hes beene afflicted before him and scarcelie shall he see a godlie man but vvith his burdene on his backe all is not laid on him alone But aboue all let the persone that is afflicted first set his eye on the Lord Iesus Let him looke ouer to Golgotha vvhere Christ is hanging on the Crosse and in Christ let him looke to tvvo thinges first to the glorie worthinesse of that personage who sufferes next to the extremitie and ignominie of that passion looke to these two things in him and then looke down to thy selfe and looke what thou art first not a Lord if thou were a King but a seruant all the Kings on the earth are but seruants in respect of him then go to the affliction thou suffers and thou shalt finde thou suffers not the thowsand part of the affliction he suffred for thee there is great inequalitie betweene thee and him and then beginne to reason The seruant is not greater nor his Lord the disciple is not greater nor his Maister The Lord Iesus is my Lord I am not but a seruant yet the Lord Iesus my Lord suffers and in such great extremity then may I not be content to suffer the thousand part of his suffering Of this comes contentment of heart and patience to suffer for the Lord. For except thy eye be set vpon that personage of Iesus Christ it is not possible for thee to suffer with joy the simplest crosse that is for the Lords sake The next point of their dittay they haue slaine their ovvn Prophets Persecution of the Prophets This they did ere they slevv the Lord albeit it be set in the second rovvâ—â—e They haue slaine vvhom Prophetes vvorthie men Whose Prophets not strangers but men of then own nation Iewes as they vvere their ovvne Prophets sent by God to them to teach and prophecie to them to bring them to the way of life yet they haue runne vpon them and haue slaine them all aggreages their fact Ye vvill aske vvas these Ievves that slevv the Prophets the same that slevv the Lord Iesus they wer not in the Prophets dayes they came long after I answer he vnderstands the whole bodie of that people fathers and children which makes vp a bodie The fathers slew the Prophets Therfore Steuen sayes Act. 7. 52. Which of them is he vvhom your fathers haue not persecuted Then he comes to the children as for you that are children ye haue betrayed and slaine the iust one This is it that Christ sayes in the 23. chap. of Matt. vers 32. Ful 〈◊〉 out that or follow out that that your fathers haue left vndone slay me and my Apostles Yet there may be an other answere made to this It may be that he will lay to the charge of them that slew the Lord Iesus the slaughter of the Prophets as though they had slaine them with their owne hands Posteritie guilty through their fathers For ye must vnderstand that the children that come after their Fathers are inuolued in the whole guiltinesse that their fathers were in before them Was he a murtherer thou art guiltie of murther were thy Grandfather and his father murtherers thou art inuolued in the same guiltinesse and except thou by grace be transplanted out of the rotten stock of thy fore-fathers in Iesus thou shalt die for that murther of thy fathers All the sinnes of thy progenitors shal be hung about thy neck if thou be not exeemed and â—lanted in Iesus Christ Yea that sinne of Adam for eating of the frute shall be laid to thy charge and thou shalt pay for it if thou be not transplanted out of rotten Adam and ingraft in Iesus Christ the second Adam Rom. 5. 14. Not onelie is this naturall corruption drawen to children throgh propagation but the children are inuolued in the guiltinesse of the verie action of the progenitours All serues to this to make fathers to be waie and to take head to their actions that they slay not themselues allone but the multitude of their posteritie as Adam slew vs all Yet there is an other ground and answere to this These Iewes that slew the Lord Iesus are counted to haue slaine the Prophets before them The ground and cause is this I would that all murthereis did heare this Slayest thou an innocent man such as Abel the whole innocent bloud that was shed since the beginning lights vpon thee thou art guiltie of it And therefore Christ Matt. 23. 36. layes to the Ievves charge the whole innocent bloud shedde since Abell vnto Zacharias that vvas slaine betweene the temple and the altar Therfore murtherer take head thou shalt drowne in bloud for by thy act thou giuest approbauen to al those murtherers that were from the beginning Thou makest it a pastime to dip thy hand in innocent bloud but wo to thee if thou be not washed in the bloud of christ This for the answer to the question Now marke brethren When he speakes of the slaughter of the Lord Iesus committed by these Iewes he forgets not the old Prophets and with the Lords he joines his seruants neither forgets he the Apostles Both the persecution the persecutors are recent in Gods memorie and vs also haue they persecuted al are put in one catalogue the olde Prophetes the Lord Iesus the Apostles and Martyres that were slaine And who doeth this It is not so much Paul as the holie Spirite that doth it which is a token that all the martyrdomes that haue bene is and to be was not is not nor shal not be forgot of the Lord they are all in recent memorie And suppose there were not a booke of Martyres vvritten in the earth yet there is a booke in Heauen written and all the Martyres from the beginning are registrate in it and that book shall be laid oppen before man Angels ye shall see them not in pictures but in face And again he remembers the Iewes who did it so as there is a booke of Martyres in heauen so is there a booke of persecuters wherein all their names are written and in that great day the booke shall be laide oppen and shall be presented to their eyes to their rebuke shame and eternall confusion So the Lord hes all in remembrance the Lord hes a recent memorie a thousand yeeres are but like a day to him and a day as a thousand yeeres albeit we will forget all yet all is recent in his memorie And this is verie comfortable to the afflicted and it is terrible to the persecutors Woe is that man that hath not his sinnes forgote and pardoned of the Lord. There is not one teare of the sufferer but it is put vp in his bottle This for the second point of their dittay Let vs novve come to the third point The Iewes vvere not content with the slaying of the Prophetes and of the Lord Iesus himself but when he is away they persecute his Apostles A wonderful thing that this people can not hold
