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
see him why should not our desire be to see him wherefore should all this feare be of this latter day seeing thou wilt neuer be established in heart nor get thy full glorie vntil his comming at that day thy blessednesse shall be perfite there I finde in the Scripture the perfection of all graces differred vntill that time Ye shall finde no grace PerfectioÌ„ of al graces differred til the â—utter day but the perfection thereof is remitted vntill that day Paul in the same Epistle 2. chap. 19. vers My joy is in the sight of God and of Iesus Christ at his comming He gets not perfection of joy vntill he come And therefore he will not promise to the Thessalonians their joy vntill that day no perfection of grace mercie and peace vntill God put an end to sinne to death and wickednesse Looke then if we should long for that latter day we looke heere and there for this thing and that thing but who lookes for that comming of the Lord Alas if we knevv vvhat grace and joy Christs comming brought to vs vve vvould looke for nothing so much as for his comming We are earthlie and therefore all our lookes are for earthlie thinges we are not spirituall and so we cannot looke for that spirituall grace The Lord prepare vs to looke for and desire that glorious comming All these earthlie thinges goes away Heauen onelie abydes What foolishnesse is this seeing we are subject to mortality that we should set our hearts on this world our dwelling must not be here but in Heauen in endliesse joy Seeke it earnestly therefore Novv in the end of this verse he telles vs in vvhat company and with whom we shal be established in holinesse before God thou shalt not be holy thy selfe alone thou shalt not be an a per se in holinesse doe as thou wilt either shalt thou be in a societie in a companie vvith many more nor thou All graces in the societie of the sants or else thou shalt neuer be holie nor see the face of God This is plaine Either thou shalt be in the Church which is the communion of the Saintes of God or else thou shalt neuer see Gods presence He will leape out of it at this side and he at that side but if thou come not in again in that same societie yea and to the number of this church and of the Saintes that professes Christ this day in Scotland thou shalt neuer see Gods face All blessinges grace mercie and peace euerlasting before God is in the companie of the Church that professe the truth and puritie of the Gospell of Christ not in the company of them who will take the name of a Church or that false Church the Romane Church So let him vvho vvill stand vvith holinesse in the number of the Saintes seuere from Babylon or else he shall be partaker of the judgement So brethren to come againe ye shall not read in the Scripture of any grace giuen to any man but ye shall finde that it is giuen to him as a member of that bodie as one of the Saintes in the societie of the Saintes In the first to the Ephesians verse 18. speaking of the riches of the glorie of the inheritance of Heauen he sayes thou shalt neuer get it but among the Saintes Then againe he sayes chap. 3. vers 18. Who shall vnderstand the loue and charitie of God None but they that are in the societie of the Saintes No light mercie nor knowledge of God but to them that stands knit vp as members in the bodye of Christ ye see cut off a member of the body and cast it away no sap can follow from the body to it So if thou be cut off from the number of the Saintes vvho are the Church of God thou shalt neuer get any grace of Christ Now to the next chapter In the fourth and fift chapters followes the last part of this Epistle containing the doctrine of maners exhorting to holinesse of lyfe and godlinesse But to the wordes He sayes And furthermore As he would say all is not tolde I will tell that which rests which is the doctrine of maners precepts of godlie lyfe and conuersation When we haue teached all the yeere ouer when we haue tolde you the doctrine of justification sanctification c. so long as there is no speaking of a godly lyfe and conuersation and so long as we haue not tolde you how ye should lead your lyfe there is euer something behinde vnspoken of Neuer a full and perfite preaching wher there is nothing spoken of a good or of an euill lyfe and conuersation For there is such a necessitie laid on men and wemen in this world that all serues for nothing except they liue a good holy life Thy profession of loue righteousnesse mercie all the rest is but vanitie and winde if thy conuersation toward thy neighbour be not aunswerable to thy profession it is a shame to thee to speake of Christ of holinesse of righteousnesse of life euerlasting except thou liue conforme thereto And therefore ye shall neuer read any Epistle of Paul but euer vvhen he hes spoken of faith justification c. then in the end he subjoynes precepts charging vs to liue a godlie lyfe And more then this Trow ye in the end at Christs comming to judgement that the pretence of faith or righteousnes will be sufficient to thy eternal saluation No but we must liue holie for al the blessinges of God in Christ tends to this end that we may liue holie yea this is the end of election it selfe Ephes 1. 4. Paul sayes We are chosen from all eternitie that we should be holie Then we should liue soberlie and justlie with our neighbour Tit. 2. 12. And therefore either cast avvay profession of Christianitie and heare neuer a word of faith righteousnesse c. or else striue to liue conforme thereto This in generall Now to the wordes I beseech and exhort you and that in the Lord Iesus Christ What exhorts he that they increase more and more in godlie lyfe and conuersation As for the forme of your going forward I haue tolde you the forme hovv ye should vvalke in this world walke conformable thereto The words would be well marked I beseech and exhort you sayes he in the Lord Iesus He might haue well said I command you as wrytting to Philemon vers 8. 9. he sayes When I might command thee in the name of Iesus yet rather for loues sake I pray thee Loue turnes the command in a prayer All doctrin that comes from any person must come of loue or else it is deare of the hearing Now he showes his loue in speaking for the wordes comes from the heart and so among al the rest of the wayes whereby he vtters the loue he had in his heart this is one when precept and commaund is turned ouer to requeesting When he may commaund he will not but he turnes it ouer and
