in this world do oppresse the good and godly and doe make them liue in exile and banishment by persecutions should suffer the same thinges themselues in time to come which they do to others and that they should be in rest with other saints who coÌ„ming out of great tribulation shal receiue an eternal kingdom Thus the Apostle toucheth the vengeance of god against the reprobate to teach them that the faithfull doe rest in the expectation of the iudgment to come because God doth not as yet take vengeance on the euil who notwithstanding must needes suffer the punishment of their wickednesse Withall notwithstanding the faithfull doe vnderstand that there is no cause why they should enuy the momentany and transitory felicitie of the wicked which soone after shal be changed turned into horrible and most fearful distruction 7 And to you which are troubled rest with vs when the Lorde Iesus shal shew himselfe from heauen with his mightie angels As it is agreeing with the iustice of God to repay vnto wicked and vngodly men condigne punishments so also it is agreeing with the same Iustice to giue vnto godly and righteous men the rest and consolation of eternal life Great therfore shal be the miserie and vnhappines of al the wicked and most excellent shal be the feliâ—â—â—ie and blessednes of the godly The Aâ—ostle hath opposed rest against the tormeÌ„t â—f tribulation in the which the godly are â—xercised in this world without intermission For wheÌ„ we shal depart from this life all labour and sorrow shal cease and rest ioy shall follow in steed thereof Apoc. 21.4 For God shall wipe away al teares from the eyes of his saints This then agreeth with the senteÌ„ce of Peter where he calleth the day of the last iudgment the day of rest Notwithstanding in this declaration of the good and of the euil the purpose of the Apostle was to expresse more plainly how preposterous vniust the gouerment of the world should be if God did not defer the punishments rewards vntil another iudgment Hereunto also tendeth that which was said vnto Diues Luk. 16.25 Sonne remember that thou in thy life past enioyedst thy pleasure but contrariwise Lazarus enioyed paine but now is he coÌ„forted and thou art tormented The Apostle addeth With vs. That he might bring the more credit to his doctrine by the sence feeling of his owne faith For he sheweth that he doth not speake of vnknowne things when as he placeth him selfe with them in the same cause and condition And we knowe that they doe deserue to be best regarded which are exercised by longe practise in those things which they teach and doe require nothing of others but that they be ready to proue and try Therefore the Apostle doth not commaund the Thessalonians to fight as it were in a shadow but fighting valiantly him selfe he exhorteth them to the same warre and fight When the Lorde Iesus shall shewe him selfe This is a figure called Occupatio or preuention which the Apostle vseth that the Thessalonians might not be carefull concerning the time wherein the wicked persecutors shal be afflicted with punishments and the godly which are afflicted shall receiue rest The time shal be the comming of Christ to iudgment or the time of iudgment For the Lord shall come a iudge but from whence From Heauen That is to say from the habitacle of God which is perpetuall wherein is the glorie of the inuisible God and the light whereunto no man can attaine seeing it is a spirituall firmament in the which dwelleth sempeternall righteousnesse From thence therefore doe we look for our Lord sauiour Iesus Christ who shall chang our vile bodie that it may be like to his most glorious body Philip. 3.21 But this Iudgment shal not be before the consummatioÌ„ of al things For til that consuÌ„mation be the Lord Iesus shall not be reuealed from heauen as appeareth by many testimonies of Scriptures For because one shall iudge all it must needes be in that last iudgment which shal be in the end of the world where he shall repay to euery one according to his deedes Christ therfore will shut vp and reserue the times of this present world against the time of his iudgment in the latter day But when this iudgment shal be it is vncertaine Wherfore the Lord Iesus himselfe doth testifie that the moments of times of this iudgement and of the glorie of Christ to come ought not to be curiously searched for neither yet that they can be knowne aforehand Act. 1.7 It is not saith he for you to know the times and seasons which the father hath reserued to himselfe And in another place Mar. 13.32 Concerning that day and houre knoweth no man neither the Angels which are in heauen nor the Sonne but the father onely And the Apostle saith 1. Thes 5.2 2. Pet. 3.10 That the day of the Lord shall come as a theefe in the night And yet for all this some foolish men haue gone about of late time to prognosticate of this day yea and almost of the very houre of the day With his mightie Angels These words do describe and set foorth the forme and manner of the comming of Christ to