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
These shall be the signes that shall be joined inseparablie with Christs comming The signe of Christ In the meane tyme he shall come down when all the world shall be on a fire And this is called by Matthevv 24 verse 30. the signe of Christ the signe that shall be conjoined with his comming Reade of this whole matter in this 24. chap. of Matthevv verse 30. 2. Epist of Pet. chap. 3. verse 10. 12. Reuelat chap. 20. verse 11. and chap. 21. verse 1. Then brethren if there was such a commotion in the heart of men in the first signes that past before what commotion shall there be in the harts of men when they shall see the whole world on fire A wondrous thing When all this consumption shall be no body shall be burnt but the power of the judge shall reserue the bodies to the judgement that is to follow immediatlie Peter when he hes tolde of these signes saies If such a dissolution of the world be what maner of men should we be how should we studie to prepare vs to meete the Lord So on that great day all these thinges shall not make the godly to shrinke but they shall ay prease forward to meete the Lord in the cloudes As to the reprobate ô that horrour and terrible feare that shall ouertake them at his comming Now this for the two sorts of signes The first going before his comming the second joined inseparably with his comming down to judge the world Now shortly to speake of Christs owne comming And this is it which the Apostle speakes of in this place Which for our vnderstanding I shall gather out of this and sundry other places of the Scripture Christes coÌ„ming Now as for the comming of the judge he shall not come from the Sea from the Earth from the Plane Wherefrom commes all the Kings of the earth when they are in their triumph The Romane Emperours came out from the Capitoll in their Chariots But the King of Kinges shall come from the Heauen of Heauens abone all these heauens that we see from the highest place The maner of his comming is sodaine These signes that I spake of shall come on a sodaintie and yet there shall be a processe of tyme in doing thereof He shall come on a sodaine as the deluge of Noah did as the 24 chap. Matt verse 37. telles The people knew not of the deludge that ouerwhelmed them vntill it came No more shall this miserable world know Christes comming vntill he come sodainlie And therefore considering this in the Scripture the Lord giues a watch-word to his Disciples Many hundreth yeeres are past since and repeate it heere he saies Matt. 24. 42. Watch for ye knovv not vvhen the Lord shall come The sodaintie vncertainty of his comming shoulde make vs euer readie to looke for it The Chariot he shall be caried in is the cloudes of the aire As in his ascending the cloudes resaued him from our sight so shall the cloudes resaue him at his comming Such a Chariot got neuer Emperour in all his highest triumph none of them was caried in the clouds The company that shall conuoy him he shal come saies Matt. chap. 24. verse 30. with the Angels and a flame of fire that fyre that shall burne vp the world and shall burne vp the reprobate in the owne tyme. 2. Thess 1. 7. 8. Iude sayes verse 14. He shall come with millions of Angels there shall not be an Angell but all shall come in that conuoye to let all the worlde see that all the Angels are but seruants to that Lord and seruantes standing about him to obey his vvill vvhat hee commandes that his glorie and Majestie may be seene In the meane-tyme he hes no neede of them for they neyther can adde to his glorie nor diminish it yet it hes pleased him so to vtter his glorie to the vvorld And in that meane-tyme when he is comming he will not come in silence Ye see when an Armie marches forward there is a great noyse and crying shouting and blovving of trumpets So there shall bee a noyse in the Lords comming dovvne The Angels of Heauen shall blovve the trumpets So he speakes Matth. 24. verse 31. Paul in this place sayes there shall ryse a sound The worde in this place is a vvorde of exhortation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 borrovved from that sound vvhich the Mariners vses to others euerie one to moue others to rovv A shout direct to the dead that lyes in the graue it shall pearce through the graue and eares of the dead and shall waken them vp With the shout shall be conjoyned the voice of the Archangell and with the voyce of the Archangell the sound of the trumpet of God and this shall be the last trumpet and neuer shall the voyce of the trumpet be heard againe and it shall be the shâ—â—llest trumpet that euer was heard Now when the Lord in his comming downe shall come to the place where he is ordained to sit to judge the worlde which shall be in the cloudes Then all the Angels shall showe their presence and the Angels shall make a glorious Throne to the Lord of glorie and there he shall sit This much shortlie for the comming and appearing I shall be short in this matter For I will speake nothing but make a narration of it out of other parts of Scripture Would ye vnderstand the effectes that followes on his comming Effectes follovving Christs coÌ„ming Certainlie notable effectes must followe on it The Lord prepare vs for it The Father shall be there the Sonne shall be there coÌ„ming the holie Spirite shall be there vvith all their power and