painfulnesse And when not in the day onely but in the night also and with what instruments Euen with my ovvn hands besides my preaching The end of all was that I should not be greuous and chargeable to any man Now of Pauls working read Acts 18. 3. He was a tent-maker and besides the teaching of the Gospel he vsed his handy-labour But I come to the purpose ye will see if a man walks ordinatly or inordinatly the eating of their meate will showe it for Paul taks his argument from his eating If he liues and eats his meate by his worke he liues in rule and keeps a good order but when he steps to his meate and hes not done a good turne for it he is out of rule men commonly thinks if they get meate they care not how they eate it This is a great sinne and oft-tymes an idle knaue vvill thinke that meate svveetest that hes cost him least trauaile But marke the end shall proue there was neuer meat so deare boght as that that is gotten without labour and in end it shall proue the sowrest meate that euer thou tasted for vvhat trovv ye be the pryce of this meate how is it boght no man should eate but that that is boght but what is the price of it He hes a pursse full of siluer Hes he payde the just pryce for it No there is no true price for meate but the price of labour and vvorking Labour and eate othervvise if thou shouldest die for hunger thou hast no right to eate Alas if men vnderstood the trueth concerning this thing More note here two fashions of eating One there is by working and that hes the blessing of God with it There is another sort of eating for noght eating gratis If thou workest not thou eatst for nothing Compare these together The one is lawfull and thou may eate with Gods blessing The other when thou hast beene an idle vagabound and hes done no good and yet stops to thy dinner and framples vp other mens trauels that is vnlawfull eating for the Lord sayes to thee that is an idle bodie touch not nor handle not Is there any exception of persons No no there is not a Monarch can eate his meate lawfully in a good conscience except in his calling he doe the turne the Lord hes put in his hands except he haue laboured for it in his owne calling Yet marke the words There is a giuing and a receiuing for he sayes I haue not eaten the bread giuen by any man Therefore the Apostle thought it not eneugh to eate because it was giuen him liberally except ere he eate first he had laboured for it Looke how men countes of this doing He thinkes if a man giue him meate willingly he may lawfully eate of it No it is vanitie except with the gift there be labour There is nothing vnder Heauen that will make a right to thee to eate except laboring in thy owne calling goe before for measure not the way of life by thy owne conceit but by the will and word of God and as he bids thee liue liue otherwise woe to thy life But now looke how he aggrearges his working He wrought and that with labour and trauell he wearied and pained himself that is one circumstance looke to the tyme all tymes were alike he wrought by night and by day Looke the instrumentes He wroght with his owne hands he put his owne hand to labour This is a marueilous thing if ye knew what Paul was He was a gentle-man Our gentle-men thinkes much to file their handes God forbid that my Lords son and the Lairds son file his hands with worke Paul was a Citizen in Rome a man greatly accounted of he was a Pharisie he had many worldly prerogatiues and yet he puts his hand to worke It is a shame to see so many idle vagabounds they wil pretend their nobilitie and they thinke shame to labour because they are gentlemen yet I say the cursse of God followes euer vpon such Alwayes the lesson is there is such a necessitie of working laide on euerie one for their liuing that nothing can exeeme vs. There is nothing can exeeme thee from labour no not thy bloud and kinred if thou wert a kings sonne all thy lands and rents will not exeeme thee the painfulnesse of thy labour will not exeeme thee No no time will exeeme thee when the Lord enters in count If thou cannot win thy liuing in the day then worke in the night no sort of worke will exeeme thee He will say I cannot put my hand to such a worke No put thy hand to the pleugh and lead muck creeles and goe to the vylest exercise that is rather ere thou win not thy liuing by worke Well is the man that winnes his liuing by the sweate of his browes and woe to them that liues on other mens labors Now to come to the end why he did this He sayes he labored night and day to the end he should not be chargeable to any man I draw out the generall of this It is requisite in a christian man that he be as little chargeable to others as can be possible Art thou a christian man striue that thou be not chargeable to others Is he debt-bound any way yet saye Paul spare him Burdene thy father and mother at little as thou may many knaues will not care what they waist of their fathers goods The Thessalonians were much addebted to Paul and yet he spends very little of their goods he is as little chargeable to them as he could Now the way to free them of this burdene is to worke If thou be idle thou must be a burdene for an idle man is a burdene laid to others that labors Paul Ephes 4 28. sayes Let him that stole steale no more now when he is a christian Brethren he that hes sinned let him sinne no more But what should he doe let him labour There is the remedie If thou labor not thou must be a thiefe and a throt-cutter And how shall be labor If he cannot get a liberall and honest calling let him labour with his owne hand and doe that that is good To what end That he may haue to impart to other that cannot worke So let him not labor for himselfe onely but for others And so we should not labour onely that we be not burdensome to others but also that we may be helpfull to others for we are not borne for our selues onely he giues vs not hands and feet and the rest of our members for our selues onely but for our neighbours also yea he giues vs not an hart to loue our selues onely but also to loue our neighbour All thy working if it be in respect of thy self if thou hast no respect to thy poore brother thou shalt get no reward at all for it Now I come to the verse following The Thessalonians might haue said Then thou hast no right to craue ought of vs for thy preaching saiest thou
eate none It is the will of God that they who vvill not vvorke and may worke that they should die for hunger They who are strong and may get labour and will not vvorke there should be an inhibition laid on them not to eate and they who eate if they eate not the bread conquest with their owne labour their eating is cursed to them It is not permitted to a King to eate bread except he labour for it and surelie his labour is an heauie labour No for al the warrands Charters and securities which thou hast of thy lands be thou Earle or Lord or Barron except thou eate the labour of thy owne hands thou eatest not lawfullie but thy eating is accursed This Inhibition is not to beggers onelie but to the greatest dominators of the earth for it was injoined to Adam Thou shalt eate thy breade vvith the svveate of thy brovve and all Lords and great men were then in the loynes of Adam Goe keepe sheepe or nolt or digge dykes if it please God thou haue no other trade and be ay doing something Now Labour both honest and profitable in the end he addes two reasons to cause them labour the first for honestie the other for commoditie He is the honester man that will put to his hand to labour and will sit downe vvith gray bread conquest by his labour nor he who eates all delicates with idlenesse When thou hast laboured and win thy dinner then thou art an honest man idlenes is no honestier an idle bodie I cannot count him honest He that eates without labour set him at the table head he hes no honestie Now this honesty should be seene by them that are without euen the heathen Brethren we should be honest if it were no more but onely for our enemies cause for regard of our holy profession The Enemie the Pagane lookes vpon thee vvho art an idle body and labours not and sees nothing but a bellie and a denourer of the creatures of God and then will he not slander thy profession Therefore if it were but to saue this profession from the slanders of wicked men labour continuallie ere thou should be idle labour in any exercise Yea more nor this Labour is the moyen vvhere by the Lord hes ordained thee to win thy enemy vvhen he sees thee labour and win thy liuing vvith the sweat of thy browes and by the contrare thy idlenes holds others back vvho vvould embrace the Gospell Woe to them vvho are stumbling blocks to holde men back from Christ As for the profit the laborer gets I not will insist in it he who in his labor hes God before his eies labors not so much to win his liuing thereby as to glorifie God according to the command of the Apostle 1. Cor. 10. 31. Whither ye eate or drinke what euer ye doe doe all to the glorie of God he vvho vvorkes let him not worke as an Oxe or an Asse but to glorifie God He who in labour sets himselfe to glorifie God to be holie be it to 〈◊〉 pottes to hold the pleugh to dig dykes those men they shall neuer vvant the thing the Lord thinkes may suffice them at the least they shall haue coâ—â—enâ—ment When they sit at dinner they shall haue greater contentation then they that are fed with most daintie dishes Therefore haue ay God before thy eyes labour ay to God and then thou shalt haue here in this life sufficient to serue thee and hereafter shalt haue heauenlie riches in aboundance Therefore stand not be not idle in thy calling but labor And how euer to God and his glorie and then thou shalt not want thou shalt haue plentie and sacietie of joy in that full sight of the countenance of Christ all this worlde will away Then blessed is that man who will set himselfe to serue God in his calling while he is heere for when this worlde goes away he shall obtaine that glorious kingdome that lastes for euer not by him selfe but onelie by Christ for in him onelie we and our labours are blessed And therefore to him with the Father and the holie Spirite be all praise for euer AMEN THE XVII LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 4. vers 13. 14. 15. 13 I vvoulde not brethren haue you ignorant concerning them vvhich are a sleepe that ye sorrovv not as others vvhich haue no hope 14 For vve beleeue that Iesus is dead and is risen euen so them vvhich sleepe in Iesus vvill God bring vvith him 15 For this vvee say vnto you by the vvord of the Lord that vvee vvhich liue and are remayning in the comming of the Lord shall not preuent them vvhich sleepe THese Thessalonians brethen to vvhom the Apostle writes they were not altogether ignorant of the estate of them vvho departed this life No question they vnderstoode and knew the resurrection of the dead for not knowinge that vvhat could they know of Christianitie Yet as appeares of this place by the Apostle it was not a setled knowledge in the heart they had they knevv no so as they shoulde haue done the resurrection of the bodie And therefore when their friends whom they loued wel departed their dolour was excessiue When they saw the godlie who professed in the beginning drawne to torments martyred and execute they tooke displeasure out of measure euen as if they who departed this life had perished altogether and shold neuer haue bene more The Apostle vnderstanding this among other things he writes to them he casts in this doctrine of the estate of them that are departed to the end they should leaue off that excessiue sorrow and lamentation and not lament as the Gentiles who were vvithout hope Then to come shortly to the wordes and purpose of the Apostle He settes downe this proposition I vvould not brethren haue you ignorant concerning them vvhich are a sleepe the end wherefore he would not haue them ignorant is that they sorrovv not as others vvho hes no hope Now concerning the estate of those that are departed he instructs them in sundry heads of it First he telles them that they are but a sleep that is now their present estate in graue Then he teaches them what shall follow the rising again when that they haue sleeped a time as one after sleep awakes so shal they awake Next he instructes them of the honor they shall haue in the resurrection vvhen they shall meete the Lord of glorie Suppose they be dead first they shal not be last in meetting the Lord yea they who shall be aliue at that day shall not be first but they who are departed shall be in the first rank to meete the Lord in the clouds Of this he taks occasion to speak of the Lords comming of the glory thereof to this end that euery one in thinking vpon these things shold receiue comfort Ther is the summe of this doctrine I vvoulde not haue you brethren ignorant as
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
not thou laborest to get thy ovvn liuing He answers no I haue just right to tak for my preaching I writ not this as if I had no authority but this I haue done when I might haue taâ—e of you yet I tooke not to learne you to labour and to shame them that are among you idle bodies that vvorkes not for their liuing Novv yee see heere in the persons of the Thessalonians hovv readie men are and hes beene at all tymes to thinke that a Minister of the vvord hes no right to these temporall things as to eate to drink 1. Cor. 9. 4. to mary a vvife to take a stipende Any man hes a good right to all these thinges but a Minister they inuy that Minister should get so much as this common aire They come forward from thinking and speaking they come to doing Scotland proues this euidently eneugh by violence by cauillation of lavves by one vvay or other they wil reaue these temporall things from them that the Lord hes set in his seruice a minister hes no right to personage nor vicarage nor teindes What hes the Minister adoe vvith them they haue no right to them Hes not my Lord or the laird or vvhat he is a Charter of them But Paul sayes if any man hes right I haue right And I say a Minister hes as good right to these things as any Earle lord laird or vvhat euer man he be hes to his heritage but the ground of this is men knovves not what life is what the kingdome of Heauen is albeit they will prattle much of it Now this ministrie is the ministrie of the Spirit and of the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ And therefore all vvordes of these things are but vvinde to them and they thinke a man that traueiles in this calling is but an idle man they count of no exercise but that that is in these earthly thinges O Lord that heauy count that shall be in that glorious appearance of Iesus Christ in that terrible day Then this reafe and violence shall appeare to be reafe and violence indeed Then no vvordes no cullour of Lavve shall be an excuse to thee More yet on Pauls parte marke hovv readie good men should be vvhether they be Ministers or others to giue ouer their rightes vvhich they may most justlie challenge Paul gaue ouer his right hovvbeit he might haue taken a stipende Yet least it should seeme to common people that Ministers had no right or title to take by their labours he meetes it and vvill not prejudge the right of the ministrie that should follovve but he telles he had authoritie to take Thou mayest vpon good occasions leaue thy right some-tymes but looke it be not to the hurt of thy brother looke thou impare not his right by giuing ouer thy right othervvise thou hast no sinceritie in thy doing for if thou hurt him there is no sinceritie in thee Novv in the end of the verse he telles the cause vvherefore he gaue ouer his right To be an ensample sayes he to you to follovve vs. Brethren the thing that the Lord craues of euerie one of vs is that vve stand vp to be a good ensample to others euerie one is bound to this duetie for vve are not borne to our selues onely and it is hard to vvinne to this and before a man attaine to this he must suffer many thinges he must suffer many injuries and vvronges he must passe from his right oft-tymes and that that he hes just title to he must let it goe So vve that vve may be ensamples of vvell doing must suffer many thinges and doe many thinges Ye see a meane heere set dovvne to moue idle bodies to labour it is set dovvne in Pauls doing Paul needed not to vvorke onely preaching might haue done his turne but to moue idle men there among the Thessalonians to vvorke he vvould vvorke So the lesson is It is requisite that euen honest men that hes no necessitie to put their ovvne hands to vvorke put to their handes to vvorke to moue seruants men and vvemen that hes no other moyen to liue by but by vvorking to doe their duetie As for ensample A master of an house vvho hes such seruants as vvill not put their hands to vvorke let him go before his seruants in vvorke that thereby they may be ashamed Now to come to the last verse He sets dovvne another argument to moue these idle Thessalonians to vvorke The argument going before vvas gentle tane from his ovvne ensample but this argument is straite forbidding all that vvill not vvorke to eate He that vvill not vvorke let him not eate Workst thou not Paul inhibits thee to eat This leanes on a grueat equitie What trow ye eating be God hes ordeined it to be the rewarde of labour and working Thou getst thy dinner thy supper meate and drinke as a rewarde of thy worke thou hast no other allowance of dinner nor supper but as a rewarde of thy worke Then must it not followe he workes not therefore he must not eate O ye will say that is very strait if men and wemen eat not they will die But I say die as they will the Lord vouchafes not a nip on them except they worke Yet notwithstanding of this great number of men gets meate and liues albeit they worke not as in Edinburgh this day and Scotland ye know is full of such folke that neuer puts their hand to worke and yet they eate Yet I shal tell you their estate Let not an idle man thinke he is well when he eates and workes not for the curse of God is lying vpon him a miserable estate Would to God that men would weigh this that the curse of God is on these men and al is accursed to them their cloathes their bed and all they haue For if this be true that the blessing of God is on the labourer Psal 128. 2. Prou. 10. 4. and vpon him that eates the frutes of his labours it must follow that he that eats when he labours not the cursse of God is on him So idle bodies haue no matter of vaunting and rejoycing when they eate and they who wins their liuing with the sweate of their browes hes the blessing of God with them Indeed his blessing is not seene by thee now and ye cannot distinguish now a blessing from a curssing Ye see here oft-times it is aswell with the idle bodie as with the bodie that workes for Gods blessing and curse is not well seene here by men but in that day it shal be showen euidently and this labour is a meane to bring vs to that lyfe that Christ by his bloud hes bought to vs. The rewarde of a seruant that labours faithfully and that beleues in Iesus Christ shall be glorie Ephes 6. 8 Now as this inhibition concernes Idle bodies that they eate not so it concernes them that labours that they foster nor idlenesse in any bodie for that is to foster them
