Lecture 6 · 1 Thessalonians 2:8–12

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

THE Apostle (ye remember brethren) leauing off for a tyme the purpose that was in hand, to witte, that rejoysing he had with them, for the graces of God was in them. In the second chapter he falles out to a discourse concerning himselfe, making mention of his manner of entrie among them, how it was not in vaine. For when he entred among them, he entred with libertie, although that hee had suffered immediatlie before at Philippi, notwithstanding of the battaile he had in the meane tyme while he preached to them. Thereafter ye heard the last day, he remoued from him selfe all suspition of vnsincere dealing in preaching the Gospell, chalenging to him self sincerity in preaching. Seing in preaching and speaking he had not man before his eyes, but God; not content onlie to remoue from him vnsinceritie in dealing, he discends to the fountaines of vnsinceritie and vncleane dealing; which are three: namelie, flatterie, auarice, ambition, and these three rootes of vnsincere and vncleane dealing in the ministrie, he remoues from him: he flattered them not he was not greedie of their goods, he was not greedie of honour. Albert, saieth he, I might haue beene chargeable to you, as the Apostle of Christ ye were addebted to me both of your goods and honour, yet I would haue none of them, but I liued in the midst of you, vnburdensome, submitting my selfe to all fashrie and paines for your sakes, as a mother nourishing her childe, will vndertake all paines for the childe: so did I for you.

Now in the first vvords of this text we haue red, that vvhich he spoke of the nource cherishing her childe, he applyes to him selfe. Thus sayes he, being affectionate tovvards you. The vvord is in the first language, I was desirous of you, I had a longing desire of you; such desire as a mother hes to her infant: she can not suffer her infant to be out of her sight, to be absent from her, incontinent she grieues for it, she is not well vvhile thee haue it in her sight. The same affection, (sayes the Apostle) I beare tovvards you, I loue you, I can searcelie vvant your presence: for being absent from you, I haue a continual care of you. There is the meaning of the wordes in the which ye see that loue, that motherlie affection to call it so the Apostle bare to this Church of Thessalonica. The first grace in the Pastor, is to loue his flock: this is the ground of all the rest, if he want it all the rest is deare of the hauing, if he had all the learning and eloquence and vtterance of men and Angels, all is nothing if there be not loue and affection in his heart to his flock Paul 2 Cor. 6. recounting our many marks of the Apostle which he bare, amongst the rest in the 6. verse of that chapter, he accounts vnfamed loue to be one: for nombring those marks, he declares what spirituall loue he bare to the Corinthians, saying in the 11. verse. O Corinthians, my mouth is open to you, our heart is made large, so that if it were possible, I vvould take you in my heart, ye dvvell not narrovvlie in me, but ye dvvell narrovvlie in your ovvne bovvelles. I loue you, but ye loue not me so intirelie as I doe you. In the 11. chapter of that Epistle verse 28. stryuing vvith the false Apostles, he shovves vvhat carefulnesse he had of the Church. Beside, sayeth he, all the things fallen on me, I haue the care for all the Churches of the vvorlde. Who is afflicted? but I am afflicted, I vnderstand there are none afflicted, but I am afflicted vvith him. Who is offended, but I burne? It is vvonderfull to knovve vvhat affection hee bare to the Church of Christ. Ye vvho reades his vvorkes will vvonder that there coulde be such an affection in his heart to the Church of God. Well brethren, all grace beginnes at loue: all the blessinges of God in Christ beginnes at the loue of God. So he loued the vvorlde that he gaue his onelie begotten Sonne for it. Iohn 3. 16. The giuing and death of Christ and all the blessinges in Christ came or the loue of God to vs in Christ. All faithfulnesse and duetie of men, that man can doe to man, must spring of the loue of the heart, otherwise it is all a vanishing shadovv, not a thing in deed, but a vaine showe, albeit it be neuer so glistring in the eyes of men: if thou would giue all that thou hast to the poore, if it come not of loue and affection of the heart, all is lost all is for noght.

