part to sinceritie in hearing it will be a great stay to the worke Now into the next verse when he hes remoued from him the opinion of all kinde of vnsinceritie and hes purged himself thereof either in doctrine affection or in manner of delyuerie He sets downe the contrair to wit the sinceritie he vsed in doctrine The sinceritie he vsed was this that he spake how spake he Not as they doe who are set to please men but to please God There is the sinceritie in speaking he had not men before his eyes he respected not the pleasure of men but in speaking and preaching his God was before his eye and his heart was set to please God Sinceritie in preaching and hearing is to be measured by the end that thou respects in doing thereof for if God and his glorie be not before thy eyes as the Butte wherat thou shootes albeit that which thou doest and speakest had neuer so faire a face yet al is vnsincere and vncleane The thing I marke heere speciallie is a Pastor that stryues to be sincere in speaking and preaching must set himselfe to please some in his speaking but heere a caueat to be keeped in the persone whom thou studies to please either by doing or by speaking this is all the weight of the matter if thy heart be set in speaking preaching and doing to please men and to satisfie the humours of men first of all if that be the butte thou shootes at because this man likes of this speaking therefore I wil speake this if this speaking please this woman therefore I will speake this If that be the end of thy speaking all thy speaking is vnceritie flattery if thou seeke to pleasure any creature if it were the Angels let be a man all thy pleasant talke is but vaine talke and flatterie I deny not but men may be pleasured to Rom. 12. 18. but looke that thy butte be not to please men of what estate so euer they be but onelie to please God First please God and in God please them then thou can not go wrong If men and wemen what rank so euer they be of can not be pleased in God and will not let God haue the first place then please thou God and anger all the world If thou studies to please any persone onelie in God in speaking and doing there can be nothing there but sinceritie A sure rule a man can neuer faile in setting his heart to please God in thoght word and deed The Lord giue vs vpright hearts to study to please our God and then all creatures onelie in him Now he layes down a good ground why in his preaching he stryued to please his God it was not without a good cause and the ground is God pleased him first why should he not indeuour himself to do all things to please him againe render him the lyke duetie But as vve saieth he vvere allovved of God in such sort that the Gospell should be committed vnto vs so vve speake That is that he hes placed vs in this calling made vs Apostles who wer vnworthie bodies of one who was vnable of such a calling hes made vs able as it hes pleased him so to please me and as he hes allowed of me who was altogether vnworthie my speaking shall be to please him There was neuer a Minister that euer receiued grace for that calling at the hands of men neither at king nor subject but onlie at Gods hand and therefore let him studie to please not men but God who geues him al graces and if men can not be pleased in God let him not studie to please theÌ„ Now to speake of this allowance there is a difference betwene the allowance of men when they allow of men and God when he allowes of men man allowes of man because he sees some good qualities in him which qualities he neuer gaue him for God gaue him them But when God allowes of man he allowes not for any good thing he sees in him to moue him to allow of him but al the allowing of God is of fre grace all is according to the good pleasure of his will Gods allovvance of free grace he allowes not of man because he is able to do good but because God allowes of him therfore he is made meet and able to do good when God choised thee before all eternitie to glorie what saw he in thee The Apostle saieth He predestinate vs in himselfe Eph. 1. 5. Of his own fre loue he called vs to grace Before he called vs to grace what saw he in vs to moue him to make vs partakers of his grace He saw matter of hell and damnation in vs. And therfore his allowance of vs was not for any grace was in vs if he had allowed of vs conforme to that which was in vs he would haue shot vs with his hand to hel for euer So when he calles one to be a Minister and teacher of the Gospell allowes he of him because he hes a grace before hand No the best Minister that is chosen he hes no more grace by nature to this holy function nor the vildest sinner in the world So it is the allowance of God himselfe that makes man meet to that office so this allowance of God was in himself no matter thereof in Paul matter contrarie to grace was in him he was a blasphemer 1. Tim. 1. 12. Paul had neuer bene an Apostle but an impe of the Deuill if God had not allowed of him first The note is Gods free loue binds vs to plese him the vndeserued loue of God when he allowes of vs when he calles vs to faith or places vs in any calling if it were a King in his calling either in Church or common-wel bindes oblishes vs to spende our liues in that calling that God may be pleased If euer thing bound thee this vndeserued lyking God had of thee who first lyked thee when thou was full of â—inne bindes thee to set thy heart to please God for thy blessednesse joy and felicitie is to please him and he that studies not to please him knew neuer what joy was Alas if we coulde apprehend our owne miserie before Gods allowance of vs We are not placed so soone in any calling but immediatlie we conceate vvith our selues that God hes seene in vs something worthie of it and then againe if we could apprehend that free mercy of God after the sight of our own vnworthines then we would set our hearts to pleasure him For neuer apprehending our miserie and Gods mercie and free calling we set our selues in our calling to please men and our owne foull affections The Lorde waken vs for appearantlie the tyme of tryall drawes neere we haue beene vnthankfull for the vndeserued graces of God bestowed on vs. Therefore he is begun to draw them from vs and lets vs follow our own affections Now next In what thing striues Paul to please God
end our life in Iesus Christ we passe vp to a wonderfull glorie Now how comes this glorie Comes it on any thing we haue done heere in earth Comes it of our workes or merites No as holinesse in this life comes of the free mercie of God in Christ so the crowne of glorie in that life onelie comes of the mercie of God in Christ We shall be glorified in Heauen but hovv Through the grace of God that he will giue vs in Christ And as the crowne of glorie shall be giuen vs of free grace so the standing in that estate of glory shall indure for euer of grace So all comes of grace Perseuerance of holinesse in this lyfe is onely by the grace of God All perseuerance in glorie in the life to come of grace and mercie nothing in earth nothing in Heauen but free grace in mercy Wherefore is this the Lord will haue nothing in Heauen nor earth but mercie To this end that all the glorie of our saluation may be giuen to him and he that glories in it should glorifie him Grace free mercie onely in him And let this be our song on earth vvhen vve speake of the grace of God on earth Glorie to God mercie to vs onelie in God The Lord giue vs grace that we may giue al and the onely praise of mercie and of glorie in this life and in the life to come To this God with the Son and the holy Spirite be immortall praise and glorie foreuer AMEN THE XVI LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 4. vers 9. 10. 11. 12. 9 But as touching brotherlie loue yee neede not that I vvrite vnto your for ye are taught of God to loue one another 10 Yea and that thing verelie ye doe vnto all the brethren vvhich are throughout all Macedonia but vve beseech you brethren that ye increase more and more 11 And that ye studie to be quyet and to meddle vvith your ovvne businesse and to vvork vvith your ovvn hands as vve cōmanded you 12 That yee may behaue your selues honestlie tovvards them that are vvithout and that nothing be lacking vnto you THE Apostle brethren after hee hes set downe his general exhortation to sanctification and holinesse This is the will of God sayes he euen your sanctification that ye be holie in soule holie in bodie holie in all your actions within and without He discends and comes to the particulare parts of this generall exhortation The first part of it respects a man or vvoman in their own person that they keepe their person to God as the vessell of honor keepe it from fornication which is a sinne that especiallie and in the highest degree fyles the person of a man both in bodie and soule which should be keeped in holinesse to God who made it The next part of this sanctification concernes our brother our neighbour that wee doe no wronge nor oppresse him by violence we circumvene him not by fraude and guile in businesse concerning this life but in all affaires we be as carefull he haue aduantage as we are that our selues haue aduantage When thou art onelie set to make vantage to thy selfe by thy own selfe loue that aduantage is wrong We heard the arguments the Apostle vses to moue them to this First the will of God If the will of God will not moue thee from harlotrie from doing euill vnto thy neighbour let the vengeance of God moue thee for that is the second argument and it shall ouertake thee in the end if thou continue therein Then he came to that holie and Christian calling that should moue vs to liue holie We are called to be holie let vs keepe therefore our owne person holie let vs be holie to our brother let vs be holie in our hand holie in our faculties Then he goes forward to another argument He that will not be holie when he is called by man he saies it is not with man he hes adoe but with God It is God that bids thee keepe thy bodie cleane from harlotrie thy hand from wrong Therefore thou disobeying thou disobeyes not man but God What is it to disobey me or him that speakes It is that great God that thou rebellest against and in that great day thou shalt be challenged as a rebell to that great God These argumentes are all set downe to this end to moue vs to holinesse Then at last in the end of the last verse he castes to an argument from the holie Spirite giuen vs by God to this end Getst thou the holie Spirit to play the harlote getst thou that holy Spirite that glorious gift the third person of the glorious Trinitie dwelling in thee as in a Temple to the effect thou shouldst commit filthinesse No as all things oblishes thee to be holie so especiallie the holie Spirite of God dwelling within thee crauing an holie Temple craues holinesse otherwayes with thy filthinesse thou shalt disludge him and anger him vntill at last he shall depart from thee and then that foull spirit of wickednesse shall possesse thee Nowe to come to the text In the first part thereof he goes forward to another particulare part of this sanctification which is brotherlie loue So the third part of this sanctification stands in brotherlie loue called beneficience and liberalitie to thy brother a grace and vertue crauing an open hand to bestow on the necessitie of thy brooher So when he hes exhorted not to doe wrong to thy neighbour not to oppresse him by violence or surprise him by deceite then he exhorts that thou be beneficiall to him liberall to him to support his want and necessitie Hee sayes then But as concerning brotherlie loue bountifulnes towards thy brother ye neede not that I vvrite vnto yo◠The reason of it is What need haue I who am a man to be ouer diligent in teaching outwardlie when God is the inward teacher of you and when he teaches this point of doctrin in special to loue euerie one another Ther is the substance of the first words Now to obserue something on the wordes Ye see it is not eneugh not to do euil but true sanctification craues that we do good also De◠〈◊〉 from euill sayes Dauid in his 34. Psal vers 15. and doe good There are two things It is not eneugh not to do wrong to our neighbour or brother not to oppresse him not to beguile him but true holines craues that we benefite him we bestowe on him a goode deede we supplie his necessitie want and pouertie All the parts of this which we call sanctification holines of life that are as manie graces of God in Christ are so inseparablie linked together as the linkes of a chaine are one in another All the parts of sanctification link it together that if anie of them be a missing in anie person man or woman and be not in him in some measure I cannot saye that that person hes truelie anie
the persons to whom it is directed The second is the arguments whereby he will assure the Thessalonians that the praier shal be granted to them And the last is the things that he prayes for to them To come to the persons I pray sayes he the Lord Iesus Christ. He names him first for the sweetnesse of grace he had found in him euer since first he knew him his soule was so filled with the swetnes of Christ that in nothing he could forget him neither in his praier nor exhortations to others as euery one that is touched with such a feeling of Christ will doe Know ye not this ye that make a glorious profession of Christ 〈◊〉 is thee that euer took the profession of Christ in thy mouth if thou find not a sweetnes of his grace towards thee in thy hart if thou finde it thou wilt neuer speake of any matter concerning grace and saluation but Iesus Christ shall be first in thy mouth Next he commes to the Father and he sayes and God our Father There then the two persons which are the two fountaines of all grace that comes to mā in the world Mark here a double honor giuen to Christ First he is joined with the Father as a fontaine of all grace and next he is first named for he sayes I pray the Lord Iesus and then he sayes and God our Father He puts the Father in the second rowme Iesus Christ god equal vvith the Father albeit in other places he puts God the father in the first rowme as ye may finde in all his salutations Now what must followe on this Euen this that Iesus Christ is very God as he is very man coessential of the same nature with God coequall of the same dignity and majestie with the Father and coeternall with him if this were not he could not haue giuen him such a style without blasphemy against God The olde Heretikes thought they got a great aduantage of such places of the Scripture that placed the Father in the first rowme to conclude that Iesus Christ was not onely inferior but far vnequall to God the Father and especially they gather it out of these wordes I baptise thee in the name of the Father and of the Son c. Ergo say they the Sonne is inferiour But looke here and ye will finde that Christ is named in the first rowme That olde doctor Chrysostome when he hes reasoned against this fond opinion at last he concludes They are equall in eternitie dignitie and in euerie thing that is or may be called truely God Indeed the Father is the first person but that makes not that the Father is aboue the Sonne for there is equalitie in dignity and essence and therefore he whiles puts the one before the other and that not in respect of any supremacy but to testifie that Iesus Christ our Sauior and the Father is one and