Lecture 5 · 1 Thessalonians 2:3–7

THE FIFTH LECTVRE VPON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS.

BRETHREN the purpose we haue in hand, and hes had these dayes bygone is the rejoysing of the Apostle together with the Thessalonians, for the graces of God bestowed on thē. The Apost. falles out in a narration concerning himself & the manner of his entrie among the Thessalonians, setting out the grace of God that vvas vvith him, vvhen he entered in among them to this end, to let them see the ground wherevpon their faith vvas builded vvas not faire vvordes, but that effectuall grace of God that was hid vp in the ministrie. The last day vve shevve the Apostle proponed his manner of his entrie among them, it vvas not in vaine, it vvas not fectlesse, but fectfull, and when he come and entered amongst them, he come vvith a libertie and boldnesse, vttering the Gospell of Christ, and a libertie not grounded on man, or on his ovvne affection, but on the power of God. This boldnesse he amplifies in respect of the afflictions vvhich before he had suffered at Philippi, & in respect of that suffering he had, while he preached that word of the Gospell with libertie among them.

Now to come to this text we haue in hand. The Apostle in the third verse of this chapt. answeres to that which might haue bene thoght and objected by the Thessalonians (for he meetes the thoght of the heart) Thou sayes thy entrie amonge vs was with libertie & boldnes, but looke with what sincerity thou entered among vs: it is not eneugh to preach with boldnes & libertie, but there must be sinceritie, looke that thy preaching hes not bene with deceat to deceiue vs, with vncleānes, with guile. If any of these thre things haue concurred with thy preacing & exhorting, al thy liberty in preaching & exhorting auails not. The Apostle answeres (marke euerie word) for our exhortation vvas not by deceit, nor by vncleannes, nor by guile. Look to the vvords. Our exhortation, our doctrine or preaching (for by a speciall part of the doctrine, which is exhortation he vnderstandes the whole, and that because all doctrin ends in exhorting. Exhortation is the cōclusion of all doctrine) exhortation, sayeth he, was not with deceat, with vncleannes, nor with guile, that is to say, was not with any kind of fainednes, neither in substance of doctrin, which is called deceat (false doctrine deceiues.) Neither in affection, in vttering the Gospell, which is called vncleannesse, neither in the manner of delyuerie, which here is called guile. In a word our exhortation was voide of all sort of vnsinceritie: no part was simulate. Marke the lesson on this verse. Ye see here this meeting the Apostle makes to the verie thoght of the heart, and to the opinion they might haue conceyued, that he was not sincere in doctrine, vtters plainlie that there is oft-tymes a verie opinion and suspition in the heartes of the hearers, that there is vnsinceritie in the teacher, in delyuering the doctrine, and this will make such a doubt in the heart, that it will hinder edification and faith. And therefore the teacher had much neede to take head to himselfe in teaching, to his affection, and to eschew all sort of vncleannesse, if it were but in his thoght and affections: before he speake he should striue to get a sanctifyed heart, and in word let him meete the verie thoght and suspition of the people, to remoue all blame of vnsinceritie in preaching and vttering the Gospell, that edification and faith may increase. His end in preaching is faith, that the people may beleeue and be edified: Let him therefore put away all occasions that may stay the edification of the people, that the worke and building may goe vp and faith may grow.

Then secondlie ye se, there are sundrie sorts of vnsinceritie: A man may be vnsincere in teaching many wayes: he may teache, and yet teache false doctrine: he may be vnsincere in his heart in teaching: he may be vasincere in delyuering, and thereby deceyue thee. And there is none of these wayes, but they will stay edification, if the people take a suspition, if it were of an vnsinceritie of the heart, it will stay the worke. And therefore, in all manner of way the teacher should striue to be sincere in vttering the Gospell: that if there be any stop, it may be in him that heares, and not in him who teaches: for if the preachers stryue not for his part to sinceritie, and the people for their 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 thē. 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 sinne, 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? what was his calling? He sayes, The Gospell vvas committed to me. That is his calling. Therefore, saye he, so vve speake. Looke what is euery mans calling? Euery man in a faithful discharge of his own calling is bounde to please God. He saieth not, God allowed of me, therefore I please him in playing the part of a king or magistrate: but he hes called me to be a minister, therfore I wil please him in speaking. Then let euerie man set his heart to please God in his owne calling. So there are two things vve should respect in seruing God: First do all to please him; Secondlie, in the calling he hath placed thee into chieflie studie to please him. Keep these tvvo, and then thou shalt be acceptable vnto him.

