Exposition of 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 4 · Verse 18
VERS. 18.
Wherefore, comfort one another with theſe words.
THe inference out of this whole Treaty, touching the ſtate of the dead in Chriſt: wherein conſider, firſt, the duetie inioyned; Comfort one another: the meanes of comfort; with theſe words.
The points obſerueable are theſe. Firſt; The duety we owe to the afflicted; that is, comfort. n1. Theſ. 5.14.Comfort the feeble-minded. Man that is in miſerie oJob 6.14.ſhould be comforted of his friends; but that men hauehave forſaken the feare of the Almighty.
Reaſons. 1 Firſt, compaſſion & Sympathy that ſhould be betwixt vsus, in reſpect of our neere linking together in the body of Chriſt. If a thorne be in the foot, the backe bowes; the eye is buſie to prie into the hurt; the hands doe their beſt, to plucke out the cauſe of anguiſh? euen we are pEphe. 4.25.members one of another: therefore ſaid PAVL,q2. Cor. 11.29. Who is afflicted, and I burne not?
Reaſons. 2 Secondly, We our ſelues are rHeb. 13.3.yet in the body; and may ſuffer what others now feele.
Reaſons. 3 Thirdly,ſ2. Cor. 2.7. Sorrow, ſaith the Apoſtle, is a gulfe; how many ſwallowes it vp for want of comfort? Example ſee in Iobs friends, Barzillai, &c. Defectiue in this duty, are, firſt, all men inſenſible of others ſorrowes; whom the afflictions of Gods children touch not. They drinke wine in bowles, ſaith AMOS: but tAmos. 6.6, 8.no man is ſorry for the affliction of IOSEPH. Therfore the Lord hath ſworne by himſelfe, that he doth abhorre the excellency of IACOB, and hate the Palaces thereof. How can we be aſſured we are quickened by the Spirit of Chriſt, that hauehave uPhil. 2.5.not his affection? To count the afflictions of his Church, after a ſort ourxAct. 9.4. owne.
Secondly, They that make themſelues merry with the miſeries of their brethren; & count it a chiefe melody, to ſee, and heare the maladies of others; whenyHeſt. 3.15. SHVSHAN is in greateſt perplexitie, HAMAN is in the height of his iollity. How many of the ſame ſpirit amongſt vsus, triumph in the greateſt miſeries of their brethren, that miſerie of miſeries, a wounded ſpirit? there are, that can ſooner make matter of exprobration, then means of compaſſiō; it is the fruit, they ſay, of following Sermons. How euer it be true, It is a zHeb. 10.31.fearefull thing to fall into the hands of God, and wonderfull intolerable to wreſtle with his wrath in the Conſcience; yet farre more heauy token of his implacable diſpleaſure is it, to liue ſenſleſly in ſin, and not to be remembred with ſome afflictions. Truely ſaid HIEROME, Magna ira eſt, quando peccantibus non iraſcitur Deus. It is cauſe of trembling, when the Lord comes toaPſal. 89.32. viſite our offences with the rod, and our ſinnes with ſcourges; but much more grieuous, that he threatens by HOSHEA; I will not viſite their daughters when they are harlots. Medicus, ſi ceſſabit curare, deſperat.
Yea ſee how the Scripture teacheth vsus, from the afflictions of Gods children, to inferre a farre more miſerable eſtate of the wicked. If Iudgement begin at the houſe of God, b1. Pet. 4.17.what ſhall be the end of them that obey not the Goſpel? I begin to plague the cIere. 25.29.Citie where my name is called vponupon, and ſhall yee goe free? If the dProu. 11.31.righteous bee recompenſed in the earth; how much more the wicked and the ſinner? doth he ſo chaſten the infirmities of his children? what will hee doe to the preſumptions of his enemies, &c.
Remember what Salomon aduiſeth in this caſe:eProu. 24.17, 18. Reioyce not, no not when thine enemie falleth: neither let thy heart be glad, when hee ſtumbleth; leſt the Lord ſee it, and it diſple ſe him; and ſo he turne away his hand from him to thee.
Thirdly, They that adde affliction to them whom the Lord hath wounded. GiueGive gall for meat, and vineger to quench thirſt, as the Iewes to our Sauiour: make more bitter the afflictions of Gods children; firſt, by inſolencies, ſecondly,f2. Sam. 16. exprobations, thirdly, queſtioning ſinceritie.