equall in euery respect Now to come to the argumentes which are not set downe so much to mooue God as to assure the Thessalonians that the thinges shall be granted that he craues for them The arguments are from the effects of God First Who hes loued vs. Secondly vvho hes giuen vs euerlasting consolation And the last who hes giuen vs good hope and all throgh grace and mercy contrare vnto our deseruing Marke bethren a generall He bringes these Thessalonians to remembrance of these graces of God bestowed on them before Argumentes to assure vs that God vvill grāt vs benefits craued in prayer to assure them the Lord wil grant them these benefits he praies for to them When God begins to show his mercy on men or wemen and in Iesus Christ to powre out his blessings vpon them he giues as it were an obligation subscriued with his own hand I shall be with you for euer neuer man bond himself as the Lord binds himselfe from once he begin to deale mercifully with vs if he begin once to giue vs faith in Iesus christ and to minister that inward consolation and to giue vs hope of life euerlasting in so doing he giues vs an obligation that that mercy shall continue with vs for euer Therefore mark the graces of God giuen to thee and neuer forget them for they vvill hold thee vp That God that hes comforted thee once shal comfort thee for euer He is not like man I am sayes he Iehoua not changeable and therefore ground thy hart on that vnchangablenes of God For he who hes once begunne with thee to giue thee mercy assure thy self he shal not leaue thee How was Dauid and the godly of olde holden vp but by this same obligation Would euer any of the olde fathers haue stood without this No. There only prop vp-hold was the experience of the mercy of God once showne on them and diligently remembred by them Now to come to the particulare Who hes loued vs not as a Creator does a creature The first Gods loue but as the father does the son that is an higher degree of loue for he called him Father immediatly before then he subjoines he loued vs. Brethren would ye come to the thinges we haue of God throgh Christ The first is grace mercy and free fauour He is bound to no creature but what euer he giues he giues it freely The first blessing that God bestowes on man on earth and the first effect of grace and of his free fauor is loue this loue is giuen to make the creature to powr out as it wer the hart on his Creator againe He hes loued vs ere euer we wer of this loue proceeds eternal election as ye may read in sundry places of the new Testament This loue stayes not here but after he bringes vs in the world at his owne appointed tyme he makes the loue that was in his hart before all tyme towardes vs to break out and he sheds it abroad in our harts And the first effect of it is our effectuall calling He will say Come hither out of the foule pollution of the world and I wil exceme thee from the damnable end of the world and so from thence forth mercy hes no end but from calling he proceeds to justification from justification to regeneration and last to glorification So the first thing God giues thee is his hart and harty loue He will not giue thee any of these blessinges that are in Iesus Christ vntill with them he giue thee his hart He is not like man who will giue thee a faire countenance alone and will take no further thought what become of thee but God will giue thee his hart as the first gift and giuing thee his hart what can he deny thee When he hes giuen thee his hart can he deny thee life And therefore Rom. 5. 5. it is said that the loue of God is shed abroad in vs by his holy Spirit Now as he embraces vs with loue Lord if we could meete him with halfe loue againe We
of God and edification of his Church then throgh any thankfulnesse they may expect at mens hands Last Sir wearie not in wel-doing goe forward to doe good vnto the Saintes for Christs sake and experience shall giue you a proofe of the Lords loue and blessing vpon your bodie soule and actions in this life his Saints shall loue you his seruantes shall pray for you that ye may finde mercy in that great day and when ye haue run out your course when your journay shall be ended when ye haue foughten out the battaile the Lord shall then gather you to his Saints and crowne you with glorie Now the God of al consolation Lord of Lords and King of kings blesse you with al benefits spiritual and temporal direct you by his sprit and preserue you long to the glorie of his Name and to he well of his Church that your pilgrimage being ended ye may with joy rest from your labours in Iesus in whose countenance is sacietie of joyes and at whose right hand are pleasures for euer more AMEN Edinburgh the 16. of Iune 1606. Yours in the Lord H. C. W. A. TO THE CHRISTIAN READER WE offer vnto thee Christian Reader these Lectures of that most reuerent and faithfull seruant of Iesus Christ M. ROBERT ROLLOCK vpon the tvvo Epistles of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians We haue taine painos and traueile that thou mightest finde profite and edification For not onely haue vve conferred sundry coppies gotten from the hands of them vvho vvrote them from his mouth but also vve haue conferred them vvith the Latine Commentarie vvritten by the Author himselfe that thou mightest haue fullie so farre as vvas possible both his ovvne phrase and matter In conferring of the Copies vve omitted repetitions cleered thinges obscure and filled out imperfite sentences that in nothing thou mightest finde inlack If thou doubt either of the style or matter or if any vvould moue thee to conceiue any eye-list or misliking of this vvorke as vve are not ignorant hovv readie many are oft-tymes vpon small or rather no ground before they haue either seene or read in such cases to giue out sentence vve pray thee shovve vs this fauour to superceede thy iudgement vntill thou hast red and considered then mayest thou pronounce vvith the better vvarrand If thou read vvith an hart indifferent and desirous to be edified vve trust thou shalt finde thou hast not lost thy labours And if thou returne glorie to God and get grace to thy ovvne soule vvhich vvere the cheefe ends of our traueiles vve vvill thinke vve haue gotten a sufficient recompence and obtained our desires Farewell THE ARGVMENT OF THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS THESSALONICA was a cheefe City of Macedonia rich populous and puissant builded by Philip the father of Alexander the great King of Macedonia after the victory he had gotten ouer Thessalia inuaded by him at vnawares For returning home victorious he builded a Citty and named it Thessalonica that it might be a perpetuall memoriall of that great and excellent victory he had obtained Paul as ye may read Act. 16. and 17. chapters in his peregrination together with Sylas who in this Epistle is named Sylâ—aâ—â—â— the sixteenth yeere after his conuersion being called by a vision to preach the Gospell in Macedonia came first to Philippi and next passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia came to this Cittie Thessalonica and entering in the Synagogue of the Iewes three Sabboth dayes disputed with them prouing by the Scriptures that it behoued the Messias to suffer and rise againe from the dead and therefore that Christ whom he preached was the true Messias and Redeemer of the world At the which preaching of Paul sundrie of the Iewes that dwelt at Thessalonica beleeued and joyned company with Paul and Sylas together with a great multitude of the Grecians and many of the cheefe wemen of the Cittie But the Iewes that beleeued not moued with inuy raised a great persecution against Paul whereby he was forced to flee to Berea where he preached the Gospell with better successe For the Iewes of that Synagogue receiued the word with al readines and tryed his doctrine by the Scriptures so that many of them likewise many men and wemen among the Grecians were conuerted Yet the obstinate Iewes there also mouing persecution against him he is brought to the brethren to Athens where he waited for Sylas and Timotheus who returned vnto him when he was in Corinth in Achaia Act. 18. 5. Therefore it was reported to him that the brethren that beleued at Thessalonica wer heauily persecuted by the obstinate Iewes where-vpon the Apostle was moued with an earnest desire to come to them but he was hundred by Satan 1. Thessa 2. 18. Therefore tarying himselfe at Athens he sent Timothie to them 1. Thessa 3. 2. to comforte them in their trouble and confirme them in the trueth Timothie returning and bringing good tydinges to him of the great grace of God that he found with them because he could not come himselfe the more to comfort confirme and encouradge them to continue in the trueth he writes vnto them this Epistle which by the judgement of learned men is thought to be the first this Apostle wrote There are foure parts of this Epistle The first part is the Salutation chapter 1. verse 1. The second is a Congratulation and rejoycing with them for the graces that by Timothies reporte he vnderstood to be in them wherein he insisles very largely euen from the 2. verse of the first chapter vnto the fourth chapter Yet oft-tymes he breakes oâ—â— this Congratulation by occasion casting in sundâ—y purposes needful to be entreated First he falles out in a discourse of himself and the successe the Lord gaue him in his 〈◊〉 towards them and his sinceritie in his ministrie he remooues from himselfe all suspicion of vnsinceritie eyther by decease by vncleannessen or by guyle together with the fountaines from whence it proceedes as flatterie auarice ambition and 〈◊〉 his inâ—eere affection towardes them from the beginning of the second chapter to the 12. verse Next he excuses himselfe that he came not to them from the 17. verse of the second chapter to the last part of the verse of the third chapter where he falles out in an exhortation to them to suffer afflictions patiently vnto the 5. verse of the third chapters there be brings a new reason to excuse his not comming to them vnto the 9 verse of the third chapter then returning to the congratulation in the end of the third chapter he concludes it with a prâ—â—er for the Thessalonians The third part of the Epistle is anexhortation to holinesse of life He exhorts first generally to sanctification in the first three vers of the 4. chap. Then he commes more particularly to the parts of sanctification and insistes 〈◊〉 them to the 23 verse of the last chapter In this part of the Epistle the Apostle to comfort the Thessalonians who sorrowed
God the geuer Then we should learne to craue grace to vtter holie affections to them to whom the Lord hath geuen his graces and that for the graces God hath bestowed on them But to go forward The next thing heere that Paul vtters is a knowledge of their election Knovving your election sayeth he This is a farre sight Then it is true brethren the godlie who are able through the Spirite of discretion to take vp the grace of God in others they haue a great insight yea euen to the eternall election and predestination to that life and glorie wherevnto they are appointed and they will vtter an wonderfull assurance thereof For the word signifies Knovving perfitelie your election Indeed a man will haue a greater certaintie of his own election then of the election of any other because the warrand of his owne election is within him in his owne heart Tokens of election his heart is stamped therewith he findes the seale thereof in his owne conscience as for the election of others it is onelie outward as in his actions and behauiour by the eye of the godlie by the words of the godly and the works of the godlie and such like thinges the visible tokens of the mercie of God in men is showen and so the Lord makes by some outward tokens their election from all eternitie to appeare There are two things whereof it is verie hard to judge vpon and to vtter assurance of the first is the eternall election of others the other is the perseuerance of others in grace to the end the one bygone from all eternitie the other to come to the end It is very hard to judge of these two in other men especiallie Yet I see the Apostle takes on him to judge of both and he vtters an assurance of both Ye see in this place he knowes the election of the Thessalonians In the Epistle to the Philippians 1. 6. he is perswaded that he who had begun with them which is God would perfite the worke he had begun to the comming of Christ that is that they should perseuere in the grace they had receyued vnto the end The ground of all was because of the grace of God he saw in tyme of the Thessalolians and Philippians therefore he knowes perfitelie the Thessalonians is elected and is assured the Philippians will perseuere and stand in grace So all tends to this the grace of God bestowed on any if we sawe but a sparke of grace in them should euer moue vs to judge charitablie that those persons are the elect of God and will stand and perseuere in grace to the end Away then with hard judgements of men More then this Brethren ye see the Thessalonians are elected yet he prayes for them Making mention sayeth he of you in our prayers Election no impediment to prayer And for this same cause knowing that ye are elected Marke this The election of God that sure ground and foundation of lyfe and saluation prejudges not prayer Therefore say not I am elected my saluation can not faile saued must I beâ— therefore what needs me to pray my selfe or cause any other pray for me No by the contrair say I am elected therefore I will pray ye are the elect therefore I will pray for you that is Paule reason For as saluation and life is predestinate and appointed by God so are the meanes of saluation appointed by God which thou must vse if euer thou wouldst attaine to lyfe notwithstanding of thy election And among all the rest of the meanes Prayer is one thou who art chosen to life prayers is a meane to thee to be vsed before thou come to life Pray must thou and others must pray for thee or else thou was neuer chosen to lyfe There was neuer man chosen to life from all eternitie but the Lord appoynted that he should vse prayer also God ordained that he should liue in holinesse and vvorke good vvorkes vvhich is an other meane must be vsed Ephes 2. 10. For if prayer be not vsed if hee liue not holie if he liue vvithout loue vvithout charitie and goode vvorkes if he continevve so to the end he shall finde that he was neuer chosen Now in the next verse he falles to and proues their election he vtters not this assurance of their election without goode warrands There are two arguments in the text The first is from that vertew and power he founde in himselfe vvhile he preached to them The other is from the effectualnesse and force of his Ministrie in them The first is in Paul himselfe the second in the Thessalonians the first is contained in these words For sayes he our Gospell that is the Euangell preached to you the Gospell of God there is no Preacher but he may take it and call it his Gospell and except thou be saued by it as it is the Gospell ministered by the Preacher thou shalt neuer get saluation Wilt thou goe to God immediatlie and not heare of them but contemne them thou shalt neuer be saued It is Paul and Peters Gospell and the Gospell of the preachers of it ere it serue to thy well this by the way This Gospell stoode not in bare language and vvords onelie but also in povver As he would say when I preached to you I vttered the Gospel in libertie and power and therefore vpon the graces and power I found in my selfe in vttering the Gospell to you I gather they to whom I preached are chosen of God Then brethren when the Lord sends out men to preache in power it is neuer in vaine but it is a sure argument amongst them to whom they are ent there are some chosen of God to life euerlasting and the man who finds himselfe sent out with power to preache the Gospell he may say certainlie there is some I preach to chosen Who will send out a reaper except there be some haruest to be reaped Will the Lord send out a man instructed with power to any place except there be some to be win to him there The Lord sayes Matth. 9. 37. 38. The haruest is great it is comming to maturitie but the laborers are few therefore pray the Lord of the haruest to send out reapers And euerbefore any man be sent out to preache the men to whom he is sent are rype to be instructed so that he is sent out to gather them in to the barn-yarde And by the contrair when God takes away graces and drawes away power from preachers when he lets them vtter nothing but dead and emptie talke without power or when he closes mens mouthes to speake it is a token that the nomber of the chosen is growing narrow and the Church is begun to be barren Well go this Ministrie away and if this power be taken away from vs to an other part there was neuer a surer argument of the drawing in of the godlie in a narrow bounds then this is and that the remanent are left onelie
