Lecture 14 · 2 Thessalonians 3:16–18

THE FOVRTENTH LECTVRE VPON THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE THESSALONIANS.

IN this text, brethren, we haue the end and conclusion of this Epistle, it consistes wholly in prayer. First he wishes peace to them from the Lord of peace for euer, euery way. Then he wishes to them the presence of the Lord himselfe to be with them all. Last he salutes them, and the effect of the saluatation is a prayer for them. The grace of our Lord Iesus be with you all, Amen. So all consistes in prayer. Then learne. He beganne this Epistle with prayer and salutation: throughout the whole Epistle prayer is mingled: Now in the end he multiplies prayer. What meanes this? Euen this, that in vaine is all doctrine, exhortation, admonition, and precept whatsomouer, all preaching is nothing, except the Lord by his Spirit worke inwardlie in the harts of the hearers, all is nothing but vvinde, except he moue their affections. Now the way to obtaine this inward and secreete operation of the holy Spirite, is oft-tymes to turne to God by prayer, beseeching him to be povverfull, and to joyne his Spirite vvith the vvord, and to joyne vvorking vvith speaking. And therefore hovv oft so euer we teach and ye hear, the hart and eye should be lifted vp, and set vpon him who hes keeped Spirit and power in his owne hand to giue as he pleases: No man can giue you it, neither the Preachour, nor no Angell can giue you it. It is onely in the hand of God and Iesus Christ to giue thee Spirite and povver, and to joyne vvorking vvith speaking. And therefore the eye in preaching should euer be set on Christ. The Pastour should pray and haue his hart aboue to dravve dovvne grace to himselfe and the people, that the vvord spoken may be effectuall in the hart, othervvise, preaching and all hearing is in vaine.

Now to come to the words. The first thing he prayes for and wishes, is peace. The Lord of peace, sayes he, giue you peace for euer and euery vvay. The thing then he wishes is peace, that is quyetnes, rest and tranquillity, concord & agreement all these words expresses the meaning of the word Peace. The contrare is, vnquyetnes, What peace is. dissention, &c. This Peace is the blessednes felicity & happy estate of Christs kingdome, which is his Church, both in earth and Heauen: And all the graces we haue in Iesus Christ tends to this end, that, his subjects may liue in peace, quyetnesse, and joy, for euer: and that shall be the end, when we are in Heauen, peace and joy for euer. Ye see, the happy estate of a worldly kingdome, what is it? When men liues in rest, and enjoyes peace and quyetnes, that is the happines of a worldly knigdom: therefore, in the 1. Timot. 2. 2. he commaundes prayer to be made for all men, For Kings and superiour povvers. To what end? Euen to this same end, that, vve may liue a peaceable and quyet lyfe. Euen so, the blessed and happie estate of Christs kingdome, is, an heauenlie peace, concord and quyetnesse. And therefore, Rom. 14. 17. he makes this peace to be essentiall to the kingdome of God, that he defines it, by this peace, saying. The kingdom of God is righteousnes, peace and ioy in the holy Ghost. This Heauenly peace is onely in Christs kingdome, in his Church, in Heauen and earth. And the subjects of the kingdome of Iesus Christ are onely they that enjoyes this peace here, and after this life for euer: for, without the Church of Christ, there is no true peace: If thou be no subject in his kingdome, thou hast no rest, no true peace: for, there is no true peace for the vvicked, sayes the Prophet Esay 57. 21. If thou be of that number that is without the kingdome of Christ, no peace for thee, and the end shall proue, thou hadst neuer true peace in this world.

