Lecture 16 · 1 Thessalonians 4:9–12

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

THE Apostle, brethren, after hee hes set downe his general exhortation to sanctification and holinesse. This is the will of God, sayes he, euen your sanctification: that ye be holie in soule, holie in bodie, & holie in all your actions, within and without. He discends and comes to the particulare parts of this generall exhortation. The first part of it respects a man or vvoman in their own person, that they keepe their person to God, as the vessell of honor: keepe it from fornication which is a sinne that especiallie and in the highest degree fyles the person of a man, both in bodie and soule, which should be keeped in holinesse to God who made it. The next part of this sanctification concernes our brother, our neighbour; that wee doe no wronge, nor oppresse him by violence; we circumvene him not by fraude and guile in businesse concerning this life, but in all affaires we be as carefull he haue aduantage, as we are that our selues haue aduantage. When thou art onelie set to make vantage to thy selfe by thy own selfe loue, that aduantage is wrong. We heard the arguments the Apostle vses to moue them to this: First, the will of God. If the will of God will not moue thee from harlotrie, from doing euill vnto thy neighbour, let the vengeance of God moue thee, (for that is the second argument,) and it shall ouertake thee in the end, if thou continue therein. Then he came to that holie and Christian calling, that should moue vs to liue holie. We are called to be holie; let vs keepe therefore our owne person holie; let vs be holie to our brother; let vs be holie in our hand, holie in our faculties. Then he goes forward to another argument. He that will not be holie when he is called by man, he saies, it is not with man he hes adoe, but with God. It is God that bids thee keepe thy bodie cleane from harlotrie, thy hand from wrong: Therefore thou disobeying, thou disobeyes not man, but God. What is it to disobey me or him that speakes? It is that great God that thou rebellest against, and in that great day thou shalt be challenged as a rebell to that great God. These argumentes are all set downe to this end, to moue vs to holinesse. Then at last in the end of the last verse, he castes to an argument from the holie Spirite giuen vs by God, to this end. Getst thou the holie Spirit, to play the harlote? getst thou that holy Spirite, that glorious gift, the third person of the glorious Trinitie, dwelling in thee, as in a Temple, to the effect thou shouldst commit filthinesse? No, as all things oblishes thee to be holie so especiallie the holie Spirite of God dwelling within thee (crauing an holie Temple) craues holinesse: otherwayes with thy filthinesse thou shalt disludge him and anger him, vntill at last he shall depart from thee, and then that foull spirit of wickednesse shall possesse thee.