as miserable catiffes appointed to damnation What auailes this life and al that we haue if we misse that glorie to come In all our proceedings looke what serues for the life to come for all our liues will away our life is not heere this death temporall is not death this life temporall is not life but death eternall is death and life eternall is life But to come to the words and marke them For our Gospell saieth he vvas not vnto you in vvordes onelie but in povver Then it is not preaching in vvordes onelie that vvorkes saluation I see there are tvvo sortes of preachings some preachings in vvordes onelie as these Orators vvho preached to the Corinthians for inuy of Paul had nothing but vvordes There he sayeth When I come I vvill cognosce these men not in their vvordes but in their povver if they haue anie for the Kingdome of God standes not in vvordes but in povver of the Spirite 1. Corinth 4. 19. 20. There is an other preaching of the Gospell not in vvordes onelie but vvith vvisdome and povver Theefore seeing this difference is in preaching that some preachinges are in vvordes onelie and some preachings in vvordes vvith power I must confesse the cause wherefore there is onelie vvordes vvithout povver geuen to the teachers is oft tymes not onelie in the people themselues although they be wicked but in the preacher that vtters nothing but wordes without power to worke into the hearts of the hearers Therefore he that speakes in the name of the Lord looke that he haue power and aske power of God that his words may be effectual in the hearts of the hearers to saluation or else let him holde him silent Either seeke that power of God may be joyned with words or else close thy mouth and speake not one word in the name of the Lord. This power is not gotten lightlie looke to the groundes of this power Paul sets them down heer In the holie Spirite there is one and in full assurance there is an other The first the preaching of the Spirite 2. groundes of povver in preaching the second a full assurance that is in the heart of man that speaks to the hearers Looke that he haue assurance in his owne heart that remission which he preaches to others is gotteu to himselfe Is he promising life to the people looke that he haue assurance that that lyfe is in him The first and chiefe ground of all power is the holie Spirite of Christ if the Spirite of Christ speake not but onlie the spirite of man the humane power in the teacher there shall be no power no vertew in that word to edifie And therefore Paul 1. Cor. chap. 2. vers 13. when he hes spoken of the mysterie of Christ which the wisdome of the vvorlde could not comprehende he subjoynes The vvhich vve speake not vvith speaches and vvordes vvhich the vvisdome of man teaches but vvith vvordes vvhich the holie Spirit teaches vs ioyning spirituall vvords vvith spirituall matters By the which words he meanes plainly that except the Spirit of Christ be the principall speaker of a spirituall matter be the matter neuer so true of it selfe it shall haue no power yea farther in the 1. cha v. 17. he saieth the preaching of Christ with the wisdom of words humane eloquence makes the crosse of Christ ineffectual 1. Cor. 2. 5. he saieth that faith stands not in the vvisdom of mē and therfore who euer teaches in the name of christ let him beg earnestlie that that holy Spirite may be in the heart to tune the heart may be in the tongue to tune the tongue that the matter and words that he vtters may both be of the holie Spirite It is a dangerous thing to a man to speake in the name of the Lord except first he pray and say I am going to this place Lord giue me matter giue me words and let not the speach be so much my speache as the speache of thy Spirite in my heart If the Spirite be in thy heart he will speake but if he be out of thy heart it will be the voice of a man onelie No nothing will conuert men but that which comes of the Spirit A natural eare may take pleasure to heare a naturall thing a naturall heart to speak of a naturall matter but a spirituall eare and hart wil take pleasure in a spirituall matter which comes from the heart of a spirituall man Now to come to the second ground of this power It is the full assurance of grace and mercie that he preaches by his own feeling he speaks nothing but of faith and particular assurance a generall assurance is naught for before I preache the grace of Christ I must seeke my warrand in my heart that that grace righteousnes life I teach is setled in my minde and vpon this assurance I must speake to others and if the speaker albeit the grace were neuer so good haue not in his heart an assurance of that grace all his words will be vnsauory words So he must striue alwayes to participate of that grace he teaches to you either in teaching or before Dauid sayes I beleued and therefore I spake Psal 116. 10. And Paul sayes We beleue to ryse againe and to be joyned to Christ and therfore vve speake 2. Cor. 4. 13. As he would say I am speaking to you of the rysing of the bodie but all this comes of an assurance in my hart that this bodie of mine shall be dissolued and at that last day shall liue and be glorified and vpon this assurance of mine I preache to you this resurrection All tends to this He who speakes of God to vs would be a man that in his owne heart hes a full assurance of grace and aboue all men a Minister that stands vp and speaks to others shoulde haue this assurance and shoulde seeke all vvarrandes of his ovvne saluation And of the assurance of his heart he should speake and say Because I haue felt remison of sins in Christ Iesus and lyfe in him therefore I may assure you of them in him if ye earnestlie by faith seeke them So look that none that is faithles on pain of his life stand vp to vtter one word in the name of Iesus to offer life or remission of sinnes his speaking is but like the clattering of a Parocket his heart is dead and his head onelie sounds The Apostle sayes Because I am assured in my heart of this therfore I spake vvith a great libertie Then there are the two groundes first the holie Spirite secoundlie the assurance if these two be of necessitie the worde must be profitable and thogh a man can not get the ful measure of these two well is he that can sigh and say Lord giue mee an assurance in my heart ere euer I vtter it to others In the end of the verse he takes them to be witnesses of his doing manner of speaking and povver they savv in his preaching
an Idolater turne thy backe on an Idoll Thou makes an Idoll to thee of thy foull affection as murther theft adulterie vvhen thou obeyes them turne thy back on these Idoles Many thinkes to come to God in an instant vvith his Idole in his armes they vvill present to God prayers vvith the Idoll in their bosomes as Rachell would come dovvne from Padan-Aram and vvorshippe God but she keeped her Idoll No be not deceiued if thou leaue not the Idole behinde thee vvhither it be an Idole in deede or a foull affection that thou settest vppe in the rovvme of God I discharge thee of the Connention of the Sanctes of God for thou scornes him and one daye he shall be auenged on thee for it Turne thee therefore from that vvicked Idoll or else byde away Nowe followes the second part of the conuersion It is not eneugh to turne from an Idoll a false dead stocke vvhich is nothing but the inuention of thy ovvne braine Paul to the Corinthians calâ—es it nothing 1. Corinth 10. 19. but thou must turne to the true God Turne thee from Sathan to God Alas filthie creature whome to will thou turne thee if thou will not turne thee to thy ovvne Redeemer The lesson is It is not eneugh to turne from an Idole except thou turne to the true God of glorie the liuing God Brethren many men hes bene deceyed with this Amongst the Nations there were many who would scorne Iupiter condemne Apollo as Diogenes but they turned not to God but turned to plaine Atheiseme So there are many in these dayes who will mocke all the vanities of the Masse and yet for all this they will abyde Atheists and all Religion will be alyke to them Is he amongst the Papists he will scorne them amongst the Protestants he will scorne them also This is an euill sort of men Except thou be of mynde to â—mbraâ—â— the true God holde thee with thy Idoll be a Papist still an Atheiâ—t is most wicked and most dangerous for the scornes all men He is worse then an Idolater and he can not eschew a judgement For the Histories recordes that God oft-tymes hes punished euen the verie contâ—mners of the idoles that is such as preased to blot out of their heartes all sense of the Godhoode Learne here in these words that miserable estate that men lay into before their conuersion The Thessalonians what wer they before Paul came among them dead in sin dead in lustes without any sight of God or saluation I shall tell you how all mens sonnes euen the Kings sonnes are borne so that we haue no cause to glorie in our selues When he is borne first and comes out of his Mothers vvombe the backe of him is to God and his face to the Deuill and the burning eye of God is vppon him No infant vvhat estate so euer hee be is borne otherwise his face is to Hell his backe on God his Redeemer and thee seede of hatred vvith the gall of bitternesse against God in his heart and if hee remaine in nature there is no day he liues but there is in his heart some augmentation of the hatred of God Now in the meane tyme the eare of him is ay pulde the light of reasone beginnes not so soone in him but the conscience will round in his eare there is a God that created this world and oft he will looke ouer his shoulder to get a blenk of that God his Creator and seeing him faine would he be quite of that Creator and of that sight of God that reason chalenges his soule with looke to this our nature fy on them that begins to extoll this nature in their doctrine yet he can not be quite of the sight of God and he findes that nature pushes him to seeke a God And then he saieth seeing I can not be quite of God I shall make to my selfe a God and then he will change the glory of the true God in the Image of a foure-footed beast c. Rom 1. 23. Then the Lord seeing this malitiousnesse in the heart of man who sees a God and will not see him he putteth out his eyes geues him ouer to a reprobate sense and minde without all judgement the Lord makes him both blinde and wod as a blinde bodie running like as he were mad and waits not what way for he that is an Idolater is by nature a wod wauering bodie and all his race in that broad way adulterie murther and all other vices and â—unne where he will Hell is the end of his running Looke then to this nature that we are borne in it is worse nor I or the tongue of any man can expresse Then how is this matter remedied when the blinde man is running on in his fury there ryses a noyse that followes him see the mercie of God! what manner of noyse is this It is the voice of the Law crying ô miserable bodie Manner of conuersion thou art condemned Hell is thy lotte and portion and this begins to awalk him a terrible walking Now if God let him alone in this manner desperation would be his end But if it pleases God to haue mercie on that catiâ—â—e there followes an other sweete voice alas no other thing see I in Scotland but damnation if the Gospell be remoued This cry is out of the Gospell with 〈◊〉 the Baptist Sinner repent thee turne thee to the Lord Christ and thou shalt â—inde mercy The voice of the Euangell There is the cry of the Gospell Thy sinne shall be forgeuen thee thou shalt be safe Dâ—eth he heare this if the Lord be powerfull vnto him he will turne himselfe immediatlie about and looke with his face to that God and Christ with such a joy and mourning that no tongue can expresse it A joy beginnes in the conuersion because of Gods presence assuring him of the remission of all his sinnes a sorrovve beginnes because of the offending of God in tyme bypast So I crye this day Beleeue in God miserable men and ye shall finde mercie And if the idolaters in our North-countrie were heere I woulde crye to them Fy on thee idolater that hast runne on so long in diuelish wayes turne you from your idolatrie and vvicked nature to the veritie of the Gospell of Christ and you shall be saued but if you turne not damnation shall ouertake you and thou shalt be casten in vtter darknesse vvhere there shall be nothing but vveeping and gnashing of teeth The Lorde saue out of their vvicked and detestable companie all them that in their heart longes to see the most comfortable countenance of their blessed Sauiour Iesus Christ and the Lord concurre by his heauenlie Spirite vvith the Gospell that is preached that wee may be all in tyme conuerted thereby and see God in Christ and serue him in this life that at last we may haue the full sight of his face for euer AMEN THE FOVRTH LEC. TVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL
