Lecture 19 · 1 Thessalonians 5:1–3

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

IN the text immediatlie going before ye haue heard (brethren) of the comming of the Lord Iesus, the Iudge of the world in that day appointed, to judge the quicke and the dead: Of the resurrection of the dead especially of the chosen that shal be dead before that day: of the changing of them that shall be found liuing that day by vertue of the resurrection of Christ, and of the lyfe, glorie, and joy that they shall enjoy after they are rest vp in the clouds. They shall be with him for euer.

Now to come to this text we haue in hand. The Thessalonians hearing and vnderstanding that the Lord will come from heauen, Iesus will come and judge the world, might haue moued the question to the Apostle, about the tyme of his comming: when he will come? what yeer, what day, what houre, what time generally shall we looke for him? The Apostle meetes this, and answers, It is not needfull, brethrer, that I vvrit vnto you of the times and seasons: for ye yourselues knovv perfectly that the comming of the Lord shall be as a thiefe in the night. And therefore, why should I goe calculat dayes and yeeres to you? seeing that the Lord shall come at vnwares, and on a suddainty: the world shal not wit vntil he come. And he proues this in the next verse from the effect of his comming. They who shall be found in a deadlie securitie sleeping, they shall be striken sodainly: For vvhen they shall say, Peace and safetie, then shall come vpon them sodaine destruction, as the trauaile vpon a vvoman vvith chylde, and they shall not escape. And vpon that followes an exhortation to vigilance. Now to come to the words of the text, I need not vvrit to you, saies the Apostle, concerning times and seasons. It is not needfull (would he say) it is not expedient, it is not profitable to you, yea more it pertaines not to you to know it. As the Lord saies Act. 1. 7. when the Disciples a litle before his ascension was curious to know the times, he saies, It is not expedient to you to knovv the tymes and the seasons the Lord hes in his ovvn povver. By times is meant, all times lesse or more, whether it be the time of an houre, a day, a weeke, yeere, or any greater tyme. It pertaines not to you to knowe anie tyme of Christes comming, yea to knowe in what age of the worlde, let be, the moneth, weeke, yeere, or day it shall be. It pertaines not to you to knowe any definite or certaine tyme. The next word is seasons,. It meanes a more strait and particular tyme when things commes to passe according to the Lords preseryued tyme, in his counsell the artickle of tyme God hes appointed to it. There is nothing the Lord hes appointed, but it shall fall out in that same moment and artickle of tyme. Now would ye know what meanes these seasons? I vnderstand by them, the morning, noontide, euening. In the 1. chap. Act. It is not for you (saies Christ) to knovv tymes and seasons, vvhich the Lord hes put in his ovvn povvers. Ye should not know the time of his comming, whether he come in the morning, euen tyde, midnight or cock-crawe. So the answere the Apostle makes, is, ye should not be curious about the time of Christs comming, asking for daies, weeks, months, yeers, it is not for you to know this.

