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sess his vessel in sanctification and honour:

5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God :

6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter : be

cause that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you, and testified.

7 For God hath not call

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το ἑαυτου σκευος κτασθαι εν ἁγιασμῳ και τιμη

5 Μη εν παθει επιθυμι ας, καθαπερ και τα εθνη τα μη είδοτα τον Θεον

6 Το μη υπερβαινειν και πλεονεκτείν εν τῷ πραγ ματι τον αδελφον αυτου διο τι εκδικος ὁ Κύριος περι παντων τουτων, καθως και προειπαμεν ὑμιν, και διεμαρτυραμεθα.

7 Ου γαρ εκαλεσεν ἡμας ed us unto uncleanness, ὁ Θεός επι ακαθαρσία, αλλ'

but unto holiness.

8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man,

εν ἁγιασμω.

8 Τοιγαρουν ὁ αθετών, ουκ ανθρωπον αθέτει, αλλα

Ver. 4-1. That every one of you should know to possess his own body. Το ἑαυτο σκευ, literally, his own vessel. But this word, in other passages, signifies the body : 1 Pet. iii. 7. Giving honour to the wife, as the weaker vessel; that is, as being weaker in body.-1 Sam. xxi. 5. And the vessels (bodies) of the young men are holy. Lucretius likewise uses the Latin word vas, to signify the body, lib. iii, ver. 441. The body, was called by the Greeks and Romans, a vessel, because it contains the soul, and is its instrument. The apostle's meaning may be, let every man consider his body as a vessel consecrated to the service of God; and let him dread the impiety of polluting it, by any vile dishonourable indulgence whatever, or by putting it to any base use.—Our knowing to use our body in sanctification and honour, implies, as Benson observes, that we know to avoid all incentives to lust, such as dissolute company, obscene discourse, lewd songs and pictures, the reading of loose books, drunkenness, luxury, idleness, and effeminacy.

2. In sanctification and honour. The doctrine of the gospel, 1 Cor. vi. 15. that our bodies are members of Christ, and that they are to be raised at the last day in glory and honour, lays Christians under the strongest obligation, to use their bodies only for the purposes of holiness. And, if any one uses his body otherwise, giving it up to fornication, and subjecting it to the will of an harlot, he injures Christ, and dishonours his body, by making it incapable of a blessed ressurection to eternal life. All these considerations the apostle has suggested, 1 Cor. vi. 13.-20.

his own body in sanctification and honour; 2

5 Not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God:

6 That no MAN should go beyond bounds,1 (xas, 206.) or defraud2 his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger (Tepi, 206.) for all such; as we also formerly told, and fully testified to you.

7 (rag, 91.) Besides, God hath not called us (ew, 190.) for impurity, but (v) to holiness.

8 Wherefore then, he who despiseth us, despiseth not

use his own body, in that holy and honourable manner, which is suitable to your profession and hopes, as Christians;

5 And not as a passive subject of lust, after the manner of the Gentiles, who have no knowledge either of the character of God, or of what is acceptable to him:

6 That no man should go beyond the bounds of chastity; or defraud his brother in this matter, by defiling either him, or his relations, whether male or female; because the Lord Jesus will severely punish all such gross misdeeds, as I also formerly told, and fully testified to you, when I preached to you in Thessalonica.

7 Besides, God hath not called us into his kingdom, and promised us pardon, that we should live in impurity; but to follow holiness.

8 Now, therefore, he who despiseth us; our precepts and declarations,

Ver. 5.—1. Not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles. Having mentioned whoredom, the apostle by the passion of lust, means unnatural lusts. See Rom. i. 26, 27. 1 Cor. vi. 9. note 2. where are descriptions of the sensual practices of the heathens, which cannot be read without a mixture of pity and horror.

Ver. 6.-1. That no man go beyond bounds. Tagawew, properly signi fies the bold and violent leaping over, or breaking through any fixed boundaries. The fixed boundaries of which the apostle speaks, are those of chastity, or justice in general, by dishonourable attempts upon the bodies of the wives, or children, or relations of others.

2. Or defraud his brother in this matter. See Ess. iv. 71. Or the translation may run, in the matter; namely of which the apostle had been speaking. Beza and Le Clerc understand this as a prohibition of injustice in general: Ne quis opprimat, aut habeat quæstui, in ullo negotio, fratrem suum; and for this sense of eventε, Le Clerc (in Hammond.) quotes 2 Cor. vii. 2. xii. 17, 18. But the context determines its meaning here, to that kind of injury by which our brother's chastity is violated. Accordingly, @reoveĝid, which signifies the excess of evil desire in general, is used to denote the excess of lust; Ephes. iv. 19. to work all uncleanness, sv war, with greediness.

but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

9 But as touching brotherly love, ye need not that I write unto you; for ye yourselves are taught

of God to love one another.

10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase

more and more ;

11 And that ye study o be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work

with your own hands, as we commanded you.

