Exposition of 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 5 · Verse 3
VERS. 3.
For when they ſhall ſay, Peace and ſafety; then ſudden deſtruction commeth vponupon them, as trauell vponupon a woman with child, and they ſhall not eſcape.
THe Apoſtle in this verſe continues the explication of his former concluſion; withall deſcribing, firſt, the ſtate of the times. Secondly, the effect of that ſecond comming of Chriſt toward the wicked; the ſtate of thoſe times is this, they ſhall be full of ſecuritie. Thirdly, the effect that Day brings to the vngodly, is deſtruction; amplified by three circumſtances. It is firſt, ſudden, ſecondly, painefull, thirdly, ineuitable.
For the firſt, the note is this; Wicked men are neuer more ſecure, then when their deſtruction is neereſt: neuer neerer deſtruction, then when they are moſt ſecure. Thus was it with kLuk. 17.27, 28.the old world, thus with Sodome and Gomorrhe. Saith Agag, when he is going to execution,l1. Sam. 15.32 The bitterneſſe of death is ouer. SeemDan. 5.4, 30 BELSHAZZAR inter pocula, ſurpriſed by the Perſians. Generally ſaith Iob of Epicures; They ſpend their dayes in wealth, and nIob. 21.13.in a moment goe downe to Hell.
No maruell: firſt, height of ſecurity growes from height of infidelitie, and contempt of Gods threatnings. Faith breeds feare: the more we beleeue, the more we trē ble at Gods Iudgements:o2. King. 22.20 as IOSIAH. All ſecurity comes from infidelity; height of ſecurity, from height of infidelity. No maruell if the Lord now haſten his wrath, to iuſtifie his truth; and to teach them by ſenſe, what they would not learne by his Word.
Secondly, beſides, there is a conſequent of extreme ſecuritie, mentioned by Moſes, vponupon which followes deſtruction immediatly.hDeut. 29.18. It is, p adding drunkenneſſe to thirſt. Whē they once begin to bleſſe thēſelues in their iniquitie, & to ſay they ſhall hauehave peace, though they walke on in the ſtubburnneſſe of their hearts; then they grow inſatiable in their ſinnes. Whiles any faith, or feare of God is left in the heart, there may perhaps be a thirſting after the pleaſures of ſinne, but no ſatiating of the inordinate deſire of euill: That feare remooued, a man becomes as vile in action, as in affection; glutting himſelfe in the ſinnes, that before he longed after, but for ſome kind of feare, durſt not commit. It argues therefore a ripeneſſe of ſinne, andqGen. 15.18. filling vp the meaſure of iniquitie: high time now for the Lord to proceede to vengeance.
Vſe. Wherein, as in a glaſſe, wee may ſee the dangerous eſtate of this Kingdome, and State, wherein wee liue. As there are many things, that may occaſion vsus to expect Gods heauy indignation:rGen. 15.13. as firſt, ripeneſſe of iniquity in all degrees of men. Secondly, the little, orſAmos. 4.11, 12. no profit we hauehave made by former Iudgements. Thirdly, the taking away of ſo many of Gods ſeruants, no doubttIſai. 57.1.12. from the euill to come: ſo nothing more, then the generall ſecurity we liue in. I cannot thinke, the great Day of the Lords comming is ſo nigh, as to fall within the age of a man: becauſe I yet ſee not theuRom. 11.15, 26. Iewes calling accompliſhed: But ſure, I am perſwaded, there is ſome heauy wrath of God approching vsus. So generall is the ſecuritie, wee are moſt ouertaken withall: Let a man in his mind walke thorow the earth, as the Angell; he ſhall find, as hee, xZech. 1.11.the whole earth ſitting ſtill, and being at rest: Nothing almoſt now heard of, but the peace God hath pleaſed to ſettle in our borders; and the concord wee hauehave with all Nations round about: which makes vsus, as it is ſaid of the inhabitants of Lachiſh, dwell ſecurely. It ſhall behooue Gods children to take notice of it: And let the ſecurity of others, worke our feare and trembling, and humiliation before the Lord: that, if it be poſſible, we may finde a y hiding place in the day of the Lords anger.zZeph. 2.3.
Secondly, This alſo may teach vsus, as Dauid, leaſt to feare men, when they leaſt feare before God; their very ſecuritie is a token, their deſtruction is not farre off.zPſal. 49.16. Be not afraid when ſuch men are made rich, and when the glory of their houſe is increaſed; God ſets them aloft aPſal. 73.18.in ſlippery places, that he may caſt them downe into deſolation.
