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
These shall be the signes that shall be joined inseparablie with Christs comming The signe of Christ In the meane tyme he shall come down when all the world shall be on a fire And this is called by Matthevv 24 verse 30. the signe of Christ the signe that shall be conjoined with his comming Reade of this whole matter in this 24. chap. of Matthevv verse 30. 2. Epist of Pet. chap. 3. verse 10. 12. Reuelat chap. 20. verse 11. and chap. 21. verse 1. Then brethren if there was such a commotion in the heart of men in the first signes that past before what commotion shall there be in the harts of men when they shall see the whole world on fire A wondrous thing When all this consumption shall be no body shall be burnt but the power of the judge shall reserue the bodies to the judgement that is to follow immediatlie Peter when he hes tolde of these signes saies If such a dissolution of the world be what maner of men should we be how should we studie to prepare vs to meete the Lord So on that great day all these thinges shall not make the godly to shrinke but they shall ay prease forward to meete the Lord in the cloudes As to the reprobate ô that horrour and terrible feare that shall ouertake them at his comming Now this for the two sorts of signes The first going before his comming the second joined inseparably with his comming down to judge the world Now shortly to speake of Christs owne comming And this is it which the Apostle speakes of in this place Which for our vnderstanding I shall gather out of this and sundry other places of the Scripture Christes coÌ„ming Now as for the comming of the judge he shall not come from the Sea from the Earth from the Plane Wherefrom commes all the Kings of the earth when they are in their triumph The Romane Emperours came out from the Capitoll in their Chariots But the King of Kinges shall come from the Heauen of Heauens abone all these heauens that we see from the highest place The maner of his comming is sodaine These signes that I spake of shall come on a sodaintie and yet there shall be a processe of tyme in doing thereof He shall come on a sodaine as the deluge of Noah did as the 24 chap. Matt verse 37. telles The people knew not of the deludge that ouerwhelmed them vntill it came No more shall this miserable world know Christes comming vntill he come sodainlie And therefore considering this in the Scripture the Lord giues a watch-word to his Disciples Many hundreth yeeres are past since and repeate it heere he saies Matt. 24. 42. Watch for ye knovv not vvhen the Lord shall come The sodaintie vncertainty of his comming shoulde make vs euer readie to looke for it The Chariot he shall be caried in is the cloudes of the aire As in his ascending the cloudes resaued him from our sight so shall the cloudes resaue him at his comming Such a Chariot got neuer Emperour in all his highest triumph none of them was caried in the clouds The company that shall conuoy him he shal come saies Matt. chap. 24. verse 30. with the Angels and a flame of fire that fyre that shall burne vp the world and shall burne vp the reprobate in the owne tyme. 2. Thess 1. 7. 8. Iude sayes verse 14. He shall come with millions of Angels there shall not be an Angell but all shall come in that conuoye to let all the worlde see that all the Angels are but seruants to that Lord and seruantes standing about him to obey his vvill vvhat hee commandes that his glorie and Majestie may be seene In the meane-tyme he hes no neede of them for they neyther can adde to his glorie nor diminish it yet it hes pleased him so to vtter his glorie to the vvorld And in that meane-tyme when he is comming he will not come in silence Ye see when an Armie marches forward there is a great noyse and crying shouting and blovving of trumpets So there shall bee a noyse in the Lords comming dovvne The Angels of Heauen shall blovve the trumpets So he speakes Matth. 24. verse 31. Paul in this place sayes there shall ryse a sound The worde in this place is a vvorde of exhortation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 borrovved from that sound vvhich the Mariners vses to others euerie one to moue others to rovv A shout direct to the dead that lyes in the graue it shall pearce through the graue and eares of the dead and shall waken them vp With the shout shall be conjoyned the voice of the Archangell and with the voyce of the Archangell the sound of the trumpet of God and this shall be the last trumpet and neuer shall the voyce of the trumpet be heard againe and it shall be the shâ—â—llest trumpet that euer was heard Now when the Lord in his comming downe shall come to the place where he is ordained to sit to judge the worlde which shall be in the cloudes Then all the Angels shall showe their presence and the Angels shall make a glorious Throne to the Lord of glorie and there he shall sit This much shortlie for the comming and appearing I shall be short in this matter For I will speake nothing but make a narration of it out of other parts of Scripture Would ye vnderstand the effectes that followes on his comming Effectes follovving Christs coÌ„ming Certainlie notable effectes must followe on it The Lord prepare vs for it The Father shall be there the Sonne shall be there coÌ„ming the holie Spirite shall be there vvith all their power and all their Majestie The glorie of the Father neuer appeared so glorious as it shall appeare that day The glorie of the Sonne neuer appeared so glorious as it shall appeare that day The glorie of the holie Spirit neuer appeared so glorious as it shall appeare that day Ye see in the Parliament the Kings of the earth appears in their greatest glory to the people so the Lord of the world shall appeare with an infinite and vncapable sight of glorie Now to come to the effects that shall follow on his comming AsseÌ„bly The first effect There shall be an assemblie a conuention the fairest conuention that euer was since the world stoode There are none that euer tooke lyfe but all shall bee there all shall be sommonded with the shout of the trumpetuall shall compeare no excuse the graue shall not excuse death shal not excuse dead and liuing neuer man nor woman excepted all shall be there So the first effect that shal follow the comming of the Iudge shall be a conuention of the whole world elect reprobate dead and liuing And I shall tell you after what order it wil be by the Scripture The first that shall come there to the conuention shall be they who were dead they shall preueene them who were alyue And Adam and
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
with a crosse on the backe of it for thou shalt not brooke it without a crosse Therefore maruaile not at this affliction for it is a meruaile that the Gospell should haue remainde so long without affliction in Scotland and all this affliction in Scotland is nothing in respect of other parts where affliction is And therefore if we brooke this Gospell looke for greater afflictions then these for who hes striuen yet to the blood for the libertie of the Gospell Now in the last words with the affliction he joynes the holy Spirite Anâ—â—oy sayes he of the holie Spirite Ye receyued the Gospell with affliction and with affliction ye receyued joy of the holie Spirite Ioy of the holie Spirite ioined vvith affliction Looke how surelie affliction is the companion of the Gospell as surelie is the joy of the Spirite the companion of affliction and this is most sure that the affliction of the Gospell is most joyfull aboue all other things in the world A man that suffers as an euill doer a man that suffers for theft a murtherer that suffers for murther an adulterer for adulterie he hes no joye in suffering he is ashamed and hangs dovvne his head because the querrell for which he suffers bringes an euill conscience theft bringes an euill conscience murther bringes an euill conscience adulterie brings an euill conscience therfore he hes no joy in suffering It is true a man that is to be execute for his his euill deedes in his execution will rejoyce but marke the ground It is it not the euill cause that bringes that joy but it is the assurance of the remission of sinnes in Christ that bringes the joy the euill turne bringes euer an horror of conscience but vvhen one suffers for Christ and the Gospels sake there is joye and comfort and they that hes suffered for Christs sake in suffering haue greater joy in the spirite nor euer they had in the fulnesse of their pleasures in the world Peter in his first Epist 1. 8. sayes In the midst of their suffring they suffred joyfully when there is a good conscience when men suffer for Iesus sake there was neuer joye comparable to that joy it is such a joye as vvill swalow vp al paine terror Experience of this we haue in manie godlie Martyres not that affliction brings joy with it for it is naturall to the affliction to worke sorrow and griefe but it is the good conscience that makes joye and the good conscience comes of the good cause When the conscience sayes Thou art suffering for Christ that suffered for thee and be assured after suffering thou shalt be glorified ô the joye that that man shall finde The Lord giues euerie man joye that suffers any thinge lesse or more for Christ the furnisher of the joye is the Spirite who will not suffer anie persone to beare anie thing for Christ but he will giue comfort and joy therein Brethren ye heare it commonlie said It is the cause or the querrell and not the paine that makes the martyre the paine the torment were they neuer so greuous will not make a man a martyre the ground is the good cause quarrel that they suffer for the Gospel Christ But I say farther if there be no more nor the cause or the querrell that makes not martyrdome if when thou art suffering for Iesus sake thou hast no joy no patience no faith and tolerance no joye in the holie Spirite and reioyse more in suffering and bonds nor he that goes free it is no martyrdome Ioyne me joye and the good cause vvith patience in torment all three together these make a Martyre Peter sets downe the rules of suffring saying Let no man suffer as a murtherer as a theefe as an euill doer or as a busie bodie in other mens matters Then he subjoynes If anie man suffer as a christian for a good cause let him not be ashamed therein but let him glorifie God 1. Epist 4. 15. 16. As in the I. Cha V. 8. he sayes They haue in suffering for a good cause a ioy â—â—speakable and glorious So here he forbids them to be ashamed in suffering but to reioyce and glorifie God who hes called them to that honour for this is the highest honour of all to suffer for Christ as the Apostles did Marke all these grounds These examples and rules commending suffering are not set downe in vaine and let none thinke to be a christian and to be exeemed from suffering Away with them who will say they will preach and receiue the word gladlie in calmnes but they will haue nothing to do with suffering but I say if thou prepare thee not for suffering after so long a calmnesse of the Gospell the end shall prooue that thou shalt curse the time that euer thou heard the Gospell Therfore in purpose let vs prepare our selues to suffer that nothing come to vs vnawares and let vs say when we rise here I am readie if it please thee ô Lord to lay any thing on me for the Gospell ere euening Lord giue me grace not to be ashamed but to suffer in joy my life is not heere but my life must be laid down And wel is him can be this way prepared and lookes for greater affliction for no doubt after so great calmnesse affliction must follow and all our suffering is but childrens play yet The Lord prepare vs for it and make vs readie when he pleases to visite vs. To this God be all praise for euer Amen THE THRIDE LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 1. vers 7. 8. 9. 7 So that ye vvere as ensamples to all that beleeue in Macedonia and Achaia 8 For from you sounded out the vvorde of the Lord not in Macedonia and in Achaia onelie but your faith also vvhich is tovvarde God spread abroad in all quarters that vve neede not to speake any thing 9 For they themselues shevv of vs vvhat maner of entring in vve had vnto you and hovv ye turned to God from idols IN this part of this Epistle which presentlie we haue in hand ye haue heard brethren the Apostle rejoyses together with the Thessalonians for those graces of God which he vnderstood and knew to be in them geuing God thanks therefore rendering him the whole glorie thereof The graces wer as ye heard namely first their effectuall faith secondlie their laborious loue and charity thirdly their patient hope Then he comes to the ground of all these graces their election which was from all eternitie vttering an assurance of their election and of the chusing of them before the world was made The grounds of his assurance of their eternal election wer two the first in himself the second in the Thessalonians the ground in himselfe was that grace of God that libertie that power which he had in preaching Christ when he came among them which assured him the Lord had his chosen amongst theÌ„ The ground
