mo in number than others but because he loued your fathers For so often as we heare mention made of his loue we ought by and by to remember that saying of the Apostle Not that we loued him first Iohn 4.10 And the certaine and sure signes of the loue of God toward vs are the proclayming of the Gospell and the preaching of remission of sinnes through Christ For by that publication of Gods will it is both testified that we are receiued into the grace of adoption through Christ and also are reckoned in the number of Gods sonnes if so be we receiue the doctrine of the Gospell through faith and doe commit our selues to the grace of the most mercifull God Psal 147.11 Iohn 3.16 For the Lord loueth those that feare him and that put their trust in his mercie Moreouer God so loued the worlde that he gaue his onely begotten sonne Ephe. 16. that they that beleue in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life This therefore is that grace of God which maketh vs accepted through the beloued that is through Christ Wo therefore be vnto those wicked teachers which wil haue vs to doubte of the Grace of God and whether we are loued of God when as God would haue vs more sure of nothing then that beleeuing the Gospell we assure our selues to be in his fauour and to be beloued of Christ Because that God hath from the beginning chosen you The Apostle expresseth the cause why all men shal not be ouerwhelmed in one and the selfe same destruction namely because Sathan can doe nothing against those to hinder their saluation although heauen and earth be confounded together For this saying of Christ shall alwayes abide most firme My sheepe hear my voice and I knowe them Iohn 10.27 and they follow me and I giue vnto them eternall life neither shall they perish for euer and no man shall take them ou◠〈◊〉 my hande There is no doubt but thaâ— the Apostle speaketh of Gods eternall electioÌ„ For he meaneth that there is no feare of the altering of their saluation which is fouÌ„ded vpon gods eternal election thogh there happen a troublesome alteration of thinges As if he should say let this be a horror and feare to others to those I say which perish in whom the Diuels can much preuaile but as for you ye are without peril as the beloued of God such as are elected froÌ„ the beginning Therefore what garboyle trouble soeuer Sathan woorketh in the worlde yet your saluation was laid vp in safety for you before the world was made For election signifieth a purpose of shewing mercie and of sauing those whom God hath ordayned by that purpose to obtayne eternall life for an inheritance But because it is not our part to enter into the secret counsell of God there to seeke the certaintie of our saluation he deliuereth vnto vs certaine signes and tokens of election which ought sufficiently to assure vs thereof Through sanctification of the spirit That is to say by the holy Ghost which doth purifie our hearts and giue vnto vs a true faith Therefore to know whether God hath elected vs or no we must not seeke what God hath done before the creation of the worlde but we shal finde in our selues a lawfull triall namely if he hath sanctified vs with his spirit established vs in the faith of his Gospell For it is the office of the holy Ghost to illuminate our darkened heartes which are naturally blinde to teach the ignorant to comfort the afflicted to bringe those that goe astray into the right way and so to sanctifie them that their workes may be acceptable to the omnipotent God The Apostle calleth that the Faith of truth by which the elect doe beleeue the Gospell of Christ For this is contrary to that false perswasion concerning the which Iames pronounceth saying Faith without workes is dead And the faith which we heare to the Gospell â—â—mes 2. is an assured testimony of our adoption and the spirit doth giue that adoption and they which are led by the spirit of God Rom. 8.14 Iohn 3.36 are the sonnes of God And he which possesseth Christ by faith hath euerlasting life All which thinges are diligently to be noted least we pretermitting the reuelation of Gods will whereupon he commaundeth vs to rest we going about to drawe the same from his secrete counsell in the which he woulde not haue vs inquisitiue should bring our selues into a confused laberinth or maze Therefore we must holde our selues contented with the faith of the Gospell and with the grace of the spirit by which we are regenerated that we may assure our selues to be elected of God and that we shall haue the saluation of eternall life if we doe truly beleeue in Christ the sonne of God And hereby their wickednes is confuted which make Gods election a cloake of all filthynesse when as Peter so ioyneth the same with faith and regeneration 1. Peâ— that they cannot be separated And Paul himselfe in an other place testifieth Ephe. 1.4 that we were elected before the foundation of the world was layed that we might be blamelesse and holy in the sight of God in loue 14 Whereunto he called you by our Gospell to obtaine the glorie of our Lorde Iesus Christ The preaching of the Gospell pertayneth to the confirmatioÌ„ of election For this is the meane by which we come vnto saluation whereunto God hath chosen vs. God therefore hath called vs vnto a true faith not by the righteousnes of the law but by the Gospell euen as Paul testifieth in an other