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16 Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon

them to the uttermost.

17 But we, brethren,

16 Κωλυοντων μας τοις εθνεσι λαλησαι ἵνα σωθώσιν, εἰς το αναπληρωσαι αύτων θασε δε επ' αυτούς ή οργή τὰς ἁμαρτίας παντοτε εφεις τελος.

17 Ημείς δε, αδελφοι,

being taken from you for απορφανισθεντες αφ' ὑμων a short time in presence,

not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.

προς καιρον ὡρας, προσωπῷ, ου καρδια, περισσότερως εσπουδάσαμεν προσωπον ἱμων ιδειν εν πολλη επιθυμία.

the precepts of their law, which were given to prevent them from having familiar intercourse with idolaters, lest they might have been tempted to imitate them in their practices.-In the more early times of their republic, the Jews did not entertain that extreme aversion to the heathens, for which their posterity afterwards were so remarkable. But, by their intercourse with their heathen neighbours, having often declined to idolatry, and being severely punished for that sin, they began, on their return from the Babylonish captivity, to conceive an aversion to the heathens; which was increased by the persecutions which the Greek princes, Alexander's successors, carried on against them, for the purpose of abolishing their law, and introducing idolatry into Judea; fancying, perhaps, that uniformity in religion among their subjects, was necessary to the support of their government. From that time forth, the Jews, looking on all the heathens without exception as their enemies, obstinately refused to do them the smallest office of humanity; and discovered such a rooted malevolence towards them, that they were hated and despised by the heathens in their turn. The apostle, therefore, in this passage, gave the true character of the Jews in later times, when he said of them, that they did not please God, and were contrary to all men.

Ver. 16-1. Hindering us to preach to the Gentiles that they may be saved. The apostle and his assistants preached to the Gentiles, that to their salvation, faith, and not obedience to the law of Moses, was necessary. But this doctrine enraging the unbelieving Jews, they endeavoured to hinder its progress, by persecuting those who preached it.

2. But the wrath of God is coming upon them. Epace, bath come. But the past time is here put for the present, as is plain from this, that the wrath of God had not yet fallen on the Jewish nation. The apostle speaks of their punishment as at hand, being taught it, either by Christ's prediction, or by a particular revelation made to himself. It may not be improper to observe, that in the rejection and destruction of the Jewish nation for killing Christ,

16 Hindering us (λaλnral, 55.) to preach to the Gentiles that they may be saved; 1 so that they fill up their iniquities always. But the wrath of GOD is coming upon them 2 at length.3

17 (Ημεις δε) Now we, brethren, being separated from you1 during the time of an hour, IN presence, not in heart, the more abundantly endeavoured, with great desire, to see your face.

16 Hindering us to preach to the Gentiles that they may be saved; so that instead of pleasing God, the Jews are filling up the measure of their iniquities always; but the wrath of God is coming upon them at length, whereby God's displeasure with them for their treatment of us, will be made evident to all.

17 Our fleeing to Bercea, is objected as a proof of our being impostors. But we did not flee with a resolution not to return. On the contrary, we, brethren, being separated from you, for a short time, in person only, not in affection, the more earnestly, on that account, endeavoured with great desire, all the time we remained in Beroa, to see your face again.

and opposing his gospel, we have an example and proof of the manner in which all obstinate opposition to the gospel will end.

3. At length. So s T, used adverbially, signifies. See Stephen's Thesaurus. The ancient commentators, by this phrase, understood a long duration; so that, according to them, the apostle meant to say, The wrath of God is coming on the Jews, not for thirty, or forty, or seventy years, but for many generations. The version which our translators have given of this phrase, namely, to the uttermost, is improper. For, though the calamities brought on the Jews by the Romans were very great, they did not utterly destroy them. According to God's promise, that he never would make a full end of the Jews, a remnant of them was left; and in the posterity of that remnant, now multiplied to a great number, the promises concerning the conversion and restoration of Israel, will be fulfilled.

Ver. 17.-1. Being separated from you. Awogpaviodertes, is commonly applied to children who are deprived of their parents. Here it is applied to parents who are deprived of their children: in which sense Chandler says it is used by Euripides.

2. During the time of an hour. Пę naιgov 'wgas, during a short time : So the phrase signifies, 2 Cor. vii. 8. Gal. ii. 5. Horace likewise uses the phrase in the same sense : horæ momento, cita mors venit, aut victoria leta. The apostle means, that when he fled from Thessalonica to Berœa, he proposed to be absent only a few days, till the rage of the Jews was abated ; after which he intended to return. Accordingly he tells them, he, the more earnestly on that account, endeavoured to return, and actually made two

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attempts for that purpose. But the coming of the Jews from Thessalonica, to stir up the people in Berca against them, frustrated his design, and obliged him to leave Macedonia.

Ver. 18.-1. I Paul. This parenthesis shews, that what follows is to be understood of Paul alone, though he continues to use the plural form of expression. Wherefore, in other passages, where he uses the plural number, he may be speaking of himself only.

