LECTVRES VPON THE FIRST AND SECOND EPISTLES OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS Preached by that faithfull seruant of God M. ROBERT ROLLOCK some-tyme Minister of the Euangell of Iesus Christ and Rector of the Colledge in EDINBVRGH EDINBVRGH PRINTED BY ROBERT CHARTERIS Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majestie An. Dom. M. D. C. VI. Cum Priuilegio Regiae Majestatis TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL THEIR MOST LOVING FRIEND IN THE LORD MAISTER VVILLIAM SCOT OF ELY grace in this life and euerlasting glorie in the lyfe to come ALL knowledge and all sciences inuented by the wise men of this world without the knowledge of IESVS CHRIST by whom remission of sinnes is obtained to the miserable soule are but vaine and vnprofitable The Apostle reckoning out his prerogatiues Philip. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. which were many counts them all in respect of the excellency and knovvledge of Christ Iesus to be but losse and dung Euen so it is with all sciences if they be seuered from the knowledge of Iesus Christ in the Gospell For what auailes it a man to knowe the height of the Heauens the courses of the Starres the breadth of the earth if in the mean-tyme his conscience accuse him for his sinnes to be vnworthie both of Heauen and earth What auailes it a man to seeke by Physick to prolong afraile temporall life to the bodie if his conscience tell him in the mean-tyme that his soule shall perish for euer What auailes it a man to brag of the knowledge of the Lawe if his conscience accuse him to be most vnjust and worthie of eternal damnation In these and such like things the wise men of this world doe glorie and yet they make not the soule the better The knowledge of Iesus Christ in the Gospell is the onely knowledge that preserues the soule and makes it to liue for euer Ioh. 5. 39 as our Sauiour sayes Search the Scriptures for in them ye thinke to haue eternall lyfe Ioh. 17. 3 and they are they vvhich testifie of me And againe This is life eternall that they knovv thee to be the onely verie God and vvhom thou hast sent Iesus Christ Then this science is to be sought praised and preferred to all others in all respects Look how highly PAVL commends it 1. Cor. 2. 6. 7. 8. 9. Wespeake sayes he vvisdome among them that are perfite Not the vvisdome of this vvorld neither of the Princes of this vvorld vvhich come to nought But vve speake the vvisdome of God in a misterie euen the hid vvisdome vvhich God had determined before the vvorld vnto our glory Which none of the Princes of this World hath knovvne for had they knovvne it they vvould not haue crucified the Lord of glory But as it is vvritten the things vvhich eye hath not seene neither eare hath heard neither came into mans hart are vvhich God hath prepared for them that loue him But God hath reueiled thē vnto vs by his Spirit Other sciences were inuented by men but God himselfe is the Author of this science he reueiled it Other sciences are all inuented in tyme but this science is before all tyme from all eternitie other sciences handles things corruptible and changeable the knoweledge whereof albeit it be pleasant and profitable for this present life yet it cannot reforme the soule to eternall life for all their vertue is but the couerture of vyce but this science settes out and reueiles to a broken harted sinner a fauorable and reconciled God in Iesus who is aduantage both in life and death and in whom the heigh and wonderfull things of God and all things that the soule of man can require for grace or glory pertaining either to this or to that other life Col. 2. 3. 9 10. is contained For in him are hid all the treasures of vvisdome and knovvledge in him dvvelleth all the fulnesse of the god-head bodily Now this pretious treasure the Lord hes committed to earthen vessels he hes set in his seruice base and contemptible persons to carie the message of reconciliation and to proclame to weary and loaden sinners the glade tydings of saluation he sendes out simple men to manure his husbandrie he sends them out as souldiers to that spirituall warfare vvith vveapons that are not carnall 2. Cor. 10 4. 5. but mightie through God to cast dovvne holdes to cast dovvne imaginations and euery high thing that is exalted against the knovvledge of God and to bring into captiuitie euery thought to the obedience of Christ. Whom for the message they carie the Gospel they preach the word of life they offer that hid treasure that is committed to them the Lord craues we should haue in singulare account honour and loue And indeed if we had the sight of the fearcenesse of that eternall wrath of God for sinne it could not be possible but we would say O hovv bevvtifull are the feete of them vvhich bring glade tydinges of peace Rom. 18. 15. and bring glade tydinges of good things We cannot honour loue and highly esteeme of the Maister and respect the Gospell if we hate and contemne the seruant and messenger And if we loue our parents of whom we haue nothing but misery who hes conceiued vs in sinne nurirished and trained vs vp in sin and who by nature makes vs aires of wrath and hell for that vvhich is borne of the flesh is flesh Ioh. 3. 6. O how excedinglie should we loue these whom God makes instruments of our regeneration to beget vs to God to make vs his sonnes and to translate vs from darknesse to light from miserie to felicitie from death to life from hell to heauen And yet this vnworthie world neuer duely accounts of them but of all men they hate most malitiouslie the true seruants of Iesus Christ And to passe by other ages and Countries the Lord of the haruest stryuing against our ingratitude hes sent out from tyme to tyme into this Land sundry painfull laborers and faithfull preachers of the Gospell who preased in all respectes to approue themselues to God to a good conscience and to the consciences of so many as beleeued of whom the world was not worthie Among the rest whom God did bewtifie with singulare graces the Lord in the person of M. ROBERT ROLLOCK that faithfull and reuerent seruant of Iesus Christ gaue vs no sober token of his loue For we cannot tell if vpon any almest in this Land the Lord bestowed greater aboundance and varietie of graces of his Spirite if in any there was a more spirituall and heauenly soule if any spared themselues lesse and vndertooke greater paines that they might be found faithfull and finishe their course with joye if any preased more to approue themselues to God and a good conscience then he O what and how many giftes and graces were in the person of that man in conceiuing he was quick in judgement solide he vttered the Word with great libertie he preached with euidence
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
vve shall finde as many destroyed by deceit as by violence and a faire clocke of justice casten ouer deceite And in vvhat thing should they not circumveene In any manner of dealling or trafficking The Lord so long as it pleases him that we remaine in this worlde hes appointed a mutuall buying and selling otherwayes we could not liue and he hes ordained this buying and selling to be so that bothe the parties winne the buyer winne the seller-winne and he vvho blockes aright and deales vvithin his neighbour according to the word of God aright he vvill not be content to vvinne himselfe alone No the conscience of him will say and must say I vnderstand as I haue made my ovvne vauntage so shoulde my brother make his vauntage also But alas such is our selfe loue that vve can neuer thinke vve get aduauntage except our brother get losse Alas this sin is ouer much vsed in Scotland The Lord amend it The Lord is the auenger of sinne And if in blocking thou seeke not the aduauntage of thy neighbor that blocks with thee with thy aduantage thy aduantage shall be a curse to thee and thou shalt cursse the time that euer thou got that aduantage Whom should they not deceaue He sayes a brother Thou shouldst not beguyle any man neither Turke nor Pagane much more shouldst thou beware to beguile a Christian a brother or