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Ver. 8.1. Ουκ αθετει. Despiseth not man but God. The apostle here seems to have had our Lord's words in his eye, Luke x. 16. ὁ αθετών. that despiseth you, despiseth me: and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me. In this passage St. Paul asserts his own inspiration in the strongest terms, and with the greatest solemnity; having in view to instruct the young and giddy, and all who despised his precepts concerning chastity as

too severe.

Ver. 9.—1. For ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. The apostle alludes to Isaiah liv. 13. where the prophet, speaking of the effec. tual instruction which believers should receive under the gospel dispensa tion, says, All thy children shall be taught of the Lord.-'1o be taught of God, signifies to be so effectually instructed by God, as to do the thing which he teaches See Heb. viii. ver. 10. note 2.-The Thessalonians were thus taught of God; for they actually loved one another sincerely, chap. i. 4.

Ver. 11.—1. And to mind your own affairs. Timothy, it seems, had brought word, that notwithstanding the prohibitions the apostle had given to the Thessalonians, when present with them, some of them still continued to meddle with other people's affairs, in a way that did not belong to them; and that this had led them into habits of idleness. The truth is, that manner of spending time, which the apostle calls disorderly walking, 2 Thess. iii. 6. 11. was too much practised by all the Greeks; as may be gathered from the character given of them, Acts xvii. 21. For all the Athenians, and stran

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because they are contrary to the practice of the heathen world, or because he thinks them too severe, despiseth not man only, but God, who certainly hath given his Spirit, the Holy Spirit to us.

9 But, however needful it may be, to put you in mind of the precepts formerly delivered to you concerning chastity; concerning that pure love which is due to your Christian brethren, ye have no need that I write to you again; for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another, as brethren.

10 And indeed, I hear ye not only love the brethren in your own city, but ye do it to all the brethren, who are throughout the whole province of Macedonia, by relieving them in their straits: however, I exhort you, brethren, to abound still more, in that amiable disposition.

11 And earnestly to study to avoid a contentious meddling disposition, whether on pretence of public-spiritedness, or any other pretence; and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your own hands, at your respective occupations, as I commanded you, when I was with you.

gers which were there, spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing. Whitby thinks the apostle also meant by this injunction, to exhort the Thessalonians to avoid the custom, then common, of trusting all their affairs to slaves and servants. But as his epistle was directed to a church in which there were many common people, the precept of working with their own hands for their maintenance was very proper; being designed to prevent the heathens from reproaching the gospel, as encouraging idleness in those who professed it.

2. And to work with your own hands. Egyalai, here denotes the labour performed by the poorer sort. Many of the Thessalonian brethren were employed in trade and manufactures; others of them gained their livelihood

12 That ye may walk

honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

12 ἵνα περιπατητε ευσέ Iva χημόνως προς τους εξω, και μηδενος χρείαν έχητε.

Fourth Argument, taken from the Resurrection of Jesus, the Author
Fudge of the World.

13 But I would not have

you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye

sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again,

13 Ου θελω δε μας αγ νοειν, αδελφοι, περι των κεκοιμημένων, iva μη λυπήσθε, καθως και οι λοιποι δι μη ἔχοντες ελπιδα.

14 Ει γαρ πιςευομεν, ὅτι

by serving traders, manufacturers, farmers, &c. To such, the injunction of labouring with their hands, was given with great propriety, to prevent the heathens from imagining, that the gospel encouraged sloth in those who had embraced the Christian religion.

Ver. 12.-1. Walk decently. Evoxnuove signifies a graceful carriage and motion of the body. Applied to manners, it denotes such a behaviour as gains the approbation of those who behold it.

Ver. 13.-1. Concerning them who sleep. Kenonμsvæv. Who have slept. But the preterite often denotes the continuation of the state expressed by the verb, Ess. iv. 10.—In scripture death is compared to sleep, because it is a relaxation from the toils and afflictions of life, and a short suspension of the powers of sense and action; and because it is to be followed with a reviviscence to a more vigorous and active bodily life than we enjoy at present. The expression in this verse, them who sleep; and that in ver. 15. 17. we the living who remain, are general. Yet, from the whole strain of the discourse, it is evident, that the righteous only are meant in these expressions. Accordingly they are called, ver. 14. them who sleep in Jesus; and ver. 16. the dead in Christ. Besides, of them only can it be said, ver. 17. that they shall be caught up in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air ;—and be for ever with the Lord. See ver. 16. note 5, and 1 Cor. xv. 42. note 3.

2. That ye may not be grieved even as others. It was the custom of the heathens, on the death of their relations, to make a shew of excessive grief, by shaving their heads and cutting their flesh, Levit. xix. 27, 28. and by loud howlings and lamentations over the dead. They even hired persons, who had it for a trade to make these howlings and cries. But this shew of excessive grief, as well as the grief itself, being inconsistent with that know. ledge of the state of the dead, and with that hope of their resurrection, which the gospel gives to mankind, the apostle forbade it; and comforted

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