CHAPTER I.

View and Illustration of the Subjects treated in the first Chapter of this Epistle.

THE Apostle's design in this epistle, as was shewed in the preface, sect. 3. being to furnish the Thessalonian brethren with a proof of the divine original of the gospel, both for establishing themselves, and for convincing unbelievers, he elegantly introduced his subject, by declaring that he gave thanks to God at all times, or daily, for their faith, and love, and perseverance of hope, which he told them was an evidence of their election by God to be his people, although they did not obey the law of Moses, ver. 2, 3, 4.-Then, to make the Thessalonians sensible that their faith in the gospel was well founded, he put them in mind of the arguments by which they had been induced to receive the gospel as the word of God.

The first argument which he mentions is, That the gospel had been offered to the Thessalonians, not in word, or preaching only, but in preaching accompanied with great and evident miracles, performed in their presence; and with the gifts of the Holy Ghost, communicated to them after they believed. And these miracles and supernatural gifts, he affirms had wrought in them much assurance, that is, the strongest persuasion of the truth of the gospel; in which persuasion they were confirmed by the holy disinterested behaviour of the preachers of the gospel, ver. 5.-But this being a branch of his second argument, the apostle only mentions it here, referring the more full consideration of it to chap. ii.-He adds, that the Thessalonians had shewed the strength of their faith by imitating the apostles, and the Lord Jesus, in suffering much affliction for the gospel with joy, ver. 6.—so that they were patterns of faith and fortitude, to all the brethren in the provinces of Macedonia and Achaia, ver. 7.-Farther, he affirms that from them the fame of the gospel had resounded, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place, their faith in one God only was spoken of as a thing very extraordinary, ver. 8.-that their fellow-citizens, who had carried the news of their having changed their religion, into distant countries, had told at the same time, in what manner the preachers of the new religion had entered, and established themselves among the Thessalonians; that they had done it by great and evident miracles: and that the Thessalonians, struck with these miracles, had turned from idols, and were become the worshippers of the living and true God, ver. 9.—and looked for the return of his Son from heaven, who, as the preachers of the gos

pel affirmed, had been raised from the dead; even Jesus, who would deliver them from the wrath, which is to come on idolaters and unbelievers at the day of judgment, ver. 10.-Now, that the Thessalonians looked for the return of Jesus from heaven, and that God had raised him from the dead, and that they expected, at his return, to be delivered by him from the wrath to come on unbelievers, are all fitly mentioned in this place, because their expectation of these things, shews what a strong impression the miracles wrought in confirmation of the gospel, had made on the minds of the Thessalonians. Moreover, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, being a demonstration of his character as the Son of God, and of his power and authority as judge of the world, it is an undeniable proof of the divine original of the gospel, and renders the rejection of it extremely dangerous.

Here then is the first argument, by which the gospel is proved to be a revelation from God. The apostles and evangelists wrought miracles, to shew that they were actually sent of God to publish those great discoveries, to which they had given the name of, ro svayyɛhov, The gospel, or good news from God.Now, on this argument I observe, that the efficacy of miracles to prove a divine commission, when wrought expressly for the purpose, is so plain, that little reasoning is needed to shew it. Persons of ordinary understandings, equally with those whose minds are more improved, naturally reason as Nicodemus did, John iii. 2. Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do those miracles which thou dost, unless God be with him. Wherefore, this being a dictate of common sense, the apostle had no occasion to shew, that a teacher who works miracles in confirmation of his doctrine, is commissioned of God. All he had to do, was to make it evident, that his own preaching at Thessalonica had been accompanied with undeniable miracles. To the Thessalonians, however, this was not necessary. They had been eye-witnesses of his miracles, and had been converted by them and after their conversion they, had received from the Apostle the gifts of the Holy Ghost; and, among the rest, the power of working miracles, and of speaking foreign languages: which power, such of them as possessed it, had no doubt often exercised. Nevertheless, to convince those' who should live in after ages, that the first preaching of the gospel was accompanied with great and evident miracles, the writers of this epistle have taken the very best method that could be devised; a method which carries absolute conviction with it., They spake plainly to the Thessalonians in this letter, concerning