Nowe to come to the text. In the first part thereof he goes forward to another particulare part of this sanctification, which is brotherlie loue. So the third part of this sanctification stands in brotherlie loue, called beneficience and liberalitie to thy brother: a grace and vertue crauing an open hand, to bestow on the necessitie of thy brooher. So when he hes exhorted not to doe wrong to thy neighbour, not to oppresse him by violence, or surprise him by deceite: then he exhorts that thou be beneficiall to him, liberall to him, to support his want and necessitie. Hee sayes then, But as concerning brotherlie loue (bountifulnes towards thy brother) ye neede not that I vvrite vnto you. The reason of it is; What need haue I who am a man to be ouer diligent in teaching outwardlie, when God is the inward teacher of you; and when he teaches this point of doctrin in special, to loue euerie one another? Ther is the substance of the first words. Now to obserue something on the wordes. Ye see it is not eneugh not to do euil, but true sanctification craues that we do good also Decline from euill, sayes Dauid in his 34. Psal. vers. 15. and doe good. There are two things: It is not eneugh not to do wrong to our neighbour or brother, not to oppresse him, not to beguile him; but true holines craues that we benefite him, we bestowe on him a goode deede, we supplie his necessitie, want and pouertie. All the parts of this which we call sanctification, holines of life, (that are as manie graces of God in Christ) are so inseparablie linked together as the linkes of a chaine are one in another; All the parts of sanctification link it together. that if anie of them be a missing in anie person, man or woman, and be not in him in some measure, I cannot saye that that person hes truelie anie part of sanctification. As for exemple. Even this one grace of almous deeds, of beneficence, showing our liberalitie on them that haue need; if this be not in some measure in anie man or woman: Liberalitie. if there be nothing in the person but gredines, auarice and a closed hand: who can say that that person hes anie true or solide grace of God. If one of these vices raigne in thee, as auarice, raigning in the highest degree, if thou be a slaue to it, who can saye that anie true grace is in thy soule? Thou mayest wel count thou hast this grace or that grace, but I can not say that anie grace of that spirite raigne vvithin thy soule, make no account that ther is anie grace within thee, if any sinne raigne in thee without controlement. Count not of thy abstenance, thou wilt bee abstinent in mouth, and then an auaritious man But look that euerie grace of God in some measure be within thee, and that sanctification goe through thy vvhole soule and bodie. Peter in his sec. Epist. & 1. chap. linkes together all the graces of God: amongst the rest, he countes this brotherlie loue, he linkes this linke among the rest to help faith (for I assure thee faith will not stand it self alone.) Cast to, sayes he, to faith vertue, to vertue science, and so forth, vntill ye come to this brotherlie loue; Adde to thy brotherlie loue charitie, and so forth vntill all graces be linked together. Paul 2. Corinth. chap. 8. verse. 7. hes a speciall regarde to this grace, showing our liberalitie to our poore brethren: As ye abound in all thinges, in faith, knovvledge, &c. Looke sayes he, that ye abound also in liberalitie, and doing of almous deedes And as in all the graces of the holie Spirite in vs there is a resemblance of the Image of Christ: So ospeciallie in this grace of beneficence. Ye knovv, sayes Paul 2. Corinth: chap 8. verse 9. the bountifulnesse of the Lord, vvho vvhen he vvas riche, vvas made poore for our sakes, that vve might be made riche in his pouertie. Novv this is the grace that is heere recommended; and novv I recommend it to you, for if it was in any age craued, now certainlie at this tyme, thou hast more nor matter to shovve thy well doing and almous deedes to the poore; Certainlie charitie vvas neuer so colde, and mens handes vvere neuer so hard contracted and men vvere neuer nearer to themselues, nor they are now. The latter dayes are neare; for the nearer the end of the world be, we are the nearer our selues; and the nearer our selues the farther from God.

The Apostle when he exhorts them to this grace he comes not on so plainlie, but he vses an holy colour, and kinde of simulation: He exhorts them, and yet he lets not on him he exhortes. And as it vvere obscurelie, and passing by he giues them a watch-ward and wakens them vp to be beneficiall. To teach vs Ministers to be wyse in speaking to the people. We should not leaue off to exhort any person in whom there is grace to do any duetie: but, yet, we should doe it so discreetly, that, our exhortation seeme not so much an exhortation, as a commendation. For the grace of God in any person shoulde not be misknown, but known and reuerenced, both for his sake that is giber, and for his sake that hes gotten it: both that God may be glorified in giuing him that grace, and the person may be stirred vp to perseuere in that grace. For, it is an old prouerb, Vertue being commended increasse. Ioh. 1. Epist. 2. 27. vses this same wisdom. I need not, saies he, teach you, the holy spirit hes taught you all thinges, and in the mean time he is teaching them continually; yet when he is teaching them, he saies, he needed not to teach thē. So Paul when he is making a cōmendation of the grace in them, he saies, it is not needful to exhort you to the grace, ye haue a better teacher nor I, Teaching of the holy spirite. God teaches you; therfore I need not to teach you: the Lord teaches you by working in your harts by his holy Spirit, what needs me to teach you by my pen? Brethren. Ther are two sortes of teachers, God and man. Men teaches, Philosophers in schooles teaches, Ministers out of pulpets teaches, many sorts of teachers. If man be the onely teacher of grace and vertue to be embraced by the auditor, and if Gods Spirit should not concur inwardly to instruct the soule and heart, there would neuer be a good scholler in the schoole of christ; none of you to the worlds end would get good by teaching. It may be men teaching thee vvill informe thy minde, and make thee to vnderstand vvhat is spoken: but man can neuer teach the hart, that is, to embrace that is spoken: no it will passe mans power to reforme the hart: if the holy spirit moue thee not to embrace that which is spoken, thou wilt neuer embrace it, for all that man can say. As for example. I may stand vp and lay out before you this whole grace of liberalitie and beneficence, and paint it out in all the colours thereof, and make you vnderstand this whole vertue in all the parts: But when it commes to the heart to be practised in your life and conuersation, if the holy Spirit go not down to reforme the hart, ye shall neuer be the better, but the worse, for the knowledge shal but serue to aggreadge your condemnation. Then be neuer content with the voice of men, but euer cry for the inward doctour the Spirit of God from Heauen. And say, Lord come with this word, and teach my heart, otherwaies, all is but winde, and shall be an aggreading of my condemnation at the last day: It is thou Lord who is the onely inward teacher, and therefore except thou teach me, I shall not be taught. So except that holie teacher be with vs in teaching all is but lost tyme.