2. Satan bindered us. Because the devil employs himself continually in obstructing the good purposes and actions of mankind, he hath the name of Satan, or adversary, given him by way of eminence. And they who assist him in his malicious attempts, such as false apostles and teachers, are called ministers of Satan, 2 Cor. xi. 15. The persecution raised against the apostle in Beroa, by the Jews from Thessalonica, is here ascribed to Satan, to teach us, that persecution for conscience is the genuine work of the devil.➡ Perhaps the apostle foresaw, that if he returned to Thessalonica, while the rage of the Jews continued, or even if he remained in Berea, they would certainly have put him to death in some tumult. Wherefore, that he might have a farther opportunity of perfecting the faith of the Thessalonians, and of converting the rest of the Gentiles, who were to be his crown of glorying, he saved his life by fleeing, first from Thessalonica, and next from. Berœa.

Ver. 19.—1. Or crown of glorying ? Are not ye also, &c. So Theophylact translates -In this passage, the apostle compares the return of Christ to heaven, after the judgment, to the solemnity of a triumph, in which the apostle himself is to appear crowned, in token of his victory over the false religions of the world, and over the abettors of these religions; and attended by his converts, who are in that manner to honour him as their spiritual father. Or the allusion may be, to the solemnity with which the ancient

18 Therefore we would have come unto you, (even I Paul 1) once and again, (××1, 205.) but Satan 2 hindered us.

19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of glorying? ARE not ye also in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, (, 173.) at his coming?

20 ('Yμess yag, 94.) Ye indeed1are our glory and joy.

18 Therefore we would have returned to you, (even I, Paul,) once and again; but Satan, by bringing the Jews from Thessalonica to Beroa to stir up the people, hindered me, and obliged me to flee to Athens.

19 These things ye may believe: For what is the source of my hope and joy, or what will be the cause of that crown, of which I shall boast, in heaven? The conversion of mankind surely. And will not ye also be my crown, when I stand before our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

20 Ye indeed will be my glory and joy in that day. Wherefore, neither consciousness of fraud, nor want of fortitude hindered my return; but I wished to live, that by perfecting your faith, I might increase my reward.

games were concluded; for then the judges crowned the victors with the erown proper to each game, amidst the multitude who had assembled to see the contests. Jesus Christ, the judge of the world, will at his coming crown his apostle, in presence of the assembled universe. And because his converts are the cause of his being thus crowned, they are, by a beautiful figure of speech, called His crown of glorying.—That some peculiar honour or reward will be conferred on them who have been instrumental in the conversion of sinners, is evident from Dan. xii. 3.

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Ver. 20. 1. Υμείς γαρ Ye indeed are our glory and joy. This is one of many instances, wherein yag is used affirmatively; for in the causal signification, it would turn the verse into an absurdity, by making it a reason for what goes before, while it is only a bare repetition of the same sentiment. Whereas translated affirmatively, though it be a repetition, it is added with great elegance, to enforce the answer to the question in ver. 19.

The manner in which the apostle speaks of the Thessalonians in this passage, shews that he expected to know his converts at the day of judgment. If so, we may hope to know our relations and friends then. And, as there is no reason to think, that in the future life we shall lose those natural and social affections, which constitute so great a part of our present enjoyment, may we not expect that these affections, purified from every thing anima】 and terrestrial, will be a source of our happiness in that life likewise? It must be remembered, however, that in the other world we shall love one another, not so much on account of the relation and friendship which for. merly subsisted between us, as on account of the knowledge and virtue

which we possess. For among rational beings, whose affections will all be suited to the high state of moral and intellectual perfection, to which they shall be raised, the most endearing relations and warmest friendships will

CHAPTER III.

View and Illustration of the Subjects contained in this Chapter.

Objection 3. By the reasoning in the beginning of this chapter it appears, that the learned Greeks took occasion from the sufferings of the Christian preachers, to raise a third and very plausible objection, against the miracles which they wrought in confirmation of the gospel. Said the philosophers, "If these men really possess miraculous powers, why do they flee from their enemies, and not rather work miracles for their own preservation; which, at the same time, would convince the most obstinate, that they are sent of God? The behaviour of these pretended missionaries from God, who, instead of restraining their enemies by their miraculous power, flee from them in a frightened clandestine manner, is a clear proof that their miracles are nothing but impositions on the senses of mankind." The reader will recollect, that this very argument was used for discrediting our Lord's miracles, Matt. xxvii. 41. Also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others, himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross, and we will believe him. This objection being much insisted on by the philosophers, some of the Thessalonian brethren who came to Berca, informed Timothy thereof, who, when he followed the apostle to Athens, no doubt related the matter to him. Now, this being a natural objection, the apostle was greatly distressed, that he had it not in his power to return to Thessalonica, to shew the falsity of it. Wherefore, when he could no longer bear his anxiety, he determined to remain at Athens alone, ver. 1.—And sent Timothy to establish the brethren, and to exhort them concerning their faith, ver. 2.-by telling them, that no man should be moved by these afflictions: he meant the afflictions which had befallen him, and his sudden flight from Thessalonica and Berœa; as is plain from what follows; for yourselves know that we were appointed to this: we apostles were appointed to suffer, and were not allowed to deliver ourselves from persecution by miracle, ver. 3.-This the Thessalonians knew. For Paul had told them, when Christ made him an apostle, he appointed him to suffer for his name; that all men might have a clear proof, of his being himself fully persuaded of the things which he

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