Now in the words following, to the end of the tenth verse, the Apostle brings in sundrie arguments, testifying his intire affection he had to them: Loue must not stand in words, but it must be vttered in testimonies so that the world may see it in very deed. The worke will let men see the hart, albeit it be God who is the onelie searcher of the heart. Men will not be so blinde, but in the hand they will see the hart: if thy hand be closed thy ha•• is closed The first argument testifying his loue & affection is a good-will he haue to them: such a good-will that he was 〈◊〉 to imparte and deale to them, 〈…〉 precious thing, but also his ow〈…〉 and all because of the loue he bare to them 〈…〉 see heere the first argument of the 〈…〉 in parting and liberall 〈…〉ralitie. A Pastor vvho loue 〈…〉 them, he vvill giue them g〈…〉 comparision. A mother who loues her childe, she will not be sparing to him, but liberall: so a Pastor that hath anie tender affection to his flocke, will not be sparing, but liberall and free to them. When the heart of man is open with the affection of loue, it will open the hand also, and if he be niggard-handed sparing on his flocke those graces God hes geuen him, it is a sure argument there is no loue in his heart.

But come to the good things whereof the Apostle was liberall. The first thing was the Gospell of God, a pretious thing, the glorious Gospell of the blessed Lord. That is the thing that is concredite to him, and it is the foode of the soule of man: so that his liberalitie beginnes at the foode of the soule, he must be liberall of the foode of the soule of men, which is concredite to him, to giue it to his flock. The mother beginnes to nourish her childe with the milke of her owne breast, her own substance. So the Pastor must beginne at the foode of the soule, he must begin at the sincere milke of the word, without the which there is no growing, and if they be not fed with this milk of the word first, they shal neuer come to the grouth & stature of man, but shall be like dwarsses: and we so long as we dwell heere are onelie infants in heauenlie things; and all our thinking of heauen is but infancie; all our speaking thereof, the blabling of infancie. So we must be fed with that milk or else we shal neuer come to the stature of men, and perfection of heauenlie things. The Apostle counts this but a smal thing, to deale the gospel of God (albeit it be pretious) in respect of the other thing, his soule he had to deale to them. 1. Cor. 9. 16. He saieth, if I preach not the Gospell, I haue not vvherin to reicice, and vvoe is to me if I preach not the Gospell, He who will not be liberall in preaching of the Gospell, which coast him not a penny, it will be long ere he geue his life for his flock▪ if they were in Hell he would neuer redeeme them with his 〈◊〉 Then the next thing whereof he is liberall, it is his 〈…〉 the liberalitie of a louing Pastor will end in 〈…〉 It will begiane at the preaching of the 〈…〉 his life which is more: if it be ex〈…〉 This is the affection of 〈…〉 to her childe, she wil die for 〈…〉 affection, he will die for his flock. This is counted a greater thing not the other, to die for the flocke, greater not to deale the Gospell. Not that Pauls soule was more pretious then the Gospel of God: no, the Gospel of God was more precious then the soules of Paul, Peter, and of all the Apostles, and of all the men in the world: but he counts it greater, because it was an harder thing to him to do: it was an easier thing to him to preache the Gospell, nor to giue his lyfe for them. Yet brethren, albeit it was an easier thing to a man to preache the Gospell, nor to giue his life, thinges will fall out so, that all the bygone preaching shall be in vaine, except in the end thou seale vp thy bygone preaching with thy bloude, if God call thee therevnto, the Gospell shall not haue that sweet smell except it haue the perfume or thy bloude. The Apostle to the Philipp. 2. 17. sayes that the vvould rejoyce If he vvere offered vp vpon the perfume of their faith. When the Lord thinks it expedient, he must lay dovvne his soule, and vvith his bloud he must perfume the Gospell he hes preached, otherwise he hes lost all his trauell and his life to; and it is better to suffer then to lose all his trauaile, and in the end his life. This tyme is yet to come to vs, the Lorde knovves hovv neare it is. The Lorde giue vs grace that vvee lose not our tyme bygone, but that vve may laye dovvne our lyfe for the Gospell, if that neede requyre.