Thirdly, Flie ſecurity; he is bleſſed, ſaith SALOMON, that feares alwayes; if any thing ſet thee ſafe from the ſenſe of euill, it is the feare of euill. The effect that Day brings to the wicked, is deſtruction. Touching the Nature of it, may be ſome queſtion: ſome deſiring to be Atheiſts, & to rid their conſcience of all feare of wrath, that they may ſin ſecurely; ſo conceiue it, as if it were an vtter aboliſhing of their being; making, in that reſpect, the ſtate of man, all one with the condition of beaſts.
See we what Religion, and reaſon teach, touching death and deſtruction of men. That neither death, nor Iudgement brings with it deſtruction of Nature, and abolition of being, Scriptures, and Reaſon teach abundantly. Firſt, If Gods children had hope in this life onelyonly, they were b1. Cor. 15.19.of all men moſt miſerable: as hauing leaſt taſte of the comforts of this life. And if there be not a vengeance laid vp in ſtore for the vngodly after this life, they were of all men the moſt happie, that here liue in iollity, come in no misfortune as other men; and at death, ceaſe to bee, and ſo to bee miſerable. Now farre be it, ſaith ABRAHAM, that cGen. 18.25.the Iudge of all the world ſhould not do right; ſo order the ſtate of things, that neither here, nor hereafter ſhould bee reward for the righteous; nor vengeance for ſinners. Secondly, No other, in likelihood, is the deſtruction of wicked men, then was of euill Angels that kept not their firſt eſtate. Their deſtruction aboliſhed not their Nature; but deſtroyed their ioy: they are dIude v. 6, 7.kept in chains vnderunder darkenes vntounto the Iudgement of the great Day: and with them goe the wicked to euerlaſting fire; to torture them, not to conſume them. Saith Peter of Sodomites, whoſe deſtruction came from heauen; They ſuffer now the vengeance of eternall fire.
What ſhould I tell you of thoſe Arguments, which out of Reaſon Naturalliſts hauehave drawne? ſhewing of the ſoule, at leaſt; it muſt be immortall.
Firſt, Becauſe, they ſay, it hath in it, no principle of corruption, or diſſolution; being incorporeall, & as ſome of them taught, immateriall. At the death of the body they wondered not; for they knew it conſiſted of contrary Natures; and therefore carried in it principles of its owne diſſolution; but for the ſoule, they thought the originall thereof was Heauenly: made not of any elementarie matter, but, if of any, of the Quinteſſence of the Heauens.
Secondly, Moreouer, they obſerued in the ſoule, a kind of infiniteneſſe of deſiring; which, nothing that this world affoords, was euer able to ſatiate; and that deſire being Naturall, they thought, could not alwayes bee vaine; but ſhould at leaſt after ſeparation from the body, find ſome infinite good thing, in fruition whereof it ſhould find reſt, and full contentment.
Thirdly, Beſides, they obſerued in the moſt deſperate mainteiners of the ſoules mortality towards death, vnſpeakeable feares, wherewith their conſciences were ſurpriſed. Whence ſhould they grow? from perſwaſion of vtter deſtruction, and aboliſhment? It could not be. For as Tullie ſaid; The dead, if they be not, cannot be miſerable. No queſtion therefore, from impreſſion of that principle, faſtened in the hearts of al men; It is appointed to all men once to die, and after that comes Iudgement. ZENO was wont to ſay, he had rather ſee one Indian, willingly, & of his owne accord go into the fire to be burnt (their cuſtome ſee in Ʋalerius Maximus: Lib. 2. cap. 1.) then heare all the Philoſophers in the world, diſpute of the ſoules immortality. His meaning was, that the cheerefulnes they ſhewed in death, was to him a more binding Argument, that the ſoule was immortal; then all Philoſophical ſpeculations; thinking, there could be in no man ſuch alacritie in death, without a ſtrong impreſſion of immortality. So certainely, the feares that Atheiſts are ſurpriſed withall in death, is an Argument ſtrong as any, that there is a life of the ſoule, after it is ſeuered from the body.
What ſhould I ſpeake of that perfection, time, that weares out all things corruptible, brings to the reaſonable ſoule, and vnderſtanding? The body, the elder it growes, the more feeble; the ſenſes, that are exerciſed by bodily Organs, hauehave all their decay by age; whereas the mind, and vnderſtanding is perfited by age;eIob. 12.12. With the ancient is Wiſedome, and in length of dayes vnderſtanding. I ſpare the teſtimonies of Ancient Heathens, that eueryevery Reader may find frequent in their writings. That of DIDYMVS King of Brackmans to Alexander, I cannot let paſſe. Nos non ſumus incolae huius mundi, ſed aduenae. Nec ita in orbem terrarum venimus, vt in eo libeat conſiſtere, ſed tranſire; properamus enim ad larem patrium.
