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 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
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 Division .T+tv/S^ /%Ti^. (. ..A-,^ 
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EXPOSITION 
 
 THE TWO EPISTLES OF ST. PAUL 
 
 THESSALONIANS. 
 
"THE JEWELL 01" BISUOPS, THE WORTHIEST DIVINE THAT CHRISTEXDOJI 
 HATH BRED FOB SOME HUNDREDS OF VEARS." HoOkCV. 
 
 " OME OF THE GREATEST LIGHTS THAT THK REFORMED CHURCH OF ENG- 
 LAND HATH PRODUCED." Auth.a Wood. 
 
 "THE FIRST, AND INDEED THE BEST, WRITER OF QUEEN ELIZABETH'S 
 TIME, WAS BISHOP JEWELL." BumCt. 
 
 "THE WORKS OF JEWELL ARE ALL OF THEM MONUMENTS OF THE ZEAL, 
 THE LEARNING, THE FAITHFULNESS, AND THE ENEFIGY OF THIS IlLUSTRI- 
 
 ots MAN." jKev. C. W. Le Bas. 
 
 PRINTED BY XUTTALL AND HODGSON, GODGH SQUARE, 
 FLEET STREET. 
 
AN EXPOSITION 
 
 UPON THE 
 
 TWO EPISTLES OF THE APOSTLE ST. PAUL 
 
 THESSALONIANS. 
 
 THE REV. EASIER IN GOD, 
 
 JOHN JEWELL, 
 
 BISHOP OF SALISBURY. 
 
 a ^cJi) 3£tJit(on, 
 
 CAREFULLY REVISED AND CORRECTED, 
 
 BY THE REV. PETER HALL, M.A., 
 
 RKCTOH OF MILSTOX; WILTS ; AND MINISTER OF LONG-ACRE CHAPEL, LONDON. 
 
 LONDON: 
 B. WERTHEIM, ALDINE CHAMBERS, 
 
 PATKRNOSTER ROW. 
 M.DCCC.XLI. 
 
.? 
 
 \ 
 
 TK 
 
 PREFACE, 
 
 BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 The name of the Apologist for the Church of 
 England stands justly endeared to every pious and 
 intelligent member of that community j especially in a 
 day when the characters of our Anglican Fathers and 
 their successors are enduring reproach in the very bosom 
 of an Ecclesiastical Establishment, which they 
 lived to reform by their labours and their prayers, and 
 died to maintain in unabated excellence for the service 
 and welfare of their posterity. 
 
 John Jewell, the youngest son of a poor but highly 
 respectable gentleman, was born May 24th, 1522, at 
 Baden, or Bowden, in the Parish of Berynarbor, Devon- 
 shire. After receiving the rudiments of education in 
 the Grammar Schools of Branton, South-Moulton, and 
 Barnstaple, he was admitted, as early as his thirteenth 
 year, a postmaster of Merton College, Oxford. His 
 tutor was, at first, one Peter Burrey, a man of small 
 learning, and rather adverse to the tenets of the Refor- 
 mation ; which hitherto proceeded, under Henry VIII., 
 but slowly, and in the midst of many discouragements 
 and interruptions. But being eventually entrusted to 
 
VI EDITOR S PREFACE. 
 
 the care of John Parkhurst, afterwards Bishop of Nor- 
 wich, he soon began to imbibe the principles avowed by 
 that accomplished scholar and theologian. 
 
 From Merton he removed, in 1539, to a scholarship 
 at Corpus Christi ; where he passed his degree of B.A. 
 the next year, and commenced the life of a College 
 tutor, and Reader in Humanity and Rhetoric, shortly 
 after. His degree of M.A. he took in 1544, 
 
 On the accession of Edward VI. to the throne, 
 in 1546, Peter Martyr was invited from Germany, and 
 appointed Professor of Divinity at Oxford j where 
 Jewell became his friend, and one of the most diligent 
 attendants on his Lectures ; assisting him (as on sub- 
 sequent occasions) in his labours of transcription for the 
 press, and taking notes of the disputation which he held 
 in the Divinity School, in 1549, with Tresham, Chadsey, 
 and Morgan Phillips, on the real presence of the body 
 of Christ in the eucharist. 
 
 In 1551, he proceeded to the degree of M.A.,, and 
 obtained an occupation for the exercise of his ministry 
 in the small rectory of Sunningwell, near Abingdon ; at 
 the same time preaching frequently both in the chapel 
 of his College and before the University, 
 
 But two years subsequently began the reign of Mary : 
 and Jewell was one of the first of the Protestants of 
 Oxford who fell under the penalty of expulsion through 
 the ascendancy of the Papal party among his associates. 
 From the enmity that raged at Corpus he found a 
 retreat at Broadgate Hall, (now Pembroke College,) in 
 the same University. But hither too his persecutors, with 
 the Vice- Chancellor, Dr, Tresham, and the Dean of 
 Christ Church, Dr. Martial, at their head, pursued him ; 
 till, in a moment of irresolution and precipitancy, and 
 
EDITOR S PREFACE. 
 
 with the fear of torture before his eyes, he was per- 
 suaded to attach his signature to a statement of Romish 
 doctrine prepared beforehand for the purpose. The 
 result was such as might have been anticipated. His 
 friends began to doubt him, while his enemies hated and 
 harassed him more than ever ; and he was but just in 
 time to escape for his life to Frankfort, where Dr. 
 Sandys, afterwards Archbishop of York ; Dr. Home, 
 afterwards Bishop of Winchester; Sir Francis Knollys, 
 afterwards Lord Treasurer ; and many others of the 
 English refugees, had already met. At their solicita- 
 tion he read, on the ensuing Sabbath, from the pulpit, 
 a recantation of his subscription to the Articles of 
 Popery J saying, " It was my abject and cowardly mind, 
 and faint heart, that made my weak hand to commit 
 this wickedness." 
 
 At Frankfort he had not resided long, before he re- 
 ceived an invitation from his old and dear friend Peter 
 Martyr ; who had also been admonished to retire quietly 
 from England, and was settled, for the present, at 
 Strasburg. Here also Jewell was enabled to renew ac- 
 quaintance with Grindall, afterwards Archbishop of 
 Canterbury ; Poynet, Bishop of Winchester ; Sir John 
 Cheke, and others of high esteem among the Reformers, 
 who had fled for refuge to the Continent. From Stras- 
 burg Peter Martyr removed, in 1556 j having succeeded 
 Conrade Pellican as Professor of Hebrew in the Uni- 
 versity of Zurich ; whither he took Jewell with him, 
 and where they found James Pilkington, afterwards 
 Bishop of Durham, residing, like so many of his brethren, 
 till the storm of Papal tyranny and persecution should 
 have passed away. It was probably from Zurich that 
 Jewell made an excursion, for purposes of study, to 
 
EDITOR S PREFACE. 
 
 Padua; where he obtauied an introduction to Signor 
 Scipio, a Venetian, with whom, in 1559, he held a 
 Latin correspondence, concerning the refusal of the 
 Queen and Bishops of England to acknowledge the 
 validity of the Council of Trent. 
 
 But the mercies of God were yet alive towards his 
 servants. Before the end of the year 155S, Mary 
 died ; and the exiles lost no time in returning to Eng- 
 land, and laying their congratulations at the feet of 
 Elizabeth. Jewell was one of the eight divines appointed 
 by the Queen to enter the field of controversy with the 
 same number of the emissaries of Rome at Westminster 
 Abbey : but on the refusal of the latter to abide by the 
 terms arranged, the disputation was broken off. His 
 services, however, were engaged for a Visitation in the 
 West of England, in the character of a Commissioner of 
 the crown for rectifying abuses in the Church. 
 
 On his return to London, Jewell was nominated 
 (January 21st, 1560) to the see of Salisbury, vacant, 
 three years before, by the death of John Capon : and on 
 the Sunday before Easter, immediately following his 
 consecration, the Bishop preached his famous Sermon 
 on 1 Cor. xi. 23, &c. at Paul's Cross ; wherein he defied 
 all the Papists in the world to produce but one plain and 
 unequivocal testimony to the peculiarities of their Creed 
 from any Council or Father of the Church within six 
 hundred years of Christ, and declared his own readiness, 
 on the production of such authority, to conform directly 
 to the Confession of Rome. 
 
 The consternation occasioned in all orders of the 
 English Papacy by this bold and unexpected challenge, 
 was truly wonderful. At home, they were awed to 
 silence : but among the fugitives at Douay, Louvain, and 
 
editor's preface. IX 
 
 St. Omer's, the provocation was resented with all the 
 zeal, subtlety, and shew of learning, so characteristic of 
 Romish controversy. First in the list, with an inter- 
 change of friendly letters, appeared Dr. Cole, late Dean 
 of St. Paul's ; followed, with more violence than effect, by 
 John Rastell, a lawyer. To these succeeded Dorman and 
 Martial ; of whom the former was met by Nowel, the 
 latter by Calfhill. But the glory of the contest lay be- 
 tween the Bishop himself and Dr. Thomas Harding of 
 Louvain. The combatants were both born in the same 
 county, both bred at the same school,* and both perfect- 
 ed in education at the same University : both had stood 
 forward as Protestants under Edward, and both had 
 relapsed into Popery before Mary ; Jewell for fear, and 
 Harding in the hope of favour and preferment: but Jewell, 
 like Peter, had stumbled but to repent and stand the 
 stronger in the faith he had been tempted for a moment 
 to disown ; Harding, like Judas, had fallen, never to 
 rise again. 
 
 The Apology for the Church of England 
 was first published, in Latin, in the year 156^, with 
 authority from the Queen, and the sanction of many of 
 
 * That is, at Barnstaple. The secret history of many an impor- 
 tant transaction in subsequent life (whether of combination or of 
 hostility, whether for good or for evil) might probably be traced to 
 acquaintance formed at schools.* Harding, for example, had since 
 been placed on the foundation of William of Wykeham at Winchester, 
 from which seat of learning a remarkable band of Popish malcontents 
 appear to have issued almost simultaneously: including Martial, the 
 persecutor, and Cole and Rastell, the antagonists, of Jewell ; San- 
 ders, Harpsfield, and Stapleton, a triumvirate of most learned divines, 
 incessantly engaged in controversy against the Church and govern- 
 ment of England ; Fowler, the pi'inter of most of the seditious publi- 
 cations of the Jesuits at Louvain ; and last, but not least, Garnet, 
 who was executed in 1606, as the agent, or rather, perhaps, the in- 
 strument, of the Gu;ipowder-plot. 
 
 A 5 
 
X EDITOR S PREFACE, 
 
 the Bishops, as a Confession of faith and doctrine, justify- 
 ing the secession that had taken place from the court and 
 see of Rome. Besides an English version from the 
 pen of Lady Bacon, daughter of Sir Anthony Coke, 
 and wife of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper of the 
 Great Seal, it was soon translated into the Greek, 
 French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, and Welch 
 languages. Peter Martyr, still at Zurich, lived just 
 long enough to read the volume, which he had received 
 as a present from the author within three months of 
 his decease. 
 
 Harding had already published his Answer to the 
 Sermon at Paul's Cross. In 1564 he printed his 
 Confutation of the Apology; to which Jewell (who had 
 received meanwhile his degree of D.D. from the Univer- 
 sity of Oxford) replied the same year in his Defence of 
 the Apology j a work which was ordered by Queen 
 Elizabeth, Kings James I. and Charles I., and by four 
 successive Archbishops, to be deposited in every parish 
 church throughout England and Wales. Harding again 
 sent forth a Detection of Errors in the Defence, to which 
 Jewell again provided an Answer ; both in li:65. Har- 
 ding had yet another Answ er and Jewell another P».eply, 
 in store for another year ; which were followed by a 
 Rejoinder, and a Second Rejoinder from the pen of 
 Harding in 1566, 1567. And so terminated a contro- 
 versy, which, whether the capacity of the men, the 
 aspect of the times, or the importance of the cause at 
 issue, be considered, may well rank as one of the most 
 memorable in the annals of the Protestant Reformation. 
 
 In 1570, Jewell undertook the defence of his royal mis- 
 tress (whom he had attended as President of the dispu- 
 tations at Oxford, in 1566) from the bull of deprivation 
 
EDITOR S PREFACE. XI 
 
 and excommunication issued against her by Pope Pius 
 IV. He was also appointed by the Upper House of 
 Convocation, in the beginning of the next year, to take 
 the oversight of printing and distributing a new edi- 
 tion of the Thirty-nine Articles. But the time of his 
 departure was at hand. Spite of a lameness contracted 
 from his youth, he continued preaching the gospel of 
 the grace of God, and exercising the more active func- 
 tions of his office, to the last ; and died at Monkton- 
 Farley, Wilts, Sept. 22nd, 1571, in the 50th year of his 
 age, and the I2th of his Episcopate, universally 
 respected and bewailed, bequeathing the greater part 
 of his estate to clergymen or scholars of small fortune,* 
 to his own household, and to the poor of Salisbury. 
 His remains lie interred in the choir of the Cathedral j 
 where is a Library built and furnished at his expense for 
 the use of the Dean and Chapter. 
 
 A Memoir of Bishop Jewell was written in Latin, at 
 the request of the University, by Dr. Lawrence Hum- 
 phrey, Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford, and 
 published in 15/3. His works are numerous j includ- 
 ing, besides those already mentioned, several that w'ere 
 edited, after the decease of Jewell, by his friend Dr. 
 Garbrand,* to whom he left the chief of his unpub- 
 lished MSS. Such, for instance, were, a Treatise of the 
 Holy Scriptures, 1582; and, a Treatise of the Sacra- 
 ments, 1 5S3 : both of these were gathered from Ser- 
 mons preached in Salisbury Cathedral, and have been 
 
 * John Garbrand was born in the city of Oxford, and educated at 
 Winchester; whence he succeeded, in 1562, to a fellowshi]) at New 
 College. He afterwards became Rector of North Crowley, Bucking- 
 hamshire, where he died in 15S9. His books he bequeathed to New 
 College Library. 
 
XU EDITOU S PREFACE. 
 
 lately reprinted at Oxford. The Exposition of the Two 
 Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians 
 (published by the same Editor, and from the same 
 source) appeared also in 1583; and again, with the 
 addition of an Index, in 1584, l2mo.* These, with 
 Expositions of the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians, 
 the Two Epistles of Peter, the Epistles and Gospels of 
 the Canonical Year, and the Creed, Lord's Prayer, and 
 Ten Commandments, (none of which are now extant,) 
 were likewise taken from his ministrations in the pulpit. 
 The greater portion of his writings were collected into 
 one large volume, with an abstract of the Life of the 
 author by Dr. Thomas Fuller, 1609; reprinted, with a 
 Memoir by Dr. Daniel Featly, 16J1 and 1631; and in 
 Latin, by T. Whitaker, at Geneva, 15S5. 
 
 With the exception of the two scarce volumes pub- 
 lished by William Sclater, a Puritan, 1619 — 29, there is 
 no Exposition on the Epistles of St. Paul to the 
 Thessalonians accessible to the English student. It 
 was therefore deemed a matter of duty to rescue the 
 work of Bishop Jewell (which has not appeared in a 
 complete and separate form for upwards of two centu- 
 ries and a half) from so unmerited a state of oblivion. 
 The present edition is printed, with the utmost care and 
 precision,! from the folio of l6ll, compared with each 
 of the editions published by Dr. Garbrand in 15S3 and 
 
 * It is also given, but with a variety of mutilations, in the 7th 
 vol. of the Fathers of the English Church, edited by the Rev. Legh 
 Richmond, in 1807-12; and again, in the 11th vol. of the British 
 Reformers, published still more recently by the Religious Tract 
 Society. 
 
 I " I am afraid of printers," says Jewell, in a Letter to Arch- 
 bishop Parker; "their tyranny is terrible." — Churton's Life of 
 Nowell, p. 126. 
 
EUITOK S PREFACE. XIU 
 
 ]5Si. No liberty whatever has been taken, except in 
 the division of the paragraphs, and the transference of 
 the Latin quotations into the notes, leaving the English 
 translations incorporated, as before, in the text. The 
 references to Scripture have been corrected throughout, 
 and a very i'cw remarks, chiefly glossarial, subjoined, 
 with the hope of saving the reader some little trouble 
 occasionally in referring to other books for explanation 
 of an obsolete term or custom. 
 
 That the Lord Jesus Christ may vouchsafe His 
 favour upon this and every other effort, however feeble, 
 to promote His glory, and the edification of His church, 
 is the prayer with which the Editor concludes his task. 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 Page 193 ; line penult ; for you, read ye. 
 
 197 ; 26 ; for Eliza 6, read Elizab. 
 
 205; 3 ; for love, read lore. 
 
 211 ; 15, 25, 29 , for every read ever. 
 
TO THE 
 
 RIGHT HON. SIR FRANCIS WxVLSINGHAM, 
 
 KNIGHT; 
 
 PRINCIPAL SECRETARY TO THE QUEEn's MAJESTY, 
 AND ONE OF HER HIGHNESS' MOST 
 HONOURABLE PRIVY COUNCIL, 
 
 It is now some long time since that learned Reve- 
 rend Father, Bishop Jewell, delivered unto the people 
 of his charge the Exposition upon the Epistles of 
 St. Paul to the Thessalonians ; when many his hearers 
 thought it worthy to be made common, and besought 
 him earnestly (even as since his blessed departure 
 out of this life they have often required me) to 
 publish the same. It is very likely that he would, if he 
 had lived, have perused these his travails, and some 
 others, and have drawn them to the use and benefit 
 of the Church ; and rather have spent his time in 
 setting forth matters profitable for all men to under- 
 stand towards the attainment of salvation, than in fol- 
 lowing their humour any longer, whom neither the 
 weakness of their own cause, nor the force of the 
 truth, nor the defence thereof by so weighty authori- 
 
XVI DR. GARBRAND S DEDICATION. > 
 
 ties of the Holy Scriptures, of the ancient Catholic 
 Fathers, and of General Councils, could content, or per- 
 suade them to forsake the way of contention, where- 
 unto they were entered, and of troubling the Church of 
 God with their writings against the truth. 
 
 This his purpose he partly declared, in giving his last 
 answer to a book written by Master Harding, entitled, 
 "A Detection of Sundry Foul Errors," &c. For answer 
 whereof, he thought not good to charge with number of 
 books, or to encumber the world with needless labours ; 
 but only by a short augmentation of his former Defence 
 of the Apology of the Church of England, to discharge 
 Master Harding's quarrels. For reason whereof he saith : 
 " I cannot imagine that any my poor labours shall be 
 able to end these quarrels. For a contentious man will 
 never lack words. I have endeavoured, for my simple 
 part, to say so much as to a reasonable man may seem 
 sufficient. If any thing be left unanswered, either it was 
 nothing, or nothing worth." Wherein he was of like 
 mind unto that famous learned man Master Bucer, who, 
 speaking of the new and fresh supply that is made 
 among the adversaries of our Christian Religion, said 
 thus : Veteribus respondimus ; novos quotidie legimus ; nihil 
 adferunt novi .• quid ergo faciemus ? Answer hath been 
 made by us to their old writers : we read their new 
 writers which come forth daily, which yet bring no new 
 matter or proofs with them : what then shall we do? 
 What else, but (as he giveth counsel) lay down all affec- 
 tion and favour of parties, and peruse that hath been 
 
DR. GARBRAND S DEDICATION. XVll 
 
 said in matter of controversy on both sides, and judge 
 justly of all that is alleged, and with fear and reverence 
 be careful of our own salvation ? For, after the truth is 
 once found out, whosoever seeketh farther, seeketh not 
 for the truth, but for error. The Apostle willeth Titus 
 to stay foolish questions and genealogies, and conten- 
 tions and brawlings about the law ; for they are unpro- 
 fitable and vain : and also to reject him that is an 
 heretic, after once or twice admonition. In like case 
 he said unto Timothy : " If any man teach otherwise, 
 and consent not to the wholesome words of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and the doctrine which is according 
 to godliness, he is puffed up, and knoweth nothing ; but 
 doteth about questions, and strife of words, whereof 
 Cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, froward 
 disputations of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of 
 the truth, which think that gain is godliness : from such 
 separate thyself." 1 Tim. vi. 3 — 5. 
 
 Now, because he himself had some good liking to 
 publish this Exposition, and the matter thereof is so fit 
 for our time, as nothing may be more ; and as there is 
 not (as I can learn) any interpreter upon these Epistles, 
 in the English tongue ; and his Sermons upon them 
 were the last fruits and travails he bestowed in the 
 cathedral Church of Sarum : I made choice of it among 
 many other excellent monuments of his pains taken in 
 the Church of God, and gave my best diligence to peruse 
 his notes thereupon, and to draw them to some such 
 perfection as might carry to the reader the whole weight 
 
XVIU DR. GARBRAND S DEDICATION. 
 
 of his matter, without any diminution, even as fully as 
 he declared it, so far forth as the notes, which remain 
 under his own hand, might direct me. The which I 
 most humbly commend to the favourable protection of 
 your Honour : whom I beseech so to accept my simple 
 endeavour herein, as I have been careful to answer 
 your Honour's commandment, in giving forth some part 
 of his labours to light. 
 
 In this discourse, as there are many good things 
 faithfully declared, the use and practise whereof is 
 common to your Honour with all Christians : so are 
 there two matters, the one of usury, the other of Anti- 
 christ, (this is, of the bane and poison of the common- 
 wealth, and of the infection and decay of the Church,) 
 wherein he bestowed more pains to open them, and 
 make them manifest, that all men might know and 
 abhor them, and beware of them. What hath been 
 wrought by these two mischiefs to the undoing in con- 
 science and substance, and to the utter destruction of 
 the souls and bodies of many thousand subjects of this 
 realm within these late years, it is, to the grief of all 
 good men, too well known. 
 
 If, therefore, in the duty of a good Bishop, he, stand- 
 ing in his watch, hath descried these enemies to all civil 
 and Christian estates ; and if now, so many years after 
 his entrance into rest, by these means he call upon your 
 good Honour to step forth in fresh courage into the 
 battle of the Lord of hosts, and to use and employ the 
 
DR. GAUBRAND S DEDICATION. XIX 
 
 great gifts of wisdom and authority which God hath be- 
 stowed upon you, and to excite and stir up others the 
 worthy and notable captains set over the people, to be a 
 fenced wall between them and these so perilous mon- 
 sters, and dangerous enemies : what remaineth, but that 
 your Honour put to your hand, and do that for the 
 comfort of God's people, which, besides her excellent 
 Majesty, and her Honourable Council, no other can do. 
 in giving life to all such laws, which have been devised 
 by men of great godliness and experience, and have 
 been confirmed by high authority, to the suppression of 
 usury, and to the setting forth of God's glory ? The 
 God of glory, and of power, who hath called your Honour 
 to His service in high place, strengthen you to do His 
 will, and grant you many prosperous days, to the com- 
 fort of his Church and his commonwealth ! 
 
 Your Honour's most humble to command, 
 
 JOHN GARBRAND. 
 
THE 
 
 FIRST EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL 
 
 TO THE 
 
 THESSALONIANS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Verse 1 . — Paul, and Sylvanus, and Timotheus, unto the 
 Church of the Thessalonians, which is in God the Father, 
 and in the Lord Jesus Christ : Grace be with you, and peace, 
 from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 The apostle Paul preached the Gospel of our Saviour Jesus 
 Christ unto the Thessalonians, as he did also in other places, 
 from Jerusalem round about to lUyricum. But his travel 
 had not like success in all places. For, in Damascus, the 
 governor of the people under King Aretas laid watch in the 
 city of the Damascenes, and vpould have caught him. 
 (2 Cor. ii. 32.) At Lystra, they stoned Paul, and drew 
 him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. (Acts 
 xiv. 19.) At Philippi, he ^nd Silas were drawn into the 
 market-place unto the magistrates, and accused that they 
 troubled their city ; they were beaten with rods, and cast 
 into prison. (Acts xvi. 19.) The Corinthians received the 
 doctrine of the Gospel, and made much of the professors 
 thereof. But they feU soon from their good beginning. 
 They walked hke men in envying, in strife, and divisions. 
 Some called themselves after Paul, some after Apollos, some 
 after Cephas, and some after Christ. They stirred conten- 
 
 B 
 
2 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP I. 
 
 tion about meats : they abused the Lord's Supper : and 
 they were doubtful of the resurrection of the dead. In like 
 manner the Church of God, which was gathered at Rome, 
 grew proud and high-minded, and boasted themselves over 
 the Jews. The Galatians forsook the good way of the 
 Gospel, whereunto they were called, and wherein they did 
 walk. They gave ear to false prophets. Therefore the 
 Apostle telleth them, "I am in fear of you, lest I have 
 bestowed on you labour in vain." (Gal. iv. 11.) 
 
 But the Thessalonians, after they had heard the glad 
 tidings of the Gospel, they received it greedily, and laid it 
 up close and safe in their hearts. Albeit the Jews with- 
 stood them and vexed them sore, albeit false brethren used 
 divers secret means to draw them from the love of the 
 truth ; yet they kept still their stedfastness, and could not 
 be driven from their faith, neither by cruelty of persecution, 
 nor by subtilty of crafty persuasion. 
 
 Paul, being at Athens, a place far distant from thence, 
 sendeth Timothy to know in what case they stood,: so 
 careful was he for that house which he had built ; for the 
 fire which he had kindled; for the grafts which he had 
 planted ; and for the children which he begot among them. 
 When Timothy made report of their constancy, that they 
 continued stedfast in those things which they had learned, 
 he writeth this Epistle to commend them, and to exhort 
 them to abide stedfast in their faith : that they become not 
 like the fooUsh Israelites, which longed after the flesh-pots 
 of Egypt, and were unmindful of their deUverance from 
 bondage under Pharaoh : that they return not like filthy 
 dogs to their vomit, and like unclean swine to their puddles 
 of mire : that they look not back again, after they have put 
 their hands to the Lord's plough, and so make themselves 
 unworthy the kingdom of God. 
 
 He giveth many lessons and instructions to godliness : 
 that they would walk worthy of God, and bring forth the 
 
VER. 1.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 3 
 
 fruits of the Gospel. There were among them, that hved 
 idly, and did trouble the Church without a cause ; whom 
 he reproveth, willing them to be quiet, and to meddle with 
 their own matters, and work with their hands. Others 
 mourned over the dead without measure, even as if they 
 had no hope ; whom he instructeth in the resurrection, 
 and comforteth with the speech of the blessed coming of 
 our Lord, when we which live shall be caught up to meet 
 him, and so we shall ever be with the Lord. Others rea- 
 soned fondly of the latter day, when it should be ; when the 
 Son of God should appear, and when the world should have 
 an end ; as if man might reach to the knowledge hereof. 
 But them also he reproveth, and warneth, that they take 
 care rather to watch and look for the Lord's coming, that 
 they may be found ready, having their loins girded, and 
 their lamps burning. 
 
 Many are desirous to see the countenance of St. Paul ; to 
 see his sword, or the relics of his blood, which was shed 
 at his death, or of his upper garment, or of his coat, or of 
 the hair of his head : and for purpose to see such things, 
 many take painful pilgrimage to far places, where they are 
 deceived. How much better may they be satisfied by read- 
 ing the story of his life set down in the Scriptures ! In 
 these his Epistles, written to the Churches of God, he is to 
 be seen in more excellent show than when he was yet in 
 body. For here is to be seen his heart fiUed with the Holy 
 Ghost, and the care which he had for all saints : how he 
 did travail in birth of them again, that Christ might be 
 formed in them, and how he did wish himself separate fi'om 
 Christ for their sake. The matter of this Epistle is plain, 
 and treateth not of deep and profound mysteries. The 
 manner of utterance which the Apostle useth, is open and 
 evident ; so that the whole Epistle is full of sweet and whole- 
 some doctrine, wherein the simplest may find great comfort. 
 
 Paul, andSylvanus, and Timotheus. — These two were com- 
 
4 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. I. 
 
 panions unto Paul in his journeys, and in the work of his 
 ministry, whom here he joineth in his letter to the congre- 
 gation at Thessalonica, to witness their consent and agree- 
 ment with him : that they all, with one mouth, and with one 
 hand and heart, set forth the glorious Gospel of our Saviour 
 Christ } and that therefore they also, which are called to 
 the fellowship of the Gospel, should be hke-minded, being 
 one body and one spirit in Christ Jesus, and the children 
 of one Father, in whom there is no dissension, but all peace, 
 and consent, and unity. 
 
 Unto the Church of the Thessalonians , which is in God the 
 Father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ. — ^There are sundry sorts 
 of churches. There is a church of the wicked, whereof 
 the Prophet saith, " I have hated the assembly of the 
 evil, and have not companied with the wicked." (Psal. 
 xxvi. 5.) Two hundred and fifty captains, men of renown, 
 and famous in the congregation, joined themselves to Ko- 
 rah, Dathan, and Abiram. But Moses said unto Korah, 
 " Thou and all thy company are gathered together against 
 the Lord." (Num. xvi. 11.) The builders of the great 
 Tower of Babel were many in number, and consented to 
 that they had imagined to do, thereby to get them a name ; 
 but the Lord did confound their language, and scattered 
 them upon the face of the earth. (Gen. xi. 7, 8.) The 
 Scribes, and Pharisees, and High Priest held a council, and 
 conferred among themselves ; but against the Lord, and 
 against his Christ. (Acts iv. 26.) John is commanded to 
 write unto the angel of the church of the Smyrnians : 
 " These things saith He which is first and last, which 
 was dead, and is alive : — I know the blasphemy of them 
 which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the syna- 
 gogue of Satan." (Revel, ii. 8, 9.) They revile you, and 
 speak all manner of evil against you for my name's sake. 
 They charge you with teaching false doctrines, and say you 
 have departed from the church ; that they are the seed of 
 
VER. 1.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 5 
 
 Abraham, the children of promise, the true worshippers of 
 God, and which walk in the steps of their forefathers. But 
 their boast hereof is vain. It profiteth them nothing that 
 Abraham was their father, that the covenant was made with 
 them, that they were circumcised, that a law was given unto 
 them. Let them not tnist in their fathers ; let them not 
 trust in lying words, and say, ' The Temple of the Lord, the 
 Temple of the Lord, this is the Temple of the Lord.' If 
 they were Abraham's children, they would do the works of 
 Abraham. If God were their Father, then would they love 
 Christ his Son, and seek to set forth his glory. If they 
 were of the sheepfold of God, they would hear his voice. 
 They are of their father the devil, and the lusts of their 
 father they will do. They are in name the sei'vants of 
 Christ, but serve Antichrist. They call themselves Jews, 
 but are the synagogue of Satan. " For," saith the 
 Apostle, "he is not a Jew, which is one outward ; neither 
 is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh : but he 
 is a Jew which is one within ; and the circumcision is of the 
 heart, in the spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not of 
 men, but of God." (Rom. ii. 28, 29 ) 
 
 Of those which are such, Leo saith :* ' Ye arm yourselves 
 with the name of the church, and yet ye fight against the 
 church.' And Chrysostom saith :f ' The name only of Christ 
 doth not make a Christian, but he must also have the truth 
 of Christ ; for there are many which walk in the name of 
 Christ, but few which walk in his truth.' It is therefore 
 manifest, as Lyra saith, J ' that the church is not among 
 men, by reason of any ecclesiastical or secular authority or 
 dignity : because many princes and high-priests, and others 
 
 * Eeclesiae nomine armamini, et contra ecclesiam dimicatis I—Leo, 
 Epist. 83, ad Palestinos. 
 
 t Horn. 19, in Matt, in opere imperf. 
 J Lt/ra in Matt. xvi. 
 
6 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. I. 
 
 of the inferior sort, have forsaken the faith.' Though they 
 pretend show of hohness, though they draw to themselves 
 credit by long continuance, though their numbers be great, 
 and they consent together : yet, if they have forsaken the 
 faith ; if they hold not the truth of Christ ; if they fight 
 against and persecute the church ; if their circumcision be 
 not the circumcision of the heart, and in the spirit ; if they 
 hear not the voice of the Shepherd ; if they love not Jesus 
 Christ the Son of God, and set not forth his glory ; if they 
 seek to stop the course of the Gospel ; if they seek to get a 
 name among men ; if they resist Moses and Aaron ; they 
 have only a painted vizard, and carry only an empty name 
 of the church : they call themselves so, and are not. 
 
 But the Church of God is in God the Father, and in the 
 Lord Jesus Christ. It is the company of the faithful, whom 
 God hath gathered together in Christ, by his word, and by 
 the Holy Ghost, to honour him, as he himself hath appointed. 
 This church heai'eth the voice of the Shepherd. It will not 
 follow a stranger, but fleeth from him : for it knoweth not 
 the voice of strangers. Of this church St. Jerome saith :* 
 ' The Church of Christ, which containeth the churches 
 through all the world, is joined together in the unity of the 
 Spirit, and hath the cities of the Law, of the Prophets, of the 
 Gospel, and of the Apostles. This church goeth not forth, 
 or beyond her bounds, that is, the holy Scriptures.' It is the 
 pillar of the truth ; the body, the fulness, and the spouse of 
 Christ ; it is the vine, the house, the city, and the kingdom 
 of God. They which dwell in it " are no more strangers 
 and foreigners, but citizens with the saints, and of the 
 household of God ; and are built upon the foundation of the, 
 
 * Ecdesia Christi, in toto orbe ecclesias possidens, Spiritus unitate 
 conjuncta est, et habet urbes Legis, Prophetarum, Evangelii, et Apos- 
 tolorum. Non est egressa de finibus suis, id est, de Scripturis. — Hieron. 
 in Mich, lib. 1. cap. l. 
 
VER. 1.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIAN'S. 7 
 
 Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the head 
 comer-stone, in whom aU the building coupled together, 
 groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord." (Ephes. ii. 19 
 — 21.) This church "Christ loved, and gave himself for 
 it, that he might sanctify it, and cleanse it by the washing of 
 water through the word ; that he might make it unto him- 
 self a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any 
 such thing ; but that it should be holy, and without blame." 
 (Ephes. v. 27.) Such a church was the Church of God at 
 Thessalonica : such a church are they, whosoever, in anyplace 
 of the world, fear the Lord, and call upon his name. Their 
 names are written in the book of life. They have received 
 the Spirit of adoption, by which they cry, Abba, Father. 
 They grow from grace to grace, and abound more and more 
 in knowledge and in judgment : they cast away the works 
 of darkness, and put on the armour of light : they are 
 made absolute and perfect unto all good works. They are 
 evermore comfoi'ted in the mercies of God ; both by the holy 
 Scriptures, wherein God declareth his gracious goodness 
 towards them ; and by the Sacraments, which are left unto 
 the church to be witnesses and assured pledges for per- 
 formance of the promise of God's good-will and favour 
 towards them. 
 
 Grace be with you, and peace, S^c. — God give you the for- 
 giveness of your sins, and the peace and comfort of your 
 conscience. God let all his blessings fall upon you, that you 
 may see the riches and the treasures of his mercy ; that 
 you may be filled with all fulness in the Spirit ; that you 
 may behold the glory of the kingdom of God ; and those 
 things may be revealed unto you by his Spirit, which he 
 hath prepared for them that love him. Without this grace 
 you can do nothing : you can neither feel the burden of 
 your sins, nor seek to be eased of them, nor perceive when 
 they are forgiven : you cannot rend your heart, and set 
 apart from you the vanities and lusts of the flesh, which 
 
8 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. I. 
 
 doth evermore fight against the soul : you cannot discern 
 the word of God, and by it enter the way to everlasting 
 life : you cannot abhor that which is evil, and cleave unto 
 that which is good. Without the grace of God, you cannot 
 continue stedfast and constant in faith, and in hope of the 
 mercies of God through our Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 
 Verse 2. — W^e give thanks to God always for you all, 
 making mention of you in our prayers ; 
 
 3. — Without ceasing, remembering your effectual faith, and 
 diligent love, and the patience of your hope in our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, in the sight of God, even our Father : 
 
 4. — Knowing, beloved brethren, that ye are elect of God. 
 
 5. — For our Gospel was not unto you in word only, but also in 
 power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance ; as ye 
 know after what manner we were among you for your sakes. 
 
 We give thanks, &;c. — Paul teaches what is the office of a 
 good minister. He must ever carry in remembrance the 
 state of the congregation, over which the Lord hath placed 
 him. He must give thanks to God in their behalf, and 
 pray for them ; that God will bless that which he hath be- 
 gun, and confirm them unto the end, that they may be 
 blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ : that he will 
 behold them from above, and bless his inheritance, and 
 guide the sheep of his pasture. 
 
 Your effectual faith. — Faith is not idle : it worketh, and 
 is forcible ; it breaketh out like fire ; it is always fruitful 
 through love. Faith without works is no faith : it is dead, 
 and bringeth death. 
 
 And diligent love. — Love is painful, and full of travail : it 
 thinketh not evil ; it seeketh not her own things ; it is boun- 
 tiful. This love had the Thessalonians to the saints of God, 
 which suffered affliction in all places for the Gospel's sake. 
 Many were spoiled of their goods, cast out of their houses. 
 
VER. 2-5.) EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. ^ 
 
 and banished from their country : even as at this day, for 
 the Uke cause, many of our brethren, the good servants of 
 God, are driven into banishment, cast into prisons, put to 
 the sword, or consumed in fire, in those places where the 
 god of this world hath so blinded their eyes, that the light 
 of the glorious gospel of Christ should not shine upon 
 them. It is high time, in such cases, for charity to show 
 herself. She cannot dissemble, nor despise the tears of her 
 brother. It showeth forth as the morning light : it taketh 
 from herself, to relieve them wliich are in need : it dealeth 
 bread to the hungry, and bringeth the poor that wander 
 unto her house, and covereth the naked, and hideth not her 
 face from her own flesh. Unto them that have this love, 
 the Lord giveth his blessing : " Blessed is he that con- 
 sidereth the poor and needy ; the Lord shall deliver him in 
 the time of trouble." (Psal. xli. 1.) And Christ saith : 
 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall fi.nd mercy." 
 (Matt. V. 7.) 
 
 And the patience of your hope. — How many are the trou- 
 bles which the children of God suffer in this life ! Let us 
 behold the times which were before us. Abel was innocent 
 and just, yet was he slain by the hands of his brother, and 
 without a cause. The prophet David saith of the prophets 
 and holy men of God ; and the same words saith the apostle 
 of the Church of Christ under the Gospel : " For thy sake 
 are we killed all the day long : we are counted as sheep for 
 the slaughter." (Psal. xUv. 22. Rom. viii. 36.) Jeremy 
 saith: "Thy word is unto them as a reproach." (Jer. 
 vi. 10.) And again : " For thy sake I have suffered rebuke." 
 (Jer. XV. 1.5.) What villanies were brought against our 
 Saviour Christ ! They reproached him in speeches, brought 
 false accusations and false witnesses against him, and killed 
 the innocent, in whose mouth there was found no guile. 
 When St. Paul appealed to the witness of Timothy, who 
 did fully know his doctrine, manner of living, purpose, 
 B 5 
 
10 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. I. 
 
 faith, long-suffering, love, and patience ; and that he knew 
 also the persecutions and afflictions which came unto him, 
 and which he suffered at Antioch, Iconium, and at Lystra ; 
 after he had thus remembered his persecutions, and his own 
 innocency, he saith : "All that will live godly in Christ 
 Jesus, shall suffer persecution." (2 Tim. iii. 12.) 
 
 What then hath the godly to lean unto, but hope ? The 
 prophet David, therefore, said : " Though I should walk 
 through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no 
 evil; for thou art with me." (Psal. xxiii. 4.) Therefore 
 said Job : "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him."^ 
 (Job. xiii. 15.) For he that putteth his trust in the Lord 
 shall never be confounded. In this hope spake St. Paul : 
 " Christ is to me, both in life and death, advantage." (Phil. 
 i. 21 .) Again : " Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's." 
 (Rom. xiv. 8.) And again : " God forbid that I should 
 rejoice, but in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Gal. 
 vi. 14.) And to the Romans he saith: "There is no con- 
 demnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." (Rom.viii. 1.) 
 This is the foundation of faith, even a strong rock which 
 shall continue for ever. Neither tribulation, nor anguish, 
 nor persecution, nor famine, nor any danger, can remove 
 the faithful from this hope. 
 
 But the wicked and unstable fall from their hope, and 
 their fall is miserable. They have heard the word of God 
 that teacheth unto salvation, but did not regard it ,- they 
 have forgotten the works of the Lord, and received his 
 grace in vain. For when they have heard the word, the 
 devil Cometh, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, 
 lest they should believe and be saved ; and the end of these 
 men is worse than the beginning. 
 
 It was not so with the Thessalonians. They received the 
 word of God willingly, and it was fniitful in them ; so that 
 thereby they increased in faith, in love, and in hope. Their 
 faith the Apostle calleth forcible or effectual ; their love dili- 
 
VKR. 2-5.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 11 
 
 gent and painful ; their hope mighty, through patience, 
 whereby they overcome all manner of dangers : and re- 
 joiceth on their behalf, because he found so great success of 
 his travail in the Gospel amongst them. 
 
 Knowing that you are elect of God. — You were Wind ; tlie 
 children of wrath; without understanding, without God, 
 and without hope. But God hath had mercy upon you, and 
 hath given you grace to know your calling. Herein it ap- 
 peareth that you are the chosen of God, and of the flock of 
 Christ. " My sheep," saith he, " hear my voice, and I know 
 them, and they follow me : and I give unto them eternal life, 
 and they shall never perish ; neither shall any pluck them 
 out of mine hand." (John x. 27.) 
 
 For our Gospel was not unto you in word only, but also iii 
 poiver, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. — That 
 you have yielded obedience unto the word, and that my 
 ministry hath been effectual amongst you, it cometh not 
 of any power in yourselves, or in me ; it is the work of God. 
 He hath blessed my ministry, he hath blessed your hearts. 
 It is the gift of God, lest any man should boast thereof. 
 Hereof he speaketh to the Corinthians : " Who is Paul, 
 then, and who is Apollos, but the ministers by whom ye be- 
 lieved, and as the Lord gave to every man .'' I have planted, 
 Apollos watered ; but God gave the increase." (1 Cor. iii. 5.) 
 It is he which hath the key of David, which openeth, and 
 no man shutteth ; and shutteth, and no man openeth. 
 Without him we can do nothing. He guideth us, and all 
 our counsels, and leadeth us into all truth. " No man can 
 come unto me," saith Christ, " except the Father, which 
 hath sent me, draw him." (John vi. 44.) And by 
 the prophet Ezekiel God saith : "I will give you a new 
 heart, and a new spirit will I put within you. I will put 
 my Spirit within you, and will cause you to walk in my 
 statutes ; and you shall keep my judgments, and do them." 
 (Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27.) And by the prophet Jeremy: "I 
 
12 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. I. 
 
 will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their 
 hearts." (Jer. xxxi. 33.) Therefoi-e David maketh his 
 prayer : " Teach me, O Lord ; give me understanding ; and 
 I will keep thy law." (Psal. cxix. 33, 34.) 
 
 The words of the preacher enter in at the ear : the 
 Spirit of God conveyeth them into the heart. Augustine 
 saith :* ' The Gospel is declared : some there are which be- 
 lieve, some there are which believe not. They which be- 
 lieve, hear it inwardly by the Father, and so learn it. They 
 which beheve not, hear it only with their outward sense, 
 and not with inward feeling ; and therefore learn it not. 
 As much as to say. To them it is given to believe ; to the 
 other it is not given,' In the Acts of the Apostles, Lydia, 
 a woman of the citj' of the Thyatirians, heard the preaching 
 of the Apostle Paul : but it is said, " AVhose heart the Lord 
 opened, that she attended unto the things that Paul 
 spake." (Acts xvi. 14.) The people which said unto Peter 
 and the other apostles, " Men and brethren, what shaU we 
 do ?" did hear aU the words of Peter : but they had 
 another teacher that gave force unto the word, and made it 
 fruitful in them ; and, therefore, it is said, " Tliey were 
 pricked in their hearts." (Acts ii. 37.) This also appeared in 
 the disciples which walked towards Emmaus : they heard 
 Christ open the Scriptures unto them ; they reasoned with 
 him ; yet, until their eyes were opened, they knew him not! 
 (Luke xxiv. 27.) His word crept into their ears; but it 
 was the Spirit of God which wrought within them, wliich 
 inflamed their hearts, and made them to know him. 
 
 Thus God blesseth his word, and maketh it yield fruit in 
 such measure as his wisdom hath appointed. His blessing 
 
 * Auditur evangelium ; quidam credunt, quidam non credunt. Qui 
 credunt, intus a Patre audiunt, et discimt ; qui non credunt, foris au- 
 diunt, intus non audiunt, neque discunt. Hoc est, illis datur ut 
 credant, illis non datur. — De Prcedestinat. Sanctorum, cap. 8. 
 
VER. 2-5.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 13 
 
 appeareth greater, when many are converted ; yet is his word 
 all one, and the power thereof no whit shorter, when it is 
 utterly refused, or received but of few. " Surely," saith 
 God, " as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, 
 and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and 
 maketh it fruitful, that it may give seed to the sower, and 
 bread to him that eateth : so shall my word be that goeth 
 out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it 
 shall accomphsh that which I will, and it shall prosper in 
 the tlung whereunto I sent it." (Isa. Iv. 10, 11.) It is the 
 word of the living God, which is blessed for ever. And 
 blessed is that heart, which can receive it ; which God in- 
 structeth, and giveth knowledge of his word ; which doth so 
 learn it, that he is assured of the truth thereof, and nothing 
 doubteth but it is indeed the word of life ; which saith 
 thereof. This is the way, in which if I walk, I shall certainly 
 go forward to the city of my God : this is the truth ; if I 
 hearken unto it I shaU never be deceived. "Whosoever 
 findeth himself endued with this grace, he doth as plainly 
 and evidently judge of the words of God, and try out the 
 truth thereof, from the devices and doctrines of men, as a man 
 of clear eye-sight is able to judge of colours, and to know one 
 colour from another. Yea, in this is the knowledge of that 
 more certain ; because colour doth fade and alter, and many 
 times one colour thereby weareth like another : but the truth 
 of God doth never alter. It continueth one through all ages. 
 It is the word of everlasting life. Heaven and earth shall 
 perish, but one tittle thereof shall not be lost. The truth 
 of God shall be established for ever. The humble shall 
 hear it, and be glad. 
 
 As ye know after what manner we were among you for your 
 sakes. — You know how I behaved myself, and after what 
 manner I have lived among you. You know my first 
 coming and entry unto you. You know what doctrine I 
 have taught, and what hath been my conversation of life. 
 
]4 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. I. 
 
 I never deceived any, nor offered wrong unto the simplest. 
 I sought not you nor yours, but those things which are 
 Jesus'. I have Uved by the labour of my hands ; in watchings, 
 in hunger, in cold, and nakedness. God hath ordained, 
 that they which teach the Gospel shovdd live by the Gos- 
 pel. Who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of 
 the flock ? But I have not used this liberty ; for I have a 
 great care, lest by any means I should offend you. Yet would 
 I never flatter any in that thing they had done amiss : I 
 never spared to rebuke iU. If I should fear, or seek to 
 please men, I were not the servant of Christ. I seek not 
 mine own glory, but the glory of him that sent me ; who 
 also hath made me a minister of his Gospel. I have forsaken 
 all things, my goods and life, my flesh and my body ; and 
 am daily in perils, compassed daily by persecution, and see 
 death daily before mine eyes, for the love I bear to you, and 
 for the care I have of the church. You are the Lord's 
 sheep, I am your shepherd ; you are the house of God, I 
 am your builder ; you are God's orchard, I am your over- 
 seer and workman. I shall give an account for your souls. 
 You know how tenderly I have loved you in the Lord. Your 
 grief hath been my grief, your joy hath been my joy. I 
 have prayed for you day and night, and have given thanks 
 to God for you, and rejoiced in your behalf. What is 
 more dear to a man than life .'' yet have I desired to yield 
 up my life, that you might Uve. I have been ready to 
 suffer death, if thereby I might do you good. These things 
 you cannot but remember ; your conscience beareth me 
 witness, that I have thus lived among you for your sake. 
 
 Verse 6. — And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, 
 and received the word in much affliction, with joy of the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 He commendeth the godly for the practice of that which 
 they have learned and seen in him ; in that they have received 
 
VER. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONI ANS. 15 
 
 the Gospel, and framed their Hves accordingly, and have 
 continued stedfast in the same in the midst of persecution. 
 Herein he doth not only lay out himself and the other apos- 
 tles for an example, but telleth them that this way is also 
 trodden out by our Lord himself : who, as he is the way, 
 and the light that lighteneth every man which cometh into 
 the world, so did he bear his cross, and did lay down his life 
 for his sheep. Therefore he said to his disciples : "The disci- 
 ple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 
 It is enough for the disciple to be as his master is, and the 
 servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the 
 house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household !" 
 (Matt. X. 24,25.) 
 
 But this is reckoned unto them for happiness. '• Blessed 
 are you, when men revile you, and persecute you, and say 
 all manner of evil against you, for my sake, falsely. Re- 
 joice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven : 
 for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." 
 (Matt. v. 11, 12.) They slew them, and drowned them; 
 hewed them with swords, and cut them in pieces with 
 saws. " If any man," saith our Saviour, " will follow me, 
 let him forsake himself, and take up his cross, and follow 
 me." (Matt. xvi. 24.) So far must the children of God be 
 from the love of this world ; in such sort must he forsake 
 his own life, and endure affliction, that will come unto 
 Christ. 
 
 In the old law, the priests went on, and carried the ark 
 before ; and the people came after : in token that they should 
 give good example, and the people should follow them. The 
 priest was appointed to be a shrill trumpet sounding in the 
 ears of the people ; and the people were commanded to 
 prepare themselves for the battle of the Lord of hosts. 
 Therefore saith St. Paul, So have I followed the Lord, 
 and so have you followed me, and received the word, not in 
 affliction only, but in much affliction. Where he describeth 
 
16 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. I. 
 
 the unmerciful hearts, and tyrannous hate of the wicked against 
 all those that follow the Lamb, and receive the word of God 
 with gladness. No torment so cruel, no device so strange, 
 no manner of death so horrible, which hath not been, or 
 which is not, laid upon them. Their bodies be cast into pri- 
 sons ; they are stript out of their houses, and spoiled of their 
 goods. Thus do the enemies of God work tyranny and 
 much affliction unto the godly. They consume their bodies 
 in fire, shed their blood without measure, throw out their 
 bones and scatter them upon the face of the earth : and this 
 do they, not as against murderers, robbers, adulterers, or 
 such like ; but only because they receive the word, and bear 
 a love to the truth, and cannot deny the power thereof. 
 
 With joy of the Holy Ghost. — This is that which passeth 
 all natural sense and wisdom. Many seem to take in good 
 part, and abide patiently, afflictions, loss of goods, impri- 
 sonment, and loss of hfe. But no man can rejoice in the 
 sufifering of these things, but the child of God : no man 
 but he, whom Christ hath chosen out of the world ; but he, 
 whose name is written in the book of life ; but he, in 
 whom the Spirit beareth witness with his spirit that he is 
 the chUd of God. He knoweth that through many tri- 
 bulations he must enter into rest. He knoweth the wicked 
 coidd have no power over him, unless it were given them 
 from above. He knoweth that all is done for the best, to 
 them that love God ; and that could God dispose means, if it 
 were so expedient, to bring to nought all the devices of the 
 ungodly. 
 
 When the servants of God were cast into the hot burning 
 furnace, because they would notworship the golden image that 
 the king Nebuchadnezzar had set up, who would have thought 
 that the fire could not bum ? or that their bodies should not 
 have been consumed ? Yet did God in the midst of the fire 
 preserve them, so that " not one hair of their head was 
 burnt, neither were their coats changed, nor any smell of 
 
VER. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 17 
 
 fire came upon them." (Daniel iii. 27.) Let us never forget 
 this notable example of God's power to deliver his servants, 
 that we may ever be earnest and careful to profess our faith 
 in Him, and to strive unto the death for the setting forth 
 of his glory. 
 
 It faretli even so with the children of God in the perse- 
 cution of this world. Troubles, miseries, and adversity com- 
 pass them, as the fiery furnace compassed those three men 
 of God. But God covereth them with his mercy, as with a 
 cloud, that nothing shall hurt them. I say not, all that stand 
 in hke defence shall, in like sort, be so preserved, that their 
 bodies shall not be pierced : for God sufi'ereth the wicked to 
 destroy and kill his servants, and to consume their bodies to 
 dust and ashes. Yet are his servants warned not to fear 
 them. When the Apostles were beaten, because they had 
 epoken in the name of Jesus, " They departed from the 
 council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer 
 rebuke for his name." (Acts v, 41.) " We rejoice," saith St. 
 Paul, "in tribulations; knowingthattribulationbringeth forth 
 patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and 
 hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed 
 abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto 
 us." (Rom. V. 3 — 5.) 
 
 The comfort which is given in this case to the godly, is 
 hidden within them. For "to him that overcometh shall be 
 given a white stone, and in the stone a new name wiitten, 
 which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." (Rev. 
 ii. 17.) " The afflictions of this present time are not worthy 
 the glory which shall be showed unto us." (Rom. viii. 18.) 
 When our Saviour did see the time of his passion draw 
 near, he said to his disciples, " You are they which have 
 continued with me in my temptations : therefore I appoint 
 to you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me, 
 that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and 
 sit on seats, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel." (Luke 
 
18 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. 1. 
 
 xxii. 28 — 30.) And in his sermon upon the mountain he 
 saith, "Blessed are they which suffer persecution for 
 righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 
 (Matt. V. 10.) The case shall be altered. It shall be between 
 them and their persecutors, as it was between Lazarus 
 and the rich man. When the wicked and cruel tyrants 
 shall see them in the presence of the throne of God, 
 because " they came out of great tribulation, and have 
 washed their long robes, and have made them white in the 
 blood of the Lamb;" (Rev. vii. 14.) the God of Abraham 
 shall say unto the wicked, Sons, remember that you in your 
 lifetime received your pleasures, and likewise these men 
 pains : now therefore are they comforted, and you tor- 
 mented. They are taken out of affliction into rest, from 
 their bonds into liberty, out of prison into a kingdom, out of 
 misery unto glory, from life unto death. 
 
 The promise of this comfort is often renewed. The pro- 
 phet David saith : " They that sow in tears, shall reap in 
 joy." (Psalm cxxvi. 5.) Our Saviour telleth his disciples, "Ye 
 shall weep and lament, and the world shall rejoice ; and you 
 shall sorrow, but your sorrow shall be turned to joy." (John 
 xvi. 20.) St. John heard a voice from heaven, saying, 
 " Blessed be the dead, which hereafter die in the Lord : 
 even so saith the Spirit ; for they rest from their labours, and 
 their works follow them." (Rev. xiv. 13.) He is corh- 
 manded to write unto the angel of the Church of the Smyr- 
 nians : " Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. 
 Behold, it shall come to pass, that the devil shall cast some 
 of you into prison, that you may be tried ; and ye shall have 
 tribulation ten days : be thou faithful unto death, and I will 
 give thee the crown of life." (Rev. ii. 10.) Thus God suffereth 
 his ser\'ants to be sifted, and to be tried as pure gold in the 
 furnace ; and receiveth them as a sweet- smelling savour of 
 burnt-sacrifice. And this is it, whereof the Apostle putteth 
 the Thessalonians in remembrance j that they are strength- 
 
VER. 7-10.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 19 
 
 ened by the Holy Ghost, not only to abide such afflictions as 
 they suffer because they have received the Gospel, but also 
 to rejoice, because they are assured, whatsoever shall happen 
 unto them, they be the children of God. 
 
 Verse 7. — So that you ivere as examples to all that believe in 
 
 Macedonia and Achaia. 
 8, — For from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not in 
 
 Macedonia and Achaia only ; but your faith also, ivhich is 
 
 toward God, spread abroad in all quarters, that we need not 
 
 to speak any thing. 
 9. — For they themselves show of you what manner of entering 
 
 in we had unto you, and hoivyou turned from idols to God, 
 
 to serve the living and true God ; 
 10. — And to look for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from 
 
 the dead, Jesus, which delivereth us from the wrath to come. 
 
 The countries round about them were drawn, by the ex- 
 ample of the Thessalonians, to believe the Gospel preached 
 unto them. You are, saith he, as the bright sun-beams : 
 they behold you, and rejoice of you, even as of the morning 
 hght. You are an holy city set upon an hill ; you cannot be 
 hid : your faith is a pattern of faith, your life is a pattern of 
 life, unto them. They have learned of you how to guide their 
 ways. You have called them back from error, and from un- 
 godhness, to serve the true and living God. You are made 
 unto them a sweet- smelling savour of life unto hfe. For so 
 it hath pleased God to make his Gospel known in aU places 
 through you, and to make you the builders of his Church. 
 When they behold your godly conversation which is in 
 Christ, they are ashamed of themselves. Wlien they behold 
 your hght, they find fault with their own darkness. O, say 
 they, this is a holy people, this is a people that feareth God : 
 let us hear them what they teach ; let us lead our lives in 
 holiness and righteousness, as they do. 
 
 Let us, by hearing these words, enter into ourselves. God 
 hath given his hght to shine upon us ; he hath blessed us 
 
20 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAF. I. 
 
 with the knowledge of his Gospel. Let us take heed -vre 
 turn not the light into darkness, nor the truth of God into 
 lies. Many thousand eyes are set upon us, to look upon and 
 behold us. Let us be an example of godhness. Let us be 
 eis a Ught to them that yet abide in darkness. Let not the 
 name of God be exW spoken of through us. His name is 
 holy. " Woe be imto the world," saith Christ, "because of 
 offences : for it must needs be that offences shall come, but 
 woe be unto that man by whom the offence cometh. Who- 
 soever shall offend one of these httle ones, it were better for 
 him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that 
 he were dro^vned in the depth of the sea." (Matt. -xxm. 6, 7.) 
 It were better for that man, if he had never been born : for 
 the blood of them that perish by his offence, shall be 
 required at his hands. The wrath of God is revealed from 
 heaven against those that are such, because thev withhold 
 the truth in vmrighteousness. The kingdom of God shall 
 be taken away from them, and given to a nation that will 
 bring forth the fruits thereof. 
 
 It followeth : Fro77i you sounded the word of the Lord, not 
 in Macedonia and Achaia only, Scc. — If a man earn,- in his 
 hand a hghted burning candle, it giveth not light to him only 
 that carrieth it, but to all those which be in the house ; and 
 they also see it, which are without. Even so, if anv be the 
 child of knowledge, and carry about him the Ught of God, 
 he doth not only taste of the comfort thereof himself, and 
 work comfort to those that appertain to the Church of God ; 
 but Ughteneth also the hearts of pagans and infidels which 
 are abroad. Such jls are bathed or perfumed with precious 
 ointments, or powders, have not only the pleasure to them- 
 selves ; but the savour thereof casteth itself out, and is plea- 
 sant to all those which stand by. The Gospel is the Hght of 
 God ; it shineth in the darkness of this world : it is the 
 sweet incense and savour of God ; wheresoever the breath 
 thereof is received, it bringeth life. 
 
 But your faith also, u-hich is toward God, spread abroad 
 
VER. 7-10.] BPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 21 
 
 all quarters. — As the lightning is seen from one part of the 
 air to the other, and as the sound of great noise spreadeth 
 itself far and wide ; so doth the light of good conversation 
 in the godly show itself forth. And therefore he telleth them 
 they have filled all the country of Macedonia with know- 
 ledge, and with wonder, at their faith and stedfastness in 
 the truth. As if he had said. Great is the renown of your 
 king Alexander, and your country is famous. He hath over- 
 run the whole world, and subdued it. He hath conquered 
 Greece, Asia, Arabia, Phrygia, Armenia, Scythia, and 
 India. Kings and princes fell down before him : the whole 
 world stood in awe of his name. Yet Alexander had but the 
 power and force of men. He had great treasures of gold 
 and silver ; he had numbers of horses, and camels, and ele- 
 phants ; he had swords, bills, spears, and darts, and such- 
 like artillery and armour. These were the things wherewith 
 he overcame his enemies : hereby both he and his people 
 were renowned. 
 
 What then may be said of the battle which you have 
 fought ? or of the victory which you have gotten ? You have 
 won that Alexander could never win. You have overcome 
 yourselves ; you have overcome the world. He conquered 
 the bodies of many, and had them at commandment ; but 
 their souls stood out, and would not be conquered. You 
 have subdued your souls, and brought them to the obedience 
 of the Gospel. You have overrun all the country, and tri- 
 umphed among the people.- And all this is brought to pass 
 without force, without policy, without armour, without artil- 
 lery, only by your patience and suffering for the Gospel's 
 sake. 
 
 That we need not to speak anything. — To make the com- 
 mendation of their faith more evident, he telleth them the 
 fame of their zeal and constancy is known in all places. 
 Whithersoever I go, saith he, they know you, and speak of 
 
22 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. I. 
 
 you, and hearken to you. Hereby appeareth how needful it 
 is, that chief towns and cities be well governed, that vice in 
 them be severely punished, that virtue and godhness be 
 maintained, and the people instructed, because the examples 
 of such places do spread abroad in all quarters nigh them. 
 
 They themselves show of you, what manner of entrance we 
 had unto you. — After what sort you received me, and how 
 dear I was unto you. All places were laid and beset for me, 
 to seek my hfe ; but you enlarged yourselves toward me, 
 and took me in. When I was in prison, you came to me, 
 and feared no man ; you were not ashamed of my bonds : 
 you were ready to lose your own Uves to serve me. This 
 is spoken of to your great praise. 
 
 A7id how you turned to God from idols, to serve the living 
 and true God. — Here are set down, in few words, the sum 
 and parts of Christian religion. The first is, to forsake all 
 idols, to turn from them : then, to turn unto God, and to put all 
 our trust in him : lastly, to serve the living and true God. 
 The service of God and idols cannot stand together. No 
 man can turn unto God, that turneth not from idols. This 
 is a wonderful effect of the Gospel, to forsake idols and serve 
 God. To leave customs, and the usage of forefathers, and 
 give ear to the truth ; to love from the heart that which 
 thou didst sometimes hate, and to detest from the heart that 
 which thou didst sometimes love ; is strange and wonderful. 
 But to do this for Christ, — which was born of poor Mary ; 
 whom the wise, and learned, and mighty men of this world 
 despised ; which was crucified and hanged between two 
 thieves ; whom they scorned upon the cross, — to foUow, 
 or believe, or put trust in him ; to call him the power and 
 the wisdom of God ; to confess him to be, in whom all Israel 
 shall be blessed, and in whom all the world shall be saved ; 
 to give body or hfe for his sake, — is a strange miracle. No 
 king, no prince, no law, no wisdom of man can work this, and 
 
VER. 7-10.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 23 
 
 bring it to pass. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous 
 in our eyes. And this doth he in those only, which receive 
 the word of the Gospel with joy of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 And to look for his Son from heaven, whom he raised, ^-c. — 
 The holy Scriptures do not only teach us to turn unto God ; 
 but also what it is that God giveth unto all them which seek 
 him, even that they be delivered from the wrath to come ; 
 andforwhose sake he delivereth us, — for Jesus his Son, whom 
 he raised from the dead. Therefore he teUeth them, howso- 
 ever they be received or despised as foolish among men, if 
 they continue in the things which they have learned, they 
 shall be wise unto salvation. That therefore they lift up their 
 heads, and look for their Redeemer ; that they say, Thy 
 kingdom come, and. Come, Lord Jesus : because he is ap- 
 pointed by God to be the Judge of the quick and the dead ; 
 and shall come in the glory of his Father ; and delivereth 
 from the wrath to come all those that trust in Him. For 
 among men there is none other name given under heaven, 
 whereby we must be saved. This is the depth of all know- 
 ledge, and the comfort which passeth aU understanding, that, 
 against all temptations and afflictions which oppress our 
 conscience, or vex and trouble our bodies, we may grow 
 strong by faith in the Son of God, Christ Jesus, and 
 ascertain ourselves of his coming from heaven for our de- 
 liverance. 
 
24 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. II. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Verse 1 . — For you yourselves know, brethren, that our en- 
 trance unto you was not in vain. 
 
 He taketh witness of them, of his diligence and pains taken 
 in the fulfilling of his ministry ; seeing it hath so good suc- 
 cess among them, that they, by the preaching of the Gospel, 
 have forsaken superstition, and are turned unto, and do now 
 serve, the true and Uving God, and do believe forgiveness of 
 their sins, and dehverance from the wrath to come, by Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 It is a great and deadly smart to the faithful servant of 
 God to see the people wilful, and to despise the word of 
 their salvation. Hereof Isaiah complaineth : " I have spread 
 out my hands all the day long to a rebellious people, which 
 walked in a way that was not good, even after their own 
 imaginations." (Isa. Ixv. 2.) They stopped their ears and 
 would not hear, nor be reclaimed, nor return, that they 
 might be saved. And Jeremiah : " Oh that my head were 
 full of water, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might 
 weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my peo- 
 ple ; for they be adulterers, and an assembly of rebels !" (Jer. 
 Lx. 1.) Sword and destruction cometh upon them, and they 
 will not see. Oh that they would give ear and repent in 
 time! Again : " My people is foolish, they have not known 
 me : they are foolish children, and have no understanding : 
 they are wise to do evil ; but to do well, they have no know- 
 ledge." (Jer. iv. 22.) David crieth out : " O ye sons of men, 
 how long will ye love vanity, and seek after lies?" (Psalm 
 iv. 2.) Why forsake you the truth of God, and have no 
 regard to his mercy ? So our Saviour moumeth over Jeru- 
 salem : " Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the pro- 
 
VER. 1,] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 25 
 
 phets, and stonest them that are sent to thee, how often 
 would I have gathered thy children together, as the hen her 
 brood under her wings, and ye would not!" (Lukexiii. 34.) 
 How carefully and tenderly have I sought thy salvation! 
 How often have I called upon thee, sent unto thee my ser- 
 vants, and poured out my blessings before thine eyes ! So 
 bitter and mournful a thing is it to all those that seek the 
 glory of God, to see no fruit follow of their labours ; to see 
 the people continue ignorant, and wilful, and to seek their 
 own destruction. 
 
 Therefore they turn themselves unto God, which is the 
 Father of lights, and God of aU comfort, in whose hand are 
 the hearts of the people, that his word may have free pas- 
 sage and be glorified : that God wiU open unto them the 
 door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, and pub- 
 lish the secret of the Gospel boldly : that he will give power 
 to his word declared by them, and assist them with his 
 Holy Spirit : that he will open the eyes of the people, that 
 they may see ; and turn their hearts, that they may be con- 
 verted. So did David make his prayer : " Open thou my 
 lips, O Lord, and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise." 
 (Psalm h. 15.) Albeit my mouth is simple, and rude, 
 and barbarous ; yet, if thou wilt, it maybe an instrument to 
 declare thy glory. " Then shaU I teach thy ways unto the 
 wicked, and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Be 
 favourable unto Zion, build the walls of Jerusalem." (Vers. 
 13; 18.) Thus do they lift 'up their hands and caU unto 
 God, that he would send down his hght into the hearts of 
 the people, that, what they hear, they hear not in vain, but 
 may receive it, and understand it, and keep it : for unless 
 God direct the heart, and make it fit to receive instruction, 
 the preacher, though he be never so desirous to do good,' 
 doth labour in vain. 
 
 God only disposeth the ways of men ; it is he which trieth 
 the com from the chafi". He knoweth whom he will bring 
 
26 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. I. 
 
 to be of his fold, and make to hear his voice. Many times 
 he blesseth his word with great increase among them which 
 at the first despise it, and entreat cruelly the preachers and 
 messengers thereof. When Paul disputed, and exhorted 
 the Jews and the Grecians at Corinth, and found little 
 fruit of his labour, and that there were few or none that 
 liked his doctrine, and many enemies which resisted and 
 blasphemed it, he purposed to depart and go away from 
 them. " Then the Lord said unto Paul in the night by a 
 vision. Fear not, but speak, and hold not thy peace : for I 
 am with thee, and no man shall lay hands on thee to hurt 
 thee : for I have much people in this city." (Acts xviii. 9.) 
 They shall hear thee ; if not now, yet they shall hear thee 
 at some other time. They shall bear thy sayings in mind. 
 I will be with thee : I will open their hearts, and make them 
 obedient to the Gospel ; and they shall be turned unto me. 
 Thou shalt see the frmt of thy labour, and that thy coming 
 unto them hath not been in vain. 
 
 Verse 2. — But even after that we had suffered before, and 
 were shamefully entreated at Philippi fas ye know), we were 
 bold in our God, to speak unto you the Gospel of God 
 with much striving. 
 
 The story of these his persecutions is written in the six- 
 teenth of the Acts. He was stripped naked, and scourged 
 with rods, and cast into prison, and put in hazard of life. 
 (Acts xvi. 22 — 24.) Yet notwithstanding he were thus evil 
 entreated at Philippi, when he came to Thessalonica he was 
 nothing discouraged, but proceeded more boldly than before, 
 and went into the synagogue of the Jews, and disputed three 
 Sabbath-days, and taught them that Christ is that Mes- 
 siah, even the Son of God. (Chap. xvii. 1 — 3.) 
 
 But, that we may the better conceive how mightily God 
 worketh, and what great strength he giveth to weak crea- 
 tures, when he appointeth them to set forth his glory, let 
 
VER. 2.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 27 
 
 US behold this boldness of the Apostle in speaking the Gos- 
 pel unto them. To whom did he speak ? To the Jews, the 
 enemies of the cross of Christ. Where ? Not in hugger- 
 mugger,* and in corners, but openly in their synagogue ; for 
 he feared no man. What time chose he ? Then, when all 
 the Jews were assembled together. How often .'' Three 
 Sabbath-days together. In what city ? In Thessalonica, 
 the greatest and most famous city of all that country. 
 How was he entreated? There arose great trouble and 
 contention : they resisted him, spake against him, and 
 sought to destroy him. For what cause } what had he 
 deserved .'' what had he taught ? The Gospel of God and of 
 Christ, of the kingdom and of the life to come ; the Gospel 
 in which God ofFereth his grace, and reconciliation, and 
 comfort, and peace, and salvation. 
 