be vvith them in his grace and vertevv but also that he may be vvith them in his ovvne presence and person vvhich is more then the first Then thou must not be content to pray for the benefites of Christ but the cheefe ihing vve ought to pray for to Christ is Lord giue me thy selfe giue me thy presence in thy ovvne person for if vve get any good of him it must be by himselfe he must giue himselfe to vs. In one vvord the first conjunction vve must haue vvith him must be vvith his ovvne person he must be our head and vve the members of his bodie My hand vvill not be the better of any povver or vertue in my head if my hand be not joined with my head the first thing then my hand must haue must be a conjunction with the head and so of the rest of the members of the body and then the conjunction being made vvith the head the vertue goes down from the head and is scatred throgh al the mēbers of the body It is euen so with Christ Iesus before we get grace or lyfe out of him motion spirituall out of hi peace out of him he is full of grace first that sweet conjunction must be made betvveene him and vs he must be conjoined vvith vs in a more strate conjunction then the mēbers vvith the head And therefore he goes to the ground of all peace the Lord Iesus that he may stand vvith them and they may be conjoined with him their head Now he prayes for this presence to them all not to one member to tvvo or three but to all and euerie one of them Then marke The Lord Iesus is a sufficient head and Sauiour for all the vvorld none being excepted all sufficiencie is in him he may serue to be the head to all the vvorld yea to a thousand vvorldes his presence is so ample that he may suffice to be a Sauiour to a thousand vvorldes yea to an infinite number of vvorldes Paul knevv this that he is not like an earthlie king vvhose presence serues but for so many and is contained vvithin narrow bounds and therefore he prayes for peace to all Now if thy head and Sauiour be so ample thy hart should not be narrovve nor thy mouth narrovve but as Iesus is a sufficient head for all so let thy hart desire his presence to all the vvorld if so it should be possible And as for my selfe I vvishe there vvere none but that they vvere partakers of this presence of Iesus Christ For vvhy should vve seeke the vvreak of any creature yet the Lord hes his ovvne and none vvill get his presence but they that are his O vvell is that bodie vvho is predestinate to lyfe for that bodie must haue his presence he vvill be an head and Sauiour to him But that body that is predestinat to destruction cannot haue his presence yet vve are bound to vvish his presence to euery one Novv he commes to the salutation and sayes The salutation of me Paul vvith my ovvne hand Then he subjoines the forme of it The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ c. He began vvith a salutation after his common forme and novv he ends vvith a salutation His first meeting vvith them vvas by a salutation the end of his conference is by a salutation Then looke vvhat example of his doing should learne vs for as vve are bound to obey the doctrine of the Prophets so we are bound to follow their fashion of doing Paul saluted salute thou The thing then I note here is this In all the meetinges and conferences of the faithfull either by vvord presence or vvritte there should be a mutuall beneuolence and an intere loue and affection that as ye see the bodies of men meete together so the harts may meete together joyned in kyndnesse and beneuolence Wilt thou meet in bodie and hold thy hart aback that is vvilt thou haue the half man meeting and not the whole man That is no meeting for the meeting should be of the vvhole man bodie and hart and this should be vttered all maner of vvay in thy gesture in thy doing salutatiōs of christians would be testimonies of their loue in thy speaking and all the vvordes of thy conference should smell of loue Among all other thinges that testifies of loue this salutation is one when thou bidst him good morrowe good night it is a testification of thy well willingnes and of thy loue towards the man and this hes bene the forme of the godly their meeting hes bene with a salutation and their sending with a salutation that if they could not haue a byding together here by their mutuall saluation they might abyde together for all the members that are true members in Iesus Christ are joyned together in their spirits harts and affections this exemple we should followe This maner of doing nowadayes is counterfaite Men will seeme to salute other gladly and yet the harts will be wishing the worst in harts they are enemies to other and so commonly al their doings becking and off-cap and good dayes both all their words and deeds are fained Looke therefore what euer thou doe doe it in sinceritie for the Lord heares and sees all and if thou doe fainedly the Lord shall judge thee for it in that day He sayes he wrote this saluation vvith his ovvne hand The whole Epistle before Paul hes dyted and appearantly another hes written it Now when it commes to the subscription Paul subscryues it with his owne hand Now wherefore was this The cause appeares to be that before this tyme there raise vp deceiuers that stole in wrytings vnder the name of Paul as appeares in the 2. chap. 2. verse be not deceiued sayes he c. And therefore to let them know what was his and what was not his he subscryues with his own hand This hes bene an old practick of Satan euer to corrupt Christs Church both by word and counterfaiting of writte and all maner of way and this same day we see the experience of it in the Romane Church Satan by 〈◊〉 instrumēts coūterfaits holy vvrits Now to the end that false writtes may be trowed the better looke the craft of the deuill he hes in his instruments stollen in bookes written vnder the name of Prophets and Apostles to the intent that the people reading the name of a Prophete or Apostle should giue credite to the writ Papistrie is full of deceite and the cheefe grounds of their doctrine is apocryphe-Apocryphe-books which hes bene stollen in vnder the names of holy men Now looke what hes beene the mercy of God he sees this well eneugh Therefore it pleased him to imprint a marke in his holy writte whereby it should be knowne to be authentike Scripture as in this place he subscryues with his owne hand which was not without the prouidence of God for there is not a part of Scripture but the Lord hes stamped it with such a sure