Now, to go forward. He craues, that, it may be giuen to them: Then, Peace the gift of god it is a gift. Heauenly peace is the gift of God; thou hast it not by nature: None is borne with peace, but with warre and inimitie, by nature all are borne with dissention, strife and debate, there is no heauenly peace, by nature. And the whole lyfe naturall, what is it, but a continuance in war, debate, and strife: first, against God; next with thy selfe and thy owne conscience? And againe, a strife against the Angels in Heauen and men on earth, and all the creatures of God; thou art an enemie to them, and they vnto thee, vntill the tyme thou attaine to that new birth in Iesus Christ; and then, by vertue of that birth, thou getst this heauenly and spirituall peace: for, then, thou beginst to liue at peace, first, with God himselfe, and next, with the Angels in Heauen, and men in earth and with all his creatures. So, looke how needfull it is, for thee, to haue regeneration: for, if thou want it, thou shalt be at war for euer, thou shalt haue no peace. But how getst thou it? It is a gift. And who shold giue it? The Lord of peace. The giuer of it must be the Lord, with dominion and power, with command. And as vnder his Lordship other things must be, so peace must be at his command, either to giue it, or, hold it. Now, who is this Lord that hes this power of peace and war? Who is he that sayes, All povver is giuen to me in heauen and earth Matt. 28 18. This Lord is Iesus Christ. And therefore, ere euer he came in this world and tooke on him our nature. Esay 9. 6. he styles him the Prince of peace. And Paul Ephes. 2. 14 styles him peace it selfe, he is our peace-maker And in Iohn 14. 27. Christ speaking to his Apostles takes on him to be the giuer of peace, and sayes, My peace I leaue to you, and giues you. So this Lord of peace is the Lord Iesus Christ, who hes in his handes all grace and glorie, in Heauen and in earth.

Yet to goe forward. The lords style ansvver able to the grace craued in praier. Why is it that he makes a choise of this style rather then of any other? Certainely this style he receiues here agrees with the petition and thing asked at his hands: peace is craued, he is styled the Lord of peace: what euer we aske of Christ it should be in faith that he hes power to giue it: askest thou peace, aske it not but in an assurance that it is in his hand, and that he is able to giue it. Now this assurance that all is in his hand, it cannot be better vttered then by the Name and style we giue him: askest thou wisdome? say, Lord of wisdome giue wisdome: askest thou peace? say, Lord of peace giue me peace: askest thou mercie? say, Lord of mercy giue me mercy. So the name and style we giue to the Lord when we craue ought at his hands should be answerable to the grace and mercy we aske: for then we vtter our faith and assurance that he hes such a grace and power to giue vs. This hes bene the forme of Pauls prayer, and of godly men of old, and should be imitate by vs. The Lord hes many styles, he is called the Lord of peace, mercy and justice, the Lord of glorie. There is not a Monarch that prydes himself in honourable styles and names, that is comparable with the great Creator the Lord of the world, yea set them altogether all are nothing in comparison with him, because all are his, all grace, power and dominion in Heauen and earth is his; and therfore look by how many graces his Majestie hes spread it selfe through Heauen and earth, look how many graces he hes in his hand to giue, so many seuerall and honourable styles may he receiue, there is no end of his glory, nor no end of his Names: from his wisdome he is called the Lord of wisdome; from his justice the Lord of justice; from his mercy the Lord of mercy; from his peace the Lord of peace; from his glory the Lord of glory.