sister for I assure thee God will not see them wrongde The Lord that is thy master he vvill repaire the vvrong He that is made a brother to the first begotten of the Father the Lord vvill not see that brother vvrongde The Apostle 1. Corinth chap. 6. verse 8. settes dovvne that matter as a great indignitie saying Ye doe injurie ye doe hurt to your brother and them vvho hes giuen their names to Christ ye shame your selues to beguyle your brethren But to open the matter more deeplie There are manie conjunctiones the Lorde hes ordained to be among men as of bloude affinity ciuile societie c. and euerie one of these conjunctiones oblishes them to do no wrong to that person with whom they are conjoined But when this Christian conjunction commes in in our elder brother Christ when we are all members of one bodie in one head Christ not sundrie bodies as brethren on earth are this conjunction aboue all conjunctiones bindes me and thee to deale truelie in anie blocke vve haue vvith our brother So vvhen thou art dealing vvith anie man say this vvith thy selfe he with vvhom I deale is my brother and a member of that bodie of Christ and therefore farre be it from me to deceyue him Alas if men coulde thinke on this at their blocking that they vse to deale vvith a brother in Christ and member of that bodie for all the vvorlde they vvoulde not set themselues to beguile their brother Many testifies by their deceite they are not brethren in this bodie for if they vvere brethren indeed for all the world they vvoulde not deceaue them Novv there is heere another thing I see among all conjunctiones that euer hes beene in any societie or conjunction in this earth the most powerfull conjunction to keep men together in one societie and mutuall loue and concord is this spirituall conjunction of vs in the Lord All the lawes and conjunctions that euer hes been in any commonwel since the beginning are not so powerfull to keepe men in societie as this conjunction we haue together in one head Marke it I tell you if men and wemen be not joined together in one head by a spirituall vnion it may be there be a face of vnitie in the Countrie but no societie and sinceritie in loue except the Lord be the binder and conjoiner together no true conjunction If Christ be not the conjoyner and the binder of the man with the wife the father with the sonne no true conjunction I will not say that that Romane and Grecian Common-well that had no part in God through Iesus Christ had euer any true conjunction or sinceritie in loue No sinceritie in concorde but that that is made vp in Iesus the Lord when we runne all in to be members of one bodie and he sitting and joyning vs altogether as peeces of that bodie then there will be a sweete conjunction Alas ye see this sweete harmonie and vnitie is not among people yea alas among them that professes Christianitie greater outcasts nor among Turkes The cause is there are manie and ouer manie that call themselues Christians and takes vpon them to be in the bodie that hes no part in Iesus and hes nothing adoe with him It is shame that they should take this name vpon them for it is true if thou wert a true member of that bodie thou wouldst not seuere thy selfe from the rest of the bodie by thy murther oppression deceit c. These homicides and murtherers does testifie men and wemen are not truelie conjoyned in this bodie but keepes the name of Christianitie without effect Now he casts to one reason of these two thinges saying God is the anâ—â—ger of all such thinges bothe of deceitfulusse and oppression The reason is terrible and it telles vs God sees all and teaches vs that in this rinke to Heauen if we be not hedged in with terrors yea the best of vs with terrors on this side and terrors on that side we will runne out of the way And therefore as God hes appointed faire promises to exhort men to goe forward saying Goe forward thou shalt get a faire Crowne So on the other part knowing faire promises will not doe the turne he threatens judgements saying Goe thou out of the way my vengence shall ouertake thee yea he does more nor this and casts in greater terrors he knowes that wordes will not doe the turne whiles he takes an harlote as it were by the neck and and in the sight of the world he will teare him in peeces and let men see that the vengence of God followes on sin and wil strike him with such a sodaine death that men will feare to doe the like We see daily such experience of Gods judgements whiles he vvill take an oppressour vvho hes oppressed men in this world and wil tred on him with his feet to terrifie the world and this is his daily doing in this world Now taking this man and that woman now and then punishing them to let the world see that punishment is for sinne and sin craues judgement yea and let them see there is a day of judgement comming when he wil tak soule and bodie and cast them into hel For these temporall judgements are but as many tokens to tell vs there is a day comming when all oddes shall be made euen When ye see a man plagued temporallie stand not there but thinke on the last punishment vnlesse repentance interueene Ye will maruell when ye see a man running in wickednesse that the Lord in our sight instantlie strikes him not No knowe
first Faith then Hope and Charitie then followes al other graces on them When God instructs a man in any grace he first layes down this fundamentall grace and teaches him to loue then he buildes another grace vpon it and puts on liberalitie on it and biddes thee bee beneficiall first he biddes him loue and then hee biddes him be beneficiall Therefore Paul 1. Corinth chap. 13. verse 3. Speaking of that same grace of beneficence saies If I should take all my substance and deale it to the poore if this liberalitie come not from the heart and proceed not from loue it auailes nothing Giue all that thou vvilt giue if thou loue not the person thou guest it to thou hast lost thy thankes at Gods handes Therefore in teaching liberalitie that thy beneficence may turne to thy selfe and doe thee good as it does to another man he teaches thee loue For if my gift redound not to my owne well woe is me Then the vvay to get goode of the gift thou giuest is to loue him thou giuest it to The Philosopher he teaches the childe vertue but as for loue he cannot worke it He will teache thee liberality and descriue it to thee but as for the hart he cannot instruct it It is the Lord that teaches this fundamentall grace of Charitie without the which all thy doinges are as an house builded without good ground In the next verse he proues that they are all taught of God by their doinges Yea saies he and that thing verelie ye doe to all the brethren that are in Macedonia Ye are not speakers and braggers but doers it is not speaking that wil do the turne but doing beneficence must be in the hand and not in the mouth This age is full of talke as euer any age was and all our goodnesse is only in our mouth and tongue our faith in our mouth our charitie in our mouth our liberalitie in our mouth little in heart as little in hand nothing in action Take head All this testifies for all the doctrin and preaching of the grace of God in Christ commonly God is not the teacher God when he teaches a man to be bountifull as he layes the fundamentall grace vvhich is loue so he makes it bud forth in the hand that is he drawes it out in action he draws it not out in the tongue to clatter of it but he draws it in the hand to doe well with it and ther cannot be a surer argument that God is the teacher of any grace nor when we see the action of the hand conformed to the profession Count of them by their workes Hast thou faith the best argument to knowe thy faith by is thy worke Iames saies chap. 2. verse 18. Let me see thy faith not in thy tongue but in thy vvorks Would thou knovve if a man hes a liberall heart Looke not to his tongue but to his hand So he who is instructed by God in any grace he is a doing man a doeâ— and not a speaker Yet ere I leaue the wordes marke this He saies to all the brethren Loue to all the brethren not to him nor to her nor