and demonstration of the Spirit and power in opening vp of the text and raising groundes of doctrine he had a speciall grace in teaching he was cleare and sententious in conuincing powerfull in exhorting earnest and pithie in correcting vehement who for graces being in account and honoured was more humble rara virtw humilitas honorata who being prouoked was lesse vindictine who preased more to keepe the chaire of Veritie cleane from corrupt passions that the word of God might haue free passage and be glorified Who sought the world lesse Who estemed lesse of these earthly thinges For he behaued himselfe as a faithfull seruant of God not seeking himselfe but Iesus Christ as a pilgrime heere yea and crucified to the world for knowing that here he had no continuing cittie he sought for one to come he had his conuersation in heauen from whence he looked for Iesus Christ his Sauiour to come And hauing liued such an holy life to the glorie of God there followed a most sweete and comfortable death in Iesus whom he counted alwayes to be his aduantage Reuel â—word 13. And blessed are they that dies in Iesus for they rest from their labours and their vvorkes follovv them O how great a wound did the church receiue by the losing of such a meÌ„ber Experience teaches vs this day when there is such distraction of harts in the Church what inlack we haue of this man whose labours in the like dayes and cases the Lord while he liued blessed wonderfully His life preached his death preached to the world Many one who heard him found in experience that he ranne not vnsent For he laboured not in vaine 1. Tim. 3. 2. c. but the grace of God was powerfull in him and by him to many Finally he as a viue exemplar represented to vs such qualities and conditions as the Spirite of God requires to be in a Bishop of Iesus Christ Tuâ— 7. 8 Put why insist we to speake to you Sir of this man who was wel knowne almost to all but most interely to you Neither was he steadable to the faithfull that heard him by his vine voice onely in his life preaching but also his workes yet teaches the posteritie For his learned and judicious writtings left behind him in latine hes acquired to him a famous name and reuerend account among the learned in sundry nations who professe that therby no smal edification redounds to the Church of God And therefore seeing that God did accompany his forme of teaching so powerfully with his spirit and made it so profitable we haue thoght meet to set out these his Lectures vpon the two Epistles to the Thessalonians that not only the simple may be instructed thereby but also the teachers may know and imitate his gratious forme of teaching as likewise because the other Sermons that were before imprinted hes bene receiued with great lyking by the humble and such as desire to be edified Now Sir whereas others in such cases vses to say that they were aduising as doubtsome to whose patronage they should recommend their worke we heerein are releeued of this care we need no deliberation for to whom in all respects can it belong but to you First in respect of that inteere and exceeding loue and familiaritie that was betweene you and the Author heereof For from once by his preaching the Lord wroght in your hart all who knew M. ROLLOCK knew also how ye loued him delyted in his companie and conference set your selfe in all thinges to pleasure him what testimonies of true loue and vnfained kindnesse ye would haue vttered to him how freely for the loue of Iesus ye would haue communicate to him temporall thinges if that man who was so well content with that he had could haue suffered you and had not stayed the course of your liberalitie Also when that last messenger and fore-runner of death did sease vpon his fraile and weakned bodie few are ignorant how carefull ye were for his greater ease to haue him transported to your owne house How liberallie ye and your bed-fellow whose praise ought not nor shall not be buried in obliuion bestowed on him all thinges necessare and commodious how chearefully ye receiued and intertained for his cause all them that came to visite him and what great benefite ye counted the Lord bestowed on you in that he offered the occasion which long ye wished to showe your liberalitie in temporall thinges towardes such a rate vessell of mercie and faithfull seruant of Iesus from whom he had receiued so many spirituall thinges Againe who is ignorant what affection and kyndnesse ye haue vttered and daily vtters towardes his relict and posthume for his cause yea and towardes all these who loued him in Christ Next to passe by that M. ROLLOCK in testimonie of his loue dedicate to you his commentare in Latine on the second of these Epistles as also that in his Testament he ordeined that all his bookes which he left to be printed after his decease should be dedicate to you and come out vnder your name and patrocinie that whosoeuer gote commoditie thereof next after God might giue the honour and thankes vnto you after a speciall sort this worke requyres your patronage For throgh your care moyen and expenses these Lectnres were collected and gathered from the handes of these who wraite them from his mouth by your moyen and procurement they were reuised corrected and made apt for the printing by your meanes they now see the light which they had neuer seene but had bene buried in darknesse if the Lord had not made you an instrument to publishe them Last if that the paines which hath bene taine in reuising correcting and making them apt for the printing might yeelde any right to make choise of a patrone to this work we would not nor could not offer it to any but to you Sir not onely because of the vndeserued loue and kyndnesse ye vtter daily towardes vs yea and towardes all the seruants of Christ both publikly and priuily as they themselues doe testifie but also in respect ye were the Author to mooue vs to vndertake such traueiles Indeeed such a propine is farre inferior either to your desertes or our desire and therefore we present it not so much thinking thereby to discharge and satisfie the debt as to acknowledge our obligation to you and to be a testimonie of our thankfulnesse For these causes Sir we desire you to receiue this work in your patronage and protection to defend it from the speaches of such as hes not learned yet to speake well of any person or their workes For we are not ignorant how much and oft they who set forth other mens works vse to be subject to the sharpe censure of men and how little thankes commonly either they get or may looke for of many so that few would be found to take trauaile in them except they were rather moued through the loue of the glorie
God the geuer Then we should learne to craue grace to vtter holie affections to them to whom the Lord hath geuen his graces and that for the graces God hath bestowed on them But to go forward The next thing heere that Paul vtters is a knowledge of their election Knovving your election sayeth he This is a farre sight Then it is true brethren the godlie who are able through the Spirite of discretion to take vp the grace of God in others they haue a great insight yea euen to the eternall election and predestination to that life and glorie wherevnto they are appointed and they will vtter an wonderfull assurance thereof For the word signifies Knovving perfitelie your election Indeed a man will haue a greater certaintie of his own election then of the election of any other because the warrand of his owne election is within him in his owne heart Tokens of election his heart is stamped therewith he findes the seale thereof in his owne conscience as for the election of others it is onelie outward as in his actions and behauiour by the eye of the godlie by the words of the godly and the works of the godlie and such like thinges the visible tokens of the mercie of God in men is showen and so the Lord makes by some outward tokens their election from all eternitie to appeare There are two things whereof it is verie hard to judge vpon and to vtter assurance of the first is the eternall election of others the other is the perseuerance of others in grace to the end the one bygone from all eternitie the other to come to the end It is very hard to judge of these two in other men especiallie Yet I see the Apostle takes on him to judge of both and he vtters an assurance of both Ye see in this place he knowes the election of the Thessalonians In the Epistle to the Philippians 1. 6. he is perswaded that he who had begun with them which is God would perfite the worke he had begun to the comming of Christ that is that they should perseuere in the grace they had receyued vnto the end The ground of all was because of the grace of God he saw in tyme of the Thessalolians and Philippians therefore he knowes perfitelie the Thessalonians is elected and is assured the Philippians will perseuere and stand in grace So all tends to this the grace of God bestowed on any if we sawe but a sparke of grace in them should euer moue vs to judge charitablie that those persons are the elect of God and will stand and perseuere in grace to the end Away then with hard judgements of men More then this Brethren ye see the Thessalonians are elected yet he prayes for them Making mention sayeth he of you in our prayers Election no impediment to prayer And for this same cause knowing that ye are elected Marke this The election of God that sure ground and foundation of lyfe and saluation prejudges not prayer Therefore say not I am elected my saluation can not faile saued must I beâ— therefore what needs me to pray my selfe or cause any other pray for me No by the contrair say I am elected therefore I will pray ye are the elect therefore I will pray for you that is Paule reason For as saluation and life is predestinate and appointed by God so are the meanes of saluation appointed by God which thou must vse if euer thou wouldst attaine to lyfe notwithstanding of thy election And among all the rest of the meanes Prayer is one thou who art chosen to life prayers is a meane to thee to be vsed before thou come to life Pray must thou and others must pray for thee or else thou was neuer chosen to lyfe There was neuer man chosen to life from all eternitie but the Lord appoynted that he should vse prayer also God ordained that he should liue in holinesse and vvorke good vvorkes vvhich is an other meane must be vsed Ephes 2. 10. For if prayer be not vsed if hee liue not holie if he liue vvithout loue vvithout charitie and goode vvorkes if he continevve so to the end he shall finde that he was neuer chosen Now in the next verse he falles to and proues their election he vtters not this assurance of their election without goode warrands There are two arguments in the text The first is from that vertew and power he founde in himselfe vvhile he preached to them The other is from the effectualnesse and force of his Ministrie in them The first is in Paul himselfe the second in the Thessalonians the first is contained in these words For sayes he our Gospell that is the Euangell preached to you the Gospell of God there is no Preacher but he may take it and call it his Gospell and except thou be saued by it as it is the Gospell ministered by the Preacher thou shalt neuer get saluation Wilt thou goe to God immediatlie and not heare of them but contemne them thou shalt neuer be saued It is Paul and Peters Gospell and the Gospell of the preachers of it ere it serue to thy well this by the way This Gospell stoode not in bare language and vvords onelie but also in povver As he would say when I preached to you I vttered the Gospel in libertie and power and therefore vpon the graces and power I found in my selfe in vttering the Gospell to you I gather they to whom I preached are chosen of God Then brethren when the Lord sends out men to preache in power it is neuer in vaine but it is a sure argument amongst them to whom they are ent there are some chosen of God to life euerlasting and the man who finds himselfe sent out with power to preache the Gospell he may say certainlie there is some I preach to chosen Who will send out a reaper except there be some haruest to be reaped Will the Lord send out a man instructed with power to any place except there be some to be win to him there The Lord sayes Matth. 9. 37. 38. The haruest is great it is comming to maturitie but the laborers are few therefore pray the Lord of the haruest to send out reapers And euerbefore any man be sent out to preache the men to whom he is sent are rype to be instructed so that he is sent out to gather them in to the barn-yarde And by the contrair when God takes away graces and drawes away power from preachers when he lets them vtter nothing but dead and emptie talke without power or when he closes mens mouthes to speake it is a token that the nomber of the chosen is growing narrow and the Church is begun to be barren Well go this Ministrie away and if this power be taken away from vs to an other part there was neuer a surer argument of the drawing in of the godlie in a narrow bounds then this is and that the remanent are left onelie