all their Majestie The glorie of the Father neuer appeared so glorious as it shall appeare that day The glorie of the Sonne neuer appeared so glorious as it shall appeare that day The glorie of the holie Spirit neuer appeared so glorious as it shall appeare that day Ye see in the Parliament the Kings of the earth appears in their greatest glory to the people so the Lord of the world shall appeare with an infinite and vncapable sight of glorie Now to come to the effects that shall follow on his comming AsseÌ„bly The first effect There shall be an assemblie a conuention the fairest conuention that euer was since the world stoode There are none that euer tooke lyfe but all shall bee there all shall be sommonded with the shout of the trumpetuall shall compeare no excuse the graue shall not excuse death shal not excuse dead and liuing neuer man nor woman excepted all shall be there So the first effect that shal follow the comming of the Iudge shall be a conuention of the whole world elect reprobate dead and liuing And I shall tell you after what order it wil be by the Scripture The first that shall come there to the conuention shall be they who were dead they shall preueene them who were alyue And Adam and
praise for euer AMEN THE XXVI LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 5. vers 20. 21. 22. 23. 20 Despise not prophecying 21 Try all things and keepe that vvhich is good 22 Abstaine from all appearance of euill 23 Novv the very God of peace sanctifie you throughout and I pray God that your vvhole spirit and soule and body may be keept blamelesse vnto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. IN this parte of this Epistle brethren there are certaine exhortations and precepts so linked together that the next is ay the cause and meane of the former He beganne at Patience in suffering and not randering euill for euill but recompencing good for euill Then he came to joy Rejoyce euermore Ioy is the meane and cause of Patience from joy he came to Prayer in asking that which we neede at the hands of God and in thanking him for the grace and benefite receyned Prayer is the meane that interteines joy in the hart from Prayer he came to the Spirit the holy Spirit of God who is the worker of all these graces in our hart The Spirit workes Patience the Spirit it workes Ioy the same Spirit 〈◊〉 vp the hart to Prayer and to thankfulnesse This Spirite the worker of all grace in the hart should not be quenched by leauing off of well doing or by doing euill for both these two quenches the Spirit Now â—hortly to come to ouâ— purpose In the first verse vve we haue read presentlie He commes to the meane whereby the Spirit of Christ the worker of all graces with vs especiallie is interâ—ind in the soule and hart of a man and woman And he saies Despise not Prophecying The thing he recommends is Prophecying To make the words plaine to you By Prophecying here I vnderstand not the foretelling of things to come as there was raised vp from tyme to tyme Prophetes in the Church of God that fortold either wel or wâ— that was to fal on the church in the own time this prophecying was not such foretelling of things to come it is no other thing in this place but the opening vp of the Scripture and so this word Prophecying is taine in the 1. Cor. 14. chap. throghout all that chap. But he that Prophecyes sayes he he speakes to men to edifing to exhortation and consolation That is he applyes the word of God to the present vse for the tyme So that if a man needes to be edified he edifies to be comforted he comfortes to be exhorted the exhortes So then to make the words plaine ` Despise not Prophecying It is asmuch as he would say despise not the preaching of the word despise not this ministrie whose calling is to preach this word Now brethren ye see heere among all the meanes whereby the Spirit of Christ is enterteinde in the hart of a man the Apostle makes a choise in this place of preaching hearing the word of God set downe in the Scripture opened vp and applyed to the right vse Certainelie this is to the great commendation of this same visible ministrie and of this teaching of the word in the presence of the congregation and people of God Shall I tell you There is such a necessity of the preaching of this word for as base as it semes to men that if it be not holden vp farewell the Spirit of Iesus Christ If it be not there shall not be in the earth a visible Church for the word preached is the slandart that is holden vp on high to the world that men and women that would be safe may goe in vnder it and make vp a Church Take me away this slandart where shall men goe to who shall knowe the Church So take me away this outward preaching of the word vnto the which men should resort to seeke saluation no Church Will men goe to experience I shall but touch it there is but ouer great experience of this in this Countrey this day Abstaine 〈◊〉 hearing of the word let it be of negligence or of malice yet thou shalt in proces of time feele thy hart voyde of all sense and feeling of God thou shalt lose thy eyes thy light and sight of God thou shalt lose the sight of lyfe and Heauen if that thou doe it in contempt and malice thou shalt grow as prophane as a prophaine dog and wallow in all kinde of wickednesse and euill deed after euill deed shall fal out in thy hand Looke to the great men of this