to one part but all in whole Macedonia that is the whole Countrey about you As if the liberalitie of Edinburgh were extended to whole Scotland and to all the brethren in it Marke then the maner of Gods teaching As he layes downe the ground Charitie and builds ther on beneficencie and bringes the grace from the heart to the hand so he will not open one peece of the hand and shut it out to this bodie or that bodie onely and then draw it in againe but he opens out the hand wide to all the brethren and all the members of the bodie of Christ Looke all the doctoures of Philosophie when they discourse of this vertue of beneficence and liberalitie they lay doe goode to thy friendes and kins-men aduance them doe goode to them that doe well to thee thy enemie meete him againe with an euill turne yea vvith tvvo euill turnes for one And this precept is ouer vvell keeped in Scotland But God when he and his ministers teaches he bids thee be beneficiall to all men showe thy good deeds to all men yea to thy enemies Loue thy enemies show not only a good countenance to thy enemie albeit he loue thee not loue him by so doing coales of wraith shall be on his head Commit the vengence to God and he shall surely repay Rom. 12. 19. Vengence is mine sayes the Lord O would to God men could beleeue that that the Lord would take vengence on the oppressour and on such as are set on euill works we shall see that vengence powred on them in that great day The Lord ye heard is the auenger of harlotrie and wickednesse then let the Lord be the onely auenger Yet there is a great difference in showing liberalitie Respect saies the Apostle speciallie them vvho are of the familie of faith Galat. 6. 10. There is a difference of loue as there are degrees of liberalitie we are not bound to loue all men alyke albeit we be bound to loue all men yet we should loue them best who are members of that bodie with vs in Christ This difference must be keeped Now when he hes left off to exhort them to beneficence In the end of the verse he saies the least thing I can doe is to exhort you to increase more and more This should learne vs that when we see the grace of God in any person we should not insist long to exhort them to that grace for when God is teaching few wordes may serue them to stirre them vp to that grace but they whom the Lord teaches not by his Spirit a thousand wordes will not teach them So they that would releeue the Minister of paines let them seeke earnestlie that God vvoulde be the inward teacher in the heart and then thou shalt be taught Now Necessity of exhortation to perseuerance brethren albeit there be not a necessity to insist to exhort men to the grace they see in any person yet there is a necessity to exhort them to perseuerance in that grace There are none so indewed with any grace as with liberalitie patience loue yea faith it selfe the ground of all graces but he hes need euery day to heare the voice of exhortation to goe forward For none hes made such progresse in the course of Christianitie for we are all in the rinke running to the butt Christ when we haue runne all our dayes vntill vve be gray haired yet vve are farre from the butt and vve are ay falling back and so vve haue ay need of this voice crying after vs. Runne on thou art running thou hast ouercomde him who ranne with thee stryue to ouerrun thy self Ran thou fast the day run faster to morrow amend thy pace euery day There are none of vs who standes so fast in grace but we may fall back againe and therefore
establish you ye are not of this number that fall away for the Lord he is faithfull and according to his promise he shall make you stand for euer Now here he followes out his precepts and in the first verse red we haue a generall exhortation to obedience to be giuen to all the directions vvarnings and admonitions that he had giuen them before as if he should say What euer I haue bidden you in the name of Christ doe ye it all and begin not onely but also perseuere vnto the end Brethren this christian calling that we are placed into craues a doing and practise not a thinking or speaking onely so that all our religion be in our tongue No put to thy hand and doe as thou would showe thy selfe a christian for a christian man would be a doer all men must be doing and set on an action but not euery way for it is better for some men to sit idle and to be sleeping when they are most exercised The doing requyred of a christian should be by a rule not wauering but as ye see a lyne drawen by a rule or square so euer the action of a man should be by a rule euen straight direct not crooked declyning to this side or that side We learne of these words what is the rule whereby the actions of a christian should be ruled The doctrine of the Apostles is the rule of our actions It is the doctrine of the Apostles of Iesus Christ doe as Paul Peter and the rest of the Apostles hes bidden thee doe and I shall warrand thee prease to direct thy actions according to that rule for he that heares the doctrine of the Apostles and followes not their direction refuses to giue obedience to Christ himselfe Now the forme of proponing of this matter is to be marked He sayes not doe as I command you to do but he mitigates the command and casts in a motiue to moue them to doe as he bade them He sayes I am persvvaded I haue a sure confidence that ye will doe as I bid you and so he vtters the good opinion he had of them that they did well and would continue in well doing vnto the end So the Pastor hes his lesson It becommes a Pastour or teacher when he sees a good meaning of his flock euer to thinke the best of them yea to conceyue a perswasion but in the Lord that they shall continue in well doing vnto the end And againe in the other part it is very meete that the flock vnderstand that the Pastour counts and esteemes well of them for vvhen the flock conceyues that the Pastour hes a good estimation of them it is no small motiue and incouragement to them to go forward in well doing for when the childe thinkes his father hes a good opinion of him and that he shall come to grace it is an incouragement to go forward in wel doing Euen so it is with the Pastor and the people for if the flock think that their Pastor hes not a good opinion of them it is the verie vvay to discourage them and to cause them goe backvvard So men should be verie ware least they should hurt others Another thing heere is to be marked He sayes We are persvvaded in the Lord not in you for asvvell as vve count of you our considence is not in you for then ye and we should both be beguiled so he hes not a confidence in them albeit vve haue a confidence of them that they should doe well for these are different for if confidence be in a man it is asmuch as to ascryue all power and glorie of vvell doing to man himselfe and so to depryue God of his glorie As by the contrare to put al confidence in the Lord it is to ascryue all glory to God that giues the strength to man to doe well The generall is Why should we not haue confidence of men and be well perswaded that they will doe well but beware while thou hopest they will doe well that thou hurt not the glory of God by giuing the glorie of their well doing to man If he wer the best on earth giue him not the praise of a jote of the power of well doing but giue it to God alone that all the glory may be Gods Let al the glory returne to him from whom all graces came This for the first verse I haue red The next precept conteined in the next verse is more particulare and conteines a speciall thing The Lord sayes he guide your harts to the loue of God and the vvaiting for of Christ. The summe is this Set your harts vpon the loue of God that is one And vpon the patient hope of Jesus Christ and his comming that is another There is the effect of the words So first he recommends to them the loue of God and then the patient looking for of Iesus Christ and their saluation which shall be accomplished when he commes in his glory Now mark the forme and maner after the which he giues out this precept He turnes this precept in a praier this is wisdome in