then to finde no rest nor fruite of his labor at night but I say to thee if thy walking be not to please God thou shalt neuer get any frute of thy walking if thy walking be not euer to please thy God thou shalt neuer get the right way thou shalt goe like a doting bodie and be the farther from that glorious butt and in the end thou shalt effectuat nothing but in that great day thou shalt curse all thy labors and exercises and thou shalt say Alas my labours are all lost I haue wearied my selfe and now I am no better But if thy walking be to please God thou shalt finde a sweetnesse in thy labor and joy in the end thereof And when that blessed day of resurrection shall come thou shalt say Blessed am I in my labours that I wrought to please my God for now I haue gotten the butt I finde the frute of my laboures Paul sayes 1. Cor. 9. 26. I runne but not to an vncertaintie Learne neuer to runne to an vncertaintie but euer runne to a butt effectuat something by your doing The onely way to make you runne well is to please God A Minister or any other in the world who woulde runne right must run to pleasure their God and then they shall finde sweetnesse in their running Now well is the soule that can endeuore the selfe to pleasure God for ther is no joy in the creature but when it is set to glorify God night and day in this world for to this end are we set in the world 1. Cor. 10. 31. and if we doe this he shal set vs in the heauens to glorifie him Now in the next verse he takes themselues to be witnesses that he had set before them the preceptes and lawes whereby they should walke in the journey Ye knovve vvhat commandement vve gaue you by the Lord Iesus It is an happie thing to a Minister in his calling when with a good conscience he appeals the consciences of the people that he cried to them and saide ô people I bade you goe I prescriued you rules to goe into your blood be on your owne head I haue discharged a faithfull duetie to you Brethren what auailes it vs if we should euer preache the Gospell if we be not saued thereby And when we teache you the Gospell we also stir our selues forward to come to that butt Christ our owne teaching is the meane whereby we are saued as it is the meane whereby ye are saued Therefore let all goe forward together in the rinke Now in the verse following he beginnes to set down to them the rules of walking and going forward That which he had spoken by tongue being at Thessalonica the same thing he puts in writ by his pen. It is a foolish thing to a man to say The Apostle spoke one thing and wrote another No brethren Paul neuer spake one sentence to confirme any people but it is registrate to vs. It is blasphemie to thinke that Paul and Peter c. wrote not that which they spoke it is follie for there was no sentence they spoke pertaining to our saluation but it is written Then the rule is The vvill of God vvhich is your sanctification That is that ye be holie in your soules and the whole affections thereof in your bodie and all the members of your bodie and all the actions of your members So he drawes the whole rules which are to be obserued in this course and rinke we haue to Heauen and life euerlasting to holinesse and sanctification Then in one word there is the manner how thou shalt goe forward to this butt Be holie be holie thou must be holie holie in heart hand mouth foot in all the members of thy body separate thee from the worlde which is full of sinne full of foull affections displeasing the eye of thy God and put on holinesse Who euer they be that goe forward in holinesse assuredlie they shall come to the marke Liue thou an holie life what vocation that euer it be in assure thee thou shalt come to the prise of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus Philipp 3. 14. To turne it ouer againe Busie thy self as thou wilt if that thy businesse be not in holinesse thou art foolishe the faster thou runnest thou art the farther behinde Alas how many are there who busies them selues in wickednesse and the more they wearie themselues the farther are they from Heauen Blessed are they who can goe forward to Heauen Stryue to holinesse and say Lord I am on my journey I cannot goe forward except I finde an holie heart to thinke an holie mouth to speake an holy hand to touch Lord sanctifie them that I runne not in vaine The way to runne holilie is to keepe euer before thy eies God that holie one in the face of Iesus and to cry O Lord guide me in holinesse And I assure thee if thou wilt striue to liue holilie and cry to God to guide thee in holinesse thou shalt come to that endlesse joy But if thou let God out of thy eye thou shalt perishe Brethren this life will away and therefore set your harts to run to that euerlasting life Nowe hauing set downe the generall he deduces it in parts and the first part he takes vp is cleannesse of the bodie as he would say fyle not the bodie with fornication fyle thou thy bodie with fornication thou shalt not thinke a cleane thought speake a cleane word or doe any cleane deed Surelie all sinnes pollutes and fyles The sinne that comes from the heart if it were but an euill motion it goes back againe and leaues a foull blot behinde it a rotten deed leaues a blot behinde it a foull worde in the mouth goes back and leaues a foull blot in the hart when thou hast spoken a word thou art not quite thereof but it comes back againe and fyles the soule It goes not from thee so lightlie as thou trowest no it leaues ay a foull blot behinde it So this corruption growes daily Brethren I tell you all sinnes fylles the bodie yet of all sinnes harlotrie especiallie fyles the bodie Looke the comparison the Apostle vses 1. Cor. 6. 18. The bodie of an harlote of all bodies is the foullest Alas such a fyling of the bodie and soule followes vpon adulterie that it is wonderfull to tell Seeing therefore speciall pollution of the bodie followes on fornication I beseech you as ye would present your selfe before God in cleannesse abstaine from harlotrie An harlot will trauell long ere he come to heauen thy heart and bodie must be sanctified before thou come to Heauen And so as thou would come forward to Heauen stryue to keepe a cleane bodie and soule to God and speciallie abstaine from this vyce of fornication Lord keepe vs from it vntill we come to the end of our journey that we may be presented clean before christ To whom with the Father and holie Spirit be honour and praise for
euer AMEN THE XIIII LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 4. vers 3. 4. 5. 6. 3 For this is the vvill of God euen your sanctification and that ye should absteine from fornication 4 That euerie one of you should knovve hovv to possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour 5 And not in the lust of concupiscence euen as the Gentiles vvhich knovve not God 6 That no man oppresse oâ— defraude his brother in any matter for the Lord is auenger of all such thinges as vve also haue tolde you before time and testified WE haue in hand Brethren the third parte of this Epistle written by Paul to the Thessalonians In this part ye haue heard the Apostle exhortes them to a godlie life and conuersation This kynde of doctrine he vses verie oft in the rest of his Epistles The exhortation ye heard that was in the beginning of this chapter vvas not onelie to liue vvell to vvalke in holinesse but also it vvas to excell more and more to stryue in that course of holinesse euen to striue to ouercome not onelie others that ranne vvith them in the rinke but also to ouercome themselues if they ranne fast this day that they should run faster to morrow and so each day to increase and grow It is not eneugh to run not euâ—ugh to striue but we must runne and striue lawfullie as he speakes to Timothie 2. Timoth. 2. 5. There are certaine rules and lawes according to the which we must runne in this present course As touching these rules according to the which we must runne the Apostle showes to the Thessalonians he hes prescryued them to them alreadie vvhen he vvas among them Novve in the text vve haue presentlie red hee beginnes to call the lawes to remembrance againe and to repeate them to to them For vvhat euer thing he spoke by worde being present that same thing in effect he hes left behinde him registrate in vvritte and this day by Gods grace it is come in our hands He dravves the vvhole rules and lavves to be keeped in this course wherin we runne to this butt of saluation and to Heauen to be partakers of that glorie First to a generall law which is the law of sanctification and holinesse For this is the vvill of God sayes he euen your sanctification Thereafter he commes to the speciall poyntes of sanctification The first is the abstaining from fornication The next in the wordes red is abstaining from doing wrong to ourneighbour either by violence craft or deceite Now to speake of the first as God shall giue vs grace and to take vp euerie word This is the vvill of God sayes he euen your sanctification Learne then first The vvhole lavves and rules according to the vvhich vve shoulde vvalke and runne in this rinke vvherein the Lord hes placed vs in this lyfe are resolued in a generall called the Law of holinesse The law of a sanctified lyfe He or she that in this course or in this rinke will prease to be holie in all the pointes of their lyfe shall run and striue to speak vvith the Apostle lawfullie and running and striuing lawfullie in the end they shal be crowned But they who in running towardes the marke stryues not to an holinesse of lyfe they runne not lawfullie they keepe no rule in their running They runne and waits not how they are miserable in their running And as they runne vnlawfullie so they shall neuer be crowned with glory they shall runne long ere they come to the marke and prise of that high calling to be with God Then in the course of this life in this rinke which the Lord hes placed vnto runne in vntill we come to the marke of that glorious resurrection we must runne holilie keep in holie heart an holie hand keepe holie senses keepe an holie foot in running in a worde we must be holie in the whole powers of the soule be holie in the whole members of the bodie seuer all from the pollution of this world dedicate all to God and so ye shall come to the end of the rinke Now to goe forward in the text To moue them to this sanctification and to embrace this rule of running forward to the marke Gods vvil a sufficieÌ„t reason of our actions He sayes For this is the vvill of God He giues no other reason but this It is the will of God to be so Howbeit we heare no word of any other reason but this it is the will of God to doe this worke or that worke it should suffice vs we are so oblist to that Lord and so bound to his obedience that if we know of no other reason wherefore we should doe any thing but onelie that it is his will we should obey it And the man who vnderstandes it is the will of God when he is doing any thing and wilclose his eies lead captiue his own reason subject his will to the will of his God and goe and follow on him if it were through Hell if he bid thee goe throgh Hell go throgh it close thy eyes follow on howbeit thouknowest no out-sight surely that man shall get a blessed ishue he shall get a crowne neuer soule vvas disapointed that set themselues to follow God Who euer settes themselues against their affections to serue God they come at last to Heauen By the contrary when a man thinks himselfe ouer wise and will not followe on Gods will except he see a faire out-sight and get great reasons wherefore he should doe this or that and thinkes it not eneugh to say it is Gods will but will say wherefore is it Gods will The Lord will let him followe his owne will and his will and reason will lead him to destruction There was neuer man whom the Lord gaue ouer to his owne will but he ran to his owne destruction Now to go forward He comes next to the speciall pointes of this sanctification There are sundrie sorts of holinesse therefore he will lay it down in parts euerie part thereof in the owne order And the first part of sanctification and holinesse of lyfe First part of sanctificatioÌ„ absteening from forâ—ication he makes it to be absteening from fornication absteening from harlotrie It stands in keeping of an holie and cleane bodie In running on this course in the rinke that conuoyes to the last butt and life euerlasting thou must keepe an holie person But to marke the wordes more natrovvlie First he recommendes abstinence He vvho runnes in a rinke and striues sayes the Apostle 1. Corinth chap. 9. verse 25. that man he is continent in all thinges he keepes a goode dyet ere he enter in the rinke he vvill dyet himselfe and abstaine from many thinges vvhich othervvayes he vvould vse So we vvho runnes in this rinke of Christianitie to be partakers of that Crowne vve must abstaine vve must not follow our appetites vve must not put our hand to euerie thing our appetite
they were so obliuious as to forget a thing so needfull for their saluation Now to take vp some lessons shortlie on these wordes Then Apostle then beganne verie soone to foretell the Thessalonians of the comming of the Antichrist and of that vniuersall defection that was to fall out so long after that for this prophecie is especiallie of that great Antichrist who came not a long tyme after this The estate of the Church of Thessalonica was floorishing at this tyme he castes in a matter of discouragement heere There shall be an vniuersall defection Defection of the Church euer to be feared Well brethren it iâ— good euer to foresee the euil that is to come on the Church of God on the earth yea eueâ— when she is most floorishing to feare a decay and that her state will alter For this is the nature of the visible Church of God heere on the earth she is not so stabled nor setled but she is subject to alteration and trouble to defection to falling away from God from Christ and the trueth and that both particularlie and vniuersallie our setlednesse is not in this world there are none so well stablished but they may fall and therefore we should be euer in a dread and feare of destruction and alteration And it is the parte of the Pastour aboue all other euen in the floorishing of it to be forwarning and foretelling of an alteration and defection to insew For he as a watch-man should haue a sharpe eye to foresee and he should craue a foresight of God to knovve thinges to insew that he may giue aduertismentes to the people and they may be prepared for all dangers to come Another lesson Ye see the Thessalonians hes bene forgetfull of that which the Apostle tolde them when he was with them and therfore that which he spoke then he wrytes now to them Naturaly vvee are forgetfull of spiritual things So obliuious we are especiallie of thinges concerning our saluation that we will receyue them in at the one eare and let them goe out at the other we heare to day we forget to morrowe The seede is not so soone sowne but the deuill as a rauenous foull is readie to pull it out of the very eares that it be to vs nothing but a vanishing sound and therefore it is the Pastors part euer to be calling to their remembrance the things that are heard Ye see in a schoole the master considering the weaknesse of the memory of the youth is euer repeating the thing they haue heard as needfull it is to the Pastour to be euer repeating the thing he hes teached for all are as infantes in thee schoole of Christ 1. Cor. 13. 11. and it is the peoples part to be as diligent to heare ouer againe these things that pertaines to saluation and to craue that the Lord wold blesse their memories there in that they may be the more able to gainstand all assaultes of the deuill and his suppostes how canst thou gainestand if thou be not furnished with the armour of the word of God Therefore the Lord grant me grace to forwarne you and sanctify your memories to receyue and keepe the things that concernes your saluation for it may be the day of tentation is neerer nor we beleue But mark the forme how he cals it to remembrance He does it with a rebuke and reproofe Remember ye not They who are forgetfull of thinges heauenly should not goe away without reproofe calling to remembrance should be with rebuke But marke againe the leâ—itie of the Apostle in rebuking Remembeâ— ye not sayes he I told you before Therefore all this rebuke should be with lenity and loue sharpnesse should euer be mingled with leâ—â—tie This is the thing I euer find this Apostle doing Now to goe forward to the next verse Because he said before the Antichrist was not as yet reueiled The Thessalonians might haue asked the Apostle What withholdes What stayes What impediment is there Why is he not reueiled The Apostle answers shortly Ye know what withholds it is not needfull I tell you I told you it else when I was with you call it to remembrance it is not needfull that I should lose tyme by oft repeating of it Yet brethren albeit he knew it and the Thessalonians knewe it because he had told them of it before yet we knowe it not for any thing he showes heere Therefore we must see what was the impediment that stayed the reuiling of the Antichrist till his hight and pryde The Romane Empyre and publishing of the Gospel are impedimeÌ„tes staying the reueiling of the Antichrist What was it Both the olde and late wryters agrees in this It was the Romane Empyre that floorished for the tyme. The euent and issue of thinges declared this to be true For so long as the Romane Empyre stoode and the Emperour keept his owne seat at Rome which now is vsurped by the Pope so long neither Mahomet in the East preuailed for he was one of the destroyers of the Romane Empyre neither the Pope in the West got vp his head for the Empyre suffered him not to come to his hight But when once the Romane Empyre decayed the Emperour changed his seat left Rome and remained at Constantinople Then vp gets the Mahomet his seate in the East the Pope in the West and he sits downe in the Emperours seate This is one impediment Latter writers joines to this another impediment that staied the reueiling of the beast and his comming to his hight to wit the decree of God concerning the publishing of the Gospell of Iesus Christ in the world Ere he should come to his perfection it behoued that the Gospel should be preached throghout the world Ere there be any falling there must be a standing ere there be any Apostasie there must be a receiuing of the word It behoued that before apostasie the word should be vniuersally teached Therefore the Romane Empyre decaying the course of the Gospell comming to an end the Euangell being vniuersally teached the Antichrist breakes in and takes vpon him both the jurisdictiones takes on him the earthly power and then the jurisdiction ouer the soules of men he killes the bodie with the temporall sword he killes the soule with the poyson of falle doctrine His kingdome is euer slaying either of the soules of men with false doctrine and poyson of Heresies or else if men will not obey he slayes their bodies with the sword These are the impediments helde him back vnreueiled Then learne heere it is the Lord vvho stayes and holdes back euill from the world and his manerâ—â— he castes in impediments before the deuill and before wicked men ere they rise The deuill and his suppostes is comming out rushing on the people the Lord casts in impediments to them and then they must stand vntill these impedimentes be some way remoued For brethren the power of the deuill and of darknes and wickednes is so great on the
LECTVRES VPON THE FIRST AND SECOND EPISTLES OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS Preached by that faithfull seruant of God M. ROBERT ROLLOCK some-tyme Minister of the Euangell of Iesus Christ and Rector of the Colledge in EDINBVRGH EDINBVRGH PRINTED BY ROBERT CHARTERIS Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majestie An. Dom. M. D. C. VI. Cum Priuilegio Regiae Majestatis TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL THEIR MOST LOVING FRIEND IN THE LORD MAISTER VVILLIAM SCOT OF ELY grace in this life and euerlasting glorie in the lyfe to come ALL knowledge and all sciences inuented by the wise men of this world without the knowledge of IESVS CHRIST by whom remission of sinnes is obtained to the miserable soule are but vaine and vnprofitable The Apostle reckoning out his prerogatiues Philip. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. which were many counts them all in respect of the excellency and knovvledge of Christ Iesus to be but losse and dung Euen so it is with all sciences if they be seuered from the knowledge of Iesus Christ in the Gospell For what auailes it a man to knowe the height of the Heauens the courses of the Starres the breadth of the earth if in the mean-tyme his conscience accuse him for his sinnes to be vnworthie both of Heauen and earth What auailes it a man to seeke by Physick to prolong afraile temporall life to the bodie if his conscience tell him in the mean-tyme that his soule shall perish for euer What auailes it a man to brag of the knowledge of the Lawe if his conscience accuse him to be most vnjust and worthie of eternal damnation In these and such like things the wise men of this world doe glorie and yet they make not the soule the better The knowledge of Iesus Christ in the Gospell is the onely knowledge that preserues the soule and makes it to liue for euer Ioh. 5. 39 as our Sauiour sayes Search the Scriptures for in them ye thinke to haue eternall lyfe Ioh. 17. 3 and they are they vvhich testifie of me And againe This is life eternall that they knovv thee to be the onely verie God and vvhom thou hast sent Iesus Christ Then this science is to be sought praised and preferred to all others in all respects Look how highly PAVL commends it 1. Cor. 2. 6. 7. 8. 9. Wespeake sayes he vvisdome among them that are perfite Not the vvisdome of this vvorld neither of the Princes of this vvorld vvhich come to nought But vve speake the vvisdome of God in a misterie euen the hid vvisdome vvhich God had determined before the vvorld vnto our glory Which none of the Princes of this World hath knovvne for had they knovvne it they vvould not haue crucified the Lord of glory But as it is vvritten the things vvhich eye hath not seene neither eare hath heard neither came into mans hart are vvhich God hath prepared for them that loue him But God hath reueiled thē vnto vs by his Spirit Other sciences were inuented by men but God himselfe is the Author of this science he reueiled it Other sciences are all inuented in tyme but this science is before all tyme from all eternitie other sciences handles things corruptible and changeable the knoweledge whereof albeit it be pleasant and profitable for this present life yet it cannot reforme the soule to eternall life for all their vertue is but the couerture of vyce but this science settes out and reueiles to a broken harted sinner a fauorable and reconciled God in Iesus who is aduantage both in life and death and in whom the heigh and wonderfull things of God and all things that the soule of man can require for grace or glory pertaining either to this or to that other life Col. 2. 3. 9 10. is contained For in him are hid all the treasures of vvisdome and knovvledge in him dvvelleth all the fulnesse of the god-head bodily Now this pretious treasure the Lord hes committed to earthen vessels he hes set in his seruice base and contemptible persons to carie the message of reconciliation and to proclame to weary and loaden sinners the glade tydings of saluation he sendes out simple men to manure his husbandrie he sends them out as souldiers to that spirituall warfare vvith vveapons that are not carnall 2. Cor. 10 4. 5. but mightie through God to cast dovvne holdes to cast dovvne imaginations and euery high thing that is exalted against the knovvledge of God and to bring into captiuitie euery thought to the obedience of Christ. Whom for the message they carie the Gospel they preach the word of life they offer that hid treasure that is committed to them the Lord craues we should haue in singulare account honour and loue And indeed if we had the sight of the fearcenesse of that eternall wrath of God for sinne it could not be possible but we would say O hovv bevvtifull are the feete of them vvhich bring glade tydinges of peace Rom. 18. 15. and bring glade tydinges of good things We cannot honour loue and highly esteeme of the Maister and respect the Gospell if we hate and contemne the seruant and messenger And if we loue our parents of whom we haue nothing but misery who hes conceiued vs in sinne nurirished and trained vs vp in sin and who by nature makes vs aires of wrath and hell for that vvhich is borne of the flesh is flesh Ioh. 3. 6. O how excedinglie should we loue these whom God makes instruments of our regeneration to beget vs to God to make vs his sonnes and to translate vs from darknesse to light from miserie to felicitie from death to life from hell to heauen And yet this vnworthie world neuer duely accounts of them but of all men they hate most malitiouslie the true seruants of Iesus Christ And to passe by other ages and Countries the Lord of the haruest stryuing against our ingratitude hes sent out from tyme to tyme into this Land sundry painfull laborers and faithfull preachers of the Gospell who preased in all respectes to approue themselues to God to a good conscience and to the consciences of so many as beleeued of whom the world was not worthie Among the rest whom God did bewtifie with singulare graces the Lord in the person of M. ROBERT ROLLOCK that faithfull and reuerent seruant of Iesus Christ gaue vs no sober token of his loue For we cannot tell if vpon any almest in this Land the Lord bestowed greater aboundance and varietie of graces of his Spirite if in any there was a more spirituall and heauenly soule if any spared themselues lesse and vndertooke greater paines that they might be found faithfull and finishe their course with joye if any preased more to approue themselues to God and a good conscience then he O what and how many giftes and graces were in the person of that man in conceiuing he was quick in judgement solide he vttered the Word with great libertie he preached with euidence