part to sinceritie in hearing it will be a great stay to the worke Now into the next verse when he hes remoued from him the opinion of all kinde of vnsinceritie and hes purged himself thereof either in doctrine affection or in manner of delyuerie He sets downe the contrair to wit the sinceritie he vsed in doctrine The sinceritie he vsed was this that he spake how spake he Not as they doe who are set to please men but to please God There is the sinceritie in speaking he had not men before his eyes he respected not the pleasure of men but in speaking and preaching his God was before his eye and his heart was set to please God Sinceritie in preaching and hearing is to be measured by the end that thou respects in doing thereof for if God and his glorie be not before thy eyes as the Butte wherat thou shootes albeit that which thou doest and speakest had neuer so faire a face yet al is vnsincere and vncleane The thing I marke heere speciallie is a Pastor that stryues to be sincere in speaking and preaching must set himselfe to please some in his speaking but heere a caueat to be keeped in the persone whom thou studies to please either by doing or by speaking this is all the weight of the matter if thy heart be set in speaking preaching and doing to please men and to satisfie the humours of men first of all if that be the butte thou shootes at because this man likes of this speaking therefore I wil speake this if this speaking please this woman therefore I will speake this If that be the end of thy speaking all thy speaking is vnceritie flattery if thou seeke to pleasure any creature if it were the Angels let be a man all thy pleasant talke is but vaine talke and flatterie I deny not but men may be pleasured to Rom. 12. 18. but looke that thy butte be not to please men of what estate so euer they be but onelie to please God First please God and in God please them then thou can not go wrong If men and wemen what rank so euer they be of can not be pleased in God and will not let God haue the first place then please thou God and anger all the world If thou studies to please any persone onelie in God in speaking and doing there can be nothing there but sinceritie A sure rule a man can neuer faile in setting his heart to please God in thoght word and deed The Lord giue vs vpright hearts to study to please our God and then all creatures onelie in him Now he layes down a good ground why in his preaching he stryued to please his God it was not without a good cause and the ground is God pleased him first why should he not indeuour himself to do all things to please him againe render him the lyke duetie But as vve saieth he vvere allovved of God in such sort that the Gospell should be committed vnto vs so vve speake That is that he hes placed vs in this calling made vs Apostles who wer vnworthie bodies of one who was vnable of such a calling hes made vs able as it hes pleased him so to please me and as he hes allowed of me who was altogether vnworthie my speaking shall be to please him There was neuer a Minister that euer receiued grace for that calling at the hands of men neither at king nor subject but onlie at Gods hand and therefore let him studie to please not men but God who geues him al graces and if men can not be pleased in God let him not studie to please theÌ„ Now to speake of this allowance there is a difference betwene the allowance of men when they allow of men and God when he allowes of men man allowes of man because he sees some good qualities in him which qualities he neuer gaue him for God gaue him them But when God allowes of man he allowes not for any good thing he sees in him to moue him to allow of him but al the allowing of God is of fre grace all is according to the good pleasure of his will Gods allovvance of free grace he allowes not of man because he is able to do good but because God allowes of him therfore he is made meet and able to do good when God choised thee before all eternitie to glorie what saw he in thee The Apostle saieth He predestinate vs in himselfe Eph. 1. 5. Of his own fre loue he called vs to grace Before he called vs to grace what saw he in vs to moue him to make vs partakers of his grace He saw matter of hell and damnation in vs. And therfore his allowance of vs was not for any grace was in vs if he had allowed of vs conforme to that which was in vs he would haue shot vs with his hand to hel for euer So when he calles one to be a Minister and teacher of the Gospell allowes he of him because he hes a grace before hand No the best Minister that is chosen he hes no more grace by nature to this holy function nor the vildest sinner in the world So it is the allowance of God himselfe that makes man meet to that office so this allowance of God was in himself no matter thereof in Paul matter contrarie to grace was in him he was a blasphemer 1. Tim. 1. 12. Paul had neuer bene an Apostle but an impe of the Deuill if God had not allowed of him first The note is Gods free loue binds vs to plese him the vndeserued loue of God when he allowes of vs when he calles vs to faith or places vs in any calling if it were a King in his calling either in Church or common-wel bindes oblishes vs to spende our liues in that calling that God may be pleased If euer thing bound thee this vndeserued lyking God had of thee who first lyked thee when thou was full of â—inne bindes thee to set thy heart to please God for thy blessednesse joy and felicitie is to please him and he that studies not to please him knew neuer what joy was Alas if we coulde apprehend our owne miserie before Gods allowance of vs We are not placed so soone in any calling but immediatlie we conceate vvith our selues that God hes seene in vs something worthie of it and then againe if we could apprehend that free mercy of God after the sight of our own vnworthines then we would set our hearts to pleasure him For neuer apprehending our miserie and Gods mercie and free calling we set our selues in our calling to please men and our owne foull affections The Lorde waken vs for appearantlie the tyme of tryall drawes neere we haue beene vnthankfull for the vndeserued graces of God bestowed on vs. Therefore he is begun to draw them from vs and lets vs follow our own affections Now next In what thing striues Paul to please God
sent Timothius our brother and minister of God and our labour-fellovve in the Gospell of Christ to establishe you and to comfort you touching your faith 3 That no man should be moued vvith these afflictions for ye your selues knovve that vve are appointed therevnto 4 For verely vvhen vve vvere vvith you vve told you before that vve should suffer tribulations euen as it came to passe ye knovv it AFTER the salutation ye haue heard brethren a congratulation and rejoising of the Apostle with the Thessalonians for the graces of God in Christ that were bestowed on them Thereafter followed an excuse of the Apostle wherfore he came not to visie the Thessalonians he excused himself from that great desire purpose he had to visite them face to face He entred in the journey once he was impeaded he entred the second tyme Sathan impeaded him he could do no more Now shortly to come this text He followes out the same purpose and continewes his excuse showing them the desire yet left him not but albeit he was impeaded in his owne person to come to them yet his desire was 〈◊〉 toward them And therefore that which he could not bring to passe in his owne person he thought good to performe by another by a deare brother and fellow laborer Timothie Therfore he tooke purpose being at Athens in Grecia and Timothie with him to abyde at Athens himselfe alone and to send away Timothie to them and all to this end to establishe them in that word which they had receiued To exhort them that they should not be commoued or dasht with the afflictions which ouertooke them and wherewith they were exercised Vpon this he salles out in an exhortation exhorting them to beare patientlie those afflictions that fell vpon them The first argument to moue them thereto is knowing well they were appointed thereto God had ordained from all eternâ—â—ie those afflictions for them a necessitie was imposed vpon them and why should they not then suffer and beare them patientlie The next argument wherewith he comfortes them There is nothing come to vs sayes he but that wherewith ye were forewarned Therefore take it patientlie This is shortlie the summe of the text standing in these two partes in a purpose he tooke because of his owne not comming to them to send Timothie to them and in an exhortation to beare affliction patientlie Now to make euerie sentence The naâ—â—ation is verie plaine and therefore it farnishes plaine doctrine 〈◊〉 sayes the Apostle I thought it best 〈…〉 to send him to you so to remaine alâ—ue at Athen This is to be marked this earnest desire of the Apostle to doe that which became him in viâ—ying these Thessalonians it lesâ— him not notwithstanding or any opposition he got Sâ—han did cast in stayes to hinder him he stayed him to come to Thessalonica yet Sathan could not get the desire of his heart stayed he desired 〈…〉 he is not able to performe that which he desired so earnestlie 〈…〉 It is a hard matter to put out of the heart of the godlie an holy desire to doe well to do that which they should doe of 〈◊〉 yea it is an hard matter to Sathan himselfe to quench the holie desyre of the heart of the godlie Paul in the Rom. 7. 18. vvhere he sets out the battell he had betvvene the Spirite and the fleshe he confesses in plaine wordes that he could not get that thing done that he would haue done In the meane tyme he sayes To vvill is preseâ—t to me that is say I haue in the meane tyme a good vvill to doe vvell albeit I can not attaine to the performance of vvell doing the flesh in Paul stayed the action and perseuerance in well doing but the flesh vvas notable to quenche the good-vvill he had to doe vvell And brethren most certaine it is vvhere the desyre abydes in the heart vvhen a vvillingnesse to doe well abydes the battell is not lost the Diuell hes not gotten the victorie the flesh hes not gotten the victorie Lose thou once the desyre and will of well-doing if there be in thee no repugnance to Sathan but his worke goes forward 〈…〉 the Diuell then hes gotten the vpper hand the 〈◊〉 is lost and thou art gone keep well therfore the desire in the heart to do well how euer thy hand feet be bound so that thou canst not do with thy hand any good nor can not go with thy foote to do good yet it this will of well doing remaine the victorie shall be thine in the end It is most certaine the desire of the godlie albeit it be impeaded for a time yet in the end it shall be victorious Therefore the Lord himselfe promises them certaine victorie Blessed are they vvho hungers and thrists for righteousnedsse Matt. 5. 6. there is the desire for they 〈…〉 there is the victorie The heart that desires grace continewing in the desyre shall be filled with grace and glorie This for the first The desyre continevving vvith Paul vvhen he is not able to visie the Thessalonians in his ovvne persone he takes him to the next best and that vvhich he could not doe by himselfe he tooke purpose to doe by Timothie vvhich vvas his fellovv-labourers Where there is an earnest desyro to doe well in the heart of any man that thing he can not attaine to at the first he assayes it ouer againe and if he can not get it done in his ovvne person he preasses to doe it in an other As Paul assayed the first and second tyme in his ovvne persone and vvas tvvyse in the journey vvhen he is impeaded in his ovvne persone that he is not able to performe it himselfe he purposes to doe it by others and so he sends Timothie to performe that which he might not doe himselfe Then ye may see an earnest holie desyre hes such a force that it rests not it must break out in some effect at one tyme or other by one way or other it can not still remaine in the heart nor the Deuill will not be able to impead the action for euer No but an holie desyre of goode in the heart shall take effect once in despite of all the worlde Then marke The great necessitie joyned to euerie one of vs to do the thing we should do must not be left off for one or two or three or foure impediments and when we are not able in our ovvne persone to doe it then prouide some other meane to doe it for it may be the Deuill will not be so busie to impead others as he will be to impead thy selfe for it is certaine the Deuill is euer busie working but he was not so busie to stay Timothie as he was to stay Paul Now in the next wordes he sayes he thoght it best to abyde solitare all alone at Athens where he was for the tyme for from Thessalonica he went to Beroea and from Beroea to Athens and there he abode as