As ye knovv after vvhat manner I vvas among you for your sake As ye know then they knew the power So brethren there will be no Congregation of the Lord that will be so senslesse and dead but there wil be some that vvill haue that Spirite of discretion in them know who speakes with power and who not Euerie man in the Congregation will not haue it but certainlie in all congregations there will be some that will know emptie words and discerne them And therefore let euerie man that speakes in the name of the Lord speake so that he may take the people to whom this discretion is geuen to be witnesse of the power and the Spirite where-with he preached Now all this is for their cause all the graces Paul had was for their cause All grace is giueÌ„ to meÌ„ for the Church they were not for himselfe Matter word power spirite all was for their cause what euer grace any member gets all is gotten and geuen for the whole bodie the grace that the eye of the bodie gets the grace the hand gets all is for vpholding the bodie and if the Lord had had no other regarde but of the hand onelie he would not haue geuen it the grace to grip So is it in the bodie of Christ for if he had not had an other respect to Paul but for himselfe onelie he had neuer receyued these graces So Iames Peter Iohn c. all their graces are for the well of the Church The Apostle 1. Cor. 3. 21. sayes All is yours whither it be Paul Apollos or Câ—phas al is yours and ye are Christs and Christ is Gods Then the man that hath gotten the Spirite and excels aboue his neighbours in graces looke that in pride he contemne not the least menber of the bodie the eye must not lightlie the foote for if it looke to the skyes and let the foote stumble it shall perishe it selfe so who hes gotten great graces let him take them and lay all down at the feete of the Church and distribute them to the well of the Church and say I got them all for your cause The Apostle hauing gotten a reuelation and assurance he sayeth God gaue it for the Church So when thou hast gotten any grace giue it out to the Church in humilitie whither the gift be spirituall or temporall or else it had beene better thou had neuer receyued it yea let a King bestow all his graces vpon the Church for his calling is for the Church and except there wer a Church there should not be a King woe to them that knowe not this end that all Kingdomes and policies standes for the well of the Church Daniel tolde Nabuchadnezar an heathen King that his Kingdome was for the standing of the Church The Lord oppen the eyes of men to se that they do their duetie in their vocation that at that last day they may be found to be members of that bodie To goe forward the Apostle gathers the election of the Thessalonians first from that power he had to vtter the word that for their cause secondly by the effectualnes powerful working of this God within them Brethren if the power that God hes geuen the preacher for vttering of his Gospell for their well be an argument to them of their saluation hovv much more must the effectual working of the Gospell be an argument of their well Ioyne these two together the powerfull preaching of the Spirit the working therof these two makes the assurance of the election of the hearers And by the contrair if there be nothing but speaking without power no effectualnesse in the heart it will not be the speaker that will auaile it wil be ineffectuall to them to their saluation So thou must finde the effectuall working of the Spirite in thee which must be thy warrand But to come to the words And ye are become follovvers of vs and of the Lord and receyued the vvord in great affliction and vvith ioy of the holie Ghost These are the words ye se this effectualnesse in the Thessalonians stands in imitation and following not so much of him as of the Lord of whom he was a follower Well to be short the effectualnesse of the Gospell in the hearer ye fe consists in the imitation of the speaker when the hearer imitates in lyfe the preacher and aboue all imitates in life and conuersation the Lord Iesus Christ followes Pastors as they follow the Lorde onelie and no otherwise If then the effectualnesse of the Gospel in the people stands to imitate thee looke thou that there be matter of imitation of thee looke how thy mouth speaks looke thou speake as Christ speaks otherwise speake not except thou may say as Paul sayes when he hes preached to the people ye are followers of me I am made a guide to you going before ye are followers at the least if they wil not follow thee look that thy life be good thogh they shold run away go thou forward in the way of life Preaching wil not do the turne if thou be not a light going before the people all thy words shall do no good and thou shalt neuer be partaker of that glorie thou speaks of Then mark againe Wherin stands this imitation And receyued sayes he the vvord vvith great affliction There the imitation of the Preacher not only in receyuing the word deliuered by him not onlie by following him in doing but chieflie by following him in suffering affliction Is he afflicted for the delyuering of it thou that receiues it follow him in affliction I remeÌ„ber Paul in the second Epist to Timothie Cha. 3. v. 10. 11. 12. where he layes downe many things in himselfe to be followed but chieflie his doctrine maner of liuing his purpose his life lenitie patience then he sayes my persecution and affliction in Christ Now he sticks on this last he specially bound Timothie to that and he sayes in generall as it were to euery godlie man All that is vvilling to liue godlie in Christ shall suffer affliction thou must be one of that nomber Timothie Brethren we will be all content to follow in doing the Pastor Hes he faith we will follow his faith hes he any other thing in him we follow him in it but wheÌ„ it comes to the crosse then we will leaue him we will let him alone no if it were Christ himself going out of Ierusalem to Golgatha wher he suffered we wil let him go all alone will abide in Ierusalem It is vaine to thinke that affliction onlie pertaines to the speaker and not to the hearers The Apostle sayes hauing receyued the word of God with great affliction No affliction is the vnseparable companioÌ„ of the Gospel in this life heares thou and receiues thou the word make thee for affliction And so Paul to Timothie makes affliction the necessare companion of the Gospell 2. Timoth 1. 8. It bydes with thee heere on the earth
he would say to the Thessalonians I tooke purpose to hurt my selfe for you I forgot my selfe for your profite and the care which I had of you that ye shoulde haue good companie I choosed to be alone my selfe among the infidels without fellow-helpers The lesson is plaine Where there is loue in the heart of the Pastor to the church or any person he will be content to be solitare without good company euen in the midst of infidels that that Church may haue good companie he will be content to be poore that the Church may be riche he will be content to die that the Church may liue he will wishe to be an Anathema and accursed for his brethren that the Lord may be glorified in the saluation of his Church No it is an vnspeakable loue that a faithfull Pastor hes first to the Lord Iesus who hes sent him and next to the Church that is bought with the bloude of Iesus he will forget himselfe to remember them he will not not onelie seuere from good companie for their cause but he will forget his owne lyfe to haue them well Marke next Ere he comes heere to the sending of Timothie to the Thessalonians he telles of the purpose he tooke I thought it best to abyde at Athens myne alone And vpon this purpose I entered in action and sent him Ye shall finde this commonlie in Paul vvhen he speakes of his doing he speakes euer of a purpose and decree going before and then the action follovving I decreed to knovve nothing among you but Christ and him crucified 1. Cor. 2. 2. All vvell doing should proceede of a purpose of the mynde Purpose and consultation shold preceede action well doing would not come rashlie to our hand but as the Lorde hes giuen a man a mynde to conclude and resolue so well doing should come of the resolute purpose of the mynde without the purpose of the mynde in well doing the action hes not the full praise God himselfe did nothing but by purpose and counsell preceeding He elected vs of a purpose before all eternitie in tyme of purpose he calles vs of purpose he justifies vs and of purpose he glorifies vs. In a vvord he does all things according to the purpose of his will Ye may read this in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians So vvhen God giues grace to any man to doe anie thing the first grace he giues is a willingnesse in the mynde to doe well Grace beginnes at the heart and mynde and not at the hand Philipp 2. 13. it is said God is he vvho giues the inward vvill and purpose that is first and the performance that is next Ere he giue thee the performance of vvell doing he giues thee the purpose of the heart to doe it Therefore before thou put out thy hand to doe vvell looke thou haue the purpose in thy heart and then the vvell-doing is perfite otherwise not Many will put out their hand to doe some good thing vvhen the heart will be fighting against the hand Put both purpose in minde and action in hand together to do well or else hold altogether to thy selfe Now to the next verse Hauing taken a purpose he sayes He sent Timothie Hauing taken purpose he goes to the action he sends him The lesson is easie After purpose is taken then goe to the action aduyse thee well and then stay not but goe to and execute thy purpose There are manie vvho are ay purposing and consulting but their purpose is ay fectlesse and vvhen they haue taken purpose they stand still there their purpose in nothing vvorth It is verie true euen as the purpose to doe vvell is of grace it is not of mans selfe to doe it it is God vvho giues the purpose so the action of the hand is of God in such sort that when thou hast gotten grace to will well thy hand shall be bound hard and fast that thou shalt not be able to doe it except thou be furnished with an other grace also When God hes giuen thee the purpose except he also giue thee the performance thou shalt neuer doe it for the Apostle saies 〈◊〉 God vvho giues the purpose and the doing vvell Whereto speak â— this euen to learne vs that euer in all our actions and lyfe we continue in begging of grace begge good purpose by prayer then stand not there thinke not thou hast gotten all there are many graces begge the meanes to effectuate it begge earnestlie the 〈◊〉 When thou hast begged the purpose and gotten it begged the performance and gotten it begge the blessing to continue in it or else all shall faile If grace 〈◊〉 not multiplied grace after grace we shall fall when we haue gotten the fast grace we shall 〈◊〉 the second grace we shall 〈◊〉 yea the third grace we shalt 〈◊〉 except God vp holde 〈◊〉 and the 〈◊〉 graces except we continue the greater is our fall And so begge grace after grace that we may be filled with his fulnes in Christ and get the perfection of all 〈…〉 What man is this Timothie He is set onâ— in his owne styles he calles him hast our brother from that common calling of all Christian men and wemen for in Christ we all are brethren and sisters a Minister must first be a brother before hee be a Minister Then secondlie he is sette 〈…〉 that particulare calling and he is called the Minister of 〈◊〉 and vvhat 〈…〉 Paul In vvhat 〈…〉 Christ. There is a faire Ministrie a faire exercise hee is exercised in the seruice of God in the glorious Gospell of Iesus Christ Then he sends this Timothie Good meÌ„ Could be depute to the performance of God actions Then vvhat man is this Timothie that he puttes in his place to visie the The 〈◊〉 to confirme and establishe them in that faith A good man 〈◊〉 man and a brother and yet more then that a Minister of God and a 〈◊〉 labouret vvith Paul in the Gospel of Iesus Christ Then the lesson is That vvhich vvee can not get done in our ovvne persone vve must doe it by others whether 〈…〉 or in the Common vvealthe But looke that euer thy 〈…〉 whom thou appointest to do that which thou shouldest doe in thy own person be a godlie man like Timothie Mâ—ses when he could not ouertake all the affaires of the people himselfe he chose out at the desire of Iethro his father in law good men to doe the turne send not out a cyphere appoint men that are able to doe it as thou wilt be answerable to God In the worke of the Lord do nothing negligentlie but earnestly hauing euer thy God before thy eyes Woe to that man that does the vvorke of the Lord negligentlie Ierem. 48. 10. Let men therefore take head to their own doings and to those men whom they set vnder them that they be not cyphers but meete to do the work of the Lord. Alas this is far from the forme
of this countrie They thinke it eneugh here if they put in any man to be a show in their offices ô if thou knew what count thou must giue to the Lord for thy doing thou wouldest doe the worke of the Lord more carefullie Yet to insist on this commendation of Timothie It is an high commendation and all tends to this that he shoulde be well accepted of the Thessalonians to whom he was directed that so he might doe them the more good Therefore the Apostle sent him adorned with this faire testimone Good meÌ„ deserue good commendatioÌ„ Brethren When we see good men in Church or common-weal we should giue them their own commendation why should not the Prince haue his ovvne commendation in sight of the people vvithout flattrie why should not the Pastor haue his honour but to this end Paul looked to that they might be well accepted among the people the next end that being honoured among them they may get obedience So euerie good man should haue his owne authoritie among the people to doe his goode turnes The Lord grant that euerie man who hes office may haue matter of recommendation within himselfe that when he is praised he be not flattered The Lord grant that the Prince may haue matter of his commendation and the Pastor matter of his commendation to this end that their labours be not in vaine Now to go forward with the words Wherefore is this good man Timothie sent to the Thessalonians not to play him not to looke about him but to confirme the Thessalonians in that faith in the which they were grounded by the Apostle The office of the Euangelist vvas to confirme men in that faith which was had down by the Apostles to watter that which the Apostles had planted Paul planted Apollo vvattred 1. Cor. 3. 6. So Timothie was sent to do his ovvne office his owne office was to confirme them vvho were grounded Brethren ye haue heard heere before a great deale spoken of that singulare faith which the Thessalonians had and read in the whole Epistles of Paul ye shall not finde such a commendation giuen to anie Church as to these Thessalonians they were examples to the whole Churches about them as to Macedonia Achaia c. the word of them went abroad to all people and yet Timothie must be sent to them to establishe them Marke it There is none in this life so vvell grounded on the faith of Iesus ConfirmatioÌ„ of faith necessarie to all men on this life but night and day they haue neede of confirmation yea euen at the last breathe when thou art going out of this world thou must craue a confirmation for there is no perfection in this lyfe nothing in this lyfe but beginning of grace Let none thinke he standes if he thinks so he deceyues himselfe and the man who thinkes he stands he is readiest to fall There is nothing heere but either to grow or decay no standing So we haue neede continuallie of a confirmation faith in Christ is set downe to vs as a ground wherevpon we are established Continuallie euerie houre and moment we craue a setling on that ground for why the sea of the ovvne nature is not so subject to commotion and slovving as the heart of a man When it is set dovvne once in that faith vvhich is the foundation leaue it there it shall returne to the ovvn nature againe Then ye see the sea vvhen it flowes on a rock immediatlie the jaw returnes backe againe in the sea So our heart set on Christ except by grace it be daylie hourlie momentlie setled it vvill returne backe againe to the ovvne nature of it There vvas neuer moe vvindes nor stormes on the sea to cause it rage nor is daylie and hourelie brangling our faith if it were possible to beate thy faith off the grouÌ„d-stone Thou neuer seest thing with thy eye but it is a blast of wind to beat thee off thy ground thou neuer hearst thing but it is a blast to beate thee off thy ground Prosperitie a blast of wind to thee aduersitie a blast off winde to beate thee off thy rocke Christ Iesus the scorning vvorld is a winde to beate thee from Christ all â—â—nâ—ations are as manie windes to tosse thee heere and there that thou settle not Looke then if we haue neede to be confirmed more and more in the faith of Christ The next words telles the maner of the establishing of our faith And to comfort The first word was borrowed the next vvorde makes it plaine The maner is seeing the heart of man is ay fleeting Therefore we haue sent to comfort you touching your faith The verie same ministrie which Paul had for the tyme Timothie for his tyme the Pastors and Doctors hes this day That same ministrie which consistes in instructing exhorting comforting admonishing and rebuking them for their misdeedes for all are included within this word exhorting and all these serues to confirme men in the faith of Christ Paul to the Ephesians 4. 11. sayes When the Lord Iesus ascended to heauen after that glorious resurrection leauing this earth he left behinde him some to be Apostles some Euangelists some Pastours and Doctours to the end vve should not be ay children fleeting flovving and caried avvay vvith euerie light vvinde of doctrine What meanes all this That the vse of the ministrie is to establishe the heart of man to holde the heart that the winde of affliction and tentation blovve it not avvay and to settle it on Christ vvho is the ground-stone Then turne it ouer take avvay the ministrie that men vvoulde haue so faine avvay giue men their teyndes they vvould be content neuer to heare a Minister no stablitie shall be in the heartes of the people thy heart shall be blovvne avvay from Christ and thou shalt perishe Alas vve haue ouer great experience of this and especiallie in this Cittie of Edinburgh the Lord amende it Count all thinges vanitie but to be established in Christ Alas that vvee are so senslesse of this A vaine heart vvaites not vvhat this word meanes but a solide heart mournes for the vvant of the meanes of the vvorde Now to come to the next verse The end of this establishing confirming and exhorting of these people by the ministrie of Timothie is this that none of them should be commoued for the affliction vvherevvith they vvere exercised for the present For the Thessalonians at that tyme were afflicted by the Iewes enemies to God and man Then the end is that they should not be commoued with the afflictions that laye on them It is easie to a man to stand in a calme but when winde blowes it is hard to stand sure It is easie to professe Christ in calmnesse but when the blast of tentation strikes on thee then it is much to stand and hold Christ In tentations vve must staÌ„d on Christ by faith We are not yet wel acquainted with this So all tends to this Albeit