Let all ſuch barbarous, and inhumane natures remember, what Dauid prayes vntounto ſuch; not out of a reuengefull affection, but by propheticall inſtinct:gPſal. 69.24.26, 27. Powre out thine indignation vponupon them, and let thy wrathfull anger take hold vponupon them. Adde iniquity to their iniquity, and let them neuer come into thy righteouſnes. For they perſecute him whom thou haſt ſmitten. Heare what Obadiah threatens to ſuch a people;hObad. 15. As thou hast done, ſo ſhall it be done to thee; thy reward ſhall returne vponupon thine owne head.
Let Gods people be exhorted, to beware this inhumanity; and as we deſire to partake comfor from God, ſo not to withhold it from the afflicted.
Reaſons hereto inducing: Firſt, it is the end why the Lord hath beene pleaſed to Miniſter comfort to vsus; that we i2. Cor. 1.4.might be able to comfort others, with the ſame comfort, wherewith our ſelues hauehave beene comforted of God.
Secondly, The comfort we Miniſter to others, is reflected vponupon our owne ſoules. In ſpirituall things, no man is a loſer by communication. No man loſeth knowledge, by inſtructing the ignorant; nor abates his owne zeale, by inflaming the zeale of others, nor impaires his owne comfort, but increaſeth it, by Miniſtring comfort to the diſtreſſed.
Thirdly, God himſelfe becomes our debter by promiſe, tokPſal. 41.1, 2. recompence it into our boſomes.
Fourthly, The ſoules of the afflictedl2. Tim. 1.16.17 ſhall bleſſe thee.
The matter or meanes of comfort followeth: with theſe words:
Obſer. The best comforts are they, that are drawne from doctrines of the Scriptures. mRom. 15.14.Scripture-comforts are the comforts indeede.
Scripture-comforts exceed all others, in three ſpecialties. Firſt, they are more ſolid, becauſe more true; the very pith and marrow of comfort, is contained in Scripture: there is that, the weary ſoule may reſt, and build vponupon. This, ſaith DAVID, is my nPſal. 119.50.comfort in mine affliction. oPſal. 119.52.Thy word hath quickned me. IpPſal. 119.92. remembred thy word, O Lord, and receiued comfort.
Secondly, more vniuerſall. Some miſeries there are, for which the Heathen found out, and penned ſome ſhallow comforts. But how many be there, which they could neuer find ſalue to cure? that miſerie of miſeries, a wounded ſpirit, how miſerably do they comfort? No maruell; they knew not the ſtorehouſe of comfort, the Mediatour Christ Ieſus, qRom. 5.10.that died, to reconcile vsus vntounto God.
Thirdly, More effectuall. What words but theſe, hauehave the Spirit of God promiſed to make them effectuall to the conſolation of the afflicted? ThisrIſai. 59.21. Word and the Spirit goe together. The holy Ghoſt, the Comforter, ſeales it vp to the Soule, and ſRom. 5.5.ſheads Gods louelove abroad in our hearts.
And if we ſhall a little enter compariſon betwixt the Comforts extant in the writings of Men, and thoſe propounded in the Scripture, wee ſhall ſee, how vtterly vaine, and of no worth, thoſe are, in compariſon of theſe.
To ſpeake to the point Paul here treats of: Tully and Seneca hauehave many large Diſcourſes, tending to yeeld comfort in the death of friends. The ſumme of all they ſay, is this, Eâ lege naſcimur, Death is ineuitable, none can auoid it; fooliſh therefore for a man to grieue for it. Againe, it is exitus communis, none ſcapes it; and here they lay on load, with hiſtories of Cities, Kingdomes, Monarchies, that hauehave come to ruine. Thirdly, ſometimes they demurre, whether any thing of Man remaine after death? imagining no other Immortalitie, but in the mouthes of men, by commendation: either they are not, and then are not miſerable; or if they bee, yet herein ſtands their bleſſedneſſe, their ſoules are ridde from the priſon of the bodie. What are the comforts Scriptures affoord in this caſe?tRom. 8.3, 39. Death ſeparates not from the louelove of God, bringsuReuel. 14.13. reſt from Labours, leades to thexPhil. 1.23. preſence of Chriſt; yea, of the very bodies teach truly, their death is but a ſleepe.
