,transcriber's ,note3    ,an            
advertisement for the ,expositor's      
,bible series has been moved to  the end
 of the text4    ,the start of each     
chapter extends over several pages in   
the original4  ,these have been         
simplified4    ,small capitals have been
 rendered in ordinary capitals4 ,italics
 are  indicated by underscores4         
,apparent punctuation errors1 and a     
small number of apparent spelling       
errors 7both ,english and ,greek7 have  
been corrected4 ,hyphenation has  been  
rationalised4          ,the             
,expositor's ,bible    ,edited by    ,w4
 ,robertson ,nicoll1 ,d4,d41 ,,ll4,d4   
,,the ,,epistles    ,,to ,,the          
,,thessalonians     ,,by ,,the   ,,rev4 
,,james ,,denney1 ,b4,d4     ,,hodder   
,,stoughton   ,,new ,,york   ,,george   
,h4 ,,doran ,,company                   
,,contents4      ,,the ,,first ,,epistle
 ,,to ,,the ,,thessalonians4            
,,page   ,i4   ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,the
 ,,thessalonians                        

#c     ,,ii4   ,,the ,,thanksgiving     
#ba     ,,iii4   ,,the ,,signs ,,of     
,,election                              
#cg     ,,iv4   ,,conversion            
#ec     ,v4   ,,apologia ,,pro ,,vita   
,,sua                                   
#fi     ,,vi4   ,,impeachment ,,of ,,the
 ,,jews                                 
#hc     ,,vii4   ,,absence ,,and        
,,longing                               
#ii     ,,viii4   ,,love ,,and ,,prayers
                                        
#aag     ,,ix4   ,,personal ,,purity    
#ace     ,x4   ,,charity ,,and          
,,independence                          
#aea     ,,xi4   ,,the ,,dead ,,in      
,,christ                                
#afi     ,,xii4   ,,the ,,day ,,of ,,the
 ,,lord                                 
#ahe     ,,xiii4   ,,rulers ,,and       
,,ruled                                 
#bja     ,,xiv4   ,,the ,,standing      
,,orders ,,of ,,the ,,gospel            
#bag     ,,xv4   ,,the ,,spirit         
#bcc     ,,xvi4   ,,conclusion          

#bea      ,,the ,,second ,,epistle ,,to 
,,the ,,thessalonians4     ,i4          
,,salutation ,,and ,,thanksgiving       
#bga     ,,ii4   ,,suffering ,,and      
,,glory                                 
#bhi     ,,iii4   ,,the ,,man ,,of ,,sin
                                        
#cje     ,,iv4   ,,the ,,restraint ,,and
 ,,its ,,removal                        
#cbc     ,v4   ,,the ,,theology ,,of    
,,paul                                  
#cda     ,,vi4   ,,mutual ,,intercession
                                        
#cei     ,,vii4   ,,the ,,christian     
,,worth ,,of ,,labour                   
#cge     ,,viii4   ,,farewell           
#cia          ,i4    ,,the ,,church ,,of
 ,,the ,,thessalonians4       ,now when 
they had passed through ,amphipolis and 
,apollonia1 they came   to              
,thessalonica1 where was a synagogue of 
the ,jews3 and ,paul1 as his   custom   
was1 went in unto them1 and for three   
sabbath days reasoned   with them from  
the scriptures1 opening and alleging1   

that it behoved   the ,christ to suffer1
 and to rise again from the dead2 and   
that this   ,jesus1 whom1 said he1 ,i   
proclaim unto you1 is the ,christ4 ,and 
some of them were persuaded1 and        
consorted with ,paul and ,silas2 and    
of the devout ,greeks a great multitude1
 and of the chief women not a   few4    
,but the ,jews1 being moved with        
jealousy1 took unto them certain   vile 
fellows of the rabble1 and gathering a  
crowd1 set the city on an   uproar2 and 
assaulting the house of ,jason1 they    
sought to bring them   forth to the     
people4 ,and when they found them not1  
they dragged ,jason   and certain       
brethren before the rulers of the city1 
crying1 ,these   that have turned the   
world upside down are come hither also2 
whom   ,jason hath received3 and these  
all act contrary to the decrees of      
,csar1 saying that there is another     
king1 one ,jesus4 ,and they   troubled  
the multitude and the rulers of the     
city1 when they heard   these things4   

,and when they had taken security from  
,jason and the   rest1 they let them    
go4--,,acts xvii4 #a-i 7,r4,v474        
,paul1 and ,silvanus1 and ,timothy1 unto
 the church of the   ,thessalonians in  
,god the ,father and the ,lord ,jesus   
,christ3 ,grace to   you and peace4--#a 
,,thess4 i4 #a 7,r4,v474                
,thessalonica1 now called ,saloniki1 was
 in the first century of our era  a     
large and flourishing city4 ,it was     
situated at the north-eastern  corner of
 the ,thermaic gulf1 on the line of the 
great ,egnatian road1  which formed the 
main connection by land between ,italy  
and the ,east4  ,it was an important    
commercial centre1 with a mixed         
population of  ,greeks1 ,romans1 and    
,jews4 ,the ,jews1 who at the present   
day amount to  some twenty thousand1    
were numerous enough to have a synagogue
 of  their own2 and we can infer from   
the ,book of ,acts 7xvii4 #d7 that it   
was frequented by many of the better    
spirits among the ,gentiles also4       

,unconsciously1 and as the event too    
often proved1 unwillingly1 the          
,dispersion was preparing the way of the
 ,lord4    ,to this city the ,apostle   
,paul came1 attended by ,silas and      
,timothy1 in  the course of his second  
missionary journey4 ,he had just left   
,philippi1 dearest to his heart of all  
his churches2 for there1 more  than     
anywhere else1 the sufferings of ,christ
 had abounded in him1 and  his          
consolations also had been abundant in  
,christ4 ,he came to  ,thessalonica with
 the marks of the lictors' rods upon his
 body2 but to  him they were the marks  
of ,jesus2 not warnings to change his   
path1 but  tokens that the ,lord was    
taking him into fellowship with         
,himself1 and  binding him more strictly
 to ,his service4 ,he came with the     
memory of  his converts' kindness warm  
upon his heart2 conscious that1 amid    
whatever disappointments1 a welcome     
awaited the gospel1 which admitted  its 
messenger into the joy of his ,lord4 ,we

 need not wonder1 then1 that  the       
,apostle kept to his custom1 and in     
spite of the malignity of the  ,jews1   
made his way1 when ,sabbath came1 to the
 synagogue of  ,thessalonica4    ,his   
evangelistic ministry is very briefly   
described by ,st4 ,luke4 ,for  three    
,sabbath days he addressed himself to   
his fellow-countrymen4 ,he  took the    
,scriptures into his hand1 that is1 of  
course1 the ,old  ,testament            
,scriptures1--and opening the mysterious
 casket1 as the  picturesque words in   
,acts describe his method1 he brought   
out and set  before his auditors1 as its
 inmost and essential secret1 the       
wonderful  idea that the ,christ whom   
they all expected1 the ,messiah of ,god1
 must  die and rise again from the dead4
 ,that was not what ordinary ,jewish    
readers found in the law1 the prophets1 
or the psalms2 but1 once  persuaded that
 this interpretation was true1 it was   
not difficult to  believe that the      
,jesus whom ,paul preached was the      

,christ for whom they  all hoped4 ,luke 
tells us that some were persuaded2 but  
they cannot  have been many3 his account
 agrees with the representation of the  
,epistle 7i4 #i7 that the church at     
,thessalonica was mainly ,gentile4 ,of  
the chief women not a few1 who were     
among the first converts1 we  know      
nothing2 the exhortations in both       
,epistles make it plain that  what ,paul
 left at ,thessalonica was what we      
should call a working-class             
congregation4 ,the jealousy of the      
,jews1 who resorted to the device  which
 had already proved successful at       
,philippi1 compelled ,paul and  his     
friends to leave the city prematurely4  
,the mission1 indeed1 had  probably     
lasted longer than most readers infer   
from ,acts xvii4 ,paul  had had time to 
make his character and conduct          
impressive to the  church1 and to deal  
with each one of them as a father with  
his own  children 7ii4 #aa72 he had     
wrought night and day with his own hands

 for  a livelihood 7#b ,thess4 iii4 #h72
 he had twice received help from the    
,philippians 7,phil4 iv4 #ae1 #af74 ,but
 although this implies a stay of  some  
duration1 much remained to be done2 and 
the natural anxiety of  the ,apostle1 as
 he thought of his inexperienced        
disciples1 was  intensified by the      
reflection that he had left them exposed
 to the  malignity of his and their     
enemies4 ,what means that malignity     
employed--what violence and what        
calumny--the ,epistle itself enables  us
 to see2 meantime1 it is sufficient to  
say that the pressure of  these things  
upon the ,apostle's spirit was the      
occasion of his writing  this letter4   
,he had tried in vain to get back to    
,thessalonica2 he had  condemned himself
 to solitude in a strange city that he  
might send  ,timothy to them2 he must   
hear whether they stand fast in their   
,christian calling4 ,on his return from 
this mission ,timothy joined ,paul  in  
,corinth with a report1 cheering on the 

whole1 yet not without its  graver side1
 concerning the ,thessalonian believers2
 and the first  ,epistle is the         
apostolic message in these              
circumstances4 ,it is1 in all           
probability1 the earliest of the ,new   
,testament writings2 it is  certainly   
the earliest extant of ,paul's3 if we   
except the decree in  ,acts xv41 it is  
the earliest piece of ,christian writing
 in  existence4#a    ,the names         
mentioned in the address are all well   
known--,paul1 ,silvanus1  and ,timothy4 
,the three are united in the greeting1  
and are sometimes1  apparently1 included
 in the we or us of the ,epistle2 but   
they are  not joint authors of it4 ,it  
is the ,epistle of ,paul1 who includes  
them  in the salutation out of courtesy1
 as in the ,first to the ,corinthians   
he includes ,sosthenes1 and in          
,galatians all the brethren that are    
with me2 a courtesy the more binding on 
this occasion that ,silas and  ,timothy 
had shared with him his missionary work 

in ,thessalonica4 ,in  ,first and       
,second ,thessalonians only1 of all his 
letters1 the ,apostle  adds nothing to  
his name to indicate the character in   
which he writes2  he neither calls      
himself an apostle1 nor a servant of    
,jesus ,christ4  ,the ,thessalonians    
knew him simply for what he was2 his    
apostolic  dignity was yet unassailed by
 false brethren2 the simple name was    
enough4 ,silas comes before ,timothy as 
an older man1 and a  fellow-labourer of 
longer standing4 ,in the ,book of ,acts 
he is  described as a prophet1 and as   
one of the chief men among the          
brethren2 he had been associated with   
,paul all through this journey2  and    
though we know very little of him1 the  
fact that he was chosen one  of the     
bearers of the apostolic decree1 and    
that he afterwards  attached himself to 
,paul1 justifies the inference that he  
heartily  sympathised with the          
evangelising of the heathen4 ,timothy   
was  apparently one of ,paul's own      

converts4 ,carefully instructed in      
childhood by a pious mother and         
grandmother1 he had been won to the     
faith of ,christ during the first tour  
of the ,apostle in ,asia ,minor4 ,he    
was naturally timid1 but kept the faith 
in spite of the persecutions  which then
 awaited it2 and when ,paul returned1 he
 found that the  steadfastness and other
 graces of his spiritual son had won an 
honourable name in the local churches4  
,he determined to take him with  him1   
apparently in the character of an       
evangelist2 but before he was  ordained 
by the presbyters1 ,paul circumcised    
him1 remembering his  ,jewish descent on
 the mother's side1 and desirous of     
facilitating his  access to the         
synagogue1 in which the work of gospel  
preaching usually  began4 ,of all the   
,apostle's assistants he was the most   
faithful and  affectionate4 ,he had the 
true pastoral spirit1 devoid of         
selfishness1  and caring naturally and  
unfeignedly for the souls of men 7,phil4

 ii4  #bj f474 ,such were the three who 
sent their ,christian greetings in this 
,epistle4    ,the greetings are         
addressed to the church of 7the7        
,thessalonians in  ,god the ,father and 
the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,no such      
address had ever  been written or read  
before1 for the community to which it   
was  directed was a new thing in the    
world4 ,the word translated church  was 
certainly familiar enough to all who    
knew ,greek3 it was the name  given to  
the citizens of a ,greek town assembled 
for public business2  it is the name    
given in the ,greek ,bible either to the
 children of  ,israel as the            
congregation of ,jehovah1 or to any     
gathering of them for  a special        
purpose2 but here it obtains a new      
significance4 ,the church  of the       
,thessalonians is a church in ,god the  
,father and the ,lord ,jesus  ,christ4  
,it is the common relation of its       
members to ,god the ,father  and the    
,lord ,jesus ,christ which constitutes  

them a church in the sense  of the      
,apostle3 in contradistinction from all 
other associations or  societies1 they  
form a ,christian community4 ,the ,jews 
who met from  ,sabbath to ,sabbath in   
the synagogue were a church2 they were  
one in  the acknowledgment of the       
,living ,god1 and in their observance of
 ,his  law2 ,god1 as revealed in the    
,old ,testament and in the polity of    
,israel1 was the element or atmosphere  
of their spiritual life4 ,the  citizens 
of ,thessalonica1 who met in the theatre
 to discuss their  political interests1 
were a church2 they were one in         
recognising the  same constitution and  
the same ends of civic life2 it was in  
that  constitution1 in the pursuit of   
those ends1 that they found the         
atmosphere in which they lived4 ,paul in
 this ,epistle greets a  community      
distinct from either of these4 ,it is   
not civic1 but  religious2 though       
religious1 it is neither pagan nor      
,jewish2 it is an  original creation1   

new in its bond of union1 in the law by 
which it  lives1 in the objects at which
 it aims2 a church in ,god the ,father  
and  in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4       
,this newness and originality of        
,christianity could not fail to impress 
those who first received it4 ,the gospel
 made an immeasurable  difference to    
them1 a difference almost equally great 
whether they had  been ,jews or heathen 
before2 and they were intensely         
conscious of the  gulf which separated  
their new life from the old4 ,in another
 epistle  ,paul describes the condition 
of ,gentiles not yet evangelised4 ,once1
 he  says1 you were apart from ,christ1 
without ,god1 in the world4 ,the        
world--the great system of things and   
interests separated from  ,god--was the 
sphere and element of their life4 ,the  
gospel found them  there1 and translated
 them4 ,when they received it1 they     
ceased to be  in the world2 they were no
 longer apart from ,christ1 and without 
,god3  they were in ,god the ,father and

 in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,nothing  
could be more revolutionary in those    
days than to become a ,christian3  old  
things passed away2 all things became   
new2 all things were  determined by the 
new relation to ,god and ,his ,son4 ,the
 difference  between the ,christian and 
the non-,christian was as unmistakable  
and as  clear to the ,christian mind as 
the difference between the shipwrecked  
sailor who has reached the shore and him
 who is still fighting a  hopeless fight
 with wind and waves4 ,in a country     
which has long been  ,christian1 that   
difference tends1 to sense at least1 and
 to  imagination1 to disappear4 ,we are 
not vividly impressed with the          
distinction between those who claim to  
be ,christians and those who do  not2 we
 do not see a radical unlikeness1 and we
 are sometimes disposed  to deny it4 ,we
 may even feel that we are bound to deny
 it1 were it  only in justice to ,god4  
,he has made all men for ,himself2 ,he  
is the  ,father of all2 ,he is near to  

all1 even when they are blind to ,him2  
the  pressure of ,his hand is felt and  
in a measure responded to by all1  even 
when they do not recognise it2 to say   
that any one is 1  or  1 or that he is  
not in ,god the ,father and in the      
,lord ,jesus ,christ1 seems really to   
deny both ,god and man4    ,yet what is 
at issue here is really a question of   
fact2 and among  those who have been in 
contact with the facts1 among those1    
above all1  who have had experience of  
the critical fact--who once were not    
,christians and now are--there will not 
be two opinions about it4 ,the          
difference between the ,christian and   
the non-,christian1 though  historical  
accidents have made it less visible1 or 
rather1 less  conspicuous than it once  
was1 is still as real and as vast as    
ever4  ,the higher nature of man1       
intellectual and spiritual1 must always 
have  an element in which it lives1 an  
atmosphere surrounding it1 principles   
to guide it1 ends to stimulate its      

action2 and it may find all these  in   
either of two places4 ,it may find them 
in the world--that is1 in  that sphere  
of things from which ,god1 so far as    
man's will and intent  goes1 is         
excluded2 or it may find them in ,god   
,himself and in ,his ,son4  ,it is no   
objection to this division to say that  
,god cannot be excluded  from ,his own  
world1 that ,he is always at work there 
whether  acknowledged or not2 for the   
acknowledgment is the essential point2  
without it1 though ,god is near to man1 
man is still far from ,god4  ,nothing   
could be a more hopeless symptom in     
character than the  benevolent          
neutrality which evades this truth2 it  
takes away every  motive to evangelise  
the non-,christian1 or to work out the  
originality  and distinctiveness of the 
,christian life itself4 ,now1 as in the 
apostolic age1 there are persons who are
 ,christians and persons who  are not2  
and1 however alike their lives may be on
 the surface1 they  are radically apart4

 ,their centre is different2 the element
 in which  they move is different2 the  
nutriment of thought1 the fountain of   
motives1 the standard of purity are     
different2 they are related to  each    
other as life in ,god1 and life without 
,god2 life in ,christ1 and  life apart  
from ,christ2 and in proportion to their
 sincerity is their  mutual antagonism4 
,in ,thessalonica the ,christian life   
was original enough to have formed  a   
new society4 ,in those days1 and in the 
,roman ,empire1 there was not  much room
 for the social instincts to expand4    
,unions of all kinds were  suspected by 
the governments1 and discouraged1 as    
probable centres of  political          
disaffection4 ,local self-government    
ceased to be interesting  when all      
important interests were withdrawn from 
its control2 and even  had it been      
otherwise1 there was no part in it      
possible for that great  mass of        
population from which the ,church was so
 largely recruited1  namely1 the slaves4

 ,any power that could bring men        
together1 that  could touch them deeply1
 and give them a common interest that   
engaged  their hearts and bound them to 
each other1 met the greatest want of    
the time1 and was sure of a welcome4    
,such a power was the gospel  preached  
by ,paul4 ,it formed little communities 
of men and women  wherever it was       
proclaimed2 communities in which there  
was no law but  that of love1 in which  
heart opened to heart as nowhere else in
 all  the world1 in which there was     
fervour and hope and freedom and        
brotherly kindness1 and all that makes  
life good and dear4 ,we feel  this very 
strongly in reading the ,new ,testament1
 and it is one of the  points on which1 
unhappily1 we have drifted away from the
 primitive  model4 ,the ,christian      
congregation is not now1 in point of    
fact1 the  type of a sociable community4
 ,too often it is oppressed with        
constraint and formality4 ,take any     
particular member of any particular     

congregation2 and his social circle1 the
 company of friends in which  he expands
 most freely and happily1 will possibly 
have no connection  with those he sits  
beside in the church4 ,the power of the 
faith to  bring men into real unity with
 each other is not lessened2 we see this
  wherever the gospel breaks ground in a
 heathen country1 or wherever  the      
frigidity of the church drives two or   
three fervent souls to form  a secret   
society of their own1 but the           
temperature of faith itself is  lowered2
 we are not really living1 with any     
intensity of life1 in ,god  the ,father 
and in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,if we 
were1 we would be drawn  closer to each 
other2 our hearts would touch and       
overflow2 the place  where we meet in   
the name of ,jesus would be the most    
radiant and  sociable place we know4    
,nothing could better illustrate the    
reality of that new character  which    
,christianity confers than the fact that
 men can be addressed as  ,christians4  

,nothing1 either1 could better          
illustrate the confusion of  mind that  
exists in this matter1 or the           
insincerity of much  profession1 than   
the fact that so many members of        
churches would  hesitate before taking  
the liberty so to address a brother4 ,we
 have  all written letters1 and on all  
sorts of occasions2 we have addressed   
men as lawyers1 or doctors1 or men of   
business2 we have sent or  accepted     
invitations to gatherings where nothing 
would have astonished  us more than the 
unaffected naming of the name of ,god2  
did we ever  write to anybody because he
 was a ,christian1 and because we were  
,christians8 ,of all the relations in   
which we stand to others1 is that  which
 is established by our common           
,christianity1 by our common life  in   
,jesus ,christ1 the only one which is so
 crazy and precarious that it  can never
 be really used for anything8 ,here we  
see the ,apostle look  back from        
,corinth to ,thessalonica1 and his one  

interest in the poor  people whom he    
remembers so affectionately is that they
 are  ,christians4 ,the one thing in    
which he wishes to help them is their   
,christian life4 ,he does not care much 
whether they are well or ill off  in    
respect of this world's goods2 but he is
 anxious to supply what is  lacking in  
their faith 7iii4 #aj74 ,how real a     
thing the ,christian life  was to him6  
what a substantial interest1 whether in 
himself or in  others1 engrossing all   
his thought1 absorbing all his love and 
devotion4 ,to many of us it is the one  
topic for silence2 to him it was  the   
one theme of thought and speech4 ,he    
wrote about it1 as he spoke  about it1  
as though there were no other interest  
for man2 and letters  like those of     
,thomas ,erskine show that still1 out of
 the abundance of  the heart1 the mouth 
speaketh4 ,the full soul overflows1     
unaffected1  unforced2 ,christian       
fellowship1 as soon as ,christian life  
is real1 is  restored to its true place4

    ,paul1 ,silas1 and ,timothy wish the
 church of the ,thessalonians grace  and
 peace4 ,this is the greeting in all the
 ,apostle's letters2 it is  not varied  
except by the addition of mercy in the  
,epistles to  ,timothy and ,titus4 ,in  
form it seems to combine the salutations
 current  among the ,greeks and the     
,jews 7 and 71 but in import  it has all
 the originality of the ,christian      
faith4 ,in the second  ,epistle it runs1
 ,grace and peace from ,god the ,father 
and the ,lord  ,jesus ,christ4 ,grace is
 the love of ,god1 spontaneous1         
beautiful1  unearned1 at work in ,jesus 
,christ for the salvation of sinful men2
  peace is the effect and fruit in man  
of the reception of grace4 ,it is  easy 
to narrow unduly the significance of    
peace2 those expositors do  so who      
suppose in this passage a reference to  
the persecution which  the ,thessalonian
 ,christians had to bear1 and understand
 the ,apostle to  wish them deliverance 
from it4 ,the ,apostle has something far

 more  comprehensive in his mind4 ,the  
peace1 which ,christ is2 the peace with 
,god which we have when we are          
reconciled to ,him by the death of ,his 
,son2 the soul-health which comes when  
grace makes our hearts to their  very   
depths right with ,god1 and frightens   
away care and fear2 this  perfect       
soundness spiritually is all summed up  
in the word4 ,it  carries in it the     
fulness of the blessing of ,christ4 ,the
 order of the  words is significant2    
there is no peace without grace2 and    
there is no  grace apart from fellowship
 with ,god in ,christ4 ,the history of  
the  ,church has been written by some   
who practically put ,paul in ,christ's  
place2 and by others who imagine that   
the doctrine of the person of  ,christ  
only attained by slow degrees1 and in   
the post-apostolic age1  its traditional
 importance2 but here1 in the oldest    
extant monument of  the ,christian      
faith1 and in the very first line of it1
 the ,church is  defined as existing in 

the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 and in that   
single  expression1 in which the ,son   
stands side by side with the ,father1 as
  the life of all believing souls1 we   
have the final refutation of such       
perverse thoughts4 ,by the grace of     
,god1 incarnate in ,jesus ,christ1 the  
,christian is what he is2 he lives and  
moves and has his being there2  apart   
from ,christ1 he is not4 ,here1 then1 is
 our hope4 ,conscious of  our own sins1 
and of the shortcomings of the          
,christian community of  which we are   
members1 let us have recourse to ,him   
whose grace is  sufficient for us4 ,let 
us abide in ,christ1 and in all things  
grow up  into ,him4 ,god alone is good2 
,christ alone is the ,pattern and the   
,inspiration of the ,christian          
character2 only in the ,father and the  
,son  can the new life and the new      
fellowship come to their perfection4    
#a ,the date cannot be precisely        
assigned1 but it is not later than #ed  
,a4,d41 and cannot be so early as #eb4  

,most scholars say #ed4 ,it was  written
 in ,corinth4          ,,ii4    ,,the   
,,thanksgiving4       ,we give thanks to
 ,god always for you all1 making mention
 of you in   our prayers2 remembering   
without ceasing your work of faith and  
labour of love and patience of hope in  
our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 before   our  
,god and ,father2 knowing1 brethren     
beloved of ,god1 your   election4--#a   
,,thess4 i4 #b-d4 7,r4,v474    ,the     
salutation in ,st4 ,paul's epistles is  
regularly followed by the  thanksgiving4
 ,once only1 in the ,epistle to the     
,galatians1 is it  omitted2 the         
amazement and indignation with which the
 ,apostle has  heard that his converts  
are forsaking his gospel for another    
which is  not a gospel at all1 carries  
him out of himself for a moment4 ,but in
  his earliest letter it stands in its  
proper place2 before he thinks of       
congratulating1 teaching1 exhorting1    
admonishing1 he gives ,god thanks  for  
the tokens of ,his grace in the         

,thessalonians4 ,he would not be        
writing to these people at all if they  
were not ,christians2 they would  never 
have been ,christians but for the free  
goodness of ,god2 and  before he says   
one word directly to them1 he           
acknowledges that  goodness with a      
grateful heart4    ,in this case the    
thanksgiving is particularly fervent4   
,it has no  drawback4 ,there is no      
profane person at ,thessalonica1 like   
him who  defiled the church at ,corinth 
at a later period2 we give thanks1 says 
the ,apostle1 for you all4 ,it is1 as   
far as the nature of the case  permits1 
uninterrupted4 ,as often as ,paul prays1
 he makes mention of  them and gives    
thanks2 he remembers without ceasing    
their new-born  graces4 ,we ought not to
 extenuate the force of such words1 as  
if they  were mere exaggerations1 the   
idle extravagances of a man who         
habitually said more than he meant4     
,paul's life was concentrated and       
intense1 to a degree of which we have   

probably little conception4 ,he  lived  
for ,christ1 and for the churches of    
,christ2 it was literal  truth1 not     
extravagance1 when he said1 ,this one   
thing ,i do3 the life  of these         
churches1 their interests1 their        
necessities1 their dangers1  ,god's     
goodness to them1 his own duty to serve 
them1 all these  constituted together   
the one dear concernment of his life2   
they were  ever with him in ,god's      
sight1 and therefore in his             
intercessions and  thanksgivings to     
,god4 ,other men's minds might surge    
with various  interests2 new ambitions  
or affections might displace old ones2  
fickleness or disappointments might     
change their whole career2 but it  was  
not so with him4 ,his thoughts and      
affections never changed their  object1 
for the same conditions appealed        
constantly to the same  susceptibility2 
if he grieved over the unbelief of the  
,jews1 he had  unceasing 77 pain in his 
heart2 if he gave thanks for the        

,thessalonians1 he remembered without   
ceasing 77 the  graces with which they  
had been adorned by ,god4    ,nor were  
these continual thanksgivings vague or  
formal2 the ,apostle  recalls1 in each  
particular case1 the special            
manifestations of  ,christian character 
which inspire his gratitude4 ,sometimes1
 as in #ast  ,corinthians1 they are less
 spiritual--gifts1 rather than graces2  
utterance and knowledge1 without        
charity2 sometimes1 as here1 they are   
eminently spiritual--faith1 love1 and   
hope4 ,the conjunction of these  three  
in the earliest of ,paul's letters is   
worthy of remark4 ,they  occur again in 
the well-known passage in #a ,cor4      
xiii41 where1 though  they share in the 
distinction of being eternal1 and not1  
like  knowledge and eloquence1          
transitory in their nature1 love is     
exalted  to an eminence above the other 
two4 ,they occur a third time in one of 
the later epistles--that to the         
,colossians--and in the same order as   

here4 ,that1 says ,lightfoot on the     
passage1 is the natural order4  ,faith  
rests on the past2 love works in the    
present2 hope looks to the  future4     
,whether this distribution of the graces
 is accurate or not1  it suggests the   
truth that they cover and fill up the   
whole ,christian  life4 ,they are the   
sum and substance of it1 whether it     
looks back1 or  looks round1 or looks   
forward4 ,the germ of all perfection is 
implanted  in the soul which is the     
dwelling-place of these three4          
,though none of them can really exist1  
in its ,christian quality1  without the 
others1 any of them may preponderate at 
a given time4 ,it  is not quite fanciful
 to point out that each in its turn     
seems to  have bulked most largely in   
the experience of the ,apostle himself4 
,his  earliest epistles--the two to the 
,thessalonians--are pre-eminently       
epistles of hope4 ,they look to the     
future2 the doctrinal interest          
uppermost in them is that of the second 

coming of the ,lord1 and the  final rest
 of the ,church4 ,the epistles of the   
next period--,romans1  ,corinthians1 and
 ,galatians--are as distinctly epistles 
of faith4 ,they  deal largely with faith
 as the power which unites the soul to  
,god in  ,christ1 and brings into it the
 virtue of the atoning death and        
resurrection of ,jesus4 ,later still1   
there are the epistles of which         
,colossians and ,ephesians are the type4
 ,the great thought in these is  that of
 the unity wrought by love2 ,christ is  
the head of the ,church2  the ,church is
 the body of ,christ2 the building up of
 the body in love1  by the mutual help  
of the members1 and their common        
dependence on the  ,head1 preoccupies   
the apostolic writer4 ,all this may have
 been more or  less accidental1 due to  
circumstances which had nothing to do   
with the  spiritual life of ,paul2 but  
it has the look of being natural too4   
,hope  prevails first--the new world of 
things unseen and eternal outweighs  the

 old2 it is the stage at which religion 
is least free from the  influence of    
sense and imagination4 ,then comes the  
reign of faith2 the  inward gains upon  
the outward2 the mystical union of the  
soul to  ,christ1 in which ,his         
spiritual life is appropriated1 is more 
or less  sufficient to itself2 it is the
 stage1 if it be a stage at all1 at     
which religion becomes independent of   
imagination and sense4 ,finally1  love  
reigns4 ,the solidarity of all          
,christian interests is strongly  felt2 
the life flows out again1 in all manner 
of ,christian service1 on  those by whom
 it is surrounded2 the ,christian moves 
and has his being  in the body of which 
he is a member4 ,all this1 ,i repeat1   
can be only  comparatively true2 but the
 character and sequence of the          
,apostle's  writings speak for its truth
 so far4    ,but it is not simply faith1
 love1 and hope that are in question    
here3  we remember1 says the ,apostle1  
your work of faith and  labour of love  

and patience of hope in our ,lord ,jesus
 ,christ4  ,we call faith1 love1 and    
hope the ,christian graces2 and we are  
apt to  forget that the associations of 
heathen mythology1 thus introduced1  are
 disturbing rather than enlightening4   
,the three ,graces of the  ,greeks are  
ideally beautiful figures2 but their    
beauty is sthetic1  not spiritual4 ,they
 are lovely as a group of statuary is   
lovely2 but  though by 7their7 gift come
 unto men all pleasant things and sweet1
  and the wisdom of a man and his       
beauty1 and the splendour of his  fame1 
their nature is utterly unlike that of  
the three powers of the  ,christian     
character2 no one would dream of        
ascribing to them work1 and  labour and 
patience4 ,yet the mere fact that       
,graces has been used as  a common name 
for both has diffused the idea that the 
,christian  graces also are to be viewed
 mainly as the adornments of character1 
its unsought1 unstudied beauties1 set on
 it by ,god to subdue and charm  the    

world4 ,that is quite wrong2 the ,greek 
,graces are essentially  beauties2 they 
confer on men all that wins             
admiration--personal  comeliness1       
victory in the games1 a happy mood2 but 
the ,christian  graces are essentially  
powers2 they are new virtues and forces 
which  ,god has implanted in the soul   
that it may be able to do ,his work in  
the world4 ,the heathen ,graces are     
lovely to look at1 and that is all2  but
 the ,christian graces are not subjects 
for sthetic contemplation2  they are    
here to work1 to toil1 to endure4 ,if   
they have a beauty of  their own--and   
surely they have--it is a beauty not in 
form or colour1  not appealing to the   
eye or the imagination1 but only to the 
spirit  which has seen and loved        
,christ1 and loves ,his likeness in     
whatever  guise4    ,let us look at the 
,apostle's words more closely3 he speaks
 of a work  of faith2 to take it        
exactly1 of something which faith has   
done4 ,faith  is a conviction with      

regard to things unseen1 that makes them
 present  and real4 ,faith in ,god as   
revealed in ,christ1 and in ,his death  
for  sin1 makes reconciliation real2 it 
gives the believer peace with ,god4     
,but it is not shut up in the realm of  
things inward and unseen4 ,if it  were1 
a man might say what he pleased about   
it1 and there would be no  check upon   
his words4 ,wherever it exists1 it      
works2 he who is interested  can see    
what it has done4 ,apparently the       
,apostle has some particular  work of   
faith in his mind in this passage2 some 
thing which the  ,thessalonians had     
actually done1 because they believed but
 what it is  we cannot tell4 ,certainly 
not faith itself2 certainly not love1 as
  some think1 referring to ,gal4 v4 #f2 
if a conjecture may be hazarded1        
possibly some act of courage or fidelity
 under persecution1 similar to  those   
adduced in ,heb4 xi4 ,that famous       
chapter contains a catalogue of  the    
works which faith wrought2 and serves as

 a commentary1 therefore1  on this      
expression4 ,surely we ought to notice  
that the great ,apostle1  whose name has
 been the strength and shield of all who
 preach  justification by faith alone1  
the very first time he mentions this    
grace in his epistles1 mentions it as a 
power which leaves its witness  in work4
    ,it is so1 also1 with love3 we      
remember1 he writes1 your labour of     
love4 ,the difference between  7work7   
and  7labour7 is  that between effect   
and effort4 ,the ,apostle recalls       
something which  the faith of the       
,thessalonians did2 he recalls also the 
wearisome toil  in which their love     
spent itself4 ,love is not so capable of
 abuse in  religion1 or1 at least1 it   
has not been so rankly abused1 as faith4
  ,men are much more apt to demand the  
proof of it4 ,it has an inward side  as 
much as faith1 but it is not an emotion 
which exhausts itself in  its own       
transports4 ,merely as emotion1 indeed1 
it is apt to be  undervalued4 ,in the   

,church of to-day emotion needs rather  
to be  stimulated than repressed4 ,the  
passion of the ,new ,testament startles 
us when we chance to feel it4 ,for one  
man among us who is using up the  powers
 of his soul in barren ecstasies1 there 
are thousands who have  never been moved
 by ,christ's love to a single tear or a
 single heart  throb4 ,they must learn  
to love before they can labour4 ,they   
must be  kindled by that fire which     
burned in ,christ's heart1 and which ,he
 came  to cast upon the earth1 before   
they can do anything in ,his service4   
,but if the love of ,christ has really  
met that answer in love for which  it   
waits1 the time for service has come4   
,love in the ,christian will  attest    
itself as it attested itself in ,christ4
 ,it will prescribe and  point out the  
path of labour4 ,the word employed in   
this passage is one  often used by the  
,apostle to describe his own laborious  
life4 ,love set  him1 and will set every
 one in whose heart it truly burns1 upon

  incessant1 unwearied efforts for      
others' good4 ,paul was ready to spend  
and be spent at its bidding1 however    
small the result might be4 ,he  toiled  
with his hands1 he toiled with his      
brain1 he toiled with his  ardent1      
eager1 passionate heart1 he toiled in   
his continual  intercessions with ,god1 
and all these toils made up his labour  
of  love4 ,a labour of love1 in current 
language1 is a piece of work  done so   
willingly that no payment is expected   
for it4 ,but a labour of  love is not   
what the ,apostle is speaking of2 it is 
laboriousness1 as  love's               
characteristic4 ,let ,christian men and 
women ask themselves  whether their love
 can be so characterised4 ,we have all  
been tired in  our time1 one may        
presume2 we have toiled in business1 or 
in some  ambitious course1 or in the    
perfecting of some accomplishment1 or   
even  in the mastery of some game or the
 pursuit of some amusement1 till we     
were utterly wearied3 how many of us    

have so toiled in love8 ,how many  of us
 have been wearied and worn with some   
labour to which we set  ourselves for   
,god's sake8 ,this is what the ,apostle 
has in view in this  passage2 and1      
strange as it may appear1 it is one of  
the things for  which he gives ,god     
thanks4 ,but is he not right8 ,is it not
 a thing to  evoke gratitude and joy1   
that ,god counts us worthy to be        
fellow-labourers with ,him in the       
manifold works which love imposes8      
,the church at ,thessalonica was not    
old2 its first members could only  count
 their ,christian age by months4 ,yet   
love is so native to the  ,christian    
life1 that they found at once a career  
for it2 demands were  made upon their   
sympathy and their strength which were  
met at once1  though never suspected    
before4 ,what are we to do1 we sometimes
 ask1  if we would work the works of    
,god8 ,if we have love enough in our    
hearts1 it will answer all its own      
questions4 ,it is the fulfilling of  the

 law just because it shows us plainly   
where service is needed1 and  puts us   
upon rendering it at any cost of pain or
 toil4 ,it is not too  much to say that 
the very word chosen by the ,apostle to 
characterise  love--this word --is      
peculiarly appropriate1 because it      
brings  out1 not the issue1 but only the
 cost1 of work4 ,with the result        
desired1 or without it2 with faint hope1
 or with hope most sure1 love  labours1 
toils1 spends and is spent over its     
task3 this is the very  seal of its     
genuine ,christian character4    ,the   
third grace remains3 your patience of   
hope in our ,lord ,jesus  ,christ4 ,the 
second coming of ,christ was an element 
in apostolic  teaching which1 whether   
exceptionally prominent or not1 had made
 an  exceptional impression at          
,thessalonica4 ,it will more naturally  
be  studied at another place2 here it is
 sufficient to say that it was the      
great object of ,christian hope4        
,christians not only believed ,christ   

would come again2 they not only expected
 ,him to come2 they were eager  for ,his
 coming4 ,how long1 ,o ,lord8 they cried
 in their distress4  ,come1 ,lord       
,jesus1 come quickly1 was their prayer4 
,it is matter of notoriety that hope in 
this sense does not hold its  ancient   
place in the heart of the ,church4 ,it  
holds a much lower place4  ,christian   
men hope for this or that2 they hope    
that threatening  symptoms in the       
,church or in society may pass away1 and
 better things  appear2 they hope that  
when the worst comes to the worst1 it   
will not  be so bad as the pessimists   
anticipate4 ,such impotent and          
ineffective  hope is of no kindred to   
the hope of the gospel4 ,so far from    
being a  power of ,god in the soul1 a   
victorious grace1 it is a sure token    
that  ,god is absent4 ,instead of       
inspiring1 it discourages2 it leads to  
numberless self-deceptions2 men hope    
their lives are right with ,god1  when  
they ought to search them and see2 they 

hope things will turn  out well1 when   
they ought to be taking security of     
them4 ,all this1  where our relations to
 ,god are concerned1 is a degradation of
 the very  word4 ,the ,christian hope is
 laid up in heaven4 ,the object of it is
 the  ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is not  
precarious1 but certain2 it is not      
ineffective1 but a great and energetic  
power4 ,anything else is not  hope at   
all4    ,the operation of the true hope 
is manifold4 ,it is a sanctifying grace1
  as appears from #a ,john iii4 #c3     
,every one that hath this hope set on   
,him1 purifieth himself1 even as ,he is 
pure4 ,but here the ,apostle            
characterises it by its patience4 ,the  
two virtues are so inseparable  that    
,paul sometimes uses them as equivalent2
 twice in the ,epistles to  ,timothy and
 ,titus1 he says faith1 love1 and       
patience1 instead of  faith1 love1 and  
hope4 ,but what is patience8 ,the word  
is one of the  great words of the ,new  
,testament4 ,the corresponding verb is  

usually  rendered endurance1 as in      
,christ's saying1 ,he that endureth to  
the  end1 the same shall be saved4      
,patience is more than resignation or   
meek submission2 it is hope in the      
shade1 but hope nevertheless2 the  brave
 steadfastness which bears up under all 
burdens because the ,lord  is at hand4  
,the ,thessalonians had much affliction 
in their early days  as ,christians2    
they were tried1 too1 as we all are1 by 
inward  discouragements--that           
persistence and vitality of sin that    
break the  spirit and beget despair2 but
 they saw close at hand the glory of the
  ,lord2 and in the patience of hope    
they held out1 and fought the good      
fight to the last4 ,it is truly         
significant that in the ,pastoral       
,epistles patience has taken the place  
of hope in the trinity of  graces4 ,it  
is as if ,paul had discovered1 by       
prolonged experience1 that  it was in   
the form of patience that hope was to be
 mainly effective in  the ,christian    

life4 ,the ,thessalonians1 some of them1
 were abusing the  great hope2 it was   
working mischief in their lives1 because
 it was  misapplied2 in this single word
 ,paul hints at the truth which abundant
  experience had taught him1 that all   
the energy of hope must be  transformed 
into brave patience if we would stand in
 our place at the  last4 ,remembering   
their work of faith1 and labour of love1
 and  patience of hope1 in the presence 
of our ,god and ,father1 the ,apostle   
gives thanks to ,god always for them    
all4 ,happy is the man whose joys  are  
such that he can gratefully dwell on    
them in that presence3 happy  are those 
also who give others cause to thank ,god
 on their behalf4    ,the ground of the 
thanksgiving is finally comprehended in 
one short  and striking phrase3         
,knowing1 brethren beloved of ,god1 your
  election4 ,the doctrine of election   
has often been taught as if the  one    
thing that could never be known about   
anybody was whether he was  or was not  

elect4 ,the assumed impossibility does  
not square with ,new  ,testament ways of
 speaking4 ,paul knew the elect1 he says
 here2 at  least he knew the            
,thessalonians were elect4 ,in the same 
way he writes  to the ,ephesians3 ,god  
chose us in ,christ before the          
foundation of the  world2 444 in love   
,he foreordained us to adoption as sons4
 ,chose whom  before the foundation of  
the world8 ,foreordained whom8 ,himself1
 and  those whom he addressed4 ,if the  
,church has learned the doctrine of     
election from anybody1 it has been from 
,paul2 but to him it had a  basis in    
experience1 and apparently he felt      
differently about it from  many         
theologians4 ,he knew when the people he
 spoke to were elect2 how1  he tells in 
what follows4          ,,iii4    ,,the  
,,signs ,,of ,,election4       ,how that
 our gospel came not unto you in word   
only1 but also in   power1 and in the   
,holy ,ghost1 and in much assurance2    
even as ye   know what manner of men we 

showed ourselves toward you for your    
sake4   ,and ye became imitators of us1 
and of the ,lord1 having received the   
word in much affliction1 with joy of the
 ,holy ,ghost2 so that ye   became an   
ensample to all that believe in         
,macedonia and ,achaia4 ,for   from you 
hath sounded forth the word of the      
,lord1 not only in   ,macedonia and     
,achaia1 but in every place your faith  
to ,god-ward is   gone forth2 so that we
 need not to speak anything4--#a        
,,thess4 i4 #e-h   7,r4,v474    ,the    
,revised ,version renders the 1 with    
which ver4 #e begins1 how  that1 the    
,authorised ,version1 for4 ,in the first
 case1 the ,apostle  is made to explain 
in what election consists2 in the other1
 he  explains how it is that he knows   
the ,thessalonians to be among the      
elect4 ,there is hardly room to doubt   
that it is this last which he  intends  
to do4 ,election does not consist in the
 things which he  proceeds to enlarge   
upon1 though these may be in some sense 

its  effects or tokens2 and there is    
something like unanimity among  scholars
 in favour of the rendering for1 or     
because4 ,what1 then1  are the grounds  
of the statement1 that ,paul knows the  
election of the  ,thessalonians8 ,they  
are twofold2 lying partly in his own    
experience1  and that of his            
fellow-labourers1 while they preached   
the gospel in  ,thessalonica2 and partly
 in the reception which the             
,thessalonians gave  to their message4  
,i4 ,the tokens in the preacher that his
 hearers are elect3 ,our gospel  came   
not unto you in word only1 but in power1
 and in the ,holy ,ghost1  and in much  
assurance4 ,that was the consciousness  
of the preachers  themselves1 but they  
could appeal to those who had heard     
them3 even  as ye know what manner of   
men we showed ourselves toward you for  
your  sake4    ,the self-consciousness  
of the preacher1 we see from these      
words1 is a  legitimate though a        
perilous study4 ,every one has been told

 that there  is no relation whatever    
between his own consciousness when      
preaching1  and the effect of what is   
preached2 but has anybody ever quite    
believed this8 ,if there were no        
relation whatever between the           
preacher's consciousness and his        
conscience2 if he did not know that     
many a time neglect of prayer or duty   
had separated him from ,god1 and  made  
him useless as an evangelist1 it would  
be easier to believe it2  but as our    
life is1 the preacher may know quite    
well that it is no  proof of ,god's good
 will to men that he is sent to preach  
to them2  or1 on the other hand1 he may 
have a humble but sure trust that when  
he stands up to speak1 ,god is with him 
for good to his hearers4 ,thus  it was  
with ,paul at ,thessalonica4    ,the    
heartiness with which he speaks here    
justifies the inference that  he had had
 experiences of an opposite and         
disappointing kind4 ,twice in  ,asia    
7,acts xvi4 #f f47 he had been forbidden

 by the ,spirit to preach at  all2 he   
could not argue that the people so      
passed by were specially  favoured of   
,god4 ,often1 especially in his         
intercourse with the ,jews1  he must    
have spoken1 like ,isaiah1 with the     
depressing consciousness  that it was   
all in vain2 that the sole issue would  
be to blind their  eyes and harden their
 hearts and seal them up in impenitence4
 ,in  ,corinth1 just before writing this
 letter1 he had come forward with       
unusual trepidation--in weakness and    
fear and much trembling2 and  though    
there also the ,holy ,spirit and a      
divine power brought home the  gospel to
 men's hearts1 he seems to have been so 
far from that inward  assurance which he
 enjoyed at ,thessalonica1 that the     
,lord appeared to  him in a vision by   
night to reveal the existence of an     
election of  grace even in ,corinth4    
,fear not3 ,i have much people in this  
city4 ,in  ,thessalonica he had no such 
sinking of heart4 ,he came thither1 as  

he  hoped to go to ,rome1 in the fulness
 of the blessing of ,christ 7,rom4  xv4 
#bi74 ,he knew in himself that ,god had 
given it to him to be a true  minister  
of ,his grace2 he was full of power by  
the ,spirit of the ,lord4  ,that is why 
he says so confidently1 ,knowing your   
election4    ,the ,apostle explains     
himself more precisely when he writes1  
not in  word only1 but in power and in  
the ,holy ,ghost and in much assurance4 
,the gospel must come in word at least2 
but what a profanation it is to  preach 
it only in word4 ,not preachers only1   
but all ,christians1 have  to be on     
their guard1 lest familiarity rob the   
great words of the  gospel of their     
reality1 and they themselves sink into  
that worst  atheism which is for ever   
handling holy things without feeling    
them4  ,how easy is it to speak of ,god1
 ,christ1 redemption1 atonement1        
sanctification1 heaven1 hell1 and to be 
less impressed and less  impressive than
 if we were speaking of the merest      

trivialities of  every-day life4 ,it is 
hard to believe that an apostle could   
have seen  such a possibility even from 
afar2 yet the contrast of word and      
power leaves no room to doubt that such 
is his meaning4 ,words alone  are       
worthless4 ,no matter how brilliant1 how
 eloquent1 how imposing  they may be1   
they cannot do the work of an           
evangelist4 ,the call to  this requires 
power4    ,no definition of power is    
given2 we can only see that it is that  
which  achieves spiritual results1 and  
that the preacher is conscious of       
possessing it4 ,it is not his own1      
certainly3 it works through the very    
consciousness of his own want of power2 
when ,i am weak1 then am ,i  strong4    
,but it gives him hope and confidence in
 his work4 ,paul knew  that it needed a 
stupendous force to make bad men good2  
the forces to  be overcome were so      
enormous4 ,all the sin of the world was 
arrayed  against the gospel2 all the    
dead weight of men's indifference1 all  

their pride1 all their shame1 all their 
self-satisfaction1 all their  cherished 
wisdom4 ,but he came to ,thessalonica   
strong in the ,lord1  confident that his
 message would subdue those who listened
 to it2 and  therefore1 he argued1 the  
,thessalonians were the objects of      
,god's  electing grace4    ,power stands
 side by side with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,in
 a sense1 the  ,holy ,ghost is the      
source of all spiritual virtues1 and    
therefore of  the very power of which we
 have been speaking2 but the words are  
probably used here with some narrower   
meaning4 ,the predominant use of  the   
name in the ,new ,testament bids us     
think of that divine fervour  which the 
spirit kindles in the soul--that ardour 
of the new life  which ,christ ,himself 
speaks of as fire4 ,paul came to        
,thessalonica  aglow with ,christian    
passion4 ,he took that as a good omen in
 his work1  a sign that ,god meant well 
to the ,thessalonians4 ,by nature men do
 not  care passionately for each other  

as he cared for those to whom he        
preached in that city4 ,they are not on 
fire with love1 seeking each  other's   
good in spiritual things2 consumed with 
fervent longing that  the bad should    
cease from their badness1 and come to   
enjoy the pardon1  the purity1 and the  
company of ,christ4 ,even in the heart  
of  apostles--for though they were      
apostles they were men--the fire may    
sometimes have burned low1 and a mission
 have been1 by comparison1  languid and 
spiritless2 but at least on this        
occasion the evangelists  were all on   
fire2 and it assured them that ,god had 
a people waiting  for them in the       
unknown city4    ,if power and the ,holy
 ,ghost are in some degree to be judged 
only  by their effects1 there can be no 
question that much assurance1 on  the   
other hand1 is an inner experience1     
belonging strictly to the               
self-consciousness of the preacher4 ,it 
means a full and strong  conviction of  
the truth of the gospel4 ,we can only   

understand this by  contrast with its   
opposite2 much assurance is the         
counterpart of  misgiving or doubt4 ,we 
can hardly imagine an apostle in doubt  
about  the gospel--not quite certain    
that ,christ had risen from the dead2   
wondering whether1 after all1 ,his death
 had abolished sin4 ,yet these  truths1 
which are the sum and substance of the  
gospel1 seem1 at times1  too great for  
belief2 they do not coalesce with the   
other contents of  our mind2 they do not
 weave easily into one piece with the   
warp and  woof of our common thoughts2  
there is no common measure for them and 
the rest of our experience1 and the     
shadow of unreality falls upon  them4   
,they are so great that it needs a      
certain greatness to answer to  them1 a 
certain boldness of faith to which even 
a true ,christian may  feel momentarily 
unequal2 and while he is unequal1 he    
cannot do the  work of an evangelist4   
,doubt paralyses2 ,god cannot work      
through a man  in whose soul there are  

misgivings about the truth4 ,at least1  
,his  working will be limited to the    
sphere of what is certain for him       
through whom ,he works2 and if we would 
be effective ministers of the  word1 we 
must speak only what we are sure of1 and
 seek the full  assurance of the whole  
truth4 ,no doubt such assurance has     
conditions4  ,unfaithfulness of one kind
 or another is1 as our ,lord teaches    
7,john  vii4 #ag71 the source of        
uncertainty as to the truth of ,his     
word2 and  prayer1 repentance1 and      
obedience due1 the way to certainty     
again4 ,but  ,paul had never been more  
confident of the truth and power of his 
gospel than when he came to             
,thessalonica4 ,he had seen it proved in
  ,philippi1 in conversions so          
dissimilar as those of ,lydia and the   
jailor4 ,he had felt it in his own      
heart1 in the songs which ,god had      
given him in the night while he suffered
 for ,christ's sake4 ,he came  among    
those whom he addresses confident that  

it was ,god's instrument  to save all   
who believed4 ,this is his last personal
 reason for  believing the              
,thessalonians to be elect4    ,strictly
 speaking1 all this refers rather to the
 delivery of the  message than to the   
messengers1 to the preaching than to the
  preachers2 but the ,apostle applies it
 to the latter also4 ,ye know1  he      
writes1 what manner of men we showed    
ourselves toward you for your  sakes4 ,i
 venture to think#b that the word       
rendered we showed  ourselves has really
 the passive sense--what ,god enabled us
 to be2  it is ,god's good will to the  
,thessalonians which is in view1 and the
  ,apostle infers that good will from   
the character which ,god enabled him    
and his friends to sustain for their    
sakes4 ,who could deny that ,god  had   
chosen them1 when ,he had sent them     
,paul and ,silas and ,timothy2 not  mere
 talkers1 cold and spiritless1 and      
dubious of their message2 but  men      
strong in spiritual force1 in holy      

fervour1 and in their grasp of  the     
gospel8 ,if that did not go to show that
 the ,thessalonians were  elect1 what   
could8    ,,ii4 ,the self-consciousness 
of the preachers1 however1 significant  
as  it was1 was no conclusive evidence4 
,it only became such when their         
inspiration was caught by those who     
listened to them2 and this was the  case
 at ,thessalonica4 ,ye became imitators 
of us and of the ,lord1  having received
 the word in much affliction1 with joy  
of the ,holy  ,ghost4 ,this peculiar    
expression implies that the signs of    
,god's  election were to be seen in the 
evangelists1 and eminently in the       
,lord4 ,paul shrinks from making himself
 and his companions types of the  elect1
 without more ado2 they are such only   
because they are like ,him1  of whom it 
is written ,behold my servant whom ,i   
uphold2 ,mine elect1 in  whom ,my soul  
delighteth4 ,he speaks here in the same 
strain as in #a  ,cor4 xi4 #a3          
,brethren1 be ye imitators of me1 even  

as ,i also am of  ,christ4 ,they who    
have become like the ,lord are marked   
out as the  chosen of ,god4    ,but the 
,apostle does not rest in this          
generality4 ,the imitation in  question 
consisted in this--that the             
,thessalonians received the word  in    
much affliction1 with joy of the ,holy  
,ghost4 ,it is1 of course1 in  the last 
part of the sentence that the point of  
comparison is found4  ,in a sense it is 
true that the ,lord ,himself received   
the word which ,he  spoke to men4 ,i do 
nothing of ,myself1 ,he says2 but as the
 ,father  hath taught ,me1 ,i speak     
these things 7,john viii4 #bh74 ,but    
such a  reference is irrelevant here4   
,the significant point is that the      
acceptance of the gospel by the         
,thessalonians brought them into        
fellowship with the ,lord1 and with     
those who continued ,his work1 in  that 
which is the distinction and criterion  
of the new ,christian  life--much       
affliction1 with joy of the ,holy       