Now to marke something, for I vvill not goe deeplie in this matter. We learne of the text immediatly going before. There is nothing vnder the Sunne more sure not this, that, Christ vvill come. Certainty of Christs comming. This is a thing that euerie one of vs is bound to knowe, that Christ will come and sit in judgement, and put an end to all thinges in this worlde And this is an artickle of our Creed. From thence he vvill come to iudge the quick and the dead. If thou beleeue not that Artickle, howbeit thou beleeue all the rest of the Artickles, thy faith is nothing. Then the second thing I marke of this, is, the curiositie of the Thessalonians. This curiositie hes beene in all ages, that when any man heard tell that the Lord Iesus is to come againe, and to judge the world, and to put an end to all thinges, in all ages there hes risen vp men curious to vnderstand the tyme, and to searche when he shall come. The Apostles begouth this: Curiositie in searching the tyme of Christes comming repressed. for, immediatlie before the ascension of our Lord, they vttered this curiositie, asking the tymes and seasons of his comming againe. But incontinent their curiositie is snibbed and repressed by the Lord, Act. 1. 7. From that tyme men hes neuer left off to be curious of these tymes and seasons. Men hes beene curious to lay an account if Christes comming shall be in this yeere, in this age: yea, men in our age hes done this: but all is vanitie. Now thirdly, I note on Pauls part, and his answere to them. Men should not search in curiouslie anent the tyme of Christes comming. Men should not seeke the moneth, day, yeere nor age: that perteines not to them. There is great difference betweene the first comming of Christ, and his second comming. As to the first comming, it was the will of the Lord that the tyme of his comming should be knowne to the world: And therefore, he reuealed the yeere of his comming to the olde Prophetes. As ye may see 9 Daniell. And as Peter telles 1. Epist. chap. 1. verse 10. They searched in to the very tyme of this comming, and they did nothing but that which they should haue done. And Christ findes fault with the hypocrite Iewes, that could take vp by the sky what maner of weether should be, but searched not the tyme of his comming. Luke 12. 56. But as to his second comming, he neuer tolde of the tyme of it. Yea, in Daniell in his last chapter 4. verse, there is a plaine inhibition to seeke out the tyme of it. Therefore, it perteines not to men to know it: yea, it is better not to know the tyme of it, nor to know it. And this Christ means Matt. 24. 42. Watch therefore, for, ye knovv not at vvhat houre your Master vvill come. Where he teaches vs, that the ignorance of the tyme of his comming is verie profitable for vs, because it makes vs to watch and pray, wheras the knowledge of it would make vs carelesse.

Ye may aske at me, May we on no wayes speake or thinke of the Lords comming to judge the quick and the dead, and the tyme thereof? I answere. To define a speciall tyme, either in the cogitation or thought of thy heart, or in the words of thy mouth thou canst not, nor thou shouldest not doe it. But generallie to thinke and to say, the Lord will come shortlie, whether this age, or the next age, I know not: but, I know well, it shall not be long when the judge shall come, it shall be soone: it is lawfull for thee to thinke and say this. For, the Lord himselfe hes said, When it is craued (Reuel. chap. 22. vers. 20.) Come Lord Iesus, yes (saies he) I come shortly. When he sayes, he will come shortlie, let vs beleue it. The Historie in the Gospell Matt. 24. 25. &c. of the euill and the good seruant, teaches vs what vve shoulde doe, vntill the Lords comming. The euill seruant sayes, My Master delayes his comming home, therefore, he will begin to play the wanton, and to drinke, and to smite his companions. The good seruant will say, I am looking for my Masters comming shortlie: he will come at noone-tyde, or midnight, or Cock-crow, I will wait for it, and therefore, I will be vigilant. And so this good seruant tels that we should euer await for the Lords comming diligentlie. And surelie his comming is neare, and faine would the godlie haue his comming, to end their miserie, and to perfite the joy and glorie he hes appointed for them. And therefore, the Lord saies, I come shortlie, I shall not be long. And albeit we thinke it be long since he promised this: yet, thinke not, he delayes his comming. For, a thousand yeeres, in the sight of the Lord, are but as an houre. 2. Pet. 3. 8. and in respect of him, there is neyther long nor short tyme. So, thinke euer with the good seruant, the Lord will come shortlie, and he is daily comming: yea, and we should desire him to come shortly euerie day, and we should euer patientlie waite for it. And therefore, this clause is added in the Lords prayer, Let thy Kingdome come: Which desires, that, he would perfite that worke of glorie. Ye see Paul sayes, 2. Tim. 4. verse 7. 8. I haue fought a good fight, I haue keeped the faith, I haue runne out my course. Then, he subjoines. But, vvhat restes? I shall receiue the crovvne of glorie, vvhich the Lord Iesus as Iudge, generall vvill giue, me, and not onely giuen to me, but to all them vvith thirstes for his comming. Assuredlie that bodie shall receiue the crowne of glorie. Whereto are we so curious of the tyme of the generall judgement? Knovve vve not, that, our ovvne death is our particulare judgement? Know I not, that within a short tyme, I shall be called to an account before that Tribunall? No sooner shall the soule depart out of the bodie, but as soone shall my judgement beginne: for, the soule shall immediatlie departe to that place vvhere it shall remaine for euer. Therefore seeing the day of my death is the day of judgement to me, (and how many of you that heares me this day will be liuing this day tvventie yeeres?) What needes vs to be curious anent the tyme of the generall judgement? seeing our ovvne particulare judgement is at hand. The Lord is alreadie vvarning vs to flitte, and yet, the Lord vvill not haue vs more knowing the particulare tyme of death, not the day of judgement. The Lord vvill haue vs vncertaine, albeit men will be curious to knovve it. The cause is, that, all may be in readinesse, that there be not an houre in the day, but thou be readie vvhen the Lord shall call on thee, and vvill say to thee, Goe, I vvill haue thee carying heere no longer: That thou may say, Lord, I vvill goe vvith thee, and vvele come death? The Lorde refuses to tell his Disciples particulare tymes, but biddes them vvatche for that tyme. This doctrine is verie requisite to vs. They are liuing this day vvhome [of you that heares me] this daye eight dayes, the Lord vvill call on. Therefore, let euerie one prepare them selues.