land What is the cause he is such a murtherer Onely the contempt of this word preached What is the cause he is such an adulterer only the contempt of the word I cannot tell if there be any great mens houses at least there is verie few but thou may see the contempt of this word hes heaped judgement on judgement on them Ye who wold read of Prophecying which is the opening vp of the word in the face of the Church of God and who would read of the powerfull working of it in the hart of men read 1. Cor. chap. 14. verse 1. Seeke after spirituall things but specially after Prophecying And in that same chapter 24. verse by supposition he lets vs see by comparison betweene Prophecying and strange language what prophecying works When a man is teaching the word then commes in at the doore an infidle that hes no vnderstanding he layes to his eare and heares and he hears himself rebuked incontinent his conscience wakens and lets him see the filth that is within him So the poore man hauing his conscience wakned he falles down on his face and seeks mercy and then he will be mooued to make a confession and say It cannot be but this man hes the Spirit of God that maks my sin so manifest to me it cannot be the spirit of man but it must be the power of God whereby he speakes I will not insist Brethren I shall summe vp to you in few words the diuersitie of the disposition of men coÌ„cerning this word of God Al is not alike disposed Diuersity of mens disposition concerning the vvord toward the Spirit and the word which two things onely saues men There are some that cares neyther for the Spirit nor the word such 〈…〉 dogges atheists men liuing without God in the world speake of a Spirit to them they will scorne it a prophane bodie that hes not the Spirit the name of a spirit is but a scorne vnto him tell him of spirituall lyfe he will laugh an heedfull laughter Lykevvise speake to him of the vvord and tell that saluation must be by the word the prophaine dog vvill laugh and scorne at it These are the vvorst men in the world There is another sort that clames to a Spirit They will acknovvledge the Spirite of God but vvhen it commes to the vvord of God they vvil feuere so the vvord from the Spirit as though the vvord had nothing adoe vvith the Spirit nor the Spirit vvith the
in sinne the shall the Lord come and strike him with a sodaine stroke and light on his head with an heauy bloody yron rod when thou art in the midst of thy sinne in drinking in murther then shall this â—odde light on thy head to destroy thee Now this word 〈◊〉 or speaking which the Apostle vses â—â—ere would be marked there are sundrie kindes of speakinges There is a speaking in the mouth there is a speaking in the hart there is a speaking also in deeds and actions The Psalmist sayes Psal 14. 1. The foolish man hes said in his heart there is not a God They confesse him in mouth but in heart they deny him Paul speakes of some wicked men who professes they knovv God but in vvordes they deny hi◠〈…〉 Tit. 1. 16. Now the wordes of the Apostle are not to be taken so strait of them that spoke with the mouth only but of those also that speakes the fairest with their mouth but with a false heart and a wicked deed in the hand If thou be found speaking peace and all sure whether it be in mouth hart or hand this sodaintie in vengence shall ouertak thee Among al the tokens of a judgement comming securitie is one of the chief Woulde ye knowe if a judgement be comming on a creature I will tell you If I finde the 〈◊〉 sleeping and sâ—oâ—ting in murther 〈◊〉 and wickednesse I will say Thou art able to get a black wakning And therefore among other 〈◊〉 that shall goe before the latter day a dead 〈◊〉 shall be one For when they are sleeping in their high sleepe the◠〈◊〉 the Iudge come 〈…〉 When was it that the destruction lighted on the first world when they were sleeping eating and drinking without thought of Heauen or Hell When was Sodome destroyed when all the inhabitants thereof wer eating and drinking then fire and brimstone came downe from Heauen and destroyed them Againe in your owne memories what euer judgement lighted on any Cittie or person in Scotland but ye might see a sensible and dead securitie on them It is most sure Ye shall see the experience of it in a childe broght to the sâ—affold among other lamentations of his miserie he will say alas I was sleeping in sinne vntill now I was sleeping in securitie I was playing the harlote I was murthering c. the verie month of him will tell his securitie These plagues of Pest and 〈◊〉 began among these borderers what was their exercise sleeping in sin reauing from others So most justly the plague hes seased on them Trow ye to be free of it No truely the Pest had neuer so soone come on Edinburgh except ye had beene sleeping And I pronunce in Gods name if there be not a wakning in tyme and arysing vp out of this senslesse securitie there shall be another kynde of death Now brethren Then comparison would be marked whereby he settes out the sodaine judgement Euen as a dolour takes a vvoman vvith chylde So shall that paine ouertake them The dolour of a woman trauelling and the dolour in Hell is lyke other in sundrie points And therefore the Scripture takes oft the exemple of it to descryue the paine of Hell as in this part Ye see the woman beares the matter of her paine in her owne bosome the