 Who would think such joyful tidings should not be wel- 
 come ? What eye would not willingly open itself to behold 
 the brightness of the sun ? What ear will refuse to hear God 
 speak .'' But it hath always been so. There have ever been 
 some that have loved darkness rather than light. The world 
 shall never be without some Annas, or Caiaphas, or Judas, 
 or Pilate. The children of the devil shall always set them- 
 selves against the children of God. 
 
 The cause of tumults and troubles proceedeth not from 
 the Gospel. The Gospel of Christ is the Gospel of peace. 
 But the enemies of the Gospel are stirrers of unquietness, 
 and inflamers of war. Abel was simple, Cain spiteful; 
 Jacob smooth, Esau rough and hairy ; David gentle, Saul 
 cruel ; Joseph innocent, his brethren wicked, and fell upon 
 him ; the Apostles humble in heart and peace-makers, the 
 Pharisees blood-thirsty, and sought to put them to death. 
 The like examples are before us this day. The whole 
 world is in an uproar, and great troubles and afflictions 
 are in all places. No man is able to declare the misery 
 
 * Hugger -mug cjcr ; sometimes written hucher-muclier, or hoher- 
 moker ; means a place of darkness or secrecy. — Editor. 
 
28 EXtOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. II. 
 
 thereof. Let no man therefore slander or forsake the Gospel. 
 It hath been so from the beginning, and from time to time. 
 
 Such troubles, confusion, and misery, are wrought, not 
 by the Gospel, or them that receive the Gospel, but by 
 those which resist it. They practise all means, and turn all 
 things upside down, rather than it should take place. The 
 wicked are angry therewith, they gnash their teeth and con- 
 sume away. This is the cause for which " the children shall 
 rise against their parents, and shall cause them to die." 
 (Matt. X. 2.) Cain murdered Abel, because God had 
 respect unto Abel and to his offering. Esau could not 
 abide Jacob, because Isaac had given him his blessing. The 
 brethren of Joseph sought to make him away, because God 
 had a favour unto him. Saul was wrathful against David, 
 because God gave him great gifts of courage, and strength, 
 and wisdom. The Egyptians loathed the children of Is- 
 rael, because they were God's people. The Galatians re- 
 sisted Paul, because he preached the truth. " Therefore," 
 saith St. Paul, " we labour and are rebuked, because we trust 
 in the living God, which is the Saviour of all men ; especi- 
 ally of those which believe." (1 Tim. iv. 10.) Likewise 
 saith our Saviour : " They shall excommunicate you ; yea, the 
 time shall come, that whosoever killeth you, will think he 
 doth God service. And these things wiU they do unto a-ou, 
 because they have not known the Father nor me." (John 
 xvi. 2, 3.) 
 
 Even so standeth it with the Church of God this day. 
 There is nothing new that is under the sun : whatso- 
 ever is done now, hath been done before. "Who will lift up 
 his eyes, and look to the doings of men, shall see Cain rise 
 up against Abel, Esau against Jacob, the cmel brethren 
 against Joseph, Saul against David, Pharoah against Moses, 
 the Egyptians against the people of God, the High Priests 
 and the Pharisees against Christ, and all that will be his 
 disciples. They change peace into war ; they turn judgment 
 into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood ; 
 
VER. 3,4.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 29 
 
 they resist the truth of God, to establish devices and doc- 
 trines of men. But, blessed be God ! they shall not prevail. 
 He giveth us peace. He hath made us turn our swords 
 into mattocks. He hath taught us altogether with one 
 mouth, and one heart, to praise him, even the Father of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ. His truth is mighty, and shall prevail. 
 
 Verse 3. — For our exhortation was not hy deceit, nor im- 
 
 cleanness, nor by guile : 
 4. — But as we zvere allowed of God that the Gospel should be- 
 
 coynmitted unto us, so we speak, not as they that please 
 
 men, but God which trieth our hearts. 
 
 God (saith he) hath chosen me from my mother's womb, 
 and set me apart to the office of an Apostle. He hath ap- 
 pointed me to carry his name before the Gentiles. There- 
 fore, as he hath given me charge to preach the Gospel, and 
 to bring the people unto him from the power of Satan, so 
 I speak truly, faithfully, sincerely, not as the words of men, 
 but as the words of God. I have used no deceit, nor taught 
 you to follow traditions of men, instead of the command- 
 ments of God. In like sort saith he to the Corinthians : 
 "I have received of the Lord that which I also have de- 
 clared unto you." (1 Cor, xi. 23.) And again: "We are 
 ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you 
 through us." (2 Cor. v. 20.) For this cause he saith unto 
 them, " Seeing that we have this ministry, as we have re- 
 ceived mercy, we faint not ; .but cast from us the cloaks of 
 shame, and walk not in craftiness, neither handle we the 
 word of God deceitfully : but in declaration of the truth 
 we approve ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight 
 of God." (2 Cor. iv. 1.) In these speeches he asketh cre- 
 dit, because of his upright handling of the word ; and 
 chargeth the false prophets for marring the word of God 
 with unclean and deceitful corruptions and glosses. 
 
 In foreign countries, women that have no natural beauty 
 
30 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. II. 
 
 of their own, use to paint and colour their faces that, where- 
 as they lack beauty indeed, yet they may seem beautiful. 
 Even so is it oftentimes in matters of religion. Such as 
 hold not the true religion, as it is taught by the word of 
 God, and hath been practised in those churches which the 
 Apostles planted, and among those Christians which lived 
 nighest unto that time when the Apostles preached ; because 
 they know their religion which they profess now will not 
 agree v/ith that, they deal deceitfully and with guile. These 
 be false Apostles, and deceitful workmen. They beguile 
 our senses, and blind our eyes. They call us to worship 
 an idol, instead of the true and living God. They lead us 
 out of the light into darkness, from the truth into error, 
 from knowledge unto ignorance. They forbid lawful ma- 
 trimony, and call it filthiness ; and allow open stews and 
 harlots, as a thing which nothing impaireth their holiness. 
 
 I will not speak all that I might, nor in such sort as the 
 matter occasioneth. Yet can I not but say somewhat of 
 their spiritual craftiness, in abusing and beguiling the people 
 of God. 
 
 The Egyptians furnished richly, and decked their churches 
 beautifully, and all in the honour of a cat ! Many things 
 among these men carry great shew of holiness, which are 
 nothing else but cloaks of their shame, and manifest proof 
 that they are not allowed of God, but are crept in by deceit 
 and by guile. 
 
 Single life carrieth a fair shew. But, O merciful God ! 
 what shame and viflanies have been covered with this cloak. 
 Pius Secundus saw somewhat, when he said,* ' As marriage 
 was taken away from priests upon great considerations, so 
 now upon other greater considerations it were to be restored 
 to them again.' Jerome saw somewhat when he wrote 
 
 *Platiiia in Pio II. — Pius the Second was Pope from 1458 to 1464. 
 — Editor. 
 
VER. 3,4.j EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS, 31 
 
 thus :* ' You may see some (that pretend gravity) ai'e gird- 
 ed, and go in black, and have long beards, who can in no 
 wise leave the company of women, but keep house with 
 them, and banquet with them : they take young maids into 
 their service, and do all things as if they were married, save 
 that they lack the name of marriage.' ' They teach chastity,' 
 saith Origen.t ' and yet keep not chastity,' And Epi- 
 phanius,+ ' They refuse marriage, but not lust or pleasure.' 
 
 Images are fair and beautiful. The churches are decked 
 and beset with them. But they are a cloak of shame. They 
 are set in place of teachers. The priests are ignorant, and 
 live in idleness, and send the people to learn at pictures. 
 They call them laymen's books. Yet, "What profiteth the 
 image .''" saith Habakkuk; " for the maker thereof hath made 
 it an image, and a teacher ofHes." (Habak. ii. 18.) And Je- 
 remy saith, " The stock is a doctrine of vanity." (Jer. x. S.) 
 
 Wliat is their meaning to speak and pray in the Church 
 in a strange tongue ? This is a cloak of their shame. Their 
 priests be so unlearned, they can scarce understand English ; 
 yet they save their credit, seeing they are able to read Latin. 
 And hereby they cover all their blasphemies and supersti- 
 tions, because the people cannot understand, and therefore 
 not reprove them. 
 
 I speak nothing of their relics, pilgrimages, purgatory, 
 and such other cloaks of shame which they use to hide their 
 covetousness, and thereby draw unto themselves the riches 
 of the whole world. They cannot say with the Apostle, " Our 
 exhortation was not by deceit, nor uncleanness, nor by guile." 
 
 * Videas nonnullos accinctos renibus, pulla tunica, barba prolixa, a 
 mulieribus non posse discedere, sub eodera manere tecto, simul inire, 
 convivia : ancillas juvenes habere in ministerio, at, prreter vocabu- 
 lum nuptiarum, omnia esse matrimonii. — Ad Rusticum Galium. 
 
 t Castitatem docent, et castitatem non servant. — Orig. Tract. 24 
 in Matt. 
 
 % Epiph. contra Origenian. Hares. 42. 
 
32 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. II. 
 
 I know there are some that lay it unto our charge, as the 
 false apostles did unto Paul, that we use the word of God 
 deceitfully. They find fault with our translations of the Scrip- 
 tures. They spare not to say, there be a thousand faults in 
 the New Testament. Yet would they never set do\vn five 
 hundred, or one hundred, or fifty, or twenty-five, or five.* 
 
 If there be errors in the translation, I know they were men 
 which translated it, and might err like men. May no transla- 
 tion be allowed, that is not altogether perfect.'' As if the Greek 
 translation were without fault, or as if many faults were not in 
 the common Vulgar translation in Latin, or in the transla- 
 tion of Jerome. What then } must the Greek translation 
 be forbidden .'' must Jerome's translation, or the Vulgar 
 translation, be forbidden ? As for the old Latin common 
 translation, though many learned men have shewed the 
 gross errors thereof, yet have they well provided for it in 
 the council at Trent : ' Let no man dare or presume,' say 
 they.t ' by any manner of colour, to refuse the old common 
 translation of the Bible.' Yet is no translation of ours so 
 corrupt, as that which they have thus privileged. But if it 
 were true, which they falsely report ; reason would they did 
 correct the errors, and so set it abroad. But thus they bear 
 you in hand, that they may bring you in hatred of it, and 
 puU you from the reading of the Scriptures. I will not say 
 in what sort they abuse the word of God. What speak I 
 of abusing ? Nay, they do manifestly against, and contrary 
 to, the word. 
 
 The word of God teacheth us forgiveness of our sins by 
 the blood of Jesus Christ once offered : they teach con- 
 trary, that the same blood is daily off'ered, and Christ as 
 often new-born, as pleaseth the priest to say mass. The 
 
 * See Tindal's Preface to his New Testament Editor. 
 
 f Ne quis veterem Vulgatam editionem rejicere quovis praetextu 
 audeat, vel prccsumat. 
 
VER. 3, 4.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALOXIAKS. 33 
 
 word of God forbiddeth to make any graven image, 
 to bow down to it or worship it : they teach contrary, 
 that images are to be worshipped, and even with such ho- 
 nour as is due to the patterns themselves. The word of God 
 teacheth us to pray in a known tongue : they teach the con- 
 trary, and account it for heresy to pray in a knovvTi tongue- 
 The word of God chargeth all states of men to be subject to 
 their prince or higher power : they withdraw their obedi- 
 ence unto civil magistrates, and teach the people to resist 
 authority. Erasmus saith,* in his notes upon these words of 
 Christ, " Let these go their way :" (John xviii. 8.) ' I know 
 a divine of great fame and account for his learning, which 
 did wTest these words of Christ, to defend the immunity or 
 lawless estate of clerg\'men. But this did he ridicule, fondly 
 or peevishly,' saith Erasmus. 
 
 It would be over long to declare unto you the foolish, or 
 rather blasphemous, applying of the Scriptures, to approve 
 their gestures at mass, and the sovereignty and chiefty that 
 they challenge. One of their bishops, in the late council of 
 Trent, said of PaulusTertius, then Pope.f ' The Pope, which 
 is the light, is come into the world ;' which are the words 
 of the Evangelist, declaring the Godhead of Christ. 
 
 By these few, it may appear how unjustly they charge us 
 with corrupting the word of God ; and how truly this fault 
 is to be laid unto them, which either abridge the sense of 
 the Scripture, or reach it further than it yieldeth, or utterly 
 refuse to stand to the authority thereof; and in no case 
 can like that the people of God should read the Scriptures ; 
 and have adjudged them heretics, and consumed their 
 bodies in the fire, which have defended in speech, and 
 sought to maintain, the doctrine of truth set down in the 
 holy Scriptures. 
 
 ' Novi quendam magni nominis theologum, &c. — In Erasmi An- 
 notat. in Joh. xviii. 
 
 f Papa lux venit in mundum. — Cornelius Episc. Bitont. 
 c 5 
 
34 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. XI. 
 
 The Apostle saith, he was allowed of God. They that 
 enter into the ministry, must be allowed, not of men only, 
 but of God : therefore, whosoever taketh that charge over 
 the people, must look narrowly into himself, and see whe- 
 ther his calling be of God. If he have not a testimony that 
 God hath called him inwardly, all other outward calling is to 
 small purpose. God is a righteous judge. He will say to 
 the conscience and to the heart of such a one. Friend, how 
 earnest thou in hither without thy wedding garment ? who 
 brought thee in .'' Give an account of thy stewardship : 
 thine account is great. 
 
 And because some are this day to be admitted into this 
 office, let us pray unto God for them, that God will allow 
 them ; that he will give them hearts to conceive, and tongues 
 to speak the truth of God : that they may be the servants of 
 Christ, and disposers of the mysteries of God : that they 
 may be the salt of the earth, and the light of the world : 
 that they may lay out the Lord's money to his advantage, 
 and so it may be said unto them, " Thou hast been faithful 
 in little, I will make thee ruler over much ; enter into thy 
 Master's joy." (Matt. xxv. 21.) 
 
 "Verse 5. — Neither yet did we use flattering words, as you 
 
 know, nor coloured covetousness ; God is record : 
 6. — Neither sought tve praise of men, neither of you nor of 
 others. 
 
 The sers^ant and messenger of God must so speak, as 
 God speaketh. God speaketh deeply, and to the heart. 
 He lanceth the spirit, and woundeth the inward parts. He 
 biddeth Isaiah show the people their transgressions, and the 
 house of Jacob their sins. God himself saith : "I visit 
 the sin of the fathers upon the children, unto the third 
 and fourth generation of them that hate me." (Exod. 
 XX. 5.) Again, he saith: " If ye shall despise my ordi- 
 nances, either if your soul abhor my laws, so that ye will 
 not do all mv commandments, I will set my face against 
 
VER. 5, 6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 35 
 
 you, and you shall fall before your enemies, and they that 
 hate you shall reign over you." (Lev. xxvi. 15.) But unto 
 those that repent them of their sins, and turn unto him, 
 God saith : "Turn unto me, and ye shall be saved." (Is. 
 xlv. 22.) Again: "Thou disobedient Israel, return, saith 
 the Lord, and I will not let my wrath fall upon you." (Jer. 
 iii. 12.) So must the minister of God. He must shew forth 
 the mercy of God, and not hide his judgments. He hath 
 the Lord's business in hand ; he may not do it negligently. 
 A flatterer maketh it his greatest care to please men : he 
 seeketh their favour ; he feareth to displease, and dareth not 
 speak that that will be evil taken. When he seeth a thief, 
 he runneth with him, and is partaker with the adulterers : 
 he soweth pillows under the arms of sinners. Whosoever 
 saith Nay, his Nay is ready : and if any say Yea, he is ready 
 to say Yea. He changeth often as the weathercock. He 
 dareth not strive against the stream. His heart is at the 
 will of others. He seeketh some gain ; he seeketh his own 
 glory, and not the glory of God. 
 
 They which are such, are called in the Scriptures, hire- 
 lings, dumb dogs that cannot bark. They deny God, be- 
 tray his truth, and deceive the people. They lock up the 
 truth in lies. Of such the Spirit of God saith : " Woe unto 
 them that have a double heart, and to the wicked lips." 
 (Eccles. ii. 12.) And: " A double-minded man is incon- 
 stant in all his ways." (James i. 8.) And : " He that is 
 not with me, is against me ; and he that gathereth not 
 with me, scattereth." (Luke xi. 23.) And : " How long halt 
 ye between two opinions .'' If the Lord be God, follow him : 
 but if Baal be he, then go after him." (1 Kings xviii. 21.) 
 And again : " What communion hath light with darkness ? 
 and what concord hath Christ with Belial?" (2 Cor. vi. 14.) 
 Cursed is he which flattereth the people, and is unfaithful in 
 the Lord's work. 
 
 Nothing is so requisite in the steward of God, as that he 
 
36 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. II, 
 
 be found faithful, and that he speak those things whereunto 
 the Lord hath sent him, boldly : that they keep not back 
 the message given them of God, nor fear to do their errand, 
 for any malice of men. " Who is it," saith St. Peter, " that 
 will harm you, if you follow that which is good ? Notwith- 
 standing, blessed are ye, if ye suffer for righteousness' sake : 
 )'ea, fear not their fear, neither be troubled." (1 Pet. iii. 13, 
 14.) If the Apostle speak this comfort to all Christians which 
 have a care to serve God, and thereby exhorteth them to 
 stedfastness, and to sanctify the Lord in their hearts, and to 
 be ready to give an account of their faith, and of the hope 
 that is in them ; how much more ought preachers, and they 
 which are appointed to the ministry, lay aside all fear and 
 flattery of men ! " Woe unto them that go down into 
 Egypt for help. The Egyptians are men, and not God ; 
 and their horses flesh, and not spirit : and when the Lord 
 shall stretch out his hand, the helper shall fall, and he that is 
 holpen shall fall, and they shall altogether fail." (Isa. xxxi. 
 
 i;3.) 
 
 Christ telleth his disciples, they are salt, and they are 
 light. Salt must needs be sharp to a rotten wound : light 
 must needs be painful to a sore eye. A good physician must 
 needs trouble and disquiet his sick patient, before he can heal 
 his disease : and a good surgeon must needs lance and rip 
 up festered wounds. We are surgeons, we are physicians. 
 The word of God is committed unto us, that by us it might 
 be apphed to season the earth, and that the light thereof 
 should shine forth in all the world. " Cry out aloud, lift up 
 thy voice as a trumpet." (Isa. Iviii. 1 .) If the trumpet give 
 an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle ? 
 
 When God had called Jeremiah to the office of a Prophet, 
 and said, " Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and 
 whatsoever I command thee, shalt thou speak :" he said fur- 
 ther, " Fear not their faces, lest I destroy thee before 
 them. For behold this day I have made thee a defenced 
 
VER. 5, G.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 37 
 
 city, and an iron pillar, and walls of brass against the whole 
 land." (Jer. i. 7 ; 17,18.) Thou shalt not bend, thou shalt 
 not yield. Thou shalt be a consuming fire ; they shall be 
 stubble before thee. Likewise, saith God to Abraham : 
 " Fear not, Abraham ; I am thy buckler, and thine exceeding 
 great reward." (Gen. xv. 1.) When Moses sought to refuse 
 the message, and thought himself over simple to go unto 
 Pharaoh, God answered, " Certainly I will be with thee." 
 (Exod. iii. 12.) And after, he saith: " I have made thee 
 Phai-aoh's God ; he shall tremble and quake at thy voice." 
 (Exod. vii. 1.) So saith Christ : " What I tell you in dark- 
 ness, that speak you in light ; and what ye hear in the ear, 
 that preach ye on the houses. And fear ye not them which 
 kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul : but rather 
 fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in heU." 
 (Mat. X. 27, 28.) 
 
 The consideration hereof ever moved the Prophets and 
 Apostles to warrant their sayings with authority from God, 
 and to set apart all fear when they spake in his name. 
 When Ahab reproved Elias, " Art thou he that troubleth 
 Israel?" he answered, " I have not troubled Israel, but 
 thou and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken 
 the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed 
 Baalim." (1 Kings xviii. 18.) The prophet Isaiah is bold 
 with the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and saith : " Hear 
 the word of the Lord, O princes of Sodom ! barken unto 
 the law of ovir God, O people of Gomorrah ! " (Isa. i. 10.) 
 John the Baptist nothing feared to tell Herod, a mighty 
 prince, " It is not lawful for thee to have her to wife." 
 (Matt. xiv. 4.) " If Balak would give me his house full of 
 silver and gold," saith Balaam, " I cannot pass the com- 
 mandment of the Lord, to do good or bad of mine own 
 mind : what the Lord shall command, that same will I 
 speak." (Num. xxiv. 13.) Moses was bid to tell Pharaoh : 
 "The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee." 
 (Exod. vii. 16.) Christ calleth James and John, the sons of 
 
38 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. II, 
 
 Zebedee, Boanerges, which is, the sons of thunder ; because 
 they should not flatter, but raise tempests, and hghten and 
 thunder in the ears and hearts of their hearers. 
 
 St. Paul saith : " I am not ashamed of the Gospel of 
 Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every 
 one that beheveth." (Rom. i. 16.) It is the word of God, 
 and shall endure for ever. He hath not given us the spirit of 
 fear to flatter, but the spirit of might and of power, to speak 
 roughly and courageously, where occasion so requireth. And 
 therefore saith he : " If I would please men, I were not the 
 servant of Christ." (Gal. i. 10.) But I preach God's 
 doctrine, and not the doctrine of men : I seek to please God, 
 and not men. 
 
 The Pharisees sought to please men, and to deceive the 
 people. They taught them to walk in the ways of their fore- 
 fathers ; to beheve as they beheved, to do as they had done. 
 They flattered them, and said. You are the Church of 
 God, you are God's people, you are the sons of Abraham, 
 you cannot err, you cannot be deceived. They that in this 
 sort flatter the people, and deceive them, they serve not 
 Jesus Christ, but their belly, and through flattery and fair 
 speech seduce the hearts of the simple. 
 
 Nor coloured covetousness. — The Scribes and the Pha- 
 risees devoured up widows' houses, under pretence of their 
 long prayers. They prayed, and made money of their 
 prayers. They gave alms, and made money of their alms- 
 giving. They fasted, and made money of their fasting. 
 This did the Scribes and the Pharisees. Their doings con- 
 tinue still. They be dead, their name is taken away ; but 
 their profession abideth. As they made gains of their 
 prayers, and alms, and fasting; so do some now make great 
 gains, and wax rich, under pretence of holiness. They 
 have brought in a profession of wilful chastity, and forbid- 
 den marriage in some whole estate of men. No doubt 
 chastity is a holy thing. But they have given licence for 
 money, to such as would, to forsake their vow of chastity. 
 
VER. 7-10.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIAXS. 39 
 
 They have forbidden to eat certain meats upon certain davs. 
 God left meats as fi'ee to the choice of every man, as he left 
 his sun to shine freely to the use of all men. And they 
 make free liberty for money, to eat what every man liketh. 
 They make money of purgatory, money of pardons, and 
 money of their masses. They make money of Peter and of 
 Paul, of the Apostles and Martyrs, and of Christ himself. 
 These are they of w^hom St. Peter speaketh : " Through 
 covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchan- 
 dize of you." (2 Pet. ii. 3.) One saith of them :* ' The court 
 of Rome careth not for that sheep that hath no fleece.' I 
 will not lay forth at large, how they do all things for covet- 
 ousness. I have no pleasure in speaking ill. God grant 
 us to deliver the Gospel aright, that we use not the truth of 
 God for a cloak of covetousness ! 
 
 Neither sought tve praise of men, neither of you nor of 
 others. — This is another hindrance of the course of the 
 Gospel, when the ministers thereof love the praise of men 
 more than the praise of God. " How can ye believe," saith 
 Christ, " which receive honour one of another, and seek not 
 the honour that cometh of God alone ? " (John v. 44.) 
 How far the Apostle was from this ambition, it appeared : 
 for he was re\'iled and evil spoken of, and counted the filth 
 and outcast of the world. 
 
 Verse 7. — When tve might have been chargeable, as the Apos- 
 tles of Christ : but ive were gentle among you, even as a 
 nurse cherisheth her children ; 
 
 8. — Thus being affectioned to you, our good will was to have 
 dealt unto you, not the Gospel of God only, but also our own 
 souls, because ye ivere dear unto us. 
 
 9. — For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail : for we 
 laboured day and night, because tve tvould not be chargeable 
 unto any of you, and preached unto you the Gospel of God. 
 
 * Curia Romana 
 Non captat ovem sine lana. 
 
40 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. li. 
 
 10. — You are wittiesses, and God, how holily, and justly, and 
 unblameably, we behaved ourselves among you that believe. 
 I might have required meat and drink, and other things 
 necessary, at your hands. For who feedeth a flock, and 
 eateth not of the milk of the flock ? Who planteth a vine- 
 yard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? Who goeth a war- 
 fare at any time of his own cost ? Who muzzle th the mouth 
 of tlie ox, that treadeth out com ? We plant the vineyard of 
 the Lord of hosts. We feed Christ's flock. We go to 
 warfare, and stand in the watch and defence of your safety. 
 We are the poor oxen that tread out the corn, which will 
 feed you to salvation. We are your servants : we labour to 
 do you good : we are ordained to minister in the Church of 
 God. It were great reason we should reap your carnal 
 things, which have sown to you spiritual things. The 
 workman is worthy his wages. Yet taught I the Gospel 
 freely, and without reward; and was ready to give my 
 blood, my life, and my soul out of my body, for your sakes. 
 What could you ask of me more } What greater gift could 
 I bestow upon you ? 
 
 Verse 11. — And ye know how that we exhorted you, and com- 
 forted, and besought every one of you, (as a father his 
 
 children,) 
 12. — That ye ivould walk worthy of God, who hath called you 
 
 to his kingdom and glory. 
 
 I took care of you as of mine ovra soul, and dealt with you 
 by all ways of comfort, and exhortation, that you would take 
 heed unto yourselves and your calling. I did put you in 
 mind, that you were placed in the midst of the unfaithful 
 people, which knew not God ; and that they watched you 
 and your doing : that their eye was upon your household, 
 your wives, your servants, and your children ; upon your- 
 selves and your words, to espy if they might find any occa- 
 sion to speak evil of you. I did beseech you by the glorious 
 
VBR. 11, 12.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 41 
 
 coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that the 
 name of God might not be ill spoken of through you. You 
 cannot deny this. You must needs confess you have thus 
 been taught. Ignorance cannot be your excuse. What 
 remaineth then, but that you perform it ? For, " The ser- 
 vant that knoweth his master's will, and doth not do it, shall 
 be beaten with many stripes," (Luke xii. 47.) 
 
 As a father his children. — What manner of care is it that 
 the father taketh of his children ? Many men are fathers 
 of children : but what man taketh the care he ought to take 
 for them ? Pastors or teachers of the people should be 
 affected towards their people, as fathers are to their natural 
 children. 
 
 Let such as are fathers, and have children, know in what 
 sort they must be careful. Your children are a good bless- 
 ing of God ; they be members of the body of Christ, and 
 the sons of God. The kingdom of heaven belongeth to 
 them. God hath appointed his angels to guide and lead 
 them, and to shield them from evil : and their angels be in 
 the presence of God, and do behold the face of their Father 
 which is in heaven. They be fresh plants of the Church. 
 Who knoweth what necessary instniments they may be 
 in the commonwealth, and in the house of God ? It is 
 not enough to feed them, and to nourish their bodies with 
 necessary sustenance ; for this do the heathen that know not 
 God, and the savage and brute beasts, and the birds which 
 have no understanding. They breed up their young ones, 
 and are tender and painful to provide for them. The ass, 
 though she be dull, — the bear and lion, though they be wild 
 and cruel, — yet seek they far and near to get wherewith to 
 help their young. Therefore, if there be any, or caia be any, 
 which doth forsake and leave his own, he is more beastly 
 than the foolish ass, and more unnatural than most cruel 
 bears, and lions, and tigers. 
 
 But in this part men are, for the most part, over careful. 
 
42 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. II. 
 
 For this cause many build their houses with blood, and seek 
 possessions by iniquity : they join house to house, and field 
 to field, and will dwell alone upon the earth : they oppress 
 the poor and needy, and do wrong to the widow and the 
 fatherless : they make money their God, and spoil one an- 
 other : and all to provide for their children. This is the 
 cover and cloak for all their mischief, — They may not leave 
 their children unprovided. Unhappy are the fathers, which 
 in this sort care for their children by the ruin and spoil of the 
 needy and innocent, and so break the commandment of 
 Godj because their portion shall be with the wicked in the 
 lake that burneth with fire and brimstone : and unhappy are 
 their children, because they are partakers of their father's 
 wickedness, and therefore shall also be partakers of punish- 
 ment with them. The prophet David saith : "I have seen 
 the wicked strong, and spreading himself like a green bay 
 tree. Yet he passed away, and lo ! he was gone ; and I 
 sought him, but he could not be found." (Ps. xxxvii. 35, 36.) 
 His root was deep, his stock strong, his branches broad, he 
 spread over and shadowed the whole country ; yet he passed 
 away. He departed ; his sons died ; his house soon de- 
 cayed, and his name was in little time quite forgotten. 
 
 Oh how much better, then, is it to furnish the minds of 
 your children, and to instruct them in godhness ; to teach 
 them to know God, to lead their life virtuously, and to re- 
 buke them and correct them for dealing ill ! 
 
 The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. Let them 
 then learn what that good and acceptable will of God is. 
 Shew them the way in which they should walk, that they 
 go neither to the right hand nor to the left. The word of 
 God is pure, and giveth understanding to the simple : it is a 
 light to their footsteps : it teacheth those that are young to 
 amend their ways. 
 
 When Christ came into Jerusalem, the young children 
 received him. They cried, " Hosanna to the Son of David ! 
 
VER. 11, 12.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 43 
 
 Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord !" Christ 
 giveth witness of them : " By the mouths of babes and 
 sucklings, hast thou set forth thy praise." (Mat. xxi. 15, 16.) 
 The words of the little and simple children were able to con- 
 found the wisdom of the Pharisees. Thus were they taught 
 from their cradle ; so careful were their godly parents for them. 
 
 Contrariwise, they cannot have any wisdom, that despise 
 the law of the Lord. They become blind, and wicked, and 
 abominable in all their ways. They have no sense nor feeling 
 of the will of God. They cannot know hght from darkness, 
 nor God from Belial. Such were the little children that 
 mocked the prophet Elisha, and said to him, " Come up, thou 
 bald-head ; Come up, thou bald-head." (2 Kings ii. 23.) 
 Their bringing up was no better. Their wicked fathers had 
 taught them nothing else but wantonness. But the wrath 
 of God fell upon them, and there were destroyed, by two 
 bears, two and forty of them. 
 
 Another care which a father ought to have of his children, 
 is to lead them up in the study of virtue, and of godly life. 
 " Blessed ai'e the pure in heart, for they shall see God." 
 (Matt. V. 8.) They which keep not this way, are the children 
 of wrath. Herein standeth the whole profession of a Chris- 
 tian life. " For God hath not called us to uncleanness, but 
 unto holiness." (1 Thes. iv. 7.) This is the wiU of God, and 
 this is our promise made unto liim, that we serve him in ho- 
 liness and righteousness aU the days of our life ; that we in- 
 crease in virtue, and grow from grace to grace. 
 
 A good and loving father, which sendeth his son to a 
 dangerous journey, either by sea or land, first instructeth 
 him with advice, and telleth him in what sort he shall 
 avoid peril. Take heed, saith he ; the way is perilous which 
 thou "must pass. The sea is terrible. The waves rise up 
 as high as heaven, and by and bye thou shalt see a pit as 
 low as hell. The sands may swallow thee, the rocks may 
 destroy thee. Thou shalt pass by huge mountains, and 
 
44 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. II. 
 
 through wildernesses, where thieves will assault thee. Thy 
 heart will quake. Thou shalt cry for succour, and find no 
 man to help thee. In these and these places hath many a 
 good man's child been cast away. Oh take heed, my son 5 
 thou art the staft'and the comfort of mine age : if aught come 
 to thee otherwise than well, I shall soon afterwards end my 
 days in sorrow. 
 
 If a father be thus careful, that his child should escape 
 worldly dangers, he must be more careful of spiritual dan- 
 gers ; in which, whatsoever is lost, is lost for ever. There- 
 fore, thus will he say to him : Oh my son, understand what 
 God hath done for thy sake. Take heed to thyself. The 
 world is aU over strewed with snares. The devil rangeth, 
 and seeketh whom he may devour. Give no ground to him, 
 but resist him, and he will flee from thee. Be strong in 
 faith. The name of the Lord is a strong tower of defence. 
 Call upon him in the day of thy trouble, and he wUl deliver 
 thee. He will give thee of his Spirit. 
 
 Take heed, my son, and be not deceived : let no wilful- 
 ness cast thee away. If sinners entice thee, be not a com- 
 panion of them in wickedness. Fashion not thyself to the 
 likeness of this world : for the world passeth away, and the 
 lust thereof. He that loveth this world, the love of God is 
 not in him. Be not like unto them that perish. Tliou wast 
 conceived and bom in sin ; thou art by nature the child of 
 wrath. But God made thee meet to be partaker of the 
 inheritance of the saints in light, and hath delivered thee 
 from the power of darkness, and hath translated thee into 
 the kingdom of his dear Son. Receive not this grace in 
 vain. Cast away the works of darkness, and put on the 
 armour of light. Be renewed in thy heart and in thy 
 spirit, that it may appear I have been careful for thee, ^us 
 a good father seeketh to train up his son, and to nurture 
 him. 
 
 Besides these, fathers must also be careful for their 
 
VER. 11, 12.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 45 
 
 children, to give them correction and chastisement. God 
 knoweth the mould of man's heart. He seeth our inward 
 parts. He hath said it in the beginning : " The imagination 
 of man's heart is evil from his youth." (Gen. viii. 21.) He 
 did see that " fdl the imaginations of the thoughts of his 
 heart were only evil continually." (Gen. vi. 5.) Behold 
 man's nature, and consider it even from our first birth. 
 How full of affections, how wayward, is the young child 
 which lieth in the cradle ! His body is but small, but he 
 hath a great heart, and is altogether inclined to evil. And 
 the more he waxeth in reason by years, the more he grow- 
 eth proud, froward, wilful, unruly, and disobedient. If this 
 sparkle be suffered to increase, it will rage over, and burn 
 down, the whole house. We are not born good ; but by 
 education we are changed, and become good. 
 
 Therefore the wise man saith : " Foolishness is bound in 
 the heart of a child ; but the rod of correction shall drive it 
 away from him." (Prov. xxii. 15.) And again : "The rod 
 and correction give wisdom : but a child set at liberty 
 maketh his mother ashamed." (Prov. xxix. 15.) And in the 
 same chapter : " Correct thy son, and he will give thee rest, 
 and will give pleasures unto thy soul." (ver. 17.) He that 
 spareth the rod, hateth the child : for, " If thou bring up thy* 
 son deUcately, he shall make thee afraid; and if thou play with 
 him, he shall bring thee to heaviness. Bow down his neck 
 while he is young,and beat him on the sides while he is a child ; 
 lest he wax stubborn, and be disobedient unto thee, and bring 
 son-ow to thine heart," saith Solomon. (Ecclus. xxx. 9 5 12.) 
 
 Who hath not heard the story of Eli and of his sons } 
 It is worthy to be remembered for ever. He had shrewd* 
 children ; they feared not God, but brake his command- 
 ments, and offended the people. Their father heard of their 
 doings, but took no care for it : he suffered them, and let 
 
 . * Shrewd, i. e. naughty, mischievous, troublesome. — Editoe. 
 
46 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP, II. 
 
 them alone, so long, that God grew displeased thereat, and 
 called unto Samuel, and said : " Behold, I will do a thing in 
 Israel, whereof whosoever shall hear, his two ears shall 
 tingle. In that day I will raise up against Eli all things 
 which I have spoken concerning his house : when I begin I 
 will also make an end. And I have told him that I will 
 judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knoweth ; 
 because his sons ran into a slander, and he stayed them 
 not." (1 Sam. iii. 1 1 — 13.) And it came to pass shortly after, 
 " The ark of God was taken by the Philistines, and the two 
 sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, died." And Eli also, " when 
 he heard the report thereof, feU from his seat backward, and 
 his neck was broken." (1 Sam. iv. 10 — 18.) Such shame 
 and confusion came upon him. This was the hand and 
 judgment of God : in sparing his children, he cast away his 
 children and himself altogether. 
 
 But Job dealt far otherwise with his children ; his eye 
 was upon them, and he took care lest they should offend 
 God. He sanctified them, and offered burnt-offerings for 
 them daily : "for Job thought, It may be that my sons 
 have sinned, and blasphemed God in their hearts." (Job 
 i. 5.) Therefore he prayed for them. My sons, saith he, 
 are young and tender, and lack discretion. The ways wherein 
 they walk are shppery ; they may soon be deceived, and ruii 
 into danger. O Lord ! be thou their guide ; be thou unto 
 them a tower of defence ; let thy Holy Spirit go before them, 
 to direct them in all their ways. So mindful was he of his 
 children. 
 
 Infancy is the first part of our life, and, as it were, the 
 foundation thereof. Where a virtuous and godly child- 
 hood goeth before, there a godly and virtuous age follow eth 
 after. Contrariwise, when the fathers are not careful to 
 teach their children to know God, and to know themselves ; 
 when they do not breed them up in virtue, nor reprove them 
 when they do amiss ; they become corrupt in their under- 
 
VER. 13.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 
 
 47 
 
 standing, and abominable in their doings, void of all know- 
 ledge and grace, and of reverence, or feeling of nature. 
 
 Verse 13. — For this cause also thank ive God without 
 ceasing, that, when you received of us the word of the 
 preaching of God, ye received it not as the word of men, 
 but as (it is indeed) the word of God, which also worketh in 
 you that believe. 
 
 As the minister's duty is to teach the word of God, and 
 divide it aright, without deceit or guile ; so ought the peo- 
 ple to receive it with reverence, and to give obedience untoj 
 it. But herein have we not power of ourselves ; our readi- I 
 ness Cometh of God : unless it please God to work within 
 us, and to remove the vail, and to mollify our hearts, what- 
 soever we hear, it moveth us not, it helpeth not our unbe„ 
 lief, it bringeth us not to the obedience of Christ. 
 
 If an earthly prince speak or send message unto us, we 
 give all show of reverence, and hear him with all diligence. 
 This word is not of flesh and blood : it proceedeth not from 
 kings or emperors, or from parliament, or from councils 
 of men ; but from God the Father, and from Jesus Christ. 
 When this word is read, princes and emperors stand up, 
 and lay down their sword, and uncover their head, and bow 
 their body, and do reverence : because they know it is the j 
 word of God, which God himself uttered ; that it should bo ; 
 as the dew of heaven to moisten our souls, as a well of , 
 water springing up to everlasting life, as a savour of life 
 unto Ufa, and the very power of God unto salvation to 
 every one that believeth. Without this word, we can re- 
 ceive no comfort ; we cannot see the light, nor grow in I 
 faith, nor abide in the Church of God. It is the word of | 
 reconciliation : by it God maketh atonement between him- ! 
 self and the sons of men. 
 
 Therefore, when the Epistles, the Psalms, the Chapters, 
 and the Gospel, are read in our hearing, let us remember 
 
 ■,tr'^ 
 
 4y^r 
 
 3 
 
48 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. II. 
 
 whose word we hear. Let us think thus with ourselves : 
 These are the words of our gracious God : my God 
 openeth his mouth from heaven above ; he speaketh to me, 
 that I may be saved : he speaketh to me, to keep me from 
 error ; to comfort me in the adversities and troubles of this 
 life, and to lead me to the life to come. 
 
 What is the cause, why so many so little regard the word 
 of God ? why they doubt it, and suspect it ? whv they are so 
 soon weary of it, and bear it not that reverence that belong- 
 eth to it ? Because they think not, neither from whom it 
 Cometh, nor with whose blood it is sealed, nor to whose 
 benefit it is written. Let us not be ashamed to give place to 
 the word of God ; to awake our senses, and to submit 
 them, and ovu" wisdom, and learning, and bodies, and souls, 
 unto it. Let us not harden our hearts. Let us humble our- 
 selves before God, and say, " Behold here am I ; let him do 
 to me as seemeth good in his eyes." (2 Sam. xv. 26.) 
 
 Which also worketh in you that believe. — Whosoever hear- 
 eth the words of God, and doeth them not, shall be likened 
 to a foolish man that built his house upon the sand. " If 
 ye know these things," saith Christ, " blessed are ye if 
 ye do them." (John xiii. 17.)yThe same word of God, 
 which Paul taught the Thessaloliians, which was preached 
 by Peter and the rest of the Apostles to the faithful, which 
 Christ received of his Father, and delivered to his Church, 
 is this day, by the mercy of God, purely and truly set down 
 unto you. By it you are required to amend your lives, and 
 comforted in the promises of God to the forgiveness of your 
 sins. If there be any, in whom it worketh not this eflfect ; 
 if there be any, which (though they hear it) believe it not, 
 nor are thereby renewed in their minds ; it is a token that 
 they have not received the love of the truth of the Gospel : 
 they despise the word of salvation, and it shall judge them 
 in that day. 
 
VER. 14-16'.] Kl'ISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 49 
 
 Versr 14. — For, brethren, you are become foUoioers of the 
 churches of God, icJuch in Judca are in Christ Jesus ; be- 
 cause ye have also suffered the same things of your own 
 countrymen, even cts they of the Jeivs : 
 15. — \llio both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, 
 and have persecuted us ; and God they please not, and are 
 contrary to all men ; 
 16. — And forbid us to preach unto the Gentiles, that they 
 might be saved, to fulfil their sins always : for the wrath 
 of God is come on them to the utmost. 
 "Wherein became they followers ? In suffering as they did. 
 This is the badge and cognizance of the sons of God. Christ 
 saith : " If any man will come after me, let him deny him- 
 self, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." (Luke 
 ix. 23.) They followed others, not in pleasure and glory, but 
 in trouble and persecution : for that was the way of the 
 prophets, and apostles, and of Christ himself. 
 
 Isaiah the prophet was cut in sunder with a saw. What 
 more cruel death } His body was rent, his bowels torn ; and 
 yet he not quite dead. In such sort it liked the cruel tor- 
 mentors to sport themselves. Why ? what had he done .'' 
 He was a prophet. They needed no other matter against 
 him : it was enough that they found him to be a prophet. 
 Jeremiah was stoned to death. Wherefore ? Because he 
 called the people to repentance, that they might be saved : 
 because he was a prophet. Amos was slain with a bar; poor 
 old man ! no reverence given to his grey head, no regard 
 or pity was taken of him. Wherefore ? Because he rebuked 
 iniquity : because he was a prophet. Zechariah was slain 
 when he was in his prayers, and doing sacrifice in the holy 
 place, between the entrance and the altar. Wherefore .'' 
 Because he declared the truth : because he was a prophet. 
 
 This hath been the malice and hatred of the devil. The 
 prince of the darkness of this world hath raged so, even from 
 
 D 
 
50 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. II. 
 
 the beginning. By this means he hath sought to deface 
 the truth and glory of God, and to estabhsh his own king- 
 dom in shedding the blood and murdering the saints of 
 God. 
 
 The churches of God in Judea were miserably vexed and 
 afflicted : they were hated of all men, and counted unworthy 
 of life. Wherefore } Because they turned to the true and 
 living God, and did believe in the name of Jesus Christ. 
 Therefore they were stript, spoiled, headed, quartered, 
 drowned, burned, and put to most reproachful death. Who 
 would become their followers .'' Who would willingly learn 
 to be so persecuted, and made gazing-stocks to all the 
 world? Yet this discouraged not the Thessalonians. They 
 were a thousand miles distant from Judea, but were joined 
 in fellowship of the Gospel, and in brotherly love, unto them. 
 They heard of their mildness and of their constancy, and 
 were stirred up by their example. They did hearken after 
 them, and were careful for them as for their brethren, and 
 the members of the same body. 
 
 You have heard what numbers of late have been perse- 
 cuted and put to death among us. Wherefore .'' Because 
 they turned from idols to serve God as he hath commanded, 
 and did put their trust in him. You have heard how pa- 
 tiently and meekly they went to their death, and what a plen-. 
 tiful harvest God hath raised of their blood. For the death 
 of his saints is precious in the sight of the Lord. Their 
 blood cannot be spent in vain. We must remember their 
 patience and zeal, and the cause why they suffered. We 
 must not despise, or set light by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, 
 for which they so joyfully gave their lives. 
 
 And it is not enough that we be mindful of such examples 
 as we have had at home. We must also carefully consider 
 of other churches abroad. God hath kindled a fire : he will 
 have it burn. Oh, what toraients do our brethren daily 
 suffer ! What cruelty is devised daily against them ! I 
 
VER. 14 ]6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 51 
 
 speak not of death only, but of rackings, and wonderful ex- 
 tremities more painful than death. Wherefore are these 
 things done unto them ? Because they are turned to the 
 true and living God, and believe in the name of Jesus Christ. 
 Some they hang by the hands, and draw up with a pulley, 
 and bind great weights of lead at their heels to rend them, 
 and tear their bodies asunder. Some they have tied unto 
 great pieces of timber, and have put fire at the soles of 
 their feet. They have opened their mouths, and made them 
 draw in lawn into their body ; a thing most creel, and 
 yet which they have practised : the manner whereof hath 
 been thus reported. They lay it so far in the mouth, that 
 a man's breath easily draweth it into his body, and so it is 
 conveyed into the stomach. When it is well settled, then 
 Cometh the tormentor, and taketh the lawn by the other 
 end, and rasheth it suddenly with such a force, as it seemeth 
 he doth pluck out the very heart and entrails ; such a rare 
 and strange kind of cruelty, as is not practised upon the 
 most notorious rebels and traitors. As for death, 
 forty or fifty at one time have been heaped together, and 
 burnt in one fire. They have set upon the servants of God, 
 and compassed the church where they have assembled to- 
 gether to pray unto God, and murdered them in their inno- 
 cency, while they lifted up pure hands unto God. The 
 French king, by the counsel of such as hate the Gospel of 
 Christ, sent his cruel soldiers, and murdered his subjects at 
 Valois.* He overthrew thejr houses, burnt their town, de- 
 stroyed man, woman, and child, spoiled their corn, and 
 turned their trees upside down. He wasted, defaced, and 
 
 * The Waldenses had suffered, in 1540, a fierce and sanguinary perse- 
 cution under Francis the First of France ; and the most horrible cru- 
 elties were still in practice by the Spanish Inquisition against the 
 Protestants of Flanders. The massacre of St. Bartholomew had plso 
 
 taken place in 1572 Editor. 
 
 D 2 
 
52 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. 11. 
 
 unpeopled it : not for that they were thieves or rebels, but 
 because they believed in the name of Christ, Consider how- 
 many are murdered in Flanders, and in the kingdom of 
 France. They are not so far fi-om us, as Judea from Thes- 
 salonica : they join next unto us. God is blessed in his 
 saints, and holy in all his works. No cruelty is able to quench 
 his truth. There is no counsel w^hich shall prevail against 
 the Lord. He giveth increase, and placeth children instead 
 of their fathers. The more are slain by the enemies, the 
 more spring up by the working of his Spirit. The more are 
 hewn doAvn, the more multiply. We may not be strangers 
 in this case. It behoveth us to consider the afflictions of 
 our brethren. They belong unto us. We must pray to 
 God for them, that he will put an end to their miseries : 
 otherwise, we have not the Spirit of God ; we bear no love, 
 nor care for his house. 
 
 Of your countrymen.- — This was the greatest and heaviest 
 part of their troubles. For what a heart's- grief is it to the 
 father, if his son rise up against him : or to the son, to 
 see his father ready to betray him, and to seek his blood ! 
 Where this is done, he wiU say : ' O father, I am thy son ; 
 alas ! what have I done to have thy displeasure ? Death is 
 bitter, but thy displeasure is more bitter than death. It 
 were a cruel thing that any man shall kiU another : what is 
 it then, if thou shouldest kill thine owm child } Yet, if thou be 
 so bent, take my life and spare my conscience : spare my 
 soul, that I may dehver it up into His hands that hath given 
 it me. I would be obedient unto thee, thou art my father : 
 but I may not disobey God ; He is the Father of fathers. He 
 hath said : " He that loveth father or mother more than 
 me, he is not worthy of me." (Matt. x. 37.) It is a misera- 
 ble case when persecution groweth so hot, that the child is 
 driven to forsake his father, or the father his child : yet so 
 doth the world blind many, and Satan so possesseth their 
 hearts, that he turneth their love into hatred, and shutteth 
 
VKR. 14 16.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 53 
 
 their senses, and choketh and dammeth up the springs of 
 nature. They become so blind, and so unsensible, that they 
 neither feel their own flesh," nor know their own blood. 
 They think, in so doing, they do God good service. They 
 are enemies to the truth. They are the enemies of the cross 
 of Christ ; their end is destruction. 
 
 And forbid us to preach unto the Gentiles, that they might 
 be saved. — This is the end whereunto the Gospel is given, 
 that the people should be saved. St. Paul saith : " God 
 will that all men shall be saved, and come to the knowledge 
 of the truth." (1 Tim. ii. 4.) Therefore our Saviour ap- 
 pointed his Apostles to this office of preaching his word, 
 saying, " Go and pi-eachthe Gospel unto aU nations :" (Mark 
 xvi. 15.) " Go unto the lost sheep of Israel." (Matt. x. 6.) 
 He saith : " It is not the will of my Father that one of these 
 little ones should perish :" (Matt, xviii. 14.) "Whosoever be- 
 lieveth and shall be baptized, shall be saved." (?.'Iark xvi. 16.) 
 St. James exhorteth the faithful : " Receive with meekness 
 the word that is grafted in you, which is able to save your 
 souls." (James i. 21.) By it we hear the sweet voice of our 
 Saviour : " Come unto me, all ye that travail, and be heavily 
 loaden, and I will refresh you." (Matt. xi. 28.) By it we 
 hear the merciful calling of God : " Turn unto me, and ye 
 shall be saved." (Isa. xlv. 22.) By it we are warned to de- 
 part from the company of such as are enemies to the truth ; 
 and to have no feUov/ship with the unfruitful works of dark- 
 ness : " Save yourselves," saith St. Peter, " from this fro- 
 ward generation." (Acts ii. 48.) By it we are taught to be- 
 lieve that Jesus Christ is the Son of God : that his name is 
 Jesus, because he shall save his people from their sins : and 
 that there is not salvation in any other besides him. For 
 feith Cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 
 This is therefore the duty of the preacher, to preach unto the 
 people, that so they may be saved ; that they may know 
 
54 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. II. 
 
 the ways of God, that they may repent them of their sins, 
 and be renewed unto godhness. 
 
 Who would think there were any that would hinder the 
 cour? e of the Gospel, or forbid to preach it unto the people ? 
 The Apostle here layeth that fault to the Jews, that they 
 "forbid him to preach to the Gentiles." The same fault 
 Christ found in the Scribes and Pharisees : " Woe be to you, 
 interpreters of the law ; for ye have taken away the key of 
 knowledge : ye entered not in yourselves, and them that 
 came in ye forbade." (Luke xi. 52.) Such there have been 
 always, and such there are now. Oh, say they, why should 
 the people know these things ? what should they meddle 
 with the Scriptures ? Let them do their business, and apply 
 their occupations. It is not reason, nor fit, that every one 
 should be learned. When they think they know somewhat, 
 they become proud, and devise heresies, and maintain them. 
 As if God had not left them to instruct the people : or as if 
 the holy Scriptures, and not the malice of Satan, were the 
 cause of heresies. 
 
 But God hath said : " Gather the people together; men, 
 and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within 
 thy gates : that they may hear, and that they may learn, and 
 fear the Lord your God, and keep and observe aU the words 
 of this law," (Deut. xxxi. 12.) The prophet David thought 
 it meet the people should know the Scriptures ; therefore 
 said he, " Blessed is that man whose dehght is in the law of 
 the Lord, and in that law doth exercise himself day and 
 night." (Ps. i. 1, 2.) And again : " Wherewith shall a young 
 man redress his ways ? In keeping thy words," (Ps. cxix. 9.) 
 
 When Christ himself came first into the world to plant 
 his church, he vouchsafed the poor and simple the know- 
 ledge of his truth, and shewed it first unto them. The first 
 that had tidings of his birth were not Scribes and Pharisees, 
 but a company of poor shepherds. The first that received 
 his Gospel, and taught it in the worlds were not doctors or 
 
VER. 14 16.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS, 55 
 
 learned men, but fishers, and toll- gatherers, and of base con- 
 dition. The first that met him with triumph at Jerusalem, 
 and sang Hosannah, were not bishoj^s and priests, but babes 
 and infants. They that followed him most, and believed, were 
 not the greatest men of power and policy, but such as the 
 Pharisees termed a cursed people, which knew not the law. 
 The first that told the Apostles the resurrection of Christ, 
 were not the sagest and wisest men, but two or three silly 
 women. The first that were converted to the faith after his 
 resurrection, were not any of the great, learned, or otherwise 
 esteemed and known among the people, but about three thou- 
 sand poor, silly, simple men, so base and so out of knowledge 
 that not one of their names could ever be known. 
 
 Why should any man resist the wisdom of God, and deny 
 the people the bread whereon they should feed ; the hght by 
 which they may safely walk ; the hearing and reading of the 
 word, by which they may be turned to God from idols, to 
 serve the living and true God ? They have cruel hearts, 
 and are enemies to the glory of God, and to the salvation of 
 his people, which in such sort deny them the knowledge of 
 the Sci'iptures. 
 
 To fulfil their sins always. — They have refused the word 
 of reconciliation; they are not contented that they have 
 stoned the prophets, and killed them that were sent to them, 
 but they yet resist the holy Gospel, and devise means to keep 
 all others from the comfort thereof. This is a token of God's 
 heavy displeasure upon them," that they repent not of their 
 former evils, but grow worse and worse. 
 
 When the Scribes and Pharise.es seemed to mislike the 
 cruelty of their fathers, and said, if they had been in their 
 days they would not have been partners with them in the 
 blood of the prophets ; our Saviour maketh their hypocrisy 
 known, that herein they should be like to their fathers, (for 
 they should kill and crucify the prophets and wise men, and 
 scourge them in their synagogues, and persecute them from 
 
56 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. II. 
 
 city to city ;) and said to them, " Fulfil ye also the measure 
 of your fathers." (Matt, xxiii. 32.) 
 
 The cause of this judgment of God, in giving over the 
 wicked to increase the heap of their sins, the Apostle setteth 
 down to the Romans : "As they regarded them not to 
 know God, God delivered them up to a reprobate mind, to 
 do those things which are not convenient." (Rom. i. 28.) 
 For so he sometimes punisheth our sins, and suffereth the 
 wicked to heap sin upon sin, that so their damnation may 
 be the greater. 
 
 For the wrath of God is come on them to the utmost. — 
 Though God be patient and long-suffering, because he would 
 have all men come to repentance ; yet, in whom his mercy 
 taketh no place to work their amendment, upon them he 
 poureth out his wrath and indignation to the utmost. He 
 meaneth not that all the whole nation of the Jews were so 
 cast out of the favour of God, that never any of them shall 
 be saved ; for in another place he saith, "Hath God cast away 
 his people ? God forbid : for I myself am an Israelite, of the 
 seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not 
 cast away his people which he knew before." (Rora. xi. 1,2.) 
 But miserable shall be their end, and a terrible damnation 
 shall they have, whosoever withstand the truth of God, and 
 to the rest of their wickedness join such a hatred and de- 
 spiteful contempt of the poor and simple sort of the people, 
 that they keep them from the wholesome words of doctrine, 
 and forbid such as are willing to preach unto them. This 
 is their condemnation, that light came into the world, and 
 they loved darkness rather than light. " They persecute 
 us," saith St. Paul, " and forbid us to preach unto the 
 Gentiles, that they might be saved ; to fulfil their sins 
 always : for the wrath of God is come on them to the 
 utmost." 
 
 Verse 17. — Forasmuch, brethren, as we icere kept from you 
 
VER. 17, 18.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 57 
 
 for a season, concerning sight, but not in heart, we enforced 
 
 the more to see your face with great desire. 
 1 8. — Therefore we would have come unto you, (I Paul, at 
 
 least once or tioice,) hut Satan hindered us. 
 
 He told them before how dearly and tenderly he loved 
 them ; exhorting, comforting, and beseeching every one of 
 them, as a father his children. He taketh care lest by any 
 means they should doubt of his great good-will towards 
 them ; and therefore doth both witness the same, and 
 shew them through what cause he hath staid from them. 
 Such a zeal and care had he over the people ! 
 
 O in what case then are they, that are careless and make 
 no regard of the people of God; which hunt after many 
 livings, and bend not themselves to do good ; which serve 
 their own belly, and seek to be rich, and eat up the people 
 of God, as if they were bread ! They cannot say they have 
 a desire to see the face of their flock, and that their heart is 
 with them. Howsoever they find time for other matters, 
 they can never take time to know their sheep, and to do the 
 work of their ministry among them. They care not for 
 them : they think not of them. They plant not, they water 
 not, they watch not ; they give no warning of the dangers 
 at hand : they teach them not to deny ungodliness and 
 worldly lusts; and to live soberly, and righteously, and 
 godly in this present world. 
 
 It were happy if all such were removed out of the church 
 of God. They destroy the souls of many, and lead them to 
 destruction by their negligence. What account shall they 
 give unto God for the souls of their brethren ? Where 
 shall they stand, or what wiU they say, when he shall bid 
 them make a strait account of their stewardship .'' 
 
 This is the practice of Satan. He useth all means to 
 snare us, and withdraw us from that blessed hope. Some- 
 times he letteth the increase of the Gospel, by raising up 
 tumults and disquieting the church of God, and stirring the 
 
 d5 
 
58 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. II. 
 
 hearts of such as are in authority to persecute by all means 
 the teachers of the Gospel of Christ. Again, when God 
 giveth peace and quietness to his church, he leadeth the 
 overseers of the people to a forgetfulness of their duty ; to 
 seek the pleasures and delights of this life, and to have no 
 regard of the work of the Lord. Such occasions the devil 
 seeketh, to hinder our salvation, and to withstand the truth 
 and glory of God. 
 
 Verse 19. — For what is our joy, or crown of rejoicing ? are 
 
 not even you it, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ 
 
 at his coming ? 
 20. — Yea, ye are our glory and joy. 
 
 The greatest comfort to him that laboureth, is to see that 
 his labour cometh to good effect, and worketh that which he 
 purposed. He hath before approved his diligence, and 
 shewed the mercy of God in making his word fruitful, by 
 opening their hearts that it might sink into them, and take 
 root in them. Therefore now he exhorteth them to con- 
 tinue stedfast, that so he may present them unto God, and 
 be partaker with them of everlasting glory. 
 
 This ought to be the care of aU such which are ministers : 
 they should seek, above all things, to bring the people to 
 such perfection of understanding, and to such godliness, of 
 life, that they may rejoice in their behalf, and so cheerfully 
 wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
VER. 1, 2.] EPISTLE TO THE THE5SALONIANS. 59 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Verse 1. — JVheref ore, since we could no longer forbear, we 
 thought it good to remain at Athens alone : 
 
 2. — And have sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of 
 God, and our labourfellotv in the Gospel of Christ, to 
 stablish you, and to comfort you touching your faith. 
 
 I KNOW your faith in Christ Jesus is raany ways assaulted. 
 The envious man will take all occasions to sow darnel 
 among the Lord's corn : he will seek to take away the good 
 seed that is sowed in your hearts. You are dear unto me ; 
 your wounds are my wounds, and your grief my grief : 
 therefore, since I myself am hindered that I cannot come 
 unto you to be with you in your afflictions, I send unto you 
 my fellow-labourer in the Gospel. I have but one with 
 me, whom I love tenderly, and trust him as mine own soul : 
 him I send unto you. I leave myself destitute, and without 
 a companion, among the infidels here at Athens, in a 
 city much given to idolatry, and which cannot abide the 
 name of Christ. Thus have I burthened myself to relieve 
 you, and taken from myself to comfort you. I have been 
 careless of myself, and careful for you, and for the church 
 of God which is among you. 
 
 The Apostle had sent Timothy to other places : to the 
 Corinthians and to the Philippians. He always found him 
 constant in faith, and zealous to do good unto the saints ; 
 and now commendeth him to this congregation, and calleth 
 him "brother, a minister of God, and his labour-fellow :" 
 that so they might conceive his great care for them, which 
 sent so worthy a man unto them ; and also that they 
 would esteem him, and have him in reputation ; to hearken 
 
60 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. III. 
 
 unto Timothy, and to do in all things as he should direct 
 them. 
 
 Such as St. Paul nameth Timothy, should all they be which 
 are sent unto the people. They must hold the faith of 
 Christ unfeignedly, and profess it boldly : they must be 
 called and hallowed of God to his service ; and must not be 
 idle, but painful, and labouring to build up the house of 
 God, and to gather in his harvest : that they may tridy be 
 called the ministers of God, and labourers in the Gospel. 
 
 They that are called to this service must not think it 
 enough that they serve God as other trades do : for princes, 
 and aU sorts of people, owe service and homage unto God, to 
 serve him in holiness and righteousness all the days of their 
 life. This service of godly conversation and obedience must 
 ministers also most carefully perform : but the especial 
 service which belongeth to their calling, is to cany the ark 
 of the covenant before their people ; to do their message truly 
 when they are sent ; to teach, to instruct, to exhort, to 
 comfort, to rebuke, in season and out of season ; to plant, to 
 weed, to graft, to shrid ; * to hold up their hands, and to 
 pray for the people : to do this service for kings, for sub- 
 jects, for rich, for poor, for the wise, for the simple, for the 
 godly, and for the wicked ; to establish them, and comfort 
 them touching their faith. 
 
 Paul calleth himself often the servant of God, and the 
 servant of our Lord Jesus Christ. Herejoiceth in this ser- 
 vice, and reckoneth it in part of his glory. If we consider 
 the pains and travails which he took, we shall know what 
 diligence all others that are called to the same service ought 
 to shew. Thus he writeth of himself : " I am debtor both 
 to the Grecians and to the Barbarians, both to the wise men 
 and to the unwise. Therefore, as much as lieth in me, I 
 am ready to preach the Gospel to you also that are at Rome." 
 
 * To shrid, or slired ; i. e. to pluck, as fiTdt : (see 2 Kings iv. 39.) 
 here, to lop off rotten and unprofitable branches. — Editor. 
 
VER. 3.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. Gl 
 
 (Rom. i. 14, 15.) Again : " Though I be free from all men, 
 yet have I made myself servant unto all men, that I might 
 win the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that 
 I might win the Jews ; to them that are under the law, as 
 though I were under the law, tliat I may win them that are 
 under the law. I am made all things to all men, that I might 
 by all means save some." (1 Cor. ix. 19, 20 ; 22.) Again : 
 " We preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ the Lord ; and 
 ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." (2 Cor. iv. 5.) 
 Again : " We are reviled, and yet we bless ; we are perse- 
 cuted, and yet suffer it." (1 Cor. iv. 12.) I serve not my- 
 self, saith he, but God ; I serve not to seek mine ovv^n affec- 
 tions, but to set forth his glory. Thus in his own example 
 he teacheth us that in the service of the Church of God we 
 must endure all pains, and not refuse to follow our calling 
 for any reproach, or shame, or villany, which may be 
 wrought against us by men. 
 
 Verse 3. — Tliat no man should he moved tvith these afflictions : 
 for ye yourselves knoio that we are appointed thereunto. 
 
 Think not that you shall enjoy the pleasures of this world, 
 if you be the faithful servants of Christ. Christ shed his blood 
 for thee, that thou shouldest not refuse to give thy blood for 
 him. Drink the cup of bitter gall, whereof Christ began to 
 thee ; and carry thy cross, that thou mayest follow him. If 
 thou be ashamed of the cross, thou art ashamed of Christ : 
 if thou be ashamed of Christ, he will be ashamed of thee 
 before his Father in heaven. The cross cannot hurt thee, 
 for Christ hath sanctified it in his blood. 
 
 Behold not the sword which striketh thee ; but think on 
 the crown of glory which thou shalt receive. Gold is 
 clearer, after it hath been put into the fire : be thou gold, 
 and the fiery persecution shall not hurt thee. Let not the 
 fear of death put out thy faith. Trust in the Lord; be strong 
 
62 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. III. 
 
 and he shall stablish thy heart : be rooted and built in 
 Christ, and stablished in the faith. Then shall thy heart 
 rejoice, and no man shall take thy joy from thee. 
 
 Verse 4. — For verily, when we were with you, we told you 
 before that we should suffer tribulations ; even as it came 
 to pass, and ye know it. 
 
 God giveth us warning to be ready to suffer afflictions for 
 his name. " My son, if thou wilt come into the service of 
 God, stand fast in righteousness and fear ; and prepare thy 
 soul to temptation." (Ecclus. ii. 1.) And in the Proverbs : 
 " My son, refuse not the chastening of the Lord, neither be 
 grieved with his correction : for the Lord correcteth him 
 whom he loveth, even as the father the child in whom he 
 delighteth." (Prov. iii. 11, 12.) " As many as I love, I 
 rebuke and chasten," saith Christ. (Rev. iii. 19.) There- 
 fore the apostle teUeth the Hebrews, " If you be without 
 correction, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, 
 and not sons." (Heb. xii. 8.) In the tenth of Matthew 
 our Saviour warneth his disciples hereof, " Behold, I send 
 you as sheep in the midst of wolves." (Matt. x. 16.) 
 
 Thus God schooleth and nurtureth his people, that so 
 through many tribulations they may enter to their regt. 
 Frankincense, when it is put into the fire, giveth the greater 
 perfume ; spice, if it be pounded, smeUeth the sweeter ; the 
 earth, when it is torn up with the plough, becometh more 
 fruitful ; the seed in the ground, after frost and snow and 
 winter storms, springeth the ranker ; the nigher the vine is 
 pruned to the stock, the greater grape ityieldeth ; the grape, 
 when it is most pressed and beaten, maketh the sweetest 
 wine ; fine gold is the better, when it is cast in the fire ; 
 rough stones with hewing are squared and made fit for 
 building ; cloth is rent and cut, that it may be made a gar- 
 
VER. 5 10.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 63 
 
 ment ; linen is bucked,* and washed, and wrung, and 
 beaten, and is the fairer. 
 
 These are famihar examples to shew the benefit and com- 
 modity which the children of God receive by persecution. 
 By it God washeth and scoureth his congregation. " We 
 rejoice," saith St. Paul, "in tribulations; knowing that tri- 
 bulation bringeth forth patience, and patience experience, 
 and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed." 
 (Rom. V. 3.) The power of God is made perfect in weak- 
 ness ; and all things turn unto good to them that fear the 
 Lord. 
 
 Verse 5. — Even for this cause, tvhen I could no longer 
 
 forbear, I sent him that I might know of your faith, lest 
 
 the tempter had tempted you in any sort, and that our labour 
 
 had been in vain . 
 6. — But now lately when Timotheus came from you unto us, and 
 
 brought us good tidings of your faith and love, and that ye 
 
 have good remembrance of us, always desiring to see us, as 
 
 we also do you : 
 7. — Therefore, brethren, tve had consolation in you in all our 
 
 affliction and necessitude through your faith. 
 8. — For now are tve alive, if ye standfast in the Lord. 
 0. — For what thanks can we recompense to God again for you, 
 
 for all the Joy wherewith we rejoice for your sakes before 
 
 our God ; 
 10. — Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see 
 
 your face, and might accomplish that which is lacking in 
 
 your faith ? 
 
 The Apostle continueth in declaring his earnest aiFection 
 towards them, and how greatly he rejoiced to hear of their 
 constancy in the faith, and of their love and agreement to- 
 gether. For he feared it might have happened to them, as it 
 
 * Bucked ; that is, thrown into the tub. — Editor. 
 
64 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. III. 
 
 had done to others. He preached to the Galatians, but 
 they gave ear to false apostles, and went back from that he 
 had taught them. " I am in fear of you," saith he, " lest 
 I have bestowed on you labour in vain." (Gal. iv. 11.) And, 
 " Ye did run well : who did let you, that you did not obey 
 the truth ? It is not of the persuasion of him that caUeth 
 you." (Gal. v. 7, 8.) The devil hath bewitched you, and 
 beguiled your eyes. 
 
 Such is the subtilty and the power of Satan in the chil- 
 dren of disobedience. Judas was an apostle, equal with 
 Peter and the other apostles. The devil entered into his 
 heart and bewitched him, and then he became the child of 
 destruction. Julian the apostate was a Christian, and a 
 reader in the church, but became an enemy of Christ : and 
 Vv'henhe was stricken in the field by miracle from heaven, he 
 threw up his blood in defiance of Christ : so had the devil 
 bewitched him, and changed his heart to wickedness. 
 
 It might have been that their weakness should in like sort 
 have been overcome, when the tempter tempted them : and 
 so the gold which he had left with them might have been 
 turned into dross, and the light into darkness, and the king- 
 dom of God taken away from them. For then had his la- 
 bour been in vain, and they had received the word to their 
 own damnation. For it had been better for them not. to 
 have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have 
 known it, to turn from the holy commandment given unto 
 them. 
 
 The devil is the tempter. His strength and practice is 
 not always by force of arms, but by subtile persuasions, and 
 other shghts. He reasoneth with Eve, why she would not 
 taste of the apple, which was sweet, pleasant, and delicate ; 
 and telleth the poor woman God did nothing but mock her : 
 for God knew, what day they should eat thereof, their eyes 
 should be opened, and they should know as much as God. 
 He came to Christ, and said, " Command that these stones 
 
VER. 5 10.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 65 
 
 be made bread :" (Matt. iv. 3.) and, " Cast thyself down, if 
 thou be the Son of God :" (ver. 6.) then thou shalt be wor- 
 shipped, and taken for a great prophet. He tempted David 
 after this sort : Why wilt thou serve God } he hath advanced 
 thine enemies, and hath forsaken thee and left thee in misery. 
 " I fretted," saith David, " at the foolish : these are the wick- 
 ed, yet prosper they alway, and increase in riches. Certainly 
 I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in 
 innocency : for daily have I been punished, and chastened 
 every morning. Mine heart was vexed : so foolish was I, and 
 ignorant ; I was a beast before thee." (Ps. Ixxiii. 3 ; 1 2 — 
 14 ; 21, 22.) He tempted Job, the faithful servant of God, 
 and told him that he was righteous, and holy, and gave 
 alms, in vain ; that God had no regard to his prayers, and 
 would not hear them. 
 