iudgment As if he should say the most righteous iudge shall not now any more come from heauen in humilitie and contempt as he did at his first comming in our flesh but inuironed with an Angelical bande For it is written Thousand thousands ministred vnto him Dan. 7.10 ten thousaÌ„d thousaÌ„ds stood before him As therfore a puisant and mightie King hauing a huge hoast of picte and chosen men marcheth forward against his enimie euen so the Lord Iesus himselfe shall vse the ministerie of Angels in suppressing and vanquishing the wicked and in deliuering the godly And for this cause the Apostle calleth them mightie Angels because by them and in their ministerie the Lord wil shew foorth his power and might Whose force no creature is able to resist whose iudgment must necessarily of all men be endured and by whose sentence the wicked shal be assuredly condemned and eternally punished 8 With a flame of fire rendering vengeance vnto them who haue not knowen God and which obey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ The present description of the iudgment tendeth to this end that the Godly may vnderstand that by how much the more feareful the iudgment is which remaineth for their enemies by so much more the Lord hath a care of their afflictions For this is the chiefe cause of our greefe and sorrow that we thinke that God doth slightly ouerpasse our miseries We doe see into what complaints Dauid bursteth foorth now and then Psal 37.2 when he fretteth at the pride and insolencie of his enimies Therefore the Apostle hath vttered all this here for the consolation of the faithfull that he discribeth the tribunall and iudgment of Christ to be full of
fourth Chapter he calleth them false Prophets and teacheth men how to know the spirit of Antichrist namely thus He that denieth Iesus to be Christ He that denieth Iesus Christ to be come in the flesh That is to say he that derogateth any thing from the honor of Iesus to bee Christ and in his fleshe to haue performed the full worke of mans redemption as the Pope doth most blasphemously he is Antichrist and who so teacheth any such doctrine speaketh by the spirite of Antichrist Furthermore this kingdome of abhomination is described to vs vnder the person of one because the kingdom is one how soeuer they successiuely succeede one another Whereupon Saint Augustine saith August lib. 20. de ciuit Dei cap. 19 Antichrist shall come towarde the ending of the Romaine Empire and hee shall not be a prince or one man alone but a multitude of men are belonging vnto him who together with him shal be called Antichrist and he shall sitte in the temple of God as though he and his were the Church of God it selfe And in an other place Idem lib. de Antichristo He shal renue idolatrie he shal scater the doctrine of the Gospell and to this end he shal keepe Magicians coniurers and enchauÌ„ters c. Now euery one knoweth the fals miracles wherwith he hath abused the people to lead them away from Christ And he that will see how many of the Popes came to their Popedome by magicke and sorcery let him reade that which their owne storie writers haue written therof as Cardinal Benno Peter the monk Volateran Sabel licus Platina Thus then we see the Antichrist is not one man alone which must come at one instant of time but is an estate seat and succession of men an Empire lifted vp against Iesus Christ And for this cause he is called Antichrist that is to say contrarie to Christ the mediator and not simplely against God For as he is called Antistrategos not only which setteth him selfe against his captaine but also which taketh vpon him the place authority of the captaine being in deed but a base souldier euen so he is Antichrist which is an aduersary and yet taketh vpon him to be the vicar of Christ The Apostle also in this Epistle calleth him The man of sin Because he is both sin and a sinner and an occasion to others to sin and which maketh others yea infinit numbers to sinne He calleth him also The sonne of Perdition Whereby he meaneth that Antichrist is not onely of himselfe euill wicked sinfull prophane far from all goodnes and so the sonne of euerlasting perdition but also a deceiuer to the faith manners of an innumerable sort an offence so the author and cause of their perditioÌ„ whom he seduceth from the way of truth and of righteousnes For he is in all things contrary to Christ In priuate personal wickednesses he is hurtful to himselfe onely sauing that he is enforced through his owne wickednesse to be hurtfull to others also Therfore we must know the Antichrist is a certaine publike mischiefe and pestilent ctoÌ„agion that doth inuade and raigne in the Church of God 4 Which is an aduersary and exalteth himselfe against al that is called God or that is worshipped so that he doth sit as God in the temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God In these words the Apostle Paul doth paint forth vnto vs as in a table The qualities of Antichrist the liuely Image of Antichrist in his qualities By which woordes