,ghost4 ,that is a summary  of the life 
of ,christ1 the ,apostle of the ,father 
7,john xvii4 #ah74 ,it  is more         
obviously a summary of the life of      
,paul1 the apostle of ,jesus  ,christ4  
,the acceptance of the gospel meant much
 affliction for him3 ,i  will show him  
how great things he must suffer for ,my 
name's sake4 ,it  meant also a new and  
supernatural joy1 a joy arising from1   
and  sustained by1 the ,holy ,spirit1 a 
joy triumphant in and over all          
sufferings4 ,this combination of        
affliction and spiritual joy1 this      
original1 paradoxical experience1 is the
 token of election4 ,where the  children
 of ,god live1 as ,christ and ,his      
apostles lived1 in the midst  of a world
 at war with ,god and ,his cause1 they  
will suffer2 but  suffering will not    
break their spirit1 or embitter them1 or
 lead them  to desert ,god2 it will be  
accompanied with spiritual exaltation1  
keeping them sweet1 and humble1 and     
joyful1 through it all4 ,paul knew  the 

,thessalonians were elect1 because he   
saw that new power in them1  to rejoice 
in tribulations1 which can only be seen 
in those who have  the spirit of ,god4  
,this test1 obviously1 can only be      
applied when the gospel is a  suffering 
cause4 ,but if the profession of the    
,christian faith1 and the  leading of a 
,christian life entail no affliction1   
what shall we say8  ,if we read the ,new
 ,testament aright1 we shall say that   
there is a  mistake somewhere4 ,there is
 always a cross2 there is always        
something  to bear or to overcome for   
righteousness' sake2 and the spirit in  
which it is met tells whether ,god is   
with us or not4 ,not every age is1  like
 the apostolic1 an age of open          
persecution1 of spoiling of goods1  of  
bonds1 and scourging1 and death2 but the
 imitation of ,christ in ,his  truth and
 faithfulness will surely be resented   
somehow2 and it is the  seal of election
 when men rejoice that they are counted 
worthy to  suffer shame for ,his name4  

,only the true children of ,god can do  
that4  ,their joy is in some sense a    
present recompense for their sufferings2
  but for suffering they could not know 
it4 ,i never knew1 said  ,rutherford1 by
 my nine years' preaching1 so much of   
,christ's love as  ,he hath taught me in
 ,aberdeen1 by six months' imprisonment4
 ,it is a  joy that never fails those   
who face affliction that they may be    
true  to ,christ4 ,think of the         
,christian boys in ,uganda1 in #ahhe1   
who were  bound alive to a scaffolding  
and slowly burned to death4 ,the spirit 
of the martyrs at once entered into     
these lads1 and together they  raised   
their voices and praised ,jesus in the  
fire1 singing till their  shrivelled    
tongues refused to form the sound3--    
',daily1 daily sing to ,jesus1          
,sing my soul1 ,his praises due2    ,all
 ,he does deserves our praises1         
,and our deep devotion too4      ',for  
in deep humiliation1      ,he for us did
 live below2    ,died on ,calvary's     

cross of torture1      ,rose to save our
 souls from woe4'#c    ,who can doubt   
that these three are among the chosen of
 ,god8 ,and who  can think of such      
scenes1 and such a spirit1 and recall   
without  misgiving the querulous1       
fretful1 aggrieved tone of his own life1
 when  things have not gone with him    
exactly as he could have wished8    ,the
 ,thessalonians were so conspicuously   
,christian1 so unmistakably  exhibited  
the new ,divine type of character1 that 
they became a model  to all the         
believers in ,macedonia and ,achaia4    
,their conversion called  the attention 
of all men to the gospel1 like a clear  
and  far-resounding trumpet blast4      
,thessalonica was a place of much coming
  and going on all sides2 and the       
success of the evangelists there1  being
 carried abroad in various ways1        
advertised their work1 and so  far      
prepared for their coming4 ,paul would  
naturally have spoken of it  when he    
went to a new city1 but found it        

unnecessary2 the news had  preceded him2
 in every place their faith to ,god-ward
 had gone forth4  ,so far as we learn1  
it was the most impressive incident     
which had yet  occurred in the progress 
of the gospel4 ,a work of grace so      
characteristic1 so thorough1 and so     
unmistakable1 was a token of ,god's     
goodness1 not only to those who were    
immediately the subjects of it1  but to 
all who heard1 and by hearing had their 
interest awakened in  the evangelists   
and their message4    ,this whole       
subject has a side for preachers1 and a 
side for hearers of  the gospel4 ,the   
preacher's peril is the peril of coming 
to men in word  only2 saying things     
which he does not feel1 and which       
others1  therefore1 will not feel2      
uttering truths1 it may be1 but truths  
which  have never done anything for     
him--enlightened1 quickened1 or         
sanctified him--and which he cannot     
hope1 as they come from his lips1  will 
do anything for others2 or worse still1 

uttering things of which  he cannot even
 be confident that they are true4       
,nothing could be less  a sign of ,god's
 grace to men than to abandon them to   
such a preacher1  instead of sending    
them one full of power1 and of the ,holy
 ,ghost1 and  of assurance4 ,but        
whatever the preacher may be1 there is  
something  left to the hearer4 ,there   
were people with whom even ,paul1 full  
of  power and of the ,holy ,ghost1 could
 not prevail4 ,there were people who    
hardened their hearts against ,christ2  
and let the preacher be ever so         
unworthy of the gospel1 the virtue is in
 it1 and not in him4 ,he may  not do    
anything to commend it to men2 but does 
it need his commendation8  ,can we make 
bad preaching an excuse for refusing to 
become imitators  of the ,lord8 ,it may 
condemn the preacher1 but it can never  
excuse us4  ,look steadily at the seal  
which ,god sets upon ,his own--the union
 of  affliction with spiritual joy--and 
follow ,christ in the life which is     

marked by this character as not human   
only1 but ,divine4 ,that is the  way    
prescribed to us here to make our       
election sure4    #b ,with ,godet and   
,p4 ,schmidt2 against ,ellicott4    #c  
,life of ,bishop ,hannington4           
,,iv4    ,,conversion4       ,for they  
themselves report concerning us what    
manner of entering in   we had unto you2
 and how ye turned unto ,god from idols1
 to serve a   living and true ,god1 and 
to wait for ,his ,son from heaven1 whom 
,he   raised from the dead1 even ,jesus1
 which delivereth us from the wrath   to
 come4--#a ,,thess4 i4 #i1 #aj 7,r4,v474
    ,these verses show what an          
impression had been made in other places
 by  the success of the gospel at       
,thessalonica4 ,wherever ,paul went1 he 
heard it spoken about4 ,in every place  
men were familiar with all its          
circumstances2 they had heard of the    
power and assurance of the              
missionaries1 and of the conversion of  
their hearers from heathenism  to       

,christianity4 ,it is this conversion   
which is the subject before us4  ,it has
 two parts or stages4 ,there is first1  
the conversion from idols  to the one   
living and true ,god2 and then the      
distinctively ,christian  stage of      
waiting for the ,son of ,god from       
heaven4 ,let us look at these  in order4
    ,the ,apostle1 so far as we can make
 out1 judged the religions of           
heathenism with great severity4 ,he knew
 that ,god never left ,himself  without 
a witness in the world1 but ,god's      
testimony to ,himself had  been         
perverted or ignored4 ,ever since the   
creation of the world1 ,his  everlasting
 power and divinity might be seen by the
 things ,he had  made2 ,his law was     
written on conscience2 rain from heaven 
and  fruitful seasons proved ,his good  
and faithful providence2 yet men were   
practically ignorant of ,him4 ,they were
 not willing1 in fact1 to retain  ,him  
in their knowledge2 they were not       
obedient2 they were not  thankful2 when 

they professed religion at all1 they    
made gods after  their own image1 and   
worshipped them4 ,they bowed before     
idols2 and an  idol1 says ,paul1 is     
nothing in the world4 ,in the whole     
system of pagan  religion the ,apostle  
saw nothing but ignorance and sin2 it   
was the  outcome1 in part1 of man's     
enmity to ,god2 in part1 of ,god's      
judicial  abandonment of men2 in part1  
of the activity of evil spirits2 it was 
a  path on which no progress could be   
made2 instead of pursuing it  farther1  
those who wished really to make         
spiritual advance must  abandon it      
altogether4    ,it is possible to state 
a better case than this for the religion
 of  the ancient world2 but the ,apostle
 was in close and continuous contact    
with the facts1 and it will take a great
 deal of theorising to reverse  the     
verdict of a conscience like his on the 
whole question4 ,those who  wish to put 
the best face upon the matter1 and to   
rate the spiritual  worth of paganism as

 high as may be1 lay stress on the ideal
 character  of the so-called idols1 and 
ask whether the mere conception of      
,zeus1  or ,apollo1 or ,athene1 is not a
 spiritual achievement of a high order4 
,let it be ever so high1 and still1 from
 the ,apostle's ground1 ,zeus1  ,apollo1
 and ,athene are dead idols4 ,they have 
no life but that which  is conferred    
upon them by their worshippers4 ,they   
can never assert  themselves in action1 
bestowing life or salvation on those who
 honour  them4 ,they can never be what  
the ,living ,god was to every man of    
,jewish  birth--,creator1 ,judge1 ,king1
 and ,saviour2 a personal and moral     
power  to whom men are accountable at   
every moment1 for every free act4    ,ye
 turned unto ,god from idols1 to serve a
 living and true ,god4 ,we  cannot      
over-estimate the greatness of this     
change4 ,until we understand  the unity 
of ,god1 we can have no true idea of    
,his character1 and  therefore no true  
idea of our own relation to ,him4 ,it   

was the  plurality of deities1 as much  
as anything1 which made heathenism      
morally worthless4 ,where there is a    
multitude of gods1 the real power  in   
the world1 the final reality1 is not    
found in any of them2 but in a  fate of 
some sort which lies behind them all4   
,there can be no moral  relation of man 
to this blank necessity2 nor1 while it  
exists1 any  stable relation of man to  
his so-called gods4 ,no ,greek or ,roman
 could  take in the idea of serving a   
,god4 ,the attendants or priests in a   
temple were in an official sense the    
deity's ministers2 but the  thought     
which is expressed in this passage1 of  
serving a living and  true ,god by a    
life of obedience to ,his will1 a       
thought which is so  natural and        
inevitable to either a ,jew or a        
,christian1 that without  it we could   
not so much as conceive religion--that  
thought was quite  beyond a pagan's     
comprehension4 ,there was no room for it
 in his  religion2 his conception of the

 gods did not admit of it4 ,if life was 
to be a moral service rendered to ,god1 
it must be to a ,god quite  different   
from any to whom he was introduced by   
his ancestral worship4  ,that is the    
final condemnation of heathenism2 the   
final proof of its  falsehood as a      
religion4    ,there is something as deep
 and strong as it is simple in the      
words1 to  serve the living and true    
,god4 ,philosophers have defined ,god as
 the  ens realissimum1 the most real of 
beings1 the absolute reality2 and  it is
 this1 with the added idea of           
personality1 that is conveyed by  the   
description living and true4 ,but does  
,god sustain this character  in the     
minds even of those who habitually      
worship ,him8 ,is it not the  case that 
the things which are nearest to our hand
 seem to be  possessed of most life and 
reality1 while ,god is by comparison    
very  unreal1 a remote inference from   
something which is immediately  certain8
 ,if that is so1 it will be very        

difficult for us to serve ,him4  ,the   
law of our life will not be found in    
,his will1 but in our own  desires1 or  
in the customs of our society2 our      
motive will not be ,his  praise1 but    
some end which is fully attained apart  
from ,him4 ,my  meat1 said ,jesus1 is to
 do the will of ,him that sent ,me1 and 
to  finish ,his work2 and ,he could say 
so because ,god who sent ,him was to    
,him the living and true ,god1 the first
 and last and sole reality1  whose will 
embraced and covered all ,his life4 ,do 
we think of ,god so8  ,are the existence
 of ,god and the claim of ,god upon our 
obedience the  permanent element in our 
minds1 the unchanging background of all 
our  thoughts and purposes8 ,this is the
 fundamental thing in a truly  religious
 life4    ,but the ,apostle goes on from
 what is merely theistic1 to what is    
distinctively ,christian4 ,ye turned to 
,god from idols 444 to wait for  ,his   
,son from heaven1 whom ,he raised from  
the dead4    ,this is a very summary    

description of the issue of ,christian  
conversion4 ,judging by the analogy of  
other places1 especially in ,st4  ,paul1
 we should have expected some mention of
 faith4 ,in ,acts xx41  e4g41 where he  
characterises his preaching1 he names as
 its main  elements1 repentance toward  
,god and faith toward our ,lord ,jesus  
,christ4 ,but here faith has been       
displaced by hope2 the ,thessalonians   
are represented not as trusting in      
,christ1 but as waiting for ,him4 ,of   
course1 such hope implies faith4 ,they  
only waited for ,him because they       
believed ,he had redeemed them1 and     
would save them at the great day4  ,if  
faith and hope differ in that the one   
seems to look mainly to the  past and   
the other to the future1 they agree in  
that both are  concerned with the       
revelation of the unseen4    ,everything
 in this revelation goes back to the    
resurrection and rests  upon it4 ,it is 
mentioned here1 in the first instance1  
exactly as in  ,rom4 i4 #d1 as the      

argumentum palmarium for the ,divine    
,sonship of  ,jesus4 ,there are many    
proofs of that essential doctrine1 but  
not all  can be brought forward in all  
circumstances4 ,perhaps the most        
convincing at the present time is that  
which is drawn from the  solitary       
perfection of ,christ's character2 the  
more truly and fully we  get the        
impression of that character1 as it is  
reflected in the  ,gospels1 the surer we
 are that it is not a fancy picture1 but
 drawn  from life2 and that ,he whose   
likeness it is1 stands alone among the  
sons of men4 ,but this kind of argument 
it takes years1 not perhaps of  study1  
but of obedience and devotion1 to       
appreciate2 and when the  apostles went 
forth to preach the gospel they needed a
 more summary  process of conviction4   
,this they found in ,christ's           
resurrection2 that  was an event        
standing alone in the world's history4  
,there had been  nothing like it before2
 there has been nothing like it since4  

,but the  men who were assured of it by 
many infallible proofs1 did not presume 
to disbelieve it because of its         
singularity2 amazing as it was1 they    
could not but feel that it became one so
 unique in goodness and  greatness as   
,jesus2 it was not possible1 they saw   
after the event1  that ,he should be    
holden by the power of death2 the       
resurrection only  exhibited ,him in    
,his true dignity2 it declared ,him the 
,son of ,god1  and set ,him on ,his     
throne4 ,accordingly in all their       
preaching they put  the resurrection in 
the forefront4 ,it was a revelation of  
life4 ,it  extended the horizon of man's
 existence4 ,it brought into view realms
  of being that had hitherto been hidden
 in darkness4 ,it magnified to  infinity
 the significance of everything in our  
short life in this  world1 because it   
connected everything immediately with an
 endless  life beyond4 ,and as this life
 in the unseen had been revealed in     
,christ1 all the apostles had to tell   

about it centred in ,him4 ,the  risen   
,christ was ,king1 ,judge1 and ,saviour2
 the ,christian's present  duty was to  
love1 trust1 obey1 and wait for ,him4   
,this waiting includes everything4 ,ye  
come behind in no gift1 ,paul  says to  
the ,corinthians1 waiting for the       
revelation of our ,lord ,jesus  ,christ4
 ,that attitude of expectation is the   
bloom1 as it were1 of the  ,christian   
character4 ,without it1 there is        
something lacking2 the  ,christian who  
does not look upward and onward wants   
one mark of  perfection4 ,this is1 in   
all probability1 the point on which we  
should  find ourselves most from home1  
in the atmosphere of the primitive      
,church4 ,not unbelievers only1 but     
disciples as well1 have practically     
ceased to think of the ,second ,advent4 
,the society which devotes itself  to   
reviving interest in the truth uses     
,scripture in a fashion which  makes it 
impossible to take much interest in its 
proceedings2 yet a  truth so clearly a  

part of ,scripture teaching cannot be   
neglected  without loss4 ,the door of   
the unseen world closed behind ,christ  
as ,he  ascended from ,olivet1 but not  
for ever4 ,it will open again2 and this 
same ,jesus shall so come in like manner
 as the apostles beheld ,him go4  ,he   
has gone to prepare a place for those   
who love ,him and keep ,his  word2 but  
if ,i go1 ,he says1 and prepare a place 
for you1 ,i will  come again1 and take  
you to ,myself2 that where ,i am1 there 
ye may be  also4 ,that is the final hope
 of the ,christian faith4 ,it is for the
  fulfilment of this promise that the   
,church waits4 ,the ,second ,coming of  
,christ and ,his ,resurrection stand and
 fall together2 and it will not  long be
 possible for those who look askance at 
,his return to receive  in all its      
fulness the revelation of life which ,he
 made when ,he rose  again from the     
dead4 ,this world is too much with us2  
and it needs not  languor1 but strenuous
 effort on the part of faith and hope1  

to make  the unseen world as real4 ,let 
us see that we come not behind in a     
grace so essential to the very being of 
,christianity4    ,the last words of the
 verse describe the character in which  
the ,son of  ,god is expected by        
,christians to appear--,jesus1 our      
deliverer#d from  the wrath to come 7   
74 ,there is1 then1  according to       
apostolic teaching1 a coming wrath--a   
wrath impending  over the world1 and    
actually on its way towards it4 ,it is  
called the  wrath to come1 in           
distinction from anything of the same   
nature of  which we have experience     
here4 ,we all know the penal            
consequences  which sin brings in its   
train even in this world4 ,remorse1     
unavailing  sorrow1 shame1 fear1 the    
sight of injury which we have done to   
those  we love and which we cannot undo1
 incapacity for service1--all these  are
 part and parcel of the fruit which sin 
bears4 ,but they are not the  wrath to  
come4 ,they do not exhaust the judgment 

of ,god upon evil4  ,instead of         
discrediting it1 they bear witness to   
it2 they are1 so to  speak1 its         
forerunners2 the lurid clouds that      
appear here and there in  the sky1 but  
are finally lost in the dense mass of   
the thunderstorm4  ,when the ,apostle   
preached the gospel1 he preached the    
wrath to come2  without it1 there would 
have been a missing link in the circle  
of  ,christian ideas4 ,i am not ashamed 
of the gospel of ,christ1 he says4      
,why8 ,because in it the righteousness  
of ,god is revealed1 a  righteousness   
which is ,god's gift and acceptable in  
,god's sight4 ,but  why is such a       
revelation of righteousness necessary8  
,because the wrath  of ,god is revealed 
from heaven against all ungodliness and 
unrighteousness of men4 ,the gospel is a
 revelation made to the world  in view  
of a given situation1 and the most      
prominent and threatening  element in   
that situation is the impending wrath of
 ,god4 ,the apostles  do not prove it2  

they declare it4 ,the proof of it is    
left to conscience1  and to the ,spirit 
of ,god reinforcing and quickening      
conscience2 if  anything can be added to
 this1 it is the gospel itself2 for if  
there  were no such thing as the wrath  
of ,god1 the gospel would be            
gratuitous4 ,we may1 if we please1 evade
 the truth2 we may pick and  choose for 
ourselves among the elements of ,new    
,testament teaching1 and  reject all    
that is distasteful2 we may take our    
stand upon pride1 and  decline to be    
threatened even by ,god2 but we cannot  
be honest1 and at  the same time deny   
that ,christ and ,his apostles warn us  
of wrath to  come4    ,of course we must
 not misconceive the character of this  
wrath4 ,we must  not import into our    
thoughts of it all that we can borrow   
from our  experience of man's           
anger--hastiness1 unreason1 intemperate 
rage4 ,the  wrath of ,god is no         
arbitrary1 passionate outburst2 it is   
not1 as wrath  so often is with us1 a   

fury of selfish resentment4 ,evil shall 
not  dwell with ,thee1 says the         
,psalmist2 and in that simple word we   
have  the root of the matter4 ,the wrath
 of ,god is1 as it were1 the instinct   
of self-preservation in the ,divine     
nature2 it is the eternal  repulsion1 by
 the ,holy ,one1 of all evil4 ,evil     
shall not dwell with  ,him4 ,that may be
 doubted or denied while the day of     
grace lasts1 and  ,god's forbearance is 
giving space to the sinful for          
repentance2 but a  day is coming when it
 will no more be possible to doubt      
it--the day  which the ,apostle calls   
the day of wrath4 ,it will then be plain
 to all  the world that ,god's wrath is 
no empty name1 but the most terrible of 
all powers--a consuming fire in which   
everything opposed to ,his  holiness is 
burnt up4 ,and while we take care not to
 think of this  wrath after the pattern 
of our own sinful passions1 let us take 
care1  on the other hand1 not to make it
 an unreal thing1 without analogy in    

human life4 ,if we go upon the ground of
 ,scripture and of our own  experience1 
it has the same degree and the same kind
 of reality as the  love of ,god1 or    
,his compassion1 or ,his forbearance4   
,in whatever way we  lawfully think of  
one side of the ,divine nature1 we must 
at the same  time think of the other4   
,if there is a passion of ,divine love1 
there  is a passion of ,divine wrath as 
well4 ,nothing is meant in either case  
unworthy of the ,divine nature2 what is 
conveyed by the word passion is  the    
truth that ,god's repulsion of evil is  
as intense as the ardour  with which ,he
 delights in good4 ,to deny that is to  
deny that ,he is  good4    ,the         
apostolic preacher1 who had announced   
the wrath to come1 and  awakened guilty 
consciences to see their danger1        
preached ,jesus as the  deliverer from  
it4 ,this is the real meaning of the    
words in the text2  and neither ,jesus  
which delivered1 as in the ,authorised  
,version1  nor1 in any rigorous sense1  

,jesus which delivereth1 as in the      
,revised4 ,it is the character of ,jesus
 that is in view1 and neither the  past 
nor the present of ,his action4 ,every  
one who reads the words must  feel1 ,how
 brief6 how much remains to be          
explained6 how much ,paul must  have had
 to say about how the deliverance is    
effected6 ,as the passage  stands1 it   
recalls vividly the end of the second   
,psalm3 ,kiss the ,son1  lest ,he be    
angry1 and ye perish in the way1 for    
,his wrath will soon be  kindled4       
,blessed are all they that put their    
trust in ,him4 ,to have  the ,son a     
friend1 to be identified with ,jesus--so
 much we see at  once--secures          
deliverance in the day of wrath4 ,other 
,scriptures supply  the missing links4  
,the atonement for sin made by ,christ's
 death2 faith  which unites the soul to 
the ,saviour1 and brings into it the    
virtue of  ,his cross and resurrection2 
the ,holy ,spirit who dwells in         
believers1  sanctifying them1 and making

 them fit to dwell with ,god in the     
light1--all these come into view        
elsewhere1 and in spite of the brevity  
of this notice had their place1 beyond  
doubt1 in ,paul's teaching at           
,thessalonica4#e ,not that all could be 
explained at once3 that was             
unnecessary4 ,but from imminent danger  
there must be an instantaneous  escape2 
and it is sufficient to say that it is  
found in ,jesus ,christ4  ,blessed are  
all they that put their trust in ,him4  
,the risen ,son is  enthroned in power2 
,he is ,judge of all2 ,he died for all2 
,he is able to  save to the uttermost   
all that come unto ,god by ,him4 ,to    
commit  everything definitely to ,him2  
to leave ,him to undertake for us2 to   
put  on ,him the responsibility of our  
past and our future1 as ,he invites us  
to do2 to put ourselves for good and all
 at ,his side1--this is to find         
deliverance from the wrath to come4 ,it 
leaves much unexplained that we  may    
come to understand afterwards1 and much1

 perhaps1 that we shall  never          
understand2 but it guarantees itself1   
adventure though it be2  ,christ never  
disappoints any who thus put their trust
 in ,him4    ,this description in       
outline of conversion from paganism to  
the gospel  should revive the elementary
 ,christian virtues in our hearts4 ,have
 we  seen how high a thing it is to     
serve a living and true ,god8 ,or is it 
not so1 that even among ,christians1 a  
godly man--one who lives in  the        
presence of ,god1 and is conscious of   
his responsibility to ,him--is  the     
rarest of all types8 ,are we waiting for
 ,his ,son from heaven1 whom  ,he raised
 from the dead8 ,or are there not many  
who hardly so much as  form the idea of 
,his return1 and to whom the attitude of
 waiting for  ,him would seem strained  
and unnatural8 ,in plain words1 what the
 ,new  ,testament calls ,hope is in many
 ,christians dead3 the world to come and
  all that is involved in it--the       
searching judgment1 the impending       

wrath1 the glory of ,christ--have       
slipped from our grasp4 ,yet it was     
this hope which more than anything gave 
its peculiar colour to the  primitive   
,christianity1 its unworldliness1 its   
moral intensity1 its  command of the    
future even in this life4 ,if there were
 nothing else to  establish it1 would   
not its spiritual fruits be sufficient8 
#d ,the present participle here is      
simply equivalent to a substantive4     
#e ,much has been made1 by writers who  
wish to trace the spiritual  development
 of ,st4 ,paul1 of the absence from his 
earliest epistles of  explicit teaching 
on the atonement and on justification by
 faith4 ,but  we have to remember that  
the ,epistles to the ,thessalonians1    
like most  of his writings1 were        
incidental2 their topics were provided1 
and  limited1 by special circumstances4 
,the doctrinal matter in #a             
,thessalonians was not even the         
principal thing2 the  in iv4 #a  shows  
that by the end of chapter iii4 the     

,apostle has done what he  intended to  
do when he began2 even the paragraphs on
 the ,parousia are  casual and          
supplementary4 ,but if we consider that 
,paul had now been  preaching for       
perhaps seventeen years1 and that within
 a few months he  delivered to the      
,corinthians 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #a-d7 the one
 gospel known  alike to him and to the  
twelve1--the gospel which had for its   
fundamental article that ,christ died   
for our sins according to the           
,scriptures1--we shall see how unreal it
 is to exclude this doctrine  from his  
evangelistic work at ,thessalonica4 ,no 
doubt there1 as at  ,corinth1 he        
delivered this first of all4--,see also 
chap4 v4 #aj4          ,v4    ,,apologia
 ,,pro ,,vita ,,sua4       ,for         
yourselves1 brethren1 know our entering 
in unto you1 that it   hath not been    
found vain3 but having suffered before1 
and been   shamefully entreated1 as ye  
know1 at ,philippi1 we waxed bold in our
   ,god to speak unto you the gospel of 

,god in much conflict4 ,for our         
exhortation is not of error1 nor of     
uncleanness1 nor in guile3 but   even as
 we have been approved of ,god to be    
intrusted with the   gospel1 so we      
speak2 not as pleasing men1 but ,god    
which proveth our   hearts4 ,for neither
 at any time were we found using words  
of   flattery1 as ye know1 nor a cloke  
of covetousness1 ,god is witness2   nor 
seeking glory of men1 neither from you1 
nor from others1 when we   might have   
been burdensome1 as apostles of ,christ4
 ,but we were gentle   in the midst of  
you1 as when a nurse cherisheth her own 
children3   even so1 being              
affectionately desirous of you1 we were 
well pleased   to impart unto you1 not  
the gospel of ,god only1 but also our   
own   souls1 because ye were become very
 dear to us4 ,for ye remember1          
brethren1 our labour and travail3       
working night and day1 that we   might  
not burden any of you1 we preached unto 
you the gospel of ,god4   ,ye are       

witnesses1 and ,god also1 how holily and
 righteously and   unblameably we       
behaved ourselves toward you that       
believe3 as ye know   how we dealt with 
each one of you1 as a father with his   
own   children1 exhorting you1 and      
encouraging you1 and testifying1 to     
the end that ye should walk worthily of 
,god1 who calleth you into   ,his own   
kingdom and glory4--#a ,,thess4 ii4     
#a-ab 7,r4,v474    ,our first           
impression1 as we read these verses1 is 
that they contain  little that is new4  
,they simply expand the statement of ch4
 i41 ver4  #e3 ,our gospel came not unto
 you in word only1 but in power1 and in 
the ,holy ,ghost1 and in much assurance2
 even as ye know what manner of  men we 
showed ourselves toward you for your    
sake4 ,but if their  substance is the   
same1 their tone is very different4 ,it 
is obvious at  a glance that the        
,apostle has a definite purpose in view 
in appealing  so pointedly as he does   
here to facts with which his readers    

were  familiar4 ,the truth is1 he is    
standing upon his defence4 ,unless it   
were so1 he would not think of writing1 
as he does in ver4 #e1 that he  had     
never had recourse to flattery1 nor     
sought to make gain out of his          
apostleship2 nor as he does in ver4 #aj1
 that ,god knows the entire  purity of  
his life among them4 ,although he does  
not name them1 it is  quite plain that  
he was already suffering from those     
enemies who never  ceased to vex him    
while he lived4 ,as we learn afterwards1
 these  enemies were the ,jews4 ,when   
they had opportunity1 they used open    
violence2 they roused the ,gentile mob  
against him2 they had him  scourged and 
stoned4 ,when his body was out of their 
reach1 they  assailed him through his   
character and affections4 ,they crept   
into the  churches which his love and   
zeal had gathered here and there1 and   
scattered injurious suspicions against  
him among his disciples4 ,he was  not1  
they hinted1 all that he seemed to be4  

,they could tell stories  about his     
early days1 and advised those who did   
not know him so well  to be on their    
guard4 ,evangelising paid him quite as  
well as harder  work1 and his paltry    
ambition was gratified by lording it    
over his  ignorant converts4 ,such      
messengers of ,satan had apparently made
 their  appearance in ,thessalonica     
since ,paul left1 and this chapter is   
his  reply to their insinuations4       
,there is something exquisitely painful 
in the situation thus created4  ,it     
would have been like a sword piercing   
the ,apostle's heart1 had his  enemies  
succeeded in their attempt to breed     
distrust in the  ,thessalonians toward  
him4 ,he could not have borne to think  
that those  whom he loved so utterly    
should entertain the faintest suspicion 
of  the integrity of his love4 ,but     
happily he is spared that pain4 ,he     
writes1 indeed1 as one who has felt the 
indignity of the charges  brought       
against him1 but with the frankness and 

heartiness of a man  who is confident   
that his defence will be well received4 
,from baseless  insinuations he can     
appeal to facts which are well known to 
all4 ,from  the false character in which
 he has been dressed by his adversaries 
he  can appeal to the true1 in which he 
lived and moved familiarly among  them4 
,the first point in his favour is found 
in the circumstances under  which he had
 preached the gospel in ,thessalonica4  
,had he been an  insincere man1 with bye
 ends of his own to serve1 he would     
never have  faced the career of an      
apostle4 ,he had been scourged and put  
in the  stocks at ,philippi2 and when he
 left that city for ,thessalonica1 he   
brought his troubles with him4 ,here    
also he had much conflict2 he was  beset
 on every hand with difficulties2 it was
 only in the strength of  ,god that he  
had courage to preach at all4 ,you      
yourselves1 he says1  know that2 and    
how1 in spite of that1 our coming to you
 was not vain1  but full of power2      

surely it needs no more to prove the    
disinterestedness of our mission4       
,from this point onward1 the apology    
falls into two parts1 a negative  and a 
positive3 the ,apostle tells us what his
 gospel and the  proclamation of it are 
not2 and then he tells us what1 at      
,thessalonica1 it had been4    ,in the  
first place1 it is not of error4 ,it    
does not rest on mistakes1  or          
imaginations1 or cunningly devised      
fables2 in the fullest sense it  is the 
truth4 ,it would have taken the heart   
out of the ,apostle1 and  made him      
incapable of braving anything for its   
sake1 had he been in  doubt of this4 ,if
 the gospel were a device of man1 then  
men might take  liberties with it1      
handle it deceitfully1 make their own   
account out  of it2 but resting as it   
does on facts and truth1 it demands     
honest  dealing in all its ministers4   
,paul claims here a character in        
agreement with the dispensation which he
 serves3 can a minister of the  truth1  

he asks1 be other than a true man8      
,in the next place1 it is not of        
uncleanness2 that is1 it is not         
prompted by any impure motive4 ,the     
force of the word here must be          
determined by the context2 and we see   
that the impure motives  specially laid 
to the charge of ,paul were avarice and 
ambition2 or1 to  use the words of the  
,apostle himself1 covetousness1 and the 
seeking of  honour from men4 ,the first 
of these is so manifestly inconsistent  
with  any degree of spirituality that   
,paul writes instinctively a cloke  of  
covetousness2 he did not make his       
apostolic labour a veil1 under  cover of
 which he could gratify his love of     
gain4 ,it is impossible to  exaggerate  
the subtle and clinging character of    
this vice4 ,it owes its  strength to the
 fact that it can be so easily cloked4  
,we seek money1  so we tell ourselves1  
not because we are covetous1 but because
 it is a  power for all good purposes4  
,piety1 charity1 humanity1 refinement1  

art1 science--it can minister to them   
all2 but when we obtain it1 it  is too  
easily hoarded1 or spent in indulgence1 
display1 and  conformity to the world4  
,the pursuit of wealth1 except in an    
utterly  materialised society1 is always
 cloked by some ideal end to which it   
is to minister2 but how few there are in
 whose hands wealth is merely  an       
instrument for the furtherance of such  
ends4 ,in many men the desire  for it is
 naked selfishness1 an idolatry as      
undisguised as that of  ,israel at      
,sinai4 ,yet all men feel how bad and   
mean it is to have the  heart set on    
money4 ,all men see how base and        
incongruous it is to make  godliness a  
source of gain4 ,all men see the        
peculiar ugliness of a  character which 
associates piety and avarice--of a      
,balaam1 for  instance1 a ,gehazi1 or an
 ,ananias4 ,it is not ministers of the  
gospel  only1 but all to whom the credit
 of the gospel is entrusted1 who have   
to be on their guard here4 ,our enemies 

are entitled to question our  sincerity 
when we can be shown to be lovers of    
money4 ,at ,thessalonica1  as elsewhere1
 ,paul had been at pains to make such   
calumny impossible4  ,although entitled 
to claim support from the ,church in    
accordance with  the law of ,christ that
 they who preach the gospel should live 
by the  gospel1 he had wrought night and
 day with his own hands that he might   
not burden any of them4 ,as a           
precaution1 this self-denial was vain2  
there can be no security against malice2
 but it gave him a triumphant           
vindication when the charge of          
covetousness was actually made4    ,the 
other impure motive contemplated is     
ambition4 ,some modern students  of     
,paul's character--devil's advocates1 no
 doubt--hint at this as his  most       
obvious fault4 ,it was necessary for    
him1 we are told1 to be  first2 to be   
the leader of a party2 to have a        
following of his own4  ,but he disclaims
 ambition as explicitly as avarice4 ,he 

never sought  glory from men1 at        
,thessalonica or elsewhere4 ,he used    
none of the arts  which obtain it4 ,as  
apostles of ,christ--he includes his    
friends--they  had1 indeed1 a rank of   
their own2 the greatness of the ,prince 
whom  they represented was reflected on 
them as ,his ambassadors2 they might    
have stood upon their dignity1#f had    
they chosen to do so4 ,their  very      
self-denial in the matter of money      
formed a new temptation for  them here4 
,they might well feel that their        
disinterested service of  the           
,thessalonians entitled them to a       
spiritual pre-eminence2 and  indeed     
there is no pride like that which bases 
on ascetic austerities  the claim to    
direct with authority the life and      
conduct of others4  ,paul escaped this  
snare4 ,he did not compensate himself   
for renouncing  gain1 with any lordship 
over souls4 ,in all things he was the   
servant  of those to whom he preached4  
,and as his motives were pure1 so were  

the means he used4 ,his  exhortation was
 not in guile4 ,he did not manipulate   
his message2 he  was never found using  
words of flattery4 ,the gospel was not  
his own to  do what he pleased with3 it 
was ,god's2 ,god had approved him so far
 as  to entrust it to him2 yet every    
moment1 in the discharge of his trust1  
that same ,god was proving his heart    
still1 so that false dealing was        
impossible4 ,he did not make his message
 other than it was2 he did not  hide any
 part of the counsel of ,god2 he did not
 inveigle the  ,thessalonians by any    
false pretences into responsibilities   
which would  not have been accepted     
could they have been foreseen4    ,all  
these denials--not of error1 not of     
uncleanness1 not of guile2 not  pleasing
 men1 not using words of flattery1 not  
cloking over  covetousness--all these   
denials presuppose the contrary         
affirmations4  ,paul does not indulge in
 boasting but on compulsion2 he would   
never  have sought to justify himself1  

unless he had first been accused4 ,and  
now1 over against this picture1 drawn by
 his enemies1 let us look at  the true  
likeness which is held up before ,god   
and man4    ,instead of selfishness     
there is love1 and nothing but love4 ,we
 are all  familiar with the great       
passage in the epistle to the           
,philippians  where the ,apostle depicts
 the mind which was in ,christ ,jesus4  
,the  contrast in that passage between  
the disposition which grasps at         
eminence and that which makes itself of 
no reputation1 between   and 1 is       
reproduced here4 ,paul had learned of   
,christ2 and instead of seeking in his  
apostolic work opportunities for        
self-exaltation1 he shrank from no      
service imposed by love4 ,we were       
gentle in the midst of you1 as when a   
nurse cherisheth her own  children4 ,her
 own is to be emphasised4 ,the          
tenderness of the  ,apostle was that of 
a mother warming her babe at her breast4
 ,most of  the ancient authorities1 the 

,r4,v4 tells us in the margin1 read ,we 
were babes 77 in the midst of you4 ,if  
this were correct1  the thought would be
 that ,paul stooped to the level of     
these infant  disciples1 speaking to    
them1 as it were1 in the language of    
childhood1  and accommodating himself to
 their immaturity4 ,but though this is  
appropriate enough1 the word  is not    
proper to express it4#g  ,gentleness is 
really what is meant4 ,but his love went
 further than  this in its yearning over
 the ,thessalonians4 ,he had been       
accused of  seeking gain and glory when 
he came among them2 but his sole desire 
had been not to get but to give4 ,as his
 stay was prolonged1 the  disciples     
became very dear to their teachers2 we  
were well pleased to  impart unto you1  
not the gospel of ,god only1 but also   
our own souls4  ,that is the true       
standard of pastoral care4 ,the ,apostle
 lived up to it  always4 ,now we live1  
he writes in the next chapter1 if ye    
stand  fast in the ,lord4 ,ye are in our

 hearts1 he cries to the  ,corinthians1 
to live together and to die together4   
,he not only kept  back from them       
nothing of the whole purpose of ,god2 he
 kept back no  part of himself4 ,his    
daily toil1 his toil by night1 his      
prayers1 his  preaching1 his spiritual  
ardour1 his very soul1 were theirs4     
,they knew  his labour and travail2 they
 were witnesses1 and ,god also1 how     
holily  and righteously and unblamably  
he had behaved toward them4    ,as the  
,apostle recalls these recent memories1 
he dwells for a  moment on another      
aspect of his love4 ,it had not only the
 tender  fondness of a mother's1 but the
 educative wisdom of a father's4 ,one   
by one he dealt with the                
disciples--which is not the way to gain 
glory--exhorting1 encouraging1 bearing  
solemn testimony to the truth  of ,god4 
,and his end in all this1 as they knew1 
was ideal and  spiritual1 an end as     
remote as possible from any worldly     
interest of  his own2 that they might   

walk worthily of ,god who was calling   
them  into ,his own kingdom and glory4  
,how far from the rewards and           
distinctions of the present must that   
man's mind be who sees1 as ,paul  saw   
steadily1 the things that are invisible4
 ,if he who is blind to the  golden     
crown above his head grasps the muck    
rake tightly and clutches  eagerly all  
it brings within his reach1 surely he   
whose eye is set  upon the crown must be
 superior alike to the gain and the     
glory of the  world4 ,that1 at least1 is
 the claim which the ,apostle makes     
here4  ,nothing could be more           
incongruous than that a man to whom the 
visible  world was transitory and       
unreal1 and the invisible kingdom of    
,god real  and eternal1 should be eager 
for money and applause1 and forget the  
high calling with which he himself was  
calling men in ,christ4 ,so far  the    
apology of the ,apostle4    ,the        
practical application of this passage is
 different1 according as  we look at it 

in detail1 or as a whole4 ,it exhibits  
to us1 in the  charges brought against  
,paul1 those vices which even bad men   
can see  to be rankly inconsistent with 
the ,christian character4 ,covetousness 
is the foremost4 ,no matter how we cloke
 it--and we always cloke it  somehow--it
 is incurably un-,christian4 ,christ had
 no money4 ,he never  wished to have    
any4 ,the one perfect life that has been
 lived in this  world is the life of    
,him who owned nothing1 and who left    
nothing but  the clothes he wore4       
,whoever names the name of ,christ1 and 
professes  to follow ,him1 must learn of
 ,him indifference to gain4 ,the mere   
suspicion of avarice will discredit1 and
 ought to discredit1 the most  pious    
pretensions4 ,the second vice ,i have   
spoken of as ambition4 ,it is  the      
desire to use others for one's own      
exaltation1 to make them the  stepping  
stones on which we rise to eminence1 the
 ministers of our  vanity1 the sphere   
for the display of our own abilities as 

leaders1  masters1 organisers1          
preachers4 ,to put ourselves in that    
relation to  others is to do an         
essentially un-,christian thing4 ,a     
minister whose  congregation is the     
theatre on which he displays his talents
 or his  eloquence is not a ,christian4 
,a clever man1 to whom the men and women
  with whom he meets in society are     
merely specimens of human nature on     
whom he can make shrewd observations1   
sharpening his wits on them as  on a    
grindstone1 is not a ,christian4 ,a man 
of business1 who looks at  the labourers
 whom he employs as only so many        
instruments for rearing  the fabric of  
his prosperity1 is not a ,christian4    
,everybody in the  world knows that2 and
 such men1 if they profess              
,christianity1 give a  handle to        
slander1 and bring disgrace on the      
religion which they wear  merely as a   
blind4 ,true ,christianity is love1 and 
the nature of love  is not to take but  
to give4 ,there is no limit to the      

,christian's  beneficence2 he counts    
nothing his own2 he gives his very soul 
with  every separate gift4 ,he is as    
tender as the mother to her infant2 as  
wise1 as manly1 as earnest as the father
 with his growing boy4    ,looked at as 
a whole this passage warns us against   
slander4 ,it must  needs be that slander
 is spoken and believed2 but woe to the 
man or  woman by whom it is either      
believed or spoken6 ,none are good      
enough to  escape it4 ,christ was       
slandered2 they called ,him a glutton   
and a  drunkard1 and said ,he was in    
league with the devil4 ,paul was        
slandered2 they said he was a very smart
 man1 who looked well to his  own       
interest1 and made dupes of simple      
people4 ,the deliberate  wickedness of  
such falsehoods is diabolical1 but it is
 not so very  rare4 ,numbers of people  
who would not invent such stories are   
glad to  hear them4 ,they are not very  
particular whether they are true or     
false2 it pleases them to think that an 

evangelist1 eminent in  profession1 gets
 a royalty on hymn-books2 or that a     
priest1 famous for  devotion1 was really
 no better than he should have been2 or 
that a  preacher1 whose words           
regenerated a whole church1 sometimes   
despised  his audience1 and talked      
nonsense impromptu4 ,to sympathise with 
detraction is to have the spirit of the 
devil1 not of ,christ4 ,be on  your     
guard against such sympathy2 you are    
human1 and therefore need  to4 ,never   
give utterance to a suspicious thought4 
,never repeat what  would discredit a   
man1 if you have only heard it and are  
not sure it  is true2 even if you are   
sure of its truth1 be afraid of yourself
 if  it gives you any pleasure to think 
of it4 ,love thinketh no evil2 love     
rejoiceth not in iniquity4    #f ,so    
,alford renders    4    #g  always      
includes the idea of being undeveloped1 
unripe1  and has often a shade of       
censure in ,paul4          ,,vi4        
,,impeachment ,,of ,,the ,,jews4        

,and for this cause we also thank ,god  
without ceasing1 that1 when ye          
received from us the word of the        
message1 even the word of   ,god1 ye    
accepted it not as the word of men1 but1
 as it is in   truth1 the word of ,god1 
which also worketh in you that believe4 
,for   ye1 brethren1 became imitators of
 the churches of ,god which are in      
,juda in ,christ ,jesus2 for ye also    
suffered the same things of your   own  
countrymen1 even as they did of the     
,jews2 who both killed the   ,lord      
,jesus and the prophets1 and drave out  
us1 and please not ,god1   and are      
contrary to all men2 forbidding us to   
speak to the ,gentiles   that they may  
be saved2 to fill up their sins alway3  
but the wrath is   come upon them to the
 uttermost4--#a ,,thess4 ii4 #ac-af     
7,r4,v474    ,these verses complete the 
treatment of the subject with which this
  chapter opens4 ,the ,apostle has drawn
 a moving picture of his life and       
labours in ,thessalonica2 he has pointed

 to it as his sufficient  vindication   
from all the charges laid against him4  
,before carrying the  war into the      
enemies' camp1 and depicting the        
traditions and the  spirit of his       
traducers1 he lingers again for a moment
 on the happy  results of his work4 ,in 
spite of persecution and calumny1 he has
 cause  to thank ,god without ceasing   
when he remembers the reception of the  
gospel by the ,thessalonians4    ,when  
the message was brought to them1 they   
accepted it1 he says1 not  as the word  
of men1 but as what it was in truth1 the
 word of ,god4 ,it  is in this character
 that the gospel always presents itself4
 ,a word of  men cannot address men with
 authority2 it must submit itself to    
criticism2 it must vindicate itself on  
grounds which man's understanding       
approves4 ,now1 the gospel is not       
irrational2 it is its own demand that   
the ,christian shall be ready to answer 
every one who demands a  rational       
account of the hope that is in him4 ,but

 neither does it1 on  the other hand1   
come to us soliciting our approval2     
submitting itself1  as a system of      
ideas1 to our scrutiny1 and courting    
approbation4 ,it  speaks with authority4
 ,it commands repentance2 it preaches   
forgiveness on the ground of ,christ's  
death--a supreme gift of ,god  which may
 be accepted or rejected1 but is not    
proposed for discussion2  it exhibits   
the law of ,christ's life as the law    
which is binding upon  every human      
being1 and calls upon all men to follow 
him4 ,its decisive  appeal is made to   
the conscience and the will2 and to     
respond to it is  to give up will and   
conscience to ,god4 ,when the ,apostle  
says1 ,ye  received it as1 what it is in
 truth1 the word of ,god1 he betrays1 if
  one may use the word1 the             
consciousness of his own inspiration4   
,nothing is commoner now than to speak  
of the theology of ,paul as if it  were 
a private possession of the ,apostle1 a 
scheme of thought that he  had framed   

for himself1 to explain his own         
experience4 ,such a scheme  of thought1 
we are told1 has no right whatever to   
impose itself on us2  it has only a     
historical and biographical interest2 it
 has no  necessary connexion with truth4
 ,the first result of this line of      
thought1 in almost every case1 is the   
rejection of the very heart of  the     
apostolic gospel2 the doctrine of the   
atonement is no longer the  greatest    
truth of revelation1 but a rickety      
bridge on which ,paul  imagined he had  
crossed from ,pharisaism to             
,christianity4 ,certainly  this modern  
analysis of the epistles does not       
reflect the ,apostle's  own way of      
looking at what he called ,my gospel4   
,to him it was no  device of man1 but   
unequivocally ,divine2 in very truth1   
the word of  ,god4 ,his theology        
certainly came to him in the way of his 
experience2  his mind had been engaged  
with it1 and was engaged with it        
continually2  but he was conscious that1

 with all this freedom1 it rested at    
bottom  on the truth of ,god2 and when  
he preached it--for his theology was the
  sum of the ,divine truth he held1 and 
he did preach it--he did not  submit it 
to men as a theme for discussion4 ,he   
put it above discussion4  ,he pronounced
 a solemn and reiterated anathema on    
either man or angel  who should put     
anything else in its stead4 ,he         
published it1 not for  criticism1 as    
though it had been his own device2 but1 
as the word of  ,god1 for the obedience 
of faith4 ,the tone of this passage     
recalls the  word of our ,lord1 ,whoso  
shall not receive the kingdom of ,god as
 a  little child shall in no wise enter 
therein4 ,there are difficulties  enough
 connected with the gospel1 but they are
 not of a kind that  disappear while we 
stand and look at them1 or even stand   
and think  about them2 unquestioning    
surrender solves many1 and introduces us
 to  experiences which enable us to bear
 the rest with patience4    ,the word of