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
first Faith then Hope and Charitie then followes al other graces on them When God instructs a man in any grace he first layes down this fundamentall grace and teaches him to loue then he buildes another grace vpon it and puts on liberalitie on it and biddes thee bee beneficiall first he biddes him loue and then hee biddes him be beneficiall Therefore Paul 1. Corinth chap. 13. verse 3. Speaking of that same grace of beneficence saies If I should take all my substance and deale it to the poore if this liberalitie come not from the heart and proceed not from loue it auailes nothing Giue all that thou vvilt giue if thou loue not the person thou guest it to thou hast lost thy thankes at Gods handes Therefore in teaching liberalitie that thy beneficence may turne to thy selfe and doe thee good as it does to another man he teaches thee loue For if my gift redound not to my owne well woe is me Then the vvay to get goode of the gift thou giuest is to loue him thou giuest it to The Philosopher he teaches the childe vertue but as for loue he cannot worke it He will teache thee liberality and descriue it to thee but as for the hart he cannot instruct it It is the Lord that teaches this fundamentall grace of Charitie without the which all thy doinges are as an house builded without good ground In the next verse he proues that they are all taught of God by their doinges Yea saies he and that thing verelie ye doe to all the brethren that are in Macedonia Ye are not speakers and braggers but doers it is not speaking that wil do the turne but doing beneficence must be in the hand and not in the mouth This age is full of talke as euer any age was and all our goodnesse is only in our mouth and tongue our faith in our mouth our charitie in our mouth our liberalitie in our mouth little in heart as little in hand nothing in action Take head All this testifies for all the doctrin and preaching of the grace of God in Christ commonly God is not the teacher God when he teaches a man to be bountifull as he layes the fundamentall grace vvhich is loue so he makes it bud forth in the hand that is he drawes it out in action he draws it not out in the tongue to clatter of it but he draws it in the hand to doe well with it and ther cannot be a surer argument that God is the teacher of any grace nor when we see the action of the hand conformed to the profession Count of them by their workes Hast thou faith the best argument to knowe thy faith by is thy worke Iames saies chap. 2. verse 18. Let me see thy faith not in thy tongue but in thy vvorks Would thou knovve if a man hes a liberall heart Looke not to his tongue but to his hand So he who is instructed by God in any grace he is a doing man a doeâ— and not a speaker Yet ere I leaue the wordes marke this He saies to all the brethren Loue to all the brethren not to him nor to her nor to one part but all in whole Macedonia that is the whole Countrey about you As if the liberalitie of Edinburgh were extended to whole Scotland and to all the brethren in it Marke then the maner of Gods teaching As he layes downe the ground Charitie and builds ther on beneficencie and bringes the grace from the heart to the hand so he will not open one peece of the hand and shut it out to this bodie or that bodie onely and then draw it in againe but he opens out the hand wide to all the brethren and all the members of the bodie of Christ Looke all the doctoures of Philosophie when they discourse of this vertue of beneficence and liberalitie they lay doe goode to thy friendes and kins-men aduance them doe goode to them that doe well to thee thy enemie meete him againe with an euill turne yea vvith tvvo euill turnes for one And this precept is ouer vvell keeped in Scotland But God when he and his ministers teaches he bids thee be beneficiall to all men showe thy good deeds to all men yea to thy enemies Loue thy enemies show not only a good countenance to thy enemie albeit he loue thee not loue him by so doing coales of wraith shall be on his head Commit the vengence to God and he shall surely repay Rom. 12. 19. Vengence is mine sayes the Lord O would to God men could beleeue that that the Lord would take vengence on the oppressour and on such as are set on euill works we shall see that vengence powred on them in that great day The Lord ye heard is the auenger of harlotrie and wickednesse then let the Lord be the onely auenger Yet there is a great difference in showing liberalitie Respect saies the Apostle speciallie them vvho are of the familie of faith Galat. 6. 10. There is a difference of loue as there are degrees of liberalitie we are not bound to loue all men alyke albeit we be bound to loue all men yet we should loue them best who are members of that bodie with vs in Christ This difference must be keeped Now when he hes left off to exhort them to beneficence In the end of the verse he saies the least thing I can doe is to exhort you to increase more and more This should learne vs that when we see the grace of God in any person we should not insist long to exhort them to that grace for when God is teaching few wordes may serue them to stirre them vp to that grace but they whom the Lord teaches not by his Spirit a thousand wordes will not teach them So they that would releeue the Minister of paines let them seeke earnestlie that God vvoulde be the inward teacher in the heart and then thou shalt be taught Now Necessity of exhortation to perseuerance brethren albeit there be not a necessity to insist to exhort men to the grace they see in any person yet there is a necessity to exhort them to perseuerance in that grace There are none so indewed with any grace as with liberalitie patience loue yea faith it selfe the ground of all graces but he hes need euery day to heare the voice of exhortation to goe forward For none hes made such progresse in the course of Christianitie for we are all in the rinke running to the butt Christ when we haue runne all our dayes vntill vve be gray haired yet vve are farre from the butt and vve are ay falling back and so vve haue ay need of this voice crying after vs. Runne on thou art running thou hast ouercomde him who ranne with thee stryue to ouerrun thy self Ran thou fast the day run faster to morrow amend thy pace euery day There are none of vs who standes so fast in grace but we may fall back againe and therefore
we haue need continuallie to heare this exhortation And the Lord hes appointed his ministrie to cry after men vvho are running in this rinke And so if thou heare not the voice of his ministrie stirring thee vp to runne if thou contemne the voyce of the crier look how fast thou euer ran forward thou shalt run as fast backward So there is no better way to hold a man forward in this course of Christianitie and to cause him grow in all grace vntill he come to the end of the rinke nor the crying of this ministrie I denounce thee contemne thou this ministrie thou shalt neuer come to the end of the rinke to get inheritance in Heauen Men will not beleeue this vntill they see it Now Quyetnesse commended in the last roume after he hes exhorted them to abstein from fornication not to do wrong to their neighbour to be beneficiall and to loue their brother last he exhorts them to study to be quyet The word is Be ambitious of quietnesse As euer ye saw men ambitious of the honour of the world be ye ambitious of quyetnesse Among all the parts of vncleannesse and of the vitiositie and foulnesse of this our nature this is one called curiositie ouer great businesse in other mens affaires in the thing that concernes not vs nor our calling Euen so by the contrair among all the properties of holinesse this is one To haue a sober content estate For these two are opponned to other a curious spirite and a quyet spirite the one plaine contrair to the other one is a vyce the other a vertue And as I said before They who hes not quyetnesse in some measure in their soules but in vvhom this curiositie raignes in highest degree I cannot say they haue any part of sanctification For there is such an vnseparable bond of the graces of the Spirite that where one is in some measure all must be Glory neuer of one nor of two nor of three graces except thou finde the whole graces and euery one of them in some measure in thee Now when he hes commended the grace it selfe he comes to the effect of the grace Effects of quyetnes what auails any grace without the effect It is an vnprofitable grace And the first effect of quyetnesse is To euerie man to doe his ovvne businesse To keepe him within the bounds of his owne businesse and be exercised in his owne affairs and not in the affairs of other men So the effect of quyetnes is not to sit idle but to be exercised in well doing but in doing not that which perteins to another in their calling but that which God hes appointed thee in thy calling Be as busie as thou canst in that night and day There is a great difference betweene a quyet person and an idle person a quyet person is the best exercised person in the vvorlde for all his businesse is vvithin the boundes of his exercise he is doing that vvhich the Lord hes bidden him do doe thy labour but goe not without the compasse of thy calling and in the meane tyme he is idle in other mens turnes But as for an idle man I shall tell you his nature no man can be altogether idle but he must be euer exercised in something so long as there is breathe in his mouth An idle person does not a turne that pertaines to his ovvne calling but in other mens calling he is euer busie he is exercised in this thing and that thing that perteynes to another man and in the meane tyme he is a vagabound vvithout any shift Paul speaking of these busie bodies 2. Thessal chap. 3. verse 11. sayes that they doe no labour and yet they are busie bodies exercised in other mens affaires while as they are idle in their owne calling The second effect is a particular kinde of exercise handie labour vvorking vvith a mans ovvne hand not vvith his seruants handes And therefore the vvord is your ovvne proper handes This vvoulde seeme ouer straite It may be that many vvill be content to be exercised in an honest and liberall action so that they may keep their hands clean but when it commes to an handy work and to put to their hands and file their fingers to the bowing of the back and of the head ô that is ouer strait it is ouer sore to a Genle-man to doe that it settes him not He is a Lords Sonne should he fyle his hands with labour But Paul sayes Labour with thy owne handes rather ere thou be idle in this lyfe Put to thy hand to a spade or shouell and dig dykes Ye may reade 2. Thessa chap. 3. verse 8. of Paul I vvill shovve you what he did appearantlie there hes beene men in Thessalonica like this country people who would not labour for their liuing He sayes Day and night vvith paine and trouble vvith my ovvne hands I vvonne my liuing beside my preaching I won my liuing with my ovvne craft In the might vvhen he left teaching he made tentes for his liuing Now this he speakes to be an exemple to these idle bodies at Thessalonica and Paul read of him when ye will he was a Gentle-man a Roman an Hebrevv a Pharisie yea one of the Apostles of Iesus vvhich is greatest of all yet he labours with his owne hands for â—as liuing In the Epistle to the Ephes cha 4. verse 28. he saies He that sâ—all let him steale no more sinner sin no moree harlot liue in harlotrie no more alas it is ouerlong to spend if it were but an houre in offending God Then if he that stal should steal no more vvhat should he doe Works saies he vvith his handes I vvould that they who cannot get other moyen to win their liuing by should labour vvith their handes for their liuing if it vvere in the vylest office that can be for all offices are sanctified in Christ What makes a thiefe but idlenesse if thou vvilt not vvorke thou must steale In the second Epist Thessa chap. 3. verse 12. If any people had neede of this admonition this land had neede thereof Paul sayes vvorke vvith your ovvne hands Wherefore That ye may eat your own bread not another mans bread but that thou maist eate thy ovvne bread that thou hast vvin vvith the sweate of thy brovves vvhereby he would meane that they who vvill not put to their hands to worke but walkes vp and down idle vvce to that morsell they put in their mouth do reaue the meat out of the mouthes of the poore laborers Now to be short He sayes He denounced these things to them before and he denounced them in the name of Iesus threatning a judgement as ye may see in that place 2. Thess 3. 11. 12. This is an Inhibition as straite as anie Kings inhibition He that vvill not vvorke let him not eate I forbid him to put the least morsell in his mouth he that wil not labour I command in Gods name that he
workes shall be the tokens of the true cause which is the onely justice of Christ imputed vnto vs by faith I dare say albeit the reprobate wortheâ—â—e shall be damned according to their workes yet they shall be speciallie condemned that they beleeued not in Iesus Christ but contemned his Gospell without faith Then to come to the sentence The Lord will beginne at the elect as best and worthiest and he shall giue them their sentence Come ye blessed of my Father and vvherâ—â—â— the Kingdome prepared for you before 〈…〉 of the vvorlde Matt. chap. 25 verse 32. From once this sentence is past out on them when this absolution from death and damnation is pronounced looke what estate they 〈◊〉 be in They shall stand with the Angles as assessours to judge the reprobate So Paul 1. Cor chap. 6. verse 3. saies knovv 〈…〉 iudge the Angels that is to say we shall allow that most just sentence of Iesus And among all the rest of the 〈◊〉 the twelf Apostles speciallie shall haue place For they shall sit on twelfe Thrones to justifie that just sentence that shall passe on the reprobate Then shall the sentence passe out on the reprobate the voice shall goe downe throgh the aire to the earth a terrible voice 〈◊〉 accursed of my Father to the fire prepared for the Deuill and all his Angels Brethren thinke not this a fable manie will not beleeue this vntil they feele it in them selues Now to be short To speake of the lyfe of the reprobate after this sentence they shall noâ— remaine on the earth In the verie moment of the doome that is certaine they shall passe to dâ—mnation 〈…〉 At that same verie moment thou receiuest the sentence of lyfe thou shalt goe to Heauen The moment the reprobate receiues sentence of damnation they shall go to Hell Now to speake of this death and lyfe I will not be curious there is much spoken in the Scripture thereof both to let vs see the glorie of the elect and the torments of the reprobate But I tell you in one word it was neuer all tolde Neuer Prophet nor Apostle expressed the greatnesse of the joy that shall come to the godlie nor of the paine that shall come to the vngodlie There shall bee another paine nor fyre and brimstone to bee tormented in Neyther can any expresse the joye in Heauen There shall be such glorie and joye as the eare of man neuer heard of the eye hes not seene nor yet hes it entered in the heart of man Novv looke hovv Paul speakes of this joye heere He sayes 〈◊〉 shall be 〈◊〉 vvith the Lord. He contentes him with these wordes To be with the Lord imports not a dwelling only vvith him but a lyfe and glorious lyfe joye that is vvith him vnspeakable I cannot tell it all the tongues in the vvorlde cannot tell it For all the joye in Heauen it is in the Sonne of God and shall shine through him that is through the naturall 〈◊〉 of man couered ouer vvith a Majestie and so all Heauens joye and glorie shall be vvith him and they vvho shall bee vvith him shall be in that glorie and joye vvith him I dare say more These thinges shall not be outvvith vs onely but vvithin our bovvels The joye and glorie shall not be outvvith the godlie as it is novv Commonlie the glorie