biddes vs we must not yeelde to the lustes of the fleshe there must bee abstinence and dyet And therefore Paul in that same ninth chapter to the Cor. verse 27. shovves how he vsed himselfe in running to be an ensample to vs. He sayes He held his bodie at vnder and redacted it in a seruitude and vvoulde not let it be his master Let thou thy bodie be thy master I promise thee thou shalt neuer see the butt But to come more speciallie What abstinence must it be He names it from fornication There are sundrie sortes of abstinence vvhich is requyred of them that runnes in this rinke but among them all this is a speciall Abstaine from harlotrie and pollution of the bodie vvith fornication Among all the sinnes that defiles the bodie and the members of the bodie of anie man or vvoman harlotrie is the cheefest sinne and makes all vncleane and polluted in Goddes sight The Apostle 1. Corinth chap. 6. verse 18. sayes All sinnes that a man committes is out-vvith the bodie but he vvho committe fornication he sinnes against his ovvne bodie he pollutes and defyles his bodie in a speciall manner Brethren the bodie of a man vvhich is not polluted vvith this filthinesse is a meete bodie to runne in this course it is svvift and readie to runne in this course but if the bodie be deâ—yled vvith harlotrie it is not svvift and meete for the course Learne it Ye shall see for common a goode turne falles neuer out in the hands of an harlote There is nothing vnder the Sunne that a bodie polluted vvith fornication can doe holilie As the person is vncleane in Gods sight so all thinges he does are polluted yea that same verie action that othervvayes is goode is sinne in Gods sight Commest thou to the Church and hearest the preaching if thou be an harlote all is polluted in Gods sight Deale all that thou hast to the poore lyest thou in harlotrie all is sinne So in a vvord an harlot can doe no goode and if he seeme to doe anie good it is nothing but sinne in Gods sight Looke then vvhat estate an harlote is in Now to goe forward to the next verse He sets downe the speciall remedie of this sinne and vyce whereby they may keepe their bodie from this pollution Remedie of fornication That euerie one of you should knovv hovv to possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour The first thing that is requyred heere is a science an habite in doing not a light fassion in doing a doing as it vvere off hand but a setled doing of a setled grace in the heart a craft to possesse and to keepe the bodie in holinesse and godlinesse Thou that vvould keepe thy bodie cleane thou must haue an habite and setlednesse All thinges we doe in this life should come of a constant habite in the soule of an vse and setled grace in the hart to doe well For as the thing a Craftis-man does is of his craft the thing a Wright does is of the science of his craft so euerie one that vvould intende to do vvell must haue an habite and a grace in the heart to doe vvell And speciallie he that vvould keepe his bodie in cleannesse looke that he haue a craft of it otherwayes it may be he vvill not play the harlote this night or that night because he hes not the occasion but the first occasion offered hee shall be an harlote So all resolues in this The best thing in this vvorld to bannishe sinne is to get an heart setled and stablished vvith grace Get an heart once stablished vvith grace then thou shalt not be moued but thou shalt stand fast in all tentations and thou shalt keepe a solide course Let the Deuill the vvorlde and all the enemies of thy saluation vse all the tentations to dravv thee avvay thou shalt stand immoueable And therefore learne the craft of vvell doing and get once the habite in the heart of vvell doing and then vvell doing shall come with such facilitie to thee that thou shalt maruell thereat Then to come to the next words That euerie one of you should knovv hovv to possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour He sayes euery one He exeemes none neither riche nor poore high nor lovve but he bindes euerie one of vvhat ranke so euer he be of to the science of possessing the bodie with cleannesse and holinesse Marke it brethren There are none priuiledged to be an harlot not a King nor Queen nor Earle nor Countesse no none of no estate hes this priuiledge but all are bound to keep the bodie cleane and they who wil exeem themselues and thinke their ranke to be a priuiledge to them they shall exeeme themselues also from the rank of them who runnes in this rinke to Heauen Thou goest not so soone to be an harlote but thou goest out of the right way and thou shalt neuer come to Heauen that way runne as long as thou wilt Now what should euerie one know Euerie one should know to possesse his vessell that is his bodie not to be possessed of the bodie but to possesse the bodie wilt thou be possessed of the bodie and be a slaue to it and wilt thou let the foule affections of the bodie possesse thee thou shalt find woe in thy bodie for euer Paul sayes I holde my bodie at vnder and redâ—ct it in seruice I will not let it be my Master 1 Cor. 9. 27. Alwaies the thing that euerie one should know is to possesse To speake of this possession it is a common saying it is no lesse practick to possesse a thing after it be gotten nor to acquire and conquesse it Yea I say there is greater practick to possesse that well which is gotten nor to get it And there are moe in the world that can find the way to get it nor the way to keepe that which is gotten But what thing is this they should knowe to possesse There are many possessions in the world but among all possessions the cheef is that a man possesse holilie his body which is a vessell to keepe the soule So the first possession that euer one gettes in this world is his own bodie and it is the longest possession that any man keepes Thou shalt be pulled from thy heritage lands goods and riches but as for thy bodie albeit for a time thou lay it down yet thou shalt take it vp againe and thou shalt possesse it for euer and it shall either be an house to honour or else to dishonour to thee for euer And so seeing this bodie is the first possession and the longest we haue therefore we should be carefull how we possesse this bodie Be not so carefull how thou keepest and possessest thy land as how thou possessest thy bodie There are ouer many that are so carefull to possesse their lands that they forget to possesse their bodies and yet their land shall they leaue behinde them So the cheefest thing thou
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
part of sanctification As for exemple Even this one grace of almous deeds of beneficence showing our liberalitie on them that haue need if this be not in some measure in anie man or woman Liberalitie if there be nothing in the person but gredines auarice and a closed hand who can say that that person hes anie true or solide grace of God If one of these vices raigne in thee as auarice raigning in the highest degree if thou be a slaue to it who can saye that anie true grace is in thy soule Thou mayest wel count thou hast this grace or that grace but I can not say that anie grace of that spirite raigne vvithin thy soule make no account that ther is anie grace within thee if any sinne raigne in thee without controlement Count not of thy abstenance thou wilt bee abstinent in mouth and then an auaritious man But look that euerie grace of God in some measure be within thee and that sanctification goe through thy vvhole soule and bodie Peter in his sec Epist 1. chap. linkes together all the graces of God amongst the rest he countes this brotherlie loue he linkes this linke among the rest to help faith for I assure thee faith will not stand it self alone Cast to sayes he to faith vertue to vertue science and so forth vntill ye come to this brotherlie loue Adde to thy brotherlie loue charitie and so forth vntill all graces be linked together Paul 2. Corinth chap. 8. verse 7. hes a speciall regarde to this grace showing our liberalitie to our poore brethren As ye abound in all thinges in faith knovvledge 〈◊〉 â—â—oke sayes he that ye abound also in liberalitie and doing of almous deedes And as in all the graces of the holie Spirite in vs there is a resemblance of the Image of Christ So ospeciallie in this grace of beneficence Ye knovv sayes Paul â— Corinth chap 8. verse 9. the bountifulnesse of the Lord vvho vvhen he vvas 〈◊〉 vvas made poore for our saâ—es that vve might be made riche in his pouertie Novv this is the grace that is heere recommended and novv I recommend it to you for if it was in any age craued now certainlie at this tyme thou hast more nor matter to shovve thy well doing and almous deedes to the poore Certainlie charitie vvas neuer so colde and mens handes vvere neuer so hard contracted and men vvere neuer nearer to themselues nor they are now The latter dayes are neare for the nearer the end of the world be we are the nearer our selues and the nearer our selues the farther from God The Apostle when he exhorts them to this grace he comes not on so plainlie but he vses an holy colour and kinde of simulation He exhorts them and yet he lets not on him he exhortes And as it vvere obscurelie and passing by he giues them a watch-ward and wakens them vp to be beneficiall To teach 〈◊〉 Ministers to be wyse in speaking to the people We should not leaue off to exhort any person in whom there is grace to do any duetie but yet we should doe it so discreetly that our exhortation 〈◊〉 not so much an exhortation as a commendation For the grace of God in any person shoulde not be misknown but known and reuerenced both for his sake that is giâ—er and for his sake that hes gotten it both that God may be glorified in giuing him that grace and the person may be stirred vp to perseuere in that grace For it is an old prouerb Vertue being commended increasse Ioh. 1. Epist 2. 27. vses this same wisdom I need not saies he teach you the holy spirit hes taught you all thinges and in the mean time he is teaching them continually yet when he is teaching them he saies he needed not to teach theÌ„ So Paul when he is making a coÌ„mendation of the grace in them he saies it is not needful to exhort you to the grace ye haue a better teacher nor I Teaching of the holy spirite God teaches you therfore I need not to teach you the Lord teaches you by working in your harts by his holy Spirit what needs me to teach you by my pen Brethren Ther are two sortes of teachers God and man Men teaches Philosophers in schooles teaches Ministers out of pulpets teaches many sorts of teachers If man be the onely teacher of grace and vertue to be embraced by the auditor and if Gods Spirit should not concur inwardly to instruct the soule and heart there would neuer be a good scholler in the schoole of christ none of you to the worlds end would get good by teaching It may be men teaching thee vvill informe thy minde and make thee to vnderstand vvhat is spoken but man can neuer teach the hart that is to embrace that is spoken no it will passe mans power to reforme the hart if the holy spirit moue thee not to embrace that which is spoken thou wilt neuer embrace it for all that man can say As for example I may stand vp and lay out before you this whole grace of liberalitie and beneficence and paint it out in all the colours thereof and make you vnderstand this whole vertue in all the parts But when it commes to the heart to be practised in your life and conuersation if the holy Spirit go not down to reforme the hart ye shall neuer be the better but the worse for the knowledge shal but serue to aggreadge your condemnation Then be neuer content with the voice of men but euer cry for the inward doctour the Spirit of God from Heauen And say Lord come with this word and teach my heart otherwaies all is but winde and shall be an aggreading of my condemnation at the last day It is thou Lord who is the onely inward teacher and therefore except thou teach me I shall not be taught So except that holie teacher be with vs in teaching all is but lost tyme. Now to come to the wordes What is this the Lord craues of them what teaches the Lord them that euerie one should loue another He teaches not onely loue but loue that meetes loue he will not teache thee onely to loue him but him to loue thee againe This is mutuall loue As he teaches thee to loue me so he teaches me to loue thee loue must be mutual Friendship standes not in the one side but friendship must be conjoyned to friendship There is no bond in that blessed bodie of Christ except there be a mutuall bond if I loue thee neuer so well if thou loue not me thou shalt neuer be in the bodie For as the rest of the members of Christ loues thee so thou must loue them againe or else thou hast no fellowship in the bodie Marke the order which the Apostle vses in teaching When he instructes men in any grace there are some fundamentall graces that are so called because they are the grounds of al graces to wit Faith Hope and Charitie
in the hour of their death had they any cōfort joy and when they saw there was nothing but death and all pleasure was away then there was nothing but sorowe Hadrian the Emperour I remember who was one of the most glorious Conquerours in the world when he was on death-bed he flatters with his owne soule to see if she would haue bidden within the body saying My litle soule wilt thou bide within the body thou waits not where thou art going to without hope he was and therefore comfortlesse and dies in dispair To let vs see there is none that deceasses without the hope of lyfe and of that glorious resurrection but they die all in dispare from the King to the begger Who euer died since the beginning of the world without Christ and hope in him yea before he was manifested in the world but they deceassed in dispare So as ye wold die in joy striue to get Christ It is a thing flesh and bloud wil not giue thee and it is a greater wonder to see Christ nor to see a man through a rock ther are so many impediments to hinder his fight from 〈◊〉 Therefore we haue to craue that the sprit of Iesus wold lighten the eye of the mynde in vs aboue nature to see him and then we shall see him and so haue comfort in death Now to go forward in the wordes and to come to the heades in particulare concerning them that are departed The first thing he instructs them in I take it vp when he saies Concerning them that are asleepe is in respect of their estate present while as they lye in graue Bodies of the godlie sleepe in the graue The bodies lying in the graue sayes he is not dead Ye beleeue they be dead No death is one thing and sleepe is another They are onely sleeping for if ye will speake of death what it meanes properlie The death of the creature properlie is the euerlasing punishment and destruction of it for euer And they vvho dies and are dead they shall neuer liue againe at the least they shall neuer haue a sense of joy So the bodies of the godlie are not dead but sleeping and lying in graue and they haue a verie being a man that is sleeping is a man and hes a being a bodie in the graue hes a being and bydes lying in the graue in substance and shall abide continuallie And if it should be burnt in the fyre or drovvned in the vvatter the dissolution of the bodie in the graue shall not destroye the being thereof The turning of it in ashes is no other thing to speake of it properlie but a fyning of it as the goulde is fyned by the fyre and the drosse burnt vp so the bodie is fyned in the graue and the drosse of the bodie is but at vp that at the latter day the substance of the bodie being purified may rise as gold glistering to be conjoined with the soule The Apostle 1. Cor. 15. 53. 54. 55. when he speakes of death he sayes that the graue is not able to svvalovv the bodie but that mortality which is sin death in the body may be svvalovved vp of immortalitie So it is the mortalitie and drosse of the bodie that is burnt vp and not the substance but the substance of the bodie is cleansed and purified that it may raigne with the head Christ in glorie for euer Now to speake of this word sleeping The Scripture when it speakes of death cals it sleeping And when Iesus speakes of Lazarus he saies Our friend Lazarus sleepes but I goe to vvake him vp Ioh. 11. 11. And it is said of Steuen Act. chap. 7. verse 60. He sleeped In the olde Testament commonly there is a word added to it he sleeped with his Fathers he was joined with his Fathers Now to come to the purpose There are two parts of man A bodie and a soule When it is said that a man sleepes thinke not that his soule sleepes referring this word sleeping to the soule Some vaine men thinkes that the soule after the deceasing sleepes vntill the comming of Christ No the soule liues and sleepes not it liues and shall liue in dispyte of all the world either in paine or pleasure for euer The soule of the vngodly is translated immediatlie after death to paine and hes a wonderfull sense of paine and a liuing in paine a continuall paine anguish and torment If there were no more to testifie this but the parable of Lazarus and the rich Glutton it may suffice It tels thee that the soule of the riche Glutton had in Hell the own paine Luc. 16. 19. The soule of the godlie againe after death liues in joy And so Paul Philip 1. verse 23. sayes I vvould be dissolued and be vvith Christ viz. liuing in soule And 2. Cor. chap. 5. verse 8 I loue rather to remoue out of the bodie and to goe to God to dvvell vvith him And God is said to be the God of the liuing that is to say of the soales that liues in glorie Matt. 22. 32. So the word of sleeping is not to be referred to the soule but to the bodyes of men and wemen for as a bodie lyes downe in his bed so the bodie after dissolution is laid downe in the graue to sleepe vntill the day of resurrection There is no sleepe that by nature is euerlasting and vvhen a man hes sleeped and is satisfied vvith sleepe he must waken So the bodie if it sleepe in the graue of necessitie it must waken againe If there were no more but this word sleeping it testifies that there shall be a resurrection Now vnderstand farther that the word sleeping in the Scripture is referred to the bodies both of the reprobat and elect The bodie of the reprobat is said to sleepe The bodie of the elect is said also to sleepe So Daniell sayes chap. 12. verse 2. Many of them that are a sleepe in the dust in the earth some of them shall rise to lyfe some of them to shame and ignominie We are all sleeping but I see a diuersitie in resurrection the bodie of the elect shall rise to euerlasting glorie the body of the wicked to eternall death and damnation And yet albeit this word be common to both yet most properly it is ascriued to the bodies of the godly For euen as a man sleeps to this end that he may rise vp again more chearfully and be more able to take in hand any handy-worke do his calling So it is the body of the godly onely that sleeps to rise more chearfully to the actions and doings of that life eternall It is a wonderful change It lyes down a weak and infirme body it will rise again a strong body it lyes down in ignominy it wil rise againe a glorious body and there was neuer a man so altered comforted by naturall sleepe as the body of the elect shall be altered and comforted by that sleep in
the soule bound vp so that it cannot heare the vvorde of God In one vvorde When all the senses that should grippe God are bound vp and the soule is lying in a deadlie securitie That is shortlie the second sorte of sleeping Novv in this place I vnderstand not chieflie this bodilie sleepe but the spirituall sleepe also For this bodilie sleepe is naturall and is lavvfull the Lord hes ordained that these bodies of ours should be refreshed vvith sleepe and if thou be sanctified thy selfe thy sleepe is sanctified also and all thy actiones eating drinking sleeping and the rest are sanctified if thou be not sanctified all thy actiones eating drinking sleeping are vnhappie to thee Next I doubt not but at the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ there shall be found some sleeping in the bodies who shall be waking in their soules Christ sayes in the 17. of Luke 34. verse Tvvo shall be in a bad sleeping one chosen and another forsaken And last albeit the bodie be a sleepe and all the outward senses closed yet the spirite of man will be waking the eye of the soule will be opened the eare opened and in the bodilie sleepe if it were at mid-night a man will be waking in Christ and apprehending him So I vnderstand that spirituall sleeping for he forbiddes not this bodilie sleeping onely but this spirituall sleeping when the soule is sleeping without sense eyther of Heauen or Hell and whosoeuer shal be found so sleeping with his a soule altogether senslesse of Heauen and of the lyfe to come that soule shall perishe without exception Sleepe on if the Lord come when thou art sleeping die shalt thou thou shalt not escape There is no escaping for thee But to speake of the bodilie sleeping something Men should be ware to yeelde ouer much sleepe to the bodie for certainelie where the bodie is ouer much giuen to sleeping it is a token of a sleeping soule and who delytes in sleeping in the bodie the soule appearantlie is sleeping and all moderation should be vsed The sluggisher the bodie be the sluggisher the soule is The vvalkrifer the bodie be thee vvalkrifer the soule is Now the next thing that is forbidden heere is drunkennesse Drunkennesse There are tvvo sortes of drunkennesse the one bodilie when a man takes on ouer much drinke oppressing the senses This is ouer well knowne in Scotland and we finde ouer great experience heereof Then there is secondlie a spirituall drunkennesse vvhen the soule is opprest vvith surfetting and immoderate care of the vvorld vvhen it drinkes in out of measure the pleasures of this vvorld through desire all the riches of this world through ambition all the honour through a foule appetyte all the lustes So the soule becommes drunken and stopped an auaritious bodie a dotting bodie a man set on pleasures a dotting bodie Trow ye when the soule is so opprest vvith this world that it will get the eye opened vp to see Christ No it is impossible Christ speakes of both these sortes of drunkennesse Luke chap. 21. verse 34. Novv brethren in this place ye shall vnderstand not so much the outvvarde bodilie drunkennesse as the invvarde spirituall drunkennesse of the soule Woe to that soule that shall bee founde drunken vvith the pleasures and lustes of this vvorlde and so consequentlie sleeping vvhen Christ commes Yea farther brethren the verie outvvarde bodilie drunkennesse is much to be eschevved For it is not onelie vvith drunkennesse as it is vvith sleeping for vve get licence to sleepe if vve vse it moderatlie But God gaue thee neuer leaue to vse drunkennesse So it is a dangerous matter to be found drunken It is a thing vnlavvfull and forbidden ye shall finde that a drunken bodie commonlie shall haue a drunken soule and vvoe to that soule vvoe to that bodie vvhere both are giuen to drunkennesse The Lord saue vs from this sort drunkennesse Novv before I come to the other tvvo thinges that are recommended vnto vs in this place the argument vvhereby he dissvvades them it vvoulde be marked Let vs not sayes he sleepe as others doe As if he vvould say Fy on you that ye should be haue your selues as infidels It is the Gentiles that are sleeping Let them sleep on but sleepe not thou The exemple of their sleeping should be an argument to you to watch The exemple of their drunkennesse should he an argument to you to be sober Now how reasons the world Is not this the fashion of all men therefore why should not I doe so all men sleepes why should not I sleepe He drinkes vntill he be drunken why should not I drinke vntill I be drunken Companionry is wondrous good I should do as others do But Paul reasons otherwaies It is the infidels that are sleeping and drunken therefore watch thou ô Christian and be sober Paul to the Romans chap. 12. verse 2 sayes Fashion not your selues after the maner of the vvorld but be ye changed throgh the renevving of the spirite Follow not this ould sleeping drunken world but be changed by the renewing Sprit and be waking sober And indeed let euery one looke to their owne experience they who are once translated and translated out of this world for transplanted must thou be in some measure if euer thou see Heauen the more they see men running on the course of the worlde the more they detest the world the more sinne they see the more they detest sinne the more drunkennesse and sleeping they see in men the more they abhorre it So the following of the multitude and the course of the world testifies that men were neuer transplanted out of this world out of darknesse vnto the kingdom of light nor renewed in spirite and if they continue on they shall perishe for this world will perishe and they who followes the world will perishe Now to come to the two thinges commaunded The first is waking Waking the other is sobrietie There are two sortes of watching the bodilie watching when all the senses are waking and opened to doe their owne functions naturall The second when the soule of man is opened the eye of the soule opened to see Christ and the lyfe to come and to see these thinges that the eye of the bodie cannot see It is a wonderfull light the soule hes for it sees thinges inuisible and sees in as it were to the verie heart of God to a bottomlesse deepe for God is infinite Yet for all this the heart that is once illuminate by the Spirite will see him So the spiritual watching is when all the senses of the soule are opened and hes the fruition of God in Iesus and all exercised about the graces of God through Christ that is the spirituall waking which is heere speciallie meant of not the watching of the bodie but of the Spirite For the bodie may be watching the eye looking vppe and all the senses exercised in their functiones And yet the soule of the bodie may
be sounde sleeping When the murtherer is busiest at his murther albeit he be ryding and running the quickell man in bodie that euer was the soule in the meane-tyme is lying in a deadlie sleepe So I doubt not but if the Lord Iesus would come in this houre alas the vengence that would ouertake many of them So they who are in harlotrie and their senses exercised most in harlotrie then they are most sleeping in soule Trow ye if the eye of the soule saw God that for all the world they would be exercised in such a filthie exercise So he meanes chieflie of the watching of the soule Indeede it is true as I haue said before it is good to be walkrife in bodie for if thou be sanctified thy bodie waking shall be exercised in some good exercise And therefore Christ in the garden immediatlie before his passion Matthevv chap. 26. verse 4. woulde haue his Apostles waking in bodie aswell as in soule least they should enter into tentation for they sleeped vntill his enemies came Sobrietie and so for feare they left him Then the second thing commaunded is sobernesse There are two sortes of it The one of the body the other of the soule The bodie when it is not surfetted with any excesse The soule when it is not drunken with the world and pleasurs therof is sober for as the bodie hes her sobrietie so the soule hes the owne sobrietie and heere I specially vnderstand the sobriety of the soule but indeed the sobriety of the body is to be joined to it For the sobriety of the body helps much to the sobriety of the soule As I said before when the body passes measure in drunkennes the soule is commonly drunken to so when the body is in sobriety the soule is in sobriety and applied to godlinesse So both the drunkennes of soule and body is forbidden In the 21. of Luke 34. He saies Be vvare least your harts be prest dovvn vvith surfetting and drunkennesse that is of the body and vvith the carefulnes of the vvorld that is of the soule Therfore keep sobriety in body and soule Then brethren there are two thinges forbidden and two thinges commaunded viz. sleeping excessiue and drunkennesse in soule and body forbidden watching and sobrietie in soule and bodie commanded Now in the next wordes he giues the reason wherefore they should not sleepe and be drunken but watch and be sober They that sleepe sleepe in the night and they vvho are drunken are drunken in the night Now he would subsume ye are not of the night therefore be ye not drunken but be sober So this argument is taine from the inconnenientnesse of the tyme it is no tyme to you to be drunken now ye are not in the night Men vses to sleepe and be drunken in the night men who does euill seekes darknesse Ye are not in the night but ye are the children of the day Therefore it settes not you to be sleeping or drunken but ye should watch and be sober I take vp the lesson shortly In all our actions and doings we should haue a speciall respect to the tyme for there is great moment and weight in the tyme when we should doe this thing or that thing and speciallie in the two tymes the day and the night All actions must be done in these two tymes The day hes the actions of the day The night hes the actions of the night The actions of the day shold not be done in the night The actions of the night should not be done in the day This should be commonly keeped albeit necessitie sometyme compels otherwaies There are some actions that are seemelie to be done in the day that is not seemelie to be done in the night As for exemple It settes a man to be wakng in the day it is not seemely to wake in the night except necessitie compell Againe there are some actions that are setting to be done in the night and not in the day as to sleep in the night and it settes a man better to drunken in the night if he would be drunken nor in the day It is a shame to be drunken before the Sun and day light Paul in the Rom. chap. 12. verse 11. 12. 13. sayes Men and wemen should vvalke in comelinesse all maner of way So soone as thou goest out to the sight of the Sun albeit none saw thee but the Sun it becomes thee to be comely So thou who would be drunken drinke in the night Fy oâ—â—t that a drunken bodie should come to the Sun if there were no more but the light of the Sun it cryes to God for vengence on drunkennesse albeit no man saw it Now brethren there are some vnnaturall men and wemen who will turne the action of the day to the night and the night to the day Fy on thee that preuents nature When this faire Sunne ryses in the morning to comfort them to let them see the face of it and to doe their duetie in that function the Lord hes called them to What will they then doe off their cloathes and goe to their beddes Nothing the most part of the day tyme but dead sleeping except they be constraint otherwaies Then when the Sun goes down they are glad and ryses to their villany And so they testifie that they detest the glorious light of the Sun which should rejoyse vs. Alwaies when others goe to their beds then they begin to rise to eat and drinke c. and to take their pleasure this is not comely and I tell thee the vengence of God will light on thee if it were onely for the preuenting of the order of nature Let the day be day and the night be night No question this peruerting of nature procures the heauy vengence of God to fall on them and their houses Trow ye that God of Heauen who ordained nature can suffer nature to be so abused without auengement No I dare say thou that doest slaye before the Sunne the Sun shall beare witnesse against thee and say Lord this villan so abhominably committed murther in my eye thou sette me in the Heauen that none should worke villany in my eye but he set me to litle auaile The Sun no doubt is wearied and groanes to see the wickednesse of men and wemen and the creatures groanes to see their vyle sins and faine would be releued thereof This earth they goe on groanes vnder the burdene and would as faine be releued of them as a woman with childe would be releued of her birth Well then if the Lord will reuenge so a sinne that is done before the light of this Sun that shynes and if the light of this same verie Sunne aggreadges their sinne before the Lord and maks their judgement the greater O what greatnesse must be in sin and how fearefull must the judgement be when sin is committed with an vplifted hand in the face of Christ that Sun of righteousnesse shyning to vs in his