him from our nature thou drawest down a plague in stead of a blessing Then joyne all together in prayer Pray to God the Father and the Son manifested in our nature and looke in vnto God the Father throgh the Sonne Then he prayes to the Father and to the Sonne What seekes he In the first part of his praier he seeks that his iourney should be directed to the. Thessalonians Prouerb cha 16. vers 9. The heart of man vvill dispone his ovvne vvay but God vvill direct his steps Man will say I will byde heere to morrow and there other morrovv and he vvill be at the fire side and no thought of God who hes the journey in his hand Man dispones his waies but God directs them Without God when thou hast taken all thy purposes thou hast not a foote to lift to doe them and if he giue thee leaue to lift thy foote vvithout him and not knovving him thou shalt not be able to set down thy foote in the hie way a curse shall be on thee and thou shalt runne and ride to destruction and either thou shalt goe back or else goe to this side or that side and not in the right vvay Brethren vvaite ye not what ye haue to doe When thou takest any journey in hand thou wilt not come to the doore so soone in the morning but the Deuill vvill meete thee and if Gods Angell doe not conuoye thee the Deuill vvill conuoy thee Alas haue ye adoe vvith fleshe and bloode onelie vvill ye not looke to him vvho is working aboue All this telles vs that we should hang on that holie will God which is the rule of all our doing Paul sayes Romanes 15. 32. I vvould be at you if by any meane the vvill of God vvill permit Men vses this prophainnesâ—e in speaking as Iames sayes 4. 13. 24. I vvill goe to 〈◊〉 and buy and sell c. But he sayes to the what art thou doing hast thou thy journey in thy owne hand thy lyfe is vncertaine I say farther then Iames. Suppose thou liue vvhat if he giue thee not legges to trauell with and suppose he giue thee legges what if he curse thy journey and send Satan in the way All this learnes vs to haue God before vs and depend vpon him and to speake with houes â—f it please God I vvill doe this or that Alwayes I submit my selfe to his holie vvill knovving that vvhether I goe or byde all shall be to my well and comfort Hang on God for there is no prosperous succes except thou striue to haue an hart lifted vp to God in all thy doinges For all this vvorld vvill vanishe avvay but to him who depends on God what euer falles out al comes for the best This is the rule of the Apostle Now the second part of the Prayer is Seing he can not come to them as he vvould he prayes to God the Father and to the Sonne the Lord Iesus Christ that those thinges he could not get done by his prefence the Lord wil do them in his absencer that is That the Lord vvold make them abound in loue and charitie first among them selues and then among all men The example he giues is euen as I loued you Then when thou canst not get that which first thou wouldst haue leaue not off to pray for the next best There are many that when they pray for any thing and cannot get it they leaue off all praying No but vvhen thou canst not get that first thing thou prayest for pray for the second it may be if thou get not the first thou shalt get the second and well is the soule that gets any peece of grace So vvhen one thing failes thee Loue the gift of god oâ—ely seeke an other and neuer leaue off suting Then he prayes for loue and charitie Alas for loue and charitie in this age fare well loue thou hast gone away out of Scotland There is a vaine name of faith among vs he beleeues and she beleeues but loue vvhich is the true vvitnesse of faith is gone Fare vvell loue These are the latter dayes all loue is dead But to the purpose Ye see that he begges loue from God to them Then it must follovve of necessitie As faith is the free gift onelie and grovves not in our foull stinking nature so loue and charitie is the gift of God and growes not in nature Thy loue by nature is a foull stincking selfe loue thou hast that rooted in thy heart thou wilt hate God and all the world for that loue and if thou â—akest a shovve of loue to any vvho is conjoyned to thee all it for thy selfe and not for Christ Thou wilt loue thy vvyfe and children but not for Christ but for thy selfe No sinceritie in that loue The Papist will say God commands vs to loue therefore it is in our owne hand to loue or not to loue Is this a faire argument But I reasone by the contraire out of this place Paul begges loue at God to them therefore it followes well loue is the gift of God onelie For if it were in nature whereto should I aske it from God Marke one rule It is a foolish thing to measure the commaund of God by the strength of nature and the strength of nature by the command of God and to reason God hes bidden me doe this therefore I haue free-vvill vvithin my selfe to doe it this reasoning will deceiue thee The Lord when he commaunds thee who stands in that Couenant made with vs in Christ with the verie command by his Spirite he workes in thy heart aboue nature the same thing he commaunds thee he workes that loue that he commaunds thee O the greatnesse of this loue of God Say Lord doe that thing in me thou bidst me doe bid me doe nothing Lord but that vvhich thou vvorkest in me for I can doe nothing without thee The Lord open mens eyes to see this The next thing is the measure of loue that he askes of God He seekes not loue in a small measure he seeks not little loue but aboundant loue Seeke euer these spirituall giftes in as great measure as thou canst seeke aboundance for thou canst not seek so much with thy mouth Measure of loue nor conceiue so much in thy heart as the Lord is able to giue thee His hand is larger nor thy heart and so be greedie of those spirituall graces and neuer leaue off to seeke or to begge till thou findst thy heart running ouer vvith grace full of loue full of knovvledge and light Paul to the Coloss 3. 16. prayes that the Lord would fill them vvith knovvledge Looke Ephes. 3. 10. 20. Col. 1. 9. For our perfection standes in abundance our glorie standes in fulnesse and our fulnesse goes forward degree by degree There is nothing in this life but a growing in faith in knowledge c we are neuer filled with loue knowledge c. but we must grow peece and peece
exhortes Ye may marke this verie oft in the Epistles of Paul Now the wordes are dowbled He is not content to say I beseech you but he sayes also I exhort you There is no vvord lost heere This doubling of the vvordes testifies of the earnestnesse that vvas in his heart to haue this people going forvvard in this godlie life and consequentlie of the necessitie that lyes on euerie one of vs to liue holie in this life For vvhere there is no necessitie why should a man be earnest but seeing there is a necessitie lying on all people that either they must liue a godlie life in this worlde or else be damned woe to that Pastor that is no busie to stirre vp the people to liue godlie and holilie As there is a necessitie in them to liue holie so there is a necessitie in him to charge them to liue holie And therefore blame not the Pastor to be busie eyther to pray admonishe or othervvayes to correct and to reproue sinne For he hes a necessitie laid on him vnder the paine of damnation to pushe you forvvard to Heauen For the Lord Iesus sake that is as euer they vvoulde looke for mercie and grace at Iesus hand as he would say if ye liue wel ye shall finde him to be a merciful God otherwaies if ye liue euill to be a terrible judge to you This is some seueritie against them Sweetnesse and sharpnesse must be joined together thou must be moued to thy duetie partlie by sweetnesse partly by sharpnesse therfore with his request he joines this so weghty an obtestation this is a common custome to this Apostle 2. Cor. 10. 1. More this telles that howbeit a man vse prayer and faire wordes where he might command yet we should not abuse his lenitie and patience for if thou meete lenitie and patience with disobedience it shall bring on a greater judgement nor if he had vsed threatning and seueritie The greater lenitie that a man vses to thee to winne thee if thou wilt not be winne the greater shall be thy condemnation and thou heapst on coales on thy owne head Now what is this he exhorts them to That they euer ease more and more That they goe forward still on with instantnesse vntill they come to the mark for this course of holinesse hes a faire end Brethren there is no standing for vs in this course of Christianitie and holinesse of life When thou enterst once in the way stand not there A man will begin and runne on till euening and then set down his staff and rest him but we must ay runne sleeping waking eating drinking c. ay forward there is not an halfe houre granted thee no not so much tyme as to looke ouer thy shoulder to rest thee but ay thou ought to haue thy eie on the marke And when thou runnest striue not onely to ouerrunne them that runnes with thee but more the words meanes that thou shouldst ouerrunne thy owne selfe if thou runnest fast this day runne faster to morrow and ay prease to run forward and when thou art lying on dead-bed runne fastest then and so shalt thou finde exceeding great comfort in thy running The Lord hes bidden thee run and cryes out of Heauen Run as thou wouldst saue thy selfe What is the Pastors office Paul when the Thessalonians are running out before him he cryes Runne ye are in the rinke runne forward excell your selfe runne out before your selfe vntill ye come to the end of the rinke This is the office of the Pastor to cry behinde you when ye are running and this shout of the Pastor behinde the people when they are in the rinke is so needfull that except he cry continuallie Run out and excell they shall linger and ly down That all the world may see the great necessitie we haue to haue this ministrie continuallie crying in our â—are runne runne Would to God we could let the necessitie of this cry to runne to sinke in our harts that we might obey it If ye would be safe haue pleasure in this cry and runne on identlie vntill ye come to the high prease of our calling Now followes the forme and manner of this running forward vntill they come to the end of their rinke No other forme but the forme set downe before ye haue receiued of vs hovv ye ought to vvalke and please your God Brethren as there is a running and an instant course craued of vs so we must run not in euerie sort nor after euerie manner but we must runne with an ordor There are rules prescryued to vs how we should runne Order in running The Apostle 1. Cor. chap. 9. verse 24. sayes Runne so that thou mayest get a grip of the crovvne To Timothie he saies ye who striues and wrastles and runnes if ye striue not lavvfullie according to a good ordor ye shall not winne 2 Tim. 2. 