and demonstration of the Spirit and power in opening vp of the text and raising groundes of doctrine he had a speciall grace in teaching he was cleare and sententious in conuincing powerfull in exhorting earnest and pithie in correcting vehement who for graces being in account and honoured was more humble rara virtw humilitas honorata who being prouoked was lesse vindictine who preased more to keepe the chaire of Veritie cleane from corrupt passions that the word of God might haue free passage and be glorified Who sought the world lesse Who estemed lesse of these earthly thinges For he behaued himselfe as a faithfull seruant of God not seeking himselfe but Iesus Christ as a pilgrime heere yea and crucified to the world for knowing that here he had no continuing cittie he sought for one to come he had his conuersation in heauen from whence he looked for Iesus Christ his Sauiour to come And hauing liued such an holy life to the glorie of God there followed a most sweete and comfortable death in Iesus whom he counted alwayes to be his aduantage Reuel â—word 13. And blessed are they that dies in Iesus for they rest from their labours and their vvorkes follovv them O how great a wound did the church receiue by the losing of such a meÌ„ber Experience teaches vs this day when there is such distraction of harts in the Church what inlack we haue of this man whose labours in the like dayes and cases the Lord while he liued blessed wonderfully His life preached his death preached to the world Many one who heard him found in experience that he ranne not vnsent For he laboured not in vaine 1. Tim. 3. 2. c. but the grace of God was powerfull in him and by him to many Finally he as a viue exemplar represented to vs such qualities and conditions as the Spirite of God requires to be in a Bishop of Iesus Christ Tuâ— 7. 8 Put why insist we to speake to you Sir of this man who was wel knowne almost to all but most interely to you Neither was he steadable to the faithfull that heard him by his vine voice onely in his life preaching but also his workes yet teaches the posteritie For his learned and judicious writtings left behind him in latine hes acquired to him a famous name and reuerend account among the learned in sundry nations who professe that therby no smal edification redounds to the Church of God And therefore seeing that God did accompany his forme of teaching so powerfully with his spirit and made it so profitable we haue thoght meet to set out these his Lectures vpon the two Epistles to the Thessalonians that not only the simple may be instructed thereby but also the teachers may know and imitate his gratious forme of teaching as likewise because the other Sermons that were before imprinted hes bene receiued with great lyking by the humble and such as desire to be edified Now Sir whereas others in such cases vses to say that they were aduising as doubtsome to whose patronage they should recommend their worke we heerein are releeued of this care we need no deliberation for to whom in all respects can it belong but to you First in respect of that inteere and exceeding loue and familiaritie that was betweene you and the Author heereof For from once by his preaching the Lord wroght in your hart all who knew M. ROLLOCK knew also how ye loued him delyted in his companie and conference set your selfe in all thinges to pleasure him what testimonies of true loue and vnfained kindnesse ye would haue vttered to him how freely for the loue of Iesus ye would haue communicate to him temporall thinges if that man who was so well content with that he had could haue suffered you and had not stayed the course of your liberalitie Also when that last messenger and fore-runner of death did sease vpon his fraile and weakned bodie few are ignorant how carefull ye were for his greater ease to haue him transported to your owne house How liberallie ye and your bed-fellow whose praise ought not nor shall not be buried in obliuion bestowed on him all thinges necessare and commodious how chearefully ye receiued and intertained for his cause all them that came to visite him and what great benefite ye counted the Lord bestowed on you in that he offered the occasion which long ye wished to showe your liberalitie in temporall thinges towardes such a rate vessell of mercie and faithfull seruant of Iesus from whom he had receiued so many spirituall thinges Againe who is ignorant what affection and kyndnesse ye haue vttered and daily vtters towardes his relict and posthume for his cause yea and towardes all these who loued him in Christ Next to passe by that M. ROLLOCK in testimonie of his loue dedicate to you his commentare in Latine on the second of these Epistles as also that in his Testament he ordeined that all his bookes which he left to be printed after his decease should