childe and where shall be the matter of pains of Hell which is sinne but in the catiues owne bosome lykewise as a woman with childe will be full of childe So the heart of a knaue will be filled with wickednesse and be heauie albeit he leape and skip on the earth They are lyke in sodaintie For as the sicknesse commes on the woman sodainlie So the strok of hel shall be sodaine and striken sodainlie Compair these two paines in sharpnesse As the woman hes a sharp dolour which if it lasted were vntolerable if the Lord gaue not leysure to draw their breath betweene showre and showre as they call it it were vntolerable So the paines of Hell are exceeding sharp and vntolerable But heere they differ The womans paine is but for a tyme but the paine of Hell indures for euer Againe when the paine will come on a woman she may be at the table eating or drinking or she may be sleeping and it will sodainelie take her So the paine of Hell will come sodainly when the wicked are eating and drinking and making merie But alas when the Apostle hes compared it to the paine of a woman trauailing with chylde he hes not â—aulde all no not the thousand part of that paine The paine of Hell passes all measure The Scripture for our capacitie settes downe a comprehensible paine to signifie an incomprehensible paine O the incomprehensible paine of Hell Alwayes when thou seest a paine intolerable thinke on Hell And say O Lord this paine on me albeit it be in the fleshe it is exceeding sore therfore Lord saue me from that exceeding paine in Hell Now when he hes spoken of the tyme and paine of it He sayes they shall not escape Some will say May not men and wemen flee He therefore seales and stampes the worde vvhich none can open Thou shalt not escape Art thou one who hes bene playing and liuing in dead securitie thou shalt not escape The bullet came neuer so sodainlie out of the gun as the judgement shall come on the knaue and murtherer Men will flee these earthlie judgements when the sword commes a knaue wil flee from it When the Pest commes it may be that a knaue will escape better nor one that is worthie twentie of him O the patience of God! Knowe ye what God will be doing in the mean-tyme It may be he is reseruing the knaue and oppressour to a sorer judgement nor the Pest he may be keeping him to the day of Judgement when hee shall be striken with the sodaine paine of Hell And this is true The longer he is reserued and repentes not the heauier shall the judgement be when it lightes For the keeping of him is an occasion to heape sinne on him Keepe a murtherer who hes slaine one to day if he repent not he shall slay another to morrow and ay increase in sinne One sinne is the punishment of another and a wicked man will run from one sinne to another vntill he come to the head of the ladder and haue filled the cuppe full and holde it vp in his hand saying It is full What is the Lord doing Hes he done one sin The Lord heapes vp an heape of wraith for him Hes he committed another sinne He addes to another heape of wraith and so vntill the cuppe be full the wraith of God is daily augmented vntill it be powred out on his head Alas will not the visible experience of Gods judgementes moue vs But how euer it be that men escape now vntill Christ shall come to the judgement yet there shall be no escaping at that later day O the hand of the Lord will ouer-spanne
that this Epistle was directed cheefly to the Pastor Elders c. and in one word to the Presbyterie that vvas there Therefore lest the inferior and common sort of Christians should be defrauded of this benefite the Apostle showes that it is his vvil that this Epistle be communicate to the vvhole vulgar sort of christians that vveâ— in Thessalonica neuer one should be defrauded of the benefite of it He sayes not simply I vvill you to do this but he vses another vvord I charge you in the Lord I binde and oblishe you vnder a paine the paine is the vvraith of the Lord Marke it There must be great grounds and causes of this straite charge vnder al highest paine First this straite charging lettes vs see the great necessitie that vvas that the common people at Thessalonica should heare of this Epistle asvvell as the rulers of the Church Secondly it lettes vs see that the Apostle perceyued there should be impedimentes casten in that should hold aback this vvryting of his from the people he knew the deceite of the deuil that he would be busie to haue this letter closed vp and neuer to be communicate to the common people and therefore he charges theÌ„ that it shold be read to the people Now I obserue This that he speakes of this Epistle which is but a part of the Scripture I draw it to the whole Scripture canonicall of the olde and new Testament Necessity of reading and bearing the Scripturs and I obserue the need that all sort of men and wemen so long as they liue in this lyfe hes to vnderstand the scripture to read it or if they cannot read it to heare it red there is a plaine necessity laid on euery one of you men and wemen in all rankes to read the scripture and if ye cannot read them to heare them red Searche the Scriptures sayes the Lord in Iohn 5. chap. 39. verse for by them ye shall obtaine saluation it stands men on their saluation and damnation to know the Scriptures Then secondly learne The deuil the enemie of mans saluation knowing how necessarâ— the