what was his calling He sayes The Gospell vvas committed to me That is his calling Therefore saye he so vve speake Looke what is euery mans calling Euery man in a faithful discharge of his own calling is bounde to please God He saieth not God allowed of me therefore I please him in playing the part of a king or magistrate but he hes called me to be a minister therfore I wil please him in speaking Then let euerie man set his heart to please God in his owne calling So there are two things vve should respect in seruing God First do all to please him Secondlie in the calling he hath placed thee into chieflie studie to please him Keep these tvvo and then thou shalt be acceptable vnto him In the end of the verse he subjoynes But God vvho approoueth our hearts These vvordes containe an assurance that Paule had in his heart that in speaking and discharging of his calling hee pleased God God within me had his secreete allowance God in my hart as he allowed of me first ere I had grace and placed me in the Ministrie so now when he has geuen me grace to please him he allowes of me There are two sorts of Gods allowing The first is when God allowes of any man before he haue anie grace 2. sorts of Gods allovving and by his allovvance makes him able to doe good the second is vvhen he allowes of him in the vvorke he hes geuen him by his grace The first allowance moues a man to serue his God and to do all things in his calling the second allowance is a warrand to him that he hes done well Alwaies the lesson is If thou set thy selfe to please God thou shalt neuer vvant a vvitnesse of thy doings thou shalt neuer want a secreete testimonie within thy selfe albeit all the vvorld should close their mouth and neuer speake to thee thou doest well settest thou thy selfe to serue God he shall round in thy eare and tell thee of thy wel-doing and giue thee a secreete joye By the contrair doest thou euill art thou an harlote settest thou thy selfe to displease God who hes geuen thee all things thou shalt get a bitter witnesse in thy hart saying false villaine thy pleasure is in displeasing God ô catiffe thou art adjudged to condemnation Iohn 1. Epist 3. 20. sayes If thy heart condemne thee God is greater then thy heart much more will he condemne thee take head to thy conscience if thy conscience tell thee thou doest well the Lord approues thy doing otherwise if thy conscience telles thee thou does euill the Lord disallowes thee Now as he hes remooued from him before all sortes of vnsincere doing and tooke to him sinceritie in speaking to please God in all things who gaue him his allowance he goes deeper in the verse following and he remoues from him the soull vyces out of the which springs the vnsinceritie in dealing The first is called flattering words the second auarice the third ambition insatiable greed of honour and estimation Foūtaines of vnsinceritie He remoues all these three which are as as many fountaines wherefrom vnsinceritie springs It is not my purpose to insist largelie on these vices Onelie I shall speake as accords to this place The first then is flatterie Flatterie for no man vsed he anie flattering wordes in preaching Marke the lesson When a Preacher is inclyned to flatter and fletche on earth either King Queene Councell or subject man or woman he is not sincere in his calling There is none of vs in no degree but we may be yea and would be flattered The Apostle is speaking heere of flatterie not of Kings or Princes but of the flattering of the Thessalonians Neither did vve vse flattering vvordes sayes he But my lesson is Where any Minister is set to flatter and fletche on the earth that man ere all be done will fall out in false doctrine he will frame himself so to the affection of them whom he would flatter that he wil be vnsincere in doctrine Why The fountaine of flatterie is the foull crooked affection of man or woman and so if the vaine man wil apply himself to the crooked affection of man the doctrine shall be crooked ere he faile in flatterie he shall fall out in false doctrine The heart of them who speakes in the name of the Lord Iesus must be set onelie on God and not vpon any man on earth Well the Apostle takes them to be witnesses of this and sayes As ye knovv It easie to knowe a flatterer his wordes will bewray him he will commonlie call God to witnesse but not men Men shold behaue themselues so that they take not ay God onelie but also good men to be witnesses to their doinges Paul heere takes not God but the people of Thessalonica to be witnesse saying ye knovv It is true brethren albeit the words wil bewray the flatterer yet such is the blindnes of man who vvith selfe-loue is set to pleasure his foull affection that if a man wold neuer so plainelie flatter him in his face yet oft times he can not perceiue the flattery and he beleues this fained flatterer to be his greatest friend The Lord keepe vs from such flatterers lighten our eies vs grace that we may discerne them The next verse The seconde vice is auarice and he calles it the pretence of auarie Auarice your books turnes it nor coloured couetousnes Auarice in anie man is dangerous but chieflie in a Minister it will make him to do much euill for if his heart be set on auarice and that be his end and purpose to vvin the worlde he will in the end fall out in corrupt doctrine for the rule of his teaching being his ovvne bellie and gaine ere he faile to get his purpose hee will teach false doctrine It maye be there be some men in this lande vvhose hearts are so set on this sort of auarice that they vvould say masse ere they should vvant their gaine After that this vice of auarice raigne in anie man it vvill misguide him maruellouslie he wil leaue nothing vndone to get his filthy hart satisfied in anie estate in the vvorld an auaritious heart workes much mischiefe In the next words he takes God to be witnes sayes God is my record Auarice is not sodanely perceiued because it comes in with so faire a colour the colour of godlines the fairest colour that is and the sight of man is so short that it can not looke in to the corners of the heart full of guile But the Lorde hes an eye that can looke through thy bodie in to thy hart and he can tell thee whether auarice be in thee or not And therfore Paule takes God to be vvitnes that his heart was cleane of auarice Then learne there is nothing so hid in man but he will get a witnes thereof if man can not be vvitnes God vvho sees all things hee shall be vvitnes to thee and