which he beseeches the Lord to direct their harts to the loue of God first and next to the patient hope of Christs comming Mark this forme By this turning of a precept in a prayer he wold teach vs this far that these commands that are giuen in the Scripture these precepts exhortations directions and admonitions imports not that there is any power or free-will in man or woman to obey or to doe that that is commanded and exhorted or to do any part of it This is the doctrine of the aduersares when they heare of any precept or exhortation in the Scripture then incontinent conclude they there is a free-will in man to doe that that is commanded No free-will in man to do good otherwise it were in vaine the command giuen if the Lord giue not free-will to do it wherfore commands he but the Lord knowes how this followes for by turning this precept into a prayer we are taught that albeit man be commanded and exhorted to doe such and such things yet all power of wel doing depends onely on the Lord And therefore oft ye shall finde either the precept turned in a praier or else with precept praier conjoined And therefore when we are commanded and admonished to doe any good in that same instant our hart should be raised to God to desire strength at him thou shold say Lord giue me the strēgth to do as thou commandst me When I admonish and exhort thee to set thy hart to loue and feare God is it in thy power so to doe speaks thy conscience so to thee If it say that it is in thy power thy conscience beguiles thee that conceit is a plain illusion And therfore seeing it lyes not in thy power to do when thou art exhorted let thy refuge be to the Lord and say Lord as thou bidst me loue thee so
giue me grace to loue thee as thou bidst me hope so worke thou hope in me otherwise I will neuer be answerable to thy command Now to the words I pray God to direct your harts to the loue of God Ye see here wherfore he praies not for their mouth or tonge nor for their eies nor for none of these outward members but his prayer is for their harts that the Lord would direct their harts What meanes this To wit that the directer the guider and ruler of all these outward members of the eyes tongue and mouth of the hand and foote is the hart she sittes in the midst and guides all so that if she her selfe be first well guyded ruled and disposed it shall be well with all the members of thy bodie she shall guide thy tongue and brydle thy mouth in speaking and guide thy hand in doing it shall be well with thy eyes and eares she shall not suffer thee to looke or heare wrong and so well is the person that hes a well guyded hart and well disposed mynde For then as for the outward members they shal be all made wapons of righteousnesse to serue God but if the hart be euill disposed but if it be backward and peruerse as it is of nature there shal not be so much as the least member of the bodie but al shal goe the wrong way thy foote shall goe to mischieefe a murtherers hart stirres his foote to murther thy hand shall be a wapon of vnrighteousnesse to fight against God thy eye shall be looking to euill and likewise all the rest all shall be set to do wickednesse And therefore as the hart craues heere prayer for guiding of it so euery part of the bodie craues prayer for it As the Apostle prayes so let vs pray Lord guide my hart my hand my foote No the least member craues prayer but begin at the first stirrer the hart and say Lord guide my hart that all the rest of my members may followe her Alas the neglect of this prayer to God that he would guide the hart makes the hart a foule stinking puddle There is no stinking flewer to the stinke of a foule hart ô if thou felt it that thou might detest it If it be not purged thou shalt neuer see the face of God if thou ly still in the filth of thy hart and euery day in thy hart contract some further filth remember I forewarne thee the intolerable judgement of God shall be heaped on thy head as thou heapest filth vpon filth Now what craues he to their harts I pray the Lord sayes he to direct your harts The word in the owne language signifies a straightning as it wer an euen lyne for brethren consider the hart of man as it is disposed by nature and by this foule birth of ours all within vs is foule without that renuing Spirit of Iesus Christ it comes in this world crooked manshart crooked by nature and bowed in as a crooked tree bowed away from God to the deuill from al good things to all euil and mischiefe It is backward that is the terme that the Scripture giues it euery man is borne vvith a backvvard hart bowed downward from God And therefore what thing should thou craue to the hart what should thou aske for it It is not euen eneugh no so long as thou liuest there shall be ay a crooke in it What should thou pray for it then Euen this Lord make it euen put this peruersnesse out of it for so long as it bydes in this backvvardnesse it is not possible but thy vvraith must be on it Then pray for two things to thy hart First to mak straight thy crooked hart and say Lord I finde my hart crooked vvithin me bovving avvay from thee Lord put in day holy Spirit in it and straighten it And againe because it is impossible so long as I liue that I can attaine vnto an hart altogether straight Lord hyde the crookes of my hart with that mantle of the righteousnesse of Christ Trovvest thou that thou could stand one moment before that Majestie that cannot looke on a crooke except thy crook were couered with that mantle of the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ Therefore our prayer should be Lord let Christ my Mediator euer stand betweene me and thee to hold off thy wraith and fire of thy countenance Now folovves in the end of the verse tvvo pointes vnto the vvhich the hart should be directed manshart should be directed to tvvo things 1. the loue of God The thing that is made straight must be directed to a pointe The first pointe whereinto the hart must be directed is the loue of God the next is the patient avvaiting for of Christ. To speake of the first The hart as it is bowed and alienated from euerie good thing so first it is bowed from God and his loue be assured as thou art borne thou louest not God No thy nature inclines to hate him so deadlie that thou hast no vvill nor pleasure once to thinke of him the hart abhortes by nature the verie cogitation of him and faine vvould thou haue that conscience that aduerises thee of him to be pulled avvay Many vvould be quyte of their conscience that is euer sounding to them of God thou would giue a kingdome if thou had it to be quite of it And as thou wold not think of him by nature so thou vvould neuer heare of him there is such a naturall hatred against God in the hart of man for all are borne as it were with their face away from God and their backs turned to God and the longer thou liuest the farther thou runnest from him except by his Spirit he turne thee and say to thee turne thee and looke on my face And therefore the first thing we should pray for should be Lord turne my hart to thee to loue thee and set it on thee This is the praier of the Apostle and it should be our prayer night and day What thing canst thou loue with any joy or delectation if thou first loue not God Will the Husband loue the wife if he loue not God first fy on thee and thy loue both for thy loue vvill be turned in hatred and thou vvilt cursse thy vvyfe and thy children if thou louest not God first and then them in God for this cause This is the first pointe vnto the which the hart should be directed Now the next pointe he calles Patience that is a patient hope Of vvhom Of Iesus Christ that is of his comming and consequently of thy euerlasting saluation that shall be reueiled at his comming 2. Patient avvaiting for Christ Brethren it is craued that the hart of man be set beyond any thing in this lyfe I tell thee thy hart must be directed farther nor any grace thou can get in this lyfe farther nor faith nor the loue of God vvhich is the preciousest thing thou can haue thy hart must be set on things
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