 ,god1 in other words the gospel1 proved
 its ,divine  character in the          
,thessalonians after it was received4   
,it also  worketh1 says ,paul1 in you   
that believe4 ,the last words are not   
superfluous4 ,the word preached1 we read
 of an earlier generation1 did  not     
profit1 not being mixed with faith in   
them that heard4 ,faith  conditions its 
efficacy4 ,gospel truth is an active    
force when it is  within the heart2 but 
it can do nothing for us while doubt1   
pride1 or  unacknowledged reserve1 keep 
it outside4 ,if we have really welcomed 
the ,divine message1 it will not be     
inoperative2 it will work within us  all
 that is characteristic of ,new         
,testament life--love1 joy1 peace1      
hope1 patience4 ,these are the proofs of
 its truth4 ,here1 then1 is the  source 
of all graces3 if the word of ,christ   
dwell in us richly2 if the  truth of the
 gospel1 deep1 manifold1 inexhaustible1 
yet ever the same1  possess our         
hearts1--the desert shall rejoice and   

blossom as the rose4    ,the particular 
gospel grace which the ,apostle has here
 in view is  patience4 ,he proves that  
the word of ,god is at work in the      
,thessalonians by pointing to the fact  
that they have suffered for ,his  sake4 
,had you been still of the world1 the   
world would have loved its  own2 but as 
it is1 you have become imitators of the 
,christian churches  in ,juda1 and have 
suffered the same things at the hands of
 your  countrymen as they from theirs4  
,of all places in the world1 ,juda was  
that in which the gospel and its        
adherents had suffered most  severely4  
,jerusalem itself was the focus of      
hostility4 ,no one knew  better than    
,paul1 the zealous persecutor of heresy1
 what it had cost  from the very        
beginning to be true to the name of     
,jesus of ,nazareth4  ,scourging1       
imprisonment1 exile1 death by the sword 
or by stoning1 had  rewarded such       
fidelity4 ,we do not know to what       
extremity the enemies  of the gospel had

 gone in ,thessalonica2 but the distress
 of the  ,christians must have been     
great when the ,apostle could make this 
comparison even in passing4 ,he has     
already told them 7ch4 i4 #f7 that  much
 affliction1 with joy of the ,holy      
,ghost1 is the very badge of  ,god's    
elect2 and here he combines the same    
stern necessity with the  operation of  
the ,divine word in their hearts4 ,do   
not let us overlook  this4 ,the work of 
,god's word 7or if you prefer it1 the   
effect of  receiving the gospel71 is in 
the first instance to produce a new     
character1 a character not only distinct
 from that of the unconverted1  but     
antagonistic to it1 and more directly   
and inevitably antagonistic1  the more  
thoroughly it is wrought out2 so that in
 proportion as ,god's  word is operative
 in us1 we come into collision with the 
world which  rejects it4 ,to suffer1    
therefore1 is to the ,apostle the seal  
of faith2  it warrants the genuineness  
of a ,christian profession4 ,it is not a

  sign that ,god has forgotten ,his     
people1 but a sign that ,he is with     
them2 and that they are being brought by
 ,him into fellowship with  primitive   
churches1 with apostles and prophets1   
with the ,incarnate ,son  ,himself4 ,and
 hence the whole situation of the       
,thessalonians1 suffering  included1    
comes under that heartfelt expression of
 thanks to ,god with  which the passage 
opens4 ,it is not a subject for         
condolence1 but for  gratitude1 that    
they have been counted worthy to suffer 
shame for the  ,name4    ,and now the   
,apostle turns from the persecuted to   
the persecutors4  ,there is nothing in  
his epistles elsewhere that can be      
compared with  this passionate outburst4
 ,paul was proud with no common pride of
 his  ,jewish descent2 it was better in 
his eyes than any patent of nobility4   
,his heart swelled as he thought of the 
nation to which the adoption  pertained1
 and the glory1 and the covenants1 and  
the giving of the  law1 and the service 

of ,god1 and the promises2 whose were   
the fathers1  and of whom1 as concerning
 the flesh1 ,christ came4 ,apostle of   
the  ,gentiles though he was1 he had    
great sorrow and unceasing pain in his  
heart1 when he remembered the antagonism
 of the ,jews to the gospel2 he  could  
have wished himself anathema from       
,christ for their sakes4 ,he was        
confident1 too1 that in some glorious   
future they would yet submit to  the    
,messiah1 so that all ,israel should be 
saved4 ,the turning of the  heathen to  
,god would provoke them to jealousy2 and
 the ,divine calling  with which the    
nation had been called in ,abraham would
 reach its  predestined goal4 ,such is  
the tone1 and such the anticipation1    
with  which1 not very long afterwards1  
,paul writes in the epistle to the      
,romans4 ,here he looks at his          
countrymen with other eyes4 ,they are   
identified1 in his experience1 with a   
fierce resistance to the gospel1  and   
with cruel persecutions of the ,church  

of ,christ4 ,only in the  character of  
bitter enemies has he been in contact   
with them in recent  years4 ,they have  
hunted him from city to city in ,asia   
and in ,europe2  they have raised the   
populace against his converts2 they have
 sought  to poison the minds of his     
disciples against him4 ,he knows that   
this  policy is that with which his     
countrymen as a whole have identified   
themselves2 and as he looks steadily at 
it1 he sees that in doing so  they have 
only acted in consistency with all their
 past history4 ,the  messengers whom    
,god sends to demand the fruit of ,his  
vineyard have  always been treated with 
violence and despite4 ,the crowning sin 
of the  race is put in the forefront2   
they slew the ,lord1 ,jesus2 but before 
the ,lord came1 they had slain ,his     
prophets2 and after ,he had gone1  they 
expelled ,his apostles4 ,god had put    
them in a position of  privilege1 but   
only for a time2 they were the          
depositaries1 or  trustees1 of the      

knowledge of ,god as the ,saviour of    
men2 and now1 when  the time had come   
for that knowledge to be diffused       
throughout all the  world1 they clung   
proudly and stubbornly to the old       
position4 ,they  pleased not ,god and   
were contrary to all men1 in forbidding 
the  apostles to preach salvation to the
 heathen4 ,there is an echo1 all        
through this passage1 of the words of   
,stephen3 ,ye stiffnecked and           
uncircumcised in heart and ears1 ye do  
always resist the ,holy ,ghost4  ,there 
are sentences in heathen authors1 who   
repaid the contempt and  hatred of the  
,jews with haughty disdain1 that have   
been compared with  this terrible       
impeachment by the ,apostle2 but in     
reality1 they are  quite unlike4 ,what  
we have here is not a burst of temper1  
though there  is undoubtedly strong     
feeling in it2 it is the vehement       
condemnation1  by a man in thorough     
sympathy with the mind and spirit of    
,god1 of the  principles on which the   

,jews as a nation had acted at every    
period of  their history4    ,what is   
the relation of ,god to such a situation
 as is here described8  ,the ,jews1     
,paul says1 did all this to fill up     
their sins at all  times4 ,he does not  
mean that that was their intention2     
neither does  he speak ironically2 but  
speaking as he often does from that     
,divine  standpoint at which all results
 are intended and purposed results1 not 
outside of1 but within1 the counsel of  
,god1 he signifies that this  ,divine   
end was being secured by their          
wickedness4 ,the cup of their  iniquity 
was filling all the time4 ,every        
generation did something to  raise the  
level within4 ,the men who bade ,amos   
begone1 and eat his  bread at home1     
raised it a little2 the men who sought  
,hosea's life in  the sanctuary1 raised 
it further2 so did those who put        
,jeremiah in the  dungeon1 and those who
 murdered ,zechariah between the temple 
and the  altar4 ,when ,jesus was nailed 

to the cross1 the cup was full to the   
brim4 ,when those whom ,he left behind  
to be ,his witnesses1 and to  preach    
repentance and remission of sins to an  
men1 beginning at  ,jerusalem1 were     
expelled or put to death1 it ran over4  
,god could bear  no more4 ,side by side 
with the cup of iniquity the cup of     
judgment had  been filling also2 and    
they overflowed together4 ,even when    
,paul wrote  he could say1 ,the wrath is
 come upon them to the very end4#h      
,it is not easy to explain the precise  
force of these words4 ,they seem  to    
point definitely#i to some event1 or    
some act of ,god1 in which ,his  wrath  
had been unmistakably made manifest4 ,to
 suppose that the fall of  ,jerusalem is
 meant is to deny that ,paul wrote the  
words4 ,all that is  certain is that the
 ,apostle saw in the signs of the times 
some  infallible token that the nation's
 day of grace had come to an end4       
,perhaps some excess of a ,roman        
procurator1 now forgotten2 perhaps one  

of those famines that desolated ,juda in
 that unhappy age2 perhaps the  recent  
edict of ,claudius1 expelling all ,jews 
from ,rome1 and betraying  the temper of
 the supreme power2 perhaps the coming  
shadow of an awful  doom1 obscure in    
outline1 but none the less inevitable1  
gave shape to  the expression4 ,the     
,jews had failed1 in their day1 to      
recognise the  things that belonged to  
their peace2 and now they were hid from 
their  eyes4 ,they had disregarded every
 presage of the coming storm2 and at    
length the clouds that could not be     
charmed away had accumulated over  their
 heads1 and the fire of ,god was ready  
to leap out4    ,this striking passage  
embodies certain truths to which we do  
well to  give heed4 ,it shows us that   
there is such a thing as a national     
character4 ,in the providential         
government of ,god a nation is not an   
aggregate of individuals1 each one of   
whom stands apart from the rest2  it is 
a corporation with a unity1 life and    

spirit of its own4 ,within  that unity  
there may be a conflict of forces1 a    
struggle of good with  evil1 of higher  
with lower tendencies1 just as there is 
in the  individual soul2 but there will 
be a preponderance on one side or the   
other2 and that side to which the       
balance leans will prevail more and     
more4 ,in the vast spirit of the nation1
 as in the spirit of each man  or woman1
 through the slow succession of         
generations as in the swift  succession 
of years1 character gradually assumes   
more fixed and  definite form4 ,there is
 a process of development1 interrupted  
perhaps  and retarded by such conflicts 
as ,i have referred to1 but bringing    
out all the more decisively and         
irreversibly the inmost spirit of the   
whole4 ,there is nothing which the proud
 and the weak more dread than           
inconsistency2 there is nothing1        
therefore1 which is so fatally  certain 
to happen as what has happened already4 
,the ,jews resented from  the first the 

intrusion of ,god's word into their     
lives2 they had  ambitions and ideas of 
their own1 and in its corporate action  
the  nation was uniformly hostile to the
 prophets4 ,it beat one and killed      
another and stoned a third2 it was of a 
different spirit from them1  and from   
,him who sent them2 and the longer it   
lived1 the more like  itself1 the more  
unlike ,god1 it became4 ,it was the     
climax of its sin1  yet only the        
climax--for it had previously taken     
every step that led  to that eminence in
 evil--when it slew the ,lord ,jesus4   
,and when it was  ripe for judgment1    
judgment fell upon it as a whole4    ,it
 is not easy to speak impartially about 
our own country and its  character2 yet 
such a character there undoubtedly is1  
just as there is  such a unity as the   
,british nation4 ,many observers tell us
 that the  character has degenerated    
into a mere instinct for trade2 and that
 it  has begotten a vast                
unscrupulousness in dealing with the    

weak4 ,nobody  will deny that there is a
 protesting conscience in the nation1 a 
voice  which pleads in ,god's name for  
justice1 as the prophets pled in        
,israel2 but the question is not whether
 such a voice is audible1 but  whether  
in the corporate acts of the nation it  
is obeyed4 ,the state  ought to be a    
,christian state4 ,the nation ought to  
be conscious of a  spiritual vocation1  
and to be animated with the spirit of   
,christ4 ,in  its dealings with other   
powers1 in its relations to savage or   
half-civilised peoples1 in its care for 
the weak among its own  citizens1 it    
should acknowledge the laws of justice  
and of mercy4 ,we  have reason to thank 
,god that in all these matters          
,christian sentiment  is beginning to   
tell4 ,the opium trade with ,china1 the 
liquor trade  with the natives of       
,africa1 the labour trade in the ,south 
,seas1 the  dwellings of the poor1 the  
public-house system with its deliberate 
fostering of drunkenness1 all these are 

matters in regard to which the  nation  
was in danger of settling into permanent
 hostility to ,god1 and  in which there 
is now hope of better things4 ,the wrath
 which is the  due and inevitable       
accompaniment of such hostility1 when   
persisted in1  has not come on us to the
 very end2 ,god has given us opportunity
 to  rectify what is amiss1 and to deal 
with all our interests in the  spirit of
 the ,new ,testament4 ,let no one be    
backward or indifferent  when so great a
 work is in hand4 ,the heritage of sin  
accumulates if it  is not put away by   
well doing2 and with sin1 judgment4 ,it 
is for us to  learn by the word of ,god 
and the examples of history that the    
nation  and kingdom that will not serve 
,him shall perish4    ,finally1 this    
passage shows us the last and worst form
 which sin can  assume1 in the words    
forbidding us to speak to the ,gentiles 
that they  should be saved4 ,nothing is 
so completely ungodly1 so utterly unlike
  ,god and opposed to ,him1 as that     

spirit which grudges others the good    
things which it prizes for itself4 ,when
 the ,jewish nation set itself          
relentlessly to prohibit the extension  
of the gospel to the  ,gentiles--when   
the word was passed round the synagogues
 from head  quarters that this renegade 
,paul1 who was summoning the pagans to  
become the people of ,god1 was to be    
thwarted by fraud or violence--,god's   
patience was exhausted4 ,such selfish   
pride was the very negation of  ,his    
love2 the ne plus ultra of evil4 ,yet   
nothing is more easy and  natural than  
for men who have occupied a position of 
privilege to  indulge this temper4 ,an  
imperial nation1 which boasts of its    
freedom1  grudges such freedom to       
others2 it seems to lose the very       
consciousness  of being free1 unless    
there is a subject people over which it 
can  tyrannise4 ,in many relations of   
minor consequence1 political and        
social1 we have cause to make this      
reflection4 ,do not think that what  is 

good for you1 is anything else than good
 for your neighbour4 ,if you  are a     
better man because you have a           
comfortable home1 leisure1  education1  
interest in public affairs1 a place in  
the church1 so would  he be4 ,above all1
 if the gospel of ,christ is to you the 
pearl above  all price1 take care how   
you grudge that to any human soul4 ,this
 is  not an unnecessary caution4 ,the   
criticism of missionary methods1 which  
may be legitimate enough1 is interrupted
 too often by the suggestion  that such 
and such a race is not fit for the      
gospel4 ,nobody who knows  what the     
gospel is will ever make such a         
suggestion2 but we have all  heard it   
made1 and we see from this passage what 
it means4 ,it is the  mark of a heart   
which is deeply estranged from ,god1 and
 ignorant of  the ,golden ,rule which   
embodies both gospel and law4 ,let us   
rather be  imitators of the great man   
who first entered into the spirit of    
,christ1 and discovered the open secret 

of ,his life and death1--the  mystery of
 redemption--that the heathen should be 
heirs with ,god's  ancient people1 and  
of the same body1 and partakers of the  
same  promises4 ,whatsoever ye would    
that men should do unto you1 do ye even 
so to them4    #h ,weiss renders   im   
hchsten ,masse4    #i ,observe the      
aorist 4          ,,vii4    ,,absence   
,,and ,,longing4       ,but we1         
brethren1 being bereaved of you for a   
short season1 in   presence1 not in     
heart1 endeavoured the more exceedingly 
to see your   face with great desire3   
because we would fain have come unto    
you1 ,i   ,paul once and again2 and     
,satan hindered us4 ,for what is our    
hope1 or   joy1 or crown of glorying8   
,are not even ye1 before our ,lord      
,jesus at   ,his coming8 ,for ye are our
 glory and our joy4 ,wherefore when we  
could   not longer forbear1 we thought  
it good to be left behind at ,athens    
alone2 and sent ,timothy1 our brother   
and ,god's minister in the gospel   of  

,christ1 to establish you1 and to       
comfort you concerning your   faith2    
that no man be moved by these           
afflictions2 for yourselves know   that 
hereunto we are appointed4 ,for verily1 
when we were with you1 we   told you    
beforehand that we are to suffer        
affliction2 even as it came   to pass1  
and ye know4 ,for this cause ,i also1   
when ,i could no longer   forbear1 sent 
that ,i might know your faith1 lest by  
any means the   tempter had tempted you1
 and our labour should be in vain4--#a  
,,thess4   ii4 #ag-;iii4 #e 7,r4,v474   
,the ,apostle has said all that he means
 to say of the opposition of the  ,jews 
to the gospel1 and in the verses before 
us turns to his own  relations to the   
,thessalonians4 ,he had been compelled  
to leave their  city against his will2  
they themselves had escorted him by     
night to  ,bera4 ,he cannot find words  
strong enough to describe the pain of   
separation4 ,it was a bereavement1      
although he hoped it would only last    

for a short time4 ,his heart was with   
them as truly as if he were still       
bodily present in ,thessalonica4 ,his   
strongest desire was to look upon  their
 faces once more4    ,here we ought to  
notice again the power of the gospel to 
create new  relations and the           
corresponding affections4 ,a few months 
before ,paul  had not known a single    
soul in ,thessalonica2 if he had been   
only a  travelling tent-maker1 he might 
have stayed there as long as he did1    
and then moved on with as little emotion
 as troubles a modern gipsy  when he    
shifts his camp2 but coming as a        
,christian evangelist1 he  finds or     
rather makes brothers1 and feels his    
enforced parting from  them like a      
bereavement4 ,months after1 his heart is
 sore for those  whom he has left       
behind4 ,this is one of the ways in     
which the gospel  enriches life2 hearts 
that would otherwise be empty and       
isolated are  brought by it into living 
contact with a great circle whose nature

 and  needs are like their own2 and     
capacities1 that would otherwise have   
been unsuspected1 have free course for  
development4 ,no one knows what  is in  
him2 and1 in particular1 no one knows of
 what love1 of what  expansion of heart 
he is capable1 till ,christ has made    
real to him  those relations to others  
by which his duties are determined1 and 
all  his powers of thought and feeling  
called forth4 ,only the ,christian man  
can ever tell what it is to love with   
all his heart and soul and  strength and
 mind4    ,such an experience as shines 
through the words of the ,apostle in    
this  passage furnishes the key to one  
of the best known but least  understood 
words of our ,saviour4 ,verily ,i say   
unto you1 said ,jesus  to the twelve1   
there is no man that hath left house1 or
 wife1 or  brethren1 or parents1 or     
children1 for the ,kingdom of ,god's    
sake1 who  shall not receive manifold   
more in this time1 and in the world to  
come  eternal life4 ,these words might  

almost stand for a description of       
,paul4 ,he had given up everything for  
,christ's sake4 ,he had no home1  no    
wife1 no child2 as far as we can see1 no
 brother or friend among  all his old   
acquaintances4 ,yet we may be sure that 
not one of those  who were most richly  
blessed with all these natural relations
 and  natural affections knew better    
than he what love is4 ,no father ever   
loved his children more tenderly1       
fervently1 austerely and  unchangeably  
than ,paul loved those whom he had      
begotten in the gospel4  ,no father was 
ever rewarded with affection more       
genuine1 obedience  more loyal1 than    
many of his converts rendered to him4   
,even in the  trials of love1 which     
search it1 and strain it1 and bring out 
its  virtues to perfection--in          
misunderstandings1 ingratitude1         
wilfulness1  suspicion--he had an       
experience with blessings of its own in 
which he  surpassed them all4 ,if love  
is the true wealth and blessedness of   

our  life1 surely none was richer or    
more blessed than this man1 who had     
given up for ,christ's sake all those   
relations and connections through  which
 love naturally comes4 ,christ had      
fulfilled to him the promise  just      
quoted2 ,he had given him a hundredfold 
in this life1 houses and  brothers and  
sisters and mothers and children4 ,it   
would have been  nothing but loss to    
cling to the natural affections and     
decline the  lonely apostolic career4   
,there is something wonderfully vivid in
 the idea which ,paul gives of  his love
 for the ,thessalonians4 ,his mind is   
full of them2 he imagines  all the      
circumstances of trial and danger in    
which they may be placed2  if he could  
only be with them at need6 ,he seems to 
follow them as a  woman follows with her
 thoughts the son who has gone alone to 
a  distant town2 she remembers him when 
he goes out in the morning1  pities him 
if there are any circumstances of       
hardship in his work1  pictures him busy

 in shop or office or street1 looks at  
the clock when  he ought to be home for 
the day2 wonders where he is1 and with  
what  companions1 in the evening2 and   
counts the days till she will see him   
again4 ,the ,christian love of the      
,apostle1 which had no basis at all in  
nature1 was as real as this2 and it is a
 pattern for all those who try  to serve
 others in the gospel4 ,the power of the
 truth1 as far as its  ministers are    
concerned1 depends on its being spoken  
in love2 unless  the heart of the       
preacher or teacher is really pledged to
 those to  whom he speaks1 he cannot    
expect but to labour in vain4    ,paul  
is anxious that the ,thessalonians      
should understand the strength  of his  
feeling4 ,it was no passing fancy4 ,on  
two separate occasions he  had          
determined to revisit them1 and had     
felt1 apparently1 some  peculiar        
malignity in the circumstances which    
foiled him4 ,satan1 he  says1 hindered  
us4    ,this is one of the expressions  

which strike us as remote from our      
present modes of thought4 ,yet it is not
 false or unnatural4 ,it  belongs to    
that profound biblical view of life1    
according to which all  the opposing    
forces in our experience have at bottom 
a personal  character4 ,we speak of the 
conflict of good and evil1 as if good   
and  evil were powers with an existence 
of their own1 but the moment we  think  
of it we see that the only good force in
 the world is the force  of a good will1
 and the only bad force the force of a  
bad will2 in  other words1 we see that  
the conflict of good and evil is        
essentially  a conflict of persons4     
,good persons are in conflict with bad  
persons2  and so far as the antagonism  
comes to a head1 ,christ1 the ,new      
,testament teaches1 is in conflict with 
,satan4 ,these persons are the  centres 
of force on one side and on the other2  
and the ,apostle  discerns1 in incidents
 of his life which have now been lost to
 us1 the  presence and working now of   

this1 and now of that4 ,an instructive  
illustration is really furnished by a   
passage in ,acts which seems at  the    
first glance of a very different        
purport4 ,it is in the #afth chap41  vv4
 #f-aj1 in which the historian describes
 the route of the ,apostle  from the    
,east to ,europe4 ,they were forbidden  
of the ,holy ,ghost to  speak the word  
in ,asia 444 they assayed to go into    
,bithynia2 and  the ,spirit of ,jesus   
suffered them not 444 ,paul saw a       
vision1 after  which they sought to go  
forth into ,macedonia1 concluding that  
,god  had called them to preach the     
gospel unto them4 ,here1 we might       
almost say1 the three ,divine ,persons  
are referred to as the source of        
intimations directing and controlling   
the course of the gospel2 yet it  is    
evident1 from the last mentioned1 that  
such intimations might come  in the     
shape of any event providentially       
ordered1 and that the  interpretation of
 them depended on those to whom they    

came4 ,the  obstacles which checked     
,paul's impulse to preach in ,asia and  
in  ,bithynia he recognised to be of    
,divine appointment2 those which        
prevented him from returning to         
,thessalonica were of ,satanic origin4  
,we do not know what they were2 perhaps 
a plot against his life1 which  made the
 journey dangerous2 perhaps some sin or 
scandal that detained  him in ,corinth4 
,at all events it was the doing of the  
enemy1 who in  this world1 of which     
,paul does not hesitate to call him the 
god1 has  means enough at his disposal  
to foil1 though he cannot overcome1 the 
saints4    ,it is a delicate operation1 
in many cases1 to interpret outward     
events1 and say what is the source and  
what the purpose of this or  that4      
,moral indifference may blind us2 but   
those who are in the thick  of the moral
 conflict have a swift and sure instinct
 for what is  against them or on their  
side2 they can tell at once what is     
,satanic  and what is ,divine4 ,as a    

rule1 the two forces will show in their 
strength at the same time2 a great door 
and effectual is opened unto  me1 and   
there are many adversaries3 each is a   
foil to the other4  ,what we ought to   
remark in this connection is the        
fundamental  character of all moral     
action4 ,it is not a figure of speech to
 say  that the world is the scene of    
incessant spiritual conflict2 it is the 
literal truth4 ,and spiritual conflict  
is not simply an interaction of  forces2
 it is the deliberate antagonism of     
persons to each other4 ,when  we do what
 is right1 we take ,christ's side in a  
real struggle2 when we  do what is      
wrong1 we side with ,satan4 ,it is a    
question of personal  relations2 to     
whose will do ,i add my own8 to whose   
will do ,i oppose my  own8 ,and the     
struggle approaches its close for each  
of us as our will  is more thoroughly   
assimilated to that of one or other of  
the two  leaders4 ,do not let us dwell  
in generalities which disguise from us  

the seriousness of the issue4 ,there is 
a place in one of his epistles  in which
 ,paul uses just such abstract terms as 
we do in speaking of  this matter4 ,what
 fellowship1 he asks1 have righteousness
 and  iniquity8 or what communion hath  
light with darkness8 ,but he clinches   
the truth by bringing out the personal  
relations involved1 when he  goes on1   
,and what concord hath ,christ with     
,belial8 or what portion  hath a        
believer with an unbeliever8 ,these are 
the real quantities  concerned--all     
persons3 ,christ and ,belial1 believers 
and unbelievers2  all that happens is at
 bottom ,christian or ,satanic2 all that
 we do is  on the side of ,christ or on 
the side of the great enemy of our      
,lord4    ,the recollection of the      
,satanic hindrances to his visit does   
not  detain the ,apostle more than a    
moment2 his heart overflows them to     
those whom he describes as his hope and 
joy and crown of glorying in  the day of
 the ,lord ,jesus4 ,the form of words#aj

 implies that these  titles are not the 
property of the ,thessalonians only2 yet
 at the same  time1 that if they belong 
to anybody1 they belong to them4    ,it 
is almost a pity to analyse words which 
are spoken out of the  abundance of the 
heart2 yet we pass over the surface1 and
 lose the  sense of their truth1 unless 
we do so4 ,what then does ,paul mean    
when  he calls the ,thessalonians his   
hope8 ,every one looks at least a       
certain distance into the future1 and   
projects something into it to  give it  
reality and interest to himself4 ,that  
is his hope4 ,it may be  the returns he 
expects from investments of money2 it   
may be the  expansion of some scheme he 
has set on foot for the common good2 it 
may be his children1 on whose love and  
reverence1 or on whose  advancement in  
life1 he counts for the happiness of his
 declining  years4 ,paul1 we know1 had  
none of these hopes2 when he looked down
  into the future he saw no fortune     
growing secretly1 no peaceful           

retirement in which the love of sons and
 daughters would surround him  and call 
him blessed4 ,yet his future was not    
dreary or desolate2 it  was bright with 
a great light2 he had a hope that made  
life abundantly  worth living1 and that 
hope was the ,thessalonians4 ,he saw    
them in his  mind's eye grow daily out  
of the lingering taint of heathenism    
into  the purity and love of ,christ4   
,he saw them1 as the discipline of      
,god's  providence had its perfect work 
in them1 escape from the immaturity of  
babes in ,christ1 and grow in the grace 
and in the knowledge of our  ,lord and  
,saviour to the measure of the stature  
of perfect men4 ,he saw  them presented 
faultless in the presence of the ,lord's
 glory in the  great day4 ,that was     
something to live for4 ,to witness that 
spiritual  transformation which he had  
inaugurated carried on to completion    
gave  the future a greatness and a worth
 which made the ,apostle's heart leap   
for joy4 ,he is glad when he thinks of  

his children walking in the  truth4     
,they are a chaplet of victory of which 
he may justly make his  boast2 he is    
prouder of them than a king of his      
crown1 or a champion  in the games of   
his wreath4    ,such words might well be
 charged with extravagance if we omitted
 to  look at the connection in which    
they stand4 ,what is our hope1 or joy1  
or crown of glorying8 ,are not even ye1 
before our ,lord ,jesus at ,his  coming8
 ,before our ,lord ,jesus at ,his       
coming3 this is the presence1  this the 
occasion1 with which ,paul confronts1 in
 imagination1 his hope  and joy and     
triumph4 ,they are such as give him     
confidence and  exultation even as he   
thinks of the great event which will try
 all  common hopes and put them to      
shame4    ,none of us1 it may be        
presumed1 is without hope when he looks 
into the  future2 but how far does our  
future extend8 ,for what situation is   
provision made by the hope that we      
actually cherish8 ,the one certain      

event of the future is that we shall    
stand before our ,lord ,jesus1 at  ,his 
coming2 can we acknowledge there with   
joy and boasting the hope on  which our 
heart is at present set8 ,can we carry  
into that presence the  expectation     
which at this moment gives us courage to
 look down the  years to come8 ,not     
every one can4 ,there are multitudes of 
human hopes  which terminate on material
 things1 and expire with ,christ's      
coming2  it is not these that can give  
us joy at last4 ,the only hope whose    
light is not dimmed by the brightness of
 ,christ's appearing is the             
disinterested spiritual hope of one who 
has made himself the servant  of others 
for ,jesus' sake1 and has lived to see  
and aid their growth  in the ,lord4 ,the
 fire which tries every man's work of   
what sort it is1  brings out the        
imperishable worth of this4 ,the ,old   
,testament as well  as the ,new tells us
 that souls saved and sanctified are the
 one hope  and glory of men in the great

 day4 ,they that be wise shall shine as 
the brightness of the firmament1 and    
they that turn many to  righteousness as
 the stars for ever and ever4 ,it is a  
favourite  thought of the ,apostle      
himself3 appear as lights in the world1 
holding forth the word of life1 that ,i 
may have whereof to glory in  the day of
 ,christ4 ,even the ,lord ,himself1 as  
he looks at the men  whom ,he has       
gathered out of the world1 can say1 ,i  
am glorified in  them4 ,it is ,his      
glory1 as the ,father's servant1 that   
,he has sought and  found and sanctified
 ,his ,church4    ,we ought not to pass 
by such fervent utterances as if they   
must mean  less than they say4 ,we ought
 not1 because our own hold on the circle
  of ,christian facts is weak1 to glide 
over the qualification1 before  our     
,lord ,jesus at ,his coming1 as if it   
were without any solid  meaning4 ,the   
,bible is verbally inspired at least in 
the sense that  nothing in it is otiose2
 every word is meant4 ,and we miss the  

main  lesson of this passage1 if we do  
not ask ourselves whether we have any   
hope which is valid on the grand        
occasion in question4 ,your future may  
be secured as far as this world is      
concerned4 ,your investments may be  as 
safe as the ,national debt2 the loyalty 
and virtue of your children  all that   
heart could wish2 you are not afraid of 
poverty1 loneliness1  age4 ,but what of 
our ,lord ,jesus1 and ,his coming8 ,will
 your hope be  worth anything before    
,him1 at that day8 ,you do not know how 
near it  is4 ,for some it may be very   
near4 ,there are people in every        
congregation who know they cannot live  
ten years4 ,no one knows that he  will  
live so long4 ,and all are summoned to  
take that great event into  their view  
of the future1 and to make ready for it4
 ,is it not a fine  thing to think that1
 if we do so1 we can look forward to the
 coming of  our ,lord ,jesus with hope  
and joy and triumph8    ,the intensity  
of ,paul's love for the ,thessalonians  

made his longing to  see them           
intolerable2 and after being twice      
baffled in his attempts to  revisit them
 he sent ,timothy in his stead4 ,rather 
than be without news  of them he was    
content to be left in ,athens alone4 ,he
 mentions this as  if it had been a     
great sacrifice1 and probably it was so 
for him4 ,he  seems to have been in many
 ways dependent on the sympathy and     
assistance of others2 and1 of all places
 he ever visited1 ,athens was  the most 
trying to his ardent temperament4 ,it   
was covered with idols  and exceedingly 
religious2 yet it seemed to him more    
hopelessly away  from ,god than any city
 in the world4 ,never had he been left  
alone in a  place so unsympathetic2     
never had he felt so great a gulf fixed 
between others' minds and his own2 and  
,timothy had no sooner gone than  he    
made his way to ,corinth1 where his     
messenger found him on his  return4     
,the object of this mission is          
sufficiently plain from what has been   

already said4 ,the ,apostle knew the    
troubles that had beset the             
,thessalonians2 and it was ,timothy's   
function to establish them and to       
comfort them concerning their faith1    
that no man should be moved by  these   
afflictions4 ,the word translated moved 
occurs only this once  in the ,new      
,testament1 and the meaning is not quite
 certain4 ,it may be  quite as general  
as our version represents it2 but it may
 also have a  more definite sense1 viz41
 that of allowing oneself to be         
befooled1 or  flattered out of one's    
faith1 in the midst of tribulations4    
,besides  the vehement enemies who      
pursued ,paul with open violence1 there 
may  have been others who spoke of him  
to the ,thessalonians as a mere         
enthusiast1 the victim in his own person
 of delusions about a  resurrection and 
a life to come1 which he sought to      
impose upon  others2 and who1 when      
affliction came on the ,church1 tried by
 appeals  of this sort to wheedle the   

,thessalonians out of their faith4 ,such
 a  situation would answer very exactly 
to the peculiar word here used4  ,but   
however this may be1 the general        
situation was plain4 ,the ,church  was  
suffering2 suffering is a trial which   
not every one can bear2 and  ,paul was  
anxious to have some one with them who  
had learned the  elementary ,christian  
lesson1 that it is inevitable4 ,the     
disciples had  not1 indeed1 been taken  
by surprise4 ,the ,apostle had told them
 before  that to this lot ,christians   
were appointed2 we are destined1 he     
says1  to suffer affliction4            
,nevertheless1 it is one thing to know  
this by  being told1 and another to know
 it1 as the ,thessalonians now did1 by  
experience4 ,the two things are as      
different as reading a book about a     
trade1 and serving an apprenticeship to 
it4    ,the suffering of the good       
because they are good is mysterious1 in 
part  because it has the two aspects    
here made so manifest4 ,on the one hand1

  it comes by ,divine appointment2 it is
 the law under which the ,son of  ,god  
,himself and all ,his followers live4   
,but on the other hand1 it is  capable  
of a double issue4 ,it may perfect those
 who endure it as  ordained by ,god2 it 
may bring out the solidity of their     
character1 and  redound to the glory of 
their ,saviour2 or it may give an       
opening to  the tempter to seduce them  
from a path so full of pain4 ,the one   
thing  of which ,paul is certain is1    
that the salvation of ,christ is cheaply
  purchased at any price of affliction4 
,christ's life here and hereafter  is   
the supreme good2 the one thing needful1
 for which all else may be  counted     
loss4    ,this possible double issue of 
suffering--in higher goodness1 or in the
  abandonment of the narrow             
way--explains the difference of tone    
with  which ,scripture speaks of it in  
different places4 ,with the happy issue 
in view1 it bids us count it all joy    
when we fall into divers  temptations2  

blessed1 it exclaims1 is the man who    
endures2 for when he  is found proof1 he
 shall receive the crown of life4 ,but  
with human  weakness in view1 and the   
terrible consequences of failure1 it    
bids us  pray1 ,lead us not into        
temptation1 but deliver us from the evil
 one4  ,the true ,christian will seek1  
in all the afflictions of life1 to      
combine the courage and hope of the one 
view with the humility and  fear of the 
other4    #aj   '''    2                
,,viii4    ,,love ,,and ,,prayers4      
,but when ,timothy came even now unto us
 from you1 and brought us glad   tidings
 of your faith and love1 and that ye    
have good remembrance of   us always1   
longing to see us1 even as we also to   
see you2 for this   cause1 brethren1 we 
were comforted over you in all our      
distress and   affliction through your  
faith3 for now we live1 if ye stand fast
 in   the ,lord4 ,for what thanksgiving 
can we render again unto ,god for you1  
for all the joy wherewith we joy for    

your sakes before our ,god2 night   and 
day praying exceedingly that we may see 
your face1 and may   perfect that which 
is lacking in your faith8 ,now may our  
,god and   ,father ,himself1 and our    
,lord ,jesus1 direct our way unto you3  
and the   ,lord make you to increase and
 abound in love one toward another1 and 
toward all men1 even as we also do      
toward you2 to the end ,he may          
stablish your hearts unblameable in     
holiness before our ,god and ,father1   
at the coming of our ,lord ,jesus with  
all ,his saints4--#a ,,thess4 iii4      
#f-ac 7,r4,v474    ,these verses present
 no peculiar difficulty to the          
expositor4 ,they  illustrate the remark 
of ,bengel that the ,first ,epistle to  
the  ,thessalonians is characterised by 
a kind of unmixed sweetness1--a  quality
 which is insipid to those who are      
indifferent to the relations  in which  
it is displayed1 but which can never    
lose its charm for  simple1 kindly1     
,christian hearts4    ,it is worth      

observing that ,paul wrote to the       
,thessalonians the moment  ,timothy     
returned4#aa ,such promptitude has not  
only a business value1  but a moral and 
,christian worth as well4 ,it not only  
prevents arrears  from accumulating2 it 
gives those to whom we write the first  
and  freshest feelings of the heart4 ,of
 course one may write hastily1 as  well 
as speak hastily2 a living critic has   
had the audacity to say  that if ,paul  
had kept the ,epistle to the ,galatians 
long enough to read  it over1 he would  
have thrown it into the fire2 but most  
of our faults  as correspondents arise1 
not from precipitation1 but from undue  
delay4 ,where our hearts prompt us to   
speak or to write1 let us dread         
procrastination as a sin4 ,the letter of
 congratulation or condolence  is       
natural and in place1 and it will be    
inspired by true feeling1 if  it is     
written when the sad or joyful news has 
touched the heart with  genuine         
sympathy2 but if it is put on till a    

more convenient season1  it will never  
be done as it ought to be4 ,how fervent 
and hearty is the  language in which    
,paul here expresses himself4 ,the news 
that ,timothy  has brought from         
,thessalonica is a veritable gospel to  
him4 ,it has  comforted him in all his  
necessities and distresses2 it has      
brought  him new life2 it has been an   
indescribable joy4 ,if he had not       
written  for a fortnight1 we should have
 missed this rebound of gladness2 and   
what is more serious1 the ,thessalonians
 would have missed it4  ,cold-hearted   
people may think they would have        
survived the loss2 but  it is a loss    
which the cold hearted cannot estimate4 
,who can doubt  that1 when this letter  
was read in the little congregation at  
,thessalonica1 the hearts of the        
disciples warmed again to the great     
teacher who had been among them1 and to 
the message of love which he  had       
preached8 ,the gospel is wonderfully    
commended by the manifestation  of its  

own spirit in its ministers1 and the    
love of ,paul to the  ,thessalonians no 
doubt made it easier for them to believe
 in the love  of ,god1 and to love one  
another4 ,for good1 as well as for evil1
 a  little spark can kindle a great     
fire2 and it would only be natural if   
the burning words of this letter kindled
 the flame of love anew in  hearts in   
which it was beginning to die4    ,there
 were two causes for ,paul's joy1--one  
larger and more public2 the  other1     
proper to himself4 ,the first was the   
faith and love of the  ,thessalonians1  
or1 as he calls it further on1 their    
standing fast in  the ,lord2 the other  
was their affectionate and faithful     
remembrance of  him1 their desire1      
earnestly reciprocated on his part1 to  
see his face  once more4    ,the        
visitation of a ,christian congregation 
by a deputy from ,synod or  ,assembly is
 sometimes embarrassing3 no one knows   
exactly what is  wanted2 a schedule of  
queries1 filled up by the minister or   

the  office-bearers1 is a painfully     
formal affair1 which gives little real  
knowledge of the health and spirit of   
the ,church4 ,but ,timothy was one  of  
the founders of the church at           
,thessalonica2 he had an affectionate   
and natural interest in it2 he came at  
once into close contact with  its real  
condition1 and found the disciples full 
of faith and love4  ,faith and love are 
not easily calculated and registered2   
but where  they exist in any power1 they
 are easily felt by a ,christian man4   
,they  determine the temperature of the 
congregation2 and a very short          
experience enables a true disciple to   
tell whether it is high or low4  ,to the
 great joy of ,timothy1 he found the    
,thessalonians unmistakably  ,christian4
 ,they were standing fast in the ,lord4 
,christ was the basis1  the centre1 the 
soul of their life4 ,their faith is     
mentioned twice1  because that is the   
most comprehensive word to describe the 
new life  in its root2 they still kept  

their hold of the ,word of ,god in the  
gospel2 no one could live among them and
 not feel that unseen things  were real 
to their souls2 ,god and ,christ1 the   
resurrection and the  coming judgment1  
the atonement and the final salvation1  
were the great  forces which ruled their
 thoughts and lives4 ,faith in these    
distinguished them from their ,pagan    
neighbours4 ,it made them a  ,christian 
congregation1 in which an ,evangelist   
like ,timothy at once  found himself at 
home4 ,the common faith had its most    
signal exhibition  in love2 if it       
separated the brethren from the rest of 
the world1 it  united them more closely 
to each other4 ,every one knows what    
love is  in a family1 and how different 
the spiritual atmosphere is1 according  
as love reigns or is disregarded in the 
relations of the household4 ,in  some   
homes1 love does reign3 parents and     
children1 brothers and  sisters1 masters
 and servants1 bear themselves          
beautifully to each  other2 it is a     

delight to visit them2 there is openness
 and  simplicity1 sweetness of temper1 a
 willingness to deny self1 a  readiness 
to be interested in others1 no          
suspicion1 reserve1 or gloom2  there is 
one mind and one heart in old and young1
 and a brightness  like the sunshine4   
,in others1 again1 we see the very      
opposite3  friction1 self-will1         
captiousness1 mutual distrust1 readiness
 to  suspect or to sneer1 a painful     
separation of hearts that should be     
one4 ,and the same holds good of        
churches1 which are in reality large    
families1 united not by natural but by  
spiritual bonds4 ,we ought all  to be   
friends4 ,there ought to be a spirit of 
love shed abroad in our  hearts1 drawing
 us to each other in spite of natural   
differences1  giving us an unaffected   
interest in each other1 making us frank1
  sincere1 cordial1 self-denying1 eager 
to help where help is needed and  it is 
in our power to render it1 ready to     
resign our own liking1 and  our own     

judgment even1 to the common mind and   
purpose of the ,church4  ,these two     
graces of faith and love are the very   
soul of the ,christian  life4 ,it is    
good news to a good man to hear that    
they exist in any  church4 ,it is good  
news to ,christ4    ,but besides this   
more public cause for joy1 which ,paul  
shared to some  extent with all         
,christian men1 there was another more  
private to  himself1--their good        
remembrance of him1 and their earnest   
desire to  see him4 ,paul wrought for   
nothing but love4 ,he did not care for  
money  or for fame2 but a place in the  
hearts of his disciples was dear to  him
 above everything else in the world4 ,he
 did not always get it4  ,sometimes     
those who had just heard the gospel from
 his lips1 and  welcomed its glad       
tidings1 were prejudiced against him2   
they deserted  him for more attractive  
preachers2 they forgot1 amid the        
multitude of  their ,christian          
instructors1 the father who had begotten

 them in the  gospel4 ,such occurrences1
 of which we read in the ,epistles to   
the  ,corinthians and ,galatians1 were a
 deep grief to ,paul2 and though he     
says to one of these thankless churches1
 ,i will very gladly spend and  be spent
 for you1 though the more abundantly ,i 
love you the less ,i be  loved1 he says 
also1 ,brethren1 receive us2 make room  
for us in your  hearts2 our heart has   
been opened wide to you4 ,he hungered   
and thirsted for an answer of love to   
all the love which he lavished  on his  
converts2 and his heart leapt up when   
,timothy returned from  ,thessalonica1  
and told him that the disciples there   
had good  remembrance of him1 that is1  
spoke of him with love1 and longed to   
see  him once more4 ,nobody is fit to be
 a servant of ,christ in any degree1  as
 parent1 or teacher1 or elder1 or       
pastor1 who does not know what  this    
craving for love is4 ,it is not         
selfishness3 it is itself one side  of  
love4 ,not to care for a place in the   

hearts of others2 not to wish  for love1
 not to need it1 not to miss it if it is
 wanting1 does not  signify that we are 
free from selfishness or vanity3 it is  
the mark of  a cold and narrow heart1   
shut up in itself1 and disqualified for 
any  service the very essence of which  
is love4 ,the thanklessness or          
indifference of others is not a reason  
why we should cease to serve  them2 yet 
it is apt to make the attempt at service
 heartless2 and if  you would encourage 
any who have ever helped you in your    
spiritual  life1 do not forget them1 but
 esteem them very highly in love for    
their works' sake4    ,when ,timothy    
returned from ,thessalonica1 he found   
,paul sorely in need  of good news4 ,he 
was beset by distress and affliction2   
not inward or  spiritual troubles1 but  
persecutions and sufferings1 which      
befell him  from the enemies of the     
gospel4 ,so extreme was his distress    
that he  even speaks of it by           
implication as death4 ,but the glad     

tidings of  ,thessalonian faith and love
 swept it at once away4 ,they brought   
comfort1 joy1 thanksgiving1 life from   
the dead4 ,how intensely1 we are        
compelled to say1 did this man live his 
apostolic life6 ,what depths  and       
heights are in it2 what depression1 not 
stopping short of despair2  what hope1  
not falling short of triumph4 ,there are
 ,christian workers  in multitudes whose
 experience1 it is to be feared1 gives  
them no key  to what we read here4      
,there is less passion in their life in 
a year  than there was in ,paul's in a  
day2 they know nothing of these         
transitions from distress and affliction
 to unspeakable joy and  praise4 ,of    
course all men are not alike2 all       
natures are not equally  impressible2   
but surely all who are engaged in work  
which asks the  heart or nothing should 
suspect themselves if they go on from   
week to  week and year to year with     
heart unmoved8 ,it is a great thing to  
have  part in a work which deals with   

men for their spiritual interests--which
  has in view life and death1 ,god and  
,christ1 salvation and judgment4  ,who  
can think of failures and               
discouragements without pain and fear8  
who can hear the glad tidings of victory
 without heartfelt joy8 ,is it  not     
those only who have neither part nor lot
 in the matter8    ,the ,apostle in the 
fulness of his joy turns with devout    
gratitude  toward ,god4 ,it is ,he who  
has kept the ,thessalonians from        
falling1 and  the only return the       
,apostle can make is to express his     
thankfulness4  ,he feels how unworthy   
words are of ,god's kindness2 how       
unequal even to  his own feelings2 but  
they are the first recompense to be     
made1 and he  does not withhold them4   
,there is no surer mark of a truly pious
 spirit  than this grateful mood4 ,every
 good gift and every perfect gift is    
from above2 most directly and           
immediately are all gifts like love and 
faith to be referred to ,god as their   

source1 and to call forth the  thanks   
and praise of those who are interested  
in them4 ,if ,god does  little for us1  
giving us few signs of ,his presence and
 help1 may it  not be because we have   
refused to acknowledge ,his kindness    
when ,he has  interposed on our behalf8 
,whoso offereth praise1 ,he says1       
glorifieth  ,me4 ,in everything give    
thanks4    ,paul's love for the         
,thessalonians did not blind him to     
their  imperfections4 ,it was their     
faith which comforted him in all his    
distress1 yet he speaks of the          
deficiencies of their faith as          
something he sought to remedy4 ,in one  
sense1 faith is a very simple  thing1   
the setting of the heart right with ,god
 in ,christ ,jesus4 ,in  another1 it is 
very comprehensive4 ,it has to lay hold 
on the whole  revelation which ,god has 
made in ,his ,son1 and it has to pass   
into  action through love in every      
department of life4 ,it is related on   
the  one side to knowledge1 and on the  

other to conduct4 ,now ,timothy saw     
that while the ,thessalonians had the   
root of the matter in them1 and  had set
 themselves right with ,god1 they were  
far from perfect4 ,they  were ignorant  
of much which it concerned ,christians  
to know2 they had  false ideas on many  
points in regard to which ,god had given
 light4  ,they had much to do before    
they could be said to have escaped from 
the  prejudices1 the instincts1 and the 
habits of heathenism1 and to have       
entered completely into the mind of     
,christ4 ,in later chapters we shall    
find the ,apostle rectifying what was   
amiss in their notions both of  truth   
and duty2 and1 in doing so1 opening up  
to us the lines on which  defective     
faith needs to be corrected and         
supplemented4    ,but we should not pass
 by this notice of the deficiencies of  
faith  without asking ourselves whether 
our own faith is alive and  progressive4
 ,it may be quite true and sound in     
itself2 but what if it  never gets any  

further on8 ,it is in its nature an     
engrafting into  ,christ1 a setting of  
the soul into a vital connection with   
,him2 and if  it is what it should be1  
there will be a transfusion1 by means of
 it1  of ,christ into us4 ,we shall get 
a larger and surer possession of the    
mind of ,christ1 which is the standard  
both of spiritual truth and of          
spiritual life4 ,his thoughts will be   
our thoughts2 ,his judgment1 our        
judgment2 ,his estimates of life and the
 various elements in it1 our  estimates2
 ,his disposition and conduct1 the      
pattern and the  inspiration of ours4   
,faith is a little thing in itself1 the 
smallest  of small beginnings2 in its   
earliest stage it is compatible with a  
high degree of ignorance1 of            
foolishness1 of insensibility in the    
conscience2 and hence the believer must 
not forget that he is a  disciple2 and  
that though he has entered the school of
 ,christ1 he has  only entered it1 and  
has many classes to pass through1 and   

much to  learn and unlearn1 before he   
can become a credit to his ,teacher4 ,an
  ,apostle coming among us would in all 
likelihood be struck with  manifest     
deficiencies in our faith4 ,this aspect 
of the truth1 he would  say1 is         
overlooked2 this vital doctrine is not  
really a vital piece of  your minds2 in 
your estimate of such and such a thing  
you are betrayed  by worldly prejudices 
that have survived your conversion2 in  
your  conduct in such and such a        
situation you are utterly at variance   
with  ,christ4 ,he would have much to   
teach us1 no doubt1 of truth1 of right  
and wrong1 and of our ,christian        
calling2 and if we wish to remedy the   
defects of our faith1 we must give heed 
to the words of ,christ and ,his        
,apostles1 so that we may not only be   
engrafted into ,him1 but grow up  into  
,him in all things1 and become perfect  
men in ,christ ,jesus4    ,in view of   
their deficiencies1 ,paul prayed        
exceedingly that he might  see the      

,thessalonians again2 and conscious of  
his own inability to  overcome the      
hindrances raised in his path by ,satan1
 he refers the  whole matter to ,god4   
,may our ,god and ,father ,himself1 and 
our ,lord  ,jesus ,christ1 direct our   
way unto you4 ,certainly in that prayer 
the  person directly addressed is our   
,god and ,father ,himself2 our ,lord    
,jesus ,christ is introduced in         
subordination to ,him2 yet what a       
dignity  is implied in this             
juxtaposition of ,god and ,christ6      
,surely the name of  a merely human     
creature1 even if such could be exalted 
to share the  throne of ,god1 could not 
possibly appear in this connexion4 ,it  
is not  to be overlooked that both in   
this and in the similar passage in #b   
,thess4 ii4 #af f41 where ,god and      
,christ are named side by side1 the     
verb is in the singular number4 ,it is  
an involuntary assent of the  ,apostle  
to the word of the ,lord1 ,i and ,my    
,father are one4 ,we can  understand why

 ,he added in this place our ,lord      
,jesus ,christ to our  ,god and ,father4
 ,it was not only that all power was    
given to the ,son  in heaven and on     
earth2 but that1 as ,paul well knew from
 that day on  which the ,lord arrested  
him by ,damascus1 the ,saviour's heart  
beat in  sympathy with ,his suffering   
,church1 and would surely respond to any
  prayer on its behalf4 ,nevertheless1  
he leaves the result to ,god2 and  even 
if he is not permitted to come to them1 
he can still pray for  them1 as he does 
in the closing verses of the chapter3   
,the ,lord make  you to increase and    
abound in love one toward another1 and  
toward all  men1 even as we also do     
toward you2 to the end ,he may stablish 
your  hearts unblameable in holiness    
before our ,god and ,father1 at the     
coming of our ,lord ,jesus with all ,his
 saints4    ,here it is distinctly      
,christ who is addressed in prayer2 and 
what the  ,apostle asks is that ,he may 
make the ,thessalonians increase and    

abound  in love4 ,love1 he seems to say1
 is the one grace in which all others   
are comprehended2 we can never have too 
much of it2 we can never have  enough4  
,the strong words of the prayer really  
ask that the  ,thessalonians may be     
loving in a superlative degree1         
overflowing with  love4 ,and notice the 
aspect in which love is here presented  
to us3 it  is a power and an exercise of
 our own souls certainly1 yet we are not
  the fountain of it2 it is the ,lord   
who is to make us rich in love4  ,the   
best commentary on this prayer is the   
word of the ,apostle in  another letter3
 ,the love of ,god hath been shed abroad
 in our hearts  through the ,holy ,ghost
 which was given unto us4 ,we love1     
because ,he  first loved us4 ,in        
whatever degree love exists in us1 ,god 
is its  source2 it is like a faint      
pulse1 every separate beat of which     
tells  of the throbbing of the heart2   
and it is only as ,god imparts ,his     
,spirit to us more fully that our       

capacity for loving deepens and         
expands4 ,when that ,spirit springs up  
within us1 an inexhaustible  fountain1  
then rivers of living water1 streams of 
love1 will overflow  on all around4 ,for
 ,god is love1 and he that dwells in    
love dwells in  ,god1 and ,god in him4  
,paul seeks love for his converts as the
 means by which their hearts  may be    
established unblameable in holiness4    
,that is a notable  direction for those 
in search of holiness4 ,a selfish1      
loveless heart  can never succeed in    
this quest4 ,a cold heart is not        
unblameable1 and  never will be2 it is  
either pharisaical or foul1 or both4    
,but love  sanctifies4 ,often we only   
escape from our sins by escaping from   
ourselves2 by a hearty1 self-denying1   
self-forgetting interest in  others4 ,it
 is quite possible to think so much     
about holiness as to put  holiness out  
of our reach3 it does not come with     
concentrating thought  upon ourselves at
 all2 it is the child of love1 which    

kindles a fire in  the heart in which   
faults are burnt up4 ,love is the       
fulfilling of the  law2 the sum of the  
ten commandments2 the end of all        
perfection4 ,do  not let us imagine that
 there is any other holiness than that  
which is  thus created4 ,there is an    
ugly kind of faultlessness which is     
always  raising its head anew in the    
,church2 a holiness which knows nothing 
of  love1 but consists in a sort of     
spiritual isolation1 in censoriousness1 
in holding up one's head and shaking off
 the dust of one's feet  against        
brethren1 in conceit1 in condescension1 
in sanctimonious  separateness from the 
freedom of common life1 as though one   
were too  good for the company which    
,god has given him3 all this is as      
common in  the ,church as it is plainly 
condemned in the ,new ,testament4 ,it is
 an  abomination in ,god's sight4       
,except your righteousness1 says        
,christ1  exceed this1 ye shall in no   
wise enter into the kingdom of heaven4  