place 2. Tim. 1.9 He hath saued and called vs with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his owne purpose and grace which was giuen to vs through Christ Iesus before the world was but is now made manifest by the appearing of our sauiour Iesus Christ who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortalitie vnto light through the Gospell And therefore by the Gospell because no man can beleeue in Christ but by the publication therof who being now glorified raigneth at the right hand of God the father in heauen Rom. 10.17 For faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the worde of God By our Gospell He calleth it his Gospell not that it sprang from him but because the preaching thereof was committed to him As if he should say By the Gospell which we haue preached which was committed to vs to preach And here are to be noted certaine degrees of our saluation For we are from the beginning chosen to saluation and then we are made partakers of saluation through sanctification of the spirite through beleeuing of the truth and through the Gospell To obtaine the glorie of our Lorde Iesus Christ This doth bring no small consolation to the faithful when they know that doth they and their saluation are so in the handes of God euen as a fixed
the knowledge of mortall men to himselfe alone so on the contrarie part they ought to beware of that securitie which made the foolish virgins to be secluded from the ioye of the bridgrome Mat. 25. and to be vigilant because they know neither the day nor the houre 2 That yee be not sodenly moued from your minde nor troubled neither by spirite nor by worde nor by letter as it were from vs as though the day of Christ were at hand By this worde mind he vnderstandeth a sound faith which is grounded vpon wholesome doctrine For they had beene carried and rapt as it were into a traunce and astonishment by this forged imagination which the Apostle reiecteth He reherseth here three kindes of deceit of the which he would haue the Thessalonians to take heed The first of which is this Neither by spirit That is to say by reuelation or prophesie by which vngodly men haue deceiued many boasting of the spirit of God when as they were led by their wicked desires and lustes They knew that the name of the spirite was honorable and that it brought great authoritie and credit to prophesiyng Wherefore as the manner of the Diuell is 2. Cor. 11.14 to traÌ„sforme himselfe into an Angel of light so the deceiuers had stollen this title to deceiue the simple withall And although Paul might haue pulled this visor from their face yet he thought it better by way of concession to speake thus As if he should say howsoeuer they pretend to haue the spirite of reuelation yet beleeue them not according to the saying of Saint Iohn 1. Iohn 4. Prooue the spirits whether they be of God or no. With such a spirite sometime the Montanistes and Valentinians and now the Catabaptistes were and are endued by which they haue greatly deceiued the simple Therfore the Apostle would not haue the faithfull to be moued from holesome doctrine Gal. 1.8 though an Angell come from heauen and teache otherwise then he hath taught already Nor by worde The other kinde of deceit is by worde that is to say by doctrine deliuered by the mouth the which if it be furnished with eloquence and probabilitie it is most pestilent Such are those sophisticall deceiuers which gadding to and fro from place to place without calling doe cause great sturre and doe greatly trouble the godly preachers and are therefore aptly termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a subtill kinde of deceiuers Nor by letter The third kind of deceite is by counterfeit Epistles or writings For it is the manner of wranglers to counterfeit an Epistle vnder the name of some excellent man to the end they may deceiue and may get that commended by the authority of man which els comming naked would not be receiued Hereby theÌ„ it doth appeare that this impudency hath beene practised long since to counterfeite the names of other men Whereby the mercy of God toward vs appeareth the greater and more woonderful that Paul being yet liuing and seeing his name falsly abused in forged writings his Epistles notwithstanding haue been preserued safe and sound vntil this age Verily this could not so come to passe neither by chance nor yet by the industry of men if so be God by his power had not suppressed Sathan and al his ministers By this sathanical practise which Paul here condemneth it cannot be told how filthily certaine lewd varlets haue deluded the Church of God who haue thrust vpon vs many bookes and manie moe Epistles and decretals as if they had come from the Apostles or from Apostolicall men or else from such writers as were had in greate estimation for their learning and holinesse which writinges notwithstanding these good men neuer knewe and if they were liuing would neuer allow For there are carried about Canons and Decretals of Rome certaine Canons of the Apostles certaine Epistles of Apostolicall men and many other bookes beside bearing the name of Augustine or Ambrose which bookes these men neuer saw And yet notwithstaÌ„ding there want not some who taking this place for their ground and warrant will thurst vpon the Church of God whatsoeuer they list obiecting that all thinges