wee may also gather what his kingdome is and in what things it doth consist Hee attributeth to Antichrist three vices especially namely To be an aduersarie vnto God and his diuine doctrine Not to be coÌ„tented with the true worship of God And to be proud to rule ouer faith as if he were some God For as the kingdome of Christ is spirituall so this tyranny must needes bee ouer mens soules that hee may bee contrary to the kingdome of Christ Therefore that thou maiest the better knowe Antichrist set Christ ouer against him For he is an aduersary vnto Christ vnder whose tyrannie execrable dominion they doe liue which despising the simplicitie and trueth of the Gospell of Christ may giue credit to wicked and diuelish delusions Such are they that deny remission of sinnes to such as repent which ascribe saluation to their gooâ— works which haue falsely forged the meâ— sins are â—purged with purgatory fire whiâ—â— disgrace the authority of the scripture whicâ— preferre Councelles Archbishops and certaine Bishops before the canonicall scripture which take libertie to them selues to adde to or to subtract from the worde of God which put no difference between theologicall or diuine and philosophical sayinges which preferre an olde custome before the worde of God which boldly affirme that an assembly of Bishops is the Churche which saie that their Church caÌ„not erre which earnestly mainteine that the keyes of bynding and loosing are granted to the whole churche which build the Church vpon Peter and not vppon the rocke Christ which will haue the primacie of the Church a Lordship and not a ministerie which make their Pope a Bishop of Bishops for the mainteinaunce of tyranny which in making and appointing of Bishops require the iudgment of courtiers onelie which scorne this that all Christians are kings and priestes as from that number exempted which condemne â—he marriage of the ministers of the word 〈◊〉 it were with the Censors authoritie which doe not see that their good workes whatsoeuer without faith are sin which do not leaue the pardoning of sins to God alone and to his worde which make another manner of satisfaction in repentance then Christ himselfe hath done which doe allow that the masse is a sacrifice a iustifiing good woorke which pronounce that Christ died only for originall sinne and not for all sinnes in generall which sing dyrges for dead mens spirits which haue iudged that remission of sins is to be redeemed with buying of indulgences by going on pilgrimages which alter the institution of Christ in the Lords supper which abuse excommunications for another cause then to make the penitent sinner confesse his sinne which in matters and causes of faith quite without the reach of humane reason doe attribute a certaine strength to free will that is to the will and power of men which will not haue men iustified before God by faith only which giue great and diuine honour to pictures images of saints which defend that it is necessary for the obtayning of euerlasting life to make choise of dayes of meates which flatter themselues that they are able to fulfill the lawe of God without Christ which make a lawe concerning virginitie and single life which doe not thinke that chastitie is the gift of God which forbid oathes in causes of faith and godlinesse which torment mens consciences with humane precepts which discharge subiects of their obedience vnto
merits for the giftes of the holy Ghost are giuen vnto vs through the free grace of God only of the which we speake the more often that no man might proudly boast him selfe of the merits of his righteousnesse Cor. 4.7 For what hast thou saith Paul which thou hast not receiued Moreouer the Apostle hath very artificially comprehended the whole sūme of the Gospell in this verse namely that God hath loued mankinde and hath giuen euerlasting consolation vnto him Iesus Christ who is our hope and that he hath giuen it him through his grace and not for our merit that we liue for euer But what is the Apostles petition it followeth 17. Comfort your heartes and stablishe you in euery worde and good worke He prayeth for the Thessalonians that God so gentle and louing a father would sustaine and comfort their heartes with his consolation against all stumbling blocks and offences by which they might be brought into doubt and dispaire For it belongeth vnto him to comforte and strengthen the heartes of his faithfull seruantes that they might not faint through carefulnesse or distrust And stablish you in euery worde Then he prayeth that God would confirme them in holsome doctrine For this is the worde whereof he speaketh and not of any common worde that it may agree with that which went before And good worke This parteyneth to the whole course of a good and holy life wherein the faithfull ought to perseuere Wherefore all the duties of a Christian man are comprehended in these two partes namely that they doe abide as well in holesome doctrine as in good manners of life The which they cannot performe without