be dedicate to you and come out vnder your name and patrocinie that whosoeuer gote commoditie thereof next after God might giue the honour and thankes vnto you after a speciall sort this worke requyres your patronage For throgh your care moyen and expenses these Lectnres were collected and gathered from the handes of these who wraite them from his mouth by your moyen and procurement they were reuised corrected and made apt for the printing by your meanes they now see the light which they had neuer seene but had bene buried in darknesse if the Lord had not made you an instrument to publishe them Last if that the paines which hath bene taine in reuising correcting and making them apt for the printing might yeelde any right to make choise of a patrone to this work we would not nor could not offer it to any but to you Sir not onely because of the vndeserued loue and kyndnesse ye vtter daily towardes vs yea and towardes all the seruants of Christ both publikly and priuily as they themselues doe testifie but also in respect ye were the Author to mooue vs to vndertake such traueiles Indeeed such a propine is farre inferior either to your desertes or our desire and therefore we present it not so much thinking thereby to discharge and satisfie the debt as to acknowledge our obligation to you and to be a testimonie of our thankfulnesse For these causes Sir we desire you to receiue this work in your patronage and protection to defend it from the speaches of such as hes not learned yet to speake well of any person or their workes For we are not ignorant how much and oft they who set forth other mens works vse to be subject to the sharpe censure of men and how little thankes commonly either they get or may looke for of many so that few would be found to take trauaile in them except they were rather moued through the loue of the glorie
in sanctifying of the heart by faith of the hand by charitie that refuses suffering in hope let him not thinke he hes these graces of God Thou that hast no work no faith no laboring no charitie thou that can not beare patientlie and who at euerie thing comming to thee art readie to dispare thou that can not ly vnder the crosse thou hes no hope And therefore as thou would finde grace in the life to come looke that thou be exercised in this life for if thou be not exercised heere thou shalt enter in that damnation where there shall be no end of thy labour thou that wil be exercised in faith charitie and hope assure thee in the life to come thou shall not be pyned with worke thou shalt cease from thy labour and the teares shall be wyped from thy eyes all paine and anguish shall be put away Looke then how ye will spend a moment to eschew an eternitie if thou passe thy tyme idle and do no good heere neither to thy selfe nor to thy neighbor thy labour shall endure euerlastinglie Thou who wilt not spend a moment in labour looke not to obtaine rest for euer In the end of the verse he places and groundes this patient hope on Iesus Christ there is her ground foundation Looke the words And the patience of your hope in our Lord Iesus Christ in the sight of God the Father The faith and hope being begunne on Iesus Hope gruÌ„ded on Christ a ground immoueable all the worlde can not shake it He setteth to her witnesse God the Father He must be witnesse and must stand looking into the heart to see what sinceritie is in the heart So beside the patience wherewith hope must be indewed she must be enarmed to dree out this destinie she can not sustaine trouble except she be grounded The ground is the Lord Iesus immoueable for euer who is able to shake him If my hope be set on Iesus I defye all the worlde shake me as thou wilt no more nor thou is able to moue him out of his place no more art thou able to moue my hope out of my hart There is the foundation she must haue Yet more she must haue a witnesse he who hopes must hope before the Father for the Father seeth all and there is no sinceritie but in the Spirit of God and thou who wilt hope consider God is before thee looking into thine heart and haue him euer before thy eyes otherwayes thou shalt do nothing in thy life-tyme sincerelie but all thy cogitations motions and actions of thy hand are all in hypocrisie Therefore when thou doest any thing do it sincerelie and say My God is looking on me and therefore Lord prepare my heart to doe it sincerely let me not seeke no approbation of men but let me seek the approbation of thee my God It is a miserie to se men in the world they wil steale from God as it were to a backside because they can not abide his eye euery man taketh counsaile at it were to hate God and he flyes from God because his pleasure is in hypocrisie and thou vaine man likes neuer to do any thing in sincerity but would as it wer â—yle thy own eyes and Gods eyes and the eyes of all the world with thy counterfaite falshood therfore as thou would be approued in conscience flee not from the sight of God but craue his presence that light may come from him lighten thee that in that light thou may walke and studie to be acceptable to God with whom thou must be bid all this world farewell Wo to them that studies not to be approued of God gettes not that approbation in their consciences To this God the Father with the Son and the holy Spirite be all praise for euer AMEN THE SECOND LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS THESSA CHAP. 1. vers 4. 5. 6. 