4. To draw our hearts after Christ, and towards him ; for the angels of God that worship him do know what he is : 'I will worship thee among the gods,' Ps. xcvii. 7 ; and Heb. i. 6, ' Let all the angels of God worship him.' It is argument enough that the angels are witnesses, and take part with the saints : Ps. cxxxviii. 1, ' Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.'
5. To make us more reverent in our approaches to him. For he sits in the assembly of the gods ; the holy angels are round about him, and observe undecencies : 1 Cor. xi. 10, ' For this cause ousrht the woman to have power on her head, because of the angels ; ' and Eccles. v. 6, ' Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin, nor say before the angel, it was an error.' The angels in heaven observe our behaviour in God's worship : Luke xii. 8, ' Him shall the Son of man confess before the angels of God.' They speak well of us in heaven.
6. To quicken us to do what we can to promote the kingdom of God, even the increase of light, life, and love ; for therein standeth the king- dom of God. In knowledge, as the devils are rulers of the darkness of this world, so the kingdom of God is begun in light ; in life, not in formality and hypocrisy.
244 SERMONS UPON 2 THESSALONIANS I. [SER. VI.
SERMON VI.
In flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that hioiv not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. — 2 Thes. i. 8.
The apostle had spoken of the different retributions, conjunctly and together ; now he corneth to speak of them severally and apart.
He beginneth with the wicked ; and speaketh, first, of their judg- ment, in the text ; secondly, their punishment : ver. 9, ' Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.'
In his coming to judge them, there is —
1. The manner. The terribleness of his coming to them, iv irvpl <f>\6yo<;, ' in a flame of fire.' His coming to the righteous is described by light, to the wicked by fire. To them he cometh shining as the sun, to these as lightning or burning fire.
2. The end, to take vengeance on them, or doom them to destruc- tion.
3. They are described by a double character, ' Those that know not God, and that obey not the gospel,' &c.
Which may be understood copulatively or disjunctively.
[1.] Copulatively, of the same men diversely described, that they neither know God, nor obey Christ ; for those are the two great points that are discussed in the judgment, God and Christ. And look, as it is life eternal, John xvii. 3, to know God and Jesus Christ, &c, that God is to be known, loved, obeyed, worshipped and enjoyed, and the Lord Jesus as our redeemer and saviour to bring us home to God, and to pro- cure for us the gifts of pardon and life, which life is to be begun here, and perfected in heaven; this is the sum of what is necessary to life eternal ; so on the contrary, not to know God nor to obey the gospel is the way to eternal death and destruction.
[2.] Distributively and disjunctively, of two sorts of persons — of heathens or pseudo-christians.
(1.) The heathen are fitly described to be those that know not God ; as 1 Thes. iv. 5, ' Not in the lust of concupiscence, as the Gentiles which know not God.' By the light of nature an infinite eternal power was discovered to them, but they knew him not so as to worship him and serve him : Rom. i. 20, 21, ' But became foolish in their imaginations.' So they shall be condemned by the light of nature, which they approved not. Though there be no saving knowledge of God out of Christ, yet they had so much knowledge as left them without excuse.
[2.] The false christians are fitly described in the other expression : ' That obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ/ For they that have heard of the gospel shall be judged by the gospel, according to the dispensation they have lived under. Now the true christians are always described by their obedience ; they do so believe the gospel as to live accordingly: Heb. v. 9, 'He became the author of eternal salvation to them that obey him ; ' and Acts v. 32, ' And so is the Holy Ghost, which he hath given to them that obey him.' But the wicked and carnal are described by their disobedience : 1 Peter ii. 7, 8; ' Unto you that obey, he is precious ; but to the disobedient, the
VER. 8.] SERMONS UPON 2 THESSALONIANS I. 245
stone which the builders disallowed.' And again, ' They stumbled at the word, being disobedient, whereunto they were also appointed.' Some will not be persuaded to believe and obey the gospel ; those are included in the last expression.
Doct. That Christ will in a terrible manner come to render ven- geance on all those who regarded not to know God and obey the gospel.