Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A02036
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Pauls crovvne of reioycing. Or The maner how to heare the word with profit. By Thomas Granger preacher of the word at Botterwike in Holland, neere Boston in Lincolnshire; Pauls crowne of rejoycing.
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Granger, Thomas, b. 1578.
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1616
(1616)
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STC 12182; ESTC S114984
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43,435
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71
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PAVLS CROVVNE OF REIOYCING OR The manner how to heare the Word with profit By THOMAS GRANGER preacher of the word at Botterwike in Holland neere Boston in Lincolnshire IAMES 1. 12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tried hee shall receiue the Crowne of life which the Lord hath promised to them that loue him LONDON Printed by T. S. for Thomas Pauier and are to be sold at his shop in Yuie lane 1616. TO THE WORSHIPFVL and vertuous Lady the Lady IOAN ALTHAM temporall happinesse and eternall blessednesse GOOD MADAME MAY it please your Ladyship to accept this small treatise of the right hearing of the word Small it is not in respect of the subiect for to be a good hearer is no lesse excellent a gift of grace then to be a good speaker but in respect of the forme phrase and manner of handling thereof wherein I haue fashioned my selfe to the capacitie of vulgar ignorant people euen such like as by Gods prouidence I haue heene called vnto who are fitter for milke then strong meates Yet whatsoeuer it is such it shall be as your Ladiship shall accept it and to speake ingeniously without flatterie which J euer hated your amiable disposition to Vertue Piety in your yong age as I well obserued when heretofore I liued at the house of the good Knight Sir Iohn Leuenthorp your father and my often remembrance thereof vpon occasions and now vpon this occasion also as also the singular duty that I owe to your ancient and truly honoured familie and to you in speciall haue moued me and made me the bolder to offer this vnworthy Present vnto you desiring you to accept it only as a token of a thankfull minde and sincere affection which remaine euer disposed to the performance of any seruice wherein your Ladiship by me may be pleasured Your Ladiships in all dutie to command THOMAS GRANGER From Botterwike in Holland neere Boston in Lincolnshire 1616. PAVLS CROVVNE OF Reioycing 1 THES 2. 13. For this cause also thanke we God without ceasing that when yee receiued of vs the word of the preaching of God yee receiued it not as the word of men but as it is indeed the word of God which also worketh in you that beleeue IN the former Chapter at the second verse the Apostle beginneth a congratulation whereby he reioyceth in the behalfe of the Thessalonians for their effectuall faith diligentloue and patience in persecution wherein they excelled as they became ensamples to all the faithfull in Macedonia and Achaia Now in this second Chapter from the first verse to the 13. he maketh a digression wherin he laboreth to confirme them in this effectuall and fruitfull faith and that by an argument drawne from his true Apostleship which by three principall reasons hee prooueth and approueth vnto them 1. By his entrance in vnto them which was not in outward shew and pompe but in trauaile and in the feare of God vers 1. 2. 2. By his preaching which was not by insincerity that is false and corrupt doctrine impure affections and guile but wherein he approueth himselfe to God vers 3. 4. 3. By his intire loue and affection towards them in that hee vsed no flattery coloured couetousnesse or vaine-glory but was gentle among them as a nurse cherisheth her children vers 5. 6. 7. Now this his sincere loue and affection hee demonstrateth by the effects and tokens thereof which doe testifie the sincerity and simplicity of his heart 1. Effect or token was his readinesse to deale not onely the Gospell vnto them but euen his owne soule vers 8. 2. Was his labour and trauell because he would not be chargeable vnto them whereof they had experience vers 9. 3. Was his holy godly and righteous conuersation among them vers 10. 4. His faithfulnesse in executing his office for their good in exhorting them comforting them and intreating them as a father his children to walke according to their reall calling vers 11. 12. Now taking occasion at these duties of his ministery namely his exhorting of them his comforting of them and beseeching of them he returneth to his former gratulation in the 13 and 14 verses wherein hee also reioyceth in their behalfe because they receiued the word not as his word but as the word of God that sent him whereof this was a manifest token euen their conuersion their faith and obedience and daily increase therein In this gratulation two things are to be considered the Manner and the Matter First concerning the manner or forme thereof it is expounded by way of thankesgiuing to God the author of this harmony concord betweene him the Pastour teaching them from God and them his stocke receiuing his doctrine as from God In that hee expounds his gratulation by way of thanksgiuing he teacheth them two things first that his preaching labour industrie and gifts wrought not this faith and obedience in them but God by his spirit inwardly and by his Ministery outwardly 1 Cor. 3. 5. 6. Who is Paul who Apollos but Ministers by whom ye beleeued as God hath giuen to euery man Ego plantaui Apollos rigauit c. The Apostle therefore considering how apt we are of our selues to attribute too much to the meanes and to insist on the second cause reuoketh them to God the principall cause that hee alone may be praised and glorified for all thiugs and in all things 2. He teacheth them hereby that their faith is not of themselues but of God and that thereof both he and they by his example ought to glorifie God in giuing him thanks for this grace Againe whereas he giueth thanks without ceasing he first sheweth his faithfulnes his loue earnest desire that hee had of their conuersion and now his great reioycing in their conuersion which two things are euident tokens of a true Apostle great thankes and continuall thankes you know do presuppose a great good turne and such a benefit that one acknowledgeth himselfe euer the better for so the Apostle preferres here this benefit euen the blessing of his Ministery in their faith and obedience before the cheifest earthly blessing and in the 19. verse hee saith they were his hope his ioy and crowne of reioycing Likewise in Phil. 4. 1. he calls them his beloued his longed for his ioy and his crowne 2. Whereas he giueth thankes without ceasing he doth put them in minde exhort and warne them to be continually thankefull for this endlesse loue mercy and grace of God in calling them out of darkenesse into his meruailous light Such a benefit as this whereby we doe not onely escape death but obtaine eternall life ought we alwaies to remember and by all meanes to manifest our thankfulnesse for the same both heart mouth and hand ought to be enlarged euer to praise and thanke him by thought word and deede otherwise if wee be not for euer thankefull for this endlesse benefit we may iustly prouoke the Lord to