In the end of the verse he turnes againe to the ground of his liberall dealling. This my liberalitie is not for any liberalitie of yours toward me, nor for any respect of commoditie I will get at your hands. This my liberalitie is set onelie vpon louing affection. So that hee declareth the cause thereof to be loue. It is necessare to the people to be perswaded of the loue of the Pastor, otherwise except they be assured of his loue, albeit he should vtter the fairest doctrine that is, there will be no edifying. And so I see Paul ay seekes to show them of his loue, that they might be edified. Particular gaine will make a man preach: There are sundrie Ministers who wil be diligent to preache for game; but whē it comes to lyfe geuing they faile there. Worldlie gaine will neuer cause him be liberall of his lyfe, onelie loue makes a man liberall of his lyfe. And therefore Paul sayeth, It was onelie for loue, and not for gaine, because ye vvere deare vnto vs. He vvho hes not this loue, he may vvell flatter men a vvhile, but the end that trye he had no true loue. The Lord giue men, especiallie the Ministrie this affection, that in the end they may proue to bee true Pastors: for if they haue not this loue, the end shall try they haue bene hyrelings. The Lord giue euerie man grace to trye-vvell, vvhat readinesse and resolution he hes to suffer, for there is no day that the Minister ryses but he is bound to take this resolution in his heart, to render his blonde vp for Christ: And therefore albeit he die not, yet let him be dead in the resolution of his heart, and say, Lord heere I am readie to die for thy vvorde, if it please thee so to call me. This is the first argument whereby he showes his loue towards the Thessalonians.

In the next verse he sayes, For ye remember, brethren, our labour and trauaile. I will not onelie talke to you of my goodvvill, but I will call to remembrance, what labour and trauaile, with what anguishe and griefe I haue suffered for your cause. The vvordes are verie weightie in their owne language, and speciallie the second, the words signifies such trauaile as a man takes on him, Labor for the relefe of the flocke an argumēt of loue. after he is vvearied vvith trauaile, vvhen he takes on him trauaile againe. This is great labour. He labours while he was wearied and then he laboures againe to get rest. He vses this vvord in sundrie places. Alvvayes marke. To testifie the inward affection of the heart, the Pastor beares to the flock: it is not eneugh to professe a good-will, that he had a purpose to haue vsed liberall dealing with them, and to say, I vvill deale liberallie vvith you: that is onelie vvordes: but vvith the words, the flock must haue an experience thereof, an experience of bygone loue and of a good deed, and there is nothing better to testifie the affection, then the labour and trauaile the Pastor suffers for the flock. Charitie is laborious and painefull chap. 1. vers. 2. a man who loues an other he will vndertake paines for him: His loue will not be in word, but in action, he will runne for him, he will ryde for him night and day. If a Pastor loue his flock, he vvith trauaile day and night for it: and it is a vvonder to see vvhat paines loue vvill endure. Ye knowe this all well eneugh. Farther the word is to be marked. Ye remember. He charges them with a remembrance, and if they will forget it, he will not let them forget it. The people should remember of the paines of the pastor, thou art bound to remember vpon the care and prouidence of God for thee, thou should remember the Pastors paines: for if the Lord had not taken care on thee, he would neuer haue raised vp the Pastor, to take such a care on thee: and this is one of the ordinare meanes God vses to prouide for his people, by raising of Pastors to take paines on them, and if thou remembers not on the mans paines, thou remembers not on the Lords prouidence. The remembrance of the Lordes prouidence, and paines of the Pastor for thee goe together, and thou who lightlies the paines of the man, thou lightlies Gods prouidence: contemning the one, thou contemnes the other; remembring the one, thou remembers the other. Men will say, they remember on the Lords prouidence, and yet they speake nothing of the instrument God hes sent to winne them. No, he can not be thankfull to God that forgets his Minister.