see him why should not our desire be to see him wherefore should all this feare be of this latter day seeing thou wilt neuer be established in heart nor get thy full glorie vntil his comming at that day thy blessednesse shall be perfite there I finde in the Scripture the perfection of all graces differred vntill that time Ye shall finde no grace PerfectioÌ„ of al graces differred til the â—utter day but the perfection thereof is remitted vntill that day Paul in the same Epistle 2. chap. 19. vers My joy is in the sight of God and of Iesus Christ at his comming He gets not perfection of joy vntill he come And therefore he will not promise to the Thessalonians their joy vntill that day no perfection of grace mercie and peace vntill God put an end to sinne to death and wickednesse Looke then if we should long for that latter day we looke heere and there for this thing and that thing but who lookes for that comming of the Lord Alas if we knevv vvhat grace and joy Christs comming brought to vs vve vvould looke for nothing so much as for his comming We are earthlie and therefore all our lookes are for earthlie thinges we are not spirituall and so we cannot looke for that spirituall grace The Lord prepare vs to looke for and desire that glorious comming All these earthlie thinges goes away Heauen onelie abydes What foolishnesse is this seeing we are subject to mortality that we should set our hearts on this world our dwelling must not be here but in Heauen in endliesse joy Seeke it earnestly therefore Novv in the end of this verse he telles vs in vvhat company and with whom we shal be established in holinesse before God thou shalt not be holy thy selfe alone thou shalt not be an a per se in holinesse doe as thou wilt either shalt thou be in a societie in a companie vvith many more nor thou All graces in the societie of the sants or else thou shalt neuer be holie nor see the face of God This is plaine Either thou shalt be in the Church which is the communion of the Saintes of God or else thou shalt neuer see Gods presence He will leape out of it at this side and he at that side but if thou come not in again in that same societie yea and to the number of this church and of the Saintes that professes Christ this day in Scotland thou shalt neuer see Gods face All blessinges grace mercie and peace euerlasting before God is in the companie of the Church that professe the truth and puritie of the Gospell of Christ not in the company of them who will take the name of a Church or that false Church the Romane Church So let him vvho vvill stand vvith holinesse in the number of the Saintes seuere from Babylon or else he shall be partaker of the judgement So brethren to come againe ye shall not read in the Scripture of any grace giuen to any man but ye shall finde that it is giuen to him as a member of that bodie as one of the Saintes in the societie of the Saintes In the first to the Ephesians verse 18. speaking of the riches of the glorie of the inheritance of Heauen he sayes thou shalt neuer get it but among the Saintes Then againe he sayes chap. 3. vers 18. Who shall vnderstand the loue and charitie of God None but they that are in the societie of the Saintes No light mercie nor knowledge of God but to them that stands knit vp as members in the bodye of Christ ye see cut off a member of the body and cast it away no sap can follow from the body to it So if thou be cut off from the number of the Saintes vvho are the Church of God thou shalt neuer get any grace of Christ Now to the next chapter In the fourth and fift chapters followes the last part of this Epistle containing the doctrine of maners exhorting to holinesse of lyfe and godlinesse But to the wordes He sayes And furthermore As he would say all is not tolde I will tell that which rests which is the doctrine of maners precepts of godlie lyfe and conuersation When we haue teached all the yeere ouer when we haue tolde you the doctrine of justification sanctification c. so long as there is no speaking of a godly lyfe and conuersation and so long as we haue not tolde you how ye should lead your lyfe there is euer something behinde vnspoken of Neuer a full and perfite preaching wher there is nothing spoken of a good or of an euill lyfe and conuersation For there is such a necessitie laid on men and wemen in this world that all serues for nothing except they liue a good holy life Thy profession of loue righteousnesse mercie all the rest is but vanitie and winde if thy conuersation toward thy neighbour be not aunswerable to thy profession it is a shame to thee to speake of Christ of holinesse of righteousnesse of life euerlasting except thou liue conforme thereto And therefore ye shall neuer read any Epistle of Paul but euer vvhen he hes spoken of faith justification c. then in the end he subjoynes precepts charging vs to liue a godlie lyfe And more then this Trow ye in the end at Christs comming to judgement that the pretence of faith or righteousnes will be sufficient to thy eternal saluation No but we must liue holie for al the blessinges of God in Christ tends to this end that we may liue holie yea this is the end of election it selfe Ephes 1. 4. Paul sayes We are chosen from all eternitie that we should be holie Then we should liue soberlie and justlie with our neighbour Tit. 2. 12. And therefore either cast avvay profession of Christianitie and heare neuer a word of faith righteousnesse c. or else striue to liue conforme thereto This in generall Now to the wordes I beseech and exhort you and that in the Lord Iesus Christ What exhorts he that they increase more and more in godlie lyfe and conuersation As for the forme of your going forward I haue tolde you the forme hovv ye should vvalke in this world walke conformable thereto The words would be well marked I beseech and exhort you sayes he in the Lord Iesus He might haue well said I command you as wrytting to Philemon vers 8. 9. he sayes When I might command thee in the name of Iesus yet rather for loues sake I pray thee Loue turnes the command in a prayer All doctrin that comes from any person must come of loue or else it is deare of the hearing Now he showes his loue in speaking for the wordes comes from the heart and so among al the rest of the wayes whereby he vtters the loue he had in his heart this is one when precept and commaund is turned ouer to requeesting When he may commaund he will not but he turnes it ouer and
shouldst seek to possesse is thy vessel thou cariest about with thee But how should thou possesse thy vessell First he showes after what maner they should possesse it and then after what maner they should not possesse it The maner how to possesse it is vvith holinesse and honour Fy on thee thou wilt keepe thy pot or thy pan cleane to thy meat the vyllest vessell in thy house thou wilt keepe it cleane Maner of possessing the vessell of the bodie and will haue it washen euerie day once and yet thou wilt not be carefull to keep cleane that vessell that keepes thy soule And yet more It is not enâ—ugh to keepe it cleane but thou must keep it in honour There are sundrie sort of vessels in an house some vessels to dishonor and some to honour They that are euen to dishonour must be keeped cleane but they that are to honour must both be keeped cleane and in honour Thy bodie which is the vessell of thy soule shoulde not be keeped cleane onely but in honour also for it is the vessell of a honourable soule Yea Paul sayes 1. Cor. 6. 19. It is the dvvelling of the holie Spirit which is more nor thy soule Thy body is dearer boght nor al the vessels in this earth it is boght with the precious bloud of Christ fy on thee who pollutes and defiles the bodie which is boght with so precious a bloude Aske some men and say to them why defilest thou thy bodie He will ansvvere My bodie is my ovvne But I say to thee thy body is not thy ovvn it is Christs he hes boght it vvith his precious bloude if it be not Christs it is the Deuils and he shall possesse it in the end And therefore seeing that bodie of thine is the Temple of the holie Spirit boght vvith the bloud of Christ keep it in holinesse and honour and if there were no more to moue thee but because it is the vessell of the soule thou should keepe it holie and cleane For an harlots bodie as a priuy stincks so in the nose of the soule that the soule shall say Lord if I vvere out of this stinking bodie O hovv much more vvill it stincke in the nose of the Lord. And vvhosoeuer keepes their bodies cleane all that they haue is cleane their heritage their moueables and vnmoueables all are cleane and honourable but if thy bodie be polluted thou art foull all is foull put thy finger to thy meate it fyles it all that goes out of thy body is foull stinking and polluted the verie earth thou goest on thou fylest it with thy foull feete albeit they be finelie decored and it grones vnder thee because thou art heauie to it The Lord let vs see this and giue vs grace to abstaine from this filthie vice harlotrie Trowest thou thy vvhorishe eyes shall see that faire glorious face of God No no they shall not see it Cry for the grace of sanctification and for the bloud of Christ that all may be cleansed and thou â—n the end may win to the end of the rinke euen Christ and liue in him and be cleansed in him Now to the next verse which containes the vvrong vvay of possessing thy bodie The vvordes are Not in the lust of concupiscence There is the vvrong vvay Weigh the vvordes Not vvith the passion The vvorde passion signifies a firy flame which breakes out of the bodie inflamed vvith foull lustes vvhich proceedes from the heart and settes the bodie in a fire The lust beginnes at the heart and breakes out through the whole members of the bodie vvith extreame passions and the bodie so exercised is a sicke and suffering bodie the bodie of an harlote is the seekest bodie that goes it is brunt vp vvith a fire within The thing that is enemie to the bodie is sicknesse and passions And therefore who euer would possesse their bodie well they must be carefull to keep the bodie from sicknesse and passions Novv among all the sicknesses that can come to a man the sicknesse of foull lust is the vvorst and most consuming sicknesse another sicknesse may well waste the moisture of the bodie but if thou be sanctified the Lorde shall make it a meane to sanctifie thee And oft times there vvill not be a â—holier bodie nor that bodie that is lying in sicknesse but this sicknesse of luste not onely vvastes the substance of the bodie and dryes it vp but it destroyes the holinesse and honour thou shouldest haue it is an enemie to holinesse It is a sicknesse that vvill neuer sanctifie thy bodie but destroy it and the longer thou ly in that sicknesse the fouller and vnholier art thou This is the nature of the sicknesse thou shalt not onely be consumed in bodie with sicknesse but thou shalt lose thy holinesse in thy soule And this is a fore matter A sicke man in another sicknesse vvill cry to the Lord for comfort but in the sicknesse of harlotrie he vvill neuer haue a voice to cry vnto the Lord for mercie if he repent not So abhorre this sicknesse aboue all other sicknesses The Lord makes all sicknesses and deathe to vvorke to the best to his ovvne but this sicknesse destroyes the soule and the bodie altogether Novv to moue men to abhorre this sicknesse He bringes in the ensample of the Gentiles and he sayes euen as the Gentiles vvho knevv not God As he vvoulde say It is a shame to you to be like the Gentiles among vvhom this foull vyce raigne first It is shame to you vvho are called to this holinesse to be lyke these foull Gentiles Brethren a bodie vvho sees not God nor Christ is a prophaine blinded bodie And he seeing a murtherer going before him in murther a thiefe in thiefrie he vvill follovv and committe the lyke vvickednesse and so the blinde following the blinde both falles in the pit together But he vvho hes gotten a sight of God and a glance of the glorious face of Iesus Christ in vvhose face the glorie of that Majestie shinnes vvhen he seeth an harlote he vvill bee so farre from following him that he will scarcelie looke to him but he vvill abhorre and detest him For in the light of the face of God that a man sees in the face of Iesus Christ as in a faire mirrour he will see the filthinesse and foulnesse of sinne None knowes how great a sinne the sinne of filthinesse and blasphemie c. is but that soule that lookes in the glorious face of Iesus Christ That mirrour is so faire and glancing that looking thereto and in it seeing the foulnesse of sinne he will be mooued to hate and detest sinne and darknesse And I say there are none who are truelie illuminated with the light of God but the more they see Idolatrie harlotrie and sinne the more they deteste them It will neuer giue me in my mynde that they who will go out of this land and at the first hand can find in their hart to
speaking of that day of judgement 2. Cor. 5. 11. he vtters the feare he had of it himselfe Knovving saies he the terrors of the Lord vve bring men to the Lord that when he shall come in that terrible judgment we may finde mercy Be not sensles at the threatning of God If men had not bene seusles at the judgemeÌ„ts of God by famine these yeers bygone this Pest had not comde if theribe not yet a greater fear of God he shal strik on with his judgmeÌ„ts Next I mark of this place Who is it that is comforted against Gods judgementes Consolations belong only to the godlie To whom belongs consolations promises and speaches of comfort in the Scriptures Speakes the Apostle to the Heathen that ly in ignorance and not conuerted to the faith of Christ They feared not where there is no feare nor down casting it is foolishnesse to comfort Whereto shold I comfort them who are lifted vp in pride wherto shold I prease to lift vp him who is ouer high and conceatie alreadie So consolation raising vp of the heart promises of God that serues to consolation pertaines nothing to the wicked that hes no sense of miserie and lyes in ignorance of God nothing pertaines to them but threatning vpon threatning judgement vpon judgement And when they say Peace and all things sure I may say a sudden destruction shall ouertake them And to the men in this land lying in a dead sleepe of this fleshly securitie and crying Peace when they are in the midst of harlotrie of murther c. I say a sudden destruction and vengence shall fall on them This shall euer be my cry vntill they feare and trimble and haue a sense of their miserie neuer another word to them but judgement out of my mouth Should I say to a man lying in darknesse brother ye are in the light judgement shall not come on you No no But I will say the Lord shall come suddenly on thee with judgement to destroy thee So consolation pertaines to the godly onely and who euer ye be that feares not Gods judgements I bidde you in Gods name take no promise of comfort to you no consolation vntill ye be touched with a sense of miserie and feele your sins Then to whom pertaines all the promises of consolation in the word of God To the godly onely who hes their eyes opened to see God in the face of Christ hes their heart opened to feele the grace of God through Christ to them they appertaine And therefore ye shall finde in all the Prophetes when a judgement is threatned immediately after the threatning they subjoine a sweet consolation to the godly least they should think the judgment to pertaine to them The third thing I note Marke the cause heere wherefore the Thessalonians shall escape that sudden destruction Because ye are not in darknesse Knovveledge of God in Christ the cause of escaping iudgement sayes he therefore that sudden destruction shall not ouertake you Marke this cause The ground of escaping this judgement is to be fred of darknesse to be fred of this grosse ignorance wherein we are inuolued by nature and to be translated to the light of God vvherein we may see the face of Christ and Heauen and the glorie thereof There is the ground Whosoeuer shall be found lying in darknesse at Christes comming albeit they be found lying waking and looking vp with bodilie eyes 〈…〉 yet if they be in blindnesse in the soule so that they can see nothing in Heauen God nor Christ judgement and destruction suddenlie