 This tempter waiteth all occasions to draw us from our 
 faith and stedfastness in the Lord ; yet is he never so busy, 
 as when any persecution is raised against the truth : then is 
 he in his ruff.* Then playeth he his part, and leaveth 
 nothing undone whereby he may move us to forsake the 
 truth. Wilt thou, saith he, be so foolish to lose thy life, 
 and knowest not wherefore ? Art thou wiser than thy 
 forefathers ? Why shouldest not thou be contented to do as 
 thy father and mother, and friends and kinsfolks ? Thinkest 
 thou they have not as good care of their souls, as thou hast 
 of thine } Wilt thou make them Pagans and Infidels ? Dost 
 thou think they are damned .'' Be wise, and cast not thyself 
 away. Flesh is frail ; life is sweet ; death is dreadful : but 
 to die in the fire ; to be burned alive ; to see thy arms and 
 thy legs quite burnt from thy body, and that yet thou canst 
 not die : this is most terrible : thou canst never abide it. 
 Behold so many kings and jirinces, noblemen, cardinals, 
 
 * In his riiff'; that is, in his best state and attire : "transformed 
 into an angel of light." (2 Cor. xi. 14.) — Editor. 
 
66 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. 111. 
 
 bishops, doctors, and learned men, and whole kingdoms and 
 countries, of the contrary opinion. Be not wilful. Think 
 not thyself wiser than all the world. What were it for 
 thee to come to the church, and to shew thyself obedient, 
 and to do as others do } It is a small matter to look up and 
 hold up thy hands at the sacring.* If it be an offence, thou 
 Shalt be excused, because thou art forced to do it by autho- 
 nty. God is merciful; he wiU forgive thee. Thus and 
 thus doth Satan tempt us ; and sifteth us, to lead us from 
 our steadfastness. These devices he practised of late davs 
 before our eyes, with many constant professors of Christian 
 religion : but through the mighty power of God they 
 quenched aU his fiery darts, and through many tribulations 
 entered into glory. 
 
 Thanks be to God, which doth make us able through his 
 grace, not only to beUeve in him, but also to suffer for his 
 sake ! He is faithful, and wiU not suffer us to be tempted 
 above that we are able ; but wiU even give the issue with the 
 temptation, that we may be able to bear it. He hath bidden 
 us call upon him in the day of trouble, and he wiU dehver us. 
 " Commit thy way unto the Lord, and trust in him," saith 
 the prophet, " and he shaU bring it to pass." (Ps. xxxvii. 5.) 
 "I have set the Lord always before me, for he is at my 
 right hand : therefore I shaU not slide." (Ps. xvi. 8.) And 
 again : " The Lord is with me : therefore I will not fear what 
 man can do unto me. It is better to trust in the Lord, than 
 to have confidence in princes." (Ps. cxviii. 6 ; 8.) 
 
 When our Saviour foretold his disciples of the troubles to 
 come, he also maketh comfort to them of the strength and 
 the help which they shaU receive of God, saying, " "When 
 they dehver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall 
 
 • The sacrhig; or consecration of the host, in the Romish service 
 of the mass. — Editor. 
 
VER. 5 10.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALOXIANS. C7 
 
 speak : for it shall be given you in that hour what ye shall 
 say." (Matt. x. 19.) He telleth them by whom they shall 
 be persecuted; " Ye shall be betrayed also of your parents, 
 and of your brethren, and kinsmen, and friends : " and in 
 what sort; " They shall lay hands on you, and persecute you, 
 and deliver you to the synagogues, and into prisons, 
 and bring you before kings and rulers : " and for what 
 cause; "For my name's sake." (Luke xxi. 16, 17.) Then, 
 what the godly in this case must do ; " Fear them not : 
 he that endureth to the end shall be saved." (Matt. x. 22 ; 
 26.) Last of. all, he promiseth to be with them, and to 
 strengthen them ; " This shall turn to you for a testimonial. 
 Lay it up therefoi^e in your hearts, that you premeditate not 
 what you shall answer : for I will give you a mouth and 
 wisdom, whereagainst aU your adversaries shall not be able 
 to speak nor resist." (Luke xxi. 13 — 15.) 
 
 Thus were the things spoken of long before, which we 
 have seen lately done. Whosoever will set down the story 
 thereof, now they are passed, must needs declare it in the 
 manner as it was forespoken. Their own kinsfolks and 
 friends betrayed many, and brought them to the bishops, 
 who dehvered them into prisons, for the name of Christ, and 
 for the love of his truth. The blessed witnesses, or martyrs, 
 of God feared not, but endured. Many were simple young 
 men, young maidens, men and women of great age, labour- 
 ing men, and men of occupations : yet God gave them such 
 a mouth and such wisdom, as all their adversaries were not 
 able to speak against it, nor resist it. Wlio readeth that 
 Scripture diligently, and considereth this story of our time 
 advisedly, cannot but confess that the light of God's Gospel 
 is come among us : and that we are they upon whom the 
 latter end of the world is come, and in whom he doth show 
 forth the great m.ight of his power. 
 
 Therefore such temptations as Satan useth, cannot make 
 the man of God fall from his anchor-hold. His hope is 
 
G8 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. III. 
 
 safely laid up in his breast. He knoweth in whom he 
 putteth his trust, and therefore saith, I presume not of know- 
 ledge : I esteem not to know any thing, save Christ Jesus, 
 and him cnicified : I believe not in my fathers ; I reverence 
 them, and love them, but I believe only in Gcd : I fear not 
 the sword, I fear not v.'hat man can do unto me ; but I fear 
 him that can kill my body and soul. It is better for me to 
 abide the fire, and lose my life, that I may live for ever, than 
 to deny God for safeguard of my life, and be cast into heU- 
 fire. If there be so many partakers of their errors, and so 
 few that cleave to the truth, the multitude of them shall not 
 save me : and it is no trial of God's truth, whether it be re- 
 ceived of many or of few. Cardinals, and bishops, and doc- 
 tors, may be wise and learned : so were Annas and Caiaphas, 
 the High Priests, and Scribes, and Pharisees, which did put 
 to death the Lord of glory. I dare not do iU, because other 
 men do it : I dare not tempt God. My conscience is truly 
 assured by God's word, what is idolatry and the dishonour 
 of God. If I should come into the chmxh, and make such 
 shows as you advise me, and be partaker with idolaters, I 
 should do hurt to others in mine ill example : I should do 
 against mine own conscience ; vv'hich would be a heavy wit- 
 ness against me, both while I Uve in this world, and in the 
 dreadful day of judgment. 
 
 Verse 1 1 . — Now God himself, even our Father, and our Lord 
 
 Jesus Christ, guide our journey unto you. 
 12. — And the Lord increase you, and make you abound in love 
 
 one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward 
 
 you : 
 13. — To make your Jiearts stable and unblameable in holiness 
 
 before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord- 
 
 Jesus Christ tvith his saints. 
 
 I have planted you ; you are ray children, whom I have 
 
VER. 11 13.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. G9 
 
 begotten in Christ. I love you, and have care over you_ 
 I have an exceeding desire to see your face ; but Satan 
 hath withstood my purpose, and found means to keep me 
 from you. I commit my voyage to God ; if it please him 
 that I may come unto you, to rejoice with you, and com- 
 fort you. He knoweth what is good for me, and what is 
 profitable for you. The cause is his own. He will do all 
 things to his glory. He will tread Satan under our feet. 
 We cannot purpose and dispose of ourselves. " I know that 
 the way of man is not in himself, neither is it in man to 
 walk and to direct his steps.'" (Jer. x. 23.) 
 
 The Lord increase you, — in all godliness, that you may 
 abound more and more, even as you have heard of us how 
 you ought to walk. You are but a little flock ; God in- 
 crease your number, and make all them partakers of his 
 kingdom with you, which hear of your faith and conversa- 
 tion in Christ. 
 
 To make your hearts stable and unblameable ; — That nothing 
 move you or trouble you : that your hearts and con- 
 sciences be quiet : that you may stand upright, and shev«r 
 yourselves in great confidence before his judgment- seat : 
 that when you shall see God's hand stretched out, and his 
 plagues prepared against the wicked, you be not afraid. 
 This is the haven of I'est, whereto no man cometh but he 
 that hath a quiet conscience : this is the tabernacle of the 
 Highest, wherein they shall dwell ; this is the holy moun- 
 tain, wherein they shall rest, that walk uprightly, and work 
 righteousness, and speak the truth in their heart. 
 
 Here let us consider the rages and tempests of a troubled 
 mind, and of an unquiet conscience : which knoweth that 
 God is an avenger of all wickedness, and that death is the 
 due reward of sin ; which acknowledgeth himself to be a sin- 
 ner, and findeth no way how he shall escape hell-fire. This 
 man, when he thinketh with himself of these things, he 
 cannot but be amazed and disquieted above measure. The 
 
70 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. III. 
 
 sound of the trumpet is ever in his ears ; he heareth the 
 voice of the Judge, saying, Stand forth, sinner. Now, 
 declare how thou hast used thy body ; give a reckoning of 
 thy whole life. Then his conscience beginneth to quake 
 and tremble. Then he needeth no witness to accuse him, 
 nor judge to condemn him; he is both witness and judge 
 against himself. 
 
 The danger hereof may somewhat appear in those which 
 are taken, and prisoned, and arraigned before a judge. 
 When he knoweth himself guilty, heareth the evidence 
 proved against him, seeth the judge severe to deal justice 
 without mercy, and therefore is assured of death ; what 
 grief and torment feeleth he at heart ! what would he not 
 give, what would he not do, to escape the danger ? 
 
 But the danger whereunto God judgeth us is greater, and 
 the manner of his judgment is straiter. Here, the judge 
 may be deceived, he is but a man : but there, God is the 
 judge, who is the searcher of the heart and reins, and no 
 man shall be hid from his heat. Here, nothing can be done 
 without evidence, without witnesses and proof : before God, 
 he that hath offended shall accuse himself. This is the case of 
 conscience. Itself is witness, itself calleth for judgment to 
 condemnation. His conscience shall make the sinner say, 
 I have offended against God : I have despised his .word, 
 and would not give ear to learn it. I would not know the 
 time of God's mercy, and of my visitation. I lived in for- 
 nication, and committed theft, and kept wrongfully other 
 men's goods. I was disobedient to parents ; nurtured not 
 my children in the fear of God ; kept not my heart from 
 doing iniquity : I abused my goods, my wits, my senses, 
 and the good grace of God. I have sinned against heaven 
 and against God, and am not worthy to be called his son. 
 The wrath of God is worthily fallen upon me, hell-fire is my 
 meed. The mercy of God cannot save me, for my sin is 
 greater than that it can be forgiven. Mine own heart 
 
VER. 1, 2,] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 71 
 
 and conscience, lieaven and earth, the angels and arch- 
 angels, God himself, and Christ the Redeemer of them that 
 believe in him, are against me. I cannot cast mine eyes to 
 any place, but ever I see my damnation before me. Then 
 doth he tremble w^ith agony, and stand in fear. His heart 
 dasheth and beateth, as the waves of the sea. He feeleth 
 uproar, war, lightning, thunder, death, and hell in his 
 heart. He shall fly, when no man foUoweth him. He 
 shall say to the hills and rocks. Fall on me, and hide me 
 from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne, and 
 from the wrath of the Lamb. 
 
 Such is the terror of an unquiet mind. Though all the 
 princes in the world would join themselves to do it, the 
 wicked can never enjoy peace. God keep us far from 
 such agonies, and give vis pure hearts and clear con- 
 sciences ! 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Verse 1. — And furthermore we beseech you, brethren, and 
 
 exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that ye increase more and 
 
 more, as ye have received-of us how ye ought to iculk and 
 
 to please God. 
 
 2. — For ye knoio what commandments we gave you by the 
 
 Lord Jesus. 
 We command you not, nor use any force ; but intreat you 
 with all patience and meekness, that ye will love your own 
 souls, and think and do those things which please God. 
 You are they to whom the promise was made. God hath 
 called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. He 
 
72 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV. 
 
 hath not dealt so with every nation, neither have they 
 known his judgments. 
 
 We come not to you in our own name. "We have charge 
 to preach the gospel to all nations. Therefore we speak 
 unto you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We shew 
 you the way, that you may walk in it : we declare unto 
 you the will of God, that you may be saved. " For yet will 
 the Lord wait, that he may have mercy upon you ; and 
 therefore will he he exalted, that he may have compassion 
 upon you," saith the prophet Isaiah. (Isa. xxx. 18.) 
 
 We have opened unto you the whole treasure of God's 
 mercy. We have led you to the throne of gi'ace, and made 
 you see the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the 
 world. We have preached unto you remission and forgive- 
 ness of your sins through his name. If you have heard us, 
 and believe, you shall be saved. If any man preach unto 
 A'ou otherwise than that you have received, let him be 
 accursed. 
 
 How ye ought to walk and please God. — It is not enough 
 that ye believe : ye must also walk and live according to 
 knowledge. This is the wiU of God : " For we are his 
 workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, 
 which God hath ordained that w^e should walk in them." 
 (Eph. ii. 10.) " For the grace of God hath appeared,, that 
 bringeth salvation unto all men, and teacheth us that 
 we should live soberly, and righteously, and godly in this 
 life ; looking for the blessed hope, and appearing of the 
 glory of the mighty God, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ." 
 (Tit'ii. 11—13.) 
 
 In this sort hath our teaching been among you : that you 
 might shew forth your faith by your works ; that it avail- 
 eth you nothing to say you have faith, if you have no 
 works ; because the faith that hath no works, is dead. 
 This we are taught by the words of our Lord Jesus. He 
 saith: "Not everv one that saith unto me. Lord, 
 
VER. 3, 4.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIAN3. 73 
 
 Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven j but he that 
 doeth my Father's will that is in heaven." (Matt. vii. 21.) 
 Again : " Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is 
 hewn down, and cast into the fire." (Matt. iii. 10.) " The 
 servant that knoweth his master's will, and doeth it not, 
 shall be beaten with many stripes." (Luke xii. 47.) Thus 
 hath our Lord commanded us to be like our Father which 
 is in heaven ; to let our light so shine before men, that thev 
 may see our good works. Thus the Apostle taught : thus 
 the church of God this day teacheth. It requireth faith, as 
 the instrument and means, to apply the merits and passion 
 of Jesus Christ for our salvation ; and good works, as fruits 
 and witnesses of our faith. 
 
 Wliosoever learneth aright, and beheveth the Gospel as 
 he ought, groweth and goeth forward from virtue to virtue. 
 If he were ignorant before, he cometh thereby to know- 
 ledge : if he were weak, he groweth in strength : if he were 
 wicked, he turneth unto godliness. 
 
 Verse 3. — For this is the will of God, even your holiness : 
 
 and that ye should abstain from fornication 
 4. — That every one of you should know how to possess his 
 
 vessel in holiness and honour. 
 
 God requireth true and unfeigned holiness. " Wash 
 you," saith the Prophet Isaiah, " make you clean ; take away 
 ^he evil of your works from before mine eyes ; cease to do 
 ill." (Isa. i. 16.) This is the commaandment of God, that 
 so we should be ])artakers of his heavenly nature. "As 
 he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all man- 
 ner of conversation," saith St. Peter. (1 Pet. i. 15.) 
 
 Abstain from fornication. — Nothing so much hindereth 
 
 true holiness, as fornication, uncleanness, wantonness, and 
 
 uch like. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body ; 
 
 but he that committeth fornication, sinneth against his own 
 
 body. God is the avenger of such: he will judge the adulterers 
 
74 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV. 
 
 and foriiicators. Be not deceived : neither fornicators, nor 
 adulterers, nor wantons, nor lechers shall inherit the kingdom 
 of heaven. 
 
 Know to 2)ossess his vessel.- — That is, his body. And the 
 body is the temple of the Holy Ghost ; as he saith to the 
 Corinthians : " And therefore glorify God in yom- body, and 
 in your spirit, for they are God's." (1 Cor. vi. 20.) In 
 this body we shall rise out of our grave, and appear befor^ 
 the judgment-seat of God ; in this body we shall sit upon 
 the twelve seats, and judge the twelve tribes. God shall 
 crown it with glory and honour. Keep this vessel clean, it 
 is precious : keep it in honour, keep it in holiness. Make 
 not the member of Christ a member of the devil : shajne 
 not your bodies, shame not yourselves. 
 
 Verse 5. — And not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the 
 
 Gentiles which know not God. 
 
 Give not yourselves over to filthy affections, as the horse 
 and mule which have no understanding, and as the Gentiles 
 Avhich have no fear 'of God's judgment. Their heart and 
 mind is unclean : they know not God : they know not them- 
 selves : they know not the difference of this life, and of the 
 life to come. Therefore they know not sin j or if they know 
 it, they refrain it not : but follow the lusts of their corrupt 
 nature, and give themselves to wantonness, to work all un- 
 cleanness, even with greediness. 
 
 Thus the Apostle setteth down what is the fruit of igno- 
 rance ; and whereto a man groweth, that knowethnot God. 
 That devotion, therefore, which some say is the daughter of 
 ignorance, hath no likeness with true holiness. " For this 
 is hfe eternal," saith Christ, " that they know thee to be 
 the only very God, and, whom thou has sent, Jesus Christ," 
 (John xvii. 17.) 
 
 Verse 6. — That no man oppress or defraud his hrother in 
 
VER. 5, 6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALOXIAXS. 75 
 
 any matter : for the Lord is an avenger of all such thinys ; 
 
 as we have also told you heforetime , and testified. 
 
 Let no man defraud his brother, neither by false weight, 
 nor by false measure, nor by lying words. Jiet your mea- 
 sures, and weights, and words be true : let your gains be 
 just and true, that God may bless them. His blessing will 
 make you rich ; and whatsoever he blesseth not, shall waste 
 and consume, and do you no good. Do unto others as vou 
 would they should do unto you. This is true dealing, and 
 upright. 
 
 If thou speak more than is true, if thou take more than 
 thy ware is worth, thy conscience knoweth it is none of 
 thine. God will destroy all the workers of iniquity. He 
 that delighteth in sin, hateth his own soul : the mouth that 
 accustometh to lie, slayeth the soid. 
 
 Defraud not thy brother : he is thy brother, whether he 
 be rich or poor ; he is thy brother, and the son of God. 
 Wilt thou do wrong to thy brother } wilt thou oppress the 
 son of God, and that even in the sight of God } God is his 
 Father ; he will not leave it unpunished in thee. If he be 
 simple and unskilful, abuse not his simplicity. God is the 
 God of righteousness : deal justly, that thine own consci- 
 ence accuse thee not. 
 
 Teach not thy sons nor thy servants to deceive others, 
 and to gain by wickedness. After they have learned of thee 
 to deceive others, they will deceive thee also. Job prayed 
 daily for his children. Be thou also careful that thy chil- 
 dren and servants deceive no man, nor hurt any : their sins 
 shall be laid to thy charge. 
 
 Why askest thou of God that he will feed thee, and give 
 thee thy daily bread ; and waitest not upon his will, but 
 feedest upon the bread of iniquity } This meat will not nou- 
 rish thee ; this wealth will not stand by thee : for God will 
 not prosper it. The wise man saith : " The bread of de- 
 ceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth shall be 
 
76 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV. 
 
 filled with gravel." (Prov. xx. 17.) Ill-gotten goods have 
 an ill end. God hath said by the Prophet Haggai : " Ye 
 have sown much, hut ye have brought in little : ye brought 
 it home, and I did blow upon it." (Haggai i. 6 ; 9.) We 
 have examples hereof daily. We have seen great heaps of 
 Avealth suddenly blown away, and consumed to nothing ; 
 great houses decayed, and the hope of the wicked quite 
 overthrown. 
 
 Here will I speak somewhat of the unhappy trade of 
 visury ; because therein standeth the most miserable and 
 shameful deceiving of the brethren. I will not speak all 
 that may be said, for it would be too long, and over weari- 
 some. I will have regard of that shall be agreeable and 
 profitable, and behoveful for you to hear. 
 
 And that you may the better consider hereof, and see the 
 whole matter of usury, I wiU shew you, first, what usury is : 
 then, whence it springeth, and what are the causes of 
 usury : thirdly, what cometh of it, what hurt it worketh to 
 the commonwealth ; and I will lay forth such reasons as 
 may make any good man abhor it : then I will declare what 
 the holy Fathers, and the Apostles, and Martyrs, and Christ, 
 and God himself, have thought and spoken of usury. 
 
 1 . Many simple men know not what is usury, nor never 
 heard the name of it. The world were happy if no -man 
 knew it : for evil things do less harm when they be most 
 unknown. Pestilences and plagues are not known but with 
 great misery. But that you may learn to know it, and the 
 more to abhor it, this it is : — 
 
 Usury is a kind of lending of money,or com, or oil, or wine, 
 or of any other thing, wherein, upon covenant and bargain, 
 we receive again the whole principal which we delivered, and 
 somewhat more for the use and occupying of the same : as, 
 if I lend one hundred pounds, and for it covenant to receive 
 one hundred and five pounds, or any other sum greater than 
 was the sum which I did lend. This is that, that we call usury : 
 
VKR. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALOXIANS. 77 
 
 such a kind of bargaining as no good man, or godly man, 
 ever used ; such a kind of bargaining as all men that ever 
 feared God's judgment have always abhorred and condemn- 
 ed. It is filthy gains, and a work of darkness : it is a 
 .monster in nature 5 the overthrow of mighty kingdoms ; the 
 destruction of flourishing states ; the decay of wealthy 
 cities ; the plagues of the world, and the misery of the peo- 
 ple. It is theft ; it is the murdering of our brethren ; it is 
 the curse of God, and the curse of the people. This is 
 usury : by these signs and tokens you may know it : for 
 wheresoever it reigneth, all those mischiefs ensue. But how, 
 and how many ways, it may be wrought, I will not declare : 
 it were horrible to hear : and I come now to reprove usury, 
 and not to teach it. 
 
 2. Let us see then what is the cause hereof, and whence 
 it groweth ; who is the mother, the nurse, or the breeder of 
 usury: for it groweth not everywhere, nor among aU men. 
 Many hate it, and detest it, and had rather die than hve of 
 such spoil. It is not of God ; for God straitly forbiddeth 
 it : neither is it found among the children of God ; for love 
 seeketh not her own profit, but to do good to her neigh- 
 bour. 
 
 Wlience then springeth usury ? Soon shewed. Even 
 thence, whence theft, murder, adultery, the plagues and de- 
 struction of the people do spring. All these are the works 
 of the devil, and the works of the flesh. Christ telleth the 
 Pharisees, " You are of your father the devil, and the lust of 
 your father you will do." (John viii. 44.) Even so may it 
 truly be said to the usurer. Thou art of thy father the devil, 
 and the lust of thy father thou wilt do, and therefore thou 
 hast pleasure in his works. The devil entered into the heart 
 of Judas, and put in him this greediness and covetousness 
 of gain, for which he was content to sell his master. Judas' 
 heart was the shop, the devil was the foreman to work in it. 
 St-Paul saith: "They that will be rich, fall into temptation and 
 
78 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV. 
 
 snares, and into many foolish and noisome lusts, which drown 
 men into perdition and destruction : for the desire of money 
 is the root of evil." (1 Tim. vi. 9.) And St. John saith, 
 " Whosoever committeth sin, is of the devil." (1 John iii. 8.) 
 Thus we see that the devil is the planter and the father of 
 usury. 
 
 Covetousness, desire of money, insatiable greediness, de- 
 ceitfulness, unmercifulness, injury, oppression, extortion, 
 contempt of God, hatred to the brethren, and hatred of aU 
 men, are the nurses and breeders of usury. It springeth 
 from Satan ; and groweth, and is watered, and fed, and 
 nourished, by these cruel and damnable monsters. 
 
 3. Let us see farther what are the fruits which come of 
 usury : for perhaps it doth some good, and you may think that 
 many are the better for it. These therefore are the fruits. 
 It dissolveth the knot and fellowship of mankind : it hard- 
 eneth man's heart : it maketh men unnatural, and bereaveth 
 them of charity and love to their dearest friends : it breedeth 
 misery, and provoketh the wrath of God fi-om heaven. It 
 consumeth rich men, it eateth up the poor ; it maketh bank- 
 rupts, and undoeth many households. The poor occupiers 
 are driven to flee, their wives are left alone, their children 
 are helpless, and driven to beg their bread, through the un- 
 merciful dealing of the covetous usurer. 
 
 When David layeth out the wickedness of the country 
 where he was persecuted, he saith of them,* " Usury and 
 deceit departeth not from their streets ;" (Psalm Iv. 11.) one 
 seeketh to spoil and eat up another. These are the commo- 
 dities and the fruits of usury. Such is usury in the midst of 
 a city: and such good it worketh, as fire doth when it is set 
 to the roof of a house ; or as the plague doth when it is 
 taken to the midst of the body, and toucheth the heart. 
 
 We have heard whence usury springeth, and what hurt it 
 
 * Non defecit usura, et dolus in plateis eorura. 
 
VER. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 79 
 
 doth : which whosoever considereth, may find cause 
 enough to loathe it, and forsake it. One asked of Cato, 
 ' What it was to commit usury ?' ' What is it,' saith he 
 again, ' to kill a man ?' He that is an usurer, is a murderer. 
 The same Cato saith, ' Our fathers punished a thief with 
 payment of the double of that he had taken ; but the usurer 
 was always condemned to pay four times the value.' They 
 were wise men : they thought that an usurer was much worse 
 than a thief. For a thief is driven by extremity and need : 
 the usurer is rich, and hath no need. The thief stealeth in 
 corners, and in places where he may be unknown : the 
 usurer openly and boldly, at all times and in any place. 
 The thief, to relieve his wife and children : the usurer, to 
 spoil his neighbour, and to undo his wife and children. 
 The thief stealeth from the rich, which hath enough : the 
 usurer, from the poor that hath nothing. The thief fieeth, 
 and will be seen no more : the usurer standeth by it, con- 
 tinueth, and stealeth still ; day and night, sleeping and 
 wakipg, he always stealeth. The thief repenteth of his 
 deed ; he knoweth he hath done wrong, and is sorry for it : 
 the usurer thinketh it is his own, that it is well-gotten, and 
 never repenteth nor sorroweth ; but defendeth and main- 
 taineth his sin impudently. The thief, if he escape many 
 times, becometh profitable to his country, and bestoweth 
 himself painfully in some trade of life : the usurer leaveth 
 his merchandise, forsaketh his husbandry, giveth himself to 
 nothing whereby his country may have benefit. The thief 
 is satisfied at length : the usurer hath never enough. The 
 belly of the wicked will never be filled. As the sea is never 
 filled with water, though all the streams of the world run 
 into it ; so the greediness of an usurer is never satisfied, 
 though he gain never so unreasonably. The sea is profit- 
 able : the usurer is hurtful and dangerous. By the sea we 
 may pass, and come safely to the haven ; but no man passeth 
 by usury without loss or shipwreck. 
 
80 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV, 
 
 4. Now hear what the godly and learned Fathers of the 
 Church have thought of usury. No doubt they were godly 
 men, and wrote hereof as God had inspired them, and as 
 others before them had done. 
 
 Augustine saith :* ' What shall I speak of usury, whereof 
 the laws and judges require that restitution be made ? Is he 
 more cruel which stealeth something away from the rich 
 man, or he that killeth a poor man with usury }' Mark this. 
 An usurer, saith Augustine, is cruel. Why ? He killeth. 
 Whom ? The poor man, whom in charity he is bound to 
 relieve. 
 
 Ambrose hereof saith : f ' He that lacketh wherewith to 
 keep life, payeth you usury. What heavier case may there 
 be } He seeketh to be healed, and you poison him ; he 
 asketh you bread, and you give him a knife ; he desireth you 
 to set him at liberty, and you bring him to further bondage.' 
 And again : ' Thou, usurer, growest wealthy by other men's 
 heaviness : thou makest gains of their tears and weeping : 
 thou art fed with their hunger : thou coinest thy money of 
 the skins of those men whom thou destroyest. How thinkest 
 thou thyself to be rich, and yet beggest an alms of him that 
 is poor }' And the same Father saith further, I ' Whomso- 
 ever it is lawful to kill, thou mayest lend him thy money to 
 usury.' For he that taketh usury, killeth without a sword. 
 These be holy Fathers, and worthy of credit : they shew us 
 that usury is as bad as to kill and murder a man wilfully. 
 Chrisostom likewise : § ' God hath forbidden that no man 
 
 * Qiud dicam de usuris, quas ipsse leges, &c Jug. Macedon. 
 
 Epist. 54. 
 
 t Usuras solvit, qui victu indiget : an quicquam gravius, ^c.—Lib. 
 (le Tobia, cap. 3. 
 
 I Ab hoc usuram exige, quern non sit crimen occidere. Ibid. 
 
 cap. 15. 
 
 § In bis sensibilibus pecuniis probibuit ne quis usuram acciperet, 
 &c. — Hoiii. 41. in Gen. xviii. 
 
VER. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. SI 
 
 shall take usury, in this sensible, or common, money. Why ? 
 Because either of them is much hindered : he that owcth 
 money is made poorer ; and he that lendeth it, by this kind 
 of enriching himself, increaseth the number of his sins.' Again 
 he saith :* ' Even as a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump 
 of dough, even so usury, when it cometh into any man's 
 house, draweth ail his substance, and changeth it into 
 debt.' 
 
 He that is an usurer, wisheth that all others may lack, and 
 come to him, and borrow of him ; that all others may 
 lose, so that he may have gain. Therefore our old fore- 
 fathers so much abhorred this trade, that they thought an 
 usurer unworthy to live in the company of Christian men '■ 
 they did excommunicate him. They suffered not an usurer 
 to be a witness in matters of law ; they suffered him not to 
 make a testament, and to bestow his goods by will. When 
 an usurer died, they woidd not suffer him to be buried in 
 places appointed for the burial of Christians. So highly did 
 they mislike this unmerciful spoiling and deceiving our 
 brethren. 
 
 But what speak I of the ancient Fathers of the church ? 
 There was never any religion, nor sect, nor state, nor degree, 
 nor profession of men, but they have disliked it. Philoso- 
 phers, Greeks, Latins, lawyers, divines, cathohcs, heretics, 
 all tongues and nations, have ever thought an usurer as dan- 
 gerous as a thief. The very sense of nature proveth it to 
 be so. If the stones could speak, they would say as much. 
 
 Therefore our Saviour saith, " Do good, and lend, looking 
 for nothing again." (Luke vi. 35.) He saith not, Lend, and 
 look not for your principal again : but. Look for no gain 
 thereby ; look not to receive more than thine own for the 
 use and occupying of it. Defraud not another : thou would- 
 
 ♦ Sicut fermentum modicum, quod mittitur in multam farinam, to- 
 tam conspersionem corrumpit, &c. — Jloni, 12. in Matt. v. 
 E 5 
 
82 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. IV. 
 
 est not another should defraud thee. Oppress him not ; 
 have pity on his wife and children : thou wouldest not have 
 thy wife and children undone. 
 
 In Leviticus God saith, " If thy brother be impoverished 
 and fallen into decay, thou shalt take no usury of him, nor 
 vantage ; but thou shalt fear thy God, that thy brother may 
 live with thee." (Lev. xxv. 35, 36.) God saith. Thou shalt 
 take no usury. And he hath power and authority to com- 
 mand. And in Exodus : " If thou lend money to my people, 
 to the poor with thee, thou shalt not be as an usurer unto 
 him, ye shall not oppress him with usury." (Exod. xxii. 25.) 
 Shew them mercy for my sake : they are my people. lean 
 enrich liimj I can impoverish thee. I set up, and throw 
 down, whom I will. When thy neighbour needeth thy help, 
 and seeketh comfort at thy hands, afflict him not as an 
 enemy, ojjpress him not like a tyrant. 
 
 Ezekiel the prophet setteth down the wrath of God against 
 usurers : " He that hath given forth his money upon usury, 
 or hath taken increase, shall he live } He shall not live," 
 saith the Lord. (Ezek, xviii. 13.) He shall perish in his 
 own sin ; his blood shaU be upon his head. Therefore, when 
 he reckoneth the offences of Jerusalem, and declareth the 
 heavy plagues that are prepared against that wicked city, he 
 saith, "Thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast 
 defrauded thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten 
 me, saith the Lord God. Behold, therefore, I have smitten 
 mine hands upon the covetousness that thou hast used." 
 (Ezek. xxii. 12, 13.) Thou hast done injury to my people, 
 that thou mightest make thine own gain. Thy wrongs and 
 oppressions done by usuiy rise up into heaven : therefore I 
 will gather thee, and blow the fire of my wi-ath upon thee, 
 saith the Lord. 
 
 Thus hath God spoken, even the Lord of heaven and 
 earth, which can scatter thy gold in the wind, and blow it to 
 nothing. Thus he speaketh to thee, that hearest and readest 
 
VER. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALOXIAXS. 83 
 
 his word, which knowest that his will is thou shouldest not 
 lend thy money to usury. Thou dost oppress, saith he. 
 Whom ? Thy brother ; for whom Christ vouchsafed to shed 
 his blood. And what brother } Him that was poor, which 
 came to thee for need, to seek thy help. How ? Wickedly, 
 closely, falsely, craftily, deceitfully, like an hypocrite, under 
 colour to do him good. Wherewith ? With thy money, 
 thy gold and silver, which God hath given thee to relieve 
 the poor and needy withal. 
 
 God hath said. Thou shalt not take usury. And what art 
 thou, that despisest the voice of the Lord ? Whose words 
 wilt thou hear, that wilt not hear the word of God ? 
 Remember the words j you cannot forget them. Thou 
 shalt not take usury of thy brother ; he is poor, and fallen 
 into decay : thou shalt not be an usurer unto him ; thou 
 shalt not oppress him with usury. For it is crueltv and 
 abomination in the sight of God ; therefore will God pom- 
 out his wrath, and consume the usurer. He shall not enter 
 into the tabernacle of the highest; he shall have no part in 
 the kingdom of Christ and of God ; but shall be cast out 
 into outward darkness. 
 
 But some will say. All kinds of usury are not forbidden : 
 there may be cases where usury may stand with reason and 
 equity. And herein they say so much as by wit may be de- 
 vised to paint out a foul and ugly idol, and to shadow them- 
 selves in manifest and open wickedness. Whatsoever God 
 saith, yet this or this kind" of usury, say they, which is done 
 in this or this sort, is not forbidden. It profiteth the com- 
 monwealth ; it r^lieveth great numbers. The poor should 
 otherwise perish : no man would lend them. 
 
 By like good reason, there are some who defend theft and 
 murder. They say there may be some case where it is law- 
 ful to kill or to steal ; for God willed the Hebrews to rob the 
 Egyptians, and Abraham to kill his own son Isaac. In 
 these cases, their robbery, and the killing of his son, were 
 lawful. So say they. Even so, by like reason, do some of 
 
84 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV. 
 
 GUI- countrymen maintain concubines, courtesans, and brothel- 
 houses, and stand in defence of open stews. They are, say 
 they, for the benefit of the country ; they keep men from 
 more dangerous inconvenience : take them away, it will be 
 worse. Although God say, " There shall be no whore of 
 the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be a whore- 
 keeper of the sons of Israel :" (Deut. xxiii. 17.) yet these 
 men say all manner of whoredom is not forbidden ; in 
 these and these cases it is not amiss to allow it. 
 
 God said to Saul, " Go and strike Amalek, and destroy 
 ye all that pertaineth to them, and have no compassion on 
 them, but slay both man and woman, both infant and suck- 
 ling, both ox and sheep, both camel and ass." (1 Sam. 
 XV. 3.) So strait and precise was God's commandment. 
 Forth marcheth Saul ; setteth upon his enemies : God assist- 
 eth him, and giveth him the victory. When he took Agag 
 prisoner, and saw him to be a goodly tall gentleman, he had 
 pity on him, and saved him alive ; and the best and fairest 
 of the sheep, and oxen, and other cattle, he did not destroy : 
 although he knew well that God had commanded him to kill 
 man and beast, every one without exception. Then came 
 Samuel unto him, and said. Oh, why hast thou not done as 
 thou wert commanded } Here let us mark the wicked 
 answer of Saul in defence of his wilful disobedience. It 
 had been great pity to have slain Agag, so comely and tall 
 a gentleman : I have taken him, and kept him prisoner. 
 And if I should have destroyed this goodly cattle, they had 
 come to nothing : it was better to save them for the vic- 
 tualling of my soldiers ; and the fairest of them may be 
 offered in sacrifice. So brake he the commandment of 
 God, under pretence of doing honour to God. But Samuel 
 said. Hath the Lord as great pleasure in burnt- offerings and 
 sacrifices, as when the voice of the Lord is obeyed } Be- 
 hold, to obey is better than sacrifice ; and to disobey his 
 holy will, is to renounce and forsake him. 
 So may we say to the usurer : Thou hast devised cases 
 
VER. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS, 85 
 
 and colours to hide thy shame ; but what regard hath God 
 to thy cases ? what careth he for thy reasons ? The Lord 
 would have more pleasure, if, when thou hearest his voice, 
 thou wouldest obey him. For what is thy device against 
 the counsel and ordinance of God ? What bold presump- 
 tion is it for a mortal man to control the commandments of 
 the immortal God, and to weigh his heavenly wisdom in 
 the balance of human foolishness ! When God saith, Thou 
 shalt not take usury, what creature of God art thou which 
 canst take usury ? When God maketh it unlawful, what 
 art thou, O man, that sayest, it is lawful ? This is a token 
 of a desperate mind. It is found true in thee, that Paul 
 said, " The love of money is the root of all evil." (1 Tim. 
 vi. 10). Thou art so given over unto the wicked mammon, 
 that thou carest not to do the will of God. 
 
 Wilfulness and presumption are tokens that such men are 
 impudent, and past shame. He that ofFendeth of simplicity, 
 may find mercy ; but they which of pride and boldness go 
 against the known truth, and do that thing which they know 
 to be ill, and devise shifts to colour that which all reason and 
 learning of God and men, and nature itself, have condemned, 
 they are fallen into temptation and snares, and into foolish 
 lusts which drown them in destruction. 
 
 God is the Lord : we are but servants. He hath made 
 us, and not we ourselves : we are but as clay in his hands. 
 We cannot repeal the law that God hath established ; we 
 must obey it. We may not do the things that seem good in 
 our own eyes ; they may deceive us : but we must do what- 
 soever God biddeth us to do, and forsake to do those things 
 which he forbiddeth. 
 
 Thus much for an entry to those, which can bring so good 
 reasons for so ill a matter. 
 
 Many defend their usury by that liberty which they 
 think they have, to use their goods in such sort as seemeth 
 best to themselves, and is most to their advantage. May I 
 not, say they, do with mine own goods what I will .'' This 
 
86 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV. 
 
 would they not say, if they were of Him, which hath said by 
 his holy Apostle, " Let every man, as he hath received 
 the gift, so minister the same one to another, as good dis- 
 posers of the manifold grace of God." (1 Peter iv. 10.) It 
 is the law of nature, that no man abuse the things that are 
 his, to the hurt and hindrance of another. May a man take 
 his own dagger, and therewith commit murder .'' or may a 
 man take of his own fire, and therewith burn his neigh- 
 bour's house ? He that saith, " Thou shalt not kill," liath also 
 said, "Thou shalt not steal ; thou shalt not commit usury ; 
 thou shalt not defraud thy brother in bargaining." He is 
 not unrighteous, that he will judge the murderer, and will 
 not condemn the usurer. In that day the usurer shall know 
 whose money it was wherewith he defrauded his brother. 
 His money shall not help him ; he shall have no shift to 
 convey himself from the wrath of God ; he and his money 
 shall perish together. 
 
 But the usurer will say, The poor man came to me ; I was 
 not in haste to seek him ; he named his case to me ; I took 
 pity of him, and lent him money : since then, he and all 
 his have been the better. Here you shall see the great 
 kindness and pitiful heart of this rich usurer. He draweth 
 his purse, giveth out his goods, and helpeth the poor ; and 
 the poor is much eased by him. But, alas ! what help is this ? 
 Even such as he findeth, that, in the midst of his fit of 
 an ague, drinketh a great draught of cold water. No doubt 
 he is refreshed, and cooled, and for that present time much 
 the better : but after a while, when his heaves renew, the 
 heat increaseth ; his heart panteth, his pulse beateth, his 
 mouth is dry, his tongue burneth, he is more terribly tor- 
 mented than ever before. So fareth it with him that bor- 
 roweth money upon usury. He looketh in his hand, and 
 seeth somewhat : it is not his own ; yet is he refreshed there- 
 with, and much eased. The year passeth, the day of pay- 
 ment draweth on, the creditor calleth for money : then, 
 then the heart beats, and fits and agonies begin to grow ; 
 
VER. G.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONI ANS. 87 
 
 then must i:)ot and pan trudge to redeem his body \ then he 
 feeleth more cruel torments than ever before. 
 
 Thus doth the gentle usurer help to relieve the poor 
 in time of his necessity : as if a man would cure a sore finger 
 by cutting ofl:' the arm ; or as if he woidd cure the blemish 
 of the eyesight by the pulling out the eyes ; or as if he would 
 quench thirst by giving poison to drink j or as if, to save 
 one from drowning in a boisterous tempest, he would cast 
 him over the boat into the sea. 
 
 The scorpion embraceth a man sweetly with his legs, but 
 in the mean while striketh him deadly with his tail. His 
 face looketh amiable ; his tail poisoneth. So an usurer 
 looketh fair, and giveth good words ; but at the end he un- 
 doeth. 
 
 Who is stung by an adder, he perceiveth no hurt ; but 
 feeleth a gentle beating of his veins with some deli^^ht, 
 whereat he rejoiceth. After this he falleth into a slumber ; 
 then the poison worketh, overcometh him, and killeth him. 
 Even so he that borroweth upon usury, findeth himself won- 
 derfully amended, and rejoiceth ; but he is stung, and hath a 
 deadly stroke. The poison will grow over him ; he shall die in 
 a slumber, and be undone before he is aware. So necessary 
 is an usurer for to relieve the poor and needy, as rust is to 
 help iron, and as the moth is to help a garment ; it eateth 
 him through from one side to another. Therefore saith 
 Ambrose :* ' Such are the benefits that you rich men bestow ; 
 you give out little, and require much again. Such is your 
 kindness, that you undo them whom ye help.' And thus 
 much of the ease that poor men find in borrowing upon 
 usury. They are bitten, and stung, and eaten up, and de- 
 voured by it. Most men confess that this kind of usurv is 
 forbidden, because it relieveth not, but spoileth and con- 
 
 * Talia sunt vestra, divites, beneficia; minus datis, et plus exigi- 
 tis. Talis humanitas, ut spolietis etiam dum subvenitis. — Lib. de To- 
 hid ; cap. 3. 
 
88 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. IV. 
 
 sumeth. God take the liking of it out of all men's hearts ! 
 Then shall they be the better able to judge of the other sorts, 
 which they yet think allowable. 
 
 What if one rich man lend money to another ? What if 
 a merchant take money to usury of a merchant, and both be 
 the better, and both be gainers ? Here is no sting nor 
 biting. What shall we think of this .'' What if a thief or a 
 pirate take usury of a pirate or a thief, and both be partakers 
 of the gain, and be both of them holpen } Let no man 
 mislike the comparison : for, as I said before, a pirate or a 
 thief is not so noyful * as an usurer. Here, say you, he that 
 lendeth is a gainer, and he that borroweth is a gainer : it 
 doth good to both. If both be gainers, who is the loser .'' 
 For usury never passeth without working loss. Take this 
 as a rule : There is never usury without loss. 
 
 Here I pray you to lend me your minds, and consider what 
 I say. A merchant taketh up of his neighbour a hundred 
 pounds, and must answer again a hundred and ten pounds. 
 He bestoweth it all in corn, and buyeth for his hundred 
 pounds a hundred quarters of corn : he sendeth it to the 
 market ; the people have need of it, and buy it. If he sold 
 it for eight groats a bushel, he might make up his hundred 
 pounds, and be a gainer. But unless he make up a hundred 
 and ten pounds, to discharge his usury, he must needs be a 
 loser and undone. But undone he wiU not be : he will 
 rather undo many others. Therefore he setteth price at 
 three shillings the bushel ; and so maketh his money, and 
 payeth the usurer, and saveth himself, and is no loser. Who 
 then payeth the ten pounds ? who is the loser } Any man 
 may see. The poor people which buy the com. They find 
 it, and feel it, in every morsel they eat. Thus, if the mer- 
 chant borrower be not hindered by the usurer, yet the 
 people that buyeth his wares are plagued. Thus it is no 
 hard matter to find, that, howsoever usury be used, it ia 
 
 * Noyful, or noiful; (from the Terb, to noy, or noie : ) hurtful. 
 — Editor. 
 
VER. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 89 
 
 always dangerous, and beguileth the people, and is therefore 
 the destruction and overthrow of the commonwealth. 
 
 But, saith he, why should I not make money to yield 
 me gains, as well as my wares ? I lend my shop for a year, 
 or two, or three ; so many pieces of velvet, satins, taffeta, 
 grogram, camlet, hollands, &c. : and for the use he shall 
 pay me by the year foity pounds, and in the end restore 
 me my shop, so many pieces of velvet, &c., so long, so 
 broad, of the same making, so good, so fine, as were the 
 other. This, saith he, is lawful ; therefore the other is 
 lawful. 
 
 No, no ; this is not lawful. It is not lawful so to set out 
 thy shop. It is usury : it is forbidden. But he that taketh 
 the shop, shall be a gainer. Who shall be the loser then ? 
 They that buy the wares, must needs buy at the dearer price. 
 We may not allow one ill thing by the allowance of another. 
 He should rather say. Usury taken upon wares is not la\^^ul ; 
 therefore, usury for bare money is less lawful. Jerome, 
 upon Ezekiel, saith :* ' Some think there is no usury but in 
 money. This did the Holy Scripture foresee, and there- 
 fore taketh away the increase or gains in any manner of 
 thing J and requireth that thou receive no more than thou 
 didst deliver.' 
 
 An occupier waxeth old : his occupying is done. He 
 hath in stock two hundred pounds : he cometh to a young 
 man, wise, of good credit, and of honest dealing, and saith, 
 I give thee this money freely, it shall be thine for ever upon 
 this condition, that thou give me twenty marks by the year 
 during my life. This may be done; it is no usury. Where- 
 fore } It is a plain gift, with a condition. The principal is 
 gone from me for ever : I have no right unto it ; it is none 
 of mine. If I die to-morrow, before I receive any penny, 
 my executors cannot claim any thing. But in usury it is 
 
 * Putant quidam usuram tantum esse in pecunia : quod prsevidens 
 Scrijitura divina, omiii rei aufert superabundaiitiam, ut plus non acci- 
 pias, quam dedisti. — Lib. 6. i?i Ezcch. xviii. 
 
90 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. IV. 
 
 otherwise : the usurer requireth his whole sum again, and 
 somewhat more for the use and occupying. Therefore this 
 is a gift, and not usury. 
 
 Again : I lend my neighbour twenty pounds until a day ; 
 he hath it freely and friendly, without any usury. Yet I say 
 to him, Neighbour, you must needs keep day, for the next 
 day after I must discharge a pain ;* I stand bound for a pay- 
 ment : I have no more but this, which you borrow : if I miss, 
 I forfeit five pounds ; I pray you be careful for it. The day 
 Cometh, and my neighbour cometh not : I lack my money, 
 and, because I lack it, I lose five pounds. He cometh after- 
 ward, and offereth me mine own money : then say I, Neigh- 
 bour, I have lost five pounds by your negligence and slack- 
 ness ; I hope you will not sufl'er me to be a loser for my gen- 
 tleness. This is interest, it is no usury. 
 
 Here, by the way, you may learn wherefore it is called 
 interest : because he may say, Interfuit mea habuisse, It 
 behoved me, it stood upon me, to have it ; and now by 
 your default I sustain loss. It is good to know the one from 
 the other. This kind of dealing is interest, and not usury. 
 In usury, I seek to be a gainer : in interest, I seek only to 
 be no loser ; gain or profit I seek none. And hereof I may 
 lawfully seek to be answered : it standeth with equity, and 
 conscience, and good reason. This is interest, and no usury, 
 that a man who requireth no gain should seek to save him- 
 self harmless. 
 
 Bear patiently vdth me, if I be long. My desire is, you 
 should understand this whole matter, and be able to know 
 one thing from another : that so no man may excuse his 
 usury by name of interest ; and others be not offended, nor 
 reckon all men to be usurers which lend forth their money, 
 or any ways dispose of their stock. 
 ^ A poor orphan, left in his cradle, hath a hundred pounds 
 
 * A paryi ; i. e. a mulct, or penalty. Gentleness, a few lines after- 
 ward, means civility. — Editor. 
 
VER. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 91 
 
 stock. This stock may be put out to usury, and the usury 
 is allowed. This is a deed of charity ; it is no usury, as shall 
 appear : for if the hundred pounds should lie still without 
 increase, and be bestowed from year to year to the use of the 
 child, the whole stock would be spent before the child should 
 come to years. But if the stock be put to occupying, and 
 into an honest man's hands, something will grow to the 
 relief of the orphan, and yet his stock remain whole. This 
 is charity, to relieve the infant that cannot relieve himself. 
 The like is in using the stock of a man that hath not his 
 wits, and is not able to dispose of his goods. Or if a mer- 
 chant, by sickness, or maim, or any other hindrance, be not 
 able to follow his business, he desireth another to use and 
 occupy for him, and do with his stock as it were his own, 
 only to maintain him with the increase thereof. This is not 
 usury. Why ? Because he that taketh the stock of the 
 orphan, or of the madman, or of the diseased merchant, is 
 not bound to answer all adventures and casualties that hap- 
 pen : as if to like use I take a stock in cattle, and they die 
 without my default ; or a stock in money or wares, and the 
 wares be burnt by fire, or the money stolen without my de- 
 fault ; I am not bound to answer the principal. Therefore it 
 is no usury. 
 
 But he that taketh money to usury, whether he gain or 
 lose, or whatsoever happen unto him, he must answer the 
 whole stock he borrowed. _ And this it is that undoeth so 
 many, and maketh them bankrupts. But this happeneth not 
 in this case. He that occupieth the orphan's money or 
 stock, is charged only to use it as his own, and no otherwise. 
 If it perish, or decay, or miscarry without his default, he is 
 not bound to answer it. Therefore, as I said, it is no 
 usury. 
 
 Yet, say they further, for defence of usury. It is suffered 
 in other countries : in France, Spain, Italy, Rome, &c. the 
 laws permit it. And what law doth suffer it ? I trow not 
 the law of God, for that law straitly forbiddeth it. But 
 
92 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV. 
 
 what speak I of the law of God ? The civil law condemn- 
 eth usury, the canon law condemneth it, the temporal law 
 condemneth it, and the law of nature condemneth it. And 
 how is that sufFerable by any law, that by so many laws is 
 condemned ? or how is he worthy to hve among men, that 
 despiseth the authority of so many laws ? or what will you 
 judge of that man, that will be tempered and ordered by no 
 law ? neither by civil, nor by canon, nor by temporal ; nor 
 by law of nature, nor by law of men, nor by law of God .'' 
 I say not, How may we think him to be a man of God ? But, 
 How may we think such an one to be a man ? For it is the 
 part and duty of a man to be ruled by law and reason. 
 
 But it is everywhere, and therefore to be suffered. Too 
 true that it is common everywhere : would God it were 
 false! It undoeth all the world. So the devil is everywhere, 
 and suffered : so are the stews suffered in France, Spain, 
 Italy, Lombardy, Naples, Venice, and in Rome. Rome is 
 called the holy city : the most holy hath his seat there ; and 
 yet suffereth he the stews in Rome. So were the Canaanites 
 among the people of God, and suffered ; but they were as 
 goads in their sides, and as thorns in their eyes. As these 
 were suffered, and as the stews are suffered, and as the 
 devil is suffered ; so, and no otherwise, are usurers. Such 
 good, and no better, do they. For they are the children of the 
 devil : their houses be the shops wherein the devil doth his 
 work of mischief. They be Canaanites, and enemies of 
 God's people : they be goads in our sides, and sharp thorns 
 and prickles in our eyes. God grant that the law may espy 
 them J and the people abhor them ; and they may repent, and 
 loathe their wickedness ! 
 
 Some other are bold to take authority for usury from 
 Christ himself. He saith : " The kingdom of heaven is as 
 a man, that, going into a strange country, called his servants, 
 and delivered to them his goods : and unto one he gave five 
 talents, and to another two, and to another one ; and said 
 unto them, Occupy until I come." (Matt. xxv. 14, 15.) The 
 
VER. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 93 
 
 first did so ; the second accordingly : tliey increased his 
 stock, and are commended for their usury. The third wrapt 
 his talent in a napkin, and kept it together. His master 
 returned, and chid him, and said : " Wherefore gavest not 
 thou my money into the bank, that at my copaing I might 
 have required it with vantage ? " (Lukexix. 23.) There- 
 fore usury is allowed by the mouth of Christ. The two first 
 are commended, not for any thing else, but for the gain they 
 made by usury : the third is rated and rebuked, not for 
 theft nor adultery, but because he laid not out his stcck to 
 usury. 
 
 What ! and is usury allowed ? and allowed by the wit- 
 ness of Christ ? How can that be ? For Christ, as we 
 heard before, doth plainly forbid it. How is it then ? what 
 is the meaning of this parable ? This it is : When Christ 
 delivered his Gospel unto his disciples, he gave them charge 
 to be diligent, and to multiply and increase the number of 
 them that should believe. To this purpose he saith. Be as 
 careful in this business for the glory of God, and the salva- 
 tion of your brethren, as worldly-wise men shew themselves 
 in seeking wicked mammon. Behold the usurers, they oc- 
 cupy their stock, and make it grow ; and so of five pounds 
 make ten, and of ten make twenty pounds : and so they be- 
 come rich. So deal you in the gifts and knowledge that God 
 hath bestowed on you : give them to the exchangers ; put 
 them out to usury ; increase the Lord's stock. If they be 
 diligent and faithful in the things of this world, how much 
 more ought you to be so in heavenly things .'' 
 
 This, therefore, is the meaning : Covetous men, and the 
 children of this world, be wise in their generation. You 
 are the children of light ; be you also wise, and do you so 
 likewise in your office and service, as you see them do. So 
 he saith : " Behold the fowls of heaven ; learn how the 
 lilies of the field grow." (Matt. vi. 26 ; 28.) What of this ? 
 The lilies are but grass : the fowls of the air are but birds. 
 
94 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP, IV. 
 
 The mercy of God, in his providence and care, wherein he 
 giveth us all things needful, is made plain by example of 
 these, and thereby our distrust and overmuch carefulness 
 reproved. So doth Christ speak this parable of the usurer, 
 that, as he is diligent in doing ill, so v^^e should be painful 
 and ready to do well. 
 
 But shall usury, therefore, be lavkrful, because Christ draw- 
 eth a comparison, or maketh an example, by an usurer ? 
 If it were so, we should do many things otherwise than well. 
 For in the Scriptures we are oftentimes required to take ex- 
 ample of those things which are ill. In the sixteenth of Luke, 
 Christ biddeth his disciples take example of the unfaithful 
 stew^ard, to be provident and careful as he was. Doth he 
 therefore commend the falsehood of the steward } or shall 
 falsehood therefore be law^ful ? St. Paul saith : " The day of 
 the Lord shall come, even as a thief in the night." (1 These. 
 V. 2.) Is theft therefore lawful ? St. James saith: "The 
 devils believe, and tremble." (James ii. 19.) Take example 
 of the devils. They believe ; but their bare, vain, and dead 
 faith, in which they can do no good, cannot serve them. 
 Even so shall not your faith, if it be dead, and void of all 
 good works, save you. God himself, to reprove the unthank- 
 fulness and forgetfulness of his people, which did so often 
 forsake him, and followed Baal and Ashtaroth, saith in this 
 manner unto them : " What nation did ever forsake their 
 gods }" (Jer. ii. 11.) Doth he in this speech approve that 
 the idols of the heathen are gods .-' or because God taketh 
 example of idolatry, shall idolatry therefore be laA\'ful ? He 
 biddeth his servants to be as faithful, and willing, and ready 
 to serve Him, the God of heaven and earth, as the Gentiles 
 were in service of their idols, the works of their own hands. 
 As God did wiU the Israelites to take example of the idol- 
 aters ; and as Christ biddeth take example of the false 
 steward j and as James of the devils : so is this parable an 
 example of that which is commendable, that is, the dili- 
 
VER. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 95 
 
 gence of the servants. Usury is no more allowed by this, 
 than idolatry, and fidsehood, and the devil is by the other. 
 
 Some will say, I have no trade to live ; I must needs give 
 my money to usury, or else I must beg. This is it that I 
 spake of : this sheweth that despair and mistrust in the pro- 
 vidence of God is the mother of usury. If this were cause 
 whv he should be an usurer, if this be well spoken for de- 
 fence of his wickedness, why may not the thief, or the bawd, 
 or the enchanter, by like answer, excuse themselves, and 
 stand in defence of their doings ? Augustine therefore 
 saith : * ' The usurers are bold to say they have no other 
 trade whereby to live. So will the thief tell me, when I take 
 him in his theft : so will he say, that breaketh into other 
 men's houses : so will the bawd say, that buyeth young 
 maidens to use them to filthiness : so will the wicked 
 enchanter, that selleth his sin. If we reprove any of all 
 these, they wiU answer, that this is their maintenance, and 
 that they have not any other way to live.' But again he 
 saith :t 'As if they were not therefore most worthy to be 
 punished, because they have chosen a trade of wickedness 
 to live by ; and wiU maintain themselves by that thing, 
 wherewith they displease Him, by whom all are maintained.' 
 How much better would it be with them, if they did serve 
 God truly in such place and calling, wherein they might most 
 set forth his glory, and do such things as should be profitable 
 to themselves and others ? _ 
 
 The servant of God knoweth there is no want to them 
 that fear him. He knoweth the Lord hath care over him, 
 and therefore casteth his care upon the Lord. He saith, as 
 
 * Audent etiam foeneratores dicere, non habeo aliud unde vivam, 
 &c. — la P.ial. cxxviii. 
 
 t Quasi non hoc ipsum in illis maxime puniendura est, quia artem 
 nequitije delegerunt, unde viverent, et inde se volunt pasceie, unde 
 offendant eum, a quo omnes pascuntur. — ILid. 
 
96 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. IV. 
 
 the Prophet : " The Lord is my shepherd ; I shall want no- 
 thing." (Ps. xxiii. 1.) And, "The Lord is the defender 
 of my life ; of whom then shall I be afraid ?" (Ps. xxvii. 
 ] .) " I trusted in thee, O Lord, and said, Thou art my 
 God ; my times are in thy hand." (Ps. xxxi. 15.) 
 
 Thus much I thought expedient to speak of the loathsome 
 and foul trade of usury. I know not what fruit will gr&w 
 thereby, and what it wiU work in your hearts. If it please 
 God, it may do that good that I wish. I have done my 
 duty : I call God for a record uuto my soul ; I have not de- 
 ceived you ; I have spoken unto you the truth. If I be de- 
 ceived in this matter, O God, thou hast deceived me. Thy 
 word is plain : thou sayest, " Thou shalt take no usury :" 
 thou sayest, " He that taketh increase shall not live." What 
 am I, that I should hide the words of my God, or keep them 
 back from the hearing of his people ? 
 
 Tlie learned old Fathers have taught us, that it is no more 
 lawful to take usury of our brother, than it is to kill our 
 brother. They that be of God, hear this, and consider it, 
 and have a care that they displease him not. But the 
 wicked, that are no whit moved, and care not what God 
 saith, but cast his word behind them ; which have eyes, and 
 see not, and ears, yet hear not ; because they are filthy, 
 they shall be filthy stUl. Their greedy desire shall increase 
 to their confusion ; and as their money increaseth, so shall 
 they increase the heaps of their sins. Pardon me, if I have 
 been long or vehement. Of those that are usurers I ask 
 no pardon. 
 
 I hear that there are certain in this city, which wallow 
 wretchedly in this filthiness, without repentance. I give 
 them warning, in the hearing of you all, and in the presence 
 of God, that they forsake that cruel and detestable sin. If, 
 otherwise, they continue therein,.! will open their shame, 
 and denounce excommunication against them, and publish 
 their names in this place, before you all ; that you may 
 
VER. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 97 
 
 know them, and abhor them, as the plagues and monsters of 
 the world ; that if they be past all fear of God, they may 
 yet repent and amend for worldly shame. 
 
 Tell me, thou wretched wight of the world, thou unkind 
 creature, which art past all sense and feeling of God j which 
 knowest the will of God, and doest the contrary : how darest 
 thou come into the church ? It is the church of that God 
 which hath said, " Thou shalt take no usury ;" and thou 
 knowest he hath so said. How darest thou read or hear the 
 word of God } It is the word of that God which con- 
 demneth u?ury ; and thou knowest he doth condemn it. 
 How darest thou come into the company of thy brethren ? 
 Usury is the plague, and destruction, and undoing of thy 
 brethren ; and this thou knowest. How darest thou look 
 upon thy children .'' thou makest the wrath of God fall down 
 from heaven upon them ; thy iniquity shall be punished in 
 them to the third and fourth generation : this thou knowest. 
 How darest thou look up into heaven } thou hast no dwelling 
 there ; thou shalt have no place in the tabernacle of the 
 Highest : this thou knowest. Because thou robbest the 
 poor, deceivest the simple, and eatest up the widow's houses : 
 therefore shall thy children be naked, and beg their bread ; 
 therefore shalt thou and thy riches perish together. 
 
 But Christ saith : " The hour shall come, and now is, when 
 the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they 
 that hear it shall live." (John v. 25.) ZacchcPus was a receiver 
 of tribute, and was rich, when he received Jesus to abide in 
 his house : " He stood forth, and said unto the Lord, Be- 
 hold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor : and if 
 I have taken from any man by forged cavillation, I restore 
 him four-fold. Then Jesus said unto him. This day salva- 
 tion is come into this house, forasmuch as he also is become 
 the son of Abraham." (Luke xix. 8, 9.) God may make his 
 word work so in the hearts of usurers, that they may also 
 receive Jesus, and forsake usury, and restore four-fold, if 
 
 F 
 
98 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV. 
 
 they have deceived any, and so may also receive salvation. 
 Let us increase in that usury, which is to the glory of God. 
 He hath given us knowledge, and many excellent graces : 
 let us put them forth, let us occupy that talent which he 
 hath left us. He will return : the day of His coming is at 
 hand : he will require his talents ; we must answer them. 
 Let us restore them with increase, that our service may be 
 allowed, and we received into his tabernacle.* 
 
 Verse 7. — For God hath not called its unto uncleanness, but 
 
 unto holiness. 
 8. — He therefore that depiseth these things, ' despiseth not 
 
 man, but God, who hath even given you his Holy Spirit, 
 
 Let every man possess his vessel in holiness and honour ; 
 for this is the wiU of God. Hereto are ye called : " I am 
 the Lord your God," saith he ; " be sanctified therefore, and 
 be holy, for I am holy." (Levit. xi. 44.) So our Saviour 
 to his disciples : " Be merciful, as our Father also is mer- 
 ciful." (Luke vi. 36.) Unmercifulness, cruelty, uncleanness, 
 fornication, usury, and such like, are not of God. They 
 answer not their calling, that commit any manner of sin. 
 " If any man, therefore, purge himself from tliese, he shall 
 be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Lord." 
 (2 Tim. ii. 21.) 
 
 It behoveth every man, when he is in secret and alone, 
 to bethink himself whereto God hath called him. The ma- 
 gistrate thus : I am called to do justice, to be merciful to 
 the widow, to have pity upon the fatherless ; I am the 
 
 * The length and severity of the remarks here applied to the sub- 
 ject of usury, will occasion less surprise, when it is known tliat to such 
 a pitch had the exorbitancy of the brokers advanced in the days of 
 Jewel, that Jive per cent, permonlh was not an uncommon rate of interest 
 required of those who borrowed, whether for the use of money, or of 
 other commodities of traffic. As regards the lawfulness of lending 
 money, on a fair and moderate scale of compensation, (with re- 
 ference more especially [to Deut. xxiii. 19, 20, and similar passages,) 
 the reader may consult Baxter's Christian Politics, and Paley' s 
 Moral Philosophy. — Editor. 
 
VER. 7, 8.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. D9 
 
 minister of God for the wealth * of them that do well, and 
 to take vengeance on him that doth evil. The minister and 
 preacher thus : I have charge given me to lead the people 
 of God to the way of righteousness ; I am called to do the 
 work of an Evangelist, to preach the word in season and 
 out of season, to shew the people their ofl'ences, and to re- 
 prove them Avith all earnestness, to teach them that they 
 deny all ungodliness, and turn wholly unto God : " for ne- 
 cessitv is laid upon me, and woe is me if I preach not the 
 Gospel." (1 Cor. ix. 16.) The suhject must thus think wilb_ 
 himself : I owe ohedience to my sovereign ; I must be subject' 
 not because of wrath only, but also for conscience' sake ; 
 if I resist, I resist the ordinance of God, and shall receive 
 to myself damnation. 
 
 It behoveth all men, when they feel themselves led to any 
 evil purpose, to bethink themselves : Alas, what mean I ? why 
 should I do it ? this is not the wiU of God : God hath not call- 
 ed me to uncleanneps, but unto holiness: God is mj God,l am 
 his creature, I must serve him with my heart. "The eyes 
 of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears open to 
 their prayers : but the face of the Lord is upon them that 
 do evil." (Psalm, xxxiv. 15.) 
 
 He therefore that despiseth these tilings, despiseth not man, 
 but God. — Alas, what are we } We are but unprofitable ser- 
 vants. We are the voice of the crier in the wilderness : by 
 us it hath pleased God to make his name known through 
 all the world. We are your brethren, and poor servants for 
 Christ's sake : we are your helpers, by whom you are 
 called to the faith. We preach not ourselves, but Jesus 
 Christ : we speak unto you in the name of God. If you 
 despise us in doing this service toward you, you despise not 
 us, but you despise God who hath sent us, and God can in 
 due time avenge your unthankfulness. 
 
 Who hath given you his Holy Spirit. — You have received 
 
 * IFcallli ; here used (as in the Liturgy of the Church of England) 
 for general weal or welfare. — Editor. 
 
100 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV, 
 
 the Spirit of wisdom and understanding : you know these 
 things are true ; you cannot deny them. If you shall 
 now offend, you shall offend against God's Spirit, which is 
 given unto you. 
 
 Verse 9. — But as touching brotherly love, you need not that I 
 write unto you : ff>r ye are taught of God to love one ano- 
 ther. 
 
 Love is the hond of unity, of perfection, of knowledge, 
 of wisdom, and of all godliness. Paul, the more to set forth 
 the sweetness and comfort thereof, calleth it brotherly 
 love. Brethren are bound to love one another. God, and 
 nature, and bringing up, do bind them. Many brethren 
 have endangered themselves, to save their brethren. It were 
 a monster in nature, that one brother should kill another. 
 You are all brethren, and have one Father, even God : how 
 th"n can you hate and trouble your brethren ? 
 
 Hereto Christ calleth us : "A new commandment give I 
 you, that ye love one another : as I have loved you, that ye 
 also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye 
 are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (Johnxiii- 
 34, 35.) Hereof the Prophet David saith : " Behold, how good 
 and how comely a thing it is, brethren, to dwell even to- 
 gether !" (Psalm cxxxiii. 1.) There is peace, there is com- 
 fort, there is heaven, there is God himself among them. 
 This is the duty of the children of God, to love together, as 
 the parts and members of one body, as brethren, and as the 
 sons of one Father. 
 
 Here let us consider one great disorder among us that are 
 Christians. If an action or matter at law grow between man 
 and man, then forthwith is the bond of brotherly love broken : 
 they are no longer friends. If he stand against him in suit 
 of law, he will have no more to do with him, will not pray 
 with him, nor drink in his company, nor talk together with 
 him. Whensoevei he seeth him, his heart riseth at him. 
 
VER. 9.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 101 
 
 as if he did see his enemy. This should not he so : it is a 
 disorder in Christian behaviour. 
 
 Next after the Gospel, the law is the greatest comfort 
 that God hath given to the sons of men. It remedieth in- 
 juries, and giveth to every man that is his. He thatgoeth 
 to a judge, goeth to him that is the minister of justice, and 
 that sitteth in the room of God to do right : for the seat 
 of justice is the seat of God. If there were no lav^r to he 
 ministered, but every man might do what he would, and 
 reckon all his own, whatsoever he coidd get or come by, 
 what a life would it be ? How should any man be master 
 of that he hath ? Who can imagine what injuries, cruelties, 
 murders, and streams of blood would follow ? Thanks be 
 unto God, who in mercy hath given us a law, and justice to 
 guide us by ! Let us be content to seek help at this law 
 without wrath or malice : let us come to it, as we would 
 come to our father : let us ask counsel at it, as we would 
 at the mouth of God. As every man thinketh it lawful to 
 use his own, or to require his own ; so let every man be 
 content to leave that he holdeth, when law saith it is none 
 of his. 
 
 The law is no breach of charity ; it is the bond and knot 
 to keep men in love. A son may attempt law with his 
 father, yet do it in such duty as becometha son. A subject 
 may attempt law with his prince, and yet love and reverence 
 his prince as becometh. Who useth the law otherwise, 
 doth abuse it. All strife and contention must be laid aside. 
 Love may avoid wrong ; love may require right ; love may 
 stand forth, and seek defence before a judge. 
 