the grace and helpe of our Lord Iesus Christ Who saith Iohn 15.5 Without me ye can doe nothing That is to say without my power and strength working in you And in another place it is said that we are framed by Iesus Christ vnto good workes Ephe. 2.10 which God hath prepared that we should walke in them These therefore are those good fruites which doe spring from a sanctified brest through the holy Ghost and a true faith Heb. 11.6 without the which it is not possible to please God Finally Saint Paul hath so tempered this his prayer that withall he hath prescribed what becommeth the Thessalonians namely that they giue themselues continually to all good words and good works that they doe perseuere in euery good worke but especially that they do acknowledge Christ to be the onely hope and euerlasting consolation of all the faithfull for euer CHAPTER III. 1 FVrthermore brethren pray for vs that the word of the Lord may haue free passage and be glorified euen as it is with you This is the last part of this Epistle which comprehendeth foure exhortations of the which one is the supplication of the Church the which is very necessarie and profitable For although the Lord was mightily present with the Apostle and that he did exceed al others in the feruencie of prayer yet neuerthelesse he doth not neglect the prayer of the faithfull with the which the Lorde will haue vs holpen We in like manner after his example ought alwayes to require this helpe and to stirre vp the faithfull to pray for vs. For there is nothing more auaileable with God then faithfull prayer That the worde of the Lord may haue free passage For two causes the prayer of the Church is here required of the Apostle The first is for the happie successe of the Gospel that the same being preached to other nations might be no lesse estemed then it was of the Thessalonians Therfore by these wordes Paul sheweth that he hath not so much care and consideration of him selfe as he hath of the whole Church For why doth he desire to be commended to the prayer of the Thessalonians That the doctrine of the Gospel might haue his course Therefore he would haue them to haue respect not so much to him alone as to the glorie of Christ and the common saluation of the Church And the worde of the Lord is said to haue free passage when in preaching and in doctrine it hath no let but happie successe insomuch that many beleeue it and beleeuing it doe glorifie God and are saued And be glorified He desireth that the worde of God may haue his force and efficacie to reforme men into the Image of God Therfore holines of life and integrity in christians is the beauty of the Gospell euen as they doe bring infamie and slaunder to the Gospell professing it with their mouth and liuing neuerthelesse filthylie and wickedlie Mat. 5.15 To this ende partaine the exhortations of our sauiour Christ of Peter and of others 1. Pet. 2.12 in the new Testament Euen as it is with you That is to say after the same manner forme and happie successe For this ought to be a great incouragement to the Godly that they may see all other men like to them selues in godlinesse Therefore they which are already entered into the kingdome of God are commaunded to pray daily that the same kingdome may come so farre off they ought to be from enuie when they do heare that others are come to the knowledge of the truth 2 And that we may be deliuered from vnreasonable and euill men for all men haue not faith This is the latter cause why the Apostle requireth the prayers of the faithfull The truth indeed was preached but in the meane time there sprange vp diuers scismes among them also which would seeme to be the embracers of true religion And the publike enimies of religion did both banish the truth and did also most cruelly persecute them which were maintainers of the truth neither did there want certaine hypocrites and false brethren which were worse far more pestilent thē they vnto true godlinesse For it is truly said that a counterfeit frend is much more hurtfull then an open enimie Wherefore Paul desireth to be deliuered from such For by vnreasonable and euill mē he meaneth those which vnder the name of christians lurked in the Church or else the Iewes which through a mad zeale of the law furiously persecuted the gospel For he knew how great harme was like to come by them both And this saying of the Apostle may be extended to all manner of perils For then Paul was going to Hierusalem and did write being in the middest of his iorney But it was already told him from aboue that bondes and persecutions wayted for him there Act. 20.23 From the which he doth desire to be so deliuered that he may ouercome whether it be by death or by life But now at this day the ministers of the word haue the Pope and Papistes for their principall aduersaries which are in dede vnreasonable and euill men which doe hinder the course of the doctrine of the Gospell with their accusations and doe destroy so much as lieth in them the fruit glorie of the word of God preached