No: in the second verse he giues the reason vvherefore it is not expedient that they should knovve of Christes comming to judge the worlde. For, sayes he, ye your selues knovve perfectlie that the day of the Lord shall come as as a thiefe in the night. That is, Sodaintie of Christs comming makes the tyme of it vncertain on a sodaintie. Men shall neuer knowe, vntill they see Christ come. If hee, come in the morning; then ye may say when he is come, The Lord is come in the morning. And before that tyme thou shouldst not thinke nor speake of the certaine houre of Christes comming. There are two thinges that cannot be knovvne both together. The comming of Christ on a sodaintie, and the certaine tyme of the comming of Christ. If I knevv the Lord vvould come sodaintie, it is follie to me to trauaile to knowe the speciall houre thereof: vvhen thou hast calculate to see the verie houre of his comming, it is but vanitie. I tell thee, the Lord shall come as a thiefe in the night, which tyme is most vncertaine, and therefore all thy calculation failes thee. Yet, farther. He sayes, that ye yourselues knovve perfectlie that he shall come at a certaine tyme. Heere is a certaine tyme, but there is not a certaintie of a certaine tyme, but a certaintie of an vncertaine tyme. And if the Apostle settes downe a certaintie of an vncertaine tyme, it is impossible to thee to get a certaintie of it. Ye shall reade this in Matthevv chap. 24. verse 42. And who euer hes trauailed in any age to count the houre and tyme of his comming, the Lord hath lette them see they are confooted of error, and the Lord hes condemned that labour. It is a bolde thing to man to seeke out that thing the Lord hes hid. Men will stand vp and calculat such a yeere of the Lords comming. O vanitie, thou passes thy boundes, and thou had no such thing in commission giuen to thee. The Lord keepe vs from such vanitie.

But, to goe forward: in the the thirde verse the Apostle giues the reason of the sodaintie of the comming of that day as a thief in the night. For, vvhen they shall cry Peace, Peace, &c. As he woulde say, The effect shall shovve it, byde, vntill he come. The sodaine destruction at his comming shall shovve his sodaine comming. When they shall say, peace, &c. and say, all is well, shut the doores, and be merie, then, on a sodaintie, the destruction shall ouertake them. Then, I see, that, the death, that men shall die at Christes comming, shall bee a sodaine death. Who euer shall die at Christes comming, shall die sodainlie. A great difference betweene this death, which vve die novv, and that death, which shall be at Christs comming. When men now dies, they get leasure to die. There is patience in God, there is leuitie and long suffering: for, when we see we are on death-bed neuer to liue againe, then, he drawes vs to repentance, and he wil not sodainlie strike vs to death, but giues vs tyme to amend and turne to him. A murtherer he will take him and cast him in prison, and vvill let him abyde there, to see, if hee vvill repent. So, there is patience now: But, in the day of judgement, there shall be no lenitie, nor, patience. And if thou be a reprobate, thou shalt not haue grace nor tyme, to say, Lord, be mercifull to me: for, er thou end the word, when thou beginst to speak, thou shalt be striken. And what means this? Euen, that, this is the acceptable day, the day of Gods patience and long suffering. Repent therefore. Sit not the tyme, for, certanilie, wilt thou sit the tyme, vntill that comming? no patience, no grace, no repentance, but a change shall be in the twinckling of an eye. The Lord when he giues vs tyme to repent, giues vs grace also to repent. Thinke it a great blessing, when the Lord layes thee in paine, that he giues thee that tyme to repent, and make vauntage of it.

