Exposition of 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 4 · Verse 17
VERS. 17.
Then we which liue, &c.
AVGVSTINE here propounds the Queſtion,Auguſtine. Whether they whom Chriſt ſhall then find aliue, ſhall not die at all; or, whether in their paſſage towards Chriſt in the Aire, they ſhall die, and be reuiued: and ſeemes to incline to that opinion, that they ſhall hauehave their death, and be againe mirâ celeritate reuiued. Againſt him directly is the Apoſtle;i1. Cor. 15.51. We ſhall not all ſleepe; and PETER, Chriſt is ordained of God to be Iudge kAct. 10.41.of quicke and dead.
His Arguments are of ſmall moment; To lGen. 3.19.duſt thou ſhalt returne; and, It is mHeb. 9.27.appointed to all men once to die. Caietanes anſwere is briefe, but pithie; The Statute, ſaith he, is regular; but, illos non mori eſt ſingulare; There be that hauehave their priuiledge and diſpenſation.
Touching the manner of this Raptus, whether it ſhall be by Miniſterie of Angels, as ſeemes to bee implyed, Mat. 24. or by an immediate power of God, making our bodies of that agilitie, that, as Birds, we ſhall mount vp into the Aire, is not curiouſly to be diſputed.
Queſt. If any ſhall aske, What the vſe is of our meeting the Lord in the Aire, whereto it ſerues?
Anſw. Firſt, to fill vp thenIude 14. Maieſtie and Glorie of the Iudges preſence. Secondly, to be his Aſſeſſors in the Iudgement, to bee pronounced and executed vponupon the vngodly. Which made Paul ſay, We o1. Cor. 6.2.ſhall iudge the world; whether by way of Compariſon, as Niniuites are ſaid to pMat. 12.41.condemne Iewes; or by way of Approbation, is indifferent to be reſolued.
Obſer. Here onelyonly take notice of the glorie God reſerues for his children againſt the Day of Iudgement: that howſoeuer they are here contemned, and in the eſtimation of the wicked, as the ſcumme and off-ſcowring of the world, the Lord Chriſt ſhall then honour them ſo farre, as to make them hisq1. Cor. 6. Aſſeſſours in the Iudgement of the World. In the Regeneration, they ſhall ſit on rMat. 19.28.Thrones, iudging the Tribes of Iſrael. Such honour hauehave all his Saints.
Vſe. And let it be our ſolace, againſt all the contempt we liue in, in this World. I know not how, that temptation of Infamie and Reproch preuailes much with many; gladly, wee would all be ſome-bodie in the eye of the World. And becauſe we ſee Religious courſes ſo euerie where loaden with diſgrace, many, exceeding many, ſhrinke, if not from practice, yet from open profeſſion of the Goſpell.
Now, if wee had wiſedome to meaſure the happineſſe and glorie of Gods children, not by their outward ſtate in this life, but by their condition in the life to come, wee ſhould neuer enuie vntounto Salomon his Royaltie, nor to any Monarch of the Earth the perfection of Maieſtie. For to which of the Kings of the Earth ſaid the Lord at any time, they ſhall be his Aſſeſſors at the day of Iudgement? except to ſuch onelyonly, as contentedly ſubmit themſelues to beare his Reproch; and that hauehave learnt with MOSES, to ſHeb. 11.25, 26count the rebuke of Chriſt greater honour, then all the Maieſtie that the World can afford them. They alſo ſhall die like men, and be countable for the iniuries and oppreſſions they hauehave loaden Gods children withall: yea, if they repent not their vngodly deedes, ſtand to be iudged of them whom they hauehave contemned and deſpightfully entreated.
Obſer. The laſt conſequent of Chriſts comming here mentioned, is the admiſſion of Gods children to the perpetuall ſocietie of Christ, and fellowſhip in the bleſſedneſſe and glory of his Kingdome. The excellencie of that ſtate, ſee at large deſcribed, Reuel. 22.
Vſe. And let it teach vsus, to long, and pray for that bleſſed appearing and comming of the Sonne of Man,tReuel. 22.17. The Spirit and Bride ſay, Come, yea euen come quickly, Lord Ieſus: TheuRom. 8.19. Creatures with earneſt expectation wait and long for the manifeſtation of the ſonnes of God. And by how many meanes doth the Lord labour to draw our Affections towards that bleſſed Eſtate? exerciſing, and euen loading vsus with Afflictions in this life; giuing vsus taſte of the comforts he hath prouided for vsus in the life to come, in the Peace of Conſcience, and firſt fruits of Sanctification; yet ſo, as wee hauehave neither in perfection, nor without interruption: To what end? but that we might, from the ſweetneſſe of the taſte here vouchſafed vntounto vsus, frame this kind of reaſoning to our ſelues? If the taſte of this happineſſe be ſo ſweet; Oh, what ſhall the fulneſſe be? If this glimmering light of Heauenly knowledge, when we ſee but as in a Glaſſe, darkely, be ſo delightfull; what ſhall it be, to ſee the Lord face to face, and to know him as hee is? If our weake obedience, and the firſt fruits of the Spirit be ſo comfortable, that wee highlier prize it then all the treaſures of the World; what ſhall the perfection of Holineſſe be? When there ſhall be no Deuill to tempt, no Concupiſcence to entice, no Fleſh to luſt againſt the Spirit, no Law in our members to rebell againſt the Law of our mind. If the communion we hauehave here with Chriſt, in his Word and Sacraments, be ſo ioyous, that we are of Dauids mind,xPſal. 84.10. One day in the Lords Houſe is better then a thouſand in the Tents of vngodlineſſe; and thinke it more honour, to bee a Doore-keeper in the Houſe of God, then to reigne in the Tabernacles of the wicked; what ſhall it be, to enioy the immediate Preſence and Glorie of God our Father, Chriſt our Redeemer, the holy Ghoſt our Comforter? &c.