In the end of the verse he subjoynes, But God vvho approoueth our hearts. These vvordes containe an assurance that Paule had in his heart, that in speaking and discharging of his calling hee pleased God. God within me had his secreete allowance, God in my hart as he allowed of me first, ere I had grace, and placed me in the Ministrie, so now when he has geuen me grace to please him, he allowes of me There are two sorts of Gods allowing. The first is when God allowes of any man before he haue anie grace, 2. sorts of Gods allovving. and by his allovvance makes him able to doe good: the second is, vvhen he allowes of him in the vvorke he hes geuen him by his grace. The first allowance moues a man to serue his God and to do all things in his calling: the second allowance is a warrand to him that he hes done well. Alwaies the lesson is. If thou set thy selfe to please God thou shalt neuer vvant a vvitnesse of thy doings, thou shalt neuer want a secreete testimonie within thy selfe, (albeit all the vvorld should close their mouth, and neuer speake to thee) thou doest well: settest thou thy selfe to serue God, he shall round in thy eare and tell thee of thy weldoing, and giue thee a secreete joye. By the contrair, doest thou euill? art thou an harlote? settest thou thy selfe to displease God, who hes geuen thee all things? thou shalt get a bitter witnesse in thy hart, saying, false villaine, thy pleasure is in displeasing God; ô catiffe, thou art adjudged to condemnation. Iohn 1. Epist. 3. 20. sayes, If thy heart condemne thee, God is greater then thy heart, much more will he condemne thee: take head to thy conscience; if thy conscience tell thee thou doest well, the Lord approues thy doing: otherwise, if thy conscience telles thee thou does euill, the Lord disallowes thee.

Now as he hes remooued from him before, all sortes of vnsincere doing, and tooke to him sinceritie in speaking, to please God in all things who gaue him his allowance: he goes deeper in the verse following, and he remoues from him the soull vyces, out of the which springs the vnsinceritie in dealing. The first is called flattering words: the second auarice: the third, ambition, insatiable greed of honour and estimation. Foūtaines, of vnsinceritie. He remoues all these three, which are as as many fountaines, wherefrom vnsinceritie springs. It is not my purpose to insist largelie on these vices. Onelie I shall speake as accords to this place. The first then is flatterie, Flatterie. for no man vsed he anie flattering wordes in preaching. Marke the lesson. When a Preacher is inclyned to flatter and fletche on earth, either King, Queene, Councell, or subject, man or woman, he is not sincere in his calling. There is none of vs in no degree, but we may be, yea, and would be flattered. The Apostle is speaking heere of flatterie, not of Kings, or Princes, but of the flattering of the Thessalonians, Neither did vve vse flattering vvordes, sayes he. But my lesson is, Where any Minister is set to flatter and fletche on the earth, that man ere all be done, will fall out in false doctrine, he will frame himself so to the affection of them whom he would flatter that he wil be vnsincere in doctrine. Why? The fountaine of flatterie is the foull crooked affection of man or woman: and so, if the vaine man wil apply himself to the crooked affection of man, the doctrine shall be crooked: ere he faile in flatterie, he shall fall out in false doctrine. The heart of them who speakes in the name of the Lord Iesus, must be set onelie on God, and not vpon any man on earth, Well, the Apostle takes them to be witnesses of this, and sayes, As ye knovv. It easie to knowe a flatterer, his wordes will bewray him, he will commonlie call God to witnesse, but not men. Men shold behaue themselues so, that they take not ay God onelie, but also good men to be witnesses to their doinges: Paul heere takes not God, but the people of Thessalonica to be witnesse, saying, ye knovv. It is true, brethren, albeit the words wil bewray the flatterer; yet such is the blindnes of man, who vvith selfe-loue is set to pleasure his foull affection, that if a man wold neuer so plainelie flatter him in his face, yet oft times he can not perceiue the flattery, and he beleues this fained flatterer to be his greatest friend. The Lord keepe vs from such flatterers, & lighten our eies vs grace that we may discerne them.