shall ouertake them and all their braines shall be beaten out ere they get leasure to cry God mercie But againe who euer they be that at Christes comming shall be found in the light with the knowledge of God and Iesus Christ with some sight of Heauen they shall escape and shall liue eternally When the thiefe breakes in in an house whom is it that he suddenly oppresses Whom but these whom he findes sleeping with their eyes closed he will cut their throats ere they be wakned But when he breaks in on an house and they who are in the house be waking on their guard and ready for the danger then the thief shal not preuaile They will eschew the danger so shal it be at Christs comming if he find thee sleeping sudden destruction shall ouertake thee if he finde thee waking ready for the danger thou shalt escape and liue So ye see how needfull a thing it is to haue knowledge and light that euery man may be saued O what it is to knovve God to knowe Christ to get a â—ight of Heauen and of the lyfe to come Thy safetie consistes in it Then againe see how dangerous a thing is ignorance and specially the ignorance of God to put off the day and the night in ignorance of God Giue thee goode cheare rest play honour in the world thou wilt put off one day two daies three daies thou wilt say what care I more but woe to thee when Christ commes thou will be sleeping in â—inne sudden destruction shall ouertake thee all this tendes to this end ly not in drunkennesse get knovveldge out of the vvorde knovve God in tyme knovve him in mercie If thou knowe him not in mercy in this lyfe thou shalt feele him in judgement at that great day of Iudgement The Lord giue euerie one of vs grace to know him that hauing the right knowledge of him which leads to saluation we may at his comming be elected of him to raign in his euerlasting glory in the Heauens Novv that vvhich he had said before of darknesse in the next verse he makes it more plaine and sayes for ye are the children of light and of the day That is to say the fairest light that can be possible For vvhat in this vvorlde is fairer nor the light of the Sunne and day light As he vvoulde say ye are not in the common light but in the light of the Sunne that shynes most cleare ye are not children of the night but of the day These tvvo vvill neuer stande together to be the chylde of the night and of darknesse and to be the chylde of the light and of the day If thou be the chylde of light and day it is impossible to thee for to be the chylde of the night and darkenesse And if thou be the chylde of the night and darknesse it is impossible thou can bee the chylde of the day and light These tvvo can neuer agree both together Tvvo Kingdomes cannot stand in thee If God raigne not in thee the Deuill must raigne in thee and if God raigne in thee the Deuill cannot raigne in thee Indeed so long as vve are heere light and darknesse may be both in vs for vvee are neuer free of this darkenesse neyther is this light of God persite in vs but both cannot raigne together in vs but hovvbeit darknesse be in thee yet it hes no dominion ouer thee
he sayes not Onesiphorus deserues well at Gods hand and I pray that the Lord would rewarde him according to his demerites No but he sayes The Lord shovv mercy on Onesiphorus And he doubles it ouer againe and he saies God grant as I haue found mercy at Onesiphorus so he may finde mercy at the Lords hands in that day He sayes mercie not reward but free mercie and so I end Nothing but mercy and free grace when we haue done all we can nothing but mercy mercy in earth mercy in heauen On paine of lyfe when thou hast done all the good thou may doe beware thou think of any deseruing at the hands of God But cast thy selfe on thy knees and hold vp thy hands and cry for fre mercy and pardon of thy sinnes and say away with all my workes they are but dung and filth I craue pardon for my sinnes of thy free mercy in that bloude of Iesus Christ Except thou craue this thou shalt neuer haue solide joy in thy hart And shall I say that one of these false quenchers of the Spirit felt euer this sweetnes in Christ which onely ryses of the assurance of the free mercy of God Therefore let our onely reposing be vpon this free fauour in Christ To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise for euer AMEN FINIS LECTVRES VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF THE APOSTLE PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS PREACHED BY THAT FAITHFVLL seruant of God Maister ROBERT ROLLOK some-tyme Minister of Gods vvord and Rector of the Vniuersitie of EDINVRGH EDINBVRGH PRINTED BY ROBERT CHARTERIS Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majestie Anno Dom. M. D. CVI. Cum Priuilegio Regiae Majestatis THE ARGVMENT OF THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS THIS second Epistle to the Thessalonians seemes to haue beene written soone after the first The occasion of the wryting thereof may be gathered of the Epistle it selfe The Thessalonians were at that tyme persecuted and heauily troubled for the faith of Christ and lykewise there entered in amongst them false teachers and deceiuers who went about to perswade them that the comming of Christ was instantly at hand taking occasion as it appeares by the Thessalonians mistaking of certaine speeches vttered by the Apostle in the first Epistle especially these wordes in the fourth chapter We vvhich liue and are remaining in the comming of the Lord shall be caught vp in the cloudes vvith them that are dead in Christ after their resurrection to meete the Lord in the aire and so shall vve euer be vvith the Lord. Where-vpon the Thessalonians concluded that Christ should come before they died and they should be on lyfe at his comming The deuill to confirme them in this errour raises vp these deceiuers who went about to perswade them of it as though it had beene true that they should haue beene liuing at the comming of the Lord alledging that they had it both by the reâ—elation of the Spirit of God and also by the tradition of PAVL The Apostle therefore thought it needfull to 〈◊〉 this second Epistle to the Thessalonians partly to comfort them against the persecutions of their enemies partly to admonish them that they giue not eare to these false deceiuers assuring them that before Christ come the Antichrist should come and there should be an vniuersall defection from the trueth The Epistle may fitlie be diuyded in six parts The first part is the salutation in the two first verses in the first chapter The second is the Preface wherein he rejoyceth for their perseuerance and increase of Faith of Loue and Patience in all their persecutions and tribulations from the third verse to the fift In the third part he comfortes them against the troubles and persecutions that they sustained for the faith of Christ from the fift verse to the end of the first chapter In the fourth part he admonishes them that they giue not eare to these false teachers that said Christs comming was at hand showing them that before the second comming of Christ the Antichrist should be reueiled and there should be an vniuersall defection from the faith of Christ Yet he comfortes them against the feare of defection and exhortes them to abyde constant in the doctrine they had receiued from him crauing 〈◊〉 comfort and constancie to them at Gods hands This parâ—e is conteinde in the whole second chapter The fifth part containeth exhortations to good maners and Christian dueties from the beginning of the third chapter to the sixteenth verse In the last part he concludeth the Epistle with prayer and salutation from the sixteenth verse to the end THE FIRST LECTVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 2. THESSA CHAP. 1 vers 1. 2. 3 4. 5. 1. PAVL and Siluanus and Timotheus vnto the Church of the Thessalonians which is in God our Father and in the Lord Iesus Christ. 2 Grace be vvith you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Iesus Christ 3 We ought to thanke God alvvaies for you brethren as it is meete because that your faith grovveth exceedingly and the loue of euery one of you tovvard another aboundeth 4 So that vve our selues reioyce of you in the Churches of God because of your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye suffer 5 Which is a token of the righteous iudgement of God that ye may be counted vvorthie of the kingdome of God for the vvhich ye also suffer HAVING ended Brethren as God gaue the grace the first Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians I thought it meetest to goe forward in the second Epistle for otherwayes the worke would seeme not to be perfyted and the matter conteined in the second Epistle is very worthie to be insisted vpon And it appeares very well among all the Epistles that Paul vvrote that these two directed to the Thessalonians were the first This second Epistle which we presently haue in hand appearantly hes beene written soone after the first The occasion of the wryting of it appeares well of the purpose and argument it selfe The Apostle in this Epistle comfortes the Church of the Thessalonians vvhich vvas persecuted and heauily troubled for the faith of Christ Another occasion we take vp in the second chapter There entered in this Church for the deuill can neuer be idle false teachers and deceiuers who went about to perswade the Thessalonians that the comming of Christ was instantlie at hand The Apostle therefore taking occasion hereof admonishes them not to giue eare to these men and he telles them that before Christ come the Antichrist should come and that there should be an vniuersall defection in the world I take these to be the two occasions of his wryting There are three chapters of this Epistle In the first after he hes saluated them and giuen thanks to God for them he enters in to comfort them against all the troubles they were in for the present In the second chapter he admonishes them not to
as it were in a mirror I may see or thou may see Christ comming to judge the world to render to euery one according to their deserts for looke how I or thou may reason When I see a person troubled for righteousnes sake I will conclude here is an innocent man here are godly people troubled wrongously therefore of necessitie there must be a judgement wherein all ods must be made euen I looke certainly for a judgement to come God cannot be God if there be not a judgement wherein he shall be anenged for the wrong done to this man I will not conclude a particulare and an earthly judgement I will not say when I see a godly man troubled therefore the troublers of him shall be plagued ere they go off the world it is ouer high Indeede the Prophetes of olde had this reuelation but it is ouer high for vs because experience in all ages hes proued that some of the greatest persecutors hes died in peace and no visible judgement hes ouertaine them heere But this I am sure of when I see godly men opprest I may say there shall be a day of generall judgement vvherein God shall be anenged of the persecutours if repentance interceede not Novv vvold ye knovv any token that Christ shall come againe and put an end to the vvorld and that there shall be a generall judgement Looke if ye see or heare tel that the godly and innocent are troubled in the world take that for as sure an argument as can be that a generall judgment shal be And as surely as the master is comming after the forerunner as surely shall the general judgment come after the suffring of the godly they must dravv on a judgment and at the last they must draw Christ out of Heauen to take vpon him the place of a Iudge to rander to euery man according to his doing Now another thing He comfortes them taking his reason from the generall judgement he telles them there shall be a terrible judgement when a terrible judge shall come and sit downe in a judgement seat What comfort is this Ye see many vvill shake and shudder when they heare of it and faine would desire neuer to heare of it It is true the promise of the generall judgement will neuer comfort the wicked and they that troubles others the more that they heare of it the more will they trimble and shiuer But it is as true that the most comfortable voice they that suffers wrong can heare is the hearing of the comming of Christ in that latter day and it is the matter of patience it vvill make them ly vnder affliction with exceeding joy the thought of the comming of Christ giues patience in all troubles and this may be found in experience the cheefe joy of the godly is the remembring of Christs comming It is not mens judgement their absolution and condemnation that we should stand vpon What cares me if all the world would absolue me if I be condemned by God And againe vvhat careâ— me if all the vvorld condemne me if God absolue me It is not mens absoluing or condemning that bringes the true joy or heauinesse to the hart but it is Gods absolution and condemnation that will doe this And therefore as thou would haue comfort in that terrible judgment doe well and suffer wrong and byde patiently for surely it will not be long there is such a crying of bloude and such vvronges in this vvorld that truelie in this decrepite age Christ must come shortlie Then this is the first argument of consolation The other is more effectuall I shall touch it Ye that suffers shall be thought vvorthie of the kingdome of God for the vvhich ye suffer He commes nearer as he would say ye haue no cause to trimble and feare ye shall be absoluted from that terrible judgement and ye shall be counted worthie of the kingdome of God The enemies of the trueth gathers of these words that there is a merite and worthinesse for suffering But Paul Rom. chap. 8. verse 18. sayes All this suffering is not vvorthie this vveight of glorie So I answere This worthinesse is not our owne but that which is Christs worthines and properly pertaines to him heere is improperly ascryued to vs for throgh that strate conjunction we haue with Christ he and we are made one and therefore his graces after a sort are ascriued to vs. I hauing Christ may challenge his merite and worthines his graces that he hes conquised as life euerlasting c. to me as euer man might challenge any land or heritage Therefore gather not here any worthines simplie without Christ Alwayes I see the cheefe cause of consolation to the godly that suffers here is not so much that the wicked shall be punished for euer as that the godly shal be adjudged to glory There is the cheefe ground of my consolation Let a man doe all the euill he can to me my comfort is not that he shal be punished at that latter day but that then God shall glorifie me at that latter day Desire not so much the latter judgement that then the wicked may be punished as that thou may be glorified Look Gods purpose he hes appointed this latter day onely to this end that the godly may be glorified The other end of the punishment of the offenders is not the cheefe end for the cheefe end that God looks to is that he may be glorified in mercy It is true he will be glorified in justice but he delytes most to be glorified in mercy He seeks to be glorified in all his properperties in his wisdome power c. But the mercy of the Lord passes all and he seekes aboue all that his glory should shyne in his mercy toward sinners And certainely Christ was sent in the world that his glory should shine in mercy His preaching was to mercy God hes greater glory in sauing one sinfull soule in Christ nor he hes in condemning of millions of the wicked So brethren wonder not that many goes to Hell but wonder that euer a sinner should be safe and maruell more at the mercy of God in sauing of one sinner nor at his justice in the perdition of ten thousands So the mercy of God is wonderfull his power and all is wonderfull but his mercy passes all his properties To him be glory for euer AMEN THE SECOND LECTVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 2. THESSA CHAP. 1. vers 6. 7. 8 9. 6 For it is a righteous thing vvith God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you 7 And to you vvhich are troubled rest vvith vs vvhen the Lord Iesus shall shovv himselfe from heauen vvith his mighty Angels 8 In flaming fire rendring vengence vnto them that doe not knovv God and vvhich obey not vnto the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ 9 Which shall be punished vvith euerlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of