Scripture is to the saluation of men hes euer striuen to holde the Scripture hid as a closse booke from the common people What caâ—es he of the chiefe of the Clergie to let them knowe the Scriptures he will let them passe if he can get the multitude of people to carie to Hâ—ll with him This wicked doing of his continues still in the world and the word is closed vp among the Papists and it is forbidden to be red by laikes that is by simple men and wemen and it is forbidden to be translated in their owne language Marke yet further They who are rulers in the Church teachers of the common sort are bound vnder the paine of the wraith of the Lord Iesus to light on them that they communicate these Scriptures to the common people and put the booke in the hand of them that can read and if they cannot read themselues to read to them The rulers of the Thessalonians are charged to read this Epistle to all the common sort So all the rulers in the Church to the end of the world shall be oblished to instruct the common people and therefore the translating of the Bible in euery common language is ordained that the idiots who hes the mother tonge only may vnderstand what is the will of the Lord in the Scripture Then if it be so the Doctors in that harl or Church in Papistriâ— that hes closed the booke of God to the people and clasped it with double claspes O what damnation abydes them if ye haue an English new Testament to the fire with you dare thoâ— be bould to read the Scripture thy selfe in thy owne language thou shalt die for it Alas the wraith of Christ bindes 〈◊〉 and holdes them 〈◊〉 to their vtter destructions If it were but for letting the people of God remaine in ignorance without knowledge Now to the last wordes The grace of our Lord Iesus be vvith you and he seales it vp with this word Amen When he entered in with them in the beginning of the Epistle what was his salutation Nothing but a recommendation of them to the grace of Christ at his first meeting with them he prayes that they should receiue the grace of Christ Grace vvithout merite vvishes both in the beginning and ending When he bids them fare-well he bids the same grace of God be with them he wishes grace in the beginning and grace in the end Learne this If the Apostle had thoght that there had bene a greater thing in the world nor the grace of Christ he had wished it either at the beginning or at the ending but knowing well the best thing he could wishe to the people is Christs grace as he began with it so he ends with it And alas what can we wishe more for vnder the grace of Christ all the graces and blessinges we can haue heere and in the life to come are comprehended If one would set himselfe to wish the best thing in the world to another what can he wish better nor the grace of Christ for all is in it Now it is to be vnderstood what is the grace of Christ No other thing but the free fauour of God in Iesus Christ I call it free because it is without desert or merite on our part a fauour that commes not on our deseruing for we merite nothing but Hell Then brethren what is this he hes bene speaking to these Thessalonians Certainly I read not in all Pauls Epistles of so high a praise of Faith Loue and Charitie of any Church as he hes of this Church of Thessalonica and yet for all this in the end he sayes not I beseech God that he consider your merite for ye haue deserued well and he is much oblist to your deseruing as that presumptuous villaine the Pope will say Lord reward you according to your deseruing No he ends not so but he sayes Indeede Thessalonians ye haue done well but yet I commit you to the free mercy of God The thing I wish to you is not for your deseruing but against your deseruing I wish to you the free grace of Christ according to Christs saying in Luke 17. chap. 10. vers When thou hasâ— done all that thou can doe say I am but an vnprofitable servant I deserue not so much as a faire looke of Christ Hell shall ouertake thee for all thy doing except mercy come betweene thee and thy God Then onely mercie without deseruing is our saluation In the 2. Tim chap. 1. verse 16. he names one Onesiphorus and he reckons out great kindnesse that he had done to him and that which was done to Paul was done to his Master he saies he hes refreshed me when I haue beene exceeding wearie be thought no shame of my fetters and bonds and hearing tell I vvas at Rome he sought me out very diligently Yet for all this
establish you ye are not of this number that fall away for the Lord he is faithfull and according to his promise he shall make you stand for euer Now here he followes out his precepts and in the first verse red we haue a generall exhortation to obedience to be giuen to all the directions vvarnings and admonitions that he had giuen them before as if he should say What euer I haue bidden you in the name of Christ doe ye it all and begin not onely but also perseuere vnto the end Brethren this christian calling that we are placed into craues a doing and practise not a thinking or speaking onely so that all our religion be in our tongue No put to thy hand and doe as thou would showe thy selfe a christian for a christian man would be a doer all men must be doing and set on an action but not euery way for it is better for some men to sit idle and to be sleeping when they are most exercised The doing requyred of a