Now to come to the wordes. What is this the Lord craues of them? what teaches the Lord them? that euerie one should loue another. He teaches not onely loue, but loue that meetes loue; he will not teache thee onely to loue him, but him to loue thee againe. This is mutuall loue. As he teaches thee to loue me, so he teaches me to loue thee. loue must be mutual. Friendship standes not in the one side, but friendship must be conjoyned to friendship. There is no bond in that blessed bodie of Christ, except there be a mutuall bond: if I loue thee neuer so well, if thou loue not me, thou shalt neuer be in the bodie: For as the rest of the members of Christ loues thee, so thou must loue them againe, or else thou hast no fellowship in the bodie. Marke the order which the Apostle vses in teaching. When he instructes men in any grace (there are some fundamentall graces that are so called, because they are the grounds of al graces, to wit Faith, Hope and Charitie: first Faith, then Hope and Charitie, then followes al other graces on them.) When God instructs a man in any grace, he first layes down this fundamentall grace, and teaches him to loue, then he buildes another grace vpon it, and puts on liberalitie on it, and biddes thee bee beneficiall: first he biddes him loue, and then hee biddes him be beneficiall. Therefore Paul 1. Corinth. chap. 13. verse 3. Speaking of that same grace of beneficence, saies, If I should take all my substance and deale it to the poore, if this liberalitie come not from the heart and proceed not from loue, it auailes nothing. Giue all that thou vvilt giue, if thou loue not the person thou guest it to, thou hast lost thy thankes at Gods handes. Therefore in teaching liberalitie, that thy beneficence may turne to thy selfe, and doe thee good, as it does to another man, he teaches thee loue: For if my gift redound not to my owne well, woe is me. Then the vvay to get goode of the gift thou giuest, is to loue him thou giuest it to. The Philosopher he teaches the childe vertue, but as for loue he cannot worke it. He will teache thee liberality and descriue it to thee, but as for the hart he cannot instruct it. It is the Lord that teaches this fundamentall grace of Charitie, without the which, all thy doinges are as an house builded without good ground.

In the next verse, he proues that they are all taught of God by their doinges. Yea, saies he, and that thing verelie ye doe to all the brethren, that are in Macedonia. Ye are not speakers and braggers, but, doers; it is not speaking, that wil do the turne, but, doing beneficence must be in the hand and not in the mouth. This age is full of talke, as euer any age was, and all our goodnesse is only in our mouth and tongue, our faith in our mouth, our charitie in our mouth, our liberalitie in our mouth; little in heart, as little in hand, nothing in action. Take head. All this testifies, for all the doctrin and preaching of the grace of God in Christ, commonly God is not the teacher. God when he teaches a man to be bountifull, as he layes the fundamentall grace, vvhich is loue, so he makes it bud forth in the hand, that is he drawes it out in action; he draws it not out in the tongue, to clatter of it, but he draws it in the hand to doe well with it: and ther cannot be a surer argument that God is the teacher of any grace, nor when we see the action of the hand conformed to the profession. Count of them by their workes. Hast thou faith? the best argument to knowe thy faith by, is thy worke. Iames saies chap. 2. verse 18. Let me see thy faith, not in thy tongue, but in thy vvorks. Would thou knovve if a man hes a liberall heart? Looke not to his tongue, but to his hand. So he who is instructed by God in any grace, he is a doing man, a doer, and not a speaker.