Now in the wordes following, he makes plaine the labour & pain that he bestowed on them. First, sayes he, I preached vnto you the Gospell of God. There is a part of my labour: Preaching is a speciall labour: what matter were it if there had bene no more but preaching. I vvroght and laboured vvith my ovvn hands, not in the day onele, but in the night also: day and night I laboured. Paul was a craftsman, and had a handie-craft: he was a weuer of Tents and Pauilions: and vpon that came familiaritie betweene him and Aquila, and Priscilla, who were of that same trade, and he did dwell with them. Act. 18. 3. Besides this he was a gentleman, and for other sciences he was wel broght vp, broght vp in the lawes at the feet of Gamahell, who was a chiefe lawyer, (and yet for all this he was a craftsman,) an Hebrew of the trybe of Beniaemin, of a good estimation, he that got that benefite to be a citizen of Rome, he was a gentleman. Wel, a gentlemā nowadayes thinks it shame to put his sonne to any craft: but perchance the next day he will be hanged for theft, or murther, if he haue not a craft to sustaine him. Fy on this idle nation, and thou Scotland bears the gree of idlenesse and loytering. Wherefore was all this labouring? Because, saieth he, I should not be chargeable vnto you. Brethren, an end of his working was for his sustentation: an other end was, that the Gospell shoulde not be slandered. We see he was sparing of these Thessalonians, and yet he preached carefully to them, and al to this end, that the Gospel should not be slandered, he wroght with his own hands, albeit they wer debt-bound to him. Marke here, the thing in the world all men should chieflie seeke, is that the Gospell of Christ should haue the own progresse, without any stop or stay. And aboue al things a Pastor who is the instrument of this progresse, is bound that by no meane hee be the stay of the Gospell given to win soules to the kingdome of Iesus: left that which he is building vp with the one hand, be not casle downe with the other, as many doe: they build on Sonday by their teaching, & all the week they cast down by their euill life: they destroy more by their life & maner of liuing, nor they builde by their preaching. The least offence in the world wil hinder the course of the Gospel; because of the infirmitie of men & wemen, for they will start at a stray. There was neuer a stumbling horse comparable in stumbling to the heart of man: considering that so little a thing will cause men take offence at the Gospell, and leape farther back nor they came forward. (We clim vp to Heauen verie softlie and slowlie: but if vve runne to Hell, vve shall fall dovvn in an houre more then vve did climme in a yeare.) Therefore we are all bound to flee all kinde of offence and slander. Looke that thou offend not, offend not the infirme to cause them goe aback, neither in the word of thy mouth, nor in any action vvith hand or foote, or by the vvinke of thy eye to say the progresse of the Gospell And of al men the Pastor is bound to walke most warelie. Paul renounces his own right to flee this occasion of offence. The Thessalonians wer bound to giue him temporall thinges, who ministered to them spirituall things: but giuing ouer his right, he laboured night and day with his hands for his sustentation. Euerie man in their owne degree is bound to suffer all extremitie, ere they be a stay to the Gospell; but cheeflie the Minister. For Paul in the first Epistle to the Corinthians chap. 9. vers. 23. sayeth, If for the Gospell they absteene not from their ovvne right, they shall not be partakers of the Gospell.

Farther ye may perceiue in the person of Paul and his example, who was in such neede as he? Albeit he was the Apostle of Christ, he was pinched in his bellie. 2. Corinth. chap. 11. verse 27. I haue, sayes he, beene oft in hunger, oft in thirst, oft in nakednesse, oft in fasting, and Philippians chapter 4. vers. 12. I haue learned to be hungrie. Then vve see by the example of Paul, God vvill let them vvhome he loues best oft tymes want their necessities. Measure not the grace of God by his outvvarde dealing vvith his, he vvill let his ovvne be as hungrie, as naked as anie other. And againe learne in the example of Paul, the remedie hovv a man that vvants shall supplie his vvant. Paul vvanted, vvhat refuge had he? He biddes thee not goe steale, nor reaue from them that haue. Labour remedie of vvant. Thou vvho art able to vvorke, he biddes thee not goe begge: hast thou hands? canst thou delue man? canst thou keepe sheepe? hast thou learned any craft? labour with thy hands as Paul did. Rather ere thou begge goe to the vyldest labor in the world. Idle raskals in this countrie, their labour all the day is crying, and begging. Alas, it is a shame vvhen a stranger sets his foot in Scotland to see this great misorder, and that shamelesse begging. Then there is the remedie, labour. O but thou wilt say, I am a gentle man, a Lords son, a gentle-mans son; it is shame to me to put my hand to vvorke: fyle thy hands, or perchance thou wilt be hanged if thou wer a lords son, go to the vyldest exercise that is, ere thou be idle, thou glorifies God in thy doing & labouring: but in idlenes, thou glorifies not God: if thou be going at the pleugh, thou glorifies God. Eate thy bread vvith the sweat of thy browes, otherwise it shall not do thee good: thou who lyes on other mens labors, thou eats and drinkes their bloude. Woulde to God this matter could be mended, aswel as it is lamented: alas that there is no remedie for idlenesse. Now when he labours, wherefore labours he? for himselfe onelie’ no brethren: euen to releeue the Thessalonians, that he should not be burden some to them Paul saies, Eph. 4. 28. He that steales let him steale no more. (Alas, it is ouer long to liue one day in theft,) but goe and vvork vvith his hands, not to himselfe onelie, but also to helpe others. There are none that are bound to labour, but they are bound for the sustenance of others Thy labor is nothing worth if thou keepe all to thy selfe, & put it all in thy owne bellie. Now ye haue heard two of the arguments whereby he testifies his loue he bare to them.