Gospell The villane cares not to commit filthinesse in Gods presence he looking to vs viuely in the Gospell Well were it to thee thou hadst neuer heard of Christ and the Gospell Then more tolerable might thou haue sinned But when in the face of God and christ and in the face of the Gospell thou committes such sin how can it â—e but thy sinne is a thousand tymesâ— greater nor the sin of the Gentiles and thy damnation ten thousand tymes heauier And in Hell they that so sinnes shall curse the tyme that euer they heard the Gospell saying Woe to me I haue sinned in the face of Christ and the Gospell Be ware of this the greater grace the greater contempt thereof the greater judgement and damnation for it No not so much shalt thou be punished for being a thief a murtherer c. as for that will the Lord say thou spat in my face And therefore we ought instantly to seeke God to giue vs grace to reforme vs from this wilfull contempt in the cleare light of the Gospell To this God be glorie for euer Amen THE XXI LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 5. vers 8. 9. 10. 8 But let vs vvhich are of the day be sober putting on the brest-plate of faith and loue and the hope of saluation for an helmet 9 For God hath not appointed vs vnto vvraith but to obtaine saluation by the meanes of our Lord Iesus Christ 10 Which died for vs that vvhether vve vvake or sleepe vve shold liue together vvith him THE last exhortation of the Apostle brethren vnto the Thessalonians was that they should not sleepe nor be drunken but by the contrare they shold wake and be sober Two things are forbidden sleeping and drunkennesse Two things recommended waking and sobrietie the sleeping which he meanes is properlie a spirituall sleepe when the soule sleepes in a deadlie securitie Drunkennesse is not so much this bodily drunkennesse which is also forbidden as the drunkennes of the soule when the soule takes a surfet of these earthlie thinges so that it hes not the care not sense of that life but is set altogether on vain pleasures The waking he recommends is a spirituall waking wakrifenesse in soule when the senses of the soule are opened the eie of the soul to looke to the face of Christ to the glorie and life to come the care of the soule likewise opened to heare and receiue inwardly the Gospell which is the word of God vttered by the Minister The sobriety that is recommended is properly that teÌ„perance of the soule when the soule is content with a moderation of the things of this world and vses this world as thogh it vsed it not not passing the bounds of rejoicing in this life but setting the joy and pleasure on the life to come that is the inwarde sobriety of the spirituall man Now when he hes set down his exhortation he subjoines reasons thereto and the first reason to moue them not to sleepe not to be drunken is in respect of the time wherin they are and for the inconuenience of the time It is no time to be drunkeÌ„ he that sleeps sleeps in the night they that are drunken are drunkeÌ„ in the night No night now since Christ is come in the world there is a continuall daylight And therfore since it is not night it sets not you to sleep and to be drunken as if it were night For in all the actiones in this lyfe we ought to haue a speciall regarde of the tyme wherein we doe any thing and specially of these two tymes the day and the night The actiones that becommes the day settes not the night and by the contrare the actions of the night sets not to be done in the day The Lord so distributes the doings of men that he hes giuen the night his actiones and the day his actiones and in a maner it is a confusion of nature and of the ordinance of God to doe the actiones of the day in the night and the actiones of the night in the day and a kinde of beastlinesse But to come to this text In the first verse we haue red the Apostle giues the reason wherefore they should wake as he gaue the reason wherefore they should not be drunken It is in respect of the estate vvherein they stand presentlie But â—e are the children of the day Therefore ye should be vigilant and sober Euen as in all our doinges the tyme of doing is to be respected if we should doe euerie thing in the owne tyme that God hes appointed thereto So the condition of men and women who does any thing should be regarded in their doinges euerie one should doe as becommes their estate condition and calling thou that art of a calling should not do that which pertaines to another of another calling thy actions should be in that calling God hes placed thee in Now there are two sortes of estates and conditions of men in this world especiallie to be considered The first the estate of the children of light The second the estate of the children of darknes there are none but of necessity they are of one of these conditions Either they are the childreÌ„ of the night or else the children of the day Chuse thee if thou be not the childe of the night thou art the childe of the day if thou be not the childe of the day thou art the childe of the night if thou be not Gods thou art the Deuils In all the doings and actions of this life men does according to one of these two estates If thou be the childe of darknes be drunken on for in spite of thy teeth if thou be the childe of darknes thou shalt be drunkeÌ„ both in soule and body if thou be the childe of God doe as besets thy estate sleep not but wake wake in the spirit and soule and haue the inward senses of thy soule open If thou be the childe of the light and day be not drunken either in soule or body for none of them becommes the childe of the day If thou take vpon thee to be the childe of the day and light and giue thy self our to be a Christian and yet will sleepe and be drunken in thy soule and haue thy senses closed and haue no more of the childe of light but the baâ—e name it is better to be without it for the very name will aggreadge thy sin before the Iudge and in the latter day it will stand vp and testify in thy face against thee as it will aggreadge thy sin so it will make thy damnation the greater Wheras the judgmeÌ„t of a Gentile who took on him the name of dark-and not of light shal be tolerable in a maner thy judgment shal be intolerable and double A murtherer who bears the name of a christian commits double murther and therfore his judgement is double an harlot who takes the name
a christian his sin shall be double and double shall be his damnation and he shall wish that he had neuer beene called in the world a christian man Let none therefore thinke they are well eneugh if they be called christians â—and come and sit in the Congregation of the Lord for if then they commit villanie and knauerie the greater shal be their damnation If thou be the childe of the day do the workes of the day if thou be the childe of the night doe the workes of the night Thou must doe one Now to goe forwarde in this verse As he recommendes to them these tvvo thinges vvakrifenesse and sobriety So he recommendes to them in the thirde place armour wherewith he will haue them inarmed Putting on sayes he the brest plate of faith and loue There is the first peece of the armor and the hope of saluation for an helmet There the next peece of the armor In al this place what is he doing Instructing a warriour a souldiour what he should doe teaching him to wake and not to sleepe to be sober and not drunken to be marmed and not to be naked Ye know in the worldly warriour there are three things requyred first wakrifenesse a sleeping souldiours is nothing worth Then with wakrifenesse sobrietie temperatnesse in his mouth and bellie othervvayes vvhen he is lying drunken the enemie vvill come on him in the night and cut his throate Novv the thirde thing that is requyred is that he haue his armour on him It is not eneugh to be vvakrife and sober but he must haue his armour on him Armour of a spiritual vvarrior faith loue and hope For if he vvant armour the armed enemies will come on him and slay him Euen so it is in a Christian vvarriour There is no Christian man nor vvoman but they are vvarriours and they must make them to fight vnder the banner of the Lord Iesus Christ their captaine And as it is requyred in the earthlie souldioures that they be vvakeryse Euen so it is requyred in the Christian souldiours The next thing that is requyred in the Christian souldiour is temperance haue not a drunken soule thou who wilt be a souldior vnder Christes banner thou must not be drunken with the pleasures of this vvorld Novv these tvvo thinges are not eneugh vvith vvakrifenesse and sobriety therfore thou must haue an armed soule as the bodie of the vvordly vvarriour must put on armour so thy soule must put on armour othervvaies vvhen the enemie makes the assault he vvill preuaile against thee if sinne make an assaulte if thou be vvithout thy armour sinne vvill preuaile Brethren ye knovve and it is heere meant by the Apostle The worldly vvarriour vvhen he armes himselfe he hes respect in speciall to these two partes of his bodie the first his brest where his heart lyes where the naturall life hes her chief residence therefore he puttes on his brestplate The next parte of the which he hes a speciall regarde is of the head where all the senses lyes The head is the fountain of all the senses and mouing of the body and so he will put on an Helmet to saue his head If these two parts be well preserued from wounds he will regard the lesse of the rest of the body If a wound be receyued in the heart no life A wound in the head and branes no lyfe but a wound in the leg c. may be mended againe So the Christian hes a chiefe regarde to two parts as it were to the heart vvhere his spirituall lyfe lyes vvhich is begunne in this lyfe and to the head vvhere all the spirituall senses hes their ground and where his spirituall mouing is to defend by armor the lyfe spirituall What euer other part of him be wounded he hes a speciall regarde to these two Now the Apostle bringes in this by a comparison taine from the worldlie armour vsed by earthlie souldiours The peece of armour that should be put on on the heart of the vvorldlie vvarriour is the brestplate The peece that couers the head is called the helmet The Christian vvarriour hes his owne brestplate and helmet Yet more ye see There are two parts of the vvarriours brestplate the brestparte and backparte and peece before another peece behinde that the heart receyue not a wound neyther at back nor brest So the brestplate of a Christian vvarriour is builded vp of tvvo partes the fore parte Faith that embraces Iesus the other parte vvhich vve may call the hinder and backparte Loue and it flowes from the other parte loue to our neighbour it hanges on Faith to our God As to the Helmet it is but a peece and it couers the vvhole head and senses round about So the Helmet of the Christian vvarriour is of one peece called the hope of saluation Hope that he shall be saued and liue vvith Iesus Christ And this is his head peece So long as he keepes this hope he shall saue his head and all his spirituall senses feeling and mouing c. keepe me hope nothing shall destroy thy spirituall seeing hearing and feeling and all the rest of thy senses And if thy head be bare of hope thy spirituall senses shall soone be ouerthrowne by the assaults of the enemie So the summe shortly the chiefe things whereby the spirituall life the spirituall feeling and mouing is keept within a man are these three thinges which is chiefly tolde of in the Scripture Faith Loue and Hope Faith in God and Christ Loue to thy nighbor Hope to be safe in the grace of Christ Keepe these three thou shalt stand inarmed to resist the Deuill and all his works keepe one of these thou keepest all lose one of these thou losest all Lose Faith thou losest Loue lose Faith and Loue thou losest Hope col It is otherwaies with the Christian warriour then with a worldly warriour he may haue his Helmet on and want his brestplait but I assure thee if thou want a peece of this christian armour thou hast no part of it hast thou a peece of this armour thou hast all hast thou Faith thou hast Hope and Loue The spirituall graces that are wrought by the Spirit of God wherein stands our regeneration are so linked together either must they be altogether in thee in some measure or else thou hast none of them Either must all the powers of thy soule and al thy affections be renewed or else none of them is renewed And therefore if thou would try if thou hast these graces looke if thou hast any one of them for then thou hast all Looke if thou hast Faith looke if thou hast a loue to thy nighbor For I assure thee if thou hast no loue to thy neighbor thou hast no Faith speak asmuch thereof as thou wilt Now to the next verse When he hes spoken of the hope of saluation he groundes this saluation vpon the owne fundation that they might see the fundation of it
of Iesus Christ and of the thinges that concernes him not firmely persvvaded of them as vve shall heare 3. diseases vvith their remedies in the ovvne rovvme So there are heere three diseases or speciall sicknesses The first is vnrulinesse that is louse liuing the next feeblenesse of hart the thirde is vveakenesse and infirmitie in faith and in that persvvasion that vve should haue tovvardes Iesus Christ and the Gospell And as there are three diseases So the Apostle prescryues three seuerall remedies against these three diseases Marke it For euery disease he prescryues the ovvne proper remedie and cure for in ordinate liuing and vnrulie lyfe Admonition for feeblenesse of mynde and casting dovvne of the Spirite Comfort for weaknesse in faith and infirmitie bearing vvith to beare vvith the vveake and infirme in faith Now to goe throgh these and first to the diseases and next to the remedies thereof The first disease is vnrulinesse 1. Vnruelinesse inordinatnesse The Apostle 2. Thessa 3. chap. verse 6. telles vvho are these he calles vnrulie they that liue not according to that doctrine and instruction he gaue them The vvord of God is the rule of lyfe The man that liues not according to the vvord of God is vnruly Yet more plainely in that same place he descryues the vnruely He calles them 11. verse they vvho labours not for their liuing they vvho haue not a trade of lyfe Then he addes that are busie bodies busie in other mens turnes doing nothing in their ovvne and therefore they must be exercised in euill exercises in thinges that pertaines not to them pratling and babling here and there puting their hand to this mans and that mans offices There are tvvo properties idle and exercised idle in their ovvne tume exercised in other mens turnes An euill sort of men these men are vnruly Now to come to the remedie shortlie The remedie is admonishing reprouing This vnrulinesse it is an euill maladie and eneugh to cause a man die What medicine should vve vse to such men shall we foster and entertaine them in their folie No he sayes admonishe them vse them sharply and seuerely in admonishing tell them they are out of rule The 2. Thessa chap. 3. verse 10. he telles hovv hee vsed them hee denounced against them that if they vvrought not they should not eate but their mouth should be bound vp so that they should die for hunger Also in that same place he giues a charge to all men of seuere themselues from these men that they may be ashamed of that life it is a good and an honest thing to see a man well exercised and that in his owne calling Novve to come to the second disease and remedie for it The next disease is feeblenesse of mynde 2. Feeblenesse of mynde vvhen the heart of man is casten dovvne troubled assaulted heauie so that there is no spirite nor courage but ay going in the vvay of dispaire What is the medicine and remedie of this man Deale not roughlie vvith one vvho is diseased after this maner adde not affliction to affliction afflict not him vvho is afflicted trouble not the troubled the proper medicine to such is comfort Comfort them that are dejected in spirit Dauid in the 41. Psalme 1. verse he pronounces a speciall blessing to him that vvill comfort the afflicted Blessed is the man that iudges vvysoly of the poore that is that can haue compassion on a troubled conscience Now the arguments of consolation he vses in that Psalme are tvvo The first from the promises of God to be bestowed on them in Christ The other is prayer Promise then grace to the troubled heart in Iesus Christ and then pray for it If the hart be dejected no comfort for it but from God Al the world all the powers in Heauen and earth are not able to comfort and raise vp the soule but onely the power of God through Christ and his blessed Spirite Novv to the third disease and remedie thereof It is vveakenesse in faith 3. Weakenesse in faith vveakenesse in the knovveledge of Christ and the Gospell vvhen a man hes not a through sight and perswasion of these thinges that concernes Iesus and the Gospell when he knowes them not vvell neither is confirmed in them Such as concerning diuersitie of meates all meates are sanctified in Christ many knew not that and therefore made conscience in obseruing diuersitie of meates and likewise as concerning daies that put difference in daies and keeped them these he cals weak ones The remedy is beare with them breake not the brused reede quench not the smooking slax no enterteine the least beginning of grace in the weakest body A fire that hes smook in the beginning if thou enterteine it it will in end grow a faire fire What knowest thou but these that hes a little sparke of faith if they be enterteinde by processe of tyme will grow to an high measure of knowledge and will be as strong as thou Paul 15. chap. Rom. 1. verse speaking of these same weake ones sayes We vvho are strong in faith that is knowes the libertie in Christ Iesus let vs beare the infirmities of the vveake take their burdene off their back and lay it on our shoulders heape not on them burdene vpon burdene but releue them and that vve please not our selues and make off-casts of others Therefore he addes let euery one please their neighbour Please their neighbour and beare with him that is the word and he commes on with Christs exemple Christ he bare not vvith himselfe selfe-loue caried him not as it does vs but as it is written the reproches of them that rebuked thee fell on me He spared himselfe so little that these igneminies and reproaches that should haue lighted on vs sinners he tooke them on him He tooke our burdeene on him There are the wordes shortly Marke our lessons This world is all diseased men and wemen in this world are full of diseases yea and they that thinks themselues wholest are sickest I will not speake of the diseases of the bodie There are few without their owne diseases and that is the rewarde of sinne yea and death followes on the end of them but I speake of the sicknesse of the soules of men and wemen neuer one but they haue their owne diseases in their soule He hes this sicknesse in his soule she hes that sicknesse in her soule he is miserable in his soule another feeble in minde the third weake without a sure knowledge of Christ euery one of these sicknesses are deadlie euerie one of them eneugh to cause a creature die Art tho vnruely if it continue with thee and be not cured in tyme it shall cause thee die not such a death as the death of the bodie it is a sicknesse in the soule thy soule shall die The sicknesse of the bodie will cause the bodie die if it be not cured the sicknesse of the soule will cause the soule die if
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
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
vvho reades his vvorkes will vvonder that there coulde be such an affection in his heart to the Church of God Well brethren all grace 〈…〉 loue all the blessinges of God in Christ 〈…〉 of God 〈…〉 Iohn 3. 16. The giuing and death of Christ and all the blessinges in Christ came or the loue of God to vs 〈◊〉 Christ All 〈◊〉 and duetie of men that man can doe to 〈…〉 of the loue of the heart otherwise itâ— all a vanâ—â—hing 〈◊〉 not a thing in deed but a vaine sâ—oâ—e albeit it be neâ—er so glistring in the eyes of men if thou would giue all that thou hast to the poore iâ— it come not of loue and affection of the heart all is lost all iâ— for noght Now in the wordâ— following to the end of the tenth verse the Apostle bringâ— in 〈◊〉 arguments testifying his inâ—re affection he had to them Loue must not stand in words but it must be vâ—tered in testimonies so that the world may see it in very deed The worke wilâ— let men see the hart albeit it be God who is the 〈◊〉 searâ—her of the heart Men will not be so blinde but in the hand they 〈…〉 hand be closed thy haâ—â— is closed 〈…〉 testifying his loue affection is a good-wilâ— he haue to them such a good-will that he was 〈◊〉 to imparte and deâ—â—ie to them 〈…〉 precioâ—s 〈…〉 and all because of the loue he bare to them 〈…〉 〈◊〉 heere the first argument of the 〈…〉 〈…〉 and liberall 〈…〉 〈◊〉 A 〈◊〉 vvho loue 〈…〉 〈◊〉 he vvill giue them 〈…〉 comparision A mother who loues her childe she will not be sparing to him but liberall so a Pastor that hath anie tender affection to his flocke will not be sparing but liberall and free to them When the heart of man is open with the affection of loue it will open the hand also and if he be niggard-handed sparing on his flocke those graces God hes geuen him it is a sure argument there is no loue in his heart But come to the good things whereof the Apostle was liberall The first thing was the Gospell of God a pretious thing the glorious Gospell of the blessed Lord. That is the thing that is concredite to him and it is the foode of the soule of man so that his liberalitie beginnes at the foode of the soule he must be liberall of the foode of the soule of men which is concredite to him to giue it to his flock The mother beginnes to nourish her childe with the milke of her owne breast her own substance So the Pastor must beginne at the foode of the soule he must begin at the sincere milke of the word without the which there is no growing and if they be not fed with this milk of the word first they shal neuer come to the grouth stature of man but shall be like dwarsses and we so long as we dwell heere are onelie infants in heauenlie things and all our thinking of heauen is but infancie all our speaking thereof the blabling of infancie So we must be fed with that milk or else we shal neuer come to the stature of men and perfection of heauenlie things The Apostle counts this but a smal thing to deale the gospel of God albeit it be pretious in respect of the other thing his soule he had to deale to them 1. Cor. 9. 16. He saieth if I preach not the Gospell I haue not vvherin to reicice and vvoe is to me if I preach not the Gospell He who will not be liberall in preaching of the Gospell which coast him not a penny it will be long ere he geue his life for his flock if they were in Hell he would neuer redeeme them with his 〈◊〉 Then the next thing whereof he is liberall it is his 〈…〉 the liberalitie of a louing Pastor will end in 〈…〉 It will begiane at the preaching of the 〈…〉 his life which is more if it be 〈…〉 This is the affection of 〈…〉 to her childe she 〈◊〉 for 〈…〉 affection he 〈…〉 for his flock This is counted a greater thing not the other to die for the flocke greater not to deale the Gospell Not that Pauls soule was more pretious then the Gospel of God no the Gospel of God was more precious then the soules of Paul Peter and of all the Apostles and of all the men in the world but he counts it greater because it was an harder thing to him to do it was an easier thing to him to preache the Gospell nor to giue his lyfe for them Yet brethren albeit it was an easier thing to a man to preache the Gospell nor to giue his life thinges will fall out so that all the bygone preaching shall be in vaine except in the end thou seale vp thy bygone preaching with thy bloude if God call thee therevnto the Gospell shall not haue that sweet smell except it haue the perfume or thy bloude The Apostle to the Philipp 2. 17. sayes that the vvould rejoyce If he vvere offered vp vpon the perfume of their faith When the Lord thinks it expedient he must lay dovvne his soule and vvith his bloud he must perfume the Gospell he hes preached otherwise he hes lost all his trauell and his life to and it is better to suffer then to lose all his trauaile and in the end his life This tyme is yet to come to vs the Lorde knovves hovv neare it is The Lorde giue vs grace that vvee lose not our tyme bygone but that vve may laye dovvne our lyfe for the Gospell if that neede requyre In the end of the verse he turnes againe to the ground of his liberall dealling This my liberalitie is not for any liberalitie of yours toward me nor for any respect of commoditie I will get at your hands This my liberalitie is set onelie vpon louing affection So that hee declareth the cause thereof to be loue It is necessare to the people to be perswaded of the loue of the Pastor otherwise except they be assured of his loue albeit he should vtter the fairest doctrine that is there will be no edifying And so I see Paul ay seekes to show them of his loue that they might be edified Particular gaine will make a man preach There are sundrie Ministers who wil be diligent to preache for game but wheÌ„ it comes to lyfe geuing they faile there Worldlie gaine will neuer cause him be liberall of his lyfe onelie loue makes a man liberall of his lyfe And therefore Paul sayeth It was onelie for loue and not for gaine because ye vvere deare vnto vs. He vvho hes not this loue he may vvell flatter men a vvhile but the end that â—rye he had no true loue The Lord giue men especiallie the Ministrie this affection that in the end they may proue to bee true Pastors for if they haue not this loue the end shall try they haue bene hyrelings The Lord giue euerie man grace to trye-vvell vvhat reacaâ—esle