that this Epistle was directed cheefly to the Pastor Elders c. and in one word to the Presbyterie that vvas there Therefore lest the inferior and common sort of Christians should be defrauded of this benefite the Apostle showes that it is his vvil that this Epistle be communicate to the vvhole vulgar sort of christians that vveâ— in Thessalonica neuer one should be defrauded of the benefite of it He sayes not simply I vvill you to do this but he vses another vvord I charge you in the Lord I binde and oblishe you vnder a paine the paine is the vvraith of the Lord Marke it There must be great grounds and causes of this straite charge vnder al highest paine First this straite charging lettes vs see the great necessitie that vvas that the common people at Thessalonica should heare of this Epistle asvvell as the rulers of the Church Secondly it lettes vs see that the Apostle perceyued there should be impedimentes casten in that should hold aback this vvryting of his from the people he knew the deceite of the deuil that he would be busie to haue this letter closed vp and neuer to be communicate to the common people and therefore he charges theÌ„ that it shold be read to the people Now I obserue This that he speakes of this Epistle which is but a part of the Scripture I draw it to the whole Scripture canonicall of the olde and new Testament Necessity of reading and bearing the Scripturs and I obserue the need that all sort of men and wemen so long as they liue in this lyfe hes to vnderstand the scripture to read it or if they cannot read it to heare it red there is a plaine necessity laid on euery one of you men and wemen in all rankes to read the scripture and if ye cannot read them to heare them red Searche the Scriptures sayes the Lord in Iohn 5. chap. 39. verse for by them ye shall obtaine saluation it stands men on their saluation and damnation to know the Scriptures Then secondly learne The deuil the enemie of mans saluation knowing how necessarâ— the Scripture is to the saluation of men hes euer striuen to holde the Scripture hid as a closse booke from the common people What caâ—es he of the chiefe of the Clergie to let them knowe the Scriptures he will let them passe if he can get the multitude of people to carie to Hâ—ll with him This wicked doing of his continues still in the world and the word is closed vp among the Papists and it is forbidden to be red by laikes that is by simple men and wemen and it is forbidden to be translated in their owne language Marke yet further They who are rulers in the Church teachers of the common sort are bound vnder the paine of the wraith of the Lord Iesus to light on them that they communicate these Scriptures to the common people and put the booke in the hand of them that can read and if they cannot read themselues to read to them The rulers of the Thessalonians are charged to read this Epistle to all the common sort So all the rulers in the Church to the end of the world shall be oblished to instruct the common people and therefore the translating of the Bible in euery common language is ordained that the idiots who hes the mother tonge only may vnderstand what is the will of the Lord in the Scripture Then if it be so the Doctors in that harl or Church in Papistriâ— that hes closed the booke of God to the people and clasped it with double claspes O what damnation abydes them if ye haue an English new Testament to the fire with you dare thoâ— be bould to read the Scripture thy selfe in thy owne language thou shalt die for it Alas the wraith of Christ bindes 〈◊〉 and holdes them 〈◊〉 to their vtter destructions If it were but for letting the people of God remaine in ignorance without knowledge Now to the last wordes The grace of our Lord Iesus be vvith you and he seales it vp with this word Amen When he entered in with them in the beginning of the Epistle what was his salutation Nothing but a recommendation of them to the grace of Christ at his first meeting with them he prayes that they should receiue the grace of Christ Grace vvithout merite vvishes both in the beginning and ending When he bids them fare-well he bids the same grace of God be with them he wishes grace in the beginning and grace in the end Learne this If the Apostle had thoght that there had bene a greater thing in the world nor the grace of Christ he had wished it either at the beginning or at the ending but knowing well the best thing he could wishe to the people is Christs grace as he began with it so he ends with it And alas what can we wishe more for vnder the grace of Christ all the graces and blessinges we can haue heere and in the life to come are comprehended If one would set himselfe to wish the best thing in the world to another what can he wish better nor the grace of Christ for all is in it Now it is to be vnderstood what is the grace of Christ No other thing but the free fauour of God in Iesus Christ I call it free because it is without desert or merite on our part a fauour that commes not on our deseruing for we merite nothing but Hell Then brethren what is this he hes bene speaking to these Thessalonians Certainly I read not in all Pauls Epistles of so high a praise of Faith Loue and Charitie of any Church as he hes of this Church of Thessalonica and yet for all this in the end he sayes not I beseech God that he consider your merite for ye haue deserued well and he is much oblist to your deseruing as that presumptuous villaine the Pope will say Lord reward you according to your deseruing No he ends not so but he sayes Indeede Thessalonians ye haue done well but yet I commit you to the free mercy of God The thing I wish to you is not for your deseruing but against your deseruing I wish to you the free grace of Christ according to Christs saying in Luke 17. chap. 10. vers When thou hasâ— done all that thou can doe say I am but an vnprofitable servant I deserue not so much as a faire looke of Christ Hell shall ouertake thee for all thy doing except mercy come betweene thee and thy God Then onely mercie without deseruing is our saluation In the 2. Tim chap. 1. verse 16. he names one Onesiphorus and he reckons out great kindnesse that he had done to him and that which was done to Paul was done to his Master he saies he hes refreshed me when I haue beene exceeding wearie be thought no shame of my fetters and bonds and hearing tell I vvas at Rome he sought me out very diligently Yet for all this