the pleasure are ouâ—vvith vs the matter of joye outvvith vs and vve 〈◊〉 to it But then all matter of joye shall be in vs Christ first be in vs and God shall be all in all and God in 〈◊〉 be dvveling in vs and then vvhen thou hast all vvithin thee vvhat shall thou vvant And therefore in the Reuelation chap 21. verse 2 it is said We shall not neede thinges outvvith vs. neyther a Temple nor Sunne nor Moone for God being in thee shall be vnto thee a Temple hee is all in all and hee being in thee 〈…〉 all 〈…〉 thee In one vvord He shall be vvithin the◠〈…〉 because God in Christ shall dvvell vvithin thee and 〈…〉 part of that glorie and felicitie of that lyfe Novv is there no more nor this What matter if it vverfor a tyme vve vvere to be with him What matter of Heauen if Heauen lasted not What matter of a Kingdome that vanishes away A man set vp on a pompe to day casten down to morrow what matter of heauenlie glory let be the earthly glory if it lasted not but the Apostle saies we shall be with him for euer Take vp then our blessednesse It stands in two pointes first a passing and exceeding joy and glorie and secondlie in an eternity and euerlastingnesse of joy and glorie Paul plainly and pithilie settes these two together 2. Cor. chap. 4. verse 17. He calles it a weight of glorie that is excellent Then he calles it an euerlasting glorie There are two a weight of glorie and an euerlasting vveight of glorie and more excessiuelie excessiue He cannot get wordes to vtter it It is a weight that will vveigh dovvne all the vvorlde and then a weight of glorie excessiuelie excessiue and then eternall and euerlasting So our felicities in glorie and passing great glorie and an euerlasting glorie As for the paines of the reprobate I will not insist to speake of them because the Apostle is speaking heere to comfort the elect Now when the Apostle hes made a discourse of the comming of Christ He makes his exhortation and sayes and so I say also Comfort one another vvith these vvordes Brethren many hes sought comfort death is dolorous and wearisome in the owne nature and therefore many of the Heathen hes busied themselues to get comfort and matter of consolation in the houre of death What matter of death if there be a comfort therein but then is death dolorous when it is without comfort But vvas there euer any that got comfort that knew not Christ and the resurrection and a life after this life no neuer man neither king nor Emperor As for all the comforts they had all was but vanitie and dreames of comfort Againe I say Was there euer anie that gaue comfort to a bodie in death or that gaue comfort to them that vvas heauie for the death of their freinde but that man that hes a sense of that glorious resurrection of Christ and of his comming And therefore as thou wouldst haue comfort in death giue comfort for death know that the Lord is to come in the world knovv that there shall be a glorious resurrection and after the resurrection there shall be an eternall joy and glorie in Heauen And looke that this be not onely wordes in the mouth There are many vaine bablers of Christ and of that glorious resurrection A knaue an adulterer a murtherer will flatter himselfe and clatter of that glorie and joy but all is vanity Wilt thou be a knaue and then speake of these thinges The Lord shall punish thee Looke therefore that thy speaking of the latter
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
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
the Cor. chap. 14 vers 3. Paul sayes He that prophecies that is the Preacher he speakes to men and whereto to edifie in building There is the end of his speaking to exhortation consolation In the 4 chap. Ephes verse 11. He sayes When Christ past vp to Heauen he left not his Church voide or destitute of builders but he sayes he gaue some to be Apostles some Prophetes some Euangelistes some Deacones and Pastours And whereto All to builde vp the bodie of Christ. If a Pastour be not a builder he serues for no purpose Yet not withstanding of this albeit it be the Pastours speciall calling to exhorte The Apostle sayes Everie one of you exhort ye men and wemen euerie one exhort and edifie another Thou should exhort thy neighbour and let him exhort thee againe Holde thou him waking and let him hold thee waking hold thou him in sobrietie and let him hold thee in sobrietie againe hold on that spirituall armor on him on her let him and her hold on thy spirituall armor on thee again So there are none of vs in Christs Church but we haue all this generall calling in the Church to be builders edifiers exhorters euery one of others The simplest in the flock is bound to exhort and builde vp the best of them all that speakes with a tongue For the Lord hes giuen to the least member some peece of grace to builde vp and instruct the bodie For knowe ye what our calling is in Christ As he is King Priest and Prophete a King to rule a Priest in offering vp that onely one propitiatorie sacrifice for all a Prophete to instruct and teache So there is not a true Christian man nor woman but they haue all these three offices they are Kinges Priestes and Prophetes Kinges to rule in the Church of Christ Priestes to offer vp in a maner a sacrifice to God Prophetes to teache and helpe vp the building I meane the vvhole bedie vntill it come to the head Christ that once the man whose head is Christ and the bodie the Elect in the earth may be perfite So say not it is the Ministers duetie to doe this vvhat haue I to doe vvith this Nor vvhen one exhortes thee say not art thou becomme a Minister well it thou accept not such doctrine of them thou shalt die for euer for the Lord hes opened their mouth for thy edification Now the third thing I marke in the last parte of the verse euen as ye doe I vvill not bid you exhort one another as thogh ye did it not alreadie No I acknowledge the grace of God in you in doing it alreadie take your owne praise Well then they are doing the thing he exhortes them to and yet he exhortes them to doe it When I see a man doe any thing what needes me to exhort him to it When I see a man exhorting and building what needes me to exhort him to exhort and build Learne then There are none in this world but they haue need continually and instantlie to be stirred vp in their doing we are far from perfection and albeit we be running on in the rink yet we ar far from the butt which is heuen we are but running yet and so whil we are running let vs go forward if it be a minister that exhorts let him exhort on Who euer they be that exhorts and edifies let them goe on in edifying and exhorting to the building vp of the bodie Now beside this consider ye not the sluggishnesse of our nature our nature is so dead and stupide that searslie will we haue put our hand to the turne when we will fall from it Ye wil see a sleeping bodie put his hand to a turne and in the meane-tyme he will fall down and sleepe Our nature is so slippery that when we are laying vp one stone in the building if one cry not in our eare awake and be doing vve vvill lette it fall So when we are exhorting and searslie vvill the vvorde of exhortation be out of our mouth when we will fall from that purpose So considering our nature the best of vs hes neede to be stirred vp and exhorted when we are doing fastest then we haue need to be stirred vp Yet brethren for all this exhorting he vvill not misknow the grace of God in them Take head when thou seest men doing vvell that thou close not thy eyes thereat and say not to them that they doe nothing some are ouer sore censorers that vvill say thou doest nothing thy exhortation is nothing No let euery man haue his owne praise If they be doing any good thing be it neuer so litle commend them and stir them vp to it by giuing them exhortations and praising them This for this exhortation All this part of this Epistle is full of exhortations concerning Christian behauiour Followes now another exhortation which is more particulare and concernes the duety that the people ought vnto the Pastors I shall holde me by the wordes of the text Then to come to the wordes Brethren There the style he calles them brethren a louing style to testifie that loue he bare tovvardes them Novv vve beseech you There the next worde a word testifying the earnestnesse he had in exhorting them to doe it because it was a great matter he bids them not simplie doe it but he sayes I beseech you doe it When a great thing is to be done by any man certainly it requyres we vse an earnest and not a simple and slender speech The first thing he desires of the people is an acknovvledging Whom of of them vvho labours in the vvorke that is first Then of them vvho are ouer you and aboue you in the Lord. That is next Then of them that admonishe you That is last The second thing he desires of the people that they haue them in a singulare and most speciall loue col Loue them not as ye doe commonly any other man or woman but loue them after a singular maner Wherefore should this loue be Not so much for the persons sake as for the works loue them for their works There is the summe of the wordes shortly The exhortation may be taine vp in two words Doe your duetie to your Pastor Yet he is not content with the bare wordes but he layes out the minister before them in the whole substantiall pointes of his calling letting them see euerie peece of his calling after another And more then this which he speakes of the peoples duety he layes not out their duety simplie but substantiouslie knovve him acknowledge him there one part then haue him in a singular loue there is another part And so it is not eneugh to haue a simple knowledge of him but they must knowe what a man a Pastor should be Men will say I know him he is a man standing vp in a Pulpet preaching with a gowne No the Apostle shewes vs to know him in euery pointe of his dalling in this
to Christ and are translated from this vvorld that ye thanke him in prosperitie and aduersitie in vvell and vvoe there is the meaning Then ye see in this place a speciall vvill of God concerning this calling vve stand in and the speciall vvill of God concerning vs Christians is that vve thanke him Christian men and vvemen are most debtfull to thanke him and ought aboue all creatures to thanke him Fy on thee that vvill take the name of Christ on thee and not thanke him Thanke him in all things he can lay before thee It is his will that thou thanke him at least striue to thanke him for well and woe prosperity and aduersity for death aswell as life As for other men Iewes Turkes and Pagans c. that are not Christians God craues not this thanksgiuing at them A maruelous thing The Turke he hes the glory and wealth of the vvorld and yet the Lord sayes I vvill haue no thankes of thee neither in vvell nor in vvoe because thou art not in Christ all my glory is in Christ all the seruice I craue in the vvorld is in Christ So the pratling of the Turke and Ievv that makes them to thanke God is all but vanitie he craues it not of them O hovv great a honour is it to call a man to thanke and to serue him No neuer King got such great honour as vve get vvhen vve are called to thanke and to serue that King of Kings all our glory standes in seruing and making homage to God so blessed are they that are called to this honour through Iesus Christ Therefore he sayes through Christ meaning that in Christ is the matter of all thanksgiuing There is matter in Christ of all thanksgiuing In vvell and vvoe Christ is to me aduantage both in lyfe and death sayes Paul If thou hast aduantage in death vvhy should not thou thanke him In one word where Christ is there is matter of thanksgiuing to God in the greatest misery we can be in the world Againe where Christ is not and who are not in him as members of that glorious body ioyned in society with that glorious head if they had all this broad world they haue no cause to be merie nor to thanke no to open their mouth to praise And to speak the trueth they cannot be merie They may laugh but the true ioy is in God he is the Lord of ioy a man may well laugh but he can haue no true ioy except he haue Iesus in his hart That man in aduersitie and in the point of death will laugh more sweetly and vtter greater ioy nor the greatest worldly man in the midst of his prosperitie So I say and I command thee looke that thou reioice not without Christ I say to all men reioyce not but be sad if thou hast not Christ The Lord hes not ordeined thee to be glad it is his will onely that they that are in Christ reioyce and be neuer glad vntill thou get Christ I counsell you if ye had all the world if ye find not Christ in the hart be neuer glad What matter hast thou to be glad when the great God turnes his back on thee It may be he will cast a kingdome to thee ouer his shoulder as it were a bone casten to a dog what is that to thee if thou get not his ioyfull presence Read Dauid in all his Psalmes he was neuer glad but when he had the presence of God Now I come to the next precept Quench not the spirit The wordes are few but they conteyne great matter Quench not the spirit put not out the holy Spirit of Christ Take heed He â—es bene speaking before of the graces of God What is patience in suffering wrong What is joy What is thankfulnesse but the graces of the Spirit He hes beene before speaking of his graces and recommending them to thee Now he commes to that glorious person himselfe vvho is the giuer and vvorker of all these graces of Patience of Joy of Prayer and Thanks-giuing The holie Spirit the third person of the Trinitie that God giues to me and thee if thou be Gods seruant It is vanity to think that a true Christian man gettes onely the graces of the Spirit they get the verie Spirite No it is not the graces of the Spirite that will dwell in the hart and soule and bodie of a man no but the Spirit it selfe The Spirit will dvvell as surelie vvithin thy hart as euer a man dvvelt in an house That Comforter that Christ promised to his disciples when he was going vp to Heauen was not the graces of the Spirit no but the Spirite it selfe to dwell in our hart and to work it in al the graces So it is not the graces but the spirit he speaks of here when he saies quench not the spirit Paul saies Ephes chap 4. vers 30 Grieue not the holy spirit It is a simple guestning to make thy guest sad make not the spirit of Christ sad Paul saies in another place that the spirit is giuen thee as an arlispenny of thy saluation Ephes cha 1. vers 14. Thou â—oses the arles-pennie if thou make him sad But to the wordes The speache when he saies Quenching of the spirit quenche not the Spirit appeares to be metaphoricall It is borrovved and not proper and it is borrovved from a fyre or candle that vses to giue light and heate Then if it must not be quenched It must follovve that the Spirite of Christ must be a fyre vvithin vs It must follovve he must be a light inlightning our soules as a lanterne and lampe of light set vp within the darke and dead soule to let the soule and affectiones haue light and the Spirite of Iesus shynes vvithin the darke soule of a man as a lanterne shynes in a darke night and puttes out that masse of darknesse that is in the soule of man And therefore because it is as a fyre he sayes Quench not And Paul to Timothie 2. Epistle chap. 1. vers 6. sayeth stir vp or kindle the gift that is in thee it is lyke a flamming fyre the gift of it is but a light or flam that commes from this fyre So he sayes Stir vp kindle vp the gift that thou hast receiued Now ye see by experience a fire or light is two maner of waies quenched take me away coales timber or such other matter to burne take me away the nourishment that holdes in the fire it will die out Another way cast water on it smore it it will also die out albeit ye take not burning thinges from it So it is with this heauenly fire First draw me away the meanes whereby the Spirit is fostered and the fyre of the Spirit is holden in for as the fire feeds on the subject so the fire of the Spirit feeds on the own nutriture and foode take me away this foode of the Spirit as thou seest a fire die out so he will die out Take me
