24 Faithful is God who hath called you into his kingdom, and who, having promifed to affift you in all your trials, and to fanctify you wholly, alfo will do it.

25 Brethren, fenfible of the importance and difficulty of my work as an apostle, I earnestly requeft you to pray for me.

26 Express your affection towards all your Chriftian brethren, in the ordinary manner, by giving them a kifs, accompanied with nothing of that criminal love, which many of the Greeks indulge towards their own fex.

27 I lay you, who prefide in the church at Theffalonica, under an oath by the Lord's direction, that this epiftle be read to all the holy brethren profeffing Chriftianity in your own church, and in all the churches of Macedonia.

28 I finish my letter with giving you my apoftolical benediction. May the favour, protection, and af fiftance of our Lord Jefus Chrift, whofe fervants ye are, ever remain with you, that ye may be approved of him. And in teftimony of my fincerity in this, and in all the things written in this epiftle, I say Amen.

course, no doubt, he followed, with all his other infpired epiftles. They were fent by him to the elders of the churches for whofe ufe they were defigned, with a direction that they fhould be read publicly, by fome of their number, to the brethren in their affemblies for worship; and that not once or twice, but frequently, that all might have the benefit of the inftructions contained in them. If this method had not been followed, fuch as were unlearned would have derived no advantage from the apoftolical writings; and to make thefe writings of ufe to the reft, they must have been circulated among them in private; which would have expofed the autographs of the apostle's letters, to the danger of being lot. The practice therefore of the Romish clergy, who do not read the fcriptures to the common

people

people in their religious affemblies, or who read them in an unknown tongue, is directly contrary to the apoftolical injunctions, and to the primitive practice.-Farther, as the Theffalonian brethren had not been entirely obedient to their spiritual guides, the apostle may have fufpected, that their paftors would be afraid to read this epiftle pub. licly, in which a number of them were rebuked, and in which practices were exprefsly condemned, which many of them ftill followed. He therefore laid the paftors under an oath, to cause it to be read publicly to all the brethren in their own city, and in the neighbourhood.

LITERAL TRANSLATION

OF

ST. PAUL'S SECOND EPISTLE

TO THE

THESSALONIANS.

PREFACE.

SECT. I. Of the Occafion of writing the fecond Epifle to the

F

Theffalonians.

ROM the matters contained in this epiftle it appears, that

the meffenger who carried Paul's first letter to the Theffalonians, gave him, when he returned, a particular account of their affairs, (fee 2 Theff. iii. 11.) and, among other things, informed him, that many of them thought the day of judgment was to happen in that age; becaufe in his letter the apoftle feems to infinuate, that he was to be living on the earth at the coming of the Lord: 1 Theff. iv. 15. We who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord.-Ver. 17. Then we who are alive and remain, fhall be caught up.-Chap. v. 4. But ye are not in darkness, so as that day should, like a thief, lay hold on you.-Ver. 6. Therefore, let us not fleep, even as the others; but let us watch and be fober.-The fame perfon alfo informed the apostle, that fuch of the Theffalonians, as thought the coming of Christ, and the end of the world at hand, were neglecting their fecular affairs, in the perfuafion that all business of that fort was inconfiftent with the care of their fouls: That certain falfe teachers among the Theffalonians pretended to have a revelation of the VOL. IV. Spirit,

H

Spirit, importing that the day of judgment was at hand: That others affirmed they were fent by the apostle to declare the fame things by word of mouth: nay, That a forged letter had been handed about in Theffalonica, as from him, to the fame pur pose.-An error of this kind being exceedingly prejudicial to society, it was neceffary to put a stop to it immediately: and the rather, that being imputed to Paul, it was utterly fubversive of his apoftolical character and infpiration. The ftate, therefore, of the Theffalonians was no fooner made known to the apostle, than he wrote to them this fecond epistle: in which, as in the former, Silas and Timothy joined him, to shew that they were of the fame fentiments with him concerning that momentous affair.

The foregoing account of the occafion and design of writing the second epistle to the Theffalonians, is taken from chap. ii. 1. where the apostle befought the Theffalonians, with relation to the coming of Christ, and their gathering together around him (described in his former epiftle, chap. iv. 14-18.), not to give the least heed to any teacher, pretending to a revelation of the Spirit, who affirmed that the day of Christ was at hand; or who brought any verbal meffage or letter to that purpose, as from him. The whole was a falfehood, wickedly framed. And to convince them that it was a falfehood, he affured them in the most exprefs terms, that before the day of the Lord there will be a great apoftafy in the church; that the man of fin is to be revealed; that he will oppose and exalt himself above every one who is called God, or who is an object of worship; and that he will fit, or continue a long time, in the church, as God. Then, he put this question to the Theffalonians, ver. 5. Do ye not remember, that when I was yet with you, I told you these things? So that if they had recollected the apostle's difcourfes, they would easily have perceived the falfehood of the things, which the deceivers pretended to inculcate as a meffage from him.-The chief defign, therefore, of this epiftle, was to convince the Theffalonians, that the apoftle and his affistants did not entertain the opinion imputed to them, that the coming of the Lord and the day of judgment were to happen in their lifetime and to foretel the rife and progrefs of the mystery of iniquity, together with the coming and deftruction of the Man of Sin; that the

faithful,

faithful, being forewarned, might not be furprifed at these events, when they took place in the church.

SECT. II. Of the Time and Place of writing the fecond Epifle to the Theffalonians.

Paul's fecond epiftle to the Theffalonians is thought, by the beft critics and chronologers, to have been written from Corinth, during his first abode in that city. For the error it was defigned to correct, being of a moft pernicious nature, as fhall be fhewed immediately, and requiring a speedy remedy, it is natural to suppose the apostle would write it as foon as poffible, after the meffenger who carried his former letter returned, and gave him an account of the disorders which prevailed among the Theffalonians. That the apoftle wrote this fecond letter not long after the first, seems probable for this reafon alfo, that Timothy and Silvanus, who joined him in his first letter, were still with him, and joined him in the fecond. And seeing in this epiftle he defired the brethren to pray that he might be delivered from brutish and wicked men, chap. iii. 2. it is probable he wrote it foon after the infurrection of the Jews at Corinth, in which they dragged him before Gallio the proconful of Achaia, and accufed him of perfuading men to worship God contrary to the law, Acts xviii. 13. It feems the ignorance and rage of the unbelieving Jews had made such an impreffion upon the apostle's mind, that he was afraid of encountering them again: and therefore he begged the Theffalonians to pray that God would deliver him from all fuch furious bigots, who, though they profeffed to believe in the true God, fhewed, by their actions, that they were deftitute of every good principle whatsoever.-This epiftle, therefore, being written at Corinth, foon after the former, we cannot be much mistaken in supposing that it was dated 4. D. 52. in the end of the twelfth, or in the beginning of the thirteenth year of the reign of Claudius, the fucceffor of Caius.

On fuppofition that this is the true date of the epiftle, Grotius, who makes the emperor Caius the man of fin, and Simon Magus the wicked one, whofe coming is foretold, 2 Th. ii. hath fallen into a grofs error; as hath Hammond likewife, who makes