God for feare that wrath come out from his angrie face and burne it vp The Apostle Heb. 12. 14. sayes Without holinesse no man shall see God for if they see him at shall be to their destruction When he looks 〈◊〉 the heart and findes not holinesse and cleannesse there his looke shall destroy the heart and he shall make it tremble and shake at his presence Brethren many hes experience of an euill conscience vncleannesse makes euer an euill conscience and a man with an euill conscience is not able to stand in the sight of God There is not an vncleane body but he findes this in experience They runne euer to some hole and cannot abide the holie sight of God he is holie thou vnholie he looks throgh thee thou canst not abide his sight Now it is true our compearance before God and his Tribunal shall stand in the righteous merits of Christ Iesus except we be cled with that perfit righteousnesse of Christ imputed to vs by faith ther is no slanding for vs. Rom. 5. 1. But it is as true if thou findst not again in some measure some holinesse and cleannesse inherent in thy self thou shalt neuer stand before God for where the righteousnesse of Iesus is wher remission of sins is in any man there of necessitie must be some measure of holinesse purenesse of life in him also If thou be justified by the fre mercy of God in Christ of necessitie thou must be sanctified must haue some spark of godlinesse in thy selfe for those whom he hes justified he also hes sanctified So when euer a man hes the justice of Christ imputed vnto him of necessitie he must haue a share of this justice inherent in himself wants he a part of this holinesse brag as he will he hes no cleannesse throgh the blood of Christ Iames sayes If thou hast faith let me se it thy vvorks 2. 18. If any by grace be sanctified in Christ let them vtter it in some measure in works otherwaies they lie So this holds sure No standing to vs before God except there be holinesse in vs. Now the stiles are to be marked in the text which are giuen to God First he is called God then our Father The name of God a name of Majestie and of great glorie The name of Father a name of homelinesse and louingnesse Marke it If God vvere nothing else to vs but God that is to say but an high Maiestie full of all glorie if that Majestie dimmitted not himselfe to be a louing Father to vs through Iesus there were no standing for vs before him our heart durst neuer present the selfe before him A sinne is not able to looke vpon God as he is God onelie in Majestie Honour Glorie and Iustice No the whole Majesties of the world dare not face him as he is God onely All our compearing before him is because as he is God in Majestie and glorie so in Christ he is become a louing Father to vs and if vve receiue not the Spirite that is called the Spirite of adoption testifying to our spirite that he is become our Father in Iesus Christ and we are adopted in Christ and therefore opens our mouthes to cry Abba Father vve would neuer haue a face to looke to him nor a mouth to speake to him And so as he is become a Father to vs in Christ so craue that thou mayst get that Spirite of adoption that thy mouth may be opened wide with sweetnesse to cry Abba Father Moreouer these very stiles learns vs how our harts should be disposed when we come and stand before him euen heer in his congregation church where his presence is We are now in his sight and presence He is a God in Majestie A Majestie would haue feare and reuerence So ther is the first thing stand before this Majesty of God in feare and reuerence Then there must be more then this he is a Father and therefore thou shouldst loue him so thou shouldst both reuerence and loue him together If these two be together they shall mak thee to be in good temper to stand before God Now come to the time when the hart shal be established It is at the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ It is true brethren euen in this life before that glorious appearing of Christ we stand before God in holinesse and our hearts are established before him without rebuke in a manner and euen now at this present time who euer they be who hes holinesse in their hearts they finde in effect their harts standing in his presence when they looke to that face of his Majestie shining in the Gospell with the eye of faith the heart is established before the face of God and God is pacified and beholds them in quietnesse Let all men discend in their hearts and if they haue holinesse I assure them they will haue peace and quyetnesse in the hart when they think on him Then this is true Euen in this life before the great day we stand before him established in holinesse but it is as true so long as we liue in this life ther is euer a peece of vnquyetnes in the harts of the most godlie and there are none of vs who can find so peaceable an heart before God as we should haue There is euer so long as we liue heere a peece of euill conscience for sinne The cause is because so long as we liue heâ—r we are but holy in a part and that in a verie sober part sinne leaues vs neuer and therfore the prick in the conscience for sinne leaues vs neuer And where this euill conscience is there must euer be a peece of feare and terrour to stand before that heauenlie presence But vvhen the Lord shall come in that latter day which is called the day of judgement when Christ shall appeare in that great day the heart of the godlie shall be established before him without any feare or terrour If thou be one of the chosen of God thou shalt stand before the face of God vvith an heart in peace vvithout any terrour But ô how great shall the feare of the heart of the wicked men be the cause is because thou shalt not so soone see the face of the Lord Iesus that faire glorious face but as soone in the moment of thy resurrection thou shalt be transformed in a perfite holinesse both in body and soule And therefore the Apostle sayes Philip. 3. 21. When we shall see him We shall be transformed and this vyle body of ours shall be made conformable to his glorious body and vvhen vve shall see him vve shall be made like him in glorie and holinesse vvithout any spot or vvrinckle or any part of deformitie in bodie or soule What then is it that puts this terrour in our heart to stand before God Onely sinne So when all sinne shall be taken away all feare shall be taken away Then seeing there is no perfite quyetnesse vntill vve
ye not the patience of God He is patient and lets men runne in wickednesse vntill the cuppe be full and then he powreth out his wraith and judgement on them to the vttermost The Lord keepe vs from his judgements and wraith for Christ his Sons sake To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be praise and honor for euer AMEN THE XV. LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 4. vers 6. 7. 8. 6 That no man oppresse or defraude his brother in any matter for the Lord is auenger of all such thinges as vve also haue tolde you before time and testified 7 For God hath not called vs to vncleannesse but vnto holinesse 8 He therefore that despiseth these thinges despiseth not man but God vvho hath euen giuen you his holie Spirit IN this part of this Epistle after the salutation and after that large congratulation wherein he rejoised for the grace the Lord had bestowed on the Thessalonians not after a common manner but in great aboundance He sets downe preceptes of manners concerning an holie lyfe and a godlie conuersation in this worlde and he comprehendes them all first in a generall and he calles it sanctification holinesse in lyfe and conuersation for whatsoeuer duetie appertaines to vs to be done in this lyfe the whole may be taken vp vnder this one word sanctification which standes in holinesse in soule and bodie When he hes sette downe the generall he diuydes it in parts and the first part of sanctification of holinesse of lyfe and conuersation he takes it vp to be in absteining from fornication it respects a man or woman in their owne person that they keepe the soule and bodie that God hes giuen them in holinesse vnpolluted vvith filthinesse The second part concernes our neighbour that we doe him no wrong He is an vnholie man that hurtes his neighbour that vvill vvrong him in anie dealling or trafficking with him He is hurt two manner of wayes first he is hurt by deceite vnder colour by fraude begâ—yling or circumvention He is secondlie hurt by plaine violence and oppression Both these two sortes of wronges and injuries are vnholie He that circumueenes his brother is vnholie he that oppresses his brother is vnholie Novve to persvvade them to this sanctification standing in these tvvo partes he vses sundrie argumentes The first argument ye heard of before vvas from the vvill of God This is the will of God sayes he your sanctification It is the Lords vvill that ye be holie It is not an hid vvill but a reuealed will and oft reuealed that ye be holie in your selfe holie in respect of your brethren and holie all manner of vvaye Brethren if there vvere not an argument to moue vs to be holy holie in respect of our selues holie in respect of our neighbour this onely reason to vnderstand it is Gods will we so doe may be sufficient For albeit we knovve of no other reason wherefore vve should be holie but onely that it is his vvill it bindes vs to holinesse For this reuerence tovvarde the Creator and Redeemer of the world should be in euerie creature that they vnderstanding anie thing to bee agreable to his holie vvill should stoup knovving his will they are bound to acquiescâ— and rest there seeking no farther and to close their eyes at all their reasones hovvbeit the thing that is injoyned to them should seeme to be an impossibilitie The Apostle speaking of his vvill Roman chap. 12. verse 2. sayes His vvill is euer goode it is good vvhat euer he vvilleth it is perfite yea it is the rule of all righteousnesse So euerie one should reason vvith themselues Is it the vvill of God Then it is most just I vvill follovve and obey it my reason shall not stay it my reason is vvrong and out of rule his vvill is the rule of righteousnesse I insist on this rather because I knovve how hard it is to make the vvill of man plyable and to frame it to Gods vvill and vvhat discrepance is betvveene the vvill of God and the vvill of man So if thou giuest thy selfe ouer to thy ovvne nature there is nothing God willes but thou willest the contrare therof And therfore our praier should be continually to God to conforme our froward will to his wil this should be our praier continuallie what euer come to vs be it prosperitie or aduersitie Lord do thy will giue me not my own will for if I get my own wil it will be my wreak but Lord rule my will according to thy will for thy will is onely the right will and the preseruer of my life and euen now while we haue time we should cry Lord thy will be done we are thy creatures Lord let thy will be done in vs. And I assure thee if thou get thy will conformable to his wil and be content with any thing he layes on thee life or death certainly thou shalt find comfort all shall come well to thee The second argument taine from the vengence that falles on the transgressours He saies For the Lord is the auenger of alâ— such thinges He auenges the deceit vsed by vs and the violence done against our neighbour This second argument followes well on the other for one of those two must be either the will of God must be done by vs or else vengence must be for disobedience If the will of God moue thee not to doe that which he craues of thee Punishement for disobedieÌ„ce to gods vvill to liue in holinesse before him let the feare of vengence and punishment moue thee For Brethren the will of our God is in the selfe a thing so holie and inuiolable that there was neuer person yet that disobeyed that will from ould Adam to this houre if it were but in a litle thoght of the heart let be a deed in a motion of the soule let be an action but that disobedience and transgression of that holie and inuiolable will of God was punished either in the persons self or in the Mediator Iesus Christ So inuiolable a thing is the just will of God that the disobeence to it cannot escape punishmeÌ„t God is not like man impossible it is that thy disobedience to him if it were but â—n a motion of thy heart should bee vnpunished either in thy bodie or soule or else thou must haue refuge to the Mediator and it shall be punished in him For if thou be in Christ thy disobedidience is taine away in his obedience And therefore thinke it no childish play to play with his will if it were but the least cogiâ—ation of the heart Play vvith man as thou wilt but one thought against Gods will importes damnation if thou hadst a thousand lyues He addes that reason in the end of this verse as vve also 〈◊〉 you before tyme and testified This was not the first tyme that he had tolde them of it of before and now he telles them
that calles and God that is calling on you his vengeance shall sease vpon you And now it is no time to thee to ly in vncleannes when the Pest is at the doore woe to thee dying therein being in the puddle of vncleannes but well is thy soule that turnes to God howbeit thou die in the pest of the body Now followes another argument to moue vs to holines He who wil not be holie when God calles on him disobeyes not man but God As there are two thinges to moue vs to holinesse first our vocation to holinesse secoundlie the caller so there are two sinnes that accompanies the disobedience of that calling one sinne against the holie calling another sinne against the holie God the caller ConteÌ„pt of God the vvord the greatest sinne There is no sinne by the selfe allone One sinne must euer haue another with it and committing one sinne we sinne manie waies Compare these two the sinne against the calling and the sinne against the caller by all appearance the secound is the greatest The greatest sinne that can bee is to contemne God Thou that playest the harlote thy sinne is double first by thy harlotrie thou sinnest against thy calling thou was called to and this is a great sinne but the other is greater Thou contemnest the voyce of the high Majestie of God that called thee The oppressor sinnes by his oppression but his sin is the greater in that he contemnes his caller And in the latter day ye shall finde by experience the challenge shall not be so much against the adulterer for his adulterie as for that in sinning he contemned the voyce of God calling him from adultery This shall be a chiefe challenge dirtlay especially of christians who hes heard this word and Gospell of God that they contemnd the majestie of God who called them by this word Gospell And surely all these particular judgements of God that falles on men and these particular judgements on Scotland and on Edinburgh this day either the Pest or the famine fals not somuch for vncleannesse and other sins as for the contemp of the Gospel and God that calles thee by this base ministrie And therfore the right cause of all these judgements is the contempt of God calling vs to holinesse For we haue not onelie sinned in committing of sin but in contemning God calling vs from sin and we haue spitted as it wer in his face Put away the contempt of the word of God if ye put it away who wait but but God wil be mercifull If we contemne still looke for greater judgement The contempt of God and of this foode of the soule offred by the base ministrie hes caused this plague of famine and the Pest fall on this land The Apostle sayes In resisting ye resist not men but God There is no blessing in tyme that God giues but he ministers it by men He wil not come out of Heauen to speak to thee but he will speak to thee by the ministrie of selie simple men He tels thee of remission of sins of justification of sanctificatioÌ„ c. if thou dispise the ministry of base men though thou wer Monarch of all the earth thou shalt neuer get remission of sinnes sanctification nor glorification Now this is the thing that beguyles the world When they looke to the vyle ministrie of men they cannot see God in it They looke to the selie man they goe no farther Who speakes A selie man speakes Who calles me I heard a selie man and so through the man be looks not vp to heauen to se God speaking by the minister And from this flowes the contempt and resisting man thou resists God that is the principall worker The word is then contemned when the man is contemned in speaking it Resisting man thou resists God who sent the man Can any man resist God and not be plagued therefore if there be no repentance So they who are called to the ministrie let them care for nothing but to speake the word of God and open their mouth to glorify God And if he be resisted he is not resisted but God who sent him is resisted And at that last day it shall be seene it was not man thou resisted but God Happie are they therefore who gettes a sight of this in tyme and that giues obedience to the worde Happie is the bodie that receiues this word as the word of god and not of man Now the last argument followes Who saies he hes giuen vs his holy Spirite Looke now what he hes done He hes chosen vs from all eternitie to be holielie and hes giuen vs his Spirit and al graces to this end to be holy When the Lord hes begun to call vs to holinesse Spirite of god dâ—velling in vs bindes to holinesse if he stand there and doe no more it will not doe the turne if he giue vs ouer to our owne nature and free vvill and take away his Spirit when he hes broght thee on a point of holinesse and leaue thee there thou shalt neuer enter in Heauen And therefore when he hes done all these thinges to thee then he will put into thy soule and bodie his Spirit of grace to cleanse the foulnesse out of thy soule and bodie to bring in holie motions actions and speeches So that thou art made now as Paul speakes 1. Corint 6. 19. the Temple of the holie Spirit and then that same glorious person the holie Spirit comming from the Father and the Son will dwell within thee in soule and bodie as assuredlie as we are within this Church presentlie and thy soule and bodie shall be as sure Temples of this Spirit as this Church is to our bodies And is not this a great honour that in substance this glorious person will dwell within vs So this learnes vs that all is of grace the beginnig of grace the midst of grace the end of grace Our predestination in God our vocation our justification and sanctification all in God our glorification in God Brethren the highest estate we can come to in this life is sanctification We passe from predestination to vocation from vocation to justification from justification to sanctification we cannot reach higher so long as we are heere We may growe in this estate but we cannot come higher As to glorification we get it in the lyfe to come when we leaue this life All our actiones heere are impersite and all mingled with the corruption of nature but heereafter all will be perfited For when we leaue this lyfe we goe not backward Thinke not that bodie that sleepes in Christ that he goes backward That body is predestinat called sanctified heere in some measure after this life passes a degree vpward and commes to glorification for holinesse in this life it passes vp to glorie we are holie heere but glorious in the life to come We are not called to be glorified in this lyfe but to be sanctified when we
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
concerning those vvho are at sleepe That is I vvoulde not haue you ignorant of their estate vvhat is their estate while they lye in graue vvhat their estate shall be thereafter Of these and such things I vvould not haue you ignorant Now the lesson is easie There are none of vs but in some measure vve shoulde knowe what is the estate of them who are dead vvhat is their estate in the graue vvhat shall be their estate after the graue It appertaines to euerie Christian to know the estate of the dead in some measure as well as it pertaines to them to know the estate of the liuing not passing the reuelation that the Lord hes made therin Dreame not anie estate to the dead knovve no more of it nor it pleases God to reueale nor desire to know no more The Papistes passes in curiositie and can not be satisfied with the Lords reuelation but let vs be content with the reuelation of the Lord vntill that great reuelation come Alwaies it pertaines to vs in some measure to knovve the estate of the departed IgnoraÌ„ce brings sorrovv and knovvledg ioy Ignorance brings a great deale of sorrow vvith it The effects of ignorance in things vve should know are displeasure and sorrow Knowledge of the things vve should know and especially of the estate of those departed this life brings joy consolation Ignorance made Iacob excessiuelie to mourne for his sonne Ioseph without anie cause thinking he was dead when he was aliue Being fred from his ignorance and knowing the estate of his son and that he was aliue he found joy and consolation So light and knowledge brings joy The blinde opinion of this dreame of Purgatorie that the Papists hes inuented hes brought exceeding great displeasure to many To thinke that the soule lovvsed from the bodie should be tormented in Purgatorie ere it enter in glorie But men being fred from this ignorance and knowing assuredly that the soule immediatlie after it seueres from the bodie passes to eternall joy men and vvemen knovving this in the pointe of death no question they are exceeding glad Then brethren to speake it againe Ignorance brings great displeasure knowledge bringes joy when vve knowe the estate of thinges as they are indeed then there is joy Therefore the Apostle sayes That ye 〈◊〉 not as others vvho hes no hope That is as the Gentiles An ignorant and hopelesse bodie who hes no hope of the resurrection who knowes nothing of the resurrection and therefore hopes not for it his mourning and sorrowe will be excessiue This is the meaning of the Apostle Ignorance bringes 〈◊〉 in death it makes a man hopelesse not to hope for a lyfe after this lyfe nor for a resurrection to lyfe and being 〈◊〉 what joy can he haue a bodie dying without hope no 〈◊〉 if thou bee not in hope when thou art dying all the world shall not make thee to rejoyce By the contrair ye heare by the Apostle knowledge bringes hope for hope is the effect of knowledge and hope bringes joy and comfort in the houre of death None euer yet died in the hope of that glorious resurrection but in the houre of death they rejoyced with joy vnspeakable The joy that hope bringes being grounded on knowledge is wonderfull It will not be conteined in the heart but the mouth will open and glory in the joy it apprehendes throgh the hope of the resurrection in Iesus Christ The Apostle Rom. chap. 5. verse 2. saies We rejoyce vnder the hope of the glory of God I meane not brethren that that knowledge that workes hope and that hope that workes joy will take away from a man altogether all displeasure all heauinesse all mourning in the departure of our friendes and them we loue well No it will nor nor should not doe that There is no grace of God in Iesus that puts out any naturall affection none will take away either naturall joy or displeasure no faith and hope will not doe it but it makes that naturall affection sanctified and puts it in order Our dolour which by nature is immoderate it moderates hope will bring with it a measure knoweledge will bring with it a measure and faith which is the fountaine of all graces will bring with it a measure In a word Faith hope and knowledge will temper and mingle the affection of displeasure which is bitter with the affection of joy and make a sweete temperature in that bodie so that the bodie that hes knowledge and hope when it is mourning fastest it will haue greatest joy Beware of your mourning and looke that it be neuer altogether without some joy Sobst thou sighst thou vnspeakablie Looke that thy â—ighs be mingled with joy vnspeakable Will ye haue my counsell Let neuer joy be the alone but let euer joy be tempered with sorrow Haue not srrow the alone but let it 〈◊〉 be mingled with some joy So long as thou liuest thou art naturallie inclined to sinne and sinne procures sorrow And therfore so long as sinne dwelles in thy bodie let euer thy joy be tempered with sorow but let neuer thy sorow for sinne be it alone but tempered with some joy in the mercie of God This shoulde be the estate of a christian in laughing forget not sin but sorow for it be not vvanton vnder the burden of sin Againe in mourning let joy be for the mercie of Christ to vs. The Apostle sayes 1. Thess 5. 16. Reioice euer yea euen when thou art mourning for there is matter of eternall joy offered in Christ and therfore rejoice vvith a sanctified and with an holie joye This is the first lesson Then brethren I gather on the vvords of the Apostle As the Gentiles vvho haue no hope of resurrection where there is no hope there is no comfort vvhere a mans hope is bounded within the compasse of this life and reaches not out beyond the same there is no comfort make him king of all the worlde if his hope be onelie on the kingdomes of this earth if he hope not for that heauenlie kingdome Want of hope doth bring dispaire in death to be an inheritour there he hes no joye nor comfort I meane that solide joye and comfort vvhich the world neuer ministers to men Al the kingdoms in the earth will neuer minister to thee solide joy comfort consolation Novv brethren this is the estate of the Gentiles Paul Ephes 2. 12. speaking of their estate sayes they liued in the world without God aliants from the Common-well of Israell from the Church of God strangers from the couenants of promise without hope without God in the world and so hopelesse coÌ„fortlesse I can not say that euer any Gentile that liued as a Gentile what euer was their ranke on the earth that euer they had any comfort all these Monarches that liued without grace in the world I can not say that in the midst of their triumph greatest glory they had any comfort much lesse