and prayer and he sayes This is that confidence vve haue in the Lord that if vve aske any thing according to his vvill he vvill heare vs There is confidence in prayer that when we pray we should haue that assurance that God will giue vs these things we seeke not according to our will but according to his owne will It is his will that we should haue these heauenly things through the bloud of Christ And therefore our prayer for them should rise on confidence that God will grant them for Christs sake Yet farther I see in this place three thinges joyned together First he exhorts them to a continuance in an holy lyfe to the end Secondly he prayes for the same continuance in holinesse that God would preserue them to the comming of the Lord Iesus Exhortatiō praier and promise conioyned Thirdly there is a sure promise made to them of that same thing he prayed for that God would perfite his worke in them and neuer leaue his worke vntill he crowne it and these three continuance in holinesse prayer for it and promise thereof cannot be well seuered It auailes not to stand vp and exhort to any good thing except the exhorter pray to God that it would please him to grant them that grace he hes exhorted them to the man that cannot pray for that grace he hes exhorted them to he is not meete to exhort Then againe prayer without promise auailes little A man who hes not assurance in his hart to promise grace from the hands of God vnto any people or person is not meete to pray for any people or person He to whom the Lord hes not giuen that grace in hart to promise with assurance he is not meete to pray for pithie prayer must ryse on some confidence in the hart To be short In a Pastor these three must goe together He must be a man that is meete to exhort that hes a grace to pray and an accesse to God and last he must haue an assurance in his hart of that grace of God so that he dar be bold to promise to them that grace he exhortes them to and craues at God And that which I speake of a Pastor I speake of all men For all should be exhorters and euery one teachers of their brethren and so euery one should see if they haue these graces to exhort to stir them vp to godlinesse to pray for them and to promise to them grace with assurance Now to goe forward He sets not downe his promise simply and barely the Lord will doe it but he layes downe the ground and foundation where-vpon he builds his promise vvhich 〈◊〉 their effectuall and inward calling He is faithfull that he◠called you So the ground of this promise is their inward and effectuall calling By this calling I vnderstand no other thing but an inward declaration of the eternall will of God in the hart of any man concerning his saluation 2. sorts of calling To speake the trueth this calling of a man by the word is nothing but a reuealing inwardly in his hart that election and choising of God that was from all eternitie He calles him when he reueales that eternall election to him and assures him that he hes chosen him before al eternity There is another calling when the word soundes in the care without perswasion of the calling in the hart This is an outward calling Many are called this way but few gets this inward calling in their hart to saluation Then this is the meaning of the Apostle as if he had said to them if ye be called Thessalonians if ye find the Lord to declare inwardly to your hart his eternall will in your election I dare be bolde to promise that that God who hes made that declaration in your hart shall neuer leaue you vntill he persite his worke and put you in Heauen This ground standes sure that God shall neuer leaue you who hes gotten the assurance of election vntill he crowne his worke in you There are the wordes shortly Then marke brethren The promise that one can make to another that God will not leaue them to the end it must not be spoken absolutely but it must be conditionall The condition is of thy effectuall calling This condition holding sure that thou art effectually and inwardly called to life surely the promise may be made to thee with assurance God wil neuer leaue thee to the end And I or any man vpon this condition may boldly make you this same promise that Paul made to the Thessalonians and I may say to you this ground holding that ye are called inwardly and that ye haue receiued an inward declaration as it were out of the mouth of God of your election in Christ I may promise you that God shall neuer leaue you vntill he crown his worke Then if it be so who euer would haue comfort of the promise of God made in Christ when lyfe is promised perseuerance is promised the crowne of glorie is promised who wold haue comfort in these promises let him go to the ground looke if thou findst in thy hart thy inward calling looke if God by his Spirit inwardly assures thee that thou shalt haue lyfes if thou findst it assure thee the promise perteines to thee but if thou finde it not spoken inwardly by God to thee thou hast no warrand that the promise of grace perteins to thee thinke neuer thou wilt be crowned and that he shall perfite his worke in thee seeing he neuer began to worke in thee God will neuer perfite the worke he neuer began Therefore euerie one of vs should take heed when we read or heare the promises of God in the Scripture if we haue this ground or not if I finde I haue the ground I may fullie assure me there is no promise but it is made to me but if I see not the ground no promise perteines to me Then on this marke further Gods fashion of doing This is his maner of doing Gods calling vnchāgable First he calles that is to say he lettes men and women vnderstand by faith inwardly that he and she is one whom he hes taine purpose from all eternitie to saue There is the beginning Then he goes forward and neuer leaues them vntill he persite his worke in them No if he beginne once with them and giue them assurance that they are inwardly called the gates of Hel will neuer preuaile against them albeit they be in Hell at that same tyme of their calling they shall end in Heauen he will draw them through Hell to Heauen through death to lyfe all the world shall not alter his purpose If he begin once he will end Therefore to the Philipp 1. chap. 6. verse he sayes I am persvvaded that he that hes begunne the good vvorke in you he vvill perfite it to the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ I am perswaded there is neuer one with whom he beginnes the worke of their
effectuall calling but of necessity he must perfite it A man will beginne a worke and draw his hand from it againe and let it stand but God is not lyke man he neuer beganne the worke but he will perfite it And therefore I say who euer they be that would end with him and haue an assurance that God shall be with them in their end and shall crowne them with a crowne of glorie they should take heed vvhether God hes begun with them or not If I finde his hand begin to worke with me I will perswade my selfe in spite of al the world he shal perfite it but if we find not God begin with vs he shal neuer crown the work Al stands in the beginning al the grace we get in this lyfe such as holinesse sanctification is nothing in effect but the beginning of grace So that the thing we haue to do in this life if we should liue a thousand yeeres is to enter in count whether the Lord hes begun this worke or not If I finde he hes begun this worke in me then in my death and letter houre I will assure my selfe the Lord wil end his worke with me I will make a sweete end and he will crowne me with glory Yet farther he sayes Faithfull is he vvhich calleth you vvhich also vvill doe it He grounds againe this promise of the continuance of Gods grace Heighest ground of faith the constant nature of God which is vnder this condition of effectuall calling on an higher ground If thou wold haue a sute faith thou must haue many grounds faith is not builded on the sand it must haue sure groundes He grounds this ground of their effectuall calling on an higher and surer ground that all the world wil not be able to shake it is vpon the vnchangeable and vnalterable nature of God the constant nature of God not fleeting and flowing as mans nature is God is not like man The word he speakes it standes it neuer alters The purpose he takes is vnalterable To the Heb 6. chap. 18 vers It is impossible that God should lye 2. Tim. 2. chap. 13. vers He cannot deny himselfe he abydes faithfull and sure Then brethren if he hes said to the hart inwardly It is my will from all eternity that thou be one of these that shall be safe Hes he spoken it that word shall neuer be altered Heauâ—n and earth shall all go to ere there be one word of that altered God is faithfull the word he hes spoken cannot be altered Therefore if he hes called thee giuen thee a sight of thy election it will neuer alter Paul knew this well and therefore he assures them that he would perfite the worke begunne in them on this condition that he hes called them inwardlie this assurance should be in the hart of the Preacher thou should haue thy hart established on these same groundes thou should knowe the vnchangeable nature of God that he cannot alter for if thou knowest not that he cannot alter thou hast no certainty of faith So the ground of faith is the vnchangeablenesse of God it neuer restes vntill it pearce into that infinite deepnesse in God To speake it so It is not the word of God that is spoken that is the cheefe ground of faith for faith goes in through the word and grippes in to that vnchangeable Majestie Then the cheefe ground of faith is the vnchangeable nature of God and it neuer gets rest vntill it get that vnchangeable God And then when it hes gotten him it restes on 〈◊〉 restes then on his word and obeyes his word if he then speake to me I will heare him and obey him Then God should be painted out in his nature so far as man can But who can doe it He should be knowne to be a mercifull true and just God and none can haue faith but he must knowe these Alas thou that wilt be content with the scrufe of the properties of God and will not seeke in to the deepnesse of God and take him vp in his properties and pearee in to his nature and rest on him thou shalt neuer get a setled faith Therefore seeke ay knowledge and prease in to him that thou may stand in some setlednesse Now to come to the rest of the text When he hes exhorted them prayed for them made promise to them What then does he He commes downe and sayes Brethren pray for me He he beene aâ— it were sitting aboue them exhorting them praying for them promising to them as a superiour far aboue them and ere ye looke about you he commes downe and sits downe on the earth and his course about lookes vp to them and biddes them pray for him What learne we of this There is none so high mounted that hes so excellent graces in the Church of God if it were the Apostle Paul himselfe but he should humble himselfe as it vvere vnder the most humble and lovvlie in the Church and as hee hes prayed for them so hee should pray them to pray for him againe Pray for me as I haue prayed for you as I haue exhorted you exhort ye me as ye haue neede to be prayed for by me so haue I need to be prayed for by you So nothing I can doe to you but I haue neede of it my selfe Ye see the eiâ— of the head far aboue the foote the one is lowe on the earth the other high in the head it is the light of the body and guides the foote bids it goe on this way goe on that way it hes graces far aboue the foote yet for all this preheminence and giftes it hes gotten it must looke downe againe to the foote and say foote cary me and beare me for if thou cary not me to this place and that place where I would be I cannot come there Iâ— is so with the members of the body of Christ The eye of them that is the man that hes gotten greatest preheminence he must sloup downe and humble himselfe to the poorest bodie in the Church of God and seeke helpe mutuall in the Church the silliest bodie in the Church hes gotten a grace which he hes not gotten without the which grace he is not able to stand The foote can carie the eye but the eye cannot cary the foote So the poorest and vylest body in the Church hes gotten some grace that the greatest in the Church must sâ—oup downe and seeke a grace at the silliest bodie Therfore let none be proud Thou that wilt contemne the soberest grace that the filliest bodie in the Church of God hes gotten thou shalt lose all grace Then I see againe brethren the necessity of prayer Necessity of prayer The Lord grant this that we could once knowe it well There is no grace nor perseuerance in grace without prayer Without prayer to God let none seeke to stand to the end thou that cannot open thy mouth to pray to God neither morning
this life I will neuer rejoyce for all his kingdomes Vnhappie is that man that sunders from Christ what euer he be is he a Lord an Earle a King and in the meane-tyme hes he nothing adoe with God vnhappie is he For the greater blessinges worldly if he be not joyned with God and the Church the greater shall be his damnation Then last here looke what he speakes of loue and of the aboundance of loue it is not single loue but loue that is double and mutuall Mâ—tuall loue that is to say the loue that commes from my hart to thy hart and againe the loue that commes from thy hart to my hart that is mutuall and double this is the loue that he praises the double bond of loue and it must not be a double bond onely betweene two there are sundry thinkes they loue wel-eneugh if they loue one and that one loue them again No the Apostle sayes here Euery member of the body must loue all from the highest to the lowest The hand of a man in the owne sort loues the whole members of the body from the head to the foot honorable or vnhonorable high or low be what it wil no member in the body but it loues all So the loue the Apostle craues is that loue that one hes to all and againe that loue that all hes to one So that there should be no member in the body of Christ but it should be linked in with loue to Christ and euery member of his body There is no member of the body of man but it hes a certaine linke whereby it is linked to the rest The finger of the hand hes a link with the toe of the foot albeit they be far distant So there should be no member of the body of Christ but it shold be linked with euery one of the rest of the members albeit they lay ten thousand myles sundrie It lyes not in our power to cause all men loue 〈◊〉 it lyes not in my power to cause al men loue me nor in thy power to cause all men loue thee but I tell thee what thou should doe looke thou loue all for thy part and if they loue not thee againe they haue to answere to God For he cranes this mutuall loue of vs. This is the mutuall loue that holdes the brethren together if it be not the members cannot be joyned together in the bodie It is true we will neuer get it perfite in this earth for so long as the deuill the flesh and our lulles abydes there wil be euer distraction yet we should striue against the deuill and our owne cankerd nature to be linked and joyned with the members of the bodie vntill we be perfitely joyned with Christ where there shall be no seuering If we were once perfitly joyned with him we shal neuer be seuered hereafter There shall neither be deuil nor canker in nature to leuer vs then Therefore this should be our prayer Lord joyne vs to thee that we may no more be seuered from thee and thy Church by the deuâ—le by sin nor our owne corruption Now in the next verse he amplifies this their faith and great loue Their faith and loue was so great that he was forced to preach their praises in all the Churches wherein he resorted he came to no Church but remembring their great faith and loue he was compelled to preach their praises and to set them forth as an example to be followed Before he thanked God for them and for their faith and loue now he glories in the graces they had receiued before the world men and the churches wher he came in his journey When he thanked God concerning them he vtters neuer one word of their praise but comming among men and speaking to men and to the Church there he praises them Mark this difference Then brethren there is a great difference in speaking of the graces of men when we speake to God and before him when we speak to men and before men When thou speakst to God of man let no praise of man be heard before him be ware of that but let God haue al praise and glory if thou be speaking to God if it were of all the kings of the earth vtter no praise of any king there for in comparison with God kings are but dust and worse nor the dust that is trode vnder foote So let God haue al the praise of any grace he hes giuen to any man and say not Lord I praise thee for this parte of the grace and I giue man praise for that parte of the grace No but say Lord I giue thee the vvhole praise of the grace because all the grace he hes gotten is of thee But when we speak to men and tels them of the graces of God men hes gotten then we may glory in men but with this prouision that it be in God We may commend men before men for their faith loue patience but looke that all this commendation be in God first and then to this end to make men whom thou commendst as examples in wel doing See that thou look to the well of them thou speakst to that they should follow them whom thou praisest for wel-doing If thy minde be puft vp without reuerence of God without respect to the wel of him thou speakst to thou derogatst Gods glory we should be ware when we speak to the praise of any man that we derogate nothing from the glory of God Yet marke further the order he vses He glories not first before men and then begins to thank God but first he turnes to God and giues God the glory of the grace he hes giuen to them We ought to thank God sayes he alvvaies for you as it is 〈◊〉 Then he commes to men and glories of their graces in the presence of men Then brethren it is dew tyme to praise men and to giue them their owne commendation for the graces God hes giuen them when first thou hast glorified God giuing him the first praise and commendation This is the order When thou giuest God the first praise and then commes to men and praises the graces in them before men that praise is in God and he allowes of it But vvhen thou beginnes in praising men to men and remembers not God the giuer of all thou spoilest God of his glorie So vve should take verie good heed hovv vve praise godlie men for verie narrovvlie shall vve escape derogation to Gods glorie except the Spirite connoy the vvhole hart and mouth And therefore in praysing men vve should be vvart vve derogate nothing to the glorie of God vvho is the cheefe giuer of all All the kings of the earth should stoup and giue all honour and glorie to God Now in the end of this verse he sets dovvne the matter of this his glorying Faith namely and with Faith he joynes Patience because of your patience and faith in all your persecutions that ye suffer In