the world was made Thy life beginnes at a decree that neuer had a beginning and ends in a glorie that neuer shall haue an end He calles it not simplie a good pleasure but all his good pleasure whereby he meanes here an ample thing He meanes with the decree of lyfe all the meanes that serues to bring vs to lyfe There is not one meane to lyfe but all must come of this decree Art thou called in tyme it commes of a decree Rom 8. 28. Art thou justified it commes of a decree Prayest thou it commes of a decree Nothing commes to thee in the mid-way of thy journey but all commes of a decree What euer commes whether it be prosperitie or aduersitie thinke noâ— it commes by chance but it is a meane that the Lord hes ordeined from all eternitie to bring thee to lyfe euerlasting 1. Pet. 2. 21. So lyfe euerlasting proceeds of a decree from all eternitie He calles it the good pleasure of his goodnesse By this word goodnesse he designes the cause of this eternal decree not to be any thing which God foresaw in vs but his owne onely goodnesse and that to the end he may haue all the praise of our saluation Read Ephes 1. 5. 6. 9. Yet there must be another thing ere one get lyfe What is it He calles it a vvorke that hes a beginning The worke that must be accomplished hes a beginning and then it ends and resolues in lyfe And what is the worke Faith in Iesus Christ What is lyfe euerlasting then 〈…〉 but the accomplishment of this faith that we haue in this God Faith is this building that goes vp continuallie Iohn chap. 6. verse 29. When the Iewes glories in their workes Christ sayes This is the vvorke of God that ye beleeue in me This is the building that must be builded euen Faith Thou must euer be building this faith this day one stone to morrowe againe another vntill thou come to the toppe stone which is glorie and lyfe eternall Paul sayes 2. Timoth. chap 4. vers 7. 8. I haue gone forward in this building I haue keeped the fayâ—h novv the crovvne of righteousnesse is laid vp for me Then life euerlasting is the crowne of faith without faith nor crowne Who can crowne thee except thou haue faith It is faith that must be crowned Lookest thou to be crowned and in the mean-time hast thou no faith thou deceaues thy selfe Therefore seeke euer faith in Christ or else seeke neuer to get that crowne Then he sayes vvith povver This must be done with power or else it shall neuer be done All the Monarchs of the world and all the Angels shall not be able to lift vp this crowne to set it on thy head It must be onely the infinite power of Christ that must liftâ—vp that crowne and set it on thy â—ead after thou hast gone forward in that worke and come to the end It is said Phill. 3. chap. 21. verse When the Lord shall come this vyle body shall be transformed and made lyke that glorious body of Christ What is the meane Throgh the effectualnesse of his povver vvhereby he is able to subdevv all things the deuill sin and death that would hold thee aback from that glorie There must be power in the Lord to kil sin Hell and to ouercome the deuill and all thy enemies And the Lord by his power must giue thee power ouer all before thou be made conforme to him Now to come to the last verse He sets downe the last end of his praying That the name of the Lord Iesus Christ may be glorified in you and ye in him Then the cheefe respect he hes in praying is not their glory but Godsâ— glory Howbeit he would haue the Thessalonians to be saued yet that is not his last end but al their saluation is that God may be glorified in them The end of his praying is that God may be glorified in them because our glory should rend to the glory of God Now mark one rule in praying When we pray for life either to our selues or to others let not our mindes be so much set on our and their glorie and saluation as God 's ' gglory cheefly to bee requyred in our praier that the God of glory may be glorified and say Lord I seeke glory and saluation that in my glorifying and saluation thou mayest be glorified and so let euer that glory of God be more pretious and deare to vs nor all the glorie and life can come to vs. And they that gets grace to pray this waies they may be assured they shall be glorified for euer So renounce all Heauen it self our joy our glory and our inheritance in Heauen to the end that he to whom all glory pertaines may be glorified This did Moses and Paul they craued to be â—â—athema that God might be glorified And this should be the desire of euery man seeke if it were thy owne condemnation rather ere God who created thee be not glorified prefer Gods glory to thy owne saluation Lord giue vs this zeale to his glorie What shall the end be Trowest thou to lose any thing by so doing No looke what God saies to Moses Exod. 32. chap. 33. verse when Moses desired to be scraped out of the booke of life No the Lord sayes Moses thou who so earnestly desired my glory I will glorifie thee and will scrape them out that deserues to be scraped out Then the way to come to life eternall is to renounce thy self to seek onely that thy God may be glorified O the joy that is in the hart when we find that zeale that we can prefer Gods glory to our own saluation That joy surpasses all joy that euer was He addes to another thing to this He saies That he may be glorified in you and ye in him Learne there is no peece of glorie that Christ gets but it redounds to his elect Is he glorified in thee that same glory commes back againe to thee and glorifies thee I shall tell you how it stands First thy lyfe and glory that ye call euerlasting lyfe is nothing but a faire glance that strikes from the glorious face of Iesus Christ as ye see the Sunne shining on a man makes him to shine So thy glory and lyfe is as a verie glance 〈…〉 that strikes from the glorious countenance of Christ as the glance of the Sun striking on a black body makes that body glance ô much more will the beames of the face of Christ beating on thee make thee to shine What was the shining of the face of Moses that made the people afraied but a glance of the face of God Then when the glory of God hes first shined on vs we shine and then our shining again with a reflex goes back to that Son of righteousnesse it came from and he of new shineâ— againe on vs in a fairer shining nor before Now in this mutuall reflex and shining yea