,love exceeds it infinitely1 and opens  
the door which is closed to  every other
 claim4    ,the kingdom of heaven comes 
before the ,apostle's mind as he writes4
  ,the ,thessalonians are to be         
blameless in holiness1 not in the       
judgment  of any human tribunal1 but    
before our ,god and ,father1 at the     
coming of  our ,lord ,jesus ,christ with
 all ,his saints4 ,at the end of each of
 these  three chapters this great event 
has risen into view4 ,the coming of our 
,lord ,jesus ,christ is a scene of      
judgment for some2 of joy and glory  for
 others2 of imposing splendour for all4 
,many think that the last  words here1  
with all ,his saints1 refer to the      
angels1 and ,zech4 xiv4  #e1--,the ,lord
 my ,god shall come1 and all the saints 
with ,thee1--in  which angels are       
undoubtedly meant1 has been quoted in   
support of this  view2 but such a use of
 saints would be unexampled in the ,new 
,testament4#ab ,the ,apostle means the  
dead in ,christ1 who1 as he  explains in

 a later chapter1 will swell the ,lord's
 train at ,his  coming4 ,the            
instinctiveness with which ,paul recurs 
to this great event  shows how large a  
place it filled in his creed and in his 
heart4 ,his  hope was a hope of         
,christ's second coming2 his joy was a  
joy which  would not pale in that awful 
presence2 his holiness was a holiness to
  stand the test of those searching     
eyes4 ,where has this supreme motive    
gone in the modern ,church8 ,is not this
 one point in which the  apostolic word 
bids us perfect that which is lacking in
 our faith8    #aa  is naturally taken  
with 3 as by ,ellicott4    #ab ,yet see 
,jude #ad1 quoting from ,enoch4         
,,ix4    ,,personal ,,purity4           
,finally then1 brethren1 we beseech and 
exhort you in the ,lord ,jesus1   that1 
as ye received of us how ye ought to    
walk and to please ,god1   even as ye do
 walk1--that ye abound more and more4   
,for ye know what   charge we gave you  
through the ,lord ,jesus4 ,for this is  

the will of   ,god1 even your           
sanctification1 that ye abstain from    
fornication2   that each one of you know
 how to possess himself of his own      
vessel in   sanctification and honour1  
not in the passion of lust1 even as the 
,gentiles which know not ,god2 that no  
man transgress1 and wrong his   brother 
in the matter3 because the ,lord is an  
avenger in all these   things1 as also  
we forewarned you and testified4 ,for   
,god called us   not for uncleanness1   
but in sanctification4 ,therefore he    
that   rejecteth1 rejecteth not man1 but
 ,god1 who giveth ,his ,holy ,spirit    
unto you4--#a ,,thess4 iv4 #a-h         
7,r4,v474    ,the finally with which    
this chapter opens is the beginning of  
the  end of the ,epistle4 ,the personal 
matter which has hitherto occupied us   
was the immediate cause of the          
,apostle's writing2 he wished to open   
his heart to the ,thessalonians1 and to 
vindicate his conduct against  the      
insidious accusations of his enemies2   

and having done so1 his main  purpose is
 fulfilled4 ,for what remains--this is  
the meaning of  finally--he has a few   
words to say suggested by ,timothy's    
report  upon their state4    ,the       
previous chapter closed with a prayer   
for their growth in love1  with a view  
to their establishment in holiness4 ,the
 prayer of a good  man avails much in   
its working2 but his prayer of          
intercession cannot  secure the result  
it seeks without the co-operation of    
those for whom  it is made4 ,paul1 who  
has besought the ,lord on their behalf1 
now  beseeches the ,thessalonians       
themselves1 and exhorts them in the     
,lord  ,jesus1 to walk as they had been 
taught by him4 ,the gospel1 we see  from
 this passage1 contains a new law2 the  
preacher must not only do  the work of  
an evangelist1 proclaiming the glad     
tidings of  reconciliation to ,god1 but 
the work of a catechist also1 enforcing 
on  those who receive the glad tidings  
the new law of ,christ4 ,this is in     

accordance with the final charge of the 
,saviour3 ,go and make  disciples of all
 nations1 baptizing them in the name of 
the ,father and  of the ,son and of the 
,holy ,ghost1 teaching them to observe  
all things  whatsoever ,i have commanded
 you4 ,the ,apostle had followed this   
,divine  order2 he had made disciples in
 ,thessalonica1 and then he had taught  
them how to walk and to please ,god4 ,we
 who have been born in a  ,christian    
country1 and bred on the ,new           
,testament1 are apt to think  that we   
know all these things2 our conscience   
seems to us a sufficient  light4 ,we    
ought to know that1 though conscience is
 universal in the  human race1 and      
everywhere distinguishes between a right
 and a wrong1  there is not one of our  
faculties which is more in need of      
enlightenment4 ,no one doubts that men  
who have been converted from            
heathenism1 like the ,thessalonians1 or 
the fruits of modern missions  in       
,nyassaland or ,madagascar1 need to be  

taught what kind of life  pleases ,god2 
but in some measure we all need such    
teaching4 ,we have  not been true to    
conscience2 it is set in our human      
nature like the  unprotected compass in 
the early iron ships3 it is exposed to  
influences from other parts of our      
nature which bias and deflect it        
without our knowledge4 ,it needs to be  
adjusted to the holy will of  ,god1 the 
unchangeable standard of right1 and     
protected against  disturbing forces4   
,in ,thessalonica ,paul had laid down   
the new law1 he  says1 through the ,lord
 ,jesus4 ,if it had not been for ,him1  
we should  have been without the        
knowledge of it altogether2 we should   
have had  no adequate conception of the 
life with which ,god is well pleased4   
,but  such a life is exhibited to us in 
the ,gospels2 its spirit and            
requirements can be deduced from        
,christ's example1 and are explicitly   
set forth in ,his words4 ,he left us an 
example1 that we should follow  in ,his 

steps4 ,follow ,me1 is the sum of ,his  
commandments2 the one  all-embracing law
 of the ,christian life4    ,one of the 
subjects of which we should gladly know 
more is the use of  the ,gospels in the 
early ,church2 and this passage gives us
 one of the  earliest glimpses of it4   
,the peculiar mention of the ,lord      
,jesus in the  second verse shows that  
the ,apostle used the words and example 
of the  ,master as the basis of his     
moral teaching2 the mind of ,christ is  
the  norm for the ,christian conscience4
 ,and if it be true that we still  need 
enlightenment as to the claims of ,god  
and the law of life1 it is  here we must
 seek it4 ,the words of ,jesus have     
still their old  authority4 ,they still 
search our hearts1 and show us all      
things that  ever we did1 and their     
moral worth or worthlessness4 ,they     
still reveal  to us unsuspected ranges  
of life and action in which ,god is not 
yet  acknowledged4 ,they still open to  
us gates of righteousness1 and call  on 

us to enter in1 and subdue new          
territories to ,god4 ,the man who is    
most advanced in the life which pleases 
,god1 and whose conscience is  most     
nearly identical with the mind of       
,christ1 will be the first to  confess  
his constant need of1 and his constant  
dependence upon1 the  word and example  
of the ,lord ,jesus4    ,in addressing  
the ,thessalonians1 ,paul is careful to 
recognise their  actual obedience4 ,ye  
do walk1 he writes1 according to this   
rule4 ,in  spite of sins and            
imperfections1 the church1 as a whole1  
had a  ,christian character2 it was     
exhibiting human life in ,thessalonica  
on  the new model2 and while he hints   
that there is room for indefinite       
progress1 he does not fail to notice    
their present attainments4 ,that  is a  
rule of wisdom1 not only for those who  
have to censure or to  teach1 but for   
all who wish to judge soberly the state 
and prospects  of the ,church4 ,we know 
the necessity there is for abounding    

more and  more in ,christian obedience2 
we can see in how many directions1      
doctrinal and practical1 that which is  
lacking in faith requires to be         
perfected2 but we need not therefore be 
blind to the fact that it is  in the    
,church that the ,christian standard is 
held up1 and that  continuous1 and not  
quite unsuccessful efforts1 are made to 
reach it4  ,the best men in a community1
 those whose lives come nearest to      
pleasing ,god1 are to be found among    
those who are identified with the       
gospel2 and if the worst men in the     
community are also found in the  ,church
 at times1 that is because the          
corruption of the best is worst4  ,if   
,god has not cast off ,his ,church      
altogether1 ,he is teaching her to  do  
,his will4    ,for this1 the ,apostle   
proceeds1 is the will of ,god1 even your
  sanctification4 ,it is assumed here   
that the will of ,god is the law1  and  
ought to be the inspiration1 of the     
,christian4 ,god has taken him  out of  

the world that he may be ,his1 and live 
in ,him and for ,him4 ,he  is not his   
own any longer2 even his will is not his
 own2 it is to be  caught up and made   
one with the will of ,god2 and that is  
sanctification4 ,no human will works    
apart from ,god to this end of          
holiness4 ,the other influences which   
reach it1 and bend it into accord  with 
them1 are from beneath1 not from above2 
as long as it does not  recognise the   
will of ,god as its rule and support1 it
 is a carnal1  worldly1 sinful will4    
,but the will of ,god1 to which it is   
called to  submit1 is the saving of the 
human will from this degradation4 ,for  
the  will of ,god is not only a law to  
which we are required to conform1 it  is
 the one great and effective moral power
 in the universe1 and it  summons us to 
enter into alliance and co-operation    
with itself4 ,it is  not a dead thing2  
it is ,god ,himself working in us in    
furtherance of  ,his good pleasure4 ,to 
tell us what the will of ,god is1 is not

 to tell  us what is against us1 but    
what is on our side2 not the force which
 we  have to encounter1 but that on     
which we can depend4 ,if we set out on  
an un-,christian life1 on a career of   
falsehood1 sensuality1  worldliness1    
,god is against us2 if we go to         
perdition1 we go breaking  violently    
through the safeguards with which ,he   
has surrounded us1  overpowering the    
forces by which ,he seeks to keep us in 
check2 but if  we set ourselves to the  
work of sanctification1 ,he is on our   
side4 ,he  works in us and with us1     
because our sanctification is ,his will4
 ,paul  does not mention it here to     
dishearten the ,thessalonians1 but to   
stimulate them4 ,sanctification is the  
one task which we can face  confident   
that we are not left to our own         
resources4 ,god is not the  taskmaster  
we have to satisfy out of our own poor  
efforts1 but the  holy and loving       
,father who inspires and sustains us    
from first to  last4 ,to fall in with   

,his will is to enlist all the spiritual
 forces  of the world in our aid2 it is 
to pull with1 instead of against1 the   
spiritual tide4    ,in the passage      
before us the ,apostle contrasts our    
sanctification with  the cardinal vice  
of heathenism1 impurity4 ,above all     
other sins1 this  was characteristic of 
the ,gentiles who knew not ,god4 ,there 
is  something striking in that          
description of the pagan world in this  
connection3 ignorance of ,god was at    
once the cause and the effect of  their 
vileness2 had they retained ,god in     
their knowledge1 they could  never have 
sunk to such depths of shame2 had they  
shrunk from  pollution with instinctive 
horror1 they would never have been      
abandoned to such ignorance of ,god4 ,no
 one who is not familiar with  ancient  
literature can have the faintest idea of
 the depth and breadth  of the          
corruption4 ,not only in writers        
avowedly immoral1 but in the  most      
magnificent works of a genius as lofty  

and pure as ,plato1 there  are pages    
that would stun with horror the most    
hardened profligate in  ,christendom4   
,it is hardly an exaggeration to say    
that on the whole  matter in question   
the heathen world was without           
conscience3 it had  sinned away its     
sense of the difference between right   
and wrong2 to  use the words of the     
,apostle in another passage1 being past 
feeling  men had given themselves up to 
work all manner of uncleanness4 ,they   
gloried in their shame4 ,frequently1 in 
his epistles1 ,paul combines  this vice 
with covetousness1--the two together    
representing the great  interests of    
life to the ungodly1 the flesh and the  
world4 ,those who  do not know ,god and 
live for ,him1 live1 as he saw with     
fearful  plainness1 to indulge the flesh
 and to heap up gain4 ,some think that  
in the passage before us this           
combination is made1 and that ver4      
#f--that no man go beyond and defraud   
his brother in any  matter--is a        

prohibition of dishonesty in business2  
but that is  almost certainly#ac a      
mistake4 ,as the ,revised ,version      
shows1 the  ,apostle is speaking of the 
matter in hand2 in the ,church          
especially1  among brethren in ,christ1 
in the ,christian home1 the uncleanness 
of  heathenism can have no place4       
,marriage is to be sanctified4 ,every   
,christian1 marrying in the ,lord1 is to
 exhibit in his home-life the           
,christian law of sanctification and    
noble self-respect4    ,the ,apostle    
adds to his warning against sensuality  
the terrible  sanction1 ,the ,lord is an
 avenger in all these things4 ,the want 
of  conscience in the heathen world     
generated a vast indifference on this   
point4 ,if impurity was a sin1 it was   
certainly not a crime4 ,the laws  did   
not interfere with it2 public opinion   
was at best neutral2 the  unclean person
 might presume upon impunity4 ,to a     
certain extent this  is the case still4 
,the laws are silent1 and treat the     

deepest guilt as  a civil offence4      
,public opinion is indeed stronger and  
more hostile  than it once was1 for the 
leaven of ,christ's kingdom is actively 
at  work in society2 but public opinion 
can only touch open and notorious       
offenders1 those who have been guilty of
 scandal as well as of sin2  and secrecy
 is still tempted to count upon         
impunity4 ,but here we are  solemnly    
warned that the ,divine law of purity   
has sanctions of its own  above any     
cognisance taken of offences by man4    
,the ,lord is an avenger  in all these  
things4 ,because of these things cometh 
the wrath of ,god  upon the sons of     
disobedience4    ,is it not true8 ,they 
are avenged on the bodies of the sinful4
  ,whatsoever a man soweth1 that shall  
he also reap4 ,the holy law of  ,god1   
wrought into the very constitution of   
our bodies1 takes care that  we do not  
violate it without paying the penalty4  
,if it is not at the  moment1 it is in  
the future1 and with interest1--in      

premature old age2  in the torpor which 
succeeds all spendthrift feats1 excesses
 of man's  prime2 in the sudden         
break-down under any strain put on      
either  physical or moral courage4 ,they
 are avenged in the soul4 ,sensual      
indulgence extinguishes the capacity for
 feeling3 the profligate man  would     
love1 but cannot2 all that is inspiring1
 elevating1 redeeming in  the passions  
is lost to him2 all that remains is the 
dull sense of  that incalculable loss4  
,were there ever sadder lines written   
than  those in which ,burns1 with his   
life ruined by this very thing1 writes  
to a young friend and warns him against 
it8      ,i wave the quantum o' the sin1
      ,the hazard o' concealing2    ,but
 ,och6 it hardens a' within1      ,and  
petrifies the feeling4    ,this inward  
deadening is one of the most terrible   
consequences of  immorality2 it is so   
unexpected1 so unlike the anticipations 
of  youthful passion1 so stealthy in its
 approach1 so inevitable1 so            

irreparable4 ,all these sins are avenged
 also in the will and in the  spiritual 
nature4 ,most men repent of their early 
excesses2 some never  cease to repent4  
,repentance1 at least1 is what it is    
habitually  called2 but that is not     
really repentance which does not        
separate the  soul from sin4 ,that      
access of weakness which comes upon the 
back of  indulgence1 that break-down of 
the soul in impotent self-pity1 is no   
saving grace4 ,it is a counterfeit of   
repentance unto life1 which  deludes    
those whom sin has blinded1 and which1  
when often enough  repeated1 exhausts   
the soul and leaves it in despair4 ,is  
there any  vengeance more terrible than 
that8 ,when ,christian was about to     
leave the ,interpreter's house1 ,stay1  
said the ,interpreter1 till ,i  have    
showed thee a little more1 and after    
that thou shalt go on thy  way4 ,what   
was the sight without which ,christian  
was not allowed to  start upon his      
journey8 ,it was the ,man of ,despair1  

sitting in the  iron cage1--the man who1
 when ,christian asked him ,how camest  
thou in  this condition8 made answer3 ,i
 left off to watch and be sober2 ,i     
laid the reins upon the neck of my      
lusts2 ,i sinned against the light  of  
the word and the goodness of ,god2 ,i   
have grieved the ,spirit1 and ,he  is   
gone2 ,i tempted the devil1 and he is   
come to me2 ,i have provoked  ,god to   
anger1 and ,he has left me2 ,i have so  
hardened my heart that ,i  cannot       
repent4 ,this is no fancy picture3 it is
 drawn to the life2 it  is drawn from   
the life2 it is the very voice and tone 
in which many a  man has spoken who has 
lived an unclean life under the cloak of
 a  ,christian profession4 ,they who do 
such things do not escape the  avenging 
holiness of ,god4 ,even death1 the      
refuge to which despair so  often       
drives1 holds out no hope to them4      
,there remaineth no more a  sacrifice   
for sin1 but a fearful expectation of   
judgment4    ,the ,apostle dwells upon  

,god's interest in purity4 ,he is the   
avenger of  all offences against it2 but
 vengeance is ,his strange work4 ,he has
  called us with a calling utterly alien
 to it1--not based on  uncleanness or   
contemplating it1 like some of the      
religions in  ,corinth1 where ,paul     
wrote this letter2 but having           
sanctification1  purity in body and in  
spirit1 for its very element4 ,the idea 
of  calling is one which has been much  
degraded and impoverished in  modern    
times4 ,by a man's calling we usually   
understand his trade1  profession1 or   
business1 whatever it may be2 but our   
calling in  ,scripture is something     
quite different from this4 ,it is our   
life  considered1 not as filling a      
certain place in the economy of society1
  but as satisfying a certain purpose in
 the mind and will of ,god4 ,it is  a   
calling in ,christ ,jesus2 apart from   
,him it could not have  existed4 ,the   
,incarnation of the ,son of ,god2 ,his  
holy life upon the  earth2 ,his victory 

over all our temptations2 ,his          
consecration of our  weak flesh to ,god2
 ,his sanctification1 by ,his own       
sinless experience1  of our childhood1  
youth1 and manhood1 with all their      
unconsciousness1  their bold            
anticipations1 their sense of power1    
their bent to  lawlessness and pride2   
,his agony and ,his death upon the      
,cross2 ,his  glorious resurrection and 
ascension1--all these were necessary    
before  we could be called with a       
,christian calling4 ,can any one imagine
 that  the vices of heathenism1 lust or 
covetousness1 are compatible with a     
calling like this8 ,are they not        
excluded by the very idea of it8 ,it    
would repay us1 ,i think1 to lift that  
noble word calling from the  base uses  
to which it has descended2 and to give  
it in our minds the  place it has in the
 ,new ,testament4 ,it is ,god who has   
called us1 and ,he  has called us in    
,christ ,jesus1 and therefore called us 
to be saints4  ,flee1 therefore1 all    

that is unholy and unclean4    ,in the  
last verse of the paragraph the ,apostle
 urges both his appeals  once more3 he  
recalls the severity and the goodness of
 ,god4    ,therefore he that rejecteth1 
rejecteth not man1 but ,god4 ,rejecteth 
is a contemptuous word2 in the margin of
 the ,authorised ,version it is         
rendered1 as in some other places in    
,scripture1 despiseth4 ,there are  such 
things as sins of ignorance2 there are  
cases in which the  conscience is       
bewildered2 even in a ,christian        
community the vitality  of conscience   
may be low1 and sins1 therefore1 be     
prevalent1 without  being so deadly to  
the individual soul2 but that is never  
true of the  sin before us4 ,to commit  
this sin is to sin against the light4   
,it is  to do what every one in contact 
with the ,church knows1 and from the    
beginning has known1 to be wrong4 ,it is
 to be guilty of deliberate1  wilful1   
high-handed contempt of ,god4 ,it is    
little to be warned by an  apostle or a 

preacher2 it is little to despise him3  
but behind all  human warnings is the   
voice of ,god2 behind all human         
sanctions of the  law is ,god's         
inevitable vengeance2 and it is that    
which is braved by  the impure4 ,he that
 rejecteth1 rejecteth not man1 but ,god4
    ,but ,god1 we are reminded again in 
the last words1 is not against us1  but 
on our side4 ,he is the ,holy ,one1 and 
an avenger in all these  things2 but ,he
 is also the ,god of ,salvation1 our    
deliverer from them  all1 who gives ,his
 ,holy ,spirit unto us4 ,the words put  
in the  strongest light ,god's interest 
in us and in our sanctification4 ,it is 
our sanctification ,he desires2 to this 
,he calls us2 for this ,he works  in us4
 ,instead of shrinking from us1 because 
we are so unlike ,him1 ,he  puts ,his   
,holy ,spirit into our impure hearts1   
,he puts ,his own strength  within our  
reach that we may lay hold upon it1 ,he 
offers us ,his hand  to grasp4 ,it is   
this searching1 condescending1 patient1 

omnipotent  love1 which is rejected by  
those who are immoral4 ,they grieve the 
,holy  ,spirit of ,god1 that ,spirit    
which ,christ won for us by ,his atoning
  death1 and which is able to make us   
clean4 ,there is no power which can     
sanctify us but this2 nor is there any  
sin which is too deep or too  black for 
the ,holy spirit to overcome4 ,hearken  
to the words of the  ,apostle in another
 place3 ,be not deceived3 neither       
fornicators1 nor  idolaters1 nor        
adulterers1 nor effeminate1 nor abusers 
of themselves  with men1 nor thieves1   
nor covetous1 nor drunkards1 nor        
revilers1 nor  extortioners1 shall      
inherit the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,and such 
were some of  you3 but ye were washed1  
but ye were sanctified1 but ye were     
justified  in the ,name of the ,lord    
,jesus ,christ1 and in the ,spirit of   
our ,god4    #ac ,still ,i do not feel  
quite certain 7in spite of #b ,cor4 ii4 
#aa7  that  and  in ,st4 ,paul can refer
 to anything  but covetousness4 ,this is

 the view taken by ,schmidt1 who refers 
to the  combination1 in #a ,cor4 v4 #aj1
 vi4 #aj1 of  with   and 4 ,if it is    
correct1    must be translated  in      
business2 dass in geschftlichen ,dingen 
,keiner ausschreite und  seinen ,bruder 
ausbeute4 ,certainly the combination of 
sensuality and  avarice as the cardinal 
vices of heathendom is characteristic of
 the  ,apostle4          ,x4            
,,charity ,,and ,,independence4         
,but concerning love of the brethren ye 
have no need that one write   unto you3 
for ye yourselves are taught of ,god to 
love one another2   for indeed ye do it 
toward all the brethren which are in all
   ,macedonia4 ,but we exhort you1      
brethren1 that ye abound more and more2 
and that ye study to be quiet1 and to do
 your own business1 and to   work with  
your hands1 even as we charged you2 that
 ye may walk   honestly toward them that
 are without1 and may have need of      
nothing4--#a ,,thess4 iv4 #i-ab         
7,r4,v474    ,when the gospel first came

 abroad in the world1 two               
characteristics of  its adherents       
attracted general attention1 namely1    
personal purity and  brotherly love4    
,amid the gross sensuality of           
heathenism1 the ,christian  stood out   
untainted by indulgence of the flesh2   
amid the utter  heartlessness of pagan  
society1 which made no provision for the
 poor1  the sick1 or the aged1 the      
,church was conspicuous for the close   
union  of its members and their         
brotherly kindness to each other4       
,personal  purity and brotherly love    
were the notes of the ,christian and of 
the  ,christian community in the early  
days2 they were the new and             
regenerating virtues which the ,spirit  
of ,christ had called into  existence in
 the heart of a dying world4 ,the       
opening verses of this  chapter enforce 
the first2 those at present before us   
treat of the  second4    ,concerning    
love of the brethren ye have no need    
that one write unto  you3 for ye        

yourselves are taught of ,god to love   
one another4 ,the  principle1 that is1  
of brotherly love is of the very essence
 of  ,christianity2 it is not a remote  
consequence of it which might easily  be
 overlooked unless it were pointed out4 
,every believer is taught of  ,god to   
love the brother who shares his faith2  
such love is the best  and only         
guarantee of his own salvation2 as the  
,apostle ,john writes1  ,we know that we
 have passed out of death into life1    
because we love  the brethren4 ,it is   
perhaps not unnecessary to remark that1 
in the  ,new ,testament1 brethren means 
fellow-,christians1 and not fellow-men4 
,we have duties to all men1 which the   
,bible does not fail to  recognise and  
enforce2 we are one with them in the    
nature ,god has  given us1 and the great
 alternatives life sets before us2 and  
that  natural unity is the basis of     
duties which all owe to each other4     
,honour all men4 ,but the ,church of    
,christ creates new relations  between  

its members1 and with these new         
relations mutual obligations  still more
 strong and binding4 ,god ,himself is   
the ,saviour of all1  specially of them 
that believe2 and ,christians in like   
manner are  bound1 as they have         
opportunity1 to do good unto all men1   
but  specially to those who are of the  
household of faith4 ,this is not        
sufficiently considered by most         
,christian people2 who1 if they looked  
into the matter1 might find that few of 
their strongest affections  were        
determined by the common faith4 ,is not 
love a strong and peculiar  word to     
describe the feeling you cherish toward 
some members of the  ,church1 brethren  
to you in ,christ ,jesus8 yet love to   
the brethren is  the very token of our  
right to a place in the ,church for     
ourselves4  ,he that loveth not knoweth 
not ,god2 for ,god is love4    ,these   
words of ,john give us the key to the   
expression taught of ,god  to love one  
another4 ,it is not likely that they    

refer to anything so  external as the   
words of ,scripture1 ,thou shalt love   
thy neighbour as  thyself4 ,even in the 
,old ,testament1 to be taught of ,god   
was something  more spiritual than this2
 it was the same thing as to have the   
law  written on the heart4 ,that is what
 the ,apostle has in view here4 ,the    
,christian has been born again1 born of 
,god2 he has a new nature1 with  new    
instincts1 a new law1 a new spontaneity2
 it is now native to him  to love4      
,until the ,spirit of ,god enters into  
men's hearts and  recreates them1 life  
is a war of all against all2 man is a   
wolf to  man2 but in the ,church that   
internecine strife has ended1 for its   
members are the children of ,god1 and   
every one that loveth ,him that  begat  
loveth him also that is begotten of     
,him4 ,the selfishness of  man's nature 
is veiled1 and to some extent repressed1
 in other  societies2 but it is not1 as 
a principle1 exterminated except in the 
,church and by the ,spirit of ,christ4  

,a family ought to be an unselfish      
place1 ruled only by and fostering the  
spirit of love2 yet if ,christ  be not  
there1 what selfish passions assert     
themselves in spite of all  restraint4  
,any association working for the common 
good--a town council  even--ought to be 
an unselfish body2 yet how often1 in    
such places1 is  rivalry conspicuous and
 self-seeking1 and envy1 and detraction1
 and  all that is unlike ,christ4 ,in   
the ,church which has been taught of    
,god1  or1 in other words1 which has    
learned of ,christ1 we find at least    
some  manifestations of a better spirit4
 ,it does contain people who love one   
another because they are ,christians2   
who are unselfish1 giving way to  each  
other1 esteeming each other1 helping    
each other2 if it contained  none such1 
it would not be a ,church at all4       
,the brotherly love of the early ,church
 was not only visible to the  world2 it 
was its great recommendation in the     
world's eyes4 ,it had  brought a new    

thing into being1 a thing for which the 
world was  pining1 namely1 vital        
society4 ,the poor people in the cities 
of ,asia  and ,europe saw with wonder1  
joy1 and hope1 men and women united to  
one  another in a spiritual union1 which
 gave scope to all their gifts for      
society1 and satisfied all their desires
 for it4 ,the early ,christian  churches
 were little companies of people where  
love was at a high  temperature1 where  
outward pressure very often tightened   
the inward  bonds1 and where mutual     
confidence diffused continual joy4 ,men 
were  drawn to them irresistibly by the 
desire to share this life of love4  ,it 
is the very same force which at this    
moment draws those who are  outcasts    
from society into the ,salvation ,army4 
,whatever the failings  of that         
organisation may be1 its members are as 
brothers2 the sense of  union1 of mutual
 obligation1 of mutual confidence1 in   
one word1 of  brotherly love1 is very   
strong2 and souls that pine for that    

atmosphere are drawn to it with         
overpowering force4 ,it is not good for 
man to be alone2 it is vain for him to  
seek the satisfaction of his  social    
instincts in any of the casual1 selfish1
 or sinful associations  by which he is 
often betrayed3 even the natural        
affection of the  family1 pure and      
strong as it may be1 does not answer to 
the width of  his spiritual nature2 his 
heart cries out for that society founded
 on  brotherly love which only the      
,church of ,christ provides4 ,if there  
is  one thing more than another which   
explains the ,church's failure in       
missionary work1 it is the absence of   
this spirit of love among her  members4 
,if men were compelled to cry still1 as 
in the early days of  the gospel1       
,behold these ,christians1 how they love
 one another1 they  would not be able to
 remain outside4 ,their hearts would    
kindle at the  glow1 and all that       
hindered their incorporation would be   
burned up4    ,the ,apostle acknowledges

 the progress of the ,thessalonians4    
,they show  this brotherly love to all  
the brethren that are in all ,macedonia2
 but  he beseeches them to abound more  
and more4 ,nothing is more  inconsistent
 with the gospel than narrowness of mind
 or heart1  however often ,christians   
may belie their profession by such      
vices4  ,perhaps of all churches in the 
world1 the church of our own country is 
as much in need of this admonition as   
any1 and more than most4 ,would  it not 
be higher praise than some of us        
deserve1 to say that we loved  with     
brotherly cordiality all the ,christian 
churches in ,britain1 and  wished them  
,god speed in their ,christian work8    
,and as for churches  outside our native
 land1 who knows anything about them8   
,there was a  time when all the         
,protestant churches in ,europe were    
one1 and lived on  terms of brotherly   
intimacy2 we sent ministers and         
professors to  congregations and        
colleges in ,france1 ,germany1 and      

,holland1 and took  ministers and       
professors from the ,continent          
ourselves2 the heart of  the ,church was
 enlarged towards brethren whom it has  
now completely  forgotten4 ,this change 
has been to the loss of all concerned2  
and if  we would follow the ,apostle's  
advice1 and abound more and more in this
  supreme grace1 we must wake up to take
 an interest in brethren beyond  the    
,british ,isles4 ,the ,kingdom of       
,heaven has no boundaries that could  be
 laid down on a map1 and the brotherly  
love of the ,christian is  wider than   
all patriotism4 ,but this truth has a   
special side connected  with the        
situation of the ,apostle4 ,paul wrote  
these words from  ,corinth1 where he was
 busily engaged in planting a new       
church1 and  they virtually bespeak the 
interest of the ,thessalonians in that  
enterprise4 ,christian brotherly love is
 the love which ,god ,himself  implants 
in the heart2 and the love of ,god has  
no limitations4 ,it goes  out into all  

the earth1 even to the end of the world4
 ,it is an ever  advancing1 ever        
victorious force2 the territory in which
 it reigns  becomes continually wider   
and wider4 ,if that love abounds in us  
more  and more1 we shall follow with    
live and growing interest the work of   
,christian missions4 ,few of us have any
 idea of the dimensions of that  work1  
and of the nature of its successes4 ,few
 of us have any  enthusiasm for it4 ,few
 of us do anything worth mentioning to  
help it  on4 ,not very long ago the     
whole nation was shocked by the         
disclosures  about the ,stanley         
expedition2 and the newspapers were     
filled with the  doings of a few        
profligate ruffians1 who1 whatever they 
failed to do1  succeeded in covering    
themselves1 and the country they belong 
to1 with  infamy4 ,one would fain hope  
that this exhibition of inhumanity would
  turn men's thoughts by contrast to    
those who are doing the work of  ,christ
 in ,africa4 ,the national execration of

 fiendish wickedness is  nothing unless 
it passes into deep and strong sympathy 
with those who  are working among the   
,africans in brotherly love4 ,what is   
the merit of  ,stanley or his           
associates1 that their story should     
excite the interest  of those who know  
nothing of ,comber and ,hannington and  
,mackay1 and  all the other brave men   
who loved not their lives to the death  
for  ,christ's sake and ,africa's8 ,is  
it not a shame to some of us that we    
know the horrible story so much better  
than the gracious one8 ,let  brotherly  
love abound more and more2 let          
,christian sympathy go out  with our    
brethren and sisters in ,christ who go  
out themselves to dark  places2 let us  
keep ourselves instructed in the        
progress of their  work2 let us support 
it with prayer and liberality at home2  
and our  minds and hearts alike will    
grow in the greatness of our ,lord and  
,saviour4    ,brotherly love in the     
early ,church1 within the limits of a   

small  congregation1 often took the     
special form of charity4 ,those who were
  able helped the poor4 ,a special care 
was taken1 as we see from the  ,book of 
,acts1 of widows1 and no doubt of       
orphans4 ,in a later epistle  ,paul     
mentions with praise a family which     
devoted itself to ministering  to the   
saints4 ,to do good and to communicate1 
that is1 to impart of  one's goods to   
those who had need1 is the sacrifice of 
praise which  all ,christians are       
charged not to forget4 ,to see a brother
 or a sister  destitute1 and to shut up 
the heart against them1 is taken as     
proof  positive that we have not the    
love of ,god dwelling in us4 ,it would  
be  difficult1 one might mink1 to       
exaggerate the emphasis which the ,new  
,testament lays on the duty and the     
merit of charity4 ,sell all that  thou  
hast1 and give to the poor1 ,christ said
 to the rich young man1  and thou shalt 
have treasure in heaven4 ,give alms1 ,he
 cried to the  ,pharisees1 of such      

things as ye have2 and behold1 all      
things are  clean unto you4 ,charity    
sanctifies4 ,nor have these strong      
sayings  been without their due effect4 
,charity1 both organised and private1 is
  characteristic of ,christendom1 and of
 ,christendom only4 ,the pagan  world   
made no provision for the destitute1 the
 sick1 the aged4 ,it had  no almshouses1
 no infirmaries1 no orphanages1 no      
convalescent homes4  ,the mighty impulse
 of the love of ,christ has created all 
these1 and to  this hour it sustains    
them all4 ,acknowledged or              
unacknowledged1 it is  the force which  
lies behind every effort made by man for
 the good of  his fellows2 wherever this
 disinterested love burns in a human    
bosom1  it is the fire which ,christ    
cast upon the earth1 and ,he rejoices at
  its kindling4 ,as a recent example1   
look at the great scheme of ,general    
,booth3 it is the love of ,christ which 
has inspired it2 it is the love  of     
,christ that must provide all the       

subordinate agents by whom it is  to be 
administered1 if it is ever carried into
 effect2 it is on the  public conviction
 that he is animated by the love of     
,christ and has no  by-ends of his own  
to secure1 that ,general ,booth depends 
for his  funds4 ,it is only this        
,christ-enkindled love which gives      
charity its  real worth1 and furnishes  
any sort of guarantee that it will      
confer  a double blessing1 material and 
spiritual1 on those who receive it4     
,for charity is not without its dangers1
 and the first and greatest of  these is
 that men learn to depend upon it4 ,when
 ,paul preached the  gospel in          
,thessalonica1 he spoke a great deal    
about the ,second ,advent4  ,it was an  
exciting subject1 and some at least of  
those who received  his message were    
troubled by ill-defined or mistaken     
expectations1  which led to moral       
disorder in their lives4 ,they were so  
anxious to be  ready for the ,lord when 
,he came1 that they neglected their     

ordinary  duties1 and became dependent  
upon the brethren4 ,they ceased working 
themselves1 and so became a burden upon 
those who continued to work4  ,here we  
have1 in a nutshell1 the argument       
against a monastic life of  idleness1   
against the life of the begging friar4  
,all men must live by  labour1 their own
 or some other's2 and he who chooses a  
life without  labour1 as the more holy1 
really condemns some brother to a double
  share of that labouring life to which1
 as he fancies1 the highest  holiness is
 denied4 ,that is rank selfishness2 only
 a man without  brotherly love could be 
guilty of it for an hour4    ,now in    
opposition to this                      
selfishness1--unconscious at first1 let 
us  hope1--and in opposition to the     
unsettled1 flighty1 restless            
expectations of these early disciples1  
the ,apostle propounds a very  sober and
 humble plan of life4 ,make it your     
ambition1 he says1 to be  quiet1 and to 
busy yourselves with your own affairs1  

and to work with  your own hands1 as we 
commanded you4 ,there is a grave irony  
in the  first words--make it your       
ambition to be quiet2 set your honour in
  that4 ,the ordinary ambition seeks to 
make a noise in the world1 to  make     
itself visible and audible2 and ambition
 of that type is not  unknown even in   
the ,church4 ,but it is out of place    
there4 ,no ,christian  ought to be      
ambitious of anything but to fill as    
unobtrusively as  possible the place in 
life which ,god has given him4 ,the less
 notorious  we are1 the better for us4  
,the necessities of our situation1      
necessities imposed by ,god1 require    
most of us to spend so many hours  a day
 in making our daily bread4 ,the bulk of
 most men's strength1 by  an ordinance  
of ,god that we cannot interfere with1  
is given to that  humble but inevitable 
task4 ,if we cannot be holy at our work1
 it is  not worth taking any trouble to 
be holy at other times4 ,if we cannot   
be ,christians and please ,god in those 

common activities which must  always    
absorb so much of our time and strength1
 the balance of life is  not worth      
thinking about4 ,perhaps some of us     
crave leisure1 that we  may be more free
 for spiritual work2 and think that if  
we had more  time at our disposal1 we   
should be able to render many services  
to  ,christ and ,his cause which are out
 of our power at present4 ,but that  is 
extremely doubtful4 ,if experience      
proves anything1 it proves that  nothing
 is worse for most people than to have  
nothing to do but be  religious4        
,religion is not controlled in their    
life by any contact  with realities2 in 
ninety-nine cases out of a hundred they 
do not know  how to be quiet1 but are   
vain1 meddlesome1 impracticable1 and    
senseless4 ,the man who has his trade or
 his profession to work at1 and  the    
woman who has her household and social  
duties to attend to1 are  not to be     
condoled with2 they are in the very     
place in which religion  is at once     

necessary and possible2 they can study  
to be quiet1 and to  mind their own     
business1 and to work with their own    
hands1 and in all  this to serve and    
please ,god4 ,but those who get up in   
the morning with  nothing to do but to  
be pious1 or to engage in ,christian    
works1 are in  a position of enormous   
difficulty1 which very few can fill4    
,the daily  life of toil1 at the bench  
or the desk1 in the shop1 the study1 or 
the  street1 does not rob us of the     
,christian life2 it really puts it      
within our reach4 ,if we keep our eyes  
open1 it is easy to see that  this is   
so4    ,there are two reasons assigned  
by the ,apostle for this life of quiet  
industry1 both of which are noticeable4 
,first1 ,that ye may walk  honestly     
toward them that are without4 ,honestly 
is too colourless a  word in modern     
,english2 the corresponding adjective in
 different  places is translated        
honourable and comely4#ad ,what the     
,apostle  signifies is1 that the ,church

 has a great character to sustain in the
  world1 and that the individual        
,christian has that character1 to some  
extent1 in his charge4 ,idleness1       
fussiness1 excitability1 want of  common
 sense1 these are discreditable         
qualities1 inconsistent with the        
dignity of ,christianity1 and to be     
guarded against by the believer4  ,the  
,church is really a spectacle to the    
world2 those who are without  have their
 eye upon it2 and the ,apostle would    
have it a worthy and  impressive        
spectacle4 ,but what is there so        
undignified as an idle  busybody1 a man 
or woman neglecting duty on the pretence
 of piety1 so  excited by an uncertain  
future as to disregard the most crying  
necessities of the present8 ,perhaps    
there is none of us who does  anything  
so bad as this2 but there are some in   
every church who are  not careful of    
,christian dignity4 ,remember that there
 is something  great in true            
,christianity1 something which should   

command the  veneration of those who are
 without2 and do nothing inconsistent   
with  that4 ,as the sun breaks through  
the darkest cloud1 so honour peereth  in
 the meanest habit2 and the lowliest    
occupation1 discharged with  diligence1 
earnestness1 and fidelity1 gives scope  
enough for the  exhibition of true      
,christian dignity4 ,the man who does   
his common  duties as they ought to be  
done will never lose his self-respect1  
and  will never discredit the ,church of
 ,christ4    ,the second reason for the 
life of quiet industry is1 ,that ye may 
have  lack of nothing4 ,probably the    
truer interpretation would be1 ,that ye 
may have lack of no one4 ,in other      
words1 independence is a ,christian     
duty4 ,this is not inconsistent with    
what has been said of charity1 but  is  
its necessary supplement4 ,christ       
commands us to be charitable2 ,he  tells
 us plainly that the need for charity   
will not disappear2 but ,he  tells us as
 plainly that to count upon charity1    

except in the case of  necessity1 is    
both sinful and shameful4 ,this         
contains1 of course1 a  warning to the  
charitable4 ,those of us who wish to    
help the poor1 and  who try to do so1   
must take care to do it in such a way as
 not to  teach them to depend on help2  
that is to do them a serious wrong4 ,we 
are all familiar with the charges       
brought against charity2 it             
demoralises1 it fosters idleness and    
improvidence1 it robs those who  receive
 it of self-respect4 ,these charges have
 been current from the  beginning2 they 
were freely brought against the ,church 
in the days of  the ,roman ,empire4 ,if 
they could be made good1 they would     
condemn what  passes for charity as     
un-,christian4 ,the one-sided           
enforcement of  charity1 in the sense of
 almsgiving1 in the ,romish ,church1 has
  occasionally led to something like a  
glorification of pauperism2 the  saint  
is usually a beggar4 ,one would hope    
that in our own country1  where the     

independence of the national character  
has been reinforced  by the most        
pronounced types of ,protestant         
religion1 such a deformed  conception of
 ,christianity would be impossible2 yet 
even among us the  caution of this verse
 may not be unnecessary4 ,it is a sign  
of grace  to be charitable2 but though  
one would not speak an unkind word of   
those in need1 it is not a sign of grace
 to require charity4 ,the  gospel bids  
us aim not only at brotherly love1 but  
at independence4  ,remember the poor1 it
 says2 but it says also1 ,work with your
 hands1  that you may preserve a        
,christian dignity in relation to the   
world1  and have need of no one4    #ad 
,see #a ,cor4 xii4 #bd2 vii4 #ce2 ,acts 
xiii4 #ej2 xvii4 #ab4          ,,xi4    
,,the ,,dead ,,in ,,christ4       ,but  
we would not have you ignorant1         
brethren1 concerning them that   fall   
asleep2 that ye sorrow not1 even as the 
rest1 which have no   hope4 ,for if we  
believe that ,jesus died and rose again1

 even so them   also that are fallen    
asleep in ,jesus will ,god bring with   
,him4 ,for   this we say unto you by the
 word of the ,lord1 that we that are    
alive1   that are left unto the coming  
of the ,lord1 shall in no wise precede  
them that are fallen asleep4 ,for the   
,lord ,himself shall descend from       
heaven1 with a shout1 with the voice of 
the archangel1 and with the   trump of  
,god2 and the dead in ,christ shall rise
 first3 then we that   are alive1 that  
are left1 shall together with them be   
caught up in   the clouds1 to meet the  
,lord in the air3 and so shall we ever  
be with   the ,lord4 ,wherefore comfort 
one another with these words4--#a       
,,thess4   iv4 #ac-ah 7,r4,v474    ,the 
restlessness of the ,thessalonians1     
which caused some of them to  neglect   
their daily work1 was the result of     
strained expectations of  ,christ's     
second coming4 ,the ,apostle had taught 
them that the ,saviour  and ,judge of   
all might appear no one knew when2 and  

they were consumed  with a feverish     
anxiety to be found ready when ,he came4
 ,how terrible  it would be to be found 
unready1 and to lose one's place in the 
heavenly kingdom6 ,the ,thessalonians   
were dominated by such thoughts as      
these when death visited the church1 and
 gave rise to new  perplexities4 ,what  
of the brethren who had been taken away 
so soon1  and of their part in the glory
 to be revealed8 ,had they been robbed1 
by death1 of the ,christian hope8 ,had  
the inheritance which is  incorruptible1
 undefiled1 and imperishable1 passed for
 ever beyond  their grasp1 because they 
had died before ,christ came to take    
,his  people to ,himself8    ,this was  
what some of the survivors feared2 and  
it is to correct  their mistaken ideas1 
and to comfort them in their sorrow1    
that the  ,apostle writes the words we  
are now to study4 ,we would not have you
  ignorant1 he says1 concerning them    
that fall asleep2 that ye sorrow  not1  
even as the rest1 which have no hope4   

,the last words refer to  those who are 
away from ,christ1 and without ,god in  
the world4 ,it is a  frightful thing to 
say of any man1 and still more of the   
mass of men1  that they have no hope2   
yet it is not only the ,apostle who says
 it2 it  is the confession1 by a        
thousand voices1 of the heathen world   
itself4  ,to that world the future was a
 blank1 or a place of unreality and     
shades4 ,if there were great exceptions1
 men who1 like ,plato1 could not  give  
up faith in immortality and in the      
righteousness of ,god1 even in  the face
 of death1 these were no more than      
exceptions2 and even for  them the      
future had no substance compared with   
the present4 ,life was  here1 and not   
there4 ,wherever we can hear the pagan  
soul speak of the  future1 it is in this
 blank1 heartless tone4 ,do not1 says   
,achilles  in the ,odyssey1 make light  
of death to me4 ,rather would ,i on     
earth be  a serf to another1 a man of   
little land and little substance1 than  

be  prince over all the dead that have  
come to nought4 ,suns1 says  ,catullus1 
may set and rise again4 ,when once our  
brief light has set1  one unbroken night
 of sleep remains4 ,these are fair      
specimens of the  pagan outlook2 are    
they not fair enough specimens of the   
non-,christian  outlook at the present  
day8 ,the secular life is quite avowedly
 a life  without hope4 ,it resolutely   
fixes its attention on the present1 and 
avoids the distraction of the future4   
,but there are few whom death  does not 
compel1 at some time or other1 to deal  
seriously with the  questions the future
 involves4 ,if we love the departed1 our
 hearts  cannot but go with them to the 
unseen2 and there are few who can       
assure themselves that death ends all4  
,for those who can1 what a  sorrow      
remains6 ,their loved ones have lost    
everything4 ,all that makes  life is    
here1 and they have gone4 ,how miserable
 is their lot1 to  have been deprived1  
by cruel and untimely death1 of all the 

blessings  man can ever enjoy6 ,how     
hopelessly must those who are left      
behind  lament them6    ,this is exactly
 the situation with which the ,apostle  
deals4 ,the  ,christians in             
,thessalonica feared that their brethren
 who had died  would be shut out of the 
,messiah's kingdom2 they mourned for    
them as  those mourn who have no hope4  
,the ,apostle corrects their error1 and 
comforts them4 ,his words do not mean   
that the ,christian may lawfully  sorrow
 for his dead1 provided he does not go  
to a pagan extreme2 they  mean that the 
hopeless pagan sorrow is not to be      
indulged by the  ,christian at all4 ,we 
give their proper force if we imagine   
him saying3  ,weep for yourselves1 if   
you will2 that is natural1 and ,god does
 not  wish us to be insensible to the   
losses and sorrows which are part of    
,his providential government of our     
lives2 but do not weep for them2  the   
believer who has fallen asleep in       
,christ is not to be lamented2 he  has  

lost nothing2 the hope of immortality is
 as sure for him as for  those who may  
live to welcome the ,lord at ,his       
coming2 he has gone to  be with ,christ1
 which is far1 far better4    ,the #adth
 verse gives the ,christian proof of    
this consoling doctrine4  ,for if we    
believe that ,jesus died and rose again1
 even so them also  that are fallen     
asleep in ,jesus will ,god bring with   
,him4#ae ,it is  quite plain that       
something is wanting here to complete   
the argument4  ,jesus did die and rise  
again1 there is no dispute about that2  
but how  is the ,apostle justified in   
inferring from this that ,god will bring
  the ,christian dead again to meet the 
living8 ,what is the missing link  in   
this reasoning8 ,clearly it is the      
truth1 so characteristic of the  ,new   
,testament1 that there is a union       
between ,christ and those who  trust    
,him so close that their destiny can be 
read in ,his4 ,all that ,he  has        
experienced will be experienced by them4