world which you doe call wise sensible men are ledde by their sense and worldly craft to the Deuills Larder-house And as the Apostle sayes when they thinke themselues to be wise they become very fooles I haue spoken thus boldly vnto you because I take you to be my friend for I am sure that I am yours if you any way doubt of it try mee in any thing wherein I can pleasure you onely let mee intreat you to consider well of this point that you and I haue thus reasoned of I haue a good hope that howsoeuer you haue beene misledde a long time all the Angells in Heauen shall reioyce in your conuersion And I doe like you a great deale the better because you haue not left mee and gone away from mee in a chase especiallie being that I haue dealt so plainely with you as I haue done Mataeolog I can tell you if you had spoken so to some of our towne they would sit on your skirts while they liued Eulalus Like enough for it is the property of flesh and bloud to be reuengefull but the Apostle teacheth vs another lesson Auenge not your selues I will repay saith the Lord My skirts are as well able to beare a Feather as it is to sit on them I trust that so long as I giue them no other occasion then I haue done they shall haue no fast sitting for the Lord will not leaue them that feare him in their enemies hands The Lord grant that I may see some fruits of this conference in you at our next meeting By this short Dialogue it appeareth how the word of GOD is most commonly and generally heard and receiued yea euen of all that are not sanctified For they doe either altogether heare it as the word of man or at least when it is particularly applied for their conuersion and reformation then begin they euer to seeke out arguments for the Sophister the Father of lyes is at hand for their hard hearts for their lustfull liuing for the saluing of an euill and corrupt conscience drawne from the person of the Minister yea and to seeke out another shepheard some that Satan hath pickt in at the window whom they may obiect against him who if hee be a good Scholler politicke and crafty for his owne aduantage and of Gentleman-like fashion then is hee and such like to be preferred before their owne Minister and such like without all compare And indeede to say the truth there is no more comparison betweene them then betweene Paul and the learned preachers that so flourisht at Corinth A foole will seeke out excuses for his foolishnes Wherefore seeing that this is the fourth and highest degree of Faith whereby a man euen steps vp into heauen the Apostle and all faithfull Shepheards haue great cause of reioycing as the Angells in Heauen also haue and of thanksgiuing without ceasing when any man heareth the word not as theirs but as Gods seeing that they alone and none but they doe heare know and follow Christ their chiefe shepheard This then is the condemnation of the world that they heare indeede but with vnbeleeuing hearts doubting and wauering minds and in a dreaming and slumbering manner being like to Salomons sluggard Prouerbs 6. 10. Yet a little sleepe a little slumber a little foulding of the hands to sleepe the weather is colde there is a Beare or a Lyon in the way It is yet early enough there is no time yet ouerpast many labour and trauell hauing no rest night nor day yet doe they liue and die in pouerty many lye and sleepe yet wealth commeth on them vnlooked for That which will be will be It is but euen happen good haue good one good fortune or other will befall mee I shall doe as well as I can and as others haue done before mee And thus doth slothfulnesse get the vpper hand and hold possession still till at the length pouerty come sodenly and necessity like an armed man This is the common practise of dead hearted and worldly minded men they are continually called vpon iogged and rouzed yet they heare and heare not like dreamers and are possest with the spirit of slumber Their hearts are fixed and affections set on the earth and earthly things euen as the tree is fixed and rooted in the earth They loue to lye and liue securely in sinne being drunken with the profits pleasures delights pompe and pride of this world hauing no affection nor fancy to God and godly things being adulterers adulteresses and fornicators of this world altogether vnlike and contrary to the spouse of Christ in the Canticles Hence it is that they imagine and reason in themselues like the sluggard yet a little more pleasure in sinne a little more solace and delight in fleshly lusts a little longer space of liuing after the pleasant conceits and imaginations of mine owne heart there is yet no time ouer-past I shall repent and amend in my latter dayes God is mercifull and will not so strictly deale with vs as these precise Preachers doe beare vs in hand that would haue vs to be ruled and ordered by their phantasticall imaginations they would haue they know not what and for ought we see they are as ill as others This precise kinde of preaching is come vp but of late yeares and I thinke there were as good Christians before as euer there haue beene since These and a thousand such like follies doe they imagine and vtter tending all to the blinding and hardning of themselues in their sinfull and rebellious courses That which a man hath a speciall loue liking and inclination to of himselfe hee may soone be perswaded vnto by another for any reason though neuer so weake and seely feedeth him and confirmeth him whereas the strongest disswasions that may be shall preuaile little or nothing or but for the time present Againe on the contrary if a man out of his owne heart and iudgement haue no liking nor inclination though hee be neuer so earnestly set vpon and by most sound and strong reasons be disswaded by another yet can hee be little moued or stirred but euer returneth backe againe to his former dislikes like the heauy stone that being rouled by great strength vpward doth of it selfe retire backe againe so soone as we hold off our hands Thus it is with obstinate sinners whose hearts are heauy and stony the strongest reasons that may be though neuer so plaine and euident yea the very bare word of the text being the immediate word of God can preuaile little or nothing with them they are so strongly possest with contrary imaginations lusts and desires but on the contrary any weake silly and foolish reason any ignorant speech groundlesse opinion feedeth them and confirmeth them in their sinfull courses Any thing will perswade the sluggard to be idle so any thing will mooue the sinner to spirituall idlenesse And thus will those drunken and sleepy sinners doe till death summon them to iudgement