earth that the Church of God could not stand one day except the Lord did cast in impediments in the way of the deuil and wickedmen to hold them off And so all the glorie of the standing of the Church in the earth is to be ascriued to that God that holdes off and shall hold off by his prouidence â—ill they will they the deuill wicked men from their wicked interpryses and the Lord forbid the Antichrist should preuaile for if he preuaile assure thy selfe if thou stand steedfast in the faith thy bloud shall pay for it for of all Tygers in the earth he is the most bloud-thirstie Now the wordes following telles wherefore these in pediments are casten in That he should be reveiled in his ovvne tyme As he would say his tyme is not yet come that article of tyme God hes appointed and decreed from all eternitie he should be reueiled in is not yet come Brethren this is true and al the Scripture makes it manifest The Lord from all eternitie hes appointed tymes opportunities houres moments when euerything should be done that falles out in this world euery action hes the owne moment prescriued to it be it good or bad The Lord hes written the houre of it in his booke when it should be done Now ye see by experience the deuill euer seekes to preuent the tyme yea the best of vs all when the Lord hes appointed a time to our deliuerance or to doe anything cannot byde that tyme but are euer freatting and fuming Therefore the Lord castes in stayes both to the deuill and to men on earth When they are running forwarde he will cast in a stay and thou must stand there and thou must stand vntil that same tyme and article come that he hes appointed and it shall not ly in the power of the deuill and of all the earth to preuent that tyme. Now to come to the next verse There are two things concerning the Antichrist The first his comming in the world The second his reueiling after his comming There is a difference betweene these two His comming to the height and his reuelation As concerning his comming to his height it might haue bene asked by the Thessalonians Is he come yet we vnderstand by thy speaking he is not reueiled yet but is he come yet He answeres Euen novv the misterie of iniquitie is in doing shortlie the meaning is The Antichrist the Antichristianisme false religion Heretical doctrine is come alreadie albeit it be not reueiled and come to the hight He calles Antichristanisme iniquitie for of all iniquitie false doctrine is the greatest iniquity and of all sinners on the earth a false teacher and deceiuer of the people of God is the greatest sinner Therefore he is called the man of sinne a man addicted to sinne as a slaue to his master Further he calles it the misterie of iniquitie It is called a misterie because it came not to the light at the first but lay vp hid in a misterie It was not knowne not detected in the owne cullour nor came not to an height that men might know it Then marke ye see the Antichrist and Antichristianisme that is false religion beganne verie soone Euen novv there are many Antichrists sayes Iohn 1. Epist 4. chap 3. vers It beganne in Pauls and the Apostles dayes It was conserued as it were in the mothers bellie in those dayes but it lay long and many yeeres hid vp in a misterie and it lay long time lurking in Rome and in the Church thereof and then at last broke vp there the great Antichrist It lay so hid vp not comming to the perfection to the yeere of the Lord six hundreth and three yeeres and then it was broght to a great maturitie and perfection by Phocas the Emperour and Pope Bonifacius the third It layth the mothers wombe getting forme and grouth ere it came to the reuelation so the Antichrist is an olde childe Mark it there are many misteries in the world and among all the rest there is a mistery of sin as there is a mistery of godlinesse 1. Tim. 3. chap. 16. verse so there is a mistery of vngodlinesse and sin lyes very long hid ere it break out and appeare in the owne cullor in any person Alas thy sin will ly long hid as it were clocked vnder a clock in thee ere it come to an height for sin is a deceyuing thing but at last it will bud out in spyte of thy teeth And to speake of this sinne of false doctrine in particulare It lay hid many yeeres ere men knew of it No question in the dayes of the olde fathers Chrysâ—stome Augustine and the rest of them many corruptions broke in which they saw not because they lay hid vp in a misterie so that they could not see them vntill it hes pleased the Lord now to reueile them Wonder not that the doctors reproued not this Heresie and that Heresie no sin lyes hid vp wonderfully The greatest sin will ly hid vp vnder the greatest holinesse Then in the end of the verse he returnes againe to the impediment and he speaks two thinges of it First how long it shal lust and then what shal follow from once it shal be â—aine away to wiâ— that man of sin shall be reueiled Now to the words ye layes He that vvithholds shall let till he be taken out of the vvay that is to say the Romane Emperor for he speaks of the succession of Emperours as of one man because there was one kingdome to wit the Romane Empyre as before he spoke of the Antichrist He shall withhold that head of the Romane beast from using vnto the time he be taken away Then what time shall he be taken out of the way Euen at that article the Lord hes appointed then the Lord suffred him to be taken out of the way Who took him one out of the way Mahomet with his 〈…〉 the 〈◊〉 and Turks in the East wer the first subuerted the Romane Empyre and then Boniface and his successours ouerthrewit in the West Mark this When as the point of time prescriued by the Lord to things to be done commes then all impediments that hold back that thing if it were the Empyre of all the world shall be put out of the way and shall haue no standing but will vanish away By the contrare before that point of time come I shal mak one stray stay a man one word shal hold him the least thing in the world shall hinder him were he raging neuer so fast To let you see that al goes by the effectuall working and dispensation of God that workes all Iâ—standis not in this man or that man albeit he were an Emperour or Monareli but onely in God who hes appointed a tyme to euery thing that all glory may be giuen him That men say not I did this or that No it is the Lord that from time to time hes wrought it Ye will see some times a