 " Love is patient and gentle ; it envieth not, it doth not 
 boast itself, it is not puffed up, it disdaineth not, it seeketh 
 not her own things, it is not provoked to anger, it thinketh 
 not evil, it rejoiceth not in iniquity, but it rejoiceth in the 
 the truth : it suffereth all things, it believeth all things, it 
 hopeth all things, it endureth all things." (1 Cor. xiii. 4 — 7.) 
 
102 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV. 
 
 Such is the nature of love ; such it is, wheresoever it is, 
 when it seeketh right, when it defendeth itself against 
 challenge of doing wrong. 
 
 Verse 10. — Yea, and that thing verily you do unto all the 
 brethren, which are throughout all Macedonia : hut we be- 
 seech you, brethren, that you increase more and more. 
 You love the brethren ; not only those that are with you, 
 and whom you know, but all, whatsoever they he, and in 
 what place soever, though ye know them not. Some love 
 none but such as are of their sort, and devotion, and sect, 
 and fellowship. If any be of another mind than they are 
 of, they cannot love them. This love is not of God ; it is 
 carnal, and proceedeth but from the flesh. Whosoever 
 carrieth the name of Christ, is our brother ; we must love 
 him for Christ's sake. Christian love doth love those that 
 are enemies, and do not love us : it blesseth them that speak 
 ill of us, and prayeth for them that persecute us. 
 
 Oh that these words of Paul might truly be spoken of us ; 
 " As touching brotherly love, we need not write unto 
 vou !" (ver, 9.) Oh that God would touch our hearts with 
 his Holy Spirit, that we were all so knit together, and 
 loved one another, as he hath commanded us ! Then should 
 we feel that peace, that passeth all understanding: then 
 would it appear how joyful a thing it were for brethren to 
 dwell together in unity : then should we taste of the com- 
 fort of the sons of God. 
 
 And alas ! what is our life, or what is our profession, with- 
 out love } What is the sun without light } what is the fire 
 without heat ? "Though I speak with the tongues of men 
 and of angels," saith the Apostle, " and have not love, I 
 am as sounding brass, or as a tinkling cymbal. And though 
 I had the gift of prophecy, and knew all secrets, and all know- 
 ledge, yea, if I had all faith, so that I could remove moun- 
 tains, and had not love, I were nothing." (1 Cor. xiii. 1, 2.) 
 
VER. 10.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 103 
 
 That you increase more and more. — Men of this world 
 seek to increase in their wealth and riches : they never 
 think their store so great, but it may abide to have more 
 laid to it. Wicked men stand not at a stay : they cease not to 
 do ill ; they heap sin upon sin, and draw iniquity with cords 
 of vanity, and sin with cart ropes, until they come to the 
 height and extremity of wickedness. Do you increase in 
 every thing that is good } "The kingdom of God is not 
 in word, but in power." (I Cor. iv. 20.) 
 
 A child that stayeth at one stature, and never groweth 
 bigger, is a monster. The ground that prospereth not, and 
 is not fruitful, is cursed. The tree that is barren, and 
 proveth not,* is cut down. This must all know, men and 
 women, and babes and infants. They must all walk on still 
 in the way of godliness, and increase and go forward therein. 
 Unless we go forward, we slip back. If we wax weary to 
 do the work of God, God will forsake us. 
 
 Verse 11. — And that ye study to be quiet, and to meddle 
 with your own business, and to ivork loith your oion hands, 
 as we commanded you ; 
 12. — That ye may behave yourselves honestly towards them 
 that are ivithout, and that nothing be lacking unto you. 
 Let no man among you be a busy-body in other men's 
 matters. Be not eaves-droppers, and hearkening what is 
 said or done in your neighbour's house. Wide ears and long 
 tongues dwell together. They that love to hear all that may 
 be told them, do also love to blab out all they hear. 
 
 Study to be quiet, and meddle with your own business. — 
 The church of God is as the body of man. In a man's 
 body every part hath its several office ; the arm, the leg, 
 the hand, and foot, do that whereto they are appointed : and 
 doing the same, they live together in peace. But if the 
 
 * Provelh, i. e. improvetb, or beareth, uot. — Editor. 
 
104 - EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. IV. 
 
 arm would take in hand to do that is the duty of the leg, 
 or the foot that is the part of the hand, it would breed great 
 disorder in the whole body. So if every man in the church 
 of God seek to do that to them belongeth, the church shall 
 flourish and be in quiet. But when every man will be busy 
 and take upon him to look into other ; when every private 
 man will govern, and the subject take in hand to rule the 
 prince ; all must needs come to wreck and decay. Busy- 
 bodies ever find fault with their brethren and neighbours, 
 with the state, the clergy, the commonwealth, the church, 
 the government, and with the prince. They are an unquiet 
 kind of men, ever looking for that they may mislike, and 
 never contented. From these men come privy whisperings, 
 slander, backbiting, mutinies, conspiracies, treasons, de- 
 posing of princes, and utter decay of commonwealths. 
 These are the fruits of curiosity. 
 
 And to ivork ivith your oivn hands. — God hath ordained 
 that all sorts of men should labour, and eat their bread in the 
 sweat of their brows. And here the Apostle doth not only 
 charge them to work, but that they work with their own 
 hands. Thou that hast hands, and settest them not to work, 
 thou that abusest the grace of God by thy idleness, shalt 
 give an account thereof. 
 
 What fiUeth your prisons ? What dubbeth * and en- 
 richeth your gallows, but idleness } When your chil- 
 dren come to these places, and see they must live no lon- 
 ger, whereof complain they, but of idleness .'' Then they curse 
 the time, and their father and mother that brought them 
 up in idleness. 
 
 Though kings, and princes, and counsellors, and preachers, 
 and magistrates dig not, and plough not, nor do any handy- 
 work, yet they break not therefore the commandment of 
 God ; they break not this rule of the Apostle. The head 
 
 * To diib, is, properly, to appoint or furnish. — Editor. 
 
VER. 13, 14.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 105 
 
 walketh not as the feet, nor travaileth as the hands : yet is 
 it not idle. 
 
 There is no labour comparable to the labour of a prince : 
 day and night, sleeping and waking, he is full of cares, and 
 full of pains. The nobleman and magistrate, if he regard 
 his country, be careful for the laws, aid the poor, repress 
 tyranny, comfort the weak, punish the wicked, is not idle. 
 The minister, if he apply his book, be diligent in prayer, 
 exhort and teach, publicly and privately, is not idle. These 
 labours are greater than all the labours of the body. 
 
 Verse 13. — / would not, brethren, have you ignorant con- 
 cerning them which are asleep ; that ye sorrow not even as 
 other luhich have no hope. 
 14. — For if we believe that Jesus is dead, and is risen, even 
 so them that sleep with Jesus will God bring with him. 
 Herein standeth the comfort of Christian religion. Were 
 it not for the hope of the second life, the godly in this world 
 were in worse case than the dumb and brute beasts. When 
 Christ appointed his disciples to go and preach, he said, " I 
 send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. They will scourge 
 you. You shall be hated of all men." (Matt. x. 16, 17 ; 22.) 
 As the Gospel increased in any place, these words were ful- 
 filled. The godly were put to death for the name of Christ. 
 The father did see his son slain before his face, and the son 
 his father cruelly tormented. Hence grew great mourning 
 and heaviness. Oh, said th'ey, he was a reverend sage father : 
 oh, he was a wise young man, learned, zealous, and a great 
 stay in the church. Why would God take him before his 
 time ? There is not now any one left, whom we may behold, or 
 hear, or follow. We are left comfortless, and without hope. 
 After this sort it is likely the Thessalonians mourned, when 
 they beheld the persecution of the church of God among 
 them. Herein they grew towards mistrust, and to be like 
 the heathen which had no hope. 
 F 5 
 
106 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [ciIAP. IV. 
 
 St. Paul thought good to reform this error. And he- 
 cause this abuse grew of ignorance, for that they knew not 
 the happy estate of such which die in the Lord ; he saith, I 
 would not have you ignorant what is become of them, and 
 what God hath done for them. He hath tried them as 
 gold, and hath made them worthy for himself. Therefore 
 you ought rather to rejoice : there is no cause at all of 
 mourning. 
 
 When Christ saw his disciples heavy and sad, because of 
 his departure, he said : " If ye loved me, ye would verily 
 rejoice, because I said, I go to the Father : for my Father 
 is greater than I." (John xiv. 28.) I shall sit at the right 
 hand of my Father in glory ; then shall every knee bow unto 
 me, and every tongue shall confess my greatness. There- 
 fore if ye loved me, you would rejoice in my behalf. It is 
 ignorance that maketh you heavy, because you know not 
 whither I go. 
 
 When Joseph was sold into Egypt, good father Jacob 
 thought he was dead, and therefore mourned day and night. 
 Nothing could comfort him. Alas, saith he, that I have 
 lived to see this day ! O Joseph, my son, my son Joseph, 
 oh that I might give my life to redeem thee ! Now shall 
 my hoary head go down to the grave in lieaviness. But 
 when he heard that Joseph lived, and did see him with his 
 eyes ; when he did see that he was a prince, next in place 
 to the king, and had all the country at commandment ; 
 then he knew he had mourned without a cause. Then his 
 heart leapt within him, his eyes gushed out with water, 
 he wept for joy. Ignorance, as we see, made him heavy": 
 knowledge of the truth, as it was, rejoiced his heart, and 
 made him glad. 
 
 There is great error, and darkness, and ignorance, in 
 man's life. We rejoice when we have cause to mourn, and 
 mourn many times when we have cause to rejoice. There- 
 fore, he saith, I would not have you ignorant. Be not de- 
 
VER. 13, 14.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 107 
 
 ceiv'ed. God hath given you eyes to see the right way : 
 God hath given you ears to hear counsel ; and a heart to 
 know reason, and to understand and judge. God hath 
 given you the Scriptures, and by them the knowledge of 
 his wiU. He hath given you a face to look up to hea- 
 ven, and the Spirit of life hath he poured into you, that 
 you should not by any means be deceived. 
 
 That ye sorrow not as other that have no hope. — He 
 doth not forbid natural affection. Our parents and our 
 children are dear unto us : they are our flesh and blood, 
 and the chief and principal parts of our body. Any part 
 of our body cannot be cut off, but we shall feel it. The 
 father, if he feel not the death of his son ; or the son, 
 if he feel not the death of his father, and have not a deep 
 feeling" of it ; he is unnatural. 
 
 David mourned for Jonathan. (2 Sam. xviii. 33.) The 
 whole land mourned for Josias. (2 Chron. xxxv. 25.) 
 Paul saith, God have mercy upon Epaphroditus, (he was 
 sick, very near unto death 3) and not on him only, but on 
 me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. (Phil. ii. 
 27.) If God had taken Epaphroditus out of life, no doubt 
 Paul would have sorrowed. What need more examples } 
 Christ mourned for Lazarus, and shed tears for him : 
 " then said the Jews^ Behold how he loved him." (John 
 xi. 36.) 
 
 We are not, therefore, forbidden to mourn over the 
 dead ; but to mourn in' such sort as the heathen did, we 
 are forbidden. They, as they did neither believe in God, 
 nor in Christ, so had they no hope of the life to come. 
 When a father saw his son dead, he thought he had been 
 dead for ever. He became heavy, changed his garment, 
 delighted in no company, forsook his meat, famished him- 
 self, rent his body, cursed his fortune, cried out of his 
 gods. O my dear son, saith he, how beautiful, how 
 learned, and wise, and virtuous wast thou ! Why shouldest 
 
108 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. IV. 
 
 thou die so untimely ? why have I offered sacrifice, and 
 done ser\'ice to my gods ? They have made me a good recom- 
 jjense, I will trust them no more, I will no more call upon 
 them. Thus they fell into despair, and spake blasphemies. 
 
 Therefore, saith Paul, you may mourn, as did the holy 
 men of God : but in such sort as the unfaithful sorrow for 
 their dead, you may not mourn. You are the sons of the 
 holy fathers : fashion not yourselves therefore like to the 
 heathens ; do not as they did, neither in feasts, nor in mar- 
 riages, nor in your attire, nor in your mourning, nor in 
 your pastimes. But behave yourselves as becometh the 
 children of the Most High. 
 
 But why may not Christians mourn, and continue in hea- 
 viness ? Because it is no new thing for a man to die : be- 
 cause he goeth the way of all flesh. Again ; they that de- 
 part this life are not dead : they are not gone for ever, as 
 the heathen imagined. They are laid down to take rest 
 quietly for a time. The death of a godly man is nothing 
 else but a sleep. So saith our Saviour of Lazarus ; " Our 
 friend Lazarus sleepeth : howbeit, Jesus spake of his 
 death." (John xi. 11 ; 13.) So it is said of Stephen : " And 
 they stoned Stephen, who called on God, and said. Lord 
 Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried 
 with a loud voice. Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. 
 And when he had thus spoken, he slept." (Acts vii. 59, 60.) 
 
 Whosoever dieth in the peace of conscience, he may say, 
 I will lie down and take my rest. Thus doth the man of 
 God repose himself. For Christ is unto him, both in life and 
 in death, advantage. He saith with the Apostle : " Whether 
 we live, we live unto the Lord ; or whether we die, we die 
 unto the Lord : whether we live, therefore, or die, we are 
 the Lord's." (Rom. xiv. 8.) He goeth into his grave, as 
 into a bed : he forsaketh this life, as if he lay down to 
 sleep . He shall shake off his sleep, rouse himself, and rise 
 again. As we wake out of sleep, we know not how ; so 
 
VER. 13, 14.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIAN'S. 109 
 
 shall we rise again, though we know not how. As we are 
 much refreshed, and our bodies strengthened by sleep : so 
 shall we rise again in much more strength, and our corrup- 
 tion shall put on incorruption, and our mortality immor- 
 tality. So often, then, as we go to our beds, let us think of 
 our resurrection from death. Who is sorry to go into his 
 bed } What father lamenteth to see his child lie quietly, 
 and take his rest ? Why then should he so mourn for his 
 death > wherein God dealeth mercifully with him, and 
 doth translate him to the glory of the sons of God : where 
 is no death, nor fear ; but we shall be made like to the 
 angels of God. 
 
 The body rotteth in the ground ; yet God preserveth it, 
 that it shall not perish. His spirit shall return to it again, 
 and it shall hve. God is able to bring this to pass : he 
 hath promised so to do : he hath done it already, and will 
 do it again. " When Christ came near to the gate of the 
 city of Naim, there was a dead man carried out, the only- 
 begotten son of his mother, which was a widow : and much 
 people of the city was with her. And when the Lord 
 saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her. 
 Weep not. And he went, and touched the coffin ; and they 
 that bare it stood still : and he said, I say unto thee, young 
 man, arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. 
 And he delivered him to his mother," (Luke vii. 12 — 15.) 
 Lazarus was laid in his grave; he had been four days 
 dead ; his body did stink. - Yet when " Christ cried with a 
 loud voice, Lazarus, come forth ; then he that was dead 
 came forth, bound hand and foot with bancb, and his face 
 was bound with a napkin, Jesus said unto them. Loose 
 him, and let him go." (John xi. 43, 44.) St. Matthew 
 saith : " The graves did open themselves, and many bodies 
 of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves 
 after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and ap- 
 peared unto many." (Matt, xxvii. 52.) These few stories 
 
110 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV. 
 
 witness unto us the rising again of our bodies unto life. 
 But what do I speak of the bodies of men ? They are the 
 houses of God, the temples of the Holy Ghost ; God hath 
 appointed unto them a kingdom. 
 
 Who considereth not the swallows and other birds ? 
 Thev sleep all the winter long ; but when the spring Com- 
 eth, they come to life again, and are seen abroad. What 
 creature so little, so vile, and so little worth, as the fly ? 
 Yet, by those so base and contemptible things, doth God 
 teach us to know ourselves and our estate. Tlie greatest 
 part of the winter they are as dead : they creep into 
 chinks and corners, as into their grave, and lie there without 
 life, without feeling. Prove it who list, shall see it so. 
 The body is dead, the wings moulted. Yet the very same 
 fly, so little and so vile, shall be restored again at the 
 spring, and shall live in the warm weather, and have the 
 same wings, and the same feet, and the same body. If we 
 be hard of belief, to give credit to the word of God, these 
 are manifest proofs to teach us the resurrection of our bo- 
 dies. If God do so much for the flies, which are so vile a 
 creature, how much rather will he quicken us again, whom 
 he hath chosen out of this world to live with him for ever ! 
 
 The word of God is almighty : he shall but speak, and 
 it shall be done. The trumpet shall sound, and the d.ead 
 shall return to life. " I am sure," saith Job, " that my 
 Redeemer liveth, and that I shall rise out of the earth in 
 the latter day, and shall be covered again with my skin, 
 and shall see God in my flesh : whom I myself shall see, 
 and mine eyes shall behold, and none other for me. This 
 is my hope laid up in my bosom." (Job xix. 25 — 27.) 
 
 St. Paul willeth Timothy never to forget his doctrine : 
 " Remember that Jesus Christ, made of the seed of David, 
 was raised again from the dead, according to my gospel." 
 (2 Tim. ii. 8.) This is the fovmdation, the beginning and 
 the ending of religion : " If the Spirit of him that raised up 
 
VER. 13, 14.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALOXIANS. Ill 
 
 Jesus from the dead, dwell in you, he tliat raised up Christ 
 from the dead shall also quicken your mortal hodies, be- 
 cause that his Spirit dweUeth in you." (Rom. viii. 11.) 
 
 This is an Article of our faith. We believe the resurrec- 
 tion of the body ; even of this body, in which we live, and 
 which we carry about with us. AU flesh shall see the sal- 
 vation of our God. This is the hope of Christians, the re- 
 surrection of their flesh : " Set your afl'ections on things 
 which are above, not on things which are on the earth. For 
 ye are dead," saith the Apostle, " and your life is hid with 
 Christ in God. When Christ, which is our life, shall ap- 
 pear, then shall ye appear with him in glory." (Col. iii. 
 2, 3.) 
 
 Therefore let not your hearts be dull through unbelief. 
 As God was able to save the bodies of his servants, that 
 they were not hurt in the fire ; as he was able to keep Jonas 
 safe in the whale's belly : so can he preserve our bodies 
 safe in the earth. Yea, much better : because the fire na- 
 turally consumeth, and the fish's belly destroyeth, those 
 things which they raven 3* but the earth naturally preserv- 
 eth that which is earthly. 
 
 As our God is of power to divide the waters, to make the 
 sea stand like a wall, and give passage to his people ; as he 
 can change the course of the heavens, and make the sun 
 go back ; as he can draw water out of the hard rocks : so is 
 he of power to raise our dead bodies again unto life. If he 
 made the earth, the water, the air, the heavens, and all 
 creatures in them, of nothing ; he is much more able to re- 
 store again those bodies which have been. " We look," 
 saith Paul, " for the Saviour, even the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 who shall change our vile body, and make it like his glo- 
 rious body, according to the working whereby he is able to 
 subdue all things to himself." (Phil. iii. 20, 21.) 
 
 The Prophet Isaiah comforteth the people of God in their 
 
 * To raven ; to devour as prey : whence, ravening Editor. 
 
112 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV. 
 
 afflictions. " Thy dead men shall live ; even %A'ith my body 
 shall they rise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust : 
 for thy dew is the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast 
 out the dead." Again : " The earth shall disclose her 
 blood, and shall no more hide her slain." (Isa. xxvi. 
 19 — 21.) Therefore, saith our Saviour: "This is the 
 Father's will, which hath sent me, that of all which he hath 
 given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up 
 again at the last day." (John vi. 39.) Again, he saith : 
 " The hour shall come, in the which all that are in the 
 graves shall hear his voice : and they shall come forth, 
 that have done good, unto the resurrection of life ; but 
 they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of condemna- 
 tion." (John V. 28, 29.) And again : " I am the resur- 
 rection and the life : he that believeth in me, though he 
 were dead, shall live ; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in 
 me, shall never die." (John xi. 25, 26.) 
 
 For if loe believe that Jesus is dead, and is risen ,- that 
 he was delivered to death for our sins, and is risen again 
 for our justification : if we believe that he is ascended up 
 into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God his Fa- 
 ther : he will also raise up our mortal bodies, and bring us 
 with him. "Now, Christ is risen from the dead, and was 
 made the first-fruits of them that sleep." (1 Cor. xv. 20.) 
 He is our Head, we are his body : we are flesh of his 
 flesh, and bone of his bone. He hath given us his Spirit 
 to dwell in us : " But if any man hath not the Spirit of 
 Christ, the same is not his." (Rom. viii. 9.) Christ, our 
 Head, liveth: his body then cannot be dead: "Where 
 I am," saith he, " there thall also my servant be." (John 
 xii. 26.) " Wherefore, if we be dead with Christ, we be- 
 lieve that we shall live also with him." (Rom. vi. 8.) 
 
 What then shall become of the infidels, which have no 
 faith, which have not the Spirit of God } Shall not they 
 rise again.? Yes, verily; they shall rise, but not with 
 Christ : they shall not rise the resurrection of the just. 
 
VEIL 15, IC] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 113 
 
 Some shall rise unto life, some unto death : some to salva- 
 tion, others to damnation : some to glory, others to shame. 
 " We must all appear before the judgment- seat of Christ, 
 that every man may receive the things which are done in 
 his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be 
 good or evil." (2 Cor. v. 10.) The wicked shall rise up 
 again with their bodies, and their portion shall be with the 
 devil and his angels. They shall come forth of their graves 
 to the resun-ection of condemnation. Their body and souls 
 shall be cast into heU-fire. Their worm shall never die : their 
 fire shall not be quenched. It had been better for them 
 they had never been bom. 
 
 Verse 15. — For this say we unto you hy the word of the 
 Lord ; that we which live, and are remaining in the coming 
 of the Lord, shall not prevent them that sleep. 
 16. — For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a 
 shout, and with the voice of the archangel, and with the 
 trumpet of God : and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 
 This that we declare unto you is not of ourselves ; it is 
 the truth of God : it shall stand good, and be found true for 
 ever. God will raise our bodies out of the grave, and re- 
 store them from death to life. You may not reason how, 
 or in what order, this shall be done ; or who shall be the 
 first, or the second, or the third, that shall rise up in the 
 resurrection. Such questions are unfit, and not to be 
 moved : " We shall all be changed in a moment, in the 
 twinkling of an eye." (1 Cor. xv. 51, 52.) 
 
 At that hour, some shall be alive, and some shall be 
 dead. For he shall come to judge both the quick and the 
 dead. We that are remaining in the coming of the Lord, 
 shall not prevent them that sleep. Neither is their part 
 better in the resurrection, that shall then be found alive ; 
 nor their part worse, that have been dead many years 
 before. For they which were dead shall as soon be par- 
 takers of the glory of the sons of God, as the other. 
 
114 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV. 
 
 Touching the state of raen that shall live in the end of 
 the world, Christ saith : " As the days of Noah, so like- 
 wise shall the coming of the Son of man be." (Matt, 
 xxiv, 37.) I doubt not but you remember the story, what 
 dreadful plague of rain and tempest fell, when all the world 
 was drowned and destroyed with water. Vice and ungod- 
 liness increased, and all flesh had corrupt his way upon 
 earth. They had no shame ; there was no fear of God 
 before their eyes. God's wrath was kindled against them. 
 He sent Noah, a preacher of righteousness, to reform them ; 
 to tell them of the destruction at hand, that they might 
 repent and be saved. But they regarded it not : they 
 laughed Noah to scorn, and grew desperate, and continued 
 in sin. Suddenly all the fountains of the great deep were 
 broken up, and the windows of lieaven were opened. As 
 they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, build- 
 ing, purchasing, stirring, and travelling ; as they were in 
 the midst of their joys, and travails, and pleasures ; the 
 rain came upon them, and the floods grew so great that it 
 destroyed the whole world, except Noah and a few of his 
 company : their lands, their goods, cities, castles, nor any 
 other their pleasure or wealth, could save them. So shall 
 it be in the coming of Christ. 
 
 As it was in the days of Lot, and as it befel to Sodom 
 and Gomorrah : they lived and increased in filthiness : their 
 hearts were blind, and regarded no counsel : their bodies 
 were filthy : their souls, their lives, their houses and cities 
 were full of filthiness : the angel of God departed from 
 them : Lot went out from among them : and fire came 
 do^^^^ from heaven, and consumed them to ashes, and car- 
 ried them down quick into hell : there was no father 
 left to lament his child, no child left to lament his father : 
 so shall it be at the coming of Christ. He shall come 
 as a thief, suddenly, when no man looketh for his com- 
 ing : he shall come at such season, when men's hearts will 
 be asleep, and think not of him. 
 
VER. 15, 16.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 115 
 
 St. Peter saith : " There shall come, in the last days, 
 mockers, which will walk after their lusts, and say, Where 
 is the promise of his coming } For since the fathers died, 
 all things continue alike from the beginning of the crea- 
 tion." (2 Pet. iii. 3, 4.) They scorn the threatenings of 
 God's judgment. When shall the world come to an end .'' 
 We hav'e winter and summer, rain, snow, day and night, 
 as before. The sun keepeth his course : the floods run : 
 the trees bear fruit : all things are as they have been. 
 I, saith Peter, know this ; that God hath made the heaven 
 and earth, and all the furniture in them. They are his crea- 
 tures : he doth hold them up, and preserve them by the 
 power of his word. When God shaU withdraw his word, 
 they shall decay, and have an end. 
 
 As for our Lord, he shall come, and not tarry. At his 
 coming, heaven shall depart away as a scroll that is rolled ; 
 the elements shall melt with heat ; and the earth, with the 
 works that are therein, shall be burnt up, and consumed be- 
 fore his face. Deceive not yourselves with lying words. For 
 when you say, Peace, peace, and all things are safe, then 
 shall sudden destruction come upon you. " Then two men 
 shall be in the fields : the one shall be received, and the 
 other refused. Two women shall be grinding at the mill : 
 the one shall be received, and the other refused." (Matt. 
 xxiv. 40, 41.) So shall also the coming of the Son of 
 man be. 
 
 The number of the faithful that shall remain at his 
 coming, shall not be many. So saith Christ ; " When the 
 Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth .''" (Luke 
 xviii. 8.) St. John, prophesying of that day, saith : " The 
 sun was as black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon was 
 like blood." (Rev. vi. 12.) The beauty of the church shall 
 be defaced, the hght of the Gospel shall be put out. Then 
 shall few be left of those that shall behold the glory of 
 God. These shall give witness unto the truth. And albeit 
 
116 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV. 
 
 they be but few, yet are they enough to condemn the un- 
 godliness of the wicked. We shall not go in routs :* for 
 we shall be but few. We shall then be in the body, and 
 live in this world, and look up, and see these things : yet 
 when the Lord shall come, we shall not prevent them that 
 sleep. Although we hve, and they were dead, yet shall 
 they be as ready as we. 
 
 Why ? For the Lord himself shall descend ivith a shout, &;c. 
 Here is laid before us the true manner of the terrible judg- 
 ment of God. For our better understanding, let us com- 
 pare heaven with earth, and the judgment of God with the 
 judgment of men. The judges sit on high, accompanied 
 with noblemen, and justices, attended on with constables 
 and bailiffs, and the state and presence of the country. The 
 thief is brought forth pinioned, and bound in chains and fet- 
 ters. The poor wretch standeth in great fear : his con- 
 science accuseth him, and saith. Thou didst steal, thou art 
 worthy to die. The voice of the judge is as a blast of thun- 
 der, the face of the judge terrible to him as hell-fire. 
 
 But the innocent, that is wrongfully imprisoned, and hath 
 not ofifended, he seeth himself clear, (his conscience excuseth 
 him,) and therefore rejoiceth at the coming of the judges. 
 He thought it long before they came. These, saith he, will 
 strike ofl^ my shackles, and set me at liberty. Their voice 
 unto him is as the voice of hfe : he beholdeth them, and 
 they are as the angels of God. 
 
 Such shall be the shew and sight of the Son of God. He 
 shall come down with majesty from heaven : the trumpet of 
 God shall sound, and be heard from the one end of the 
 heaven to the other : and whosoever shall hear it, shall 
 quake for fear. Then shall he be the Judge over all flesh. 
 Then he shall shew himself to be King of kings, and Lord 
 of lords. Then shall he not come in humility, meekness, 
 and mercy ; but with dread and terror of judgment and 
 
 * In Routs; that is, in crowds.— Editor. 
 
VER. 15, 16.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 117 
 
 justice : not with twelve poor Apostles ; but with twelve 
 thousand angels to attend upon him : not in the preaching 
 of the Gospel, and calling sinners to repentance ; but in the 
 sound of a trumpet, wherewith all the corners of the earth 
 shall be amazed. Then shall he not say. Come unto me, 
 all ye that travail, and be laden, and I will refresh you : I 
 am sent to the lost sheep of Israel. He shall not say, Fa- 
 ther, forgive them, for they know not what they do : but, You 
 have been ashamed of me and of my word before men : there- 
 fore now will I be ashamed of you before my heavenly Father. 
 
 Then shall they that despise the word of God, know what 
 they despised ; and the blasphemers shall reap the fruit of 
 their blasphemy. Then the careless shepherd, which hath 
 not fed the Lord's sheep, but neglected them, and left them 
 at all adventures ; which hath betrayed his flock, and given 
 them to be a prey unto the wolf; shall receive a just re- 
 ward for his treason. Then the adulterer, oppressor, and 
 usurer, shall have their life laid open before them. Then shall 
 every eye see him. " They shall see him, whom they pierced 
 through." (Rev. i. 7.) They shall see his wounds, which 
 they did not regard. They shall see his sword ready drawn 
 to slay all his enemies, and shall fall down for fear of him 
 that sitteth upon the throne, and of the Lamb. 
 
 But the hearts of the righteous shall rejoice. They shall 
 lift up their heads, and see him in whom they have trusted. 
 Then they shall say. This is the day which the Lord hath 
 made ; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Come, let us re- 
 joice unto the Lord : let us come before his face with praise : 
 let us sing loud unto him with psalms. Such shall be the 
 state, and countenance, and honour, and majesty of our God, 
 when he shall come down from heaven for our deliverance. 
 
 And the dead in Christ shall rise first. — The earth shall 
 open, and yield forth her dead bodies : that so they may 
 be ready, with us that remain, to go before the presence 
 of our Judge. 
 
118 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. IV. 
 
 Which are dead in Christ. — Who are they ? They whom he 
 chose out of this world , and which have chosen God for 
 their portion ; whom God hath sealed unto the day of re- 
 demption : which have said, Christ is to me, both in life 
 and death, advantage ; and I live, not I now, hut Christ 
 liveth in me : and again. Whether we live or die, we are 
 the Lord's : which say, I have hound myself to serve the 
 Lord all tlie days of my life. 
 
 They are dead in Christ, which commend themselves 
 wholly unto him, and say, O Lord, in thee have I trusted, 
 let me never be confounded. 1 desire to be loosed, and to 
 be with Christ. Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my 
 spirit ; thou hast redeemed me, O Lord of truth. To be 
 short, whosoever liveth in the Lord, he dieth in the Lord. 
 He in wlioia Christ liveth ; which hath a taste and feeling of 
 Christ in His heart : he that rejoiceth in Christ, and looketh 
 for that blcsr^ed hope and appearing of the glory of the 
 mighty God, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ : he is a sheep 
 of his pasture, he is a member of his body, he is the apple 
 of his eye : he liveth and dieth in Christ. Blessed is he 
 that so liveth, and so dieth : for lie shall rise with Christ in the 
 resun-ection of the righteous, and shall have his part in the,, 
 land of the living. 
 
 Verse 17. — Then shall tee, which live and remain, be caught 
 
 up with them also in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air ; 
 
 and so shall we ever beioith the Lord. 
 18, — Wherefore comfort yourselves one another ivith these 
 
 words. 
 
 We which shall see all these things, shall also be caught 
 up ourselves. But here you must note, that Paul speaketh 
 not this of his own person, and of them that lived in his 
 time, as if they should continue alive unto the end, or that 
 the world should have an end before they should die : but 
 he sheweth what shall be the state of such, whosoever shall 
 
VER. 17, IS.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 119 
 
 then remain alive. And again, mark, that he saith not, 
 We, which live and remain, shall die forthwith, or our bodies 
 shall be turned into dust, and so our souls alone go to meet 
 the Lord : but, whether we be standing or sitting, doing 
 well, or iU occupied, we shall be caught up. For the 
 trumpet shall suddenly blow, and then the dead shall rise, 
 and we shall be changed. 
 
 So saith St. Paul, " Beheld, I shew you a secret thing : 
 we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a mo- 
 ment, in the twinkling of an eye, shall they that are dead 
 arise, and we shall be changed." (1 Cor. xv. 51,52.) This 
 our mortal body shall be changed, and shall put on immor- 
 tality : this coiTuptible body shall be changed, and put on 
 incori-uption, Christ wiU change our earthly bodies to the 
 likeness of his glorious heavenly bod)^ Then sliall our 
 flesh be piu-e, and heavenly, and spiritual ; and we shftU be 
 able to behold the glory of God. " Then shall be brought to 
 pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up into 
 victory. O death, where is thy sting } O grave, where 
 is thy victory ? " (1 Cor. xv. 54, 55.) 
 
 To meet ike Lord in the air, &c. — This is a comfortable 
 end of all troubles and persecutions, which the godly suffer 
 in this life, that they be received into the glory of God, and 
 that both their body and soul doth live with him, and enjoy 
 his presence for ever. Then shall they eat of the tree of 
 life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. They 
 shall hunger no more, nor .thirst any more ; neither shall 
 the sun light on them, nor any heat. God shall vvipe away 
 all tears from their eyes. Then shall they feel those joys, 
 which eye hath not seen, nor ear hath heard, nor hath en- 
 tered into the heart of man. Such an end shall they have, 
 whosoever fear the Lord. 
 
 Comfort yourselves one another with these words. — You 
 see the turmoils and troubles of the world, what vexations 
 and afflictions Satan raiseth up against all those that will live 
 
120 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. V. 
 
 godly. Open and notorious sinners are forborne ; theft, 
 adultery, usury, extortion, wilful murder, rebellion, treason, 
 are many times pardoned and unpunished : but true reli- 
 gion, which is the turning from idols to serve the true and 
 living God, and faith in Jesus Christ, that by him we shall be 
 delivered from the wrath to come, findeth few friends, and 
 seldom escapeth without strange and most cruel torments. 
 
 What is this, but to crucify the Lord of glory, and to set 
 Barabbas, a murderer, at liberty ? David saith: " The kings of 
 the earth band themselves, and the princes are assembled to- 
 gether against the Lord,and against his Anointed." (Ps.ii. 2.) 
 They seek to spoil the vine of the Lord, and to destroy his 
 little flock. They use all means to put out the light of the 
 Gospel. But be you of good cheer ; continue you stedfast 
 in the truth : your redemption is even at hand. You shall 
 be caught up into the clouds to meet the Lord, and so shall 
 abide with him for ever. Let every neighbour comfort his 
 neighbour, and every father his child : let us all one com- 
 fort another with these words. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Verse 1. — But of times and seasons, brethren, you have no 
 
 need that I write unto you, 
 2. — For ye yourselves know perfectly, that the day of the 
 
 Lord shall come as a thief in the night. 
 3. — For when they shall say. Peace and safety, then shall come 
 
 upon them sudden destruction, as the travail upon a woman 
 
 with child, and they shall net escape. 
 
 When the disciples came unto Christ apart, and said, 
 " Tell us when these things shall be, and what sign shall be 
 
VKVL. 1 3.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 121 
 
 of thy coming, and of the end of the world :" he answered, 
 " Take heed lest any man deceive you." (Matt. xxiv. 3, 4.) 
 " It is not for you to know the time or the seasons, which 
 the Father hath put in his own power." (Acts i. 7 ) " For 
 of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels 
 which are in heaven, neither the Son himself, save the Father. 
 (Mark xiii. 32.) Vex not your spirit in vain : seek not 
 for that you may not know ; you shall not he able to find it. 
 
 Therefore saith Paul : I need not to write of times and 
 seasons, in which these things shall be done. Yourselves 
 have been taught the word of God ; you have learned what 
 his will is. You know the day of the Lord shall come upon 
 you as a thief. And how cometh a thief ? Not in the day 
 time, not when a man hath company about him, not when 
 he is watched : but in the night, in the darkness, when all 
 light is out, when the good man of the house taketh his 
 rest, when the servants are asleep. Even so, when the 
 hght of the truth is taken away, when the heart of the 
 good-man of the house is at rest, and his eyes are darkened 
 that they cannot see, and all his senses drowned in worldly 
 pleasures ; when we care for nothing, and think of no- 
 thing ; when we say, Peace, and safety : then M'ill the Son of 
 man come to judgment, then shall destruction suddenly fall 
 upon us. Therefore let us be ready ; for in the hour that we 
 think not, will the Son of man come. (1 Thess. v. 1 — S.) 
 
 Mark what Paul saith, Ye have no need that I write 
 unto you of times and seasons : and that our Saviour saith. 
 It is not for you to know the times or the seasons .W hat 
 may we think then of them that write books and almanacks, 
 and say. Such a year, and at such a time, Christ shall come ; 
 and with these speeches fray* and mock the world } Paul 
 was the apostle of Christ, an elect vessel of the Holy Ghost ; 
 he said, I have no need to write of it ; you cannot know it. 
 
 * Fray ; i. e. frighten Editor. 
 
 G 
 
122 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. V, 
 
 What need is there now that such books and pamphlets 
 should be written ? Why should the world be troubled with 
 such vanities ? 
 
 Spare me your patience, and give me leave a little to deal 
 with these wizards. TeU me, thou that dost measure and 
 behold the compass of heaven, and markest the conjunc- 
 tions, and oppositions, and aspects of the stars ; and by 
 that wisdom canst foretel the things that shall be done 
 hereafter : where learnest thou this skill ? how comest thou 
 by this deep knowledge ? Paul was taken up into the third 
 heaven, and heard words which cannot be spoken, which are 
 not lawful for man to utter : yet he knew not this secret, 
 nor might not know it. 
 
 W^hat art thou then ? art thou greater than the Apostle 
 of Christ ? hast thou been taken up into some place higher 
 than the third heaven ? hast thou heard such words, as are 
 not lawful to utter ? If it be so, why dost thou utter them .'' 
 Wilt thou take that upon thee, which the holy Apostle dareth 
 not .'' Art thou of God's privy council } The angels and 
 archangels know not hereof : and shall we think that thou 
 knowest it } art thou wiser than an angel ? Consider 
 thyself : thou art a miserable man ; thy breath fadeth as the 
 smoke ; thou art nothing but dust and ashes : thou canst 
 not attain to the knowledge hereof. 
 
 And what is that which thouboastest ? the knowledge of 
 that terrible day, when all flesh shall appear before the 
 Judge ; even of that time, which God hath put in his own 
 power ! O vain man, thou knowest not thine own day, thou 
 knowest not when thy soul shall be taken from thee ! By 
 what helps and means camest thou unto this knowledge ? 
 by reading the writings of the Apostles ? by reading the 
 Gospel of Christ, or any part of the word of God ? No, 
 God wot, thou hast no great skill in this learning. Thou 
 hast it from Manilius, Maternus, Albumazar, or Haly. What 
 is Manilius, Maternus, Albumazar, and Haly ? What are 
 
VER. 1 3.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 123 
 
 they, but heathens, painims,* and infidels ? Were they 
 not void of all knowledge of God ? were they not the 
 enemies of the cross of Christ ? These never believed in 
 God : how could they then know that day, when he would 
 judge the world ? Let thy common reason reform thee : 
 can Saturn and Mars know this, when the angels of God 
 cannot know it ? 
 
 To what end write they thus ? to give a token of their 
 knowledge ? Nay, hereby they proclaim and publish their 
 folly, and want of knowledge. These two hundi'ed years, there 
 have ever been some, which have adventured to tell such 
 news, and to say. In this year, or that year, you shall have 
 doom's- dav ; such a day will Christ come to judgment, and 
 the world shall have an end. They have appointed many 
 such years, and davs, and hours. The years be gone, the 
 days be past, and the hours be slipt away ; but the world 
 abideth, and giveth witness of their folly. 
 
 But the meaning of these men is good : hereby they 
 move the people to repentance : for, when men think the 
 end of the world is at hand, they will bear the less affection 
 to the things of this world. This is not the way to teach 
 repentance, and amendment of life. The people may not 
 be taught by lies and fables. If this had been good for 
 them, God himself would have used it. God grant them 
 grace to repent, which thus presume of knowledge, and 
 reach so high, and yet know nothing. 
 
 Let us yet reason further with them. How have they 
 
 * Pamims ; that is, Pagans. Caius Manilius, author of the Astrono- 
 micon, is supposed to have flourished at Rome under Augustus. 
 Maternus Firmicus, a philosopher of the age of Constantine, or some- 
 what later, wrote a treatise " de Nativitatibus," printed by Aldus Manu- 
 tius in the year 1501. Albumazar was an Arabian physician of the 9th 
 century, and a voluminous writer on astrology. The work of Abu 
 Hasen Haly, " de Judiciis Astrorum," was first published at Venice 
 
 in 1485 Editor. 
 
 g2 
 
124 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. V, 
 
 this knowledge? of certainty, or by conjecture ? If of cer- 
 tainty, then it must needs be so, it cannot fail, nothing can 
 let it. But you will say, it is a conjecture ; it may so be, 
 and it is likely : for such a day shall be a conjunction of 
 Saturn and Mars in a fiery house, and therefore all things 
 shall be consumed with fire. Alas, what hath Saturn 
 or Mars to do with the day of the Lord ? They are but 
 creatures, they are no gods. They are stars made to give 
 us light : why should they lead us into darkness .'' In the day 
 of the Lord they shall be melted, and perish with fire. Why 
 then trouble they the world with such vanities, and set those 
 things down for truth, whereof they have no certainty, but 
 only a guess and conjecture ? 
 
 And what time chose they to cast abroad these news ? The 
 same in which the Gospel, through the mercy of God, is 
 well known of most men. Even now tell they these tales, 
 when all men know that Christ saith, the angels in heaven 
 know not of that day and hour. The angels behold the face 
 of God, and stand in his presence ; yet know thev not the 
 day of the Lord. This is a secret, which God revealeth 
 not unto any. 
 
 Children can reprove this folly in them; and say, 
 
 " Mitte arcana Dei, coelumque inquirere quid sit :" 
 
 ' Seek not to know the secrets of God, nor what manner 
 thing the heaven is.' Know thyself, that thou art but a mortal 
 man, crawling on the ground like a worm. He that will 
 stare upon the sun, may be blind, and lose his eyes. God hath 
 given thee knowledge in measure : thou canst not know as 
 much as thou wouldst. Know that is fit for thee to know, 
 and speak that is lawful to be spoken. Think of the com- 
 mandments of God, to follow them. Search not into his 
 works, to be curious in them : for he that is curious in 
 searching the majesty of God, shall be oppressed and con- 
 founded by his glory. 
 
VER. 4 10.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 125 
 
 Thus much we may well know, that the Lord will come ; 
 that all flesh shall appear before him ; that the world, the 
 heaven, the earth, the sun, andthemoon shall have an end : 
 that the day of the Lord shall come suddenly, as a thief in 
 the night. This warning God hath given us, that we shoiUd 
 not be taken unawares, but that we repent, and stand in 
 readiness, and watch, and pray, that we may be caught up 
 into the clouds to meet our Redeemer. 
 
 Verse 4. — But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that 
 
 day should come on you, as it were a thief. 
 5. — Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the 
 
 day ; we are not of the night, neither of darkness . 
 6. — Therefore let us not sleep as do other : but let us watch, 
 
 and be sober. 
 7 . — For they that sleep, sleep in the night : and they that be 
 
 drunk, are drunken in the night. 
 8. — But let us, which are of the day, be sober, putting on the 
 
 breastplate of faith and love, and the hope of salvation 
 
 for an helmet. 
 9. — For God hath not appointed us unto wrath, but to obtain 
 
 salvation by the means of our Lord Jesus Christ ; 
 10. — Which died for us, that, whether ive wake or sleep, we 
 
 should live together tvith him. 
 
 Your conversation is in heaven, from whence you look for 
 the Saviour, even the Lord. Jesus Christ. You were once 
 in darkness ; but now you are light in the Lord : walk as 
 children of light, approving that which is pleasing to the 
 Lord. That day shall be dreadful, and come suddenly 
 upon the wicked : but to you it shall not seem sudden, 
 which fear the Lord, and put your trust in him, and take all 
 care to be in readiness at his coming. Arm yourselves 
 strongly : the enemy seeketh to overthrow you. Your 
 enemy is the devil, with all his force. Your strength standeth 
 not in your own prowess, or manhood, but in the mighty 
 power of God. Put on therefore the breastplate of faith and 
 
126 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP, V. 
 
 love : he that beheveth, shall be saved ; he that abideth in 
 love, abideth in God ; and whosoever putteth his trust in 
 him, shall not be confounded. 
 
 Here I may take occasion to say somewhat of the troubles 
 of war, how Satan seeketh by it to disquiet the Church of 
 God. Who hath not heard what force is this day raised in 
 this realm ? who hath not heard of it ? But let it not trouble 
 you. God will turn all to his glory. I love not to speak of 
 such things : yet somewhat I must speak thereof 3 the time 
 enforceth me. 
 
 This is the first disturbance and breach of that blessed 
 peace, in which God hath so long and so quietly preserved 
 this realm, since the time that her Majesty came to the 
 crown.* It giveth great occasion to the enemy to break in 
 upon us : it is the spoiling of our country. The barbarous 
 soldiers rush into men's houses, and take out what they list. 
 They draw their sword, bend their force, join themselves to 
 war against the Lord, and against his anointed. They 
 have torn, and defaced, and burnt in fire the Holy Bible, 
 the Gospel of our salvation ; and would set up the loathsome 
 service of the mass. 
 
 What hath the word of God offended ? Why should it be 
 torn in pieces ? why should it be burnt .-' What word is in it, 
 which is not the word of life } It is the power of God unto 
 salvation, to them that believe. And where should the word 
 of God have place, where should it be heard, but in the 
 Church of God .'' O cursed hands that so despitefuUy rent 
 it ! Woe worthf that unhappy fire that burnt it ! 
 
 As for the mass, would God they that so much desire it, 
 knew what it is ! Would God they knew how the people of 
 
 * For some account of the rebellion, raised by the Papists in the 
 North of England, and headed by the Earls of Northumberland 
 and Westmoreland, in the year 1569, the reader may consult Strype's 
 Annals, vol. ii. p. 2 — Editor. 
 
 f JForl/i ; a verb, signifying betide, or befall. " Woe worth the day " 
 occurs in the English version of Ezek. xxx. 2, — Editor. 
 
VKR. 11.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 127 
 
 God are mocked by it, and how the precious blood of our 
 Saviour Jesus Christ is blasphemed by it ! Would God they 
 knew how grievously God is offended with them in this 
 thing, wherein they think they please him so highly ! But 
 the mass and God's word cannot dwell in one house toge- 
 ther : the one is so contrary to the other. 
 
 God forgive them, and lay it not to their charge ; for 
 they know not what they do. They are driven on to work 
 the things which others have most wickedly devised. There 
 is no doubt but God will confound their enterprise. For 
 this is his own cause : this quarrel is picked against his 
 Church, and against the knowledge and setting forth of his 
 Gospel ; and therefore against the setting forth of his glory. 
 Only let us lift up our hands unto heaven, and call for help 
 from above. Let us say unto him, " Rise up for our suc- 
 cour, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake." (Psalm xliv. 26.) 
 Let us say, " They have cast thy sanctuary into the fire, 
 and razed it to the ground, and have destroyed the dwelling- 
 place of thy name. Arise, O God, maintain thine own 
 cause : remember thy daily reproach by the foohsh man." 
 (Psalm Ixxiv. 7 ; 22.) Let us say. Save, O Lord, Queen 
 EHzabeth thy servant : establish that good thing which thou 
 hast begun : open the eyes of all people, that they may see 
 thy saving health, and enjoy it through hearing thy Gospel, 
 which thou hast made known unto us : save thy people, 
 which trusteth in thee, and break the cords of the wicked 
 in sunder. Let us comfort 'ourselves with these words, that 
 God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation 
 by the means of our Lord Jesus Christ, He hath overcome 
 the world : let us be of good cheer. And let us walk as 
 the children of light : let us walk honestly, as in the day. 
 Then, whether we wake or sleep, whether we live or die, v/e 
 shall live together with him. 
 
 Verse 11. — JJ'Tierefore exhort one another, and edifij one 
 another, even as ye do. 
 
128 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAF. V. 
 
 This is the bond of true love and Christian friendship, 
 that every man be careful of his brother, as of himself : that 
 every man exhort and teach the things that are good, and 
 rebuke otliers in ill : that every man seek to bring home the 
 ost sheep, and to restore him to his Master. Therefore 
 Christ saith : " If thy brother trespass against thee, go and 
 tell him his faults, between him and thee alone : if he hear 
 thee, thou hast won thy brother." (Matt, xviii. 15.) For 
 what knowest thou, whether tliou shalt save thy brother ? 
 " Brethren," saith St. James, " if any of you have erred 
 from the truth, and some man hath converted him, let him 
 know tliat he which hath converted the sinner from going 
 astray out of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall 
 hide a multitude of sins." (James v. 19, 20.) 
 
 Therefore saith the Apostle : Exhort one another, and 
 edify one another. — Let the father exhort his son ; O son, 
 walk uprightly before God, live honestly and virtuously in 
 the sight of all men, do those things that are good : thou 
 art the child of God, be holy in spirit, and holy in body, 
 because He is holy. Say to the adulterer, O brother, be not 
 deceived. Whosoever is an adulterer, hath no inheritance 
 in the kingdom of Christ and of God : God hath said of 
 them that are such. They shall not enter into my rest. 
 Say to the swearer, O take not the name of God in vain : 
 for God will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in 
 vain. " He that sweareth, and namethGod continually, he 
 sliall not be faultless. A man that useth much swearing 
 shall be filled with wickedness, and the plague shall never 
 go from his house;" (Ecclus. xxiii. 10, 1 1 .) nor from his cattle, 
 nor from his corn, nor from his servants, nor from his chil- 
 dren, nor from himself: his house shall be full of plagues. 
 Say to the usurer, O hear the voice of the Lord ; thus saith 
 the Lord, before whom thou shalt stand to give an account 
 of those things which thou hast done in this life : " Thou 
 shalt not give thy money to usury." (Lev. xxv. 36, 37.) He 
 that careth not for these words, but doth otherwise, shall not 
 
VER. 12, 13.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 129 
 
 escape unpunished. Say to the rich man ; O put not youi" 
 trust in riches. Lay up your treasure in heaven : lay it up in the 
 bosom of the poor, and it shall make intercession for thee • 
 Put thy trust in the living God, which giveth us abundantly 
 all things to enjoy. Thy house, thy land, thy money, thy 
 gold and silver, shall not continue : tliou shalt go the way of 
 all flesh, and thy riches shall not be able to deliver thee in 
 the day of wrath. Say to the learned man, to the wise 
 man, and to the man whom God hath endued with worldly 
 power : "WTiat hast thou, that thou hast not received ? Be 
 not high-minded : it is the gift of God ; it is not thine. 
 Thou shalt give a reckoning of aU that thou hast received. 
 Abuse it not to the dishonour of God. It is of charity that 
 I speak unto thee. Thou art my brother ; God hath a care 
 over thee : it is his will that one of us should exhort 
 another. Oh, why should thy life give oflence to any man ? 
 why should the name of God be ill spoken of through thee ? 
 He hath made thee to be a vessel of honour ; thou belongest 
 to his fold : why shouldest thou be lost, and perish in thv 
 wilfulness } 
 
 Verse 12. — Now we beseech yon, brethren, that ye know them 
 which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and 
 admonish you ; 
 
 13. — That ye have them in singular love, for their work's sake. 
 Be at peace among yourselves. 
 
 They which exhort you, and warn you, and are over you 
 in the Lord, they be shepherds, and husbandmen, and 
 watchmen for you. They feed the Lord's flock, plough the 
 Lord's ground, and watch the tower of the God of hosts. 
 You are God's sheep ; ye must be fed, else you cannot live 
 You are a field ; you must be ploughed, else you will be over- 
 grown with brambles, and stand unfruitful, and lie waste. 
 You are the Lord's tower ; you must be watched, else the 
 grnemy will break in upon you, and so you should be de- 
 
 G 5 
 
130 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. V. 
 
 stroyed. They labour and travail in your behalf : they must 
 give an account for your souls. They are ambassadors sent 
 from God : they come to teU you the truth : they preach 
 not themselves, but Christ Jesus : they speak to you in the 
 name of the Lord. Although you reckon them fools, un- 
 learned, and simple, they are the messengers of the great 
 King, even of him that is Lord over all. St. Paul saith : 
 " It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save 
 them that believe." (1 Cor. i. 21.) The heavenly treasure 
 is brought to you, in poor, broken, earthy vessels. The 
 vessels are simple, but the treasure is heavenly. The mes- 
 senger is vpeak, but his word is the word of life, which can 
 cast down every high thing that is exalted against the 
 glory of God. Whatsoever they seem to you, they are 
 the eyes of the Church, and the mouth of God. Christ 
 aith unto them, whom he appointeth to his ministry : "As 
 my Father sendeth me, so send I you." (John xx. 21.) 
 They have the same commission, be they never so poor. 
 " He that heareth you, heareth me ; and he that despiseth 
 you, despiseth me : and he that despiseth me, despiseth him 
 that sent me," saith Christ. (Luke x. 16.) 
 
 Some there are that thus say ; O that I might hear Christ, 
 or Peter, or Paul ; I would verily believe what they should 
 preach. This is fondness, and curious vanity. For when- 
 soever thou dost hear the minister of God break unto thee 
 the word of life, and teaching thee the truth of the Gospel, 
 thou hearest Paul, and Peter, and Christ himself. If thou 
 despisest the word of God spoken unto thee by him, and 
 the grace which God offereth thee by him, thou despiseth 
 Christ himself, and heapest up the heavy displeasure of God 
 against thee. God will give thee over into a reprobate 
 mind : thou shalt have eyes, yet shalt not see ; thou shalt 
 have ears, yet shall not hear : thou shalt die in thy sin. It 
 shall be easier for Sodom at that day, than for thee. There- 
 fore acknowledge them, give credit to their message ; they 
 watch, and take pains for you. 
 
KR. 12, 13.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 131 
 
 What shall we say of them that labour not ? that do 
 neither teach, nor exhort, nor reprove, nor correct ? that 
 have no care to do their message, and no regard to the 
 people ? What may I say of such ? God himself saith : 
 " They are dumb dogs, and cannot bark : they lie and sleep, 
 and delight in sleeping : they all look to their ov^^n Avay, 
 and to their own advantage, and every one for his own pur- 
 pose." (Isa. Ivi. 10.) Christ calleth them thieves and 
 robbers. They are unsavoury salt, profitable for nothing, 
 but to be cast forth, and trodden under the feet of men. 
 " Woe is unto me," saith St. Paul, " if I preach not the 
 Gospel." (1 Cor. ix. 16.) Woe to the servant that wrap- 
 peth his talent in a napkin, and increaseth not his master's 
 gain. God grant such idle and slothful ministers grace to 
 know tlieir office, and to do it ! If not, God give the people 
 grace to know them, and shun them, and to fly from 
 them ! 
 
 That ye have them in singular love, for their ivork's sake. — 
 He telleth Timothy, " The elders that rule well, are worthy 
 of double honour ; specially they which labour in the word 
 and doctrine." (1 Tim. v. 17.) Reverence them, and love 
 them. Love them for your own sake : you have life and 
 comfort by them. Honour them for their office' sake : thev 
 are your fathers, they have begotten you in Christ, they 
 carry the keys of the kingdom of heaven, they are the 
 stewards of God's house, and the disposers of his mvsteries. 
 Honour them, and love thera, for God's sake : he hath sent 
 them, and hath put his word in their mouth. He hath said 
 to them. Go ye into all the world, preach the Gospel unto 
 every nation. Go, speak to the heart of Jerusalem, that 
 they may feel the weight of thy words, and repent. Love 
 them therefore ; for they love you in Christ, and are ready 
 to give their lives for your sake. The Galatians so reve- 
 renced and loved St. Paul, that he saith ; " Ye received me 
 as an angel of God : for I bear you record, that, if it had 
 
132 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. V. 
 
 been possible ; ye would have plucked out your eyes and 
 have given them me." (Gal. iv. 14, 15.) 
 
 Be at peace among yourselves. — You are the sons of God. 
 God is the God of peace. Discord, contention, and un- 
 quietness are fit for the children of Satan. Live in godly 
 unity, as becometh the children of peace. 
 
 Verse 14. — We desire you, brethren, that ye admonish them 
 
 that are unruly : comfort the feeble-minded : bear icith the 
 
 weak : be patient toicard all men. 
 15. — See that none recompense evil for evil unto any man : but 
 
 ever follow that which is good, both toivards yourselves, and 
 
 totvards all men. 
 
 There are some which walk among you inordinately : they 
 break the bond of peace ; they sow divisions and discord 
 between the brethren ; they draw disciples after them, and 
 disquiet the church of God : they command that hath been 
 forbidden by God, and forbid that God hath commanded. 
 Warn them that are such ; say unto them, as did St. Paul 
 to the Corinthians : " We have no such custom, neither 
 hath the church of God." (1 Cor. xi. 16.) Woe to him by 
 whom offence cometh ! Say unto them, as Joshua said to 
 Achan : " Inasmuch as thou hast troubled us, therefore God 
 will trouble thee this day." (Josh. vii. '25.) After this sort 
 admonish them and lay open their wilfulness and blasphemy 
 before their eyes : that they may see the blindness of their 
 iiearts, and in what sort their life is disordered ; and so re- 
 pent, and be saved. 
 
 But what greater disorder can there be than that of theirs, 
 who have this day assembled thenaselves in force and in ar- 
 mour? which have lifted uptheirsword against their sovereign, 
 and disturbed the peace of this realm, and have misled the 
 people, and sought to overthrow the church of God ? Let us 
 admonish them, if we may speak with any that are so ill-dis- 
 posed, and shew them the danger that hangeth over their 
 
VER. 14, 15.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 133 
 
 heads. Let us say to them, Thou hast done wickedly in the 
 sight of God ; thou hast resisted the ordinance of God, because 
 thou hast resisted the power which he hath ordained : thou hast 
 stricken with the sword, therefore thou shalt perish by the 
 sword : thou hast disquieted the Israel of God, therefore 
 God shall disquiet thee. Such rebels are unruly : they 
 rise up against their prince, as did Dathan and Abiram 
 against Moses : they advance themselves against God, as 
 did Lucifer, therefore shall they be cast down alive into 
 hell. 
 
 Comfort the feeble-minded, — and those that be heavy in 
 heart ; which suffer imprisonment, and live in poverty, and 
 are grieved, and cannot help themselves. Say unto them, 
 as St. James : " Blessed is the man that endureth tempta- 
 tion ; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of 
 life, which the Lord hath promised them that love him." 
 (James i. 12.) Say unto them, as St. Peter: "This is 
 thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure 
 grief, suffering wrongfully." (1 Peter ii. 19.) Comfort 
 them with the words of the prophet : " They that sow in 
 tears, shall reap in joy." (Psalm cxxvi. 5.) Comfort them 
 with the words of Christ : " Blessed are ye which weep 
 now, for ye shall laugh." (Luke vi. 21.) 
 
 See that none recompense evil for evil to any man. — Though 
 you suffer many things at the hands of the wricked, yet you 
 may not be followers of that evil which is in them. " Avenge 
 not yourselves, but give plate unto wrath : for it is written, 
 Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, 
 if thine enemy hunger, feed him : if he thirst, give him 
 drink." (Rom. xii. 19, 20.) Herein shall it appear if we 
 love our neighbour as ourself: if we patiently abide in- 
 juries, and seek to do good to them that grieve and oppress 
 us. " I say unto you," saith Christ, " love your enemies, 
 bless them that curse you, do good to them that liate you, 
 and pray for them that hurt you, and persecute you : that 
 
134 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [ciIAP. V. 
 
 you may be the children of your Father that is in heaven ; 
 for he maketh his sun to arise upon the evil and the good, 
 and sendeth rain on the just and unjust." (Matt. v. 44, 45.) 
 
 Verse 16. — Rejoice evermore. 
 
 The joy of the wicked shall have an end. They rejoice 
 in their goods, in their wisdom, in their peace and worldly 
 safety, and in the multitude of their children, or descent of 
 their pedigree. This joy is transitory ; it fadeth and abideth 
 not. " The world passeth," saith St. John, " and the lust 
 thereof" (1 John ii. 17.) They rejoice in their wicked- 
 ness ; the lute and the harp, the tabret, and pipe, and wine 
 are in their feasts ; but they regard not the work of the 
 Lord. They eat up the people, as it were bread : they do 
 whatsoever they can devise against the servants of God. 
 But the latter end of their joy shall be heaviness, as it is 
 said : " Woe be unto you that laugh now, for you shall weep 
 and lament." (Luke vi. 25.) 
 
 But the joy of the righteous is everlasting. Their heart 
 shall rejoice, and no man shall take their joy fi-om them. 
 They have comfort in this, that their names are written in 
 the book of life. They know the Lord is at hand, therefore 
 they are careful for nothing, but rejoice always in the Lord. 
 St. Peter therefore saith : " You are kept by the power of 
 God through faith unto salvation, which is prepared to be 
 shewed in the last time : wherein ye rejoice, though now 
 for a season (if need require) ye are in heaviness, through 
 manifold temptations." (1 Peter i. 5, 6.) Again : " Ye re- 
 joice with joy unspeakable and glorious ; receiving the end 
 of your faith, even the salvation of your souls," (ver. 8.) 
 This is the happiness, the joy, and the comfort, that the 
 godly have, and which shall continue with them. 
 
 Verse 17. — Pray contimially. 
 
 It is the part of a good Christian, and a wise man, to 
 
VER. 16, 17.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONTANS. 135 
 
 know himself; and to know the natui-e of this flesh, which 
 we bear about with ns, which fighteth always so mightily 
 against the spirit : to know the waywardness and crooked- 
 ness of our heart, and the weakness and vanity of our mind. 
 Many are so far from this, that they think all their ability 
 is of themselves. I have, saith he, judgment ; I have the 
 light of reason, I have sense, I have understanding and 
 counsel, and the ordering of mine own way. Thus say 
 they that neither know God, nor themselves. 
 
 But we must humble ourselves under the mighty hand 
 of God, and acknowledge that we are nothing. We must 
 confess, with St. Paul : " I know that in me, that is to say, 
 in my flesh, dweUeth no good." (Rom. vii. 18.) And again : 
 " It is not in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth ; but 
 in God that sheweth mercy." (Rom. ix. 16.) Our Saviour 
 saith : " That which is born of the flesh, is flesh ; and that 
 which is born of the Spirit, is spirit." (John iii. 6.) And God 
 aith : " The imagination of man's heart is evil from his 
 youth." (Gen. vi. 5.) He hath made us, and not we our- 
 selves : he knoweth us, and not we ourselves. This is his 
 saying, and his judgment of us. This we find true. For 
 our will is froward, and our understanding blind. There- 
 fore saith the prophet : " O Lord, I know that the way of man 
 is not in himself, neither is it in man to walk and direct his 
 steps." (Jer. x. 23.) And Solomon : " The steps of man 
 are ruled by the Lord : how can a man then understand his 
 own way ?" (Prov. xx. 24.) And the prophet Jeremiah : 
 " Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in 
 my hand, O Israel." (Jer. xviii. 6.) I mould you, and form 
 you to my glory. 
 
 When the apostle putteth the Corinthians in mind of 
 that good success which God gave unto his ministry among 
 them, he saith: "Such trust have we through Christ to 
 God : not that we are suflScient of ourselves to think any 
 thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." (2 
 
136 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP, V. 
 
 Cor. iii. 4, 5.) Christ sheweth this to his disciples : "I am 
 the vine, you are the branches : he that abideth in me, and 
 I in him, bringeth forth much fruit : for without me ye can 
 do nothing." (John xv. 5.) To the PhiHppians * saith 
 Paul : " It is God which worketh in you both the will and 
 the deed, even of his good pleasure." (Phil. ii. 13.) It is 
 God that disposeth our goings, and turneth our hearts as 
 seemeth best to him. He is able to make of the stones in 
 the streets children unto Abraham : he is able to take away 
 our stony heart, and to give us a heart of flesh. 
 
 The consideration hereof leadeth us to seek help and 
 comfort by prayer at the hand of God. And then, because 
 we stand in continual need of God's help, either to give us 
 something that is good, or to deliver us from that is eviL 
 the apostle biddeth us pray continually. 
 
 The ears of the Lord are open to the prayers of the 
 righteous. Therefore Christ saith : " Ask, and it shall be given 
 you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened 
 unto you." (Matt. vii. 7.) God will give you your heart's 
 desire. " Let us therefore go boldly to the throne of grace, 
 that we may receive mercy, and find grace to help in time 
 of need." (Heb. iv. 16.) 
 
 David prayed unto God : " Oi>en thou mine eyes ; hghten 
 ray darkness ; direct my feet into the way of peace ; incline 
 my heart, O Lord, unto thy testimonies ; stablish, O God, 
 that which thou hast wrought in us ; take not thy Holy 
 Spirit from us ; be thou our helper in troubles ; O forsake 
 us not utterly." He found no way to attain unto knowledge 
 of the will of God, unless God would open his understanding, 
 and endue him with his Spirit. Faith is the gift of God, or 
 else was the Apostles' prayer in vain : " Increase our faith." 
 (Luke xvii. 5.) Our Saviour teacheth us to pray in this 
 
 * The old editions concur in referring tlie passage by mistake to 
 the Epistle of Paul to the Colossians Editor. 
 
 • 
 
\ER. 18.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 137 
 
 manner ; " Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy 
 will be done :" (Matt. vi. 9, 10.) because, without the grace 
 and mercy of God, we can do nothing to the setting forth 
 of his glory. 
 
 Verse 18. — Tn all things give thanks : for this is the will of 
 God in Christ Jesus towards you. 
 
 These three are the badges, or cognizance, of a Christian 
 soldier : to rejoice in the mercy of God j to be fervent in 
 prayer : and to give thanks to God in all things. The 
 heathens, which have no part in the kingdom of Christ, are 
 thankful for their life, and liberty, and wealth, and glory, 
 and worldly prosperity. But Christians ought to be thank- 
 ful in persecution, in thraldom, in adversity, in shame, m 
 misery, and in death itself. 
 
 Who would think that a lion, which by nature is fierce 
 and cruel, should yield forth honey ? Yet Samson found 
 honey in the body of a lion. (Judges xiv. 8.) Who would 
 think it likely that a man should be preserved in the belly 
 of a fish ? Jonas was swallowed up of a whale, and yet 
 not hurt. (Jonah ii. 10.) Who would think that a man 
 might be saved in the midst of burning fire ? Yet the three 
 servants of God walked in the fire safely, and came safe 
 forth again. (Dan. iii. 27.) 
 
 "We know," saith the apostle, " that all things work toge- 
 ther for the best, unto them that love God." (Rom. viii. 28.) 
 The apostles rejoiced in their persecution, that they were 
 counted worthy to sufi"er rebuke for Christ's sake. And 
 Paul speaking of this perfection in the godly, saith : " We 
 rejoice under the hope of the glory of God. And not so 
 only, but also we rejoice in tribulations." (Rom. v. 2, 3.) 
 
 Who hath not heard of the patience of Job .'' His herds 
 of cattle were driven away ; his houses consumed with fire ; 
 his children slain ; his body stricken with a scurf, or man- 
 giness : his wife loathed him, and his friends forsook him. 
 
138 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. V. 
 
 What did Job in all these miseries ? What thought he ? 
 or what spake he ? Let his patience in suffering, and his 
 words of thanksgiving, teach us how to bear adversity. 
 " The Lord," saith he, " hath given, and the Lord hath 
 taken it : blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job i. 21.) 
 Again : " Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." (Job 
 xiii. 15.) Who is able to express the manly comfort of his 
 heart, which said, I will trust in him though he kill me ? 
 He is my God, I am his creature. His will be done. T 
 will always give him thanks, and praise his holy name. By 
 these we are learned to give thanks in poverty, in afflictions, 
 in misery, and in all things, though they are heavy and 
 grievous unto us. 
 
 What are we then, that are neither thankful for riches, 
 nor for health, nor for our pleasures, nor in the abundance 
 of all things ? yea, which abuse the good gifts of God, to 
 dishonour God, who hath given them unto us ? The earth 
 is the Lord's, and all that therein is : the world, and they 
 that dwell therein. He openeth his hand, and filleth all 
 things living with his good blessing. Let us look up into 
 the heavens : there is God, the Father of lights, from whom 
 every good and perfect gift cometh : there is our Redeemer, 
 Jesus Christ, in whom are hid aU the treasures of wisdom 
 and knowledge. When we turn in our beds ; when we -see 
 our fare, and the furniture of our table ; when we see our 
 servants and children about us ; when we see our money, 
 and houses, and lands ; let us think with ourselves, how 
 many good men, and faithful servants of God, lack the same, 
 and have not received these blessings in such measure as 
 we. In aU these things God speaketh to us, and saith, I 
 have given them thee ; thou hast them at my hands ; use 
 them well, and be not unthankful. 
 
 If I would stand herein, and declare what causes we have 
 to give thanks unto God, I should never make an end. 
 There is no beast on the ground, no fish in the sea, no bird 
 
VER. 19.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 139 
 
 in the air, no star in the heavens, no leaf of the tree, no 
 corn in the field, no sand on the shore, no drop of water, 
 no sparkle of fire, but God hath created them all for the sons 
 of men. So much are we bound always to give thanks to 
 God, and to say as the prophet : " O Lord, our Lord, how 
 excellent is thy name in all the the world !" (Psalm viii. 1.) 
 Let us confess before the Lord his loving-kindness, and his 
 wonderful works before the sons of men. 
 
