Gospell The villane cares not to commit filthinesse in Gods presence he looking to vs viuely in the Gospell Well were it to thee thou hadst neuer heard of Christ and the Gospell Then more tolerable might thou haue sinned But when in the face of God and christ and in the face of the Gospell thou committes such sin how can it â—e but thy sinne is a thousand tymesâ— greater nor the sin of the Gentiles and thy damnation ten thousand tymes heauier And in Hell they that so sinnes shall curse the tyme that euer they heard the Gospell saying Woe to me I haue sinned in the face of Christ and the Gospell Be ware of this the greater grace the greater contempt thereof the greater judgement and damnation for it No not so much shalt thou be punished for being a thief a murtherer c. as for that will the Lord say thou spat in my face And therefore we ought instantly to seeke God to giue vs grace to reforme vs from this wilfull contempt in the cleare light of the Gospell To this God be glorie for euer Amen THE XXI LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 5. vers 8. 9. 10. 8 But let vs vvhich are of the day be sober putting on the brest-plate of faith and loue and the hope of saluation for an helmet 9 For God hath not appointed vs vnto vvraith but to obtaine saluation by the meanes of our Lord Iesus Christ 10 Which died for vs that vvhether vve vvake or sleepe vve shold liue together vvith him THE last exhortation of the Apostle brethren vnto the Thessalonians was that they should not sleepe nor be drunken but by the contrare they shold wake and be sober Two things are forbidden sleeping and drunkennesse Two things recommended waking and sobrietie the sleeping which he meanes is properlie a spirituall sleepe when the soule sleepes in a deadlie securitie Drunkennesse is not so much this bodily drunkennesse which is also forbidden as the drunkennes of the soule when the soule takes a surfet of these earthlie thinges so that it hes not the care not sense of that life but is set altogether on vain pleasures The waking he recommends is a spirituall waking wakrifenesse in soule when the senses of the soule are opened the eie of the soul to looke to the face of Christ to the glorie and life to come the care of the soule likewise opened to heare and receiue inwardly the Gospell which is the word of God vttered by the Minister The sobriety that is recommended is properly that teÌ„perance of the soule when the soule is content with a moderation of the things of this world and vses this world as thogh it vsed it not not passing the bounds of rejoicing in this life but setting the joy and pleasure on the life to come that is the inwarde sobriety of the spirituall man Now when he hes set down his exhortation he subjoines reasons thereto and the first reason to moue them not to sleepe not to be drunken is in respect of the time wherin they are and for the inconuenience of the time It is no time to be drunkeÌ„ he that sleeps sleeps in the night they that are drunken are drunkeÌ„ in the night No night now since Christ is come in the world there is a continuall daylight And therfore since it is not night it sets not you to sleep and to be drunken as if it were night For in all the actiones in this lyfe we ought to haue a speciall regarde of the tyme wherein we doe any thing and specially of these two tymes the day and the night The actiones that becommes the day settes not the night and by the contrare the actions of the night sets not to be done in the day The Lord so distributes the doings of men that he hes giuen the night his actiones and the day his actiones and in a maner it is a confusion of nature and of the ordinance of God to doe the actiones of the day in the night and the actiones of the night in the day and a kinde of beastlinesse But to come to this text In the first verse we haue red the Apostle giues the reason wherefore they should wake as he gaue the reason wherefore they should not be drunken It is in respect of the estate vvherein they stand presentlie But â—e are the children of the day Therefore ye should be vigilant and sober Euen as in all our doinges the tyme of doing is to be respected if we should doe euerie thing in the owne tyme that God hes appointed thereto So the condition of men and women who does any thing should be regarded in their doinges euerie one should doe as becommes their estate condition and calling thou that art of a calling should not do that which pertaines to another of another calling thy actions should be in that calling God hes placed thee in Now there are two sortes of estates and conditions of men in this world especiallie to be considered The first the estate of the children of light The second the estate of the children of darknes there are none but of necessity they are of one of these conditions Either they are the childreÌ„ of the night or else the children of the day Chuse thee if thou be not the childe of the night thou art the childe of the day if thou be not the childe of the day thou art the childe of the night if thou be not Gods thou art the Deuils In all the doings and actions of this life men does according to one of these two estates If thou be the childe of darknes be drunken on for in spite of thy teeth if thou be the childe of darknes thou shalt be drunkeÌ„ both in soule and body if thou be the childe of God doe as besets thy estate sleep not but wake wake in the spirit and soule and haue the inward senses of thy soule open If thou be the childe of the light and day be not drunken either in soule or body for none of them becommes the childe of the day If thou take vpon thee to be the childe of the day and light and giue thy self our to be a Christian and yet will sleepe and be drunken in thy soule and haue thy senses closed and haue no more of the childe of light but the baâ—e name it is better to be without it for the very name will aggreadge thy sin before the Iudge and in the latter day it will stand vp and testify in thy face against thee as it will aggreadge thy sin so it will make thy damnation the greater Wheras the judgmeÌ„t of a Gentile who took on him the name of dark-and not of light shal be tolerable in a maner thy judgment shal be intolerable and double A murtherer who bears the name of a christian commits double murther and therfore his judgement is double an harlot who takes the name
shouldst seek to possesse is thy vessel thou cariest about with thee But how should thou possesse thy vessell First he showes after what maner they should possesse it and then after what maner they should not possesse it The maner how to possesse it is vvith holinesse and honour Fy on thee thou wilt keepe thy pot or thy pan cleane to thy meat the vyllest vessell in thy house thou wilt keepe it cleane Maner of possessing the vessell of the bodie and will haue it washen euerie day once and yet thou wilt not be carefull to keep cleane that vessell that keepes thy soule And yet more It is not enâ—ugh to keepe it cleane but thou must keep it in honour There are sundrie sort of vessels in an house some vessels to dishonor and some to honour They that are euen to dishonour must be keeped cleane but they that are to honour must both be keeped cleane and in honour Thy bodie which is the vessell of thy soule shoulde not be keeped cleane onely but in honour also for it is the vessell of a honourable soule Yea Paul sayes 1. Cor. 6. 19. It is the dvvelling of the holie Spirit which is more nor thy soule Thy body is dearer boght nor al the vessels in this earth it is boght with the precious bloud of Christ fy on thee who pollutes and defiles the bodie which is boght with so precious a bloude Aske some men and say to them why defilest thou thy bodie He will ansvvere My bodie is my ovvne But I say to thee thy body is not thy ovvn it is Christs he hes boght it vvith his precious bloude if it be not Christs it is the Deuils and he shall possesse it in the end And therefore seeing that bodie of thine is the Temple of the holie Spirit boght vvith the bloud of Christ keep it in holinesse and honour and if there were no more to moue thee but because it is the vessell of the soule thou should keepe it holie and cleane For an harlots bodie as a priuy stincks so in the nose of the soule that the soule shall say Lord if I vvere out of this stinking bodie O hovv much more vvill it stincke in the nose of the Lord. And vvhosoeuer keepes their bodies cleane all that they haue is cleane their heritage their moueables and vnmoueables all are cleane and honourable but if thy bodie be polluted thou art foull all is foull put thy finger to thy meate it fyles it all that goes out of thy body is foull stinking and polluted the verie earth thou goest on thou fylest it with thy foull feete albeit they be finelie decored and it grones vnder thee because thou art heauie to it The Lord let vs see this and giue vs grace to abstaine from this filthie vice harlotrie Trowest thou thy vvhorishe eyes shall see that faire glorious face of God No no they shall not see it Cry for the grace of sanctification and for the bloud of Christ that all may be cleansed and thou â—n the end may win to the end of the rinke euen Christ and liue in him and be cleansed in him Now to the next verse which containes the vvrong vvay of possessing thy bodie The vvordes are Not in the lust of concupiscence There is the vvrong vvay Weigh the vvordes Not vvith the passion The vvorde passion signifies a firy flame which breakes out of the bodie inflamed vvith foull lustes vvhich proceedes from the heart and settes the bodie in a fire The lust beginnes at the heart and breakes out through the whole members of the bodie vvith extreame passions and the bodie so exercised is a sicke and suffering bodie the bodie of an harlote is the seekest bodie that goes it is brunt vp vvith a fire within The thing that is enemie to the bodie is sicknesse and passions And therefore who euer would possesse their bodie well they must be carefull to keep the bodie from sicknesse and passions Novv among all the sicknesses that can come to a man the sicknesse of foull lust is the vvorst and most consuming sicknesse another sicknesse may well waste the moisture of the bodie but if thou be sanctified the Lorde shall make it a meane to sanctifie thee And oft times there vvill not be a â—holier bodie nor that bodie that is lying in sicknesse but this sicknesse of luste not onely vvastes the substance of the bodie and dryes it vp but it destroyes the holinesse and honour thou shouldest haue it is an enemie to holinesse It is a sicknesse that vvill neuer sanctifie thy bodie but destroy it and the longer thou ly in that sicknesse the fouller and vnholier art thou This is the nature of the sicknesse thou shalt not onely be consumed in bodie with sicknesse but thou shalt lose thy holinesse in thy soule And this is a fore matter A sicke man in another sicknesse vvill cry to the Lord for comfort but in the sicknesse of harlotrie he vvill neuer haue a voice to cry vnto the Lord for mercie if he repent not So abhorre this sicknesse aboue all other sicknesses The Lord makes all sicknesses and deathe to vvorke to the best to his ovvne but this sicknesse destroyes the soule and the bodie altogether Novv to moue men to abhorre this sicknesse He bringes in the ensample of the Gentiles and he sayes euen as the Gentiles vvho knevv not God As he vvoulde say It is a shame to you to be like the Gentiles among vvhom this foull vyce raigne first It is shame to you vvho are called to this holinesse to be lyke these foull Gentiles Brethren a bodie vvho sees not God nor Christ is a prophaine blinded bodie And he seeing a murtherer going before him in murther a thiefe in thiefrie he vvill follovv and committe the lyke vvickednesse and so the blinde following the blinde both falles in the pit together But he vvho hes gotten a sight of God and a glance of the glorious face of Iesus Christ in vvhose face the glorie of that Majestie shinnes vvhen he seeth an harlote he vvill bee so farre from following him that he will scarcelie looke to him but he vvill abhorre and detest him For in the light of the face of God that a man sees in the face of Iesus Christ as in a faire mirrour he will see the filthinesse and foulnesse of sinne None knowes how great a sinne the sinne of filthinesse and blasphemie c. is but that soule that lookes in the glorious face of Iesus Christ That mirrour is so faire and glancing that looking thereto and in it seeing the foulnesse of sinne he will be mooued to hate and detest sinne and darknesse And I say there are none who are truelie illuminated with the light of God but the more they see Idolatrie harlotrie and sinne the more they deteste them It will neuer giue me in my mynde that they who will go out of this land and at the first hand can find in their hart to