let the tongue be quyet and the hand be doing And how should they worke quyetly An idle bodie and a bodie well exercised workes both but differently the idle bodie workes with a noyse so that he troubles himselfe and others also all the world is troubled by his working but a man in a lawfull calling how workes he quyetly without troubling either of himselfe or others and he is the man that hes rest both in himselfe and vvith his neighbours about him Paul 1. Thessa 4. 11. sayes Sâ—ryue to be quyet then he subjoynes the way to doe your ovvne affaires for if ye be busie bodies vnquyet will your lyfe be This for the first The next that followes this charge is Eare your ovvne bread Who is he that does this The man or woman that labours in his calling with a quyetnesse this person liues on his owne winning As for a busie bodie looke his vauntage when he hes wearied himselfe in vanitie he gets not so much vauntage as a morsell of breade no not an inche of breade he may well eate and drinke and sleepe yet all is accursed and his eating is by violence and reafe he hes not an allowance in the Lords count-count-booke and in that day he shall be challenged for reafe and violent opression Prouerb 5. 15. Drinke sayes he of the vvater â—f thy ovvne cisterne and of the riuers out of the midst of thy ovvne fountaine Brethren there is the first law of equitie If a man would liue justlie towards his neighbor let him be as little burdensome to him as he may and let him eate and drinke of his owne labour Now I go forward to the next verse Hauing in the verse going before spoken to idle bodies here he turnes him to them that liued ordinatly in their owne calling and requyres an higher duetie of them Ye brethren that labours quyetly vvearie not in vvell doing I requyre more of you that ye eate not onely your owne bread but also that ye giue peeces about you yea as some expones giue some-thing to the bodies before they perishe support their necessitie and in the meane-tyme exhorte and stirre them vp to worke In that place of the Prouerbes when he hes said Drinke of thy ovvne cisterne he subjoynes let thy fountaines runne out to others that is help others let thy liberality be extended to others I shew the first Law of equitie was that men should be as little burdensome to anie as they might The next is when he eates his owne breade and sees the want of others to giue peeces of his owne about him and to helpe the necessitie of others I thinke that man happy that can doe these two thinges that is an happie man that deuoures not all himselfe but vouchafes a part of his winning vpon others The last day I shew to you Ephes 4. 28. He that stole let him steale nâ— more but let him vvorke vvith his ovvne hand that he may haue to imparte vnto others not to liue himselfe onely thereon that is not eneugh there is more requyred for he is the true Christian man who labours to feede both himselfe and others also that are in necessitie Now brethren to insist heere vvearie not sayes he be not sluggishe relent not grow not colde in wel-doing The Apostle would meane that howbeit matter and occasion be offered to vs that would doe well through the ingratitude and vnworthinesse of men not to doe a good turne to them not to giue them so much as a morsell of meate yet we should striue against the sluggishnesse coldnesse ingratitude and indignitie of men and ay be doing good It is hard to do well the dayes are euil yea they were neuer worse and he who would do wel must buy it with the preciousest and best thing that he hes in this world there are so many thinges to hinder and coole him to doe well The ingratitude and vnworthinesse of men to whom he hes done well will meete him so that if he will looke to these he needes not to prease to doe well any farther But this should be the rule of our doinges Let vs not looke so much to the deserning of men at our hands to their vnworthinesse as to the wil of God remember what it becommes thee to doe being the sonne of such a father who willes thee to wearie and paine thy selfe in beneficency and well doing towarde ingrate men awaiting on his will for the Lord shal reward thee sufficiently in the end albeit for all thy well doing thou get not somuch as a good word Rest then on God and in thy well doing lift thy eyes to him and await for that rich rewarde when that glory shall be reueiled in that great day I go to the next verse The next precept concernes stubborne men obstinate and disobedient men that will not obey the word of God The thing commanded concerning them is Note theÌ„ abstain from their company excommunicate them put them from the society of the godlie exclude them out of the Church of God First in this verse we haue their disobedience next the punishment that should be enjoined to them I wil not speak largely of excommunication but onely so much as serues for the meaning of the text As to their disobedience we haue first against what thing it is What is it they disobey They that obeyes not our saying This disobedience is against the doctrin of the Apostle Paul so consequently against God himself and his word the word of the Apostles is the word of God Let not men extenuate their disobedience because as they say it is against a man a minister I say to thee if that man be sent of God with his word in his mouth that disobedience done against him is done against God and he who is a rebel to the word is a rebell to God Now where is this saying contained He sayes in this letter This saying is coâ—â—ained-in this same Epistle written to you Thessalonians by me Paul Syluanus and Timotheus It is alike to be disobedient to the writ as to the word of the Apostle as great disobedience it is that is against the writ of the Apostle as if ye disobeyed the same Apostle supponing he were aliue and disobedience against the writ and speaking of the Apostle is disobedience against Gods owne voice Therefore count of the Scripture highly They haue sayes Abraham to the rich-glutton in torment Luke 16. 29. 30. 31. Moses and the Prophets and if they vvill not heare Moses thogh one shold be raised againe from dead they vvould not beleue him Some wil say If the Lord would speake to me by Angels out of Heauen as he did oft-tymes of olde then I would beleeue But that is but foly if thou beleeue not this same word left in writ by the Prophets and Apostles if all the Angels would come out of Heauen and speake to thee thou would not beleeue them Now marke the nature of this disobedience It