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
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
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
The comming of the Lord shall be found effectual in that day to our recollection to the gathering and assembling of the whole elect vnto him The presence and the comming of Christ is euer effectuall to the meeting of the Saintes where he is there must be a meeting he cannot be his alone In the 24. of Matthevv 28. verse Christ sayes Where the â—arâ—on is the ther vvill the Egles resort So where Christ is there shall the elect resort He came no sooner in the world but some elect both Iew and Gentile resorted to him so that there was not a Church raised vp But at second comming there shall be another kinde of assemblie At that tyme all the elect from the foure quarters of the earth shall be gathered and neuer one shall be missed all shall be in that generall assemblie when the Lord shall come in that glorious day and that assembly shall be through the power and effectualnes of Christ At his comming there shall come a sweet smell from him that shall draw all the elect that euer was together vnto him Yet to insist These tvvo thinges are joyned together vvith great discretion He sayes not onely by the comming of the Lord but also by our assembling vnto him For if he had said by the comming of the Lord onely it had beene a great motiue to haue terrified vs For the speaking of Christs comming without any further consideration and mention of our lyfe and our assembling vnto him would rather terrifie thee nor comforte thee Therefore the vvicked desires neuer to heare of his comming for vvhen their consciences are vvakned they are terrified But when the godly heares that Christ shall come and that men shall be conjoyned to him and be partakers of his glory and that he shall not be glorified without them that is comfortable they neuer heare it without joy Therefore if euer thou would finde comfort at Christs comming looke that thou finde an assurance in thy hart that thou shalt be made partaker of his glory at his comming Further marke in this obtestation This vndoubted certainty of Christes comming and our assembling vnto him binds and oblises euery one of vs to beleue the trueth of the doctrine concerning his comming and to slee and eschew all false doctrine thereof As namely this pointe of false doctrine that stands in limitating and bounding his comming at a certaine tyme as they would say He will come in such an age in such a yeere such a day an houre all is false doctrine So I say the benefite of his comming and the glorie vve shall receyue at his comming bindes vs that vve beleeue nothing but the trueth in such sort that if we will beleue the trueth of his comming we shall be partakers of his glorie at his comming If we decline any thing from the trueth of the doctrine of his comming we shall hazard the glory which othervvayes we should haue This which I set downe vnto you in particulare concerning one Article of our faith is true in all the rest For there is not one blessing of God in Christ but it oblises vs to beleue the true doctrine concerning that blessing in such sort that if we will beleeue the truth concerning that blessing we shall be partakers of that blessing and if we beleue not the trueth spoken concerning that blessing we depryue our selues of that blessing To make it plaine The benefite of justification whereby we are justified before God onely by the bloude of Christ and his merite and not by the merites of men bindes vs to beleue the trueth of it in such sort that if we will beleeue and seeke justification in the bloud and merites of Christ onely we shall be justified If againe we refuse to vnderstand the true way of our justification and repose on our vvorkes vve hazard our justification In the 9. chapter to the Romans vers 31. 32. we reade the Iewes soght to be justified by the workes of the Law So does the Papists by their merites But vvhat came of it The Apostle sayes They attamed not to it And why Because they sought it not by faith but by the vvorkes of the Lavv. Ye see heere that peruerse and false opinion which the Iewes had concerning mans justification made them not to attaine to justification No more shalt thou be justified who will be justified by thy vaine workes The Prophet Esay saies Esay 64. 6 all our righteousnesse is lyke a menstruous clout scarcely to be looked on let be to be presented as a meane whereby to be justified by God if thou wilt seeke to be justified by thy works I denouÌ„ce to thee in the name of God that at that great day thou shalt finde thy self not to be justified The Lord giue vs grace to imbrace the trueth and the onely way of justification and saluation In the next verse he commes to the thing be requested them not to doe It is this that they should not suffer themselues to be deceyued as if Christes comming vvere at hand Novv for the better vnderstanding heereof I shall take vp this second verse in these three pointes First vve haue that thing which he requests them not to doe To wit That they be not suddenly moued in their mynde and be not suddenly troubled in one word that they suffer not themselues to be deceyued Then we haue the means which are thre in number by the which the false teachers vsed to deceyue them The first is by reuelation pretending falslie the reuelation of the spirit The second is by vvord or traditioÌ„ The third is by letter as it vver from him In the third place he sets down the Heresie which false teachers labored to perswad them to be true to witte that the day of the Lord was at hand Now to come back to the words In the beginning of the verse he sayes I request you that suddenly ye be not moued Consider the words and then he subjoynes nor yet troubled The first of these two respects the mynde next the hart mouing from the mynde respects the mynde trouble respects the hart for the hart and the affections are suddenly troubled Now by the mynde I vnderstand not euery minde for euerie man hes a minde an Heretike hes a minde an Idolater a minde but I vnderstand heere a sound minde and rightly informed and speciallie in this pointe of doctrine concerning Christs comming A minde that is inlightned not with the light of nature onely but also with the spirituall light of faith in Christ Now he requests them that they be not moued as it were a jaw of the sea for the word is borrowed And moued to what thing If the mouing be from a sound minde and informed by the light of Christ it must be to a minde that is without faith in Christ a minde peruerslie instructed without the light of God The maner is suddenly It is shame to be moued from that which is good but it is a greater
swordes Heard you euer of a Pope Benifacius the â—ightâ— of whom it is said He entered in lyke a Tod raigne like a Lyon and died like a dog In the tyme of his jubile in the first day thereof he commes out in the Popes weed and as he goes he blesses the people In the next day he commes out in Cesars warlike clock and a naked sword horne before him and sitting downe he cryes out Behold two swordes heere I am the head of the Church I am the Pope and Cesar I haue the Empyre in Heauen and earth Who calles himselfe the head of the Church A style onely proper to Christ Who calles himselfe the Vicar of Christ The brydgrome of the bryde the Church Who calles himselfe the high Priest Styles onely proper to Christ Is it not this beast of Rome Whereto should I insist It is wonder that the earth can beare such a proud filthie villaine It is a wonder that the Heauen can couer him but we must reuerence the long suffering patience of the Lord. And seeing the Scripture hes pointed him out so euidently it is a wonder that men should be so blinde that they should so reuerence him when he rages this waye in sinne and that they will call him the successour of Peter and the head of the Church What shall I say all reading and hearing will not inlighten the mynde and perswade men except the Spirit of God be present to open the hart Therefore leauing this beast I pray God to send his Spirit to let men see that they may abhorre such an enemy to God and Christ and that they may imbrace the light of Iesus and that he would keepe vs that we be not deceyued by these vanities To this God euen the Father Sonne and holie Spirit be all praise for euer AMEN THE SIXT LECTVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 2. THESSA CHAP. 2. vers 5. 6. 7. 8. 5 Remember ye not that vvhen I vvas as yet vvith you I told you these things 6 And novv ye knovv vvhat vvithholdeth that he might be reueiled in his tyme. 7 For the mysterie of iniquitie doth already vvorke onely he vvhich novv vvithholdeth shall let till he be taken out of the vvay 8 And then shall the vvicked man be reueiled vvhom the Lord shall consume vvith the spirit of his mouth and shall abolish vvith the brightnesse of his comming THE Apostle Brethren ye heard proues against the false teachers that the comming of the Lord was not so neere hand as they thought and as they teached He takes his argument from one thing that was to fal out in the world before Christs latter comming Ere euer become sayes the Apostle there shall be an vniuersall defection from that faith of Iesus Christ This matter will conteine a long processe of tyme and therefore would the Apostle conclude Christs comming is not so neere hand as they make the people beleeue He expresses not the name of the Antichrist but for the name he hes a long description and painting out of him This description we entered in the last day and he lets them see when he shall be when he shall come He pointes him out in his nature First in his very essence he shall be a man of nature lyke other men Then he commes to his properties What shall they be First a man of sinne a wicked man as euer was or shall be in the world The next propertie He shall be the son of perdition a man long agoe ordeined to destruction Then he commes to his actions when he shall come and reueile him in the world he shall oppone himselfe against euery thing that shall be called God or shall be worshipped That is against euery superiour power and Majestie whether earthly or Heauenly against God himselfe and his Sonne Iesus Christ Another action He shall not be content onely to oppone himselfe in malice but in pryde he shall exalt himselfe aboue all thinges that shall be called God and worshipped either in earth or in Heauen Then he commes to two speciall actions of his pryde first exalting himselfe aboue God he shall sit in the Temple of God in the Church of God For so the Antichristian Church is termed because shee keepes some ensenzies of the Church of God the Word and Sacraments He shall sit there as God on the consciences of men and wemen to thrall and controle them at his pleasure The other particulare action of his pryde he shall showe himselfe as God in the properties perteining to God he shall take them all on him This far we proceeded the last day in the description of the Antichrist whom the Apostle prophecyes will come in the world ere Christ come againe onely this I aduertise you as I did before Take not this man whom ye call the Antichrist to be a single man one person take him to be a succession of men euery one following another in one kingdome and tyranny The kingdome of Antichrist all is termed vnder the name of a man They are but one kingdome of all one purpose of all to exercise tyrannie on the Church of God heere on this earth Now brethren to the text He leaues off this description for a tyme vntill he come to the ninth verse following and there he returnes againe Now in the meane-tyme he falles out in some speaches and admonitions to them concerning the Antichrist and in the first verse we haue red he confirmes the thing he hes spoken of the Antichrist from the speaches he had with them when he abode among them in Thessalonica Concerning the Antichrist I wryte would he say no other thing to you now nor that which I told you when I was with you That which I then spoke that same thing now I wryte vnto you Then in the next verse he showes to them that the Antichrist and Antichristanisme is come and begun already in the world albeit his reueiling and his comming to his pryde is not yet yet the Antichrist is come Antichristanisme and fals religion is begun Then againe he telle what withholdes him that he is not reueiled so soone and hastily There is an impediment casten in which I told to you when I was with you He insistes on this impediment and telles when this impediment shall be tame out of the way then this wicked man of sinne shall be reueiled And last as he hes tolde of his comming out and growing to an height in his pryde so he propecyes of his decay and his destruction Now to returne to the wordes Remember ye not sayes he vvhen I vvas vvith you I told you these thinges To assure them the more of the trueth of these thinges that he wrytes to them concerning the Antichrist hee calles them to remembrance of that which he spoke to them face to face concerning this same purpose and in doing this the vtters some peece of anger Remember ye not He vses some sharpnesse in wordes because