4. Knovving beloued brethren that ye are the elect of God 5. For our Gospell vvas not vnto you in vvord onely but also in povver and in the holie Ghost and in much assurance as ye knovv after vvhat maner vve vvere among you for your sakes 6. And ye became follovvers of vs and of the Lord and receyued the vvord in much affliction vvith ioy of the holie Ghost THE last day Brethren we spake of the first part of this Epistle written to the Thessalonians to witte the salutation that the Apostle with Siluanus and Timotheus directs to them We entered in the second part which continewes the congratulation wherein he rejoyses together with them for the graces of God bestowed on them geuing God the glorie of all making him the chiefe Author of all grace Namelie for their faith which is imployed in clensing and purifying their hearts for their loue and charitie which was imployed in laboring with painefulnesse for their brethren and nighbours to their profite and well and last for their hope which was imployed in suffering and taking things patientlie grounded on the Lorde Iesus Christ hauing God the Father for an witnesse of her sinceritie This far for the matter going before Now followes in the fourth verse an other cause of this thankes-geuing to God and of this rejoysing a more effectuall cause nor any that was named yet their eternall election before all worlds All the graces told before were in tyme but as for this election it is before all tyme from all eterniâ—e Vpon this as vpon a foundation all grace that is receyued by vs in tyme is grounded as ye would ground an house vpon an fondation None getteth faith but those that are chosen of God from all eternitie None true loue but those whom God loueth from all eternitie None hope of lyfe but those who are chosen of God from all eternitie So all grace geuen in tyme is grounded on this ground of election that was before all tyme. But to come to the words Knovving saith the Apost brethren beloued of God your election He styles them brethren first then he calleth them beloued of God for I lyke that reading best The second is the cause of the first Because they are beloued of God therefore they are Brethren to him to Timothie and to Siluanus Marke this Note Whom God loueth and vpon whom he powreth forth his grace as he did on these Thessalonians we are bound to loue them to powre out our affections vpon them to call them Brethren in Iesus Christ to speake kindlie and louinglie to them for the graces of God we see in men hes force to conciliate the loue of men so that men when they see them in others are bound of dewtie to loue them If thou see the grace of God in any man thou art bound to loue the man for the grace as thou would vtter thou louest God the geuer of the grace The loue thou carries to a man for the graces of God thou sees in him vtters the loue thou carries to
vvho reades his vvorkes will vvonder that there coulde be such an affection in his heart to the Church of God Well brethren all grace 〈…〉 loue all the blessinges of God in Christ 〈…〉 of God 〈…〉 Iohn 3. 16. The giuing and death of Christ and all the blessinges in Christ came or the loue of God to vs 〈◊〉 Christ All 〈◊〉 and duetie of men that man can doe to 〈…〉 of the loue of the heart otherwise itâ— all a vanâ—â—hing 〈◊〉 not a thing in deed but a vaine sâ—oâ—e albeit it be neâ—er so glistring in the eyes of men if thou would giue all that thou hast to the poore iâ— it come not of loue and affection of the heart all is lost all iâ— for noght Now in the wordâ— following to the end of the tenth verse the Apostle bringâ— in 〈◊〉 arguments testifying his inâ—re affection he had to them Loue must not stand in words but it must be vâ—tered in testimonies so that the world may see it in very deed The worke wilâ— let men see the hart albeit it be God who is the 〈◊〉 searâ—her of the heart Men will not be so blinde but in the hand they 〈…〉 hand be closed thy haâ—â— is closed 〈…〉 testifying his loue affection is a good-wilâ— he haue to them such a good-will that he was 〈◊〉 to imparte and deâ—â—ie to them 〈…〉 precioâ—s 〈…〉 and all because of the loue he bare to them 〈…〉 〈◊〉 heere the first argument of the 〈…〉 〈…〉 and liberall 〈…〉 〈◊〉 A 〈◊〉 vvho loue 〈…〉 〈◊〉 he vvill giue them 〈…〉 comparision A mother who loues her childe she will not be sparing to him but liberall so a Pastor that hath anie tender affection to his flocke will not be sparing but liberall and free to them When the heart of man is open with the affection of loue it will open the hand also and if he be niggard-handed sparing on his flocke those graces God hes geuen him it is a sure argument there is no loue in his heart But come to the good things whereof the Apostle was liberall The first thing was the Gospell of God a pretious thing the glorious Gospell of the blessed Lord. That is the thing that is concredite to him and it is the foode of the soule of man so that his liberalitie beginnes at the foode of the soule he must be liberall of the foode of the soule of men which is concredite to him to giue it to his flock The mother beginnes to nourish her childe with the milke of her owne breast her own substance So the Pastor must beginne at the foode of the soule he must begin at the sincere milke of the word without the which there is no growing and if they be not fed with this milk of the word first they shal neuer come to the grouth stature of man but shall be like dwarsses and we so long as we dwell heere are onelie infants in heauenlie things and all our thinking of heauen is but infancie all our speaking thereof the blabling of infancie So we must be fed with that milk or else we shal neuer come to the stature of men and perfection of heauenlie things The Apostle counts this but a smal thing to deale the gospel of God albeit it be pretious in respect of the other thing his soule he had to deale to them 1. Cor. 9. 