Epiſt. 102.SENECA: Cum venerit Dies ille qui mixtum hoc Diuini humanique ſeceruat, corpus hoc, vbi inueni, relinquam: ipſe me Dijs reddam.
Apud Galenum.Porphyrie; Non est mirum animam, quae ſubſtantia incorporea eſt, poſſe ſeparari à corpore; cum ignis, qui eſt ſubſtantia corporea & corruptibilis, à lignis quibus eſt coniunctus, poſſit ſeparari, & reuertiin ſuam materiam ſine ſui corruptione.
The ſumme is this; that neither death, nor Iudgement brings to any man deſtruction of his Nature, or aboliſhment of being.
Queſt. What then is the deſtruction here ſpoken of?
Anſw. Not of their Nature, but of their ioy, and ſeeming felicitie, that in this life they inioyed.
The amplifications follow: Firſt, it is ſudden; comming in a time when it is leaſt thought of, and leſſe expected; as trauell vponupon a woman with child; ſometimes while they are eating, drinking, ſleeping, laughing; and thinke of nothing leſſe, then of the paines of trauell: thereof before. Secondly, as trauell; painefull: The anguiſh, and paine of it, who may conceiue? The Scriptures, the better to faſten the impreſſion in our hearts, hauehave bene pleaſed to make choice of ſuch compariſons, as beſt ſerue to expreſſe it to our apprehenſion. Here, it is ſet out by the paines of womens trauell; the bitterneſſe whereof, that ſexe can witneſſe: in other Scriptures it is expreſſed by the paines of fire. Nothing more painefull to the ſenſe, then fire: of fires, none more ſcalding, or noyſome, then that of Brimſtone; ſuch, and more painefull are the torments, that Day brings vponupon the world of the vngodly.
Diuines hauehave referred all to theſe two heads: Firſt, they call poenam damni. Second, poenam ſenſus. The good things whereof they are depriued; as the preſence of God, the ioyes that neither eye hath ſeene, nor eare heard, nor the heart of man conceiued. The torments they feele, are ſuch, as all earthly things are too little to expreſſe: the Brick-kills of Aegypt, the Furnace of Babel, or if there be any thing a man can conceiue more torturing, are all but Flea-bites, to the anguiſh, and horrible torment they then ſuffer.
To this if we adde the laſt circumſtance; that it is ineuitable, what can bee added to declare the horror? The Creatures are all then ſeruiceable to the will & appointment of the Iudge.fReuel. 20.13. Graue and Sea giuegive vp their dead. Angels, as Gods Miniſters, preſent them to Chriſts Tribunall. They are brought in indeed,gReuel. 6.15, 16. flying to the mountaines to fall on them, and to the rockes to couer them, from the preſence of him that ſits vponupon the Throne. But all in vaine: The power of God, his Iuſtice, and truth, all glorifie themſelues in their deſtruction. His mercy, then in reſpect of the effects thereof towards them, ceaſeth; that Day,hRom. 2.15. is a day of wrath, and declaration of the iuſt Iudgement of God. Lord, Lord, open vntounto vsus, ſay the fooliſh Virgins. What heare they? but Depart from me, ye curſed, into euerlaſting fire. Thus ſudden, painefull, and vnauoydable, is the deſtruction that great Day brings vponupon the world of the vngodly.
And I beſeech you, brethren, ſeriouſly and betimes thinke of it, and lay it to heart; Pray, ſaith our Sauiour, and by all meanes labour, that yee may eſcape the feares, and tortures of that great Day: and with comfort, ſtand before Chriſt at his comming. Wonderfull prodigall wee are, generally, of our ſoules; for the baſe profits, and pleaſures of this life, expoſing them to the bitter paines of eternall death. Alas, what is it to gaine the world, and to loſe thy ſoule? What, to fare deliciouſly eueryevery day, and at death, to bee found in Hell, in torments? What, to ſpend our dayes in wealth and iollity, and in a moment to goe downe to Hell? Heare thoſe wretched men, crying out of their folly, when it is too late;iWiſd. 5.8. What hath pride profited vsus, and what hath the pompe of riches brought vsus? All theſe are vaniſhed as a ſhadow, paſſed away as a Poſt; left nothing behind them, but guilt and paine, torturing, and tormenting the ſoule, without eaſe, or hope of end. Let me therefore ſay, as Iſai: OhkIſai. 55.6. ſeeke the Lord, while hee may bee found, call vponupon him while hee is neere. There is yet place for mercy; when that Day commeth, Nothing but indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguiſh vponupon the ſoule of eueryevery one that hath done euill.