thy hart but a contempt of the Gospel of the preachers of the Gospell But boast as thou wilt of the knowledge of Christ thou shalt finde if thou be impenitent in this pointe vengence shall light on thee Rebels to the Gospell and preaching thereof in earth rebels to Christ in the Heauen Think not when thou hungerst the Gospell out of the land by drawing away in thy â—lookes all the thing the Gospel should be sustained on that thou knowest God and Iesus Christ What matter of the hungring of the bodies of men in respect of the Gospell When thou closest the mouth of men so that for hunger they are not able to preach say not thou knowest Christ and loues the Gospell thou liest falslie WheÌ„ throgh thy gredines thou art an hinderer to the ministrie whom the Lord thrusts out to be dispensators of the foode to the soules of men thou hungerst the Gospell When thou doest this say not thou louest Christ Thou wilt say in that great day Lord where saw we thee hungring where saw we thee naked c. But the Lord then shall say What euer thou did to the Ministers of the Gospell thou did it to me thou stayed the planting and progresse of the Gospell throgh thy auarice O sacrilegious Abbot Bishop and Priour and the rest of that rable and ô ye rauening woolfes that deuoures the teinds to the prejudice of the plantation of this ministry and Gospel to the hungring of innumerable soules Look to this matter and tak vp your selues that the Lord meete you not in vengence looke to this at this tyme and with draw not the moyen whereby this Gospell may be propagated in the world I speak no more of this matter One day will show the trueth of these things Yet ere I leaue the words Marke further He is speaking of the godlie that were persecuted and he brings in the Lord Iesus rendring and yet he sayes not he shall render vengence to them that afflicted and troubled the godlie he speaks not of them that were afflicted But he sayes to them vvho obeyed not the Gospell of the Lord Iesus So he touches the groundes persecution and troubling of the saints rises euer on this ground rebellion to God rebellion to Christ no persecuter but a rebell to God a contemner of the Gospel of Christ be is a contemner of God and Christ And in the meane-tyme with this he comforts the persecuted Thessalonians they shall not escape trouble who hes troubled you because the Lord hes his entrest And therefore assure theâ— if there were no other thing but this rebelling against God and Christ of necessitie vengence must follow Trouble euer rises of misknowledge of God What matter of men in afflicting men they â—rebell against God and that rebelling shall not escape punishment Now in the next words he commes more particularly to the vengence To scaâ—se of these thinges oueâ— far it is but vaine curiositie Therefore it is expedient in these things to â—old fast the plaine words that we alter not to the one side nor to the other Curious spirites hes spoken much of this matter without any grounds It might haue bene asked What can this vengence be He answers and calles iâ— a perdition Then he cals it euerlasting perdition and wrack of the creature There are sundry sorts of vengences all vengences are not the vtter wrack of the creature for many men after punishment will get vp their heads againe and come throgh but after this punishment vtter wrack and perdition shall follow A beast when it dies and is feld it is wracked but looke the nature of this wrack it shall be euerlasting a wrack without an end a death without a death a death that shall neuer haue an end ay dying and neuer dead So first it shall be perdition and an vtter wrack and then neuer shall haue an end The hoâ—ling and vtter cry of the reprobat in Hell â— how dolorous is it But what matter of the extremity of it if it had an end but alas extremity without end of pain how dolorous is it Many wil neuer know this till they be shot in Hel Heauen and Hel is thoght mocking Many wil neuer know there is an Hel vntil they feele it in experience The Lord waken vs that once we may think of this Alas there is such a stupiditie in the hart of man that he can neuer beleue this So there the vengence a perdition and an endlesse perdition Now in one word He resolues this particular vengence in the own grounds there is first a perdition then an eternity of perdition In the next words he lets you see the groundes first of perdition and then of the eternitie thereof As to the perdition it selfe He sayes it commes from the face of God The wicked shall not see so soone the face of Iesus Christ the Iudge at that day but as soone they shall melt away as the waxe at the fire and as ye see the matter of melting is in the waxe it self so the matter of the melting of the wicked shall be in themselues But what matter if it had an end And therefore next he layes downe the ground of â—rernitie â—aine from the glory of the power of the infinite Iudge The power of the glorious Iudge is eternall infinit and endles the power of man hes an end He is a mighty monarch to day but to morrow euanishes his power lasts not But the power of the lord Iesus shal neuer hauean end and from once he begin to puâ— the finger of his power on the soule of the wicked they shall neuer be free of vengence It is a terrible thing to faâ—in the hands of an angry God from once he grip thee his hand shal neuer louse his power indures euer and therefore shall thy paine indure euer So ye that will thinke an endlesse paine cannot be lift vp your eyes and consider the eternitie of his power and infinitnes of God and then ye may see the great and euerlasting vengence that he hes to be poâ—red on the wicked and great and euerlasting mercy on them that pertaines to him in Christ The Lord giue vs eyes to see it euen for his Christs sake To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be praise for euer AMEN THE THIRD LECâ—TVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS â— THESSA CHAP. 1. vers 10. 11. 12. 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be made marueilous in all them that beleue because our testimony towaryou was beleeued in that day 11 Wherefore vve also pray alvvayes for you that our God may make you vvorthie of his calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodnes and the vvorke of saith vvith povver 12 That the name of the Lord Iesus Christ may be glorified in you 〈◊〉 in him according to the grace of our god of the Lord Iesus Christ THE last day ye heard brethren
Peter and the rest of them there is no standing but on the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Paul writing to the Ephes 2. 20. speakes of their building Being builded sayes he vpon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Thou shalt neuer be builded on Iesus Christ if thou be not builded vpon the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles and if that be not then there is no saluation for thee goe to Spaine goe to Rome as thou wilt thou hast noght ado with Iesus Christ if thou stand not grounded on the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles Then would ye see what ye call true perseuerance in faith VVhat is perseuerance and apostasie Euen that is true perseuerance that is in the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles onely and no more and no lesse Then what is Apostasie that is contrare to perseuerance If perseuerance be in keeping of the doctrine of the Apostles then that is Apostasie when thou falles away from their doctrin No brethren the falling away from that Roman Antichrist is no Apostasie The Lord at his comming in that great day shall justifie this and shall judge that Church to be a false and an adulterous Apostatike Church and whoeuer joines with it if they repent not shall be adjudged that day to damnation and they that departs from it and stickes to the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles shall be judged to be the holy ones of God Now followes in the end of the verse two sortes of teaching of them that the Apostle vsed The first is by word when he spoke to them face to face The other is by his Epistle The lesson is easie Men are taught aswell by writ as word all teaching is not tied to the personall presence of men No men are as surely taught by writ as by word And seeing it hes pleased the Lord to showe this mercy on vs that the writtes of the Apostles are comde in our hands which are read in your audience therefore we haue Paul to be a teacher to vs aswell as the Thessalonians had Therefore conclude surely that it is not so much this Minister or that Minister teaches you as it is the Apostle Paul and Christ Iesus in him for euery Minister is not so guyded as he was the ministers may erre and hes erred but the Apostles could not erre for they were immediatly called of Iesus Christ and were in their writting direct fully by the holy Spirit Therefore think that ye haue the Apostle Paul and the rest to be your teachers and as for a Minister if he goe a stray breadth off that ground of the Apostles he teaches false doctrine and so the surest teachers that we haue are the olde Prophets and Apostles that cannot erre Thinke it not a small mercy that the Lord hes made their writs to come to vs and no doubt Christ when he tooke good-night of the Apostles had respect to this Matt. 28. chap. 19. vers Goe your vvay and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father of the Sonne and the holy Ghost and loe I am vvith you vntill the end of the vvorld as he would say ye in a maner shall bide and liue till I come againe if not in your persons yet in your writte and I shall accompanie your writte as I did accompany your persons in the world and surely the Spirit of Christ accompanies this same writ and word as euer he did their dresence on earth Now I will answere one doubt that he ere occurres before I go forward Ye that hes red any thing knowes that the aduersars preases to make aduantage of this place keepe that that I haue taught you by word or writ Then cry they out traditions traditions The Apostles say they hes left traditions besides their writs verities vnwritten and therefore as great credite should be giuen to them as to the written verity and they should be receiued with as great reuerence as their writs Brethren it is true the words importes a diuersity but if ye will looke well about you ye shall find that there is no diuersity in the matter and substance but onely in the maner and forme of teaching as if he should haue said Keep that which I haue teached you either by word or writ which is all one thing for that which I spoke I wrote and that which I wrote I spok this is certaine But giuing this to them supponing the Apostle had spoken something which he had not written at this time what is it to the purpose Ergo wrote he iâ— not afterward Supponing the Apostle had not written this whole doctrine to the Thessalonians yet wrote he it not to the Romans Ephesians c and in one word the Apostle spoke nothing by mouth which he registred not in writte The same doctrine he spoke by mouth the same he left in register in writ to be red by the world Now then to return to the matter When he hes ended the exhortation he subjoines prayer and the same perseuerance he exhorted them to he begs to them froÌ„ the hands of God BrethreÌ„ al exhortation Teaching vvithout the spirite povverlâ—s all this doctrine and preaching all preceptes and admonitions are but winde and vaine voyces shal sounds in the eare and goes not to the hart except with the word the Lord concur by his spirit If the Lord by his power and spirit inwardly moue not the hart and affections of men all is but vanity and winde Now the meane ye see to get the Spirit to the preaching and hearing of the word is prayer And therefore take the lesson A man should neuer preach nor heare preaching but the eie of his soule should be lifted vp to him that is able onely to giue the power and increase In preaching the Minister should be begging power and the people praying and saying Lord as this is thy word which is thy power vnto saluation so by thy Spirit make it powerfull in me If thy eye be on the man and thy hart be not lifted vp to God thou shalt goe as empty home as thou came abroad Therefore set thy eye and hart on him who is only able to giue power to thy life and vpon him who giues only consolation when thou hast need and finally on him that giues saluation to all that beleues aright to wit the Lord Iesus for without him there is no grace to be bestowed on man be what he wil. Prayer is the meane to get the presence of the Spirit concurring with the word for the word without grace and power be giuen to it to open the hart is powerfull to close the hart The Gospell is an instrument to obdure thy hart if it be heard without praier to God and presence of his Spirit Therefore pray that in hearing ye may vnderstand and that ye may walke according to the knowledge thereof Now then to come to the wordes There are three thinges in this prayer First