that calles and God that is calling on you his vengeance shall sease vpon you And now it is no time to thee to ly in vncleannes when the Pest is at the doore woe to thee dying therein being in the puddle of vncleannes but well is thy soule that turnes to God howbeit thou die in the pest of the body Now followes another argument to moue vs to holines He who wil not be holie when God calles on him disobeyes not man but God As there are two thinges to moue vs to holinesse first our vocation to holinesse secoundlie the caller so there are two sinnes that accompanies the disobedience of that calling one sinne against the holie calling another sinne against the holie God the caller ConteÌ„pt of God the vvord the greatest sinne There is no sinne by the selfe allone One sinne must euer haue another with it and committing one sinne we sinne manie waies Compare these two the sinne against the calling and the sinne against the caller by all appearance the secound is the greatest The greatest sinne that can bee is to contemne God Thou that playest the harlote thy sinne is double first by thy harlotrie thou sinnest against thy calling thou was called to and this is a great sinne but the other is greater Thou contemnest the voyce of the high Majestie of God that called thee The oppressor sinnes by his oppression but his sin is the greater in that he contemnes his caller And in the latter day ye shall finde by experience the challenge shall not be so much against the adulterer for his adulterie as for that in sinning he contemned the voyce of God calling him from adultery This shall be a chiefe challenge dirtlay especially of christians who hes heard this word and Gospell of God that they contemnd the majestie of God who called them by this word Gospell And surely all these particular judgements of God that falles on men and these particular judgements on Scotland and on Edinburgh this day either the Pest or the famine fals not somuch for vncleannesse and other sins as for the contemp of the Gospel and God that calles thee by this base ministrie And therfore the right cause of all these judgements is the contempt of God calling vs to holinesse For we haue not onelie sinned in committing of sin but in contemning God calling vs from sin and we haue spitted as it wer in his face Put away the contempt of the word of God if ye put it away who wait but but God wil be mercifull If we contemne still looke for greater judgement The contempt of God and of this foode of the soule offred by the base ministrie hes caused this plague of famine and the Pest fall on this land The Apostle sayes In resisting ye resist not men but God There is no blessing in tyme that God giues but he ministers it by men He wil not come out of Heauen to speak to thee but he will speak to thee by the ministrie of selie simple men He tels thee of remission of sins of justification of sanctificatioÌ„ c. if thou dispise the ministry of base men though thou wer Monarch of all the earth thou shalt neuer get remission of sinnes sanctification nor glorification Now this is the thing that beguyles the world When they looke to the vyle ministrie of men they cannot see God in it They looke to the selie man they goe no farther Who speakes A selie man speakes Who calles me I heard a selie man and so through the man be looks not vp to heauen to se God speaking by the minister And from this flowes the contempt and resisting man thou resists God that is the principall worker The word is then contemned when the man is contemned in speaking it Resisting man thou resists God who sent the man Can any man resist God and not be plagued therefore if there be no repentance So they who are called to the ministrie let them care for nothing but to speake the word of God and open their mouth to glorify God And if he be resisted he is not resisted but God who sent him is resisted And at that last day it shall be seene it was not man thou resisted but God Happie are they therefore who gettes a sight of this in tyme and that giues obedience to the worde Happie is the bodie that receiues this word as the word of god and not of man Now the last argument followes Who saies he hes giuen vs his holy Spirite Looke now what he hes done He hes chosen vs from all eternitie to be holielie and hes giuen vs his Spirit and al graces to this end to be holy When the Lord hes begun to call vs to holinesse Spirite of god dâ—velling in vs bindes to holinesse if he stand there and doe no more it will not doe the turne if he giue vs ouer to our owne nature and free vvill and take away his Spirit when he hes broght thee on a point of holinesse and leaue thee there thou shalt neuer enter in Heauen And therefore when he hes done all these thinges to thee then he will put into thy soule and bodie his Spirit of grace to cleanse the foulnesse out of thy soule and bodie to bring in holie motions actions and speeches So that thou art made now as Paul speakes 1. Corint 6. 19. the Temple of the holie Spirit and then that same glorious person the holie Spirit comming from the Father and the Son will dwell within thee in soule and bodie as assuredlie as we are within this Church presentlie and thy soule and bodie shall be as sure Temples of this Spirit as this Church is to our bodies And is not this a great honour that in substance this glorious person will dwell within vs So this learnes vs that all is of grace the beginnig of grace the midst of grace the end of grace Our predestination in God our vocation our justification and sanctification all in God our glorification in God Brethren the highest estate we can come to in this life is sanctification We passe from predestination to vocation from vocation to justification from justification to sanctification we cannot reach higher so long as we are heere We may growe in this estate but we cannot come higher As to glorification we get it in the lyfe to come when we leaue this life All our actiones heere are impersite and all mingled with the corruption of nature but heereafter all will be perfited For when we leaue this lyfe we goe not backward Thinke not that bodie that sleepes in Christ that he goes backward That body is predestinat called sanctified heere in some measure after this life passes a degree vpward and commes to glorification for holinesse in this life it passes vp to glorie we are holie heere but glorious in the life to come We are not called to be glorified in this lyfe but to be sanctified when we
the soule bound vp so that it cannot heare the vvorde of God In one vvorde When all the senses that should grippe God are bound vp and the soule is lying in a deadlie securitie That is shortlie the second sorte of sleeping Novv in this place I vnderstand not chieflie this bodilie sleepe but the spirituall sleepe also For this bodilie sleepe is naturall and is lavvfull the Lord hes ordained that these bodies of ours should be refreshed vvith sleepe and if thou be sanctified thy selfe thy sleepe is sanctified also and all thy actiones eating drinking sleeping and the rest are sanctified if thou be not sanctified all thy actiones eating drinking sleeping are vnhappie to thee Next I doubt not but at the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ there shall be found some sleeping in the bodies who shall be waking in their soules Christ sayes in the 17. of Luke 34. verse Tvvo shall be in a bad sleeping one chosen and another forsaken And last albeit the bodie be a sleepe and all the outward senses closed yet the spirite of man will be waking the eye of the soule will be opened the eare opened and in the bodilie sleepe if it were at mid-night a man will be waking in Christ and apprehending him So I vnderstand that spirituall sleeping for he forbiddes not this bodilie sleeping onely but this spirituall sleeping when the soule is sleeping without sense eyther of Heauen or Hell and whosoeuer shal be found so sleeping with his a soule altogether senslesse of Heauen and of the lyfe to come that soule shall perishe without exception Sleepe on if the Lord come when thou art sleeping die shalt thou thou shalt not escape There is no escaping for thee But to speake of the bodilie sleeping something Men should be ware to yeelde ouer much sleepe to the bodie for certainelie where the bodie is ouer much giuen to sleeping it is a token of a sleeping soule and who delytes in sleeping in the bodie the soule appearantlie is sleeping and all moderation should be vsed The sluggisher the bodie be the sluggisher the soule is The vvalkrifer the bodie be thee vvalkrifer the soule is Now the next thing that is forbidden heere is drunkennesse Drunkennesse There are tvvo sortes of drunkennesse the one bodilie when a man takes on ouer much drinke oppressing the senses This is ouer well knowne in Scotland and we finde ouer great experience heereof Then there is secondlie a spirituall drunkennesse vvhen the soule is opprest vvith surfetting and immoderate care of the vvorld vvhen it drinkes in out of measure the pleasures of this vvorld through desire all the riches of this world through ambition all the honour through a foule appetyte all the lustes So the soule becommes drunken and stopped an auaritious bodie a dotting bodie a man set on pleasures a dotting bodie Trow ye when the soule is so opprest vvith this world that it will get the eye opened vp to see Christ No it is impossible Christ speakes of both these sortes of drunkennesse Luke chap. 21. verse 34. Novv brethren in this place ye shall vnderstand not so much the outvvarde bodilie drunkennesse as the invvarde spirituall drunkennesse of the soule Woe to that soule that shall bee founde drunken vvith the pleasures and lustes of this vvorlde and so consequentlie sleeping vvhen Christ commes Yea farther brethren the verie outvvarde bodilie drunkennesse is much to be eschevved For it is not onelie vvith drunkennesse as it is vvith sleeping for vve get licence to sleepe if vve vse it moderatlie But God gaue thee neuer leaue to vse drunkennesse So it is a dangerous matter to be found drunken It is a thing vnlavvfull and forbidden ye shall finde that a drunken bodie commonlie shall haue a drunken soule and vvoe to that soule vvoe to that bodie vvhere both are giuen to drunkennesse The Lord saue vs from this sort drunkennesse Novv before I come to the other tvvo thinges that are recommended vnto vs in this place the argument vvhereby he dissvvades them it vvoulde be marked Let vs not sayes he sleepe as others doe As if he vvould say Fy on you that ye should be haue your selues as infidels It is the Gentiles that are sleeping Let them sleep on but sleepe not thou The exemple of their sleeping should be an argument to you to watch The exemple of their drunkennesse should he an argument to you to be sober Now how reasons the world Is not this the fashion of all men therefore why should not I doe so all men sleepes why should not I sleepe He drinkes vntill he be drunken why should not I drinke vntill I be drunken Companionry is wondrous good I should do as others do But Paul reasons otherwaies It is the infidels that are sleeping and drunken therefore watch thou ô Christian and be sober Paul to the Romans chap. 12. verse 2 sayes Fashion not your selues after the maner of the vvorld but be ye changed throgh the renevving of the spirite Follow not this ould sleeping drunken world but be changed by the renewing Sprit and be waking sober And indeed let euery one looke to their owne experience they who are once translated and translated out of this world for transplanted must thou be in some measure if euer thou see Heauen the more they see men running on the course of the worlde the more they detest the world the more sinne they see the more they detest sinne the more drunkennesse and sleeping they see in men the more they abhorre it So the following of the multitude and the course of the world testifies that men were neuer transplanted out of this world out of darknesse vnto the kingdom of light nor renewed in spirite and if they continue on they shall perishe for this world will perishe and they who followes the world will perishe Now to come to the two thinges commaunded The first is waking Waking the other is sobrietie There are two sortes of watching the bodilie watching when all the senses are waking and opened to doe their owne functions naturall The second when the soule of man is opened the eye of the soule opened to see Christ and the lyfe to come and to see these thinges that the eye of the bodie cannot see It is a wonderfull light the soule hes for it sees thinges inuisible and sees in as it were to the verie heart of God to a bottomlesse deepe for God is infinite Yet for all this the heart that is once illuminate by the Spirite will see him So the spiritual watching is when all the senses of the soule are opened and hes the fruition of God in Iesus and all exercised about the graces of God through Christ that is the spirituall waking which is heere speciallie meant of not the watching of the bodie but of the Spirite For the bodie may be watching the eye looking vppe and all the senses exercised in their functiones And yet the soule of the bodie may
