Exposition of 2 Thessalonians, Exposition · Chapter 2 · Verse 1, 2
2. THES. Chap. 2. Ver. 1.2.
Now wee beſeech you Brethren, by the comming of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, and by gathering together vntounto him,
That yee be not ſoone ſhaken in minde, or be troubled, neither by ſpirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from vsus, as that the day of Chriſt is at hand.
THe ſecond materiall part of the Epiſtle, ſpent in Redargution of errour in Iudgement touching the time of Chriſts ſecond comming.
Wherein are 1. Caueat, ver. 1, 2. 2. Confutation, ver. 3. 3. Comfort, ver. 13. 4. Meanes of preuention, ver. 15.
In the Caueat are 1. The Modus, 2. The matter of it.
The manner of carriage is with greateſt, 1. Meekeneſſe; We beſeech you, 2. LoueLove, Brethren. 3. Earneſtneſſe, ſuch as wherin the Apoſtle ſcarce ſatisfies himſelfe. 1. Obteſting and almoſt adiuring them to cautionateneſſe, ver. 1. 2. Iterating it, ver. 3. with greateſt particularity, Let no man by any meanes.
Thoſe parcills of the Modus, …is meekeneſſe and louelove, condeſcending from authority he had to command, vntounto petitioning them for their owne good, I willingly pretermit: wiſhing onelyonly my Brethren or Fathers in the Miniſtery to put on bowels of compaſſiō to win to the truth, rather then in Stoick ſternnes and Rigorous Auſterity, to attempt, forcing the people to reformation of Iudgement or manners. God was not in the thunder, nor in the Earth-quake, appearing to Elias, but in a1. Reg. 19.12.the ſtill Winde. To Adam he appeared in the bGen 3.8.coole of the day Ouer Iſrael, that ſtiff-necked people, he ſet Moſes the cNum. 12.3.meekest man on earth: Iudgement may be conuinced by Reaſon, cannot bee forced to aſſent by violence, no not to moſt neceſſary truths. Will may be allured, cannot be enforced to goodneſſe.
Gregories temper I like well,Legatur diſt. 45. cap. diſciplina. miſcenda eſt leniras cum ſeueritate, ſit amor, ſed non emolliens; ſit rigor ſed non exaſperans; And Auſtins beſt aduiſed thoughts beſt pleaſe …ce; that conuiction goe before coaction in matter of Faith Chryſoſtome had rather be countable to God for a nimium of mercy, then for ouerplus of ſeuerity: ſaid not Paul d2 Tim. 2.25.the ſame in his Canon? What one ſeparatiſt, or but vnconfortant, hath the contrary courſe wonne? And not rather exaſperated to farther alienation?
2. The earneſtneſſe of the Apoſtle applyed to the matter I chooſe rather to inſiſt on expreſſed it is in two things: 1. That he contents not himſelfe to beſeech, but to obteſt, and that by what is, or ſhould be moſt preualent with vsus; the comming of Chriſt. 2. Iterating the caution in all the particulars.
foreign Its not as elſewhere,eRom. 12.1. foreign, but foreign: for the comming ſake of our Lord Ieſus, &c. ſith he comes for our good, to take vengeance on them that trouble vsus, and to gather vsus together vntounto himſelfe, to participate his owne glory, I beſeech you let this meditation moue you to Caution.
The ground of the obteſtation, and the certaine truth of it, I ſuppoſed by the Apoſtle to be in confeſſo amongſt this people, I dwell not on: but referre the Reader to what is already extant in 1 Theſ. 4.16. Scriptures teſtifying truth of both, and particulars ſo many as are meete for vsus to know, view in the Marg. 1. Inſtruments of our aſſembling vntounto him arefMat. 24.31. Angels. 2. Ends. 1. OurgRom. 14.12. account. 2.h2 Cor. 5 10. Receiuing according to what is done in our bodies. 3.iRom. 2.5. Declaration of Gods Iuſtice in admitting vsus to ſaluation. 4.k1 Cor. 4.5. Iuſtifying and cleering our integrity to the face of men and diuels with the like.
Profits flowing from the meditation: 1. It much ſolaceth our neceſſary, and ſometimes enforced ſeparation from the ſociety of Gods children, a coraſiue biting, as any, to a gratious diſpoſition; to remember, that a day ſhall come, when we ſhall all be gathered together; and linked inſeparably to enioy the mutuall ſociety each of other. Who is there amongſt you fearing God, who deſires not, if it were poſſible, to enioy the perpetuall preſence and conuerſation of all that feare God? The Lord hath otherwiſe diſpoſed the ſtate of this life. 1 That we may know, heauen is not on earth. 2. That the yet aliens in eueryevery quarter of the world, may bee woune by the example of diſperſed Saints. 3. At leaſt made inexcuſable before God, if neither by their holy example, nor godly admonitions, nor meanes of ſaluation, for his Saints ſake vouchſafed vntounto them, they will be ledd to Repentance. Howbeit he hath appointed a day, wherein the Elect ſhall be gathered together from the ſoure windes; And then ſhall be, as alMat. 25.32. ſeparation of goates from ſheepe, ſo a bleſſed vnion, and indiſſoluble coniunction in moſt heauenly mHeb. 12.12.13.ſociety, of Elect men and Angels.