the miracles which they wrought in their presence, and the spiritual gifts which they conferred on them; and affirmed before them all, that these miracles and gifts produced in them the fullest assurance of the divine original of the gospel; and that the Thessalonians shewed the strength of their persuasion, by forsaking the established idolatry, and suffering with joy much affliction for the gospel. They farther affirmed, that the miracles which they wrought among them were so public, and so well known, that when the unbelieving inhabitants of their city went with their merchandize to foreign countries, they not only reported, that the Thessalonians had forsaken the worship of the gods, but that they had been persuaded to do so by the miracles which the preachers of the new religion had wrought in their presence, and by the extraordinary faculties which these preachers conferred on their disciples. Now, who does not see, that open appeals of this kind, made to the Thessalonians concerning the miracles which were wrought in their presence, and concerning the impression which these miracles made on their minds, and the change produced in their religious sentiments through the influence of that impression, are undeniable proofs that miracles were really wrought at Thessalonica, and spiritual gifts conferred: and that by the power OLD TRANSLATION. GREEK TEXT. CHAP. I. 1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians, which is in

God the Father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ : grace be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and

the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.

1 Παυλος και Σιλουανος και Τιμοθεος τη εκκλησία Θεσσαλονικέων, εν Θεῷ πα τρι, και Κυρίῳ Ιησου Χριςῳ χαρις υμιν και ειρηνη απο Θεου πατρος ήμων, και ΚυKvριον Ιησου Χριςου.

2 Ευχαριςουμεν τω Θεῷ παντοτε περι παντων ὑμων, μνειαν ύμων ποιουμενοι επι των προσευχων ἡμων.

Ver. 1.—1. Paul and Silvanus ana Timothy. See Pref. p. 10, 11. for the reason why Paul, in the inscription of this epistle, omitted calling himself an apostle, and allowed Silas and Timothy to join him in writing it.—It appears from Acts xvi. 37. that Silas was a Roman as well as Paul. Silvanus therefore may have been his Roman name, as Saul's Roman name was Paul.

2. Church of the Thessalonians which is (v) in God the Father. This is an expression of the same kind with that, 1 John v. 20. We are in the true God, in his Son Jesus Christ. We are in subjection to the true God, by being in subjection to his Son.

of these miracles and gifts, the Thessalonians were turned from worshipping idols, to serve the living and true God. For, three persons in their right senses, as Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, undoubtedly were, cannot be supposed to have made open appeals of this nature, to such numerous societies as the church of the Thessalonians, and the other churches in which this epistle was to be read, where every individual must have known whether the matters affirmed were true or false, unless they had been conscious to themselves that they were all strictly true. As little can it be supposed, that the Thessalonians and the rest, would have received and perused the letter in which these things are affirmed, unless they had known them to be all strictly true. Wherefore, that great and evident miracles were wrought at Thessalonica; that spiritual gifts were conferred on them who believed; and that these miracles and spiritual gifts produced among the Thessalonians such a firm persuasion of the truth of the new religion, that many of them forsook their idol gods, embraced the gospel, and worshipped the one true God only; and that this change of religion brought upon them much affliction; are all as certain, as that the Thessalonians embraced the gospel, and that this epistle was written by Paul, and sent to Thessalonica. NEW TRANSLATION. CHAP. I. 1 Paul and Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians WHICH Is in 2 God the Father, and IN the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace BE to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 We give thanks to God at all times for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.

COMMENTARY.

CHAP. I. 1 PAUL and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians, which is in subjection to God, the Father of the universe, whereby it is distinguished from a society of idolatrous Gentiles; and in subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ, whereby it is distinguished from a synagogue of unbelieving Jews: May virtuous dispositions come to you, with happiness from God our common Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the Father dispenses these blessings to men.

2 Having great satisfaction in your conversion, We give thanks to God at all times for you all; making mention of you in our prayers. See Philip. i. 3.-5.

Ver. 2.-1. We give thanks to God at all times for you all. From this, and from many other passages in St. Paul's epistles, we learn that it is the