fleshly and carnall joy 〈…〉 that will be in the mouthes of prophaine people be merie eat drinke Is that this joy no no. When Paul bids thee rejoyce he bids thee not passe the time like the Epïcurians Eate drinke and be merie The joy that he craues the nature thereof is not fleshly but it is cleane holie and spirituall To speake the trueth it is in the hart all joy is in the hart of a bodïe but it is not so much the joy that is of the naturall affection as it is the motion of the spirit of Christ within vs vsing the affectiones of our hart as a parte to reioyce in when he is dwelling in vs. When a man reioyces naturallie it is his heart that reioyces but this is another kinde of reioycing It is the Spirite of consolation that comforts the Spirite of Iesus that dwelles in the hart and wakens vp the affection aboue nature and makes it It is 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 that was naturall as supernaturall it cannot be so well tolde as felt Rom. chap. 8. verse 26. The Spirite of God requests for vs vvith sighes vnspeakable Then the Spirite sighes within the heart If the Spirite of God be within the heart the sighe will not be so much the sighe of the bodie as of the Spirite of God 〈◊〉 It is so with that spirituall ioy the ioy in the hart if will not be so much the ioy of the heart as the ioy of the Spirite of God a ioy vnspeakable No no tongue can tell the greatnesse of it And brethren if there vvere no more but this that it cannot be toulde it telles you the nature of it it is not a naturall ioy the naturall ioy can be all toulde the heart of man is comprehensible and the affectiones of the hart can be toulde but the joy of the Spirite of God is incomprehensible The joy of the Spirite of God in the heart of the poore sinner cannot be toulde by all the Angels of Heauen let be by the tongue of man For no man can reâ—â— the infinitnesse of Gods Spirite Therefore put a difference betweene it and all other ioyes The property of this ioy is here expressed Propertiâ— of this ioy It is continuall it lastes euermore it is continuall it alters not it is without interruption it is not broken off prosperitie will not breake it aduersitie vvill not breake it lyfe vvill not breake it death vvill not breake it it abydes in lyfe it abydes in death yea euen to the verie poynte of death vvhen it pleases the holie Spirite to vvorke it vvill be in a greater measure in his soule than nor it vvas in the life-tyme When we thinke the body should be heauiest and saddest then it is most joyfull This earthly joy is soone broken off he is now in joy in the twinkling of an eie it shall be broken off this houre glade the next houre wo. Balthazar was a mery man when he was prophaning the vessels of the Lord and banketting in the meane tyme of his merinesse came the hand writting vpon the wall and then he beginnes to shake and his countenance is changed with shuddering and shaking 〈…〉 Ye heard in this same chapter when the wicked saies Peace all things are sure then a sudden destruction ouertakes them So this worldly joy is ay interrupted it is ay turned in sorrow if thou be content with a worldly joy proceeding of a worldly thing if it were all the kingdomes of the earth thy joy shall be turned in a weeping for euer but the spirituall joy is continuall without interruption Then if this be the nature of it it is spirituall it is cleane and pure heauenly not rude fleshly nor earthly If this be the property of it Matter of spirituall ioy it continues ay for this propertie must follow on the nature of it a spirituall thing must euer abide What can be the matter of it there must be some cause of this joy No joy but there must be some cause and matter that moues it Then what is the matter of it There are two sorts of things in the world that wakens vp joy in the heart of man The first is earthly things ye know the things worldlie honor riches they waken vp joy in the hart Another sort is called spritual heuenly clean There is no other but these two either things heuenly or earthlie to cause men to rejoyce Then are these earthly things the matter of this spirituall joy he speaks of Examine the nature of it it is spirituall it is the joy of Christ Will these worldly things if there be no further consideration of them cause the Spirit of Christ rejoyce within thee Will a kingdome make Christes Spirit within the hart of a man to rejoyce if there be nothing more but as it is a worldly kingdome No I say they will not be the matter of this joy looke to these worldly things how thou resauest them if they be not resaued out of Gods hand as arlespennies of heauenlie thinges and tokens of better benefites and of life euerlasting they shall neuer make the Spirit of Christ to reioyce in thee Thy hart may be blyth for worldly thinges because thou art an earthly bodie A King may rejoyce in a kingdome c. but if they be not taine out of Gods handes as arlespennies of heauenly and spirituall benefites the Spirite of Christ shall not rejoice in thee Take heed if it wer but a morsell of meate if thou take it out of Gods hand as a token of that heauenly food to life euerlasting the Spirit of Christ shall rejoyce in thee Therefore be neuer content of earthly things as earthlie things onely nor of the naturall joy of the hart of man A sow hes a naturall joy 〈◊〉 in filling the bellie No beast in the field but it hes a sensuall joy in the selfe by nature in the foode thereof Fy on thee that cannot haue more joy nor a beast Thou art made for Heauen and not for Kingdomes here Therefore rejoyce in heauenly thinges and I say the Kow and other beasts are better nor thou if thou rejoyce not with that heauenly joy for the kingdome prepared for thee in Iesus Christ Woe to thee that hes not the joy that proceeds of the Spirit of Iesus Againe this joy lasts euermore it is continual it bides in the night it bides in the day it perishes not These worldly things are al perishing He will be a King the day and will be casten down to morrow He is riche the day and will be begging to morrowe How can thinges changeable be matter to me of joy that standes euermore No they cannot If my joy restes on earthly things when earthly things failes me of necessity my joy must faile me When the ground of joy failes my joy must faile Worldly things must faile therefore the joy in worldly things must faile and specially in death Either shall earthly things
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
avvay this word and prophecying euen this word preached take me away the ministrie Meanâ— to 〈◊〉 the spirit in spyte of thy hart the Spirite shall die out The world would faine haue this word away but this is a maine violence done to Iesus to put the light of Iesus out of the hart O Lord vvhat count shall there be at that great day for the contempt of this word But is there no more to be had but the hearing of this word to enterteine the Spirit of Iesus Yea. It will not be the hearing only that wil hold in the Spirit Thy lyfe must be answerable to the word Thou must feede him with holy motions and thoughts within the hart feede him with holy speaches in the mouth Paul Ephesians 4. chap. 29. verse speaking of certaine vyces to be contempned he meanes planely that rotten talke puts out the Spirit Last he is fed within the soule with holy actions that holds in the light of Iesus Spirit As the oile holds in the fire take away these materials the Spirit shall die within thee The other meane to put him out is not onely to draw away from him the matter he feeds on but to giue him as it were poison to feede on An harlot poysons him with an harlatrous hart A murtherer with a bloudie hart A blasphemer with a blasphemous hart we poyson him with foull thoughts in the hart foull speaches in the mouth wicked actions in the hands this is water to put out the fire Then brethren learne one lesson As euery one should take heed to the graces of the Spirit to keepe patience joy prayer and thankfulnesse continually these are the graces of the spirit So specially and before all we should take heed to the workâ— of all the holy Ghost that dwels in our soules as a temple Take heed how thou treatst him what enterteinment thou giuest him looke that thou treat him well doe euery thing thou thinkest may pleasure him absteine from all thinges may offend him Set thy hart to please him and let thy pleasure be in pleasing him and pray euer Lord if thou hast giuen me thy Spirit giue me grace to enterteine him that I anger him not Lord giue me grace to doe all thinges to please him to doe nothing to offend him Alas if a honourable man would come in thy house and take a nights ludging thou would looke diligently that all the house and family were in good order So hold thy bodie and soule in reuerence and order for the holy Spirits sake that dwels in thee othervvaies he vvll not ludge with thee Murtherer fyle not thy hands vvith bloud if thou vvould haue him to dvvel vvith thee Paul sayes 1. Cor. chap. 6. verse 19. 20. The Lord hes boght thee out of the deuils hands out of thy ovvne hands for thou vvould lose both thy soule and thy body if it vvere in thy hand He hes boght thee with the bloud of the immaculat Lambe and to this purpose to be a ludging of the holy Spirit to dwell in He is speaking to harlots he sayes Thou art not thy ovvn Thou art boght vvith a pryce God hes boght thee with the bloud of Christ to be a temple of the holy Spirit Where the Spirit ludges there is the Father and the Son the whol Trinitie So in effect the man boght with the bloud of Christ is a ludging to the Trinitie the Father Son and holy Ghost Alas if thou could looke to this for all the world thou would not destroy that ludging of God If once this trueth of God could sinke in mens harts for all the world they would not quenche this Spirit and defyle this temple of God Alas the blindnesse of men vvho knovves not vvhat estate they stand in for vvant of sight and attention for want of regarding of the trueth we go to Hell And if euer thing was to be deplored in this world this is to be deplored that the Spirit of God is abused when he commes to sanctifie men and wemen he gets villanie and wrong done to him they wold pollute him when he commes to sanctify them Indeed he is disludged of his ludging These murtherers takes him by violence as it were and with their hands puts him out of their hart by the shoulders God keepe vs from the sin against the holy Ghost Goe thou on this way ay conteâ—ning the Spirit thou shalt enter in this sin vvhich shall neuer be for giuen thee in this life nor in the lyfe to come Now to speake of the way how we may know that we haue this Spirit These things cannot be told by words thou must go to experience and there is none of you that hes had a taste of the sweetnesse of the Spirit but ye will feill him dwell in you if ye haue him thou wilt knowe him aswell as euer thou knew any guest that ludged with thee for he brings with him such a faire light such a lyfe and joy c. that thou may easily know him He commes in joy in prayer in thanks-giuing thou wilt knowe him in these but thou wilt finde him in experience if thou growest in his seruice to honour and reuerence him as he dwels in thee To treat him as thou wouldst treat a honorable man that ludges with thee he will dwell with thee but if thou be â—â—uggish in these things thou wilt finde he will draw himselfe to a nuke of thy soule as it were for a tyme thou wilt find him cease from his working of regeneration within thee if thou cease to enterteine him by praier godlines in hart holy speaches in the mouth holy actions in the hand he will ly closse within thee for a time and do nothing And then if the man be godly he will be â—ad and sory For no ioy in the godly but when he feeles the Spirit within him Now if when he is not well 〈◊〉 he depart How much more when we striue as it were to poyson him when we bring vp euill motions in spite of him when we fall out in euill language in mouth euill deeds in the hand shall he withdraw himselfe and depart so that we will finde no sense of joy When a man failes to harlotrie he smores the Spirit As for exemple Dauid if euer man felt the Spirit of Iesus in him he felt him yet when he fell to adulterie and murther the spirit lay so closse in him that he found him not Then he wakens and sayes I haue bene sleeping I find not the joy that I was wont and so he saies Restore to me thy spirit again Psa 51. verse 12. Would he haue said restore except he had found the Spirit of God which he had before withdrawen in working within him What shall I say No joy nor rest without this Spirit be enterteinde within vs. The Lord giue vs grace to enterteine him in soule and bodie in holy speaches thoughts and deeds To this Lord be glorie and
praise for euer AMEN THE XXVI LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 5. vers 20. 21. 22. 23. 20 Despise not prophecying 21 Try all things and keepe that vvhich is good 22 Abstaine from all appearance of euill 23 Novv the very God of peace sanctifie you throughout and I pray God that your vvhole spirit and soule and body may be keept blamelesse vnto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. IN this parte of this Epistle brethren there are certaine exhortations and precepts so linked together that the next is ay the cause and meane of the former He beganne at Patience in suffering and not randering euill for euill but recompencing good for euill Then he came to joy Rejoyce euermore Ioy is the meane and cause of Patience from joy he came to Prayer in asking that which we neede at the hands of God and in thanking him for the grace and benefite receyned Prayer is the meane that interteines joy in the hart from Prayer he came to the Spirit the holy Spirit of God who is the worker of all these graces in our hart The Spirit workes Patience the Spirit it workes Ioy the same Spirit 〈◊〉 vp the hart to Prayer and to thankfulnesse This Spirite the worker of all grace in the hart should not be quenched by leauing off of well doing or by doing euill for both these two quenches the Spirit Now â—hortly to come to ouâ— purpose In the first verse vve we haue read presentlie He commes to the meane whereby the Spirit of Christ the worker of all graces with vs especiallie is interâ—ind in the soule and hart of a man and woman And he saies Despise not Prophecying The thing he recommends is Prophecying To make the words plaine to you By Prophecying here I vnderstand not the foretelling of things to come as there was raised vp from tyme to tyme Prophetes in the Church of God that fortold either wel or wâ— that was to fal on the church in the own time this prophecying was not such foretelling of things to come it is no other thing in this place but the opening vp of the Scripture and so this word Prophecying is taine in the 1. Cor. 14. chap. throghout all that chap. But he that Prophecyes sayes he he speakes to men to edifing to exhortation and consolation That is he applyes the word of God to the present vse for the tyme So that if a man needes to be edified he edifies to be comforted he comfortes to be exhorted the exhortes So then to make the words plaine ` Despise not Prophecying It is asmuch as he would say despise not the preaching of the word despise not this ministrie whose calling