for ensample A master of an house vvho hes such seruants as vvill not put their hands to vvorke let him go before his seruants in vvorke that thereby they may be ashamed Now to come to the last verse He sets dovvne another argument to moue these idle Thessalonians to vvorke The argument going before vvas gentle tane from his ovvne ensample but this argument is straite forbidding all that vvill not vvorke to eate He that vvill not vvorke let him not eate Workst thou not Paul inhibits thee to eat This leanes on a grueat equitie What trow ye eating be God hes ordeined it to be the rewarde of labour and working Thou getst thy dinner thy supper meate and drinke as a rewarde of thy worke thou hast no other allowance of dinner nor supper but as a rewarde of thy worke Then must it not followe he workes not therefore he must not eate O ye will say that is very strait if men and wemen eat not they will die But I say die as they will the Lord vouchafes not a nip on them except they worke Yet notwithstanding of this great number of men gets meate and liues albeit they worke not as in Edinburgh this day and Scotland ye know is full of such folke that neuer puts their hand to worke and yet they eate Yet I shal tell you their estate Let not an idle man thinke he is well when he eates and workes not for the curse of God is lying vpon him a miserable estate Would to God that men would weigh this that the curse of God is on these men and al is accursed to them their cloathes their bed and all they haue For if this be true that the blessing of God is on the labourer Psal 128. 2. Prou. 10. 4. and vpon him that eates the frutes of his labours it must follow that he that eats when he labours not the cursse of God is on him So idle bodies haue no matter of vaunting and rejoycing when they eate and they who wins their liuing with the sweate of their browes hes the blessing of God with them Indeed his blessing is not seene by thee now and ye cannot distinguish now a blessing from a curssing Ye see here oft-times it is aswell with the idle bodie as with the bodie that workes for Gods blessing and curse is not well seene here by men but in that day it shal be showen euidently and this labour is a meane to bring vs to that lyfe that Christ by his bloud hes bought to vs. The rewarde of a seruant that labours faithfully and that beleues in Iesus Christ shall be glorie Ephes 6. 8 Now as this inhibition concernes Idle bodies that they eate not so it concernes them that labours that they foster nor idlenesse in any bodie for that is to foster them
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