a man might see one jote In a word he that is in Heauen translated out of this darknesse of nature he woulde haue all in Heauen with him And by the contrair He that is yet in darknesse and so in Hell he would haue all with him So looke what condition the man is of he would haue all lyke to him Therefore I will neuer thinke well of men that impeades the progresse of the Gospell of Christ they argue what is within them for were this loue of the light within their hearts for all this worlde would they not hinder the progresse of the Gospel Alas ye shall finde this ouer true in the end woe woe to them that hinders the planting of the Gospell Alas if there were this loue of the light in their hearts there would not be so many churches vnplanted so many soules fuffred to perishe Now I draw to an end When he hes set down these six points of their dittay whereof the least is worthie damnation for what judgement must light on the slayers of the Lord of the Prophets and Apostles He sets down the end of all that euer they should I fill out their sinnes As though he said they are euer exercised this vvay to this end that the measure of their sins should be filled out and then the judgement should ouertake them This is the end of the counsell of God They had an other end But to make this plaine all things fall out to man by measure vvhole the fulnes come All thinges that fall as it vvere out of Heauen out of the counsell of God vpon men fall in a measure and in a quantitie The grace of God in Iesus Christ is giuon in a measure to euerie one Ephesâ— 4. 7. The afflictions of the godlie is giuen in a measure and peece and peece this measure is filled out vntill it come to the heape and then the affliction shall cease The filling of them did begin at the creation and Abell felt them first and euer since the measure of them hes beene incressing vntill it came to Iesus and he tooke an heauier vveight of affliction vpon him nor euer was before him Yet the measure of the afflictions of the Church is not filled out In comes the Apostles and they get their part after them comes the Pastores and they get their part and enerie persone that is in Christ gets his part and so euerie one hes his ovvne burdene So long as the world shall stand this measure shall be in filling out when it shall be full the world shall fail and the pillers of it shall be cutted and an end shall be put to all teares Reuel 21. 4. This measure is long in filling It did begin soone it must be 〈◊〉 out sayes 〈…〉 1. Epist 5. 9. So euerie one hes his owne part Likewise some goe by a measure and since the beginning this measure hes beene in filling euerie age hes casten to their their owne part It is not one age that hath â—â—lled vp the measure of sinne but euerie generation hes casten to the ovvne part to fill vp sinne and in this age euerie one is bearing their arme-fall and burdene of sinne he vvith murther the with harlotrie and he with oppression and persecution and he comes in with blasphemie yet the cup is not full and the measure of sinne shall not be filled vp so long as the worlde doeth stand When the father dies the sonne will liue to fill out this measure he makes his testament yet the sin is not filled vp but the thing he could not doe himselfe he bids his sonne do it and he will say to his sonne Sonne I could not get this man slaine nor this euill deed nor that euill deed ouertaken if I had liued I should haue done this or that doe thou therefore that I coulde not do So doe the Iewes and therefore the Lord sayes Fill out the measure of your fathers sinnes Matt. 23. 32. Now when this measure is full the vvorld shall take an end and all shall fall down but vvoe is the sinner and vvell is the godlie for the sinner shall be destroyed for euer and the afflicted bodie shall finde saluation Take head There are none that knovve when this measure shall be filled out but he who in his vnsearchable counsell hes appointed this measure of sinne that is God I know it not thou knovvest it not and therefore it is ouer presiumptuous a thing when thou seest a man iâ— sin to say this man hath filled the measure of sinne for it may be the Lord will let him hue to commit greater sinne And in deed it is a vvonder to consider the patience of God in suffering of sinne and so it is called the riâ—hes of the â—enignitie of God Rom. 2. 4. And this should learne vs patience to sit still and abyde Gods leasure and glorifie him Farther this vvould be marked heere there are sundrie measures of sinne one of all the wicked that euer vvas is or shall be to the end an other is of any certaine nation or countie as of the Ievves heere the thrid is of the particulare persone vvhereof Paul speakes Act. 3. 10. And in lyke manner vve may consider the same measure of grace There is now the dittay Will ye heare the doome the vvrath of God is come on them to the vtmost As he would say the vvrath of God ouertooke them long since It holdes on and shall holde on vntill it bring them to a miserable end There is the doome and judgement It is set dovvne as a cause of the filling vp of their sinne ProportioÌ„ betvvene vvraith sinne because the wrath of God leaues them not When once Gods wrath begins to light on a bodie that bodie will neuer doe a good turne but sinne on still vntill in end the vvrath light on him and beaâ—e â—ut all his bâ—aines And againe when once God beginnes to looke on a creature vvith a fauourable eye that creature will be exercised in vvell doing for it is the mercifull face of God that makes the man to doe vvell And for this cause it is said that God hated Esau and therefore he neuer did a goode turne and againe he loued Iacob and therefore hee did all to pleasure his God All serues to this end that men and vvemen should seeke to stand in the fauour of God seeke tokens of his loue And on the other part seeke to be free of the vvrath of God for if it possesse thee thou shalt doe nothing but sinne vnder it and as thou sinnest vvraith after vvraith shall follovv on thee vntill it come to an height and then it shall be heaped on thee to thy euerlasting destruction vvhen thou art crying peace peace the vvrath of God vvill come on tumbling on thee as a Mountaine as vvas seene on these Ievves fourtie yeeres after this Novv to end The Lord giue vs euer grace to seeke to be vnder his fauourable
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
Gospell The villane cares not to commit filthinesse in Gods presence he looking to vs viuely in the Gospell Well were it to thee thou hadst neuer heard of Christ and the Gospell Then more tolerable might thou haue sinned But when in the face of God and christ and in the face of the Gospell thou committes such sin how can it â—e but thy sinne is a thousand tymesâ— greater nor the sin of the Gentiles and thy damnation ten thousand tymes heauier And in Hell they that so sinnes shall curse the tyme that euer they heard the Gospell saying Woe to me I haue sinned in the face of Christ and the Gospell Be ware of this the greater grace the greater contempt thereof the greater judgement and damnation for it No not so much shalt thou be punished for being a thief a murtherer c. as for that will the Lord say thou spat in my face And therefore we ought instantly to seeke God to giue vs grace to reforme vs from this wilfull contempt in the cleare light of the Gospell To this God be glorie for euer Amen THE XXI LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 5. vers 8. 9. 10. 