Now the wordes woulde be marked. For, vvhen they shall say, peace, then shall come on them sodaine destruction. In the chapter going before, the first death was called a sleepe, yea, the reprobate when he is striken it is called a sleepe; and where sleeping is, there is a waking againe: But, the second death is commonlie called destruction, an vtter wreak and destruction, and no death. In the 2. Epist. Thessal. chap. 1. verse 9. Paul speaking of Christes comming to judgement and paine of the reprobate, he castes to a propertie to this worde, and calles it an euerlasting destruction. Heere, he calles it a sodaine hastie destruction. How can these two stand? Well eneugh: for, in the comming of Christ, it shall be sodaine: and yet, albeit the comming be sodaine, the destruction shall be endlesse and not sodaine. Well were them, if they were beastes: for, so soone as the branes of a beast are beaten out, then, the wreak of it is done: But, the reprobate shall ay be deing, and neuer be dead, ay wreaked, and neuer an end of their wreaking. What matter, if at the end of ten thousand yeeres, there could be an end of their destruction. Paul in that place giues a reason of that endlesse destruction. (There is none of vs but we should vnderstand this) Seeke the cause from the judge and striker: The cause is not so much in the man striken, as in him who strikes, who is infinite. And therefore, the paine is infinite. As for exemple. Let a King, or, Monarch take a man & torment him, and yet holde his lyfe in: Burne him, and boyle him with oyle, yet, that paine shall end. Let him pull the skin off him, doe what torment he can to him, yet, that paine shall end. For, neuer a Monarch yet could keepe a man in endlesse paine: they may well pyne folke, but that paine shall haue an end: all the judges power is bounded and limited, and therefore, he must haue an end in his tormenting: But, the Lord is infinit. And therefore, he may torment in pain euerlastingly. Al torment here, is but childs play, in respect of the heauy judgements of God: what matter, to fall in mans hands: their wraith and power is nothing, in respect of that infinite wraith of God, who punishes, without an end of paine. Hell is not so light a thing, as men trowes. That terrible day is not as men beleeues. Therefore, in vvhose handes that euer thou cast thy selfe, cast not thy selfe in the handes of an angrie God: No, rather chuse to die ten thousand tymes, ere thou fall in the handes of an angrie God: If thou knew the torments of Hell, tho would be afrayed. So, the thing especiallie we should care for, in this lyfe, is, euer to seeke, to stand in friendship with him, to be war of his wraith, and rather take on thee the wraith of the whole world.

