3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord

Jesus Christ, in the sight

of God, and our Father:

4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of

God.

3 Αδιαλείπτως μνημονευοντες ύμων του έργου της πιο ςεως, και του κόπου της αελπιδος του Κυριου ήμων Ιησου γαπης, και της υπομονης της Χριςου, εμπροσθεν του Θεου και πατρος ήμων

4 Είδοτες, αδελφοι ηγαπημενοι ὑπο Θεου, την εκλο γην ύμων.

First Argument in Proof of the Divine Original of the Gospel, 5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance ; as ye know

5 Ότι το ευαγγελιον ἡμων ουκ εγενήθη εις ύμας εν λογω μονον, αλλα και δυνάμει, και εν πνευματι ἁ

εν

duty of Christians, and especially of the ministers of the gospel, to pray for others, and to praise God for all that is excellent and valuable in them; and to pray that God may continue and increase their graces.

Ver. 3.1. Without ceasing. In scripture, that which is done frequently, is said to be done without ceasing, and always. Thus chap. v. 16. Rejoice always, ver. 17. Pray without ceasing.

2. Your work of faith. In allusion to our Lord's words, John vi. 29. This is the work of God, that ye believe. The apostle uses the same phraseology, Phil. i. 6. Faith therefore is truly a good work.

3. Labour of love. Some by this understand that labour in working with their hands, to which the Thessalonians submitted from love to their distressed brethren, that they might have wherewith to relieve them.

4. In the sight of God, even our Father. Some join this with the first clause, Without ceasing remembering in the sight, &c. But I prefer the sense which arises from the order of the words in the original, and which I have followed in the translation.

Ver. 4.1. Brethren beloved of God. The order of the words in the Greek directs to this translation. Besides, we have the same phrase, 2 Thess. ii. 13.

2. Your election. This being said to the whole church of the Thessalonians, cannot be understood of the election of every individual in that church to eternal life. For there were among them some who walked disorderly, 2 Thess. ii. 11. concerning whom the apostle doubted whether they would obey his precepts, chap. v. 14. Besides, the election of the Thessalonians was such as left the apostle room to fear, lest the tempter might have tempted them so effectually, as to make his labour among them fruitless,

3 Without ceasing1 remembering your work 2 of faith, and labour3 of love, and perseverance (see Rom. ii. 7.) of the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God 4 even our Father;

4 Knowing, brethren beloved of God, your election.2

3 Without ceasing remembering your work of faith in Christ; and those laborious offices which from love ye perform to your brethren; and your perseverance in the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ's second coming (ver. 10.) All these virtues ye exercise in the sight of God, even our Father, who be holds them with pleasure.

4 By these things, brethren beloved of God, we know your election to be his people, although ye do not obey the law of Moses.

founded upon the Miracles by which it was confirmed.

5 For our gospel came not to you (v) in word only, but also (E) with power and with the Holy Ghost, 2 and with

5 Your work of faith, by which I know your election is well founded; for our gospel was not offered to you in word only, but also with great miracles performed in your presence,

chap. iii. 5. but such a fear was not consistent with the apostle's knowledge of their election to eternal life.-The election here spoken of, is that which Moses has described, Deut. vii. 6.-The Lord thy God hath chosen (elected) thee to be a special people to himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. But the Judaizing teachers denied the election of the Gentiles to be the people of God, while they refused to subject themselves to the law of Moses. Wherefore it was highly proper to assure the Thessalonians, that they were elected, or made the people of God, by faith in Christ alone. The controversy, agitated in later times, concerning particular election, was not known in the primitive church. Besides, whatever the secret purpose of God may be, it were extremely dangerous for any person to presume on his election, in such a manner as to neglect the working out of his own salvation with fear and trembling.-For more concerning election, see Rom. ix. 11. note 2. 1 Pet. i. 1. note 2.

Ver. 5.-1. But also with power. In scripture, duvapus, commonly signifies that supernatural power, whereby Jesus and his apostles were enabled to work miracles for the confirmation of the gospel. Acts x. 38. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost, naı duvaμss, and with power. -Matt. vii. 22. And in thy name done many, Suvauus, wonderful works.— Rom. xv. 19. ey duvauu, By the power of signs and miracles, ev duvaus, by the power of the Spirit of God.—2 Cor. xii. 12. Truly, the signs of an apostle were fully wrought among you, with all patience, by signs and wonders, aai Suvausoi, and powers; miracles in which the greatest power was displayed.

2. And with the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost here denotes those spiritual gifts of prophecy, healing diseases, speaking foreign languages, and the

what manner of men we were among you for your

sake.

6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the

word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost :

7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For from you sounded but the word of the Lord,

γιῳ, και εν πληροφορία πολλῃ, καθώς οιδατε οἱοι εγενηθημεν εν υμιν δι' ὑμας.

6 Και μεις μιμηται ἡμων εγενήθητε και του Κυρίου, δεξαμενοι τον λογον εν Σλι ψει πολλη μετα χαρας πνεύματος άγιου.

7 Ωςε γενεσθαι μας τυ τους πασι τοις πιςεύουσιν εν τη Μακεδονια και τη Αχαια.

8 Αφ' υμων γαρ εξηχηται ὁ λόγος του Κυρίου ου μου

interpretation of languages, which the apostle communicated to the first believers, for the purpose of edifying each other, and for confirming the truth of the gospel.

3. And with much assurance, Πληροφορία, denotes the carrying of a ship forward, with her sails spread and filled with the wind. It is elegantly used to express such an entire conviction, as carries men to act steadily and uniformly, in all matters which have any connection with that conviction. See 2 Tim. iv. 17. Heb. vi. 11.