The third argument whereby he testifies that loue and affection he bare to them, is not from this or that particulare, but from his whole life & conuersation: Holy conuersation an argument of loue. ye are vvitnesses hovv I liued among gou. sholilie to my God, iustlie to my neighbour) and then hovv vnblameable, which followes on the other tvvo: he who is holie to God and just to his neighbour, there is no blame in him. A man that loues, be he pastor, or be what he will, he will showe his loue in going before others in a godlie life and conuersation. In his life and conuersation he wil be an example to others, and he liues not without vvitnes in the worlde: when thou goest out the way, the eyes of manie are vpon thee; goest thou out like a murtherer? many followe thee, goest thou out like a thiefe, an harlote? a number followes thee, and shall breake their necks on thee. Againe, a louing pastor will manifest his loue especiallie in going out before his flocke in an holie life: and these that haue not an holie life I will not say they haue loue: I will not say that the murtherer hath loue, no not to his owne wife and children; and he is but a stumbling blocke to all them that looke on him. An harlote hes no loue, she is but a stumbling blocke, & would haue al the world to follow her: these are destroyers of the building that shoulde be builded on Christ: woe to the destroyer of the Church of Christ. This is to be marked: thou wilt not liue without vvitnesses in the world, liue as well as thou wilt. Paul had vvitnesses of his life and manner of conuersation, God was vvitnes and men were witnesses: ye are vvitnesses and God is vvitnes. There are two things in a mans conuersation; the one within, the inward sinceritie of the heart; an other without, the outward behauior and doing. Therefore he must haue two witnesses The heart none can see but God, and therefore he is witnesse to it: the outward actions men may be witnesses to them. The whole actions of man are seene by God and man: God sees within, men sees without: both these witnesses are requisit; for if you haue not the approbation of God al thy approbatiō of men serues for nothing: who can allow when God dislikes? So thou who can not nor dare not say, Lord be witnesse to my sincere heart, thou hast no witnesse of God. Againe it is needfull that the consciences of men among whom we liue in this worlde, should geue vs a testimonie of a goode life: & if thou laikes the testimonie of men, thou laikes an approbation thou shouldest haue: and Paul euer seeks the approbation of men and appeales their consciences. The worde in the end of the verse is to be marked. Among you that beleeue. That is, you that are faithful: he takes the approbation of the faithfull. It is faith that decernes, it is the eye of faith that sees good and euill, and not the eye of the bodie. The faithlesse man, if he were neuer so quick, can not take vp holinesse, if he be faithlesse, he can not decerne betweene the holie and vnholie. This will be his discretion: the best man he will judge him worst, and the worst man he will judge him best. And therefore with Paul let no man take him to the approbation of wicked men: but let him rejoice when wicked men speake euill of him: but take him to the approbat on of good men. The approbation of an vnsanctified bodie is of no valour. The true approbation is onelie of God, and of these who hes faith to take vp the trueth of good and euill.

