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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 out the word of the Lord,

γιῳ, και εν πληροφορία πολύ λῃ, καθως οιδατε οἱοι εγενηθημεν εν ύμιν δι' ὑμας.

6 Και μεις μιμηται ἡμων εγενήθητε και του Κυρίου, δεξαμενοι τον λογον εν πλιψει πολλη μετα χαρας πνευματος ἁγιου.

7 Ωςε γενεσθαι ὑμας τυ πους πασι τοις πιςεύουσιν εν τη Μακεδονια και τη Αχαια.

8 Αφ' ύμων γαρ εξηχη ται ὁ λογος 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 the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.3

7 So that ye are become (TVπ8, 1 Pet. iii. 21. note 2.) patterns to all who believe in Macedonia and Achaia.1

8 (Tag, 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 persuade you.

6 And, being exceedingly struck with our miracles and virtues, ye became imitutors 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 Macedonia 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 Godward is spread abroad, so that we need not to speak any thing.

9 For they themselves

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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 ύμας, και πως επιςρέψατε προς τον Θεον απο των ειδωλων, δουλευειν Θεῷ ζωντι και αλη θίνῳ·

10 Και αναμενειν τον διον αυτου εκ των ουρανών, όν

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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 extraordimary event, it would naturally occasion much discourse among them to whom it was reported.

Ver. 9. 1. What sort of entrance (εχεμεν) we have, for (εσχομεν) we had, to you. See Ess. iv. 12. The Alexandrian MS. reads here εσχομεν, answering to sgare 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 heaven. Christ himself, on two

Lord hath resounded, not only in Macedonia and Achaia; but also in every place, your faith to Godward is spread abroad, so that we have no need to speak any thing.

9 For they themselves publish concerning us, what sort of entrance we had1 to you, and how ye turned to God from idols, (dλvely) to serve the living and true God; 2

10 And to wait for his Son from heaven; whom he raised from the dead, EVEN Jesus (goμe evov) who delivers 2 us from the wrath which is to come.3

gospel of Christ to resound, not only through Macedonia and Achaia; but also in every place to which your fellow-citizens resort for the sake of commerce, the news of your faith in the true God, is spread abroad by them; so that we have no need to speak any thing, either in our own praise, or in yours.

9 For your fellow-citizens themselves, who spread abroad the news of your conversion, publish every where concerning us, in what manner we established ourselves among you, as messengers from God; and how, convinced by the miracles we wrought, ye turned to God from dead idols, to serve the living and true God alone.

10 And to expect not the appearing on earth of any of the gods formerly worshipped by you, but of God's Son from heaven to judge the world, whom he raised from the dead; even Jesus, our master, who, as judge, will deliver us who believe from the wrath which is to come upon them who obey not the gospel.

different occasions, promised that he would return from heaven, Matt. xvi. 27. John xiv. 3. The angels, likewise, who attended at his ascension, foretold that he will return, Acts i. 11. And as the great design of his return is to punish his enemies, and reward his faithful servants, his second coming was always a principal topic, on which the apostles insisted in their discour ses; consequently it was a principal article of the faith and hope of the first Christians, a frequent subject of their conversation, and a powerful source of consolation to them in all their afflictions and troubles. May it ever be the object of our faith and hope, and the source of our consolation, especially at death!

2. Jesus who delivers, Grotius thinks quoμevov, the present participle, stands here for the future, puoqμsvov, who will deliver. But it is usual in scripture, to speak of things future in the present tense, to shew the cer tainty of their happening.

3. From the wrath that is to come. Wrath, the cause, is here put for punishment, the effect. The punishment which Christ, at the day of judgment, will inflict, and the persons on whom he will inflict it, are described, 2 Thess. i. 8. Inflicting punishment with flaming fire on them who know not

CHAPTER II.

View and Illustration of the Matters contained in this Chapter.

In this chapter, the apostle proposes his second argument in proof of the truth of the gospel. It is taken from the character, the behaviour, and the views of the persons who first preached it. Now the importance of this argumet will appear, if we consider, what the things were which the preachers of the gospel published, and required mankind to believe. They told every where, that Jesus their master is the Son of God; that he wrought many miracles. in Judea; that he was crucified by the Jews, his countrymen, as a deceiver; but that God declared him to be his Son, by raising him from the dead, agreeably to what Jesus, before his death, had foretold; that after his resurrection, having spent some time on earth among his disciples, he ascended into heaven, while they looked on; and that two angels, who were present on the occasion, assured them, that in like manner as they had seen Jesus go into heaven, so he would

return.

But to induce mankind to believe matters so extraordinary, it was necessary that the persons who called themselves eyewitnesses of them, and who reported them to the world, should be men of sound judgment and known integrity, and free from all interested views; that they should be fully persuaded themselves of the truth of the things which they told; that they should use no guile nor flattery, to procure themselves credit; and that, by their whole deportment, they should shew themselves to be pious and virtuous persons, whose only aim in this undertaking, was to promote the glory of God, and the good of mankind. Wherefore, although the apostle and his assistants had said in a general way, chap. i. 5. Ye know what sort of men we were among you, for your sake, they judged it necessary to employ the greatest part of this chapter, in setting forth distinctly, the facts and circumstances by which their sincerity, their integrity, and their disinterestedness in preaching the gospel, were evinced; together with those particulars by which their moral character was raised above all suspicion. Being in every

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