stampe that is with such a Majestie in speaking with such gratiousnesse and spiritualnesse both in words and matter that they that hes a spirituall eye to discerne betweene light and darknesse will take it vp to be of God I pray you tell me how was the olde Scripture tane vp to be of God The Papist will say because the Church said it they were of God Is that all the warrand And who told the Church If the olde and new Scripture bare not the markes of the Spirit in themselues the Church had neuer tane them vp to be of God So the marke of the Scripture is that stampe of the Spirit that Majestie in such a simplicitie of wordes that gratiousnesse and power which shows both in the wordes and matter these things telles vs they are not mans writs for mens writtes hes not the gratiousnesse and power that is in the Scripture Brethren this marke of Pauls subscription is away albeit we haue the Epistle but a better marke bydes the stampe of the Lord bydes and this telles that it is the Scripture of God and Pauls writing Now followes the saluation The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be vvith you all I see the affection of the man in the end of his writ is powred out on this Church of Thessalonica and when he takes his leaue he burstes out in frequent prayer and al his praier is for heauenly and spirituall thinges Then first we learne we must not euer bide al together and we cannot haue euer conference either by word or writ But how is our sundring recompensed To wit with greatnesse of affection let thy loue grow And how shalt thou vtter it In prayer to God for them with whom thou may not dwell affection is nothing worth without praier And what should we pray for Especially for heauenlie things Pray for heauenly peace for the presence of Iesus Christ and that the grace of Christ may be with him Pray also for things earthly but so that they may further him to heauenlie thinges And I say the man that cannot pray for heauenly things cannot pray truely for earthly thinges Dare thou pray if thou seeke not first the kingdome of Heauen no thou cannot pray if it were for thy dinner except thou pray first for the kingdome of God Now the next word is grace that is free fauour of God I reade not of such a commendation of any people as of these Thessalonians He commended them in both these Epistles from their faith hope loue and all the dueties of loue Yet he sayes not The Lord render you a rewarde for your merite but he sayes grace be vvith you This is contrare to all merite Read the 2. Timo. 1 16. there ye will finde a very notable exemple to this purpose There he sayes Onesiphorus vvas very beneficiall to me he oft refreshed me he thought no shame of my bondes he sought 〈◊〉 Rome very diligently How should he be requyted for this He sayes The Lord grant that Onesiphorus may finde mercy vvith the Lord at that day He is but a miserable man when he hes done all this And therefore this shall be my prayer for him for it will not be his merite that will do him good but it is the free grace and fauour of God O foole all thy merites shall stinke in that great day and then thou shalt see what free grace shall do for in that day none shall stand but such as stands by free grace Now whose grace is it he prayes for It is Iesus Christs No there is no grace but Christs grace How is it the Lord Iesus Christs He hes boght of the hand of the Father all grace al gifts of the holy Spirit all glorie in Heauen and earth with a pryce euen the pryce of his precious bloude And therefore the Father hes giuen him all So there is no sparke of grace giuen to any creature but it must come through Christ his hand euen the hand of the man Iesus All righteousnesse sanctification and glorie must come from him he must be the giuer thereof Therefore it is said he gaue gifts to men Ephes 4. 8. The Father giues no graces immediatly but all are giuen through the hand of Iesus Christ Therefore let vs haue recourse to this Lord of grace and seeke not to the Father without him but seek all from the Father in him Now how far should this grace extend Euen as Iesus Christ is an head that extends himselfe to al so the grace that commes from him is sufficient for all it is sufficient if it were for a thousand yea infinite worlds Rom. 5. 15. The Heauens are not capable of the greatnes of the grace of Iesus Christ Greatnes of the grace of Christ so that if there were a thousand worlds there is sufficiency of grace in him for them all There is no inlack in him but the inlack is in thy narrow hart it is capable but of a very small portion Learne here then by the exemple of Paul that we should not haue narrow harts to wish this grace to a few but we should wish it to be giuen to all Looke what he sayes of himselfe 2. Cor. 6. 11. My meuth sayes he hes bene vvyde open vnto you my hart is dilated ye dvvell not narrovvly in my hart So all men should haue an open and a dilated hart in wishing grace spare not to be liberall in wishing fill thy hart and mouth with his grace and 〈…〉 with liberalnesse to others seeke that grace of Iesus to all that if it were possible all the world might be saued For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Sauiour vvho vvill that all men shall be saued and come vnto the acknovvledging of the trueth 1. Tim. 2. chap. 3. 4. vers Yet the Lord hes his owne and so many as he hes written in his booke shall be saued Therefore thou should seeke all the warrands thou can to assure thee that thou art Iesus Christs fore-ordeinde to lyfe euerlasting for if thou be of the number of the elect the grace of Christ shall extend to thee and thou shalt haue glorie with him for euer To this Iesus be all praise honour and dominion for euer and euer AMEN FINIS