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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16616	A plaine and pithy exposition of the second Epistle to the Thessalonians. By that learned & judicious diuine Mr William Bradshaw, sometime fellow of Sidney Colledge in Cambridge. Published since his deceasse by Thomas Gataker B. of D. and paster of Rotherhith	Bradshaw, William, 1571-1618.; Gataker, Thomas, 1574-1654.	1620 (1620)	STC 3523; ESTC S106386	110,550	220

himselfe except he by the mouth of his Spirit speake peace vnto their Soules they will still feare that they are out of grace and fauour with God Any fancie or conceit is sufficient to perswade wicked men that they are in grace and at peace with God yea those ordinarily are most conceited of it that are furthest from it But the Apostles wish here is the wish of euery true Christian that they may haue it from God the Father and from Iesus Christ as it were vnder their hand and seale But when may a Christian be said to receiue grace and peace from God c When the Spirit of God in the due vse of Gods holy ordinances doth seale and confirme the same to the soule and conscience of an humbled sinner that groneth vnder the burthen of his sinnes Then doth the Grace and Peace of God come vnto thee from God when the Spirit of God testifies vnto thy spirit in the word in the Sacraments in the Church in the Ministerie c that thou art in grace and fauour with him VERS 3. We ought to thanke God alwaies for you brethren as it is meet THe third part of this Epistle beginning here reaching to the end of the Chapter is spent in Consolation wherein the Apostle labours to hearten and incourage them against the troubles and persecutions which they suffered for their profession thereby the more to strengthen and confirme them in the faith of Iesus Christ. This method is vsually obserued in all letters when men write to them that are in any trouble or affliction after they haue saluted them and before they write of other matters vnto them to comfort them By the way before we come to particulars we may obserue one speciall reason why he wisheth vnto this Church Grace and Peace from God the Father and from Iesus Christ because for God the Father and for Iesus Christs sake they had lost all grace and fauour and peace with men so that the more disgrace and the lesse peace that Christians haue with men for the profession of Iesus Christ the more grace and peace they may expect from God For that which vpon this ground the Spirit of God doth wish vnto a man it will effect The more then that men for Gods cause doe disgrace vs and warre with vs the more God shewes his grace and fauour vnto vs. The first meanes he vseth to comfort them by is by praising and commending them for those graces which in these their trouhles and persecutions they did manifest to be in them vers 3 4. wherein in his owne name and in the name of Timothie and Silvanus he first vnfainedly acknowledgeth that for their sakes they were bound to giue thanks vnto God as long as they liue What a glory was this vnto this Church that these three Worthies should professe and acknowledge thus much vnto them Our lessons hence are these 1. That if we behaue our selues in the house and Church of God as we ought to doe we shall binde all Christians yea the Prophets and Apostles and all the Saints of heauen vnto vs. They shall be indebted vnto God for vs and shall esteeme themselues bound for euer to praise and magnifie his name for vs. And let vs neuer thinke we haue demeaned our selues as we ought to doe in Gods Church vntill we haue giuen iust cause to all the godly that knowes vs especially to our Pastors and Ministers to praise and blesse God for vs and to esteeme themselues eternally indebted vnto God for our sakes But alas most of vs doe so behaue our selues in Gods Church that we giue our Ministers and all religious people cause rather to mourne before the Lord and to complaine vnto him of vs. 2. Let vs from Pauls example of how great note and worth so euer we be in Gods Church learne to esteeme Gods graces in others as blessings vpon our selues and to haue such interest in the fruit of them as to thinke our selues bound and indebted vnto God in all thankfulnes for them as if we our selues had a title to and an interest in them There was not the poorest Christian in Thessalonica but Paul himselfe did thinke himselfe the better for that Grace that was in him We are all members of one mysticall bodie the grace of one member is the honor of another and it is a signe that that man doth not esteeme his brother a fellow-member of the same bodie with him that counts his brothers Graces disgraces vnto him as though his owne graces were eclipsed and lost their lustre through the brightnes of anothers We know that the comelinesse of the hand or foote doth not eclipse but rather adde beauty to the beauty of the face If therefore we iudge our brethren members of the same mysticall bodie of Christ with vs we cannot but esteeme their graces a grace vnto vs and that our selues how bright soeuer do shine so much the more by the beames of their graces and therefore we are bound in a bond of debt vnto God for them as Paul here acknowledgeth But we are most of vs so far from this that we hardly thinke our selues bound to giue God thanks for those gifts and graces that are in our selues we so seldome so coldly so slightly and negligently performe this dutie And as for the graces of others we are the Lord be mercifull vnto vs for the same of this disposition rather to murmure grudge and repine against God for them as though the more he bestowed his graces vpon them the more he did wrong and disgrace vs. Because that your faith groweth exceedingly and the loue of euery one of you one towards another aboundeth This is the reason why Paul Silvanus c acknowledge themselues bound to be thankfull vnto God as is aforesaid wherein is expressed the speciall matter and argument of their praise Their exceeding growth and increase in faith and loue whereby he meanes all religious duties to God and man required either in the Law or Gospell They shewed euery day more and more zeale to Gods glory in making more and more conscience of the Ordinances of God they shewed greater and greater delight in the word the Sacraments the Sabboth the Ministerie Prayer they daily more and more grew in knowledge and manifested more and more the signes and tokens of Repentance and ouer and besides this they were euery day more and more kinde louing and free-hearted one to another one striuing to goe before another not in the duties of Pietie and Religion only but also in louing kindnesse humilitie liberalitie fidelitie curtesie iustice c from such fruits as these doth the Apostle gather the increase and growth of their Faith and Loue. For as Faith and Loue are seene vnto men onely by the works that proceed therefrom so the growth and increase of them is seene by the growth and increase of works Neuer tell me that any groweth in Faith and Loue but he that groweth and