Yet ere I leaue the wordes, marke this. He saies, to all the brethren. Loue to all the brethren, not to him, nor to her nor to one part, but all in whole Macedonia, that is, the whole Countrey about you: As if the liberalitie of Edinburgh were extended to whole Scotland, and to all the brethren in it. Marke then the maner of Gods teaching. As he layes downe the ground Charitie and builds ther on beneficencie, and bringes the grace from the heart to the hand: so he will not open one peece of the hand and shut it out to this bodie, or that bodie onely, and then draw it in againe: but he opens out the hand wide to all the brethren, and all the members of the bodie of Christ. Looke all the doctoures of Philosophie, when they discourse of this vertue of beneficence, and liberalitie, they lay, doe goode to thy friendes, and kins-men, aduance them: doe goode to them that doe well to thee: thy enemie, meete him againe, with an euill turne: yea, vvith tvvo euill turnes for one. And this precept is ouer vvell keeped in Scotland. But God, when he and his ministers teaches, he bids thee be beneficiall to all men, showe thy good deeds to all men yea to thy enemies. Loue thy enemies, show not only a good countenance to thy enemie, albeit he loue thee not, loue him: & by so doing coales of wraith shall be on his head. Commit the vengence to God, and he shall surely repay. Rom. 12. 19. Vengence is mine sayes the Lord, O would to God men could beleeue that, that the Lord would take vengence on the oppressour, and on such as are set on euill works: we shall see that vengence powred on them in that great day. The Lord (ye heard is the auenger of harlotrie and wickednesse: then let the Lord be the onely auenger. Yet there is a great difference in showing liberalitie. Respect (saies the Apostle) speciallie them, vvho are of the familie of faith. Galat. 6. 10. There is a difference of loue, as there are degrees of liberalitie, we are not bound to loue all men alyke, albeit we be bound to loue all men, yet we should loue them best, who are members of that bodie with vs in Christ. This difference must be keeped.

Now, when he hes left off to exhort them to beneficence. In the end of the verse, he saies, the least thing I can doe, is to exhort you, to increase more and more. This should learne vs, that when we see the grace of God in any person, we should not insist long to exhort them to that grace; for, when God is teaching, few wordes may serue them, to stirre them vp to that grace: but, they, whom the Lord teaches not by his Spirit, a thousand wordes will not teach them. So, they, that would releeue the Minister of paines, let them seeke earnestlie, that, God vvoulde be the inward teacher in the heart, and then thou shalt be taught. Now, Necessity of exhortation to perseuerance. brethren, albeit there be not a necessity to insist, to exhort men to the grace, they see, in any person, yet, there is a necessity to exhort them to perseuerance in that grace. There are none so indewed with any grace, as, with liberalitie, patience, loue, yea, faith it selfe, the ground of all graces, but, he hes need, euery day to heare the voice of exhortation to goe forward: For none hes made such progresse in the course of Christianitie (for, we are all in the rinke, running to the butt, Christ) when we haue runne all our dayes, vntill vve be gray haired, yet, vve are farre from the butt; and vve are ay falling back: and so, vve haue ay need of this voice crying after vs. Runne on, thou art running, thou hast ouercomde him, who ranne with thee: stryue to ouerrun thy self: Ran thou fast the day? run faster to morrow: amend thy pace euery day. There are none of vs, who standes so fast in grace, but, we may fall back againe: and therefore, we haue need, continuallie to heare this exhortation: And the Lord hes appointed his ministrie to cry after men, vvho are running in this rinke. And so if thou heare not the voice of his ministrie stirring thee vp to runne, if thou contemne the voyce of the crier, look, how fast thou euer ran forward, thou shalt run as fast backward. So, there is no better way to hold a man forward in this course of Christianitie, and to cause him grow in all grace, vntill he come to the end of the rinke, nor the crying of this ministrie, I denounce thee, contemne thou this ministrie, thou shalt neuer come to the end of the rinke, to get inheritance in Heauen. Men will not beleeue this, vntill they see it.

Now, Quyetnesse commended. in the last roume, after he hes exhorted them, to abstein from fornication, not to do wrong to their neighbour, to be beneficiall, and to loue their brother, last, he exhorts them, to study to be quyet. The word is. Be ambitious of quietnesse. As euer ye saw men ambitious of the honour of the world, be ye ambitious of quyetnesse: Among all the parts of vncleannesse, and of the vitiositie and foulnesse of this our nature, this is one, called curiositie, ouer great businesse in other mens affaires, in the thing, that concernes not vs, nor, our calling: Euen so, by the contrair, among all the properties of holinesse, this is one, To haue a sober, content estate. For, these two are opponned to other, a curious spirite and a quyet spirite: the one plaine contrair to the other, one is a vyce; the other, a vertue. And as I said before, They who hes not quyetnesse, in some measure, in their soules, but, in vvhom this curiositie raignes in highest degree, I cannot say, they haue any part of sanctification: For, there is such an vnseparable bond of the graces of the Spirite, that, where one is, in some measure all must be Glory neuer of one, nor, of two, nor, of three graces, except thou finde the whole graces, and euery one of them, in some measure, in thee.