are not reuealed in the Scriptures which are necessarily required to true pietie and godlinesse because mention is here made of spirite of worde and of an Epistle by which say they a more absolute doctrine hath beene reuealed to posterities But these men do not see that this same very place doth forewarne men that they be not seduced from a sound faith already receiued by the traditions of men which these men couering with the visor of spirit worde and of Epistle decretal or of Apostolical and most holy doe enforce vpon vs. For thus they offer vnto vs their Masses and all other thinges which they are not able to prooue by the testimonies of Scriptures ernestly affirming that they were iustified by Apoâ—tolical tradition afterward confirmed â—oth by the Epistles of Apostolicall men also by the reuelation of the holy Ghost Let vs therefore beware of these rauenous woolues Mat. 7.15 which being couered with sheep â—kinnes doe come to no other ende but to â—rouble rent and deuoure Let vs faithâ—ully hold and keepe the minde of Christ â—nd the sound and Apostolicall groundes â—f holesome and true religion So shal we â—e deceiued by no manner of meanes As though the day of Christ were at hande This place semeth to be conâ—rarie to many other places of Scripture where the holy Ghost doth pronounce that day to be at hande But they are easily recoÌ„ciled for in respect of God it is at hand Psal 90.4 2. Pet. 3.8 with whom one day is as a thousaÌ„d yeers a thousand yeers as one day Neuertheles the Lord would haue vs daily to wait looke for the same not to appoint vnto our selues a certaine time Watch saith our Sauiour Christ for ye knowe not when the time is Mar. 13.33 But these false Prophets whom Paul confuteth seeing it stood them vpon to hold mens mindes in suspence least they shuld be wearied with the tediousnes of delay commanded them to be carelesse concerning the short speedy comming of Christ 3 Let no manne deceiue you by anye meanes for that day shall not come except there come a departing first that that man of sinne be disclosed euen the sonne of perdition Paul againe admonisheth the Thessalonians to beware that they bee not deceyued that hee might make them the more vigilaunt and heedefull to themselues and that he might discourage and dismay those whiche laye in wayte to hurt the simplicitie of such as beleeued That daie shal not come except To the end the Thessalonians might not in vayne promise to them selues that the day of their redemption was at hande he propoundeth vnto them a lamentable prophesie of the defection and dissipation of the Churche to come This agreeth with that sermon of Christ which he made vnto his Disciples when
by thâ— benefite of the grace of our God and of oâ—â— Sauiour Iesus Christ The which especâ—ally is to be noted that they in like maner are to be glorified in Christ which haue set foorth his glorie For first of al the woonderful goodnesse of God doth shine in this that he wil haue his glorie to be seene in 〈◊〉 which are couered with reproch shamâ— But here is a double miracle He dotâ— make vs to shine with his glory euen as 〈◊〉 he him selfe receiued glory from vs in like manner againe and therefore he addeth According to the grace of our God For nothing belongeth vnto vs neither iâ— the action it selfe nor in the effect and fruit For our life is framed into the glorie of God by the onely direction and conducting of the holy Ghost And whereaâ— there springeth so much fruit from thence we must attribute that to the great mercie of God Neuerthelesse if we be not too farre deuoide of sence we will thinke it our bounden dutie to endeuour our selues all that lieth in vs to set foorth and aduaunce the glorie of Christ the which is also ioyned with our glorie Therfore this â—ight to be the scope and ende of all our good woorkes that we doe all thinges to the glorie of God CHAP. II. 1 NOW we beseech you brethren by the comming of our Lorde Iesus Christ and by our assembling vnto him This is the other part of the Epistle which consisteth of instruction and exhortation For he teacheth euidently by certaine signes when the day of the Lord shal come The Thessalonians had heard in the former Epistle which he appointed to be read before al men that the last day of the world was not farre off There were also certaine deceiuers who plainely affirmed that now already the end of al things was imminent and so they greatly troubled the Church Wherefore that they might forsake that conceiued opinion and vnderstand the truth Paul laboreth shewing what must first goe before the comming of the Lorde and with what signes and thinges precurrent men are to be forewarned These signes in the scriptures are many Two sortes of signes which shal be before the iudgment day and yet of two sortes whereof some shall precurre and be seene long before other some shall go before his comming to iudgment but a short time Concerning the signes going long before the iudgment daie our sauiour Christ saith Mat. 24.37 As the dayes of Noah were so likwise shall the comming of the sonne of man be Luk. 17.26 For as in the dayes before the floud they did eate and drinke mary and giue in marriage vnto the day that Noe entred into the Arke and knew nothing till the floud came and tooke them all away so shall also the comming of the sonne of man be Also the Apostle