To which, if wee adde the conſideration of the vnchangeableneſſe of that eſtate, what can be added to that meaſure of happineſſe? We ſhall, ſayth the Apoſtle, be euer with the Lord.
Obſer. So then, the bleſſed ſtate of Gods children after this life, is vnchangeable and euerlasting. That inheritance y1. Pet. 1.4.is incorruptible, vndefiled, and that fadeth not away. That life iszDan. 12.2. euerlaſting; that Sabbath aIſai. 66.23.is perpetuall, that glory is eternall; that ioy laſts for euermore.
There be three things eminent in the ſtate of glory, aboue that of Gods children in this life. Firſt, perfection. Secondly, perpetuity. Thirdly, immutability. We ſee now but in a glaſſe, imperfectly;b1. Cor. 13.12. then face to face; wee hauehave nowcRom. 8.23. the firſt fruits, onelyonly of the ſpirit, thed2. Cor. 1.22. earneſt penny of our redemption; then the full meaſure, according to the meaſure of ſuch creatures.
We hauehave now peace of Conſcience; but alas, how often interrupted with vnſpeakeable horrour? Now reioyce we withe1. Pet. 1.8. ioy vnſpeakeable, and glorious; but times fall out, as with Dauid, that we need pray,fPſal. 51.12. Reſtoring the ioy of the Lords ſaluation. There is peace, without trouble; ioy without ſorrow; Foelix ſecuritas; ſecura foelicitas, ſaith BERNARD: foelix aeternitas, aeterna foelicitas, ſaith Auguſtine.
Ʋſe. 1 Herewithg2. Cor. 4.16, 18. ſolace wee our ſelues in all afflictions, yea, though they ſeem to threatē vsus with death. It is a bleſſed change we make by dying in the Lord, or for him. GiueGive hopeleſſe men leaue to tremble at death, whoſe portion is in this life. Let Gods children ſealed with his Spirit, lift vp their heads for ioy, in their diſſolution: as Simeon ſings his Nunc dimittis, *Ambroſ. de bono mortis, cap. 2.quaſi neceſſitate quadam teneretur in hâc vitâ, non voluntate; ſaith Ambroſe.
Ʋſe. 2 Secondly, Leaue to moderate mourning for the dead, though neuer ſo neare,Hicron. that die in the Lord. Lugeatur mortuus, ſed ille quem gehenna ſuſcipit, quem tartarus deuorat, in eius poenas eternus ignis aeſtuat, ſaith Hierome, intending to put meaſure to a mothers ſorrow.
Ʋſe. 3 Thirdly,h2. Tim. 4.8. LoueLove, and long for; andi2. Pet 3.12. haſten vntounto the ſecond appearing of Chriſt.
Fourthly, Know hence, that the miſerable eſtate of the Ʋſe. 4 damned in Hell, is alſo vnchangeable and euerlaſting. It was Origens errour, and the Chiliaſts, that within one thouſand yeeres after the reſurrection, there ſhould bee a yeere of Iubile for the damned in Hell; a yeere of releaſe out of their torments. I maruell then why Abraham ſaid, They kLuk. 16.26.cannot come from you to vsus. Why our Sauiour ſaid, That lMar. 9.44.worme dies not, that fire goes not out? why hee calls that fire,mMat. 25.41. euerlaſting? *Bernard. meditat. cap. 3.Procul à beata Paradiſi patriâ exulati cruciabuntur in gehennà perpetuâ, nunquam lucem viſuri, nunquam refrigerium adepturi, ſed per millia millium annorum in inferno cruciandi, nec inde vnquam liberandi, vbi nec qui torquet, aliquando fatigatur; nec qui torquetur, aliquando moritur: ſic enim ignis ibi conſumit, vt ſemper reſeruet; ſic tormenta aguntur, vt ſemper renouentur. Bernard. And I wonder, how elſe their puniſhment anſweres to their ſins; they ſinned, ſaith THOMAS, in aeterno ſuo; Iuſt therefore that they ſhould be tormented in aeterno Dei. Their deſires to ſinne, were euerlaſting, ſaith Gregorie; is it not iuſt, their puniſhment ſhould be euerlaſting? Euen now in hell continues their impenitency; and can we thinke the ſinnes may bee pardoned, that are not repented?
Laſtly, the Maieſtie they offended, is infinite; ſome infiniteneſſe then there muſt be, to anſwere the violation of that infinite Iuſtice; it cannot be in the weight, leſt the creature be aboliſhed: It muſt bee therefore in the continuance.