Now, when he hes commended the grace it selfe, he comes to the effect of the grace, Effects of quyetnes. what auails any grace, without the effect? It is an vnprofitable grace? And the first effect of quyetnesse, is, To euerie man, to doe his ovvne businesse. To keepe him within the bounds of his owne businesse, and be exercised in his owne affairs, and not in the affairs of other men. So, the effect of quyetnes is not to sit idle, but to be exercised in well doing: but, in doing, not that, which perteins to another in their calling, but, that, which God hes appointed thee, in thy calling: Be as busie as thou canst in that, night and day. There is a great difference betweene a quyet person and an idle person: a quyet person is the best exercised person in the vvorlde; for, all his businesse is vvithin the boundes of his exercise, he is doing that, vvhich the Lord hes bidden him do (doe thy labour, but, goe not without the compasse of thy calling) and in the meane tyme, he is idle in other mens turnes: But, as for an idle man, I shall tell you his nature (no man can be altogether idle, but, he must be euer exercised in something, so long as there is breathe in his mouth.) An idle person does not a turne, that pertaines to his ovvne calling, but, in other mens calling he is euer busie, he is exercised in this thing and that thing, that perteynes to another man, and in the meane tyme he is a vagabound, vvithout any shift. Paul speaking of these busie bodies. 2. Thessal. chap. 3. verse 11. sayes, that, they doe no labour, and yet, they are busie bodies, exercised in other mens affaires, while as they are idle, in their owne calling.

The second effect, is a particular kinde of exercise; handie labour, vvorking vvith a mans ovvne hand, not vvith his seruants handes. And therefore, the vvord is, your ovvne proper handes. This vvoulde seeme ouer straite. It may be, that, many vvill be content to be exercised in an honest and liberall action, so, that, they may keep their hands clean: but, when it commes to an handy work, and to put to their hands and file their fingers, to the bowing of the back, and of the head, ô, that is ouer strait, it is ouer sore, to a Genle-man, to doe that, it settes him not: He is a Lords Sonne, should he fyle his hands with labour? But, Paul sayes, Labour with thy owne handes, rather ere thou be idle in this lyfe, Put to thy hand to a spade, or, shouell and dig dykes. Ye may reade 2. Thessa. chap. 3. verse 8. of Paul. I vvill shovve you what he did (appearantlie there hes beene men in Thessalonica, like this country people, who would not labour for their liuing) He sayes, Day and night, vvith paine and trouble, vvith my ovvne hands, I vvonne my liuing: beside my preaching, I won my liuing with my ovvne craft. In the might, vvhen he left teaching, he made tentes, for his liuing. Now, this he speakes, to be an exemple to these idle bodies at Thessalonica: and Paul, read of him, when ye will, he was a Gentle-man, a Roman, an Hebrevv, a Pharisie, yea, one of the Apostles of Iesus, vvhich is greatest of all; yet, he labours with his owne hands for his liuing. In the Epistle, to the Ephes. cha. 4. verse. 28. he saies. He that stall, let him steale no more, (sinner, sin no moree: harlot, liue in harlotrie no more; alas, it is ouerlong to spend, if it were but an houre in offending God.) Then if he, that stal, should steal no more, vvhat should he doe? Works, saies he, vvith his handes. I vvould, that, they, who cannot get other moyen to win their liuing by, should labour vvith their handes, for their liuing, if it vvere in the vylest office, that can be (for, all offices are sanctified, in Christ.) What makes a thiefe, but idlenesse? if thou vvilt not vvorke, thou must steale. In the second Epist. Thessa chap. 3. verse 12. (If any people had neede of this admonition, this land had neede thereof.) Paul sayes, vvorke vvith your ovvne hands. Wherefore? That ye may eat your own bread, not another mans bread, but, that thou maist eate thy ovvne bread, that thou hast vvin vvith the sweate of thy brovves: vvhereby he would meane, that, they, who vvill not put to their hands to worke, but, walkes vp and down idle, (vvce to that morsell, they put in their mouth) do reaue the meat out of the mouthes of the poore laborers.