5. So when we runne we must runne according to good ordor not rashlie according to our owne fantasie but according to the good lawes of God There is no well ruled life on earth but that life that is ruled by the rule of God So we all running in this rinke must be ruled by good lawes As Paul besoght them to runne and cries grow more and more euen so he giues them the Lawes to runne by So as the Minister is bound to cry to men to runne so the word of God is giuen to him to tell thee thou shouldest runne by this rule or that rule the King by his rules the counseller in his own calling by his rules what man that euer he be except he run in his owne calling according to his rules he shall neuer attaine to the marke And if the Lord take away this word that telles vs the rule whereby we should runne miserable shall we be This is plaine Take this word out of the land all shall runne wrong Yet there is one word heere to be marked He calles their going forward walking Borrowing the language from a man who is going a iourney Ye will see in the worde many lawes many commands many admonitions to put men forward in the way to go and run but ye heere no precept in the Scripture to sit still eat drink and take thy pleasure seeing thy life is short So we learne the Lord bids vs walke The Lord hes not ordained vs to rest heere Whatsoeuer calling he hes giuen thee he hes giuen thee a continuall walking and trauelling therein vntill thou come to the end of thy journey and then thou shalt rest he is a foolishe bodie who will promise to himselfe rest heere if thou rest before thy journey be complete it shall be to thy vtter destruction And therefore doe as he hes bidden thee albeit it be painefull heere yet in the end thou shalt find rest Now in the next words he defines this vvalking and calles it to please God It is a paine to a man to walke all day from morning to euening and
then to finde no rest nor fruite of his labor at night but I say to thee if thy walking be not to please God thou shalt neuer get any frute of thy walking if thy walking be not euer to please thy God thou shalt neuer get the right way thou shalt goe like a doting bodie and be the farther from that glorious butt and in the end thou shalt effectuat nothing but in that great day thou shalt curse all thy labors and exercises and thou shalt say Alas my labours are all lost I haue wearied my selfe and now I am no better But if thy walking be to please God thou shalt finde a sweetnesse in thy labor and joy in the end thereof And when that blessed day of resurrection shall come thou shalt say Blessed am I in my labours that I wrought to please my God for now I haue gotten the butt I finde the frute of my laboures Paul sayes 1. Cor. 9. 26. I runne but not to an vncertaintie Learne neuer to runne to an vncertaintie but euer runne to a butt effectuat something by your doing The onely way to make you runne well is to please God A Minister or any other in the world who woulde runne right must run to pleasure their God and then they shall finde sweetnesse in their running Now well is the soule that can endeuore the selfe to pleasure God for ther is no joy in the creature but when it is set to glorify God night and day in this world for to this end are we set in the world 1. Cor. 10. 31. and if we doe this he shal set vs in the heauens to glorifie him Now in the next verse he takes themselues to be witnesses that he had set before them the preceptes and lawes whereby they should walke in the journey Ye knovve vvhat commandement vve gaue you by the Lord Iesus It is an happie thing to a Minister in his calling when with a good conscience he appeals the consciences of the people that he cried to them and saide ô people I bade you goe I prescriued you rules to goe into your blood be on your owne head I haue discharged a faithfull duetie to you Brethren what auailes it vs if we should euer preache the Gospell if we be not saued thereby And when we teache you the Gospell we also stir our selues forward to come to that butt Christ our owne teaching is the meane whereby we are saued as it is the meane whereby ye are saued Therefore let all goe forward together in the rinke Now in the verse following he beginnes to set down to them the rules of walking and going forward That which he had spoken by tongue being at Thessalonica the same thing he puts in writ by his pen. It is a foolish thing to a man to say The Apostle spoke one thing and wrote another No brethren Paul neuer spake one sentence to confirme any people but it is registrate to vs. It is blasphemie to thinke that Paul and Peter c. wrote not that which they spoke it is follie for there was no sentence they spoke pertaining to our saluation but it is written Then the rule is The vvill of God vvhich is your sanctification That is that ye be holie in your soules and the whole affections thereof in your bodie and all the members of your bodie and all the actions of your members So he drawes the whole rules which are to be obserued in this course and rinke we haue to Heauen and life euerlasting to holinesse and sanctification Then in one word there is the manner how thou shalt goe forward to this butt Be holie be holie thou must be holie holie in heart hand mouth foot in all the members of thy body separate thee from the worlde which is full of sinne full of foull affections displeasing the eye of thy God and put on holinesse Who euer they be that goe forward in holinesse assuredlie they shall come to the marke Liue thou an holie life what vocation that euer it be in assure thee thou shalt come to the prise of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus Philipp 3. 14. To turne it ouer againe Busie thy self as thou wilt if that thy businesse be not in holinesse thou art foolishe the faster thou runnest thou art the farther behinde Alas how many are there who busies them selues in wickednesse and the more they wearie themselues the farther are they from Heauen Blessed are they who can goe forward to Heauen Stryue to holinesse and say Lord I am on my journey I cannot goe forward except I finde an holie heart to thinke an holie mouth to speake an holy hand to touch Lord sanctifie them that I runne not in vaine The way to runne holilie is to keepe euer before thy eies God that holie one in the face of Iesus and to cry O Lord guide me in holinesse And I assure thee if thou wilt striue to liue holilie and cry to God to guide thee in holinesse thou shalt come to that endlesse joy But if thou let God out of thy eye thou shalt perishe Brethren this life will away and therefore set your harts to run to that euerlasting life Nowe hauing set downe the generall he deduces it in parts and the first part he takes vp is cleannesse of the bodie as he would say fyle not the bodie with fornication fyle thou thy bodie with fornication thou shalt not thinke a cleane thought speake a cleane word or doe any cleane deed Surelie all sinnes pollutes and fyles The sinne that comes from the heart if it were but an euill motion it goes back againe and leaues a foull blot behinde it a rotten deed leaues a blot behinde it a foull worde in the mouth goes back and leaues a foull blot in the hart when thou hast spoken a word thou art not quite thereof but it comes back againe and fyles the soule It goes not from thee so lightlie as thou trowest no it leaues ay a foull blot behinde it So this corruption growes daily Brethren I tell you all sinnes fylles the bodie yet of all sinnes harlotrie especiallie fyles the bodie Looke the comparison the Apostle vses 1. Cor. 6. 18. The bodie of an harlote of all bodies is the foullest Alas such a fyling of the bodie and soule followes vpon adulterie that it is wonderfull to tell Seeing therefore speciall pollution of the bodie followes on fornication I beseech you as ye would present your selfe before God in cleannesse abstaine from harlotrie An harlot will trauell long ere he come to heauen thy heart and bodie must be sanctified before thou come to Heauen And so as thou would come forward to Heauen stryue to keepe a cleane bodie and soule to God and speciallie abstaine from this vyce of fornication Lord keepe vs from it vntill we come to the end of our journey that we may be presented clean before christ To whom with the Father and holie Spirit be honour and praise for
euer AMEN THE XIIII LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 4. vers 3. 4. 5. 6. 3 For this is the vvill of God euen your sanctification and that ye should absteine from fornication 4 That euerie one of you should knovve hovv to possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour 5 And not in the lust of concupiscence euen as the Gentiles vvhich knovve not God 6 That no man oppresse oâ— defraude his brother in any matter for the Lord is auenger of all such thinges as vve also haue tolde you before time and testified WE haue in hand Brethren the third parte of this Epistle written by Paul to the Thessalonians In this part ye haue heard the Apostle exhortes them to a godlie life and conuersation This kynde of doctrine he vses verie oft in the rest of his Epistles The exhortation ye heard that was in the beginning of this chapter vvas not onelie to liue vvell to vvalke in holinesse but also it vvas to excell more and more to stryue in that course of holinesse euen to striue to ouercome not onelie others that ranne vvith them in the rinke but also to ouercome themselues if they ranne fast this day that they should run faster to morrow and so each day to increase and grow It is not eneugh to run not euâ—ugh to striue but we must runne and striue lawfullie as he speakes to Timothie 2. Timoth. 2. 5. There are certaine rules and lawes according to the which we must runne in this present course As touching these rules according to the which we must runne the Apostle showes to the Thessalonians he hes prescryued them to them alreadie vvhen he vvas among them Novve in the text vve haue presentlie red hee beginnes to call the lawes to remembrance againe and to repeate them to to them For vvhat euer thing he spoke by worde being present that same thing in effect he hes left behinde him registrate in vvritte and this day by Gods grace it is come in our hands He dravves the vvhole rules and lavves to be keeped in this course wherin we runne to this butt of saluation and to Heauen to be partakers of that glorie First to a generall law which is the law of sanctification and holinesse For this is the vvill of God sayes he euen your sanctification Thereafter he commes to the speciall poyntes of sanctification The first is the abstaining from fornication The next in the wordes red is abstaining from doing wrong to ourneighbour either by violence craft or deceite Now to speake of the first as God shall giue vs grace and to take vp euerie word This is the vvill of God sayes he euen your sanctification Learne then first The vvhole lavves and rules according to the vvhich vve shoulde vvalke and runne in this rinke vvherein the Lord hes placed vs in this lyfe are resolued in a generall called the Law of holinesse The law of a sanctified lyfe He or she that in this course or in this rinke will prease to be holie in all the pointes of their lyfe shall run and striue to speak vvith the Apostle lawfullie and running and striuing lawfullie in the end they shal be crowned But they who in running towardes the marke stryues not to an holinesse of lyfe they runne not lawfullie they keepe no rule in their running They runne and waits not how they are miserable in their