the graue As to the bodies of the wicked woe to them if they ly down with sadnesse and wearinesse their rising shall be with farre greater sadnesse and wearinesse No they shall think it shold be well with them if the Lord wold let the body ay ly still there It is a black wakning If they ly downe with ignominy they shall rise with greater ignominie So to speake it properly the body of the reprobate is not said to sleep as it is to ly dead for the rising of it is but to death death in the graue rising to death and ay deing and neuer making an end of death Now this for the vnderstanding of this word sleeping Then I note shortlie of this first head that Paul instructs them in concerning the soules departed That the bodie that lyes in the graue Sleeping of 〈◊〉 bodie vvith out paine comfortable It lyes without the sense of torment or paine if it were not more but to knowe that farre of it this knowledge ministers comfort both in our owne death and in the death of our friendes Indeed if we saw our friendes bodie cast into the graue and knew that there were torment and paine there no question it would bring great heauinesse and we would remember on our owne paine in the hour of our death and it would bring sorrow to vs. So it is a benefite of God that the body lyes in the graue without paine And this is the thing the Apostle will haue them to know Now to come to the wordes of the next verse For if saies he vve belieue that Iesus is dead and is risen againe euen so them vvho sleepe in Iesus God vvill bring vvith him There are the wordes In one vvorde then The second thing vvhereof he vvill not haue them ignorant is the estate of them vvho are departed After then lying in the graue they shall ryse the bodie that lyes in the graue shall ryse and wake againe Knovveledge of the resurrection of the bodie more coÌ„fortable It is confortable to knowe that the bodie lyes without sense of paine in the graue but it is more comfortable to knowe that the bodie shall ryse againe and not onely want the sense of paine but shall haue comfort in Christ in that glorious resurrection The bodies of the godly shal not onely want the sense of paine but shal haue all pleasure and joy that the heart would with all their senses shall be filled with joy the eie the eare all shall be filled with God in whoâ—e presence is onely joy Now the thing that fils the sense with any joy in this earth are only creatures The thing that makes the 〈◊〉 rejoice is but the creatures that are object to it The thing that makâ— the eare to rejoice is but the sound and voices of the creatures But in the resurrection when God shall be al 〈…〉 these senses of our shal be filled with God the great Creator of al. He shall be as it wer the object to the eie to the ear to the teaching to speak it so for your vnderstanding all our senses shal be exercised with him And as there is greater matter of joy in the Creator nor in the creatures so much more joy shall these senses of ours the eie the eare the tasting c. haue of God the Creator of all So far as God passes the creatures so far shall that heauenlie joy passe the earthly joy So this we should know that the dead in Christ shall haue full pleasure and perfite joy But yet ere we leaue the words He grounds this resurrection of our bodies on two grounds 2. grunds of the assurance of our resurrection The first it faith in Christ if saies he vve beleeue that Christ died and raise again But faith in Christ first crucified and dead It auailes not to beleeue in Christ if thou beleue not in him as he is crucified dead and this not eneugh to beleue that he is crucified and dead except thou with a steadfast faith beleeue that he is crucified and dead for thy sins The Deuill knovves he vvas crucified he savv him crucified and no doubt he was present at the crucifying of him for he vvas the burrior of God to him at his crucifying yet the knovvledge of Christ crucified does him no good but euill because he beleeues not that Christ died for his sins and he cannot beleue because he hes no faith So the first ground is faith in Christ crucified and that he died for thee Yet beleue more He saies and rose againe Thou must beleue as euer thou wouldst rise in the last day that Christ was raised out of the graue to the Heauens And it is not eneugh to beleeue that he rose the Deuill beleeues that he rose againe but beleeue he rose for thee for thy justification for thy saluation as Paul affirmes Rom. 4. 25 Then this is our faith in Christ where-vpon our resurrection is grounded Faith that he died for me Faith that he rose againe for my saluation Then to the next ground They sayes he vvho hes sleeped in Iesus The second grounde is nothing but perseuerance in this Faith in Christ euen to the last gasp and breath So that in death and in the pointe of death thy soule take holde on Christ crucified and risen and sticke by him in the dissolution of the soule from the bodie It is requisite that in all our lyfe-tyme and in euerie moment of our lyfe-tyme vve should haue a grippe of Christ apprehend him take holde of him and rest on him for I assure you they vvho vvill not grip him are in a stagring estate but speciallie in the houre of death vvhen the greatest tentation is and the Deuill is busiest to deceyue you it is most requisite that the soule haue a grip of Christ grip to his Croce grip to his glorious Resurrection for there is no standing but by the apprehension of Christ and if thy grippe goe and his grippe goe off thee in that same moment thou art in Hell for no lyfe to anie but to them vvho are in Christ as members of his bodie to them vvho hes an apprehension of him and of vvhom he hes a grippe Therefore seeing the tyme of our departure is verie vncertaine vvho knovves vvhen it vvill please the Lord to call on him euerie one of vs night and day tyme and tyde should see vvhether we be in Christ or not whether we haue an holde of him or not In the morning when thou rysest the first thing thou shouldst thinke of is Am I in Christ haue 〈◊〉 a grippe of him or hes he a grippe of me or not A knaue will ryse and grippe to his staffe or sword but he hes no minde of a grip of Christ Alas vvhen Christ grippes thee not the Deuill caries thee al that day bodie and soule to wickednesse Say therfore Lord holde a grippe of me for I am as a chylde Neuer a childe was
so stagring as thou art except thou leane on Christ This is most true It is not so much our apprehension we haue of Christ as his apprehension of vs that holds vs vp A chylde that is learning to goe albeit he grippe he cannot holde himselfe vp but it is the grip of the Nourse that holdes vppe the chylde It is so betweene God and vs We are all infantes Iesus hes vs in his hand we make a glifring to grip him againe but when he lettes vs goe then we fall So this is our comfort that vve are gripped by God and his grip vpholdes vs for vvhen he grippes to the heart of any man his hand neuer lowses againe and thou shalt neuer goe out of his grippe yea euen in that time when thou thinkest thou art gone and the Lord hes casten thee offyn the meane-time he hes thee in his grip and in that meane-tyme vvhen thou appearest to be left call to remembrance that he hes gripped thee and then assure thee yet he grips thee And say Who shall be able to separate me from the loue of Christ Rom. 8. 35. And Iesus sayes None is able to reaue my sheepe out of my hand Iohn 10. 28. Who shall be able to lowse his hand This is all in one vvorde Seeke this apprehension and stand fast in Christ and death shall not seuer thee from him but lyfe shall follow death glorie shall follow ignominie immortalitie shall svvalovv vp the mortalitie that vve are heere subject to Well then brethren who wait when we shall be striken Therefore let vs euer be prepared and let vs not looke to the Pest Nothing shall be able to seuere vs from God if he haue gripped vs ` Paul sayes Philipp 3. 8. 9. that he counted all thinges but dongue that he might be found of him and knowe him and the force of his resurrection Yet to insist in the words expressing this resurrection he saies that God shall bring vs vvith him that is with Christ So our resurrection what is it VVhat is our resurrection but a bringing of vs to God to be joyned with him in that blessed societie Our felicitie and blessednesse both in body and soule is to be joined with God For vnderstand so long as thy bodie lyes in the graue lyes in ignominie in a maner it is seuered from God it is apart from God in some maner it is not so near him as it wil be it is yet lying in ignominy Now in the resurrection of the dead that body that was separated frō God and lay in ignominie for a tyme ryses to be joyned with God to the end it may be glorified for euer This is the resurrection of the bodies of the godlie But it is farre otherwaies with the resurrection of the vngodly They rise indeed and must rise for they shall be pulled out of the graue for faine would they ly still they must ryse to receiue that paine of damnation they shall ryse but neuer to be brought to God The Scripture indeed speakes that they shall rise but neuer to be broght to God but they rise to be seuered from God more nor they were They are seuered when they are in the graue but when the body shall be joyned to the soule then they shall be farther seuered And looke how far is betweene the hie Heauens and the low Helles as far distance shall there be betweene God and the reprobate They shall not be conuoyed vp to meete Christ in the cloudes as the bodies of the godly are No but they shall stand on the earth Yet to insist Are the bodies of the elect broght them alone to God No what euer bodie must be brought to God in the resurrection it must be broght in companie it must be in a societie and conjunction ere that bodie be conjoined with God He saies vvith Christ. That bodie must be brought to that glorious societie with God but first it must be joyned with Iesus otherwaies thou shalt neuer rise to God Then would ye haue the order Paul speaks of in this resurrection for euerie one shall rise in order The first is Christ Christ the first of them that rises his glorious body rose first Then after that they who are in Christ that is they who stands in that conjunction with him as imps in the tree vvho are ingraft in his bodie then they shall ryse with him Therefore in one word Wouldst thou knowe whether thou shalt be joined with God or not looke if thou standst fast in that conjunction and vnion with Christ in this lyfe and if thou finde thy selfe vnited with Christ in this lyfe then in the glorious resurrection with God shalt thou be And so this is a thing that I euer aduertise you of Looke euer that thou be a member of that glorious bodie Be either an eye or foote or hand be some part of the bodie of Christ And certainly being joined with him when he is joyned with God euen God the Father of necessitie thou being a member of the bodie thou must be joined with God For thy conjunction with God is not immediat but thou must first bee joyned with Christ and being conjoyned with Christ thou shalt be joyned with God also in glory Now vvho shall be the doer of this It is a great vvorke to draw vp this bodie out of the graue to Heauen and set it in that glorie Will the bodie rise the alone where got it that strength will any Angell draw it vp No all the Angels in Heauen is not able to raise vp a bodie to Heauen all the power in earth cannot raise vp a dead bodie Then who must doe it No power in Heauen nor earth but the power of God Paul Ephes chap. 1. verse 19. calles it the effectualnesse of the strong povver of God There is no vvorke in this vvorld vvherein the povver of God appeares more nor in the vvorke of the rising first of Christ vvhen he vvas dead and then of our bodies that are in him The power and strength of God as greatlie appeares in the raising of the bodie as it did in making of the world when before it vvas not It is as great a matter to make a thing to liue as to make it There is as great power to make the dead to liue as to make any thing of nothing And this povver is onely proper to God The power of the world may put out the life but no power can giue lyfe but onely Gods There are many slayers but none to giue lyfe but onely God Therefore let vs glorifie the God of lyfe Then marke two causes of our glorious resurrection 2. causes of our resurrectiō He speakes not of the resurrection of the reprobate The first cause is the conjunction with Iesus begunne in this lyfe The second cause is the power and might of God in raising of them being found in Iesus Take any of these two away thou shalt neuer be brought
to God If thy conjunction be not with Iesus in this lyfe the power of God in the latter day shall not raise thee to joyne thee to God Take this first cause away the second shall not follow Then againe if the hand of God at the day of the resurrection should not be put as it were out of Heauen to take vp thy bodie thou wouldst ly still Therfore joyne these two First the conjunction with Christ that is by Faith then joyne with Faith the power and vertue of God and so ryse shalt thou and be joyned with God in glorie Now as to the power of God to raise vs it is not extended to vs heere but we shall see it in that great day but the thing vve haue to care for is to looke that we haue saith and of necessitie the second must follow Hast thou faith and art thou joyned with Christ by Faith of necessitie the power of God must reache to thee to raise thee out of the graue Thou needest not to feare if thou be found in Christ All mercie power and glorie is in him if thou be out with Christ no glorie nor mercie but damnation for thee for the power of God shall be extended to thy destruction Now to the next verse Yet he goes forward and teaches them that not onely they shall rise and be broght to God and be joyned with him But he sayes This say vve vnto you by the vvord of God that vve vvho liue and are remaning at the comming of the Lord shall not preueene them vvho sleep He speakes heere of himselfe as thogh he should haue bene liuing at the day of judgement and yet he died more nor a thousand yeere since To teach vs euer to be in readinesse no houre nor moment should be but we should look for the cōming of Christ and think we shall be liuing whē he commes This is our vain thoght we think we shal die before the day of judgment No Paul spok not so we should not speak so but be ay ready to meet the Lord at his glorious appearance Now the third head wherein he instructed them is the order and ranke of men that shall meete the Lord in the cloudes All that judgement shall passe by order The God of order shall be judge Order in meeting the Lord after resurrectiō and all shall be in order and men shall be in ranke they who shall be raised vp from this earth to meete the Lord shall haue their own place and ranke Now the Apostle would teach them that they shal haue this order They who hes departed first this lyfe shall not be preuented they vvho shall be aliue shall not be put in the ranke before them but they who are dead shall be in the first ranke and order and ere euer that sodain change be made of them vvho shall be found alyue changing them from mortalitie to immortalitie vvhich change shall be in the twinckling of an eye the dead in the graue shall be raised vp first by the power of God their bodies shal be first glorified and then shall come on that sodain change of them who shall be aliue then all shal be rest vp to the clouds first they that were dead next they that were changed and so we shall come all to meete our head Christ This is the order Now to be short This same verie speaking of the Apostle and his instructing of them in this preferment teaches vs that there should be in vs such a desire to meete with Christ that we should striue who shal meet with him first striue to be first and not to be last cast vs to haue a parte of this preferment and considering this preferment is promised to them vvho dies first it should make vs joyfull to die first and to say to them vvho are standing about vs vvhen vve are on death-bed I vvill get a preferment I am called to death first before you I shall be preferred to you in meetting vvith my Lord in Heauen Ye shall liue after me but I shall meete first vvith my Lord. O vvhat it is to get preferment in heauenlie glorie Ye vvill count of preferment vvith Kinges of this earth and men vvill striue vvho shall first meete vvith the King O then should vve not striue to meete vvith the King of Kings in Heauen The Lord grant vs faith that we may be joined with Christ in this bodie that at that last day soule and bodie may be glorified in Heauen vvith Christ our Head To vvhom with the Father and the holy Spirite be all glory and praise for euer AMEN THE XVIII LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 4. vers 16. 17. 18. 16 For the Lord himselfe shall descend from heauen vvith a shout and vvith the voyce of the Archangell and vvith the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ shall rise againe Then shall vve vvhich liue and remaine be caught vp vvith them also in the cloudes to meete the Lord in the aire and so shall vve euer be vvith the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort your selues one another vvith these vvords THE Apostle brethren in this present text by the way as it were instructs the Thessalonians in that head of doctrine that concernes those who are departed this lyfe Of the which either they were ignorant or thought not of it as they should haue done And therefore in the death and departure of their kins-folke and friendes whom they loued well they mourned excessiuely as though there estate had beene miserable as though after this world there should haue been no more of them but they should perish like beasts And therfore the Apostle to the end that for death they shold not mourne so desperatlie he instructs them in certaine heades of doctrine concerning the departed The first was that they that died died not so much as sleeped this death is not so much to be called a death as a sleepe for there shall be a waking againe as a man lying down to sleepe shall awake againe The second point Their resurrection shall be glorious Being laid down in the graue they shall not ly for euer but shall be gloriouslie raised againe for heere he speakes of the resurrection of the elect and chosen Now the third thing he instructs them in is an peece of honour they shall haue in their resurrection They that are dead first shall see the Lord before them that shall be found aliue for the dead shall ryse first and then the change shall be made of them who are then liuing And as the dead shall rise first so they shall be first in ranke among them who shall goe to meete the Lord in the aire first the dead after their resurrection shall be rest vp to the cloudes then they who shall be liuing shall be rest vp after them So the dead shall get the first sight of Christ then they who shall be found alyue shall be
Eue shall be with the first and in the first ranke For before they vvho in the vvorlde shall be changed which shall be in the twinkling of an eye and it shall stand to them in stead of death ere this change be made the dead shall ryse first 1. Corint 15. 51 52. Some of them who are dead shall ryse to lyfe and honour to witte the elect Some of them to wit the reprobat to dishonour ignominie and death and a worse death nor they ly in presently Then when the dead is raised vp and compeares first then shall follow that sodaine change of them who shall be alyue the elect that shall be alyue shal be altred in a moment in the twinckling of an eie to a glorious estate The reprobat aliue shall be altered to but if they wer ignominious before they shal be more ignominious then for not only their soule but soule and body shal be vgly and if they had any beauty Estate of the bodies of the elect it shall bee changed in a wonderfull foulues But to speak of the body of the elect for the Scripture speaks most of them Paul 1. Cor. 15. verse 35. moues the question with what bodies shall they ryse what bodie shall the elect haue For he is not curious of the bodies of the reprobate but he markes narrowlie the rising of the bodies of the godlie at that day And the first qualitie he giues them is that whereas their bodies wer naturall when they were laid down in the graue their bodies in that day shall be made spirituall Not that our bodies shall be changed in spirites no our bodies shall be bodies indeed of that same substance they haue now The verie same substance of the bodie thou hast in this lyfe the same verie substance thou shalt haue in that lyfe and no other It shall be present at that day that same verie bodie that same very hand and foote c. and no other bodie nor no other hand nor foote c. And there shall be none of the ashes of the bodie but it shall be keeped vntill that day and shall be gathered vp and joined better nor euer it was before Then the bodie shall abyde Our lyfe shall be much better I liue heere a naturall lyfe by a naturall power in my soule but in the resurrection my lyfe shall be spirituall and I shall not liue a naturall lyfe Now I liue by a naturall power in my soule but then I shall liue spirituallie by a spirituall power in Christ Yet there shall be more Another propertie of the bodie shall follow on this This bodie if it were neuer so faire yet in respect of the glorie it shall take vp it is but ignominious but the bodie shall rise glorious and shyning as the Sunne not by this naturall skin and colour that we haue here but by a passing light and brightnesse conforme to that brightnesse of Christ when he was transformed on the Mountaine Reade Matt. 17. 1. and conforme to his glorie in Heauen as the Apostle telles Philipp chap. 3. verse 21. Yet more ye see our bodies weake The strongest man is soone beatten downe for all his strength all the povver of man is feeble and weake but in the resurrection the bodie shall be strong and pithie One man to be homely with you stronger in the resurrection nor an hundreth yea nor thousands are now For all feeblenesse shall be left behinde him in the graue and he shall ryse strong lyke the Angels in glorie and strength Yet more then this What matter of all this former glorie if it were possible that this spirituall bodie could perish The Apostle addes to this We shall rise incorruptible immortail to lyfe euerlasting when we shall ryse in that strength that power and freedome immortalitie shall follow after mortalitie glorie after ignomnie strength after weaknesse spiritualitie after naturalitie In lyfe we shall be spirituall in qualitie glorious in tyme euerlasting there is no end of it This is the propertie that Paul speakes of our bodies in the resurrection Now to goe forward There shall followe more in this conuention That same power that shall conueene all men together Separation of the elect from the reprobats that same power shall make a seuering The Angels the Ministers of that glorious judge shall stoppe in betweene the elect and the reprobate and putte them a sunder They shall seuere the sheepe from the goates they shall put the sheepe at the right hand of the judge and the goates at the left hand Reade Matt. chap. 25 verse 33. Appearantlie Paul heere would meane to vs another kynde of seuering and yet all is one This appearantlie vvoulde be his meaning They shal al be gathered together on the earth and all shall stand together in a troup and then this seuering shall be made Then all the elect shall be rest vp to the cloudes to meete the Lord in the cloudes As for the reprobate they shall all stand still on the earth and shall not get that honour to be rest vp in the aire but shall byde on the earth and receyue their judgement there For Paul vvhen he sayes they shall be rest vp to meete the Lord in the aire he speakes onely of the elect Then there shall be a seuering after which there shall neuer be a meetting againe a great golfe shall be betweene them that none may passe We are all mingled heere through other and none knowes other The sheepe oft-tymes are taken for the goates and the goates for the sheepe but at that great day the sheepe shall be seuered from the goates and shall neuer meete againe be it man with wyfe parents with children There are two effects a conuention of all and a seuering of all Yet the Iudge and the power of the Iudge shall passe forwarde and the third effect followes When the Judge hes all gathered together and none avvay vvhen the rovve is called and all are present Then vvhen one sorte shall be placed at the right hand IudgemeÌ„t pronounced and the other at the left hand then shall he fall to judgement He cannot judge before he seuere the verie seuering telles the judgement but before the seuering the judgement shall not be pronunced Then generallie he shall judge all according to their workes The bookes shall be opened the book of conscience shall be opened the booke of workes shall be opened and al their judgement shal be according to their works 〈◊〉 vnderstand this The elect man shall be judged according to his works not that his works shall be the cause that shal proâ—â—â— his lyfe but he shall be judged by his works as a testimony of his faith in Christ and of the maner of lyfe that he hes liued in the worlde as a member of Christ So he shall be judged by his workes not as a cause but as a token of the true cause as ye would judge a man by a witnesse for the
but that which they should haue done And Christ findes fault with the hypocrite Iewes that could take vp by the sky what maner of weether should be but searched not the tyme of his comming Luke 12. 56. But as to his second comming he neuer tolde of the tyme of it Yea in Daniell in his last chapter 4. verse there is a plaine inhibition to seeke out the tyme of it Therefore it perteines not to men to know it yea it is better not to know the tyme of it nor to know it And this Christ means Matt. 24. 42. Watch therefore for ye knovv not at vvhat houre your Master vvill come Where he teaches vs that the ignorance of the tyme of his comming is verie profitable for vs because it makes vs to watch and pray wheras the knowledge of it would make vs carelesse Ye may aske at me May we on no wayes speake or thinke of the Lords comming to judge the quick and the dead and the tyme thereof I answere To define a speciall tyme either in the cogitation or thought of thy heart or in the words of thy mouth thou canst not nor thou shouldest not doe it But generallie to thinke and to say the Lord will come shortlie whether this age or the next age I know not but I know well it shall not be long when the judge shall come it shall be soone it is lawfull for thee to thinke and say this For the Lord himselfe hes said When it is craued Reuel chap. 22. vers 20. Come Lord Iesus yes saies he I come shortly When he sayes he will come shortlie let vs beleue it The Historie in the Gospell Matt. 24. 25. c. of the euill and the good seruant teaches vs what vve shoulde doe vntill the Lords comming The euill seruant sayes My Master delayes his comming home therefore he will begin to play the wanton and to drinke and to smite his companions The good seruant will say I am looking for my Masters comming shortlie he will come at noone-tyde or midnight or Cock-crow I will wait for it and therefore I will be vigilant And so this good seruant tels that we should euer await for the Lords comming diligentlie And surelie his comming is neare and faine would the godlie haue his comming to end their miserie and to perfite the joy and glorie he hes appointed for them And therefore the Lord saies I come shortlie I shall not be long And albeit we thinke it be long since he promised this yet thinke not he delayes his comming For a thousand yeeres in the sight of the Lord are but as an houre 2. Pet. 3. 8. and in respect of him there is neyther long nor short tyme. So thinke euer with the good seruant the Lord will come shortlie and he is daily comming yea and we should desire him to come shortly euerie day and we should euer patientlie waite for it And therefore this clause is added in the Lords prayer Let thy Kingdome come Which desires that he would perfite that worke of glorie Ye see Paul sayes 2. Tim. 4. verse 7. 8. I haue fought a good fight I haue keeped the faith I haue runne out my course Then he subjoines But vvhat restes I shall 〈◊〉 the crovvne of glorie vvhich the Lord Iesus as Iudge generall vvill giue me and 〈◊〉 onely giuen to me but to all them vvith thirstes for his comming Assuredlie that bodie shall receiue the crowne of glorie Whereto are we so curious of the tyme of the generall judgement Knovve vve not that our ovvne death is our particulare judgement Know I not that within a short tyme I shall be called to an account before that Tribunall No sooner shall the soule depart out of the bodie but as soone shall my judgement beginne for the soule shall immediatlie departe to that place vvhere it shall remaine for euer Therefore seeing the day of my death is the day of judgement to me and how many of you that heares me this day will be liuing this day tvventie yeeres What needes vs to be curious anâ—ut the tyme of the generall judgement seeing our ovvne particulare judgement is at hand The Lord is alreadie vvarning vs to 〈◊〉 and yet the Lord vvill not haue vs more knowing the particulare tyme of death noâ— the day of judgement The Lord vvill haue vs vncertaine albeit men will be curious to knovve it The cause is that all may be in readinesse that there be not an houre in the day but thou be readie vvhen the Lord shall call on thee and vvill say to thee Goe I vvill haue thee carying heere no longer That thou may say Lord I vvill goe vvith thee and vve le come death The Lorde refuses to tell his Disciples particulare tymes but biddes them vvatche for that tyme. This doctrine is verie requisite to vs. They are liuing this day vvhome 〈◊〉 this daye eight dayes the Lord vvill call on Therefore let euerie one prepare them selues No in the second verse he giues the reason vvherefore it is not expedient that they should knovve of Christes comming to judge the worlde For sayes he ye your selues knovve perfectlie that the day of the Lord shall come 〈◊〉 as a thiefe in the night That is Sâ—daintie of Christs commiâ—g 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 of it vncertain 〈◊〉 sodaintie Men shall neuer knowe vntill they see Christ come If hee come in the morning then ye may say when he is come The Lord is come in the morning And before that tyme thou shouldst not thinke noâ— speake of the certaine houre of Christes comming There are two thinges that cannot be knovvne both together The comming of Christ on a sodaintie and the certaine tyme of the comming of Christ If I knevv the Lord vvould come sodaintie it is follie to me to trauaile to knowe the speciall houre thereof vvhen thou hast calculate to see the verie houre of his comming it is but vanitie I tell thee the Lord shall come as a thiefe in the night which tyme is most vncertaine and therefore all thy calculation failes thee Yet farther He sayes that ye yourselues knovve perfectlie that he shall come at a certaine tyme. Heere is a certaine tyme but there is not a certaintie of a certaine tyme but a certaintie of an vncertaine tyme. And if the Apostle settes downe a certaintie of an vncertaine tyme it is impossible to thee to get a certaintie of it Ye shall reade this in Matthevvâ— chap. 24. verse 42. And who euer hes trauailed in any age to count the houre and tyme of his comming the Lord hath lette them see they are confooted of error and the Lord hes condemned that labour It is a bolde thing to man to seeke out that thing the Lord hes hid Men will stand vp and calculat such a yeere of the Lords comming O vanitie thou passes thy boundes and thou had no such thing in commission giuen to thee The Lord keepe vs from such vanitie But to goe forward in the