See in another particular: Outward afflictions and vexations; what comforts hauehave they? Forſooth, either they are fatall, and cannot be auoided; or elſe fortuitous, and therefore to be contemned: Compare the Scriptures; they are ſwayed by the prouident hand of a louing Father; that firſt,y1. Cor. 10.13. tempers them to our ſtrength; ſecondly, vſeth them as meanes to zHeb. 12.11.mortifie our ſinnes, to a1. Cor. 11.32.preuent damnation; Thirdly, theyb2. Cor. 4.17. worke to vsus an incomparable weight of eternall glory.
In infamie and contempt; they ſhew vsus the vanitie of popular applauſe. What is fame, but aura popularis? the breath of the people. And honour, they ſay, is in honorante, not in honorato. Heare Scriptures: God hath choſen c1. Cor. 1.28.the vile things, & things of no eſteem, to cōfound the mighty; theſe that now are counted the off-ſcouring of the earth, ſhall one daydMat. 19.18. ſit on thrones iudging the tribes of Iſrael; and,eMat. 5.12. great is their reward in Heauen. I might be infinite in this kind; but whereto? who maruels, if the comforts of men be not comparable to thoſe, that proceed from the Father of mercies, & God of all conſolation? He that made mans heart, beſt knowes the maladies thereof, and what cordials to Miniſter thereto for medicine.
Ʋſe 1 What then may we thinke of them, to whoſe ſoules, no comforts are more vnwelcome, then thoſe the Scriptures affoord? that forſake this fountaine of liuing waters, & digge them pits that can hold no water? in deadlieſt ſickeneſſe, when now the ſoule drawes neereſt to the pit, delight moſt in the company, and preſence of the moſt profane, and ignorant, of their curſed acquaintance; The Miniſter, whom God hath made fIob 33.23.his interpreter, and meſſenger of comfort to the weary ſoule, is laſt ſent for, and leſt welcome; as if they thought, of all comforts, they were leſt precious, that the word of God affoordes.
Will you heare the forme of comforting that ſo much delights them? Be of good cheare, neighbour; you ſhall doe well enough, by grace of God: I hauehave ſeene many as low brought, and yet hauehave recouered: or if the worſt come, it is but a dying. We owe God a death, and there is an end. As Iob ſpeakes to his friends, Miſerable comforters are theſe to the afflicted: It is indeed appointed to all men once to die. But heare what followes:gHeb. 9.27. After death comes Iudgement. Where is that ſhould ſupport the ſoule, againſt it be preſented to the Lords tribunall? When eueryevery man h2. Cor. 5.10.receiues according to things done in his body: To ſuch diſtreſſe, alas, what comfort can they miniſter; that hauehave neither experience, nor ſo much as knowledge, of the meanes of reconcilement vntounto the Iudge; know not, to reueale vntounto men that righteouſneſſe of Chriſt, wherein, who is not found, periſheth in euerlaſting horror, and torment of conſcience?
Secondly, Learne we all diligently to conuerſe in the Ʋſe 2 Scriptures, that we may ſtore our ſelues with ſound comfort, againſt the euill day commeth. Certainely it is a truth; either in this life for a time, or in the world to come, for euer, thou ſhalt finde conſcience an accuſer, a witneſſe, a Iudge againſt thee. It will be too late to ſeeke comfort, when the miſery commeth. Be exhorted therefore, to let this Word iCol. 3.16.dwell plentifully in you; if not for the pleaſantneſſe of heauenly reuelations, therein contained; if not, that you may know how to direct your liues according to the will of God; (though whoſo makes it not his Counſeller, ſhall neuer find it his comforter:) yet for your neceſſity ſake, that ye may hauehave comfort, wherewith to ſupport your ſoules, in the euill day of temptation.
Strange is the contempt of this knowledge, & comfort of the Scriptures amongſt men. Inſomuch that euen idle Ballads, profane Play-bookes, and lying Fables, are with more delight conuerſed in, then the ſacred Word of God, able to ſaue, or deſtroy our ſoules. kHoſ. 8.12.God hath written vsus the great things of his Law; but they are become a ſtrange thing vntounto vsus; cauſed the Scriptures to be written for our comfort, and therein affoorded vsus conſolations, ſuch as no writings of men deliuer. Iuſtly let their ſoules periſh in horrour, and euerlaſting diſcomfort, that neglect ſo great ſaluation offered to them in the Scriptures.
The end of the fourth Chapter.