 ,they are united to ,him as            
indissolubly as the members of the body 
to the head2 and being  planted together
 in the likeness of ,his death1 they    
shall be also in  the likeness of ,his  
resurrection4 ,death1 the ,apostle would
 have us  understand1 does not break the
 bond between the believing soul and the
  ,saviour4 ,even human love is stronger
 than the grave2 it goes beyond it  with
 the departed2 it follows them with     
strong yearnings1 with wistful  hopes1  
sometimes with earnest prayers4 ,but    
there is an impotence1 at  which death  
mocks1 in earthly love2 the last enemy  
does put a great  gulf between souls1   
which cannot be bridged over2 and there 
is no such  impotence in the love of    
,christ4 ,he is never separated from    
those who  love ,him4 ,he is one with   
them in death1 and in the life to come1 
as in  this life4 ,through ,him ,god    
will bring the departed again to meet   
their  friends4 ,there is something very
 expressive in the word bring4  ,sweet  

word1 says ,bengel3 it is spoken of     
living persons4 ,the dead  for whom we  
mourn are not dead2 they all live to    
,god2 and when the  great day comes1    
,god will bring those who have gone     
before1 and unite  them to those who    
have been left behind4 ,when we see     
,christ at ,his  coming1 we shall see   
also those that have fallen asleep in   
,him4    ,this argument1 drawn from the 
relation of the ,christian to the       
,saviour1 is confirmed by an appeal to  
the authority of the ,saviour  ,himself4
 ,for this we say unto you by the word  
of the ,lord3 as if he  said1 ,it is not
 merely a conclusion of our own2 it is  
supported by  the express word of       
,christ4 ,many have tried to find in the
 ,gospels  the word of the ,lord        
referred to1 but1 as ,i think1 without  
success4  ,the passage usually quoted   
7,matt4 xxiv4 #ca3 ,he shall send forth 
,his  angels with a great sound of a    
trumpet1 and they shall gather together 
,his elect from the four winds1 from one

 end of heaven to the other71  though it
 covers generally the subject with which
 the ,apostle is  dealing1 does not     
touch upon the essential point1 the     
equality of  those who die before the   
,second ,advent with those who live to  
see it4  ,we must suppose that the word 
of the ,lord referred to was one which  
failed to find a place in the written   
,gospels1 like that other which  the    
,apostle preserved1 ,it is more blessed 
to give than to receive2  or that it was
 a word which ,christ spoke to him in   
one of the many  revelations which he   
received in his apostolic work4 ,in any 
case1 what  the ,apostle is going to say
 is not his own word1 but the word of   
,christ1 and as such its authority is   
final for all ,christians4 ,what1  then1
 does ,christ say on this great concern8
    ,he says that we that are alive1    
that are left unto the coming of the    
,lord1 shall in no wise precede them    
that are fallen asleep4 ,the  natural   
impression one takes from these words is

 that ,paul expected  himself to be     
alive when ,christ came2 but whether    
that impression is  justifiable or      
not1#af it is no part of the truth which
 can claim the  authority of the ,lord4 
,christ's word only assures us that     
those who  are alive at that day shall  
have no precedency over those that have 
fallen asleep2 it does not tell us who  
shall be in the one class1 and  who in  
the other4 ,paul did not know when the  
day of the ,lord would be2  but as it   
was the duty of all ,christians to look 
for and hasten it1 he  naturally        
included himself among those who would  
live to see it4 ,later  in life1 the    
hope of surviving till the ,lord came   
alternated in his  mind with the        
expectation of death4 ,in one and the   
same epistle1 the  ,epistle to the      
,philippians1 we find him writing 7iv4  
#e71 ,the ,lord is  at hand2 and only a 
little earlier 7i4 #bc71 ,i have the    
desire to  depart and be with ,christ2  
for it is very far better4 ,better1     

certainly1 than a life of toil and      
suffering2 but not better than the      
,lord's coming4 ,paul could not but     
shrink with a natural horror from  death
 and its nakedness2 he would have       
preferred to escape that dread          
necessity1 the putting off of the body2 
not to be unclothed1 was his  desire1   
but to be clothed upon1 and to have     
mortality swallowed up of  life4 ,when  
he wrote this letter to the             
,thessalonians1 ,i do not doubt  that   
this was his hope2 and it does not      
impugn his authority in the  least that 
it was a hope destined not to be        
fulfilled4 ,with the ,lord1  a thousand 
years are as one day2 and even those who
 are partakers in  the kingdom seldom   
partake to an eminent degree in the     
patience of  ,jesus ,christ4 ,only in   
the teaching of the ,lord ,himself does 
the ,new  ,testament put strongly before
 us the duration of the ,christian era1 
and the delays of the ,second ,advent4  
,how many of ,his parables1 e4g41       

represent the kingdom as subject to the 
law of growth--the ,sower1 the  ,wheat  
and the ,tares which have both to ripen1
 the ,mustard ,seed1 and  the ,seed     
,growing ,gradually4 ,all these imply a 
natural law and goal of  progress1 not  
to be interrupted at random4 ,how many1 
again1 like the  parable of the ,unjust 
,judge1 or the ,ten ,virgins1 imply that
 the delay  will be so great as to beget
 utter disbelief or forgetfulness of    
,his  coming4 ,even the expression1 ,the
 times of the ,gentiles1 suggests       
epochs which must intervene before men  
see ,him again4#ag ,but over  against   
this deep insight and wondrous patience 
of ,christ1 we must not  be surprised to
 find something of impatient ardour in  
the ,apostles4  ,the world was so cruel 
to them1 their love to ,christ was so   
fervent1  their desire for re-union so  
strong1 that they could not but hope and
  pray1 ,come quickly1 ,lord ,jesus4 ,is
 it not better to recognise the  obvious
 fact that ,paul was mistaken as to the 

nearness of the ,second  ,advent1 than  
to torture his words to secure his      
infallibility8 ,two  great              
commentators--the ,roman ,catholic      
,cornelius  ,lapide1 and the            
,protestant ,john ,calvin--save ,paul's 
infallibility at a greater cost  than   
violating the rules of grammar4 ,they   
admit that his words mean  that he      
expected to survive till ,christ came   
again2 but1 they say1 an  infallible    
apostle could not really have had such  
an expectation2 and  therefore we must  
believe that ,paul practised a pious    
fraud in writing  as he did1 a fraud    
with the good intention of keeping the  
,thessalonians on the alert4 ,but ,i    
hope1 if we had the choice1 we would    
all choose rather to tell the truth1 and
 be mistaken1 than to be  infallible1   
and tell lies4    ,after the general    
statement1 on ,christ's authority1 that 
the living  shall have no precedency of 
the departed1 ,paul goes on to explain  
the  circumstances of the ,advent by    

which it is justified4 ,the ,lord       
,himself shall descend from heaven4 ,in 
that emphatic ,himself we  have the     
argument of ver4 #ad practically        
repeated3 the ,lord1 it  signifies1 who 
knows all that are ,his4 ,who can look  
at ,christ  as ,he comes again in glory1
 and not remember ,his words in the     
,gospel1  ,because ,i live1 ye shall    
live also2 where ,i am1 there shall also
  ,my servant be8 ,it is not another who
 comes1 but ,he to whom all  ,christian 
souls have been united for ever4 ,the   
,lord ,himself shall  descend from      
heaven1 with a shout1 with the voice of 
the archangel1  and with the trump of   
,god4 ,the last two of these expressions
 are in  all probability the explanation
 of the first2 the voice of the         
archangel1 or the trumpet of ,god1 is   
the signal-shout1 or as the hymn        
expresses it1 the great commanding word1
 with which the drama of the  last      
things is ushered in4 ,the archangel is 
the herald of the  ,messianic ,king4 ,we

 cannot tell how much is figure in these
  expressions1 which all rest on ,old   
,testament associations1 and on  popular
 beliefs amongst the ,jews of the time2 
neither can we tell what  precisely     
underlies the figure4 ,but this much is 
clearly meant1 that a  ,divine summons1 
audible and effective everywhere1 goes  
forth from  ,christ's presence2 that    
ancient utterance1 of hope or of        
despair1 is  fulfilled3 ,thou shalt     
call1 and ,i will answer thee4 ,when the
 signal  is given1 the dead in ,christ  
rise first4 ,paul says nothing here of  
the  resurrection body1 spiritual and   
incorruptible2 but when ,christ comes1  
the ,christian dead are raised in that  
body1 prepared for eternal  blessedness1
 before anything else is done4 ,that is 
the meaning of the  dead in ,christ     
shall rise first4 ,it does not contrast 
the  resurrection of the ,christian dead
 with a second resurrection of all  men1
 either immediately afterwards1 or after
 a thousand years2 it  contrasts it as  

the first scene in this drama with the  
second1 namely1  the rapture of the     
living4 ,the first thing will be that   
the dead rise2  the next1 that those    
that are alive1 that are left1 shall at 
the same  time1 and in company with     
them1 be caught up together in the      
clouds to  meet the ,lord in the air4   
,the ,apostle does not look beyond this2
 so1  he says1 shall we--that is1 we    
all1 those that live and those that are 
fallen asleep--be ever with the ,lord4  
,a thousand questions rise to our lips  
as we look at this wonderful  picture2  
but the closer we look1 the more plainly
 do we see the  parsimony of the        
revelation1 and the strictness with     
which it is  measured out to meet the   
necessities of the case4 ,there is      
nothing in  it1 for instance1 about the 
non-,christian4 ,it tells us the blessed
  destiny of those who have fallen      
asleep in ,christ1 and of those who     
wait for ,christ's appearing4 ,much of  
the curiosity about those who die       

without ,christ is not disinterested4   
,people would like to know what  their  
destiny is1 because they would like to  
know whether there  is not a tolerable  
alternative to accepting the gospel4    
,but the ,bible  does not encourage us  
to look for such an alternative4        
,blessed1 it  says1 are the dead who die
 in the ,lord2 and blessed also are the 
living who live in the ,lord2 if there  
are those who reject this  blessedness1 
and raise questions about what a life   
without ,christ may  lead to1 they do it
 at their peril4    ,there is nothing1  
again1 about the nature of the life     
beyond the  ,advent1 except this1 that  
it is a life in which the ,christian is 
in  close and unbroken union with       
,christ--ever with the ,lord4 ,some have
  been very anxious to answer the       
question1 ,where8 but the revelation    
gives us no help4 ,it does not say that 
those who meet the ,lord in the  air    
ascend with ,him to heaven1 or descend1 
as some have supposed1 to  reign with   

,him on earth4 ,there is absolutely     
nothing in it for  curiosity1 though    
everything that is necessary for        
comfort4 ,for men  who had conceived the
 terrible thought that the ,christian   
dead had  lost the ,christian hope1 the 
veil was withdrawn from the future1 and 
living and dead alike revealed united1  
in eternal life1 to ,christ4  ,that is  
all1 but surely it is enough4 ,that is  
the hope which the  gospel puts before  
us1 and no accident of time1 like death1
 can rob us  of it4 ,jesus died and rose
 again2 ,he is ,lord both of the dead   
and the  living2 and all will1 at the   
great day1 be gathered together to ,him4
  ,are they to be lamented1 who have    
this future to look forward  to8 ,are we
 to sorrow over those who pass into the 
world unseen1 as if  they had no hope1  
or as if we had none8 ,no2 in the sorrow
 of death  itself1 we may comfort one   
another with these words4    ,is it not 
a striking proof of the grace of our    
,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that  we have1 on 

the express authority of ,his word1 a   
special revelation1  the exclusive aim  
of which is to comfort8 ,jesus knew the 
terrible  sorrow of bereavement2 ,he had
 stood by the bedside of ,jairus'       
daughter1 by the young man's bier at    
,nain1 by ,lazarus' tomb4 ,he knew  how 
inconsolable it was1 how subtle1 how    
passionate2 ,he knew the dead  weight at
 the heart which never passes away1 and 
the sudden rush of  feeling which       
overpowers the strongest4 ,and that all 
this sorrow might  not rest upon ,his   
,church unrelieved1 ,he lifted the      
curtain that we  might see with our eyes
 the strong consolation beyond4 ,i have 
spoken  of it as if it consisted simply 
in union to ,christ2 but it is as much  
a part of the revelation that           
,christians whom death has separated are
  re-united to each other4 ,the         
,thessalonians feared they would never  
see  their departed friends again2 but  
the word of the ,lord says1 ,you will   
be caught up1 in company with them1 to  

meet ,me2 and you and they shall  dwell 
with ,me for ever4 ,what congregation is
 there in which there is  not need of   
this consolation8 ,comfort one another1 
the ,apostle says4  ,one needs the      
comfort to-day1 and another to-morrow2  
in proportion as  we bear each other's  
burdens1 we all need it continually4    
,the unseen  world is perpetually       
opening to receive those whom we love2  
but though  they pass out of sight and  
out of reach1 it is not for ever4 ,they 
are  still united to ,christ2 and when  
,he comes in ,his glory ,he will bring  
them to us again4 ,is it not strange to 
balance the greatest sorrow of  life    
against words8 ,words1 we often feel1   
are vain and worthless2 they  do not    
lift the burden from the heart2 they    
make no difference to the  pressure of  
grief4 ,of our own words that is true2  
but what we have  been considering are  
not our own words1 but the word of the  
,lord4 ,his  words are alive and        
powerful3 heaven and earth may pass     

away1 but they  cannot pass2 let us     
comfort one another with that4    #ae   
,there is a certain difficulty about the
 connection of the words  in the last   
clause2 it would probably be more       
correct to render them3  ,even so them  
also that are fallen asleep will ,god   
through ,jesus bring  with ,him4    #af 
,it is easy to state the inference too  
strongly4 ,paul tell us  expressly that 
he did not know when ,christ would come2
 he could not  therefore know that he   
himself would have died long before the 
,advent2  and it was inevitable1        
therefore1 that he should include       
himself here  in the category of such as
 might live to see it4    #ag ,on this  
subject see ,bruce's ,kingdom of ,god1  
chap4 xii4          ,,xii4    ,,the     
,,day ,,of ,,the ,,lord4       ,but     
concerning the times and the seasons1   
brethren1 ye have no need   that aught  
be written unto you4 ,for yourselves    
know perfectly that   the day of the    
,lord so cometh as a thief in the night4

 ,when they are   saying1 ,peace and    
safety1 then sudden destruction cometh  
upon them1   as travail upon a woman    
with child2 and they shall in no wise   
escape4   ,but ye1 brethren1 are not in 
darkness1 that that day should overtake 
you as a thief3 for ye are all sons of  
light1 and sons of the day3 we   are not
 of the night1 nor of darkness2 so then 
let us not sleep1 as   do the rest1 but 
let us watch and be sober4 ,for they    
that sleep sleep   in the night2 and    
they that be drunken are drunken in the 
night4 ,but   let us1 since we are of   
the day1 be sober1 putting on the       
breastplate   of faith and love2 and for
 a helmet1 the hope of salvation4 ,for  
,god   appointed us not unto wrath1 but 
unto the obtaining of salvation         
through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who   
died for us1 that1 whether we wake   or 
sleep1 we should live together with     
,him4 ,wherefore exhort one   another1  
and build each other up1 even as also ye
 do4--#a ,,thess4 v4   #a-aa 7,r4,v474  

,the last verses of the fourth chapter  
perfect that which is lacking1  on one  
side1 in the faith of the               
,thessalonians4 ,the ,apostle addresses 
himself to the ignorance of his readers3
 he instructs them more fully  on the   
circumstances of ,christ's second       
coming2 and he bids them  comfort one   
another with the sure hope that they and
 their departed  friends shall meet1    
never to part1 in the kingdom of the    
,saviour4 ,in  the passage before us he 
perfects what is lacking to their faith 
on  another side4 ,he addresses himself1
 not to their ignorance1 but to  their  
knowledge2 and he instructs them how to 
improve1 instead of  abusing1 both what 
they knew and what they were ignorant   
of1 in regard  to the last ,advent4 ,it 
had led1 in some1 to curious inquiries2 
in  others1 to a moral restlessness     
which could not bind itself patiently   
to duty2 yet its true fruit1 the        
,apostle tells them1 ought to be hope1  
watchfulness1 and sobriety4    ,the day 

of the ,lord is a famous expression in  
the  ,old ,testament2 it runs through   
all prophecy1 and is one of its most    
characteristic ideas4 ,it means a day   
which belongs in a peculiar sense  to   
,god3 a day which ,he has chosen for the
 perfect manifestation of  ,himself1 for
 the thorough working out of ,his work  
among men4 ,it is  impossible to combine
 in one picture all the traits which    
prophets of  different ages1 from ,amos 
downward1 embody in their               
representations of  this great day4 ,it 
is heralded1 as a rule1 by terrific     
phenomena in  nature3 the sun is turned 
into darkness and the moon into blood1  
and  the stars withdraw their light2 we 
read of earthquake and tempest1 of      
blood and fire and pillars of smoke4    
,the great day ushers in the            
deliverance of ,god's people from all   
their enemies2 and it is  accompanied by
 a terrible sifting process1 which      
separates the sinners  and hypocrites   
among the holy people from those who are

 truly the  ,lord's4 ,wherever it       
appears1 the day of the ,lord has the   
character of  finality4 ,it is a supreme
 manifestation of judgment1 in which the
  wicked perish for ever2 it is a       
supreme manifestation of grace1 in      
which a new and unchangeable life of    
blessedness is opened to the  righteous4
 ,sometimes it seemed near to the       
prophet1 and sometimes far  off2 but    
near or far1 it bounded his horizon2 he 
saw nothing beyond4  ,it was the end of 
one era1 and the beginning of another   
which should  have no end4    ,this     
great conception is carried over by the 
,apostle from the ,old  ,testament to   
the ,new4 ,the day of the ,lord is      
identified with the  ,return of ,christ4
 ,all the contents of that old          
conception are carried  over along with 
it4 ,christ's return bounds the         
,apostle's horizon2 it  is the final    
revelation of the mercy and judgment of 
,god4 ,there is  sudden destruction in  
it for some1 a darkness in which there  

is no  light at all2 and for others1    
eternal salvation1 a light in which     
there is no darkness at all4 ,it is the 
end of the present order of  things1 and
 the beginning of a new and eternal     
order4 ,all this the  ,thessalonians    
knew2 they had been carefully taught it 
by the ,apostle4  ,he did not need to   
write such elementary truths1 nor did he
 need to  say anything about the times  
and seasons#ah which the ,father had    
kept  in ,his own power4 ,they knew     
perfectly all that had been revealed on 
this matter1 viz41 that the day of the  
,lord comes exactly as a thief  in the  
night4 ,suddenly1 unexpectedly1 giving a
 shock of alarm and  terror to those    
whom it finds unprepared1--in such wise 
it breaks upon  the world4 ,the telling 
image1 so frequent with the ,apostles1  
was  derived from the ,master ,himself2 
we can imagine the solemnity with  which
 ,christ said1 ,behold1 ,i come as a    
thief4 ,blessed is he that  watcheth and
 keepeth his garments1 lest he walk     

naked1 and they see  his shame4#ai ,the 
,new ,testament tells us everywhere that
 men will be  taken at unawares by the  
final revelation of ,christ as ,judge   
and  ,saviour2 and in so doing1 it      
enforces with all possible earnestness  
the duty of watching4 ,false security is
 so easy1 so natural1--looking  to the  
general attitude1 even of ,christian    
men1 to this truth1 one is  tempted to  
say1 so inevitable1--that it may well   
seem vain to urge the  duty of          
watchfulness more4 ,as it was in the    
days of ,noah1 as it was in  the days of
 ,lot1 as it was when ,jerusalem fell1  
as it is at this  moment1 so shall it be
 at the day of the ,lord4 ,men will say1
 ,peace and  safety1 though every sign  
of the times says1 ,judgment4 ,they will
 eat  and drink1 plant and build1 marry 
and be given in marriage1 with their    
whole heart concentrated and absorbed in
 these transient interests1  till in a  
moment suddenly1 like the lightning     
which flashes from east  to west1 the   

sign of the ,son of ,man is seen in     
heaven4 ,instead of  peace and safety1  
sudden destruction surprises them2 all  
that they  have lived for passes away2  
they awake1 as from deep sleep1 to      
discover that their soul has no part    
with ,god4 ,it is too late then to      
think of preparing for the end3 the end 
has come2 and it is with  solemn        
emphasis the ,apostle adds1 ,they shall 
in no wise escape4    ,a doom so awful1 
a life so evil1 cannot be the destiny or
 the duty of  any ,christian man4 ,ye1  
brethren1 are not in darkness1 that that
 day  should overtake you as a thief4   
,darkness1 in that saying of the        
,apostle1 has a double weight of        
meaning4 ,the ,christian is not in      
ignorance of what is impending1 and     
forewarned is forearmed4 ,neither  is he
 any longer in moral darkness1 plunged  
in vice1 living a life the  first       
necessity of which is to keep out of    
,god's sight4 ,once the  ,thessalonians 
had been in such darkness2 their souls  

had had their  part in a world sunk in  
sin1 on which the day-spring from on    
high had  not risen2 but now that time  
was past4 ,god had shined into their    
hearts2 ,he who is ,himself light had   
poured the radiance of ,his own  love   
and truth into them till ignorance1     
vice1 and wickedness had  passed away1  
and they had become light in the ,lord4 
,how intimate is  the relation between  
the ,christian and ,god1 how complete   
the  regeneration1 expressed in the     
words1 ,ye are all sons of light1  and  
sons of the day2 we are not of the      
night1 nor of darkness6  ,there are     
shady things in the world1 and shady    
persons1 but they  are not in           
,christianity1 nor among ,christians4   
,the true ,christian  takes his nature1 
all that characterises and distinguishes
 him1 from  light4 ,there is no darkness
 in him1 nothing to hide1 no guilty     
secret1  no corner of his being into    
which the light of ,god has not         
penetrated1  nothing that makes him     

dread exposure4 ,his whole nature is    
full of  light1 transparently luminous1 
so that it is impossible to surprise    
him or take him at a disadvantage4      
,this1 at least1 is his ideal           
character2 to this he is called1 and    
this he makes his aim4 ,there are       
those1 the ,apostle implies1 who take   
their character from night and          
darkness1--men with souls that hide from
 ,god1 that love secrecy1 that  have    
much to remember they dare not speak of1
 that turn with  instinctive aversion   
from the light which the gospel brings1 
and the  sincerity and openness which it
 claims2 men1 in short1 who have come   
to love darkness rather than light1     
because their deeds are evil4 ,the  day 
of the ,lord will certainly be a        
surprise to them2 it will smite  them   
with sudden terror1 as the midnight     
thief1 breaking unseen  through door or 
window1 terrifies the defenceless       
householder2 it will  overwhelm them    
with despair1 because it will come as a 

great and  searching light1--a day on   
which ,god will bring every hidden thing
 to  view1 and judge the secrets of     
men's hearts by ,christ ,jesus4 ,for    
those  who have lived in darkness the   
surprise will be inevitable2 but what   
surprise can there be for the children  
of the light8 ,they are  partakers of   
the ,divine nature2 there is nothing in 
their souls which  they would not have  
,god know2 the light that shines from   
the great  white throne will discover   
nothing in them to which its searching  
brightness is unwelcome2 ,christ's      
coming is so far from disconcerting     
them that it is really the crowning of  
their hopes4    ,the ,apostle demands of
 his disciples conduct answering to this
 ideal4  ,walk worthy1 he says1 of your 
privileges and of your calling4 ,let us 
not sleep1 as do the rest1 but let us   
watch and be sober4 ,sleep is  certainly
 a strange word to describe the life of 
the worldly man4 ,he  probably thinks   
himself very wide awake1 and as far as a

 certain  circle of interests is        
concerned1 probably is so4 ,the children
 of this  world1 ,jesus tells us1 are   
wonderfully wise for their generation4  
,they  are more shrewd and more         
enterprising than the children of light4
 ,but  what a stupor falls upon them1   
what a lethargy1 what a deep            
unconscious slumber1 when the interests 
in view are spiritual4 ,the  claims of  
,god1 the future of the soul1 the coming
 of ,christ1 our  manifestation at ,his 
judgment seat1 they are not awake to any
 concern  in these4 ,they live on as if 
these were not realities at all2 if they
  pass through their minds on occasion1 
as they look at the ,bible or  listen to
 a sermon1 it is as dreams pass through 
the mind of one  asleep2 they go out and
 shake themselves1 and all is over2     
earth has  recovered its solidity1 and  
the airy unrealities have passed away4  
,philosophers have amused themselves    
with the difficulty of finding a        
scientific criterion between the        

experiences of the sleeping and the     
waking state1 i4e41 a means of          
distinguishing between the kind of      
reality which belongs to each2 it is at 
least one element of sanity to  be able 
to make the distinction4 ,if we may     
enlarge the ideas of sleep  and waking1 
as they are enlarged by the ,apostle in 
this passage1 it is  a distinction which
 many fail to make4 ,when they have the 
ideas which  make up the staple of      
revelation presented to them1 they feel 
as if  they were in dreamland2 there is 
no substance to them in a page of ,st4  
,paul2 they cannot grasp the realities  
that underlie his words1 any  more than 
they can grasp the forms which swept    
before their minds in  last night's     
sleep4 ,but when they go out to their   
work in the world1  to deal in          
commodities1 to handle money1 then they 
are in the sphere  of real things1 and  
wide awake enough4 ,yet the sound mind  
will reverse  their decisions4 ,it is   
the visible things that are unreal and  

that  ultimately pass away2 the         
spiritual things--,god1 ,christ1 the    
human  soul1 faith1 love1 hope--that    
abide4 ,let us not face our life in that
  sleepy mood to which the spiritual is 
but a dream2 on the contrary1  as we are
 of the day1 let us be wide awake and   
sober4 ,the world is  full of illusions1
 of shadows which impose themselves as  
substances  upon the heedless1 of gilded
 trifles which the man whose eyes are   
heavy with sleep accepts as gold2 but   
the ,christian ought not to be  thus    
deceived4 ,look to the coming of the    
,lord1 ,paul says1 and do not  sleep    
through your days1 like the heathen1    
making your life one long  delusion2    
taking the transitory for the eternal1  
and regarding the  eternal as a dream2  
that is the way to be surprised with    
sudden  destruction at the last2 watch  
and be sober2 and you will not be       
ashamed before ,him at ,his coming4     
,it may not be out of place to insist on
 the fact that sober in this  passage   

means sober as opposed to drunk4 ,no one
 would wish to be  overtaken drunk by   
any great occasion2 yet the day of the  
,lord is  associated in at least three  
passages of ,scripture with a warning   
against this gross sin4 ,take heed to   
yourselves1 the ,master says1  lest     
haply your hearts be overcharged with   
surfeiting1 and  drunkenness1 and cares 
of this life1 and that day come on you  
suddenly  as a snare4 ,the night is far 
spent1 says the ,apostle1 the day is  at
 hand4444 ,let us walk honestly as in   
the day2 not in revelling and           
drunkenness4 ,and in this passage3 ,let 
us1 since we are of the day1  be sober2 
they that be drunken are drunken in the 
night4 ,the  conscience of men is       
awakening to the sin of excess1 but it  
has much  to do before it comes to the  
,new ,testament standard4 ,does it not  
help  us to see it in its true light    
when it is thus confronted with the day 
of the ,lord8 ,what horror could be more
 awful than to be overtaken in  this    

state8 ,what death is more terrible to  
contemplate than one which  is not so   
very rare--death in drink8              
,wakefulness and sobriety do not exhaust
 the demands made upon the  ,christian4 
,he is also to be on his guard4 ,put on 
the breastplate of  faith and love2 and 
for a helmet1 the hope of salvation4    
,while  waiting for the ,lord's coming1 
the ,christian waits in a hostile world4
  ,he is exposed to assault from        
spiritual enemies who aim at nothing    
less than his life1 and he needs to be  
protected against them4 ,in the  very   
beginning of this letter we came upon   
the three ,christian graces2  the       
,thessalonians were commended for their 
work of faith1 labour of  love1 and     
patience of hope in the ,lord ,jesus    
,christ4 ,there they were  represented  
as active powers in the ,christian life1
 each manifesting  its presence by some 
appropriate work1 or some notable fruit 
of  character2 here they constitute a   
defensive armour by which the           

,christian is shielded against any      
mortal assault4 ,we cannot press the    
figure further than this4 ,if we keep   
our faith in ,jesus ,christ1 if we  love
 one another1 if our hearts are set with
 confident hope on that  salvation which
 is to be brought to us at ,christ's    
appearing1 we need  fear no evil2 no foe
 can touch our life4 ,it is remarkable1 
,i think1  that both here and in the    
famous passage in ,ephesians1 as well as
 in  the original of both in ,isaiah    
lix4 #ag1 salvation1 or1 to be more     
precise1 the hope of salvation1 is made 
the helmet4 ,the ,apostle is  very free 
in his comparisons2 faith is now a      
shield1 and now a  breastplate2 the     
breastplate in one passage is faith and 
love1 and in  another righteousness2 but
 the helmet is always the same4 ,without
  hope1 he would say to us1 no man can  
hold up his head in the battle2  and the
 ,christian hope is always ,christ's    
second coming4 ,if ,he is not  to come  
again1 the very word hope may be blotted

 out of the ,new  ,testament4 ,this     
assured grasp on the coming salvation--a
 salvation  ready to be revealed in the 
last times--is what gives the spirit of 
victory to the ,christian even in the   
darkest hour4    ,the mention of        
salvation brings the ,apostle back to   
his principal  subject4 ,it is as if he 
wrote1 for a helmet the hope of         
salvation2  salvation1 ,i say2 for ,god 
did not appoint us to wrath1 but to the 
obtaining of salvation through our ,lord
 ,jesus ,christ4 ,the day of the  ,lord 
is indeed a day of wrath1--a day when   
men will cry to the  mountains and to   
the rocks1 ,fall on us1 and hide us from
 the face of  ,him that sitteth upon the
 throne1 and from the wrath of the      
,lamb2 for  the great day of their wrath
 is come4 ,the ,apostle cannot remember 
it  for any purpose without getting a   
glimpse of those terrors2 but it is  not
 for these he recalls it at this time4  
,god did not appoint  ,christians to the
 wrath of that day1 but to its          

salvation1--a  salvation the hope of    
which is to cover their heads in the day
 of  battle4    ,the next verse--the    
tenth--has the peculiar interest of     
containing the  only hint to be found in
 this early ,epistle of ,paul's teaching
 as to  the mode of salvation4 ,we      
obtain it through ,jesus ,christ1 who   
died for  us4 ,it is not who died       
instead of us1 nor even on our behalf   
771 but1 according to the true reading1 
who died a death in  which we are       
concerned4 ,it is the most vague        
expression that could  have been used to
 signify that ,christ's death had       
something to do with  our salvation4 ,of
 course it does not follow that ,paul   
had said no more  to the ,thessalonians 
than he indicates here2 judging from the
 account  he gives in #ast ,corinthians 
of his preaching immediately after he   
left  ,thessalonica1 one would suppose  
he had been much more explicit2         
certainly no church ever existed that   
was not based on the ,atonement  and the

 ,resurrection4 ,in point of fact1      
however1 what is here made  prominent is
 not the mode of salvation1 but one     
special result of  salvation as         
accomplished by ,christ's death1 a      
result contemplated  by ,christ1 and    
pertinent to the purpose of this letter2
 ,he died for  us1 that1 whether we wake
 or sleep1 we should together live with 
,him4  ,the same conception precisely is
 found in ,rom4 xiv4 #i3 ,to this end   
,christ died1 and lived again1 that ,he 
might be ,lord of both the dead  and the
 living4 ,this was ,his aim in redeeming
 us by passing through  all modes of    
human existence1 seen and unseen4 ,it   
made ,him ,lord of  all4 ,he filled all 
things4 ,he claims all modes of         
existence as ,his  own4 ,nothing        
separates from ,him4 ,whether we sleep  
or wake1 whether we  live or die1 we    
shall alike live with ,him4 ,the strong 
consolation1 to  impart which was the   
,apostle's original motive in           
approaching this  subject1 has thus come

 uppermost again2 in the circumstances  
of the  church1 it is this which lies   
nearest to his heart4    ,he ends1      
therefore1 with the old exhortation3    
,comfort one another1  and build each   
other up1 as also ye do4 ,the knowledge 
of the truth is  one thing2 the         
,christian use of it is another3 if we  
cannot help one  another very much with 
the first1 there is more in our power   
with  regard to the last4 ,we are not   
ignorant of ,christ's second coming2 of 
its awful and consoling circumstances2  
of its final judgment and final  mercy2 
of its final separations and final      
unions4 ,why have these  things been    
revealed to us8 ,what influence are they
 meant to have in  our lives8 ,they     
ought to be consoling and strengthening4
 ,they ought  to banish hopeless sorrow4
 ,they ought to generate and sustain an 
earnest1 sober1 watchful spirit2 strong 
patience2 a complete  independence of   
this world4 ,it is left to us as        
,christian men to  assist each other in 

the appropriation and application of    
these great  truths4 ,let us fix our    
minds upon them4 ,our salvation is      
nearer than  when we believed4 ,christ  
is coming4 ,there will be a gathering   
together of all ,his people unto ,him4  
,the living and the dead shall be  for  
ever with the ,lord4 ,of the times and  
the seasons we can say no  more than    
could be said at the beginning2 the     
,father has kept them in  ,his own      
power2 it remains with us to watch and  
be sober2 to arm  ourselves with faith1 
love1 and hope2 to set our mind on the  
things  that are above1 where our true  
country is1 whence also we look for the 
,saviour1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4     
#ah ,the times 77 are1 in ,augustine's  
words1 'ipsa spatia  temporum1' and     
these contemplated merely under the     
aspect of their  duration1 over which   
the ,church's history should extend2 but
 the  seasons 77 are the joints or      
articulations in these times1  the      
critical epoch-making periods           

foreordained of ,god 7  1 ,acts xvii4   
#bf2 cf4 ,augustine1 ,conf41 xi41 #ac3  
',deus  operator temporum'72 when all   
that has been slowly1 and often without 
observation1 ripening through long ages 
is mature and comes to the  birth in    
grand decisive events1 which constitute 
at once the close of  one period and the
 commencement of another4--,trench1     
,synonyms1 p4  #baa4    #ai ,rev4 xvi4  
#ae4          ,,xiii4    ,,rulers ,,and 
,,ruled4       ,but we beseech you1     
brethren1 to know them that labour among
 you1   and are over you in the ,lord1  
and admonish you2 and to esteem them    
exceeding highly in love for their      
work's sake4 ,be at peace among         
yourselves4 ,and we exhort you1         
brethren1 admonish the disorderly1      
encourage the fainthearted1 support the 
weak1 be longsuffering toward   all4    
,see that none render unto any one evil 
for evil2 but alway   follow after that 
which is good1 one toward another1 and  
toward   all4--#a ,,thess4 v4 #ab-ae    

7,r4,v474    ,at the present moment1 one
 great cause of division among          
,christian  churches is the existence of
 different forms of ,church government4 
,congregationalists1 ,presbyterians1 and
 ,episcopalians are separated  from each
 other much more decidedly by difference
 of organisation than  by difference of 
creed4 ,by some of them1 if not by all1 
a certain form  of ,church order is     
identified with the existence of the    
,church itself4  ,thus the              
,english-speaking bishops of the world1 
who met some time ago  in conference at 
,lambeth1 adopted as a basis1 on which  
they could  treat for union with other  
,churches1 the acceptance of ,holy      
,scripture1  of the ,sacraments of      
,baptism and the ,lord's ,supper1 of the
 ,apostles'  and ,nicene creeds1 and of 
the ,historic ,episcopate4 ,in other    
words1  diocesan bishops are as         
essential to the constitution of the    
,church as  the preaching of the ,word  
of ,god and the administration of the   

,sacraments4 ,that is an opinion which  
one may say1 without offence1 has       
neither history nor reason on its side4 
,part of the interest of this  ,epistle 
to the ,thessalonians lies in the       
glimpses it gives of the  early state of
 the ,church1 when such questions would 
simply have been  unintelligible4 ,the  
little community at ,thessalonica was   
not quite  without a constitution--no   
society could exist on that footing--but
  its constitution1 as we see from this 
passage1 was of the most  elementary    
kind2 and it certainly contained nothing
 like a modern  bishop4    ,we beseech  
you1 says the ,apostle1 to know them    
that labour among  you4 ,to labour#bj is
 the ordinary expression of ,paul for   
such  ,christian work as he himself did4
 ,perhaps it refers mainly to the work  
of catechising1 to the giving of that   
regular and connected  instruction in   
,christian truth which followed         
conversion and baptism4  ,it covers     
everything that could be of service to  

the ,church or any of  its members4 ,it 
would include even works of charity4    
,there is a  passage very like this in  
the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians1
 7xvi4  #ae f471 where the two things   
are closely connected3 ,now ,i beseech  
you1 brethren 7ye know the house of     
,stephanas1 that it is the  firstfruits 
of ,achaia1 and that they have set      
themselves to minister  unto the        
saints71 that ye also be in subjection  
unto such1 and to  every one that       
helpeth in the work and laboureth4 ,in  
both passages  there is a certain       
indefiniteness4 ,those who labour are   
not  necessarily official persons1      
elders1 or1 as they are often called in 
the ,new ,testament1 bishops1 and       
deacons2 they may have given  themselves
 to the work without any election or    
ordination at all4 ,we  know that this  
is often the case still4 ,the best      
workers in a church  are not always or  
necessarily found among those who have  
official  functions to perform4         

,especially is it so in churches which  
provide no  recognition for women1 yet  
depend for their efficiency as religious
  agencies even more on women than on   
men4 ,what would become of our  ,sunday 
,schools1 of our ,home ,missions1 of our
 charities1 of our  visitation of the   
sick1 the aged1 and the poor1 but for   
the labour of  ,christian women8 ,now   
what the ,apostle tells us here is1 that
 it is  labour which1 in the first      
instance1 is entitled to respect4 ,know 
them that labour among you1 means ,know 
them for what they are2  recognise with 
all due reverence their self-denial1    
their  faithfulness1 the services they  
render to you1 their claim upon your    
regard4 ,the ,christian labourer does   
not labour for praise or flattery2  but 
those who take the burden of the church 
upon them in any way1 as  pastors or    
teachers or visitors1 as choir or       
collectors1 as managers  of the church  
property1 or however else1 are entitled 
to our  acknowledgment1 and ought not to

 be left without it4 ,there is no doubt 
a great deal of unknown1 unheeded1      
unrequited labour in every church4      
,that is inevitable1 and probably good2 
but it should make us the more  anxious 
to acknowledge what we see1 and to      
esteem the workers very  highly in love 
because of it4 ,how unseemly it is1 and 
how unworthy of  the ,christian name1   
when those who do not work busy         
themselves with  criticising those who  
do1--inventing objections1 deriding     
honest  effort1 anticipating failure1   
pouring cold water upon zeal4 ,that is  
bad for all1 but bad especially for     
those who practise it4 ,the  ungenerous 
soul1 which grudges recognition to      
others1 and though it  never labours    
itself has always wisdom to spare for   
those who do1 is  in a hopeless state2  
there is no growth for it in anything   
noble and  good4 ,let us open our eyes  
on those who labour among us1 men or    
women1  and recognise them as they      
deserve4    ,there are two special forms

 of labour to which the ,apostle gives  
prominence3 he mentions as among those  
that labour them that are over  you in  
the ,lord1 and admonish you4 ,the first 
of the words here  employed1 the one    
translated them that are over you1 is   
the only  hint the ,epistle contains of 
,church government4 ,wherever there is a
  society1 there must be order4 ,there  
must be those through whom the  society 
acts1 those who represent it officially 
by words or deeds4 ,at  ,thessalonica   
there was not a single president1 a     
minister in our  sense1 possessing to a 
certain extent an exclusive             
responsibility2 the  presidency was in  
the hands of a plurality of men1 what   
,presbyterians  would call a ,kirk      
,session4 ,this body1 as far as we can  
make out from  the few surviving        
indications of their duties1 would      
direct1 but not  conduct1 the public    
worship1 and would manage the financial 
affairs1  and especially the charity1 of
 the church4 ,they would as a rule be   

elderly men2 and were called by the     
official name1 borrowed from the  ,jews1
 of elders4 ,they did not1 in the       
earliest times1 preach or teach2  they  
were too old to learn that new          
profession2 but what may be called  the 
administration was in their hands2 they 
were the governing  committee of the new
 ,christian community4 ,the limits of   
their  authority are indicated by the   
words in the ,lord4 ,they are over the  
members of the church in their          
characters and relations as church      
members2 but they have nothing to do    
with other departments of life1  so far 
as these relations are unaffected by    
them4    ,side by side with those who   
preside over the church1 ,paul mentions 
those who admonish you4 ,admonish is a  
somewhat severe word2 it means  to speak
 to one about his conduct1 reminding him
 of what he seems to  have forgotten1   
and of what is rightly expected from    
him4 ,it gives us  a glimpse of         
discipline in the early ,church1 that   

is1 of the care  which was taken that   
those who had named the ,christian name 
should  lead a truly ,christian life4   
,there is nothing expressly said in this
  passage about doctrines4 ,purity of   
doctrine is certainly essential to  the 
health of the ,church1 but rightness of 
life comes before it4 ,there  is nothing
 expressly said about teaching the      
truth2 that work belonged  to apostles1 
prophets1 and evangelists1 who were     
ministers of the  ,church at large1 and 
not fixed to a single congregation2 the 
only  exercise of ,christian speech     
proper to the congregation is its use in
  admonition1 i4e41 for practical moral 
purposes4 ,the moral ideal of  the      
gospel must be clearly before the mind  
of the ,church1 and all who  deviate    
from it must be admonished of their     
danger4 ,it is difficult  for us in     
modern times1 says ,dr4 ,hatch1 with the
 widely different  views which we have  
come to hold as to the relation of      
,church  government to social life1 to  

understand how large a part discipline  
filled in the communities of primitive  
times4 ,these communities were  what    
they were mainly by the strictness of   
their discipline4444 ,in the  midst of  
'a crooked and perverse nation' they    
could only hold their  own by the       
extreme of circumspection4 ,moral purity
 was not so much a  virtue at which they
 were bound to aim as the very condition
 of their  existence4 ,if the salt of   
the earth should lose its savour1       
wherewith  should it be salted8 ,if the 
lights of the world were dimmed1 who    
should rekindle their flame8 ,and of    
this moral purity the officers of  each 
community were the custodians4 ',they   
watched for souls as those  that must   
give account4' ,this vivid picture      
should provoke us to  reflection4 ,our  
minds are not set sufficiently on the   
practical duty  of keeping up the       
,christian standard4 ,the moral         
originality of the  gospel drops too    
easily out of sight4 ,is it not the case

 that we are  much more expert at       
vindicating the approach of the ,church 
to the  standard of the non-,christian  
world1 than at maintaining the necessary
  distinction between the two8 ,we are  
certain to bring a good deal of  the    
world into the ,church without knowing  
it2 we are certain to have  instincts1  
habits1 dispositions1 associates        
perhaps1 and likings1  which are hostile
 to the ,christian type of character2   
and it is this  which makes admonition  
indispensable4 ,far worse than any      
aberration in  thought is an            
irregularity in conduct which threatens 
the ,christian  ideal4 ,when you are    
warned of such a thing in your conduct  
by your  minister or elder1 or by any   
,christian1 do not resent the warning4  
,take it seriously and kindly2 thank    
,god that ,he has not allowed you to  go
 on unadmonished2 and esteem very highly
 in love the brother or  sister who has 
been so true to you4 ,nothing is more   
un-,christian than  fault-finding1      

nothing is more truly ,christian than   
frank and  affectionate admonishing of  
those who are going astray4 ,this may be
  especially commended to the young4 ,in
 youth we are apt to be proud and       
wilful2 we are confident that we can    
keep ourselves safe in what the  old and
 timid consider dangerous situations2 we
 do not fear  temptation1 nor think that
 this or that little fall is more than  
an  indiscretion2 and1 in any case1 we  
have a determined dislike to being      
interfered with4 ,all this is very      
natural2 but we should remember  that1  
as ,christians1 we are pledged to a     
course of life which is not  in all ways
 natural2 to a spirit and conduct which 
are incompatible  with pride2 to a      
seriousness of purpose1 to a loftiness  
and purity of  aim1 which may all be    
lost through wilfulness2 and we should  
love and  honour those who put their    
experience at our service1 and warn us  
when1 in lightness of heart1 we are on  
the way to make shipwreck of  our life4 

,they do not admonish us because they   
like it1 but because  they love us and  
would save us from harm2 and love is the
 only  recompense for such a service4   
,how little there is of an official     
spirit in what the ,apostle has been    
saying1 we see clearly from what        
follows4 ,in one way it is specially    
the duty of the elders or pastors in the
 ,church to exercise rule and           
discipline2 but it is not so exclusively
 their duty as to exempt the  members of
 the ,church at large from              
responsibility4 ,the ,apostle  addresses
 the whole congregation when he goes on1
 ,be at peace among  yourselves4 ,and we
 exhort you1 brethren1 admonish the     
disorderly1  encourage the fainthearted1
 support the weak1 be longsuffering     
toward  all4 ,let us look more closely  
at these simple exhortations4           
,admonish1 he says1 the disorderly4 ,who
 are they8 ,the word is a  military one1
 and means properly those who leave     
their place in the  ranks4 ,in the      

,epistle to the ,colossians 7ii4 #e7    
,paul rejoices over  what he calls the  
solid front presented by their faith in 
,christ4 ,the  solid front is broken1   
and great advantage given to the enemy1 
when  there are disorderly persons in a 
church1--men or women who fall short  of
 the ,christian standard1 or who        
violate1 by irregularities of any  kind1
 the law of ,christ4 ,such are to be    
admonished by their brethren4  ,any     
,christian who sees the disorder has a  
right to admonish them2 nay1  it is laid
 upon his conscience as a sacred duty   
tenderly and earnestly  to do so4 ,we   
are too much afraid of giving offence1  
and too little  afraid of allowing sin  
to run its course4 ,which is better--to 
speak to  the brother who has been      
disorderly1 whether by neglecting work1 
neglecting worship1 or openly falling   
into sin3 which is better1 to  speak to 
such a one as a brother1 privately1     
earnestly1 lovingly2 or  to say nothing 
at all to him1 but talk about what we   

find to censure  in him to everybody    
else1 dealing freely behind his back    
with things  we dare not speak of to his
 face8 ,surely admonition is better than
  gossip2 if it is more difficult1 it is
 more ,christlike too4 ,it may be  that 
our own conduct shuts our mouth1 or at  
least exposes us to a rude  retort2 but 
unaffected humility can overcome even   
that4    ,but it is not always          
admonition that is needed4 ,sometimes   
the very  opposite is in place2 and so  
,paul writes1 ,encourage the            
fainthearted4 ,put heart into them4 ,the
 word rendered fainthearted  is only    
used in this single passage2 yet every  
one knows what it  means4 ,it includes  
those for whose benefit the ,apostle    
wrote in chap4  iv4 the description of  
,christ's second coming1--those whose   
hearts  sunk within them as they thought
 they might never see their departed    
friends again4 ,it includes those who   
shrink from persecution1 from the       
smiles or the frowns of the             

un-,christian1 and who fear they may    
deny  the ,lord4 ,it includes those who 
have fallen before temptation1 and are  
sitting despondent and fearful1 not able
 to lift up so much as their  eyes to   
heaven and pray the publican's prayer4  
,all such timid souls  need to be       
heartened2 and those who have learned of
 ,jesus1 who would  not break the       
bruised reed nor quench the smoking     
flax1 will know how  to speak a word in 
season to them4 ,the whole life of the  
,lord is an  encouragement to the       
fainthearted2 ,he who welcomed the      
penitent1 who  comforted the mourners1  
who restored ,peter after his triple    
denial1 is  able to lift up the most    
timid and to make them stand4 ,nor is   
there  any work more ,christlike than   
this4 ,the fainthearted get no quarter  
from the world2 bad men delight to      
trample on the timid2 but ,christ  bids 
them hope in ,him1 and strengthen       
themselves for battle and for  victory4 
,akin to this exhortation is the one    

which follows1 ,support the weak4  ,that
 does not mean1 ,provide for those who  
are unable to work2 but1 ,lay  hold of  
those who are weak in the faith1 and    
keep them up4 ,there are  people in     
every congregation whose connection with
 ,christ and the  gospel is very slight2
 and if some one does not take hold of  
them1  they will drift away altogether4 
,sometimes such weakness is due to      
ignorance3 the people in question know  
little about the gospel2 it  fills no   
space in their minds2 it does not awe   
their weakness1 or  fascinate their     
trust4 ,sometimes1 again1 it is due to  
an unsteadiness  of mind or character2  
they are easily led away by new ideas or
 by new  companions4 ,sometimes1 without
 any tendency to lapsing1 there is a    
weakness due to a false reverence for   
the past1 and for the traditions  and   
opinions of men1 by which the mind and  
conscience are enslaved4  ,what is to be
 done with such weak ,christians8 ,they 
are to be supported4  ,some one is to   

lay hands upon them1 and uphold them    
till their  weakness is outgrown4 ,if   
they are ignorant1 they must be taught4 
,if  they are easily carried away by new
 ideas1 they must be shown the          
incalculable weight of evidence which   
from every side establishes the         
unchangeable truth of the gospel ,if    
they are prejudiced and bigoted1  or    
full of irrational scruples1 and blind  
reverence for dead customs1  they must  
be constrained to look the imaginary    
terrors of liberty in  the face1 till   
the truth makes them free4 ,let us lay  
this exhortation  to heart4 ,men and    
women slip away and are lost to the     
,church and to  ,christ1 because they   
were weak1 and no one supported them4   
,your word  or your influence1 spoken or
 used at the right time1 might have     
saved  them4 ,what is the use of        
strength if not to lay hold of the weak8
    ,it is an apt climax when the       
,apostle adds1 ,be longsuffering toward 
all4 ,he who tries to keep these        

commandments--,admonish the  disorderly1
 encourage the fainthearted1 support the
 weak--will have  need of patience4 ,if 
we are absolutely indifferent to each   
other1 it  does not matter2 we can do   
without it4 ,but if we seek to be of use
 to  each other1 our moral infirmities  
are very trying4 ,we summon up all  our 
love and all our courage1 and venture to
 hint to a brother that  something in   
his conduct has been amiss2 and he flies
 into a passion1  and tells us to mind  
our own business4 ,or we undertake some 
trying  task of teaching1 and after     
years of pains and patience some        
guileless  question is asked which shows
 that our labour has been in vain2 or we
  sacrifice our own leisure and         
recreation to lay hold on some weak one1
  and discover that the first approach  
of temptation has been too strong  for  
him after all4 ,how slow1 we are tempted
 to cry1 men are to respond  to efforts 
made for their good6 ,yet we are men who
 so cry1--men who  have wearied ,god by 

their own slowness1 and who must        
constantly appeal  to ,his forbearance4 
,surely it is not too much for us to be 
longsuffering toward all4    ,this      
little section closes with a warning    
against revenge1 the vice  directly     
opposed to forbearance4 ,see that none  
render unto any one  evil for evil2 but 
alway follow after that which is good1  
one toward  another1 and toward all4    
,who are addressed in this verse8 ,no   
doubt1 ,i  should say1 all the members  
of the ,church2 they have a common      
interest  in seeing that it is not      
disgraced by revenge4 ,if forgiveness is
 the  original and characteristic virtue
 of ,christianity1 it is because        
revenge is the most natural and         
instinctive of vices4 ,it is a kind of  
wild justice1 as ,bacon says1 and men   
will hardly be persuaded that it  is not
 just4 ,it is the vice which can most   
easily pass itself off as  a virtue2 but
 in the ,church it is to have no        
opportunity of doing so4  ,christian men

 are to have their eyes about them2 and 
where a wrong has  been done1 they are  
to guard against the possibility of     
revenge by  acting as mediators between 
the severed brethren4 ,is it not written
 in  the words of ,jesus1 ,blessed are  
the peacemakers1 for they shall be      
called sons of ,god8 ,we are not only to
 refrain from vengeance  ourselves1 but 
we are to see to it1 as ,christian men1 
that it has no  place among us4 ,and    
here1 again1 we sometimes have a        
thankless task1  and need to be         
longsuffering4 ,angry men are           
unreasonable2 and he who  seeks the     
blessing of the peacemaker sometimes    
earns only the ill name  of a busybody  
in other men's matters4 ,nevertheless1  
wisdom is  justified of all her         
children2 and no man who wars against   
revenge1  out of a heart loyal to       
,christ1 can ever be made to look       
foolish4 ,if  that which is good is our 
constant aim1 one toward another1 and   
toward  all1 we shall gain the          

confidence even of angry men1 and have  
the joy  of seeing evil passions        
banished from the ,church4 ,for revenge 
is the  last stronghold of the natural  
man2 it is the last fort which he holds 
against the spirit of the gospel2 and   
when it is stormed1 ,christ  reigns     
indeed4    #bj ,those who toil among you
 and preside over you and admonish you  
are identified by ,wight 7,composition  
of the ,four ,gospels1 p4 #ab7 as  the  
catechists1 the presbyters1 and         
evangelists4 ,the third case is         
certainly doubtful2 and the fact that   
the article is used only once  makes the
 whole attempt at such a discrimination 
of officials  illegitimate4             
,,xiv4    ,,the ,,standing ,,orders ,,of
 ,,the ,,gospel4       ,rejoice alway2  
pray without ceasing2 in everything give
 thanks3 for   this is the will of ,god 
in ,christ ,jesus to you-ward4--#a      
,,thess4 v4   #af-ah 7,r4,v474    ,the  
three precepts of these three verses may
 be called the standing  orders of the  

,christian ,church4 ,however various the
 circumstances in  which ,christians may
 find themselves1 the duties here       
prescribed are  always binding upon     
them4 ,we are to rejoice alway1 to pray 
without  ceasing1 and in everything to  
give thanks4 ,we may live in peaceful or
  in troubled times2 we may be          
encompassed with friends or beset by    
foes2 we may see the path we have chosen
 for ourselves open easily  before us1  
or find our inclination thwarted at     
every step2 but we must  always have the
 music of the gospel in our hearts in   
its own proper  key4 ,let us look at    
these rules in order4    ,rejoice alway4
 ,there are circumstances in which it is
 natural for us  to rejoice2 whether we 
are ,christians or not1 joy fills the   
heart till  it overflows4 ,youth1       
health1 hope1 love1 these richest and   
best  possessions1 give almost every man
 and woman at least a term of unmixed   
gladness2 some months1 or years perhaps1
 of pure light-heartedness1  when they  

feel like singing all the time4 ,but    
that natural joy can  hardly be kept up4
 ,it would not be good for us if it     
could2 for it  really means that we are 
for the time absorbed in ourselves1 and 
having found our own satisfaction       
decline to look beyond4 ,it is quite    
another situation to which the ,apostle 
addresses himself4 ,he knows  that the  
persons who receive his letter have had 
to suffer cruelly for  their faith in   
,christ2 he knows that some of them have
 quite lately  stood beside the graves  
of their dead4 ,must not a man be very  
sure of  himself1 very confident of the 
truth on which he stands1 when he       
ventures to say to people so situated1  
,rejoice alway8    ,but these people1 we
 must remember1 were ,christians2 they  
had received  the gospel from the       
,apostle2 and1 in the gospel1 the       
supreme assurance  of the love of ,god4 
,we need to remind ourselves            
occasionally that the  gospel is good   
news1 glad tidings of great joy4        