For vvhere any sparke of the light of God is the light raignes and God raignes in thee albeit thou haue great darknesse in thee For vvhereuer God is in any measure he euer raignes He sayes Ye are all the children of the light and the children of the day Marke the vvordes For they import a pithie meaning They meane that not onely they are in a light but that in substance in a maner they are light As I am light and thou art light if thou be the chylde of light in substance thou art light euen so as in substance thou art a bodie in substance likevvise a soule So in a maner in substance thou art light For ye must vnderstand this the chylde is euer by nature of the substance of the Father and Mother Then if ye be the children of light of necessitie ye must be in some maner of the substance of light Paul Ephes chap. 5. verse 8. sayes to the Ephesians that some tymeye vvere Gentiles sometyme ye vvere darknesse but novv ye are light in the Lord vvalke as children of light He sayes not ye vvere in darknesse but he sayes in verie deed ye vvere in a maner a verie lumpe of darknesse Then againe he sayes not ye are in the light but ye are light your substance and nature is changed in the conâ—rarie vvhere ye vvere in substance darknesse novv ye are in substance light turned from the substance of daknesse to the substance of light Now the words this way exponed take vp an higher ground and of the escaping of judgement at the comming of Christ It is not enough to be found in the light onely but thou must be found to be light it selfe and the child of light I shall make this plaine There are two sorts of thinges and bodies in this world that hes light There are some bodies that in themselues hes no light in the worlde they are darke in themselues yet they will be in the light As for example Ye see the black floore ye sit on it hes no light of it selfe it is black but when the Sun shynes on it it hes light and shynes There are other bodies that are not onely in the light but in the owne nature are light as the Sun it is not onely in the light but it is light the selfe and there is no other light to giue it light except the selfe Now to apply this There are two sortes of men and wemen in the Church of God I leaue Pagans Turkes and Iewes and I speak of these who are in the Church and professes themselues to be Christians There are some of them in the light in the midst of the Saintes of God and professing the worde as the Saintes does that hes no light of themselues the light they haue is the light of others as for themselues they are but black bodies and black soules Hypocrites that hes nothing in themselues but blacknesse an hypocrite hes nothing but blacknesse and yet he will be in the Church and as farre in as any man but shynes in the light of the word and of the Saintes of God Againe there are some who are not onely in the light shynes not onely in the light of others but in themselues are light and shynes in their own light and there are beames that commes from them and lightens both themselues and others that sittes with them as the Sun both shynes the selfe and makes other inferiour creatures to shyne Of the which sort were the Philippians Paul writes to them Philip 2. 15. and sayes Ye are compast with Pagans and Heathen and ye shyne in the midst of them So who euer gets this grace to haue this light and to carie it out to the world they are the children of light Now in the day of judgement it will not be enough to be in the Church to be among the faithfull and renewed creatures and among them who are light to be at preaching of the word except thou be light of thy selfe what care I if the light wherein I shyne be not my owne but the light that shynes from another If thou haue no more thou shalt be suddenlie destroyed Therefore if thou wouldest be fred from this sudden destruction seeke light regeneration illumination and neuer rest nor be glad vntill thou find in some measure the regeneration of thy nature and thy selfe to be light in Christ Againe marke heere the vniuersall partickle ye all He sayes not some but he cals all the Thessalonians the children of light and of the day he maks no exception he is not so precise as men are now This learnes vs both Pastor and people a good lesson to be obserued to thinke and to judge the best of euerie man and woman that hes once receiued the seale of Baptisme and hes giuen their names in baptisme to Christ and professes christ outwardlie For albeit many of them will be hypocrites yet it is our part after the exemple of Paul to call them the children of light Thou art ouer seueare a censurer to call them who hes taine the name of Christ vpon them the children of darknesse Seuere not thou the popple from the wheet the caffe from the corne the goates from the sheepe vntill the Lord come and he shall seuere them Put not men in Heauen vvhen thou vvilt and men in Hell vvhen thou vvilt but be ware vvith this rashe judgement Now to come to the next verse Vpon the groundes he hes laid that all are in light and not in darknesse and that which is more that they are the children of light and not of darknesse he gathers his exhortation Then sayes he if it be so that we are the children of light let vs not sleepe but let vs vvatch and be sober This is the effect of the wordes There are two thinges that heere are forbidden and two things that are commaunded The two things that are forbidden are sleeping and drunkennesse for vnder sleeping as the text that followes makes plaine is comprehended drunkennesse These two thinges goe commonlie together a drunken bodie is ay doting and sleeping for the senses of him are so burdened with surfet he can doe nothing but ly downe and sleepe Now there are two thinges recommended watching and sobernesse these two agree also together for a temperate man who hes moderation in drinking that man is able to watch when others sleepe and to do a good turne in the night But to goe through euerie one of them and to begin at sleeping for he beginnes at it heere There are two sortes thereof First a bodilie sleeping vvhen the senses of this bodie are chosed Sleeping the eyes closed the eare closed and all the senses closed so that they leaue their function that is called a bodilie sleepe There is another called a spirituall sleepe and it is the sleeping of the soule and spirite vvhen the eye of the soule is bound vp so that it hes no sight of God the eare of
let vs comforte our selues vvith thinking on the joy that we shall haue when we shall be in the Heauens with our Lord and Sauiour Now to marke the words He saies that vve should liue vvith him Looke the nature of the life that we get in the death of Iesus It is a life that we liue with Christ not a lyfe that we liue from him there cannot be a spirituall lyfe from him Death will not serue to lyfe if thou be from him but thou must be with him Thou must not onely liue with him as a man will liue with an house and family but thou must liue in him As by comparison the arme liues with the head so thou must liue with Christ Ye see the conjunction naturall that is between the head and the members that same conjunction must be betweene thee and the Lord Iesus If thou liue with him thou must liue as a member he must be thy head and thou must be a leg an arme or some part of the bodie Well is that soule that is any parte of the bodie of Christ Therefore draw euer nearer and nearer vnto him vntill thou be fully conjoyned with him we haue no lyfe except we be ingraft in him as the imp is ingraft in the tree and so prease euer to grow in that conjunction Look how thou was joined in him yesterday say Lord make a nearer conjunction this day and to morrowe say worke yet a nearer conjunction that I may draw nearer my head But brethren this full conjunction cannot be vntill we see him face to face we are far of now but we shall be with him we are from him now for a lytle space but then we shall be with him for euer and then in that great day thy blessednesse both in bodie and soule shall be perfited we shall be with him and stand for euer in that full conjunction with out head Christ in whom is all blessednesse To whom with the Father and the holie Spirite be all honour and praise for now and euer AMEN THE XXII LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 5. vers 11. 12. 13. 11 Wherefore exhort one another and edifie one another euen as ye doe 12 Novv vve beseech you brethren that ye knovve them vvhich labour among you and are ouer you in the Lord and admonish you 13 That ye haue them in singular loue for their vvorks sake Be at peace among your selues IN the last exhortatation brethren the Apostle stirred vp the Thessalonians to be good souldiours and warriours vnder the banner of the Lord Iesus Christ In a warriour we shew you there are three things specially requyred First vigilance and wakrifnesse Secondlie sobriety and temperance And last of all that he be in his armour with his Helmet on his head and his brestplate on his brest and all the rest of his armour on For albeit he be waking and sober yet if he be naked the enemie will ouercome him So it is in the Christian warriour the same three thinges after a maner are requisite First he must be wakrife in soule Secondly temperate in soule hauing a soule not drunken with these earthlie thinges which drawes our whole heart and faculties away from God So that they who are full thereof are laid vp as it wer in a dead sleepe And last it is requisite that he be clad with his armour his owne Helmet which is Hope his owne brest-plate which is faith and loue take away hope faith and loue he is but a naked man in the world and shall soone be destroied if he be not clad with faith and loue in his brest and with hope in his head he will not be able to gainstand Followes now in the text ye haue heard another exhortation and it is to vse these meanes whereby we may continue in wakrifnesse in continuall sobriety and spirituall armour enarmed against the enemy There are the wordes of the exhortation Wherefore As he would say Seeing we must be wakrife sober and enarmed in the Christian warfare therefore I exhort you to get the meanes whereby these thinges are keeped The means are Exhort one another euen as ye doe alreadie So my exhortation is that ye continue to the end It is not eneugh to begin except ye continue to the end Now there are the meanes Then brethren this lesson offers the selfe to vs The meanes not to sleepe in the soule but to be wakrife not to be drunken but to be temperate not to be naked but to be clad with spirituall armour is instant exhortation Stir vp men and wemen by exhorting in edifying in an instant building vp and confirming them in the doctrine and knowledge that they haue once receiued This worke of building will not be done in one day or two dayes or twentie dayes but this building of the soule of men and wemen building them vp in that spirituall building must be raised vp higher nor euer Babell was yea it must rise to the Heauen of Heauens and to the head Iesus who sittes aboue all Heauens This building must be instant In one word The means to hold men waking and sober and temperate in the spirituall warfare and to holde this armour on them is instant exhortation Take me away the voice of exhortation take away building in the doctrine ye haue receiued and edifying therein in stead of wakrifenesse there shall come on you a dead slumber in stead of sobriety and spirituall temperance thou shalt be drunken in stead of armour nothing but nakednesse and ye shall be a pray to the Deuill this world and your owne cankerd nature assay it when ye will So then brethren in one word See the necessitie men hes of instant exhorting and edifying not for one day or two yea if thou shouldst liue Methusalems dayes the voice of exhortation should neuer goe out of thy eare For there are a thousand thinges to draw vs downe to cause vs sleepe vntill we die in sleeping many thinges to make thee drunken to ly dovvne lyke a drunken bodie vvithout sense of the lyfe to come Many thinges to denude thee of armour to set thee vp naked to the eneme Would to God this world wold consider the necessity of instant and continuall exhortation to moue them forwarde in the course of godlinesse Marke next Who is this that should exhort Who is this that should edifie who should hold men waking in Spirit hold them in sobriety and hold on their armour by exhortation and edifying who should doe it He sayes not the Pastor ye haue Ministers let them doe it it is their office It is true indeed they haue a speciall calling for that effect and are placed in the Church to hold you wakrife to cry in your eare vntill ye waken againe to exhort and edify continually to build vp that spiritual building and to build men and wemen vp as liuely stones in that spiritual building Therefore in the first Epistle to
pointe and that pointe of his calling knowe him to be a Preacher set ouer you by God know him to be an admonisher and instructer and againe when ye come to your owne duety knowe the pointes of your duetie I should doe this I should meete him with this duety with that duety other waies thou knowes nothing neither in the Pastor nor in thy selfe Therefore the Apostle layes them out openly to thee to know them But to come to the wordes Ye haue first a short description of a true Pastor Description of a true Pastor The first pointe of the description of a true Pastour is this He is a laborer among the people not an idle man He sayes not acknowledge them that sittes idle but acknowledge them that labours among you He labours and how He labours in the worke of God As the Apostle speaks to Timothie in the first Epistle chap. 5. verse 17. Elders sayes he is vvorthie of double honor especially those vvho labours in the vvord of God he labours in opening vp the scriptures of God the preaching is thought by men to be no labour as though preaching were no more but onely to stand vp and tell a taile yet the Apostle calles that labour yea I say they labour aswell as they who holds a pleugh labours Wherein labor they In word and Discipline in taking ordour with your maners Not onely labour they in preaching but also they take ordour with the maners of the people Then to gather the lesson This part of the description of a true Pastour excludes from the ministry and Pulpet idle bellies Ministers that beare the name of ministers and in the meane-tyme are but idle bellies away with them let them neuer face the Pulpet Fy on them that takes the Ministrie on them for an idle lyfe and and to serue their affections an idle Bishop that neuer opened his mouth to preach an idle Pope that vvill sit vp in a throne fy on him why should he take the name of Minister on him and doe no good therein The next part of the description of a true Pastor is they are ouer you not vnder you but aboue you set ouer you as it were ouer your heads to looke downe to you in a kinde of superioritie ouer you Then a Pastour a Minister sent of Iesus Christ the Pastour of Pastours the great Pastour he hes a kinde of superioritie and preheminence aboue the flock But brethren he is not ouer them as a Lord the onely Lord that is ouer the people is Iesus Christ He is not ouer them then in thinges ciuill in thinges bodilie concerning the bodie concerning their temporall liues concerning thinges politicke for entertaining of this temporall lyfe but he is ouer them in the Lord not as a Lord but in the Lord the Lord Iesus Christ Not ouer them in thinges ciuill but in matters of the Lord in thinges spirituall in things Ecclesiastick in things concerning the consciences of men Therefore Paul speakes to Philemon verse 8. I haue great libertie to command thee as a superiour but how Not of my owne authoritie but in the Lord I am ouer thee as a superiour but not as a Lord. Take heede There are sundrie sortes of superiorities A Steward in a familie in a maner is ouer the familie he hes a preferment by reason of the office And yet for all this if the steward would take vpon him to bee Lord of the familie he would be a knaue and would vsurpe the place of his master So a Minister in the familie of the Lord he is a superiour but not superiour as a Lord but as a steward to dispence the misteries of God to the soule and no other superiour for none can sit ouer the conscience of any man but onely the Lord Iesus All the Kinges of the earth cannot haue a dominion ouer the consciences of men the Lord is onely Lord and supreame superiour thereof all the Ministers and office-bearers in the Church onely stewards with spirituall stewardrie dispensing the spirituall foode I meane the word of God Now brethren this second parte of this description of the Pastour condemnes the Pope who vsurpes a spirituall jurisdiction ouer the soules of men vvho vvill stryue also for a ciuill jurisdiction with the Emperour and Princes of the vvorld Now to come to the third parte He sayes and admonishes you There is the last parte of the description of the true Minister of God Admonishing standes in calling back againe men in the vvay vvho hes made desection either in doctrine or maners In this poynte consistes their labour So that by this word I vnderstand the whole parts of the office of a Pastour as exhorting rebuking comforting and teaching It is not for nothing that he hes made a chuse of this word admonishing to teach vs if he could doe all these thinges neuer so well labour in teaching comfort exhort If he cannot doe this admonishe a sinner tell him sinner thou art in the vvrong vvay if he faile in doctrine tell him thou failest in doctrine if he faile in maners tell him he failes in maners if he cannot doe this he is not meete to be a Minister if he cannot admonishe them that are sinners if he cannot admonishe them that are in the vvrong vvay he is not meete to be a teacher Now see the peruersitie of our nature for manie there are vvho vvill heare comforting exhorting but not admonishing but Paul teaches thee the Pastour must be an admonisher There is the Pastour set downe in three parts of his calling Now to end this doctrine concerning them I shall take vp this one note I gather of this as it were the nature of the ministrie What is this Ministrie It is first a labour an exercise not an idlenes but a labour it is a burdene and he that takes it not on as it were a load on his back he is not meete for it he that enters to be a Minister he must lay downe his shoulders and take on his loade on his back as you see an horse take on his loade on his back So it is a burdene and an heauie burdene a labor and an heauie labour But brethren there are sundrie sortes of burdenes and labours in this world There are some that are vylder some that are honourable Now what a labour is this Ministrie Indeede it is true this ministrie is thought a vyle burdene and of all exercises the labour of the ministrie is thought most vyle in the sight of our prophane men in Scotland this day The verie name of a minister is thoght vyle in the earth so oft as they speak of him names him it is thoght a vyle name the name of a cooke is not so vyle as the name of a Minister But in despyte of thee and all the vvorld the Spirite of God vvill call him an honourable labourer a person exercised in an high and honourable exercise 1. Timoth. chap. 3. verse 1. The King
avvay this word and prophecying euen this word preached take me away the ministrie Meanâ— to 〈◊〉 the spirit in spyte of thy hart the Spirite shall die out The world would faine haue this word away but this is a maine violence done to Iesus to put the light of Iesus out of the hart O Lord vvhat count shall there be at that great day for the contempt of this word But is there no more to be had but the hearing of this word to enterteine the Spirit of Iesus Yea. It will not be the hearing only that wil hold in the Spirit Thy lyfe must be answerable to the word Thou must feede him with holy motions and thoughts within the hart feede him with holy speaches in the mouth Paul Ephesians 4. chap. 29. verse speaking of certaine vyces to be contempned he meanes planely that rotten talke puts out the Spirit Last he is fed within the soule with holy actions that holds in the light of Iesus Spirit As the oile holds in the fire take away these materials the Spirit shall die within thee The other meane to put him out is not onely to draw away from him the matter he feeds on but to giue him as it were poison to feede on An harlot poysons him with an harlatrous hart A murtherer with a bloudie hart A blasphemer with a blasphemous hart we poyson him with foull thoughts in the hart foull speaches in the mouth wicked actions in the hands this is water to put out the fire Then brethren learne one lesson As euery one should take heed to the graces of the Spirit to keepe patience joy prayer and thankfulnesse continually these are the graces of the spirit So specially and before all we should take heed to the workâ— of all the holy Ghost that dwels in our soules as a temple Take heed how thou treatst him what enterteinment thou giuest him looke that thou treat him well doe euery thing thou thinkest may pleasure him absteine from all thinges may offend him Set thy hart to please him and let thy pleasure be in pleasing him and pray euer Lord if thou hast giuen me thy Spirit giue me grace to enterteine him that I anger him not Lord giue me grace to doe all thinges to please him to doe nothing to offend him Alas if a honourable man would come in thy house and take a nights ludging thou would looke diligently that all the house and family were in good order So hold thy bodie and soule in reuerence and order for the holy Spirits sake that dwels in thee othervvaies he vvll not ludge with thee Murtherer fyle not thy hands vvith bloud if thou vvould haue him to dvvel vvith thee Paul sayes 1. Cor. chap. 6. verse 19. 20. The Lord hes boght thee out of the deuils hands out of thy ovvne hands for thou vvould lose both thy soule and thy body if it vvere in thy hand He hes boght thee with the bloud of the immaculat Lambe and to this purpose to be a ludging of the holy Spirit to dwell in He is speaking to harlots he sayes Thou art not thy ovvn Thou art boght vvith a pryce God hes boght thee with the bloud of Christ to be a temple of the holy Spirit Where the Spirit ludges there is the Father and the Son the whol Trinitie So in effect the man boght with the bloud of Christ is a ludging to the Trinitie the Father Son and holy Ghost Alas if thou could looke to this for all the world thou would not destroy that ludging of God If once this trueth of God could sinke in mens harts for all the world they would not quenche this Spirit and defyle this temple of God Alas the blindnesse of men vvho knovves not vvhat estate they stand in for vvant of sight and attention for want of regarding of the trueth we go to Hell And if euer thing was to be deplored in this world this is to be deplored that the Spirit of God is abused when he commes to sanctifie men and wemen he gets villanie and wrong done to him they wold pollute him when he commes to sanctify them Indeed he is disludged of his ludging These murtherers takes him by violence as it were and with their hands puts him out of their hart by the shoulders God keepe vs from the sin against the holy Ghost Goe thou on this way ay conteâ—ning the Spirit thou shalt enter in this sin vvhich shall neuer be for giuen thee in this life nor in the lyfe to come Now to speake of the way how we may know that we haue this Spirit These things cannot be told by words thou must go to experience and there is none of you that hes had a taste of the sweetnesse of the Spirit but ye will feill him dwell in you if ye haue him thou wilt knowe him aswell as euer thou knew any guest that ludged with thee for he brings with him such a faire light such a lyfe and joy c. that thou may easily know him He commes in joy in prayer in thanks-giuing thou wilt knowe him in these but thou wilt finde him in experience if thou growest in his seruice to honour and reuerence him as he dwels in thee To treat him as thou wouldst treat a honorable man that ludges with thee he will dwell with thee but if thou be â—â—uggish in these things thou wilt finde he will draw himselfe to a nuke of thy soule as it were for a tyme thou wilt find him cease from his working of regeneration within thee if thou cease to enterteine him by praier godlines in hart holy speaches in the mouth holy actions in the hand he will ly closse within thee for a time and do nothing And then if the man be godly he will be â—ad and sory For no ioy in the godly but when he feeles the Spirit within him Now if when he is not well 〈◊〉 he depart How much more when we striue as it were to poyson him when we bring vp euill motions in spite of him when we fall out in euill language in mouth euill deeds in the hand shall he withdraw himselfe and depart so that we will finde no sense of joy When a man failes to harlotrie he smores the Spirit As for exemple Dauid if euer man felt the Spirit of Iesus in him he felt him yet when he fell to adulterie and murther the spirit lay so closse in him that he found him not Then he wakens and sayes I haue bene sleeping I find not the joy that I was wont and so he saies Restore to me thy spirit again Psa 51. verse 12. Would he haue said restore except he had found the Spirit of God which he had before withdrawen in working within him What shall I say No joy nor rest without this Spirit be enterteinde within vs. The Lord giue vs grace to enterteine him in soule and bodie in holy speaches thoughts and deeds To this Lord be glorie and