truth of this which the Apostle here affirmeth If thou do not thou art no Christian but a very Infidell if thou do beleeue it how comes it to passe that thou seekest no more after the knowledge of God yea that thou hatest to know God and affectest to be ignorant of him How commeth it to passe that thou liuest in disobedience of the Gospell and resoluest so to doe Though thou couet thy neighbours Oxe and his sheep yet thou wilt not steale them though thou malice and hate thy neighbour to the death yet thou wilt not murther him because thou perswadest thy selfe that thou shalt be hanged for it if thou do so and though there may be some possibilitie of concealing the matter or of flying from the Iudge yet thou wilt not put it to the aduenture Thou saist thou beleeuest that Christ at the latter day will come in flaming fire to punish with euerlasting perdition those which know not God and which obey not the Gospell of Iesus Christ and yet thou art ignorant of God and despisest the Gospell which plainly manifesteth that thou esteemest of this which the Apostle here affirmeth as an old wiues fable whatsoeuer thou pretendest to the contrary and therefore that thou art but a masked Infidell But they that will not beleeue this doctrine shall one day to their eternall horrour feele the truth of it Let so many of vs as feare the Lord and tremble at his word often meditate of this If a man should be condemned to lye for a thousand yeares togither vpon a soft fether-bed and during all that time should heare nothing but the sweetest musicke that may be yet he would choose rather to dye a dogs death then to indure the wearisomnesse thereof how shall a man then beare this Iudgement to lye in the burning lake of Gods wrath in vnspeakable torment not for a thousand yeares but for euer and euer If an houre in torment seeme a yeare how long will this houre seeme that shall neuer haue end But when a man hath indured it as many thousands of yeares as there be starres in the heauen or drops of water in the Sea yet he shall be no more neere his end then he was at the very first moment of his torment Those that are but common and indifferent wise men amongst vs vse to dislike and condemne the courses of those mens liues how iolly and pleasant soeuer they be in the same whereby they hazard and ruinate their estates and follow desperate and break-neck courses by meanes whereof their liberties and liues are indangered oh that any Christians then should be so brutish and without vnderstanding as to approue either in themselues or others those wayes and courses that directly lead a man bodie and soule to this eternall ruine from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power The third Argument whereby he amplifieth the reuenge aforesaid is from the place wherein they which know not God nor obey the Gospell shall suffer eternall destruction which is here described by the priuation of Gods presence and of the glory of his power The meaning whereof is thus much That they shall for euer and euer be tormented in such a place where they shall be euer remoued from the gratious presence of God and shall neuer behold that glorious power of his which he manifesteth in the eternall glorifying and blessing of his Saints in heauen such shall be the detestation and hatred that the Lord shall beare towards them that he will not indure them to abide in his presence but will shut them vp in eternall darknes where the light of his gracious countenance and his sauing power which is the glory of his power shall neuer shine vnto them so that the Lord will neuer looke after them neuer come vnto them neuer so much as cast his eye towards them nor the place where they are nor shew the least part of his glorious power in that place to the mitigating of their torment but will leaue them altogither to the power of the Deuill and to the comfortlesse presence of damned Spirits where they shall see nothing but horrour and confusion nor heare any thing but howling and crying and gnashing of teeth without the least hope of any comfort from God out of whose presence they are for euer and euer excluded and thrust out What a fearfull vengeance is this that Christ in that day will execute vpon the wicked persons aboue described How should the consideration of this restraine all good Christians from reuenging their owne quarrels vpon the enemies of the Gospell though they had neuer so much power to do the same For can a Christian heart desire a greater vengeance then this vpon any how wicked soeuer and what wrongs soeuer they had done them If God should giue vp our enimies into our owne hands to do with them what we would would we if we could be more auenged of them then Christ will be for our sake Certainly it is not possible for the most malicious curser and banner that euer was to desire a greater vengeance then this How wonderfull malicious then are all such as professe that they beleeue thus much yet thinke it not inough vnlesse they also may adde something more vnto this vengeance It is a world to see how Christians vpon euery trifling occasion are ready to flie at the faces of them which trespasse against them and against the expresse will of God to reuenge their owne causes as though either they did not beleeue that Christ would execute any such vengeance vpon them or that if he would yet that it were not vengeance inough for any trespasse committed against their persons Whensoeuer therefore any enemies of the Gospell shall offer wrong vnto vs in words or deeds let vs leaue the reuenge to this Iudge who will either in this life make them repent it yea more repent it then we could make them though we had power to hang them for it or else he will make them eternally to rue it in the world to come which is a greater vengeance then the most spitefull and malicious stomacke that euer was if he knew or beleeued what it was could wish vnto him he hateth to the death If a man for some pettie trifling wrong done vnto any of vs should by the Magistrate be cast into prison for our sake there to be reserued till the generall Assises then to be hanged without any hope of pardon except he yeelded full satisfaction vnto vs as much euery way as we would require would not this punishment content vs Would we not if we had any good nature in vs be grieued that he should for our cause suffer so much Were we not monstrously malicious if notwithstanding all this we should desire to be farther auenged of him by reuiling and beating him in the prison by misvsing him in his wife children goods and good name all that we can There is not beloued any man that