is to preach this word Now brethren ye see heere among all the meanes whereby the Spirit of Christ is enterteinde in the hart of a man the Apostle makes a choise in this place of preaching hearing the word of God set downe in the Scripture opened vp and applyed to the right vse Certainelie this is to the great commendation of this same visible ministrie and of this teaching of the word in the presence of the congregation and people of God Shall I tell you There is such a necessity of the preaching of this word for as base as it semes to men that if it be not holden vp farewell the Spirit of Iesus Christ If it be not there shall not be in the earth a visible Church for the word preached is the slandart that is holden vp on high to the world that men and women that would be safe may goe in vnder it and make vp a Church Take me away this slandart where shall men goe to who shall knowe the Church So take me away this outward preaching of the word vnto the which men should resort to seeke saluation no Church Will men goe to experience I shall but touch it there is but ouer great experience of this in this Countrey this day Abstaine 〈◊〉 hearing of the word let it be of negligence or of malice yet thou shalt in proces of time feele thy hart voyde of all sense and feeling of God thou shalt lose thy eyes thy light and sight of God thou shalt lose the sight of lyfe and Heauen if that thou doe it in contempt and malice thou shalt grow as prophane as a prophaine dog and wallow in all kinde of wickednesse and euill deed after euill deed shall fal out in thy hand Looke to the great men of this land What is the cause he is such a murtherer Onely the contempt of this word preached What is the cause he is such an adulterer only the contempt of the word I cannot tell if there be any great mens houses at least there is verie few but thou may see the contempt of this word hes heaped judgement on judgement on them Ye who wold read of Prophecying which is the opening vp of the word in the face of the Church of God and who would read of the powerfull working of it in the hart of men read 1. Cor. chap. 14. verse 1. Seeke after spirituall things but specially after Prophecying And in that same chapter 24. verse by supposition he lets vs see by comparison betweene Prophecying and strange language what prophecying works When a man is teaching the word then commes in at the doore an infidle that hes no vnderstanding he layes to his eare and heares and he hears himself rebuked incontinent his conscience wakens and lets him see the filth that is within him So the poore man hauing his conscience wakned he falles down on his face and seeks mercy and then he will be mooued to make a confession and say It cannot be but this man hes the Spirit of God that maks my sin so manifest to me it cannot be the spirit of man but it must be the power of God whereby he speakes I will not insist Brethren I shall summe vp to you in few words the diuersitie of the disposition of men coÌ„cerning this word of God Al is not alike disposed Diuersity of mens disposition concerning the vvord toward the Spirit and the word which two things onely saues men There are some that cares neyther for the Spirit nor the word such 〈…〉 dogges atheists men liuing without God in the world speake of a Spirit to them they will scorne it a prophane bodie that hes not the Spirit the name of a spirit is but a scorne vnto him tell him of spirituall lyfe he will laugh an heedfull laughter Lykevvise speake to him of the vvord and tell that saluation must be by the word the prophaine dog vvill laugh and scorne at it These are the vvorst men in the world There is another sort that clames to a Spirit They will acknovvledge the Spirite of God but vvhen it commes to the vvord of God they vvil feuere so the vvord from the Spirit as though the vvord had nothing adoe vvith the Spirit nor the Spirit vvith the
all eternitie ends in this peace of conscience in the soule regeneration ends in this peace Now looke how this style agrees with the matter he is praying for sanctification and he styles him the God of peace who is the Author of all peace Both the means the end arâ— of God and he askes at his hand sanctification Marke this He who is the giuer of our felicity is he that giues vs all the meanes that brings vs to that felicity he that must giue thee the crowne of glorie he must giue thee sanctification to glorie In one word he that giues thee felicitie is the giâ—eâ— also of all the meanes whereby we attaine to felicitie So thou hast no cause to glorie in thy selfe The beginning of grace is of God the meanes is of God the end is of God nothing in our selues all in God To goe forward to the petition There are two thinges he craues in this petition Sanctification conseruation therof craued of God The first is sanctification or holinesse The next is conseruing and keeping in that same sanctification and holinesse First he prayes that they may be sanctified Next he prayes that they may be keept vntill Christ come againe Paul 12. Rom. 2. verse Be not fashioned that is shapned lyke the vvorld and men of this world but be transchanged that is turned away from that thing to another and that though the renuing of the mynde that ye may proue vvhat that good and acceptable vvill of God is What â—row ye then sanctification is It is no other thing but a new shaping ouer of them againe as ye will shaip a garment The Apostles takes that similitude Brethren we were all well eneugh shapen in Adam and Eue ere they fell and we had an exceeding good shape but since they fell we become all wanshapen creatures and monsters When thou seest an vnregenerate creature a murtherer rejoycing in murther then say thou art a curst monster of a man So in Adams fall vve became monsters of nature Thou saw neuer such a monster as an vnregenerate man Now we being monsters through Adams fall in Christ we begin to take on vs a new shape according to the glorious Image of God So our sanctification is onely as a renewing of vs againe according to the first shape of the Creator in holinesse and righteousnesse Novv vvhat is it must be shapen ouer againe What parte of vs is it that is wanshapen The Apostle sayes The God of peace sanctifie you throughout The whole man through that foull apostaâ—ie in Adam is become a monster Not a finger in thy hand but it is become a monster The eye a monster or else such a foull looke would not be The tongue a monster or else such foull language would not be The ear a monster or else we would not desyre to heare foull and euill speaches No part of thee but all are monstrous except thou be renewed And therefore he prayes that they may be renewed and made ouer againe throgh Christ euen in the whole parts of the body and soule Therefore pray thou and say Lord renew not this part or that part onely but renew me wholly The Lord renew the mynde and begin there The Lord renew the body the Lord renew the eye the ear the hand The Lord renew all ouer againe For I tell thee if therebe any part of thee vnrenewed thou shalt al go to Hel for that vnruely part The Lord vses not to renew one part not another but he renews altogether This shortly for the first part of the petition Now in the next part he beseches the Lord of peace to sanctifie them throughout and that their vvhole spirit soule and body may be keeped vvithout spot or blame to the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ. He prayes that they may be keeped in holinesse So it is not eneugh to get one grace to get sanctification and holinesse but thou must be keeped still on in that grace vntill thou come to glorie TheÌ„ again as grace is of God al grace is of God So the perseuerance in grace to the end is of God Thou hast no more in thy power when thou hast gotten grace to stand one moment in grace if God hold not his hand about thee nor thou had to tak that grace before thou got it Thou hast no power in nature to stand in grace So perseuerance in grace is of God only aswell as the grace is in Gods hand to giue And as we must pray for the grace before we get it and say Lord sanctifie vs so we must pray for the continuance of it and say Lord continue vs in it if thou Lord hold it not into my armes I will not get it keeped Therefore Lord keepe thou it Now to go forward What shold be keeped blameles without spot All the partes of man to be keeped blameles One part or peece or the whol man should I pray to God to keepe my soule onely in holines and not my bodie my body onely and not my soule Wilt thou part them or thinkest thou that God wil keep one part of thee in holines and not the whol When men goes to Idolatrie they will pray to keepe their hart holie When they will bow their bodie to Baall they will say my hart is to God No if he keepe not all if thou dedicate not all to him all shall goe to Hell So the Apostle sayes I pray the God of peace that he vvould keepe blamelesse your spirit your soule and bodie In these three thinges he takes vp the whole man within and without I will onely speake this far By the Spirit he vnderstands the cleannest part of the soule Ephes 4. chap. 23. vers He calles it the Spirit of the mynde that is the light of the mynde which is reason The reason is not common with the beasts but it is common with the Angels So it is the speciall part of a man and thou may thanke God that hes it and thou should pray to the Lord to keepe it The next is the soule whereby he vnderstands the inferior part wherein are the senses that part of the soule that hears sees c. Then he saies the bodie So ye see God must keep all in holines and he that would be keeped of God must seeke to be keeped whole and euery part of him without exception For I tell thee no part of thee is able to keepe another The olde Philosophers made a Queene of reason as thogh she should keepe all and should keepe the soule and body in her light It is solie who can keepe her God must keepe the Spirit that is the reason aswell as the bodie and the Spirite hes as great need to be keept as the foote for sinne will begin at the reason it is the first breaker of so craue that he keepe all or he shall keepe none Alas what is man without grace What hes he to boast of Thou wilt
boast of thy will and reason If the Lord withdraw his hand from thy reason thou shalt be a plaine idiot thou shalt fall to filthie wickednesse So brethren these wordes are of great weight He sayes not that he prayed that he would keepe the Spirit but the whole spirit the soule but the whole soule the bodie but the whole bodie So we must not be keeped in the speciall parts but in the whole properties and inferior powers of the soule and body if the least haire of the head be not keeped by the Lord if the Lords prouidence extend not to the keeping of the smallest part of the bodie thou shalt not be able to stand Thinke not thou shalt stand except the Lord hold thee vp no growing but in God Therefore the Apostle sayes Thou that vvouldst glorie glorie in Christ 1. Corinth 1. chap. 31. verse He is our keeper and vve are not able to stand one moment of an houre vvithout his aide neyther in soule nor in bodie Now how long should we be keeped blamelesse He limits the tyme and sayes Vnto the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ Marke the tyme. Is it no longer but till Christ come againe No brethren euermore It is true our conferuation and perseuerance vses to be limited to Christs comming Paul 2. Tim. 4â— chap. 18. verse sayes God vvill keepe me to his heauenly kingdome that is vntill I enter in his heauenly kingdome Peter sayes 1. Epistle 1. chap. 5. verse We are keeped through the povver of God till the last tyme. I tell you the cause we are in greatest danger in this world infinite dangers are we in as it were hanging aboue Hell readie to fall downe euerie moment if the Lord hold vs not vp the deuill is seeking whom he may deuote and when we trow least then we are most suddenly assaulted by him Beside the deuill haue we nor this â—ankerd sin that is within vs Haue we not a this broad world about vs Haue we not the graue and death great enemies in their owne nature except the Lord sanctifie them Certainely they also would deuote vs except we were in Christ We are compast in this world about on euerie side with cruell enemies Therefore considering this dangerous estate the Scripture craues ay that we may be keeped vntill Christ come and then all enemies shall be slaine the deuill the worlde death and all shall be slaine Death shall die for euer This canker of nature shall be swallowed vp all our enemies shall be wreaked So our conseruation is craued vntill his comming but our conseruation shall not end then but euen in Heauen we shall be conserued by the hand of God for euer through Iesus Christ When thou commest to Heauen thou shalt not be thy selfe alone thou shalt not stand by the nature thou tooke of Adam nor by any power that is in thee no more nor a new borne childe can stand alone but when thou commest to Heauen thy standing shall be by Christ and God Then seeing all our conseruation and standing both heere and heereafter is by God we should rander all honor to his glorious Majestie for euer AMEN THE XXVII LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 5. vers 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 24 Faithfull is he vvhich calleth you vvhich also vvill doe it 25 Brethren pray for vs. 26 Greete all the brethren vvith an holy kisse 27 I charge you in the Lord that this Epistle he read vnto all the brethren the Saints 28 The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be vvith you Amen WE haue in hand presently welbeloued in Iesus the conclusion vvhich is the last parte of this Epistle He begins it with a prayer crauing in his prayer euen that same thing hee