17 Ο ασπασμος τη ερη

17 The falutation of Paul,

with mine own hand, which

fo I write.

с

is the token in every epifle: χειρι Παύλου, ὁ εξι σημεία ου EV παση επιςολη εντω ygaḍw.

18 The grace of our Lord Jefus Christ be with all. Amen.

you

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18 Η χαρις του Κυρίου ήμων Ιησου Χρισου μετα παντων ύμων. Αμην.

tiles to God and to one another, making peace between God and them; and making of two one new man, whofe members are to live in peace with one another. This prayer the apoftle fubjoins to the foregoing command, to intimate, that if the rulers of the church are faithful in their exhortations and admonitions, it is to be expected that the Lord will follow their labours with his bleffing, and make them effectual for producing peace and righteousness among the members of his body.

2. The Lord be with you all. This wish is founded on Chrift's promife, Matt. xxviii. 20. Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. With this promife Paul may have been made acquainted by revelation. Ver. 17.

CONCLUSION,

AS the first epistle to the Theffalonians contains a formal proof of the divine original of the gofpel, founded on the knowledge and experience of the perfons to whom it was addreffed, its primary intention was to establish them in the faith of the gofpel. Yet, like the other inspired writings, it was calculated for the benefit of all the churches of Chrift to the end of the world. Accordingly, it hath been of fingular ufe to them in every age; for, from it we learn what the facts and circumstances were, on which the apostles built their pretenfions to a divine commiffion, and by which they perfuaded mankind to embrace the gofpel. And our knowledge of these facts and circumftances leads us to believe, that the rapid progrefs of the gofpel was owing, neither to fraud, nor to enthusiasm, nor to the power of the fword, but to the excellent nature of the gofpel; the holy lives of its first preachers and profeffors; the undeniable miracles which the apoftles wrought in proof of their miffion from God; the gifts of the Spirit which they be. ftowed on their converts; the witnefs which they bare to the refurrection

17 The falutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epiftle: thus I write.

18 The grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift BE with you all. Amen.

17 The falutation of me, Paul, written with mine own hand, which is the token in every epifle, by which ye may diftinguifh my genuine letters. In this manner I write.

18 May the graces which fhone in our Lord Jefus Chrift, remain with you all. Amen. See Eph. vi. 24.

note 2.

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Ver. 17. The falutation, &c. which is the token in every epifle. Paul commonly employed one to write, or at least to make a fair сору of his letters, efpecially if they were of any length. Wherefore, as impoftors had now begun to forge letters in his name (2 Theff. ii. 2.), to prevent the ill confequences of that fraud, he wrote the falutation in all his letters with his own hand. And that the faithful at Theffalonica might be able to diftinguish his genuine letters from fuch as were forged, he defired them to take particular notice of that mark. It feems the apostle's converts were generally acquainted with his handwriting. Doddridge infinuates, that Paul may have dictated fome of his epiftles, while his hands were employed in the labours of his occupation of tent-making, and fays, This may account for some small inaccuracies of ftyle at which little minds have been offended, but which good judges cafily know how to excufe.

refurrection of their master; and their appealing to that great miracle, in proof that according to his promife, he will return from heaven to reward the righteous, and to punish the wicked. For these being matters of fact, obvious to the fenfes of mankind, the vulgar, equally with the learned, were able to judge of them; and being ftrongly impreffed by them, great numbers of them became Chrift's difciples. Wherefore, although no miracles are now wrought in confirmation of the gofpel, and the fpiritual gifts have long ago ceafed in the church, we have ftill abundant evidence of the divinity of our religion. The first epistle to the Theffalonians affords a convincing proof, that the gofpel was established in the chief city of the province of Macedonia, by its own intrinfic excellence, accompanied with miracles and with the exercife of the fpiritual gifts, notwithstanding the philofophers, of whom there were many in Theffalonica, endeavoured to overturn it by reasoning; and the unbelieving Jews, to ftop its progrefs, ftirred up the

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heathens

heathens to perfecute those who profeffed it. For, the miracles and spiritual gifts which accompanied the preaching of the gospel, rendered it fuperior to all oppofition.

The fecond epiftle to the Theffalonians, although it was written to correct a particular error, being an illuftrious monument of the infpiration of its author, affords to us, who live in thefe later times, an additional, and I may fay an increasing evidence of the truth of our religion. Certain falfe teachers, by misinterpreting an expreffion or two in the apoftle's firft epiftle, had made the Theffalonians believe, that the coming of Christ to raise the dead, and carry the righteous into heaven, was at hand, and thereby had occafioned them to neglect their worldly affairs. To undeceive them, the apostle, in his fecond epiftle, affured them, that, before the coming of Christ, a great apoftacy or defection from the true faith and practice of the gofpel would take place in the church; that that defection would not happen all at once, but would proceed by flow degrees to the height and extent determined; and that to carry it to that height, a long feries of ages was requifite. And, to fhew, that the apoftacy would be of a long continuance, thefapostle foretold the particulars of which it was to confift, defcribed the perfons by whom it was to be introduced, and discovered the vile arts, by which they were to establish it. Withal, that the Theffalonians might not be too much afflicted with the forefight of the evils which the apoftacy would occafion, and that the faithful who beheld thefe evils, might not be tempted to think God had caft off all care of his church, the apostle foretold, that the apoftacy would be destroyed; but in as gradual a manner as it had been introduced. And even defcribed the means by which it would be deftroyed; namely, by the fcriptures put into the hands of the people, and by the preaching of the true doctrine of the gofpel out of the fcriptures; fo that the eyes of the people, long blinded by the arts of the deceivers, being opened, they would at length discern and acknowledge the truth.-No events fimilar to thefe having ever taken place in any prior age of the world, the prediction of them by the apoftle, and their happening exactly as they were foretold, to us, who have seen the rife and progress, and begun deftruction of the apoftacy, are fuch a demonftration of the infpiration of St. Paul, and of the truth of our religion, as cannot be gainfaid.

The matters contained in the two epiftles to the Theffalonians being of fuch importance, we may believe, that the Presidents of the Theffalonian church, in obedience to the apostle's adjuration

in

in his first epiftle, took care to have both of them frequently read to the people in their public affemblies; who confidering them, as expreffions of their spiritual father's love to them, and of his earnest concern for their falvation, would hear them read with pleasure, and be greatly ftrengthened and comforted by them.-May the reading of these excellent writings have the fame happy effects on the difciples of Chrift, to the end of time.

A NEW

SECT. I. The Hiftory of Timothy's Converfion to Chriftianity.

PAUL

AUL and Barnabas, in the course of their first apoftolical journey among the Gentiles, having come to Lyftra, a city of Lycaonia, in the Leffer Afia, Acts xiv. 6. preached there some time, and converted a pious Jewish woman, named Lois, with her daughter Eunice, whofe husband, it is thought, was then dead, 2 Tim. i. 5.-Soon after this, Timothy, Eunice's fon, who had been brought up by his mother and grandmother, in the Jewish religion, and in the knowledge of the fcriptures, 2 Tim. iii. 15. being greatly affected by the apostle's discourses, believed. From the time of his conversion, Timothy made such proficiency in the knowledge of the gofpel, and was fo remarkable for the fanctity of his manners, as well as for his zeal in the caufe of Chrift, that he attracted the esteem of all the brethren in those parts. Accordingly, when the apoftle came from Antioch in Syria to, Lyftra, the second time, they fo praised Timo

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thy,