16. He saieth if I preach not the Gospell I haue not vvherin to reicice and vvoe is to me if I preach not the Gospell He who will not be liberall in preaching of the Gospell which coast him not a penny it will be long ere he geue his life for his flock if they were in Hell he would neuer redeeme them with his 〈◊〉 Then the next thing whereof he is liberall it is his 〈…〉 the liberalitie of a louing Pastor will end in 〈…〉 It will begiane at the preaching of the 〈…〉 his life which is more if it be 〈…〉 This is the affection of 〈…〉 to her childe she 〈◊〉 for 〈…〉 affection he 〈…〉 for his flock This is counted a greater thing not the other to die for the flocke greater not to deale the Gospell Not that Pauls soule was more pretious then the Gospel of God no the Gospel of God was more precious then the soules of Paul Peter and of all the Apostles and of all the men in the world but he counts it greater because it was an harder thing to him to do it was an easier thing to him to preache the Gospell nor to giue his lyfe for them Yet brethren albeit it was an easier thing to a man to preache the Gospell nor to giue his life thinges will fall out so that all the bygone preaching shall be in vaine except in the end thou seale vp thy bygone preaching with thy bloude if God call thee therevnto the Gospell shall not haue that sweet smell except it haue the perfume or thy bloude The Apostle to the Philipp 2. 17. sayes that the vvould rejoyce If he vvere offered vp vpon the perfume of their faith When the Lord thinks it expedient he must lay dovvne his soule and vvith his bloud he must perfume the Gospell he hes preached otherwise he hes lost all his trauell and his life to and it is better to suffer then to lose all his trauaile and in the end his life This tyme is yet to come to vs the Lorde knovves hovv neare it is The Lorde giue vs grace that vvee lose not our tyme bygone but that vve may laye dovvne our lyfe for the Gospell if that neede requyre In the end of the verse he turnes againe to the ground of his liberall dealling This my liberalitie is not for any liberalitie of yours toward me nor for any respect of commoditie I will get at your hands This my liberalitie is set onelie vpon louing affection So that hee declareth the cause thereof to be loue It is necessare to the people to be perswaded of the loue of the Pastor otherwise except they be assured of his loue albeit he should vtter the fairest doctrine that is there will be no edifying And so I see Paul ay seekes to show them of his loue that they might be edified Particular gaine will make a man preach There are sundrie Ministers who wil be diligent to preache for game but wheÌ„ it comes to lyfe geuing they faile there Worldlie gaine will neuer cause him be liberall of his lyfe onelie loue makes a man liberall of his lyfe And therefore Paul sayeth It was onelie for loue and not for gaine because ye vvere deare vnto vs. He vvho hes not this loue he may vvell flatter men a vvhile but the end that â—rye he had no true loue The Lord giue men especiallie the Ministrie this affection that in the end they may proue to bee true Pastors for if they haue not this loue the end shall try they haue bene hyrelings The Lord giue euerie man grace to trye-vvell vvhat reacaâ—esle
and resolution he hes to suffer for there is no day that the Minister ryses but he is bound to take this resolution in his heart to render his blonde vp for Christ And therefore albeit he die not yet let him be dead in the resolution of his heart and say Lord 〈◊〉 I am readie to die for thy vvorde if it please thee so to call me This is the first argument whereby he showes his loue towards the Thessalonians In the next verse he sayes For ye remember brethren our labour 〈…〉 I will not onelie talke to you of my goodvvill but I will call to remembrance what labour and trauaile with what anguishe and giâ—se I haue suffered for your cause The vvordes are verie weightie in their owne language and speciallie the second the words signifies such trauaile as a man takes on him Labor 〈◊〉 the relefe of the flocke an argumeÌ„t of loue after he is vvearied vvith trauaile vvhen he takes on him trauaile againe This is great labour He labours while he was wearied and then he laboures againe to get rest He vses this vvord in sundrie places Alvvayes marke To testifie the inward affection of the heart the Pastor beares to the flock it is not eneugh to professe a good-will that he had a purpose to haue vsed liberall dealing with them and to say I vvill deale liberallie vvith you that is onelie vvordes but vvith the words the flock must haue an experience thereof an experience of bygone loue and of a good deed and there is nothing better to testifie the affection then the labour and trauaile the Pastor suffers for the flock Charitie is laborious and painefull chap. 1. vers 2. a man who loues an other he will vndertake paines for him His loue will not be in word but in action he will runne for him he will ryde for him night and day If a Pastor loue his flock he vvith trauaile day and night for it and it is a vvonder to see vvhat paines loue vvill endure Ye knowe this all well eneugh Farther the word is to be marked Ye remember He charges them with a remembrance and if they will forget it he will not let them forget it The people should remember of the paines of the pastor thou art bound to remember vpon the care and prouidence of God for thee thou should remember the Pastors paines for if the Lord had not taken care on thee he would neuer haue raised vp the Pastor to take such a care on thee and this is one of the ordinare meanes God vses to prouide for his people by raising of