Now to goe forward. Tvvo properties of peace. 1. It is euerlasting There are two properties giuen to this peace. The first, It is for euer, alvvayes, it is not for a tyme onely, but for all tymes: It is not for this lyfe onely, but for the lyfe to come. This worldly peace serues but for this lyfe onely, but the peace of Iesus Christ serues for the lyfe euerlasting. The peace of God is not peace in prosperitie onely, but in aduersitie also. It is not peace in life onely, but in death also. And therefore Symen. in his song when he had seene Iesus, he sayes, Novv Lord, thou lettest thy seruant depart in peace. Luke 2. 29. the seruant of God as he liued in great peace, so also departed in peace: so this peace lastes for euer. And therefore Esay 9. 7. when he hes called him the Prince of peace, he sayes, the largenesse of his dominion and increase of his gouernment and peace shall haue no end: his kingdome is an endles kingdome, and there is an endles peace in that kingdome. I called this peace our blessednesse. Now this is the nature of blessednesse, it cannot be bounded within any tearms: if it be true selicitie bound it not, compasse it not within a yeere, within twentie yeeres, or within a thousand, yea within ten thousand yeeres: for the nature of true blessednesse is euerlasting. And therefore ye see worldly men that places their happinesse in worldly peace will dreame an eternity, and perpetuitie to that peace of theirs, that neither they nor their peace will haue an end. That rich man in the Gospel, Luke 12. 19. said to his soule, Liue at ease, eate and drinke, and take thy pastime, thou hast store laid vp for many yeeres: trow ye not but he thought to liue for euer, and thought that that aboundance should abyde with him for euer? and so faires it with all worldlings, they dreame a rest and peace for euer, but the end will proue that they wer dreaming all their dayes. Therefore Lord set our harts on that peace of Iesus Christ that lastes for euer. This is then the first propertie of this peace of his; It lasts for euer. The second propertie of it is It is al maner of vvay. It is peace in all respects, not in one respect onely nor in some respects onely, 2. It is in al respects but in euery respect. I shall make this plaine. The peace of Iesus Christ is peace in respect of God, when our soules standes in friendship with him, when we are reconceiled to him by the bloud of Iesus, as it is said. Rom 5. 1. Being iustified by faith vve haue peace tovvards God. Then it is peace in respect of our selues, an euill conscience is an euill enemie, when thou stryuest not against thy owne affections but satisfies them, then thy conscience will let thee get little rest, it will ay be accusing thee: but when once this peace of Iesus be giuen thee, so that thou beginst to be regenerate, and to lead an holy and sanctified lyfe, then thy conscience rests, and thou beginst to enjoy a joyfull peace in thy soule. Philipp. 4. 7. The peace of God that passes all vnderstanding preserue your harts and myndes in Christ Iesus: and Col. 3. 15. Let the peace of God rule in your harts. And againe, it is peace in respect of the creatures of God, with Angels in Heauen, with men on earth (man is enemie to man by nature) then hauing this peace thou art at peace with Heauen and earth, man and Angell: for all are enemes to thee so long as thou art outwith Iesus Christ, we are enemies to them all, and they all to vs: but being in Christ all things are reconciled to vs, in heauen and earth. Ephes. 1. 10. Col. 1. 20. so in all respects it is peace. Looke how many sortes of enimities was, as many sortes of peace must be; we are enemies to God, to our owne conscience, to Angels and men, yea, and that that is most conjoyned to vs by nature, be it bloude, asfinitie, or any other bond; if there be no more but nature, there is nothing but enimitie; the conjunction of man and woman, if there be no more but their natural bond is enimity; the parents and the children without this spirituall peace of Iesus are at enimitie. So, looke how many sorts of enimitie there is, there are as many sorts of peace, and our blessednesse standes in this peace. Now looke the nature of it. As blessednesse must indure for euer, so our blessednes must be perfite. If thou hast that peace of Iesus, thou must haue it in all respects: if thou hast peace with God, thou hast peace with all men, so far as lyes in thee: (Rom 12. 18.) otherwise, thou hast no true peace with God. Men oft-tymes beguyles themselues. I will haue peace with God, will he say, and yet, I shal be this man, or that mans enemie, I shall slay him: folie, folie; if thou glorie in debate with man and does not that lyes into thy power, to be at peace with all men, thou shalt haue no peace with God: that thing which the Lord joynes, seuere not thou, the Lords peace is with al: if thou seuere it and pryde thee in enimitie with any, thou shalt not haue peace with God, nor with thy self. What peace hes a murtherer with God, or with his owne conscience? Aske at him, I demand thee, ô murtherer, knew thou what that peace of God meanes, when that bloudie affection raged and caried thee to bloude? Thou lookest for friendship with God, folie, thou art neither at friendship with God, nor his Angels, nor none of his creatures. It is a wonder, that the Heauens falles not on thee. The earth is thy enemy, and it is a vvonder that it swallows thee not vp for al that bloud that thou hast shed on it, but once it shall present it to thy damnation, if thou repent not. This far concerning prayer for peace.