8 But let vs vvhich are of the day be sober putting on the brest-plate of faith and loue and the hope of saluation for an helmet 9 For God hath not appointed vs vnto vvraith but to obtaine saluation by the meanes of our Lord Iesus Christ 10 Which died for vs that vvhether vve vvake or sleepe vve shold liue together vvith him THE last exhortation of the Apostle brethren vnto the Thessalonians was that they should not sleepe nor be drunken but by the contrare they shold wake and be sober Two things are forbidden sleeping and drunkennesse Two things recommended waking and sobrietie the sleeping which he meanes is properlie a spirituall sleepe when the soule sleepes in a deadlie securitie Drunkennesse is not so much this bodily drunkennesse which is also forbidden as the drunkennes of the soule when the soule takes a surfet of these earthlie thinges so that it hes not the care not sense of that life but is set altogether on vain pleasures The waking he recommends is a spirituall waking wakrifenesse in soule when the senses of the soule are opened the eie of the soul to looke to the face of Christ to the glorie and life to come the care of the soule likewise opened to heare and receiue inwardly the Gospell which is the word of God vttered by the Minister The sobriety that is recommended is properly that teÌ„perance of the soule when the soule is content with a moderation of the things of this world and vses this world as thogh it vsed it not not passing the bounds of rejoicing in this life but setting the joy and pleasure on the life to come that is the inwarde sobriety of the spirituall man Now when he hes set down his exhortation he subjoines reasons thereto and the first reason to moue them not to sleepe not to be drunken is in respect of the time wherin they are and for the inconuenience of the time It is no time to be drunkeÌ„ he that sleeps sleeps in the night they that are drunken are drunkeÌ„ in the night No night now since Christ is come in the world there is a continuall daylight And therfore since it is not night it sets not you to sleep and to be drunken as if it were night For in all the actiones in this lyfe we ought to haue a speciall regarde of the tyme wherein we doe any thing and specially of these two tymes the day and the night The actiones that becommes the day settes not the night and by the contrare the actions of the night sets not to be done in the day The Lord so distributes the doings of men that he hes giuen the night his actiones and the day his actiones and in a maner it is a confusion of nature and of the ordinance of God to doe the actiones of the day in the night and the actiones of the night in the day and a kinde of beastlinesse But to come to this text In the first verse we haue red the Apostle giues the reason wherefore they should wake as he gaue the reason wherefore they should not be drunken It is in respect of the estate vvherein they stand presentlie But â—e are the children of the day Therefore ye should be vigilant and sober Euen as in all our doinges the tyme of doing is to be respected if we should doe euerie thing in the owne tyme that God hes appointed thereto So the condition of men and women who does any thing should be regarded in their doinges euerie one should doe as becommes their estate condition and calling thou that art of a calling should not do that which pertaines to another of another calling thy actions should be in that calling God hes placed thee in Now there are two sortes of estates and conditions of men in this world especiallie to be considered The first the estate of the children of light The second the estate of the children of darknes there are none but of necessity they are of one of these conditions Either they are the childreÌ„ of the night or else the children of the day Chuse thee if thou be not the childe of the night thou art the childe of the day if thou be not the childe of the day thou art the childe of the night if thou be not Gods thou art the Deuils In all the doings and actions of this life men does according to one of these two estates If thou be the childe of darknes be drunken on for in spite of thy teeth if thou be the childe of darknes thou shalt be drunkeÌ„ both in soule and body if thou be the childe of God doe as besets thy estate sleep not but wake wake in the spirit and soule and haue the inward senses of thy soule open If thou be the childe of the light and day be not drunken either in soule or body for none of them becommes the childe of the day If thou take vpon thee to be the childe of the day and light and giue thy self our to be a Christian and yet will sleepe and be drunken in thy soule and haue thy senses closed and haue no more of the childe of light but the baâ—e name it is better to be without it for the very name will aggreadge thy sin before the Iudge and in the latter day it will stand vp and testify in thy face against thee as it will aggreadge thy sin so it will make thy damnation the greater Wheras the judgmeÌ„t of a Gentile who took on him the name of dark-and not of light shal be tolerable in a maner thy judgment shal be intolerable and double A murtherer who bears the name of a christian commits double murther and therfore his judgement is double an harlot who takes the name
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
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 self-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
the verse going before he made mention of faith without patience but in this verse he maks mention of faith and patience ther eason is Because faith in effect is nothing but the anchor of the soule As the Apostle to the Heb. chap. 6. vers 19. calles hope the anchor of the soule and as an anchor is casten on sure ground to stick so is Faith casten on Christ and fastned on him Now there is nothing in this world that the deuill the world sin which are the enemies of Faith in this world enuyes more nor when they see the soule of a man anchored on Christ as on a sure ground And therefore they seeke euer to seuere thy soule from Christ and to breake the anchor He will spew out floods of persecution and tentation javv after javv to raise if it were possible the anchor of Faith in Christ that the anchor being away the man may flow and fleete and at the last perish Then what is the remedie It is needfull that faith be sure grounded if faith be not grounded on Christ she shall perishe and further she must haue a troup of graces about her she must be hedged on all sides with a varietie of graces IgnoraÌ„ce of God of Christ are the causes of vengence And so it is where euer true faith is in Christ there is a troup of graces about it Now all these graces that compasses her are as many branches that commes from her selfe as from the roote There stands about her Hope Loue Patience c. a number of graces of all sortes all commes from her for she is mother of all All serues her for she is Queene of all Hope Loue Patience and the rest are as many maids standing about her to serue her Now among all these graces Patience is one the duetie and seruice of Patience is to stand betweene faith and the jawes of tentations and persecutions and to receiue all the jawes of tentations on her shoulders that the anker of the soule which is Faith may stand sure So Patience standes vp and holds the jaw off Faith otherwaies thy faith will be broken and it is impossible to him that hes no Patience to abyde the speaches let be to sustaine the persecutions of men if Patience be not Faith will not abyde sure And by the contrare looke how needfull it is that Patience be joyned with Faith it is as needfull that Faith be joyned with Patience and therefore he joynes these your Patience and your Faith in all persecutions And as I told you Faith is the mother of Patience and where the mother is not the daughter cannot be and if this anchor of Faith be not anchored on Christ Patience will not hold off the jaw for the solide ground to rest on is Christ Where faith is not Christ is not and take him away no standing So the cheefe ground of all standing is faith grounded on Christ Iesus all the rest are but branches to Faith faith is the cheefe ground The standing of all is through Christ when the anchor of the soule is grounded on him Now one word in the end of this verse He speakes heere of a Faith in tribulation and persecution not of Faith in case rest and quyetnesse but of a Faith in trouble The Faith of the Thessalonians was not a Faith in ease and quyetnesse but a Earth that lay vnder a continuall exercise lay vnder persecution for the Church of Thessaloniea was exceedingly troubled as appeares in this Epistle Many will be content to beleeue faith