christian should be by a rule not wauering but as ye see a lyne drawen by a rule or square so euer the action of a man should be by a rule euen straight direct not crooked declyning to this side or that side We learne of these words what is the rule whereby the actions of a christian should be ruled The doctrine of the Apostles is the rule of our actions It is the doctrine of the Apostles of Iesus Christ doe as Paul Peter and the rest of the Apostles hes bidden thee doe and I shall warrand thee prease to direct thy actions according to that rule for he that heares the doctrine of the Apostles and followes not their direction refuses to giue obedience to Christ himselfe Now the forme of proponing of this matter is to be marked He sayes not doe as I command you to do but he mitigates the command and casts in a motiue to moue them to doe as he bade them He sayes I am persvvaded I haue a sure confidence that ye will doe as I bid you and so he vtters the good opinion he had of them that they did well and would continue in well doing vnto the end So the Pastor hes his lesson It becommes a Pastour or teacher when he sees a good meaning of his flock euer to thinke the best of them yea to conceyue a perswasion but in the Lord that they shall continue in well doing vnto the end And againe in the other part it is very meete that the flock vnderstand that the Pastour counts and esteemes well of them for vvhen the flock conceyues that the Pastour hes a good estimation of them it is no small motiue and incouragement to them to go forward in well doing for when the childe thinkes his father hes a good opinion of him and that he shall come to grace it is an incouragement to go forward in wel doing Euen so it is with the Pastor and the people for if the flock think that their Pastor hes not a good opinion of them it is the verie vvay to discourage them and to cause them goe backvvard So men should be verie ware least they should hurt others Another thing heere is to be marked He sayes We are persvvaded in the Lord not in you for asvvell as vve count of you our considence is not in you for then ye and we should both be beguiled so he hes not a confidence in them albeit vve haue a confidence of them that they should doe well for these are different for if confidence be in a man it is asmuch as to ascryue all power and glorie of vvell doing to man himselfe and so to depryue God of his glorie As by the contrare to put al confidence in the Lord it is to ascryue all glory to God that giues the strength to man to doe well The generall is Why should we not haue confidence of men and be well perswaded that they will doe well but beware while thou hopest they will doe well that thou hurt not the glory of God by giuing the glorie of their well doing to man If he wer the best on earth giue him not the praise of a jote of the power of well doing but giue it to God alone that all the glory may be Gods Let al the glory returne to him from whom all graces came This for the first verse I haue red The next precept conteined in the next verse is more particulare and conteines a speciall thing The Lord sayes he guide your harts to the loue of God and the vvaiting for of Christ. The summe is this Set your harts vpon the loue of God that is one And vpon the patient hope of Jesus Christ and his comming that is another There is the effect of the words So first he recommends to them the loue of God and then the patient looking for of Iesus Christ and their saluation which shall be accomplished when he commes in his glory Now mark the forme and maner after the which he giues out this precept He turnes this precept in a praier this is wisdome in which he beseeches the Lord to direct their harts to the loue of God first and next to the patient hope of Christs comming Mark this forme By this turning of a precept in a prayer he wold teach vs this far that these commands that are giuen in the Scripture these precepts exhortations directions and admonitions imports not that there is any power or free-will in man or woman to obey or to doe that that is commanded and exhorted or to do any part of it This is the doctrine of the aduersares when they heare of any precept or exhortation in the Scripture then incontinent conclude they there is a free-will in man to doe that that is commanded No free-will in man to do good otherwise it were in vaine the command giuen if the Lord giue not free-will to do it wherfore commands he but the Lord knowes how this followes for by turning this precept into a prayer we are taught that albeit man be commanded and exhorted to doe such and such things yet all power of wel doing depends onely on the Lord And therefore oft ye shall finde either the precept turned in a praier or else with precept praier conjoined And therefore when we are commanded and admonished to doe any good in that same instant our hart should be raised to God to desire strength at him thou shold say Lord giue me the strēgth to do as thou commandst me When I admonish and exhort thee to set thy hart to loue and feare God is it in thy power so to doe speaks thy conscience so to thee If it say that it is in thy power thy conscience beguiles thee that conceit is a plain illusion And therfore seeing it lyes not in thy power to do when thou art exhorted let thy refuge be to the Lord and say Lord as thou bidst me loue thee so