I goe to the next words. The Lord be vvith you all. He goes to a deeper ground. Before he wished the grace of the Lord Iesus to them. Novv he vvishes the Lord himselfe to them, the presence of Iesus Christ in his ovvn person, not onely that he shall be vvith them in his grace and vertevv, but also that he may be vvith them in his ovvne presence and person, vvhich is more then the first. Then thou must not be content to pray for the benefites of Christ, but the cheefe ihing vve ought to pray for to Christ is, Lord giue me thy selfe, giue me thy presence in thy ovvne person: for if vve get any good of him it must be by himselfe, he must giue himselfe to vs. In one vvord, the first conjunction vve must haue vvith him must be vvith his ovvne person, he must be our head, and vve the members of his bodie: My hand vvill not be the better of any povver or vertue in my head, if my hand be not joined with my head; the first thing then my hand must haue, must be a conjunction with the head, and so of the rest of the members of the body, and then the conjunction being made vvith the head, the vertue goes down from the head and is scatred throgh al the mēbers of the body. It is euen so with Christ Iesus before we get grace or lyfe out of him, motion spirituall out of hi, peace out of him (he is full of grace) first that sweet conjunction must be made betvveene him and vs, he must be conjoined vvith vs in a more strate conjunction then the mēbers vvith the head. And therefore he goes to the ground of all peace the Lord Iesus, that he may stand vvith them, and they may be conjoined with him their head.

Now he prayes for this presence to them all: not to one member, to tvvo or three, but to all and euerie one of them. Then marke. The Lord Iesus is a sufficient head and Sauiour for all the vvorld, none being excepted, all sufficiencie is in him, he may serue to be the head to all the vvorld, yea to a thousand vvorldes, his presence is so ample that he may suffice to be a Sauiour to a thousand vvorldes; yea, to an infinite number of vvorldes. Paul knevv this that he is not like an earthlie king, vvhose presence serues but for so many, and is contained vvithin narrow bounds, and therefore he prayes for peace to all. Now if thy head and Sauiour be so ample, thy hart should not be narrovve, nor thy mouth narrovve: but as Iesus is a sufficient head for all, so let thy hart desire his presence to all the vvorld, if so it should be possible. And as for my selfe, I vvishe there vvere none but that they vvere partakers of this presence of Iesus Christ: For, vvhy should vve seeke the vvreak of any creature? yet the Lord hes his ovvne, and none vvill get his presence but they that are his. O, vvell is that bodie vvho is predestinate to lyfe, for that bodie must haue his presence, he vvill be an head and Sauiour to him! But that body that is predestinat to destruction cannot haue his presence; yet vve are bound to vvish his presence to euery one.