Pastors to take paines on them and if thou remembers not on the mans paines thou remembers not on the Lords prouidence The remembrance of the Lordes prouidence and paines of the Pastor for thee goe together and thou who lightlies the paines of the man thou lightlies Gods prouidence contemning the one thou contemnes the other remembring the one thou remembers the other Men â—ill say they remember on the Lords prouidence and yet they speake nothing of the instrument God hes sent to winne them No he can not be thankfull to God that forgets his Minister Now in the wordes following he makes plaine the labour pain that he bestowed on them First sayes he I preached vnto you the Gospell of God There is a part of my labour Preaching is a speciall labour what matter were it if there had bene no more but preaching I vvroght and laboured vvith my ovvn hands not in the day onele but in the night also day and night I laboured Paul was a craftsman and had a handie-craft he was a weuer of Tents and Pauilions and vpon that came familiaritie betweene him and Aâ—utla and Pâ—â—stillâ— who were of that same trade and he did dwell with them Act. 18. 3. Besides this he was a gentleman and for other sciences he was wel broght vp broght vp in the lawes at the feet of Gamahell who was a chiefe lawyer and yet for all this he was a craftsman an Hebrew of the trybe of Beniaemin of a good estimation he that got that benefite to be a citizen of Rome he was a gentleman Wel a genâ—lemaÌ„ nowadayes thinks it shame to put his sonne to any craft but perchance the next day he will be hanged for theft or murther if he haue not a craft to sustaine him Fy on this idle nation and thou Scotland bears the gree of idlenesse and loytering Wherefore was all this labouring Because saieth he I should not be chargeable vnto you Brethren an end of his working was for his sustentation an other end was that the Gospell shoulde not be sâ—â—ndered We see he was sparing of these Thessalonians and yet he preached carefully to them and al to this end that the Gospel should not be slandered he wroght with his own hands albeit they wer debt-bound to him Marke here the thing in the world all men should chieflie seeke is that the Gospell of Christ should haue the own progresse without any stop or stay And aboue al things a Pastor who is the instrument of this progresse is bound that by no meane hee be the stay of the Gospell given to win soules to the kingdome of Iesus left that which he is building vp with the one hand be not casle downe with the other as many doe they build on Sonday by their teachâ—ng all the week they cast down by their euill life they destroy more by their life maner of liuing nor they builde by their preaching The least offence in the world wil hinder the course of the Gospel because of the infirmitie of men wemen for they will start at a stray There was neuer a stumbling horse comparable in stumbling to the heart of man considering that so little a thing will cause men take offence at the Gospell and leape farther back nor they came forward We clim vp to Heauen verie softlie and slowlie but if vve runne to Hell vve shall fall dovvn in an houre more then vve did climme in a yeare Therefore we are all bound to flee all kinde of offence and slander Looke that thou offend not offend not the infirme to cause them goe aback neither in the word of thy mouth nor in any action vvith hand or foote or by the vvinke of thy eye to say the progresse of the Gospell And of al men the Pastor is bound to walke most warelie Paul renounces his own right to flee this occasion of offence The Thessalonians wer bound to giue him temporall thinges who ministered to them spirituall things but giuing ouer his right he laboured night and day with his hands for his sustentation Euerie man in their owne degree is bound to suffer all extremitie ere they be a stay to the Gospell but cheeflie the Minister For Paul in the first Epistle to the Corinthians chap. 9. vers 23. sayeth If for the Gospell they absteene not from their ovvne right they shall not be partakers
vntill we see the Lord face to face and then we shall get saciety then we shall be filled when God who is loue himselfe shall be all in all thinges And therefore grovv euer get a peece of grouth this day another peece to morrovve and so day by day grovv vntill thy heart be filled vvith the grace of Christ As thou increasest in knovvledge so thou must increase in loue for these must be joined together knowledge and loue Knowledge is in the mynde and loue in the heart Ye see how pleasant it is to see the Sunne but the light of the mynde whereby we see the Sunne of glorie is more excellent it is the light that commeth from the Lord. Then joyne thereto the loue in the heart these tvvo should ansvvere other in proportion Growest thou in knovvledge of the vvay of Christ looke thou grovv in loue to God and man othervvayes I say thy knovvledge shall not auaile thee and the greater knowledge without loue grow there-with the greater damnation Now whom should they loue Loue euerie one among your selues loue next all men in the vvorld Loue all mankinde Ye are Christians loue together mutuallie Be ye among the Heathen loue them too who knows not Christ loue the Domestickes of faith but loue the strangers too loue the members of the bodie of Christ but loue them also vvho are out vvith the bodie but in a different maner The words lets vs see the loue of the domestick is mutuall As thou louest me so I loue thee as the hand loues the foote so the foote loues the hand So among the members of Christs bodie there is a mutuall loue The band of loue goes from my hart to thee and