had exhorted them to to vvitte holinesse sanctification continuance and perseuerance in holinesse and sanctification to the end and so acknowledging God to bee the giuer of that same very thing which he exhorted them to and that it lay not in their hands nor free will to will or doe any good but all stands in the hands of God who is the giuer of all grace He prayes that it would please God to giue them that grace he exhorted them to and he would stir them vp to seek that same grace at the hands of God for it is vanity to stryue to any grace without God And therefore as thou would do any thing pray to God to giue thee grace to doe it Let thy eye be euer on God and in the midst of the action when thou thinkst thou art best exercised craue grace of perseuerance for I assure thee he leaue thee in the best of thy action thou wilt fall backward Therefore there is such necessitie that the eye be euer on God that it is impossible to a man to do any thing that is good except his eye be euer on him begging grace and perseuerance in grace at his hands Now he goes forward and in the thinges that followes to the end of the chapter and Epistle there is such a varietie that euery thing here set downe is a seuerall heed of doctrine First he promises to them that same thing he had prayed for at God Then he maks a petition to them desiring them to pray for him Then to commend him to the brethren Then he adjures them that they read this Epistle to all the people And last he bids them fairewell recommending them to the grace of Christ Ye see what varitie of thing she hes I minde to be short in them seeing they are almost things common in euery Epistle making a choise of that I thinke best for our comfort and necessity Now he begins at the promise Faithfull is â—e vvhich calleth you vvhich also vvill doe it There is the promise The Apostle would say that that I pray God that he will grant you to wit he will preserue you in the end in faith that I am assured he will doe He will not leaue you vnto the tyme he perfite his worke begunne in you There is the promise Ye see first in this promise the prayes that he made immediatly before for them praying to God that he would preserue them in holinesse to the end is grounded vpon an assurance in the hart that God would grant that same thing which he prayed for to the Thessalonians Marke it And first learne concerning prayer All prayer for thinges heauenly and spirituall concerning the life to come I speak not of the worldly thinges ConfideÌ„ce in prayer but thinges heauenly and spirituall should arise on some certainty and assurance of the hart that God will grant to vs the things we aske Therefore Iames in his Epistle last chap. 15. verse he calles prayer the prayer of faith that is that ryses of faith and assurance in the hart that God will grant vs the thing we aske Iohn in his first Epistle last chap. 14. verse he joynes these two together confidence or assurance
LECTVRES VPON THE FIRST AND SECOND EPISTLES OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS Preached by that faithfull seruant of God M. ROBERT ROLLOCK some-tyme Minister of the Euangell of Iesus Christ and Rector of the Colledge in EDINBVRGH EDINBVRGH PRINTED BY ROBERT CHARTERIS Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majestie An. Dom. M. D. C. VI. Cum Priuilegio Regiae Majestatis TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL THEIR MOST LOVING FRIEND IN THE LORD MAISTER VVILLIAM SCOT OF ELY grace in this life and euerlasting glorie in the lyfe to come ALL knowledge and all sciences inuented by the wise men of this world without the knowledge of IESVS CHRIST by whom remission of sinnes is obtained to the miserable soule are but vaine and vnprofitable The Apostle reckoning out his prerogatiues Philip. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. which were many counts them all in respect of the excellency and knovvledge of Christ Iesus to be but losse and dung Euen so it is with all sciences if they be seuered from the knowledge of Iesus Christ in the Gospell For what auailes it a man to knowe the height of the Heauens the courses of the Starres the breadth of the earth if in the mean-tyme his conscience accuse him for his sinnes to be vnworthie both of Heauen and earth What auailes it a man to seeke by Physick to prolong afraile temporall life to the bodie if his conscience tell him in the mean-tyme that his soule shall perish for euer What auailes it a man to brag of the knowledge of the Lawe if his conscience accuse him to be most vnjust and worthie of eternal damnation In these and such like things the wise men of this world doe glorie and yet they make not the soule the better The knowledge of Iesus Christ in the Gospell is the onely knowledge that preserues the soule and makes it to liue for euer Ioh. 5. 39 as our Sauiour sayes Search the Scriptures for in them ye thinke to haue eternall lyfe Ioh. 17. 3 and they are they vvhich testifie of me And againe This is life eternall that they knovv thee to be the onely verie God and vvhom thou hast sent Iesus Christ Then this science is to be sought praised and preferred to all others in all respects Look how highly PAVL commends it 1. Cor. 2. 6. 7. 8. 9. Wespeake sayes he vvisdome among them that are perfite Not the vvisdome of this vvorld neither of the Princes of this vvorld vvhich come to nought But vve speake the vvisdome of God in a misterie euen the hid vvisdome vvhich God had determined before the vvorld vnto our glory Which none of the Princes of this World hath knovvne for had they knovvne it they vvould not haue crucified the Lord of glory But as it is vvritten the things vvhich eye hath not seene neither eare hath heard neither came into mans hart are vvhich God hath prepared for them that loue him But God hath reueiled thē vnto vs by his Spirit Other sciences were inuented by men but God himselfe is the Author of this science he reueiled it Other sciences are all inuented in tyme but this science is before all tyme from all eternitie other sciences handles things corruptible and changeable the knoweledge whereof albeit it be pleasant and profitable for this present life yet it cannot reforme the soule to eternall life for all their vertue is but the couerture of vyce but this science settes out and reueiles to a broken harted sinner a fauorable and reconciled God in Iesus who is aduantage both in life and death and in whom the heigh and wonderfull things of God and all things that the soule of man can require for grace or glory pertaining either to this or to that other life Col. 2. 3. 9 10. is contained For in him are hid all the treasures of vvisdome and knovvledge in him dvvelleth all the fulnesse of the god-head bodily Now this pretious treasure the Lord hes committed to earthen vessels he hes set in his seruice base and contemptible persons to carie the message of reconciliation and to proclame to weary and loaden sinners the glade tydings of saluation he sendes out simple men to manure his husbandrie he sends them out as souldiers to that spirituall warfare vvith vveapons that are not carnall 2. Cor. 10 4. 5. but mightie through God to cast dovvne holdes to cast dovvne imaginations and euery high thing that is exalted against the knovvledge of God and to bring into captiuitie euery thought to the obedience of Christ. Whom for the message they carie the Gospel they preach the word of life they offer that hid treasure that is committed to them the Lord craues we should haue in singulare account honour and loue And indeed if we had the sight of the fearcenesse of that eternall wrath of God for sinne it could not be possible but we would say O hovv bevvtifull are the feete of them vvhich bring glade tydinges of peace Rom. 18. 15. and bring glade tydinges of good things We cannot honour loue and highly esteeme of the Maister and respect the Gospell if we hate and contemne the seruant and messenger And if we loue our parents of whom we haue nothing but misery who hes conceiued vs in sinne nurirished and trained vs vp in sin and who by nature makes vs aires of wrath and hell for that vvhich is borne of the flesh is flesh Ioh. 3. 6. O how excedinglie should we loue these whom God makes instruments of our regeneration to beget vs to God to make vs his sonnes and to translate vs from darknesse to light from miserie to felicitie from death to life from hell to heauen And yet this vnworthie world neuer duely accounts of them but of all men they hate most malitiouslie the true seruants of Iesus Christ And to passe by other ages and Countries the Lord of the haruest stryuing against our ingratitude hes sent out from tyme to tyme into this Land sundry painfull laborers and faithfull preachers of the Gospell who preased in all respectes to approue themselues to God to a good conscience and to the consciences of so many as beleeued of whom the world was not worthie Among the rest whom God did bewtifie with singulare graces the Lord in the person of M. ROBERT ROLLOCK that faithfull and reuerent seruant of Iesus Christ gaue vs no sober token of his loue For we cannot tell if vpon any almest in this Land the Lord bestowed greater aboundance and varietie of graces of his Spirite if in any there was a more spirituall and heauenly soule if any spared themselues lesse and vndertooke greater paines that they might be found faithfull and finishe their course with joye if any preased more to approue themselues to God and a good conscience then he O what and how many giftes and graces were in the person of that man in conceiuing he was quick in judgement solide he vttered the Word with great libertie he preached with euidence
God for feare that wrath come out from his angrie face and burne it vp The Apostle Heb. 12. 14. sayes Without holinesse no man shall see God for if they see him at shall be to their destruction When he looks 〈◊〉 the heart and findes not holinesse and cleannesse there his looke shall destroy the heart and he shall make it tremble and shake at his presence Brethren many hes experience of an euill conscience vncleannesse makes euer an euill conscience and a man with an euill conscience is not able to stand in the sight of God There is not an vncleane body but he findes this in experience They runne euer to some hole and cannot abide the holie sight of God he is holie thou vnholie he looks throgh thee thou canst not abide his sight Now it is true our compearance before God and his Tribunal shall stand in the righteous merits of Christ Iesus except we be cled with that perfit righteousnesse of Christ imputed to vs by faith ther is no slanding for vs. Rom. 5. 1. But it is as true if thou findst not again in some measure some holinesse and cleannesse inherent in thy self thou shalt neuer stand before God for where the righteousnesse of Iesus is wher remission of sins is in any man there of necessitie must be some measure of holinesse purenesse of life in him also If thou be justified by the fre mercy of God in Christ of necessitie thou must be sanctified must haue some spark of godlinesse in thy selfe for those whom he hes justified he also hes sanctified So when euer a man hes the justice of Christ imputed vnto him of necessitie he must haue a share of this justice inherent in himself wants he a part of this holinesse brag as he will he hes no cleannesse throgh the blood of Christ Iames sayes If thou hast faith let me se it thy vvorks 2. 18. If any by grace be sanctified in Christ let them vtter it in some measure in works otherwaies they lie So this holds sure No standing to vs before God except there be holinesse in vs. Now the stiles are to be marked in the text which are giuen to God First he is called God then our Father The name of God a name of Majestie and of great glorie The name of Father a name of homelinesse and louingnesse Marke it If God vvere nothing else to vs but God that is to say but an high Maiestie full of all glorie if that Majestie dimmitted not himselfe to be a louing Father to vs through Iesus there were no standing for vs before him our heart durst neuer present the selfe before him A sinne is not able to looke vpon God as he is God onelie in Majestie Honour Glorie and Iustice No the whole Majesties of the world dare not face him as he is God onely All our compearing before him is because as he is God in Majestie and glorie so in Christ he is become a louing Father to vs and if vve receiue not the Spirite that is called the Spirite of adoption testifying to our spirite that he is become our Father in Iesus Christ and we are adopted in Christ and therefore opens our mouthes to cry Abba Father vve would neuer haue a face to looke to him nor a mouth to speake to him And so as he is become a Father to vs in Christ so craue that thou mayst get that Spirite of adoption that thy mouth may be opened wide with sweetnesse to cry Abba Father Moreouer these very stiles learns vs how our harts should be disposed when we come and stand before him euen heer in his congregation church where his presence is We are now in his sight and presence He is a God in Majestie A Majestie would haue feare and reuerence So ther is the first thing stand before this Majesty of God in feare and reuerence Then there must be more then this he is a Father and therefore thou shouldst loue him so thou shouldst both reuerence and loue him together If these two be together they shall mak thee to be in good temper to stand before God Now come to the time when the hart shal be established It is at the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ It is true brethren euen in this life before that glorious appearing of Christ we stand before God in holinesse and our hearts are established before him without rebuke in a manner and euen now at this present time who euer they be who hes holinesse in their hearts they finde in effect their harts standing in his presence when they looke to that face of his Majestie shining in the Gospell with the eye of faith the heart is established before the face of God and God is pacified and beholds them in quietnesse Let all men discend in their hearts and if they haue holinesse I assure them they will haue peace and quyetnesse in the hart when they think on him Then this is true Euen in this life before the great day we stand before him established in holinesse but it is as true so long as we liue in this life ther is euer a peece of vnquyetnes in the harts of the most godlie and there are none of vs who can find so peaceable an heart before God as we should haue There is euer so long as we liue heere a peece of euill conscience for sinne The cause is because so long as we liue heâ—r we are but holy in a part and that in a verie sober part sinne leaues vs neuer and therfore the prick in the conscience for sinne leaues vs neuer And where this euill conscience is there must euer be a peece of feare and terrour to stand before that heauenlie presence But vvhen the Lord shall come in that latter day which is called the day of judgement when Christ shall appeare in that great day the heart of the godlie shall be established before him without any feare or terrour If thou be one of the chosen of God thou shalt stand before the face of God vvith an heart in peace vvithout any terrour But ô how great shall the feare of the heart of the wicked men be the cause is because thou shalt not so soone see the face of the Lord Iesus that faire glorious face but as soone in the moment of thy resurrection thou shalt be transformed in a perfite holinesse both in body and soule And therefore the Apostle sayes Philip. 