 But who is able to render thanks sufficient to God, for 
 that he giveth us the knowledge of his Gospel, and maketh 
 us know the secrets of his will ? This is a great blessing, and 
 far above aU the other comforts of this life. They that have 
 not this, are in darkness and in the shadow of death. To 
 be short ; even in death we have to praise God : we must 
 say, I thank thee, O God, for thou hast delivered him from 
 the body of this death ; thou hast translated him unto thy- 
 self, that so he may remain with thee in thy glory. Thus, 
 whithersoever ye turn, what state or part of life or death 
 soever ye consider ; whether it be trouble or peace, things 
 present or things to come, heaven or earth, life or death, 
 you shall always find causes to be thankful. 
 
 Verse 19. — Quench not the Spirit. 
 
 He meaneth by the Spirit, the gifts and graces of the 
 Spirit. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of wisdom, and the 
 Spirit of truth. " No man," saith St. Paul, " can say that 
 Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." (1 Cor. xii. 3.) 
 Again : " The Spirit helpeth our infirmities," (Rom. viii. 
 26.) And again : "The same Spirit beareth witness with 
 our spirit, that we are the children of God." (ver. 16.) 
 It is he that leadeth us into all truth ; that openeth our 
 hearts to understanding, and guideth our feet into the way 
 of peace. O, saith he, despise not the wisdom of the 
 Spirit : refuse not his help, but seek it that you may be 
 strengthened. Comfort yourselves in his testimony of your 
 
140 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. V 
 
 adoption. Quench not the hght he hath kindled in your 
 hearts. Disdain not his leading : abuse not his mercy : 
 abuse not the time of your visitation, Let not so great 
 mercy of God be bestowed on you in vain. Fulfil not your 
 ovni wills : abstain from fleshly lusts. Walk in the Spirit. 
 Desire the best gifts, and " let every man, as he hath re- 
 ceived the gift, so minister the same to another, as good 
 disposers of the manifold grace of God." (I Peter iv. 10.) 
 
 Verse 20. — Despise not prophesying. 
 
 Prophecy is the preaching and expounding of the word 
 of God : and he is called a prophet, and doth prophesy, that 
 openeth unto us the will of God. This is not meant of 
 fond and vain and lying prophecies, as were those of Mer- 
 lin, and such like, which tell you tales of hons, and bears, 
 and goats ; of the sun, of the moon, and many strange 
 devices. Such prophecies must be despised : they are 
 words of darkness, and forged by the devil to make up- 
 roars, and to beguile the people. 
 
 But, despise not prophesying , — That is, despise not to 
 hear the word of God : turn not away thine ear from under- 
 standing. God giveth power to his word, that it may work 
 according to his good pleasure. It will let thee see the 
 weakness of thine error, and settle thee in the way wherein 
 thou shouldest walk. If it had been dangerous for the 
 people to hear the preaching of the Gospel, he would not have 
 sent his apostles into all the world. If Lydia should not have 
 liked to have heard Paul prophesy, how might she have known 
 God ? If those great numbers which heard Peter, and 
 were converted, had despised prophesying, and would not 
 have heard him open the Gospel unto them, they had never 
 considered the great mercy of God, nor sought to be in- 
 structed in their salvation. Faith cometh by hearing. This 
 hath been the means by which Christ hath given knowledge 
 to kings, and princes, and all nations. "It hath pleased 
 
VER. 21.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 141 
 
 God," saith St. Paul, " by the foolishness of preaching to 
 save them that believe." (1 Cor. i. 21.) 
 
 Despise not then to come to the church of God, to pray 
 in the congregation of the faithful, to hear the Scriptures 
 of God read and expounded; it is the blessing of God 
 offered unto thee. Where there is no prophecy, the 
 people perish. He that despiseth it, shaU be despised of 
 the Lord : he shall be cast into darkness, because he 
 would not delight in the light. 
 
 Verse 21. — Try all things, and keep that which is good. 
 
 Try all things. — God hath given you the spirit of discre- 
 tion, and of judgment. Be wise, and know what is that 
 good and acceptable will of God. Be not deceived with 
 words of man's wisdom. Let not the baseness or simplicity 
 of any cause you to refuse the message which he bringeth : 
 and carry not yourselves to liking of all that whatsoever shall 
 be told you of such as bear great shew and countenance. 
 This was it that deceived the people of God ; they gave ear 
 to false teachers, which led them to worship the works of 
 their own hands. Therefore they said unto the stone, Thou 
 art our father, thou hast delivered us : they fell down before 
 it, worshipped it, believed in it : they slew the prophets of 
 God, and stoned to death such as were sent unto them. 
 
 The Scribes and Pharisees seemed so grave and wise, that 
 the people thought nothing good but what they allowed. 
 They were altogether appliable* to believe, to do, to speak, 
 and to think, whatsoever the Pharisees willed them. Christ 
 saith unto them : " Beware of false prophets, which come 
 to you in sheep's clothing ; but inwardly they are ravening 
 wolves." (Matt. vii. 15.) St. John therefore saith : " Dearly 
 beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether 
 they are of God : for many false prophets are gone out into 
 
 * Appliable ; i. e. pliable' or ready — Editor. 
 
142 
 
 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP, V. 
 
 the world." And further directeth us how we should try 
 them : " Hereby shall ye know the Spirit of God : every 
 spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, 
 is of God." (1 John iv. I, 2.) Again, hereby may you try 
 them : " Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the 
 doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that continueth in the 
 doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 
 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, re- 
 ceive him not to house, neither bid him God speed." (2 John 
 9, 10.) Hereby St.Paulrequireth the Galatians to try between 
 him and the false apostles : " If any man preach unto you 
 otherwise than that ye have received, let him be accursed. 
 For now do I preach man's doctrine, or God's ?" (Gal. i. 
 8; 10.) The Sadducees erred touching the resurrection, 
 because they searched not the Scriptures. God teacheth 
 us, by the prophet Isaiah, to make trial of teachers and 
 doctrines : " When they shall say unto you. Enquire of 
 them that have a spirit of divination, and at the soothsayers 
 which whisper and murmur ; should not a people enquire 
 at their God .-' from the living to the dead ? To the law, 
 and to the testimony : if they speak not according to this 
 word, it is because there is no light in them." (Isaiah viii. 
 19, 20.) Paul putteth Timothy in mind wherefore he left 
 him at Ephesus ; " to command some, that they teach none 
 other doctrine :" and to warn both the teachers and the hear- 
 ers, " that they give no heed to fables and genealogies, which 
 are endless, which breed questions, rather than godly edi- 
 fying which is by faith." (1 Tim. i. 3, 4.) 
 
 Thus are the people of God called to tiy the truth, to 
 judge between good and ill, between light and darkness. 
 God hath made them the promise of his Spirit, and hath 
 left unto them his word. They of Berea, when they heard 
 the preaching of Paul, searched the Scriptures daily, whe- 
 ther those things were so as he taught them ; and many of 
 them believed. So do you : give heed to instruction, and 
 
,ER. 21.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 143 
 
 yet receive not all things without proof and trial, that they 
 are not contrary to the wholesome doctrine of the word of 
 God. 
 
 Keep that which is good. — When you have tried and 
 found out the truth, be constant and settled in it. A wa- 
 vering-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Follow 
 the truth, and be not carried about with every wind of 
 doctrine. The devil will come in the name of God, and 
 change himself into an angel of light. Let him not take 
 the love of the truth from you : let him not remove vou 
 from faith and a good conscience. Return not like swine 
 unto your mire. God hath purged your hearts, and made 
 them clean : except they be preserved, and kept occupied, 
 the unclean spirit will return, and enter in. and dwell in 
 you ; so the last state of you shaU be worse than the first. 
 
 We have great cause to hearken dihgently to the apostle, 
 to keep that is good. We see this day great confusion 
 in all places. Satan would fain entangle us again with the 
 error of the wicked, and seeketh to draw us from our sted- 
 fastness. Now is the time wherein God maketh some 
 trial of his servants: now iniquity seeketh to have the 
 upper hand. They seduce the people, and say. Here is 
 Christ, there is Christ : here is the church, there is the 
 church. God give us his Holy Spirit, to guide us in judg- 
 ment, that we may discern the truth fi'om falsehood, and 
 know the blessed and gracious will of God : that we ma 
 walk in his ways, and serve him in reverence and fear all 
 the days of our life. 
 
 In this world, as there is a Jacob, so there is an Esau : 
 as there are many that love Christ with an unfeigned heart, 
 so there are many that serve Antichrist : and as there be 
 many true professors of the truth of God, so there are many 
 despisers of the same. This we may see here at home 
 within this realm. We may see it, and mourn and lament 
 for it in our hearts. 
 
144 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. V, 
 
 Their practices are opened : they have broken out into 
 open rebellion, to the breach of the peace both of God and 
 man. They say with their lips, God save Queen Elizabeth : 
 yet they hold up their sword against her. Alas, what hath 
 she deserved at their hands ? She hath always dealt mer- 
 cifully, without cruelty, without shedding of blood. God 
 preserve her, that she may long reign over us, and bring 
 all her enemies to confusion. 
 
 What pretence make they for this their doing ? That 
 hereby they seek to have religion reformed. Thanks be to 
 God, religion is reformed far better than our fathers knew 
 it these many hundred years. If those which lived before 
 us, might have seen and heard as we see and hear, they 
 would have rejoiced, and thought themselves happy. 
 
 But they would have the mass. What find they or see 
 they in it, wherefore they should so desire it ? Try all 
 things, saith Paul : therefore, examine and try the mass. 
 What do we learn by it } what doctrine, what godliness 
 in life, what comfort for salvation ? It is a dumb and deadly 
 service. The people are forced to be at it, it is the very 
 key of their leligion : the people are bound to be present at 
 mass, yet they neither receive any thing, nor eat, nor hear, 
 nor understand any thing. You are wise, you have reason, you 
 are the children of God : be you judges herein, and judge 
 uprightly, for it is God's cause. WiU they call this' the 
 Lord's Supper ? Is this the sacrament of our redemption } 
 Is this that which Paul received of the Lord, and delivered 
 unto the church ? Is this the shewing forth of the Lord's 
 death until he come ? 
 
 They would have the pope's authority restored. What is 
 the pope ? They say, he is the successor of Peter. What 
 doth the pope, as Peter did ? or what did Peter, as the pope 
 doth ? He is a mortal man : and cursed are they of God, 
 that put their trust in man. He feedeth not the flock ; he 
 teacheth not the simple ; he strengtheneth not the weak. 
 
VER. 21.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 145 
 
 I will say no more. God make him a servant of Christ, 
 and a faithful disposer of the mysteries of God ! 
 
 They are offended at the marriage of the ministers of the 
 church. Yet Gratian, their great master, saith : * ' The 
 marriage of priests is not forbidden by any authority, either 
 of the Law, or of the Gospel, or of the Apostles. The holy 
 Fathers, that lived in the apostles' time, and shortly after, 
 report that Peter, and all the other apostles, excepting only 
 John, were married, and had wives. The prophet Isaiah was 
 married, and yet he saw the Lord sitting upon an high 
 throne. Moses was married, and yet he saw God face to 
 face. Will they reform the prophets and the apostles? 
 Will they account that to be unholy,which the apostle caUeth 
 honourable in all men ? Ignatius, the scholar of St. John, 
 said :t ' I wish to be found meet for God, as was Peter, and 
 Paul, and the other apostles that were married.' 
 
 They paint their banner with the cross, and five wounds. 
 Why bring they those arms against us ? Do not we be- 
 lieve the cross of Christ .'' Do not we rejoice and comfort 
 our hearts by the remembrance of his wounds ? Do not we 
 read, and shew forth to the people, the story of his passion ? 
 God knoweth it, and you can bear us witness, and they 
 cannot deny it, that we make this work of our redemption, 
 wrought by the passion of our Saviour Christ, the chief and 
 principal rock and foundation of our faith. Therefore say we 
 with the apostle, " God forbid that we should rejoice in any 
 thing, but in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Gal. vi.l4.) 
 Nay rather, they are become our enemies, because we believe 
 in Jesus Christ crucified : because we say, as God's word 
 teacheth, that Jesus Christ is the only Advocate to the 
 Father for our sins ; and, that " he hath with one offering 
 
 • Copula sacerdotalis, nee Legali, nee Evangelic^, nee Apostolica 
 
 authoritate prohibetur Decret. xxvi. Qucb- *>. Sors. f^ 
 
 ■{■ Ignat. ad Philadelphienses. 
 H 
 
146 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. V. 
 
 consecrated for ever them that are sanctified ;" (Heb. x. 
 14.) and that " the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth 
 us from all sin." (1 John i. 7.) For this cause are they 
 become our enemies. 
 
 Let us nothing fear their treacheries and attempts : let 
 us keep that is good, and hold it fast until death. Now 
 we have tasted the word of God, and have received the 
 comfort of the Gospel, let us not despise it, nor be weary 
 of it. Let us pray unto God, that he establish the love of 
 his truth in us ; and that he will open the eyes of their 
 hearts, and bring them to be partakers of those mercies, 
 which yet through ignorance they have despised. 
 
 Verse 22. — Abstain from all appearance of evil. 
 
 Keep yourselves not only from doing those things which 
 are evil, but also from all appearance of evil. Offend not 
 the conscience of thy brother, that he may have no occa- 
 sion to think evil of thee. Commit not adultery ; and 
 withdraw thyself from the company of such unthrifty, and 
 light, and suspected persons : be not Hke to them that are 
 such. Lay not out thy money to usury ; nor do any thing 
 whereby others may think so of thee : beware of uncha- 
 ritable conveyance of thy money. Be not idolaters ; and 
 leave off to do any thing that may bring you into suspicion 
 of idolatry : give not that honour unto any creature which 
 is proper to God. Have no fellowship with their works ; 
 bear no appearance of liking their evil. Go not as 
 they go : Uve not as they live. St. Paul reproveth the 
 Galatians : " Ye observe days, and months, and times, and 
 years : I am in fear of you, lest I have bestowed on you 
 labour in vain." (Gal. iv. 10, 11.) So doth he the Co- 
 lossians also : " If ye be dead with Christ from the ordi- 
 nances of the world, why, as though ye lived in the world, 
 are ye burdened with traditions ? as, Touch not, taste not, 
 handle not." (Col. ii. 20,21 .) So do the idolaters : you should 
 
VER. 22.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 147 
 
 not be like unto them. They are the children of darkness ; 
 you are the sons of hght. They will not be like unto you, 
 and forsake their false gods : why should you become like 
 unto them, and forsake the God that made the heavens and 
 the earth ? You cannot make them ashamed of their errors, 
 and embrace the truth : why then should you betray the 
 truth, and be partakers with them in error ? 
 
 The Christians in old time began to wear garlands made 
 of bay. What harm might be in that ? What is a garland, 
 but a furniture for the head .'' What is bay, but a little tree, 
 or bush ? Yet the Fathers, that lived with them to teach 
 them, said it was not lawful; not for that the thing itself 
 was ill of itself, but for that they would not seem to follow 
 idolaters. It had some appearance of evil. It was a cere- 
 mony and solemn fashion among the heathen : they would 
 not be emboldened ; and it would offend the hearts of many 
 of the faithful, to see Christians follow the fashion of the 
 heathen. 
 
 When king Antiochus sent unto Jerusalem, and to the 
 cities of Judah, that they should follow the strange laws of 
 the country ; many chose rather to die, than to be defiled 
 with unclean things, and to break the holy covenant which 
 God had given them. (1 Mac. i. 44.) 
 
 Darius made a decree, whosoever should ask a petition of 
 any god or man for thirty days, save of the king, he should 
 be cast into the den of lions. Daniel would not be kept so 
 long from the service of God. He would not dissemble : 
 he would not hide his zeal, nor shew any appearance of ill. 
 He prayed, and praised God, as he did before, and 
 opened his chamber windows, that it might be seen. (Dan. 
 vi. 10.) 
 
 Polycarp might have saved his life, if he would have dis- 
 sembled. He would not ; he could not. He saw it would 
 have been an appearance of evil, and a discoui'age unto the 
 
 H 2 
 
148 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [cHAP. V. 
 
 brethren : therefore spake he boldly,* ' I am a Christian.' 
 And, being required to speak ill of Christ, he said,t ' I have 
 served Christ these fourscore and six years, and he did 
 never any thing hurt me : how may I speak ill, and blas- 
 pheme my king, which hath given me salvation ?' This is 
 my faith ; Christ is my God : this is my religion ; I am not 
 ashamed to suffer death, rather than I will deny him, who 
 suffered death in his own body to save me. 
 
 " It is good," saith St. Paul, " neither to eat flesh, nor 
 to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, 
 or is offended, or is made weak." (Rom. xiv. 21.) Again 
 he saith : " Now when ye sin so against the brethren, and 
 wound their weak conscience, ye offend against Christ. 
 Wherefore, if meat offend my brother, I will eat no flesh 
 while the world standeth, lest I should offend my brother." 
 (I Cor. viii. 12, 13.) He that hath once made a shipwreck, 
 standeth watchful ever after, not only to escape that rock 
 or sand, whereat he had loss before, but all other the like 
 rocks and sands whatsoever. 
 
 Therefore abstain from all appearance of evil ; be not like 
 the wicked of this world. You are the salt of the earth: 
 you should not be partners of their corruption, but powder 
 and season them. You are the light of the world : you 
 may not be partners of their darkness, but lighten and 
 guide them. Dissemble not : serve God in the simplicity 
 of your heart, and in the sight of all the world. Let it be 
 written in your forehead, what you think in your heart. 
 Why should any man be ashamed of God's truth ? 
 
 Ver. 23. — Now the very God of peace sanctify you through- 
 out : and I pray God, that your whole spirit, and soul, and 
 
 * Christianus sum. f Octoginta'et sex annos servivi ei, et nihil 
 me Isesit unquam ; quomodo possum maledicere ei, et blasphemare 
 regem meum, qui salutem mihi dedit? 
 
VBR. 23.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 14 
 
 body, may he kept blameless unto the coming of our Lora 
 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 Our God is the God of peace. He giveth peace and 
 quiet to his church. He doth muzzle the hon, amaze the 
 t3Tant, make blunt the sword, and quench the fire prepared 
 against his servants. He giveth his sons peace and quiet- 
 ness among themselves : he abhorreth discord and malice 
 between brethren. " God is love," saith St. John ; " and he 
 that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him." 
 (1 John iv. 16.) " He that loveth not his brother, abideth 
 in death." (1 John iii. 14.) God hath made us all members 
 of one body. There is no respect of persons with him, no 
 difference of learned and unlearned, wise or foolish, rich or 
 poor. His will is, that we all should be as one, of one 
 mind, and that we should all think one thing, and speak 
 one thing : that we should be one fold under one Shepherd, 
 and with one mouth glorify the Father of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ. For this peace Christ prayed : " Sanctify them 
 through thy truth." (John xvii.l7.) Bless them: takeaway 
 all bitterness and swelling from amongst them : make them 
 citizens of thy heavenly Jerusalem, that they may live in 
 peace, and love one another, and delight one in other. 
 " That they all may be one, as thou, O Father, art one in 
 me, and I in thee." (ver. 21.) 
 
 God is the God and giver of peace. Whence then 
 Cometh division, and dissension of minds ? What is the 
 cause that the whole world is so shaken with sects and 
 troubles ? AH are not the children of peace. Christ him- 
 self, the Lamb of God, in whose mouth there was no guile, 
 came unto his own, and his own received him not. Cain 
 is always against Abel. Esau will never love Jacob. The 
 darkness and the light can never agree. This is the cause 
 of all unquietness and trouble. " These things," saith 
 Christ to his disciples, " have I spoken unto you, that in 
 me ye might have peace : in the world you shall have afflic 
 
150 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. V. 
 
 tion." ( John xvi. 33.) The wicked shall not only hate, 
 but betray, and cause them to die, which profess the name 
 of Christ. "Whosoever killeth you, will think he doth 
 God service. And these things will they do unto you, 
 because they have not known the Father, nor me." (ver. 
 2,3.) 
 
 The setting forth of the Gospel of Christ is that which 
 the world cannot abide. It revealeth things that were 
 hidden : it discloseth the covetousness of those who kept 
 the people in ignorance, to make gain and merchandise of 
 their souls : it overthroweth mighty buildings and holds of 
 merits, of pardons, of masses, of purgatory, which, by the 
 policy, and wisdom, and power of this world, were exalted 
 against God. This is the only cause of all this strife and 
 trouble. 
 
 We have need of peace : of the peace of conscience 
 withui ourselves ; of peace from the rage and fury of the 
 world; and of peace and love among those that are of 
 God's household. Let us seek peace at the hands of God, 
 and he will stablish us in the peace of his Gospel, and so 
 give us the rest and peace of our souls. 
 
 Sanctify you throughout. — The God of peace bless you, 
 and keep you under the shadow of his wings ; that your 
 whole spirit, and soid, and body, may be kept blameless 
 unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here mark, 
 that the apostle divideth man into three parts ; the spirit, 
 the soul, and the body : so that he seemeth to make the 
 spirit one thing, and the soul another. How is it then that 
 we divide man into two parts, the soul and the body, and 
 say that he doth stand but of two parts ? There is no 
 difference : the matter is all one. For Paul divideth the 
 soul into two parts : the first is reason and understanding, 
 which he calleth the spirit ; the other is will and affection, 
 which he calleth the soul. For as God hath given us rea- 
 son to see what is good ; so hath he given us will to seek 
 
VER. 24.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 151 
 
 after that which is good. Reason hath eyes : will is blind, 
 and cannot see the way. Therefore will must be led and 
 gxiided by reason : reason must go before ; will must follow 
 after. Therefore reason is compared to the husband, and 
 wiU to the wife. If will take in hand to rule reason, it 
 is no less disorder than if the wife will adventure or take 
 upon her to rule her husband. Therefore in this place 
 reason, which is the principal part of our soul, is called the 
 spirit ; and will, which is the other part, is called the soul. 
 So the spirit is not a several substance ; but the soul and 
 the spirit are one soul, even as the body and the flesh are 
 one body. 
 
 Thus therefore Paul prayeth for the church : The God of 
 peace sanctify you throughout ; that your spirit (your rea- 
 son and understanding), your soul (your will and affection), 
 your body (and your flesh), may altogether be pure and holy : 
 that they may be found innocent and upright in the day of 
 the Lord. 
 
 Verse 24. — Faithful is he which calleth you, which will also 
 do it. 
 
 He hath begun a good work in you : he wiU finish it. 
 He will lead you from virtue to virtue, from strength to 
 strength, from glory to glory. He hath called you ; he 
 will also keep you faithful until the day of the appearing 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are Christ's sheep : no 
 man shall take you out of his hands. He hath not lost one 
 of all them whom his Father had given him. He knoweth 
 his sheep. None shall be confounded, that put their trust 
 in him. There is no condemnation to them that be in 
 Christ Jesus. He is faithful, he will perform this unto you ; 
 not for your merits, but for his own name and for his 
 mercy sake. Because he is faithful, he will not despise the 
 work of his own hands. 
 
152 EXPOSITION UPON THE FIRST [CHAP. V. 
 
 Verse 25. — Brethren, pray for me. 
 
 I wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with the prince 
 and power of darkness. My enemies are strong } they are 
 the enemies of the cross of Christ : I am weak, and of no 
 resistance. Our sufficiency is of him : without him we 
 can do nothing. Pray for me, that he will put his word 
 into my mouth ; that I may be a vessel of his glory, to 
 preach forth the glad tidings of his Gospel ; that I may be 
 a faithful minister of the New Testament 5 that I may dis- 
 close the mystery of our redemption ; that his Holy Spirit 
 will assist me, and make my travails fruitful. 
 
 Verse 26. — Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss. 
 27. — / charge you in the Lord, that this epistle be read unto 
 all the brethren, the saints. 
 
 Salute one another, in token of true and unfeigned love. 
 And withhold not this epistle from any of the brethren. It 
 is written for their sakes : let them hear it, that they may 
 take comfort by it. How agreeth Paul in this charge with 
 them that in no case would have the people read the holy 
 Scriptures } that say. Ignorance is the mother of devotion ? 
 It is the word of God the Father : why should not the 
 people of God understand it ? It is the water that springeth 
 out to everlasting life : why should the people of God be 
 driven away, and not suffered to drink thereof.'' It is th^ 
 light of the world : why should the people be hoodwinked, 
 and kept that they should not look up and see it .'' why 
 should they sit and perish in the darkness of death } 
 
 It is the will of God that all the people should know him, 
 from the least to the greatest among them. St. Paul saith : 
 " Whatsoever things are written aforetime, are written for 
 our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the 
 Scriptures might have hope." (Rom. xv. 4.) Christ saith : 
 " This is life eternal, to know thee to be the only very God, 
 and, whom thou hast sent, Jesus Christ." (John xvii. 3.) 
 
VER. 28.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIAXS. 153 
 
 Let us not forget these words of Paul : I charge you in 
 the Lord, by his death, by his cross, by his blood, by the 
 day of his appearance, that this epistle be read to the 
 learned and unlearned, to the wise and simple, to the 
 masters and to the servants ; to all our brethren, to all the 
 sons of God. 
 
 Verse 28. — The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 
 Amen. 
 
 God open your eyes, that you may behold the way of 
 righteousness ; and direct you, that you may walk in it. 
 Through his grace you have received the word, and it hath 
 been fruitful in you : and by the same grace you shall con- 
 tinue in it for ever. His grace, and blessing, and mercy, 
 be with vou all. Amen, 
 
 hT) 
 
THE 
 
 SECOND EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL 
 
 TO THE 
 
 THESSALONIANS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Verse 1. — Paul, and Sylvanus, and Timotheus, unto the 
 Church of the Thessalonians, which is in God our Father 
 and in our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 In the former Epistle he wrote somewhat touching the 
 latter day, and the coming of our Lord to judgment ; and 
 said, that that day shall come as a thief in the night : and 
 therefore exhorted them to watch and pray, and to prepare 
 themselves to be in a readiness. The false apostles did 
 fondly and maliciously mistake his words } and devised 
 means thereby to disquiet the minds of the faithful, and to 
 trouble the Church of God. Thus could the prince of 
 darkness, the old serpent and deceiving spirit, turn the 
 truth of God into occasion of slander. 
 
 In the mean while the Apostle was far off from them at 
 Athens. But when he heard of their case, he sent unto 
 them this other Epistle, wherein he declareth more plainly 
 that matter which before seemed doubtful, and seeketh to 
 satisfy their hearts, and to remove them from all that error 
 which they had conceived. 
 
 In discourse hereof, he taketh occasion to speak of Anti- 
 christ, of whom we hear much, and have had warning 
 
VER. 1.] SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 155 
 
 often. He telleth us, that he shall come in working of 
 signs and wonders : that he is the man of sin, which shall 
 thrust himself into the place of Christ. He sheweth who is 
 Antichrist, and how we may know him ; what things he 
 shall do ; what credit he shall have in the world ; and 
 by what power he shall be overthrown and confounded. 
 After this he speaketh of idleness, and of bodily labour, and 
 requireth every man to live in the sweat of their brows, and 
 in painful travail, as God hath ordained. Other comfort- 
 able and necessary doctrine is delivered in this Epistle, as 
 will appear. The whole matter of the Epistle is so fit 
 for these days in which we live, as if it were purposely 
 written for us. For we hve in the latter age of the world ; 
 and it cannot be but the end of all things is at hand, and 
 that the glorious appearing of our Lord shall be shortly. 
 
 Paul, and Sylvanus, and Timotheus, — This Epistle was 
 sent, not only from Paul, but also from Timothy and Syl- 
 vanus. These three were aU guided by one Spirit, and had 
 all one like care for the Church of God. Therefore he writ- 
 eth thus : Paul, and Sylvanus, and Timotheus, the servants 
 of God, chosen from our mothers' womb, and appointed to 
 publish the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to carry his nam.e 
 before kings and princes : and especially I Paul, which am 
 your father, and have begotten you in Christ ; which was 
 sometimes a blasphemer, and did persecute the faithful ; 
 whom it pleased God to make a chosen vessel for himself; 
 which am also hated of my brethren and kinsmen after the 
 flesh, for the Gospel's sake ; and which am ready to give 
 my life for your behalf. 
 
 Unto the Church of the Thessalonians, which is in God our 
 Father, ^c. — You are, saith he, the beloved of God ; you 
 are his people, and he hath assured his mercy unto you : 
 vou have the promise and the earnest of the lif3 to come. 
 Here let us mark the state of that country, as it was then. 
 
156 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. I. 
 
 and compare it with itself as it is now. Then it was the 
 church of God ; for otherwise St. Paul would not so have 
 called it. According to the grace of God given unto him, he 
 laid the foundation, he planted and watered their hearts, 
 and God gave the increase. So that they received the 
 word in much affliction; and the word of the Gospel 
 sounded from them, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, 
 but their faith towards God was spread also abroad in all 
 quarters. In such sort were they a vessel sanctified unto 
 honour, full of blessing, and full of the mercy and grace of 
 God. 
 
 But what is become of that country ? In what case 
 standeth the church of Thessalonica at this day ? It is now 
 the synagogue of Satan, under the tyranny of the Turk, 
 and such as are enemies of the cross of Christ. Such a 
 change hath the right hand of the Lord wrought in that 
 place, which hath sometimes been his holy tabernacle. I 
 thought good to mark this, that we might understand how 
 vain a thing it is to put confidence in cities or churches, or 
 in the names of our fathers. 
 
 The church of Thessalonica, whose foundation was surely 
 built by St. Paul himself, for which he was so careful, unto 
 which he wrote special letters to commend their increase 
 in godliness, and their stedfastness in the Gospel, is for- 
 saken and laid waste. If the work which the Spirit of 
 God wrought by the Apostle be decayed, whose work 
 may we think shall stand } 
 
 Jeremy spake unto the people of the Jews, saying : 
 " Trust not in lying words, saying. The temple of the 
 Lord, the temple of the Lord, this is the temple of the 
 Lord." (Jer. vii. 4.) That temple God himself commanded 
 to be built ; the form and fashion thereof God himself de- 
 vised and appointed : therein he placed his tabernacle, and 
 £et up his mercy-seat ; therein he shewed forth his ma- 
 
VER. 1.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 157 
 
 jesty, and the glory of his countenance. Yet, all this not- 
 withstanding, God said by the prophet. Trust not in these 
 words ; they be lying words, and will deceive you. 
 
 As the Prophet spake of the temple at Jerusalem, so may 
 it be said of any other church throughout the world. So 
 may it be said of the church of Rome. We may say, Trust 
 not in lying words, saying, The church of Rome, the church 
 of Rome. Say not thus with yourselves. The church of 
 Rome is built upon a rock, so surely, that it cannot be 
 moved, or that no wind can shake it : say not, The faith of 
 that church can never fail. These be lying words ; trust 
 not in them : for Christ never spake any such thing of the 
 church of Rome. It never had promise of more special 
 privilege, than was given to the church at Thessalonica. 
 Read the Scriptures ; behold the words of our Saviour, and 
 consider them : you shall find no speech made of the church 
 of Rome, nor any promise, or piece of promise, wherein he 
 bindeth himself more to the church of Rome, than he hath 
 done to other churches, or to this of Thessalonica. 
 
 Thessalonica was beautiful in the sight of God : the Lord 
 of hosts had pitched his tents round about her ;' the name 
 of the Most Holy was placed in the midst of her : she en- 
 joyed like spiritual peace and prosperity, as did the Jeru- 
 salem of the Almighty ; she was as a city fenced vdthin 
 itself. But the Lord hath taken away the light of his coun- 
 tenance from her : she hath forsaken the ways of righteous- 
 ness ; she hath left off to serve the Lord, and is become the 
 place which the Lord hath 'forsaken. There is scarce any 
 remnant left there of those which call upon the name of 
 our salvation, and love the Lord Jesus with an unfeigned 
 heart. 
 
 This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our 
 eyes. And is his hand shortened that he cannot, or is his 
 zeal abated that he will not, in like severity deal with such 
 as forsake him ? If he spared not the natural branches, if 
 
158 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. I. 
 
 Jerusalem were overthrown because of her iniquities, it 
 cannot be that he will spare other places that do the like, but 
 that they shall also be cut off. This is it that our Saviour 
 hath said in the Gospel by St. Matthew : " Therefore say 
 I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, 
 and shall be given to a nation which shall bring forth the 
 fruits thereof." (Matt. xxi. 43.) Such terrible and dread- 
 ful examples hath God laid before our eyes, to keep us in 
 his fear, and in awe of his judgments. 
 
 Verse 2. — Grace be with you, and peace, from God our 
 
 Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 This is the salutation of Paul in all his Epistles : to say, 
 I wish that the blessing, and favour, and love of God may 
 light upon you. But for the better consideration hereof, 
 and that we may know how earnestly we ought to pray 
 unto God for this grace and peace the Apostle wishes to the 
 churches, let us look into ourselves, and see how miser- 
 able we are, if we be left void of this grace, and if God 
 take his Holy Spirit away from us . By nature what are 
 we other than the bondslaves of sin ? We are not able 
 to lift up our eyes unto heaven, nor to believe in God, nor 
 to praise him, nor to call upon his name. We are not 
 sufficient of ourselves to think any thing, as of ourselves. 
 Unless he open our lips, we cannot shew forth his prais.e : 
 unless he heal our deafness, we cannot give ear to his word : 
 unless he give us understanding hearts, we cannot take 
 knowledge of his will. " Destruction and unhappiness," 
 saith the Prophet David, "are in their ways, and the way of 
 peace have they not known : there is no fear of God be- 
 fore their eyes." (Rom. iii. 16 — 18 ; Psal. xxxvi. 1.) 
 speaking of such as had not received the favour and grace 
 of God to guide and direct them. And by the prophet 
 Malachi God uttereth his displeasure against them, say- 
 ing : "I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of 
 
VER. 3,4.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONI ANS. 159 
 
 hosts ; neither will I accept an offering at your hands." 
 (Mai. i, 10.) 
 
 Therefore the Apostle prayeth, that they may receive such 
 measure of God's grace, as may quench in them the fiery darts 
 of the wicked, and enable them to hold fast that worthy thing 
 that is committed unto them, and may keep them holy and 
 undefiled against the glorious coming of our Lord and Sa- 
 viour Jesus Christ. 
 
 Versk 3. — We ought to thank God always for you, brethren, 
 as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly , 
 and the love of every one of you towards another aboundeth ; 
 4. — So that we ourselves rejoice of you in the church of God, 
 because of your patience and faith in all your i^ersecutions 
 and tribulations that ye suffer. 
 
 God hath wrought this good work of faith, and love, and 
 patience in your hearts : he will make it prosper and 
 increase. It is he which hath put this fire in youj and he 
 will make it burn. He hath laid his leaven in the dough 
 or meal of your heart ; and wiU make it heave, and work, 
 until all be leavened. He will make you abound more and 
 more, and will bring to a good end the thing he hath 
 begun. 
 
 Your faith groweth exceedingly . — This is the will of God, 
 that we wax and increase in all holiness. Hereby we know 
 whether we be of God, or no. We may not stand at a 
 stay, but must be renewed. One saith. In via virtutis qui 
 nan proficit, deficit : ' Whosoever mendeth not himself in 
 the practice of virtue, he groweth worse.' God hath placed 
 us in a race to run : we must so run, that we may attain 
 the prize. We are grafts of the Lord's planting : we must 
 grow to the height and breadth of a tree, and bring forth 
 fruit. We are pilgrims and strangers, and pass by the 
 wilderness of this world into our heavenly resting-place : 
 
160 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. I. 
 
 we may not stay by the way, but must remove our tents, 
 and continually march on forward, until that day come, 
 when we shall enter into the land of promise. 
 
 So that we ourselves rejoice of you in the church of God, 
 ^c. — Your faith is not only true and pure, but settled and 
 constant. For you continued stedfast in the midst of per- 
 secution : you have been tormented, and suffered afflic- 
 tions in your body, by the hands of tyrants ; yet could they 
 never remove you from the faith in our Saviour Jesus 
 Christ, nor from your obedience to the will of God. You 
 know that " all which will live godly in Christ Jesus shall 
 suffer persecution." (2 Tim. iii. 12.) Yet are you com- 
 forted, and say, as the prophet David : " The Lord is with 
 me, therefore I will not fear what man can do unto me." 
 (Psal. cxviii. 6.) You cannot forget who it is that said : 
 " Whosoever shall confess me before men, him wall I con- 
 fess also before my Father which is in heaven. But who- 
 soever shall deny me, I will also deny him before my Father 
 which is in heaven." (Matt. x. 32, 33.) " He that loseth 
 his life for my sake, shall find it." (ver. 39.) " He that 
 endureth unto the end, he shall be saved." (ver. 22.) And 
 again : " Blessed shall ye be, when men revile you, and per- 
 secute you, and say all manner of evil against you, for my 
 sake, falsely. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward 
 in heaven : for so persecuted they the prophets, which 
 were before you." (Matt. v. 11, 12.) 
 
 Verse 5. — IVhich is a manifest token of the righteous judg- 
 ment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the king- 
 dom of God, for the which ye also suffer. 
 
 6. — For it is a righteous thing ivith God, to recompense tri- 
 bulation to them that trouble you ; 
 
 7. — And to you, which are troubled, rest with us, when the 
 Lord Jesus shall shew himself from heaven, with his mighty 
 angels, 
 
VER. 5 10.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 161 
 
 8. — In flaming fi.re, rendering vengeance unto them that do 
 not know God, and which obey not the gospel of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ : 
 9. — WJiich shall be punished with everlasting perdition, from 
 the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, 
 10. — When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to 
 be made marvellous in all them that believe {because our tes- 
 timony towards you was believed) in that day. 
 Many are the troubles which the righteous men do suffer, 
 but the Lord will deliver them. After Paul and Barnabas 
 had preached the glad tidings of the Gospel, they confirmed 
 the disciples' hearts, and exhorted them to continue in the 
 faith, and said, "That we must through many afflictions 
 enter into the kingdom of God." (Acts xiv. 22.) We 
 must not, therefore, be afraid for any terror of them which 
 trouble us for righteousness' sake ; but rather, looking 
 over and beyond them, we must rejoice and give thanks 
 to God, who hath made us worthy not only to beheve 
 in him. but also to suffer for his sake. " For we know, 
 that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be destroyed, 
 we have a building given of God, an house not made 
 with hands, but eternal in the heavens." (2 Cor. v. 1.) 
 
 These persecutions and tribulations which you suffer, 
 are a manifest token (saith the Apostle) of God's love to- 
 wards you. For, " Whom the liOrd loveth, he chasteneth ; 
 and hescourgeth every son that hereceiveth." (Heb. xii. 6.) 
 The Prophets, and Apostles., and Martyrs, which were not 
 only reviled and scourged, but beheaded, cut in pieces, 
 drowned in the waters, consumed in the fire, or by any 
 other devices of tyrants cruelly put to death, did by this 
 way receive the manifest token of their happy and blessed 
 estate, and by this way did enter into the kingdom of 
 God. Athanasius, an ancient father, reckoneth the suffering 
 of persecution to be a special note of a Christian man, say- 
 
162 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. I. 
 
 ing :* * It is the part of Christians to be persecuted ; but to 
 persecute the Christians, it is the very office of Pilate and 
 Caiaphas.' 
 
 The Lord is not unjust, but all his works are righteous- 
 ness and truth. Their little and short tribulation in this 
 life prepareth an eternal and exceeding weight of glory 
 unto his servants. Though they sow in tears, they shaU reap 
 in joy. They shall be taken up into heaven, and shall see 
 God face to face, and shall be crowned with glory and 
 honour. As for the ungodly, it is not so with them : they 
 may flourish for a time, and have great power and authority 
 in this world ; but the Lamb shall overcome them, and their 
 end shall be according to their works. David saith, " Upon 
 the ungodly he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, storm 
 and tempest : this shall be their portion to drink." (Psal. 
 xi. 6.) 
 
 When the Lord Jesus shall shew himselffrom heaven. — There 
 are many which are ashamed of Christ, and of his word, in the 
 presence of such as are enemies to the cross of Christ, and 
 have countenance and authority in this world. But a time 
 shall come, when Christ will shew himself from heaven, 
 accompanied with his holy angels : then will he also be 
 ashamed of them, and put them from his presence ; then 
 will he render vengeance to them that have hated his truth j 
 they shall then know whose members they have killed, and 
 whose word and gospel it was which they so despitefully 
 reproached. Then the smoke of their torments shall ascend 
 evermore, and they shall have no rest day nor night. In 
 this manner shall God triumph in victory over the wicked, 
 by judging them to everlasting destruction ; and will shew 
 himself wonderful in giving rest, and joy, and glory, and 
 
 * CaedijChristianorum proprium est : csedere autem Christianos,Pilati 
 et Caiaphse officia sunt. — Alkanas. ad solUariam vitam agentes. 
 
VKR. 11, 12.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 163 
 
 everlasting blessedness to all those which love his truth, and 
 believe in him. 
 
 Verse 11. — Wherefore we also pray always for you, that 
 our God may make you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all 
 the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with 
 power : 
 12. — That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glori- 
 fied in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our 
 God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 God bless that good thing which he hath begiin in you, 
 and keep you stedfast in the truth ; that you look not back 
 now after you have put your hand to the plough, and 
 that you give no place to their dangerous and subtle per- 
 suasions who persecute you. Take heed to yourselves, and 
 beware that you put not the word of God from you. He 
 hath shewed you his goodness and mercy, in that he hath 
 delivered you from the power of darkness, and hath trans- 
 lated you into the kingdom of his dear Son. 
 
 I make my prayer to God without ceasing for you al- 
 ways, that he will make you worthy of this heavenly calling, 
 and that he wiU ever more and more fill you with the riches 
 and abundance of his goodness and mercy, that through 
 him you may be made perfect in all good works. 
 
164 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II, 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Verse 1. — Now I beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and by our assembling unto him, 
 
 2. — That ye be not suddenly moved from your mind, nor trou- 
 bled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as it were 
 from us , as though the day of Christ were at hand. 
 
 You are the children of those fathers, which have fallen from 
 their stedfastness, and have been led into error : beware 
 lest you also be carried away with every blast of false doc- 
 trine. The devil is subtle : his baits are pleasant ; 
 you are weak and simple ; he will soon deceive you. 
 Here let us consider how easUy man may be deceived ; 
 that so we may know the corruption and weakness 
 of our nature, and therefore what cause we have ever 
 to walk warily, to take heed to our steps, and to pray unto 
 God that he will incline our hearts unto his testimonies. 
 When I say man may be deceived, I mean not boys, or 
 children, or fools, or the simpler sort of men : but the 
 learned, the wise, the politic ; the kings and princes of the 
 world ; the teachers, the rulers also of the people. 
 
 When Adam was yet in paradise, and made the ruler 
 over all the beasts of the field, and was full of the graces 
 and blessings of God, he soon departed from the counsel of 
 God, and gave ear to the serpent : so easily was he de- 
 ceived. Israel was as the apple of the Lord's eye, a people 
 whom the Lord loved, and to whom he gave their hearts 
 desire. He delivered them from Pharaoh, and with an out- 
 stretched arm led them through the Red Sea. Who would 
 think so great mercies would ever be forgotten ? or that 
 such a people, so well instructed in the knowledge of God, 
 and so often put in mind of their duty, should either the 
 most part, or all of them, turn from God ? Moses was 
 
VER. 1, 2.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONlANS. 165 
 
 absent but awhile : he went aside to receive the tables of 
 covenant. In the mean time they made unto themselves a 
 molten calf, and worshipped it ; they offered unto it, and 
 said, " These be thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee 
 out of the land of Egypt." (Exod. xxxii. 4.) So easily were 
 the wisest of them, and Aaron, and the whole multitude, de- 
 ceived. 
 
 Their children after them forsook the Lord, and served 
 Baal and Ashtaroth. (Judges ii. 13.) " They said to a tree, 
 Thou art my father, and to a stone. Thou hast begotten me : 
 they have turned their backs to me, and not their face ; " 
 saith God by the prophet Jeremiah. (Jer. ii. 27.) And was 
 this the offence but of some small number of them } were 
 they but few, or of the baser and simpler sort, whom the 
 wicked spirit had thus seduced, to make them forsake the 
 true and living God, and to give the glory due unto him 
 to dumb creatures, and to the works of their own hands ^ 
 No, they departed from God in great multitudes, with 
 full consent and unity ; they warranted their doings by 
 antiquity, and by the custom of their fathers before them. 
 The Prophet saith : " According to the number of thy 
 cities were thy gods, O Judah : and to the number of the 
 streets of Jerusalem, have ye set up altars of confusion, 
 even altars to burn incense unto Baal." (Jer. xi. 13.) And 
 in another place he saith : " A great multitude, even aU the 
 people that dwell in the land'of Egypt, in Pathros, answered 
 Jeremiah, saying. The word that thou hast spoken unto 
 us in the name of the Lord, we will not hear of thee. But 
 we will do whatsoever thing goeth out of our own mouth ; 
 as, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out 
 drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we and our 
 fathers, our kings and our princes," &c. (Jer. xliv. 15 — 17.) 
 Thus, even among that nation which God hath chosen unto 
 himself, the apostasy was so great, the departure from true 
 hohness was so universal, that not only every city, but every 
 
166 KXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. II. 
 
 street was defiled with their idolatry. And, besides the 
 women which burnt incense to other gods, a great multi- 
 tude, yea, aU the people with one consent cried out against 
 their preacher, refused to hear the word of God, and main- 
 tained their superstition. 
 
 The like may be said of the Scribes and Pharisees. They 
 were wise, they were learned, and carried great shew of ho- 
 liness ; yet they loved darkness better than light : they 
 were blind leaders of the blind ; they despised the command- 
 ments of God for their own traditions. And not only they, 
 but Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and people 
 of Israel, gathered themselves together against the Lord, 
 and against his Christ. (Acts iv. 26, 27.) 
 
 What should T speak of those Churches,which the Apostles 
 of Christ planted, and watered, and confirmed in the truth ? 
 At Corinth, Paul preached the Gospel ; they received it 
 gladly: he thanketh God on their behalf, " that in all things 
 they were made rich in him, in all kind of speech, and in all 
 knowledge." (1 Cor. i. 5.) Yet soon after they abused the 
 holy mysteries, they denied the resurrection of the dead, 
 they became carnal, and had envying, and strife, and con- 
 tention among themselves. 
 
 The Galatians rejoiced so much in him, that he writeth 
 thus of them : " I bear you record, that, if it had been pos- 
 sible, you would have plucked out your own eyes, and have 
 given them to me." (Gal. iv. 15.) Yet they did not abide 
 in the truth, but gave ear to false apostles, and were de- 
 ceived. Therefore he reproveth them, saying, " O foolish 
 Galatians, who have bewitched you, that you should not 
 obey the truth ? Are ye so fooUsh, that, after ye have 
 begun in the spirit, ye would now be made perfect in the 
 flesh ? " (Gal. iii. 1 ; 3.) " Ye did run well : who did 
 let you, that ye did not obey the truth?" (Gal. v. 7.) 
 " I am in fear of you, lest I have bestowed on you labour 
 in vain." (Gal. iv. 11.) 
 
VER. 1, 2.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 167 
 
 This frailty and weakness of our corrupt nature hath 
 shewed itself forth, and hath appeared in all ages. "We 
 and our fathers have gone astray, and have followed after 
 lies. " The Lord hath looked down from heaven upon the 
 children of men, to see if there were any that would under- 
 stand and seek God. All are gone out of the way ; they 
 are all corrupt : there is none that doeth good, no not one," 
 saith the Prophet David. (Psal. xiv. 2, 3.) Therefore the 
 Apostle beseecheth the church at Thessalonica, that they 
 settle themselves upon a sure foundation, and that they be 
 not removed from the truth. He putteth them in mind 
 what they have heard, and of whom they have heard it, 
 and exhorteth them to continue stedfast therein. 
 
 Neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as it were 
 from us. — Let no man entice you, from the love of the 
 truth, nor withdraw you, or remove you, from that blessed 
 hope, unto which you be called ; neither by pretence of reve- 
 lation, which any would seem to receive of the Spirit of 
 God ; nor by pretence of any word of mine, as if I had so 
 spoken ; nor by any letter, given unto you in my name, as 
 if I had so written. In these words, he doth not only 
 strengthen them against such practices of crafty and false 
 teachers, but giveth them therewithal a testimony of their 
 constant abiding in the truth of the Gospel. 
 
 Otherwise, if the seducers had prevailed, and if the 
 Thessalonians had yielded unto them, and received their 
 error, he would then have- framed his speech unto them 
 after this manner : O suffer yourselves to be advised. 
 You do not run well ; you have lost the high-way. Give 
 place to the Spirit of God ; submit yourselves under his 
 mighty hand ; refuse not the calling whereby he hath called 
 you. I could speak such things, wherewith you would be 
 better pleased ; but your case is such, it requireth rather 
 free, and plain, and sharp reprehension, whereby you may 
 be brought to consider and amend your errors, than fair 
 
168 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. II. 
 
 and smoothed speech, which might hold you stiU in your 
 folly. 
 
 Seek therefore the kingdom of God, and the glory 
 thereof, and seek not yourselves. Weigh truth and false- 
 hood in an indifferent balance ; so shall the heavier weight 
 of the one soon betray the lightness of the other. What 
 thing in the world so massy, and so weighty, as is the 
 truth ? Harden not your hearts, as did your fathers in the 
 wilderness. It is no sin to yield unto God : it is no shame 
 to lay apart aU affection, and to change your mind to the 
 denial of all ungodliness, and embracing of true holiness. 
 The wise man saith, " There is a shame that bringeth 
 sin, and a shame that bringeth worship and favour." 
 (Eccl. iv. 21.) 
 
 In this sort it is likely the Apostle would have spoken, 
 if need had so required. But now, seeing them forcibly 
 assaulted, and that yet they strived with such good courage 
 against the persuasions of the wicked ; he commendeth 
 their stedfastness, and exhorteth them by these words, not 
 to yield unto their persecutors, nor to go from their faith in 
 Christ Jesus. 
 
 Neither by spirit : that is, by revelation of the Spirit. — 
 The Spirit of God wrought mightily, and bestowed sundry 
 and great gifts upon men. Christ said to his disciples, 
 " When they deliver you up, take ye no thought how or 
 what ye shall speak ; for it shall be given you in that same 
 hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but 
 the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you." (Matt. 
 X. 19, 20.) And again, saith he, " I will pray the Father, 
 and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may 
 abide with you for ever, — the Spirit of truth ; whom the 
 world cannot receive, because the world seeth him not, 
 neither knoweth him : but ye know him ; for he dwelleth 
 with you, and shall be in you." (John xiv. 16, 17.) The 
 Holy Ghost shall be with you, to assist you, to teach you 
 
VEU. 1, 2.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 169 
 
 all things, to direct your counsels, to lead you into all 
 truth, and to preserve you from all error. 
 
 Now, as the Spirit of God was among the faithful, and 
 distributed to every man several* gifts, as it seemed best 
 to profit withal : so did the spirit of Satan wait upon the 
 wicked, and possessed their hearts and bodies, and caused 
 them to imagine, and to do, those things which were un- 
 seemly. He used them as instruments to disquiet the 
 Church of God, and to cast into it the seed of error, of 
 untruth, and dissension. 
 
 Of such spirits St. John giveth warning, saying: " Be- 
 lieve not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are 
 of God ; for many false prophets are gone into the world.'' 
 (1 John iv. 1.) At what time Ahab would not believe the 
 answer which the Prophet Micaiah made him, there came 
 forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said : '• I will 
 go out, and be a false spirit in the mouth of all his 
 prophets." (1 Kings xxii. 22.) 
 
 This spirit ever walketh up and down, seeking whom he 
 may devour, and blindeth the minds of many, that the light 
 of the glorious Gospel of Christ may not shine unto them. 
 Take heed that you be not deceived by any such, which 
 shall seek to abuse you by pretence of revela<^ion. Though 
 they shall take upon them to tell you of the dav or hour of 
 the coming of our Lord, believe them not ; for the false 
 spirit is in the mouth of such prophets. 
 
 Nor hy word. — Or, if any shall report, and go about to 
 persuade you, that I have so spoken or taught in the con- 
 gregations 3 or wiU boldly countenance out such matter?, 
 and tell you, saying, I was present, I heard his words and 
 remember them, this was the doctrine which Paul preached : 
 refuse him that is such an one, for he bringeth not the truth 
 unto you, but deceiveth you with lying and vain fables. 
 
 * Several ; that is, separate and distinct ; " dividing to every man 
 sevendlj as He will." (l Cor. xii. 11.) — Editor. 
 
170 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. II. 
 
 Nor by letter, as it were from us. — Again, it may be 
 they which lie in wait to destroy you, for their better way, 
 will counterfeit letters, and send them unto you in my name. 
 This is a token in them, that they be past shame. Be not 
 you carried away by any such pretence from that which we 
 have preached unto you. We have not taught you that the 
 day of Christ is at hand. Oh, then, be not so soon re- 
 moved away unto another gospel, by them which trouble 
 you, and intend to pervert the Gospel of Christ. 
 
 Many such slights and false devices have been used by 
 deceiving spirits, to blind the eyes of the simple. There 
 have been some, which have set abroad their own fantasies 
 under the name of Adam, the first man that God created 
 upon the face of the earth, and of Cain and Seth. Others 
 have called their own dreams the Gospel of Thomas, and 
 of Bartholomew, and of Barnaby, and of the Apostles 
 of Christ.* St. Augustine saith of the Manichees :t 
 ' The Manichees read secret hidden Scriptures, written, I 
 know not by what cobblers of fables, under the name of 
 the Apostles.' Such writings were never written by them, 
 whose name they bear ; but were wickedly and falsely 
 counterfeited under their names by sundry heretics. 
 
 This is that, whereof our Saviour gave us warning : 
 " Take heed that no man deceive you : for many shall come 
 in mv name, saying, I am Christ ; and shaU deceive many." 
 (Matt.xxiv. 4, 5.) Again, he saith : ■' If any shall say unto 
 you, Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not ; for there 
 shall arise false Christs, and false prophets." (vers. 23, 24.) 
 Into what shape cannot he transfoi-m himself, in whose name 
 will not he craftily set forth his errors, which dareth falsely 
 set himself in the place of the Son of God .'' This hath 
 
 * The ApocryjAal Books, here alluded to, the reader will find in 
 Jones's Canon of the New Testament — Editor. 
 
 \ Manichsei legunt Scripturas apocryphas, nescio a quibus sutori- 
 bus fabularum, sub nomine Apostolorum, scriptas. — August, contra 
 Fauslum, lib. 22. cap.QQ. 
 
VER. 1, 2.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 171 
 
 evermore been the practice of that old serpent, to change 
 himself into the likeness of an angel of light ; and, under 
 the credit of holy men, to deceive the world with unholy 
 and unwholesome things. 
 
 Since the time that the Church of God hath departed 
 from her first faith, and would no longer be guided by the 
 voice of the Gospel, what and how great forgeries have 
 there been wrought ! What epistles, and canons, and de- 
 cretals, have been devised, to maintain several parts of false 
 religion, and pubhshed under the name of Clemens, Cletus, 
 Anacletus, and of others whereof these holy Fathers never 
 thought ! Thus have they cloaked themselves under the 
 covert of the Apostles, and of the Fathers of the primitive 
 Church, and have sought to win credit in the world by 
 false shew of antiquity. 
 
 It is certain that the Son of man shall come with his 
 holy angels, and shall reward every man according to that 
 he hath done in this life. Then will he give sentence 
 against the wicked, and will place the faithful at his right 
 hand. In that day, " the heavens shall pass away with a 
 great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat ; 
 the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be ut- 
 terly burned." (2 Pet. iii. 10.) " In that day, we which live 
 and remain shall be caught up together with them (that 
 are dead in Christ) in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the 
 air." (1 Thess. iv. 17.) " But of that day and hourknow- 
 eth no man ; no not the angels of heaven, but my Father 
 only," saith our Saviour Christ. (Matt. xxiv. 36.) 
 
 Now, it remaineth that we see, by occasion of this prac- 
 tice of the false Prophets, or false Apostles, of whom St. 
 Paul here warneth the Thessalonians, how the wicked abuse 
 the Holy Scriptures, and understand them contrary to their 
 meaning. St. Peter said, " The day of the Lord will come 
 as a thief in the night;" (2 Pet. iii. 10.) even as Paul had 
 written unto this people : as also it is spoken in the words 
 I 2 
 
172 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 of Christ, " They shall see the Son of man come in the 
 clouds, with power and great glory," (Matt. xxiv. 30.) 
 The false Apostles use the same words, aud wrest them to 
 evil purpose ; and take upon them to judge of the end 
 of the world, and at what time the coming of Christ 
 should he. 
 
 Christ said, " Destroy this temple, and in three days I 
 will raise it up again." (John ii. 19.) There arose cer- 
 tain that did bear false witness against him, saying, We 
 heard him sav he would destroy this temple made with 
 hands. They remembered that temple was forty and six 
 \€ars-building, and thought it impossible that he could 
 rear it in three days. They took his words otherwise than 
 lie meant : they thought of the material temple of stone 
 in Jerusalem ; and he spake of the temple of his body. 
 
 Again, Christ saith, "Thou art Peter, and upon this 
 rock will I build my church." (Matt. xvi. 18.) These are 
 the words of Christ spoken unto Peter, after he had wit- 
 nessed of him, that he is Christ the Son of the living God. 
 Hereof they say, Peter is the rock ; and the bi.sbop of Rome 
 is Peter's successor : he is the rock upon which the Church 
 is builded, and shall stand stedfast for ever. But they un- 
 derstand the words contrary to the meaning. For, alas ! 
 who would conceive that God would build his Church upon 
 a man, or upon any creature ? Christ only is that Rock, 
 whereupon his Church is settled. " Other foundation can 
 no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 
 (1 Cor. iii. 11.) 
 
 Therefore Chrj'sostom expoundeth these words :* ' I will 
 build my Church upon this rock ; that is, upon this 
 faith and confession.' Likewise St. Augustine : f ' Upon 
 
 * Super hanc petram sedificabo ecclesiam meam ; id est, super 
 fidem atque confessionem. — C/uys. Horn. 55. in Matt. 
 
 f Super hanc petram, quam confessus es, &c. — Horn. 13. de Verbn 
 Dom. sec. Malt. 
 
VER. 1,2.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 173 
 
 this rock which thou hast confessed, upon this rock which 
 thou hast known, saying, Thou art Christ, the Son of the 
 living God, will I build my Church.' That is, ' I will 
 build my Church upon myself, which am the Son of the 
 living God : I will not build myself upon thee, but I will 
 thee upon me.' 
 
 Christ saith, " Except a man be born again, he cannot 
 see the kingdom of God." (John iii. 3.) These words are 
 most true. For by our own nature we be the vessels of 
 God's wrath, and the children of damnation. Unless we be 
 regenerate, and born anew of water and of the Holy Ghost, 
 we cannot be saved. Yet Nicodemus, a wise man, a pharisee, 
 and a ruler of the Jews, mistook this speech. It seemed 
 strange unto him how a man might be born when he is old. 
 "Can he enter," saith he, " the second time into his mother's 
 womb, and be born ? how can these things be .''" Jesus an- 
 swered, and said unto him, " Art thou a master of Israel, and 
 knowest not these things.^" (vers. 4; 9, 10.) This new 
 birth must be from above, even by the working of the Holy 
 Ghost. 
 
 Again, Christ saith : " Except ye eat the flesh of the Son 
 of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you." (John 
 vi. 53.) The Jews heard him, but mistook his words : 
 they did not understand his meaning. Therefore they 
 said : This is an hard saying, who can abide the hearing of 
 it ? They reasoned among themselves how it might be, 
 that either he could give them his flesh to eat, or that they 
 could take his flesh and eat it, or take his blood to drink it. 
 But when Jesus knew that his disciples murmured at it, he 
 said unto them : " Doth this offend you ? It is the Spirit 
 that quickeneth ; the flesh profiteth nothing." (vers. 61; 63.) 
 
 Hereof Augustine saith :* ' They took the saying of 
 Christ foolishly ; they thought of it carnally, and imagined 
 
 * Acceperunt illud stulte, 5;c. — August, in Fsal. xcviii. 
 
174 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CKAP. II. 
 
 that the Lord would cut off small pieces from his body, and 
 give it to them. Therefore they saidj This saying is hard. 
 They were hard, and not the saying. For if they had been 
 meek, and not hard, they would have said to themselves. 
 This is not spoken without some cause : there is some 
 mystery hidden under his words.' And again he saith :* 
 ' Understand these things spiritually, which I have spoken 
 unto you. You shall not eat (with the mouth of your 
 body) this body that you see; nor shall you drink that 
 blood which they shall shed, that shall crucify me. I have 
 commended unto you some sacrament : understand it spi- 
 ritually, and it shall quicken you.' 
 
 Thus we see the true meaning of Christ's words, and 
 after what gross manner the Capernaites understood them. 
 Let us beware we fall not into like error. Christ spake 
 trtdy of his body, when he called it a temple : the Jev.'s 
 destroyed it, and in three days he did raise it up again. 
 Mistake not his words ; be not deceived. It is true that he 
 said, " Upon this rock will I build my Church." Mistake 
 him not : Christ himself is the rock, and not Peter. It is 
 true that a man must be born anew, or else he cannot be 
 saved. Mistake not this : hereby is meant not a bodily 
 birth, but a renewing of the soul of man. It is truly said, 
 that Christ's flesh is that bread which came from heaven, 
 and giveth life to the world. But mistake it not : for this 
 bread fiUeth not the body, but the mind : it requireth the 
 hunger of the inner man. Even so is it true that the Apos- 
 tle saith of the day of the Lord. Take heed you mistake 
 him not, and fall into the error of the false apostles, which 
 take upon them to appoint the time and hour, when the 
 Son of man shall come unto judgment. 
 
 * Spiritualiter intelligite, qu« locutus sum. Nou hoc corpus, &c. — 
 jiuntist, in Psal. xcviii. 
 
VER. 3.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 175 
 
 Verse 3. — Let no man deceive you by any means : for that 
 day shall not come, except there come a departing first, 
 and that man of sin be disclosed, even the son of perdi- 
 tion. 
 
 The Church of God hath ever been under persecution and 
 afflictions, as may appear by the stories of all ages : but 
 God hath not failed to comfort them, and work their de- 
 liverance. Israel was in great bondage under Pharoah. 
 They were put to great slavery, to chop straw, and to bake 
 brick, &c. Their male children were slain before their 
 faces. This was done unto them, that so they might be 
 rooted out, and their name quite put out from the earth. It 
 was high time for the Lord to put to his hand. They 
 called upon him in their troubles, and he heard them. Then 
 sent he Moses and Aaron, and delivered them : he opened 
 the Red Sea, and gave them passage. 
 
 When the Philistines oppressed them, God sent them 
 Gideon, Barak, Jehu, Deborah, and Sampson; whom he en- 
 dued with wisdom, and courage, and power to overcome 
 their enemies, and to set them at liberty. What should I 
 speak of Nebuchodonosor, Antiochus, Nero, Julian, and 
 other tyrants ? They oppressed the servants of God, and 
 kept them in great misery. But God looked doMTi from 
 heaven, and was their helper in the time of need : he brake 
 the cords asunder, and delivered them. The more cruelty 
 was intended or practised against them, the moie glorious 
 did God shew himself in the overthrow of their enemies. 
 
 Great oppressions and cruel persecutions were done 
 upon the saints of God by these and other wicked princes. 
 But the most cruel of any that ever were, or are, or shall 
 be, is the cruelty of Antichrist. By him the Church of 
 God shall suffer great tribiUation, such as was not from the 
 beginning of the world. And then shall his fury increase, 
 and his tyranny be the greater, when his kingdom shall 
 decay, and the days of his desolation shall be at hand. 
 
176 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP, II. 
 
 Primasius saith :* ' Then shall Babylon come to the ground, 
 when she shall last of all take power to persecute the saints 
 of God.' For them will God arise, and will judge his own 
 cause ; he will deliver the afflicted, and will slay Antichrist 
 with the breath of his mouth. Hereof St. Gregory saith 
 thus :t ' The Church, after these days of her affliction, shall 
 after\yards, notwithstanding, be strengthened with great 
 power and might of preaching.' 
 
 Except there come a departing first. — There must first be 
 a departing from faith in the Church of God, and then shall 
 be the coming of the Lord. There was one general de- 
 parting in the days of Noah. All flesh had corrupt their 
 ways : there was not any that did seek after righteousness. 
 Then came the day of the Lord upon them : he poured out 
 the waters, and they prevailed upon the earth, so that both 
 man, and cattle, and worm, and the fowl of the heaven, were 
 destroyed. There was a general departing of the Jews 
 and people of God at Jerusalem, They made the house of 
 God a den of thieves : they saved a thief, and crucified the 
 Lord of glory. God had no delight in them, neither re- 
 garded their sacrifices. Christ said unto them : " O Jeru- 
 salem, Jerusalem, thou thatkillest the prophets, and stonest 
 them which have been sent unto thee, how often would I 
 have gathered thy children together, even as a hen ga- 
 thereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not • 
 Behold your house is left unto you desolate." (Matt, xxiii. 37, 
 38.) " They shall not leave in thee one stone upon another, 
 because thou knowest not the time of thy visitation." 
 (Luke xix. 44.) Such a departing it shall be, whereof 
 the Apostle speaketh ; and so general, that the Son of man, 
 when he cometh, shall hardly find faith upon the earth. 
 
 But this departing is diversly taken. Some understand 
 
 * Tunc cadet Babylon, quando novissime potestatem persequendi 
 sanctos acceperit. — Primas, in Apoc. xvi. 
 f Greg, in Job. xxix. lib. 19. cop. 9. 
 
VER. 3.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 177 
 
 it of the empire, that the kingdoms and comitries which 
 were before in subjection to that estate, shall depart from it, 
 and that then Antichrist shall spring up. Others think that 
 this is spoken of that departing, wherein the godly have car- 
 ried themselves from the obedience of the Church of Rome. 
 
 But others more truly say, it is the departure from the 
 doctrine, and religion, and love, and obedience of the Gos- 
 pel of Christ Whereof in another place he saith : " In the 
 latter times some shall depart from the faith, and shall give 
 heed to spirits of error, and doctrines of devils, forbidding 
 to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, wliich 
 God hath created to be received with giving thanks of them 
 which beheve and know the truth." (1 Tim. iv. 1 — 3.) These 
 men shall have a form of godliness, but shall deny the 
 power thereof. They shall turn their ears away from the 
 truth, and will incline their hearts to hear fables. 
 
 The words of the Apostle are plain, to shew that there 
 shall be a departing. But, as we see, it is not agreed upon, 
 what manner of departing this shall be, nor by wliom it 
 shall be wrought. Our adversaries lay it unto us, saying. 
 You have wrought this departing : you have departed from 
 the Church of Rome : you are they of whom St. Paul hath 
 spoken : you are the founders of Antichrist. So say thev : 
 but would to God they and their fathers, and the Church 
 of Rome, had not wrought this departure ! 
 
 Bernard beheld the state, and pride, and disorders of the 
 Church of Rome in his time ; therefore said he :* ' It remaiii- 
 eth that the man of sin, that is, the son of perdition, be re- 
 vealed ; even the devil, which flieth not only in the day, 
 but destroyeth in the noon-day ; which is not only changed 
 into an angel of light, but is exalted above all that is called 
 
 ♦ Superest ut rovcletur homo peccati, filius perditiouis ; non mmlo 
 dceuioiiii'.ra diuruum, sed et meridianum ; quod non solum transf. iu- 
 ratur in angelum lucis, sed extollitur supra omne quod dicitur Di-us, 
 aut quod colitur — Btini. Serin. 6. in Psal. xci. 
 
178 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. II. 
 
 God, or that is worshipped.' And Gregory did see who they 
 were that should work this departing, and make way for 
 Antichrist ; therefore said he :* 'I speak it boldly : whosoever 
 caUeth himself the universal priest, or desireth so to be called 
 (as doth the Pope) in the pride of his heart, he is the fore- 
 runner of Antichrist.' 
 
 Now, that we may yet better know what manner of depar- 
 tui-e that shall be, let us consider what St. Paul speaketh of 
 the Church of God, which was in his time. Unto the Corin- 
 thians he saith : "If all prophesy, and there come in one 
 that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is rebuked of all 
 men, he is judged of all men, and so are the secrets of his 
 heart made manifest, and so wUl he faU down on his face, 
 and worship God, and say plainly, that God is in you in- 
 deed. How is it then, brethren ? "When you come together, 
 every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a 
 tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation : let all 
 things be done unto edifying, &c. For God is not the aa- 
 thor of confusion, but of peace, as we see in all the Churches.' 
 (1 Cor.xiv. 24—26; 33.) 
 
 Blessed were they of God. All things among them were 
 done to edifying. The holy Scriptures were read openly 
 in the presence of the people : the people reverently kept 
 silence, and gave ear, and understood the wiU of God, and 
 submitted themselves unto it. The prayers were in a known 
 tongue, so that the unlearned might understand them, and 
 say. Amen. The holy mysteries were duly ministered. 
 The people received the sacrament of the Lord's Supper 
 under both kinds, as Christ hath instituted; and did all 
 communicate together. Chrysostom, writing upon that 
 chapter, saith :t ' Verily the Church then was a heaven, the 
 
 * Ego fidenter dico, &c Greg. lib. 6. Epist. 30. 
 
 f Vere turn Ecclesia coelum fuit, &c. — Chrys. Horn. 36. in 1 ad 
 Cor. 
 
VER. 3.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 179 
 
 Spirit of God ordering all things, and directing all the heads 
 of the church.' 
 