all eternitie ends in this peace of conscience in the soule regeneration ends in this peace Now looke how this style agrees with the matter he is praying for sanctification and he styles him the God of peace who is the Author of all peace Both the means the end arâ— of God and he askes at his hand sanctification Marke this He who is the giuer of our felicity is he that giues vs all the meanes that brings vs to that felicity he that must giue thee the crowne of glorie he must giue thee sanctification to glorie In one word he that giues thee felicitie is the giâ—eâ— also of all the meanes whereby we attaine to felicitie So thou hast no cause to glorie in thy selfe The beginning of grace is of God the meanes is of God the end is of God nothing in our selues all in God To goe forward to the petition There are two thinges he craues in this petition Sanctification conseruation therof craued of God The first is sanctification or holinesse The next is conseruing and keeping in that same sanctification and holinesse First he prayes that they may be sanctified Next he prayes that they may be keept vntill Christ come againe Paul 12. Rom. 2. verse Be not fashioned that is shapned lyke the vvorld and men of this world but be transchanged that is turned away from that thing to another and that though the renuing of the mynde that ye may proue vvhat that good and acceptable vvill of God is What â—row ye then sanctification is It is no other thing but a new shaping ouer of them againe as ye will shaip a garment The Apostles takes that similitude Brethren we were all well eneugh shapen in Adam and Eue ere they fell and we had an exceeding good shape but since they fell we become all wanshapen creatures and monsters When thou seest an vnregenerate creature a murtherer rejoycing in murther then say thou art a curst monster of a man So in Adams fall vve became monsters of nature Thou saw neuer such a monster as an vnregenerate man Now we being monsters through Adams fall in Christ we begin to take on vs a new shape according to the glorious Image of God So our sanctification is onely as a renewing of vs againe according to the first shape of the Creator in holinesse and righteousnesse Novv vvhat is it must be shapen ouer againe What parte of vs is it that is wanshapen The Apostle sayes The God of peace sanctifie you throughout The whole man through that foull apostaâ—ie in Adam is become a monster Not a finger in thy hand but it is become a monster The eye a monster or else such a foull looke would not be The tongue a monster or else such foull language would not be The ear a monster or else we would not desyre to heare foull and euill speaches No part of thee but all are monstrous except thou be renewed And therefore he prayes that they may be renewed and made ouer againe throgh Christ euen in the whole parts of the body and soule Therefore pray thou and say Lord renew not this part or that part onely but renew me wholly The Lord renew the mynde and begin there The Lord renew the body the Lord renew the eye the ear the hand The Lord renew all ouer againe For I tell thee if therebe any part of thee vnrenewed thou shalt al go to Hel for that vnruely part The Lord vses not to renew one part not another but he renews altogether This shortly for the first part of the petition Now in the next part he beseches the Lord of peace to sanctifie them throughout and that their vvhole spirit soule and body may be keeped vvithout spot or blame to the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. He prayes that they may be keeped in holinesse So it is not eneugh to get one grace to get sanctification and holinesse but thou must be keeped still on in that grace vntill thou come to glorie TheÌ„ again as grace is of God al grace is of God So the perseuerance in grace to the end is of God Thou hast no more in thy power when thou hast gotten grace to stand one moment in grace if God hold not his hand about thee nor thou had to tak that grace before thou got it Thou hast no power in nature to stand in grace So perseuerance in grace is of God only aswell as the grace is in Gods hand to giue And as we must pray for the grace before we get it and say Lord sanctifie vs so we must pray for the continuance of it and say Lord continue vs in it if thou Lord hold it not into my armes I will not get it keeped Therefore Lord keepe thou it Now to go forward What shold be keeped blameles without spot All the partes of man to be keeped blameles One part or peece or the whol man should I pray to God to keepe my soule onely in holines and not my bodie my body onely and not my soule Wilt thou part them or thinkest thou that God wil keep one part of thee in holines and not the whol When men goes to Idolatrie they will pray to keepe their hart holie When they will bow their bodie to Baall they will say my hart is to God No if he keepe not all if thou dedicate not all to him all shall goe to Hell So the Apostle sayes I pray the God of peace that he vvould keepe blamelesse your spirit your soule and bodie In these three thinges he takes vp the whole man within and without I will onely speake this far By the Spirit he vnderstands the cleannest part of the soule Ephes 4. chap. 23. vers He calles it the Spirit of the mynde that is the light of the mynde which is reason The reason is not common with the beasts but it is common with the Angels So it is the speciall part of a man and thou may thanke God that hes it and thou should pray to the Lord to keepe it The next is the soule whereby he vnderstands the inferior part wherein are the senses that part of the soule that hears sees c. Then he saies the bodie So ye see God must keep all in holines and he that would be keeped of God must seeke to be keeped whole and euery part of him without exception For I tell thee no part of thee is able to keepe another The olde Philosophers made a Queene of reason as thogh she should keepe all and should keepe the soule and body in her light It is solie who can keepe her God must keepe the Spirit that is the reason aswell as the bodie and the Spirite hes as great need to be keept as the foote for sinne will begin at the reason it is the first breaker of so craue that he keepe all or he shall keepe none Alas what is man without grace What hes he to boast of Thou wilt
boast of thy will and reason If the Lord withdraw his hand from thy reason thou shalt be a plaine idiot thou shalt fall to filthie wickednesse So brethren these wordes are of great weight He sayes not that he prayed that he would keepe the Spirit but the whole spirit the soule but the whole soule the bodie but the whole bodie So we must not be keeped in the speciall parts but in the whole properties and inferior powers of the soule and body if the least haire of the head be not keeped by the Lord if the Lords prouidence extend not to the keeping of the smallest part of the bodie thou shalt not be able to stand Thinke not thou shalt stand except the Lord hold thee vp no growing but in God Therefore the Apostle sayes Thou that vvouldst glorie glorie in Christ 1. Corinth 1. chap. 31. verse He is our keeper and vve are not able to stand one moment of an houre vvithout his aide neyther in soule nor in bodie Now how long should we be keeped blamelesse He limits the tyme and sayes Vnto the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ Marke the tyme. Is it no longer but till Christ come againe No brethren euermore It is true our conferuation and perseuerance vses to be limited to Christs comming Paul 2. Tim. 4â— chap. 18. verse sayes God vvill keepe me to his heauenly kingdome that is vntill I enter in his heauenly kingdome Peter sayes 1. Epistle 1. chap. 5. verse We are keeped through the povver of God till the last tyme. I tell you the cause we are in greatest danger in this world infinite dangers are we in as it were hanging aboue Hell readie to fall downe euerie moment if the Lord hold vs not vp the deuill is seeking whom he may deuote and when we trow least then we are most suddenly assaulted by him Beside the deuill haue we nor this â—ankerd sin that is within vs Haue we not a this broad world about vs Haue we not the graue and death great enemies in their owne nature except the Lord sanctifie them Certainely they also would deuote vs except we were in Christ We are compast in this world about on euerie side with cruell enemies Therefore considering this dangerous estate the Scripture craues ay that we may be keeped vntill Christ come and then all enemies shall be slaine the deuill the worlde death and all shall be slaine Death shall die for euer This canker of nature shall be swallowed vp all our enemies shall be wreaked So our conseruation is craued vntill his comming but our conseruation shall not end then but euen in Heauen we shall be conserued by the hand of God for euer through Iesus Christ When thou commest to Heauen thou shalt not be thy selfe alone thou shalt not stand by the nature thou tooke of Adam nor by any power that is in thee no more nor a new borne childe can stand alone but when thou commest to Heauen thy standing shall be by Christ and God Then seeing all our conseruation and standing both heere and heereafter is by God we should rander all honor to his glorious Majestie for euer AMEN THE XXVII LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 5. vers 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 24 Faithfull is he vvhich calleth you vvhich also vvill doe it 25 Brethren pray for vs. 26 Greete all the brethren vvith an holy kisse 27 I charge you in the Lord that this Epistle he read vnto all the brethren the Saints 28 The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be vvith you Amen WE haue in hand presently welbeloued in Iesus the conclusion vvhich is the last parte of this Epistle He begins it with a prayer crauing in his prayer euen that same thing hee had exhorted them to to vvitte holinesse sanctification continuance and perseuerance in holinesse and sanctification to the end and so acknowledging God to bee the giuer of that same very thing which he exhorted them to and that it lay not in their hands nor free will to will or doe any good but all stands in the hands of God who is the giuer of all grace He prayes that it would please God to giue them that grace he exhorted them to and he would stir them vp to seek that same grace at the hands of God for it is vanity to stryue to any grace without God And therefore as thou would do any thing pray to God to giue thee grace to doe it Let thy eye be euer on God and in the midst of the action when thou thinkst thou art best exercised craue grace of perseuerance for I assure thee he leaue thee in the best of thy action thou wilt fall backward Therefore there is such necessitie that the eye be euer on God that it is impossible to a man to do any thing that is good except his eye be euer on him begging grace and perseuerance in grace at his hands Now he goes forward and in the thinges that followes to the end of the chapter and Epistle there is such a varietie that euery thing here set downe is a seuerall heed of doctrine First he promises to them that same thing he had prayed for at God Then he maks a petition to them desiring them to pray for him Then to commend him to the brethren Then he adjures them that they read this Epistle to all the people And last he bids them fairewell recommending them to the grace of Christ Ye see what varitie of thing she hes I minde to be short in them seeing they are almost things common in euery Epistle making a choise of that I thinke best for our comfort and necessity Now he begins at the promise Faithfull is â—e vvhich calleth you vvhich also vvill doe it There is the promise The Apostle would say that that I pray God that he will grant you to wit he will preserue you in the end in faith that I am assured he will doe He will not leaue you vnto the tyme he perfite his worke begunne in you There is the promise Ye see first in this promise the prayes that he made immediatly before for them praying to God that he would preserue them in holinesse to the end is grounded vpon an assurance in the hart that God would grant that same thing which he prayed for to the Thessalonians Marke it And first learne concerning prayer All prayer for thinges heauenly and spirituall concerning the life to come I speak not of the worldly thinges ConfideÌ„ce in prayer but thinges heauenly and spirituall should arise on some certainty and assurance of the hart that God will grant to vs the things we aske Therefore Iames in his Epistle last chap. 15. verse he calles prayer the prayer of faith that is that ryses of faith and assurance in the hart that God will grant vs the thing we aske Iohn in his first Epistle last chap. 14. verse he joynes these two together confidence or assurance
the verse going before he made mention of faith without patience but in this verse he maks mention of faith and patience ther eason is Because faith in effect is nothing but the anchor of the soule As the Apostle to the Heb. chap. 6. vers 19. calles hope the anchor of the soule and as an anchor is casten on sure ground to stick so is Faith casten on Christ and fastned on him Now there is nothing in this world that the deuill the world sin which are the enemies of Faith in this world enuyes more nor when they see the soule of a man anchored on Christ as on a sure ground And therefore they seeke euer to seuere thy soule from Christ and to breake the anchor He will spew out floods of persecution and tentation javv after javv to raise if it were possible the anchor of Faith in Christ that the anchor being away the man may flow and fleete and at the last perish Then what is the remedie It is needfull that faith be sure grounded if faith be not grounded on Christ she shall perishe and further she must haue a troup of graces about her she must be hedged on all sides with a varietie of graces IgnoraÌ„ce of God of Christ are the causes of vengence And so it is where euer true faith is in Christ there is a troup of graces about it Now all these graces that compasses her are as many branches that commes from her selfe as from the roote There stands about her Hope Loue Patience c. a number of graces of all sortes all commes from her for she is mother of all All serues her for she is Queene of all Hope Loue Patience and the rest are as many maids standing about her to serue her Now among all these graces Patience is one the duetie and seruice of Patience is to stand betweene faith and the jawes of tentations and persecutions and to receiue all the jawes of tentations on her shoulders that the anker of the soule which is Faith may stand sure So Patience standes vp and holds the jaw off Faith otherwaies thy faith will be broken and it is impossible to him that hes no Patience to abyde the speaches let be to sustaine the persecutions of men if Patience be not Faith will not abyde sure And by the contrare looke how needfull it is that Patience be joyned with Faith it is as needfull that Faith be joyned with Patience and therefore he joynes these your Patience and your Faith in all persecutions And as I told you Faith is the mother of Patience and where the mother is not the daughter cannot be and if this anchor of Faith be not anchored on Christ Patience will not hold off the jaw for the solide ground to rest on is Christ Where faith is not Christ is not and take him away no standing So the cheefe ground of all standing is faith grounded on Christ Iesus all the rest are but branches to Faith faith is the cheefe ground The standing of all is through Christ when the anchor of the soule is grounded on him Now one word in the end of this verse He speakes heere of a Faith in tribulation and persecution not of Faith in case rest and quyetnesse but of a Faith in trouble The Faith of the Thessalonians was not a Faith in ease and quyetnesse but a Earth that lay vnder a continuall exercise lay vnder persecution for the Church of Thessaloniea was exceedingly troubled as appeares in this Epistle Many will be content to beleeue faith in Christ is a wondrous faire thing He would beleeue and she would beleue but looke what kinde of faith men would haue a faith with quyetnesse in the world with honor eneugh with riches and all this worlds wealth This is the faith that all men would haue But brethren the faith of Christ which is the true faith must be casten in the fornace otherwayes it will be full of drosse Will ye get fine golde that is not casten in the fornace and fyned in it Trow ye to get a fyne and true faith that is not fyned in the fornace of trouble and persecution at the lest one vexation or other all troubles are not alike but of necessity faith must be casten in some fornace Faith fined by troubles thou must be in some tribulation either within thee or without thee in goods riches or some thing and this is the faith that hes the commendation here a fyned faith as gold hes the fynesse throgh the fire Peter 1. Epist 1. chap 7. vers tels the excellency of this faith compared with gold gold when it is casten in the fire and the drosse of it burnt vp will be far better nor it was and yet there was neuer gold so fâ—ire but it wil perrish fine it oft-times ouer it may be ever the finer but it shal perrish in the end but he sayes faith that is fined and tryed shall be found to your praise glory and honor vvhen Christ shall be manifested As he wold say it shal not perish but at that great day of Christ it shal tend to thy euerlasting glory Let vs not prease to feed our selues in our fantasies thinking that we shall haue a faith in ease quyetnes honor No lay this ground down if thou wold haue a faith to abide till Christ come assure thee thou must suffer and thou must abide the jawes of tentations till all thy faith be tryed and the whole dros washen away and the fine gold stand vp At these are but dreames to think that thou would hold Heauen in the one arme and the world in the other arme No thou must let the world go and take Heauen in thy whole armes with affliction or else thou shalt lose Heauen and get the world in thy armes with damnation Now this for the thanks-giuing and congratulation for their increase of faith and aboundance in loue Now come to the second part Consolation Making mention of their persecutions he takes occasion to comfort them and I thinke that be the principall purpose he hes to doe with them and the first argument he vses heere is that just and latter judgement that generall judgement He sayes the persecution that ye suffer for Christes sake for the kingdome of Heauen they are sure arguments that there shall be a just judgement and that Christ shall come to judge the world and render to euerie one according to his works And therefore vpon the remembring of this just judgement that shall be ye Thessalonians comfort your selues Persecutiones of the godlie a sure argumeÌ„t of the day of iudgment to come for it shall try who did right and who did wrong Then take vp this The persecutions the godly suffers in this life what are they they are very ocular demonstrations that is the force of the word of the generall judgement to come wherein Christ shall judge the world And in the persecution of the godly
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
shame suddenly as it were with euerie light winde to be caried away Thefore the Apostle marueiles that the Galathians was so suddenlie caried away to another Gospell Galat. chap. 1. verse 6. Now to come to the lesson Who is the man that is in his right minde Who is he that is in his witte Is euery man in his wit No. Onely that man is in his wit whose mynde is inlightned by the supernaturall light of the faith of Iesus Christ Onely the beleuer is in his right wit Who is the man that is by his mynde and is mad Tharman albeit otherwaies he had all the wit of the world in his head that wants this light of faith in Christ is madde and the end shall kythe and declare it and the vviser in worldlie thinges if he be without this supernaturall wit he it 〈◊〉 the madder 〈…〉 This then must followe By nature we are all borne mad and by our myndes mad foolishe witlesse no otherwaies borne Therefore the Apostle to Titus chap. 3. vers 3. saies We also lewes aswell as the Gentiles vvere vnvvyse madde and by our myndes meaning that without Christ we are all mad fooles Brethren there are two sorts of this spirituall madnesse one naturall common to all the sonnes of Adam all are euer madde till they know Christ euer continuing in madnesse till they beeleue in Christ The other sort of madnesse is that is acquyred by the defection and falling away from the knowledge of Christ euery Apostate is mad euery one that hes known the trueth and falles therefrom becommes mad Of this madnesse Paul speaks Gal. 3 chap. 1. verse O foolish Galathians c. Now if ye will compare these two madnes the one naturall the other by defection The second is more dangerous nor the first Madnes that commes by Apostasie of all other is the most dangerous madnes and therefore Peter 2. Epistle chap. 2. verse 20. sayes The latter condition is vverse nor the former Madnes that commes of the defection from the knowne trueth is worse nor the madnesse we had before we knew Christ And so he subjoynes It had bene better neuer to haue knovvne the vvay of Christ nor after knovvledge to haue fallen back againe It is better to a man euer to haue bidden in the naturall madnes nor once to haue bene wise and inlightned and then to haue made defection There is a recouerie after the first madnes but after the second it is verie hard to get recouerie An apostate hardly recouers but oft the Apostate will fall to blasphemie against the holy Spirit Therefore let euery one striue by al means to keepe the trueth Now the next thing he requestes is that they be not troubled The vvord is borrovved and in the ovvne language it signifies that horror that ryses in the hart of man through the clamor or noyse of any tumult Ye see men will be afrayed when they heare any tumulte So vvere the Thessalonians afrayed vvhen they heard that Christes comming vvas at hand Novv vvill ye compare this terrour vvith the mouing out of the mynde it follovves verie vvell For the man vvho hes his mynde euill informed and not inlightned by the faith of Christ can haue no rest and peace in hart For ye see a madde man hes neuer quyetnesse in his hart but his affections are euer in trouble So a man spiritually madde without the light of Christ and saluation is neuer setled in his hart An Idolater is neuer setled in hart an Herotike hes neuer a setled hart euer his affectiones on feare Therefore he who would haue that peace and joy that passes all vnderstanding let him seeke light to knowe Christ and to know the trueth concerning him otherwaies shall he neuer get peace and joy Then in one word I aske the question Who is he that is happie Who is he that hes a stable and setled hart Who is he that hes peace in his affectiones and hes them set in order so that he may take rest both day and night I answere The faithfull who beleeues the trueth in Christ This man is blessed being iustified by faith vve haue peace tovvards God sayes the Apostle Rom. chap. 5. verse 1. If thou be not justified by faith in Christ no peace but euer trouble and vnquyetnesse both with thy selfe and vvith God God shall make one affection to fight with another and to harle thee before his fearefull tribunall Then who is he that hes not a stable and setled hart Who is he that hes not his affections setled He that beleeues not in Christ he that beleeues not in the trueth of God in Christ he that knowes not the way of saluation he hes not a setled hart It is truely said Es 7 cha 57 verse 21. No true peace for the vvicked for they haue vnstable harts and when thou seest the jawing and mouing of the raging sea thou may say this is nothing in respect of the trouble that the vvicked hes in conscience for the trouble of the hart and vnquyetnesse in the affectiones of all troubles is the greatest and surelie he vvho hes not the peace of God but is troubled in hart vvould gladlie be turned in any thing When it pleases the Lord to make one affection rise against another ô vvhat paine trovvest thou that person sustaines And againe ô hovv prerious a thing is faith in Iesus Hast thou it nothing shall trouble thee So prease euer to haue faith in Christ Hast thou faith thou shalt in joy peace and a quyet minde What euer be thy estate in the world be thou rich both on poore hast thou faith in Iesus Christ thou rests by day and night nothing troubles thee yea euen in these things that appears to bring some greefe to thy body outwardly as siknes c. Yet in thy soule in some measure thou shalt injoy peace and joy in Iesus Christ that shall make the patiently beare the outward crosse Now in the second part of the verse we haue the meanes set downe which the deceiuers vsed to deceiue the Thessalonians with concerning Christs comming 〈◊〉 of deceyuing men They are thre first Neither by spirit that is to say by dreames which men pretended to be reuelations of the Spirit The next is neither by vvord that is by any tradition that they said they had of Paul The third is neither by forged wryting or Epistle as if they had any which Paul had written to them concerning Christs comming Now what are the thinges that cheefly euer from the beginnig hes made men madde and hes troubled the harts of the people and the Church of God Euen these same three things In all ages men hes risen vp that hes said We haue receiued reuelation extraordinar from the Spirit of God Such as of olde were the Valentinians and Montanists such are the Anabaptists this day such are many Papists and Monkes in their closters When they dreame they pretend the reuelation
that will vpset it The lose thou getst by deceite will neuer be vpset all the kings and doctors vnder Heauen will neuer set vp thy lose thou getst by defection Alas what hes that 〈◊〉 win when he hes win all the world and lost his soule by falling away from the trueth Now the Lord let euery man see that there is nothing comparable to this hurt of deceiuing What pleasure can thou haue of all the kingdomes of the world when thou hast a troubled hart and conscience when thou hast an vnquyet soule within thee Therfore as we say It is good to sleepe in a sound skinne Change not a setled minde and pacified hart with all the world and preferre a sound minde inlightned with the knowledge of Christ to all the honours and dignity in the world And because we are so vnstable mynded and so ready to alter that except we be surely anchored on Christ we shall be euer beatten away with euery light wind of false doctrine Therefore we haue to pray that our soules may be anchored by a sure faith on Christ The Lord therefore by his grace anchor our soules on Christ To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour and praise for euer AMEN THE FIFTH LEC TVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 2. THESSA CHAP. 2. vers 34. for that day shal not come except there come a departing first and that that man of sinne be disclosed euen the sonne of perdition 4 Which is an aduersary and exalteth himselfe against all that is called God or that is vvorshipped so that he doth sit as God in the Temple of God shovving himselfe that he is God WELBELOVED brethren ye haue heard the request the Apostle makes in the beginning of this second chapter to the Thessalonians He requests and adjures them by the comming of the Lord Iesus and by our assembling vnto him at his comming that they suffer not themselues to bee deceyued or put by their mindes troubled in hart and affection especially in this head of doctrine that concernes the comming of the Lord in the latter day and that they should not be deceiued by false teachers who weÌ„t about to deceiue them in this point teaching that the day of the Lord is at hand he shall come incontinent ye shall be found aliue when he shall come This age and generation shall not be past when he shall come This pointe of false doctrine that these false teachers went about to perswade the Thessalonians and so to vnqiuet them held them ay in vexation of sprit and minde looking ay for Christs comming assuring them that he should come ere that presentage should end Now in this text the Apostle enters to a refutation of that false doctrine and he proues that the day of the Lord was not instant that the day of the Lord would not beat such a tyme that it should not fall out in that present age Now marke his reasons If the day of the Lord were instant then there should not bee an vniuersall Apostasie and defection from the faith of the Lord Iesus Christ before the day and comming of the Lord Vniuersal defection must goe before the Lords coÌ„ming For vvhy This Apostasie must craue a large space of tyme. Then he subjoines but so it is before that day shall come there shall be an vniuersall Apostasie and defection from the faith and trueth of Christ Iesus And so hee concludes Therefore it is not so as they say The day of the Lord is not instant and is not so neere hand as they goe about to perswade you Marke his reason The proposition and first part of the argument is not expressed in the text The next parte the assumption is sette dovvne in the text to witte The day of the Lord shall not bee before that an vniuersall defection be first Now before I come to the wordes take vp shortlie this one thing The Thessalonians to whom he wrytes being deceiued thought that incontinent Christ should come and that they should be rest to the Heauen with him and glorified from hand The Apostle to put them out of this consaite tels them ere they and the Church be rest vp to Heauen and glorified there that they shall suffer yet on the earth some trouble there shall be yet a great alteration and vexation in the Church of God Brethren mark it The battell must goe before the victory let none looke for the victory before he fight thou wilt not come sleeping to Heauen Thou must fight on earth ere thou come to glorie and ere thou triumph in Heauen thou must be victorious on earth throgh many tribulations we must enter in the kingdom of heauen This is that which the Apostle teaches the Thessalonians Novv to come to the vvordes of the text and to make this matter plaine we shall insist particularlie on euery word taking vp the meaning of Gods Spirite heere And first â—here occurres this vvord Apostasie which must be before the day of the Lordes comming This Apostasie is nothing but a falling avvay a flyding aback This Apostasie is not a particulare Apostasie or defection of this man or that man onely of any one person or any two or three persons onely But it is an vniuersal defection of multitudes of men and wemen in this world For the word ye see is generallie set downe in the text to be a departure without any restriction It is not said a departing of this man or that man but generallie a departing Therefore the Apostle must meane of a departing and falling away of multitudes and great multitudes Now all the question is what Apostasie meanes the Apostle of I am not ignorant how a great number of the olde Latine fathers in the Church vnderstandes this Apostasie to be meant of the defection of many Nations from the Empyre of Rome It is true indeede the Nations of the world fell away from the Romane Empyre But how well and rightly they vnderstood this Apostasie of that falling away from the Romane Empyre God knowes And it is a wonder that so many learned and quick spirited men should haue erred together in this pointe so long Indeede it is likly that when one of them fel in this error all the rest followed on in troupes without further discretion or judgement But I leaue them What Apostasie is this then that the Apostle meanes of heere I shall tell you It is an vniuersall defection not from an Emperour or earthly King but from the King of Heauen Iesus Christ and from his faith This agrees with the course of this text and with that which followes immediatly of the Antichrist the head of this Apostasie This agrees with the speaking of this same Apostle in sundry other places In the 1. Tim. chap. 4. verse 1. he foretels of this vniuersall defection from the faith The wordes are The spirit speakes euidently that in the latter dayes some shall depart from the faith and