in Christ is a wondrous faire thing He would beleeue and she would beleue but looke what kinde of faith men would haue a faith with quyetnesse in the world with honor eneugh with riches and all this worlds wealth This is the faith that all men would haue But brethren the faith of Christ which is the true faith must be casten in the fornace otherwayes it will be full of drosse Will ye get fine golde that is not casten in the fornace and fyned in it Trow ye to get a fyne and true faith that is not fyned in the fornace of trouble and persecution at the lest one vexation or other all troubles are not alike but of necessity faith must be casten in some fornace Faith fined by troubles thou must be in some tribulation either within thee or without thee in goods riches or some thing and this is the faith that hes the commendation here a fyned faith as gold hes the fynesse throgh the fire Peter 1. Epist 1. chap 7. vers tels the excellency of this faith compared with gold gold when it is casten in the fire and the drosse of it burnt vp will be far better nor it was and yet there was neuer gold so fâ—ire but it wil perrish fine it oft-times ouer it may be ever the finer but it shal perrish in the end but he sayes faith that is fined and tryed shall be found to your praise glory and honor vvhen Christ shall be manifested As he wold say it shal not perish but at that great day of Christ it shal tend to thy euerlasting glory Let vs not prease to feed our selues in our fantasies thinking that we shall haue a faith in ease quyetnes honor No lay this ground down if thou wold haue a faith to abide till Christ come assure thee thou must suffer and thou must abide the jawes of tentations till all thy faith be tryed and the whole dros washen away and the fine gold stand vp At these are but dreames to think that thou would hold Heauen in the one arme and the world in the other arme No thou must let the world go and take Heauen in thy whole armes with affliction or else thou shalt lose Heauen and get the world in thy armes with damnation Now this for the thanks-giuing and congratulation for their increase of faith and aboundance in loue Now come to the second part Consolation Making mention of their persecutions he takes occasion to comfort them and I thinke that be the principall purpose he hes to doe with them and the first argument he vses heere is that just and latter judgement that generall judgement He sayes the persecution that ye suffer for Christes sake for the kingdome of Heauen they are sure arguments that there shall be a just judgement and that Christ shall come to judge the world and render to euerie one according to his works And therefore vpon the remembring of this just judgement that shall be ye Thessalonians comfort your selues Persecutiones of the godlie a sure argumeÌ„t of the day of iudgment to come for it shall try who did right and who did wrong Then take vp this The persecutions the godly suffers in this life what are they they are very ocular demonstrations that is the force of the word of the generall judgement to come wherein Christ shall judge the world And in the persecution of the godly
them that perishes and are appointed to damnation I read in the 9. chap. Reuel verse 4. the locusts that rose out of that smook of that bottomles pit they destroyed onely them that had not the marke of God in their fore-heads 13. chap. 8. verse it is said that they onely should adore the beast vvhose names are not vvritten in the booke of lyfe of the Lamb. Then onely the reprobate that are ordeined to perdition are subject to that finall deceiuing by the Antichrist that his deceite may be as a chaine to bind them to perdition Lord if they who are bound with the chains of the Antichrist hes great cause to search out the ground of their election whether they are such as are ordeined to perdition seeing they are in the wrong way Goe out of Babylon commit not fornication with her for certainly if malitiously ye continue in byding with her ye shall be condemned with her Mark againe another comfort to the elect The elect of God are not subject to these deceiuing errors and Heresies of the Antichrist as the reprobate They are not subject thereto finallie although for a tyme the Lord will suffer them to be drawen avvay to the end they should knovve themselues to be dissolute Christians Matthevv chap. 24 verse 24. Christ saies false Christs and false Prophets shall do such vvonders that if it vvere possible they should seduce euen the elect meaning that it is not possible the elect should fall in this finall defection Who are they then in whom the Antichrist preuailes Onely they who are ordeined to perdition That is such an object as is disposed and prepared before all eternitie to be deceiued by the Antichrist in tyme they are the matter that is perishing and is ordeined to perish I wil make this more cleare by an exemple When the fire burnes vp the caffe and dry timber ye see the cause of the burning not onely in the fire for if a stone or iron were in the place of caffe it wold bide the fire so the cause is not in the burning heate of the fire onely but also in the caffe that is the matter thereof Euen so it is with them that are deceiued by the Antichrist the cause of there deceite is not onely in the force of the Antichrist but also in the euil disposition of the men that are deceiued In plain talk many are ordeined to Helles fire and therefore when the Antichrist lights on such folkes they are readily and easily deceiued And yet I see God hes his parte Who gaue this disposition Who hes ordeinde it Who hes ordeinde men to damnation It is God in his eternall counsell So the Antichrist is not able with his effectualnes to doe any thing in man but that which God hes determined First the Lord of all creatures he dispones he makes some vessels to honor some to dishonor That eternall decree of God giues such a disposition to the creature that in tyme it is capable of good meanes to life capable of deceite to destruction So it is God in his eternall counsell that justly dispenses and the Antichrist in his time works according to Gods dispensation So the Antichrist hes not the glory that he can doe any thing without God neither needs the godly to be offended nor affrayd for the Antichrist nor to be discouraged when they see men daily falling away from the truth Nothing can be done without Gods decree Christ was crucified a foull fact yet it is said Act. 4. vers â—7 that the Lord had appointed from al eternity he shold suffer for saluation and for that cause the hands of Herod the Iewes the Priests and al were lowsed to crucifie him nothing commes but by the Lord that he may haue the glory of all workes Now to goe forward He subjoines a cause of the perdition of the wicked that are deceiued and so reserued to damnation besides this that it is Gods ordinance Ther is another cause ther are none seduced by the Antichrist but they who deserues justly in Gods judgement to be giuen ouer to be deceiued Gods decree is the ground-cause of damnatioÌ„ yet of necessitie there interuenes a cause or doing where by justlie thou deserues thy own damnation and closes thy mouth that thou hast not one word to speak when the Lord is putting his eternall decree to execution Come to the cause They perish because they receiued not the loue of the trueth that they might be saued What can be but perishing when men malitiously will not loue the trueth but contemnes it What can ensue The Lord is trueth imbrace the trueth ere thou shalt neuer be saued when men hes renounced the truth wherby they shold be saued how shall they be saued Now take heed there are many means and causes that will bring men to Hel. Murther wil bring thee to Hell Contempt of the trueth a cheef meâ—s of damnation harlotrie perjurie blasphemy foul concupiscence any of these will cause thee die But notwithstanding of these many moe sins against the Law the Apostle maks chuse of one sinne one cheefe sin that procures damnation contempt of Gods trueth contempt of the Gospell teached he leaues all causes and takes vp this The