marueilous hardnesse to win thinges that ye thinke be easie to be done and againe an easinesse to come to thinges which ye thinke hard All tends to this that we may know all is decreed by the secreet and effectuall prouidence of God In the beginning of the next verse we haue the effect that shall fall out vpon this prophecie when once he that withholds the 〈◊〉 out of the way that is the Romane Emperour which is termed heere as a man by reason of a kingdome many Caesars but yet one kingdome Theâ— sayes he that vvicked man shall be reueiled that great Antichrist shall be reueiled As for the small Antichrists that were forerunners of the great he speakes not of them then this great Antichrist shall show himself in power to the world he is called a lawlesse man and who cannot be subject to a law Who is that He that craues an absolute power And who craues an absolute power if not that beast of Rome Who breakes and makes lawes as he pleases Gods law mens law Read the history of him So ye haue heere the reueiling of him his comming to his greatnesse To make this plaine When was it that the great Antichrist came for this prophecie is of him and this reueiling is to be vnderstood of him When came he to this perfection When was he first reueiled I shew you before in the dayes of the Apostles the Antichrist beganne and lurked vnto the six hundreth and three yeere of our Lord and a great part of that time lurked in Rome he was not yet in greatnesse well then his greatnesse beganne in the six hundreth and three yeere of God as the Histories notes And vpon what decasion Grovving reueiling of the antichrist One Photas an adulterer a parricide and wicked man alwayes when he had slaine his master 〈…〉 Emperour and so had become odious to the people to 〈◊〉 to him the fauour of the people he would showe himselfe beneficial to the Church he pronounces Bonifacius the third and his successors after him there is the Antichrist to be Popes to be supreâ—me and 〈◊〉 Bishops of the whole earth which styles 〈◊〉 his predecessor so much abhorred Then in the six hundreth and seauen yeere in a Sinod all counsell holden 〈◊〉 Rome vnder the same Boâ—â—facius the third this priuiledge to be vniuersal Bishops of the world is ratified to the Bishoppes of Rome A little after this see how this growes in a counsell holden in Africa vnder the Emperour Constantine the nephevv of Heraclius Theodorus the Bishoppe of Rome gettes this style and these tytles sent to him Domino Apostolico culmini sublimato sancto patrum patri Theodoro Papae summo omnium praesulum principâ— Synodus Africana That is vnto the Lord lifted vp on high to the Apostolicall seate the holy father of fathers the most high Prince of all Prelats Theodore the Pope writes the Synode of Africa And yet he is not come to his height till in the 666. yeere of the Lord which number in the reuelation of Iohny 18. is called the number of a man that is an explicable number easie to be counted with men In this yeere he commes to the height of his perfection as that prophecy of Iohn tels and experience teaches Who makes him vp and perfites him Euen he who should haue holden him downe the Emperour of Constantinople Constantinus Prorogatius Barbarus Vitilianus being Bishop of Rome for the time he makes vp the beast He sets him vp on the top of his honour Then brethren the Roman Bishoppe who was before but a legate to the Roman Emperour he is set downe in his soueranitie subject to no mortall man vnder the Heauen Then commes in al abominations all corruptions all vices and among all the rest in commes the Masse and it is determined that it should be celebrate in the Latine tongue in all the world The Antichrist in this 666. yeere commes to the height of height he cannot come higher Now brethren to end this matter Heare a little of his downe going againe As the Apostle heere prophecyed of his climming vp to the height of the ladder so to comforte the Church of God in all ages he prophecyes of his destruction Whom sayes he the Lord shall consume vvith the breath of his mouth and shall abolish vvith the brightnesse of his comming There are two parts here of his decaying The first part is his consuming the next part is his abolishing His consuming is with a slownes for as he came not incontinent to his height so he decayes not incontinent long ere he decay he consumes away as a body consuming and then â—e endes at a sudden Who consumes him Who abolishes him Who but the Lord Iesus Christ He it is who shal consume the Antichrist Maâ—er of coÌ„suming of the antichrist To speake of his consuming Where-with melts he him away with the breath of his mouth that is by the preaching of the Gospell and that by the poore Ministers who are despised in the world He makes his Ministers breath and blow on the beast and this breath of the Ministers consumes the beast When began this consuming of him Euen soone after he came to his height Ye heard of one Iohn W. ckleâ—ff in anno 1383. he blew on the beast Iohn Husse Ierome de Praga in Bohemia albeit he was burnt and the beast got the mastrie of him yet he consumed the beast Ye heard of Luther in Germanie his name shall not be buried Melanthon Zuinglius Oeâ—olampadius men of worthie memorie and then good Iohn Caluin in France Viretus Farellus they blew in their tyme on the beast What shall I say To be short so many faithfull men as the Lord raises vp in the ministry they are as many slayers of the beast with their breaths Now learne one thing When the Antichrist is come to his height who goes too to beate the beast downe from his height Is it the Emperour is it this king or that king No no word of them Is it any power in this world No it is the Lord Iesus He will haue the honour of the wreack of the Antichrist And therfore as it were in his owne person he will enter in combat with the beast Now what armour vses he Commes he on with this wordly armour gunnes and gainzies I aske of thee No no thing is spoken of them but a breathing and blowing is told of Iesus Christ blovves on the beast and consumes him vvith the breath of his mouth The word of the Gospell is the armour he vses that same armour the beast abuses to hold vp his kingdome vvithall the Lord takes out of his â—and and slayes him vvith What instruments vses he to this turne He takes not Angelles from the Heauen to breath on him No but sillie simple bodies some out of the beasts owne bodie some otherwaies raised vp to blow on the beast Marke all these circumstances They all let you see that in
beatting dovvne of the beast onely Iesus Christ ought to haue the glorie of the victorie Whether ye looke to him who strikes the battell the armour or them who are souldiers in the battell all lettes you see the glorie should be giuen to Christ alone What is more vyle nor the vvord of the crosse and this vyle ministrie and yet he vvill haue him vvreaked and consumed with the word and ministrie He chuses not great and mightie things not kings and Emperours to this worke wonder not nor be not moued that ye see so many kings stand by the beast to see the Emperour the kings of France and Spaine stand for him but the Lord will vse base meanes to destroy the beast that the glorie may be giuen to him allone Now to come to the other pointe his abolishing He is abolished at the last When shall this be When Christ shall come againe How shall it be The face and presence of Iesus shall deuoure him As soone as the Lord shall come downe as soone shall he vanish and be burnt vp as caffe with the fire The word of the Gospell consumes him and burnes him but not quyte vp But the face of Iesus in that day shall burne him quite vp and then that prophecie of Iohn Reuel chap. 20. verse 10. shall be accomplished He shall be casten in a lack of fire and brimstone which shall neuer haue an end Then brethren beware of this word for if it worke not to lyfe but be a sauour of death to death if it doe thee no good in this lyfe be assured that most glorious face of the Lord in the world to come shall destroye thee Therefore looke that the word be an instrument to thy consolation and the power of God to thy saluation Looke how the word is effectuall to thee in this life for so shall the presence of Iesus be to thee in the life to come either to thy saluation or damnation The face of the Lord shal consume thee if the word hes wroght no renewing of thee in this life It is said in the chapter preceeding verse 9. They which did not obey the Gospell shall be punished vvith euerlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the gloree of his povver one blenke of that face shall consume in an instant all the reprobate Craue then that the word may be powerfull that ye may escape this fire of that presence of Iesus in his comming Then heere ye may perceiue that the kingdome of the Antichrist is not altogether abolished it takes a long tyme ere it be taken away Wonder not that he hes such a power in this earth for certainly this prophecie telles vs that there shall be some face of the Antichristes kingdome vntill Christ come Looke not that Papistry end ere Christ come look not that euery reformed Church shall be quite of them but they shall be as thornes in their sides till Christ come and let no man ouer soone triumph but let euery one make him for the battell There are none of the professours of Christs trueth but they should prepare them for battell Therefore let euery one seeke this armour that being enarmed with that spirituall armour so far as God will giue the grace echone may breath on the beast to his consumption that so God may be glorified and then shalt thou triumph for euer with him To whom be praise and glore for euer AMEN THE SEVENTH LECTVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 2. THESSA CHAP. 2. vers 9. 10. 9 Euen him vvhose comming is by the vvorking of Satan vvith all povver and signes and lying vvonders 10 And in all deceiuablenes of vnrighteousnesse among them that perish because they receiued not the loue of the trueth that they might be saued WE returne again in this text to the description of the Antichrist to be reueiled the Apostle before had casten in some things in the way pertaining to the present purpose Ye heard the Antichrist to be reueiled was descriued from his nature First of nature he should be a man like other men then hee is descryued from his properties first a sinfull man addicted to sinne a slaue of sin and iniquitie next the sonne of perdition a man from all eternitie ordeined to perdition Then he came to his actions that he shall doe when he shall be reueiled first in malice of his hart he shall oppone him to euery thing called God in Heauen and earth to the powers and majesties here on earth to the Majestie of God and Christ in Heauen Another action when he shall be reueiled in pride he shall exalt himself aboue all thing that is called God and is worshipped in the world Yet more in pride he shall sit in the Temple of God not like a common man but as God in Gods seate on the consciences of men and wemen in the Church of God And last he shall showe himselfe to be God in all things in all his titles and styles and al his dignities and shall bereaue God so far as lyes in his power of all dignities and honors that pertaines to him allone Novv to speake nothing of that hes beene spoken before In this 9. verse the Apostle returnes againe to the description of the Antichrist and in this place he descriues him from the effectualnes or effectuall power he shall haue in men ordeined for perdition when he shall come and be reueiled in the world Then to come to the words Satan effectual by and in the antichrist Whose comming sayes the Apostle shall be according to the effectuall povver of Satan As he would say when he shall come and be reueiled in the world Satan that sent him shall be effectuall and powerfull by him powerfull in men and weâ—en that perishes that are ordeined from al eternity to perdition Heerein shortly learne then Euen as God by Iesus Christ in his ministrie whom he sends out will be effectuall in these who are his if all the world had sworne the contrare So Satan the enemy of God and â—atan in this pointe will prease to be like God and in his maner will be effectuall and powerfull in them that are ordeined for death by the Antichrist As God in his church for saluation will be powerful by his ministry so the Antichrist wil be powerfull to them that are ordeined to perdition Yet brethren the words imports more to wit that Satan shall not onely be effectual by the Antichrist outwardly but he shal be effectuall inwardly in the hart of him and when he shal work by him he shal not work by the mouth or hand outwardly but by the effectual working in his hart and will inspire in his hart to do the turne In this pointe likewise Satan preases to be like God When God by his minister as effectuall he not onely workes by his mouth or his hand or any outward member but he workes by his soule and inward affections cheefly 1.
this solide foundation for euer and euer and let euery one of you pray for the same in the name of Iesus To whom with the Father and holy Spirit be all praise and honour AMEN THE TENTH LECTVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 2. THESSA CHAP. 3. vers 1. 2. 3. 1 FVrthermore brethren pray for vs that the vvord of the Lord may haue free passage and be glorified euen as it is vvith you 2 And that vve may be deliuered from vnreasonable and euill men for all men haue not faith 3 But the Lord is faithfull vvhich vvill stablish you and keepe you from euill THE Apostle brethren hes comforted these Thessalonians against the afflictiones and persecutiones which they vnderlay for the present He hes instructed and informed them concerning the second cōming of the Lord Iesus Christ showing to them that his comming shold not be so soone and sudden as the false teachers preased to perswade them but before his second comming there should interueene a great thing to wit an vniuersall apostasie and falling away from the faith of Iesus Christ which should take a long tyme in growing and in the decaying and so ere the Lord should returne it should be a long tyme. Thereafter he comforts them against this Apostasie the comming and reueiling of the Antichrist that notwithstanding of this they shold stand fast vnchanged or put off the ground of their faith for the Lord that had begun his work in them should hold them vp establish them to the end Yet he exhorts them to stand and be carefull of it for a sleeping man will not stand the Lord hes not appointed standing for a slouthfull man negligent bodies must of necessitie fall But as he hes appointed standing to his owne so he hes appointed them to be carefull of it and to vse meanes to procure their standing And therefore he falles out in prayer and beseeches God the father and the Lord Iesus Christ that he would hold vp this people and comfort them Now shortly to come to the text red In this last chapter we haue the last part of the Epistle wherein the Apostle giues out admonitions and preceptes concerning good maners and a christian behauiour for a bare knowledge of Christ a pretended faith a profession outward is nothing worth except that a man that sayes he hes faith in his hart can testifie it in his doing before the world God counts not of it Now the first admonition concernes prayer for it is one of the chief dueties that the Lord craues of man and it is a duetie of the first Table whereby the Lord is honoured Therefore the Apostle begins his admonition at prayer and desires them to pray and because immediatly before he prayed for them therefore he desires them to recompence him in that part that they should doe a mutuall duety to him to pray for him and Syluanus Ere I goe further marke the lessone Euen as all dueties and offices among Christian men should be mutuall for he that does a good turne to another should receiue a good turne of another he that loues thee should be loued againe of thee Euen so there is a mutual duety craued in praying If one prayes to God for another that other is bound to pray for his well againe and especially this duetie is craued betweene Pastor and people The Pastor should pray for the people and the people should pray for the Pastor The Pastor should begin the people should follow the example of the Pastor for the people is bound to recompence the good doing of the Pastor for the whole duetie of the people to the Pastor is called a recompence as the duety of the childe to his parent is but a recompence for the good deeds receiued of the parent It is euen so with the people and the Pastor All that the people does to the Pastor is but a recompence 2. Cor. 6. 13. he sayes As children I speake to you I 〈◊〉 a recomtence there is nothing I craue of you but a recompence onely rander a duety for that I haue done to you Now to come to the words Pray for vs saies he brethren There are two things in the words following Paul craues praier bothe for the Gospel for the ministers thereof in respect of which they should pray for Paul Syluanus and Timotheiu First he desires them to pray in respect of that Gospell that was concredite vnto them Then againe he desires them to pray for him in respect of their persons Marke then the order When he desires that they should pray for him he desires not first that they should pray for the good estate of his person but to pray for him in respect of that commission he had of the Gospel of the Lord Iesus concredite to him and so he desires them rather to pray for the Gospel then for himself The lesson is easy A pastor or preacher after the example of Paul is bound to care for the Gospell more nor for his own life Then after the Gospell let him come on and care for his person But marke this that his care of his person be for the Gospels sake Brethren the Gospell of Christ is not ordeined for the Minister or Prophet nor for the Apostle or Pastor what euer he be to be a seruant to him that he may make his vantage by it to seeke himselfe by it but the Minister is ordeined for the Gospell to be a seruant to it for the Gospell is an hundreth thousand times worthier then he if he were the best preacher that euer spoke Therefore that man must sin greatly in the heighest degree that will teach the Gospell not so much for the Gospels sake as for his owne sake that by it he may entertaine his dignitie and lyfe It is true indeede the Minister should liue by the Gospell and should be entertained by it yet his liuing should not be the end of his preaching but his preaching should be the end vvherefore he should desire to breath eate and liue Againe to come to the words That the vvord of the Lord may haue a free passage and be glorified Concerning the word of God he desires two thinges The first is that it may run through the world and haue a free passage in running The next is that it may be glorified The first is lesse then the other to wit to run to haue a course The next is greater to be glorified in running that is to say in running to be povverfull to be mightie and effectuall in the hearts of the hearers to turne them to God and to reforme and renue them according to the Image of God and so consequently to be glorified in the sight of the world To make this more plaine There are two sortes of the running of the Gospell There is one sort when it runnes onely through the mouthes and eares of men and no further when there is nothing but a bare hearing
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