Now, he notes the tyme, when this sodaine destruction shall fall. When they shall be saying, Peace and safetie, at this tyme, scarcely shal he haue ended the word, when the strok shal light. We reade of Belshazzar, Daniell 5. 5. who was prophaning the veshels of the Lords house and crying peace; but, he had not spoken the word, when all his joints seuered, and the hand writting on the wall afrayed him. In the wordes, marke tvvo things. First, on whom shall this sodain destruction fall: secondly, what tyme should this destruction be. Then, vvho is it, on vvhom this sodaine destruction falles? The vvord beares, men and wemen making mirth in this earth, without the care of God, or, man. The thiefe when he breakes in in a house in the night, vvho is it in the house, he oppresses? If there be a bodie, that is founde sleeping, he vvill cutte his throte, but, if there be anie waking and on his guarde, that man vvill escape the thiefe: So, the Lord, when he shall come and will compasse the whole vvorlde (as it were in a spanne) whom vvill he oppresse sodainelie? Him vvhom he findes sleeping in the senslesse bed of securitie, vvithout thought, eyther of God, or, of the Deuill, such a man, the throate of him shall be cutted, and hee vvill be casten in Hell incontinent. But, vvho shall be safe? They who are watching and praying, lying also in a securitie, but in a spiritual securitie hauing an assurance of Gods grace, and mercie to them. Their throate shall not be cutted. But when is it, that the bodie sleeping in a deadlie securitie shall be destroyed? Euen when they are in the highest degree of securitie. Degrees of security Of this sleeping and securitie there are degrees. The best that liues is not altogether fred from this sinne, but there is some that glories in their sinne. The murtherer glories in his murther, and he will say, He hes slaine one to me, but I haue slaine three to him for it. The whore glories in whoredome. Then in the meane-tyme when he is on the hight of his sleepe, eating and drinking, then he is in the entresse to hell; and when he is tumbling in sinne, the shall the Lord come and strike him with a sodaine stroke and light on his head with an heauy, bloody & yron rod, when thou art in the midst of thy sinne, in drinking, in murther, then shall this rodde light on thy head to destroy thee.

Now this word saying or speaking, which the Apostle vses heere, would be marked, there are sundrie kindes of speakinges. There is a speaking in the mouth, there is a speaking in the hart, there is a speaking also in deeds and actions. The Psalmist sayes Psal. 14. 1. The foolish man hes said in his heart, there is not a God. They confesse him in mouth, but, in heart they deny him. Paul speakes of some wicked men who professes, they knovv God, but in vvordes they deny him. workes Tit. 1. 16. Now, the wordes of the Apostle are not to be taken so strait, of them, that spoke with the mouth only, but of those also, that speakes the fairest with their mouth, but with a false heart and a wicked deed in the hand. If thou be found speaking peace, and all sure, whether it be in mouth, hart, or hand, this sodaintie in vengence shall ouertak thee. Among al the tokens of a judgement comming, securitie is one of the chief. Woulde ye knowe, if a judgement be comming on a creature, I will tell you: If I finde the knaue sleeping and snorting in murther, adulterie and wickednesse. I will say. Thou art able to get a black wakning. And therefore, among other tokens that shall goe before the latter day, a dead securitie shall be one: For, when they are sleeping in their high sleepe, then shall the Iudge come with destruction. When was it, that the destruction lighted on the first world? when they were sleeping, eating and drinking, without thought of Heauen, or, Hell. When was Sodome destroyed? when all the inhabitants thereof wer eating and drinking, then, fire and brimstone came downe from Heauen and destroyed them. Againe, in your owne memories what euer judgement lighted on any Cittie, or, person in Scotland, but ye might see a sensible and dead securitie on them? It is most sure. Ye shall see the experience of it in a childe broght to the scaffold, among other lamentations of his miserie, he will say, alas, I was sleeping in sinne, vntill now: I was sleeping in securitie, I was playing the harlote, I was murthering &c. the verie month of him will tell his securitie. These plagues of Pest and famine began among these borderers: what was their exercise sleeping in sin, reauing from others. So, most justly the plague hes seased on them. Trow ye to be free of it? No truely, the Pest had neuer so soone come on Edinburgh, except ye had beene sleeping. And I pronunce, in Gods name, if there be not a wakning in tyme, and arysing vp out of this senslesse securitie, there shall be another kynde of death.