4. As ye know what sort of men we were among you. Ye know that we received no reward whatever from you, for preaching the gospel to you ; but maintained ourselves by our own labour, all the time we were with you, chap. ii. 9. So that we were teachers of a very different character from any ye had ever been acquainted with. The truth is, the Christian preachers greatly excelled the Greek philosophers, whose custom was to teach for hire, and to live in all kinds of sensual pleasure, whereby they shewed themselves to be both covetous and profligate.

5. For your sake. This determines the meaning of the general expression, What sort of men we were among you, to the apostle's disinterestedness in preaching the gospel to the Thessalonians, without demanding maintenance from them, or any reward whatever : for he could not with so much propriety say, that he practised his other virtues among the Thessalonians, for their sake.

Ver. 6.1. Having embraced. Δεξαμενοι, is properly translated, embraced, because the word imports something more than the bare receiving of the gospel, as is plain from chap. ii. 13. where, after telling them that they received the word, he adds, δέξασθε, ye embraced it, not as the word of men, &c. ye received it, with the warmest affection, as the word of God.

2. In much affliction. The Thessalonians became imitators of the apostles, and of Christ, not only in suffering persecution for the gospel, but in suffering it from their own countrymen, as Christ and his apostles had suffered persecution from the Jews. See 1 Thess. ii. 14. Acts xvii. 1. 6.-9.

much assurance; 3 as ye know what sort of men 4 we were among you for your sake.5

6 And ye became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having embraced 1 the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.3

7 So that ye are become (г8, 1 Pet. iii. 21. note 2.) patterns to all who believe in Macedonia and Achaia.1

8 (rag, 91.) Besides, from you the word of the

and with the gifts of the Holy Ghost imparted to you; and these produced in you the fullest assurance of its divine original, especially as ye know what sort of men we were among you, effectually to persudde you.

6 And, being exceedingly struck with our miracles and virtues, ye became imitators of us, and of the Lord Jesus in sufferings, having embraced the gospel, although it brought on you much affliction, mitigated by the joy which ye felt from the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

7 The patience and joy, with which ye suffer for the gospel, are so remarkable, that ye are become patterns to all who believe in Macedonia and Achaia.

8 Besides, your faith and sufferings have occasioned the fame of the

3. With joy of the Holy Ghost. The gifts of the Holy Ghost, bestowed on the Gentile believers, being an evidence of their election to be the people of God, and a seal of their title to a glorious immortality, provided they continued in faith and holiness, must have been a source of unspeakable joy to them, even in the midst of persecution and affliction for the word.

Ver. 7.-1. Macedonia and Achaia. The Roman general, Metellus, having conquered Andriscus and Alexander, pretended sons of Perseus the last king of Macedonia, reduced the countries formerly possessed by the Macedonian kings into a Roman province, which was governed by a proconsul or prætor, sent from Rome, whose usual residence was in Thessalonica. Not long after this, the consul Mummius, having defeated the Achæans, and destroyed Corinth, he, with the commissioners sent from Rome to regulate the affairs of Greece, abolished the assemblies held by the Achæans, Bootians, Phocians, and the rest, and reduced Greece into a Roman province, called the Province of Achaia, because at the taking of Corinth, the Achæans were the most powerful people of Greece. Thus the whole of the countries possessed by the Greek nations in Europe, were distributed into two great divisions, called Micedonia and Achaia.

Ver. 8.-1. From you the word of the Lord hath resounded, &c. The apostle does not mean, that the Thessalonian brethren preached the gospel in all the countries here mentioned; but that their relinquishing idolatry, had occasioned the preaching of the gospel in Thessalonica to be much talked of, through the provinces of Macedonia and Achaia, and in many other places.

not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God

ward is spread abroad, so that we need not to speak any thing.

9 For they themselves

μη χρειαν μας έχειν λαλειν τι.

9 Αυτοι γαρ περι ἡμων

shew of us, what manner απαγγελλουσιν,όποιαν εισοδον

of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God.

10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come.

εχομεν προς ὑμας, και πως επιςρέψατε προς τον Θεον απο των ειδωλων, δου λευειν Θεῷ ζωντι και αλη θινῳ·

10 Και αναμενειν τον δι ον αυτου εκ των ουρανών, όν ηγειρεν εκ νεκρών, Ιησουν τον ρνομενον ήμας απο της οργης της ερχομενης.

This fact, so expressly asserted in a letter addressed to persons who could not but know whether it was true or false, deserves attention, for the reason mentioned, vol. i. p. 148.

2. In every place, your faith to God-ward is spread abroad. Grotius observes, that many of the Thessalonians being merchants, who travelled into foreign countries for the sake of commerce, the news of their fellow-citizens having renounced the worship of the gods, must have been spread widely abroad by their means, as the apostle affirms. And as this was a very extraordinary event, it would naturally occasion much discourse among them to whom it was reported.

Ver. 9. 1. What sort of entrance (εχομεν) we have, for (εσχομεν, we had, to you. See Ess. iv. 12. The Alexandrian MS. reads here εσχομεν, answering to επιτρέψατε in the following clause: The meaning is, these persons. publish every where, that we entered and established ourselves among you, by great miracles.

2. To serve the living and true God. The epithet living is given to God to distinguish him from the heathen idols, which were destitute of life. He is likewise called the true God, in opposition to the fictitious deities worshipped by the heathens, who, though they may formerly have lived, or are now living, are not true Gods ; such as demons, and the souls of men departed. By their worshipping the true God, the Thessalonians were distinguished from the heathens; and by their waiting for God's Son from heaven, mentioned in the next verse, they were distinguished from the Jews.

Ver. 10.-1. And to wait for his Son from beaven. Christ himself, on two