Now, to be short. He sayes, He denounced these things to them, before; and he denounced them, in the name of Iesus, threatning a judgement, as ye may see, in that place. 2. Thess. 3. 11. 12. This is an Inhibition as straite, as anie Kings inhibition: He that vvill not vvorke, let him not eate. I forbid him to put the least morsell in his mouth: he that wil not labour, I command, in Gods name, that, he eate none. It is the will of God, that they, who vvill not vvorke, and may worke, that, they should die for hunger. They who are strong and may get labour, and will not vvorke, there should be an inhibition laid on them, not to eate: and they, who eate, if they eate not the bread conquest with their owne labour, their eating is cursed to them. It is not permitted to a King, to eate bread, except he labour for it: (and surelie, his labour is an heauie labour) No, for al the warrands, Charters and securities, which thou hast of thy lands, be thou Earle, or, Lord, or Barron, except thou eate the labour of thy owne hands, thou eatest not lawfullie, but, thy eating is accursed. This Inhibition is not to beggers onelie, but to the greatest dominators of the earth: for, it was injoined to Adam, Thou shalt eate thy breade vvith the svveate of thy brovve; and all Lords and great men were then in the loynes of Adam. Goe keepe sheepe, or, nolt, or, digge dykes (if it please God, thou haue no other trade) and be ay doing something.

Now, Labour, both honest and profitable. in the end, he addes two reasons, to cause them labour: the first, for honestie; the other, for commoditie. He is the honester man, that will put to his hand to labour, and will sit downe vvith gray bread conquest by his labour, nor he, who eates all delicates, with idlenesse. When thou hast laboured and win thy dinner, then, thou art an honest man: idlenes is no honestier an idle bodie I cannot count him honest. He that eates without labour (set him at the table head) he hes no honestie. Now this honesty should be seene by them, that are without, euen the heathen. Brethren, we should be honest, if it were no more, but onely for our enemies cause, for regard of our holy profession. The Enemie, the Pagane, lookes vpon thee, vvho art an idle body, and labours not, and sees nothing, but a bellie and a denourer of the creatures of God, and then, will he not slander thy profession? Therefore, if it were but to saue this profession from the slanders of wicked men, labour continuallie: ere thou should be idle, labour in any exercise. Yea, more, nor this. Labour is the moyen, vvhere by the Lord hes ordained thee, to win thy enemy; vvhen he sees thee labour and win thy liuing, vvith the sweat of thy browes: and by the contrare; thy idlenes holds others back, vvho vvould embrace the Gospell. Woe to them, vvho are stumbling blocks, to holde men back, from Christ. As for the profit the laborer gets (I not will insist in it) he who in his labor hes God before his eies, & labors, not so much to win his liuing thereby, as to glorifie God, according to the command of the Apostle 1. Cor. 10. 31. Whither ye eate, or, drinke, what euer ye doe, doe all to the glorie of God: (he vvho vvorkes, let him not worke, as an Oxe, or, an Asse, but, to glorifie God He who in labour sets himselfe to glorifie God, to be holie (be it, to skoure pottes, to hold the pleugh to dig dykes) those men they shall neuer vvant the thing, the Lord thinkes may suffice them, at the least, they shall haue contentment. When they sit at dinner, they shall haue greater contentation then they that are fed with most daintie dishes. Therefore haue ay God before thy eyes; labour ay to God, and then thou shalt haue here in this life sufficient to serue thee, and hereafter shalt haue heauenlie riches in aboundance. Therefore stand not, be not idle in thy calling but labor: And how? euer to God and his glorie, and then thou shalt not want: thou shalt haue plentie and sacietie of joy in that full sight of the countenance of Christ: all this worlde will away. Then blessed is that man who will set himselfe to serue God in his calling while he is heere: for when this worlde goes away, he shall obtaine that glorious kingdome that lastes for euer: not by him selfe, but onelie by Christ: for in him onelie we and our labours are blessed. And therefore to him with the Father and the holie Spirite, be all praise for euer.

AMEN.