running And as they runne vnlawfullie so they shall neuer be crowned with glory they shall runne long ere they come to the marke and prise of that high calling to be with God Then in the course of this life in this rinke which the Lord hes placed vnto runne in vntill we come to the marke of that glorious resurrection we must runne holilie keep in holie heart an holie hand keepe holie senses keepe an holie foot in running in a worde we must be holie in the whole powers of the soule be holie in the whole members of the bodie seuer all from the pollution of this world dedicate all to God and so ye shall come to the end of the rinke Now to goe forward in the text To moue them to this sanctification and to embrace this rule of running forward to the marke Gods vvil a sufficieÌ„t reason of our actions He sayes For this is the vvill of God He giues no other reason but this It is the will of God to be so Howbeit we heare no word of any other reason but this it is the will of God to doe this worke or that worke it should suffice vs we are so oblist to that Lord and so bound to his obedience that if we know of no other reason wherefore we should doe any thing but onelie that it is his will we should obey it And the man who vnderstandes it is the will of God when he is doing any thing and wilclose his eies lead captiue his own reason subject his will to the will of his God and goe and follow on him if it were through Hell if he bid thee goe throgh Hell go throgh it close thy eyes follow on howbeit thouknowest no out-sight surely that man shall get a blessed ishue he shall get a crowne neuer soule vvas disapointed that set themselues to follow God Who euer settes themselues against their affections to serue God they come at last to Heauen By the contrary when a man thinks himselfe ouer wise and will not followe on Gods will except he see a faire out-sight and get great reasons wherefore he should doe this or that and thinkes it not eneugh to say it is Gods will but will say wherefore is it Gods will The Lord will let him followe his owne will and his will and reason will lead him to destruction There was neuer man whom the Lord gaue ouer to his owne will but he ran to his owne destruction Now to go forward He comes next to the speciall pointes of this sanctification There are sundrie sorts of holinesse therefore he will lay it down in parts euerie part thereof in the owne order And the first part of sanctification and holinesse of lyfe First part of sanctificatioÌ„ absteening from forâ—ication he makes it to be absteening from fornication absteening from harlotrie It stands in keeping of an holie and cleane bodie In running on this course in the rinke that conuoyes to the last butt and life euerlasting thou must keepe an holie person But to marke the wordes more natrovvlie First he recommendes abstinence He vvho runnes in a rinke and striues sayes the Apostle 1. Corinth chap. 9. verse 25. that man he is continent in all thinges he keepes a goode dyet ere he enter in the rinke he vvill dyet himselfe and abstaine from many thinges vvhich othervvayes he vvould vse So we vvho runnes in this rinke of Christianitie to be partakers of that Crowne vve must abstaine vve must not follow our appetites vve must not put our hand to euerie thing our appetite
ye not the patience of God He is patient and lets men runne in wickednesse vntill the cuppe be full and then he powreth out his wraith and judgement on them to the vttermost The Lord keepe vs from his judgements and wraith for Christ his Sons sake To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be praise and honor for euer AMEN THE XV. LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 4. vers 6. 7. 8. 6 That no man oppresse or defraude his brother in any matter for the Lord is auenger of all such thinges as vve also haue tolde you before time and testified 7 For God hath not called vs to vncleannesse but vnto holinesse 8 He therefore that despiseth these thinges despiseth not man but God vvho hath euen giuen you his holie Spirit IN this part of this Epistle after the salutation and after that large congratulation wherein he rejoised for the grace the Lord had bestowed on the Thessalonians not after a common manner but in great aboundance He sets downe preceptes of manners concerning an holie lyfe and a godlie conuersation in this worlde and he comprehendes them all first in a generall and he calles it sanctification holinesse in lyfe and conuersation for whatsoeuer duetie appertaines to vs to be done in this lyfe the whole may be taken vp vnder this one word sanctification which standes in holinesse in soule and bodie When he hes sette downe the generall he diuydes it in parts and the first part of sanctification of holinesse of lyfe and conuersation he takes it vp to be in absteining from fornication it respects a man or woman in their owne person that they keepe the soule and bodie that God hes giuen them in holinesse vnpolluted vvith filthinesse The second part concernes our neighbour that we doe him no wrong He is an vnholie man that hurtes his neighbour that vvill vvrong him in anie dealling or trafficking with him He is hurt two manner of wayes first he is hurt by deceite vnder colour by fraude begâ—yling or circumvention He is secondlie hurt by plaine violence and oppression Both these two sortes of wronges and injuries are vnholie He that circumueenes his brother is vnholie he that oppresses his brother is vnholie Novve to persvvade them to this sanctification standing in these tvvo partes he vses sundrie argumentes The first argument ye heard of before vvas from the vvill of God This is the will of God sayes he your sanctification It is the Lords vvill that ye be holie It is not an hid vvill but a reuealed will and oft reuealed that ye be holie in your selfe holie in respect of your brethren and holie all manner of vvaye Brethren if there vvere not an argument to moue vs to be holy holie in respect of our selues holie in respect of our neighbour this onely reason to vnderstand it is Gods will we so doe may be sufficient For albeit we knovve of no other reason wherefore vve should be holie but onely that it is his vvill it bindes vs to holinesse For this reuerence tovvarde the Creator and Redeemer of the world should be in euerie creature that they vnderstanding anie thing to bee agreable to his holie vvill should stoup knovving his will they are bound to acquiescâ— and rest there seeking no farther and to close their eyes at all their reasones hovvbeit the thing that is injoyned to them should seeme to be an impossibilitie The Apostle speaking of his vvill Roman chap. 12. verse 2. sayes His vvill is euer goode it is good vvhat euer he vvilleth it is perfite yea it is the rule of all righteousnesse So euerie one should reason vvith themselues Is it the vvill of God Then it is most just I vvill follovve and obey it my reason shall not stay it my reason is vvrong and out of rule his vvill is the rule of righteousnesse I insist on this rather because I knovve how hard it is to make the vvill of man plyable and to frame it to Gods vvill and vvhat discrepance is betvveene the vvill of God and the vvill of man So if thou giuest thy selfe ouer to thy ovvne nature there is nothing God willes but thou willest the contrare therof And therfore our praier should be continually to God to conforme our froward will to his wil this should be our praier continuallie what euer come to vs be it prosperitie or aduersitie Lord do thy will giue me not my own will for if I get my own wil it will be my wreak but Lord rule my will according to thy will for thy will is onely the right will and the preseruer of my life and euen now while we haue time we should cry Lord thy will be done we are thy creatures Lord let thy will be done in vs. And I assure thee if thou get thy will conformable to his wil and be content with any thing he layes on thee life or death certainly thou shalt find comfort all shall come well to thee The second argument taine from the vengence that falles on the transgressours He saies For the Lord is the auenger of alâ— such thinges He auenges the deceit vsed by vs and the violence done against our neighbour This second argument followes well on the other for one of those two must be either the will of God must be done by vs or else vengence must be for disobedience If the will of God moue thee not to doe that which he craues of thee Punishement for disobedieÌ„ce to gods vvill to liue in holinesse before him let the feare of vengence and punishment moue thee For Brethren the will of our God is in the selfe a thing so holie and inuiolable that there was neuer person yet that disobeyed that will from ould Adam to this houre if it were but in a litle thoght of the heart let be a deed in a motion of the soule let be an action but that disobedience and transgression of that holie and inuiolable will of God was punished either in the persons self or in the Mediator Iesus Christ So inuiolable a thing is the just will of God that the disobeence to it cannot escape punishmeÌ„t God is not like man impossible it is that thy disobedience to him if it were but â—n a motion of thy heart should bee vnpunished either in thy bodie or soule or else thou must haue refuge to the Mediator and it shall be punished in him For if thou be in Christ thy disobedidience is taine away in his obedience And therefore thinke it no childish play to play with his will if it were but the least cogiâ—ation of the heart Play vvith man as thou wilt but one thought against Gods will importes damnation if thou hadst a thousand lyues He addes that reason in the end of this verse as vve also 〈◊〉 you before tyme and testified This was not the first tyme that he had tolde them of it of before and now he telles them
againe to let them se the certainty of it The lord conâ—tant in denounâ—â—ng executing of his iudgements Brethren this hes a deeper ground This constancie in denâ—oncing and threatning judgement that ye finde in those who speakes in the name of the Lord they will denounce once twyse and thryse that same judgement tels you the Lord will be auenged on vngodlinesse The ground is in God himselfe The Lord is constant in his vengence on impenitent sinners he alters not howbeit he delay the vengence vnto his appointed tyme yet the vengence standes fast he is not like man Man is changeable he will brag the night and say I will be auenged to morrow all is away Man is vaine and inconstant the Lord is an vnchangeable God he will perseuere with an vnchangeable mynde to vengence Of this it commes that those whom he sendes to denounce vengence in his name will preache vengence to them this day vengence the next day and ay will tell you the Lord will be once auenged on you The Lord will auenge thy harlotrie thy deceit thy oppression and ay constantly cry on to let you see the judgements bides on the impenitent sinner he will not change his sentence for all the vvorld If God vvere changing ye vvho speakes in his name would change and he wold not haue warrand in his conscience to speake constantlie but God being constant and vnchangeable in his purpose of necessitie the preacher must be constant And it hes not beene seene of before but the constancie in denouncing vengence by the seruants of God against impenitent people hes euer been justified with a sensible judgement the vengence they threatned constantly it lighted Now brethren we neede not to goe far off for ensamples This constancie in threatning hes beene oft vsed in Edinburgh This hes beene oft tolde you if this be not amended the famine the Pestilence shall ouertake this Cittie Now judge ye this day if the effect justifies not our saying It is follie to men to thinke that one word of threatning of judgement spoken by the true seruants of God will fall to the ground no it cannot be The Lord may well delay long men and wemen may well sleepe long but when the artickle of tyme commes which the Lord hes appointed for judgement then followes the heauy judgement And therefore we shold judge holilie