3. 21. When we shall see him We shall be transformed and this vyle body of ours shall be made conformable to his glorious body and vvhen vve shall see him vve shall be made like him in glorie and holinesse vvithout any spot or vvrinckle or any part of deformitie in bodie or soule What then is it that puts this terrour in our heart to stand before God Onely sinne So when all sinne shall be taken away all feare shall be taken away Then seeing there is no perfite quyetnesse vntill vve
part of sanctification As for exemple Even this one grace of almous deeds of beneficence showing our liberalitie on them that haue need if this be not in some measure in anie man or woman Liberalitie if there be nothing in the person but gredines auarice and a closed hand who can say that that person hes anie true or solide grace of God If one of these vices raigne in thee as auarice raigning in the highest degree if thou be a slaue to it who can saye that anie true grace is in thy soule Thou mayest wel count thou hast this grace or that grace but I can not say that anie grace of that spirite raigne vvithin thy soule make no account that ther is anie grace within thee if any sinne raigne in thee without controlement Count not of thy abstenance thou wilt bee abstinent in mouth and then an auaritious man But look that euerie grace of God in some measure be within thee and that sanctification goe through thy vvhole soule and bodie Peter in his sec Epist 1. chap. linkes together all the graces of God amongst the rest he countes this brotherlie loue he linkes this linke among the rest to help faith for I assure thee faith will not stand it self alone Cast to sayes he to faith vertue to vertue science and so forth vntill ye come to this brotherlie loue Adde to thy brotherlie loue charitie and so forth vntill all graces be linked together Paul 2. Corinth chap. 8. verse 7. hes a speciall regarde to this grace showing our liberalitie to our poore brethren As ye abound in all thinges in faith knovvledge 〈◊〉 â—â—oke sayes he that ye abound also in liberalitie and doing of almous deedes And as in all the graces of the holie Spirite in vs there is a resemblance of the Image of Christ So ospeciallie in this grace of beneficence Ye knovv sayes Paul â— Corinth chap 8. verse 9. the bountifulnesse of the Lord vvho vvhen he vvas 〈◊〉 vvas made poore for our saâ—es that vve might be made riche in his pouertie Novv this is the grace that is heere recommended and novv I recommend it to you for if it was in any age craued now certainlie at this tyme thou hast more nor matter to shovve thy well doing and almous deedes to the poore Certainlie charitie vvas neuer so colde and mens handes vvere neuer so hard contracted and men vvere neuer nearer to themselues nor they are now The latter dayes are neare for the nearer the end of the world be we are the nearer our selues and the nearer our selues the farther from God The Apostle when he exhorts them to this grace he comes not on so plainlie but he vses an holy colour and kinde of simulation He exhorts them and yet he lets not on him he exhortes And as it vvere obscurelie and passing by he giues them a watch-ward and wakens them vp to be beneficiall To teach 〈◊〉 Ministers to be wyse in speaking to the people We should not leaue off to exhort any person in whom there is grace to do any duetie but yet we should doe it so discreetly that our exhortation 〈◊〉 not so much an exhortation as a commendation For the grace of God in any person shoulde not be misknown but known and reuerenced both for his sake that is giâ—er and for his sake that hes gotten it both that God may be glorified in giuing him that grace and the person may be stirred vp to perseuere in that grace For it is an old prouerb Vertue being commended increasse Ioh. 1. Epist 2. 27. vses this same wisdom I need not saies he teach you the holy spirit hes taught you all thinges and in the mean time he is teaching them continually yet when he is teaching them he saies he needed not to teach theÌ„ So Paul when he is making a coÌ„mendation of the grace in them he saies it is not needful to exhort you to the grace ye haue a better teacher nor I Teaching of the holy spirite God teaches you therfore I need not to teach you the Lord teaches you by working in your harts by his holy Spirit what needs me to teach you by my pen Brethren Ther are two sortes of teachers God and man Men teaches Philosophers in schooles teaches Ministers out of pulpets teaches many sorts of teachers If man be the onely teacher of grace and vertue to be embraced by the auditor and if Gods Spirit should not concur inwardly to instruct the soule and heart there would neuer be a good scholler in the schoole of christ none of you to the worlds end would get good by teaching It may be men teaching thee vvill informe thy minde and make thee to vnderstand vvhat is spoken but man can neuer teach the hart that is to embrace that is spoken no it will passe mans power to reforme the hart if the holy spirit moue thee not to embrace that which is spoken thou wilt neuer embrace it for all that man can say As for example I may stand vp and lay out before you this whole grace of liberalitie and beneficence and paint it out in all the colours thereof and make you vnderstand this whole vertue in all the parts But when it commes to the heart to be practised in your life and conuersation if the holy Spirit go not down to reforme the hart ye shall neuer be the better but the worse for the knowledge shal but serue to aggreadge your condemnation Then be neuer content with the voice of men but euer cry for the inward doctour the Spirit of God from Heauen And say Lord come with this word and teach my heart otherwaies all is but winde and shall be an aggreading of my condemnation at the last day It is thou Lord who is the onely inward teacher and therefore except thou teach me I shall not be taught So except that holie teacher be with vs in teaching all is but lost tyme. Now to come to the wordes What is this the Lord craues of them what teaches the Lord them that euerie one should loue another He teaches not onely loue but loue that meetes loue he will not teache thee onely to loue him but him to loue thee againe This is mutuall loue As he teaches thee to loue me so he teaches me to loue thee loue must be mutual Friendship standes not in the one side but friendship must be conjoyned to friendship There is no bond in that blessed bodie of Christ except there be a mutuall bond if I loue thee neuer so well if thou loue not me thou shalt neuer be in the bodie For as the rest of the members of Christ loues thee so thou must loue them againe or else thou hast no fellowship in the bodie Marke the order which the Apostle vses in teaching When he instructes men in any grace there are some fundamentall graces that are so called because they are the grounds of al graces to wit Faith Hope and Charitie
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
For vvhere any sparke of the light of God is the light raignes and God raignes in thee albeit thou haue great darknesse in thee For vvhereuer God is in any measure he euer raignes He sayes Ye are all the children of the light and the children of the day Marke the vvordes For they import a pithie meaning They meane that not onely they are in a light but that in substance in a maner they are light As I am light and thou art light if thou be the chylde of light in substance thou art light euen so as in substance thou art a bodie in substance likevvise a soule So in a maner in substance thou art light For ye must vnderstand this the chylde is euer by nature of the substance of the Father and Mother Then if ye be the children of light of necessitie ye must be in some maner of the substance of light Paul Ephes chap. 5. verse 8. sayes to the Ephesians that some tymeye vvere Gentiles sometyme ye vvere darknesse but novv ye are light in the Lord vvalke as children of light He sayes not ye vvere in darknesse but he sayes in verie deed ye vvere in a maner a verie lumpe of darknesse Then againe he sayes not ye are in the light but ye are light your substance and nature is changed in the conâ—rarie vvhere ye vvere in substance darknesse novv ye are in substance light turned from the substance of daknesse to the substance of light Now the words this way exponed take vp an higher ground and of the escaping of judgement at the comming of Christ It is not enough to be found in the light onely but thou must be found to be light it selfe and the child of light I shall make this plaine There are two sorts of thinges and bodies in this world that hes light There are some bodies that in themselues hes no light in the worlde they are darke in themselues yet they will be in the light As for example Ye see the black floore ye sit on it hes no light of it selfe it is black but when the Sun shynes on it it hes light and shynes There are other bodies that are not onely in the light but in the owne nature are light as the Sun it is not onely in the light but it is light the selfe and there is no other light to giue it light except the selfe Now to apply this There are two sortes of men and wemen in the Church of God I leaue Pagans Turkes and Iewes and I speak of these who are in the Church and professes themselues to be Christians There are some of them in the light in the midst of the Saintes of God and professing the worde as the Saintes does that hes no light of themselues the light they haue is the light of others as for themselues they are but black bodies and black soules Hypocrites that hes nothing in themselues but blacknesse an hypocrite hes nothing but blacknesse and yet he will be in the Church and as farre in as any man but shynes in the light of the word and of the Saintes of God Againe there are some who are not onely in the light shynes not onely in the light of others but in themselues are light and shynes in their own light and there are beames that commes from them and lightens both themselues and others that sittes with them as the Sun both shynes the selfe and makes other inferiour creatures to shyne Of the which sort were the Philippians Paul writes to them Philip 2. 15. and sayes Ye are compast with Pagans and Heathen and ye shyne in the midst of them So who euer gets this grace to haue this light and to carie it out to the world they are the children of light Now in the day of judgement it will not be enough to be in the Church to be among the faithfull and renewed creatures and among them who are light to be at preaching of the word except thou be light of thy selfe what care I if the light wherein I shyne be not my owne but the light that shynes from another If thou haue no more thou shalt be suddenlie destroyed Therefore if thou wouldest be fred from this sudden destruction seeke light regeneration illumination and neuer rest nor be glad vntill thou find in some measure the regeneration of thy nature and thy selfe to be light in Christ Againe marke heere the vniuersall partickle ye all He sayes not some but he cals all the Thessalonians the children of light and of the day he maks no exception he is not so precise as men are now This learnes vs both Pastor and people a good lesson to be obserued to thinke and to judge the best of euerie man and woman that hes once receiued the seale of Baptisme and hes giuen their names in baptisme to Christ and professes christ outwardlie For albeit many of them will be hypocrites yet it is our part after the exemple of Paul to call them the children of light Thou art ouer seueare a censurer to call them who hes taine the name of Christ vpon them the children of darknesse Seuere not thou the popple from the wheet the caffe from the corne the goates from the sheepe vntill the Lord come and he shall seuere them Put not men in Heauen vvhen thou vvilt and men in Hell vvhen thou vvilt but be ware vvith this rashe judgement Now to come to the next verse Vpon the groundes he hes laid that all are in light and not in darknesse and that which is more that they are the children of light and not of darknesse he gathers his exhortation Then sayes he if it be so that we are the children of light let vs not sleepe but let vs vvatch and be sober This is the effect of the wordes There are two thinges that heere are forbidden and two things that are commaunded The two things that are forbidden are sleeping and drunkennesse for vnder sleeping as the text that followes makes plaine is comprehended drunkennesse These two thinges goe commonlie together a drunken bodie is ay doting and sleeping for the senses of him are so burdened with surfet he can doe nothing but ly downe and sleepe Now there are two thinges recommended watching and sobernesse these two agree also together for a temperate man who hes moderation in drinking that man is able to watch when others sleepe and to do a good turne in the night But to goe through euerie one of them and to begin at sleeping for he beginnes at it heere There are two sortes thereof First a bodilie sleeping vvhen the senses of this bodie are chosed Sleeping the eyes closed the eare closed and all the senses closed so that they leaue their function that is called a bodilie sleepe There is another called a spirituall sleepe and it is the sleeping of the soule and spirite vvhen the eye of the soule is bound vp so that it hes no sight of God the eare of