comes again from thy hart to me but it is otherwaies with the loue that reaches out beyond the body to strangers it is but a single loue going from my hart and not returning againe from them I loue him but he loues not me I loue the Iew but he loues not me I loue the Turke but he loues not me because he is not conjoined in a body with me we should loue them to saluation Then learne we should not be narrovv hearted in loue Say not I loue not him because he loues not me if Christ had done so vvhen thou vvas an enemie it had not beene well with thee He loued thee being his enemie Loue them then vvho hates thee and them vvho would slay thee I will not giue a penny for thy loue if thou loue them onely vvho loues thee And this telles that thou art a member of the bodie when thy loue reaches out with the bodie to others As Christ loues his enemie so thou if thou be of Christs bodie vvill loue thy enemie Alas the canker of our nature against loue If thou striue not to loue thy enemie and to get that rancor of thy nature slaine slaine shalt thou be Steuin when the Ievves vvere stoning him to death sayes Lord let it not be laid to their charge Act. 7. 60. Therefore as thou wouldst haue thy soule safe loue thy enemie He layes downe his owne ensample as I doe you He vses this commonlie when he bids them doe any thing I craue nothing but that ye should resemble me I loue you loue ye others There is a lesson Thou vvho vvilt bid anie other doe well doe vvell thy selfe vvilt thou bid me loue loue then first thy selfe and loue all men A Pastor vvho vvould teach his flock to loue let him shovv loue first in his life and actions himselfe othervvaies he shall not haue grace in his vvords let him cast himselfe to be full of loue and then his vvords shall edifie Let him euer seeke an hartie loue to their saluation and craue loue to them at the hands of the Father and Christ Iesus his Sonne To vvhom vvith the holie Spirite be all praise for novv and for euermore AMEN THE XIII LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 3. vers 13. 13 To make your hearts stable and vnblameable in holinesse before God euen our Father at the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ vvith all his Saints 1. THESSA CHAP. 4. vers 1. 2. 3. 1 And furthermore vve beseech you brethren and exhort you in the Lord Iesus that ye increase more and more as ye haue receiued of vs hovv ye ought to vvalke and to please God 2 For ye knovv vvhat commaundements vve gaue vnto you by the Lord Iesus 3 For this is the vvill of God euen your sanctification and that ye should absteine from forâ—ication IN the wordes going before ye heard brethren the Apostle makes mention to the Thessalonians of that earnest prayer he vsed to God for them that once it would please God to graunt him a prosperous journey to them He fell out immediatly in a prayer The prayer containes thre parts the first part is that God the Father and the Lord Iesus vvould direct his vvay tovvardes them The second part is that how euer it should fall out vvhether he should come to them or not at Gods pleasure yet that they shoulde abound in loue euery one tovvardes another and not that onelie but in loue to all men yea tovvarde their verâ—e enemies Now shortly to come to our text In the last verse of this chapter ye haue the third head of his prayer he beseeches God to giue them holinesse holinesse in generall all kinde of holinesse As he prayed before that they might abound in loue and charitie vvhich is a part of holinesse So novv he prayes they should haue all sort of holinesse Thereafter in the chapter following he falles out in precepts of good maners and holie lyfe and conuersation and this he follovves out to the end of the Epistle sauing onely by the vvay he casts in one or tvvo informations resoluing them of certaine doubtes the first concerning the mourning for the dead the second concerning the day of Iudgement and the comming of the Lord Iesus Novv to returne He prayes for holinesse to them And vvhat should this holinesse doe To make your hearts sayes he stable and vnblameable before God And at vvhat tyme especiallie at the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ In vvhat companie should they be established with holinesse They alone No but vvith all his Saints in that happie societie of the Church of God and the Saintes There is the effect shortlie of this thirtienth verse Then brethren marke It is holinesse not a fashion of holinesse in outvvard behauiour Holines stablishes our harts before God but vvithin the heart of a man or vvoman that makes them stand vp in the presence of God that establishes them without feare terrour or trembling when they stand before the. Tribunall of a terrible Iudge Where there is no holinesse no sinceritie of heart in man but an heart filled vvith foull affections full of vncleannesse and filthinesse there the heart dare not present the selfe before the face of
