1 natural Knowledge of God which the Apoſtle ſpeaks of, Rom. 1. 21. which the Gentiles had ; and ſupernatural, which js by the Scriptu:*s ; to know the Mind, Will, Nature, Decrees, and Counſels of God 23 they are there revealed, and the knowledge of God in Chriſt ; this is meant in the Text, and this the Gentiles had not, and therefore no wonder though they followed the Lutts of Concupiſcence, they wanted the Rule of God's Word to dire& them, and that effeRtual knowledge of God, and Preſence of his Grace that would have reſtrained them from ſuch Luſt, But theſe Theſſalonians now, fince their Converiivn by the Goſpel they were come to this knowledge of God which they had not before, and therefore were not to live as before they did. Know: ledge ought to influence our Hearts and Lives,and to fin againſt £now- ledge is the great aggravation of Sin, and will make men more in7xcu- ſable. But yet where knowledge is wanting, what wickedneſs will 0! men praiſe ? The Gentiles were alienated from the Life of 00: through the Ignorance that was in them, Eph. 4. 18, The J.w ru cited Chrift, and Saul perſecuted the Liſciples through Ignorance, 1 Tim, 1. 13, Much more are thoſe Chriftians to be condemre:!, v9 having more knowledge than the Gentiles, yet practiſe worle tal they :; as the Apoſtle upbraids the Jews upon this account, Rom. 2. ©7- 6 * That no man go beyond and || defraud his brotnet” oY || in any matter r, becauſe that the LORD 5s the avenger 1 Or, t of all ſuch ſ- as we alſo have forewarned you and teſtt-;,.. fied t. . over-relh r This ſome underſtand to be another part of Sanfification ment:- Ir, 3 oned before, ver. 3. taking the Word San&ification in a more general matter, Senſe, And as betore he {pake of Chaſtity, ſo here of Communicative juftice in Commerce and Traffick; and the rather,becaule 1c(/4/0/17"4 was a City of great Trade and Merchandiſe z and it's true, that my Qification doth comprehend this Righteouſneſs in it, and will rentan men from that which is oppoſite to it, which as the Apottle (peaks, ny going beyondand defrauding his Brother, To go beyond, is that which we call over-reaching z when in buying or telling we keep not a by meaſure, when we obſerve not a due proportion betwixt the price a the commodity, conſidering, it either in its natural Worth, or 1 ſt : Circumſtances as make it more or leſs yaluable'; or to take advar's. of anothers Ignorance or Neceſſities, to take unreaſonabte Prolit, to break Covenant with one another, anſwering to the ma” heh
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7 R _f 1 coverous mind we exa@ upon another heyond what is meet, SOME les the former word to injuſtice by force, ani the latter by fraud, \ Cyr, 74. 2, And theEvil is the greater, becauſe done to. a Brother. £+.-r> 13 4 Brother by a common relation, and fo all Men nat partake hwnmanc Nature are Brethren, or by ſpeciat relation, Wiich 18 — rural, civil, or ſpiricual, We may underſtand the Word in all thelc <or1i.5, zpecially the laſt, that thoſe that are Brethren Chriſt, and *\ the Faith, ſhould not defraud one another, And when the Apoſtic ks. #72 any marrer, the word any not being, in the Greets, we may 2ct- -or read it, in dealing, or doing; the word is general, and is to D2-re- "rained by the fubjett matter ſpoken of, There is another ſenle of the vords avrecable to the former Verſes, an the Verſe that totlows ; and 7 me naderftand the Apoftle as ftill ſpeaking of Chaſtity ; and lv hore he forbids the invading another's Bed, tran!greiiin:; the Bounds ol \irria'e, whereby Men go beyond or defraud their Brother, uturping + 110 6f another Man's Wife, whom he hath no right to. And then w 174 inzrter, we mult read in that matter which he had bcen ſpeaking of bofore, or "tis a modeft Exprefſion of the Att of Adultery. The He- ow £9 is oft uſed in the Old Teftament for Carnal Copulation, and rhe the Greek Baino and Hyterbaing here uſed, and the other word [LL onetin Cencres exceftiveneſs in it, Fpb. 4. 13. / And the realon te achls is, Beca ſe the Lord is the aveniger of all ſuch, 'engeance 1 minel ill repty, [41th the Lord, Deut. 32. 25. Rom, 12. 19. Whether we un- 4.;fand it of Fraud, or over-reaching in Dealings, when a Man cannot tighcand relieve himſelf; th? Righteous God will avenge the Unrigh- -eauneſs of Men; or of the Fraud of the Marriage-Bed, which is done in {<cret, and Man cannot avenge himſelf, #26. 13. 4. # And this the \roftle faith, he had for:warned them of, and reſtified. Though the 1 j-kr of Nature told the Heathen, that God was an Avenger of Wick: cincs, 8s 29. 4. and the Heathen could lay, £9 0435s ex)xov 0{pLy Col bach a revergeful Eye, yet the Apoſtle hay in his preaching al- rol it, He had told them of Chrilt's coming to judge the World, 11 Le would execute Vengeance, 7Ja.le 15, and this they were before vr of : Ard thongh God ſometimes takes Vengeance in this Wold, yerhe ſeems to refer to this laft Vengeance, becauſe he ſpeaks 2 us that which h- had forewarned them of, and teſtified in his Mi- airy, an whereet they had not ſo clear a Teſtimony in natural Con-
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p Late to that Chaſtity he had ſpoken of, called lanEtification, Ver. 3, 4+ The h ris taken from their Chriſtian Calling, which is not to unclean- rv nc!3, but to Chattity, called HolineG ; when they were Gentiles in ſtate, they livei in the Luſt of Uncleanneſs, but they were now called by the Power of the Goſpel, and brought to ſuch a Profeſhon that did F forbid, and condemn it. And the Author of their Call is God him- nh, 4 ſ-!t, thouzh the Apoſtles and other Miniſters were the Inftruments. '.. 8 He therefore that || deſpiſeth, deſpiſeth not Man, but Cor, God, who hath alſo given unto us his holy Spirit x. «5 - mw iVhence he fetchcth this ſecond Argument, ver, 8. that if this baht © Chattity be deſpiſed or rejetted, as we may read the Text, it is not Man, but God that is:1.{piſed. To deſpiſe a Miniſter in a Command- n:ent he delivers from God, is to detpile God himſelf, Luke 10. 16, &c. and the Apultle tuth here intimate, not to obey the Commandment of