a christian his sin shall be double and double shall be his damnation and he shall wish that he had neuer beene called in the world a christian man Let none therefore thinke they are well eneugh if they be called christians â—and come and sit in the Congregation of the Lord for if then they commit villanie and knauerie the greater shal be their damnation If thou be the childe of the day do the workes of the day if thou be the childe of the night doe the workes of the night Thou must doe one Now to goe forwarde in this verse As he recommendes to them these tvvo thinges vvakrifenesse and sobriety So he recommendes to them in the thirde place armour wherewith he will haue them inarmed Putting on sayes he the brest plate of faith and loue There is the first peece of the armor and the hope of saluation for an helmet There the next peece of the armor In al this place what is he doing Instructing a warriour a souldiour what he should doe teaching him to wake and not to sleepe to be sober and not drunken to be marmed and not to be naked Ye know in the worldly warriour there are three things requyred first wakrifenesse a sleeping souldiours is nothing worth Then with wakrifenesse sobrietie temperatnesse in his mouth and bellie othervvayes vvhen he is lying drunken the enemie vvill come on him in the night and cut his throate Novv the thirde thing that is requyred is that he haue his armour on him It is not eneugh to be vvakrife and sober but he must haue his armour on him Armour of a spiritual vvarrior faith loue and hope For if he vvant armour the armed enemies will come on him and slay him Euen so it is in a Christian vvarriour There is no Christian man nor vvoman but they are vvarriours and they must make them to fight vnder the banner of the Lord Iesus Christ their captaine And as it is requyred in the earthlie souldioures that they be vvakeryse Euen so it is requyred in the Christian souldiours The next thing that is requyred in the Christian souldiour is temperance haue not a drunken soule thou who wilt be a souldior vnder Christes banner thou must not be drunken with the pleasures of this vvorld Novv these tvvo thinges are not eneugh vvith vvakrifenesse and sobriety therfore thou must haue an armed soule as the bodie of the vvordly vvarriour must put on armour so thy soule must put on armour othervvaies vvhen the enemie makes the assault he vvill preuaile against thee if sinne make an assaulte if thou be vvithout thy armour sinne vvill preuaile Brethren ye knovve and it is heere meant by the Apostle The worldly vvarriour vvhen he armes himselfe he hes respect in speciall to these two partes of his bodie the first his brest where his heart lyes where the naturall life hes her chief residence therefore he puttes on his brestplate The next parte of the which he hes a speciall regarde is of the head where all the senses lyes The head is the fountain of all the senses and mouing of the body and so he will put on an Helmet to saue his head If these two parts be well preserued from wounds he will regard the lesse of the rest of the body If a wound be receyued in the heart no life A wound in the head and branes no lyfe but a wound in the leg c. may be mended againe So the Christian hes a chiefe regarde to two parts as it were to the heart vvhere his spirituall lyfe lyes vvhich is begunne in this lyfe and to the head vvhere all the spirituall senses hes their ground and where his spirituall mouing is to defend by armor the lyfe spirituall What euer other part of him be wounded he hes a speciall regarde to these two Now the Apostle bringes in this by a comparison taine from the worldlie armour vsed by earthlie souldiours The peece of armour that should be put on on the heart of the vvorldlie vvarriour is the brestplate The peece that couers the head is called the helmet The Christian vvarriour hes his owne brestplate and helmet Yet more ye see There are two parts of the vvarriours brestplate the brestparte and backparte and peece before another peece behinde that the heart receyue not a wound neyther at back nor brest So the brestplate of a Christian vvarriour is builded vp of tvvo partes the fore parte Faith that embraces Iesus the other parte vvhich vve may call the hinder and backparte Loue and it flowes from the other parte loue to our neighbour it hanges on Faith to our God As to the Helmet it is but a peece and it couers the vvhole head and senses round about So the Helmet of the Christian vvarriour is of one peece called the hope of saluation Hope that he shall be saued and liue vvith Iesus Christ And this is his head peece So long as he keepes this hope he shall saue his head and all his spirituall senses feeling and mouing c. keepe me hope nothing shall destroy thy spirituall seeing hearing and feeling and all the rest of thy senses And if thy head be bare of hope thy spirituall senses shall soone be ouerthrowne by the assaults of the enemie So the summe shortly the chiefe things whereby the spirituall life the spirituall feeling and mouing is keept within a man are these three thinges which is chiefly tolde of in the Scripture Faith Loue and Hope Faith in God and Christ Loue to thy nighbor Hope to be safe in the grace of Christ Keepe these three thou shalt stand inarmed to resist the Deuill and all his works keepe one of these thou keepest all lose one of these thou losest all Lose Faith thou losest Loue lose Faith and Loue thou losest Hope col It is otherwaies with the Christian warriour then with a worldly warriour he may haue his Helmet on and want his brestplait but I assure thee if thou want a peece of this christian armour thou hast no part of it hast thou a peece of this armour thou hast all hast thou Faith thou hast Hope and Loue The spirituall graces that are wrought by the Spirit of God wherein stands our regeneration are so linked together either must they be altogether in thee in some measure or else thou hast none of them Either must all the powers of thy soule and al thy affections be renewed or else none of them is renewed And therefore if thou would try if thou hast these graces looke if thou hast any one of them for then thou hast all Looke if thou hast Faith looke if thou hast a loue to thy nighbor For I assure thee if thou hast no loue to thy neighbor thou hast no Faith speak asmuch thereof as thou wilt Now to the next verse When he hes spoken of the hope of saluation he groundes this saluation vpon the owne fundation that they might see the fundation of it
affirme if there be not a better meeting and greater care to reuerence this calling and to loue and honour it and to prouyde sustentation for them that laboures the eyes of our posteriue shall see this Ministry decay It is going away Men beleeues it is well if they get the teyndes If the Lord and Laird get the teyndes Teinds he will indent and subscryue all with you But either must these things be redressed or else certainly there shall be a decay and then farewell all grace Shame and confusion to Scotland Trowes Scotland that the common-well shall floorishe or that the estate shall be good if this Ministrie goe away No there shall be nothing but desolation If they were heere to whom this matter and this admonition pertaines I woulde charge them in the name of God that they would show a better meeting to entertaine this Gospell or else shame shall ouertake them Now this farre as the wordes of the text furnishes to me I haue spoken of the duety of the people Nowe there is another precept added to this exhorting to peace Peace cōmanded Be at peace sayes he among your selues This is agenerall precept giuen to Ministers to people and to all men commaunding peace loue vnitie and concord of mynde This is the fountaine of other graces She goes before vs as a mother other graces as children followe her If she goe not before no following of graces Where peace is there is grace where peace is not there is no grace And therefore Paul first to Tim. chap. 2. verse 1 sayes Pray for Kings for what end that vve may lead a quyet and a peaceable lyfe in all godlinesse and honestie Where he meanes where peace is these two followes godlinesse which is the ground of the first table and honestie which is the ground of the second table Where peace goes avvay farevvell these tvvo Will ye looke to your ovvne families if there be not peace betvveen the Husband and the Wyfe tell me what grace can be in the familie tell me can godlinesse can grace be in the familie vvhere there is nothing but stryfe and enuy can common honestie be there No no grace Go to a Cittie where there is nothing but dissention can therebe grace godlines or honesty there Goe to a Kingdom or common-well where a Kingdom is rent in peeces can there be grace holinesse or honestie there So it is the peace in Iesus Christ vvhich is the mother and conquerour of all graces where the hearts of men and wemen are bound vp in peace there is floorishing either in Citty or houshold But yet vvhat peace should this be Wherein standes it It stands not in a faire vvord in a faire goode morrow nor in an outvvard behauiour or false fained smiling vvith thy mouth vvhen thou hast no loue in thy heart but this peace standes chieflie in the lenitie and conjunction of myndes and heartes Paul to the Eph. chap. 4. vers 3. sayes Studie to keepe the vnitie of the Spirit in the bond of peace where he earnestly recommends an vnion of myndes Paul to the Philippians in the 2. chap. vers 1. sayes If there be any consolation in Christ if any solace if any communion of the spirite if any bovvels of pittie fill vp my ioy and wherein standes it Be sayes he of lyke minde and affection There my joy let your affection be one haue one loue haue one minde dwell with all your soules together Ioyne so your hearts together as if they were one heart joyne your soules together and make vp one soule of all And as concerning your judgements he sayes be not of contrare opinions and judgementes There are some that euer delytes in contradiction When one will say one thing they will make a contradiction to it Now ye see wherein this peace stands and this is the peace that makes vp the Kingdom of God Paul sayes to the Romanes 14. 17. The Kingdom of God standes not in meate and drinke but in peace and righteousnesse tovvards God Indeed the Kingdom of men will be made vp of an outward counterfaite peace The Grecian Kingdom the Roman Impire stoode of an earthly peace but all vanitie the Kingdom of Christ is made vp of an vnitie of our soules knit together in Christ When our conscience is peaceable then our souls is knit to him Reade the 4. chapter to the Ephesians ye shall not finde so many arguments in no place as there to exhort men to vnitie There is sayes he but one bodie one spirite one hope of your vocation one Lord Iesus one faith one baptisme one God one Father of all Then if there be so many one thinges why should ye not be one Now the whole blessing of men standes in vnion Yea the blessednesse of God standes in an vnion the Father the Sonne and the holie Spirite vnited together in one God-hood The blessednesse of our nature standes in the vnion with our head Christ and in the vnion of the members among our selues Where this vnion is not there is nothing but miserie In the Kingdom of Heauen there is nothing but vnity by the contrare there is no peace in Hell If the father and the sonne goe to Hell together trow ye there shall be any loue betweene them No nothing but inuy all inuy and hatred is among the Deuils all peace and vnity is in God who drawes the soules of men and wemen together and makes one soule as it were in that glorious bodie of Christ The Lord giue vs this bond of vnitie and loue that we may be joyned with the rest of the members in one bodie to our head Iesus Christ To whom with the Father and the Spirite be immortall praise honour and glore world without end AMEN THE XXIII LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 5. vers 14. 15. 14 We desire you brethren admonish them that are vnruely comfort the feeble mynded beare vvith the vveake be patient tovvarde all men 15 See that none recompense euill for euill vnto any man but euer follovv that vvhich is good both tovvard your selues and tovvard all men WE goe forward brethren in these exhortations and preceptes concerning goode maners and godly conuersation vvhich the Apostle settes downe heere to the Thessalonians As for these whereof we haue alreadie spoken as that wakrifnesse that should be in them that sobernesse that spirituall armour vvherevvith they shold be armed concerning that mutuall exhortation euery one of them ought to other concerning that duetie that the flocke and the people ought to their Pastour concerning that mutuall peace that should be among them we speake nothing now recommending all to your memories who heard vs. Now in this text we haue reade presently first we haue three particulare directions concerning three estates of persones first concerning vnruely men secondly concerning feeble minded men and last concerning them that are infirme and vveake in saith vveake in the knovvledge