The next verse. The seconde vice is auarice, and he calles it the pretence of auarie; Auarice. your books turnes it, nor coloured couetousnes. Auarice in anie man is dangerous, but chieflie in a Minister; it will make him to do much euill: for if his heart be set on auarice, and that be his end and purpose to vvin the worlde, he will in the end fall out in corrupt doctrine: for the rule of his teaching being his ovvne bellie and gaine, ere he faile to get his purpose, hee will teach false doctrine. It maye be there be some men in this lande vvhose hearts are so set on this sort of auarice, that they vvould say masse, ere they should vvant their gaine. After that this vice of auarice raigne in anie man, it vvill misguide him maruellouslie, he wil leaue nothing vndone to get his filthy hart satisfied: in anie estate in the vvorld an auaritious heart workes much mischiefe. In the next words he takes God to be witnes, & sayes, God is my record Auarice is not sodanely perceiued, because it comes in with so faire a colour, the colour of godlines, the fairest colour that is, and the sight of man is so short that it can not looke in to the corners of the heart full of guile. But the Lorde hes an eye that can looke through thy bodie in to thy hart, and he can tell thee whether auarice be in thee or not. And therfore Paule takes God to be vvitnes that his heart was cleane of auarice. Then learne; there is nothing so hid in man but he will get a witnes thereof; if man can not be vvitnes, God vvho sees all things, hee shall be vvitnes to thee, and in that great day he vvill reueale all, and discouer the secreetes of all hearts: thou shalt not vvant a vvitnesse: thinke nor, vvhen thou art sinning, thou shalt ay lurke still in sinne; no, the Lord at last will take thee out and make thee a spectacle to the vvorld.

The last vice here is ambition. Ambitiō. Neyther sayes he, sought I the praise of men, I sought no honor, neyther of you, nor of others; and so, I am free of all kinde of ambition. To speake this by the vvaye: It is not eneugh to be free of anie sinne in anie respect, at this time onelie, in this place onelie, in the sight of some onelie; but, he that vvould be free of anie vice, as ambition, let him in all respects be free of it; in respect of all persones, all times, all places: for, otherwise, he is an hypocrite and he vvill begyle men. So, we should studie to please God in all wayes, in respect of all places and persones, and as if there vvere in the vvorld no moe but thy selfe allone, thou shouldst doe as he commanded thee. The lessone is, It is dangerous for anie man to be ambitious; but, in him that teaches the Gospell in the name of the Lord, whose calling should be, to seeke the Lord & his glorie, ambition is most dangerous: if this man be ambitious, if the thinge he seekes by his preaching, be his honour and estimation, if his heart be inclyned that way, in the end, if occasion serue, he will proue an euil man; he will be a papist, an hereticke, and so forth. It is a most sure thing, he that is geuen to ambition will applye all his actions to obtaine honour, because he serues that sinne as a slaue. I confesse, there are none free of vice, we are all borne in sinne, (except the Lord Iesus) and naturallie we are inclyned to al vyce, to auarice to ambition, we woulde all be Kings, and rulers &c. no, none of vs is free thereof: but, blessed is that soule that getteth a peece of mortification, that his sinnes raigne not ouer him, as lords; for, if sinne raigne ouer thee, thou shalt be compelled to serue thy appetite. Wee are all foull, aswell ministers as people, but, the Lord keepe vs from ambition raigning in vs and tyrannizing ouer vs. For, then, there is no vyce nor mischeefein ths worlde that can be deuised, but we shall be compelled to commit it, and all, to serue that foull sinne; and a Minister in his calling of all men ought to haue the greatest care to flee this ambition. Alas, the raigning of these sinnes what they haue wroght in this age, experience hes told: this black darknes and this corruption that is in the kingdome of Antichrist hes risen on flattery, auarice & ambition: among all the Princes on earth, who ouercomes this Antichrist in auarice? who ouercomes him in ambition? who goes before him in flatterie? Miserable experience showes well eneugh, that these vyces hes broght in all heresies, and darknes, and these are thre rootes to all other vices.