of the truth that hes been spoken by the mouth of his seruants and glorifie God al maner of wayes count God to be true and let all men be lyers In the next verse we haue the thirde argument to moue them to holinesse The argument is taken from their calling For God hes not called vs to vncleannesse but to holinesse This calling is our christian calling whereby we are translated out of the kingdom of darknesse to the kingdom of Iesus Christ we are called out of Hel to Heauen from darknesse to light we are called to a kingdom and glorie prepared for vs. Now he reasons from this their calling Our christian calling shold moue vs to holines This calling is not to vncleannesse to be an harlot to be a deceiuer of thy brother to be an oppressor but thou art called to be an holy and a clean person thou was called out of the pollution of the world and translated to cleannesse therefore thy calling is holie Of all the callings in this earth the fairest calling is the calling of one to holinesse The calling to an earthly kingdome is not so faire as the calling of a man to holinesse This Christian holinesse it permittes no soâ—t of vncleannesse in this world no not so much as a foull thought but it craues of him who is called to this Christian vocation all kinde of cleannesse in the world Learne euer to distinguish betweene thy own person and this faire calling of Christianitie If thou be vncleane and filthie it commes not of this Christian calling but of thy own person And therefore let no man when he sees a man or woman that keepes that name and enjoyes that calling to be called a Christian the fairest name that euer man gotte to become an harlote an oppressour a deceyuer a murtherer lay not the fault on the holie calling but on the foull person that is vnvvorthie of the calling for he is but a vyle creature that is so called That Christian calling permittes not such vyle sinnes it is the vyle person that committes this sinne This hes beene an oulde custome When men sees these men vvho professes Christianitie fall in sinne the mouthes of the woâ—ld are openned to blaspheme that vocation of Christianitie and to say Take vp your Christian and holie man now there is your puritie that ye doe now professe and so the blame is euer more laid on the calling and not on the person The Prophete sayes Through you my name is reproached among the Gentiles Esay chap 25. verse 5. Take head to this When thou vvho art called committes anie sinne wicked men vvill lay the faulte on the calling and not on the person And therefore be carefull to keepe holie thy person that thy person be not a slander to thy holie calling I tell thee harlotrie is a great sinne indeede that offendes God but the exponing of this Christian calling to be euill spoken of is a greater sinne to thee nor harlotrie murther or anie other sinne that can be commited and at that day it shall be sorer punished nor any sinne There cannot be a greater sinne nor to giue wicked men occasion to speake euill of that holy calling And trow ye not that this sinne is the speciall cause of this judgement this day It is not somuch thy murther thy harlotrie thy oppression c. as the slandering of thy holy vocation and calling And therfore hes Scotland most justlie procured the just judgment of God Another thing I see heere I perceiue this Christian calling should be the rule and square whereby our actiones should be rewled So that in no calling vnder the Sunne we should do any thing that is vnsetting or vnseemlie to this Christian calling but all our actiones should bee ruled conforme to it A Christian King is bounde to rule all his actiones by the rule of this Christian calling a Christian subject should follow the rule of this christian calling Play the marchant but as a Christian man play the part of a man of law but in the meane time forget not thou art a Christian man c. Let al thy actions in thy own craft be squared by this rule of thy Christian vocation There is a great aduantage when any man in any vocation behaues himselfe as a Christian man the labour is pleasant in the sight of God and it is blessed If a Christian man seeke the glorie of God in his calling then he shall be blessed in his actiones but when in doing any thing the Christian calling is forgot and the Lord Iesus is not before the eye
vve haue great neede to be instructed in this because our nature is so bent to reuenge He sayes See that none recompence euill for euill vnto anie man There is an inhibition Whereof much might be spoken but I shall binde me to the words of the Apostle Then to come to the first words See beware look to it The word signifies an earnest care and studie As he would say take care be earnest beware in this turne for it will begyle you if you take not all the better heede to it This verie vvord he vses lettes vs see the great difficultie and hardnesse that is in obeying of this precepte in not randering euill for euill but by the contrarie randering goode for euill For brethren there is a wonderfull promptnesse and bentnesse in the nature of all men euer to reuenge the spirit of vengence is by nature in euerie one of vs yea in the silliest and simplest bodie that is This poynte of doctrine not to rander euill for euill but by the contrare good for euill abhorres from nature and nature abhorres it Say to a naturall man doe not euill for euill but doe good for euill he will scorne and laugh at it and many in Scotland scornes it Our nature abhors it so farre that the â—uld Philosophers who set down many good morall precepts neuer spoke one word of it among all their morall precepts ye will not get this precept Doe no euill for euill doe good for euill The Scrybes and Pharisies Matt. cha 5. vers 38. c. exponing the Law of God could not atteine to this but gaue out this meaning of the second table of the Law loue thy friend doe good to him that does good to thee hate thy enemie So they exponed the Law vntil Christ came and purged the Law Only then in the schole of Iesus only in the Gospell PatieÌ„â—â—in suffering vvronges bardle arâ—ed this pointe of doctrine is taught and learned that men should not doe euill for euill but good for euill Indeede brethren this lesson is very hard to be practised Good Christians who professes themselues to be schollers in Iesus schoole how long tyme will they spend ere they can get this lesson learned Who let see is brought to this poynte that gladly he can be content to suffer wrong or to suffer a double wrong ere he reuenge yea to doe good for euill ere he reuenge wrong Who can doe this No all these murtherers all these oppressors these contumelies wherewith the land is filled telles plainly that many thousands in the land hes neuer learned this precept of the Gospell that the Lord hes giuen to doe good for euill Who of our Lords and Lairds hes learned it If he hes gotten one slaine to him he will slay two yea come to the Gentle-men ye shall see that this lesson hes neuer beene learned of them Who of our wemen hes learned it for if were but with the bitternesse of their mouth they will reuenge their quarrell and they who hes atteined to any grace or any part of obedience of this precept yea the best of all the most patient soule how hardly can he with a patient mynde dejest injuries There is no grace of God no sort of obedience to Iesus but so long as we liue heere we keepe it with a battell hast thou any grace euer the canker of our corruption stryâ—â—s to put but the grace So that if we be not holden vp we shall lose this grace and among all graces that men gets I trow this grace of Patience we keep it with the greatest trouble There is no grace that hes so many assaults as this euer to stir vs vp to take vengence our own nature wicked company fy on on thee they wil cry beastly body thou hast receiued wrong and wil not reuenge it there is a thousand such instigations What matter if we could be content to rander wrong for wrong but our hart is so full of venome that it caÌ„not be satiat vntill we double and triple ten wrongs for one the hart is so full of hatred that if we could we would shut our enemy soule and body in Hell So this grace of Patience in not reuenging is the grace we keepe with the greatest assaults Read the 39. Psalme when Dauid had taine purpose to take heed to his waies that he should not speak an euill word against his enemies yet the hart begins to take fire and out goes the flame and he burstes out in murmuring against God himselfe All this telles vs how hard a thing it is to one to digest wrong and how much more hard to do good for euill And so we are to crâ—ue euer at God to giue vs this grace of Patience to suffer wrong Alas the company of this world is so wicked that we are euer stirred vp to vengence And so we should craue euer the Lord giue vs patience that with patience we may abide the wrong and the Lord will auenge The Lord sayes Vengence is mine and I vvill auenge it Deut. chap. 32. vers 35. Byde till this tyme come and surely will the Lord repay it And I darsay neuer man got wrong and with patience abode it but either he got reuenge here or else in that day he shall see his wrongs fully repayed by God This for the first words Now he sayes See that no man This precept perteines to all men it is generall he excemes no man no not the Kings of the world from the King to the begger no man exemed euery soule is inhibite to do wrong to rander euill for euil for it is the King of al kings that puts out this inhibition BrethreÌ„ the conceit men hes of their own estimation if the Lord cal them to any estate begyles them If a man be preferred to another he beguiles himselfe and he thinks he may do what he wil because of his preferment he may do double wrong and he will say I am such a man this is my estate will I suffer a wrong I cannot doe 〈◊〉 How can I suffer this indignitie The Lord sayes thy preferment is of me thou art no better nor the person that is vnder thee I command thee vnder the paine of death that thou patiently abide vntill it please me to auenge this deed Then he sayes doe no vvrong to any man without any exception thou art bound not to rander euill for euill to any man to the silliest and basest bodie that goes on the earth Measure not Gods Law by your owne discretion The holie Law of God forbids thee to rander injurie for injurie to the vylest bodie in the world And euen as the consait of men who are preferred begyles them euen so the opinion of the vyle estate of other men in their eyes begyles them How durst will they say such a vyle lowne or villaâ—e doe such a turne should I suffer such a wrong of such a raskall I shall wring my hands in his hart bloud