the Cor. chap. 14 vers 3. Paul sayes He that prophecies that is the Preacher he speakes to men and whereto to edifie in building There is the end of his speaking to exhortation consolation In the 4 chap. Ephes verse 11. He sayes When Christ past vp to Heauen he left not his Church voide or destitute of builders but he sayes he gaue some to be Apostles some Prophetes some Euangelistes some Deacones and Pastours And whereto All to builde vp the bodie of Christ. If a Pastour be not a builder he serues for no purpose Yet not withstanding of this albeit it be the Pastours speciall calling to exhorte The Apostle sayes Everie one of you exhort ye men and wemen euerie one exhort and edifie another Thou should exhort thy neighbour and let him exhort thee againe Holde thou him waking and let him hold thee waking hold thou him in sobrietie and let him hold thee in sobrietie againe hold on that spirituall armor on him on her let him and her hold on thy spirituall armor on thee again So there are none of vs in Christs Church but we haue all this generall calling in the Church to be builders edifiers exhorters euery one of others The simplest in the flock is bound to exhort and builde vp the best of them all that speakes with a tongue For the Lord hes giuen to the least member some peece of grace to builde vp and instruct the bodie For knowe ye what our calling is in Christ As he is King Priest and Prophete a King to rule a Priest in offering vp that onely one propitiatorie sacrifice for all a Prophete to instruct and teache So there is not a true Christian man nor woman but they haue all these three offices they are Kinges Priestes and Prophetes Kinges to rule in the Church of Christ Priestes to offer vp in a maner a sacrifice to God Prophetes to teache and helpe vp the building I meane the vvhole bedie vntill it come to the head Christ that once the man whose head is Christ and the bodie the Elect in the earth may be perfite So say not it is the Ministers duetie to doe this vvhat haue I to doe vvith this Nor vvhen one exhortes thee say not art thou becomme a Minister well it thou accept not such doctrine of them thou shalt die for euer for the Lord hes opened their mouth for thy edification Now the third thing I marke in the last parte of the verse euen as ye doe I vvill not bid you exhort one another as thogh ye did it not alreadie No I acknowledge the grace of God in you in doing it alreadie take your owne praise Well then they are doing the thing he exhortes them to and yet he exhortes them to doe it When I see a man doe any thing what needes me to exhort him to it When I see a man exhorting and building what needes me to exhort him to exhort and build Learne then There are none in this world but they haue need continually and instantlie to be stirred vp in their doing we are far from perfection and albeit we be running on in the rink yet we ar far from the butt which is heuen we are but running yet and so whil we are running let vs go forward if it be a minister that exhorts let him exhort on Who euer they be that exhorts and edifies let them goe on in edifying and exhorting to the building vp of the bodie Now beside this consider ye not the sluggishnesse of our nature our nature is so dead and stupide that searslie will we haue put our hand to the turne when we will fall from it Ye wil see a sleeping bodie put his hand to a turne and in the meane-tyme he will fall down and sleepe Our nature is so slippery that when we are laying vp one stone in the building if one cry not in our eare awake and be doing vve vvill lette it fall So when we are exhorting and searslie vvill the vvorde of exhortation be out of our mouth when we will fall from that purpose So considering our nature the best of vs hes neede to be stirred vp and exhorted when we are doing fastest then we haue need to be stirred vp Yet brethren for all this exhorting he vvill not misknow the grace of God in them Take head when thou seest men doing vvell that thou close not thy eyes thereat and say not to them that they doe nothing some are ouer sore censorers that vvill say thou doest nothing thy exhortation is nothing No let euery man haue his owne praise If they be doing any good thing be it neuer so litle commend them and stir them vp to it by giuing them exhortations and praising them This for this exhortation All this part of this Epistle is full of exhortations concerning Christian behauiour Followes now another exhortation which is more particulare and concernes the duety that the people ought vnto the Pastors I shall holde me by the wordes of the text Then to come to the wordes Brethren There the style he calles them brethren a louing style to testifie that loue he bare tovvardes them Novv vve beseech you There the next worde a word testifying the earnestnesse he had in exhorting them to doe it because it was a great matter he bids them not simplie doe it but he sayes I beseech you doe it When a great thing is to be done by any man certainly it requyres we vse an earnest and not a simple and slender speech The first thing he desires of the people is an acknovvledging Whom of of them vvho labours in the vvorke that is first Then of them vvho are ouer you and aboue you in the Lord. That is next Then of them that admonishe you That is last The second thing he desires of the people that they haue them in a singulare and most speciall loue col Loue them not as ye doe commonly any other man or woman but loue them after a singular maner Wherefore should this loue be Not so much for the persons sake as for the works loue them for their works There is the summe of the wordes shortly The exhortation may be taine vp in two words Doe your duetie to your Pastor Yet he is not content with the bare wordes but he layes out the minister before them in the whole substantiall pointes of his calling letting them see euerie peece of his calling after another And more then this which he speakes of the peoples duety he layes not out their duety simplie but substantiouslie knovve him acknowledge him there one part then haue him in a singular loue there is another part And so it is not eneugh to haue a simple knowledge of him but they must knowe what a man a Pastor should be Men will say I know him he is a man standing vp in a Pulpet preaching with a gowne No the Apostle shewes vs to know him in euery pointe of his dalling in this