 In the time of Tertullian, the Christians still kept this 
 inanner. Therefore he saith :* ' We meet together at the 
 reading of the holy Scriptures : we nourish our faith with 
 those heavenly words : by them we raise up our hope, and 
 settle our affiance and trust. Augustine, Chrysostom, 
 Origen, and other ancient and godly Fathers, commended 
 the reading of the Scriptures unto the people j called upon 
 them to read them themselves, or to get others to read 
 unto them ; and that they would hear them not only in the 
 Church, but also at home in their houses. They taught 
 them the hurt and danger of ignorance ; that ignorance of 
 the Scriptures hath been the cause of heresies, and that it 
 hath brought in corruption of life and of manners. This was 
 the order and usage of the Church in the time of the holy 
 Apostles, and of our first Fathers. The people were guided 
 by the word of God, they were made partakers of the holy 
 mysteries, and aU things were done in the Church to edi- 
 fying. And the same order is this day restored, and practised 
 in our churches. 
 
 Let us look into the Church of Rome, and behold the 
 usage and behaviour thereof . Where shall we find that hea- 
 venly comehness, which St. Paul requireth } Where is the 
 comfortable reading of Scriptures ? Where is the people 
 taught their salvation in Christ Jesus ? Where is the bro- 
 therly meeting of aU the congregation at the communion of 
 the Lord's Supper .'' May w^e say of Rome, that it holdeth 
 fast the form and fashion of that Church, which Christ and 
 his Apostles left unto us, and which the holy ancient Fa- 
 thers continued? Nay, rather, we may say of them, with Chry- 
 sostom, They may have the chests and coffers wherein the 
 
 • Coimus ad divinarum litcrarum commemorationem, fidem Sanctis 
 vocibus pasciinus, spern erigimus, fiduciam figimus. — Terlul. in Jpolo- 
 gelico. 
 
80 
 
 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND TcHAP. II. 
 
 treasure was sometimes kept ; but the treasures they have not. 
 We may say. It is not now a house of prayer, but a den of 
 thieves. We may say, It shall no more be called Bethel, 
 the house of God ; but Bethaven, the house of vanity, or of 
 lying. 
 
 Jupiter and Bacchus, and the idols of the heathen, were 
 not so dishonoured of their worshippers, as the almighty 
 and everlasting and only true God is dishonoured in that 
 synagogue. I speak of it as it is now, and as it hath been 
 these many years. For in the time of our elder Fathers, it 
 had great testimony of true holiness. Ignatius called it 
 castissimam, most chaste. Tertulhan said, it was a happy 
 Church, because the Apostles of Christ suffered martyrdom 
 in it, and left their whole doctrine unto it. And in like 
 sort did others give unto Rome, as it was in those times, 
 reverend and worthy commendation. But now, saith he :* 
 • O Rome, how much art thou changed from the old Rome ! 
 thou which hast been the chief in all the world, ait now the 
 chief in all naughtiness.' They have forsaken the trade 
 of life, and the love of the Gospel, which they of old time 
 had in Rome ; and therefore cannot be inheritors of their 
 commendation. 
 
 When Chrysostom considered the state of the Church, 
 as the Apostle speaketh of it unto the Corinthians, and did 
 see how far the Church in his time swerved from that, he 
 said :t ' We have now only the bare signs of those things. 
 Again:]: 'The Church, which is now, may be likened to 
 a woman, which hath forsaken her wonted modesty, and 
 hath only certain outward shews of that first fehcity ; and 
 keepeth still the hutches and boxes of precious things, but 
 
 * O Roma, a Roma quantum mutata vetusta es ' 
 Wane caput es scelerum, quae caput orbis er.3. 
 
 mlCoTxiv!'*' """'"^'^ *'''*"'° ""'■^ iUarum tenemus.-CAre,.o.^ 
 
 t Videtur Ecclesia hodi^ mulieri, quae mansuetudine veteriexciderif 
 similis, quaeque symbola tantum, &c: eicmenf , 
 
VER. 3.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 181 
 
 lacketh the ti'easure wliicli was in them. To such a woman 
 may the Church this day be likened. I speak not this of 
 the gifts, (for the matter were not so great, if we wanted 
 them only,) but of life and of virtue.' And again he saith :* 
 ' I will tell you of one other box of that treasure which our 
 father left unto us, which is empty, and hath nothing left in 
 it at this' day. In times past they did sing altogether ; so 
 do we also : but then they were aU of one mind, and of one 
 heart : at this day you shall not find one man that agreeth 
 with himself, there is such war and discord in all things 
 everywhere. The name of peace is common in all places, 
 but peace itself is nowhere to be found. Then men did use 
 their houses like Churches : now men do use the Church as 
 they use their house ; nay, more profanely than any house.' 
 Thus Chrysostom blamed the Church in his time, and 
 layeth out their departing from the faith. He lived about 
 411 years after Christ. 
 
 What may we think he would say of the Church that hath 
 been of latter years, if he had lived to see the deformity and 
 abuses thereof.? where, besides that they are not of one 
 mind and of one heart, they suffer not the people all toge- 
 ther to sing the praises of God : where they have not only 
 emptied such boxes or hutches, wherein Christ left great 
 treasures unto his Church ; but have made light account of 
 them, and have cast away the very pattern and images of 
 true godhness. They drive away the people from reading 
 the Scriptures, and reckon that as unlawful, as to cast the 
 bread of the children unto dogs, or pearls before swhie. 
 They lead men from trust in the blood of Christ, and 
 teach them to believe such things, and to put confidence in 
 those creatureS; which cannot profit or help them at all. 
 
 You may remember what prayers they used. But bless 
 your ears : for they are words full of horrible blasphemy. 
 
 * Scrinium aliud paterni thesauri exinanitum hodie dicani, Sec. 
 
182 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 They said to the holy and blessed Virgin Mary, the mother 
 of our Reedeemer and Saviour :* ' Our trust and hope we 
 put in thee, O Virgin Mary ; defend us everlastingly.' They 
 say :t ' O happy mother, which dost purge us from our 
 sins.' And :% ' The merits of holy Mary bring us to the hea- 
 venly kingdom.' Again :§ ' Thou art the mediator between 
 God and man, the advocate for the poor, the refuge of all 
 sinners.' O merciful Christ, what is become of thy pas- 
 sion .'' where is the price of thy blood .'' How are we led away 
 from thee, to seek redemption in a creature ! Again they 
 say unto her : ' Thou art the lady of angels : thou art the 
 queen of heaven. Command thy Son : shew thyself to be a 
 mother.' He is thy son, thou art his mother : the mother 
 may command, the child must obey. 
 
 Again, they turn all that is spoken, in the whole book of 
 the Psalms of the prophet David, either of God or of Christ, 
 and apply it to the Virgin Mar}s and call that Psalter, Psal- 
 ierium Beatce Mariee, ' the Psalter of blessed Mary.' Who 
 will take the pains to peruse it, shall find that comfortable 
 speech of our Saviour, " Come unto me, all ye that are 
 weary and laden, and I will ease you," (Matt. xi. 28, 29.) 
 thus blasphemously abused in the second Psalm : || 'Come 
 unto her, all ye that travail and be heavily laden ; and she 
 wiU give rest and comfort unto your souls.' 
 
 Another saith, the kingdom of God is of two parts, of 
 justice and of mercy. He reserveth justice to himself : and 
 the other part, that is, mercy, he hath yeilded unto his 
 mother. Therefore one of them playeth the proctor, and 
 
 * In te, Virgo Maria, confidimus ; in te speramus : nos defendas in 
 aeternum. 
 
 f O felix puerpera, Nostra pians scelera. 
 
 ;J: Sanctse Marise merita ducant nos ad regna coelestia. 
 
 § Tu mediatrix Dei at hominum, advocata pauperum, refugium 
 peccatorum. 
 
 II Venite ad earn omnes qui laboratis, et tribulati estis ; et refri- 
 gerium et solatium dabit animabus vestris. — Psalt. Beatce Mariee, 
 Fs. ii. 
 
VER. 3.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 183 
 
 taketh upon him to shew the difference of those two courts, 
 saying :* ' You must appeal from the court of God'g 
 justice, to the court of his Mother's mercy.' And is there 
 not good cause he should give us this counsel, if it be true 
 that he hath written,t ' No mercy cometh from heaven to 
 the earth, but it must pass by the hands of Mary : for she 
 is the mediator of our salvation, of our justification, of our 
 reconciliation, and of our participation ?' 
 
 What is blasphemy, if this be not blasphemy ? They which 
 will seem somewhat to blush at these things, will perhaps ex- 
 cuse this, and caU it spiritual dalliance. Unhappy are they, and 
 heavy judgment shall abide them, that in such sort dally and 
 scorn the price of our redemption. O, let us open om* eyes ! 
 We are the sons of God. God hath given us eyes to see, and 
 ears to hear, and hearts to miderstand. Let us judge up- 
 rightly. It is God's cause. Whosever considereth these 
 and such other great errors, must needs confessthatthe Church 
 of Rome hath wrought that departing, whereof the Apostle 
 speaketh. In the late Council of Trent, Cornelius the 
 Bishop of Bitonto did something plainly acknowledge the 
 great apostacy and departing of the Church of Rome, both 
 in matters of faith, and in conversation and life. These be 
 his words :+ ' Would God they were not gone wholly with 
 general consent from religion to superstition, from faith to 
 infidelity, from Christ to Antichrist, from God to Epicurus ; 
 saying, with wicked hea'rt and filthy mouth. There is no 
 God. Neither hath there been this great while any Pastor or 
 Pope that regarded these things. For they all (both Pope 
 and Cardinals, and other) sought their own ; and not so 
 
 * A foro justitiae Dei appellandura est ad forum misericordiae Ma- 
 tris ejus. — Bcrnardiiuis in lilarhilL 
 
 f Nulla gratia venit de ccelo ad terram, nisi transeat per manus 
 Maria;. Est enim mediatrix salvationis, justificationis, recoucilia- 
 tionis, communicationis. 
 
 X Utinam a religione ad superstitionem, &c. 
 
184 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 much as one of them sought for the things that pertain to 
 Jesus Christ.' 
 
 Yet say they, there can be no departing from the faith in 
 the Church of Rome ; the faith thereof cannot fail. For 
 Christ hath said : ' I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail 
 not.' (Luke xxii. 32.) And again : 'The gates of hell shall 
 not prevail against it.' (Matt. xvi. 18.) Therefore in that 
 place there can be no decay. This is the saying of some, 
 who humble not themselves to know their error ; who love 
 the praise of men more than the praise of God ; whose 
 glory is their shame, who mind earthly things. 
 
 The Apostle sailh, there shall be a departing ; that it 
 shall be not among the Jews and Infidels, but among those 
 which were reckoned to be of the household of faith, and 
 the children of God. What is it, from which they shall de- 
 part, or wherein the decay shall be ? Doth he mean their 
 riches, their gold and silver, and bread, &c. ? No, but the 
 doctrine of the Gospel, and faith in Christ. The pure 
 words which as silver from the earth are tried and purified 
 seven times in the fire, the well of water which springeth 
 up into everlasting life, shall decay in the house of God. 
 The people shall shut their ears that they may not hear 
 the truth, and shall give heed unto spirits of error, and doc- 
 trines of devils, which speak lies through hypocrisy. 
 
 And let them not say that the Church of Rome cannot err. 
 For where did Christ ever give, or where have the Apos- 
 tles ever made mention of, any such privilege granted to 
 that Church ? 
 
 St. Peter saith : ' There were false prophets also among 
 the people, even as there shall be false teachers among 
 you ; which privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even 
 denying the Lord that hath bought them, and bring upon 
 themselves swift damnation : and many shall follow their 
 damnable ways, by whom the way of truth shall be evil 
 
VER. 3.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 185 
 
 spoken of." (2 Pet. ii. 1, 2.) Paul warned the Church of 
 God at Ephesus, not only that " after his departing grievous 
 wolves should enter in among them :" but also, that " of 
 themselves should men arise, speaking perverse things, to 
 draw disciples after them." (Acts xx. 29.) 
 
 AVhen Christ said ; "When the Son of man shall come, 
 shall he find faith upon the earth?" (Luke xviii. S.) and 
 when he told his disciples that " the abomination of desola- 
 tion shall stand in the holy place :" (Matt. xxiv. 15.) when 
 he warned them in this sort ; " Then if any shall say unto 
 you, Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not ; for there 
 shall arise false Christs, and false Prophets, and shall shew 
 great signs and wonders, so that, if it were possible, the very 
 elect should be deceived ." (vers. 23, 24.) it is most evident 
 he spake of that departing which should come, and should 
 appear in the Church of God : which departing our fore- 
 fathers did behold and mark in their times ; and which 
 hath of late years appeared so manifestly, that no man, who 
 is not wilfully blind, can doubt thereof. 
 
 St. Paul knew not any such state of the Church of 
 Rome, or any especial grant made unto it in such sort 
 that it should never err. For unto the Church of Rome 
 he writeth : " Boast not thyself : be not high- minded, but 
 fear. For if God spared not the natural branches, take 
 heed lest he also spare Hot thee. Through unbelief they 
 are broken off, and thou standest by faith. Behold there- 
 fore the bountifulness and severity of God : towards them 
 which have fallen, severity; but towards thee, bountiful- 
 ness, if thou continue in his bountifulness : or else thou 
 shalt also be cut ofi"." (Rom. xi. 20 — 22.) That is, if he spared 
 not the Jews his own people, how will he spare thee that art 
 but a stranger } If thou continue not, thou shalt be cut 
 off. It may be thou shalt also depart from the faith, as the 
 Jews have done : then shalt thou be as a withered branch, 
 and shalt not draw any moisture from the root : then will 
 
186 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. II, 
 
 God also forsake thee, and thy end shall be worse than the 
 beginning. I trow, in saying thus^, he said not, ' Thou shalt 
 not err.' 
 
 If the Church of Rome cannot err, what need have they 
 of that Church either of the Scriptures, or of the Fathers, 
 or of Councils } Perhaps through this pride they grew first 
 to despise the holy Scriptures, and would not direct their 
 ways by them. They are high-minded, and boast them- 
 selves that they are as Mount Zion which shall not be moved. 
 Yet our Saviour likeneth the Church sometimes to sheep ; 
 as in the fifteenth of St. Matthew, "I am not sent but unto 
 the lost sheep of Israel :" sometimes to children, which are 
 simple, and soon beguiled : sometimes to a vine, which is 
 weak, and easily thrown down : sometimes to the moon, which 
 waxeth, and is also in wane, and many times giveth no light. 
 The ancient Fathers compare the Church of God to no one 
 tiling so usually, as to a ship. And who knoweth not how 
 a ship is tossed hither and thither ? how it is in danger of 
 sands, and of rocks, and of pirates, and in danger of drowning 
 by leaking } If the sheep were not a straying kind of 
 cattle, why should they need a shepherd ? If little children 
 could guide themselves, what need had they of a guider ? If 
 the vine did not hang down, and lie on the ground, what 
 need were there of props, or of one to set it up ? If there 
 were no fear for the passage of a ship, if it could not mis- 
 carry, what would it need a pilot ? 
 
 Let no man therefore say, the Church is safe for ever ; 
 it cannot err, it cannot decay. Such words are deceiv- 
 able and lying words. For false prophets shall come. 
 There shall be a desolation : there shall be a departing, even 
 in the house of God : and that day of Christ shall not come, 
 except there come a departing first, and that man of sin be 
 disclosed, even the son of perdition. 
 
VER. 4.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 187 
 
 Vebse 4. — Which is an adversary , and exalteth himself against 
 all that is called God, or that is worshipped : so that he 
 doth sit in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is 
 God. 
 
 This the Apostle speaketh of Antichrist. He is the man of 
 sin, and the son of perdition. It will be somewhat hard to 
 treat of this matter, and to open the words of this Scrip- 
 ture. Whatsoever T shall speak, it will be ill taken of many, 
 and many will doubt of the truth of my speeches : such af- 
 fection they bear to him, whom the Apostle deciphereth to 
 be Antichrist. Albeit, whatsoever I will utter in opening 
 the Apostle's words, shall be such as the holy Scriptures and 
 learned waitings of the holy Fathers have left unto us, and 
 the Church of God hath proved, and at this day doth prove, 
 to be true. 
 
 God promised that Christ should come into the M'orld, 
 even the Shiloh, unto whom all the people should be ga- 
 thered : and that he should be the hope of Israel, and de- 
 liver his people from their sins. God made promise of him to 
 Adam, and to Abraham, David, &c. The Scriptures are full, 
 and the prophets make often mention of this promise. Old 
 men, and young men, and all the people waited for the ful- 
 filling thereof, and said : " Send him whom thou wilt send." 
 (Exod. iv. 13.) And again: " Ye heavens, send the dew 
 from above, and let the plouds drop down with righteous- 
 ness : let the earth open, and let salvation and justice grow 
 forth." (Isa. xlv. 8.) And again : " God will come and 
 save you." (Isa. xxxv. 4.) 
 
 Thus was every eye bent upon him, and every heart was 
 waiting for his coming. " But when the fulness of time was 
 come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, that we 
 might receive the adoption of the sons." (Gal. iv. 4.) " He 
 was in the world, and the world knew him not : he came 
 unto his own, and his own received him not." (John i. 10, 1 1 .) 
 "Light came into the world, and men loved darkness better 
 
188 
 
 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. II. 
 
 than light." (John iii. 19.) They to whom the promise was 
 made, and which wished for him, and made all their com- 
 mon talk of the hope of his coming, when he came knew 
 him not ; they reviled him, and said : " Behold a glutton 
 and a drinker of wine, a friend untopubhcans and sinners." 
 (Matt. xi. 19.) They called him Beelzebub, and a false pro- 
 phet, and a seducer of the people. Him they did take by the 
 hands of the wicked : they betrayed him ; they denied the 
 Holy One and Just : they hanged on a tree and killed the 
 Lord of life. 
 
 Such was the receiving of Christ. This did they to him 
 through ignorance. It was not given them to know the 
 secrets of the kingdom of heaven. They have not known 
 the Father, nor, whom he hath sent, Jesus Christ. Therefore 
 saith he : " I confess unto thee. Father, Lord of heaven and 
 earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and 
 learned, and hast revealed them to babes ; even so. Father, 
 because it so pleased thee." (Luke x. 21.) 
 
 Now, as the coming of Christ was, such is the coming of 
 Antichrist. God hath foretold of his coming. Daniel hath 
 foretold, (Dan. ix. 26.) Christ and his Apostles, Paul and 
 John, have foretold it ; the Scriptures and old Fathers make 
 often mention hereof. There is none, neither old nor voung, 
 neither learned nor unlearned, but he hath heard of Anti- 
 christ. They hate his name, and detest him, before they 
 know him. 
 
 But here you may mark the wonderful sleight and 
 subtilty of Satan. The world shall look after the coming 
 of Antichrist. He shall not fail but come. All men shall 
 carry hatred against him and reckon him abominable : and 
 yet their eyes shall be blinded, and their hearts deceived, so 
 that they shall not know him. I'hey shall hate his name, 
 and embrace his doctrine. He shall cover himself with a 
 cloak of holiness. They shall think they do good service 
 unto Christ, but shall therein do service unto Antichrist. 
 
VER. 4.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 189 
 
 The diverse fantasies of men have devised many sundry 
 fond tales of the person of Antichrist. Some say he should 
 be a Jew, of the tribe of Dan : some, that he should be 
 bom in Babylon : some, that he should be bred up in Beth- 
 saida and Chorazin : some, that he should rise up in Syria : 
 some, that Mahomet is Antichrist : some, that he should 
 overthrow Rome : some, that he should build up the city 
 of Jerusalem : some, that Nero was Antichrist : some, that 
 he shoidd be born of a friar and a nun : some, that he should 
 continue but three years and a half : some, that he should 
 turn trees upside down, with the tops in the ground, and 
 should force the roots to grow upward, and then should flee 
 up into heaven, and fall down, and break his neck. These 
 tales have been craftily devised, to beguile our eyes ; that, 
 whilst we think upon these guesses, and so occupy our- 
 selves in beholding a shadow or probable conjecture of 
 Antichrist, he which is Antichrist indeed may unawares 
 deceive us. 
 
 Except that man of sin he disclosed. — The Apostle seemeth 
 to teach us of Antichrist, as if he should be one man, be- 
 cause he calleth him the man of sin. But we may not so 
 take him. The manner of the Scriptures is, oftentimes, and 
 in divers places, it speaketh that of many, which seemeth to 
 bespoken but of one. So doth Daniel shew forth the kingdom 
 and all the kings of Persia, in the name and likeness of a 
 bear; (Dan. vii. 5.) and so describeth the state of other 
 whole kingdoms in such particular names. And so doth 
 the Spirit of God, in the Revelation, set down, under the name 
 of the beast, the succession and continuance of many. (Rev. 
 xiii. 2.) He meaneth not therefore, that Antichrist shall 
 be any one only man, but one estate or kingdom of men, and 
 a continuance of some one pow^r and tyranny in the Churchy 
 We read of Pharoah, a cruel tyrant, that he did persecute 
 the people of God in Egypt : and of Nebuchodonosor, that 
 he oppressed them, and brought them captives into Babylon: 
 
190 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 and of Antiochus, that he hkewise fought against them, 
 and did overcome them, and led them captives into Mace- 
 donia. They all were mighty and cruel tyrants : yet one 
 other shall come, whose cruelty shall be heavier, and 
 whose continuance shall be longer, than was the cruelty or 
 continuance of any of these ; who shall work his purpose, 
 not in Egypt, nor in Babylon, nor in Macedonia, but in the 
 holy place, even in the Church of Christ, and in the house 
 of God. And this state and continuance of persecution in 
 the Church is the state of Antichrist. 
 
 But what shall he do, whereby he may be known ? Paul 
 saith : Wliich is an adversary. This shall be the mark whereby 
 you may know him : he shall set himself against God, and 
 against Christ ; for he is an enemy of the cross of Christ. 
 Why then (say you) are not the Jews, and Mahomet, and 
 the Turks, either all or the most wicked of them, so called, 
 seeing they utterly refuse all Christian religion ? Because 
 none of these sit in the temple of God, which is the place 
 where Antichrist shall advance himself : and because Anti- 
 christ shall not in open shew'set himself against Christ, as 
 doth Mahomet, and the Turks, but subtilely and craftily, 
 like an evil and ungracious servant. He will not openly 
 speak his blasphemies, or spit at the Gospel of God,, or 
 defy the name of Christ : but he will call himself ' the ser- 
 vant of God ;' perhaps, ' the Vicar of Christ ;' and perhaps, 
 ' the servant of God's servants ;' or perhaps, ' the head, or 
 the chief member, of the Church.' He shall say he is led 
 with the zeal of God's house, and shall do nothing less ; 
 for he shall seek himself. He shall say, he seeketh the 
 glory of God ; when all that he doth is for the enriching and 
 ambitious enlarging of his own worldly pomp and vanity. 
 
 In matters of princes, if any man take upon him the name 
 of an ambassador, or deputy to a prince, having no com- 
 mission thereto, and in this boldness presume to live, and 
 raise a power, and force the subjects to follow him 3 although 
 
VER. 4.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 191 
 
 he work all this under the name and by the colour of the 
 prince's authority (as is the manner of rebels to do), yet he 
 is a traitor, and his doings are not well thought of, because 
 he dealeth in the prince's matters without warrant from the 
 prince. 
 
 Even so Antichrist. He shall come in the name of Christ, 
 yet will he do all things against Christ : and, under pretence 
 and colour of serving Christ, he shall devour the sheep and 
 people of Christ ; he shall deface whatsoever Christ hath 
 taught ; he shall quench that fire which Christ hath kindled ; 
 he shall root up those plants which Christ hath planted ; he 
 shall undermine that house which Christ hath built. He 
 shall be contrary to Christ : his faith contrary to the faith 
 of Christ, and his life contrary to the life of Christ. 
 Is any man desirous to know Antichrist ? His com- 
 ing shall be notable ; it shall astonish the world. By 
 this mark you may know him : he shall be contrary to 
 Christ. To shew you at large this contrariety by compari- 
 son of things contrary in Christ and Antichrist, would take 
 long time : it shall be sufficient we consider only some few, 
 wherein they are manifestly contrary, that by them judgment 
 may be made of the residue. 
 
 St. Paul saith : "With one offering hath he consecrated 
 forever them that are sanctified;" (Heb. x. 14.) and again.- 
 " We are sanctified by the offering of the body of 
 Jesus Christ once made. (ver. 10.) What is he then that 
 saith, I make priests to offer a daily sacrifice for the sins 
 of the people ; by whom the offering up of the body of Christ 
 is made every day ? He is contrary to Christ ; he is Anti- 
 Christ. 
 
 St. Paul saith : " God hath appointed Christ over all 
 things to be the head of the Church." (Eph. i. 22.) What 
 is he then which saith : I am the head of the Church } 
 which saith : All the Churches of God are knit in me : you 
 must understand as I understand : you must hear with mine 
 
192 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 ears, and see with mine eyes : I will govern and direct 
 you ? He is contrary to Christ : this is Antichrist. 
 
 Christ ordained that the Communion should be minis- 
 tered under both kinds. (Matt. xxvi. 26, 27.) What is he 
 then that delivereth it to the people but under one kind } 
 He is contrary to Christ ; he breaketh the first institution 
 of the Lord's Supper ; he is Antichrist. 
 
 Christ saith : " My kingdom is not of this world." (John 
 xviii. 36.) What is he then which saith : T am Lord of 
 lords, and King of kings : I have right to both swords : my 
 power and authority reacheth over all the kingdoms of the 
 world } He is contrary to Christ ; he is Antichrist. 
 
 Christ washed his disciples' feet. (John xiii. 5.) What is 
 he then that giveth his feet to be kissed of kings and 
 emperors ? He is contrary to Christ ; he is Antichrist. 
 
 Christ paid tribute to Caesar. (Matt. xvii. 27.) What 
 is he then that exempteth himself and his clergy from the 
 temporal sword and authority } He is contrary to Christ > 
 he is Antichrist. 
 
 Christ allowed marriage, and reproved fornication. (Mark 
 X. 8, 9) What is he then that alloweth fornication, and 
 forbiddeth marriage } He is contrary to Christ ; he is 
 Antichrist. 
 
 Christ saith ; " Search the Scriptures." (John v. 39.) 
 What is he then which saith. Give not that which is holy 
 to dogs, neither cast pearls before swine : ye may not 
 search the Scriptures } He is contrary to Christ ; he is 
 Antichrist. These be the certain and undoubted marks of 
 Antichrist, 
 
 So that he doth sit in the temple of God. — That is, he is 
 bold, and without force of any danger. He is not driven to 
 hide himself in a corner : he is exalted in the eye and in 
 the heart of the world. He beareth rule in the conscience 
 of men. He hath the keys, to open and shut at his pleasure. 
 He maketh kings and princes become his subjects : he 
 
VER. 4.] KPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 1S3 
 
 ruleth them, not by sword or spear only, but by pretence 
 of religion : he telleth them, all things are put in subjection 
 under his feet ; that he is the vicar of Christ ; that his word 
 must be taken as the word of God. So he sitteth in the 
 temple of God, as if he were God. 
 
 The godly preachers sit also in the temple of God. They 
 are the ministers of Christ, and disposers of the secrets of 
 God. There they expound the Scriptures, and shew the 
 good and acceptable will of God. There they exhort, and 
 teach, and reprove, and correct, and instruct the people in 
 righteousness. Antichrist sitteth not in the Church after 
 this sort. He teacheth not, nor exhorteth the people : he 
 maketh that no part of his office. How sitteth he then .'' 
 What shall he say ? What shall he do } 
 
 The Apostle telleth us : He exalteth himself against all 
 that is called God, or that is worshipped. He shall be ho- 
 noured with the honour that is due unto God. He shall 
 shine and glitter in gold and precious stones. He shall 
 be carried upon the shoulders of men, and waited upon bv 
 kings, and princes, and great estates. So shall he be con- 
 trary to Christ. 
 
 Christ was humble and lowly. The Prophet in his ovm 
 person speaketh of him : " I am a worm, and not a man : a 
 shame of men, and the contempt of the people." (Psal. xxii, 6.) 
 And the Apostle saith : " He humbled himself, and became 
 obedient unto the death, even the death of the cross." 
 (Phil. ii. 8.) Behold his parents, his birth, his cradle ; 
 behold his life, his disciples, his doctrine, and his death : 
 all were witnesses unto his humility. He saith of himself : 
 " The Son of man hath not whereon to rest his head. (Matt 
 viii. 20.) And to his disciples he saith : "The Kings of the 
 Gentiles reign over them, and they that bear rule over them 
 are called Gracious Lords : but you shall not be so." (Luke 
 xxii. 25.) And again : " Learn of me, that I am meek and 
 
 K 
 
194 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. U. 
 
 lowly in heart : and ye shall find rest unto your souls." 
 (Matt. xi. 29.) 
 
 Now, on the other part, take view of Antichrist. Be- 
 hold his birth, his place, his chair, his estate, his doctrine, 
 his disciples, and all his life. You shall see nothing but 
 pomp and glory. Gregory caUeth him the king of pride. 
 He is proud in life, proud in doctrine, proud in word, and 
 proud in deeds. He is like unto Lucifer, and setteth him- 
 self before his brethren, and over nations and kingdoms. 
 He maketh every knee to bow down to him and worship 
 him : he maketh kings to bring him water, to carry his 
 train, to hold his cup, to bear his dish, to lead his bridle, 
 and to hold his stirrup. He claimeth power over heaven 
 and earth : he saith he is Lord over all the world, the 
 Lord of lords, and the King of kings ; that his authority 
 reacheth up into heaven, and down into hell j that he can 
 command the angels of God ; that he condemneth whom he 
 will condemn ; that he maketh saints at his pleasure ; that 
 whatsoever he blesseth, is blessed ; and that it is cursed, what- 
 soever he curseth. He selleth merits, the forgiveness of 
 sins, the sacrifice for the quick and the dead : he maketh 
 merchandize of the souls of men. He layeth his filthy 
 hands upon the Lord's anointed : he removeth kings, -and de- 
 poseth the states and princes of the world. This is Anti- 
 christ. This is his power. Thus shall he work, and 
 make himself manifest. So shall he sit in the temple of 
 God. The people shall wonder at him, and shall have him 
 in reverence. They shall say, " Who is like unto the beast ?" 
 (Rev. xiii. 4.) Who is so wise, so mighty, so godly, so 
 virtuous, so holy, so hke unto God } So intolerable and 
 monstrous shall be his pride. 
 
 It were much for him to sit in the seat, and occupy 
 the room, of an earthly king or emperor. But he shall take 
 upon him the authority and the name of God, the name of 
 the living Lord, the name of God which hath made heaven 
 
VER. 4.] EPISTLK TO THE THESSALONIANS. 195 
 
 and earth, even the name of God the Father of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ. And in this pride he shall exceed all others that 
 have been wicked. The Pharisees and the Scribes were 
 wicked ; yet none of them did sit in the temple of God, 
 shewing himself that he was God. Arius, Nestorius, 
 Montanus, Valentinus, were wicked heretics ; yet they never 
 took upon them the name of God. What should I say of 
 this blasphemy } or in whom may we find the like ? Ma- 
 homet was a Turk, and a false prophet, and a deceiver of the 
 people ; yet he took not upon him the name of God. This 
 point and reach of ungodliness belongeth only to Antichrist. 
 He shall sit in the place of God in judgments : he shall shew 
 himself out of that place, as if he were God. IrenEeus saith :* 
 ' Whereas he is but a servant, he will be worshipped as if 
 he were God.' 
 
 But some will say. Antichrist shall be mortal as other 
 men, born of a mortal father and mother : he shall know 
 that he shall die, and that he is but dust, and shall return 
 again into dust ; that he cannot make himself; no, that he 
 cannot make the least and vilest of all creatures. How 
 then will he proclaim himself to be an immortal God ? 
 How will he call himself God of heaven and earth } or 
 God, which had no beginning, nor shall have any end ? 
 No, this is not the meaning of these words. He shall not 
 so think of himself, norso say. I will tell you after what 
 sort he shall sit in the temple of God, and how the world 
 shall receive him and reverence him as God. 
 
 He shall take to himself that supreme authority and pre- 
 rogative, which appertaineth only to God by nature. Al- 
 though he be but a man, yet in office he will be accounted 
 as God. He shall compare his laws with the laws of God. 
 He shall say his word is the word of God. Whatsoever he 
 saith, he shall say. It is the voice of the Spirit of God ; of the 
 
 * Quum sit seiTus, tamen adorari vult utDeus. — Irenceus, lib, 5, caji. 
 penutUino. 
 
 2 K 
 
196 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. II. 
 
 same authority, that is the Gospel of Christ : no man may 
 break it ; no man may touch the credit thereof : if any man 
 withstand it, he must think he doth sacrilege, conmiitteth 
 blasphemy, and sinneth against the Holy Ghost. Again, he 
 shall break the laws of God to uphold his own, and shall pull 
 down God to set up himself. 
 
 Such shall be the power and authority of Antichrist : so 
 shall he possess the consciences of the people : so shall he 
 sit as an idol in their hearts : so shall he stand in the place 
 of God, and shew himself that he is God. The people shall 
 receive his doctrine, and beheve his word. They shall 
 fall down before him, and worship him. They shall say, 
 " Who is like unto the beast ?" (Rev. xiii. 4.) What crea- 
 ture is so beautiful as he } They shall honour him as God. 
 But what is he which hath suffered himself to be so 
 called .'' Who is he which hath been called by the name of 
 God ? Of all the creatures which have professed the faith of 
 Christ ; of all the kings, or bishops, or priests, or lay-people 
 that ever were in the Church of God ; who ever required to 
 be called by the holy name of God .'' or who ever liked well 
 of them which so called him .'' Who hath been so wicked ? 
 who hath ever so much forgotten himself ? In what place 
 hath he dwelt ? or what hath he been ? 
 
 Here, methinketh I see the secret motions of your heart. 
 You look that I should name the Bishop of Rome ; that it 
 is he which hath suffered himself to be called by the name of 
 God. I will not tell you in mine own words. Unless the 
 Bishop himself so speak, I will not tell you. Mark then, and 
 witness of my indifferency, whilst I speak hereof, that I 
 follow not affection,* but deal uprightly. Therefore, I say 
 again, unless the Bishop himself suffer himself to be called 
 by the name of God, I will not say of him so. 
 
 Then let us see what he hath written of himself, and 
 
 * Indiffdrency means impartiality; affection, prejudice — Editor. 
 
VER. 4.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONI ANS. 19* 
 
 what he hath suflered others to write. Pope Nicholas saith :* 
 ' It is well known that the Pope was of the godly prince 
 Constantine called God.' And therefore Pope Pius in 
 his Bull saith :t ' No man dare obey her, or her will, or 
 her commandments or laws, upon pain of our curse.' 
 
 The Pope was well content to suffer Christopher Mar- 
 cellus, one of his parasites in the Council of Lateran, to say 
 unto him :X ' Thou art another God in earth.' The Pope is 
 content in such sort to have a division of tenures made 
 between him and God, as the poet some time flatteringly 
 wrote : § ' The Emperor parteth his rule, and holdeth half 
 with Jupiter.' In the Extravagants it is set down :|| ' Our 
 Lord God the Pope.' Mark these words : 'Our Lord God 
 the Pope.' In them the Pope is called Lord, and is called 
 God. O merciful Lord God, which from the heavens 
 beholdest this vanity, how great is thy mercy in sutfering 
 it ! I devise not this. His own books, his own doctors, 
 his own decrees and decretals, speak it and set it down :^ 
 ' To believe that our Lord God the Pope might not decree 
 as he decreed, it were a matter of heresy.' It is so written 
 there ; he hath heard it, he hath seen it, he knov/eth it is so .. 
 yet he sufFereth it to go abroad, and thereby sufFereth him- 
 self to be called God. 
 
 * Constat summum Pontificem a pio principe Constantino Deum 
 appellari.— Zf/iY. 96. Sntis evidentcr.',, 
 
 t Nemo aiuleat obedire Bulla Pii V. contra Eliza 6 — " We do 
 
 command and interdict all and every the noblemen, subjects, 
 people, and others, as aforesaid, that they presume not to obey her, or 
 her monitions, mandates, and laws : and those who shall act otherwise, 
 we bind with the same sentence of anathema." Sect. 5. — Editor. 
 
 I Tu es alter Deus in terris. — In Concilia Later, sess. 4. 
 § Divisum iniperium cum Jove Ceesar habet. 
 
 II Dominus Deus noster Va.^tdi.— Extrava'^. Joh. 22. cum Interpr. in 
 Glossd. 
 
 ^ Credere Dominum Deum nostrum Papam non potuisse statuere, 
 prout statuit, hereticum censeretur. — I/>id. The Extra\a!;ants {tjuns. 
 extra Corpus Juris va^antes) are constitutions, of Papal authority, 
 not arranged in the body of Canon Law, — Editor. 
 
19S EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 He hath burnt many saints of God, and holy men, for no 
 other cause but for the profession of the Gospel. He hath 
 in many places burnt the holy Bible, and such books as 
 teach nothing but godliness. Where did he ever burn ? 
 what speak I of burning ? where may it appear that ever 
 he controlled any for writing, or called in such speeches ? 
 One of them seemeth to take shame of this shameless 
 and blasphemous style or title. He seeketh friendly to 
 temper, and quahfy, and take up the matter:* 'Thou art 
 neither God nor man j in a manner thou art neither of both, 
 but rather a mean between both.' That is, thou art not 
 so high as God, nor yet so base as man. Whom then shall 
 we imagine him to be ? Is he an archangel, or angel, 
 or a spirit of the air ? God give him grace to see his 
 own vanity : that he may know he is but a miserable and 
 mortal man ; that he may know that a time shall come, 
 when his hypocrisy and dissimulation shall be disclosed ! 
 God give him grace to become godly, as becometh the 
 man of God : that he may indeed be the minister of Christ, 
 and a disposer of the secrets of God : that he may serve 
 God in truth, in holiness, and righteousness, all the days of 
 his life ! 
 
 But you say, that the Pope at this day is not called God -. 
 he rather abaseth himself, and writeth himself by a title of 
 humility, and is called so : Servus servornm ; f ' the servant 
 of servants.' Be it so, that he is so called, and so written. 
 Yet he is King of kings, and Lord of lords. This servant 
 saith, I do make holy the unholy: I do justify the wick- 
 ed: I do forgive sins : I open, and no man shutteth. This 
 servant can say. Whosoever obeyeth not me, he shall be 
 rooted out. This servant may dispense for any command- 
 ment of the Old and New Testament. ' This servant hath 
 
 * Nee Deus es, nee homo : quasi neuter es, inter utrumque. — 
 Clement, in Procemio, in Gloss&. 
 f Extra, de Major, et Obedientid. 
 
VER. 4.] EPISTLE TO THE TIIESSALONIANS. 199 
 
 Christ's lieutenantship, not only over things in heaven, over 
 things in earth, and over things in hell, but also over the 
 angels both good and bad.'* No man may judge this servant : 
 for they say :t ' The Pope is exempted from all law of man.' 
 And again :!" 'Neither all the clergy, nor all the whole 
 world, may either judge or depose the Pope.' Such a power 
 this servant of servants claimeth to himself. What greater 
 power may be given unto God ? What angel, what ai-ch- 
 angel, ever had the like power } 
 
 And this power even at this day Pope Pius challengeth 
 as proper to his seat : that he hath the authority which is 
 due to Christ, over his Church ; that no man may judge him, 
 nor say he doth err, nor ask why he doth so. He is in- 
 vested in the privilege of his Church, and loseth no one jot 
 of his dignity. It is yet good at this day, which hath been 
 set down:§ 'It is sin as great as sacrilege or church- 
 robbing, to reason of any of the Pope's doings.' These be 
 their own words. God knoweth, before whom we stand this 
 day, they be their own words, and not mine. Thus doth 
 he sit in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 
 
 And therefore may we say, as sometime said Eusebius : \\ 
 ' This is an evident token that they hate God, because they 
 will have themselves called by the name of God.' Or as 
 Gregory, who, speaking of Antichrist, said :^ ' Whereas 
 he is a cursed man, and not a spirit, he feigneth himself 
 by lying to be a God.' 
 
 * Summa An^el. in dictione Papa. — Extra, de Constitit — Stalula 
 Canonum. — Felinus. 
 
 f Papa solutus est omni lege humana. — 9. Qua. 3. Cuncin. 
 
 \ Nee totus clerus, nee totus mundus, potest Papam judicare, aut 
 deponere. — Vel. de Pah)de de Potest. Papa, artic. 4. 
 
 § Sacrilegii instar esset, disputare de facto Papae. — Distinct. 40. 
 Non nos : in Gloss. 
 
 II Hoc est argumentum, eos odisse Deum, quod velint seipsos 
 appellari Deos. — Eitseb. de Precparat. lib. 7. 
 
 ^ Cum sit damnatus homo, et nequaquam spiritus, Deum se esse 
 mentitur. — Grc". in Job. lib. 25. ca. 14. 
 
200 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 Verse 5. — Uetnember ye not, that, when I was with you, I 
 
 told you these th'mgs ? 
 
 Before I departed from you to go farther, to plant the 
 Gospel in other Churches, I told you that Antichrist should 
 come, and that he should oppress and confound the Church 
 of Christ. Paul was chosen to be an Apostle. The office 
 of an Apostle was not to rest in any one certain place, but 
 to pass from country to country, from land to land, and to 
 fill all the world with knowledge of the Gospel. And therein 
 appeareth the difference between an Apostle and a Bishop : 
 a Bishop had the charge of one certain Church, an Apostle 
 had the charge over all the Churches. 
 
 But Paul was not tied to any one city, or island, or country. 
 He had authority to preach to all cities and countries, to 
 all lands and islands, from the east to the west. So did 
 Christ appoint his Apostles : " Go ye into all the world, and 
 preach the Gospel unto every creature." (Mark xvi. 15.) 
 They were not sent to Jerusalem, nor to Samaria, nor to 
 Ephesus, nor to Rome only : but into all the world. The 
 whole world was their diocese and their province. So 
 speaketh the Prophet David of them : " Their sound is 
 gone forth through the earth : and their words into the 
 ends of the world." (Psal. xix. 4.) This was the com- 
 mission which our Saviour gave unto John and to James, to 
 Paul and to Peter, and to the rest of the Apostles ; that they 
 should go into all the world. Therefore if any of the Apos- 
 tles should have stayed in one only place, and have gone no 
 further, he had offended, and done otherwise than Christ 
 commanded. 
 
 Here we see how foully they are deceived, which say, 
 Peter was Bishop of Rome, and did sit there five and twenty 
 years. They that say so, know not what they say. It is 
 an error. Christ made Peter an Apostle, and not to sit as 
 a Bishop at Rome. He said unto Peter, " Go into all the 
 world :" thou shalt be a witness unto me, unto the utmost 
 
VER. 6. J EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONI ANS. 201 
 
 coasts of the earth : I send thee unto all the Churches, and 
 not to one alone. The like charge received Paul : he tra- 
 velled from Damascus to Arabia, from Arabia to Jerusalem, 
 from Jerusalem to lUyricum, from lUyricum to Rome ; and 
 so from country to country, and from coast to coast ; to make 
 a pleasant perfume of the Gospel of God in all the world, 
 that it might be unto them a savour of life unto life. 
 
 Therefore saith he to the Thessalonians : Ye remember, 
 that, when I was with you, I told you these things, — The Spirit 
 of God warned me to go farther. Other Churches required 
 my presence : I was debtor unto them as unto you. Yet 
 before I left you, I told you what dangers should ensue. It 
 was mine office : I was bound so to do, lest you might be 
 deceived. I told you Antichrist should come, even that man 
 of sin, the son of perdition, which should destroy himself 
 and others also. I told you he should be an adversary of the 
 Gospel of Christ : that he should advance himself over all 
 the kings and powers of the world : that he should sit as 
 God in the holy place : that the people should give him 
 place to sit in their hearts and in their consciences. 
 
 This warning the Apostle gave to the Thessalonians. 
 The like warning he gave to other Churches where he 
 taught the Gospel : and the same is also spoken unto us. 
 They knew by his teaching that Antichrist should come. We 
 know by the marks which he hath given to know Antichrist, 
 that he is already come ; and that the very same is come, 
 which the Apostle describeth : that he is grown unto his 
 fulness, and hath stalled himself in the place of God. 
 
 Verse 6. — And now ye knoiv what withholdeth, that he might 
 
 be revealed in his time. 
 
 Paul seemeth not in these words to say, wiiat letteth the 
 coming of Antichrist: but what shall stay the coming of 
 Christ. For so he maketh entry into his matter : " I beseech 
 you by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye be not 
 
 k5 
 
"202 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND. [cHAP. II, 
 
 troubled, as though the day of Christ were at hand. Let no 
 man deceive you by any means : for the day of Christ shall 
 not come, except there come a departing first, and that 
 Antichrist be disclosed." (vers. 1 — 3.) Even so here he 
 saith : Ye knov^r what withholdeth Christ, and why he cometh 
 not : even this, that Antichrist might first be revealed in 
 his time. His time is appointed. The spring cometh not, 
 until the winter have gone before : the night goeth before, 
 and then the day cometh. And so shall not the glorious 
 majesty of Christ's coming appear, before the dreadful and 
 dangerous days of Antichrist shall come. There shall be no 
 delivery, unless bondage go before. 
 
 Antichrist shall bring the world into bondage. He shall 
 do violence to the saints of God : he shall be as a continual 
 storm and darkness in the Church. The godly shall look 
 up to heaven, and call for aid : they shall cry unto the Lord, 
 and he will hear them. They shall say. Oh come. Lord 
 Je=us ; thy kingdom come ; confound thine enemies. Then 
 will he not stay : he will appear, and shew himself in glory. 
 In the mean while, this is the cause of his stay, this letteth 
 his coming : Antichrist must first come. This I take to 
 be the Apostle's meaning. It agreeth with the beginning. 
 It is simple, clear, and plain, and without danger of error. 
 
 Antichrist shall appear, not when he will ; but he shall 
 be revealed in his time. His time is the time of darkness : 
 when d:iepherds and the guides of the people shall be care- 
 less ; when the word shall be loathed ; when the hght 
 shall be put out ; when superstition shall reign ; when ig- 
 norance shall have the upper hand ; when the creature shall 
 not be known from the Creator ; when there shall be no fear 
 of God, no regard of godliness ; when the people shall 
 not know neither wherefore they pray, nor whom they wor- 
 ship, nor in whom they believe. Then shall it appear that 
 Antichrist is come ; then he shall shew himself. This is his 
 time. 
 
VER. l.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONI ANS. 203 
 
 Verse 7. — For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: 
 
 only he which now letteth shall let, till he he taken out of the 
 
 way. 
 
 The mystery of iniquity doth already work. — Let us not 
 be deceived. Antichrist shall certainly come, and shall 
 draw many into error. As it was with Christ at his coming ; 
 He was in the world, He did the work of his Father, yet few 
 knew him : so shall it be with Antichrist ; he shall be in the 
 world, he shall w^ork his iniquity, and few shall know him. 
 
 Paul lived more than fifteen hundred years past, yet 
 then he said, The mystery of iniquity doth already work. The 
 devil is not idle, saith he ; Antichrist even now worketh, 
 whenas the blood of Christ was fresh, when as yet the 
 Apostles, and many other witnesses of our redemption by 
 Christ, were living. And St, John saith : " Even now are 
 there many Antichrists come already." (1 John ii. 18.) 
 
 So soon was his foundation cast, his plot laid, his way pre- 
 pared, and his work begun. So long since did Paul see 
 some which delighted in the works of darkness ; which 
 were the enemies of the cross of Christ ; which served their 
 beUy, and not the Lord : even then did he see that grievous 
 wolves, not sparing the flock, should enter in among them. 
 All these were the forerunners and the harbingers of Anti- 
 christ. 
 
 We may not think that- Antichrist shall come as a robber 
 by the high-ways, or like a murderer, or like a tyrant that 
 burneth our houses, or sacketh our cities, or destroyeth our 
 fields, or pulleth down all that is before him. We may not 
 look that he should say, I am Antichrist, I am that man of 
 sin, I am the son of perdition, I am the adversary, and am 
 contrary to Christ. He shall not shew forth himself in such 
 a sort ; he shall not so speak of himself. He is subtle and 
 cunning : he shall deceive the learned and the wise : he shall 
 cast himself into a colour of hohness : he shall fast, he shall 
 
204 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. 11. 
 
 pray, he shall give alms, and shew mercy : he shall walk as 
 if he were a disciple of Christ : he shall counterfeit an angel 
 of light. He shall go before, and the world shall follow 
 him. So shaU the mystery of iniquity work. His life, his 
 religion, his doctrine, shall be close, and hid, and secret. 
 
 Antichrist worketh in mystery. Jerome saith :* ' The 
 whole world mourned, and did marvel that they were pos- 
 sessed with the error of Arius :' that they denied the divi- 
 nity of Christ before they were aware. This was a mystery, 
 so shall the learned and wise be deceived. They shall 
 honour Antichrist unawares. They shall say, we defy him 
 and detest liira, and yet shall fall down and worship him. 
 This is a mystery. So secret shall his dealings be, it shall not 
 be known to many. He shall walk in craftiness, and han- 
 dle the world of God deceitfully : he shall mingle his lies with 
 the truth of God; he shall mingle his poison with the 
 wholesome food of our souls, so closely and subtilely, that 
 it shall hardly be espied : he shall go forward by little and 
 little, and so win credit, and convey himself into the hearts 
 of the people. This is a mystery. Christ saith : " A man 
 sowed good seed in his field ; but while men slept, there 
 came his foe, and sowed tares among the wheat, and went 
 his way." (Matt. xiii. 24, 25.) They grew together, and 
 had both one like colour. The householder willed them to 
 let both grow together till harvest come, lest with the 
 tares they pluck up the wheat also. So shall be the coming 
 of Antichrist. He shall come while men sleep, in the night of 
 blindness, and of negligence, and of ignorance ; and shall 
 sow his tares with the Lord's wheat. They shall both grow 
 up together. The day of the Lord shall reveal them, and 
 set each part by itself. This is a mystery. And as it is 
 secret, so it is long in working. This mystery began in the 
 
 * Ingemuit totus orbis, et Aj'ianum se esse miratus est. — Hieron. 
 Dial, cont. Lurif'erian. cap. 7. 
 
VER. 7. J EPISTLE TO TIIK THESSALONIANS. 205 
 
 days of the Apostles, and continueth on still unto our time : 
 it is still in work. 
 
 But who be they, which follow his love ; which yield 
 themselves to him, and which shall be deceived ? Are they 
 poor men, or artificers, or labourers ? Or are they un- 
 learned and ignorant men ? No, no : he shall deceive priests, 
 bishops, archbishops, princes, kings, emperors ; the gravest, 
 the best learned, the wisest, the mightiest men in the world. 
 He shall blind their eyes, and amaze their hearts. They shall 
 run to him out of all parts of the earth : they shall fall down 
 before him : they shall ask counsel of him : they shall say. 
 Thou art the doctor of doctors, the father of fathers ; thou 
 art the comfort of the Church, thou art the light of the 
 world, thou art most holy : all law, and all knowledge is hid 
 in thy breast : we beseech thy holiness, shew us thy way, 
 expound thou the law unto us, teach us how we may be 
 saved : thou hast the key of knowledge ; thy word is the 
 word of truth. So shall they creep to Antichrist ; so shall 
 they pour out their souls before him; so shall they seek 
 counsel at his mouth ; so shall they fetch hght at the prince 
 of darkness. 
 
 This mystery, saith St. Paul, doth already work. It shall 
 increase, and go forward, and grow to a perfection. A 
 thorn, when it is young, is soft and gentle ; ye may thrust at 
 it with your finger, it will not hurt you : but after it waxeth 
 and groweth hard and stubborn, it will pierce the flesh, and 
 draw blood. A bear, when he is young, is harmless and 
 innocent ; ye may dandle it, and dally with it, as with a 
 whelp ; it hath no chambers* to gripe, no teeth to bite, nor 
 paws to tear : but after, it will grow, and become fierce 
 and cruel like the sire. A serpent, when it is young, is little 
 and pretty ; it hath no sting, nor poison ; you may take 
 it in your hand, and lay it in your lap, it will not hurt you : 
 
 * Cha7nhers ; \>vo\i?Lh\j champers : to champ is properly to devour 
 with a hasty and violent action of the jaws. — Editor. 
 
206 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 after, it will increase in venom, and grow in mischief, 
 and be like itself; then it will shake the sting, and cast 
 poison, and prove dangerous. 
 
 Such a thorn, such a bear, such a serpent is Antichrist. 
 At the first he shall seem soft, and gentle, and pretty, and 
 innocent. After, he shall grow fierce, and arm himself with 
 sting and poison. But a thorn, though it be soft, is a thorn : 
 a bear, though he be little, is a bear": a serpent, though he 
 be pretty, is a serpent. Even so Antichrist, though he seem 
 gentle, mild, and simple, yet is he Antichrist. He groweth 
 by degrees, he will be like his sire ; his paws will be dreadful, 
 his mouth will be deadly. 
 
 Whosoever know the nature and working of an earthquake, 
 how it groweth and how it worketh, know that at the first 
 it is some little wind, gathered and kept in some hoUow places 
 of the earth : there it lieth close by, sometimes for many years, 
 without giving forth any noise, without stirring or shaking. 
 One may walk over it, and perceive nothing. After, it groweth 
 strong and violent, it seeketh a way out, it forceth itself, it 
 gathereth strength ; and cometh abroad, it will stay no 
 longer. Out it breaketh, and teareth the earth, and renteth 
 rocks, overthroweth mountains, shaketh down towns and 
 cities, swalloweth up whole rivers : it enflameth the air, 
 raiseth thunder, roareth up into heaven, and astonisheth the 
 world. Such is the working of an earthquake ; so great 
 and mighty at the end, so little and simple at the first. 
 
 Such shall be the mystery and coming of Antichrist. At 
 the beginning he shall be like a little wind, and shall enter 
 into the hollowness and darkness of the Church : but after, 
 he shall shake the whole world. He shall shew forth him- 
 self at the first with countenance of devotion and holiness, 
 that he may closely, and privily, and secretly wreath in 
 himself. Few shall be able to understand the mystery of his 
 dealing. After, he shall be opened, and appear as he is. 
 
 Who would think there were any evil in forcing of vir- 
 ginity, chastity, or single life .'' " He that is unmarried, careth 
 
VER. ".] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 207 
 
 for the tilings of the Lord, how he may please the Lord ; 
 that he may be holy both hi body and also in spirit." (1 Cor. 
 vii. 32 ; 34.) Would God it were so with all, that have 
 taken the profession of single life ! But the colour is fair. 
 Hence hath it grown, that bishops, and priests, and young 
 men, and maidens have continued single. This seemed 
 strange, and a miracle, and a matter of great holiness. 
 
 But this is a mystery : this is a way to bring in Antichrist. 
 Mark what St. Paul speaketh hereof : " They shall forbid 
 to marry." (1 Tim. iv. 3.) Of whom speaketh he.'' Of 
 Antichrist and his disciples. They shall forbid lawful mar- 
 riage, as unholy, and as a state of life unfit for hoUness. 
 Yet Christ Jesus, the Son of God, did never forbid it. His 
 Apostles were married, and had wives. 
 
 This, saith St. Paul, is a mark of Antichrist ; by this 
 shall he be known. Forbidding of marriage is a doctrine 
 of devils : not of Christ or of God, but of devils. It is a 
 gulf, it is a sea, it is a world, it is a hell of iniquity : and the 
 vilest villany that ever crept into the Church of God. 
 Jerome, expounding the words of Daniel, " He shall have no 
 regard to the desires of women," (Dan. xi. 37.) saith:* 'The 
 better exposition hereof is to apply these words to Antichrist, 
 for that he shall pretend chastity, that he may deceive many.' 
 This is the mystery of iniquity : this is the practice of Anti- 
 christ. He shall come with a cloak of counterfeited chastity, 
 not with true chastity both in body and also in spirit, but with 
 counterfeit chastity, and so shall deceive the hearts of many. 
 
 Who would think there were any evil in single com- 
 munion ? or why may not every body follow his own devo- 
 tion, and receive the sacrament when he will } what harm 
 is herein.'' It may seem to be done for the reverence unto 
 the Sacrament, lest it should grow in contempt, if it were 
 
 * Facilior interpretatio est tie Antichristo, quod ideo simulet casti- 
 tateni, ut plurimos decipiat Hieron. in Daniel, xi. 
 
208 
 
 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. II. 
 
 used often. These reasons are fair and fresh : but this 
 is a mystery, and a practice of Antichrist. For by this 
 means have they shut out the faithful people of God, and 
 made them neghgent and careless for the receiving of the 
 Lord's Supper. They abused the church of the living God : 
 the turned the remembrance of the death of Christ into a 
 day-game : they made the people commit horrible and open 
 idolatry, to worship the creature instead of the Creator, 
 which is God blessed for ever. 
 
 Who would think there were any evil in the keys of the 
 Church ^ They are the expounding of the law, and the dis- 
 closing of the will of God. They are the chiefest comfort 
 of our conscience. But Antichrist shall take these keys 
 unto himself, and shall build up his own kingdom with them. 
 He shall shut that God hath opened, and shall open that 
 God hath shut. This is also the mystery of iniquity. 
 
 Who would think there were any evil in godly 
 prayers of the Church ? Christ saith : " Watch and pray, 
 for ye know not in what hour your Master will come." 
 (Matt. xxiv. 42.) And again: " Pray thou to thy Father 
 which is in secret, and thy Father which seetlithee in secret 
 shall reward thee openly." (Matt. vi. 6.) And again : 
 " Ask, and ye shall receive : seek, and ye shall find : knock, 
 and it shall be opened unto you." (Matt. vii. 7.) St. Paul 
 saith : " Pray without ceasing." (1 Thess. v, 17.) The 
 prophet David saith : " The Lord is nigh unto all them that 
 call upon him, to all that call upon him faithfully. For the 
 Lord will hear the praises of his saints, and deliver them 
 when they call upon him." (Psalm cxlv. 18, 19.) These 
 prayers shall Antichrist take to work his iniquity j and 
 under pretence of them shall devour widows' houses ; and 
 shall make a net of them to fish and drag for all the riches 
 of the world. This is also the mystery of iniquity. 
 
 Who would think there were so great evil in the doctrine 
 of purgatory ? What if one thought that his father or friend 
 died in some veraal sin, and were chastised somewhile ia 
 
VER. 7.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 209 
 
 purgatory fire ; and that he might be reheved by prayers ? 
 For this jolly* pretence and imagination have they thereof. 
 What if one should so think ? what hurt were it ? Breth- 
 ren, this is the. mystery of all mysteries, and the secret of all 
 secrets. In this standeth the countenancef and all the welfare 
 of Antichrist. He hath impropried| the whole kingdom 
 of purgatory to himself, and hath made it more gainful than 
 heaven and earth. There he selleth prayers : there he 
 maketh port-sale of bulls and pardons : there he selleth for- 
 giveness of sins, a culpa et poena. He selleth the mercies of 
 God, the blood of the martyrs, the works of supererogation, 
 the merits of his fratries, the blood of Christ. There he 
 selleth paradise, deliverance or assurance from hell, and 
 entrance into heaven : he maketh merchandize of the souls of 
 the people. This is the alonely§ mystery above all other 
 mysteries. 
 
 Who would think there were an evil in the name of the 
 Church.'' It is the witness- bearer unto the Gospel. It is the 
 pillar of truth. It is the spouse of Christ. Yet, saith Christ, 
 Antichrist shall come in my name. He shall seem holy ; he 
 shall talk of the Gospel ; he shall carry the face of the Church, 
 and receive many. This is a mystery. 
 
 Who would think it a matter of so great inconvenience, 
 for a man to call the Bishop of Rome the greatest bishop, 
 or the chiefest patriarch, and the highest judge, and to 
 say that all appeals lie unto him ? What hurt mav this be ? 
 It seemeth a small matter, a matter of nothing. But it is a 
 practice, II it is a secret, and a mystery. Hence flowed all the 
 streams of vanity and presumption wherein he advanceth 
 himself. Hence it is that he saith, I am above kings and 
 
 * Jolly {i.\\x. joli, neat or pleasant;) a term applied to an ingenious 
 and fanciful device. — Editor. 
 
 t Counterunire ; i. e. patronage and support. — Editor. 
 
 X Iniprojiried ; i. e. impropriated, or converted to his own profit 
 
 Editor. 
 
 § Alonch/ ; i. e. only, eminent above all others Editor. 
 
 II A practiee ; i. e. a fraud or artifice Editor. 
 
210 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. XI. 
 
 emperors. I am above general councils. I am above the 
 whole Church of Christ. I am above the angels of 
 God : I have power to command and to countermand 
 them at my pleasure. I am the successor of Peter. 
 I am the vicar of Christ. No man may judge me, whatso- 
 ever I do. I cannot err. General councils might err : the 
 Apostles might err : the angels of God might err : but I 
 cannot err. I have the fulness of power. The whole world 
 is my diocese. Whosoever is saved, is under me : who- 
 soever is not imder me, is cursed of God. I am the light 
 of the world. I can in a manner do whatsoever God can 
 do. All these speeches are written, are printed, are pub- 
 lished, and proclaimed abroad. This is a mystery of ini- 
 quity, this is a deep secret. These are the very ways and 
 steps of Antichrist. God give us eyes to see them, and 
 hearts that we may discern them I 
 
 Paul did see the mystery working even in that time he 
 lived. John saith : " Diotrephes loveth to have the pre- 
 eminence ; " (3 John 9.) to lift up himself above his bre- 
 thren, to be the head of the Chm'ch, and to bear a mastery. 
 So Paul espied contentions in Corinth : " Every one of you 
 saith, I am Paul's, and I am Apollo's, and I am Cephas', 
 and I am Christ's." (1 Cor. i. 12.) These were the begin- 
 nings of Antichrist. But Paul saith : " We preach not 
 ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your 
 servants for Jesus' sake." (2 Cor. iv. 5.) So the true 
 disciples of Christ reckon not themselves any thing, but the 
 members one of another, but the ministers by whom the 
 people believe, but witnesses chosen before of God, but such 
 as are commanded to preach, but God's labourers. 
 
 Now let us consider these marks of Antichrist. Was 
 there ever any which hath forbidden lawful marriage ; and 
 accounted it a state of life which is unclean, and not meet 
 for his holiness : and deceived the world with counterfeit 
 chastity ? The same is Antichrist. For Jerome telleth us. 
 Antichrist shall pretend chastity, that he may deceive 
 
VER. 7.] EPISTLE TO THE TIIESSALONIAXS. 211 
 
 many : and Paul calleth forbidding' of marriage the doc- 
 trine of devils. 
 
 Was there ever any which hath shut forth the faithful 
 from the holy Communion, and hath made them careless 
 for the receiving thereof? which hath defaced the Sa- 
 crament, abused the Church of God, and caused the people 
 to give the honour of God unto a creature ? This is 
 the working of the mystery of iniquity : he is Antichrist. 
 
 Was there ever any which took the keys of the kingdom 
 of heaven, and wrought to himself therewith a principality 
 or kingdom in earth ? Was there ever any which hath shut 
 them out from the kingdom of God, to whom God hath 
 opened it ; and hath set free the consciences of those sinners, 
 whom God hath not loosed } He is Antichrist. 
 
 Was there every any which beguiled the people, which 
 devoured widows' houses under colour of long prayers, and 
 hath used them as a net to fish for the treasures and riches 
 of all the world ? He is Antichrist. 
 
 Was there ever any which sold bulls, and pardons, and 
 forgiveness of sins, and the mercies of God, and the merits 
 of men, and the blood of the martyrs, and the passion of 
 Christ the Son of God ? Was there ever any that sold 
 paradise, and heaven, and made sale of the soids of the 
 people, and all for money .'' The same is Antichrist. 
 
 Was there every any which came in the name of Christ, 
 with the shew of holiness, with the countenance of the 
 Church, and hath shewed himself in all his life and doctrine 
 contrary to Christ .'' He is Antichrist. 
 
 Was there every any which hath said, I am above kings 
 and emperors, and the states of the world : I am above 
 councils : I am above the whole church of Christ ; and above 
 the angels of God } No man may judge me : I cannot err : 
 whosoever shall be saved, must be under me : if any shall 
 not obey me, they are cursed before God : God and I have 
 one judgment-seat ; we sit together: I can do whatsoever 
 God can do ? He that thus saith, is Antichrist. 
 
212 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [C'HAP. II. 
 
 The mystery of iniquity doth work already, saith the 
 Apostle. — He shall not open himself. Whatsoever he 
 doth, he doth it in secret. So shall he advance himself; so 
 shall he speak great things and blasphemies against the 
 Highest ; so shall he prevail and prosper ; so shall he 
 darken the heavens, and draw the third part of the stars 
 after him ; so shall he sit in the holy place, even in the 
 seat of God : and all this shall he vpork under pretence of 
 humility, and shall call himself the servant of servants. 
 
 Only he which now withholdeth, shall let, till he be taken 
 out of the ivay.— Now the emperor holdeth the whole 
 power and authority over the world ; but it shall be taken 
 away from him : and then shall Antichrist come, when all 
 stops and lets shall be removed. Who is he that doth 
 stop him, and let his coming ? The emperor of Rome. So 
 saith TertuUian, so Augustine, Ambrose, and Chrysostom. 
 Antichrist shall possess a great part of the Roman empire : 
 yet so long as the emperor shall stand and prosper, he will 
 not suffer any part of his empire to be abated. So long 
 as the emperor shall be able to bear himself. Antichrist 
 shall never be able to grow : but a time shall come, when 
 the empire of Rome shall be rent asunder ; then the au- 
 thority of the emperor shall decay, then Antichrist shall 
 gather strength, and shall place himself where the emperor 
 was. A traitor cannot usurp the crown so long as the 
 right king is able to stand, and maintain his state. Anti- 
 christ is a traitor, a traitor both to God and man. When 
 the emperor shall fall and decay, then he shall rise up. 
 When the emperor becometh weak, then he shall grow 
 strong. Therefore Paul saith. Antichrist shall not come 
 yet, for the emperor letteth him : the emperor shall be 
 removed, and then shall Antichrist come. 
 
 But before I proceed to say more of this division of 
 the empire, — that we may come to the bottom of this 
 matter, and so see the meaning of this prophecy evidently 
 laid open before us, — I will shew more plainly and particu- 
 
VER. 7.1 EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 213 
 
 larly of Antichrist, who he shall be. It is a hard and 
 doubtful thing, as are all prophecies : but mark well that 
 shall be spoken. I will speak nothing without good war- 
 rant and authority of the old writers and fathers. I will 
 tell you the conditions of Antichrist, and where he shall 
 dwell : that known, it shall be no hard matter to know 
 the rest. 
 
 Who shall he be, then, or of what condition, that we may 
 know him ? Some have said, he should be a Jew of the 
 tribe of Dan : some, that Nero the bloody tyrant should 
 rise again, and he should be Antichrist : some, that he 
 should be a mighty persecutor, which should rage and 
 range over the whole world, raise towers and castles, set 
 on fire the church and oratories, and kill whomsoever he 
 meeteth. Hippolytus saith, he shall be begotten by the 
 devil, and himself shall be a devil. These devices were 
 imagined and written many hundred years since, as every 
 body were best able to devise. But these are fables, and 
 have no ground. To say the truth, Antichrist shall neither 
 be a Jew, nor Nero, nor one begotten by the devil. He 
 shall be a Christian, he shall be a bishop, and a holv 
 father, and a bishop of great shew and countenance in the 
 world. Mark, he shall not be a king, nor an emperor, nor 
 a tyrant, nor a temporal prince ; but a bishop. 
 
 But how may this be known, that we may be certain of 
 it ? For you will charge my sayings with partiality, as if 
 what should be spoken by me, might proceed of displea- 
 sure and malice. Who then hath so spoken or written, 
 that we may believe him ? Hear Gregory himself, a Bishop 
 of Rome, what he recorded of this matter well nigh a thou- 
 sand years ago :* ' The king of pride (that is Antichrist) 
 is even at hand, and an army of priests is prepared : which 
 is a wicked or horrible thing to be spoken.' Lo ! both the 
 
 * Rex superbisG prope est, et, quod dici nefas est, sacerdotum est 
 piaeparatus exercitus. — Greg. lib. 4. epist. 38. 
 
214 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. II. 
 
 king, which is Antichrist, and his guard to wait upon 
 him, a company of priests and clerks, of monks and friars, 
 to attend upon him ! And upon whom shall an army of 
 priests attend, but upon a bishop ? 
 
 If you say this is no plain proof, but forced, and wrested, 
 because he nameth not a bishop, but a king of pride ; hear 
 him again :* ' I speak it boldly, whosoever either calleth 
 himself the universal priest, or desireth so to be called (as 
 doth thePope), in the pride of his heart he is the forerunner of 
 Antichrist.' In this place he doth not only tell us Antichrist 
 shall be a bishop, but also what manner of bishop. He 
 shall be a bishop, and that bishop which shall claim uni- 
 versal authority : such a bishop as shall say. It is of 
 the necessity of salvation, that every soul be subject to 
 me : which shaU say. It is plain that the Church is one, 
 because in the universal church there is one supreme head, 
 that is the Pope. 
 
 Sibylla saith,t this king shall be TroXwKpapoc, that is, 
 shall have a white head ; and shall be called by a name 
 much like to pontus. In which two marks of his head and 
 name, whom can we find but a bishop ; who weareth so- 
 solemnlyj a white mitre of silver, and adorned with precious 
 stones, and in Latin is named pontifex. Again, Joachimus 
 Abbas § saith, he shall exalt himself above all that is called 
 
 • Fidenter dico, quod quisquis se universalem sacerdotem vocat, 
 vel -vocari desiderat, in elatione sua Antichristum prsecurrit. — Greg, 
 lib. 6. epist. 30. 
 
 f Oraculorum, cap. 8. — For an account of the Sibylline Oracles, 
 the reader is referred to Cave's Historia Literaria. They appear to 
 have been collected before a.d. 140, by converts to the Christian 
 faith, employing such materials as they had at hand — histories and 
 traditions, intermingled with passages of Scripture, and fragments of 
 heathen oracles, — in the compilation. — Editor. 
 