,wherever it comes1 it  is a joyful     
sound2 it puts a gladness into the heart
 which no change  of circumstances can  
abate or take away4 ,there is a great   
deal in the  ,old ,testament which may  
fairly be described as doubt of ,god's  
love4  ,even the saints sometimes       
wondered whether ,god was good to       
,israel2  they became impatient1        
unbelieving1 bitter1 foolish2 the       
outpourings  of their hearts in some of 
the psalms show how far they were from  
being able to rejoice evermore4 ,but    
there is nothing the least like  this in
 the ,new ,testament4 ,the ,new         
,testament is the work of ,christian    
men1 of men who had stood quite close to
 the supreme manifestation of  ,god's   
love in ,jesus ,christ4 ,some of them   
had been in ,christ's company  for      
years4 ,they knew that every word ,he   
spoke and every deed ,he  wrought       
declared ,his love2 they knew that it   
was revealed1 above all1  by the death  
which ,he died2 they knew that it was   

made almighty1  immortal1 and           
ever-present1 by ,his resurrection from 
the dead4 ,the  sublime revelation of   
,divine love dominated everything else  
in their  experience4 ,it was impossible
 for them1 for a single moment1 to      
forget  it or to escape from it4 ,it    
drew and fixed their hearts as          
irresistibly as a mountain peak draws   
and holds the eyes of the  traveller4   
,they never lost sight of the love of   
,god in ,christ ,jesus1  that sight so  
new1 so stupendous1 so irresistible1 so 
joyful4 ,and  because they did not1 they
 were able to rejoice evermore2 and the 
,new  ,testament1 which reflects the    
life of the first believers1 does not   
contain a querulous word from beginning 
to end4 ,it is the book of  infinite    
joy4    ,we see1 then1 that this        
command1 unreasonable as it appears1 is 
not  impracticable4 ,if we are truly    
,christians1 if we have seen and        
received the love of ,god1 if we see and
 receive it continually1 it  will enable

 us1 like those who wrote the ,new      
,testament1 to rejoice  evermore4 ,there
 are places on our coast where a spring 
of fresh water  gushes up through the   
sand among the salt waves of the sea2   
and just  such a fountain of joy is the 
love of ,god in the ,christian soul1    
even  when the waters close over it4 ,as
 sorrowful1 says the ,apostle1 yet      
alway rejoicing4    ,most churches and  
,christians need to lay this exhortation
 to heart4 ,it  contains a plain        
direction for our common worship4 ,the  
house of ,god is  the place where we    
come to make united and adoring         
confession of ,his  name4 ,if we think  
only of ourselves1 as we enter1 we may  
be despondent  and low spirited enough2 
but surely we ought to think1 in the    
first  instance1 of ,him4 ,let ,god be  
great in the assembly of ,his people2   
let  ,him be lifted up as ,he is        
revealed to us in ,jesus ,christ1 and   
joy will  fill our hearts4 ,if the      
services of the ,church are dull1 it is 

because  ,he has been left outside2     
because the glad tidings of redemption1 
holiness1 and life everlasting are still
 waiting for admission to our  hearts4  
,do not let us belie the gospel by      
dreary1 joyless worship3 it  is not so  
that it is endeared to ourselves or     
commended to others4    ,the ,apostle's 
exhortation contains a hint also for    
,christian temper4  ,not only our united
 worship1 but the habitual disposition  
of each of  us1 is to be joyful4 ,it    
would not be easy to measure the loss   
the  cause of ,christ has sustained     
through the neglect of this rule4  ,a   
conception of ,christianity has been set
 before men1 and especially  before the 
young1 which could not fail to repel2   
the typical ,christian  has been        
presented1 austere and pure perhaps1 or 
lifted high above the  world1 but rigid1
 cold1 and self-contained4 ,that is not 
the ,christian  as the ,new ,testament  
conceives him4 ,he is cheerful1 sunny1  
joyous2 and  there is nothing so        

charming as joy4 ,there is nothing so   
contagious1  because there is nothing in
 which all men are so willing to        
partake2  and hence there is nothing so 
powerful in evangelistic work4 ,the joy 
of the ,lord is the strength of the     
preacher of the gospel4 ,there is an    
interesting passage in #a ,cor4 ix41    
where ,paul enlarges on a certain       
relation between the evangelist and the 
evangel4 ,the gospel1 he tells  us1 is  
,god's free gift to the world2 and he   
who would become a  fellow-worker with  
the gospel must enter into the spirit of
 it1 and  make his preaching also a free
 gift4 ,so here1 one may say1 the gospel
  is conceived as glad tidings2 and     
whoever would open his lips for  ,christ
 must enter into the spirit of his      
message1 and stand up to  speak clothed 
in joy4 ,our looks and tones must not   
belie our words4  ,languor1 dulness1    
dreariness1 a melancholy visage1 are a  
libel upon  the gospel4 ,if the         
knowledge of the love of ,god does not  

make us glad1  what does it do for us8  
,if it does not make a difference to our
  spirits and our temper1 do we really  
know it8 ,christ compares its  influence
 to that of new wine2 it is nothing if  
not exhilarating2 if  it does not make  
our faces shine1 it is because we have  
not tasted it4  ,i do not overlook1 any 
more than ,st4 ,paul did1 the causes for
 sorrow2  but the causes for sorrow are 
transient2 they are like the dark clouds
  which overshadow the sky for a time   
and then pass away2 while the  cause of 
joy--the redeeming love of ,god in      
,christ ,jesus--is permanent2  it is    
like the unchanging blue behind the     
clouds1 ever-present1  ever-radiant1    
overarching and encompassing all our    
passing woes4 ,let  us remember it1 and 
see it through the darkest clouds1 and  
it will not  be impossible for us to    
rejoice evermore4    ,it may seem       
strange that one difficult thing should 
be made easy when  it is combined with  
another2 but this is what is suggested  

by the  second exhortation of the       
,apostle1 ,pray without ceasing4 ,it is 
not  easy to rejoice alway1 but our one 
hope of doing so is to pray  constantly4
 ,how are we to understand so singular a
 precept8    ,prayer1 we know1 when we  
take it in the widest sense1 is the     
primary  mark of the ,christian4        
,behold1 he prayeth1 the ,lord said of  
,saul1  when ,he wished to convince     
,ananias that there was no mistake about
 his  conversion4 ,he who does not pray 
at all--and is it too much to suppose   
that some come to churches who never    
do8--is no ,christian4 ,prayer is  the  
converse of the soul with ,god2 it is   
that exercise in which we  hold up our  
hearts to ,him1 that they may be filled 
with ,his fulness1  and changed into    
,his likeness4 ,the more we pray1 and   
the more we are  in contact with ,him1  
the greater is our assurance of ,his    
love1 the  firmer our confidence that   
,he is with us to help and save4 ,if we 
once  think of it1 we shall see that our

 very life as ,christians depends on    
our being in perpetual contact and      
perpetual fellowship with ,god4 ,if  ,he
 does not breathe into us the breath of 
life1 we have no life4 ,if ,he  does not
 hour by hour send our help from above1 
we face our spiritual  foes without     
resources4    ,it is with such thoughts 
present to the mind that some would     
interpret  the command1 ,pray without   
ceasing4 ,cherish a spirit of prayer1   
they would render it1 and make devotion 
the true business of life4  ,cultivate  
the sense of dependence on ,god2 let it 
be part of the very  structure of your  
thoughts that without ,him you can do   
nothing1 but  through ,his strength all 
things4 ,but this is1 in truth1 to put  
the  effect where the cause should be4  
,this spirit of devotion is itself  the 
fruit of ceaseless prayers2 this strong 
consciousness of  dependence on ,god    
becomes an ever-present and abiding     
thing only when  in all our necessities 
we betake ourselves to ,him4 ,occasions1

 we must  rather say1 if we would follow
 the ,apostle's thought1 are never      
wanting1 and will never be wanting1     
which call for the help of ,god2        
therefore1 pray without ceasing4 ,it is 
useless to say that the thing  cannot be
 done1 before the experiment has been   
made4 ,there are few  works that cannot 
be accompanied with prayer2 there are   
few indeed  that cannot be preceded by  
prayer2 there are none at all that would
  not profit by prayer4 ,take the very  
first work to which you must set  your  
mind and your hand1 and you know it will
 be better done if1 as  you turn to it1 
you look up to ,god and ask ,his help to
 do it well and  faithfully1 as a       
,christian ought to do it for the       
,master above4 ,it is  not in any vague1
 indefinite fashion1 but by taking      
prayer with us  wherever we go1 by      
consciously1 deliberately1 and          
persistently lifting  our hearts to ,god
 as each emergency in life1 great or    
small1 makes its  new demand upon us1   

that the apostolic exhortation is to be 
obeyed4 ,if  prayer is thus combined    
with all our works1 we shall find that  
it  wastes no time1 though it fills all4
 ,certainly it is not an easy  practice 
to begin1 that of praying without       
ceasing4 ,it is so natural  for us not  
to pray1 that we perpetually forget1 and
 undertake this or  that without ,god4  
,but surely we get reminders enough that
 this  omission of prayer is a mistake4 
,failure1 loss of temper1 absence of    
joy1 weariness1 and discouragement are  
its fruits2 while prayer brings  us     
without fail the joy and strength of    
,god4 ,the ,apostle himself knew  that  
to pray without ceasing requires an     
extraordinary effort2 and in  the only  
passages in which he urges it1 he       
combines with it the duties  of         
watchfulness and persistence 7,eph4 vi4 
#ae2 ,col4 iv4 #b2 ,rom4 xii4  #ab74 ,we
 must be on our guard that the occasion 
for prayer does not  escape us1 and we  
must take care not to be wearied with   

this incessant  reference of everything 
to ,god4    ,the third of the standing  
orders of the ,church is1 from one point
 of  view1 a combination of the first   
and second2 for thanksgiving is a  kind 
of joyful prayer4 ,as a duty1 it is     
recognised by every one within  limits2 
the difficulty of it is only seen when  
it is claimed1 as here1  without limits3
 ,in everything give thanks4 ,that this 
is no  accidental extravagance is shown 
by its recurrence in other places4 ,to  
mention only one3 in ,phil4 iv4 #f the  
,apostle writes1 ,in everything by      
prayer and supplication with            
thanksgiving let your requests be made  
known to ,god4 ,is it really possible to
 do this thing8    ,there are times1 we 
all know1 at which thanksgiving is      
natural and  easy4 ,when our life has   
taken the course which we ourselves had 
purposed1 and the result seems to       
justify our foresight2 when those  whom 
we love are prosperous and happy2 when  
we have escaped a great  danger1 or     

recovered from a severe illness1 we     
feel1 or say we feel1  so thankful4     
,even in such circumstances we are      
possibly not so  thankful as we ought to
 be4 ,perhaps if we were our lives would
 be a  great deal happier4 ,but at all  
events we frankly admit that we have    
cause for thanksgiving2 ,god has been   
good to us1 even in our own  estimate of
 goodness2 and we ought to cherish and  
express our grateful  love toward ,him4 
,let us not forget to do so4 ,it has    
been said that an  unblessed sorrow is  
the saddest thing in life2 but perhaps  
as sad a  thing is an unblessed joy4    
,and every joy is unblessed for which we
 do  not give ,god thanks4 ,unhallowed  
pleasures is a strong expression1  which
 seems proper only to describe gross    
wickedness2 yet it is the  very name    
which describes any pleasure in our life
 of which we do not  recognise ,god as  
the ,giver1 and for which we do not     
offer ,him our  humble and hearty       
thanks4 ,we would not be so apt to      

protest against  the idea of giving     
thanks in everything1 if it had ever    
been our habit  to give thanks in       
anything4 ,think of what you call1 with 
thorough  conviction1 your blessings and
 your mercies1--your bodily health1 your
  soundness of mind1 your calling in    
this world1 the faith which you  repose 
in others and which others repose in    
you2 think of the love of  your husband 
or wife1 of all those sweet and tender  
ties that bind our  lives into one2     
think of the success with which you have
 wrought out  your own purposes1 and    
laboured at your own ideal2 and with all
 this  multitude of mercies before your 
face1 ask whether even for these you    
have given ,god thanks4 ,have they been 
hallowed and made means of grace  to you
 by your grateful acknowledgment that   
,he is the ,giver of them  all8 ,if not1
 it is plain that you have lost much    
joy1 and have to  begin the duty of     
thanksgiving in the easiest and lowest  
place4    ,but the ,apostle rises high  

above this when he says1 ,in everything 
give thanks4 ,he knew1 as ,i have       
remarked already1 that the              
,thessalonians had been visited by      
suffering and death3 is there a  place  
for thanksgiving there8 ,yes1 he says2  
for the ,christian does not  look on    
sorrow with the eyes of another man4    
,when sickness comes to  him or to his  
home2 when there is loss to be borne1 or
 disappointment1  or bereavement2 when  
his plans are frustrated1 his hopes     
deferred1 and  the whole conduct of his 
life simply taken out of his hands1 he  
is  still called to give thanks to ,god4
 ,for he knows that ,god is love4 ,he   
knows that ,god has a purpose of ,his   
own in his life1--a purpose which  at   
the moment he may not discern1 but which
 he is bound to believe  wiser and      
larger than any he could purpose for    
himself4 ,every one who  has eyes to see
 must have seen1 in the lives of        
,christian men and  women1 fruits of    
sorrow and of suffering which were      

conspicuously  their best possessions1  
the things for which the whole ,church  
was  under obligation to give thanks to 
,god on their behalf4 ,it is not  easy  
at the moment to see what underlies     
sorrow2 it is not possible to  grasp by 
anticipation the beautiful fruits which 
it yields in the long  run to those who 
accept it without murmuring3 but every  
,christian  knows that all things work  
together for good to them that love     
,god2  and in the strength of that      
knowledge he is able to keep a thankful 
heart1 however mysterious and trying the
 providence of ,god may be4  ,that      
sorrow1 even the deepest and most       
hopeless1 has been blessed1 no  one can 
deny4 ,it has taught many a deeper      
thoughtfulness1 a truer  estimate of the
 world and its interests1 a more simple 
trust in ,god4  ,it has opened the eyes 
of many to the sufferings of others1 and
  changed boisterous rudeness into      
tender and delicate sympathy4 ,it has   
given many weak ones the opportunity of 

demonstrating the nearness and  the     
strength of ,christ1 as out of weakness 
they have been made strong4  ,often the 
sufferer in a home is the most thankful 
member of it4 ,often  the bedside is the
 sunniest spot in the house1 though the 
bedridden  one knows that he or she will
 never be free again4 ,it is not        
impossible for a ,christian in          
everything to give thanks4    ,but it is
 only a ,christian who can do it1 as the
 last words of the  ,apostle intimate3  
,this is the will of ,god in ,christ    
,jesus to  you-ward4 ,these words may   
refer to all that has preceded3 ,rejoice
  alway2 pray without ceasing2 in       
everything give thanks2 or they may     
refer to the last clause only4          
,whichever be the case1 the ,apostle    
tells us that the ideal in question has 
only been revealed in ,christ1  and     
hence is only within reach of those who 
know ,christ4 ,till ,christ  came1 no   
man ever dreamt of rejoicing alway1     
praying without ceasing1  and giving    

thanks in everything4 ,there were noble 
ideals in the world1  high1 severe1 and 
pure2 but nothing so lofty1 buoyant1 and
 exhilarating  as this4 ,men did not    
know ,god well enough to know what ,his 
will for  them was2 they thought ,he    
demanded integrity1 probably1 and beyond
  that1 silent and passive submission at
 the most2 no one had conceived  that   
,god's will for man was that his life   
should be made up of joy1  prayer1 and  
thanksgiving4 ,but he who has seen      
,jesus ,christ1 and has  discovered the 
meaning of ,his life1 knows that this is
 the true ideal4  ,for ,jesus came into 
our world1 and lived among us1 that we  
might know  ,god2 ,he manifested the    
name of ,god that we might put our trust
 in it2  and that name is ,love2 it is  
,father4 ,if we know the ,father1 it is 
possible for us1 in the spirit of       
children1 to aim at this lofty          
,christian ideal2 if we do not1 it will 
seem to us utterly unreal4 ,the  will of
 ,god in ,christ ,jesus means the will  

of the ,father2 it is only  for children
 that ,his will exists4 ,do not put     
aside the apostolic  exhortation as     
paradox or extravagance2 to ,christian  
hearts1 to the  children of ,god1 he    
speaks words of truth and soberness when
 he says1  ,rejoice alway2 pray without 
ceasing2 in everything give thanks4 ,has
  not ,christ ,jesus given us peace with
 ,god1 and made us friends instead  of  
enemies8 ,is not that a fountain of joy 
too deep for sorrow to  touch8 ,has ,he 
not assured us that ,he is with us all  
the days1 even to  the end of the world8
 ,is not that a ground upon which we can
 look up  in prayer all the day long8   
,has ,he not told us that all things    
work  together for good to them that    
love ,god8 ,of course we cannot trace   
,his  operation always2 but when we     
remember the seal with which ,christ    
sealed that great truth2 when we        
remember that in order to fulfil the    
purpose of ,god in each of us ,he laid  
down ,his life on our behalf1 can  we   

hesitate to trust ,his word8 ,and if we 
do not hesitate1 but welcome  it gladly 
as our hope in the darkest hour1 shall  
we not try even in  everything to give  
thanks8          ,,xv4    ,,the         
,,spirit4       ,quench not the ,spirit3
 despise not prophesyings3 7but7 prove  
all   things3 hold fast that which is   
good2 abstain from every form of        
evil4--#a ,,thess4 v4 #bj-bb 7,r4,v474  
,these verses are abruptly introduced1  
but are not unconnected with  what      
precedes4 ,the ,apostle has spoken of   
order and discipline1 and of  the joyful
 and devout temper which should         
characterise the ,christian  ,church2   
and here he comes to speak of that      
,spirit in which the ,church  lives1 and
 moves1 and has her being4 ,the presence
 of the ,spirit is1 of  course1         
presupposed in all that he has said     
already3 how could men1  except by ,his 
help1 rejoice alway1 pray without       
ceasing1 and in  everything give thanks8
 ,but there are other manifestations of 

the  ,spirit's power1 of a more precise 
and definite character1 and it is  with 
these we have here to do4    ,spiritus  
ubi est1 ardet4 ,when the ,holy ,spirit 
descended on the ,church  at ,pentecost1
 there appeared unto them tongues       
parting asunder1 like  as of fire2 and  
it sat upon each one of them2 and their 
lips were  opened to declare the mighty 
works of ,god4 ,a man who has received  
this  great gift is described as        
fervent1 literally1 boiling 77 with  the
 ,spirit4 ,the new birth in those early 
days was a new birth2 it  kindled in the
 soul thoughts and feelings to which it 
had hitherto  been strange2 it brought  
with it the consciousness of new powers2
 a  new vision of ,god2 a new love of   
holiness2 a new insight into the ,holy  
,scriptures1 and into the meaning of    
man's life2 often a new power of        
ardent1 passionate speech4 ,in the      
,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians     
,paul describes a primitive ,christian  
congregation4 ,there was not one  silent

 among them4 ,when they came together   
every one had a psalm1 a  revelation1 a 
prophecy1 an interpretation4 ,the       
manifestation of the  ,spirit had been  
given to each one to profit withal2 and 
on all hands  the spiritual fire was    
ready to flame forth4 ,conversion to the
  ,christian faith1 the acceptance of   
the apostolic gospel1 was not a  thing  
which made little difference to men3 it 
convulsed their whole  nature to its    
depths2 they were never the same again2 
they were new  creatures1 with a new    
life in them1 all fervour and flame4    
,a state so unlike nature1 in the       
ordinary sense of the term1 was sure  to
 have its inconveniences4 ,the          
,christian1 even when he had received   
the gift of the ,holy ,ghost1 was still 
a man2 and as likely as not a  man who  
had to struggle against vanity1 folly1  
ambition1 and  selfishness of all kinds4
 ,his enthusiasm might even seem1 in the
 first  instance1 to aggravate1 instead 
of removing1 his natural faults4 ,it    

might drive him to speak--for in a      
primitive church anybody who  pleased   
might speak--when it would have been    
better for him to be  silent4 ,it might 
lead him to break out in prayer or      
praise or  exhortation1 in a style which
 made the wise sigh4 ,and for those     
reasons the wise1 and such as thought   
themselves wise1 would be apt to        
discourage the exercise of spiritual    
gifts altogether4 ,contain  yourself1   
they would say to the man whose heart   
burned within him1  and who was restless
 till the flame could leap out2 contain 
yourself2  exercise a little            
self-control2 it is unworthy of a       
rational being to  be carried away in   
this fashion4    ,no doubt situations   
like this were common in the church at  
,thessalonica4 ,they are produced       
inevitably by differences of age and  of
 temperament4 ,the old and the          
phlegmatic are a natural1 and1          
doubtless1 a providential1 counterweight
 to the young and sanguine4  ,but the   

wisdom which comes of experience and of 
temperament has its  disadvantages as   
compared with fervour of spirit4 ,it is 
cold and  unenthusiastic2 it cannot     
propagate itself2 it cannot set fire to 
anything and spread4 ,and because it is 
under this incapacity of  kindling the  
souls of men into enthusiasm1 it is     
forbidden to pour  cold water on such   
enthusiasm when it breaks forth in words
 of fire4  ,that is the meaning of      
,quench not the ,spirit4 ,the           
commandment  presupposes that the       
,spirit can be quenched4 ,cold looks1   
contemptuous  words1 silence1 studied   
disregard1 go a long way to quench it4  
,so does  unsympathetic criticism4      
,every one knows that a fire smokes most
 when it is newly kindled2 but  the way 
to get rid of the smoke is not to pour  
cold water on the fire1  but to let it  
burn itself clear4 ,if you are wise     
enough you may even  help it to burn    
itself clear1 by rearranging the        
materials1 or  securing a better        

draught2 but the wisest thing most      
people can do  when the fire has got    
hold is to let it alone2 and that is    
also the  wise course for most when they
 meet with a disciple whose zeal burns  
like fire4 ,very likely the smoke hurts 
their eyes2 but the smoke will  soon    
pass by2 and it may well be tolerated in
 the meantime for the  sake of the heat4
 ,for this apostolic precept takes for  
granted that  fervour of spirit1 a      
,christian enthusiasm for what is good1 
is the  best thing in the world4 ,it may
 be untaught and inexperienced2 it may  
have all its mistakes to make2 it may be
 wonderfully blind to the  limitations  
which the stern necessities of life put 
upon the generous  hopes of man3 but it 
is of ,god2 it is expansive2 it is      
contagious2 it  is worth more as a      
spiritual force than all the wisdom in  
the world4    ,i have hinted at ways in 
which the ,spirit is quenched2 it is sad
 to  reflect that from one point of view
 the history of the ,church is a  long  

series of transgressions of this        
precept1 checked by an equally  long    
series of rebellions of the ,spirit4    
,where the ,spirit of the ,lord  is1 the
 ,apostle tells us elsewhere1 there is  
liberty4 ,but liberty  in a society has 
its dangers2 it is1 to a certain extent1
 at war with  order2 and the guardians  
of order are not apt to be too          
considerate of  it4 ,hence it came to   
pass that at a very early period1 and in
 the  interests of good order1 the      
freedom of the ,spirit was summarily    
suppressed in the ,church4 ,the gift of 
ruling1 it has been said1  like ,aaron's
 rod1 seemed to swallow up the other    
gifts4 ,the rulers  of the ,church      
became a class entirely apart from its  
ordinary members1  and all exercise of  
spiritual gifts for the building up of  
the ,church  was confined to them4 ,nay1
 the monstrous idea was originated1 and 
taught as a dogma1 that they alone were 
the depositaries1 or1 as it is          
sometimes said1 the custodians1 of the  

grace and truth of the gospel2  only    
through them could men come into contact
 with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,in  plain      
,english1 the ,spirit was quenched when 
,christians met for  worship4 ,one great
 extinguisher was placed over the flame 
that burned  in the hearts of the       
brethren2 it was not allowed to show    
itself2 it  must not disturb1 by its    
eruption in praise or prayer or fiery   
exhortation1 the decency and order of   
divine service4 ,i say that was  the    
condition to which ,christian worship   
was reduced at a very early  period2 and
 it is unhappily the condition in which1
 for the most part1  it subsists at this
 moment4 ,do you think we are gainers by
 it8 ,i do  not believe it4 ,it has     
always come from time to time to be     
intolerable4 ,the ,montanists of the    
second century1 the heretical sects  of 
the middle ages1 the ,independents and  
,quakers of the ,english  ,commonwealth1
 the lay preachers of ,wesleyanism1 the 
,salvationists1 the  ,plymouthists1 and 

the ,evangelistic associations of our   
own day1--all  these are in various     
degrees the protest of the ,spirit1 and 
its right  and necessary protest1       
against the authority which would quench
 it1  and by quenching it impoverish the
 ,church4 ,in many ,nonconformist       
churches there is a movement just now in
 favour of a liturgy4 ,a  liturgy may   
indeed be a defence against the coldness
 and incompetence  of the one man to    
whom the whole conduct of public worship
 is at  present left2 but our true      
refuge is not this mechanical one1 but  
the  opening of the mouths of all       
,christian people4 ,a liturgy1 however  
beautiful1 is a melancholy witness to   
the quenching of the ,spirit3 it  may be
 better or worse than the prayers of one
 man2 but it could never  compare for   
fervour with the spontaneous prayers of 
a living ,church4    ,among the gifts of
 the ,spirit1 that which the ,apostle   
valued most  highly was prophecy4 ,we   
read in the ,book of ,acts of prophets1 

like  ,agabus1 who foretold future      
events affecting the fortunes of the    
gospel1 and possibly at ,thessalonica   
the minds of those who were  spiritually
 gifted were preoccupied with thoughts  
of the ,lord's  coming1 and made it the 
subject of their discourses in the      
church2 but  there is no necessary      
limitation of this sort in the idea of  
prophesying4 ,the prophet was a man     
whose rational and moral nature had     
been quickened by the ,spirit of        
,christ1 and who possessed in an        
uncommon degree the power of speaking   
edification1 exhortation1 and  comfort4 
,in other words1 he was a ,christian    
preacher1#ba endued with  wisdom1       
fervour1 and tenderness2 and his        
spiritual addresses were  among the     
,lord's best gifts to the ,church4 ,such
 addresses1 or  prophesyings1 ,paul     
tells we are not to despise4    ,now    
despise is a strong word2 it is1        
literally1 to set utterly at  naught1 as
 ,herod set at naught ,jesus1 when he   

clothed ,him in purple1  or as the      
,pharisees set at naught the publicans1 
even when they came  into the ,temple to
 pray4 ,of course1 prophecy1 or1 to     
speak in the  language of our own time1 
the preacher's calling1 may be abused3 a
 man  may preach without a message1     
without sincerity1 without reverence for
  ,god or respect for those to whom he  
speaks2 he may make a mystery1 a        
professional secret1 of the truth of    
,god1 instead of declaring it even  to  
little children2 he may seek1 as some   
who called themselves  prophets in early
 times sought1 to make the profession of
 godliness a  source of gain2 and under 
such circumstances no respect is due4   
,but  such circumstances are not to be  
assumed without cause4 ,we are rather   
to assume that he who stands up in the  
,church to speak in ,god's name  has had
 a word of ,god entrusted to him2 it is 
not wise to despise it  before it is    
heard4 ,it may be because we have been  
so often disappointed  that we pitch our

 hopes so low2 but to expect nothing is 
to be guilty  of a sort of contempt by  
anticipation4 ,to despise not           
prophesyings  requires us to look for   
something from the preacher1 some word  
of ,god  that will build us up in       
godliness1 or bring us encouragement or 
consolation2 it requires us to listen as
 those who have a precious  opportunity 
given them of being strengthened by     
,divine grace and  truth4 ,we ought not 
to lounge or fidget while the word of   
,god is  spoken1 or to turn over the    
leaves of the ,bible at random1 or to   
look  at the clock2 we ought to hearken 
for that word which ,god has put  into  
the preacher's mouth for us2 and it will
 be a very exceptional  prophesying in  
which there is not a single thought that
 it would repay  us to consider4        
,when the ,apostle claimed respect for  
the ,christian preacher1 he did  not    
claim infallibility4 ,that is plain from
 what follows2 for all the  words are   
connected4 ,despise not prophesyings1   

but put all things to  the test1 that   
is1 all the contents of the prophesying1
 all the  utterances of the ,christian  
man whose spiritual ardour has urged him
  to speak4 ,we may remark in passing   
that this injunction prohibits all      
passive listening to the word4 ,many    
people prefer this4 ,they come to       
church1 not to be taught1 not to        
exercise any faculty of discernment  or 
testing at all1 but to be impressed4    
,they like to be played upon1  and to   
have their feelings moved by a tender or
 vehement address2 it  is an easy way of
 coming into apparent contact with good4
 ,but the  ,apostle here counsels a     
different attitude4 ,we are to put to   
the proof  all that the preacher says4  
,this is a favourite text with          
,protestants1 and especially with       
,protestants of an extreme type4 ,it has
 been called a piece of most            
rationalistic advice2 it has been said  
to imply that every man has a  verifying
 faculty1 whereby to judge of facts and 

doctrines1 and to  decide between right 
and wrong1 truth and falsehood4 ,but    
this is a  most unconsidered extension  
to give to the ,apostle's words4 ,he    
does  not say a word about every man2 he
 is speaking expressly to the           
,thessalonians1 who were ,christian men4
 ,he would not have admitted that  any  
man who came in from the street1 and    
constituted himself a judge1  was       
competent to pronounce upon the contents
 of the prophesyings1 and  to say which 
of the burning words were spiritually   
sound1 and which  were not4 ,on the     
contrary1 he tells us very plainly that 
some men have  no capacity for this     
task--,the natural man receiveth not the
 things  of the ,spirit2 and that even  
in the ,christian ,church1 where all are
  to some extent spiritual1 some have   
this faculty of discernment in a  much  
higher degree than others4 ,in #a ,cor4 
xii4 #aj1 discernment of  spirits1 this 
power of distinguishing in spiritual    
discourse between  the gold and that    

which merely glitters1 is itself        
represented as a  distinct spiritual    
gift2 and in a later chapter he says    
7xiv4 #bi71  ,let the prophets speak by 
two or three1 and let the others 7that  
is1  in all probability1 the other      
prophets7 discern4 ,i do not say this   
to deprecate the judgment of the wise1  
but to deprecate rash and hasty         
judgment4 ,a heathen man is no judge of 
,christian truth2 neither is a  man with
 a bad conscience1 and an unrepented sin
 in his heart2 neither  is a flippant   
man1 who has never been awed by the     
majestic holiness  and love of ,jesus   
,christ1--all these are simply out of   
court4 ,but the  ,christian preacher who
 stands up in the presence of his       
brethren  knows1 and rejoices1 that he  
is in the presence of those who can put 
what he says to the proof4 ,they are his
 brethren2 they are in the  same        
communion of all the saints with ,christ
 ,jesus2 the same ,christian  tradition 
has formed1 and the same ,christian     

spirit animates1 their  conscience2     
their power to prove his words is a     
safeguard both to them  and to him4     
,and it is necessary that they should   
prove them4 ,no man is perfect1  not the
 most devout and enthusiastic of        
,christians4 ,in his most  spiritual    
utterances something of himself will    
very naturally mingle2  there will be   
chaff among the wheat2 wood1 hay1 and   
stubble in the  material he brings to   
build up the ,church1 as well as gold1  
silver1  and precious stones4 ,that is  
not a reason for refusing to listen2 it 
is a reason for listening earnestly1    
conscientiously1 and with much          
forbearance4 ,there is a responsibility 
laid upon each of us1 a  responsibility 
laid upon the ,christian conscience of  
every  congregation and of the ,church  
at large1 to put prophesyings to the    
proof4 ,words that are spiritually      
unsound1 that are out of tune with  the 
revelation of ,god in ,christ ,jesus1   
ought to be discovered when  they are   

spoken in the ,church4 ,no man with any 
idea of modesty1 to say  nothing of     
humility1 could wish it otherwise4 ,and 
here1 again1  we have to regret the     
quenching of the ,spirit4 ,we have all  
heard the  sermon criticised when the   
preacher could not get the benefit2 but 
have we often heard it spiritually      
judged1 so that he1 as well as  those   
who listened to him1 is edified1        
comforted1 and encouraged8 ,the         
preacher has as much need of the word as
 his hearers2 if there is a  service    
which ,god enables him to do for them1  
in enlightening their  minds or         
fortifying their wills1 there is a      
corresponding service  which they can do
 for him4 ,an open meeting1 a liberty of
 prophesying1  a gathering in which any 
one could speak as the ,spirit gave him 
utterance1 is one of the crying needs of
 the modern ,church4    ,let us notice1 
however1 the purpose of this testing of 
prophecy4  ,despise not such utterances1
 the ,apostle says1 but prove all3 hold 

fast that which is good1 and hold off   
from every evil kind4 ,there is a       
curious circumstance connected with     
these short verses4 ,many of the        
fathers of the ,church connect them with
 what they consider a saying of  ,jesus1
 one of the few which is reasonably     
attested1 though it has  failed to find 
a place in the written gospels4 ,the    
saying is1 ,show  yourselves approved   
money-changers4 ,the fathers believed1  
and on such  a point they were likely to
 be better judges than we1 that in the  
verses before us the ,apostle uses a    
metaphor from coinage4 ,to prove is     
really to assay1 to put to the test as a
 banker tests a piece of  money2 the    
word rendered good is often the         
equivalent of our  sterling2 evil1 of   
our base or forged2 and the word which  
in our old  ,bibles is rendered         
appearance--,abstain from all appearance
 of  evil--and in the ,revised ,version 
form--,abstain from every form of       
evil--has1 at least in some connections1

 the signification of mint or  die4 ,if 
we bring out this faded metaphor in its 
original freshness1 it  will run        
something like this3 ,show yourselves   
skilful money-changers2  do not accept  
in blind trust all the spiritual        
currency which you find  in circulation2
 put it all to the test2 rub it on the  
touchstone2 keep  hold of what is       
genuine and of sterling value1 but every
 spurious coin  decline4 ,whether the   
metaphor is in the text or not1--and in 
spite of  a great preponderance of      
learned names against it1 ,i feel almost
  certain it is1--it will help to fix   
the ,apostle's exhortation in our       
memories4 ,there is no scarcity1 at this
 moment1 of spiritual currency4  ,we are
 deluged with books and spoken words    
about ,christ and the  gospel4 ,it is   
idle and unprofitable1 nay1 it is       
positively pernicious1  to open our     
minds promiscuously to them2 to give    
equal and impartial  lodgment to them   
all4 ,there is a distinction to be made 

between the  true and the false1 between
 the sterling and the spurious2 and till
 we  put ourselves to the trouble to    
make that distinction1 we are not       
likely to advance very far4 ,how would a
 man get on in business who  could not  
tell good money from bad8 ,and how is   
any one to grow in the  ,christian life 
whose mind and conscience are not       
earnestly put to it  to distinguish     
between what is in reality ,christian   
and what is not1  and to hold to the one
 and reject the other8 ,a critic of     
sermons is  apt to forget the practical 
purpose of the discernment here spoken  
of4  ,he is apt to think it his function
 to pick holes4 ,oh1 he says1 such  and 
such a statement is utterly misleading3 
the preacher was simply in  the air2 he 
did not know what he was talking about4 
,very possibly2  and if you have found  
out such an unsound idea in the sermon1 
be  brotherly1 and let the preacher     
know4 ,but do not forget the first and  
main purpose of spiritual judgment--hold

 fast that which is good4 ,god  forbid  
that you should have no gain out of the 
sermon except to  discover the preacher 
going astray4 ,who would think to make  
his  fortune only by detecting base     
coin8    ,in conclusion1 let us recall  
to our minds the touchstone which the   
,apostle himself supplies for this      
spiritual assaying4 ,no one1 he  writes 
to the ,corinthians1 can say ,jesus is  
,lord except by the ,holy  ,ghost4 ,in  
other words1 whatever is spoken in the  
,holy ,ghost1 and is  therefore         
spiritual and true1 has this            
characteristic1 this purpose  and       
result1 that it exalts ,jesus4 ,the     
,christian ,church1 that community      
which embodies spiritual life1 has this 
watchword on its banner1  ,jesus is     
,lord4 ,that presupposes1 in the ,new   
,testament sense of it1  the            
,resurrection and the ,ascension2 it    
signifies the sovereignty of  the ,son  
of ,man4 ,everything is genuine in the  
,church which bears on it  the stamp of 

,christ's exaltation2 everything is     
spurious and to be  rejected which calls
 that in question4 ,it is the practical 
recognition  of that sovereignty--the   
surrender of thought1 heart1 will1 and  
life  to ,jesus--which constitutes the  
spiritual man1 and gives competence to  
judge of spiritual things4 ,he in whom  
,christ reigns judges in all  spiritual 
things1 and is judged by no man2 but he 
who is a rebel to  ,christ1 who does not
 wear ,his yoke1 who has not learned of 
,him by  obedience1 who assumes the     
attitude of equality1 and thinks himself
 at  liberty to negotiate and treat with
 ,christ1 he has no competence1  and no 
right to judge at all4 ,unto ,him that  
loveth us1 and loosed us  from our sins 
by ,his blood2 444 to ,him be the glory 
and the dominion  for ever and ever4    
,amen4    #ba ,the contrast drawn by    
,dr4 ,hatch in his ,hibbert ,lectures   
between  the early ,christian prophet   
and the modern ,christian preacher--the 
rhetorical religionist1 as he calls     

him--is1 like every other  contrast in  
that notable book1 strained till it     
becomes utterly false4  ,it would not be
 true to say that there was no          
difference between the  prophet and the 
preacher2 but it would be far truer than
 to say that  there was no likeness4    
,the prophet was one who spoke1 as ,paul
 tells  us1 edification1 exhortation1   
and comfort2 and as that1 we may hope1  
is what most preachers try to do1 the   
ideal of the callings is  identical4    
,and it is only by their ideals that    
they ought to be  compared or           
criticised4          ,,xvi4             
,,conclusion4       ,and the ,god of    
peace ,himself sanctify you wholly2 and 
may your   spirit and soul and body be  
preserved entire1 without blame at the  
coming of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4     
,faithful is ,he that calleth you1 who  
will also do it4 ,brethren1 pray for us4
 ,salute all the brethren with   a holy 
kiss4 ,i adjure you by the ,lord that   
this epistle be read unto   all the     

brethren4 ,the grace of our ,lord ,jesus
 ,christ be with   you4--#a ,,thess4 v4 
#bc-bh 7,r4,v474    ,these verses open  
with a contrast to what precedes1 which 
is more  strongly brought out in the    
original than in the translation4 ,the  
,apostle has drawn the likeness of a    
,christian church1 as a ,christian      
church ought to be1 waiting for the     
coming of the ,lord2 he has  appealed to
 the ,thessalonians to make this picture
 their standard1 and  to aim at         
,christian holiness2 and conscious of   
the futility of such  advice1 as long as
 it stands alone and addresses itself to
 man's  unaided efforts1 he turns here  
instinctively to prayer3 ,the ,god of   
peace ,himself--working in independence 
of your exertions and my                
exhortations--sanctify you wholly4      
,the solemn fulness of this title       
forbids us to pass it by4 ,why does     
,paul describe ,god in this particular  
place as the ,god of peace8 ,is it  not 
because peace is the only possible basis

 on which the work of  sanctification   
can proceed8 ,i do not think it is      
forced to render the  words literally1  
the ,god of the peace1 i4e41 the peace  
with which  all believers are familiar1 
the ,christian peace1 the primary       
blessing  of the gospel4 ,the ,god of   
peace is the ,god of the gospel1 the    
,god who  has come preaching peace in   
,jesus ,christ1 proclaiming             
reconciliation  to those who are far off
 and to those who are near4 ,no one can 
ever be  sanctified who does not first  
accept the message of reconciliation4   
,it  is not possible to become holy as  
,god is holy1 until1 being justified  by
 faith1 we have peace with ,god through 
our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,this  is     
,god's way of holiness2 and this is why 
the ,apostle presents his  prayer for   
the sanctification of the ,thessalonians
 to the ,god of  peace4 ,we are so slow 
to learn this1 in spite of the countless
 ways in  which it is forced upon us1   
that one is tempted to call it a secret2

  yet no secret1 surely1 could be more  
open4 ,who has not tried to  overcome a 
fault1 to work on a vicious temper1 to  
break for good with  an evil habit1 or  
in some other direction to sanctify     
himself1 and  withal to keep out of     
,god's sight till the work was done8 ,it
 is of no  use4 ,only the ,god of       
,christian peace1 the ,god of the       
gospel1 can  sanctify us2 or to look at 
the same thing from our own side1 we    
cannot  be sanctified until we are at   
peace with ,god4 ,confess your sins with
 a  humble and penitent heart2 accept   
the forgiveness and friendship of  ,god 
in ,christ ,jesus2 and then ,he will    
work in you both will and deed  to      
further ,his good pleasure4    ,notice  
the comprehensiveness of the ,apostle's 
prayer in this place4 ,it  is conveyed  
in three separate words--wholly 771     
entire  771 and without blame 774 ,it is
 intensified by  what has1 at least1 the
 look of an enumeration of the parts or 
elements of which man's nature          

consists--your spirit and soul and      
body4 ,it is raised to its highest power
 when the sanctity for which  he prays  
is set in the searching light of the    
,last ,judgment--in the  day of our     
,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,we all feel how  
great a thing it is  which the ,apostle 
here asks of ,god3 can we bring its     
details more  nearly home to ourselves8 
,can we tell1 in particular1 what he    
means by  spirit and soul and body8     
,the learned and philosophical have     
found in these three words a            
magnificent field for the display of    
philosophy and learning2 but  unhappily 
for plain people1 it is not very easy to
 follow them4 ,as the  words stand      
before us in the text1 they have a      
friendly ,biblical look2  we get a fair 
impression of the ,apostle's intention  
in using them2 but  as they come out in 
treatises on ,biblical ,psychology1     
though they are  much more imposing1 it 
would be rash to say they are more      
strictly  scientific1 and they are      

certainly much less apprehensible than  
they  are here4 ,to begin with the      
easiest one1 everybody knows what is    
meant  by the body4 ,what the ,apostle  
prays for in this place is that ,god    
would make the body in its              
entirety--every organ and every function
 of  it--holy4 ,god made the body at the
 beginning2 ,he made it for ,himself2   
and it is ,his4 ,to begin with1 it is   
neither holy nor unholy2 it has no      
character of its own at all2 but it may 
be profaned or it may be  sanctified2 it
 may be made the servant of ,god or the 
servant of sin1  consecrated or         
prostituted4 ,everybody knows whether   
his body is being  sanctified or not4   
,everybody knows the inconceivable evil 
of  sensuality4 ,everybody knows that   
pampering of the body1 excess in  eating
 and drinking1 sloth and dirt1 are      
incompatible with bodily                
sanctification4 ,it is not a survival of
 ,judaism when the ,epistle to  the     
,hebrews tells us to draw near to ,god  

in full assurance of faith1  having our 
hearts sprinkled from an evil           
conscience1 and our bodies  washed with 
pure water4 ,but sanctification1 even of
 the body1 really  comes only by        
employment in ,god's service2 charity1  
the service of  others for ,jesus' sake1
 is that which makes the body truly     
,his4 ,holy  are the feet which move    
incessantly on ,his errands2 holy are   
the hands  which1 like ,his1 are        
continually doing good2 holy are the    
lips which  plead ,his cause or speak   
comfort in ,his ,name4 ,the ,apostle    
himself  points the moral of this prayer
 for the consecration of the body when  
he says to the ,romans1 ,present your   
members as servants to  righteousness   
unto sanctification4    ,but let us     
look1 now1 at the other two             
terms--spirit and soul4  ,sometimes one 
of these is used in contrast with body1 
sometimes the  other4 ,thus ,paul says  
that the unmarried ,christian woman     
cares for the  things of the ,lord1     

seeking only how she may be holy in body
 and in  spirit1--the two together      
constituting the whole person4 ,jesus1  
again1  warns ,his disciples not to fear
 man1 but to fear ,him who can destroy  
both soul and body in hell2 where the   
person is made to consist1 not  of body 
and spirit1 but of body and soul4 ,these
 passages certainly  lead us to think   
that soul and spirit must be very near  
akin to each  other2 and that impression
 is strengthened when we remember such a
  passage as is found in ,mary's song3  
,my soul doth magnify the ,lord1  and my
 spirit hath rejoiced in ,god my        
,saviour2 where1 according to  the laws 
of ,hebrew poetry1 soul and spirit must 
mean practically the  same thing4 ,but  
granting that they do so1 when we find  
two words used  for the same thing1 the 
natural inference is that they give us  
each a  different look at it4 ,one of   
them shows it in one aspect2 the other  
in  another4 ,can we apply that         
distinction here8 ,i think the use of   

the  words in the ,bible enables us to  
do it quite decidedly2 but it is        
unnecessary to go into the details4 ,the
 soul means the life which is  in man1  
taken simply as it is1 with all its     
powers2 the spirit means  that very same
 life1 taken in its relation to ,god4   
,this relation may  be of various kinds3
 for the life that is in us is derived  
from ,god2  it is akin to the life of   
,god ,himself2 it is created with a view
 to  fellowship with ,god2 in the       
,christian it is actually redeemed and  
admitted to that fellowship2 and in all 
those aspects it is spiritual  life4    
,but we may look at it without thinking 
of ,god at all2 and then1  in ,bible    
language1 we are looking1 not at man's  
spirit1 but at his  soul4    ,this      
inward life1 in all its aspects1 is to  
be sanctified through and  through4 ,all
 our powers of thought and imagination  
are to be  consecrated2 unholy thoughts 
are to be banished2 lawless1 roving     
imaginings1 suppressed4 ,all our        

inventiveness is to be used in ,god's   
service4 ,all our affections are to be  
holy4 ,our heart's desire is not  to    
settle on anything from which it would  
shrink in the day of the  ,lord ,jesus4 
,the fire which ,he came to cast on the 
earth must be  kindled in our souls1 and
 blaze there till it has burned up all  
that  is unworthy of ,his love4 ,our    
consciences must be disciplined by ,his 
word and ,spirit1 till all the          
aberrations due to pride and passion and
  the law of the world have been reduced
 to nothing1 and as face answers  face  
in the glass1 so our judgment and our   
will answer ,his4 ,paul prays  for this 
when he says1 ,may your whole soul be   
preserved blameless4 ,but  what is the  
special point of the sanctification of  
the spirit8 ,it is  probably narrowing  
it a little1 but it points us in the    
right  direction1 if we say that it has 
regard to worship and devotion4 ,the    
spirit of man is his life in its        
relation to ,god4 ,holiness belongs to  

the very idea of this2 but who has not  
heard of sins in holy things8  ,which of
 us ever prays as he ought to pray8     
,which of us is not weak1  distrustful1 
incoherent1 divided in heart1 wandering 
in desire1 even  when he approaches     
,god8 ,which of us does not at times    
forget ,god  altogether8 ,which of us   
has really worthy thoughts of ,god1     
worthy  conceptions of ,his holiness and
 of ,his love1 worthy reverence1 a      
worthy trust8 ,is there not an element  
in our devotions even1 in the  life of  
our spirits at their best and highest1  
which is worldly and  unhallowed1 and   
for which we need the pardoning and     
sanctifying love  of ,god8 ,the more we 
reflect upon it1 the more comprehensive 
will this  prayer of the ,apostle       
appear1 and the more vast and           
far-reaching the  work of               
sanctification4 ,he seems himself to    
have felt1 as man's  complex nature     
passed before his mind1 with all its    
elements1 all its  activities1 all its  

bearings1 all its possible and actual   
profanation1  how great a task its      
complete purification and consecration  
to ,god  must be4 ,it is a task         
infinitely beyond man's power to        
accomplish4  ,unless he is prompted and 
supported from above1 it is more than he
 can  hope for1 more than he can ask or 
think4 ,when the ,apostle adds to his   
prayer1 as if to justify his boldness1  
,faithful is ,he that calleth  you1 who 
will also do it1 is it not a ,new       
,testament echo of ,david's  cry1 ,thou1
 ,o ,lord of ,hosts1 the ,god of        
,israel1 hast revealed to ,thy  servant1
 saying1 ,i will build thee an house3   
therefore hath ,thy  servant found in   
his heart to pray this prayer unto      
,thee8    ,theologians have tried in    
various ways to find a scientific       
expression  for the ,christian          
conviction implied in such words as     
these1 but with  imperfect success4     
,calvinism is one of these expressions3 
its  doctrines of a ,divine decree1 and 

of the perseverance of the saints1      
really rest upon the truth of this #bdth
 verse1--that salvation is of  ,god to  
begin with2 and that ,god1 who has begun
 the good work1 is in  earnest with it1 
and will not fail nor be discouraged    
until ,he has  carried it through4      
,every ,christian depends upon these    
truths1  whatever he may think of       
,calvinistic inferences from them1 or of
 the  forms in which theologians have   
embodied them4 ,when we pray to ,god to 
sanctify us wholly2 to make us ,his in  
body1 soul1 and spirit2 to  preserve our
 whole nature in all its parts and      
functions blameless in  the day of the  
,lord ,jesus1 is not our confidence     
this1 that ,god has  called us to this  
life of entire consecration1 that ,he   
has opened the  door for us to enter    
upon it by sending ,his ,son to be a    
propitiation  for our sins1 that ,he has
 actually begun it by inclining our     
hearts to  receive the gospel1 and that 
,he may be depended upon to persevere in

  it till it is thoroughly accomplished8
 ,what would all our good  resolutions  
amount to1 if they were not backed by   
the unchanging  purpose of ,god's love8 
,what would be the worth of all our     
efforts and  of all our hopes1 if behind
 them1 and behind our despondency and   
our  failures too1 there did not stand  
the unwearying faithfulness of ,god8    
,this is the rock which is higher than  
we2 our refuge2 our stronghold2  our    
stay in the time of trouble4 ,the gifts 
and calling of ,god are  without        
repentance4 ,we may change1 but not ,he4
    ,what follows is the affectionate   
desultory close of the letter4 ,paul has
  prayed for the ,thessalonians2 he begs
 their prayers for himself4 ,this       
request is made no less than seven times
 in his ,epistles--including the  one   
before us3 a fact which shows how       
priceless to the ,apostle was the       
intercession of others on his behalf4   
,so it is always2 there is  nothing     
which so directly and powerfully helps a

 minister of the  gospel as the prayers 
of his congregation4 ,they are the      
channels of  all possible blessing both 
for him and those to whom he ministers4 
,but  prayer for him is to be combined  
with love to one another3 ,salute all   
the brethren with a holy kiss4#bb ,the  
kiss was the ordinary greeting  among   
members of a family2 brothers and       
sisters kissed each other  when they    
met1 especially after long separation2  
even among those who  were no kin to    
each other1 but only on friendly terms1 
it was common  enough1 and answered to  
our shaking of hands4 ,in the ,church   
the kiss  was the pledge of brotherhood2
 those who exchanged it declared        
themselves members of one family4 ,when 
the ,apostle says1 ,greet one  another  
with a holy kiss1 he means1 as holy     
always does in the ,new  ,testament1 a  
,christian kiss2 a greeting not of      
natural affection1 nor  of social       
courtesy merely1 but recognising the    
unity of all members of  the ,church in 