Novv he commes to the salutation, and sayes, The salutation of me Paul vvith my ovvne hand. Then he subjoines the forme of it The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, &c. He began vvith a salutation after his common forme, and novv he ends vvith a salutation. His first meeting vvith them vvas by a salutation, the end of his conference is by a salutation. Then looke vvhat example of his doing should learne vs: for as vve are bound to obey the doctrine of the Prophets, so we are bound to follow their fashion of doing: Paul saluted, salute thou. The thing then I note here is this, In all the meetinges and conferences of the faithfull, either by vvord, presence, or vvritte, there should be a mutuall beneuolence, and an intere loue and affection; that as ye see the bodies of men meete together, so the harts may meete together joyned in kyndnesse and beneuolence: Wilt thou meet in bodie and hold thy hart aback, that is, vvilt thou haue the half man meeting, and not the whole man? That is no meeting: for the meeting should be of the vvhole man, bodie and hart: and this should be vttered all maner of vvay, in thy gesture, in thy doing, salutatiōs of christians would be testimonies of their loue. in thy speaking, and all the vvordes of thy conference should smell of loue: Among all other thinges that testifies of loue, this salutation is one, when thou bidst him good morrowe, good night, it is a testification of thy well willingnes and of thy loue towards the man: and this hes bene the forme of the godly, their meeting hes bene with a salutation; and their sending with a salutation, that if they could not haue a byding together here, by their mutuall saluation they might abyde together: for all the members that are true members in Iesus Christ, are joyned together in their spirits. harts and affections, this exemple we should followe. This maner of doing nowadayes is counterfaite: Men will seeme to salute other gladly, and yet the harts will be wishing the worst: in harts they are enemies to other, and so commonly al their doings, becking, and off-cap, and good dayes; both all their words and deeds are fained. Looke therefore what euer thou doe, doe it in sinceritie: for the Lord heares and sees all, and if thou doe fainedly, the Lord shall judge thee for it in that day.

He sayes, he wrote this saluation vvith his ovvne hand. The whole Epistle before Paul hes dyted, and appearantly another hes written it. Now when it commes to the subscription, Paul subscryues it with his owne hand. Now wherefore was this? The cause appeares to be that before this tyme there raise vp deceiuers that stole in wrytings vnder the name of Paul, as appeares in the 2. chap. 2. verse, be not deceiued, sayes he, &c. And therefore to let them know what was his, and what was not his, he subscryues with his own hand. This hes bene an old practick of Satan, euer to corrupt Christs Church, both by word and counterfaiting of writte, and all maner of way, and this same day we see the experience of it in the Romane Church. Satan by hes instrumēts coūterfaits holy vvrits. Now to the end that false writtes may be trowed the better, looke the craft of the deuill, he hes in his instruments stollen in bookes written vnder the name of Prophets and Apostles, to the intent that the people reading the name of a Prophete or Apostle should giue credite to the writ. Papistrie is full of deceite, and the cheefe grounds of their doctrine is Apocryphe-books which hes bene stollen in vnder the names of holy men Now looke what hes beene the mercy of God, he sees this well eneugh. Therefore it pleased him to imprint a marke in his holy writte, whereby it should be knowne to be authentike Scripture, as in this place he subscryues with his owne hand, which was not without the prouidence of God: for there is not a part of Scripture but the Lord hes stamped it with such a sure stampe, that is, with such a Majestie in speaking, with such gratiousnesse and spiritualnesse, both in words and matter, that they that hes a spirituall eye to discerne betweene light and darknesse will take it vp to be of God. I pray you tell me, how was the olde Scripture tane vp to be of God? The Papist will say, because the Church said it they were of God. Is that all the warrand? And who told the Church? If the olde and new Scripture bare not the markes of the Spirit in themselues the Church had neuer tane them vp to be of God? So the marke of the Scripture is that stampe of the Spirit, that Majestie in such a simplicitie of wordes: that gratiousnesse and power which shows both in the wordes and matter, these things telles vs they are not mans writs: for, mens writtes hes not the gratiousnesse and power that is in the Scripture. Brethren, this marke of Pauls subscription is away, albeit we haue the Epistle, but a better marke bydes, the stampe of the Lord bydes, and this telles that it is the Scripture of God and Pauls writing.