 X Solemnli/ ; i. e. on occasion of annual or customary ceremonies. 
 — Editor. 
 
 § Joachim, Abbot of Flora, in Calabria, lived in the 12th century. 
 Besides Commentaries on Scripture, he issued a variety of Prophecies 
 on the Papacy, which were printed at Venice, with emblematical 
 devices, in 1589. Further information may be obtained from Dupin's 
 Bibliotheque des Auteurs Ecclesiastiques Editor. 
 
A^ER. 7.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 215 
 
 God ; for he only shall be called Holy Lord, and Most 
 Holy Pope. So that, for our direction, we hear not only of 
 a king of pride, and his guard of priests ; but we are 
 learned that this king shall have a white head, and a name 
 much like pontus, that is, shall be pont'ifex, a bishop. 
 Gregory moreover hath said, he shall call himself, or de- 
 sire to be called, an universal priest ; and Joachimus, an 
 Abbot, hath told us Antichrist shall be called Holy Lord, and 
 Most Holy Pope. 
 
 But where shall Antichrist be resident ? In what place 
 shall we seek him ? For if we look for him in one place, 
 and he be in another, we shall not find him. "Where 
 then is he stalled ? in what city ? in what church ? Some 
 say in Bab}don, some in Syria, some in Chaldea, some in 
 Jerusalem upon Mount Sion ; some in one place, some in 
 another. These are but guesses, and bear no weight. 
 Paul telleth us, he shall creep into the empire of Rome : 
 so saith the Apostle, and so the Fathers. The empire shall 
 be made waste, and then Antichrist shall come and invade 
 the church. But the empire was great and wide, it reached 
 over a great part of the world : it did contain England, 
 France, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Italy, lUyricum, Ma- 
 cedonia, Thrace, Greece, Asia (Minor), Armenia, Egypt, 
 Mauritania, and the rest of Africa. All these were parts 
 of the empire of Rome. In what part, or in what city, 
 or in what church of all these shall he sit.^ 
 
 St. John saith: "The seven heads are seven moun- 
 tains, on which the woman sitteth." (Rev. xvii. 9.) 
 Antichrist shall sit in a city built upon seven hills. Where 
 shall we find such a city in the whole world t Is it 
 Jerusalem, or Athens, or Constantinople, or Antioch ? 
 Where we find a city so built, that city is the place of 
 Antichrist. There is none but one. The Spirit of God 
 cannot lie. But which is that one .^ All writers, as well 
 old as new, call that city Rome. Rome is built upon seven 
 hills. They be yet standing. The names of the hills are 
 
216 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II, 
 
 * ... 
 
 known to be these : Palatinus, Quirinalis, Aventinus, Cselius, 
 Viminalis, Esquilius, Janicularis. The poet, speaking of 
 this city, saith :* — 
 
 " Septemque una sibi muro circumdedit arces." 
 ' And this one city hath compassed into itself with a wall 
 seven high places.' Therefore Plutarch calleth it kTrrciXofog, 
 of seven hills. They have used in Rome, in their general 
 processions in gang-week, f to go to these seven hills, and 
 to do some solemn piece of service at every of them. 
 Rome is the city of seven heads ; Rome is the city built 
 upon seven hills : therefore the city which John describeth ; 
 and therefore it is the tabernacle and stall in which Anti- 
 christ shall sit. 
 
 SibvUa wrote two thousand years since, ' That the 
 greatest terror and fury of his empire, and the greatest woe 
 that he shall work, shall be by the banks of Tyber.':J And 
 who is there that hath heard any thing of the situation of 
 Rome, that doth not know it is built on the banks of 
 Tvber ? Irenseus, who lived well near fifteen hundred 
 years ago, saith, § the name of Antichrist, expressed by that 
 number, shall be Latinusj that is, he shall sit in a city 
 called Latium, that is Rome. Joachimus Abbas saith '•% 
 ' Antichrist is long since born in Rome, and yet shall be 
 advanced higher in the Apostolic see.' Bernard saith :|| 
 ' The beast that is spoken of in the Book of Revelations, 
 unto which beast is given a mouth to speak blasphemies, 
 and to keep war against the saints of God, is now gotten 
 into Peter's chair, as a lion prepared to ]^is prey.' These 
 words are clear as the sun-beams. 
 
 * Virgil ; Georg. ii. 535. — Editor. 
 
 f Gavg-icetk ; i.e. Rogation- week, when the custom of perambulat- 
 ing the boundaries of parishes is still retained in England — Editor. 
 
 X Syb. Orac. cap. 8. 
 
 § Ireii. lib. 5. cap. nit. 
 
 ^ Antichristus jampridem natus est Romse, et altius extolletur in 
 sede Apostolica. 
 
 11 Bestia ilia de Apocalypsi, cui datum est os loquens blasphemias, 
 et bellum gerere cum Sanctis, Petri cathedram occupat, tanquam leo 
 paratus ad priedam. — Bern. Epist. 125. 
 
VER. 7.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 217 
 
 St. John saith, Antichrist shall sit in a city built upon 
 seven hUls : that city is the city of Rome. Dame Sibylla 
 saith, His greatest works shall be by the banks of Tiber : 
 that city so built is the city of Rome. Irenseus saith, The 
 name of Antichrist shall be Latinus : this name belong- 
 eth to the bishop of Rome. Bernard saith. The beast that 
 is spoken of in the Revelation, is gotten into Peter's chair. 
 John lived 1560 years since; Sibylla 2000 ; Irenseus about 
 1500; Joachimus Abbas 300: Bernard lived about 400 
 years since : and, by the testimony of all these. Antichrist 
 shall be a bishop, and placed at Rome. 
 
 You marvel at this, how it should be possible that Anti- 
 christ should sit in Peter's chair. You hear who hath said 
 it : and no wonder at all ; for he shall sit in the place of 
 God, in the holy place, in the church of Christ. So doth 
 Augustine gather upon the Apostle's words :* ' For the 
 temple of an idol, or of a devd, the Apostle would never 
 call the temple of God.' And Jerome saith :t ' Anti- 
 christ shall sit in the temple of God, either at Jerusalem 
 (as some imagine), or in the Church (as we more truly 
 think), shewing himself as if he were Christ, and the Son 
 of God.' Again he saith of him -.l ' Antichrist shall tread 
 under his feet all approved and true religion.' And St. 
 Hilary saith :§ ' Is there any doubt but Antichrist shall 
 sit in the same houses } ' He shall sit in those houses and 
 buildings, with which you are in love, and which you 
 honour. And again he saith :|| ' He shall be contrary to 
 
 * Non enim templum alicujus idoli, aut dsemonis, templum Dei 
 Apostolus diceret Be Civit. Dei, lih 20. rap. 19. 
 
 ■(• Antichristus sedebit in templo Dei, vel Hierosolymis (ut quidam 
 putant), vel in Ecclesiil (ut verius arbitramur), ostendens se, tan- 
 quam ipse sit Cliristus, et Filius Dei Hieruii. ad Ali;,usiam. Quast.lX. 
 
 % Ibid. 
 
 ^ Anne ambiguum est, Antichristum in iis esse sessurum ? — Hil. 
 contra Auicntium. 
 
 II Sub specie Evangelicseprsedicationis, Cbristo contrarius erit ut 
 Domiuus noster Jesus Chiistus degenetur, quum prjedicari creditur. — 
 Ibid. 
 
218 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 Christ, under the colour of preaching the Gospel : so that 
 our Lord Jesus Christ shall then be denied, when a man 
 would think He is preached.' Thus we have seen who 
 shall be Antichrist, and in what church he shall be -. that 
 he shall be a bishop, and shall be stalled or placed in 
 Rome. 
 
 Now to return again to the words of the Apostle : Only 
 he ivhich now letteth, shall let, till lie be taken aivay. — Now 
 the emperor hath the rule over the world. Let him keep 
 it. There shall a time come, when he shall lose his pos- 
 sessions : then Antichrist shall appear. When the empire 
 shall be dismembered, and the kingdoms belonging to him 
 shall depart from him, then shall be the coming of Anti- 
 christ. Who will look into the story of things and times 
 past, shall perceive the meaning of the Apostle ; and how 
 the empire of Rome, being so great, is consumed and 
 brought to nothing ; and in what sort Antichrist, which 
 was once so poor and simple, so little regarded, and ob- 
 scure, might grow to be so great, and advance himself 
 above kings and princes. The impoverishing of the one 
 was the enriching of the other. 
 
 I told you that the empire of Rome contained sometimes 
 a great part of the world ; as England, France, Spain, Ger- 
 many, &c. Where is England now .'' It is divided from, 
 and is no part of, the empire. Where is France, Spain, 
 Italy, Illyricum ? Where is Rome itself ? They are 
 taken away from it, and are now no part of the empire. 
 Where is Macedonia, Thracia, Grsecia, Asia, Armenia, &c. ? 
 We cannot think of them but with heaviness. They be 
 now under the Turk : they are taken away, and are no 
 part of the empire. What is become of the great coun- 
 tenance which the emperor had in all the world } He is 
 now in comparison nobody. What part of the empire is 
 left unto him ? Not one. He hath not left him one city 
 or town. What is become of all which did belong to 
 
VER. /.] El'ISTLE TO THE THESSALONI ANS. 219 
 
 him ? They are dissolved, taken from him, and his estate is 
 brought to nothing. 
 
 In the meanwhile Antichrist increased, and grew to 
 wealth by spoil of the empire. The bishop of Rome hath 
 at this day many countries and lordships. Poor Peter had 
 none. How then came he by them ? By the spoil of the 
 empire. He hath the title of Forum Jul'mm. "Where hath 
 he it, but out of the spoil of the empire ? Where hath he 
 so many countries, beginning at Lucca, and onward to the 
 Alps, but by the spoil of the empire } He hath Ravenna, 
 Forum Sempronii, Beneventum, and Spoletum. All these 
 he hath by the spoil of the empire. He claimetli the 
 kingdoms of Naples and of Sicily. He is the lord para- 
 mount. King Phihp is his vassal, and payeth him tribute. 
 He hath Rome itself. It did belong unto the emperor. How 
 grew it to the bishop ? whence hath he it } By the spoil of 
 the empire. 
 
 We see, then, tluit the emperor is abated : that the 
 bishop is increased ; and so increased, that he hath made 
 the emperor to 1 c his man, to bear his train, to wait upon 
 him, to kneel down, and to kiss his foot. This could he 
 never bring to pa::?, vrhile the empire stood whole, and the 
 emperor was nb-- to make his part good. But these things 
 were done, that it might ,be fulfilled, which was spoken : 
 " The kings of the earth shall give their strength and 
 power to the beast," &c. : (Rev. xvii. 13.) " that they may 
 agree together, and give their kingdom unto the beast, 
 until the words of God be fulfilled." (ver. 17.) 
 
 Who that beast shall be, Augustine, writing upon the 
 Psalms, very well declareth :* ' Thus it is written of Anti- 
 christ, that he shall conquer all kings, and obtain the king- 
 dom himself alone.' And who it is, unto whom the kings 
 
 * Ita traditur de Antichristo, quod omnes reges superaturus sit, . 
 solus regnum obtenturus. — Aug. in I'siii. ix. 
 
220 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 of the earth have given their kingdom, and which doth 
 obtain the kingdom himself alone, if any man doubt, let 
 him be advised by this saying of them which knew it well, 
 and were not enemies to the bishopric of Rome. Johan- 
 nes de Parisiis saith :* ' Some think that by reason of this 
 donation (of Constantine) the Pope is the emperor and the 
 lord of the world : and that thereby he hath power both 
 to set up and also to put down kings, as an emperor..' 
 And if this be too little, to say tlius upon hearsay, the same 
 saith further plainly if 'AH manner of temporal power was 
 given immediately unto the Pope.' What other thing is it 
 that Innocentius saith } ' The emperor holdeth his empire 
 of the Pope ; and therefore he is bound to swear homage 
 and fealty to the Pope, as the vassal is bound to his 
 lord.' 
 
 In this right Pope Adrian said : ' Behold, it is in our 
 hand to bestow the empire upon whom we list.' Were not 
 the state of the empire now decayed ; were not the pro- 
 phecy of the Apostle now fulfilled ; were not the emperor 
 (howsoever he have in a mystery a bare name left) taken 
 away, as well in respect of the countries which he did hold, 
 as of the authority, the rule, and power which he had -over 
 the world ; these proud speeches could never have been 
 sufi*ered. 
 
 Now, then, seeing the empire is so decayed and abased, 
 and the bishop of Rome so highly advanced into his seat 
 and authority (so highly, I say, that some are bold to say : 
 ' The Pope hath the priesthood of all the whole world ; ' 
 and, ' The Pope is King of kings, and Lord of lords :') let 
 Gregory, who hath otherwhere given great light to this 
 prophecy, shew us hereby also to know who is Antichrist. 
 
 * Johnn. de Paris, de Poteslat. Re:;ict, cap. 22. 
 
 f Omnis potestas ssecularis immediate data est Papas. 
 
VER. 7.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 221 
 
 He saith :* ' Antichrist, when he shall come, shall conquer 
 the highest estates and powers of this world.' 
 
 This whole matter is also expressed in the seventh of 
 Daniel : " The fourth beast was fearful, and terrible, and very 
 strong ; it had great iron teeth ; it devoured and brake in 
 pieces, and stamped the residue under its feet : and it was 
 unlike the beasts that were before it ; for it had ten horns. 
 And behold, there came up among them another little horn, 
 which had eyes like a man, and a mouth speaking presump- 
 tuous things." (Dan. vii.7, 8.) This beast is the empire of 
 Rome, the greatest empire that ever was. It was divided 
 into ten (or into sundry) kingdoms, as I shewed you, and 
 as we see this day. The little horn is Antichrist. 
 
 The empire shall be divided and weakened : then Anti- 
 christ shall come. " He shall speak words against the 
 Most High, and shall consume the saints of the Most 
 High, and think that he may change times and laws ; and 
 they shall be given into his hand." (Dan. vii. 25.) Daniel 
 saith, he shall speak words against the Most High, and 
 shall think he may change times and laws ; and they shall 
 be given into his hand. Wherein he sheweth not only the 
 pride and presumption of Antichrist, but that he shall also 
 prevail for a time. Such a one there hath been, and yet 
 is. He blasphemeth God, and murder eththe saints : hath 
 changed times and laws, — the laws of God, and the laws of 
 nature. He is Antichrist. 
 
 To make an end of this part for knowledge of Antichrist, 
 who he shall be, in what place he shall dwell, and of that 
 which should let his coming : let us remember he shall be 
 no Jew nor heathen, but a Christian ; and no king or tem- 
 poral wight, but a bishop, an universal priest, and most 
 holy pope. As Jerome, upon the words of the prophet, 
 
 * Antichristus veniens ipsas etiam summas hujus steculi potestates 
 obtinebit. — Grey, in Jub. lib. 33. cap. 22. 
 
222 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 pastor et idolum, SfC. " O idol shepherd, that," &c. 
 (Zech. xi. 17.) saith:* ' I doubt nothing but that this 
 foolish and unskilful shepherd is Antichrist, which should 
 come towards the end of the world.' And further saith :t 
 ' This shepherd is so wicked, that he is not called a wor- 
 shipper of idols, but an idol itself : because he calleth him- 
 self God, and will be worshipped of all men.' 
 
 Let us remember we may not seek him in the streets, or 
 in market-places, or in woods, or in the wilderness : but in 
 the temple of God. There shall he sit, and hold the stern, 
 and devise laws and canons ; and shall rule the hearts and 
 consciences of the people : there shall he shew his power, 
 and put on him the cloak of simplicity, and of truth, and of 
 holiness. 
 
 St. Augustine saith, Antichrist shall not only sit in the 
 church of God, but also shall shew himself in outward ap- 
 pearance as if he himself were the Church itself: + ' Not 
 that he sitteth in the temple of God, but he sitteth as the 
 temple of God, as if he himself were the temple of God, 
 which is the Church.' Let us remember what shall let his 
 coming ; even the safety of the emperor, and his continu- 
 ance in that full power and estate wherein he then was. 
 The decay of the empire shall make way for Antichrist. 
 If therefore it be weakened, and hath been weakened any 
 time since; if the kingdoms of the world be divided from itj 
 that is an evident token that the coming of Antichrist is 
 not stopped, but he hath come and shewed himself, and, by 
 little and little, ever since such decay of the empire, hath 
 
 * Pastor stultus et imperitus haud dubitem quin sit Atitichristus, 
 qui in consummatione mundi dicitur esse venturus. — Ilieron. in 
 Zech. xi. 
 
 + Tarn sceleratus est pastor, ut non idolorum cultor, sed ipse ido- 
 lum nominetur ; dum se appellat Deum, et vult ab omnibus adorari. 
 —Ibid. 
 
 \ Non in temple Dei, sed in templum Dei, sedeat ; tanquam ipse 
 sit templum Dei, quod est Ecclesia. — De Civil. Dei, lib. 20. cap. 19. 
 
VER. 8.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 223 
 
 enlarged himself, and established his power over all coun- 
 tries and nations ; as Chrysostom saith :* ' As long as the 
 empire shall be had in awe, no man shall straightway sub- 
 mit himself to Antichrist : but after that the empire shall 
 be dissolved. Antichrist shall invade the state of the em- 
 pire standing void, and shall labour to pull unto himself 
 the empire both of man and God.' 
 
 Verse 8. — And then shall that wicked man be uttered, whom 
 
 the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and 
 
 shall destroy him with the appearance of his coming. 
 
 Antichrist shall be opened by little and little. All his 
 
 devices and practices shall be disclosed, that they may 
 
 appear and be seen of the world. He is in this place 
 
 called avopog, ' a man without order.' This is another 
 
 peculiar note of Antichrist. He shall seek to be free, and 
 
 go at liberty : he shall be tied to no law, neither of God 
 
 nor of man. Let us once again look into the state of the 
 
 church of Rome, to seek out this lawless man. There he 
 
 sitteth that saith, ' I cannot err.' 
 
 Why is it said,t ' The Pope is exempted from all law of 
 man ?' And again, why must we expound any fact of 
 the holy father for the best 1 and if it be theft, or any 
 other thing that of itself -is evil (as adultery or fornica- 
 tion), we must think it is done by the secret inspiration 
 of God ? Again, why say they,^ ' The doings of the Pope 
 are excused;' as Sampson's murders, as the Jews' rob- 
 beries, and as the adulteries of Jacob .'' And again, why 
 say they,§ ' Neither all the clergy, nor all the whole world. 
 
 * Donee illius imperii timor fuerit, &c. — Chrys. Horn. 4. in 
 2 Thcss. ii. 
 
 f Papa solutus est omni lege huinan&, ? — Exlrav. de Constit. licet. 
 9. (jU. 3. Cuncl. — Jo. de Parisiis, de Pot. Reg. et Papali. 
 
 X Dist. 40. Non nos : in Glossd. 
 
 § Pet. de Palude, de Pot. Pp. Art. 4. 
 
224 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 may either judge or depose the Pope;' but because he is 
 lawless ? 
 
 Why is it said,* ' In such things as he willeth, his will 
 standeth instead of reason, neither may any man say unto 
 him, O sir, why do ye this ;' but because he is lawless ? 
 Why is it said of him,t ' Although all the world would 
 judge in any matter against the Pope, yet it seemeth we 
 ought to stand to the judgment of the Pope, for he seem- 
 eth to have all the laws in the chest of his bosom ;' but 
 because he is 6 avo^ioQ, that lawless man ? Why is it,+ 
 notwithstanding the Pope draw innumerable companies of 
 people by heaps with him into hell, that yet no mortal 
 man may once dare to reprove him, but because he is 
 that lawless man ? 
 
 Why is it said,§ ' The Pope mav also change the very 
 nature of things, in applying the substantial parts of one 
 thing to another ; and of nothing can make something ; 
 and of no sentence, may make a sentence : for he may 
 dispense above the law, and of wrong may make right by 
 correcting and changing the laws?' One Zabarella saith, 
 they persuaded the bishops, that they might do all things ; 
 and therefore whatsoever they listed ; yea, such things as 
 are not lawful. 
 
 How could this have been wrought, but that the Scrip- 
 tures should be fulfilled ? This is he whom Paul describ- 
 eth, that wicked lawless man. Thus he reigneth and 
 ruleth ; without law, without reason, without fear of God, 
 without regard of man. He is exempted from all law, and 
 
 * In iis quse vult, est eipro ratione voluntas ; nee est qui dicat illi, 
 Domine, curita facis ? — Ejctrav. de Tmnslat. Ejnsc. Qiianto : in Glossd. 
 
 t Distinct. 40. Si Papa : in Glossd. J Ibid. 
 
 § Papa etiam rerum naturam immutat, siibstantialia alicujus rei 
 applicando alteri, et de nihilo potest facere aliquid, et sententiam 
 quse nulla est aliquam facere. lUe enim potest supra jus dispensare, 
 et de injustitia facere justitiam, corrigendo jura et mutando. — 
 De Trans. Ppisc. cap. Quanta: Glossa, tit. 7. 
 
VER. 8.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 225 
 
 his word is law to bind all the world. This is Antichrist. 
 This is he of whom Daniel prophesied : " He shall think he 
 may change laws and times ;" (Dan. vii. 25.) the times of 
 nature, and the laws which God himself hath ordained. 
 This is he which hath carried himself so long time under 
 the colour of holiness : this is he which hath beguiled 
 and blinded the eyes of the world. 
 
 But, blessed be the name of our God, which is the God 
 of truth, and the God of lights : his tyranny and treachery 
 is now revealed, and therefore not regarded. Oh what 
 mountains of money made he sometimes of pardons ! His 
 pardons were reputed the only safety and comfort of men's 
 souls. He was not reckoned a Christian, whosoever sought 
 them not. No man might lack them, neither in his life, 
 nor after his death. But where are they now? what is 
 become of them } who buyeth them ? who regardeth the 
 having of them ? who reposeth his trust in them ? Children 
 make sport of them, and play with them in the streets. 
 They see the filth of them, and the folly, and abhor them. 
 How cometh this so to pass ? The man of sin is revealed. 
 
 What a kingdom made he of purgatory ! He shut out 
 thence whom he listed : and released such as were there 
 at his pleasure. He claimed power over the quick and 
 dead. He sold the years, the days, and the months by 
 round reckoning ; a hundred, five hundred, and a thousand, 
 and thousand thousands years of pardon. Of which folly 
 his own canonists were ashamed. One of them saith:* 
 ' Touching that Christ said unto Peter, Unto thee will I 
 give the keys;' &c. we must understand this authority 
 with a corn of salt, (otherwise it may be unsavoury.) 
 Therefore certain of the Pope's pardons, that promise 
 twentv thousand years, are foolish and superstitious.' This 
 
 * Nam quod dicitur Petro, Tibi dabo claves, &c — Jo. Major, in 4 
 Senten. dist. 20. qu. 2. 
 
 l5 
 
226 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 was not given for nothing, but sold for money. Who 
 had aught to give, had speedy dispatch : but poor souls 
 that had nothing, or no friends to pay for them, should lie 
 still. This was a wealthy kingdom. But now where is 
 purgatory ? who regardeth it ? who careth for it ? Chil- 
 dren scorn it in their streets, and know it is a fable. How 
 Cometh this so to pass ? The wicked or lawless man is 
 revealed. 
 
 He was able to rule the whole world with a beck. His 
 word stood as the word of God : no prince nor emperor 
 durst withstand it. It was thought impossible that he 
 should err. But now the world seeth his word is deceiv- 
 able and vain : he erreth, and hath lived in great error. 
 How few men will believe him I No prince will trust his 
 word. Howsoever they whose eyes God hath not yet 
 opened to see the truth, trust him in religion, in worldly 
 matters they wiU not trust him. How cometh this so to 
 pass ? The man of sin is revealed. 
 
 What shall I say more ? Behold round about the world, 
 all places, and even Rome itself. The poor massing priest 
 standeth a-cold, and can get no hire : the Pope's palls* lie 
 a-rotting ; his bulls go a-begging ; his wares stand upon 
 his hand ; no wise man wiU buy them. Why? how cometh 
 this to pass ? The man of sin is revealed : all his deceit 
 and treachery is revealed. 
 
 The Pope stirreth and striveth at this day all that he 
 can. He excommunicateth and curseth : he sendeth out 
 his bulls : he bloweth up seditions : he breedeth treasons : 
 he raiseth subjects against their princes ; he setteth princes 
 upon their subjects : he imprisoneth and murdereth the 
 saints of God : he shaketh and inflameth the whole world 
 in his quarrels. But aU in vain. Why so ? how cometh 
 
 • A pall is the mantle of a Popish archbishop ; consecrated at 
 Rome, and delivered, with great ceremony, on the recognition of the 
 new prelate. — Editor. 
 
VERS. 9, 10.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 227 
 
 this to pass .'' There is no counsel, no wisdom, no fire, no 
 sword, that shall prevail against the Lord. The man o 
 sin, and his errors, are revealed. Men see, and know, and 
 detest the blindness wherein they were led : the people for- 
 sake him over and over the world ; " whom the Lord shall 
 consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall abolish 
 with the brightness of his coming." 
 
 Verse 9. — Even him, whose coming is by the effectual ivork- 
 
 ing of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying 
 
 wonders, 
 10. — And in all deceivahleness of unrighteousness among 
 
 them that perish ; because that they received not the love 
 
 of the truth, that they may be saved. 
 
 By the order of the Apostle's words, I should now speak 
 of the overthrow of Antichrist : how and by what power 
 he shall be confounded, (ver. 8.) But, because the two 
 verses next following (9, 10.) speak yet of the state of 
 Antichrist ; by whose means he shall come, and of what 
 countenance he shall be, and with whom he shall prevail ; 
 it shall be good we consider these things first, and then 
 shew how he shall be destroyed. 
 
 "When Christ came into the world, he came in the name 
 of his Father, to save the lost sheep of the house of Israel, 
 and to gather the flock that was scattered. Antichrist shall 
 come in the name of the devil, to scatter, and disperse, and 
 consume the flock of God's sheep. 
 
 His coming shall be by the efi'ectual working of Satan. 
 And what or who is Satan } He hath been a murderer 
 from the beginning : through his envy came death into the 
 world : he is the prince of this world ; the prince of dark- 
 ness ; the father of lies ; the spirit of pride j which hath 
 said, I will ascend above the height of the clouds, and J will 
 be like the Most High. He shall work, and inflame the heart 
 
228 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 of Antichrist, and fill it with his spirit and wickedness ; and 
 shall make him the man of sin, and the son of perdition, full 
 of vanity; and of pride, and of ungodliness ; that he may 
 mock the world, and blind the hearts of the people. 
 
 His coming shall be by the working of Satan : yet he shall 
 make shew as if he came in the name of Christ. He shall 
 come with fatherly looks, with holy countenance, and shall 
 set himself in the holy place ; but his whole endeavour shall 
 be to deface the kingdom of Christ : which he shall prac- 
 tise to do, not by the leading of any angel or archangel, 
 or by the power of God ; but by the effectual working of 
 Satan. He shall allege the doctors and fathers ; he shall 
 allege Peter and Paul, the holy Apostles of Christ ; he shall 
 allege Christ and God himself, as though his doings were 
 warranted by them : he shall say, I am the buttress and 
 pillar of the Church, my word is the word of God : he shall 
 set up masses and sacrifices of his own : he shfill take away 
 the word of God : he shall teach the people to give divine 
 honour to a weak creature. 
 
 But St. Paul in this place discloseth him and his doings, 
 and laveth them open to the eyes of the faithful. He worketh 
 not the work of an Evangelist, as did Peter, or other the 
 Apostles : he taketh not power and authority either of God 
 or of Christ : but his coming is by the operation of Satan. 
 Therefore he foresheweth. Antichrist shall command to 
 abstain from meats : he shall say. Touch not, taste not. He 
 shall also forbid to marry : he shall say, Marriage is unholy, 
 and unlawful, not convenient, not meet for holy profession. 
 Who would not think it a holy thing to abstain from 
 meats, and to chastise the body .'' Who would not think it 
 a holy thing to abstain from marriage, and to think of those 
 things %Yhich belong to God .' seeing holiness and devotion 
 are a pleasant sacrifice to God. But yet it is not aU so. 
 Some shall speak lies through hypocrisy, forbidding tomarry, 
 and commanding to abstain from meats. They shall depart 
 
VERS. 9, 10.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALOXIANS. 229 
 
 from the faith, and give heed to the spirits of error, and doc- 
 trines of devils. (1 Tim. iv. 1.) He saith it is the devil's 
 gospel. They are canons and rules of Antichrist. Satan 
 shall instruct him : Satan shall be the author and founder of 
 that religion. 
 
 With all poioer, and signs, and lying wonders, and in all 
 deceivableness of unrighteousness. — He shall need to be of 
 great power and force, that shall encounter with God. 
 Therefore the Apostle saith, he shall come with miracles and 
 devices of Satan. Christ foretold that " False christs shall 
 rise, and false prophets, and shall shew signs and wonders, 
 to deceive, if it were possible, the very elect." (Markxiii. 22.) 
 Again he saith : " Many will say to me in that day, Lord, 
 Lord, have we not in thy name prophesied ? and by thy 
 name cast out devils ? and by thy name done many great 
 works ? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you ; 
 depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matt. vii. 22.) 
 These things shall Satan bring to pass under my name. 
 
 The Apostles wrought miracles, thereby to confirm the 
 Gospel which they preached. As the Evangehst writeth : 
 " The Lord wrought with them, and confirmed the word 
 with signs that followed." (Mark xvi. 20.) And as the 
 Apostle : " Salvation at the first began to be preached by 
 the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard 
 Him, God bearing witness thereto with signs and wonders, 
 and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, ac- 
 cording to His will." (Heb. ii. 3,4.) So shall Antichrist 
 work miracles to overthrow the Gospel. " As Jannes and 
 Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth ; 
 inen of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But 
 they shall prevail no longer : for their madness shaU be 
 known to all men, as theirs also was." (2 Tim. iii. 8, 9.) 
 
 Aaron cast forth his rod before Pharoah and his servants, 
 and it was turned into a serpent: and the charmers of Egypt 
 did in like manner with their enchantments. (Exod. vii. 
 10 — 12.) Aaron smote the water, and all the water that 
 
230 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 was in the river was turned into blood : and the enchanters of 
 Egypt did hkewise with their sorceries, (ver. 20 — 22.) And 
 as Aaron caused frogs to come and cover the land, so the 
 sorcerers did likewise with their sorceries. (Exod. viii. 6, 7.) 
 " But the illusions of the magical arts came to nought," saith 
 Solomon ; " and it was a most shameful reproach for boasting 
 their knowledge." (Wisd. xvii. 7.) So shall Antichrist come 
 in, working signs and lying wonders, as did Jannes and 
 Jambres, to deface the gospel and glory of God. 
 
 It is not said, he shall work wonders, but false lying 
 wonders. But how can his miracles be false ? If false, 
 how be they miracles ? If miracles, how be they false ? 
 They shall be false after two sorts : some are called false 
 miracles, because they seem to be miracles, and are not ; 
 some are called false miracles, because they be used falsely 
 to maintain his falsehood. 
 
 Of the first sort of false miracles, we have seen an infinite 
 number in the days of our fathers in the kingdom of Anti- 
 christ. Then was there appearance of spirits, and visions 
 of angels : our Lady came swimming down from heaven ; 
 poor souls came creeping and crying out of purgatory, and 
 jetted abroad,* and kept stations, casting flakes of fire, and 
 beset high ways, and bemoaned their cases, the pains and 
 torments were so bitter. They sought for help, and cried 
 for good prayers ; they cried for Diriges, they cried for 
 masses of Requiem, for masses of Scala cceli, for trentalsf of 
 masses. Hereof grew portsale of pardons, and hereof grew 
 the province of Purgatory, the most gainful country that 
 ever was under the city of Rome. 
 
 But these miracles were no iniracles at all. They 
 were devised by subtle varlets, and lazy lordanes.J for a 
 
 * Jetted abroad; i. e. stalked to and fro — Editor. 
 
 t Trentals, or trigintals ; a succession of masses, thirty in number, 
 recited for some one object, according to an ordinance of Pope Gre- 
 gory the Great — Editor. 
 
 X Lordanes, or lordings; fellows affecting the airs of the great 
 
 Editor. 
 
VKKS. 9, 10.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 231 
 
 purpose, to get money, Oftentimes the spirit hath been 
 taken, and laid in the stocks ; the angel hath been stript ; 
 the good lady hath been caught ; the conveyance and the 
 miracle hath appeared ; the engines, and sleights, and the 
 cause and manner of the working, hath been confessed. 
 
 In those days, idols could go on foot ; roods * could 
 speak ; bells could ring alone ; images could come down 
 and light their own candles : dead stocks could sweat and 
 bestir themselves ; they could turn their eyes ; they could 
 move their hands ; they could open their mouths ; they 
 could set bones, and knit sinews ; they could heal the sick, 
 and raise up the dead. 
 
 These miracles were conveyances and subtleties, and in- 
 deed no miracles. The trunks by which they did speak, the 
 strings and wires with which they moved their faces and 
 hands, all the rest of their treachery hath been disclosed. 
 These be the miracles of which Paul speaketh ; miracles in 
 sight, but indeed no miracles. 
 
 The other- sort of false miracles is, when such things as 
 be indeed wrought and done, are untruly applied by Anti- 
 christ to maintain his falsehood. God giveth recovery to 
 the diseased : the deaf receive their hearing ; the blind re- 
 ceive their sight : he assuageth the tempests, and stayeth 
 the rage of fire that it continue not. These things are 
 done by the finger of God. Antichrist draweth us from 
 so thinking of the mercy of God, and telleth us we have 
 other friends to whom we are beholden, which have done 
 so and so for us. It was this saint, saith he, it was that 
 saint, that took pity of your case, and wrought the remedy 
 for you. It was Apollonia, it was Genouefa, it was Sitha, 
 it was our Lady. Such a saint is able to do much ; such a 
 saint can work miracles. 
 
 Hereof grew invocation of saints. Hereof it came to pass 
 
 , * Roods ; images of Christ on the cross. — Editor. 
 
232 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. II. 
 
 that each saint was assigned and allotted to his sundry 
 charge and several office apart : St. Blase, for the choking ; 
 St. Roche, for the pestilence } Anthony, for the burning ; 
 Valentine, for the falling sickness ; Romane, for madness ; 
 ApoUonia, for the tooth- ache ; Petronilla, for agues ; and 
 others, for other purposes : wherein it was wisely foreseen 
 that they were so limited and ordered, lest perhaps any one 
 might be over saucy, and encroach upon and trouble his 
 fellows. 
 
 It was also foreseen that all saints should not have power 
 ' to work in all places. Some wrought at Canterbury, 
 some at Walsingham, some at York, some at Buxton ; 
 some in one place, some in another ; some in the towns, 
 some in the fields : even as Jeremiah said among the Jews, 
 " According to the number of thy cities, were thy gods." 
 (Jer. xi. 13.) Hereof grew pilgrimages, and worshipping of 
 images, and kissing of rehcs. Hereof grew oblations, and 
 enriching of abbeys. Every man had his peculiar saint, on 
 whom he called. Every country was full of chapels : every 
 chapel full of miracles : and every miracle full of lies. 
 
 These miracles are wrought by Antichrist. They are his 
 tools wherewith he worketh : they are his weapons where- 
 with he prevaileth. They are full of lying, full of deceit- 
 fulness, and full of wickedness. So shall Antichrist prevail, 
 and rule over the world. By these miracles he shall possess 
 the ears, the eyes, and the hearts of many, and shall draw 
 them after him. 
 
 He shall shadow the moon, and darken the sun, and make 
 the third part of the stars of heaven to follow him. He 
 shall change light into darkness, and darkness into light. 
 He shall work in all things at his pleasure. If a man see 
 well, he shall make him blind. This is a miracle. Such 
 as are whole, he shall make sick : he shall infect them with 
 leprosy, which before were clean. This is a miracle. He 
 shall change the sense and feeling of nature : he shall make 
 
VERS, 9, 10.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIAXS. 233 
 
 the son hate the father, and shall make the father hate the 
 the son, vea, to seek the death of his son. This is a miracle. 
 He shall make the people mislike and doubt the word of 
 God, and embrace his follies. This is a miracle. 
 
 These be the works of Antichrist, which he shall bring 
 to pass. This shall he work in all deceivableness of unrigh- 
 teousness. He shall come with all kinds and shifts of deceit. 
 He shall come with shew of praying, with vizard of fasting, 
 with companies of monks, friars, canons, and all kind and 
 colour of holiness. He shall seek to prevail by threaten- 
 ing and by flattering, by fair means and by foul. He shall 
 excommunicate, and release from excommunication : he 
 shall promise forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting. He 
 shall make boast of the Fathers, and ancient doctors ; he 
 shall make boast of the universal consent : he shall boast of 
 general councils ; he shall boast of Christ's Apostles, and of 
 the Gospel of Christ, and of the word of God. So shall he 
 falsely and deceitfully work himself credit, and beguile the 
 world, in abusing the holy name of God. No kind of 
 deceitfulness or subtlety, but he shall use it. So shall he 
 make the people to seek upon him, and kings and emperors 
 to fall down before him, and to say. Who is like unto the 
 beast ? Who is so wise, so learned, so holy, so wealthy, 
 so mighty, and so catholic .'' Without him no man is to be 
 reckoned holy or learned. Without him no man may traffic, 
 buy, nor sell. Without him no man may read publicly in 
 Universities ; no man may preach to the people ; no man 
 may be accounted a Christian : no man may hope to be 
 saved without him, without his leave and liking. Such 
 wonders, such miracles shall he work ; so shall he conquer 
 and subdue the world. 
 
 Now, who they be which shall be deceived? in whom shall 
 he prevail } Among them that perish, because they received 
 not the love of the truth that they might be saved. They 
 shall be deceived by him, which perish ; whose hearts are 
 
234 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 not marked with the Spirit of God ; whose names are not 
 written in the book of hfe ; in whom the god of this world 
 hath Winded the minds, that the light of the glorious gos- 
 pel of Christ should not shine unto them : they shall follow 
 him, and shall be the children of damnation, and shall have 
 their reward with him. Be he learned or unlearned ; be 
 he king or subject ; albeit he be holy, albeit he be catho- 
 lic ; Antichrist shall come unto him in all deceitfulness of 
 unrighteousness, because he hath, not received the love of 
 the truth that he might he saved. 
 
 Here mark, he doth not say. Because they received not 
 the truth ; but he saith. Because they received not the love 
 of the truth. Many in our days can speak thus, " I am not 
 ashamed of the Gospel of Christ : for it is the power of 
 God unto salvation to every one that believeth :" (Rom. i. 
 16.) " for it is the savour of life unto life." (2 Cor. ii. 16.) 
 They can say : "There is given none other name under 
 heaven, whereby we must be saved : neither is there salva- 
 tion in any other than Jesus Christ," whom we have learned 
 by the Gospel. (Acts iv. 12.) Many wUl confess, there 
 was never more nor better ' teaching since the time of 
 the Apostles. They seem to receive the truth : but they 
 are like the horse and mule, in whom is no understanding. 
 They receive it, because the prince receiveth it, and because 
 the politic laws of countries establish it. They are carried 
 away with the sway of the world. They hear it with their 
 ears : (nay, I would God they would lend their ears to the 
 hearing of it :) but with their hearts they do not hear. They 
 have no feehng of the word of God, and of the truth. 
 They weigh it not, they love it not. They consider not 
 what it is, nor from whom it is sent. They know not that 
 it is the water of life, and the bread which is sent from hea- 
 ven. They have no taste, nor savour, nor pleasure in it. 
 
 Therefore it shall be taken from them, and given to a 
 nation which shall bring forth the fruits thereof. They 
 
VERS. 11, 12.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 235 
 
 shall be cast into utter darkness, and the last state of 
 them is worse than the first. " It had been better fo 
 them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, 
 after they have known it, to turn from the holy command- 
 ment given unto them.'' (2 Pet. ii. 21.) It should not be 
 charged upon them for their damnation : for our Saviour 
 saith, " If I had not come and spoken unto them, they should 
 not have had sin ; but now have they no cloak for their 
 sin." (Job. XV. 24.) They find no sweetness in the word of 
 God ; they are not converted by it that they may be saved : 
 they have no pleasure in the ways of the Lord ; they have 
 no comfort to know his will. 
 
 These be the bond- slaves of Satan : these be they upon 
 whom shall come the abomination of desolation : these be 
 they against whom Satan and Antichrist shall prevail, 
 because they have not received the love of the truth. They 
 have not received it into their hearts, that they might be 
 saved. They had no hearts to feel it, they had no eyes to 
 see it. 
 
 Verse 11. — And therefore God shall send them strong delu- 
 sions, that they should believe lies ; 
 
 12. — That all they might he damned which believed not the 
 truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 
 
 The Spirit of God is the Spirit of truth, and giveth 
 light into our hearts, and maketh us behold that blessed 
 hope, and rejoice in the knowledge of his will. Therefore 
 the prophet David maketh prayer : " O God, renew a right 
 spirit within me ; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me." 
 (Psal. li. 10, 11.) And again : " O Lord my God, lighten 
 mine eyes that I sleep not in death." (Psal. xiii. 3.) And 
 again he saith : " With thee is the well of life, and in thy 
 light shall we see light." (Psal. xxxvi. 9.) 
 
 Without this Spirit we are but flesh and blood ; even 
 
236 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. II, 
 
 void of sense and understanding. " The natural man per- 
 ceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God : for they are 
 foohshness unto him." (1 Cor. ii. 14.) "No man knoweth 
 the things of God, but the Spirit of God." (ver. 11.) 
 " And those things which God hath prepared for them that 
 love him. He hath revealed unto us by his Spirit." (vers. 9, 
 10.) Christ saith : "No man cometh to me, except the 
 Father draw him." (J oh. vi. 44.) Unless a man be born 
 from above, unless God print and seal his heart with his 
 finger, he shall not be able to see the kingdom of God. 
 
 Now, if we have the word of God before our eyes, and 
 regard it not, nor be thankful for it, nor set price by it, 
 God in his justice will withdraw it from us. Then shall we 
 delight in darkness, and have pleasure in error : our latter 
 end shall be more dreadful than was our first beginning. 
 This is it which Paul saith : God shall send them strong 
 delusion. That is, his Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, shall 
 depart from their hearts, and the power of Satan shall dwell 
 with them, and wholly possess them. This is the just 
 judgment of God. " A^id this is the condemnation^, that 
 light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather 
 than light." (John iii. 19.) They forsake the light, and 
 delight in darkness ; and this is their condemnation. They 
 will not understand, nor seek after God, that they may be 
 reformed. The prophet saith : " Because he loved cursing, 
 it shall come unto him : and because he loved not blessing, 
 so shall it be far from him." (Psal. cix. 17.) God will 
 strike them with blindness. They shall be astonished. 
 They shall fall into rebuke, and the snares of the devil. 
 They shall be drowned in perdition and destruction. 
 
 So great shall be the power of error. Men shall not only 
 be deceived, but shall be deceived mightily and strongly. 
 They shall desire to be deceived, and shall bear a deadly 
 hatred against him, whosoever shall seek to reform them. 
 They shall harden their hearts against God and his holy 
 
VERS. 11, 12.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 237 
 
 word : they shall stop their ears, and not hearken to his 
 counsel : they shall not open their eyes to behold the 
 destruction which is to come upon them. 
 
 So great and so mighty shall be the delusion : so deadly 
 shall be the cloud and blindness of their hearts. They shall 
 be given over unto a reprobate mind. They shall be filthy, 
 and increase in filthiness. Such shall be the power of 
 Satan, such shall be the power of error and deceitfulness. 
 They shall despise the glorious gospel of Chri.st : therefore 
 God shall forsake them, and give them over to follow Anti- 
 christ. 
 
 God hath this day sent the light and comfort of his holy 
 word into the world. Many godly men have desired to 
 see that we see, and to hear that we do hear. Blessed be 
 the name of the Lord, which hath in mercy visited us ! We 
 beseech him to bless the work that he hath legun. St. 
 Paul saith : " The grace of God, that bringeth salvation to 
 all men, hath appeared." (Tit. ii. 1 1 .) And to the Colos- 
 sians he saith : " The Gospel is come unto you, even as it 
 is unto all the world." (Col. i. 6.) And again : " Have 
 they not heard } No doubt their sound went through all the 
 earth, and their words into the ends of the world." (Rom. 
 X. 18.) The poor receive the glad tidings of the Gospel. 
 God hath visited and redeemed his people. 
 
 But yet the Apostle saith : " They have not aU be- 
 lieved our Gospel : for Esaias saith. Lord, who shall 
 believe our report?" (Rom. x. 16.) And again saith 
 the prophet Isaiah : "1 have spread out mv hands all the 
 day unto a rebellious people, which walked in a way 
 that was not good." (Isa. Ixv. 2.) Wisdom crieth in the 
 streets : " I have called and ye refused, I have stretched 
 out mine hand, and none would regard." (Prov. i. 24.) 
 Such is the power of Satan ; so shall he stop their ears, 
 that they shall not hear nor understand what is spoken in 
 the name of the Lord. 
 
238 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. II. 
 
 Paul is a true prophet, and foretold long before that 
 which we may now behold with our eyes : "In the latter 
 times some shall give heed unto spirits of error." (1 Tim. 
 iv. 1.) They shall be as men without sense or feeling ; they 
 shall forsake the truth, and betake themselves to foUow lies 
 and fables. Even they shall do this, which shall sit in the 
 Church of God ; who shall profess and carry the name of 
 Christ. 
 
 Christ ministered his last supper in botii kinds. (Luke 
 xxii. 19, 20.) St. Paul telleth the Corinthians: "As 
 often as ye shall eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye shall 
 shew the Lord's death till he come." ;1 Cor. xi. 26.) 
 That this institution of Christ should be kept in the Church 
 imtil the end of the world, the Apostles received this 
 order, the holy Fathers and Martyrs used it. But now 
 many, even too, too many, will not so have it, nor so use 
 it. They wiU not follow the example of the Fathers, nor of 
 Martyrs, nor of the Apostles, nor keep the ordinance of 
 Christ. So strong a delusion hath bewitched them. 
 
 The people of God were taught to pray in the vulgar 
 tongue, that their hearts might give consent, and' their 
 mouths say. Amen. This order did Peter, and Paul, and 
 John, and James, and the godly Fathers keep. There is 
 not one of them that took order for the contrary. But now 
 there are some risen up, which, in despite of Christ and 
 his Apostles, say. Prayers shall be made in a strange 
 tongue, either Latin or Greek : the people shall not under- 
 stand what they hear : they shall not know what it is 
 which they themselves say. Their hearts cannot give con- 
 sent thereto ; their mouths cannot say. Amen. The example 
 of the Apostles, the commandment of Christ, the comfort 
 of the people, the confusion of the church, nothing moveth 
 them. So great and mighty is the power of error. 
 
 The people worship a creature instead of the Creator, who 
 is God over all, blessed for ever. They see they do amiss, 
 vet continue it, and find no fault. They see wherein their 
 
VERS. 11, 12.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 239 
 
 fathers were deceived, yet they say they could not be de- 
 ceived. They see many and foul abuses, yet seek not 
 to redress them. For they say, We will walk in the ways 
 of our forefathers : we wiU believe as they believed, how- 
 soever they believed : we will do as they did, whatsoever 
 they did: we will not hear the word of the Lord. Thus 
 shall they delight in darkness, and loathe the light : they 
 will be deceived, and will not see the truth. So mighty and 
 so terrible is the power of error. 
 
 They be learned in philosophy and in the tongues : they 
 be learned in the laws : they be learned in pliysic, learned 
 in the doctors, and learned in stories.* They are skilful 
 to buy and sell, to purchase land to enrich themselves, and 
 to provide for their children. They have knowledge in all 
 things else ; but themselves, and the truth of God, and the 
 way of salvation, they have not known. 
 
 A thief, when he is taken, blusheth. A harlot is ashamed 
 of her filthiness, and a drunkard of his beastliness. But 
 they that are such, have hardened their faces; they cannot 
 blush. Whatsoever they have said or done, either openly 
 or in secret, by hypocrisy or cruelty, by rapine or treachery, 
 in offering pardons to sale, in deceiving the people of God, 
 in accusing the righteous, 'and condemning the innocent, 
 they cannot repent, they know no shame. So great is the 
 power of error. 
 
 Christ saith unto them : "The publicans and the harlots 
 shall go before you into the kingdom of God." (Matt.xxi.Sl.) 
 They consider that they have done amiss : but you are 
 wilful in your blindness. Oh the depth of the wisdom and 
 knowledge of God ! Who is wise, and considereth this ? 
 They strive against the manifest truth, they strive against 
 their own conscience, they strive against the Spirit of God. 
 This is that sin which shall never be forgiven, neither in this 
 world, nor in the world to come. 
 
 * Stories ; i. e. histories, whether authentic or fabulous. — Editor 
 
240 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. II. 
 
 Therefore saith Paul, that all they might he damned, 
 which believed not the truth, — All shall be damned, which 
 believed not. Then let no man say, I will follow the ex- 
 ample of my fathers, I will do as the greater part doth. So 
 many and so many, for so many years, in so many places, 
 have been on this side. The judgment of God standeth not 
 in the multitude, but in the truth. Whosoever shall set 
 themselves against his holy will, be they never so many, 
 they shall be damned. 
 
 Let such mark well what Ignatius, who lived in the time 
 of the Apostles, hath said :* ' I have heard some which say. 
 Unless I find the gospel in them of old time, I will not be- 
 lieve it. But unto such I say, that Jesus Christ is unto me 
 antiquity; whom to disobey is manifest and unpardonable 
 destruction.' Let no man say, I hope I do well, my mean- 
 ing is good, I have a desire to please God : I believe well, 
 I do my conscience : if I do amiss, God will regard my 
 simplicity. Let no man say so. St. Augustine saith :t ' It is 
 certain that a foolish faith not only doth no good, but also 
 hurteth.' If thou beheve not the truth, thou dwellest in 
 Iving ; thou art the child of the devil, which is a bar, and 
 the father thereof. " The mouth which speaketh lies, slayeth 
 the soul." (Wisd. i. 11.) Thy faith is no faith; it is but a 
 wilful opinion, it is but an error ; for it is not according to 
 the truth, it is not built upon the rock, it is not grounded 
 on the word of God. 
 
 Change thine error. " Faith is by hearing, and hearing 
 by the word of God." (Rom. x. 17.) Receive the truth, be- 
 lieve the truth, and love the truth. Otherwise, if thou re- 
 fuse the bread of life, and feed on poison ; if thou forsake 
 
 * Audivi quosdam dicentes, Si non invenero evangelium in anti- 
 quis, non credam. Talibus autem ego dice, quia raihi antiquitas 
 Jesus Christus est; cui non obedire, manifestus et irremissibilis in- 
 teritus est. — Ignatii Epist. 5. ad Philadel. 
 
 f Aug. qu. 43. in duestion. Veter. et Novi Testam. 
 
VERS. 11, 12.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 241 
 
 the water of life, and dig unto thyself a cistern that 
 will hold no water ; thou shalt lead thy days in wilfulness, 
 and shalt die in sin : thy blood shall be upon thine own 
 head. Thou shalt not see the glory of God ; death and 
 damnation shall be thy meed : because thou hadst pleasure 
 in wickedness, and didst not give thy heart to receive, and 
 love, and believe the truth. 
 
 Now it remaineth that we hear how Antichrist shall be 
 overthrown. We have seen his pomp and pride, his might 
 and power; that he overlooketh all the world, bindeth all kings 
 and princes and nations to keep his laws, and is himself 
 exempted from all laws of God or man. So mighty and 
 so marvellous is his power : who can declare it ? He is 
 called of his own side. Stupor mundi, ' The gaze-stock, or 
 wonder of the world j ' something less than God, some- 
 thing more than man. But being in all this estate, in the 
 midst of his Pontificalib'us, so fast mortised, so high built 
 up to the skies, so surely shored, so strongly beset on 
 every side, he shall be suddenly shaken down, and become 
 the shame of the vvorld. 
 
 How may this be done } Being so mortised, so built, 
 so shored, and so beset, who shall shake him down ? 
 What power shall consume .him ? Shall it be the great power 
 of kings, or of emperors ? They shall give their power 
 and authority to the beast, and fight with the Lamb ; 
 (Rev. xvii. 13, 14.) that is, against Christ. Shall it be the 
 authority of bishops and cardinals, and great clerks } All 
 they are linked and joined to him. Shall it be the wisdom 
 and drift of counsellors, and men of law } They be the 
 feed men, and sworn to him. Shall it be the violence and 
 conspiracy of the people ? They shall kneel down to him, 
 and honour him, and reverence him as an angel of God. If 
 neither the power of doctors, nor of bishops, nor of arch • 
 bishops ; if not the power of counsellors, and men at law ; 
 if not the power of the kings and princes of the world ; if 
 
 M 
 
242 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP II. 
 
 not the power and commotion of the people ; if all these 
 shall not abolish him, — what power then is it, wherewith he 
 shall be consumed ? It shall be the power of God which 
 shall be revealed from above : The Lord shall consume him 
 with the spirit of his mouth. 
 
 These words are diversely taken. Some expound them 
 thus : God shall appoint the great angel Michael to set 
 upon Antichrist, and he shall destroy him. Others take 
 these words to be spoken of the day of judgment : and then 
 this shaU be fulfilled, when Christ shaU say, " Depart from 
 me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire ;" (Matt. xxv. 41.) that 
 this is the spirit of the Lord's mouth, wherewith he shall be 
 consumed. 
 
 But the Apostle speaketh of the preaching of the Gospel : 
 that God, by his word, which is mighty to do all that 
 whereunto He appointeth it, shall make his doings manifest, 
 and let all the world see, that he was not sent of God ; that 
 he did never set forth the glory of God ; that he hath not 
 sought the salvation of the people j that in matters of faith, 
 and in all his life, he is adversary to Christ. This is that 
 breath which shall descry his errors and vanities : that is that 
 spirit which shall consume the kingdom of Antichrist. This 
 overthrow is already begun, as our eyes may behold this day. 
 
 In like sort speaketh Isaiah the prophet : "He shall 
 smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the 
 breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked." (Isa xi. 4.) 
 Princes make their conquests by power and strength, by fire 
 and sword, and engines of war; but God shaU beat down 
 his adversary with the rod of his mouth, by the true preach- 
 ing of his word. His word is mighty : it is his sword ; it is 
 his mace : it is the rod of his mouth : it is the breath 
 of -his hps. It is of great force ; no strength shall with- 
 stand it : it shall smite the earth, it shall slay the wicked. 
 
 St. Paul saith : " We do not war after the flesh : for 
 the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God to 
 cast down holds." (2 Cor. x. 3, 4.) This sword hath hewn 
 
VERS. 11, 12.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 243 
 
 down, in many places, the cruelty, tyranny, simony, in- 
 satiable gi-eediness, the errors, ignorance, darkness, vanities, 
 hypocrisy, superstition, and idolatry, which have been 
 brought into the Church, and used by Antichrist. These 
 were the pillars, and strength, and glory of his kingdom. 
 
 And here mark the Apostle's speech. He saith not, God 
 shall convert Antichrist, or change his heart that he may be 
 saved : but he saith, " Whom the Lord shall consume." 
 God's word is almighty. By his word he can do Vvhatso- 
 ever pleaseth him. He can make the deaf to hear, and the 
 blind to see. He was able to call the thief upon the cross 
 unto repentance. He was able to raise up Lazarus out of his 
 grave. He is able of stones to raise up children to Abra- 
 ham. He can throw down every high thing, that is exalted 
 against the glory of God : and will bring kings and princes, 
 and the rulers of the earth, to the obedience of Christ. But 
 of Antichrist it is said: "The Lord shall consume liim." 
 Such is the hardness and blindness of his heart, he will not 
 receive the love of the truth, he will not believe the truth 
 of God, that he might be saved. Therefore destruction 
 shall come upon him. 
 
 Hereby we are taught what to think, or hope, of reformation 
 of the abuses and errors of the Church of Rome. They have 
 been advertised of them not only by the professors of the Gos- 
 pel ; but also many of themselves have spoken for reformation 
 of sundry abuses. They have kept many councils and as- 
 semblies. They have promised redress. They have sat in 
 consultation many years. What one thing have they re- 
 formed } See and look over their acts and sessions : thev 
 be abroad in print. Hitherto they have reformed nothing ; 
 no, not their pardons ; no, not their stews : they have har- 
 dened their hearts, and set themselves against the Highest. 
 Therefore shall the glory of the Lord shew itself in their 
 destruction. With the breath of His lips they shall be 
 consumed, and brought to nothing. 
 
 And shall abolish with the brightness of his coming. — The 
 M 2 
 
244 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 Lord shall come, and shall make his enemies his footstool. 
 Then the sun shall be black as a sackcloth, and the 
 moon shall be like blood. There shall be an earthquake. 
 Kings, and great men, and rich men, and every bond-man 
 and free-man, shall hide themselves in dens : they shall say 
 to the hills, and mountains, and rocks. Fall upon us, and hide 
 us from the presence of Him that sitteth on the throne, 
 and from the wrath of the Lamb. 
 
 Then shall Antichrist be quite overthrown. Then his king- 
 dom shall beutterly abolished, and have an end. Then it shall 
 appear who hath sought the glory of Christ, who hath fol- 
 lowed the doctrine of the Gospel, and who hath done the 
 true endeavour of a faithful shepherd : then it shall appear 
 who is the wolf, who scattereth and spoileth the flock. St. 
 Jerome saith :* ' The cup of the Lord's right hand (which 
 is the Lord and Saviour) shall compass him about, when he 
 shall slay him with the breath of his mouth, and shall de- 
 stroy him with the brightness of his coming. Then all the 
 ignominy and shame which he hath heaped upon himself 
 with thoughts, deeds, and words, shall fall upon his glory 
 and pomp : insomuch that he shall be afterwards as vile and 
 contemned of all men, as he was before I'eputed or highly 
 esteemed of them.' 
 
 This might suffice touching the ruin and fall of Anti- 
 christ : yet I will add to that hath been spoken, the manner 
 of the fight, and of the victory, and of the triumph which 
 shall follow. The fight is doubtful and dangerous : the 
 victory shall be glorious: the triumph shall be joyful. Here 
 let us call to remembrance the wars which tyrants and 
 ungodly princes have made against the people of God, and 
 what hath followed. 
 
 Sennacherib, the great king of the Assyrians, came up 
 against Jerusalem with horses and chariots, and infinite num- 
 bers of picked soldiers. The whole country of Jewry was in 
 
 * Circumdabit eum calix dextrse Domini, kc Hieron. lib. i. in 
 
 Httbak. ii. 
 
VERS. 11, 12.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 24.5 
 
 agony : all the people were astonished with fear to see so 
 many enemies, and themselves so few ; to see the enemies 
 so strong, and themselves so weak. They knew not nei- 
 ther where to seek aid, nor how to escape the present 
 danger. Suddenly the Lord sent his angel from heaven to 
 relieve his people. In one night he smote, in the camp 
 of the Assyrians, an hundred four-score and five thousand, 
 which were all dead corpses. (2 Kings xix. 35.) The resi- 
 due were scattered, and ran away straggling : they knew 
 not where to hide their head. King Sennacherib went his 
 way, and returned : and when he was in safety at home, 
 and worshipping his GodNisroch in the temple, Adramme- 
 lech and Sharezer his sons slew him. 
 
 Remember the cruel wars which Nebuchadnezzar, king of 
 Babylon, made against God's people. He took their city, 
 spoUed their temple, sacked Jerusalem, and gave the prey 
 to his soldiers. He took the nobles, and gentlemen, and 
 merchants, and yeomen, and led them captives : some of 
 them he took with him to Babylon, and some he sold for 
 money. So great and so terrible was his victory. In the 
 midst of all his pomp, God bereft him of his wit, and asto- 
 nied * him with deadly madness. He was driven from 
 men, and did eat grass as the oxen ; and his body was wet 
 with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown as eagles' 
 feathers, and his nails like birds' claws." (Daniel iv. 33.) He 
 imagined that he was an ox ; that he had hoof, and horn, 
 and hair as oxen. He therefore forsook his palace, his 
 princely apparel and dainty fare, and lay abroad, and fed 
 with beasts. So did God avenge the cause of his people. 
 
 Who hath not heard of the war which Pharoah had 
 against the Israelites ? The battle was strange, and the vic- 
 tory sudden. The people of God were beset with dangers 
 on every side. The wilderness had shut them in. Before 
 
 * Aslonied, or astoned ; i. e. stunned, or astonished : the word is 
 used several times in the authorized version of the Bible, as well as 
 by many of our best writers from Chaucer to Milton Editor. 
 
246 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 their faces they saw the raging sea, that they could not 
 escape it ; behind their backs they did behold Pharoah with 
 his army march after them. If they went forward, they 
 must needs be drowned ; if they retired, they must needs 
 be slain. Their enemies were mighty, and they were Aveak. 
 Suddenly God divided the waters, and made the sea dry 
 land ; so that the children of Israel went through the midst 
 of the sea upon dry ground, safely as through a meadow. 
 Pharoah followed after with his sword and spear, to 
 work his fury. Then the sea returned to his course, and 
 drowned the chariots, and horsemen, and all the host of 
 Pharoah ; there remained not one of them alive. (Exod. xiv. 
 28.) Their carcases lay afloat upon the water, and were cast 
 in heaps upon the shore. Such shall be the end of those that 
 hate the Lord. So shall He make his name triumph over 
 all the world. 
 
 Let us imagine a battle of two mighty princes, both of 
 great power and of great courage. They meet together in 
 the field, they join battle, both sides encounter together, 
 either part is bent to beat down the other. What an horror 
 is it to hear the braying of horses, the sound of trumpets, 
 the thunder of drums, the roaring of guns, the clashing of 
 swords, the groaning and mournful voice of them which 
 are slain, and the crying and trembling of the people ! 
 
 Now let us by this make some resemblance of the battle 
 between Christ and Antichrist, between Christ the Son of 
 God, and Antichrist the son of the devil. Either of them 
 is well prepared : they are both mighty, and have both of 
 them soldiers, and knights to attend upon them. 
 
 Antichrist shall come from the earth, for all his glory is 
 upon the earth ; his power shall be the power of Satan. 
 Christ shall come from the heavens above, even from the 
 bosom of his Father. 
 
 What cognisance shall they give } How and by what 
 difference shall their soldiers be discerned ? The ensign of 
 Christ shall be everlasting truth : the ensign of Antichrist 
 
VERS. 11, 12.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 247 
 
 shall be falsehood and vanity, and all deceitfulness. By 
 these marks shall either be known. 
 
 With what soldiers shall they make their field ? They 
 that shall follow Christ, are pure and simple, who have for- 
 saken themselves, their goods, and their lives, and tremble 
 at the word of God. The men of war which fight with 
 Antichrist, and follow him, shall be mighty kings and 
 princes, and powers, and states of the world, as St. John 
 hath said; Rev. xvii. 10 — 12, And Gregory hath said: 
 ' An army of priests is prepared to wait upon the king of 
 pride.' And hereby may you know him. 
 
 What armour shall they have, and with what weapons 
 shall they fight .'' Antichrist shall furnish his men with 
 spear, and sword, and fire. He shall rejoice in killing, in 
 burning, and in shedding of blood. Christ shall send his 
 men into the field, naked, and armed with patience. They 
 shall take up their cross, and foUow Him, ready to suffer 
 whatsoever shall be laid upon them. Their weapons shall 
 be prayers and weeping. 
 
 What shall be the pretence of this fight ? Antichrist 
 shall come in his own name, to maintain and exalt himself. 
 Christ shall come in his Father's name, to maintain the 
 glory of his Father. What shall they seek .'' wherefore 
 fight they ? what is it they shall desire to maintain .-' Anti- 
 christ shall desire to maintain his own traditions : Christ 
 shall maintain the holy word of God. Christ shall procure the 
 glory of his Father : Antichrist shall maintain his own glory. 
 
 In what place shall this battle be .'' upon what downs or 
 plain, or in what country } Neither in' hill, nor in any plain, 
 but in the hearts of the people. There shall the war be : 
 there shall it be fought. 
 
 If it were possible, the elect should be confounded. His 
 assault shall be so terrible, that many shall be offended in 
 Christ : many shall deny Christ : many shall be ashamed of 
 him : and the love of many shall wax cold. But blessed is 
 he which continueth to the end. 
 
24S EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 We have heard briefly of Christ and Antichrist ; their 
 estates, their several cognisances, what bands of men they 
 shall have, what armoui- they shall bear, by what title they 
 shall claim, what they shall seek, and where the fight shall 
 be, — that it shall be m.ade in the consciences of the people. 
 There shall Antichrist sit, there shall he be worshipped as 
 God : there they shall call him the Holy and Most Holy 
 Father : there shall be given to him the power of heaven 
 and earth : there he himself shall rouse himself, and be 
 settled, and shall say, I sit as a prince, I shall never be 
 removed, I cannot fall. 
 
 But Christ shall blow him down with the breath of his 
 mouth, and shall abolish him with the brightness of his 
 coming. Christ shall have the upper hand, and destroy 
 him : even that Christ, whom they made the reproach and 
 scorn of the people ; whom they reviled, calling him drun- 
 kard, and companion unto publicans and harlots ; which was 
 so poor and simple ; which was oppressed and afflicted, and 
 yet opened not his mouth ; which was brought as a sheep 
 to the slaughter, and was killed. 
 
 St. John had a revelation, and did see Jesus Christ the 
 Son of God. " And He had in his right hand seven stars, 
 and out of liis mouth went a sharp two-edged sword." 
 (Rev. i. 16.) It was sharp and mighty: it " entereth 
 through even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the 
 spirit, and of tlie joints and the marrow, and is a discerner 
 of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Heb. iv. 12.) 
 So we see the breath of the mouth of Christ is a sword. 
 This sword shall overthrow Antichrist. 
 
 Remember how Dagon fell on his face upon the ground 
 before the ark of the Lord; how he could not stand; how, at 
 that presence, the head and the two palms of his hands 
 were cut ofi^ upon the threshold with a fall. (1 Sam. v. 3, 4.) 
 So shall Antichrist fall at the presence of Christ : his 
 arms and his head shall be broken off, and he shall not stand. 
 
 Remember that Aaron cast forth his rod before Pharoah 
 
VERS. 11, 12.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 249 
 
 and his servants, and it was turned into a serpent. So did 
 the charmers of Egypt : they cast down every man his 
 rod, and they were also turned into serpents. But Aaron's 
 rod devoured their rods, and consumed them to nothing. 
 (Exod. vii. 11, 12.) Even so shall the truth of Christ con- 
 sume and bring to nothing the falsehood of Antichrist. 
 
 All his glory shall be scattered as the chaff which the 
 wind driveth away, as a thin foam is scattered away with 
 a storm, and as the smoke which is dispersed with the 
 wind, and as the darkness which cannot abide the sight of 
 the sun : it shall be consumed, it shall be defaced, it shall 
 not stand. At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, 
 and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is mighty, 
 to the glory of God the Father : that he is worthy to receive 
 glory, and honour, and power. 
 
 But who may better disclose this mystery, and the fall of 
 Antichrist, than John the Evangelist, which leaned on 
 Jesus' bosom, whom Jesus loved, and which was endued 
 with wisdom from above ? Let us hear him. " I saw," saith 
 he, " an angel fly in the midst of heaven, having an ever- 
 lasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, 
 and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people : 
 saying, with a loud voice, Fear God, give glory to Him ; for 
 the hour of his judgment is come : and worship Him that 
 made heaven and earth, and the sea and the fountains of 
 waters. And there followed another angel, saying, It is 
 fallen, it is fallen, Babylon the great city : for she made all 
 nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 
 And the third angel, following them, said with a loud voice. 
 If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive 
 his mark in his forehead or on his hand, the same shall 
 drink the wine of the wrath of God, and shall be tormented 
 in fire and brimstone, before the holy angels, and before 
 the Lamb : they shall have no rest day nor night." (Rev. xiv. 
 
 6—11.) 
 
 N 5 
 
250 EXPOSITION UPON THE SEC0N3 [cHAP. II. 
 
 Again: "the seventh angel poured out his vial into the 
 air, and there came a loud voice out of the temple of heaven 
 from the throne, saying. It is done : (that is, it is con- 
 cluded, judgment is given, it shall stand for ever.) And 
 there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and 
 there was a great earthquake. And the great city was rent 
 into three parts, and great Babylon came in remembrance 
 before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the 
 fierceness of his wrath." (Rev. xvi. 17 — 19.) 
 
 " Then one of the angels talked with me, saying, Come, 
 I will shew thee the damnation of the great whore that 
 sitteth upon many waters, with whom have committed for- 
 nication the kings of the earth ; and the inhabitants of the 
 earth are drunken with the wine of her fornication.'' (Rev. 
 xvii. 1, 2.) And in the same chapter he saith : " These 
 have all one mind, and shall give their power and authority 
 to the beast ; (that is, to Antichrist.) Thus the kings and all 
 princes (as squires to his body) shallfight against the Lamb. 
 But the Lamb shall overcome them : for he is Lord of lords, 
 and King of kings." (vers. 13, 14.) 
 