,christ ,jesus1 and expressing pure     
,christian love4 ,the  history of the   
kiss of charity is rather curious1 and  
not without its  moral4 ,of course1 its 
only value was as the natural expression
 of  brotherly love2 where the natural  
expression of such love was not         
kissing1 but the grasping of the hand1  
or the friendly inclination of  the     
head1 the ,christian kiss ought to have 
died a natural death4 ,so1  on the      
whole1 it did2 but with some partial    
survivals in ritual1 which  in the      
,greek and ,romish ,churches are not yet
 extinct4 ,it became a  custom in the   
,church to give the kiss of brotherhood 
to a member newly  admitted by baptism2 
that practice still survives in some    
quarters1  even when children only are  
baptized4 ,the great celebrations at    
,easter1 when no element of ritual was  
omitted1 retained the kiss of  peace    
long after it had fallen out of the     
other services4 ,at ,solemn  ,mass in   
the ,church of ,rome the kiss is        

ceremonially exchanged between  the     
celebrant and the assistant ministers4  
,at ,low ,mass it is omitted1  or given 
with what is called an osculatory or    
,pax4 ,the priest kisses  the altar2    
then he kisses the osculatory1 which is 
a small metal  plate2 then he hands this
 to the server1 and the server hands it 
to  the people1 who pass it from one to 
another1 kissing it as it goes4  ,this  
cold survival of the cordial greeting of
 the ,apostolic ,church  warns us to    
distinguish spirit from letter4 ,greet  
one another with a  holy kiss means1    
,show your ,christian love one to       
another1 frankly and  heartily1 in the  
way which comes natural to you4 ,do not 
be afraid to  break the ice when you    
come into the church4 ,there should be  
no ice  there to break4 ,greet your     
brother or your sister cordially and    
like a  ,christian2 assume and create   
the atmosphere of home4    ,perhaps the 
very strong language which follows may  
point to some lack  of good feeling in  

the church at ,thessalonica3 ,i adjure  
you by the  ,lord that this epistle be  
read unto all the brethren4 ,why  should
 he need to adjure them by the ,lord8   
,could there be any doubt  that         
everybody in the church would hear his  
,epistle8 ,it is not easy to  say4      
,perhaps the elders who received it     
might have thought it wiser  not to tell
 all that it contained to everybody2 we 
know how  instinctive it is for men in  
office--whether they be ministers of the
  church or ministers of state--to make 
a mystery out of their business1  and1  
by keeping something always in reserve1 
to provide a basis for a  despotic and  
uncontrolled authority4 ,but whether for
 this or some  other purpose1           
consciously or unconsciously influencing
 them1 ,paul  seems to have thought the 
suppression of his letter possible2 and 
gives this strong charge that it be read
 to all4 ,it is interesting to  notice  
the beginnings of the ,new ,testament4  
,this is its earliest book1  and here we

 see its place in the ,church vindicated
 by the ,apostle  himself4 ,of course   
when he commands it to be read1 he does 
not mean  that it is to be read         
repeatedly2 the idea of a ,new          
,testament1 of a  collection of         
,christian books to stand side by side  
with the books of  the earlier          
revelation1 and to be used like them in 
public worship1  could not enter men's  
minds as long as the apostles were with 
them2  but a direction like this        
manifestly gives the ,apostle's pen the 
authority of his voice1 and makes the   
writing for us what his personal        
presence was in his lifetime4 ,the      
apostolic word is the primary  document 
of the ,christian faith2 no             
,christianity has ever existed in  the  
world but that which has drawn its      
contents and its quality from  this2 and
 nothing which departs from this rule is
 entitled to be  called ,christian4     
,the charge to read the letter to all   
the brethren is one of the  many        

indications in the ,new ,testament that1
 though the gospel is a  mysterion1 as  
it is called in ,greek1 there is no     
mystery about  it in the modern sense4  
,it is all open and aboveboard4 ,there  
is not  something on the surface1 which 
the simple are to be allowed to         
believe2 and something quite different  
underneath1 into which the wise  and    
prudent are to be initiated4 ,the whole 
thing has been revealed  unto babes4 ,he
 who makes a mystery out of it1 a       
professional secret  which it needs a   
special education to understand1 is not 
only guilty  of a great sin1 but proves 
that he knows nothing about it4 ,paul   
knew  its length and breadth and depth  
and height better than any man2 and     
though he had to accommodate himself to 
human weakness1 distinguishing  between 
babes in ,christ and such as were able  
to bear strong meat1 he  put the highest
 things within reach of all2 ,him we    
preach1 he  exclaims to the ,colossians1
 warning every man1 and teaching every  

man  in every wisdom1 that we may       
present every man perfect in ,christ4   
,there is no attainment in wisdom or in 
goodness which is barred  against any   
man by the gospel2 and there is no surer
 mark of  faithlessness and treachery in
 a church than this1 that it keeps its  
members in a perpetual pupilage or      
minority1 discouraging the free use  of 
,holy ,scripture1 and taking care that  
all that it contains is not  read to all
 the brethren4 ,among the many tokens   
which mark the ,church  of ,rome as     
faithless to the true conception of the 
gospel1 which  proclaims the end of     
man's minority in religion1 and the     
coming to age  of the true children of  
,god1 her treatment of ,scripture is the
 most  conspicuous4 ,let us who have the
 ,book in our hands1 and the ,spirit to 
guide us1 prize at its true worth this  
unspeakable gift4    ,this last caution 
is followed by the benediction with     
which in one  form or another the       
,apostle concludes his letters4 ,here it

 is very  brief3 ,the grace of our ,lord
 ,jesus ,christ be with you4 ,he ends   
with  practically the same prayer as    
that with which he began3 ,grace to you 
and peace1 from ,god the ,father1 and   
from the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,and     
what is true of this ,epistle is true of
 all the rest3 the grace of the  ,lord  
,jesus ,christ is their  and their 1    
their first word and  their last4       
,whatever ,god has to say to us--and in 
all the ,new  ,testament letters there  
are things that search the heart and    
make it  quake--begins and ends with    
grace4 ,it has its fountain in the love 
of  ,god2 it is working out1 as its end1
 the purpose of that love4 ,i have      
known people take a violent dislike to  
the word grace1 probably  because they  
had often heard it used without meaning2
 but surely it is  the sweetest and most
 constraining even of ,bible words4 ,all
 that ,god  has been to man in ,jesus   
,christ is summed up in it3 all ,his    
gentleness and beauty1 all ,his         

tenderness and patience1 all the holy   
passion of ,his love1 is gathered up in 
grace4 ,what more could one soul  wish  
for another than that the grace of the  
,lord ,jesus ,christ should  be with it8
    #bb ,is it a fair inference from    
these words that the ,epistle was to  be
 delivered to the elders or ruling body 
in the church8 ,in other  places the    
,apostle writes1 ,greet one another4    
,,the ,,second ,,epistle ,,to ,,the     
,,thessalonians4          ,i4           
,,salutation ,,and ,,thanksgiving4      
,paul1 and ,silvanus1 and ,timothy1 unto
 the church of the   ,thessalonians in  
,god our ,father and the ,lord ,jesus   
,christ2 ,grace to   you and peace from 
,god the ,father and the ,lord ,jesus   
,christ4     ,we are bound to give      
thanks to ,god alway for you1 brethren1 
even as   it is meet1 for that your     
faith groweth exceedingly1 and the love 
of   each one of you all toward one     
another aboundeth2 so that we           
ourselves glory in you in the churches  

of ,god for your patience and   faith in
 all your persecutions and in the       
afflictions which ye   endure4--#b      
,,thess4 i4 #a-d 7,r4,v474    ,in       
beginning to expound the ,second        
,epistle to the ,thessalonians1 it is   
necessary to say a few words by way of  
introduction to the book as a  whole4   
,certain questions occur to the mind    
whenever such a document as  this is    
presented to it2 and it will put us in a
 better position for  understanding     
details if we first answer these4 ,how  
do we know1 for  instance1 that this    
,epistle is really the second to the    
,thessalonians8 ,it has been maintained 
that it is the earlier of the  two4 ,can
 we justify its appearance in the place 
which it usually  occupies8 ,i think we 
can4 ,the tradition of the church itself
 counts  for something4 ,it is quite    
unmistakable1 in other cases in which   
there  are two letters addressed to the 
same people1--e4g41 the  ,epistles to   
the ,corinthians and to ,timothy1--that 

they stand in the  canon in the order of
 time4 ,presumably the same is the case 
here4 ,of  course a tradition like this 
is not infallible1 and if it can be     
proved false must be abandoned2 but at  
the present moment1 the tendency  in    
most minds is to under-estimate the     
historical value of such  traditions2   
and1 in the instance before us1         
tradition is supported by  various      
indications in the ,epistle itself4 ,for
 example1 in the other  letter1 ,paul   
congratulates the ,thessalonians on     
their reception of the  gospel1 and the 
characteristic experiences attendant    
upon it2 here it  is the wonderful      
growth of their faith1 and the abounding
 of their  love1 which calls forth his  
thanksgiving1--surely a more advanced   
stage of ,christian life being in view4 
,again1 in the other ,epistle  there are
 slight hints of moral disorder1 due to 
misapprehension of  the ,lord's ,second 
,coming2 but in this ,epistle such      
disorder is broadly  exposed and        

denounced2 the ,apostle has heard of    
unruly busybodies1 who  do no work at   
all2 he charges them in the name of the 
,lord ,jesus to  change their conduct1  
and bids the brethren avoid them1 that  
they may  be put to shame4 ,plainly the 
faults as well as the graces of the     
church are seen here at a higher growth4
 ,once more1 in chap4 ii4 #ae of  this  
letter1 there is reference to           
instruction which the ,thessalonians    
have already received from ,paul in a   
letter2 and though he may quite         
conceivably have written them letters   
which no longer exist1 still the        
natural reference of these words is to  
what we call the ,first ,epistle4  ,if  
anything else were needed to prove that 
the letter we are about to  study stands
 in its right place1 it might be found  
in the appeal of  chap4 ii4 #a4 ,our    
gathering together unto ,him is the     
characteristic  revelation of the other1
 and therefore the earlier letter4      
,but though this ,epistle is certainly  

later than the other1 it is not  much   
later4 ,the ,apostle has still the same 
companions--,silas and  ,timothy--to    
join in his ,christian greeting4 ,he is 
still in ,corinth or  its neighbourhood2
 for we never find these two along with 
him but  there4 ,the gospel1 however1   
has spread beyond the great city1 and   
taken root in other places1 for he      
boasts of the ,thessalonians and  their 
graces in the churches of ,god4 ,his    
work has so far  progressed as to excite
 opposition2 he is in personal peril1   
and asks  the prayers of the            
,thessalonians1 that he may be delivered
 from  unreasonable and evil men4 ,if we
 put all these things together1 and     
remember the duration of ,paul's stay in
 ,corinth1 we may suppose that  some    
months separated the second ,epistle    
from the ,first4    ,what1 now1 was the 
main purpose of it8 ,what had the       
,apostle in his  mind when he sat down  
to write8 ,to answer that1 we must go   
back a  little way4    ,a great subject 

of apostolic preaching at ,thessalonica 
had been the  ,second ,advent4 ,so      
characteristic was it of the gospel     
message1 that  ,christian converts from 
heathenism are defined as those who have
  turned to ,god from idols1 to serve   
the living and true ,god1 and to  wait  
for ,his ,son from heaven4 ,this        
waiting1 or expectation1 was the        
characteristically ,christian attitude2 
the ,christian's hope was  hidden in    
heaven1 and he could not but look up and
 long for its  appearing4 ,but this     
attitude became strained1 under various 
influences4 ,the ,apostle's teaching was
 pressed1 as if he had said1 not  only  
that the day of the ,lord was coming1   
but that it was actually  here4 ,men1   
affecting to speak through the ,spirit1 
patronised such  fanaticism4 ,we see    
from chap4 ii4 #b that pretended words  
of ,paul were  put in circulation2 and  
what was more deliberately wicked1 a    
forged  epistle was produced1 in which  
his authority was claimed for this      

transformation of his doctrine4         
,weak-minded people were carried off    
their feet1 and bad-hearted people      
feigned an exaltation they did not      
feel2 and both together brought         
discredit on the church1 and injured    
their own souls1 by neglecting the      
commonest duties4 ,not only decorum  and
 reputation were lost1 but character    
itself was endangered4 ,this  was the   
situation to which ,paul addressed      
himself4    ,we do not need to be       
fastidious in dealing with the          
,apostle's teaching  on the ,second     
,advent2 our ,saviour tells us that of  
the day and the  hour no man knows1 nor 
angel2 nay1 not even the ,son1 but the  
,father  only4 ,certainly ,st4 ,paul did
 not know2 and almost as certainly1 in  
the  ardour of his hope1 he anticipated 
the end sooner than it was actually  to 
arrive4 ,he spoke of himself as one who 
might naturally enough  expect to see   
the ,lord come again2 and it was only as
 experience  brought him new light that 

in his later years he began to speak of 
a  desire to depart1 and to be with     
,christ4 ,not to die1 had been his      
earlier hope1 but to have the mortal    
being swallowed up of life2 and  it was 
this earlier hope he had communicated to
 the ,thessalonians4  ,they also hoped  
not to die2 as the sky grew darker over 
them with  affliction and persecution1  
their heated imaginations saw the glory 
of  ,christ ready to break through for  
their final deliverance4 ,the present   
,epistle puts this hope1 if one may say 
so1 to a certain remove4 ,it  does not  
fix the date of the ,advent2 it does not
 tell us when the day  of the ,lord     
shall come2 but it tells us plainly that
 it is not here  yet1 and that it will  
not be here till certain things have    
first  happened4 ,what these things are 
is by no means obvious2 but this is  not
 the place to discuss the question4 ,all
 we have to notice is this3  that with a
 view to counteracting the excitement at
 ,thessalonica1  which was producing bad

 consequences1 ,st4 ,paul points out    
that the  ,second ,advent is the term of
 a moral process1 and that the world    
must  run through a spiritual           
development of a particular kind before 
,christ  can come again4 ,the first     
,advent was in the fulness of the times2
 so  will the second be2 and though he  
might not be able to interpret all  the 
signs1 or tell when the great day would 
dawn1 he could say to the               
,thessalonians1 ,the end is not yet4    
,this1 ,i say1 is the great lesson of   
the ,epistle1 the main thing which  the 
,apostle has to communicate to the      
,thessalonians4 ,but it is  preceded by 
what may be called1 in a loose sense1 a 
consolatory  paragraph1 and it is       
followed up by exhortations1 the same in
 purport  as those of the ,first        
,epistle1 but more peremptory and       
emphatic4 ,the  true preparedness for   
the ,lord's ,second ,coming is to be    
sought1 he  assures them1 not in this   
irrational exaltation1 which is morally 

empty and worthless1 but in diligent1   
humble1 faithful performance of  duty2  
in love1 faith1 and patience4    ,the   
greeting with which the ,epistle opens  
is almost word for word the  same as    
that of the ,first ,epistle4 ,it is a   
church which is addressed2  and a church
 subsisting in ,god the ,father and in  
the ,lord ,jesus  ,christ4 ,the ,apostle
 has no other interest in the           
,thessalonians than as  they are        
,christian people4 ,their ,christian    
character and their  ,christian         
interests are the only things he cares  
for4 ,one could wish  it were so among  
us4 ,one could wish our relation to ,god
 and ,his ,son  were so real and so     
dominant1 that it gave us an            
unmistakable  character1 in which we    
might naturally address each other1     
without any  consciousness or suspicion 
of unreality4 ,with every desire to     
think  well of the ,church1 when we look
 to the ordinary tone of conversation   
and of correspondence among ,christians1

 we can hardly think that this  is so4  
,there is an aversion to such directness
 of speech as was alone  natural to the 
,apostle4 ,even in church meetings1     
there is a  disposition to let the      
,christian character fall into the      
background2  it is a sensible relief to 
many to be able to think of those about 
them as ladies and gentlemen1 rather    
than as brothers and sisters in         
,christ4 ,yet it is this last relation  
only in virtue of which we form a       
church2 it is the interests of this     
relation that our intercourse with  one 
another as ,christians is designed to   
serve4 ,we ought not to look  in the    
,christian assembly for what it was     
never meant to be1--for a  society to   
further the temporal interests of its   
members2 for an  educational            
institution1 aiming at the general      
enlightenment of those  who frequent its
 meetings2 still less1 as some seem to  
be inclined to  do1 for a purveyor of   
innocent amusements3 all these are      

simply beside  the mark2 the ,church is 
not called to any such functions2 her   
whole  life is in ,god and ,christ2 and 
she can say nothing and do nothing  for 
any man until his life has been brought 
to this source and centre4  ,an         
apostolic interest in the ,church is the
 interest of one who cares  only for the
 relation of the soul to ,christ2 and   
who can say no more  to those he loves  
best than ,john says to ,gaius1         
,beloved1 ,i pray that  in all things   
thou mayest prosper and be in health1   
even as thy soul  prospereth4    ,it is 
in accordance with this ,spirit that the
 ,apostle wishes the  ,thessalonians not
 any outward advantages1 but grace and  
peace4 ,grace  and peace are related as 
cause and effect4 ,grace is ,god's      
unmerited  love1 ,his free and beautiful
 goodness to the sinful2 and when men   
receive it1 it bears the fruit of peace4
 ,peace is a far bigger word in  the    
,bible than in common usage2 and it has 
its very largest sense in  these        

salutations1 where it represents the old
 ,hebrew greeting  ,shlm4 ,properly     
speaking1 it means completeness1        
wholeness1  health--the perfect         
soundness of the spiritual nature4 ,this
 is what  the ,apostle wishes for the   
,thessalonians4 ,of course1 there is a  
narrower sense of peace1 in which it    
means the quieting of the  perturbed    
conscience1 the putting away of the     
alienation between the  soul and ,god2  
but that is only the initial work of    
grace1 the first  degree of the great   
peace which is in view here4 ,when grace
 has had  its perfect work1 it results  
in a more profound and steadfast        
peace1--a soundness of the whole nature1
 a restoration of the shattered         
spiritual health1 which is the crown of 
all ,god's blessings4 ,there is  a vast 
difference in the degrees of bodily     
health between the man who  is          
chronically ailing1 always anxious1     
nervous about himself1 and  unable to   
trust himself if any unexpected drain is

 made upon his  strength1 and the man   
who has solid1 unimpaired health1 whose 
heart is  whole within him1 and who is  
not shaken by the thought of what may   
be4  ,it is this radical soundness which
 is really meant by peace2 thorough     
spiritual health is the best of ,god's  
blessings in the ,christian life1  as   
thorough bodily health is the best in   
the natural life4 ,hence the  ,apostle  
wishes it for the ,thessalonians before 
everything else2 and  wishes it1 as     
alone it can come1 in the train of      
grace4 ,the free love  of ,god is all   
our hope4 ,grace is love imparting      
itself1 giving itself  away1 as it were1
 to others1 for their good4 ,only as    
that love comes  to us1 and is received 
in its fulness of blessing into our     
hearts1 can  we attain that stable      
spiritual health which is the end of our
  calling4    ,the salutation is        
followed1 as usual1 by a thanksgiving1  
which at the  first glance seems        
endless4 ,one long sentence runs1       

apparently without  interruption1 from  
the third verse to the end of the tenth4
 ,but it is  plain1 on a more attentive 
glance1 that the ,apostle goes off at a 
tangent2 and that his thanksgiving is   
properly contained in the third  and    
fourth verses3 ,we are bound to give    
thanks to ,god alway for you1  brethren1
 even as it is meet1 for that your faith
 groweth exceedingly1  and the love of  
each one of you all toward one another  
aboundeth2 so  that we ourselves glory  
in you in the churches of ,god for your 
patience and faith in all your          
persecutions and in the afflictions     
which ye endure4 ,it is worthy of remark
 that the mere existence of  faults in a
 church never blinded the ,apostle to   
its graces4 ,there was  much in this    
congregation to rectify1 and a good deal
 to censure2  there were ignorance1     
fanaticism1 falsehood1 sloth1           
unruliness2 but  though he knew of them 
all1 and would rebuke them all before he
 had  done1 he begins with this grateful

 acknowledgment of a ,divine work  among
 them4 ,it is not merely that ,paul was 
constitutionally of a  bright           
temperament1 and looked naturally on the
 promising side of  things1--,i hardly  
think he was1--but he must have felt it 
was  undutiful and unbecoming to say    
anything at all to ,christian people1   
who had once been pagans1 without       
thanking ,god for what ,he had done  for
 them4 ,some of us have this lesson to  
learn1 especially in regard  to         
missionary and evangelistic work and its
 results4 ,we are too ready  to see     
everything in it except what is of      
,god1--the mistakes made by  the worker1
 or the misconceptions in new disciples 
that the light has  not cleared up1 and 
the faults of character that the ,spirit
 has not  overcome2 and when we fix our 
attention on these things1 it is very   
natural for us to be censorious4 ,the   
natural man loves to find fault2  it    
gives him at the cheapest rate the      
comfortable feeling of  superiority4    

,but it is a malignant eye which can see
 and delight in  nothing but faults2    
before we comment on deficiencies or    
mistakes  which have only become visible
 against the background of the new life1
  let us give thanks to ,god that the   
new life1 in however lowly and          
imperfect a form1 is there4 ,it need not
 yet appear what it shall be4  ,but we  
are bound1 by duty1 by truth1 by all    
that is right and seemly1  to say1      
,thanks be to ,god for what ,he has     
begun to do by ,his grace4  ,there are  
some people who should never see        
half-done work2 perhaps the  same people
 should be forbidden to criticise       
missions either at home  or abroad4 ,the
 grace of ,god is not responsible for   
the faults of  preachers or of converts1
 but it is the source of their virtues2 
it is  the fountain of their new life2  
it is the hope of their future2 and     
unless we welcome its workings with     
constant thanksgiving1 we are in  no    
spirit in which it can work through us4 

,but let us see for what fruit of grace 
the ,apostle gives thanks here4  ,it is 
because the faith of the ,thessalonians 
grows exceedingly1 and  their mutual    
love abounds4 ,in a word1 it is for     
their progress in the  ,christian       
character4 ,here is a point of the first
 interest and  importance4 ,it is the   
very nature of life to grow2 when growth
 is  arrested1 it is the beginning of   
decay4 ,i would not like to fall into   
the very fault ,i have been exposing1   
and speak as if there were no  progress1
 among ,christians in general1 in faith 
and love2 but one of  the               
discouragements of the ,christian       
ministry is undoubtedly the  slowness1  
or it may be the invisibility1 not to   
say the absence1 of  growth4 ,at a      
certain stage in the physical life1 we  
know1 equilibrium  is attained3 we are  
at the maturity of our powers2 our faces
 change  little1 our minds change       
little2 the tones of our voices and the 
character of our handwriting are pretty 

constant2 and when we get past  that    
point1 the progress is backward4 ,but we
 can hardly say that this  is an analogy
 by which we may judge the spiritual    
life4 ,it does not  run its full course 
here4 ,it has not a birth1 a maturity1  
and an  inevitable decay1 within the    
limits of our natural life4 ,there is   
room  for it to grow and grow           
unceasingly1 because it is planned for  
eternity1 and not for time4 ,it should  
be in continual progress1 ever          
improving1 advancing from strength to   
strength4 ,day by day and year by  year 
,christians should become better men and
 better women1 stronger in  faith1      
richer in love4 ,the very steadiness and
 uniformity of our  spiritual life has  
its disheartening side4 ,surely there is
 room1 in a  thing so great and         
expansive as life in ,jesus ,christ1 for
 fresh  developments1 for new           
manifestations of trust in ,god1 for new
  enterprises prompted and sustained by 
brotherly love4 ,let us ask  whether we 

ourselves1 each in his own place1 face  
the trials of our  life1 its cares1 its 
doubts1 its terrible certainties1 with a
 more  unwavering faith in ,god than we 
had five years ago8 ,have we learned  in
 that interval1 or in all the years of  
our ,christian profession1 to  commit   
our life more unreservedly to ,him1 to  
trust ,him to undertake  for us1 in our 
sins1 in our weakness1 in all our       
necessities1 temporal  and spiritual8   
,have we become more loving than we     
were8 ,have we  overcome any of our     
irrational and un-,christian dislikes8  
,have we made  advances1 for ,christ's  
sake and ,his ,church's1 to persons with
 whom we  were at variance1 and sought  
in brotherly love to foster a warm and  
loyal ,christian feeling in the whole   
body of believers8 ,god be  thanked1    
there are some who know what faith and  
love are better than  they once did2 who
 have learned--and it needs             
learning--what it is to  confide in     
,god1 and to love others in ,him2 but   

could an ,apostle thank  ,god that this 
advance was universal1 and that the     
charity of every one  of us all was     
abundant to all the rest8    ,the       
apostolic thanksgiving is supplemented  
in this particular case by  something1  
not indeed alien to it1 yet on a quite  
different level--a  glorying before men4
 ,paul thanked ,god for the increase of 
faith and  love at ,thessalonica2 and   
when he remembered that he himself had  
been  the means of converting the       
,thessalonians1 their progress made him 
fond and proud2 he boasted of his       
spiritual children in the churches of   
,god4 ,look at the ,thessalonians1 he   
said to the ,christians in the  south2  
you know their persecutions1 and the    
afflictions they endure2  yet their     
faith and patience triumph over all2    
their sufferings only  serve to bring   
their ,christian goodness to perfection4
 ,that was a  great thing to be able to 
say2 it would be particularly telling in
  that old pagan world1 which could meet

 suffering only with an inhuman         
defiance or a resigned indifference2 it 
is a great thing to be able to  say yet4
 ,it is a witness to the truth and power
 of the gospel1  of which its humblest  
minister may feel justly proud1 when the
 new  spirit which it breathes into men 
gives them the victory over sorrow  and 
pain4 ,there is no persecution now to   
test the sincerity or the  heroism of   
the ,church as a whole2 but there are   
afflictions still2 and  there must be   
few ,christian ministers but thank ,god1
 and would do it  always1 as is meet1   
that ,he has allowed them to see the new
 life  develop new energies under trial1
 and to see ,his children out of        
weakness made strong by faith and hope  
and love in ,christ ,jesus4 ,these      
things are our true wealth and strength1
 and we are richer in them  than some of
 us are aware4 ,they are the mark of the
 gospel upon human  nature2 wherever it 
comes1 it is to be identified by the    
combination  of affliction and patience1

 of suffering and spiritual joy4 ,that  
combination is peculiar to the kingdom  
of ,god3 there is not the like  found in
 any other kingdom on earth4 ,blessed1  
let us say1 be the ,god  and ,father of 
our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who has given 
us such proofs of  ,his love and power  
among us2 ,he only doeth such wondrous  
things2 let  the earth be filled with   
,his glory4          ,,ii4              
,,suffering ,,and ,,glory4       ,a     
manifest token of the righteous judgment
 of ,god2 to the end that   ye may be   
counted worthy of the kingdom of ,god1  
for which ye also   suffer3 if so be    
that it is a righteous thing with ,god  
to recompense   affliction to them that 
afflict you1 and to you that are        
afflicted   rest with us1 at the        
revelation of the ,lord ,jesus from     
heaven with   the angels of ,his power  
in flaming fire1 rendering vengeance to 
them   that know not ,god1 and to them  
that obey not the gospel of our ,lord   
,jesus3 who shall suffer punishment1    

even eternal destruction   from the face
 of the ,lord and from the glory of ,his
 might1 when ,he   shall come to be     
glorified in ,his saints1 and to be     
marvelled at in   all them that believed
 7because our testimony unto you was    
believed#bc7 in that day4 ,to which end 
we also pray always for you1   that our 
,god may count you worthy of your       
calling1 and fulfil   every desire of   
goodness1 and 7every7 work of faith1    
with power2 that   the name of our ,lord
 ,jesus may be glorified in you1 and ye 
in ,him1   according to the grace of our
 ,god and the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4--#b 
,,thess4   i4 #e-ab 7,r4,v474    ,in the
 preceding verses of this chapter1 as in
 the opening of the  ,first ,epistle1   
the ,apostle has spoken of the          
afflictions of the  ,thessalonians1 and 
of the ,christian graces which they have
 developed  under them4 ,to suffer for  
,christ's sake1 he says1 and at the same
 time  to abound in faith and love and  
spiritual joy1 is to have the mark of   

,god's election on us4 ,it is an        
experience so truly and                 
characteristically  ,christian that the 
,apostle cannot think of it without     
gratitude and  pride4 ,he gives thanks  
to ,god on every remembrance of his     
converts4 ,he  boasts of their progress 
in all the churches of ,achaia4    ,in  
the verses before us1 another inference 
is drawn from the  afflictions of the   
,thessalonians1 and their gospel        
patience under  them4 ,the whole        
situation is a proof1 or manifest token1
 of the  righteous judgment of ,god4 ,it
 has this in view1 that the             
,thessalonians  may be deemed worthy of 
the 7heavenly7 kingdom of ,god1 on      
behalf of  which they suffer4 ,here1 we 
see1 the ,apostle sanctions with his    
authority the argument from the         
injustices of this life to the coming   
of another life in which they will be   
rectified4 ,god is just1 he says2  and  
therefore this state of affairs1 in     
which bad men oppress the  innocent1    

cannot last for ever4 ,it calls aloud   
for judgment2 it  proclaims its         
approach2 it is a prognostic1 a manifest
 token of it4  ,the suffering which is  
here in view cannot be an end in itself4
 ,even  the graces which come to        
perfection in maintaining themselves    
against  it1 do not explain the whole   
meaning of affliction2 it would remain a
  blot upon ,god's justice if it were   
not counterbalanced by the joys of  ,his
 kingdom4 ,blessed are ye when men shall
 reproach you1 and  persecute you1 and  
say all manner of evil against you      
falsely1 for ,my  sake4 ,rejoice1 and be
 exceeding glad3 for great is your      
reward in  heaven4 ,this is the gracious
 side of the judgment4 ,the suffering   
which is borne with joy and brave       
patience for ,christ's sake proves  how 
dear ,christ is to the sufferer2 and    
this love1 tried with fire1 is  requited
 in due time with an answer in love that
 makes him forget it  all4    ,this is  
one of the doctrines of ,scripture that 

untroubled times find  it easy to       
dispense with4 ,there is even an        
affectation of superiority  to what is  
called the moral vulgarity of being good
 for the sake of  something beyond      
goodness4 ,it is idle to enter on any   
abstract  discussion of such a question4
 ,we are called by the gospel to a new  
life under certain definite conditions1 
one of them being the  condition of     
suffering for its sake4 ,the more       
thoroughly that  condition is accepted1 
the less disposition will there be to   
criticise  the future blessedness which 
is its counterpoise and compensation4   
,it  is not the confessors and martyrs  
of the ,christian faith--the men who    
die daily1 like ,paul1 and share in the 
tribulations and patience of  ,jesus    
,christ1 like ,john--who become weary of
 the glory which is to be  revealed4    
,and it is such only who are in a       
position to judge of the  value of this 
hope4 ,if it is dear to them1 an        
inspiration and an  encouragement1 as it

 certainly is1 it is surely worse than  
vain for  those who are living an easier
 and a lower life to criticise it on    
abstract grounds4 ,if we have no need of
 it1 if we can dispense with  any sight 
or grasp of a joy beyond the grave1 let 
us take care that it  is not owing to   
the absence from our life of that       
present suffering  for ,christ's sake1  
without which we cannot be ,his4 ,the   
connection1  ,bishop ,ellicott says1    
between holy suffering and future       
blessedness  is mystically close and    
indissoluble2 we must through great     
tribulations enter into the kingdom of  
,god2 and all experience proves  that1  
when such tribulation comes and is      
accepted1 the recompense of  reward here
 spoken of1 and the ,scriptures which   
give prominence to  it1 rise to the     
highest credit in the mind of the       
,church4 ,it is not a  token of our     
enlightenment and moral superiority1 if 
we undervalue  them2 it is an indication
 that we are not drinking of the ,lord's

 cup1  or being baptized with ,his      
baptism4    ,but the reward is only one 
side of the righteous judgment foretold 
by  the suffering of the innocent4 ,it  
includes punishment as well4 ,it is  a  
righteous thing with ,god to recompense 
affliction to them that  afflict you4   
,we see here the very simplest          
conception of ,god's  justice4 ,it is a 
law of retribution1 of vindication2 it  
is the  reaction1 in this particular    
case1 of man's sin against himself4 ,the
  reaction is inevitable3 if it does not
 come here1 it comes in another  world2 
if not now1 in another life4 ,the hope  
of the sinner is always  that in some   
way or other this reaction may never    
take place1 or that1  when it does take 
place1 it may be evaded2 but that hope  
is doomed to  perish4 ,if it were done  
when 'tis done1 he says as he           
contemplates  his sin in prospect2 but  
it never is so done2 it is exactly  half
 done when he is finished with it2 and  
the other half is taken in  hand by     

,god4 ,punishment is the other half of  
sin2 as inseparable from  it as heat    
from fire1 as the inside of a vessel    
from the outside4 ,it  is a righteous   
thing with ,god to recompense affliction
 to them that  afflict you4 ,whatsoever 
a man soweth1 that shall he also reap4  
,one of the favourite pastimes of some  
modern historians is the  whitewashing  
of persecutors4 ,a dispassionate        
interest in the facts  shows1 we are    
told1 in many cases1 that the           
persecutors were not so  black as they  
have been painted1 and that the martyrs 
and confessors  were no better than they
 should have been4 ,where fault is found
 at  all1 it is laid rather at the door 
of systems than of individuals2         
judgment is passed on institutions and  
on centuries that persons and  their    
actions may go free4 ,practically that  
comes to writing history1  which is the 
story of man's moral life1 without      
recognising the place  of conscience2 it
 may sometimes have the look of         

intelligence1 but at  bottom it is      
immoral and false4 ,men must answer for 
their actions4 ,it  is no excuse for    
murdering the saints that the murderers 
think they  are doing ,god service2 it  
is an aggravation of their guilt4 ,every
 man  knows that it is wicked to afflict
 the good2 if he does not1 it is        
because he has quite corrupted his      
conscience1 and therefore has the       
greater sin4 ,moral blindness may       
include and explain every sin1 but it   
justifies none2 it is itself the sin of 
sins4 ,it is a righteous thing  with    
,god to recompense affliction to those  
who afflict4 ,if they  cannot put       
themselves by sympathy into the place of
 others--which is  the principle of all 
right conduct--,god will put them in    
that place1  and open their eyes4 ,his  
righteous judgment is a day of grace to 
the  innocent sufferers2 ,he rewards    
their trouble with rest2 but to the     
persecutor it is a day of vengeance2 he 
eats the fruit of his doings4    ,it is 

characteristic of this ,epistle1 and of 
the preoccupation of the  ,apostle's    
mind when he wrote it1 that he here     
expands his notice of  the time when    
this judgment is to take place into a   
vivid statement of  its circumstances   
and issues4 ,the judgment is executed at
 the  revelation of the ,lord ,jesus    
from heaven1 with the angels of  ,his   
power1 in flaming fire4 ,at this moment1
 he would say1 ,christ is  unseen1 and  
therefore by wicked men ignored1 and    
sometimes by good men  forgotten2 but   
the day is coming when every eye shall  
see ,him4 ,the  ,apostle ,peter1 who had
 seen ,christ in the flesh1 as ,paul had
 never  done1 and who probably felt ,his
 invisibility as few could feel it1 is  
fond of this word revelation as a name  
for ,his reappearing4 ,he  speaks of    
faith which is to be found unto praise  
and honour and glory  at the revelation 
of ,jesus ,christ4 ,be sober1 he says1  
and  hope to the end for the grace that 
is being brought to you at the          

revelation of ,jesus ,christ4 ,and in   
another passage1 much in  keeping with  
this of ,st4 ,paul's1 he says1 ,inasmuch
 as ye are  partakers of ,christ's      
sufferings1 rejoice2 that at the        
revelation  of ,his glory also ye may   
rejoice with exceeding joy4 ,it is one  
of the  great words of the ,new         
,testament2 and its greatness is        
heightened in  this place by the        
accompanying description4 ,the ,lord is 
revealed1  attended by the angels of    
,his power1 in flaming fire4 ,these     
accessories of the ,advent are borrowed 
from the ,old ,testament2 the  ,apostle 
clothes the ,lord ,jesus at ,his        
appearing in all the glory of  the ,god 
of ,israel4#bd    ,when ,christ is thus 
revealed1 it is in the character of a   
,judge3 ,he  renders vengeance to them  
that know not ,god1 and to them that    
obey not  the gospel of our ,lord ,jesus
 ,christ4 ,two classes of guilty men are
  quite plainly distinguished by these  
words2 and as plainly1 though the       

,english alone would not enable us to   
lay stress upon it1 those two  classes  
are the heathen and the ,jews4          
,ignorance of ,god is the               
characteristic of paganism2 when ,paul  
wishes to describe the ,gentiles  from  
the religious point of view1 he speaks  
of them as the ,gentiles  which know not
 ,god4 ,now1 with us1 ignorance is      
usually regarded as an  excuse for sin2 
it is an extenuating circumstance1 which
 calls for  compassion rather than      
condemnation2 and we are almost         
astonished in  reading the ,bible to    
find it used as a summary of the whole  
guilt and  offence of the heathen world4
 ,but we must remember what it is that  
men  are said not to know4 ,it is not   
theology2 it is not the history of the  
,jews1 or the special revelations it    
contains2 it is not any body of         
doctrines2 it is ,god4 ,and ,god1 who is
 the fountain of life1 the only  source 
of goodness1 does not hide ,himself from
 men4 ,he has ,his  witnesses           

everywhere4 ,there is something in all  
men which is on ,his  side1 and which1  
if it be regarded1 will bring their     
souls to ,him4  ,those who know not ,god
 are those who have stifled this inner  
witness1  and separated themselves in   
doing so from all that is good4         
,ignorance  of ,god means ignorance of  
goodness2 for all goodness is from ,him4
 ,it  is not a lack of acquaintance with
 any system of ideas about ,god that  is
 here exposed to the condemnation of    
,christ2 but the practical lack  of     
acquaintance with love1 purity1 truth4  
,if men are familiar with the  opposites
 of all these2 if they have been        
selfish1 vile1 bad1 false2  if they have
 said to ,god1 ,depart from us2 we      
desire not the knowledge  of ,thy ways2 
we are content to have no acquaintance  
with ,thee--is it  not inevitable that1 
when ,christ is revealed as ,judge of   
all1 they  should be excluded from ,his 
kingdom8 ,what could they do in it8     
,where  could they be less in place8    

,the difficulty which some have felt    
about the ignorance of the  ,gentiles   
can hardly be raised about the          
disobedience of the ,jews4 ,the  element
 of wilfulness1 of deliberate antagonism
 to the good1 to which  we give such    
prominence in our idea of sin1 is       
conspicuous here4 ,the  will of ,god for
 their salvation had been fully made    
known to this  stubborn race2 but they  
disobeyed1 and persisted in their       
disobedience4 ,he that being often      
reproved hardeneth his neck--so  ran    
their own proverb--shall suddenly be    
destroyed1 and that without  remedy4    
,such was the sentence to be executed on
 them in the day of  ,christ4    ,when  
it is said that ignorance of ,god and   
disobedience to the gospel  are here    
presented as the characteristics        
respectively of ,gentile and  ,jew1 it  
is not said that the passage is without 
significance for us4  ,there may be some
 of us who are sinking day by day into  
an ever deeper  ignorance of ,god4      

,those who live a worldly and selfish   
life1 whose  interests and hopes are    
bounded by this material order1 who     
never  pray1 who do nothing1 give       
nothing1 suffer nothing for others1     
they1  whatever their knowledge of the  
,bible or the catechism may be1 do not  
know ,god1 and fall under this pagan    
condemnation4 ,and what of  disobedience
 to the gospel8 ,notice the word which  
is here used by the  ,apostle2 it       
implies a conception of the gospel which
 we are apt1 in  magnifying the grace of
 ,god1 to overlook4 ,we speak of        
receiving the  gospel1 believing it1    
welcoming it1 and so forth2 it is       
equally  needful to remember that it    
claims our obedience4 ,god not only     
beseeches us to be reconciled1 ,he      
commands us to repent4 ,he makes a      
display of ,his redeeming love in the   
gospel--a love which contains  pardon1  
renewal1 and immortality2 and ,he calls 
on all men for a life  in correspondence
 with that love4 ,salvation is not only 

a gift1 but a  vocation2 we enter into  
it as we obey the voice of ,jesus1      
,follow ,me2  and if we disobey1 and    
choose our own way1 and live a life in  
which  there is nothing that answers to 
the manifestation of ,god as our        
,saviour1 what can the end be8 ,can it  
be anything else than the  judgment of  
which ,st4 ,paul here speaks8 ,if we    
say1 every day of our  life1 as the law 
of the gospel rings in our ears1 ,no3 we
 will not  have this ,man to reign over 
us1 can we expect anything else than    
that  ,he will render vengeance8 ,do we 
provoke the ,lord to anger8 ,are we     
stronger than ,he8    ,the ninth verse  
describes the terrible vengeance of the 
great day4  ,such men1 says the         
,apostle1 shall pay the penalty1        
everlasting  destruction1 away from the 
face of the ,lord and from the glory of 
,his  might4 ,these are awful words1 and
 it is no wonder that attempts have     
been made to empty them of the meaning  
which they bear upon their  face4 ,but  

it would be false to sinful men1 as well
 as to the ,apostle1  and to the whole  
of ,new ,testament teaching1 to say that
 any art or  device could in the least  
degree lessen their terrors4 ,it has    
been  boldly asserted1 indeed1 that the 
word rendered everlasting does not  mean
 everlasting1 but age-long2 and that    
what is in view here is an  age-long    
destruction from the presence and glory 
of ,christ1 i4e41  the being shut out   
from all sight of and participation in  
the triumphs  of ,christ during that age
 the age perhaps which immediately      
succeeds this present life4 ,and this   
assertion is crowned by  another1 that  
those thus excluded nevertheless abide  
in ,his presence  and share ,his glory  
in the ages beyond4#be ,anything more   
gratuitous1  anything less in keeping   
with the whole tone of the passage1     
anything  more daring in its arbitrary  
additions to the text1 it would be      
impossible even to imagine4 ,if the     
gospel1 as conceived in the ,new        

,testament1 has any character at all1 it
 has the character of finality4  ,it is 
,god's last word to men4 ,and the       
consequences of accepting or  rejecting 
it are final2 it opens no prospect      
beyond the life on the  one hand1 and   
the death on the other1 which are the   
results of  obedience and disobedience4 
,obey1 and you enter into a light in    
which  there is no darkness at all3     
disobey1 and you pass eventually into a 
darkness in which there is no light at  
all4 ,what ,god says to us in  all      
,scripture1 from beginning to end1 is   
not1 ,sooner or later8 but1  ,life or   
death8 ,these are the alternatives      
before us2 they are  absolutely         
separate2 they do not run into one      
another at any time1 the  most remote4  
,it is necessary to speak the more      
earnestly of this  matter1 because there
 is a disposition1 on the plea that it  
is  impossible for us to divide men into
 two classes1 to blur or even to        
obliterate the distinction between      

,christian and non-,christian4 ,many    
things prompt us to make the difference 
merely one of quantity--a more  or less 
of conformity to some ideal standard--in
 which case1 of  course1 a little more1 
or a little less1 is of no great        
account4 ,but  that only means that we  
never take the distinction between being
 right  with ,god1 and being wrong with 
,god1 as seriously as ,god takes it2    
with  ,him it is simply infinite4 ,the  
difference between those who obey1 and  
those who do not obey1 the gospel1 is   
not the difference of a little  better  
and a little worse2 it is the difference
 of life and death4 ,if  there is any   
truth in ,scripture at all1 this is     
true--that those who  stubbornly refuse 
to submit to the gospel1 and to love and
 obey ,jesus  ,christ1 incur at the     
,last ,advent an infinite and           
irreparable loss4  ,they pass into a    
night on which no morning dawns4        
,this final ruin is here described as   
separation from the face of the  ,lord  

and the glory of ,his might4 ,in both   
the ,old ,testament and the  ,new1 the  
vision of ,god is the consummation of   
blessedness4 ,thus we  read in one      
psalm1 ,before ,thy face is fulness of  
joy2 in another1  ,as for me1 ,i shall  
behold ,thy face in uprightness3 ,i     
shall be  satisfied1 when ,i awake1 with
 ,thy likeness4 ,in one of the ,gospels1
  our ,saviour says that in heaven the  
angels of the little ones do  always    
behold the face of their ,father who is 
in heaven2 and in the  ,book of         
,revelation it is the crown of joy that 
,his servants shall  serve ,him and     
shall see his face4 ,from all this joy  
and blessedness  they condemn themselves
 to exclusion who know not ,god1 and    
disobey the  gospel of our ,lord ,jesus 
,christ4 ,far from the face of the ,lord
 and the  glory of ,his power1 their    
portion is in the outer darkness4       
,but in vivid contrast with this--for   
the ,apostle does not close with  this  
terrible prospect--is the lot of those  

who have chosen the good  part here4    
,christ is revealed taking vengeance on 
the wicked1 as has  just been described2
 but ,he comes also to be glorified in  
,his saints  and to be admired in all   
them that believed--including those     
,christians at ,thessalonica4 ,this is  
the ,lord's and the ,christian's        
interest in the great day4 ,the glory   
that shines from ,him is mirrored  in   
and reflected from them4 ,if there is a 
glory of the ,christian even  while he  
wears the body of his humiliation1 it   
will be swallowed up in  a glory more   
excellent when his change comes4 ,yet   
that glory will not  be his own3 it will
 be the glory of ,christ which has      
transfigured him2  men and angels1 as   
they look at the saints1 will admire not
 them1 but  ,him who has made them anew 
in the likeness of himself4 ,all this is
 to  take place on that day--the great  
and terrible day of the ,lord4 ,the     
voice of the ,apostle rests with        
emphasis upon it2 let it fill our  minds

 and hearts4 ,it is a day of revelation1
 above all things3 the day  on which    
,christ comes1 and declares which life  
is eternally of worth1  and which for   
ever worthless2 the day on which some   
are glorified1 and  some pass finally   
from our view4 ,do not let the          
difficulties and  mysteries of this     
subject1 the problems we cannot solve1  
the decisions  we could not give1 blind 
our eyes to what ,scripture makes so    
plain3 we  are not the judges1 but the  
judged1 in this whole scene2 and the    
judgment is of infinite consequence for 
us4 ,it is not a question of  less or   
more1 of sooner or later1 of better or  
worse2 what is at stake  in our attitude
 to the gospel is life or death1 heaven 
or hell1 the  outer darkness or the     
glory of ,christ4    #bc ,it seems      
hopeless to find an intelligible meaning
 for '   in connection with 4           
,apparently1 as conjectured by          
,markland1  is a primitive corruption of
 1 suggested by  the preceding 1 as well

 as by the familiarity of  and  its     
prima-facie appropriateness to 4 ,the   
reference is  probably to vv4 #d1 #e3   
the ,christian testimony of suffering   
for the  faith had been confirmed and   
sealed upon the ,thessalonians4 ,cf4 #a 
,cor4  i4 #f3        2 also ,ps4 xciii4 
7xcii47 #d1 #e3           2 and for an  
analogous use of  followed by   with the
 accusative1 #a ,chr4 xvii4 #bc2 #b     
,chr4 i4 #i4--;,f4,j4,a4 ,,hort4    #bd 
,for an excellent and instructive study 
of the relations of ,jewish  and        
,christian eschatology1 see ,stanton's  
,jewish and ,christian  ,messiah4    #be
 ,the quotations are from ,cox's        
,salvator ,mundi1 #acth ,edition1 pp4   
#abh-i4 ,when the time import of  is in 
view1 many writers  render it1 like ,dr4
 ,cox1 age-long1 intending thereby to   
signify that  onian time has an end2 its
 finitude1 in fact1 is the one thing of 
which ,dr4 ,cox consents to think4 ,but 
the very point of the meaning is  that  
no end is visible4 onian time is time   

that fills the mind and  imagination to 
the furthest horizon and beyond it2     
there is no  ulterior prospect4         
,,iii4    ,,the ,,man ,,of ,,sin4       
,now we beseech you1 brethren1 touching 
the coming of our ,lord ,jesus          
,christ1 and our gathering together unto
 ,him2 to the end that ye be   not      
quickly shaken from your mind1 nor yet  
be troubled1 either by   spirit1 or by  
word1 or by epistle as from us1 as that 
the day of the   ,lord is now present2  
let no man beguile you in any wise3 for 
it will not be1 except the falling away 
come first1 and the   man of sin be     
revealed1 the son of perdition1 he that 
opposeth and   exalteth himself against 
all that is called ,god or that is      
worshipped2 so that he sitteth in the   
temple of ,god1 setting himself   forth 
as ,god4 ,remember ye not1 that1 when ,i
 was yet with you1 ,i told   you these  
things8--#b ,,thess4 ii4 #a-e 7,r4,v474 
,in the first chapter of this ,epistle  
,paul depicted the righteous  judgment  

of ,god which accompanies the advent of 
,christ4 ,its terrors  and its glories  
blazed before his eyes as he prayed for 
those who were  to read his letter4     
,with this in view1 he says1 we also    
pray always  for you1 that our ,god     
would count you worthy of the calling4  
,the emphatic word in the sentence is   
you4 ,among all believers  in whom      
,christ was to be glorified1 as they in 
,him1 the ,thessalonians  were at this  
moment nearest to the ,apostle's heart4 
,like others1 they  had been called to a
 place in the heavenly kingdom2 and he  
is eager  that they should prove worthy 
of it4 ,they will be worthy only if ,god
  powerfully carries to perfection in   
them their delight in goodness1  and the
 activities of their faith4 ,that is the
 substance of his  prayer4 ,the ,lord   
enable you always to have unreserved    
pleasure in  what is good1 and to show  
the proof of faith in all you do4 ,so   
you  shall be worthy of the ,christian  
calling1 and the name of the ,lord      

shall be glorified in you1 and you in   
,him1 in that day4    ,the second       
chapter seems1 in our ,english ,bibles1 
to open with an  adjuration3 ,now we    
beseech you1 brethren1 by the coming of 
our ,lord  ,jesus ,christ1 and by our   
gathering together unto ,him4 ,if that  
were  right1 we might suppose ,paul's   
meaning to be3 ,as you long for this    
great day1 and anticipate its appearing 
as your dearest hope1 let me  conjure   
you not to entertain mischievous fancies
 about it2 or1 as you  dread the day1   
and shrink from the terrible judgment   
which it brings1  let me adjure you to  
think of it as you ought to think1 and  
not  discredit it by unspiritual        
excitement1 bringing reproach on the    
,church in the eyes of the world4 ,but  
this interpretation1 though apt  enough1
 is hardly justified by the use of the  
,new ,testament1 and the  ,revised      
,version is nearer the truth when it    
gives the rendering  touching the coming
 of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is of 

it the  ,apostle wishes to speak2 and   
what he has to say is1 that the true    
doctrine of it contains nothing which   
ought to produce unsettlement or  vague 
alarms4 ,in the ,first ,epistle1        
especially in chap4 v41 he has  enlarged
 on the moral attitude which is proper  
to those who cherish  the ,christian    
hope3 they are to watch and be sober2   
they are to put  off the works of       
darkness1 and put on1 as children of the
 day1 the  armour of light2 they are to 
be ready and expectant always4 ,here he 
adds the negative counsel that they are 
not to be quickly shaken from  their    
mind1 as a ship is driven from her      
moorings by a storm1 nor yet  upset or  
troubled1 whether by spirit1 or by word 
or letter purporting  to be from him4   
,these last expressions need a word of  
explanation4 ,by  spirit the ,apostle no
 doubt means a ,christian man speaking  
in the  church under a spiritual        
impulse4 ,such speakers in ,thessalonica
 would  often take the ,second ,advent  

as their theme2 but their utterances    
were  open to criticism4 ,it was of such
 utterances that the ,apostle had said  
in his earlier letter1 ,despise not     
prophesyings2 but prove all that  is    
said1 and hold fast that which is good4 
,the spirit in which a  ,christian spoke
 was not necessarily the spirit of ,god2
 even if it  were1 it was not           
necessarily unmixed with his own ideas1 
desires1 or  hopes4 ,hence discernment  
of spirits was a valued and needful     
gift1 and  it seems to have been wanted 
at ,thessalonica4 ,besides misleading   
utterances of this kind in public       
worship1 there were circulated words    
ascribed to ,paul1 and if not a forged  
letter1 at all events a letter          
purporting to contain his opinion1 none 
of which had his authority4  ,these     
words and this letter had for their     
substance the idea that the  day of the 
,lord was now present--or1 as one might 
say in ,scotch1 just  here4 ,it was this
 which produced the unspiritual         