faile thee or else thou shalt faile them if thou were a King thou must faile in thy kingdome thou must leaue 〈◊〉 either shall the worldly things be taine from thee or thou from them What Monarch euer yet since the beginning of the world for al their dominions if they had not God and Christ had euer a sparke of joy at the houre of his death A dram weight of this joy is worth all the kingdomes of this earth and if thou hast gotten a little peece of this joy thinke it better nor thou wert made Monarch of all the world No question the least peece of Christes graces and of this regeneration is worth all the Kingdomes of this world Euen so these earthlie thinges cannot bee the matter of this joye Thou shalt neuer get the joy of the holy Spirite if thou seeke it in the world Then wherein standes this joy Paul 4. chap. to the Philippians verse 4. sayes Reioyce in the Lord. He sayes not rejoyce in the world or kingdomes of the world but he sayes rejoyce in the Lord and in all those graces he hes broght with him in remission of sins in life euerlasting c. Take heed compare this joy with the matter thereof This joy is spiritual Iesus is a Spirit all his graces are spirituall Then these two agrees very well a spirituall matter a spirituall joy Then againe this joy is continuall Christ is for euer Heb. 13. 8. His graces standes for euer Al the mercies of God in Christ are eternall and vnchangeable How well then standes these two a joy continuall a matter continuall a joy that is eternall a matter that is eternall But thou wilt say 〈…〉 albeit that matter of my joy Christ Iesus neuer perishes yet we must perish and albeit he stand yet we must fall No no. Paul to the Rom. chap. 8. vers 35. saies What shall separate vs from the loue of God in Christ No if thou be once well imped in him by his Spirite and a lyuely faith all the world shall neuer bring thee back againe thou shalt neuer be separate heauen and earth shall first perishe ere they who are imped in Christ be separate from him death shall not separate them Paul sayes Christ is to me both in life and death aduantage Philipp chap. 1. vers 21. These earthly thinges may vantage thee in this naturall and transitory lyfe 〈…〉 riches may vauntage thee in this lyfe honour may be pleasant to thee here but when death commes then may thou justly say I will get no more vantage of my riches I will shake all off me and go naked to the graue but Christ will go to the graue with me yea euen to the resurrection he shall accompany thee and then soule and body shall be joined together and thou shalt be with him for euer In one word the matter of this joy are not earthly things but spirituall It is Christ and his graces that is the ground of all this joy vntill thou come to that lyfe euerlasting And this for the opening vp of the words Learne Vseâ— then There are none of vs that walkes in the light of the Gospell of Christ and hes taine the name of Christians vpon vs but we are bound and oblist to rejoyce and be glade and that not for one tyme onely one day or one night or one yeere or one season but euermore and at euery occasion in prosperitie in aduersitie in life and death euer rejoyce and weulde ye know the paine all obligations are vnder some paine the paine of it is vnder the paine of banishing vs out of Gods Kingdome out of heauenly Ierusalem He that would not rejoyce vnder the hope of heauenly Ierusalem must be banished out thereof Rom. 14. verse 17. Gods Kingdome in righteousnesse and peace and ioy in the holy Ghost if thou prease not to rejoyce in Christ and his Kingdome in life and death prosperity and aduersitie thou shalt be shut out of it I say they who neuer felt of this heauenly joy and neuer rejoyced in Christ in his Redemption of vs from sin in that life purchast to vs by his bloud who neuer rejoyces in these but ay is glad when he is exercised about these earthly things that man neuer yet saw Christs Kingdome And albeit he be outwardly in the Church the Church is called the Kingdome of God in the Gospell yet indeede he is not one of the Kingdome he is going vp and downe in company with them of the Church but he was neuer in the Church for thou must be spiritually in it and not bodily And if there be a great sin in the world this is one not to rejoyce in such a matter of joy God offers thee saluation in Christ if thou rejoyce not therein thou cannot doe a greater contempt to the light of the Gospell wherein life and saluation is offered noâ— a greater injury to God thou bereaues God of his glory for what shall be the chiefe glorifying of God but a rejoycing in his mercies through Iesus Christ Alas what great blessednesse we defraâ—d our selfes of when we rejoyce not in the worke of our Redemption It is wonder what joy the Angels haue in looking in to this worke of the Redemption of man Peter in his 1. Epistle chap. 1. vers 12. sayes The Angels desires to looke in to this misterie Were not the Angels preachers to the shiephirds of that joy and blessing that came to the world Luke chap. 2. verse 13. 14. Fy on thee Christ is come to redeeme thee and not the Angels and yet they rejoyce and wilt not thou rejoyce The earth and heauen leapes and rejoyces for the hearing of their deliuerance by Christes comming againe and thou cannot rejoyce fy on thee When all the dumme creatures aboue vnder and about thee rejoyces and thou cannot rejoyce Waken vp that dead hart of thine and rejoyce in God or else the spirit of sorrow and sadnesse shall waken thee that thou shalt weepe for euer The tyme of joy is pretious if thou rejoyce not heere thou shalt neuer get that joy in Heauen hereafter Now ye will say should we rejoyce ay The wise man sayes Ecclest chap. 3. vers 4. 〈…〉 All thinges hes the tyme there is a tyme of vveeping a tyme of laughing How should we ay be glad I aunswere it is true there is a tyme of mourning and a tyme of sadnesse and I trow this same verie tyme is the tyme of sadnesse But I tell thee againe for all this sadnesse rejoyce must thou and when thou art commanded to be sad for sin thou art commanded to rejoyce in Christ for remission thereof where nothing is in the hart but sadnesse it will bring a man to dispare Sadnesse would euer be mingled with joy sadnesse for miserie would be mingled with joy for hope of reliefe or else the end shal be dispare And it is wonderfull to see the Spirit of Iesus at â— tyme to
follow on and keep it in our hart There are two needs of praier One need of grace another need to keep the grace we haue receiued So there is two sorts of begging the first is for grace the next is for keeping of the grace Neuer wearie to aske The Lord wold haue thee euer begging Ay say Lord giue me Then say Lord keepe this grace thou hast giuen me otherwaies I will lose it For I assure thee if the Lords hand be not euerie moment holding grace in thy hart thou art ay ready to lose it Therefore the Apostle sayes Pray continually Alas if we knew what thing we are bound to we would discharge a better duety to our God we should not passe the time in playing but we should pray continually Ye vvill thinke it an hard thing to be euer praying ye vvill say should we do no other thing but ay pray should this be our exercise continually Take heed By praying is vnderstood not preceesly this outward forme of prayer the falling down on our knees the lifting vp of our hands and eyes so that we do not another turne No I meane not so Thou hast a lawfull vocation go win thy liuing according to thy calling He that said Pray continually The same said Go labour and win thy liuing otherwaies thou shalt not eat Avvay vvith Munkries and Nunries Then when continuall prayer is craued no other thing is craued but that thy hart and minde be euer exercised on God Let thy hart and contemplation of thy mynde be euer on him be neuer so distracted with any exercise of the world but keep God euer in some measure before thy eyes seeking his grace and blessing to thy exercise When thou art busiest in thy exercise let thy hart be seeking blessing thereto Paul saies 1. Cor. 10. chap. 31. verse Whether ye eat or drinke or what euer ye do all to the glory of God If I eat to the glory of God my hart must be blessing thanking him for the benefit receiued seeking a blessing of him that it may doe me good desyring also that heauenly foode I tell thee this earthly foode should be nothing else to thee but a remembrance of heauenly things and of Christ that is onely the foode of the soule Then in all thy exercises euer hold thy hart on God let thy hart be praying when thy tongue is speaking of these thinges that concernes thy exercise so thy exercise shall be in the Lord. The Apostle vses to say do this and do that in the Lord. What means he but only in that doing thy hart shold be set on the Lord Ay enterteine Gods Spirit Thinke not that the exercising of the hart on Christ shal hinder thee in any thing in thy exercise No but by the contrare the face of God looking on thee it brings blessing keep him in thy eie and think on him and so thy exercise shall be sweete keepe God in thy eye and thou shalt finde a wonderfull joy and an helpe in thy exercise Now I end with this prayer Lord seeing there is no blessing but when we keep Iesus Christ in our eyes Lord grant that the face of Christ go neuer out of our eyes let neuer the remembrance of Iesus depart from vs. To this Christ be honour and glorie for euer AMEN THE XXV LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1. THESSA CHAP. 5. vers 18. 19. 18 In all thinges giue thankes for this is the vvill of God in Christ Iesus tovvard you 19 Quench not the Spirit THE last part of this Epistle Brethren which we haue in hand presently stands in an exhortation to an holie lyfe and conuersation vvorthie of the Lord Iesus Christ The last day we shew you there are three preceptes joyned together the precepte of patience to beare vvrong and injuries in this vvorlde patientlie and not to rander euill for euill as we are bent by nature but to do good for euill Then next the precept of joy the inward joy and peace of soule and conscience that passes all vnderstanding that euermore we shold rejoyce And last the precept of prayer which standes in two partes the one in seeking at the hands of God the other in thanking him for the grace receiued at his handes We shew you that conjunction that is among these graces patience joy and prayer patience is the effect of joy and the inward joy that is heauenly and spirituall is the meane to enterteine patience and to make a man beare patiently the wrongs he suffers in this present world for in a maner it rauishes him vp aboue the world and all thinges in the world and makes him to looke ouer all these earthly thinges and injuries that falles out in the world as though they were not and in some measure he hes his contemplation with God in Heauen So that the joy he hes will swallow vp all these earthly troubles and the life of God in him will swallow vp mortalitie and death Againe praier is the meane to enterteine that joy we haue with God for it keeps Gods presence and the face of Iesus in our sight and the face of Iesus is so joyfull as no tongue can tell For all the light and joy we haue in our harts proceedes from the face of Iesus and from the face of God in Christ and then it shynes on vs. And this face of Iesus it shines in the Gospell And therefore blessed were we if we could looke euer in the mirrour of the Gospell where we shall get this light and the face of Christ that makes vs rejoyce it appeares in a mirrour now but we shall see him face to face when the body of Iesus shall be perfect all is but a beginning now that we haue here he is far from vs and al the sight we haue of him is but a blenke let euery one looke to experience there are so many thinges goes in betweene vs and him that we can skarcely keepe his face in the which standes our joy Alwaies it is prayer that enterteines this presence of God looke to it by experience take away prayer that men pray not to God take away mediatation and thanking of God take away this communing with God it shall passe thy power to haue any presence of him and without his presence no joy in him Then shortly to come to the matter in hand This prayer consistes in two parter In asking and seeking at him according to the needs and misters we haue we are ful of wants and misters There is none of vs all from the greatest to the lowest from the King to the begger but great is the need we haue so euery one of vs hes need to be begging neuer was there a begger at our doore that hes so great neede to beg as we haue neede to beg at Gods hand beg things spirituall and things temporall things for this life things for the life to come for if we beg not we