Cor. chap. 14. verse 25. it is said of the Prophets that God is in them Indeed he prophecyes not onely in the mouth but he enters in the hart and thereby he prophecyes aswell as by the mouth Paul sayes 2. Cor. 4. 13. We beleeue and therefore vve speak If the Prophet speake not with the tongue because he beleeues in the hart all his preaching is deare of a pennie See Coll. 1. 29. So Satan will be like God in this pointe he will enter in his minister namely the great Antichrist he will possesse his hart and all the inwarde affections of his soule and by them he will be powerfull in them that are ordeined for damnation before the world was made Now to goe forward in the text following The Apostle setdowne two meanes by the which the Antichrist when he shall come shall be effectuall in them who perishes Marke the two meanes and experience this day teaches the trueth of them The first meane he calles it all maner of povver then he expones himselfe what he meanes by this power by signes and lying vvonders wonderfull working that commes of a power Another meane in the verse following And in all deceiuablenesse of vnrighteousnesse that is doctrine that is first false secondly fraudulent hauing onely a cullour of the trueth So to take it vp shortly The two meanes the Antichrist shall haue is first working wonderfully next speaking vttering false doctrine first worke and wonders and then word Worke and word are the two means whereby the Antichrist deceiues you by his worke he deceiues the world by his word he propoâ—s false doctrine Now to speak of the first meane His first meane are wonders and miracles The Antichrist shall be effectuall by working wonders in them who are ordeined to perdition when he shall be reueiled in the world Brethren as the minister of Christ is effectuall by working of signes and wonders as the Apostles were and before them the Prophets in their owne tyme So the Antichrist the minister of Satan he will prease to be like them and he will be effectuall â—n these who perishes by working of wonders and miracles But what wonders are these that the Antichrist workes by The Apostle calles them lying signes and wonders lying first in respect of their end wherefore they are wrought to confirme false doctrine and lyes to men to establish falshood and againe lying because the wonders that are wrought are no true things in substance they are but ilusions and meere juglerie to deceiue the people Ye see the deuill would faine be like God and in the meane-tyme he is a plaine counterfairer and to call it so the ape of God counterfaiting God So the minister of Satan the Antichrist a plaine counterfaiter of Christs-Minister an ape set vp as he hes seene the Ministers of Christ worke so he will stand vp and counterfaite all are but apes all their miracles and working but apes playing Now brethren I thinke ye would aske this question whether if Satan and the Antichrist hes power to worke true miracles and wonders or not I answere shortlie In trueth I say Satan is not able to worke one true wonder he hes not power to worke one miracle DefinitioÌ„ of a true miracle that is true in substance and I prone it both by reasons â—n Scripture but shortlie By reasons a true wonder or miracle is a worke that is wrought aboue nature against nature contrare to the course of nature contrare to all second causes of the which when it is done none in the world is able to giue a natural reason wherfore it is so There is the definition of a true miracle I could let you see out of the Scripture many examples of these the rauishing of Enoch and Elias to the Heauen Who can giue a naturall cause for the lifting vp of two heauy bodies to the Heauen The preseruation of Noe with so many with him in the Arke a worke against nature The confusion of languages at the building of Babell a wonder Saraes conceiuing of a Son when she had past the date of conceiuing and bearing children The passing of Israell safe though the red sea and through the floode of lordane The standing of the Sun in the heauen wheâ— Ioshua fought The going back of the Son when Ezechias wasick The Eclypse of the Sunne when Christ was crucified The sauing of Daniell in the Lyons den The sauing of the three children in the fire The sauing of Ionas in the Whales belly The burning vp of Elias sacrifices with a fire from Heauen against nature Come to the new Testament the raising vp of so many dead bodies and the greatest wonder of al the incarnation of the Son of God his suffering his resurrection the greatest wonder that euer was wrought Satan caÌ„not vvork true miracles Who can giue a naturall cause of these things Now come to the assumption Satan cannot change nature it passes his power to impeed the course of nature to do any thing against the second causes it must be of as great power to change nature as to create nature the power that alters nature is as great as the power that creats nature Satan by al mens confession hes noâ— the power to create onely the Lord hes power to create It passes the deuils power to create the smallest creature on the earth and therefore it passes his power to change nature and to do any thing against nature and the second causes And therefore Rom cha 4. vers 17. these two the changing of nature and the creation are only ascryued to God as proper to him To God saies he vvho quickens the dead that is an alteration of nature and calles these thiâ—gs that are not as if they vvere that is creating by the word of his mouth at the naming of it the thing that was not standes vp and is And so we must conclude Satan hes no power to worke one true miracle This for the reason Come to the Scripture Read ye not 72. Psalme vers 18. Blessed be the Lord God euen the God of Israell vvho does onely vvondrous things And in the 77. Psalme vers 13. 14. Who is so great a God as our God thou are the God that 〈◊〉 vvonders as he would say there is none can worke wonders but God So this question is easily solued But there is another question Will not God vvorke â—vvonders by the ministrie of the Deuill and the Antichrist shovves not God his povver in vvorking vvonders by them as he did by the Prophets and Apostles his ovvne seruants Brethren I shall shovve you my opinion vvithout the prejudice of any mans judgement I thinke not for all the wonders that the deuill will worke are to this end to establishe lyes against God and his glory Novv I say the Lord vvill not lend his povver to Satan to work one true wonder to deface his owne glory and to establish false doctrine and I think I haue a
and speaking of it There is another sort when it runnes through the harts of men that is when in her course she is powerfull in the harts to worke a true faith in them working sanctification an altering and changing of the soule and reforming the harts of men and conforming them to the Image of God As concerning the first she gets no glorie nor honor but she is rather stayned by it As to the other she runnes with glory and majestie and she is caried throgh the world like a glorious Queene and is magnified by men and Angels Now among whom is she glorified and among whom is she defamed When she is powerfull in men to sanctification there she is glorified who euer liues holily glorifies the Gospel and when men hes nothing but a bare word of it and liues licentiously and wickedly then the Gospell is defamed and shamed by these men as the Apostle witnesses Rom. 2. 24. out of the 52. of Esay For your sakes sayes he my name is blasphemed among the nations all the day long Then they who liues a life contrare to the Gospell of Iesus they shame the Gospell and therefore in the world to come they shall receiue shame for shaming of the Gospell In the end of the verse he sayes as it is vvith you To moue them to this purpose to pray for him or rather for the Gospell he brings in their own example and experience Thessalonians I wish you not to pray for another thing but that ye haue experimented your selues see whether or not the Gospell be glorified among you yea it is glorified Ye are not bare professors of it then are ye not bound to pray the Lord to communicate to other that grace that is bestowed on you So they who findes the Gospell glorified in themselues and findes her powerfull in their harts to a sanctified lyfe are bound to wish and craue this blessing to euery soule if it were possible Wherefore shall I haue a grace if I pray not to God to communicate that grace to another Wherefore should I enter in Heauen and not put out my hand to helpe others to that kingdome if it be possible Wherefore should I not pray thy kingdome come which is nothing in effect but Lord open Heauen to thy people and let many enter in that thou may be glorified And it is most certaine that col if a man haue entered himselfe in Heauen he will not inuy to haue others with him but he will stryue to make rowme if it were to all the world that they may enter in He will not be like the Pharisies that will not enter in Heauen themselues neither yet will let others enter in it A man that is once in the light he would haue all in the light As a man that is in darknesse would haue all in darknesse with him Now in the next verse he desires them to pray for his owne person and for the rest of his fellow-laborers that they may be deliuered from vnreasonable and euill men Marke something before we enter in the words Ye see the next care is of himselfe that he may be fred from his enemies The thing that man shold care for next after the Gospell that worthy thing should be the person of the men that caries this Gospell before the world for when she runnes she is borne vp in the harts and mouthes of men so next her selfe there should be a special care had of them that beares that glorious Queene that they that sees her may be safe Next that Heauenly treasure the Gospell that is the vnsearchable riches of Iesus Christ care I say should be had of the laime vessell wherein it is contained 2. Cor. 4. 7. A man is but a laime vessell wherein the Lord puts so rich a treasure But wherefore should there be a care of him Euen for the treasures sake for that pretious things sake The person himselfe or the Minister is bound to care for his owne person in respect of the treasure And the people to whom he distributes so pretious a treasure is bound as euer any man was bound to any thing to haue a speciall care of the person of the Pastor for the treasures sake for if he haue this treasure they will get more good of him nor he will get by any benefite in this world that they can bestow on him God himselfe for his treasures sake ere he suffer the vessell to be broken Mark the great care God hes of his pastors he will mingle Heauen and earth together and stupifie the world with wonders and by wonders he will worke the deliuery of the man in whom he hes put his treasure so long as he hes adoe with him for the dispersing and distributing of his treasure for the saluation of men Heauen and earth shall goe together ere that man perish Was not Peter casten in a strate prison were there not watches within and watches without was not the doore locked was he not in irons Act. 12. and yet in the night an Angell is sent from Heauen and he commes in the house with an exceeding light and calles vpon Peter and bids him rise he shakes off his fetters the doores are made open and all without doing of any man the watches perceiues not Peter escapes Wherefore does he this Peter vvas a vessell in the which the Lord had his treasure This vessell was not yet emptied of the treasure The Lords worke was yet in Peters hand but as soone as Peter had finished his worke he suffered him to die without much adoe so did he with Paul for albeit oft-tymes before wonderfully he deliuered him yet when he hes done his worke with him the Lord let him goe his way and suffer without any miracle So long as the Lord hes ought adoe with any man all the world shall not be able to to beat him off his seete he hes such a care of him Now to end this I dare say and affirme they that hes no care of the persons of men whom the Lord vses to be his mouth to preach this his Gospell that they had neuer care of the Gospell it selfe If thou hast no care of the preacher praise the Gospell as thou wilt thou art an enemy to the Gospell He that would breake the vessell he would scatter all the riches of Iesus Christ that is in that vessell that is he would make a lose of the glorious riches of the Gospell Therefore vvhen ye haue adoe vvith this base ministrie it is not vvith men that ye haue to doe but vvith the treasures of Heauen and vnsearchable riches of God Lord if men novv vvould once consider this Now to the words Pray for me sayes he and my fellow-laborers And wherefore that we may be deliuered in our owne person was he in any danger at this tyme wherefore he craues their prayer Appearandly he was in his journey towards Ierusalem and so he was to go among as
many Tygers Lyons and Wolfes as he found in experience and out of the way as he was in his journey he craues that they would pray for him Ye will say got he not fore-warnings eneugh that nothing was abiding him but bondes at Ierusalem Yes Agabus tolde him that Act. 21. 11. Then what needed him to desire the Thessalonians to pray against that that of necessity behoued to come and he must proue in deed bondes was prophecyed and bonds he got persecution was prophecyed and persecution he suffred Brethren I am not of that mynd that he desired them to pray that he shold be altogether fr◠of the crosse and affliction for it is not lawful for a Pastor or any other man to pray that he be burdened with no crosse What saies he to Timothie 2. Tim. 1. 8. Be not ashamed of my bonds but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the Gospel c. It is not lawfull to a Pastor to go sleeping throgh the world and none to crosse his way for a faithful Pastor cannot be without either one crosse or other Thē what a deliuery is this that he desires them to pray for Euen that being vnder crosses the Lord so long as he had adoe with him would deliuer him and set him free and so it is lawfull for one lying vnder persecution for the Gospels sake to pray for such a deliuerance so long as the Lord hes a worke to do with him yea and he is bound to pray that he may be victorious and triumph both in death and life What matter of death if he triumph in death the Lord Iesus triumphed in death the martires triumphed in death the true Pastor in death he wil triumph So if the Lord grant victory in the end what matter what men suffer This Apostle sayes in another place of his Epistle we euer triumph notwithstanding of al these afflictions we are into Rom 8. 37. Paul in his death triumphed 2. Cor. 2. 14. Now from whom should they craue that he should be deliuered From vnreasonable and euil men as he wold say This world is ful of euil and vnreasonable men beastly-bodies The first word signifies men of an absurd nature and of a very euill inclination The next word signifies men that are euer doing euill and troubling the innocent So he speakes of two sorts of men euill in hart and euill in hand And certainely he meanes his owne countrie-men vvho vvere vvorse inclyned in mynde and deed tovvardes him and the Lord Iesus then vvere any other And so brethren marke shortly vvhere euer a faithfull Pastor shall goe he shall meete vvith such men goe vvhere he vvill he shall encounter with men euill mynded and doing euil The Gospell so long as she is preached shall not be free of these men of enemies that shall make contradiction Count not the worse of her that she is gainesaid for she is as naturally subject to this contradiction as euer any thing vvas subject to any propertie It is the vvearde of the Gospell and the preachers thereof to meete vvith such men It vvill neuer be broken But vvhat remedie Come to the next best Hovv shall a Preacher be in safetie seeing he must enter vvith such men The remedie is set dovvne heere Prayer the remedy against the cōtradiction of vnreasonable and euil men Prayer let him pray to God and the Church pray for him When Peter was in so great and extreme danger what vvas the Church doing Act. 12. verse 5. c. 12. Praying for him and by their prayers the Angel vvas broght dovvne from Heauen by whom he was deliuered So prayer is vvonderful strong and especially the prayer of the people for the Pastor will haue a vvonderfull povver before God for his safetie Then if this be the duetie of the people alas is not this an vnnaturall thing to see the stock rise vp against the Pastor to deuoure him When this commes either there must be a great sin in the Pastor or in the people or else in both and it is one of the heauiest judgemēts that can light on a Pastor or people Now to go forward They might haue bene offended at this that the Apostle spok that there was so many that made contradiction to him that there vvas such a multitude of them that be where he wold he could not be quite of them therby they might haue doubted of the trueth for this is a vaine conceit that comes in mens heads hey thinke the Gospel should haue such a sound progresse as there should not be a contradiction to it but I say to thee where there is no contradiction there is a mark of false doctrine And againe where the trueth is there for the most part a great contradiction wil be men when they see a multitude rising against the trueth and making contradiction to it then they begin to doubt of the truth They wil say this cannot be the truth is not al the world risen vp against it But Paul tels you the cause of that Faith a rare gift when he sayes all men haue not faith faith is a rare gift Euery one gets not faiths where one gets it fourty wants it So when men begins to offend at the Gospell it is the want of faith in them that makes them so to do for there are very few that hes the faith of Iesus Christ Remember this that there is a few number that is chosen to life euerlasting many are called sayes Christ but fevv are chosen And again there is none that gets faith in time but he who is chosen to lyfe from all eternity As is said Act. 13. 48. so many beleued as vvere ordeined to lyfe euerlasting Therefore when thou hearst that few gets faith remember it is not an Herb that growes in euery mans garden it is a rare gift of God And therfore findst thou that thou hast gotten faith this pretious gift rejoice and be glad that the Lord hes called thee to be of that blessed number and vvonder not at the multitude that oppones themself to the Gospel but rejoice thou that thou art one of the elect one of that chosen number Last in this verse ye see where there is no faith where the hart is not sanctified there is nothing but vnreasonablenes he that hes not faith is a wicked man an euill disposed person and so ye may reason he hes no faith ergo he is an euill man both euil minded an euil doer Then againe he is an vnreasonable man what followes Euen this it is very euil dwelling with such folks it is not good to men to dwel with the faithlesse for thou shalt get some damnage of them either in thy body or soule for if thou escape the harme of thy body thou shalt not misse to be harmed in thy soule Againe where faith is it wil turne a lyon in a meek lamb and make a tyger the meekest creature that is We are in deed borne
eneugh put me from his gun and pistolet sayes he I am sure eneugh and in the mean-tyme there is neuer suspition of the deuill stronger and subtiller then al the men in the world He wil get on a croslet and plateglufe ô miserable catiue what armour hast thou for the enemy of thy soule It is not with men we haue to do but with powers we haue not to do with flesh and bloud but with Empyres and Principalities Gouernours Princes of the world rulers in the Air. If thou hast adoe with Princes and Kings earthly they wil sute the field with thee but if thou hast adoe with the deuill as euery vnbeleeuer hes he will not sute the field with thee but he will be aboue thy head where thou shalt not get one stroke of him but he vvith great fetches and force will beate thee downe and vse thee at his pleasure Therfore it is not eneugh to pray to giue thee grace to stand and to keepe thee from such as are enemies bodily to thee but thou should say Lord keepe me from that euill one Satan from spirituall powers from that deuill thou art neuer free of him night nor day for he is going about like a roaring lyon seeking vvhom he may deuore 1. Pet. 5. 8. and when thou hast thus praied to be saued from the deuil then say Lord keep me from these bodily enemies Alas men liues carelesse of Satan as thogh there wer not a spiritual enemie while as there are millions of them to deuore thee for euer Ye see then this that is spoken to the Thessalonians is applyed to the whole Church of God in the world for this that he speaks of the Church of Thessalonica he meanes of the Church of God euery where that the Church hes many enemies the Church of Christ hes and euer had and shall haue many enemies The 〈◊〉 â—es many enemies the Church it selfe is but an handful in respect of the multitude both of spirituall and bodily enemies multitudes of deuils multitudes of wicked men and wemen in the world and therfore she cannot be without some noy and hurt no think it not But there is a consolation The Church of Iesus Christ shal neuer be tread vnder foote the deuill and all his supposis shall neuer tread on her nor ouercome the Church of God Hold that fast for a sure ground The Church of God shal neuer be vtterly ouerthrowne and this is a wonderfull thing And yet brethren as the might and omnipotency of God appeares in other things so especially his might appears in holding vp a poore handful of the poorest and vilest bodies in the world in appearance against such multitudes of strong and mighty both spiritual and bodily enemies and the Lord will be glorified in this few number and in end he shall make that handfull to tread on the necks of the multitude of the wicked vpon Princes necks and on Powers and Principalities and on the deuill himselfe The cause of her standing is because she is grounded on Iesus Christ who is immutable and vnchangeable she reposing and leaning on Iesus shall stand still and be vnalterable as long as he is vnalterable which is euerlastingly all the power of the world and Hell shal neuer ouerthrow her and bring her at vnder This is her joy that she shall neuer finally fall but shall stand notwithstanding of all assaults for euer And at last be victorious ouer oer enemies through the strength of him on whom she reposes Now to this God the Father Sonne and holy Spirit be praise and honor AMEN THE ELEVENTH LECTVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 2. THESSA CHAP. 3. vers 4. 5. 6. 4 And vve are persvvaded of you through the Lord that ye both doe and vvill doe the things vvhich vve command you 5 And the Lord guide your harts to the loue of God and the vvaiting for of Christ. 6 We command you brethren in the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ that ye vvithdravv your selues from euery brother that vvalleth inordinatly and not after the instruction vvhich he receiued of vs. THIS last part brethren of the Epistle of Paul written to the Thessalonians containes precepts and admonitions to liue an holy and christian lyfe The last day wel ad in hands the first precept which concerneth prayer to God which is the cheefest exercise that a christian man can haue in this world there is none before it Therefore he began to pray and as he had prayed for them immediatlie before so he craues of them a recompence which is pray for me againe and good reason that when I pray for thee thou pray for me againe When the Pastor prayes for the flock the flock should interceede againe with God by prayer for him So the Apostle sayes Pray for vs for me and my fellow-laborers from whom in common this Epistle was directed But for what things should they pray to him The first thing is the Gospel and what of it Pray that it may runne and haue a free course through the world And what more That the Gospel of Christ running throgh shold not run through the mouthes and eares of men onely that is a small matter if there be no more but that in running it may haue the course with power and effectualnesse in the hearts of the hearers working lyfe and saluation in them and so consequently she may be glorified that is that men and wemen feeling the great force may be inforced to glorifie her in this world for none will glorifie the Gospell but he that feeles the power of it in his hart and to whom the Gospell is the power of God to saluation The next thing that he craues they should pray for is for his person the persons of his fellow-laborers that we sayes he may be deliuered from vnreasonable and euill men He giues the reason of this desire All men hes not â—aith When we goe abroad preaching the Gospell we will haue great opposition of many wicked men euil inclined in hart euil disposde in hand so that our persons must be oft in great danger Therefore pray for vs And the ground is all men hes not faith Howbeit some will professe God and religion yet in very deed God is not in their hart Christ dwelleth not in them by faith they are not elect and therefore they beleeue not It is dangerous to be amongst them yea euen for the persons of men for without Christ the hart of a man is as cruell as is the hart of a Tyger and Lyon or any wylde beast before it be drawen away from that cruelty and tamed by faith in Iesus Christ this is the nature of all men Then in that third verse lest that matter concerning faith and the scarcitie of it should haue offended them and moued them to doubt and to thinke it might be that they should fall away from the faith He sayes the Lord is faithfull and he shall