Now the last argument that testifies of this loue, it is in such things as concernes his calling; namelie, in exhorting, comforting, Faithfulnes in our calling an argument of loue. beseeching. There are thre named, vnder the which thre are cōprehended the whole dueties of the Pastor, as the other duety was in doing, so, this is in speaking: and not onelie must the Pastor speak priuatlie, but openlie; and not onlie openlie, but priuatlie. Wel then a louing Pastor wil not be dumbe: a dumbe Pastor is nothing worth: but as Paul makes the comparison, he must be as a father teaching his sonnes standing in the midst of them, exhorting, comforting, rebuking them; so must a Pastor stand in the midst of his flock, to exhort, comfort and rebuke them: loue must be in dealing with discretion, and all men must not be delt with alike, all men must not be exhorted, because all lyes not back in the way: they who are sluggish must be exhorted: all must not be comforted, there is some ouer proude and haue need of a reprofe, they onlie who mournes are to be comforted. In a word (that which is spoken to Tim thie 2. Epist 2.15) there must be a right cutting of the word, a Pastor must be a cutter and caruer, and according to his discretion, he must giue to euery man. Now I finde this, and ye see it, he takes God to be witnes, and the people among whom he dwelt, saying, ye know, ye are witnesses to me: Learne it. The flock amongst whom the Pastor hes bene, shall be witnesses to him in that great day, either to allow of him and his doing, or to disalow: to absolue or to condemne. If he hes discharged a faithfull duetie in his life, his flock will stand vp before God and Christ and justifie him in their presence in that day: if he hes bene vnfaithfull, they shall make a complaint of him, that he was an vnfaithfull Pastor who hes not done his duetie in his vocation. Therefore let euery man take head hovv he behaueth himself vvith any people, for either they shall be condemners. or absoluers of him.

Now he exhorts them. To vvhat thing? To vvalke. Not to ly down, and sleep, but to get vp on foote and vvalke in this world, because this life is but a pilgrimage, and a sleeping pilgrime is nothing worth. If thou goe not on, thou shalt neuer come to thy journeyes end. How should they vvalke? Not euerie vvay: for, it were better for men to be sitting or sleeping then to be walking wrong. Walke vvorthie of God. There is a kinde of comelinesse in going on the vvay: a man may goe on the vvay in a comelie manner, or else he may goe on the vvay in an vncomelie maner. Rule of vvalking. What is the rule of this comelinesse? Walke vvorthie of God vvho hes called you to his Kingdome. In a vvorde, the rule is, this glorious calling of God to be a Christian man and to be partaker of his kingdome. He vvho is called to be a christian man or vvoman, is also called to the Kingdome of God and Christ. Brethren, euerie mans life should be measured according to his calling, and as his calling is, so should he walke, and that calling should be a measure of his life. The king should vvalke in Majestie, to command: the people in loue and humilitie, to obey: the Minister in vprightnesse, to teache: the people in holinesse to vvalke before him: a marchant, a man of law, each one of them is bound in their manner of liuing, according to the rule of their calling. So, they that haue their calling to be christians, should haue their walking according to their calling. Is thy calling to be a christian? Liue not as a Pagane then, but as a christian. Thou wilt say, thou art called to be a christian, and then thou wilt be in the meane tyme a murtherer, an harlote, a thiefe: Is that thy walking in thy calling? No, this christian calling is to a Kingdome and glorie. There are none who are called to be a christian, but they are called to a glorie and Kingdome: they are trāslated from the power of darknesse, to the societie of Christ. Therefore, seeing, their calling is to a kingdome, they should walke like Kings sonnes: we are all made by our calling the sonnes and daughters of God, adopted in Christ and heires of that glorie that God dwels in. Then, walke worthie of God and glorie. As our kingdome is aboue, flee and mount aboue this earth, in some measure, so far, as the heauinesse of this corruption will fuffer: lift vp thy selfe, sinne holds thee down, cast off sin and preasse vpward: that life that is in God must be gotten aboue, in Christ: otherwise, if our harts be not lifted vp to that kingdome & glorie, if our conuersation in some measure be not answerable to our calling, we are vnworthie of that calling, and we haue neuer bene effectuallie called: thou was called by the eare onelie, thou heard the Gospell, thy heart neuer receyued the Gospell, nor saw this Kingdome and glorie that thou was called to. These wicked lyues of men showes vs, that, they were neuer effectuallie called. So as thou wouldst be a citizen of that heauenlie kingdome, and partaker of that glorious calling, liue an holie lyfe, that, after this lyfe, thou mayest be a king, & raigne with God for euer in Heauen. To this God the Father, Son and the holie Ghost, be all praise for euer.

AMEN.