Now in the wordes following, he amplifies that which he hes spoken of the sins of auarice and ambition. He saieth I soght not goods, nor honour of you, nor no others: he amplifies it In deed I might haue ben chargeable to you. I might haue soght goods of you, being the Apostle of Christ: my calling might haue made me chargeable to you, to haue taken goods and honour or you: but I did it not. Brethren this is a maruellous thing. Men hes this sentence in their mouth. ministers right to temporall things. The Minister of God hes no right nor title to these thinges which other men enjoyes. But I say to thee, he hes a title to the riches and goods of this world, to his own share of the honour of this world in his calling. Yea, Paul in the first Epistle to the Corinthians, 9. 11. sayes, If vve haue sovve vnto you spirituall things, is it a great thing, if vve reape your carnal things? If or hers vvith you be partakers of this povver, are not vve rather? Which wordes importes a greater right we haue nor other men hes. If ye be addebted in any of these things to any man, much more to him that ministers spirituall things. And Paul charges Philemon vers. 19. not with a common pleasure or goods: but with a debt of himselfe: a Minister hes a right in a man to his lyfe if he be faithfull. But that ye should not thinke this maruelous, the things, as Paul sayes, that are geuen by the Minister, are things spirituall: he ministers to thee that spirituall lyfe, and woe is to that man that gettes not this spirituall lyfe: and thou may say, cursed be the houre that euer I was born in, thogh thou were the Monarch of the whole earth, if thou get not this spirituall lyfe, the lyfe of God, the lyfe of Christ. Then he sayes, as by Ironia: is it a faire matter to thee to minister to them temporal things? this world thinks they get ouermuch if they get a drinke of colde water, or an aiker of land: but would to God men had an eye to see what these spirituall things meanes. There is no sense of heauenlie things amongst the most part of men now in those dayes. Yet againe the speciall commendation a Minister can haue, is euen for Christs sake, and for the Gospels sake, to renounce some part of this right he hes to worldlie thinges, ere the Gospell should be slandered. And therefore Paul sayes, we haue not vsed our right, but we suffer all thinges, that in no maner of vvay the Gospell shoulde be stayed, and so the course of mans saluation left off. Marke it, If anie man for the Gospels sake let a peece of his right passe, (aswell an other man as a Minister) that the Gospel may be furthered, and the course of mans saluation goe forvvard, it is vvell done. The Apostle sayes, Why suffer ye not vvronge rather nor before heathen magistrates ye shoulde cause the Gospell to be slandered? 1. Corinth. 6. 7. Well is hee that can let some part of these vvorldlie goodes goe, that the Gospell may encrease: hee shall receyue a faire recompence, and he shall get a part of that heauenlie inheritance with Christ his Sauiour.

Novv to end: In the last verse we red he sets downe a vertue contrarie to auarice and ambition; leauing auarice, leauing ambition, what follovved? he sayes, But vve vvere gentle among you, euen as a nource cherisheth her children. So the vertue that Paul vsed contrarie to these two vices, is pleasantnes: this pleasantnes, vnderstand what it is, it is a gentlenes in all manner of dealing, in behauiour submitting him selfe to them, for the winning of them, submitting him selfe to al kinde of trauell and paine; as the paine the nource takes for the childe, to be a seruant to them that he might vvinne them, not respecting the honour and care of the world, but onlie vpon such affection as the mother hes to her childe; & so he takes a similitude from a mother toward her infant: there is no busines nor care the mother wil leaue vndone for the infant, nor respecting her hyre or gaine, but vpon an inteere affection to the infant. Then learne shortlie; A pastor must be like a mother: Paul Gall. chapter 4. verse 19. compares him selfe to a mother trauailing in birth, vntill Christ be reformed in them; O my little children, vvith vvhom I trauaile in birth, vvhile Christ be reformed in you. Novv he cōpares the pastor to a nource taking paines to nourish them when they are borne vpon a motherlie affection, without eyther respect to goods or honor; and he compares the people, who by the pastor are fed in Christ, & nourished by the sincere milk of the vvord to infants. As a yong infant craues no other nourishment but milke; no more shouldst thou craue to be nourished with any other food but the sinceere milke of the word: and as the infant would die, except he be fed with milke: so all they that refuses to be nourished with this sincere milke of the word, if they continew, die shall they. Thou Lord, Laird, or Barron, Husband-man, die shall thou, if thou be not nourished with this sincere milke of the worde. If it be so betweene the people and the Pastor, Affection of the Pastor to the flocke. as betwene the childe and the mother: the Pastors lesson is. Looke what tender affection the mother hes to her birth, to cherishe it, to take paines and trauaile, to wake and watch ouer it, and all vpon a motherly affection, without respect of honour or gaine: the lyke shoulde thy affection be towards thy flocke, and on paine of thy lyfe looke thou seeke them, and not theirs. The Mother seekes the well of her childe, and not his goods, nor honour: so seeke thou the well of thy flocke, and not their goods, nor honour, and let thy affection be motherlie: and when thou sees the motherlie affection of the mother to the childe, say, The Lord giue me such an affection to my people as this mother hes to her childe, & let my honour and gaine be to get them nourished. The honour of a Minister is in Heauen, and not in earth, his gaine is in Heauen. So Paul sayeth, 1. Thess. 219. What is our hope, or ioy, or crovvn of reioysing? are not euen you it in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ at his comming to glorifie his elect. To this Christ with the Father and the holy Spirite, be glorie and honour for euer.

AMEN.