cannot loue him except he loue vs first 1. Iohn 4. 19. There is none that loues him but he that hes the sense of Gods loue in his hart furnished by the Spirit of God O the joy and consolation in the hart when it findes the Lords hart powred out on it And without this sense of Gods loue towardes thee fy on thee if thou wert a king for all thy kingdomes if thou wert ruler ouer all fy on thy glorie and pleasure for all the things vnder Heauen may well minister to thee a false joy and peace in thy hart but they shall neuer giue thee the true joy for there is no true joy but through the sense of the loue of God in thy hart So there is the first gift and argument whereby he assure these Thessalonians that the thinges he askes for them shall be graunted to them without all doubt The next argument is And hes giuen vs consolation eternall In this word he summes vp all the blessinges giuen to man in Iesus Christ in tyme The secoÌ„d is eternall coÌ„solatioÌ„ our effectuall calling our justification through his righteousnesse forgiuenesse of sinnes and an acceptation in his fauor our sanctification by his Spirit the resurrection of the bodie and life eternal in glorie al these we haue in him to whom Paul maks this prayer So all the blessinges of God commes and meetes in the hart of man as in a centre they end all in consolation our effectual calling ends in consolation our justifying ends in consolation Therefore sayes Paul Rom 5. 1. Being iustified by faith vve haue peace tovvard God Then in one word As all blessing beginnes at the hart of God and at that loue he powres our on vs so al blessing ends in our hart The beginning is Gods the end is ours and our end is this that peace that passes all vnderstanding This loue of God is as a floode through the which slowes downe all these blessinges bestowed on vs which are as as many springs and conduits comming from that great and vnspeakable loue of God and entering once in vpon our harts wakens vp an infinite and vnspeakable joy in vs For from once that waâ—eâ— of the loue of God touch the hart there flowes such a consolation as is vnspeakable The Lord of Heauen giue euery one earnestnesse to seeke this consolation for it is the arlespenny of these euerlasting joyes which once we shall haue in Heauen throgh Iesus Christ He calles it eternall because it is a fontaine that neuer is stopped it neuer goes dry but euer runnes when the fountaine euer â—â—mes the riuer that runnes from it will neuer goe dry And therefore when that fountaine of loue in the hart of God commes in thy hart thy consolation must laste for euer his loue running down in thy hart makes thy joy euerlasting The thinges of this world when thou gettest them will waken vp some joy in thy hart but that joy which thou hast the day thou wilt want to morrow for it is not permanent but as for that joy which proceeds of the loue of God it hes no end it is eternall and therefore they that will seeke consolation in Iesus shal neuer haue an end of joy Indeed sometymes this our joy seemes to be troubled heere because it is compassed with many crosses and afflictions but the Lord from tyme to tyme makes our joy sensible and wakens it vp in vs and when thou shalt be in Heauen thou shalt haue an endles consolation without any vicissitude or alteration for euer Seek then I pray you for this loue of God as ye wold be euerlastinglie blessed with this joy vnalterable Now the third benefite is good hope He calles it good because it is of the best thing The third good hope that euer was that is it is of that cheefe felicitie for vvhat is it vve hope for Euen that consummation of our cheefe and euerlasting felicitie vvith our God vve hope for that possession of the glorie of our Lord Iesus and therefore it is not vvithout reason that it is called good hope Wherefrom flowes it Euen as consolation flowes from loue so hope flowes from consolation Rom. 15. 4. and consolation is as an arlespenny that God puttes in thy hand that thou shalt get theÌ„ full payment of the whole summe And therefore it wakens vp thy hart to hope so that when I get a peece of consolation I am induced to hope certainely that that Lord that hes giuen me that arlespenny shal not leaue me till he fil my hart with the fulnesse of consolation for the saciety and full contentment is not till we see Christ face to face and vntill this tyme we must liue by hope In end he sayes all these thinges are by grace Loue is by grace consolation is by grace hope is by grace that is of the free fauour of God without any desert or merite on mans part And it is vvell vvith vs that it is noâ— so that all is of free grace vvithout out merite for if any blessing of God hang vpon a mans merite vpon his doing and deseruing alas vveak vvould this ground be and there vvould not be one day but vve should fall from the grace If it 〈◊〉 depended on me I vvould lose it euerie moment of the day So the ground of thiâ— suretie and stabilitie of Gods blessinges is onely in God euen his free grace and loue When the Lord regardes thee not for ought that is in thee but lookes to himselfe then thou hast stedfastnesse by the grace of God as ye may collect of the 4. chap. to the Rom. verse 16. Therefore it is by faith that it might come by grace and the promise might be sure to all the seede If the inheritance hang vpon thy stinking vvorkes for thou fylest the vvorkes of the holy Spirit in thee thou shouldst neuer see Heauen And thou that vvilt stick by such a ground and say Heauen and saluation depends on thy vvorks thou shalt find thy selfe frustrate in that day and shall not attaine to that inheritance that thou looked for for there is no blessing of God in Christ but that that hangs vpon the free fauor and mercy of God to vs in Iesus Christ All the vvorld shall not louse this ground In the last verse vve haue the thinges he prayes for to these Thessalonians I pray the Lord Iesus Christ and God euen our Father that they would comfort your harts The next establishe you in euerie vvord of the trueth and euerie good vvorke Praier for consolation These are the tvvo thinges he prayes for consolation and perseuerance in well doing Hes he not said before that God the father had giuen them eternall consolation what is the crause then he praies for it as though they had not gotten it He sayes he hes giuen vs eternall consolation and now he sayes I pray the Lord Iesus that he would comfort you How can these two stand Mark brethren
them the presence of the Lord himselfe to be with them all Last he salutes them and the effect of the saluatation is a prayer for them The grace of our Lord Iesus be with you all Amen So all consistes in prayer Then learne He beganne this Epistle with prayer and salutation throughout the whole Epistle prayer is mingled Now in the end he multiplies prayer What meanes this Euen this that in vaine is all doctrine exhortation admonition and precept whatsomouer all preaching is nothing except the Lord by his Spirit worke inwardlie in the harts of the hearers all is nothing but vvinde except he moue their affections Now the way to obtaine this inward and secreete operation of the holy Spirite is oft-tymes to turne to God by prayer beseeching him to be povverfull and to joyne his Spirite vvith the vvord and to joyne vvorking vvith speaking And therefore hovv oft so euer we teach and ye hear the hart and eye should be lifted vp and set vpon him who hes keeped Spirit and power in his owne hand to giue as he pleases No man can giue you it neither the Preachour nor no Angell can giue you it It is onely in the hand of God and Iesus Christ to giue thee Spirite and povver and to joyne vvorking vvith speaking And therefore the eye in preaching should euer be set on Christ The Pastour should pray and haue his hart aboue to dravve dovvne grace to himselfe and the people that the vvord spoken may be effectuall in the hart othervvise preaching and all hearing is in vaine Now to come to the words The first thing he prayes for and wishes is peace The Lord of peace sayes he giue you peace for euer and euery vvay The thing then he wishes is peace that is quyetnes rest and tranquillity concord agreement all these words expresses the meaning of the word Peace The contrare is vnquyetnes What peace is dissention c. This Peace is the blessednes felicity happy estate of Christs kingdome which is his Church both in earth and Heauen And all the graces we haue in Iesus Christ tends to this end that his subjects may liue in peace quyetnesse and joy for euer and that shall be the end when we are in Heauen peace and joy for euer Ye see the happy estate of a worldly kingdome what is it When men liues in rest and enjoyes peace and quyetnes that is the happines of a worldly knigdom therefore in the 1. Timot. 2. 2. he commaundes prayer to be made for all men For Kings and superiour povvers To what end Euen to this same end that vve may liue a peaceable and quyet lyfe Euen so the blessed and happie estate of Christs kingdome is an heauenlie peace concord and quyetnesse And therefore Rom. 14. 17. he makes this peace to be essentiall to the kingdome of God that he defines it by this peace saying The kingdom of God is righteousnes peace and ioy in the holy Ghost This Heauenly peace is onely in Christs kingdome in his Church in Heauen and earth And the subjects of the kingdome of Iesus Christ are onely they that enjoyes this peace here and after this life for euer for without the Church of Christ there is no true peace If thou be no subject in his kingdome thou hast no rest no true peace for there is no true peace for the vvicked sayes the Prophet Esay 57. 21. If thou be of that number that is without the kingdome of Christ no peace for thee and the end shall proue thou hadst neuer true peace in this world Now to go forward He craues that it may be giuen to them Then Peace the gift of god it is a gift Heauenly peace is the gift of God thou hast it not by nature None is borne with peace but with warre and inimitie by nature all are borne with dissention strife and debate there is no heauenly peace by nature And the whole lyfe naturall what is it but a continuance in war debate and strife first against God next with thy selfe and thy owne conscience And againe a strife against the Angels in Heauen and men on earth and all the creatures of God thou art an enemie to them and they vnto thee vntill the tyme thou attaine to that new birth in Iesus Christ and then by vertue of that birth thou getst this heauenly and spirituall peace for then thou beginst to liue at peace first with God himselfe and next with the Angels in Heauen and men in earth and with all his creatures So looke how needfull it is for thee to haue regeneration for if thou want it thou shalt be at war for euer thou shalt haue no peace But how getst thou it It is a gift And who shold giue it The Lord of peace The giuer of it must be the Lord with dominion and power with command And as vnder his Lordship other things must be so peace must be at his command either to giue it or hold it Now who is this Lord that hes this power of peace and war Who is he that sayes All povver is giuen to me in heauen and earth Matt. 2â— 18. This Lord is Iesus Christ And therefore ere euer he came in this world and tooke on him our nature Esay 9. 6. he styles him the Prince of peace And Paul Ephes 2. 14 styles him peace it â—elfe he is our peace-maker And in Iohn 14. 27. Christ speaking to his Apostles takes on him to be the giuer of peace and sayes My peace I leaue to you and giues you So this Lord of peace is the Lord Iesus Christ who hes in his handes all grace and glorie in Heauen and in earth Yet to goe forward The lords style ansvver able to the grace 〈◊〉 praier Why is it that he makes a choise of this style rather then of any other Certainely this style he receiues here agrees with the petition and thing asked at his hands peace is craued he is styled the Lord of peace what euer we aske of Christ it should be in faith that he hes power to giue it aske iâ— thou peace aske it not but in an assurance that it is in his hand and that he is able to giue it Now this assurance that all is in his hand it cannot be better vttered then by the Name and style we giue him askest thou wisdome say Lord of wisdome giue wisdome askest thou peace say Lord of peace giue me peace askest thou mercie say Lord of mercy giue me mercy So the name and style we giue to the Lord when we craue ought at his hands should be answerable to the grace and mercy we aske for then we vtter our faith and assurance that he hes such a grace and power to giue vs. This hes bene the forme of Pauls prayer and of godly men of old and should be imitate by vs. The Lord hes many styles he is called the Lord of peace mercy and justice the Lord
of glorie There is not a Monarch that prydes himself in honourable styles and names that is comparable with the great Creator the Lord of the world yea set them altogether all are nothing in comparison with him because all are his all grace power and dominion in Heauen and earth is his and therfore look by how many graces his Majestie hes spread it selfe through Heauen and earth look how many graces he hes in his hand to giue so many seuerall and honourable styles may he receiue there is no end of his glory nor no end of his Names from his wisdome he is called the Lord of wisdome from his justice the Lord of justice from his mercy the Lord of mercy from his peace the Lord of peace from his glory the Lord of glory Now to goe forward Tvvo properties of peace 1. It is euerlasting There are two properties giuen to this peace The first It is for euer alvvayes it is not for a tyme onely but for all tymes It is not for this lyfe onely but for the lyfe to come This worldly peace serues but for this lyfe onely but the peace of Iesus Christ serues for the lyfe euerlasting The peace of God is not peace in prosperitie onely but in aduersitie also It is not peace in life onely but in death also And therefore Symen in his song when he had seene Iesus he sayes Novv Lord 〈…〉 depart in peace Luke 2. 29. the seruant of God as he liued in great peace so also departed in peace so this peace lastes for euer And therefore Esay 9. 7. when he hes called him the Prince of peace he sayes the largenesse of his dominion and increase of his 〈◊〉 at and peace shall haue no end his kingdome is an endles kingdome and there is an endles peace in that kingdome I called this peace our blessednesse Now this is the nature of blessednesse it cannot be bounded within any tearms if it be true selicitie bound it not compasse it not within a yeere within twentie yeeres or within a thousand yea within ten thousand yeeres for the nature of true blessednesse is euerlasting And therefore ye see worldly men that places their happinesse in worldly peace will dreame an eternity and perpetuitie to that peace of theirs that neither they nor their peace will haue an end That rich man in the Gospel Luke 12. 19. said to his soule Liue at ease eate and drinke and take thy pastime thou hast store laid vp for many yeeres trow ye not but he thought to liue for euer and thought that that aboundance should abyde with him for euer and so faires it with all worldlings they dreame a rest and peace for euer but the end will proue that they wer dreaming all their dayes Therefore Lord set our harts on that peace of Iesus Christ that lastes for euer This is then the first propertie of this peace of his It lasts for euer The second propertie of it is It is 〈…〉 of vvay It is peace in all respects not in one respect onely nor in some respects onely 2. It is in al respects but in euery respect I shall make this plaine The peace of Iesus Christ is peace in respect of God when our soules standes in friendship with him when we are reconceiled to him by the bloud of Iesus as it is said Rom 5. 1. Being iustified by faith vve haue peace tovvards God Then it is peace in respect of our selues an euill conscience is an euill enemie when thou stryuest not against thy owne affections but satisfies them then thy conscience will let thee get little rest it will ay be accusing thee but when once this peace of Iesus be giuen thee so that thou beginst to be regenerate and to lead an holy and sanctified lyfe then thy conscience rests and thou beginst to enjoy a joyfull peace in thy soule Philipp 4. 7. The peace of God that passes all vnderstanding preserue your harts and myndes in Christ Iesus and Col. 3. 15. Let the peace of God rule in your harts And againe it is peace in respect of the creatures of God with Angels in Heauen with men on earth man is enemie to man by nature then hauing this peace thou art at peace with Heauen and earth man and Angell for all are enemes to thee so long as thou art outwith Iesus Christ we are enemies to them all and they all to vs but being in Christ all things are reconciled to vs in heauen and earth Ephes 1. 