 " I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having 
 great power, so that the earth was lightened with his glory ; 
 and he cried out mightily with a loud voice, saying : It 
 is fallen, it is fallen, Babylon the great city (the harbour and 
 palace of Antichrist), and is become the habitation of devils, 
 and the hold of all foul spirits." (Rev. xviii. 1, 2.) " And I 
 heard another voice from heaven say^ Go out of her, my 
 people, (beheve her not, do not as she commandeth you,) that 
 ye be not partakers in her sins, and that ye receive not of her 
 plagues. For her sins are come up into heaven, and God 
 hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she 
 hath rewarded you, and give her double according to her 
 Avorks J and in the cup that she hath filled unto you, fill her 
 the double. Ina&rauch as she glorified herself, and lived in 
 pleasure, so much give you to her torment and sorrow. For 
 she saith in her heart, I sit being alone : the world is mine ; 
 
VERS. 11, 12.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 251 
 
 no ill shall touch me. Therefore shall her plagues come at 
 one day, death, and sorrow, and famine, and she shall be 
 burnt with fire ; for strong is the Lord GocJ which wiU con- 
 demn her. And the kings of the earth which have com- 
 mitted fornication and lived in pleasure with her, shall be- 
 wail her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning ; 
 and shall stand afar off for fear of her torment, saying, Alas, 
 alas, the great city Babylon, the mighty city ; for in one 
 hour is thy judgment come ! And the merchants of the earth 
 shall weep and wail over her : for no man buyeth their 
 ware any more ; the ware of gold and silver, and of precious 
 stones, and of pearls, and of fine linen, and of purple, and of 
 silk, and of scarlet, and of all manner of thyine-wood, and 
 of all vessels of ivory, and of all vessels of most precious wood, 
 and of brass, and of iron, and of marble, and of cinnamon, 
 and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and 
 oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and 
 horses, and chariots, and servants, and souls of men." (vers. 
 4 — 13.) No man any more shall buy her parchment, 
 wax, and seals : no man shall buy her orders, her dispen- 
 sations, pluralities, totquot, non-residence, perinde valere.* 
 Nib man shall buy her concubines, her oil, salt, holy water, 
 holy bread : no man shall "buy her palls, her agnos Dei, her 
 jubilees, masses, trentals, and pardons : no man shall any 
 more buy of her forgiveness of their sins, and life everlasting. 
 No man shall regard her, no man shall buy, or seek to get, 
 this merchandise of her any more. The merchants of 
 these wares shall stand afar off, for fear of her plagues, and 
 say : Alas, that great city was clothed in reins,t and scarlet, 
 and purple, and gold, and diamonds, and precious stones ; 
 in one hour is all thy glory stript from thee ! O, what city 
 under heaven was like unto thee ? Thou wast the great city, 
 
 * These are the names of various Papal licences, subject to much 
 abuse. — Editor. 
 
 f Reins ; probably trappings, the emblems and decorations of go- 
 vernment. — Editok. 
 
252 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. ir. 
 
 the noble and the holy city ! " Then a mighty ang-el took 
 up a stone, like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea^ 
 saying. With such violence shall the great city Babylon 
 be cast, and shall be found no more : (she shall be out of 
 remembrance, they shall seek the place where she stood, 
 and not find her.) The voice of harpers and musicians shall 
 no more be heard in her : the light of a candle shall 
 shine no more in her. Her merchants, officers, and votaries, 
 were the great men of the earth ; and by her enchantments 
 were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood 
 of the prophets, and of the saints, and of all that were slain 
 upon earth." (vers. 21 — 24.) 
 
 " Then I heard a great voice of a great multitude in heaven, 
 saying : Hallelujah ! salvation, and glory, and honour, and 
 power be to the Lord our God. For He hath condemned 
 the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her 
 fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants shed 
 by her hand. And again they said. Hallelujah! And the 
 smoke rose up for evermore j and the four- and -twenty 
 elders fell down, and worshipped God that sat on the throne, 
 aaying,Amen, Hallelujah ! Thenavoicecameoutofthethrone, 
 saying. Praise our God, all ye his servants both small and 
 great. And I heard like the voice of a great multitude, and 
 as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of strong 
 thunderings, saying, Hallelujah ! for our Lord God 
 Almighty hath reigned." (Rev. xix. 1 — 7.) Let us be glad 
 and rejoice, and give glory to Him : for she is fallen, 
 she is fallen, Babylon that great city ; there she lieth, the 
 mother of filth and fornication. There lieth Antichrist the 
 man of sin, the son of perdition, which is an adversary, 
 which hath sat in the temple of God, and exalted himself 
 above all that is called God : that wicked and lawless man 
 lieth there. The Lamb, the root of Jesse, the lion of the 
 tribe of Judah, hath overcome, and gotten the victory. 
 He is worthy to receive the glory and honour. Then shall 
 the apostles, and the prophets, and the angels say, Praise, 
 
VERS. 11, 12.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 253 
 
 and honour, and glory be unto Him that sitteth upon the 
 throne, and unto the Lamb for evermore. We thank thee, 
 we give thanks to thee, O God, which art, and wast, and shalt 
 be. Thou hast avenged the blood of the prophets and 
 martyrs : thou hast destroyed them that have defiled the 
 earth. Thy name be blessed for ever ! Amen, Hallelujah ! 
 Such glee and triumph shall be in heaven for the overthrow 
 of Antichrist. 
 
 Thus have 1, by occasion of the Apostle's words, spoken of 
 jhe coming and of the kingdom of Antichrist. And, lest 
 we might be deceived as touching his person, I have said 
 what he should be, what things he shall do, of what 
 estate he shall be, what countenance he shall carry, in what 
 place he shall sit, at what time shall be his coming, by what 
 means he shall prevail, who they be that shall believe in 
 him, what power shall beat him down, what end he shall 
 have, what triumph shall follow upon his fall. 
 
 I have told you that he shall be the overthrow of the 
 world, the confusion of the church, the son of perdition : 
 that he shall destroy himself, and be the destruction of 
 others. 
 
 I have told you he shall be a reverend father, and 
 wear a mitre ; and be a bishop, and a bishop of bishops. 
 So saith Gregory, so Jerome, so Augustine, and Bernard, 
 and others. And cannot we tell who it is, that calleth 
 himself an universal bishop, the bishop of all churches .'' 
 Do we not hear of such an one } Do we not know him ? 
 Whatsoever he be, wheresoever he dwell, what countenance 
 soever he bear, he is Antichrist. 
 
 I have told you he shall sit in the temple of God, in the 
 consciences of the people : that the people shall hear, credit, 
 follow, and honour him, as if he were God ; and think it 
 sin and damnation to break his lore.* 
 
 I have told you where he shall be stalled, where his chief 
 
 *^His lore; i. e. his instruction, or tradition. — EnixoR. 
 
254 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. II. 
 
 place shall be, where he may be seen. St. John saith, he 
 shall sit in a city built upon seven hills ; that city is the 
 city of Rome. Rome is so built : Rome is set upon seven 
 hills. Dame SibyUa saith. Antichrist shall sit by the water 
 of Tiber : and Tiber is a river that runneth by Rome. 
 Joachimus Abbas saith. Antichrist is long since born at 
 Rome, and shall be advanced in the Apostolic see : he is 
 born, and sheweth himself, not at Babylon, not at Constan- 
 tinople, but at Rome. These be plain speeches. If any 
 man doubt this, let him read their books : they be extant 
 abroad. Antichrist shall sit in Peter's chair, and Rome 
 shall be the seat of his kingdom. 
 
 I have told you he shall come when the state and majesty 
 of the empire shall be weakened. Antichrist shall possess 
 the emperor's lands, and bear the sword, and wear his crown, 
 and shall make the emperor fall down, and worship him, 
 and kiss his feet. Hath there ever been any such bishop 
 in the world ? Hath there, I say, ever been any such } 
 If ever there were any such, St. Paul saith, the same is 
 Antichrist. 
 
 I told you the world shall fall down, and reverence him, 
 and shall seek life and salvation at his hands. John saith, 
 they shall cry, " O, who is like the beast ?" Who is like our 
 holy father.^ who is so wise, so learned, so holy? They 
 shall follow him whithersoever he shall lead them : they 
 shall eat whatsoever he will give them. And they which 
 shall do thus are such as have no feeling, no care, no love 
 to the truth of God. Therefore God forsaketh them, and 
 leaveth them to follow lies. 
 
 I told you he shall prevail by falsehood, and by feigned 
 miracles ; by bulls, by pardons, by purgatories, and by such 
 other devices and shifts of Satan. 
 
 I told you he shall be contrary to Christ, in sacraments, 
 in sacrifice, in prayers, in life, in doctrine, in religion, in the 
 whole form and order of the Church. He shall shut that 
 Christ hath opened : he shall open that Christ hath shut. 
 
VERS. ]3, l-i.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 255 
 
 He shall curse that Christ hath blessed; and bless that 
 Christ hath cursed. No man shall be accounted faithful, 
 no man CathoUc, no man the son of the church, no man 
 may be saved, without him. Such credit and countenance 
 shall he bear. 
 
 I told you he shall be confounded and beaten down by 
 the force and power of God's mighty word. His word is om- 
 nipotent. It shall disclose the works of darkness : it shall 
 hew down idolatry, superstition, and the whole kingdom of 
 Antichrist, as our eyes do see this day. Blessed be God the 
 Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, his mighty hand hath 
 wrought these things : he hath triumphed in the name of his 
 Christ. He will bless the things he hath begun. He will 
 overthrow the whole power of Antichrist by his presence, 
 and by the glory of his coming. Then shall it appear who 
 is the successor of Peter, who is the true vicar of Christ, 
 and who is Antichrist. 
 
 Verse 13. — But we ought to give thanks ahvays to God for 
 you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because that God hath 
 from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sane- 
 tification of the Spirit, and the faith of truth : 
 
 14. — Whereunto he called' you by our gospel, to obtain the 
 glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 God hath chosen you from the beginning : his election is 
 sure for ever. The Lord knoweth who are his. You shall 
 not be deceived with the power and subtilty of Antichrist ; 
 you shall not fall from grace, you shall not perish. 
 
 This is the comfort which abideth with the faithful, when 
 they behold the fall of the wicked : when they see them 
 forsake the truth, and delight in fables ; when they see them 
 return to their vomit, and to wallow again in the mire. 
 When we see these things in others, we must say, Alas, they 
 are examples for me, and they are lamentable examples. 
 
256 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. 11. 
 
 Let him that standeth, take heed that he fall not. But God 
 hath loved me, and hath chosen me to salvation. His mercy 
 shall go before me, and his mercy shall follow in me. His 
 mercy shall guide my feet, and stay me from falling. If I 
 stay by myself, I stay by nothing ; I must needs come to 
 ground. Although all the world should be drowned with 
 the waves of ungodliness, yet wiU I hold by the boat of his 
 mercy, which shall safely preserve me. If all the world be 
 set on fire with the flame of wickedness, yet will I creep 
 into the bosom of the protection of my Lord ; so shall no 
 flame hurt me. He hath loved me, he hath chosen me, he 
 will keep me. Neither the example nor the company of 
 others, nor the enticing of the devil, nor mine own sensual 
 imaginations, nor sword, nor fire, is able to separate me 
 from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
 This is the comfort of the faithful. So shall they wash their 
 hands in the blood of the Lamb. 
 
 Therefore saith Paul, You are my children ; I have be- 
 gotten you in Christ : God hath given you unto me : He 
 hath made the gospel which is come unto you by my mi- 
 nistry, fruitful in you : / ought to give God thanks always 
 for you. Whatsoever falleth upon others, although others 
 fall and perish, although they forsake Christ and follow 
 after Antichrist, yet God hath loved you, and given his Son 
 for you : He hath chosen you and prepared you to salvation, 
 and hath written your names in the book of life. 
 
 But how may we know that God hath chosen us ? how 
 may we see this election ? or how may we feel it .'' The 
 Apostle saith, through sanctification, and the faith of 
 truth: these are tokens of God's election. Have you re- 
 ceived the gospel ? It is the hght of the world ; it teacheth 
 us to know that God is God, and that we are his people. 
 The credit you give to the gospel is a witness of your elec- 
 tion. 
 
 We beheve whatsoever God speaketh, because it is 
 
VERS. 13, 14.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALOXIANS. 257 
 
 the word of God : for His word is truth. We believe 
 that Christ is the Lamb of God, that He hath taken away 
 the sins of the world ; because it is the word of God. (John 
 i. 29.) We beheve that the blood of Jesus Christ cleans- 
 eth us from all sin ; because it is the word of God. (1 John 
 . 7.) We believe Christ came to save sinners ; because it 
 is the word of God. (Matth. ix. 2.) We believe God will 
 defer his wrath, and wiU shew mercy for himself, for his 
 own name's sake ; because it is the word of God. (Isai. 
 xlviii. 9.) We believe they that trust in the Lord shall not 
 be confounded ; because it is the word of God. (Psalm 
 xxii. 5.) We believe we are saved by grace through faith, 
 and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God ; not of 
 works, lest any man should boast : because it is the word of 
 God. (Eph. ii. 8, 9.) We believe that without faith it is 
 impossible to please God ; and again, that faith cometh by 
 hearing ; and again, that it is the gift of God : because it is 
 the word of God. (Heb. xi. 6; Rom. x. 17 ; Phil. ii. 13.) 
 It is the truth. 
 
 We believe that Antichrist shall be confounded, and be- 
 reft of all his glory ; because the word of the Lord hath 
 spoken it. (Rev. xviii. xix.) His word is righteousness 
 and truth. We will always believe that is true : therefore 
 we cannot but believe the word of God. 
 
 Faith knoweth no falsehood ; it beholdeth the truth only ; 
 and not all truth, but the truth of God. It is not settled 
 upon vanities, nor upon errors. Unless it be truth by the 
 word of God, whatsoever thou boldest in opinion is not to 
 be called faith. The Turk is settled in errors : he persuad- 
 eth himself he is rightly settled ; he calleth his opinions 
 faith and belief. Yet this is not faith, because it is not the 
 faith of truth j it hath not the word of God to assure it. 
 
 Therefore when men will say. Believe our masses, beheve 
 our sacrifices, believe our transubstantiations and our real 
 presences ; beheve us whatsoever we say, believe that we 
 
258 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 cannot err ; believe that you are in a good belief, if you say 
 you believe as the Church believeth, though you knovir not 
 how or what the Church believeth : they abuse and mock 
 the people of God. There is no truth in this doctrine : it 
 never passed out of the mouth of God. God ordained not 
 masses, nor that the priest should offer sacrifice for the 
 quick and dead. Therefore it is no matter of faith ; it is 
 folly and vanity, it is ungodliness, it is error : it hath no 
 substance. He that receiveth such doctrine, maketh much 
 of a shadow ; he cannot hold it. 
 
 Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of 
 God. The word of God is truth. The gospel is the word 
 of God, and the power of God to save them that believe. 
 
 The behef of the gospel is laid up in our hearts by the 
 Spirit of God : he bringeth us to the knowledge of the 
 truth. This Spirit beareth witness unto our spirit, that we 
 are the sons of God. This Spirit teacheth us to withdraw 
 our minds from worldly cares, to call our doings to a reckon- 
 ing, to think of the dreadful day of judgment, to repent for 
 our former sins, and to serve God in holiness .and 
 righteousness. This Spirit sheweth us the mercy of God, 
 helpeth us to pray and prayeth for us, is our Comforter, 
 helpeth our infirmities, and maketh us know the things that 
 are given us of God. 
 
 This did David see, when he prayed, " Create a clean 
 heart in m'e, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." 
 . (Psalm H. 10.) My heart is sinful, my heart is foul : re- 
 new it vsith thy Spirit ; thy Spirit is right, he shsdl make 
 my heart clean. Again: "Take not thy Holy Spirit from me." 
 (ver. 11.) I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaiden : 
 turn thy face away from my sins ; behold me, and receive 
 me in thy mercy. "Restore me to the light of thy coun- 
 tenance. Open thou my lips, and my mouth shall shew 
 forth thy praise. Establish me with thy free Spirit," 
 (vers. 12 ; 14.) 
 
VER. 15.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 259 
 
 This strength we gather in God by his Spirit. This com- 
 forteth us in all temptations, and beareth witness with 
 our spirit, that we be the children of God ; that God hath 
 chosen us, and doth love us, and hath prepared us to 
 salvation ; that we are the heirs of his glory ; that God 
 will keep us as the apple of his eye, that he will defend us, 
 and we shall not perish. 
 
 Verse 15. — Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and keep 
 all the instructions which ye have been taught, either by 
 word or by our epistle. 
 
 God hath set you in a race : let no man hinder you, let 
 no man keep you from the goal. Stand fast, and keep 
 that doctrine which you have received. When I was pre- 
 sent with you, I taught you by word of mouth ; when I was 
 away from you, I taught you by letters. I am careful for 
 you. I bear you in my heart, and love you in Christ Je- 
 sus. He hath given me charge over you, he will require 
 you at my hands. I have cleansed and garnished your 
 hearts by the word of truth : take heed, take heed the 
 wicked spirit come not, and bring seven spirits worse than 
 himself, and enter in, and' dwell with you, and the end of 
 you be worse than the beginning. 
 
 Remember Lot's wife : she went not forth straight in 
 the way appointed her, but looked back behind her ; and 
 she became a pillar of salt, and so continueth unto this day. 
 A terrible example to those who have set their hand to the 
 plough, and look back again, and have made themselves 
 unworthy the kingdom of heaven ! God will forsake such, 
 and make their hearts hard as a stone. 
 
 You are the corn of the Lord's field ; God hath blessed 
 you : grow then, and be fruitful until the harvest, that 
 vou may be gathered into the Lord's barn. You are the 
 light of God, which God himself hath kindled ; let no puff 
 
260 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. II. 
 
 of wind put you out. You are the house of God; God 
 hath built you upon a rock : let no violence nor tempes- 
 tuous weather beat you down. 
 
 I have spoken to you, I have written to you ; I have 
 shewed you the whole counsel of God. The word which I 
 spake to you is the word of God. I testify before the 
 Lord, and call God to witness unto my soul, that it is the 
 truth of God, and not any device of man. You did believe 
 it ; you received it not as the word of men, but, as it is indeed, 
 the word of God. 
 
 Become not now unfaithful, although you spy many infir- 
 mities in your teachers ; although you see them fall into 
 ofifences, and wax covetous, and give evU example in their 
 life and conversation. Although you see the faith of many 
 shaken, and that they have put away from them .a good 
 conscience, and turn back from the love of the gospel 
 which they once seemed to profess, and so are gone out 
 from among you ; yet stand you upright. Hold fast the 
 doctrine which you have received, and continue in the things 
 which you have learned, and be persuaded that they are 
 able to make you wise unto salvation, through the faith 
 which is in Christ Jesus. 
 
 Christ saith, " Woe be to the world because of offences : 
 whosoever shall offend one of these little ones, which be- 
 lieve in me, it were better for him that a miUstone were 
 hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the 
 depth of the sea." (Matt, xviii. 6, 7.) And again, he saith, 
 " Blessed is he which is not offended in me." (Matt. xi. 6.) 
 Therefore work your own salvation in trembling and in fear. 
 Blessed is he that abideth with Christ in temptations, and 
 continueth faithful unto the end. 
 
 Verse 16. — Now the same Jesus Christ our Lord, and our 
 God even the Father, which hath loved usy and hath given 
 us everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace, 
 
VERS. 16, 17.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 261 
 
 17. — Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every word 
 and good work. 
 
 After his exhortation that they would stand fast, and 
 continue faithful unto the end, he turneth himself to 
 God, and prayeth Him to look upon them mercifully down 
 from heaven, and to fulfil the work begun, and to increase 
 and multiply his grace in them. 
 
 So ought all preachers and servants of God to do 
 in their sermons. For, alas ! what are we, what is our 
 word, what is our labour, without the assistance of God } 
 We are only the voice of a crier in the wilderness : we 
 call upon the people to prepare the way of the Lord, and to 
 make his paths straight : we give warning, that the Lord is 
 even at hand. He that teacheth is nothing ; he that plant- 
 eth is nothing ; he that watereth is nothing : our tongue 
 is nothing ; our word is nothing ; our wit * is nothing : 
 Peter is nothing ; Paul is nothing. It is God which 
 openeth the hearts of the people, and maketh them tremble 
 at his words : it is God which giveth the increase, and 
 maketh his word to be of force. 
 
 The Prophet saith : " The Lord gave the word : great 
 was the company of preachers." (Psalm Ixviii. 11.) It is 
 the work of God, both to make his word mighty, and to 
 make the people to receive it, and yield unto it. He giveth 
 us hearts to feel the comfort of his word, and to yield our 
 obedience in doing as the word requireth. For He is the 
 Father of lights, from whom all gifts are poured down upon 
 us. We are the children of Adam : we are flesh and blood, 
 and nothing but vile clay and ashes. Our eyes are dim. 
 our senses dull, and our hearts heavy. Christ telleth us 
 truly: "Without me ye can do nothings" (John xv. 5.) 
 neither hear the word, nor believe it. 
 
 * Our wit; that is, our intellect, or ingenuity, or judgment. — 
 Editou. 
 
262 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. III. 
 
 I mark your presence, that you are many gathered to- 
 gether this day in this place. Every man seemeth to stand 
 with bent countenance, and earnest looks, and desirous to 
 learn. And albeit I which speak am but a worm, un- 
 worthy to creep upon the earth ; yet the word which we 
 have heard is the word of God, the word of comfort, and 
 the word of life. But God knoweth in all this company 
 how many have ears to hear. 
 
 In the Acts of the Apostles, when God opened their hearts, 
 they understood the Scriptures : before, they heard^ and 
 knew not what they heard. (Luke xiv. 45.) Paul preached : 
 Lydia, a woman which sold purple, heard him: the Lord 
 opened her heart, that she hearkened unto Paul : then she 
 understood his words, and believed. (Acts xvi. 14.) This 
 comfort is of God, who hath loved us, and hath given us 
 everlasting consolation ; he will give you understanding 
 hearts, and will stablish you in every word and good work. 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 Verse 1. — Furthermore, brethren, pray for us, that the 
 word of the Lord may have free passage, and be glorified, 
 even as it is with you. 
 
 Pray for me, that I may be a faithful servant, doing the 
 will of God from my heart ; that he will open my mouth 
 boldly to publish the secret of the Gospel, and to declare 
 the riches and glory of his kingdom. For of myself I am 
 nothing : I have not the key of David, I cannot give light 
 unto the world, and am not able to open the hearts of the 
 people. 
 
 That the word of God may have free passage. — 
 He saith not. Pray for us, that my word may have pas- 
 
VER. 1.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 263 
 
 sage ; or that my name may be spoken of and glorified ; or 
 that the people may behold my doings, and talk of me. For 
 " we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and 
 ourselves your servants for Christ's sake." (2 Cor. iv. 5.) 
 I am but an unprofitable servant. I am the poor ox 
 that treadeth out the wheat : I am the poor crier to pro- 
 claim the will of the Lord. 
 
 Pray you that the word of the Lord may have free pas- 
 sage ; that the Gospel of Christ may be glorified, that the 
 hearts of the people may be ready and greedy to receive it ; 
 that the kingdom of heaven suft'er violence, and the violent 
 take it by force ; that the word may so possess the hearts 
 of the people, as fire hath passage through stubble ; that 
 it may shine as the sun-beams over all the world ; that it 
 may be known from east to west, and from north to south. 
 
 In this sort pray that the word may have a glorious 
 entrance into you, and also among others. Herein shall 
 appear the love you have to the saints, and the zeal you 
 bear to the house of God, when you wish others to be par- 
 takers of this blessedness with you : when you seek not 
 your own glory, but the building of the Church of Christ : 
 when you pray that God will be merciful to others, as 
 unto you ; that a light m&y be given to them that sit in 
 darkness and in the shadow of death ; that they may know 
 the time of their visitation. 
 
 Such a prayer made David : " God be merciful unto us, and 
 bless us, and cause his face to shine among us : that they 
 may know thy way iipon earth, thy saving health among 
 all nations. Let the people praise thee, O God, let all the 
 people praise thee."' (Psal. Ixvii. 1 — 3.) Thus did Jeremiah 
 pray : "Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be 
 turned." (Lam. v. 21.) Give us a new heart and a 
 new spirit : incline our hearts unto thy testimonies, that we 
 may know and fear thy name. 
 
 So did Christ teach us to pray : " Hallowed be thy name," 
 
264 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. III. 
 
 (Matt. vi. 9.) among the infidels which know thee not : let 
 thy name he had in reverence among all people : " th)' king- 
 dom come, thy will be done." (ver. 10.) There is no other 
 God but only thou : let all the earth come and worship thee. 
 Even so must we also pray, that the word of God may have 
 free passage, and his name be glorified in all places. 
 
 Vers. 2. — And that we may he delivered from unreasonable 
 
 and evil men : for all men have not faith. 
 3. — But the Lord is faithful, which will establish you, and 
 
 keep you from all evil. 
 4. — And toe are persuaded of you through the Lord, that ye 
 
 both do, and will do, the things tvhich we command you. 
 5. — And the Lord guide your hearts to the love of God, and 
 
 the waiting for of Christ. 
 
 From unreasonable and evil men •• — which conspire against 
 the Lord and his Anointed ; which blaspheme that good 
 name that is called upon us. Such were Jannes and 
 Jambres, which resisted Moses in the time of the law. 
 Such were they, in the time of the prophets, which said : 
 " The word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of 
 the Lord, we will not hear it of thee. But we will do 
 whatsoever thing goeth out of our own mouth ; as, to burn 
 incense to the queen of heaven, as we have done, both we 
 and our fathers, our kings and our princes." (Jer. xliv..l6, 
 17.) Such were, in the time of the Gospel, the Scribes and 
 the Pharisees, " which made the commandment of God 
 of no authority by their tradition :" (Matt.xv. 16.) which 
 turned darkness into hght, and light into darkness. Such 
 was Alexander the coppersmith. Such were others. The 
 whole scriptures are full of such. They were false pro- 
 phets, false apostles, false brethren. They caused division 
 in the Church. They went out to preach in the name of 
 Christ, but inwardly they were ravening wolves. 
 
VERS. 2 5.] EPISTLE TO THE TIIESSALONIANS, 265 
 
 Such were in the days of our fathers, and such there are 
 in our days : such Jannes' and Jamb res', such idol- worship- 
 pers, such scorners of God's word, such Scribes and Phari- 
 sees, such Alexanders, such false prophets, false apostles, 
 and false brethren, we have more than a good many in our 
 days. They pretend the Gospel : no man more. In com- 
 pany of Protestants, they will be Protestants ; in company 
 of others, they are quite become contrary. They come to 
 the church, and receive the holy communion : they resort 
 secretly to corners, where they hear mass. They like the 
 one, and like the other. They like the light, and they love 
 darkness, and make no difference between them. These 
 are ready to serve Clvi-ist, and also ready to serve Antichrist : 
 faithful neither to God, nor to Baal. And this is among 
 many counted the highest point of wisdom, to be able so 
 to colour and hide himself, that you shall not know what 
 pi'ofession he is of, to what Church he joineth himself, what 
 religion he holdeth, whose word or Gospel he followeth, in 
 what God he believeth. Such there are : and they only 
 be the singular men, reckoned the fine wits and cunning 
 fellows of the world. 
 
 This is to be lamented, that, in a Christian estate, there 
 should be any such : that tliey, at whose hands God shall 
 require a straiter account than of others, because He 
 hath given them the use of greater talents, — either of 
 wit, or of learning, or of preferment, or of riches, — should 
 so mispend the good gifts of God, or use his talents to such 
 evil purpose, that they, more than all other, should devise 
 means how to deny Christ among men, and, as much as 
 in them lieth, to seek to crucify again the Lord of glory. 
 
 Tlie Jews deal not so wickedly, the Turks deal not so 
 traitorously. The Jew, although his case be miserable, and 
 his heresies dangerous, yet he is earnest in his folly : he 
 will not dissemble his profession. The Turk is faithful unto 
 Mahomet, and will not deny or forsake him. 
 
 N 
 
266 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. III. 
 
 These false brethren and dissembling Christians are 
 worse than Jews and Turks. They are void of conscience, 
 void of faith, void of fear, of shame, and of the grace of 
 God. They are filthy swine, shameless dogs, and the ene- 
 mies of the cross of Christ. These hinder the passage of the 
 Gospel, and blaspheme the holy word of their salvation, 
 and do all that in them lieth to abolish the light of God's 
 truth. St. Paul telleth us, " All men have not faith :" many 
 hearts be naked and void of faith; many seem to live, and 
 yet are dead. 
 
 Howsoever these men carry out their doings in this 
 life, they cannot mock God. He knoweth who are his. 
 Christ shall say unto these cimning-witted dissemblers, 
 " Depart from me, ye hypocrites, I know you not. You 
 shall receive your portion with the devil and his angels." 
 
 Pray that we may be delivered from such unreasonable 
 and evil men : that they stop not the free passage of the 
 Gospel ; that they may have no power against the glory of 
 God. Then shall it appear that God is faithful in all his 
 words, and holy in all his works ; that his truth and mercy 
 shall last for ever. He will estabhsh us in all goodness, 
 and defend us from all evil: he will keep us from all 
 the power of Satan ; he will keep us from all temptation, 
 that the wicked shall not prevail against us. 
 
 And we are persuaded of you through the Lord, that ye 
 both do, and will do, the things which we warn you of.— Yon 
 know what commandments we gave you by the Lord. I 
 spake unto you the will of God, and not mine own. I 
 •was unto you but a messenger, to deliver unto you such an 
 errand as God sent unto you : I hope ye have received 
 it in such duty as becometh, and that you both do, and will 
 hereafter, obey it. I am your physician : the receipt which 
 I have given you is sovereign, and shall work your health : 
 I trust it tarrieth with you, and you brook it well. I have 
 spoken unto you in the name of God : His name is holy: 
 
VEK. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 267 
 
 He will cause that my labour shall not be in vain, but will 
 make it fruitful in you. 
 
 Although aU men have not faith, yet all men are not void 
 of faith. Although there be many the children of this 
 world, yet there be some the children of light. He that is 
 of God, heareth the word of God. They that be the sons 
 of God, are obedient to the wisdom of God their Father. 
 
 God guide your hearts, that you may love him : that you 
 may know what good God hath wrought unto your souls : 
 that you may see the depth of his mercy : that in aU your 
 tribulation and adversity under the cross, and in your death, 
 you may look for the day of Christ ; when the trumpet 
 shall be sounded, the graves shall be opened, the dead bodies 
 shall come forth, and we shall be taken up into the clouds. 
 Then shall he change our vile body, that it may be like his 
 glorious body : then shall we be like the angels of God ; 
 we shall see God face to face, and rest with him for 
 
 Verse 6. — We warn you, brethren, in the name of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every bro- 
 ther that walketh inordinately , and not after the instruC' 
 Hon which he received of us. 
 
 The kingdom of God is like to a draw-net cast into the 
 sea^. that gathereth of all kind of things : (Matt. xiii. 47.) 
 it is like a field, wherein groweth both corn and weeds, 
 (ver. 26.) Sundry virgins went out to wait upon the spouse : 
 some were wise, some were foolish j some had oil in their 
 lamps, some had none. Many came to the marriage : some 
 had their wedding-garment, some lacked it. Many are call- 
 ed, but few are chosen. Some bear the name of Christians, 
 yet live in usury to the spoil and undoing of their brethren. 
 Some bear the name of Christians, yet live in adultery and 
 N 2 
 
268 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [ciIAP. III. 
 
 fornication, as the heathen which know not God. These be 
 they, through whom the name of God is evil spoken of. 
 
 Therefore, saith Paul, 1 warn you, that you withdraw 
 yourselves from every brother that walketh inordinately. 
 Forsake him, refuse his company, eat not with him, drink 
 not with him, that so he may be ashamed of his filthiness. 
 Receive him not to your house, nor bid him God speed : for 
 he that biddeth him God speed, is partaker of his evil deeds. 
 
 Have you no fellowship with the unfruitful works of 
 darkness, but even reprove them rather. A little leaven 
 doth leaven the whole lump. The wrath of God shall come, 
 not only upon those which commit wickedness, but also 
 upon all those which consent to the working thereof. 
 Among the Corinthians one had committed incest, and 
 taken his father's wife. St. Paul saith, " Let such one be 
 delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that 
 the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." 
 (1 Cor.v. 5.) 
 
 Deliver him up to Satan. Mark his words, and in what 
 case he speaketh them. For they that delight in wicked- 
 ness, and are sold over unto sin ; which are filthy, and in- 
 crease in filthiness ; they are not of God, they have no part 
 in the Church of God. The devil and Satan hath power 
 over them : therefore deliver them up unto Satan. 
 
 The reward of sin is death : the soul which hath sinned 
 shall die. For this cause hath the Church of God ordained 
 excommunication j that he which hath done wickedly may 
 be ashamed : that others who are guiltless may be afraid : 
 and that the heavy displeasure of God may be avoided. 
 
 We ivarn you (saith he) w the name of the Lord. — You 
 know me, and my name, and that I am an Apostle of Christ. 
 But the commandment which I give you is in the name of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ. T warn you, by the glorious day of 
 his coming, that you withdraw yourselves from every one 
 that liveth inordinately. Receive him not to your com- 
 
VERS. 7 13.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 269 
 
 pany, bid him not God speed, that you be not partakers of 
 his evil ; that he may know his filthiness, and be ashamed. 
 Yet let us pray for such, that they may be sorry ; that 
 they may know whom they have offended, and turn again 
 unto the Lord. For God would not the death of a sinner, 
 but rather that he repent of his wickedness, and live. The 
 mercy of God is above all his works. 
 
 Verse 7. — For yourselves know hoio ye ought to follow tis : 
 
 for we behaved not ourselves inordinately among you ; 
 8. — Neither took toe bread of any man for nought : but ice 
 
 wrought with labour and travail night and day, because loe 
 
 would not be chargeable to any of you : 
 9. — Not because we have not authority, but that we might 
 
 make ourselves an example unto you to follow us. 
 10. — For even ivhen we ivere with you, this ive warned you 
 
 of, that if there were any which would not ivork, that he 
 
 should not eat. 
 1 1 . — For we hear that there are some which walk among you 
 
 inordinately , and work not at all, but are busy-bodies. 
 12. — Therefore them that are such, we warn and exhort by 
 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, that they loork with quietness, and 
 
 eat their own bread. 
 13. — And ye, brethren, be not loeary in well-doing. 
 
 Here Paul maketh his speech against those, who, under 
 the pretence of the Gospel? lived idly, and would not la- 
 bour. Take an example of me : I lived not idly, I earned 
 my bread, I was not chargeable to any. Do you as you 
 have us for an example. So ought the servants of God to 
 live, that their well-doing may be a pattern for the people 
 to follow. 
 
 St. Paul telleth Timothy, "A bishop must be unre- 
 proachable:" (1 Tim. iii. 2.) He saith not, without sin; 
 for no man is without sin : but, without rebuke. And 
 
270 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. Ill, 
 
 again : " Let no man despise thy youth ; but be unto them 
 that beUeve an example in word, in conversation, in love, 
 in spirit, in faith, and in pureness." (1 Tim. iv. 12.) And 
 unto Titus, the Bishop of Candia, he saith : " In all things 
 shew thyself an example of good works, with uncorrupt 
 doctrine, with gravity, integrity, and with the wholesome 
 word which cannot be condemned ; that he which with- 
 standeth may be ashamed, having nothing concerning you 
 to speak evil of." (Tit. ii. 7, 8.) 
 
 So, in this place to the Thessalonians, he saith. You be- 
 hold my conversation, how I have lived among you : be 
 ye followers of me ; let me be the pattern for you to fol- 
 low. Such should be the speech of all those who are 
 bishops and ministers of the Church of God. They must 
 walk so uprightly, that they may be unto all others the 
 patterns of good life, of liberality, of mercy, and of love. 
 They must carry the ark of the Lord, that the people may 
 follow them. 
 
 We behaved tiot ourselves inordinately/, SfC. — Whereas I 
 was an Apostle of Christ, the first-fruits of the Gospel, a 
 chosen vessel, called from above, and set apart from mine 
 own business to be the ambassador of God into the world, 
 and had so much to do ; yet I used my hands, and pained 
 my body, to get my bread. I lived like one of Adam's chil- 
 dren in travail of my body, and sought my bread in the 
 sweat of my brows. 
 
 Not that I might not lawfully have lived upon you, and 
 have required my maintenance at your hands. It was 
 lawful for me to have done so : for the workman is worthy 
 of his hire. God hath appointed, that he which teacheth the 
 Gospel, shall live by the Gospel. 
 
 This matter St. Paul reasoneth with the Corinthians : 
 " Have we not power to eat and drink .-* or have we not 
 power to lead about a wife, a sister, as well as the rest of the 
 Apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas ? 
 Who goeth a warfare at any time at his own cost ? who 
 
VERS. 7 13.] EPISTLE TO THE THKSSALONIANS. 271 
 
 planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof ? or 
 who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the 
 flock ?" (1 Cor. ix. 4 — 7.) I might eat and drink at your 
 charge, and require charges of you for me and mine. I 
 am the soldier of God ; Christ is my captain : I have 
 planted the vine of the Lord of hosts among you : I have 
 fed you ; you are the sheep of the house of Israel. The hire 
 due to the soldier, the fruit whereof he should eat which 
 keepeth the vine, and the milk which Christ's sheep yield to 
 their feeder, is nothing else but your charitable benevolence 
 towards the servants of Christ. Again : " It is written in 
 the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the 
 ox that treadeth out the corn." (ver. 9.) He travaileth for 
 thee, that thou mayest live : suffer him to lick a little for 
 his pains. We are the Lord's oxen ; we thresh forth his corn. 
 " If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing 
 if we reap your carnal things?" (ver. 11.) We are God's 
 husbandmen : we travail and take pains ; we plough, we sow, 
 we harrow; we are abroad in wind and weather, in storm, 
 in hail, in lightning and thunder. No man knoweth the 
 care the poor husbandman taketh. Winter nor summer, 
 our work is never at an end. Now, if we by our labour 
 minister to you the bread which cometh from heaven, is it 
 much that you give us the bread of the earth ? "Do you not 
 know, that they which wait at the altar, are partakers with 
 the altar?" (ver. 13.) It hath so seemed good unto God : 
 it is his appointment, he hath estabhshed it by his law; and 
 it is most agreeable to the law of reason and nature. 
 
 Yet this is also to be weighed in the consideration hereof; 
 that whosoever asketh the pay of a soldier, must buckle his 
 armour, and go a warfare. He that drinketh the wine, 
 must plant the grape : he that requireth milk, must feed 
 the flock : he that will not be muzzled, must thresh the 
 corn. He that reapeth carnal things, must sow spiritual 
 things : he that requireth the bread of the earth, must mi- 
 nister to his hearers the bread of heaven : he that will live 
 
272 KXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. III. 
 
 of the sacrifice, or of the altar, or of the gospel, must offer 
 the sacrifice, wait upon the altar, and teach the gospel. 
 
 He that teacheth not the gospel, nor careth for the teach- 
 ing ; he that serveth not the altar, nor careth for the serv- 
 ing ; he that goeth not on warfare, that planteth not, that 
 feedeth not ; that thresheth not, that plougheth not, that 
 travaileth not, that taketh no pains, that abideth not light- 
 ing, thunder, wind, weather, storm, and hail ,• he that car- 
 eth not to do these things, 1 can make no account of him. 
 He is not within Paul's reckoning. The workman is worthy 
 }{ his hire : but what right hath he to the hire, which is 
 not a workman .'' 
 
 I might, saith he, have received maintenance at your 
 hands. But I took nothing, that I might be an example for 
 you to follow ; that none should live idly, but that they 
 work with quietness, and eat their own bread. Idleness is 
 the mother of all mischief. An idle pack* is as if he were 
 already dead. His feet serve him not to travel : his hands 
 help him not to work : his eyes serve him not to see his 
 estate : his heart regardeth not the time and misery of his 
 age. Beggary falleth upon him, and gnaweth his bones ; 
 but he feeleth it not : for he is as if he were already 
 dead. 
 
 Solomon saith : " He that followeth idleness, hath no 
 understanding." (Prov. xii. 11.) And again: "He that 
 followeth idleness, shall be filled with poverty." (Prov. 
 xxviii. 19.) He is unprofitable to himself and unto others : 
 his children shall beg at every door. Again he saith : 
 " The slothful will not plough because of winter : he shall 
 beg in summer, but have nothing." (Prov. xx. 4.) That 
 is ; men that have received increase of God's blessing by 
 taking pains, shall deny bread unto such, and upbraid them 
 for their idleness, and so drive them to labour. They 
 
 * ^ pack is, properly, a deceiver, thence a loose lazy sort of 
 fellow, an incumbrance on his family and neighbourhood Editor» 
 
VERS. 7 13.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 273 
 
 will say, as it is devised* that the ant said, in like 
 case, to the grasshopper : ' In the summer thou didst nothing 
 but sing, therefore thou mayest starve in the winter.' 
 
 These extremities be great, if a man will weigh them ad- 
 visedly. Yet Ecclesiasticus saith further : " Idleness bring- 
 eth much evil." (Ecclus. xxxiii. 27.) It is an evU teacher. 
 He that doth nothing, is ill occupied. The mind of man 
 is ever stirring, and doing somewhat : if it be not doing 
 well, it is doing ill. 
 
 Water is clear and fair, fresh and comfortable : yet if it 
 stand still in a hole, or be kept long in a vessel whence it 
 hath no issue, it will rot, and smell, and be unwholesome. 
 Even so it fareth with the sons of Adam : if they have nothing 
 to do, no way to bestow their wit, they will rot and prove 
 unwholesome, and devise mischief all the day long. 
 
 What is it that fiUeth the prisons, and bringeth so many 
 to the gallows, and causeth so many parents to bewail the 
 untimely death of their children, but idleness ? When the 
 poor wretches have received their judgment, and come to 
 the place of execution, and stand on the ladder, what coun- 
 sel give they to young men and to children, but to beware 
 of idleness .'' What is cause pf such and so many diseases in 
 the body ? Ask the physicians, and they will teU you, idle- 
 ness. Whereof rise mutterings in cities against magistrates .'' 
 whereof rise rebellions in kingdoms against princes ? You 
 can give no greater cause thereof, than idleness. 
 
 " Behold,"saith the Lord, " this was the iniquity of thy 
 sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idle- 
 ness." (Ezek.xvi. 49.) This was it that called for fire down 
 from heaven, and wasted so many cities into ashes. Christ 
 saith : "Of every idle word that men shall speak, they 
 shall give an account thereof at the day of judgment." 
 (Matt. xii. 36.) If we shall make account for our idle 
 
 * Devised; i.e. invented by way of fable. — Editor. 
 N 5 
 
274 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. HI. 
 
 words, what shall we do for our idle hands, for our idle feet, 
 for our idle body, for our idle soul ? What account for all 
 our idleness shall we make at the day of judgment ? 
 
 We warned you (saith the Apostle) that if any toould not 
 work, the same should not eat. — This is a hard saying. Yet 
 saith Paul, I myself have kept it. I have fulfilled it in mine 
 own body. He doth not say. If any be sick, or weak, or 
 impotent, and cannot work ; but, If any be idle, and wUl not 
 work ; to such an one give not to eat : that so he may see 
 the danger of idleness, " and work with his hands the thing 
 which is good, that he may have to give to him that need- 
 eth." (Eph. iv. 28.) It is not lawful to give them the bread 
 of the Church, and the alms ordained for relief of the poor. 
 This bread they may not eat. 
 
 But you will say. Kings and counsellors, bishops, preachers, 
 and all other sorts of learned men, neither plough, nor sow, 
 nor hedge, nor ditch, nor use such painful labour of the 
 body : they sit at rest, and live idly. They that so think, 
 are deceived. The toU which princes take, and the great 
 cares wherewith they are occupied, pass all other cares in 
 the world. 
 
 St. Paul calleth the office of a bishop a good work. (1 Tim. 
 iii. 1.) If a bishop or minister study the scriptures, preach 
 the gospel, catechise the children, and take a care of the 
 souls of God's people : if he sow the Lord's field, feed the 
 Lord's flock, thresh the Lord's corn, and walk before the 
 people carefully : if he have the care of the churches, 
 and can say with the Apostle, Who is weak, and I am 
 not weak } who is ofi"ended, and I burnt not ? (2 Cor. xi. 28, 
 29.) any ofi'ence that is given to my brother, is to me as 
 a fire, or as a torment : if he be instant in season and out 
 of season : if he do the work of an evangelist, and make 
 his ministry fully known : (2 Tim. iv. 2 j 5.) he shall find 
 himself occupied, and not be idle. 
 
 The master of the ship seemeth to be idle, to sit still, and 
 
VERS. 7 13.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 275 
 
 to do nothing. He stirreth not the pump, he driveth not 
 the oars, he soundeth not the deep, he rideth not the 
 ropes, he scaleth not the shrouds, he runneth not hither 
 and thither, forward or backward, under the hatches or 
 above. He sitteth still, holdeth his peace, and looketh 
 upon the loadstar, and in appearance doth nothing. But 
 his labour passeth all the rest. Without his labour, all the 
 pains which the other mariners take, were lost. Were it 
 not for his labour, the ship wovdd soon strike upon rocks, 
 and be stayed in the sands, and they all should perish. 
 
 Even so fareth it in the state of princes, and of their 
 counsellors : they seem to do nothing, yet they do all things 
 which is for the peace, and the wealth, and the safeguard of 
 all the people. 
 
 Be not loeary in well-doing. — Many occasions do discourage 
 you to do well. The world is full of lets : but be you sted- 
 fast, unmoveable, and abundant always in the work of the 
 Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in 
 vain in the Lord. Stand fast, and keep the instructions 
 which you have been taught. Distribute to the necessity 
 of the saints. Do good unto all men, especially to them 
 that be of the household of faith. 
 
 Live not after the lusts of men in wantonness, drunken* 
 ness, and gluttony, and in abominable idolatry. Though 
 they speak evil of you, because you run not with them unto 
 the same excess of riot ; though the devil cast you into 
 prison, and there you have tribulation ; be you faithful unto 
 death. They that have afflicted you, shall give an account 
 to the righteous judge : and the afflictions which you suffer 
 in this present time, are not worthy of the glory which shall 
 be shewed unto you. 
 
 Verse 14. — If any man obey not this our saying, note him 
 by a letter, and have no company ivith him, that he may be 
 ashamed. 
 
276 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. HI. 
 
 15. — Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a 
 brother. 
 
 You have been taught not only what you shall believe, 
 but also how you ought to live. Be ye doers of the word, 
 and not hearers only. If any despise and will not follow our 
 doctrine, forsake him, and let him have no fellowship with 
 you : that so he may be ashamed, and repent, and turn 
 again to the obedience of Christ. But lay apart aU bitterness, 
 and anger, and wrath. Reprove him, but hate him not. 
 Kill the sin that is in him by all the means you can, for it 
 is the work of the devil : but recover again the man that 
 did offend, and restore him, if it be possible, by exhortation, 
 and by your prayers made for him : for he is the creature 
 of God. 
 
 Here I have good occasion to speak of excommunication, 
 a principal part of the discipline of the Church : a matter 
 which many know not, which some do foully abuse and 
 over lightly give forth, and which many regard not as they 
 ought. It cutteth us off from the body of Christ, and re- 
 moveth us from the fellowship of the gospel. Let no man 
 despise it. It is the sword of God, the power of the Holy 
 Ghost, the disciphne of Christ : it is an ordinance which the 
 Church hath received from above. 
 
 By it the goats are divided from the lambs, the weed 
 from the good corn, and the sons of God from the sons of 
 Belial. It hath continued from the beginning, and hath 
 been used in the Church of Christ, in the synagogue of the 
 Jews, in the law of Moses, and before Moses received the 
 law : among the patriarchs, and the prophets, and the 
 apostles of Christ. 
 
 Christ saith : "If thy brother trespass against thee," in 
 doing any wickedness, " go and tell him his fault between 
 thee and him alone : if he hear thee, thou hast won thy 
 brother. But if he hear thee not, take vet with thee one or 
 
VERS. 14, 15.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 277 
 
 two. And if he will not vouchsafe to hear them, tell it unto 
 the Church :" publish it and make it known. " And if he 
 refuse to hear the Church also," if he continue wilful, and 
 stand in his wickedness, " let him be unto thee as a heathen 
 man and a publican." (Matt, xviii. 15 — 18.) This form 
 of excommunication our Saviour hath set down, whereby 
 the wicked and ungodly are removed from the Church of 
 Christ. 
 
 So St. Paul speaketh of him that lived in filthiness 
 with his father's wife : that they give him no comfort in 
 wickedness, but take away the evil from among them. " Let 
 such an one, (saith he) be delivered unto Satan, for the de- 
 struction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the 
 day of our Lord Jesus." (1 Cor. v. 5.) " Company not to- 
 gether with fornicators. If any that is called a brother be 
 a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a 
 drunkard, or an extortioner, with such an one eat not." 
 (vers. 9 ; 11.) Let him be put away fi'om the company of 
 the faithful. So did St. Paul excommunicate Hymeneus 
 and Alexander, " and delivered them to Satan, that they 
 might learn not to blaspheme." (1 Tim. i. 20.) 
 
 In the law of Moses, God commanded the children of 
 Israel to put out of the host every leper ; that they should 
 neither eat, nor drink, nor walk abroad, nor com.e to 
 church, nor offer sacrifice, nor make their prayers with the 
 people. Such one, whithersoever he went, hid his face, rent 
 his clothes, gave warning to avoid his company and to fly 
 from him, because he was foul and filthy. His hands were 
 filthy, and made the water unclean ; his breath was corrupt, 
 and infected the air. So miserable was his case. This 
 was a kind of excommunication : in such sort were the 
 filthy divided from the clean. (Num. v. 2 — 4.) 
 
 God also set down this ordinance to Abraham, that 
 every uncircumcised man-child should be cut oft' from his 
 people, because he hath broken the covenant. (Gen xvii. 
 
278 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [CHAP. III. 
 
 14.) This ordinance of excommunication God hath ap- 
 pointed against idolaters, against fornicators, and crafty 
 deceivers, and other such Hke offenders, in the seven and 
 twentieth of Deuteronomy : " Cursed be the man that shall 
 make any carved or molten image, an abomination unto the 
 Lord, the work of the hand of the craftsman, and putteth 
 it in a secret place : and all the people shall answer and 
 say. Amen. Cursed be he that maketh the bhnd go out of 
 the way : and all the people shall answer and say. Amen." 
 (Deut. xxvii. 15, 16.) 
 
 This is excommunication. This is the use of the keys. 
 This is that of which Christ spake : " He that hearethyou, 
 heareth me : and he that despiseth you, despiseth me : and 
 he that despiseth me, despiseth Him that sent me." (Luke 
 X.16,) And, " Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted: 
 and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained." (John 
 XX. 23.) '• Whatsoever ye bind on earth, shall be bound 
 in heaven : and whatsoever ye loose on earth, shall be 
 loosed in heaven." (Matt, xviii. 18.) That which you say 
 shall be confirmed j it shall continue and stand for ever. 
 
 If any therefore be excommunicate from the Church, and 
 removed from the fellowship of the Gospel, and from the 
 hope of the life to come ; let him humble himself, and pray 
 unto God, that He wiU open his eyes, and that he may see 
 in what case he standeth. Let him lay forth his heart in 
 the sight of God, and consider his fault, and behold his 
 misery, and think thus with himself : — 
 
 I was sometimes the child of God, and a member of his 
 body : I was a branch of the vine which God hath planted, 
 and a sheep of his pasture. But now, alas ! I am divided 
 from the pastures of life. I am fruitless and withered, 
 and cut off from that blessed vine : I receive no moisture 
 from that heavenly root. I am no more a member of the 
 body of Christ. I am out of paradise, and have no joy or 
 pleasure. I am out of the temple, and cannot offer any sacri- 
 
VKRS. 14, 15.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 279 
 
 fice. I am fallen from that heavenly Jerusalem, from the 
 city of God, from the fellowship of the saints, and cannot 
 kneel down, nor lift up my hands, nor make my prayers. 
 God will not hear me : I am none of his : I am as a heathen 
 and a publican : I cannot think of those things which are 
 on high above. 
 
 But why art thou cut off from thy brethren, and banished 
 out of the flock of Christ ? Because of thine ungodliness and 
 looseness of life. Because thou hast offended heaven and earth, 
 and hast offended against the Church of God, and lived in 
 fornication and adultery : and both thy body and thy mind 
 are defiled. Thou art unworthy to dwell in the house of 
 God : his house is holy. 
 
 By what authority is this done ? Thou must not think 
 that the judge or the officer doth it. It is not the judg- 
 ment of any mortal man. It is the judgment of the al- 
 mighty and everlasting God. It is his hand that bringeth 
 this to pass against thee : it is his word, it is his key. His 
 hand is mighty, his work shall stand, his word is forcible : 
 his key is the key of David ; it openeth, and no man shutteth ^ 
 it shutteth, and no man openeth. God is departed from 
 thy heart : his Spirit will not dwell in a filthy soul : there 
 is no agreement between God and Belial. Thy soul is void 
 of grace, and of the fear of God. 
 
 What becometh of thee in this case ? Whither dost thou 
 go ? into what misery dost thou fall ? Into the gulf of 
 death ; into the seat of pestilence, and the power of Satan, 
 and the snares of the devil ^ and into a reprobate mind. 
 Thy heart folio weth him : thy soul serveth him. He is the 
 father of all the children of disobedience, and his children 
 follow him. Thou art filthy, and increasest in filthiness. 
 The fear of God is not before thee. Thou dost not ac- 
 knowledge thy sin, because of the blindness of thy heart. 
 
 Wreak not thyself upon thy neighbour that accused thee ; 
 nor upon the judge that pronounced sentence against thee. 
 
280 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. lit. 
 
 The sentence is none of his : this is not his work ; he hath 
 not judged thee. The hand of God is stretched forth to 
 thy punishment : it is thine own hfe and wickedness which 
 forceth judgment upon thee. The judge sitteth in the place 
 of God, in the seat of justice : he cannot bless that God 
 hath cursed : he must needs do right and equity. 
 
 He seeth the abomination of thy life j he seeth the filthi- 
 ness which thou hast done in the house of God, and there- 
 fore saith. In nomine Dei, ^c. In the name of the living 
 God, and of Jesus Christ before whom I stand, and before 
 whom all flesh shall appear ; by the authority of his word, 
 and by the power of the Holy Ghost, I divide thee from the 
 fellowship of the Gospel, and declare that thou art no more 
 a member of the body of Christ. Thy name is put out of 
 the book of life : thou hast no part in the life to come : thou 
 art not in Christ, and Christ is departed from thee. I de- 
 liver thee to Satan, the prince of darkness. Thy reward 
 shall be in the lake thatburneth with fire and brimstone. 
 Thou shalt sterve,* and wither, and not abide. The grace 
 of God is taken out of thy heart. The face of the Lord is 
 against all them that do evil ; they shall not taste of his 
 mercy. 
 
 As for the judge and minister, which giveth sentence 
 against thee, he mourneth and lamenteth for thee. When 
 he striketh thee, he striketh himself. We are all one flesh 
 and one blood, and altogether make one body, and are one 
 another's members. Therefore, when he doth excommuni- 
 cate thee fi-om the brethren, he cutteth off an arm from his 
 own body. 
 
 Jeremiah dealt roughly with the people that offend- 
 ed God, and threatened them that the enemy should 
 come upon them, the sword should devour them, and they 
 
 * Sterve; i. e. perish. — Editor. 
 
VERS. \4, 15.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. '281 
 
 should be utterly destroyed : yet he wished that he had a 
 stream of tears, that his heart might have wherewith to 
 mourn for their transgressions. 
 
 David prayeth that God will stretch forth his hand upon 
 the wicked : " Scatter them abroad by thy power, and put 
 them down, O Lord our shield." (Ps. lix. 11.) Again: 
 " Let them be chaff before the wind, and let the angel of 
 the Lord scatter them." (Ps. xxxv. 5.) And again: "Let 
 their table be a snare before them, and their prosperity 
 their ruin." (Ps. Ixix. 22.) Again : " Let his prayer be 
 turned into sin :" (Ps. cix. 7.) aid him not, hear him not 
 when he caUeth unto thee. Yet he saith : "I saw the 
 transgressors, and was grieved, because they kept not thy 
 word :" (Ps. cxix. 158.) I pined away, and consumed to 
 death ; the grief was so deadly unto my soul. 
 V Christ cried out, Woe upon Chorazin and Bethsaida, 
 upon the Scribes and Pharisees. Yet when he came nigh to 
 Jerusalem, he wept over it, saying, " Oh if thou hadst even 
 now at the least in this thy day known those things which 
 belong unto thy peace ! but now are they hid from thee." 
 (Luke xix. 42.) Thine enemies shall make thee even with 
 the ground ; they shall not leave in thee a stone upon a 
 stone, because thou knowest not the time of thy visitation. 
 Even such a sorrow also had St. Paul for those that of- 
 fended God : " Who is weak, and I am not weak ? who is of- 
 fended, and I burn not ?" (2 Cor. xi. 29.) My body 
 is shaken, and my heart is wounded for them ; such a care 
 have I for the church of God. 
 
 It is reported of John the Evangelist,* that he com- 
 mended a young man to the education of a certain Bishop 
 nigh to Ephesus. And when he heard that he was fled, and 
 followed the company of such as were dissolute, riotous, and 
 given over to aU manner lewdness, he was careful for him, 
 
 * Euseb. lib. 3. cap. 23. 
 
282 EXPOSITION UPON THE SECOND [cHAP. Ill, 
 
 and sought him out; and came to the place where he and 
 his ill company were. When the young man knew him, 
 he was astonished, and fled away from him. But the old 
 man followed him, and cried, O my child ! turn again, turn 
 unto me ; I am thy father, I have begotten thee in Christ 
 Jesus. I come not to hurt thee ; there is yet hope of sal- 
 vation ; I will make answer unto Christ for thee. Fall to 
 the ground, hold up thy hands, ask mercy of God ; he is mer- 
 ciful, and wUl receive you. At these words the young man 
 cast down his weapons, and trembled, and wept bitterly, and 
 was converted. 
 
 When David heard of the destruction of that wicked wight 
 Absalom, he wrung his hands, and wept, saying: "O my 
 son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom ; would God I had 
 died for thee, O Absalom,my son, myson!" (2 Sam.xviii. 33.) 
 
 Such a care, such a love and zeal hath a godly minister 
 over his people, if he be a true pastor, which hath taken his 
 calling from God, and hath due consideration of his charge. 
 He weepeth for the sins of the people, as did Jeremiah : 
 he gushed out into tears, and consumeth away, as David, be- 
 cause of the ungodly : he is woimded at heart, and trembleth, 
 as Paul, to see them perish. He seeketh for them, calleth 
 after them, that they may return to him, as did John the 
 Evangelist : and is willing to die for their sake, if so be he 
 might redeem them, as David was for Absalom. 
 
 The people are his children, he is their father. Albeit 
 they be wicked and filthy, yet he presenteth himself be- 
 fore God for them, and poureth forth his prayers, and saith : 
 Sanctify them, O Lord, sanctify them with thy truth ; thy 
 word is truth. Let their hearts see the wrath to come, and 
 thy heavy displeasure, which they have deserved, and which 
 hangeth over their heads. They are thine : save them, and 
 let not Satan prevail against them. Turn them, O Lord, and 
 they shall be turned. Give them a new heart, and renew 
 
VERS. 14, 15.] EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. 283 
 
 a clean spirit in them, that they may fear thee all the days 
 of their hfe. Turn away the captivity of their souls : bring 
 them to the fellowship of the Gospel : make them lively 
 stones meet for thy building : build up the walls of Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 So careful is a good minister for the people of his charge, 
 be they never so ungodly. Yea, the more they lack the 
 comfortable grace of God, the more must be his care 
 for them. This is that St. Paul saith. Have no company 
 with such, to encourage him : yet count him not as an 
 enemy, but admonish him as a brother. 
 
 Verse 16. — Now the Lord of peace give you peace always 
 
 by all means. The Lord be with you all. 
 17. — The salutation of me Paul, xvith mine own hand, which 
 
 is the token in every Epistle : so I write. 
 18, — The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. 
 
 I need not commend peace unto you. It is the guard 
 and strength of mighty princes : it is the nurse and fosterer 
 of the Church of God : it is the wealth and prosperity of 
 the world : it is the comfort and quietness of our con- 
 science : it is truce taken with God and man, and our own 
 selves. 
 
 I need not to tell you who is the worker of peace. You 
 know God is the God of peace. Worldly peace seemeth to 
 be made up by the will and liking of men : but God moveth 
 their hearts, and establisheth it. But the peace of the heart, 
 and quietness of mind, passeth all understanding. The 
 power, and wisdom, and strength, and riches of all the 
 world are not able to make it. It is the glory of God, that 
 He alone is the God of peace. 
 
 I pray for you, that nothing may be done among you 
 to the hindrance of peace : but that it abide with you al- 
 
284 SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. [CHAP. III. 
 
 ways, not for a while 3 not in prosperity only, but in perse- 
 cution ; in your death, and for ever. If God be with you 
 you shall have peace. And if you love one another, and keep 
 his word, God will come to you, and love you, and abide 
 with you, and give you the comfort of his peace. 
 
 The salutation of me Paul. — He gave them warning be- 
 fore of fcdse apostles, who came in his name, and pretended 
 his word, or his letter : therefore now he telleth them, how 
 they shall know certainly, whether such epistles as they re- 
 ceive be his ; written or sent by him. 
 
 In every epistle that I send, saith he, to the Churches, 
 or to any the brethren, I write mine own name, and send 
 this greeting written with mine own hand, which now I 
 send to you all : The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be xoith 
 you all. Amen. 
 
 THE end. 
 
AN INDEX, 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 THE PRINCIPAL MATTERS IN THE EXPOSITION. 
 
 (Two of the references marked thus * are supplied from a contem- 
 porary addition to the present Table in MS Editor.") 
 
 Antichrist contrary to Christ 190 
 
 his coniiiig foretold 188 
 
 hated of them that embrace his doctrine 188 
 
 fond tales of 189, 213 
 
 not any one man 189 
 
 a bishop 213, 220, 253 
 
 an universal king 219 
 
 by what marks known , 190, 210, 223 
 
 cometh in shew of serving, Christ 191, 228 
 
 ruleth by pretence of religion 192, 233 
 
 subtle and cunning 203, 204 
 
 taught of Satan 227 
 
 proud and pompous 194, 221 
 
 exceeding cruel 1 75, 190 
 
 wherein his strength standeth 243 
 
 his place or seat 194, 217, 253 
 
 how taken as God 1 95 
 
 whom he deceiveth 205, 233, 254 
 
 in what time revealed 204 
 
 not to be converted 243 
 
 by what power overthrown 241, 242, 255 
 
 Apostasy from the faith 64, 259 
 
 persuasions to 65 
 
 retentive from 66 
 
286 INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 Appearance of evil, avoid 146 
 
 Astronomers pass bounds , 122 
 
 Babylon, wherein rich 251 
 
 fallen 249 
 
 her fall causeth joy in heaven 252 
 
 Battle between Christ and Antichrist 246 
 
 Bishop of Rome, servant of servants 198 
 
 rich by the spoil of the Empire 219 
 
 his privilege 196, 199, 233 
 
 lawless 223 
 
 called God 197 
 
 Busy-bodies 103 
 
 Children, how to be nurtured 42 
 
 how they wax ill 46 
 
 Christ overcometh 248 
 
 ^hurch of the faithful 6 
 
 — — of the wicked 4 
 
 and Fathers, the name of, deceivable 156, 240 
 
 -— compared to weak things 186 
 
 primitive, how ordered 178 
 
 of Rome hath no special promise 157 
 
 of Rome may err 184, 185, 186 
 
 of Rome unlike the primitive Church 179, 1 83 
 
 Churches, particular, decay in faith 180 
 
 Cities well governed 22 
 
 Communion, single 207 
 
 Conscience 69 
 
 Constancy in the truth 143, 160, 163, 259, 275 
 
 Covetousness hindereth the Gospel 38, 57 
 
 Cross of Christ, of whom esteemed 145 
 
 Dead in Christ 117 
 
 Deceit in bargaining enricheth not 75 
 
 Decrees and Decretals, forged 171 
 
 Departing from the faith 176, 184 
 
 Disciples of Christ are humble 210 
 
 Doctrines contrary to the word of God 32 
 
 Election, how known 256 
 
287 
 
 Emperor hath not any one city in the Empire 2U 
 
 Empire large sometimes 215 
 
 decayed, a sign that Antichrist is come 218, 222, 254 
 
 Enemies to the Gospel raise troubles 28, 126, 143, 156, 226 
 
 Excommunication, what it is 276 
 
 dangerous 278, 279 
 
 why ordained 268, 276 
 
 Faith grounded on the word 256 
 
 without the truth, no faith 240, 257 
 
 is not idle 8, 72 
 
 Faithful men examples of godliness 1 9, 21, 98 
 
 man hath three badges 137 
 
 False brethren 265, 266 
 
 brethren, avoid 268 
 
 miracles of two sorts 230 
 
 Fathers, how careful for their children 41 
 
 or multitude, no rule to warrant religion 240 
 
 Filthiness cloaked under pretence of single life 207, 270 
 
 Flesh of Christ, how eaten 1 74 
 
 Foolish faith hurteth 240 
 
 Fornication 73 
 
 God maketh his Gospel fruitful 11,20,25,261, 263 
 
 — — openeth his truth to the simple 13, 262 
 
 maketh them love the truth that sometimes hated it . . . 26 
 
 delivereth thefaithful 137, 244 
 
 Godly men are persecuted 9, 15, 49, 62, 119, 126, 161, 175 
 
 Goods not free for ill uses 85 
 
 Gospel, what it worketli 53 
 
 no cause of tumults 27 
 
 often refused 27, 54, 234 
 
 not quailed by cru'.-Iiy 50,52,161,175 
 
 Grace, what it worketh in us 7, 158, 261 
 
 Hearers of the word 47, 140, 234 
 
 Hope of the faidiful 10, 105, 255 
 
 Hypocrisy, a high point of wisdom 265 
 
 Idle bodies not to be relieved 274 
 
 Idleness, the teacher of mischief 104, 272 
 
288 INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 
 Ignorance, cause of wickedness 74 
 
 cause of despair 1 05 
 
 Image-worship 231 
 
 Images instead of preaching 31 
 
 Increase in holiness 1 03, 159 
 
 Infidels shall rise again 112 
 
 Interest and usury differ 90 
 
 Invocation of saints 231 
 
 Joy of the godly or wicked 1 34 
 
 in tribulations 16, 61, 127 
 
 Judgment, day of, unknown 121, 174 
 
 day of, comfortable Il6, 117, 119 
 
 day of, dreadful 1 1 6, 162, 244 
 
 Keys of the Church abused , 208 
 
 Kissing of relics . . 232 
 
 Labour required in every vocation 104, 105 
 
 Labourers in the gospel worthy maintenance 40, 131, 271 
 
 Latin service a cloak for ignorant priests 31 
 
 Latter day as days of Noah 114 
 
 Law necessary ." . . 101 
 
 may be followed between friends 100, 101 
 
 Love, the fruits thereof 9, 100, 101, 128, 133 
 
 persuadeth to godliness 128 
 
 Man of sin revealed 225, 242 
 
 Marriage in ministers 1 45 
 
 Mass, no teacher of godliness 144 
 
 Minister, his office 8, 14, 24, 29, 34, 35, 36, 53, 58, 274 
 
 painful, his worthy maintenance , . 40, 131, 271 
 
 unprofitable, to be removed 57, 131, 266, 272 
 
 Miracles wrought by Antichrist , . , 232 
 
 Mourning over the dead 107 
 
 Natural corruption of man 158, 164 
 
 New birth, or regeneration 173 
 
 Oblations, and enriching of abbeys 232 
 
 Office of Apostle and Bishop diverse 200 
 
INDEX. 289 
 
 Page 
 
 * Papist finds fault with our translation 32 
 
 * abuses the word of God, and the doctrine of it 32, 33 
 
 Pardons 225 
 
 Peace in the Church the gift of God 149, 283 
 
 wherein it consisteth 150, 283 
 
 People ought to read the Scriptures 55, 56, 152 
 
 Peter no Bishop of Rome 200 
 
 Pilgrimage 232 
 
 Pleasers of men 38, 39 
 
 Pope no follower of Peter 144 
 
 above Emperor 220 
 
 Prayer continually needful , 1 36 
 
 how to be made for the wicked 269, 282 
 
 abused to covetousness 208 
 
 Preachers are God's instruments 261, 266 
 
 most needful 129 
 
 Primacy the fountain of vain presumption 209, 225 
 
 Primitive Church 178 
 
 Princes and Magistrates labour 274 
 
 Purgatory impropried to the Bishop of Rome 209 
 
 a shop of merchandise 209, 225 
 
 Reason, the husband 151 
 
 Reformation of Rome past hope 243 
 
 Refusers of the word : 48, 130, 141, 234, 237 
 
 Relics 232 
 
 Religion, what it is 22 
 
 by whom established 26 
 
 of whom received 54, 234, 239 
 
 forced or dissembled 234 
 
 truth of, how tried 142, 168, 240 
 
 Resurrection of the body 165 
 
 resemblances of 108 
 
 of infidels 112 
 
 Rock whereon the Church is built 172 
 
 Rome, Church of, may err 1 84, 1 85, 186 
 
 unlike the primitive 179, 183 
 
 departed from the faitli 177 
 
 the seat of Antichrist 215, 254 
 
 o 
 
290 INDEX. 
 
 Page 
 Satan s sleights against the Gospel 37, 170 
 
 Scriptures, what they teach 23 
 
 forged 170 
 
 wrested 171 
 
 Sin punished by sin 55 
 
 which shall not be forgiven 239 
 
 Spirit of God our guide 139, 168, 258 
 
 Superstition zealous 52 
 
 Teachers examples of godliness 269 
 
 ■ false, deal deceitfully 3 1 , 35, 38, 1 69 
 
 Thanks due to God in all things 137 
 
 Thessalonica once beloved, now forsaken 157 
 
 Torments strange and cruel against the godly 50 
 
 Translation of Scriptures 32 
 
 Usurer worse than a thief 79 
 
 excommunicate by his own conscience , 97 
 
 Usuiy, what it is 76 
 
 whence it groweth 77, 93 
 
 what good it doeth 78, 86, 87 
 
 defended 83, 85, 91 
 
 and interest differ 90 
 
 forbidden by Scripture 81 
 
 disproved by learned Fathers 80 
 
 condemned by laws 92 
 
 cases for, answered 88 
 
 Walkers inordinately to be reproved 132 
 
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