euening nor midday c. thou shalt neuer get grace looke neuer for this perfection Thou cannot go forward in the rinke without prayer and so thou shalt neuer come to the butt And as ye see heere it is not onely man 's owne prayer that is requisit to bring them to the rinks end but it must be mutuall prayer I must pray for thee to helpe thee forward thou must pray for me to help me forward So prayer must be mutuall and as it were euery one must be taking others by the hand and lifting them vp from the filth of the earth to heavenly things So he that will contemne mutuall prayer and say I will pray for my selfe I am familiar with God I haue a bâ—â—ad back to beare all their curlings if they were neuer so many Alas the curslinges will thrust him downe to Hell and his prayer shall not auaile And thou who contemnest the pray or of the silliest bodie in the Church for thee if thou shouldst 〈◊〉 all day on thy knee thou shalt get small â—â—therance The prayer of the Church is a neceâ—â—ar meane to bring thee to Heauen For as he appoynted thee to Heauen so heâ— no appoynted prayer of the Church to bring thee to it Now he commes to the 〈…〉 sayes he one another vvith an holy kisse As he would say I cannot be present with them I cannot speake to them face to face but 〈◊〉 you to whom I direct this Epistle conâ—oy my salutation to them and in my name salute them as it were with my mouth Brethren what is a salutation A testification of our loue that we beare so them we salute Now there are sundrie fortes of salutations a man will salute one with his owne mouth then when he cannot get him saluted with his owne mouth he will send his commendations with another man There are two fortes I will testifie my good will by my owne mouth in his presence and againe I will testifie it by another and will send my 〈◊〉 good will by his hand And truely looke how sure euer thing in this earth was caryed by a mediat person as sure this loue will be caryed by one to another he will take my loue on his back and cary it to another and as sure as any gift is presented to any person as sure will my loue be presented to 〈…〉 I send it And what good will it doe The chiefe thing we â—aue is the conjunction of the members one with another Now the band that conjoynes the members is loue and â— may send this same band by an other He may tak my band that commes from my hart and eary to any man Then the band that commes to him it kindles vp his hart and he loues me againe and so his hart is giuen to me againe So seeing this happinesse in this lyfe standes in this conjunction euery thing should be vsed that may enterteine this conjunction if it were but a good morrow or a good night euery thing holds this conjunction together vntill we be fully joyned to Christ in the which conjunction standes our ful happinesse Yet to insist This salutation is to all the brethren none excepted To speake it in one word Such familiar salutations as these salute them with a kisse and an holy kisse they are not competent betweene all sorts of men I perceyue not that the Apostle salutes this way any of the Gentiles and Heathen it is true we are bound to wish well to all to the prophainest in the world yea to the enemies of Christ and I will say the Lord turne euery enemy of Christ to him but certainely when it commes to such salutations as these that Paul vses as to say salute with an holy kisse they are proper onely to the domesticks of faith and therefore he sayes salute all the brethren not all that ye meete with but all the brethren Loue pertaines to all but there as a speciall loue that pertaines to the members of the bodie as to brethren and sisters there are special salutations that specially pertaines to the members in the bodie and therefore discretion must be had all salutations must not be had to al alike we should haue a regarde of the condition of the person whom we salute There may be a fault aswell in this vndiscreete doing as when we leaue it vndone giue euery one their owne duety Thou art addebted to a brother in a speciall kindnesse and salutation and is not addebted so to a Turke and to one that is not in Christ In the end held esires that they salute all the brethren vvith an holy kisse We know it was a fashion of olde ere Christ came theÌ„ Iewes at meeting they wold kisse other euen men wold kisse men the same fashion continued in Christes dayes and after Christ it was lâ—fed also as 〈◊〉 may see in the Epistâ—â— of Paul and in the primitiueâ— Church at their meeting together at the Supper of the Lord they would kisse in token of their vnitie Now this holy kisse is called by Peter the kisse of charme 1. Epistle 5. chapter 14. verse Ioyne 〈…〉 an holie kisse is nothing but a 〈◊〉 that â—yfes of an 〈◊〉 loueâ— when loue is in the 〈◊〉 it is sinceere without by 〈◊〉 other â—ife it is not sinceere â—ad is kisse was not holy because loue was not in his hart vvhen he kissed his Master Sinceritie to be vsed in salutation so this kisse vvas in hypocrisie So in our fashion that is novv vsed albeit vve kisse not one another vvhen vve â—id good-marrow or good-night vve make 〈◊〉 outvvard testification of the loue of the hate invvardly if there be not loue in the hart all is but hypocrisie And except helsing ryse of loue in the hart it were better to thee to hold thy tongue thou art but an hypocrite when thou salutest vvith thy mouth if thy hart would eate him vp thou wilt appeare to haue hony in thy mouth and the gall of bitternesse is in thy hart Alas many Iudasses now Sweete sleeked lippes false malitious inuyfull harts Alwayes the lesson is in all these outward testifications of loue looke euer that there be 〈◊〉 loue in the hart that the testification may be sinceere and thou may get good of them For I assure thee this loue to thy neighbor does good to thee ô Lord if sincerity be not good in the members of Christ Alas this decreeped age is turned to a plane hypocrisie and al are but words of office thy vylde salutation returnes to thy owne hurt As it does him no good nor euil whom thou salutest so it does thee euill and returnes to thy own hurt Hypocrisy euer hurts the hart it came from Now to the next words I charge you in the Lord that this Epistle be read to all the brethren the Saints This is another purpose For in the end as I tolde you there is varietie of things casten together Appearandly by the wordes it would seeme
eneugh put me from his gun and pistolet sayes he I am sure eneugh and in the mean-tyme there is neuer suspition of the deuill stronger and subtiller then al the men in the world He wil get on a croslet and plateglufe ô miserable catiue what armour hast thou for the enemy of thy soule It is not with men we haue to do but with powers we haue not to do with flesh and bloud but with Empyres and Principalities Gouernours Princes of the world rulers in the Air. If thou hast adoe with Princes and Kings earthly they wil sute the field with thee but if thou hast adoe with the deuill as euery vnbeleeuer hes he will not sute the field with thee but he will be aboue thy head where thou shalt not get one stroke of him but he vvith great fetches and force will beate thee downe and vse thee at his pleasure Therfore it is not eneugh to pray to giue thee grace to stand and to keepe thee from such as are enemies bodily to thee but thou should say Lord keepe me from that euill one Satan from spirituall powers from that deuill thou art neuer free of him night nor day for he is going about like a roaring lyon seeking vvhom he may deuore 1. Pet. 5. 8. and when thou hast thus praied to be saued from the deuil then say Lord keep me from these bodily enemies Alas men liues carelesse of Satan as thogh there wer not a spiritual enemie while as there are millions of them to deuore thee for euer Ye see then this that is spoken to the Thessalonians is applyed to the whole Church of God in the world for this that he speaks of the Church of Thessalonica he meanes of the Church of God euery where that the Church hes many enemies the Church of Christ hes and euer had and shall haue many enemies The 〈◊〉 â—es many enemies the Church it selfe is but an handful in respect of the multitude both of spirituall and bodily enemies multitudes of deuils multitudes of wicked men and wemen in the world and therfore she cannot be without some noy and hurt no think it not But there is a consolation The Church of Iesus Christ shal neuer be tread vnder foote the deuill and all his supposis shall neuer tread on her nor ouercome the Church of God Hold that fast for a sure ground The Church of God shal neuer be vtterly ouerthrowne and this is a wonderfull thing And yet brethren as the might and omnipotency of God appeares in other things so especially his might appears in holding vp a poore handful of the poorest and vilest bodies in the world in appearance against such multitudes of strong and mighty both spiritual and bodily enemies and the Lord will be glorified in this few number and in end he shall make that handfull to tread on the necks of the multitude of the wicked vpon Princes necks and on Powers and Principalities and on the deuill himselfe The cause of her standing is because she is grounded on Iesus Christ who is immutable and vnchangeable she reposing and leaning on Iesus shall stand still and be vnalterable as long as he is vnalterable which is euerlastingly all the power of the world and Hell shal neuer ouerthrow her and bring her at vnder This is her joy that she shall neuer finally fall but shall stand notwithstanding of all assaults for euer And at last be victorious ouer oer enemies through the strength of him on whom she reposes Now to this God the Father Sonne and holy Spirit be praise and honor AMEN THE ELEVENTH LECTVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS 2. THESSA CHAP. 3. vers 4. 5. 6. 4 And vve are persvvaded of you through the Lord that ye both doe and vvill doe the things vvhich vve command you 5 And the Lord guide your harts to the loue of God and the vvaiting for of Christ. 6 We command you brethren in the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ that ye vvithdravv your selues from euery brother that vvalleth inordinatly and not after the instruction vvhich he receiued of vs. THIS last part brethren of the Epistle of Paul written to the Thessalonians containes precepts and admonitions to liue an holy and christian lyfe The last day wel ad in hands the first precept which concerneth prayer to God which is the cheefest exercise that a christian man can haue in this world there is none before it Therefore he began to pray and as he had prayed for them immediatlie before so he craues of them a recompence which is pray for me againe and good reason that when I pray for thee thou pray for me againe When the Pastor prayes for the flock the flock should interceede againe with God by prayer for him So the Apostle sayes Pray for vs for me and my fellow-laborers from whom in common this Epistle was directed But for what things should they pray to him The first thing is the Gospel and what of it Pray that it may runne and haue a free course through the world And what more That the Gospel of Christ running throgh shold not run through the mouthes and eares of men onely that is a small matter if there be no more but that in running it may haue the course with power and effectualnesse in the hearts of the hearers working lyfe and saluation in them and so consequently she may be glorified that is that men and wemen feeling the great force may be inforced to glorifie her in this world for none will glorifie the Gospell but he that feeles the power of it in his hart and to whom the Gospell is the power of God to saluation The next thing that he craues they should pray for is for his person the persons of his fellow-laborers that we sayes he may be deliuered from vnreasonable and euill men He giues the reason of this desire All men hes not â—aith When we goe abroad preaching the Gospell we will haue great opposition of many wicked men euil inclined in hart euil disposde in hand so that our persons must be oft in great danger Therefore pray for vs And the ground is all men hes not faith Howbeit some will professe God and religion yet in very deed God is not in their hart Christ dwelleth not in them by faith they are not elect and therefore they beleeue not It is dangerous to be amongst them yea euen for the persons of men for without Christ the hart of a man is as cruell as is the hart of a Tyger and Lyon or any wylde beast before it be drawen away from that cruelty and tamed by faith in Iesus Christ this is the nature of all men Then in that third verse lest that matter concerning faith and the scarcitie of it should haue offended them and moued them to doubt and to thinke it might be that they should fall away from the faith He sayes the Lord is faithfull and he shall