vvord And as though all the speaking to the Church vvere not by the vvord preached but by other reuelations they will binde the Spirit to vaine fantasies illusions and dreames These are Anabaptists that dependes on these illusions of the deuill and their owne fantasies and foolish reuelations The third sort wil acknowledg the Spirit so wil they the word and Scripture but they think it is eneugh to read the word He will say I will sit at home in my chamber and I will read sometime of the olde and sometime of the nevv Testament and what will the Minister tel me in the Pulpet but I will get it here and as for the opening vp of this word he wil scorne is This sort of men is verie euill and they will finde in the end that the word read and not preached vvill doe them little good Novv the last and best sort vvho will get grace are they who reuerences the Spirit and word and seeke by all means to haue them ludging in their soules not only reads themselues if they haue knowledge but hes a pleasure to haue it opened vp to the vse of the Church and their vse in the congregation It is these men that by the Spirit truely imbraces the word for faith is by hearing Rom. 10. 17. Now I goe forward to the text In the next verse is another exhortation Try all things and keepe that vvhich is good reteine it after try all Tryall of doctrine In these wordes the Apostle settes downe the order after the which a man or woman shall allowe or disalow of prophecying that is preaching when they heare it The allowance or disallowance of it must be after a certaine order The order is this in one word Try 〈…〉 and then either allow or disallow There are two sortes of extremities in hearing of prophecying There are some that wil allow ere euer they try at the first hand These are vaine heades Peter calles them vnstable soules 2. Epistle 2 chap. 14. vers These are men that hes soules euer fleeting and flowing and wil be euer caried away with euery light winde of doctrine This is the cause that so many becommes Heretikes and I beleeue there be some among vs that delites in new faces if a stranger step out in the midst of them and speake incontinent will they fay there was neuer such a man in the world this is an extremitie Another sort is of them that will not heare preaching and giue audience that there after they may try when a man presents himselfe to speake in the name of the Lord they will not giue him audience and certainly if there were no more but the reuerence we ought to God we ought to heare him that speaks in his name but then try his doctrine and allow or disalow thereof as it agries with the word Now these are the two extremities The midst is betweene them and this midst is to be tain as best of al. Heare and when thou hast heard try after tryell if thou findstâ—it sound good and wholsome keep it if not farewell it lend not thy care any longer to it This is the rule Iohn sets out in his first Epist chap. 4. vers 1. Welbeloued beleeue not euery spirit but try the spirit vvhether it be of God or not If thou finde not the doctrine agreable to the analogie of faith away with it The Iewes at Berea are commended for this Act. chap. 17. verse 12. when Paul and Sylas came among them they heard but beleeued him not vntill they ran to their bookes and conferred that which they had heard with the â—ould canonicall Scripture and found that they agreed then they allowed of their doctrine Now brethren in this Church of Thessalonica among all the rest of the gifts of the Spirit that they had this was one the gift of discretion and judgement to disceâ—â—e betweene true doctrine and false doctrine betweene spiritual doctrine and carnall naturall doctrine Paul knowing this wrytes 〈◊〉 them and desires them according to the gift of the Spirit of discretion to discerne right doctrine from wrong Iâ— is euen so with all the Church of God on the earth The Lord among all the giftes he giues to the members of this Church he giues this gift also to judge of that which they heare to judge betweene true and false doctrine the doctrine that is lyke stubble that may not bide the fire and the doctrine that is like gold The Lord in the Church hes giuen some this discretion and certainly if it were not so the Church should spoue be poysoned Some gets this gift to taste the doctrine whether it be wholsome or not A man that wants the taste will â—eceiue poyson for 〈◊〉 So if the Church want this taste they would receiue poison for food But marke againe â—uerie one gets not this gift and the Church is beholden to them who gettes it for they try doctrine and saues the Church from poyson And I say where one hes it foure wants it And where one is spirituall and hes it ten will be carnall and flestilie The Corinthians as we may see in Paul Alas there are many lyke the Corinthians amongst vs tooke vpon them being carnall harted to judge of spirituall thinges and so they preferred vaine men that came in with â—â—ratorie to the Apostle Paul who spake with the power of the holy Spirit Alwaies among the Church there are some that hes it and ye that wants it seeke it for it is a speciall gift to decerne betweene the trueth and falset and when ye go to heare a preaching among all your prayers say Lord giue me grace to discerne what is spirituall and what not that I may embrace that vvhich is spirituall and may leaue that vvhich is carnall Some will haue it in some greater measure nor others In the 8. chap of the Actes Philip a good man being in Samaria Simon Mâ—guâ— the sorcerer was with him Philip tooke him not vp but yet when Peter came he perceyved him and he sayes knaue I see thee in the gall of bitternesseâ— repent thee or destruction shall suddenly ouertake thee Marke it Further this place is not to bee vnderstoode of false teachers vvho are alreadie damned neyther of them vvho hes not a calling to speake in the Church but of them vvho hes an ordinarie calling the doctrine of such men onely should bee tryed by the Prophetes and euerie one that hes the spirit of discretion 1. Cor. 14. 32. Now brethren to goe forvvard shortly to the next verse Theâ— vvordes are these Abstaine frem all appearance of euill This precepte is generall and concernes asvvell doctrine as any other thing in the vvorld that can haue the appearance or any shovve of euill As for the doctrine vvhen thou hast heard it and hast tryed it if after tryall thou be not satisfyed vvith it but yet there abydes a doubt in thy hart Then vvhat should thou doe Abstaine from it
Peter and the rest of them there is no standing but on the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Paul writing to the Ephes 2. 20. speakes of their building Being builded sayes he vpon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Thou shalt neuer be builded on Iesus Christ if thou be not builded vpon the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles and if that be not then there is no saluation for thee goe to Spaine goe to Rome as thou wilt thou hast noght ado with Iesus Christ if thou stand not grounded on the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles Then would ye see what ye call true perseuerance in faith VVhat is perseuerance and apostasie Euen that is true perseuerance that is in the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles onely and no more and no lesse Then what is Apostasie that is contrare to perseuerance If perseuerance be in keeping of the doctrine of the Apostles then that is Apostasie when thou falles away from their doctrin No brethren the falling away from that Roman Antichrist is no Apostasie The Lord at his comming in that great day shall justifie this and shall judge that Church to be a false and an adulterous Apostatike Church and whoeuer joines with it if they repent not shall be adjudged that day to damnation and they that departs from it and stickes to the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles shall be judged to be the holy ones of God Now followes in the end of the verse two sortes of teaching of them that the Apostle vsed The first is by word when he spoke to them face to face The other is by his Epistle The lesson is easie Men are taught aswell by writ as word all teaching is not tied to the personall presence of men No men are as surely taught by writ as by word And seeing it hes pleased the Lord to showe this mercy on vs that the writtes of the Apostles are comde in our hands which are read in your audience therefore we haue Paul to be a teacher to vs aswell as the Thessalonians had Therefore conclude surely that it is not so much this Minister or that Minister teaches you as it is the Apostle Paul and Christ Iesus in him for euery Minister is not so guyded as he was the ministers may erre and hes erred but the Apostles could not erre for they were immediatly called of Iesus Christ and were in their writting direct fully by the holy Spirit Therefore think that ye haue the Apostle Paul and the rest to be your teachers and as for a Minister if he goe a stray breadth off that ground of the Apostles he teaches false doctrine and so the surest teachers that we haue are the olde Prophets and Apostles that cannot erre Thinke it not a small mercy that the Lord hes made their writs to come to vs and no doubt Christ when he tooke good-night of the Apostles had respect to this Matt. 28. chap. 19. vers Goe your vvay and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father of the Sonne and the holy Ghost and loe I am vvith you vntill the end of the vvorld as he would say ye in a maner shall bide and liue till I come againe if not in your persons yet in your writte and I shall accompanie your writte as I did accompany your persons in the world and surely the Spirit of Christ accompanies this same writ and word as euer he did their dresence on earth Now I will answere one doubt that he ere occurres before I go forward Ye that hes red any thing knowes that the aduersars preases to make aduantage of this place keepe that that I haue taught you by word or writ Then cry they out traditions traditions The Apostles say they hes left traditions besides their writs verities vnwritten and therefore as great credite should be giuen to them as to the written verity and they should be receiued with as great reuerence as their writs Brethren it is true the words importes a diuersity but if ye will looke well about you ye shall find that there is no diuersity in the matter and substance but onely in the maner and forme of teaching as if he should haue said Keep that which I haue teached you either by word or writ which is all one thing for that which I spoke I wrote and that which I wrote I spok this is certaine But giuing this to them supponing the Apostle had spoken something which he had not written at this time what is it to the purpose Ergo wrote he iâ— not afterward Supponing the Apostle had not written this whole doctrine to the Thessalonians yet wrote he it not to the Romans Ephesians c and in one word the Apostle spoke nothing by mouth which he registred not in writte The same doctrine he spoke by mouth the same he left in register in writ to be red by the world Now then to return to the matter When he hes ended the exhortation he subjoines prayer and the same perseuerance he exhorted them to he begs to them froÌ„ the hands of God BrethreÌ„ al exhortation Teaching vvithout the spirite povverlâ—s all this doctrine and preaching all preceptes and admonitions are but winde and vaine voyces shal sounds in the eare and goes not to the hart except with the word the Lord concur by his spirit If the Lord by his power and spirit inwardly moue not the hart and affections of men all is but vanity and winde Now the meane ye see to get the Spirit to the preaching and hearing of the word is prayer And therefore take the lesson A man should neuer preach nor heare preaching but the eie of his soule should be lifted vp to him that is able onely to giue the power and increase In preaching the Minister should be begging power and the people praying and saying Lord as this is thy word which is thy power vnto saluation so by thy Spirit make it powerfull in me If thy eye be on the man and thy hart be not lifted vp to God thou shalt goe as empty home as thou came abroad Therefore set thy eye and hart on him who is only able to giue power to thy life and vpon him who giues only consolation when thou hast need and finally on him that giues saluation to all that beleues aright to wit the Lord Iesus for without him there is no grace to be bestowed on man be what he wil. Prayer is the meane to get the presence of the Spirit concurring with the word for the word without grace and power be giuen to it to open the hart is powerfull to close the hart The Gospell is an instrument to obdure thy hart if it be heard without praier to God and presence of his Spirit Therefore pray that in hearing ye may vnderstand and that ye may walke according to the knowledge thereof Now then to come to the wordes There are three thinges in this prayer First