Now followes the saluation. The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be vvith you all. I see the affection of the man in the end of his writ is powred out on this Church of Thessalonica, and when he takes his leaue, he burstes out in frequent prayer, and al his praier is for heauenly and spirituall thinges. Then, first, we learne, we must not euer bide al together, and we cannot haue euer conference either by word or writ. But, how is our sundring recompensed? To wit, with greatnesse of affection, let thy loue grow. And how shalt thou vtter it? In prayer to God, for them, with whom thou may not dwell: affection is nothing worth without praier. And what should we pray for? Especially for heauenlie things: Pray for heauenly peace, for the presence of Iesus Christ, and that the grace of Christ may be with him: Pray also for things earthly, but so that they may further him to heauenlie thinges. And I say, the man that cannot pray for heauenly things cannot pray truely for earthly thinges. Dare thou pray, if thou seeke not first the kingdome of Heauen? no, thou cannot pray, if it were for thy dinner, except thou pray first for the kingdome of God. Now the next word is grace, that is free fauour of God. I reade not of such a commendation of any people as of these Thessalonians. He commended them in both these Epistles, from their faith, hope, loue, and all the dueties of loue. Yet, he sayes not, The Lord render you a rewarde for your merite; but, he sayes grace be vvith you. This is contrare to all merite. Read the 2. Timo. 1▪ 16. there ye will finde a very notable exemple to this purpose. There he sayes, Onesiphorus vvas very beneficiall to me, he oft refreshed me, he thought no shame of my bondes: he sought me at Rome very diligently. How should he be requyted for this? He sayes, The Lord grant that Onesiphorus may finde mercy vvith the Lord at that day: He is but a miserable man when he hes done all this: And therefore this shall be my prayer for him: for it will not be his merite that will do him good, but it is the free grace and fauour of God. O foole, all thy merites shall stinke in that great day, and then thou shalt see what free grace shall do: for in that day none shall stand, but such as stands by free grace.

Now whose grace is it he prayes for? It is Iesus Christs: No, there is no grace but Christs grace. How is it the Lord Iesus Christs? He hes boght of the hand of the Father all grace, al gifts of the holy Spirit, all glorie in Heauen and earth with a pryce, euen the pryce of his precious bloude. And therefore the Father hes giuen him all. So there is no sparke of grace giuen to any creature, but it must come through Christ his hand, euen the hand of the man Iesus. All righteousnesse, sanctification, and glorie must come from him, he must be the giuer thereof. Therefore it is said, he gaue gifts to men. Ephes. 4. 8. The Father giues no graces immediatly, but all are giuen through the hand of Iesus Christ. Therefore let vs haue recourse to this Lord of grace, and seeke not to the Father without him, but seek all from the Father in him. Now how far should this grace extend? Euen as Iesus Christ is an head that extends himselfe to al, so the grace that commes from him is sufficient for all: it is sufficient if it were for a thousand, yea infinite worlds. Rom. 5. 15. The Heauens are not capable of the greatnes of the grace of Iesus Christ: Greatnes of the grace of Christ. so that if there were a thousand worlds, there is sufficiency of grace in him for them all: There is no inlack in him, but the inlack is in thy narrow hart; it is capable but of a very small portion. Learne here then by the exemple of Paul that we should not haue narrow harts to wish this grace to a few, but we should wish it to be giuen to all. Looke what he sayes of himselfe, 2. Cor. 6. 11. My meuth, sayes he, hes bene vvyde open vnto you, my hart is dilated, ye dvvell not narrovvly in my hart. So all men should haue an open and a dilated hart in wishing grace: spare not to be liberall in wishing, fill thy hart and mouth with his grace, and conuey it with liberalnesse to others: seeke that grace of Iesus to all, that, if it were possible, all the world might be saued: For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Sauiour, vvho vvill that all men shall be saued, and come vnto the acknovvledging of the trueth. 1. Tim. 2. chap. 3. 4. vers. Yet the Lord hes his owne, and so many as he hes written in his booke shall be saued. Therefore thou should seeke all the warrands thou can to assure thee that thou art Iesus Christs fore-ordeinde to lyfe euerlasting: for if thou be of the number of the elect, the grace of Christ shall extend to thee, and thou shalt haue glorie with him for euer. To this Iesus be all praise, honour and dominion, for euer and euer.

AMEN.

FINIS.