lesson is lfye will looke to them who hes once giuen vp their names to Christ and so are called Christian men and wemen and taking on them the name of God and profession of the faith of Christ in the day of judgement we shall see this to be true the cheefe pointe of dittay that shal be laid against them is thou contempned my Gospel in the earth It shal not be said to them thou art a murtherer harlot c. no thou art a contempner of my Gospel That shall be the cheef cause of thy perdition for it is the mother cause of all sin because if men would imbrace sincerely the trueth of God and loue the Gospel if they wold imbrace Iesus in their hart O if he wold not keep theÌ„ from many inconuenients It is the conteÌ„pt of the gospel that leads thee to thy sins it is the contempt of the Gospell that makes thee a murtherer an adulterer c. Thou contemned the Gospell of Christ and therefore the Lord castes thee away and giues the ouer to thy owne affections to commit sin with greedinesse to be a blasphemer an adulterer and to commit other sinnes So the mother cause and speciall ground of all sinnes is the contempt of the light and the word of Iesus and this may euidently be seene in this land especially in great mens houses Now he sayes not because they receiued not the trueth but he sayes because they receiued not the loue of the trueth There are many will seeme to receiue the trueth and who will take heed to the Gospel so diligently as they And therefore the first thing that men should take heede to is the hart looke if in the hart there be an vnfained loue of God and his
is not a single disobedience against any precept or pointe of doctrine No but it is a disobedience with an obstinatnesse and rebellion as a man is admonished to do his duety once or ofter yet he will not do it but rebelles and refuses obstinatly Therefore take vp the lesson We see Excomcation proceeds of contumacy of obstinatnesse after admonition not of a simple sinne when men are admonished to doe their duety and then vvill not doe it but obstinatlie vvill rebell if he vvill not heare the Church then follovves the sentence of Excommunication Matt. 18. 17. Let him be to thee as an heathen man and as a publican Now I come to the punishment of this disobedience It is Excommunication 2. Parts of excoÌ„mucation It consists of tvvo parts The first in this vvord note him The second is the vvord follovving haue no companie vvith him Note him that is marke him vvith the note of ignominie and shame Giue him ouer into the hands of Satan 1. Cor. 5. 5. Put him out of the Church 1. Noting of the disobedient and then he falles in the handes of Satan and that is the note of shame to be in his handes Brethren a man should not be stamped and marked lightly thus way for it is a sore marke But againe when a man cannot be win but by a shamefull marke then this marke should not be spared for that is preposterous pittie if necessitie driues the Church to note him then shame him to his ovvne face for better it is to suffer shame here in this world for a tyme then to suffer shame and paine without hope euerlastingly Shame him that he may turne and repent and that in that great day he may be saued Now wel is the man that is shamed to his owne grace that he may repent him of his sin and so liue for euer 2 Forbearing of his company The second part of punishmeÌ„t is haue no comapny vvith him when once he is stamped with that ignominious mark leaue him haue not ado with him 1. Cor. 5. 9. for bearing of company with him taks away the force fear of the mark which should be to his repentance for if men forbeare his company he wold be ashamed when company is keeped he hes no shame and al power of Excommunication is taken away so his repentance is stayed and so he is hardned in his sin But gettest thou any good of his company that scarres not at the marke None I assure thee for thou inuoluest thy selfe in his judgement for ipso facto thou excommunicatst thy sâ—lf But brethren ye must not take this so generally as thogh he shold haue no company at al no let him haue company but such as he cannot want the excommunicate person must haue some company otherwise he cannot be in the world if it were but this company that can exhort him and admonish him necessitie craues that he haue this company that he byde not still in the bonds of Satan onely heere is to be vnderstoode company that is not needfull company to passe his time with that is slanderous and wil foste him in his foly There are the two partes of this excommunication first marking him with a note of ignominy then second forbearing company with him as this text markes them Now the end of it is that he may be ashamed The word in the owne language signifies The end of excommunication the turning of a man within himselfe There are many that hes their eies vpon others outwith themselues to mark their sins but what man looks within himself to see what is ther to ripe vp their vilenesse and filthinesse their rebellion and disobedience and hatred of God in their harts wilt thou that art so quick in other mens doinges forgette vvhat thou art thy selfe goe downe to thy owne hart and affections for thou wilt not beare the burdeene of other mens sinnes but of thy own sinnes that seeing thy own filthinesse and vyldnesse thou may thinke shame of thy selfe The turning of a man is to looke downe to his owne hart If men saw themselues ô fy on the sight for all the vylde and filthie thinges in this world that euer man saw or felt the hart of man is the vyldest if thou saw it as it is I say if thou saw thy self that sight of thy self would make thee forget all the world and remember thy selfe then seeing thy selfe thou would be ashamed of thy self O thou who now art so lusty in thy own conceit if thou saw thy selfe thou would hang downe thy head for shame and then shame brings forth some frute albeit it be bitter it bringes out repentance and repentance brings with it saluation 2. Cor. 7. 11. So then the end of excommunication is repentance that a man may get lyfe and saluation 1. Cor. 5 5. Deliuer him to Satan that the Spirite may be saued in the day of the Lord Iesus Now how is this repentance gotten by what meanes by thinking shame of himselfe shame is the meane No if an excommunicate man thinke not shame of himselfe I cannot say that he repents thought he neuer shame of his sin he neuer repented from his hart and no repentance no saluation Paul 2. Corint 2. 11. speaking of that incestuous man he settes downe another meane sadnesse or sorrovve that is according to God Ioyne shame and sadnesse in an excommunicate person they vvill bring out repentance he vvill beginne to forthinke that euer he should haue done as he hes done vvell vvorth that shame and sadnesse that bringes out true repentance and saluation Alas vvhat matter of shame and sadnesse for a short tyme here that vve may rejoyce thereafter in the Heauens with our head Iesus Christ for euer I read 1. Cor. 5. 5. 6. of tvvo ends and vses of Excommunication The one is the saluation of the person excommunicate for he is cutted off not to be lost but to be saued The other is the vvelfaire of the bodie that is the Church that that peece of leauen sovvre not the vvhole lumpe Indeed it is true in Excommunication regarde should be had to the vvell and saluation of the person that is excommunicate but the cheefe regarde should be to the vvell of the Church and vvhole bodie in such sort that if the Church cannot be safe but by the cutting off of the rotten member rather ere the bodie be infected let the member perish Paul Rom. 9. 3. wished to be Anathema that is to be cutted off the bodie for euer that it might be vvell vvith the bodie for his brethren the Ievves to haue them saued he vvished to be condemned There should be such a loue and such a care of the Church of Christ that it should be farre aboue and should surmount the care of any particulare man or woman Our cheefe care should be of the glorie of God in Iesus Christ and he is cheeflie glorified in the bodie and therefore a cheefe
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