Now brethren. Then comparison would be marked, whereby he settes out the sodaine judgement Euen as a dolour takes a vvoman vvith chylde, So shall that paine ouertake them. The dolour of a woman trauelling, and the dolour in Hell is lyke other, in sundrie points. And therefore the Scripture takes oft the exemple of it, to descryue the paine of Hell, as in this part. Ye see, the woman beares the matter of her paine in her owne bosome, the childe: and where shall be the matter of pains of Hell, which is sinne, but in the catiues owne bosome? lykewise as a woman with childe will be full of childe: So, the heart of a knaue will be filled with wickednesse and be heauie, albeit he leape and skip on the earth. They are lyke in sodaintie. For, as the sicknesse commes on the woman sodainlie: So, the strok of hel shall be sodaine, and striken sodainlie. Compair these two paines in sharpnesse. As the woman hes a sharp dolour, which if it lasted, were vntolerable: if the Lord gaue not leysure to draw their breath, betweene showre and showre (as they call it) it were vntolerable. So the paines of Hell are exceeding sharp and vntolerable. (But, heere, they differ. The womans paine is but for a tyme, but, the paine of Hell indures for euer.) Againe, when the paine will come on a woman, she may be at the table eating or drinking, or she may be sleeping, and it will sodainelie take her. So the paine of Hell will come sodainly, when the wicked are eating and drinking and making merie. But, alas, when the Apostle hes compared it to the paine of a woman trauailing with chylde, he hes not taulde all, no not the thousand part of that paine. The paine of Hell passes all measure. The Scripture for our capacitie settes downe a comprehensible paine to signifie an incomprehensible paine. O, the incomprehensible paine of Hell! Alwayes when thou seest a paine intolerable, thinke on Hell. And say, O Lord, this paine on me albeit it be in the fleshe, it is exceeding sore: therfore, Lord saue me from that exceeding paine in Hell.

Now when he hes spoken of the tyme and paine of it. He sayes, they shall not escape. Some will say, May not men and wemen flee? He therefore seales and stampes the worde vvhich none can open. Thou shalt not escape. Art thou one who hes bene playing and liuing in dead securitie? thou shalt not escape. The bullet came neuer so sodainlie out of the gun, as the judgement shall come on the knaue and murtherer. Men will flee these earthlie judgements, when the sword commes, a knaue wil flee from it. When the Pest commes, it may be, that, a knaue will escape, better, nor one, that is worthie twentie of him. O, the patience of God! Knowe ye what God will be doing in the meantyme? It may be, he is reseruing the knaue and oppressour to a sorer judgement nor the Pest: he may be keeping him to the day of Judgement, when hee shall be striken with the sodaine paine of Hell. And this is true. The longer he is reserued and repentes not, the heauier shall the judgement be when it lightes. For, the keeping of him is an occasion to heape sinne on him. Keepe a murtherer who hes slaine one to day, if he repent not, he shall slay another to morrow, and ay increase in sinne. One sinne is the punishment of another; and a wicked man will run from one sinne to another, vntill he come to the head of the ladder, and haue filled the cuppe full, and holde it vp in his hand, saying, It is full. What is the Lord doing? Hes he done one sin? The Lord heapes vp an heape of wraith for him: Hes he committed another sinne? He addes to another heape of wraith, and so, vntill the cuppe be full, the wraith of God is daily augmented, vntill it be powred out on his head. Alas, will not the visible experience of Gods judgementes moue vs? But how euer it be that men escape now, vntill Christ shall come to the judgement, yet there shall be no escaping at that later day. O, the hand of the Lord will ouer-spanne all, the Lords hand will draw thee out, be where thou wilt be. It is true, at that latter day before Christes comming some will runne to one hole, some to another hole, some will cry, Hilles, couer vs from the vvraith of the Lambe. Shall the hilles couer them? No, no: the Hilles shall present them to the judge, all the creatures shall serue that God and search them out. The watter shall spew them out, the verie fyre shall present them to that Iudge: No escaping from the sight of that Iudge. Then, ye haue the suddentie of this judgement, the eternitie of it, and paine of it. Let all these holde vs in awe. Paul sayes, Knovving the terrour of the Lord, I trauell to be faithfull in my calling, I exhort men. 1. Corint. chap. 5. verse 11. So, let vs thinke on all these thinges, and set our selues to serue God in this lyfe, that we may be fred of paine for euer. The Lord graunt vs grace to doe so, for Christes sake. To whom with the Father and the holy Spirite be all honour and praise, for euer.

Amen.