setteth downe diuers signes in his Epistle to Timothy where he saith 1. Tim. 4.1 Now the spirit speaketh euidently that in the latter times some shal depart from the faith and shal giue heed vnto spirits of error doctrines of diuels which speake lyes through hypocrisie and haue their consciences burned with a hot iron forbidding to marry and commaunding to absteine from meates c. And in another place he sayth This know 2. Tim. 3.1 that in the Last dayes shall come perilous times For men shal be louers of their owne selues couetous boasters proud cursed speakers disobedient to parents vnthankfull vnholy without naturall affection truce breakers false accusers intemperate fierce dispisers of them which are good traytours heady high minded louers of pleasures more then louers of God hauing a shewe of godlinesse but haue denied the power therof Among these signes also those which Paul reherseth heere in his Epistle to the Thessalonians concerning the falling away from sincere doctrine and the reueaing of antichrist are to be reckoned which shall long before the comming of Christ to iudgment be seene The signes which shal be more neere the iudgment day as it were within the vew of the same are these Mat. 24. Straight after the tribulation of those dayes the sunne shal be darkned and the moone shall loose her light and the starres shall fall from heauen and the powers of heauen shal be moued and then shall the signe of the son of man appeare in heauen How these thinges shal be as touching the forme and manner no man can tel vntil they come to passe Rom. 11.25 Also the Apostle saith I would not brethren that ye shold be ignorant of this secret that partely obstinacie is come to Israell vntill the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in And so all Israell shal be saued as it is written The deliuerer shall come out of Sion and shall turne away the vngodlines from Iacob c. This shal be a present signe of the comming of the Lorde But how the same shall come to passe and which shal be the very moment of the fulfilling of the calling of the Gentils let him that can define it It rather is in vs to wish for it then certainly to appoint the time The time will one day come saith Augustine wherein the calling of the Iewes August lib. 2. Quest Euang. cap. 33. in the sauing health of the Gospell shal be manifest But when and how the same shal be he doth not expresse By the comming of our Lorde Iesus Christ The Apostle in these wordes doth adiure the faithfull by the comming of Christ that they doe not rashly beleeue the day of the same to be present and to thinke no otherwise of it then religiously and soberly As if he should say as the comming of Christ is a thing very precious vnto you by which he shall gather vs together vnto himselfe and shall in very deed perfect and accomplish the vnitie of the bodie which as yet imperfectly we imbrace by faith euen so by the same I beseech you be not to light of credit if some by one collour or other do affirme that the same day is present But as some in the Apostles time were to ready to beleue the present comming of Christ which gaue Paul occasion to write this exhortation so it is greatly to be feared that in this age there are many Epicures which offend in the other extremitie and liuing in securitie doe contemne as a fable those thinges which in the Scriptures are spoken of the comming of Christ to iudgment against whom the Apostle Peter writeth this There shall come in the last dayes mockers which will walke after their owne lustes 2. Pet. 3.3 and say where is the promise of his comming For since the fathers died all thinges continue in the same estate wherein they were at the beginning c. Wherefore as men ought not to be light of credit to beleeue those vaine imaginations of such as are foolishly curious in pointing out the times and moments of times which God hath by his prerogatiue reserued from
is the loue study and earnest desire of the trueth especially of that doctrine which is deliuered in the Gospel concerning our eternall saluation through Christe This trueth the Papists doe impugne with no lesse crueltie then they haue alwayes done the professours thereof 11 And therefore God shall sende them strong delusion that they should beleeue lyes The Apostle stil proceedeth with the punishment of incredulitie and impenitencie by which two vices it commeth to passe that some doe speake against the doctrine of truth saluation He doth not onely say that men shall beleue errors but also that the reprobate shall be blinded in such wise that without all iudgement they shall runne headlong into death For as God doth inwardly illuminate vs with his spirite that his doctrine may be effectuall with vs and doth open our eyes and heartes that it may pierce and enter therin euen so by his iust iudgement hee deliuereth those ouer into a reprobate sence whom hee hath appointed to destruction that with closed eyes and dulled minds as men voyde of sence astonished they may yeelde them selues to Sathan and to his ministers to be deceiued And being seduced they are most perilously beguiled because when they doe beleeue that they are in the way of righteousnesse of trueth and of saluation they doe walke in the waye of iniquity of lies and of euerlasting destruction And in very deed we haue a manifest spectacle of this thing in