2. Inſtructeth ton2 Pet. 3.11. care and ſtudie of ſanctitie, no leſſe then angelicall; proportionall, as the capacity of the creature is, to thato1 Ioh. 3.3. of God himſelfe: fooles or worſe they; who knowing they muſt ſtand before a God of pure eyes, thinke they may bee too nice, ouer-preciſe in matter of morality.
3. Excites to 1. CarefullpMat. 25. 1 Per 4.10. vſe of gifts receiued. 2q2 Cor 5.10.11 Faithfull imployment of our ſelues in our vocations; ſith wee know we are then ſummoned to ourrMat. 25. Accounts; and hauehave heard the Iudge himſelfe pronounce himſLuc. 12.43. bleſſed, whom, when hee comes, hee ſhall finde ſo doing.
3. Matter of the caution. 1. Generall; not ſoone moued from your minde, &c. 2. Particular; as if the comming were inſtant. 3. Item alſo he giues againſt the meanes, Spirit, Word, Epiſtle.
Compa…e if you pleaſe Pauls earnestneſſe in his caution, with the quality or degree of the errour, againſt which its intended. The maine Article of Chriſts comming is not called into queſtion amongſt this people: in the circumſtance onelyonly is the attempt to corrupt their iudgement; yet with what earneſtneſſe doth Paul preſſe the caution?
As if it concerned vsus, almost vponupon perill of our ſoules, to preſerue iudgement ſound in matters of Faith, euen ſuch as but aloofe touch the Foundation. Hence is the charge to Timothie, conueyed in much paſſion; O Timothie t1 Tim. 6.20.ſerua depoſitum; the ſubſtance yea circumſtances of Euangelicall doctrine: our Sauiour cryes woe to them thatuMat. 5.19. breake or teach breach of the minima mandatorum. And Paul wiſheth *Gal. 5.12.cut off them that troubled the Church, but withxGal. 5.9. little leauen in the Article of Iuſtification.
1. Certainely eueryevery peece and parcell of Truth is pretious, it tends in the degree to perſect,yIoh. 17.17. to ſanctifie the vnderſtanding; leaſt errours are maculae, though not vulnera intellectus.
2. And know you not, ſaith Saint Paul, zGal. 5.9.a little leauen leauens the whole lumpe? foreign: ſuch ſpeech a2 Tim. 2.17, 18frets as a Gangrene, and will encreaſe to more vngodlineſſe: of them which denyed not the Reſurrection, but affirmed it paſt already.
Ʋſe 'Tis ſtrange liberty men take to themſelues in Articles of inferiour Nature; if in the ſubſtantialls of Faith, ſuch as wee call fundamentalls, they keepe ſound; indifferent they ſeeme, or tempered rather to take impreſſion of inferiour errors: turbulent they are indeed that oppoſe or contradict. So we hold Chriſts preſence in the Sacrament, What matters it for the Modus? Whither it bee Sacramentaliter, and ſpiritualiter onelyonly, or Modo ſubſtantiae; Whither by Tranſubſtantiation or Conſubſtantiation, What matters it to diſpute? Who, but fooles, are not indifferent to reſolue? Oh fooliſh, yet holy Martyrs, that to this errour oppoſed euen to the ſhedding of bloud.
In the Article of Iuſtification; ſo all bee reſolued to Chriſt; what folly is it to tumble our ſelues in inquiring after the manner of Application, or efficacie of his meritorious Paſſion? Whither by it imputed to vsus wee ſtand iuſt in GODS ſight; or, Whither it auaile by procuring to vsus the gift of Charity, and other infuſed vertues, to formallize vsus internally to Iuſtice, in Chaos antiquum confundimur: for ought I ſee, the more implicite our Faith is, the better: A few maine generalls let vsus hold; for diſtinctneſſe in knowledge and Faith, though vouchſafed vsus in the meanes, let that be referred to our ſcientia oblectans.
But 1. HaueHave wee forgotten who ſaid; though keeping the foundation wee may bee ſaued, yet byb1 Cor. 3.15. building hay or ſtubble wee ſuffer loſſe? So farre impaire the fulneſſe of our reward? 2. Are theſe inferiour truths amongſt the things reuealed? Then they cDeut. 29.29.belong to vsus; wofully vnthankfull hee who ouer-ſlights them. 3. Such wantonneſſe in playing with pretious truth, occaſions the Lord to permit vsus to groſſer errors. 4. The error heere mentioned ouerthrowes not the maine, yet with what earneſtneſſe doth Paul Caution againſt it?