10. Col. 1. 20. so in all respects it is peace Looke how many sortes of enimities was as many sortes of peace must be we are enemies to God to our owne conscience to Angels and men yea and that that is most conjoyned to vs by nature be it bloude asfinitie or any other bond if there be no more but nature there is nothing but enimitie the conjunction of man and woman if there be no more but their natural bond is enimity the parents and the children without this spirituall peace of Iesus are at enimitie So looke how many sorts of enimitie there is there are as many sorts of peace and our blessednesse standes in this peace Now looke the nature of it As blessednesse must indure for euer so our blessednes must be perfite If thou hast that peace of Iesus thou must haue it in all respects if thou hast peace with God thou hast peace with all men so far as lyes in thee Rom 12. 18. otherwise thou hast no true peace with God Men oft-tymes beguyles themselues I will haue peace with God will he say and yet I shal be this man or that mans enemie I shall slay him folie folie if thou glorie in debate with man and does not that lyes into thy power to be at peace with all men thou shalt haue no peace with God that thing which the Lord joynes seuere not thou the Lords peace is with al if thou seuere it and pryde thee in enimitie with any thou shalt not haue peace with God nor with thy self What peace hes a murtherer with God or with his owne conscience Aske at him I demand thee ô murtherer knew thou what that peace of God meanes when that bloudie affection raged and caried thee to bloude Thou lookest for friendship with God folie thou art neither at friendship with God nor his Angels nor none of his creatures It is a wonder that the Heauens falles not on thee The earth is thy enemy and it is a vvonder that it swallows thee not vp for al that bloud that thou hast shed on it but once it shall present it to thy damnation if thou repent not This far concerning prayer for peace I goe to the next words The Lord be vvith you all He goes to a deeper ground Before he wished the grace of the Lord Iesus to them Novv he vvishes the Lord himselfe to them the presence of Iesus Christ in his ovvn person not onely that he shall
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
the purpose of the Apostle in this place was to comforte the Thessalonians against the afflictionâ—s vvhere-vvith for the tyme they vvere exercised The first and the cheefest argument of consolation vvas taine from that just jugdement of God when he commes for the afflictions that the godly and innocent suffers in this lyfe for the name of Iesus Christ are as a mirror vvherein we may see the Lord Iesus comming to judgment to take vengence on the afflicters and to render and to giue rest 〈◊〉 his own The Apostle taking occasion of this argument points out the Lord Iesus comming to judge the world He notes the place from which he shall come an Heauen aboue all these visible Heauens he notes the companie where-with in his comming he shall he accompanied First the Angels of his power enarmed with the power of the Iudge the Lord Iesus to execute his just judgement The next company is a flamming fire This fire at the comming of the Lord Iesus shall burne vp the Heauen shall melt the elements shall burne vp this earth and all the workes that is in it as Peter declares in his 2. Epistle chap. 3. and at last shall consume and deuore the wicked and that euerlastingly euer burning without end When he hes painted out the Lords comming to judge the world he subjoynes the effects that shall follow vpon his comming and judgement The first effect is he shall inflict vengence to them who in this world knew not God and would not obey the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ And after this he descryues this vengence more particularlie it shall be an vtter destruction so that they shall neuer get vp their head againe and this destruction shall be endlesse a death without a death the sorest death that euer man died the cause of the perdition shall be the face and angry countenance of the Iudge his face shall be as fire and they shal be as waxe the heate of his face shall melt them as the fire melts the waxe the cause of the eternitie of their perdition shall be the glorie of his power his power shall neuer haue an end and therefore their paine anguishe and perdition shall neuer haue an end The power shall euer holde them still in a torment and so this vvraith euerlasting shall sease and feede vpon them for euermore And so they shall euer be doing and neuer be dead Now in this text we haue the second effect that shall follow on the comming of the Lord to his judgement The first effect concerned the wicked This effect concernes the godly To come to the wordes shortlie He sayes When he shall come to be glorified in his Saintes The meaning is this vengence of perdition euerlasting shall be inflicted on the rebels of God and Christ at that tyme when he shall come to glorifie his owne the Saintes that in their glory and lyfe euerlasting he may be glorified himselfe Chief end of Christs coÌ„ming is to glorifie the soules This is the meaning shortly Now if ye will marke the first wordes When he shall come Ye may see that the first and cheefe end of the comming of the Lord Iesus to judgement is not the wrack of the reprobate but his cheefe end in his comming to judgement shall be the glorifying of his owne that in their glorie he may be glorified for euer The order of the giuing out of their doome and sentence of lyfe and death at that day makes this master plaâ—ne Read the order of the giuing foorth of this sentence in the 25. chap. of Matthevv vers 34. c. Iohâ— 5. cha 29. vers The sentence shall be giuen first to the godly and the Lord shall say first to them ere he open his mouth to the other Come ye blessed of my Father and 〈◊〉 that kingdome that is prepared for 〈◊〉 Then when that sentence is past he shall draw the godly to be assessours to him and with their consent and approbation in a maner he shal come to the doome of the reprobat and shal say Depâ—â— from me to the deuill and his Aâ—gels Iohn 5. chap. vers 28 29 The houre shall come vvhen all that are in the graues shall heare his voice and they shall come forth that haue doâ—e good to the resurrecâ—â—â—â— of life but they that haue done euill to the resurrection of condemnation This his order of proceeding showes that the cheefe end of Christs comming is the glorifying of his owne The cause is because in the glorifying of his elect cheefly shall God be glorified And seeing the Lord cheefly respects his owne glory therefore the first respect he shall haue in judging shall not be to punish the wicked for â—e shall cast them by his hand as dogges but to glorifie his owne To goe forward in the words When he shall come to be glorified in his Saintes That is to say when he shall come first to glorifie his Saints and so consequently to glorify himself For he cannot be glorifyed in his Saintes except he glorifie them first And therefore it must be vnderstood that he must glorifie them that in their glorie he may be glorified Now marke As the first and cheefe end of the comming of the Lord to judgement shall be the glorifying of his Saintes So the cheefe meane whereby the Lord shall be glorified shall not be the damnation of the reprobate but it shall be the lyfe and saluation of the godlie because in the godly at that day shall be manifested to the whole world the goodnesse of the Lord Iesus his mercy his omnipotent power in one word his Majestie and his glory cheefly shal be manifested in them So that the whole world when they see them stand vp as it were in a shout shall cry Glorie glorie glorie be to the Lambe that sits on the Throne when they shall see the elect so shining in glorie they shall brust forth in crying glorie glorie glorie and nothing shall be heard but glorie euer more These are the thinges we shall once see and heare either to our euerlasting glorie or to our euerlasting destruction It is true the Lord Iesus that day shall be glorified also in the damnation of the reprobat and that in his justice Ye read in the 14. of Exod. I shal be glorified in Pharao and his armie in powring out a vengence on them I shall drowne them But yet the justice God the justice of Christ serues not so much to his glorie as his mercie does And it is a greater matter yea and more glorie shall come to him by the sauing of one soule at that day nor by the condemning of an hundreth Came Christ Iesus in the world for this end cheeflie that God should be glorified in his justice No. Christ came and the Gospell of mercy is giuen vs that men and Angels in that day should glorifie God cheeflie in his mercie Now to goe forward And to be made marueilous in all them that beleeue
This is in effect that same which he spok of before euen the glorifying of God for it is one thing the Lord to be glorified and to wonder at him The meaning is shortly When he shall come First he shal make the faithful wonderful in the sight of the world and then in their wonderfulnes all the world shall wonder at him who hes made them wonderfull Now marke The Lord Iesus in Esay 9. chap. 6. vers among all the names he gets there he is called the vvonderfull and the maruellous one Now this name in effect shal show the selfcheefly in that day of judgement for cheefly in that day Christ shall be wonderful and all the world shall wonder at him It is but a litle wondring we haue here Christ at his comming vvoÌ„derfull Ye know wondring presuppones nouelties things of exceeding great importance Then it must followe that the Lord Iesus at that day shall be reueiled to the world in such a wonderful glory at neuer man nor Angel saw yetâ— it shal be such a glory as neuer eye saw ear heard or once entered into the hart of man as the Apostle â—aies 1. Cor. 2. chap. 9. vers They who saw him â—â—aniâ—ed in a vyle habite judged condemned scourged and crucified vnder Pontius Pilat they shall wonder when they shall see that Lord whom they thoght once so vile raised vp and exalted to such a sublimity and hight of glory Pilat then shal wonder the Priests shall wonder they that with their wicked handâ— crucified him shall wonder at that day And in one word there shall be nothing in that day in Heauen and earth but a wondering at the Lord Iesus Christ and his Saintes glorified Ye see here next the cheefe mean that shall make the Lord wonderful to be the wonderfulnesse of the glorie of his Saintes and elect whom in that day he shall make wonderfull The world shall looke in and wonder at them and then they shall looke to the Iudge and wonder at him Then in that day they who hes beleued in Iesus in this life looke what faith brings with it shall be blessed and made glorious For first these faithfull shall be made so maruelous in glory that they shall astonish the whole world I tell thee more when thou shalt be so translated when thy vyle bodie shall be so changed thou shalt wonder at thy selfe for the eare hath not heard the eye hath not seene c. that wonderfull glorie which then thou shalt enjoy As for the wicked of the world the troublers and afflicters of the godly when they shall looke to any one of the glorious elect they shall weepe and wonder This is set downe in the 5. chapter of the booke of wisdome albeit Apocrypha First they shall mourne and weepe when they shall see the glorie of the godly and say O we fooles and sensles bodies esteemed we not the life of these godly in the world a miserable lyfe Then they shall come on with wondering How is this that this vyle bodie so shynes and that he is so exalted So they shall both mourne at this sight and wonder and vveeping and vvondering they shall count themselues to haue bene fooles and sensles bodies The Lord giue vs grace to seeke that true wisdome in tyme. For certainly that true wisdome is esteemed foolishnesse in this world and he that would be wise let him be a foole first he shall neuer be counted wise that day except he haue bene a foole first and humbled vnder this foolish preaching of the Gospell It is true the condemnation of the reprobate shall be a meane to make the world wonder and to make the Iudge wonderfull O the paines that shall be inflicted on the reprobate shall be wonderfull and they shall be set vp as spectacles of shame at that day and the godly shall wonder at their shame and confusion O wonderfull shall that weightinesse of judgement be they shall wonder that euer there should be such a wraith in God they shall wonder that euer the arme of God should be so heauy vpon them O Hell is lighted now will they say the wraith of God is lighted now O what a masse and weight of wraith is this that we see now Men will now leape here and there and make litle count of the weightinesse of the Lords hand and securely contemne threatnings and judgement but in that day to their euerlasting woe they shall finde it the heauiest thing that euer was for by the weight of it they shall be so pressed downe that they shall neuer be able to prease vp againe Alas what a dead senslesnesse is this of men in this world that they regarde neither Heauen noâ— Hell liuing like beastes and not as men Lord waken vs in tyme to acknowledge these thinges Now to goe forward Who are these that shall be made wonderfull that in them the Lord Iesus may be made wonderfull In one word He calles them beleeuers a base and simple style among vs. He called them before Saintes holy ones and now he commes to the ground of their holinesse and calles it faith It will not be a faire honest ciuile dealing with our neighbour that will doe the turne albeit many men thinks so No but faith in Christ must be the ground any man that in any measure hes had a sense and feeling of that lyfe he will finde in his experience he can not haue hope or assurance of lyfe in the fairest outwarde dealing that euer men did except he finde his hart setled on God and his anchor casten on Christ This is the onely cause of thy saluation faith in Christ As for all thy good workes they are onely effects and tokens that thou hast that faith in Christ which will doe the turne and is the onely cause of thy saluation O blessed for euer is that hart that hes faith keeped let neuer thy remembrance be off it What euer thou thinke or speake keepe it hast thou it be assured of thy saluation lackest thou it doe all thou can thou shalt die Seeke euer to haue Christ in thy hart And seeing we who are now liuing may die in one moment Lord if we should not seeke earnestly to haue Christ dwelling in our harts It is onely his merites that saues vs. In the next wordes he defines them that he calles beleeuers and pointing them out he sayes not they that beleeues in Iesus Christ but they vvho in this lyfe hes beleeued my testimony the Gospell teached by me by my fellowâ—seruants by the rest of the Apostles and Pastors So take vp the nature of this faith and be not â—egyled with it It is not faith in Christ barely but faith in Christ preached By whom by a selie bodie What was Paul a selie bodie So looke neuer for lyfe nor saluation in that great day except thou humble thy selfe vnder the foolishe preaching as men thinkes it and beleeue the foolishe teaching of the Gospell Thou shalt