the papacie It cannot be told what a woonderfull heape of errors are therin what grosse and shamfull absurdity of superstitions and what doting dilusions and dreames farre from common sence All they which haue but a meane tast of the sacred Scriptures cannot somuch as thinke of those monstrous thinges without great horror How commeth it to passe then that all the world is astonished in such wise that they cannot see them but because the Lorde hath striken them with blindnesse turned them as it were into sencelesse blockes For deceiueable sleights are effectuall in them because the Diuell worketh together in theÌ„ blinding the minds of the vnbeleeuing that the light of the glory of the Gospell which is the image of God 2. Cor. 4. might not shine vnto them Therefore we must obserue and note in this place that impietie lyes errors sectes and heresies with such like are punishments of the contempt of Gods worde For God is not wont to suffer the contempt of his worde to escape vnpunished but doth most grieuously take vengeance on the same that men may knowe that there is no dallying with God So our auncestors were punished with deceiueable wayes in the myst of darkenesse for the contempt of the word because they beleeued lyes Now we may easily gather by examples already past what is to be feared will befall vs vnthankfull men at this day for the contempt of the Gospell of Christ 12 That all they might be iudged which beleeue not the truth but haue approued vnrighteousnesse That is to say that they might suffer the punishment due for their impietie and perish by the iust iudgment of God So that there is no cause why they that perishe should any manner of way laye the blame vpon God because they haue gotten that which they sought for For we must remember what Moses writeth that our heartes are tried and proued when false doctrines are published by deceiuers because they doe not preuaile with any but with those which doe not loue God with their whole heart Deut. 13.3 Therfore they which loue vnrighteousnes shal reape the fruite thereof So Christ said vnto the Iewes Iohn 5.40 But ye wil not come to me that ye might haue life I receiue not prayse of men But I knowe you that ye haue not the loue of God in you I am come in my fathers name and ye receiue me not If another shall come in his owne name him will ye receiue When the Apostle saith here That al he giueth vs to vnderstand that the contempt of God is not excused by their great rout and multitude which refuse to obey the Gospell For God is a iudge of the whole world who will as soone take vengeance vpon a hundred thousand as vpon one man But haue approued vnrighteousnesse He expoundeth by an Antithesis or comparison what it is not to beleeue the truth And the Greeke participle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a willing promptnesse vnto euill and therefore it is translated of some But had pleasure in vnrighteousnes Hereby all excuse is taken from the vnthankeful seeing they take so great pleasure in vnrighteousnesse that they prefer the same before the righteousnesse of God Now if we doe compare with these woordes those things which seducers and the seduced Papistes doe account to be their great prayse we shall easily see what is the chiefe reward which is due to them namely most fearefull wrath and double condemnation â—or they will not beleeue the truth but dâ—â—light in vnrighteousnesse and in impietie being sedused by the prince of daâ—â—â—es and by Sathan the father of lyes â—s far concerning the crueltie and iâ—â—â—â—ie of Antichrist concerning of the â—euils which he hath brought into the Church by wicked doctrines and by the oppression of the Gospell of Christ 13 But we ought alwayes to giue thankes to God for you brethren beloued of the Lorde because that God hath from the beginning chosen you to saluation through sanctification of the spirit and the faith of truth The Apostle hauing before declared certaine horrible thinges which might terrefie and trouble the hearers minde doth now comfort the heartes of the faithfull and doth more plainely segregate disseuer the Thessalonians froÌ„ the reprobate least their faith might wauer with the feare of the defectioÌ„ to come Howbeit his intention was to prouide not onely for them but also for posterities to come neither doth he only confirme them that they might not be carried into the same ruine with the world but also by this câ—â—parison he doth the more coÌ„mend the 〈◊〉 of God towards the that whereas 〈◊〉 behold almost the whole world to bâ—â—ed headlong together as it were 〈◊〉 â—iolent empest they by the hand o◠〈◊〉 liued in a quiet and firme state of lâ—fe Thus it is conuenient to behold the iâ—â—â—ments of God in the reprobate that theâ— may be as it were looking glasses vnto vs to consider his mercie toward vs. For we must make this accoumpt that it commeth to passe onely by the singular grace and fauour of God that we in like manner doe not perishe miserably with them Brethren beloued of the Lorde He calleth them so that they may the better consider that they are for no other cause deliuered from the vniuersall distruction of the worlde but because God hath freely loued them Of this fauour and grace of God Moses remembred the Iewes saying Deut. 7.7 God hath not therefore so greatly exalted you because you were more mightie or