2. See you be of the number. When some are admitted, others are thrust out : Luke xiii. 28, ' There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and ye yourselves thrust out ;' the wicked shall not stand in this congregation. Oh, it is a blessed and a comfortable thing when we are made members of the mystical body of Christ, and have hopes that we shall be in the number of those that shall meet together in the great assembly and congregation of the righteous ; that we are trained up in the church of Christ, which is the seminary of heaven ; that we are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints.
3- Let us improve it many ways.
[1.] To comfort us against the paucity of serious walkers and real Christians. Alas ! now they are but like two or three berries upon the top of the uppermost bough ; here one, and there another ; in some places thinner, in others thicker, as God hath service for them ; in appearance, /xiKpov ttol/jlvlov, ' a little flock,' Luke xii. 32. But take all together, they are a general assembly, that are ' redeemed out of every kindred, tongue, and nation,' Eev. v. 9 ; yea. Rev, vii. 9, ' a great multitude, which none can number, of all kindreds, tongues, peoples, and nations.' As few as we are, and as despised as the interest of the godly is, we shall not want company in heaven ; we see few
14 THE SECOND SERMON. [2 TeES. II. 2.
going to heaven, but when we are gathered together we shall 'see that our everhisting companions are many.
[2.] To comfort us against the distance of Christian friends. We are often separated from the society of good Christians whom we love dearly, but we shall be gathered together in one congregation. The saints are now scattered by Providence ; they live in divers countries, towns, houses, have little comfort of one another. They live where they may be most useful ; as stars do not shine in a cluster, but are dispersed throughout the heaven; and as they are the light of the earth, so they are the salt of the earth, which is sprinkled here and there, not laid in a heap ; sometimes by violence of men, })erse- cution, and banishment; sometimes by death, which parts friends, •perfectus est quern putas mortutim, like people in a wreck, got to shore before us. Now what a comfort is it to be united to all God's people, which have been, are, or shall be, to the end of the world, and to meet in one assembly: Mat. xxiv. 31, ' They shall gather together the elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to another.' The saints shall be gathered from all quarters of the earth ; though they live in several places, several times, many we never saw in the flesh, Christ will assemble them all, bring them in unto one place.
[3.] To comfort them under the degenerate and collapsed state of Christianity. (1.) The mixture of the wicked ; the good and bad are here mixed, they live together in the same kingdoms, cities, societies, visible churcli, family, bed (perhaps), but then a perfect separation: Zech. xiv. 21, ' There shall no more be the Canaanite in the hou.se of the Lord of hosts;' Rev. xxi. 27, 'Nothing that defileth shall enter there : ' such a difference shall there be between the state of God's church in this world, and the world to come : here tares are mingled with wheat, good fish with bad in the drag-net ; it is hard by discipline to keep the sound from the infected. (2.) Discord ; the saints are divided in affection, but then perfect harmony ; they are all gathered together to Christ, and have no signs and badges of distinction to herd apart. (3.) It is universal with all the saints. (4.) Perpetual, never to part more.
SERMON II.
Tliat ye he not soon shaken in mind, or he troubled, neither hy spirit, nor by ivord, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.— '2 Tues. II. 2.
We come now to the matter of the apostle's caution, which is in the second verse : ' That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.' In which words take notice : —
1. Of the error dis[)roved : that the day of Christ is at hand.
2. The effect which this error might produce ; trouble and unsettled- ness of mind: that ye be not soon shaken in mind or troubled.
2 ThES. II. 2.] THE SECOND SERMON. 15
3. A removal of all the supposed foundations of this error, or the means which these impostors used to entice them to embrace it. Three are mentioned — spirit, word, and letter.
[1,] Nor by spirit ; that is, pretence of spiritual revelation ; be not soon shaken in mind by it.
[2.] Nor by word ; some word of the apostle, which they pretended to have heard — and that is another sleight of deceivers ; some tradition or doctrine delivered by the apostle by word of mouth.