excitement at  ,thessalonica1 and which 
the ,apostle wished to contradict4    ,a
 great mystery has been made out of the 
paragraph which follows1 but  without   
much reason4 ,it certainly stands alone 
in ,st4 ,paul's writings1  an           
,apocalypse on a small scale1 reminding 
us in many respects of the  great       
,apocalypse of ,john1 but not           
necessarily to be judged by it1 or      
brought into any kind of harmony with   
it4 ,its obscurity1 so far as it  is    
obscure1 is due in part to the previous 
familiarity of the  ,thessalonians with 
the subject1 which allowed the ,apostle 
to take much  for granted2 and in part1 
no doubt1 to the danger of being        
explicit in  a matter which had         
political significance4 ,but it is not  
really so  obscure as it has been made  
out to be by some2 and the reputation   
for  humility which so many have sought1
 by adopting ,st4 ,augustine's          
confession that he had no idea what the 
,apostle meant1 is too cheap to  be     

coveted4 ,we must suppose that ,st4     
,paul wrote to be understood1 and  was  
understood by those to whom he wrote2   
and if we follow him word by  word1 a   
sense will appear which is not really   
questionable except on  extraneous      
grounds4 ,what1 then1 does he say about 
the delaying of the  ,advent8    ,he    
says it will not come till the falling  
away1 or apostasy1 has come  first4 ,the
 ,authorised ,version says a falling    
away1 but that is  wrong4 ,the falling  
away was something familiar to the      
,apostle and his  readers2 he was not   
introducing them to any new thought4    
,but a falling  away of whom8 or from   
what8 ,some have suggested1 of the      
members of the  ,christian ,church from 
,christ2#bf but it is quite plain from  
the  whole passage1 and especially from 
ver4 #ab;f41 that the ,apostle is       
contemplating a series of events in     
which the ,church has no part but  as a 
spectator4 ,but the apostasy is clearly 
a religious defection2  though the word 

itself does not necessarily imply as    
much1 the  description of the falling   
away does2 and if it be not of          
,christians1  it must be of the ,jews2  
the ,apostle could not conceive of the  
heathen  who know not ,god as falling   
away from him4 ,this apostasy reaches   
its  height1 finds its representative   
and hero1 in the man of sin1 or1 as     
some ,,mss4 have it1 the man of         
lawlessness4 ,when the ,apostle says the
  man of sin1 he means the man1--not a  
principle1 nor a system1 nor a  series  
of persons1 but an individual human     
person who is identified  with sin1 an  
incarnation of evil as ,christ was of   
good1 an  ,antichrist4 ,the man of sin  
is also the son of perdition2 this name 
expressing his fate--he is doomed to    
perish--as the other his nature4  ,this 
person's portrait is then drawn by the  
,apostle4 ,he is the  adversary par     
excellence1 he who sets himself in      
opposition1 a human  ,satan1 the enemy  
of ,christ4 ,the other features in the  

likeness are  mainly borrowed from the  
description of the tyrant king          
,antiochus  ,epiphanes in the ,book of  
,daniel3 they may have gained fresh     
meaning to  the ,apostle from the recent
 revival of them in the insane ,emperor 
,caligula4 ,the man of sin is filled    
with demoniac pride2 he lifts  himself  
on high against the true ,god1 and all  
gods1 and all that men  adore2 he seats 
himself in the temple of ,god2 he would 
like to be  taken by all men for ,god4  
,there has been much discussion over the
  temple of ,god in this passage4 ,it is
 no doubt true that the ,apostle        
sometimes uses the expression           
figuratively1 of a church and its       
members--,the temple of ,god is holy1   
which temple ye are--but it is  surely  
inconceivable that a man should take his
 seat in that  temple2 when these words 
were fresh1 no one could have put that  
meaning on them4 ,the temple of ,god is1
 therefore1 the temple at  ,jerusalem2  
it was standing when ,paul wrote2 and he

 expected it to  stand till all this was
 fulfilled4 ,when the ,jews had crowned 
their  guilt by falling away from ,god2 
in other words1 when they had finally   
and as a whole decided against the      
gospel1 and ,god's purpose to save  them
 by it2 when the falling away had been  
crowned by the revelation  of the man of
 sin1 and the profanation of the temple 
by his impious  pride1 then1 and not    
till then1 would come the end4 ,do you  
not  remember1 says the ,apostle1 that  
when ,i was with you ,i used to tell    
you this8    ,when ,paul wrote this     
,epistle1 the ,jews were the great      
enemies of the  gospel2 it was they who 
persecuted him from city to city1 and   
roused  against him everywhere the      
malice of the heathen2 hostility to ,god
 was  incarnated1 if anywhere1 in them4 
,they alone1 because of their  spiritual
 privileges1 were capable of the deepest
 spiritual sin4  ,already in the ,first 
,epistle he has denounced them as the   
murderers of  the ,lord ,jesus and of   

their own prophets1 a race that please  
not ,god  and are contrary to all men1  
sinners on whom the threatened wrath has
  come without reserve4 ,in the passage 
before us the course is outlined  of    
that wickedness against which the wrath 
was revealed4 ,the people of  ,god1 as  
they called themselves1 fall definitely 
away from ,god2 the  monster of         
lawlessness who rises from among them   
can only be pictured  in the words in   
which prophets pourtrayed the impiety   
and presumption  of a heathen king2 he  
thrusts ,god aside1 and claims to be    
,god himself4    ,there is only one     
objection to this interpretation of the 
,apostle's  words1 namely1 that they    
have never been fulfilled4 ,some will   
think  that objection final2 and some   
will think it futile3 ,i agree with the 
last4 ,it proves too much2 for it lies  
equally against every other             
interpretation of the words1 however    
ingenious1 as well as against the       
simple and natural one just given4 ,it  

lies1 in some degree1 against  almost   
every prophecy in the ,bible4 ,no matter
 what the apostasy1 and  the man of sin1
 are taken to be1 nothing has ever      
appeared in history  which answers      
exactly to ,paul's description4 ,the    
truth is that  inspiration did not      
enable the apostles to write history    
before it  happened2 and though this    
forecast of the ,apostle's has a        
spiritual  truth in it1 resting as it   
does on a right perception of the law of
  moral development1 the precise        
anticipation which it embodies was not  
destined to be realised4 ,further1 it   
must have changed its place in  ,paul's 
own mind within the next ten years2 for1
 as ,dr4 ,farrar has  observed1 he      
barely alludes again to the ,messianic  
surroundings 7or  antecedents7 of a     
second personal advent4 ,he dwells more 
and more on  the mystic oneness with    
,christ1 less and less on ,his personal 
return4  ,he speaks repeatedly of the   
indwelling presence of ,christ1 and the 

believer's incorporation with ,him1 and 
hardly at all of that visible  meeting  
in the air which at this epoch was most 
prominent in his  thoughts4    ,but1 it 
may be said1 if this anticipation was   
not to be fulfilled1 is  it not         
altogether deceptive8 is it not utterly 
misleading that a  prophecy should stand
 in ,holy ,scripture which history was  
to falsify8  ,i think the right answer  
to that question is that there is hardly
 any  prophecy in ,holy ,scripture which
 has not been in a similar way          
falsified1 while nevertheless in its    
spiritual import true4 ,the  details of 
this prophecy of ,st4 ,paul were not    
verified as he  anticipated1 yet the    
soul of it was4 ,the ,advent was not    
just  then2 it was delayed till a       
certain moral process should be         
accomplished2 and this was what the     
,apostle wished the ,thessalonians  to  
understand4 ,he did not know when it    
would be2 but he could see so  far into 
the law of ,god's working as to know    

that it would not come  till the fulness
 of time2 and he could understand that1 
where a final  judgment was concerned1  
the fulness of time would not arrive    
till evil  had had every opportunity1   
either to turn and repent1 or to develop
  itself in the most utterly evil forms1
 and lie ripe for vengeance4    ,this is
 the ethical law which underlies the    
,apostle's prophecy2 it is  a law       
confirmed by the teaching of ,jesus     
,himself1 and illustrated by  the whole 
course of history4 ,the question is     
sometimes discussed  whether the world  
gets better or worse as it grows older1 
and  optimists and pessimists take      
opposite sides upon it4 ,both1 this law 
informs us1 are wrong4 ,it does not get 
better only1 nor worse only1  but both4 
,its progress is not simply a progress  
in good1 evil being  gradually driven   
from the field2 nor is it simply a      
progress in evil1  before which good    
continually disappears3 it is a progress
 in which  good and evil alike come to  

maturity1 bearing the ripest fruit1     
showing all that they can do1 proving   
their strength to the utmost  against   
each other2 the progress is not in good 
in itself1 nor in evil  in itself1 but  
in the antagonism of the one to the     
other4 ,this is the  same truth which we
 are taught by our ,lord in the parable 
of the wheat  and the tares3 ,let both  
grow together until the harvest3 and in 
the  time of harvest ,i will say to the 
reapers1 ,gather up first the tares1    
etc4 ,in the time of harvest3 not till  
all is ripe for judgment1 not  till the 
wheat and the tares alike have shown all
 that is in them1  will the judgment    
come4 ,this is what ,st4 ,paul          
understood1 and what the  ,thessalonians
 did not understand2 and if his         
ignorance of the scale of  the world1   
and the scale of ,god's purposes1 made  
him apply this law to  the riddle of    
history hastily1 with a result which the
 event has not  justified1 that is      
nothing to the prejudice of the law     

itself1 which  was true when he applied 
it with his imperfect knowledge1 and is 
true  for application still4    ,one    
other remark is suggested by the        
description of the character in  which  
sin culminates1 viz41 that as evil      
approaches its height it  assumes ever  
more spiritual forms4 ,there are some   
sins which betray  man on the lower side
 of his nature1 through the perversion  
of the  appetites which he has in common
 with the brutes3 the dominance of      
these is in some sense natural2 they are
 not radically and essentially  evil4   
,the man who is the victim of lust or   
drunkenness may lose his  soul by his   
sin1 but he is its victim2 there is not 
in his guilt  that malignant hatred of  
good which is here ascribed to the man  
of  sin4 ,the crowning wickedness is    
this demoniac pride3 the temper of one  
who lifts himself on high above ,god1   
owning no superior1 nay1 claiming  for  
himself the highest place of all4 ,this 
is rather spiritual than  sensual3 it   

may be quite free from the gross vices  
of the flesh1  though the connection    
between pride and sensuality is closer  
than is  sometimes imagined2 but it is  
more conscious1 deliberate1 malignant1  
and damnable than any brutality could   
be4 ,when we look at the world in  any  
given age--our own or another--and make 
inquiry into its moral  condition1 this 
is a consideration which we are apt to  
lose sight of1  but which is entitled to
 the utmost weight4 ,the collector of   
moral  statistics examines the records  
of criminal courts2 he investigates  the
 standard of honesty in commerce2 he    
balances the evidences of  peace1 truth1
 purity1 against those of violence1     
fraud1 and  immorality1 and works out a 
rough conclusion4 ,but that material    
morality leaves out of sight what is    
most significant of all--the  spiritual 
forms of good and of evil in which the  
opposing forces show  their inmost      
nature1 and in which the world ripens   
for ,god's judgment4  ,the man of sin is

 not described as a sensualist or a     
murderer2 he is  an apostate1 a rebel   
against ,god1 a usurper who claims not  
the palace  but the temple for his own4 
,this ,god-dethroning pride is the      
utmost  length to which sin can go4 ,the
 judgment will not come till it has     
fully developed2 can any one see tokens 
of its presence8    ,in asking such a   
question we pass from the interpretation
 of the  ,apostle's words to their      
application4 ,much of the difficulty and
  bewilderment that have gathered about 
this passage are due to the  confusion  
of these two quite different things4#bg 
,the interpretation  gives us the       
meaning of the very words the ,apostle  
used4 ,we have seen  what that is1 and  
that in its precise detail it was not   
destined to be  fulfilled4 ,but when we 
have passed behind the surface meaning1 
and  laid hold on the law which the     
,apostle was applying in this passage1  
then we can apply it ourselves4 ,we can 
use it to read the signs of  the times  

in our own or in any other age4 ,we may 
see developments of  evil1 resembling in
 their main features the man of sin here
 depicted1  in one quarter or another1  
and in one person or another2 and if we 
do1  we are bound to see in them tokens 
that a judgment of ,god is at hand2  but
 we must not imagine that in so applying
 the passage we are finding  out what   
,st4 ,paul meant4 ,that lies far1 far   
behind us2 and our  application of his  
words can only claim our own authority1 
not the  authority of ,holy ,scripture4 
,of the multitude of applications which 
have been made of this passage  since   
the ,apostle wrote it1 one only has had 
historical importance  enough to be of  
interest to us--,i mean that which is   
found in several  ,protestant           
confessions1 including the ,westminster 
,confession of ,faith1  and which       
declares the ,pope of ,rome1 in the     
words of this last1 to be  that         
,antichrist1 that man of sin1 and son of
 perdition1 that exalteth  himself in   

the ,church against ,christ1 and all    
that is called ,god4 ,as  an            
interpretation1 of course1 that is      
impossible2 the man of sin is  one man1 
and not a series1 like the ,popes2 the  
temple of ,god in which  a man sits is a
 temple made with hands1 and not the    
,church2 but when  we ask whether or not
 it is a fair application of the        
,apostle's  words1 the question is      
altered4 ,dr4 ,farrar1 whom no one will 
suspect  of sympathy with the ,papacy1  
is indignant that such an uncharitable  
idea should ever have crossed the mind  
of man4 ,many in the churches  which    
hold by the ,westminster ,confession    
would agree with him4 ,of  course it is 
a matter on which every one is entitled 
to judge for  himself1 and1 whether     
right or wrong1 ought not to be in a    
confession2  but for my own part ,i have
 little scruple in the matter4 ,there   
have  been ,popes who could have sat for
 ,paul's picture of the man of sin      
better than any characters known to     

history--proud1 apostate1 atheist       
priests1 sitting in the seat of ,christ1
 blasphemously claiming ,his  authority1
 and exercising ,his functions4 ,and    
individuals apart--for  there have been 
saintly and heroic ,popes as well1 true 
servants of the  servants of ,god--the  
hierarchical system of the ,papacy1 with
 the  monarchical priest at its head1   
incarnates and fosters that very        
spiritual pride of which the man of sin 
is the final embodiment2 it is  a       
seed-bed and nursery of precisely such  
characters as are here  described4      
,there is not in the world1 nor has ever
 been1 a system in  which there is less 
that recalls ,christ1 and more that     
anticipates  ,antichrist1 than the      
,papal system4 ,and one may say so while
  acknowledging the debt that all       
,christians owe to the ,romish ,church1 
and while hoping that it may somehow in 
,god's grace repent and reform4    ,it  
would ill become us1 however1 to close  
the study of so serious a  subject with 

the censure of others4 ,the mere        
discovery that we have  here to do with 
a law of moral development1 and with a  
supreme and  final type of evil1 should 
put us rather upon self-scrutiny4 ,the  
character of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ is
 the supreme and final type of  good2 it
 shows us the end to which the          
,christian life conducts those  who     
follow it4 ,the character of the man of 
sin shows the end of those  who obey not
 ,his gospel4 ,they become1 in their    
resistance to ,him1 more  and more      
identified with sin2 their antagonism to
 ,god settles into  antipathy1          
presumption1 defiance2 they become gods 
to themselves1 and  their doom is       
sealed4 ,this picture is set here for   
our warning4 ,we  cannot of ourselves   
see the end of evil from the beginning2 
we cannot  tell what selfishness and    
wilfulness come to1 when they have had  
their  perfect work2 but ,god sees1 and 
it is written in this place to startle  
us1 and fright us from sin4 ,take heed1 

brethren1 lest haply there  shall be in 
any one of you an evil heart of         
unbelief1 in falling away  from the     
living ,god3 but exhort one another day 
by day1 so long as it  is called        
,to-day2 lest any one of you be hardened
 by the deceitfulness  of sin4    #bf   
,there are indications of such a thing  
in various words of ,jesus4  ,many false
 prophets shall arise1 and shall lead   
many astray4 ,and  because iniquity     
shall be multiplied1 the love of the    
many shall wax  cold4--,matt4 xxiv4     
#aa;f4 ,there shall arise false         
,christs1 and false  prophets1 and shall
 show great signs and wonders2 so as to 
lead  astray1 if possible1 even the     
elect4--,matt4 xxiv4 #bd4 ,when the ,son
  of ,man cometh1 shall ,he find faith  
on the earth8--,luke xviii4 #h4 ,what   
answers to these in ,st4 ,paul's        
writings we see in ,acts xx4 #bi;f42    
,eph4  iv4 #ad2 #a ,tim4 iv4 #a4 ,but   
these passages belong to the very latest
  years in his life1 and they are not   

connected with any such  anticipations  
as are characteristic of the            
,thessalonian ,apocalypse4  ,the history
 of the ,church1 as ,paul foresaw it1   
did not include in  itself a phenomenon 
which could be described as  4    #bg ,a
 conspectus of the historical           
interpretations1 most of which are      
really applications1 of this passage1 is
 given in most commentaries4  ,the      
fullest is ,lnemann's1 which is followed
 by ,alford4 ,farrar's  ,appendix is    
briefer4          ,,iv4    ,,the        
,,restraint ,,and ,,its ,,removal4      
,and now ye know that which restraineth 
to the end that he may be   revealed in 
his own season4 ,for the mystery of     
lawlessness doth   already work3 only   
there is one that restraineth now1 until
 he   be taken out of the way4 ,and then
 shall be revealed the lawless one1     
whom the ,lord ,jesus shall slay with   
the breath of ,his mouth1 and   bring to
 nought by the manifestation of ,his    
coming2 even he1   whose coming is      

according to the working of ,satan with 
all power and   signs and lying wonders1
 and with all deceit of unrighteousness 
for   them that are perishing2 because  
they received not the love of the       
truth1 that they might be saved4 ,and   
for this cause ,god sendeth them   a    
working of error1 that they should      
believe a lie3 that they all   might be 
judged who believed not the truth1 but  
had pleasure in   unrighteousness4--#b  
,,thess4 ii4 #f-ab 7,r4,v474    ,christ 
cannot come1 the ,apostle has told us1  
until the falling away  has first come1 
and the man of sin been revealed4 ,in   
the verses before  us1 we are told that 
the man of sin himself cannot come1 in  
the full  sense of the word1 he cannot  
be revealed in his true character of the
  counter-,christ1 till a restraining   
force1 known to the ,thessalonians1  but
 only obscurely alluded to by the       
,apostle1 is taken out of the way4  ,the
 ,last ,advent is thus at two removes   
from the present4 ,first1 there  must be

 the removal of the power which holds   
the man of sin in check2  then the      
culmination of evil in that great       
adversary of ,god2 and not  till then   
the return of the ,lord in glory as     
,saviour and ,judge4    ,we might think 
that this put the ,advent to such a     
distance as  practically to disconnect  
it from the present1 and make it a      
matter of  little interest to the       
,christian4 ,but1 as we have seen       
already1 what  is significant in this   
whole passage is the spiritual law which
  governs the future of the world1 the  
law that good and evil must ripen       
together1 and in conflict with each     
other2 and it is involved in that  law  
that the final state of the world1 which
 brings on the ,advent1 is  latent1 in  
all its principles and spiritual        
features1 in the present4  ,that day is 
indissolubly connected with this4 ,the  
life that we now  live has all the      
importance1 and ought to have all the   
intensity1  which comes from its bearing

 the future in its bosom4 ,through the  
eyes  of this ,new ,testament prophet we
 can see the end from the beginning2    
and the day on which we happen to read  
his words is as critical1 in  its own   
nature1 as the great day of the ,lord4  
,the end1 the ,apostle tells us1 is at  
some distance1 but it is  preparing4    
,the mystery of lawlessness doth already
 work4 ,the forces  which are hostile to
 ,god1 and which are to break out in the
 great  apostasy1 and the insane        
presumption of the man of sin1 are even 
now  in operation1 but secretly4 ,they  
are not visible to the careless1 or  to 
the infatuated1 or to the spiritually   
blind2 but the ,apostle can  discern    
them4 ,taught by the ,spirit to read the
 signs of the times1 he  sees in the    
world around him symptoms of forces1    
secret1 unorganised1  to some extent    
inscrutable1 yet unmistakable in their  
character4 ,they  are the beginnings of 
the apostasy1 the first workings1       
fettered as  yet and baffled1 of the    

power which is to set itself in the     
place of  ,god4 ,he sees also1 and has  
already told the ,thessalonians1 of     
another  power of an opposite character4
 ,ye know1 he says1 that which          
restraineth 444 only there is one that  
restraineth now1 until he be  taken out 
of the way4 ,this restraining power is  
spoken of both in the  neuter and the   
masculine1 both as a principle or       
institution1 and as a  person2 and there
 is no reason to doubt that those       
fathers of the  ,church are right who   
identified it with the ,empire of ,rome 
and its  sovereign head4 ,the apostasy  
was to take place among the ,jews2 and  
the  ,apostle saw that ,rome and its    
,emperor were the grand restraint upon  
the violence of that stubborn race4 ,the
 ,jews had been his worst  enemies1 ever
 since he had embraced the cause of the 
,nazarene ,messiah  ,jesus2 and all that
 time the ,romans had been his best     
friends4 ,if  injustice had been done   
him in their name1 as at ,philippi1     

atonement  had been made2 and1 on the   
whole1 he had owed to them his          
protection  against ,jewish persecution4
 ,he felt sure that his own experience  
was  typical2 the final development of  
hatred to ,god and all that was on      
,god's side could not but be restrained 
so long as the power of ,rome  stood    
firm4 ,that power was a sufficient check
 upon anarchic violence4  ,while it held
 its ground1 the powers of evil could   
not organise  themselves and work       
openly2 they constituted a mystery of   
iniquity1  working1 as it were1         
underground4 ,but when this great       
restraint was  removed1 all that had    
been labouring so long in secret would  
come  suddenly to view1 in its full     
dimensions2 the lawless one would stand 
revealed4    ,but1 it may be asked1     
could ,paul imagine that the ,roman     
power1 as  represented by the ,emperor1 
was likely to be removed within any     
measurable time8 ,was it not the very   
type and symbol of all that was  stable 

and perpetual in man's life8 ,in one    
way1 it was2 and as at  least a         
temporary check on the final eruption of
 wickedness1 it is  here recognised to  
have a degree of stability2 but it was  
certainly  not eternal4 ,paul may have  
seen plainly enough in such careers as  
those of ,caligula and ,claudius the    
impending collapse of the ,julian       
dynasty2 and the very obscurity and     
reserve with which he expresses  himself
 amount to a distinct proof that he has 
something in his mind  which it was not 
safe to describe more plainly4 ,dr4     
,farrar has pointed  to the remarkable  
correspondence between this passage1    
interpreted of  the ,roman ,empire1 and 
a paragraph in ,josephus1 in which that 
historian  explains the visions of      
,daniel to his pagan readers4 ,josephus 
shows  that the image with the head of  
gold1 the breast and arms of silver1    
the belly and thighs of brass1 and the  
ankles and feet of iron1  represents a  
succession of four empires4 ,he names   

the ,babylonian as  the first1 and      
indicates plainly that the              
,medo-,persian and the ,greek  are the  
second and third2 but when he comes to  
the fourth1 which is  destroyed by the  
stone cut out without hands1 he does not
 venture1 as  all his countrymen did1 to
 identify it with the ,roman4 ,that     
would have  been disloyal in a courtier1
 and dangerous as well2 so he remarks1  
when he comes to the point1 that he     
thinks it proper to say nothing  about  
the stone and the kingdom it destroys1  
his duty as a historian  being to record
 what is past and gone1 and not what is 
yet to come4 ,in  a precisely similar   
way does ,st4 ,paul here hint at an     
event which it  would have been perilous
 to name4 ,but what he means is3 ,when  
the ,roman  power has been removed1 the 
lawless one will be revealed1 and the   
,lord  will come to destroy him4        
,what was said of the man of sin in the 
last lecture has again its  application 
here4 ,the ,roman ,empire did not fall  

within any such  period as ,paul        
anticipated2 nor1 when it did1 was there
 any such  crisis as he describes4 ,the 
man of sin was not revealed1 and the    
,lord  did not come4 ,but these are the 
human elements in the prophecy2 and  its
 interest and meaning for us lie in the 
description which an  inspired writer   
gives of the final forms of wickedness1 
and their  connection with principles   
which were at work around him1 and are  
at  work among us4 ,he does not1 indeed1
 come to these at once4 ,he passes  over
 them1 and anticipates the final        
victory1 when the ,lord shall  destroy  
the man of sin with the breath of ,his  
mouth1 and bring him to  nought by the  
appearance of ,his coming2 he would not 
have ,christian  men face the terrible  
picture of the last workings of evil    
until they  have braced and comforted   
their hearts with the prospect of a     
crowning  victory4 ,there is a great    
battle to be fought2 there are great    
perils to be encountered2 there is a    

prospect with something in it  appalling
 to the bravest heart2 but there is     
light beyond4 ,it needs  but the breath 
of the ,lord ,jesus2 it needs but the   
first ray of ,his  glorious appearing to
 brighten the sky1 and all the power of 
evil is  at an end4 ,only after he has  
fixed the mind on this does ,st4 ,paul  
describe the supreme efforts of the     
enemy4    ,his coming1 he says--and he  
uses the word applied to ,christ's      
advent1  as though to teach us that the 
event in question is as significant for 
evil as the other for good--his coming  
is according to the working of  ,satan4 
,when ,christ was in the world1 ,his    
presence with men was  according to the 
working of ,god2 the works that the     
,father gave ,him to  do1 the same ,he  
did1 and nothing else4 ,his life was the
 life of ,god  entering into our        
ordinary human life1 and drawing into   
its own mighty  and eternal current all 
who gave themselves up to ,him4 ,it was 
the  supreme form of goodness1          

absolutely tender and faithful2 using   
all  the power of the ,highest in pure  
unselfishness and truth4 ,when sin  has 
reached its height1 we shall see a      
character in whom all this is  reversed4
 ,its presence with men will be         
according to the working of  ,satan2 not
 an ineffective thing1 but very potent2 
carrying in its  train vast effects and 
consequences2 so vast and so            
influential1 in  spite of its utter     
badness1 that it is no exaggeration to  
describe its  coming 771 its appearing  
771 and its revelation  771 by the very 
same words which are applied to ,christ 
,himself4 ,if there is one word which   
can characterise this whole  phenomenon1
 both in its principle and in its       
consummation1 it is  falsehood4 ,the    
devil is a liar from the beginning1 and 
the father of  lies2 and where things go
 on according to the working of ,satan1 
there  is sure to be a vast development 
of falsehood and delusion4 ,this is a   
prospect which very few fear4 ,most of  

us are confident enough of the          
soundness of our minds1 of the solidity 
of our principles1 of the  justice of   
our consciences4 ,it is very difficult  
for us to understand  that we can be    
mistaken1 quite as confident about      
falsehood as about  truth1 unsuspecting 
victims of pure delusion4 ,we can see   
that some men  are in this wretched     
plight1 but that very fact seems to give
 us  immunity4 ,yet the falsehoods of   
the last days1 ,st4 ,paul tells us1 will
  be marvellously imposing and          
successful4 ,men will be dazzled by     
them1  and unable to resist4 ,satan will
 support his representative by power    
and signs and wonders of every          
description1 agreeing in nothing but in 
the characteristic quality of falsehood4
 ,they will be lying miracles4  ,yet    
those who are of the truth will not be  
left without a safeguard  against them1 
a safeguard found in this1 that the     
manifold deceit of  every kind which the
 devil and his agents employ1 is deceit 

of  unrighteousness4 ,it furthers       
unrighteousness2 it has evil as its end4
  ,by this it is betrayed to the good2  
its moral quality enables them to       
penetrate the lie1 and to make their    
escape from it4 ,however plausible  it  
may seem on other grounds1 its true     
character comes out under the           
touchstone of conscience1 and it stands 
finally condemned4    ,this is a point  
for consideration in our own time4      
,there is a great  deal of falsehood in 
circulation--partly superstitious1      
partly  quasi-scientific--which is not  
judged with the decision and severity   
that would be becoming in wise and good 
men4 ,some of it is more or  less       
latent1 working as a mystery of         
iniquity2 influencing men's souls  and  
consciences rather than their thoughts2 
disinclining them to  prayer1 suggesting
 difficulties about believing in ,god1  
giving the  material nature the primacy 
over the spiritual1 ignoring immortality
  and the judgment to come4 ,the man    

knows very little1 who does not know    
that there is a plausible case to be    
stated for atheism1 for  materialism1   
for fatalism1 for the rejection of all  
belief in the  life beyond the grave1   
and its connection with our present     
life2 but  however powerful and         
plausible the argument may be1 he has   
been very  careless of his spiritual    
nature1 who does not see that it is a   
deceit  of unrighteousness4 ,i do not   
say that only a bad man could accept it2
  but certainly all that is bad in any  
man1 and nothing that is good1  will    
incline him to accept it4 ,everything in
 our nature that is  unspiritual1       
slothful1 earthly1 at variance with     
,god2 everything that  wishes to be let 
alone1 to forget what is high1 to make  
the actual and  not the ideal its       
portion2 everything that recalls        
responsibilities of  which such a system
 would discharge us for ever1 is on the 
side of its  doctrines4 ,but is not that
 itself a conclusive argument against   

the  system8 ,are not all these most    
suspicious allies8 ,are they not1 beyond
  dispute1 our very worst enemies8 and  
can it be possible that a way of        
thinking is true1 which gives them      
undisputed authority over us8 ,do  not  
believe it4 ,do not let any plausibility
 of argument impose upon  you2 but when 
the moral issue of a theory is plainly  
immoral1 when by  its working it is     
betrayed to be the leaven of the        
,sadducees1 reject  it as a diabolical  
deceit4 ,trust your conscience1 that is1
 your whole  nature1 with its instinct  
for what is good1 rather than any       
dialectic2  it contains far more of what
 you are2 and it is the whole man1 and  
not  the most unstable and              
self-confident of his faculties1 that   
must  judge4 ,if there is nothing       
against a spiritual truth but the       
difficulty of conceiving how it can be1 
do not let that mental  incapacity weigh
 against the evidence of its fruits4    
,the ,apostle points to this line of    

thought1 and to this safeguard of  the  
good1 when he says that those who come  
under the power of this  vast working of
 falsehood are those who are perishing1 
because they  received not the love of  
the truth that they might be saved4 ,but
 for  this clause we might have said1   
,why expose men1 defenceless1 to such a 
terrific trial as is here depicted8 ,why
 expect weak1 bewildered1  unstable     
creatures to keep their feet1 when      
falsehood comes in like a  flood8 ,but  
such queries would show that we mistook 
the facts4 ,none are  carried away by   
the prevailing falsehood but those who  
received not  the love of the truth that
 they might be saved4 ,it is a question1
 we  see1 not of the intelligence       
simply1 but of the whole man4 ,he does  
not  say1 ,they received not the truth2 
that might have been due to some  cause 
over which they had no control4 ,they   
might never have had so  much as a good 
look at the truth2 they might have got  
an incurable  twist in their education1 

a flaw in their minds like a flaw in a  
mirror1 that prevented them from ever   
seeing what the truth was like4  ,these 
would be cases to stand apart4 ,but he  
says1 ,they received not  the love of   
the truth4 ,that truth which is         
presented for our  acceptance in the    
gospel is not merely a thing to         
scrutinise1 to  weigh1 to judge by the  
rules of the bench or the jury box3 it  
is a  truth which appeals to the heart2 
from cultured and uncultured1 from  the 
clear-headed and the puzzle-headed2 from
 the philosopher and the  message boy1  
it demands the answer of love4 ,it is   
this which is the  true test of         
character--the answer which is given1   
not by the brain1  disciplined or       
undisciplined1 but by the whole man1 to 
the revelation  of the truth in ,jesus  
,christ4 ,intelligence1 by itself1 may  
be a very  little matter2 all that some 
men have is but a tool in the hands of  
their passions2 but the love of the     
truth1 or its opposite1 shows  truly    

what we are4 ,those who love it are     
safe4 ,they cannot love  falsehood at   
the same time2 all the lies of the devil
 and his agents  are powerless to do    
them any harm4 ,satan1 we see here1 has 
no  advantage over us that we do not    
first give him4 ,the absence of  liking 
for the truth1 want of sympathy with    
,christ1 a disposition to  find less    
exacting ways than ,his1 a resolution to
 find them or to  make them1 ending in a
 positive antipathy to ,christ and to   
all the  truth which ,he teaches and    
embodies1--these give the enemy his     
opportunity and his advantage over us4  
,put it to yourself in this  light if   
you wish to discern your true attitude  
to the gospel4 ,you  may have           
difficulties and perplexities about it  
on one side or  another2 it runs out    
into mystery on every hand2 but these   
will not  expose you to the danger of   
being deceived1 as long as you receive  
the  love of it in your heart4 ,it is a 
thing to command love2 the truth  as    

truth is in ,jesus4 ,all that is good in
 us is enlisted in its  favour2 not to  
love it is to be a bad man4 ,a recent   
,unitarian lecturer  has said that to   
love ,jesus is not a religious duty2 but
 that is  certainly not a ,new          
,testament doctrine4 ,it is not only a  
religious  duty1 but the sum of all such
 duties2 to do it1 or not to do it1 is  
the decisive test of character1 and the 
arbiter of fate4 ,does not ,he  ,himself
 say--,he who is the ,truth--,he that   
loveth father or mother  more than ,me  
is not worthy of ,me8 ,does not ,his    
,apostle say1 ,if any  man love not the 
,lord ,jesus ,christ1 let him be        
anathema8 ,depend upon  it1 love to ,him
 is all our goodness1 and all our       
defence against the  powers of evil4 ,to
 grow cold and indifferent is to give   
the enemy of  our souls an opening      
against us4    ,the last two verses in  
this passage are very striking4 ,we have
 seen  already two agents in the        
destruction of men's souls4 ,they perish

 by  their own agency1 in that they do  
not welcome and love the truth2 and     
they perish by the malevolence of the   
devil1 who avails himself of  this      
dislike to the truth to befool them by  
falsehood1 and lead them  ever further  
and further astray4 ,but here we have a 
third agent1 most  surprising of all1   
,god ,himself4 ,for this cause ,god     
sendeth them a  working of error1 that  
they should believe a lie3 that they all
 might  be judged who believed not the  
truth1 but had pleasure in              
unrighteousness4 ,is ,god1 then1 the    
author of falsehood8 ,do the  delusions 
that possess the minds of men1 and lead 
them to eternal  ruin1 owe their        
strength to ,him8 ,can ,he intend       
anybody to believe a  lie1 and          
especially a lie with such terrific     
consequences as are  here in view8 ,the 
opening words--for this cause--supply   
the answer  to these questions4 ,for    
this cause1 i4e41 because they have not 
loved the truth1 but in their liking for

 evil have turned their backs  upon it1 
for this cause ,god's judgment comes    
upon them1 binding them  to their guilt4
 ,nothing is more certain1 however we   
may choose to  express it1 than the word
 of the wise man3 ,his own iniquities   
shall  take the wicked himself1 and he  
shall be holden with the cords of his   
sin4 ,he chooses his own way1 and he    
gets his fill of it4 ,he loves the      
deceit of unrighteousness1 the falsehood
 which delivers him from ,god  and from 
,his law2 and by ,god's righteous       
judgment1 acting through the            
constitution of our nature1 he comes    
continually more and more under  its    
power4 ,he believes the lie1 just as a  
good man believes the truth2  he becomes
 every day more hopelessly beclouded in 
error2 and the end  is that he is       
judged4 ,the judgment is based1 not on  
his intellectual1  but on his moral     
state4 ,it is true he has been deluded1 
but his  delusion is due to this1 that  
he had pleasure in unrighteousness4 ,it 

was this evil in him which gave weight  
to the sophistries of ,satan4    ,again 
and again in ,scripture this is         
represented as the punishment of  the   
wicked1 that ,god gives them their own  
way1 and infatuates them in  it4 ,the   
error works with ever greater power in  
their souls1 till they  cannot imagine  
that it is an error2 none can deliver   
himself1 or say1  ,is there not a lie in
 my right hand8 ,my people would not    
hearken to  ,my voice1 and ,israel would
 none of ,me4 ,so ,i gave them up unto  
their  own hearts' lust3 and they walked
 in their own counsels4 ,when they  knew
 ,god1 they glorified ,him not as ,god1 
neither were thankful2 444  wherefore   
,god gave them up to uncleanness4 ,they 
changed the truth of  ,god into a lie2  
444 for this cause ,god gave them up    
unto vile  affections4 ,they did not    
like to retain ,god in their            
knowledge4444  ,god gave them over to a 
reprobate mind4 ,they received not the  
love  of the truth3 and for this cause  

,god sendeth unto them a working of     
error4 ,sin bears its punishment in     
itself2 when it has had its  perfect    
work1 we see that it has been executing 
a judgment of ,god more  awful than     
anything we could conceive4 ,if you     
would have ,him on your  side1 your ally
 and not your adversary1 receive the    
love of the truth4    ,this is the final
 lesson of the passage4 ,we do not know 
all the forces  that are at work in the 
world in the interest of error2 but we  
know  there are many4 ,we know that the 
mystery of iniquity is already in       
operation4 ,we know that falsehood1 in  
this spiritual sense1 has much  in man  
which is its natural ally2 and that we  
need to be steadily on  our guard       
against the wiles of the devil4 ,we know
 that passion is  sophistical1 and      
reason often weak1 and that we see our  
true selves in  the action of heart and 
conscience4 ,be faithful1 therefore1 to 
,god at  the core of your nature4 ,love 
the truth that you may be saved4 ,this  

alone is salvation4 ,this alone is a    
safeguard against all the  delusions of 
,satan2 it was one who knew ,god1 who   
lived in ,god1 who did  always the works
 of ,god1 who loved ,god as the only    
begotten ,son the  ,father1 who could   
say1 ,the prince of this world cometh1  
and hath  nothing in ,me4          ,v4  
,,the ,,theology ,,of ,,paul4       ,but
 we are bound to give thanks to ,god    
alway for you1 brethren   beloved of the
 ,lord1 for that ,god chose you from the
 beginning unto   salvation in          
sanctification of the ,spirit and belief
 of the truth3   whereunto ,he called   
you through our gospel1 to the obtaining
 of the   glory of our ,lord ,jesus     
,christ4 ,so then1 brethren1 stand fast1
 and   hold the traditions which ye were
 taught1 whether by word1 or by         
epistle of ours4     ,now our ,lord     
,jesus ,christ ,himself1 and ,god our   
,father which loved us   and gave us    
eternal comfort and good hope through   
grace1 comfort your   hearts and        

stablish them in every good work and    
word4--#b ,,thess4 ii4   #ac-ag         
7,r4,v474    ,the first part of this    
chapter is mysterious1 awful1 and       
oppressive4  ,it deals with the         
principle of evil in the world1 its     
secret working1  its amazing power1 its 
final embodiment in the man of sin1 and 
its  decisive overthrow at the ,second  
,advent4 ,the characteristic action of  
this evil principle is deceit4 ,it      
deludes men1 and they become its        
victims4 ,true1 it can only delude those
 who lay themselves open to its         
approach by an aversion to the truth1   
and by delight in  unrighteousness2 but 
when we look round us1 and see the      
multitude of  its victims1 we might     
easily be tempted to despair of our     
race4 ,the  ,apostle does not do so4 ,he
 turns away from that gloomy prospect1  
and  fixes his eyes upon another1       
serene1 bright1 and joyful4 ,there  is a
 son of perdition1 a person doomed to   
destruction1 who will  carry many to    

ruin in his train2 but there is a work  
of ,god going on  in the world as well  
as a work of evil2 and it also has its  
triumphs4  ,let the mystery of iniquity 
work as it will1 we are bound to give   
thanks alway to ,god for you1 brethren  
beloved of the ,lord1 for that  ,god    
chose you from the beginning unto       
salvation4    ,the thirteenth and       
fourteenth verses of this chapter are a 
system of  theology in miniature4 ,the  
,apostle's thanksgiving covers the whole
  work of salvation from the eternal    
choice of ,god to the obtaining of  the 
glory of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ in the
 world to come4 ,let us  observe the    
several points which it brings out4 ,as 
a thanksgiving1 of  course1 ,god is the 
main subject in it4 ,every separate     
clause only  serves to bring out another
 aspect of the fundamental truth that   
salvation is of the ,lord4 ,what        
aspects1 then1 of this truth are        
presented in turn8    7#a7 ,in the first
 place1 the original idea of salvation  

is ,god's4 ,he  chose the ,thessalonians
 to it from the beginning4 ,there are   
really two  assertions in this simple   
sentence--the one1 that ,god chose them2
 the  other1 that ,his choice is        
eternal4 ,the first of these is         
obviously a  matter on which there is an
 appeal to experience4 ,these ,christian
 men1  and all ,christian men1 could    
tell whether it was true or not that    
they  owed their salvation to ,god4 ,in 
point of fact1 there has never been  any
 doubt about that matter in any church1 
or1 indeed1 in any  religion4 ,all good 
men have always believed that salvation 
is of the  ,lord4 ,it begins on ,god's  
side4 ,it can most truly be described   
from ,his  side4 ,every ,christian heart
 responds to the word of ,jesus to the  
disciples3 ,ye have not chosen ,me1 but 
,i have chosen you4 ,every  ,christian  
heart feels the force of ,st4 ,paul's   
words to the ,galatians3  ,after that ye
 have known ,god1 or rather were known  
of ,god4 ,it is ,his  taking knowledge  

of us which is the original1            
fundamental1 decisive  thing in         
salvation4 ,that is a matter of         
experience2 and so far the  ,calvinist  
doctrine of election1 which has         
sometimes an unsubstantial1             
metaphysical aspect1 has an experimental
 basis4 ,we are saved1 because  ,god in 
,his love has saved us2 that is the     
starting-point4 ,that also  gives       
character1 in all the ,epistles1 to the 
,new ,testament doctrine of  election4  
,the ,apostle never speaks of the elect 
as an unknown  quantity1 a favoured few1
 hidden in the ,church1 or in the world1
  unknown to others or to themselves3   
,god1 he says1 chose  you1--the persons 
addressed in this letter1--and you  know
 that ,he did4 ,so does every one who   
knows anything of ,god  at all4 ,even   
when the ,apostle says1 ,god chose you  
from the  beginning1 he does not leave  
the basis of experience4 ,known unto    
,god  are all ,his works from the       
beginning of the world4 ,the purpose of 

,god's love to save men1 which comes    
home to them in their reception of  the 
gospel1 is not a thing of to-day or     
yesterday2 they know it is  not2 it is  
the manifestation of ,his nature2 it is 
as eternal as  ,himself2 they can count 
on it as securely as they can on the    
,divine  character2 if ,god has chosen  
them at all1 ,he has chosen them from   
the  beginning4 ,the doctrine of        
election in ,scripture is a religious   
doctrine1 based upon experience2 it is  
only when it is separated from          
experience1 and becomes metaphysical1   
and prompts men to ask whether  they who
 have heard and received the gospel are 
elect or not--an  impossible question on
 ,new ,testament ground--that it works  
for evil in  the ,church4 ,if you have  
chosen ,god1 you know it is because ,he 
first  chose you2 and ,his will revealed
 in that choice is the will of the      
,eternal4    7#b7 ,further1 the means of
 salvation for men are of ,god4 ,he     
chose  you1 says the ,apostle1 in       

sanctification of the ,spirit and belief
 of  the truth4 ,perhaps means is not   
the most precise word to use here2  it  
might be better to say that             
sanctification wrought by the ,spirit1  
and belief of the truth1 are the state  
in which1 rather than the means  by     
which1 salvation is realised4 ,but what 
,i wish to insist upon is1  that both   
are included in the ,divine choice2 they
 are the instruments  or the conditions 
of carrying it into effect4 ,and here1  
when we come  to the accomplishment of  
,god's purpose1 we see how it combines a
  ,divine and a human side4 ,there is a 
sanctification1 or consecration1        
wrought by the ,spirit of ,god upon the 
spirit of man1 the sign and seal  of    
which is baptism1 the entrance of the   
natural man into the new and  higher    
life2 and coincident with this1 there is
 the belief of the  truth1 the          
acceptance of ,god's message of mercy1  
and the surrender of  the soul to it4   
,it is impossible to separate these two 

things1 or to  define their relation to 
each other4 ,sometimes the first seems  
to  condition the second2 sometimes the 
order is reversed4 ,now it is the       
,spirit which opens the mind to the     
truth2 again it is the truth which      
exercises a sanctifying power like the  
,spirit4 ,the two1 as it were1          
interpenetrate each other4 ,if the      
,spirit stood alone1 man's mind would   
be baffled1 his moral freedom would be  
taken away2 if the reception of  the    
truth were everything1 a cold1          
rationalistic type of religion  would   
supplant the ardour of the ,new         
,testament ,christian4 ,the eternal     
choice of ,god makes provision1 in the  
combination of the ,spirit and  the     
truth1 at once for ,divine influence and
 for human freedom2 for a  baptism of   
fire and for the deliberate welcoming of
 revelation2 and it  is when the two are
 actually combined that the purpose of  
,god to save  is accomplished4 ,what can
 we say here on the basis of experience8

 ,have  we believed the truth which ,god
 has declared to us in ,his ,son8 ,has  
its  belief been accompanied and made   
effectual by a sanctification wrought   
by ,his ,spirit1 a consecration which   
has made the truth live in us1 and  made
 us new creatures in ,christ8 ,god's    
choice does not become  effective apart 
from this2 it comes out in this2 it     
secures its own  accomplishment in this4
 ,his chosen are not chosen to salvation
  irrespective of any experience2 none  
are chosen except as they  believe the  
truth and are sanctified by ,his        
,spirit4    7#c7 ,once more1 the        
execution of the plan of salvation in   
time is of  ,god4 ,to this salvation1   
says ,paul1 ,he called you by our       
gospel4  ,the apostles and their        
companions were but messengers3 the     
message  they brought was ,god's4 ,the  
new truths1 the warnings1 the summonses1
  the invitations1 all were ,his4 ,the  
spiritual constraint which they         
exercised was ,his also4 ,in speaking   

thus1 the ,apostle magnifies his        
office1 and magnifies at the same time  
the responsibility of all who  heard him
 preach4 ,it is a light thing to listen 
to a man speaking his  own thoughts1    
giving his own counsel1 inviting assent 
to his own  proposals2 it is a solemn   
thing to listen to a man speaking truly 
in  the name of ,god4 ,the gospel that  
we preach is ours1 only because we      
preach it and because we receive it2 but
 the true description of it  is1 the    
gospel of ,god4 ,it is ,his voice which 
proclaims the coming  judgment2 it is   
,his voice which tells of the redemption
 which is in  ,christ ,jesus1 even the  
forgiveness of our trespasses2 it is    
,his voice  which invites all who are   
exposed to wrath1 all who are under the 
curse and power of sin1 to come to the  
,saviour4 ,paul had thanked ,god  in the
 ,first ,epistle that the ,thessalonians
 had received his word1  not as the word
 of man1 but as what it was in truth1   
the word of the  living ,god2 and here  

he falls back again on the same thought 
in a new  connection4 ,it is too natural
 for us to put ,god as far as we can out
  of our minds1 to keep ,him for ever in
 the background1 to have recourse  to   
,him only in the last resort2 but that  
easily becomes an evasion of  the       
seriousness and the responsibilities of 
our life1 a shutting of  our eyes to its
 true significance1 for which we may    
have to pay dear4  ,god has spoken to us
 all in ,his word and by ,his           
,spirit1--,god1 and  not only some human
 preacher3 see that ye despise not ,him 
that  speaketh4    7#d7 ,lastly1 under  
this head1 the end proposed to us in    
obeying the  gospel call is of ,god4 ,it
 is the obtaining of the glory of our   
,lord  ,jesus ,christ4 ,paul became a   
,christian and an ,apostle1 because he  
saw  the ,lord of ,glory on the way to  
,damascus2 and his whole conception of  
salvation was shaped by that sight4 ,to 
be saved meant to enter into  that glory
 into which ,christ had entered4 ,it was

 a condition of  perfect holiness1 open 
only to those who were sanctified by    
,christ's  ,spirit2 but perfect holiness
 did not exhaust it4 ,holiness was      
manifested in glory1 in a light         
surpassing the brightness of the sun1   
in a strength superior to every         
weakness1 in a life no longer           
assailable by death4 ,weak1 suffering1  
destitute--dying daily for  ,christ's   
sake--,paul saw salvation concentrated  
and summed up in the  glory of ,christ4 
,to obtain this was to obtain salvation4
 ,when ,christ  who is our life shall   
appear1 he says elsewhere1 then shall ye
 also  appear with ,him in glory4 ,this 
corruptible must put on incorruption1   
and this mortal must put on immortality4
 ,if salvation were anything  lower than
 this1 there might be a plausible case  
to state for man as  its author2 but    
reaching as it does to this immeasurable
 height1 who  can accomplish it but     
,god8 ,it needs the operation of the    
might of ,his  power which ,he wrought  

in ,christ when ,he raised ,him from the
 dead4    ,one cannot read these two    
simple verses without wondering at the  
new  world which the gospel created for 
the mind of man4 ,what great  thoughts  
are in them--thoughts that wander       
through eternity1 thoughts  based on the
 most sure and blessed of experiences1  
yet travelling back  into an infinite   
past1 and on into immortal glory2       
thoughts of the  ,divine presence and   
the ,divine power interpenetrating and  
redeeming  human life2 thoughts         
addressed originally to a little company
 of  working people1 but unmatched for  
length and breadth and depth and  height
 by all that pagan literature could     
offer to the wisest and the  best4 ,what
 a range and sweep there is in this     
brief summary of ,god's  work in man's  
salvation4 ,if the ,new ,testament is   
uninteresting1 can  it be for any other 
reason than that we arrest ourselves at 
the words1  and never penetrate to the  
truth which lies beneath8    ,on this   

review of the work of ,god the ,apostle 
grounds an exhortation  to the          
,thessalonians4 ,so then1 brethren1 he  
writes1 stand fast1 and  hold the       
traditions which ye were taught1 whether
 by word1 or by  epistle of ours4 ,the  
objection that is brought against       
,calvinism is  that it destroys every   
motive for action on our part1 by       
destroying  all need of it4 ,if         
salvation is of the ,lord1 what is there
 for us to  do8 ,if ,god conceived it1  
planned it1 executes it1 and alone can  
perfect it1 what room is left for the   
interference of man8 ,this is a  species
 of objection which would have appeared 
extremely perverse to  the ,apostle4    
,why1 he would have exclaimed1 if ,god  
left it to us to do1  we might well sit 
down in despair and do nothing1 so      
infinitely would  the task exceed our   
powers2 but since the work of salvation 
is the  work of ,god1 since ,he ,himself
 is active on that side1 there is       
reason1  hope1 motive1 for activity on  

our part also4 ,if we work in the same  
line with ,him1 toward the same end with
 ,him1 our labour will not be  cast     
away2 it will be triumphantly           
successful4 ,god is at work2  but so far
 from that furnishing a motive to       
non-exertion on our part1  it is the    
strongest of all motives to action4     
,work out your own  salvation1 not      
because it is left to you to do1 but    
because it is ,god  who is working in   
you both will and deed in furtherance of
 ,his good  pleasure4 ,fall in1 the     
,apostle virtually says in this place1  
with the  purpose of ,god to save you2  
identify yourselves with it2 stand fast1
  and hold the traditions which ye were 
taught4    ,traditions is an unpopular  
word in one section of the ,church1     
because it has been so vastly abused in 
another4 ,but it is not an  illegitimate
 word in any church1 and there is always
 a place for what  it means4 ,the       
generations are dependent on each other2
 each transmits  to the future the      

inheritance it has received from the    
past2 and that  inheritance--embracing  
laws1 arts1 manners1 morals1 instincts1 
religion--can all be comprehended in the
 single word tradition4 ,the  gospel was
 handed over to the ,thessalonians by   
,st4 ,paul1 partly in  oral teaching1   
partly in writing2 it was a complex of  
traditions in  the simplest sense1 and  
they were not to let any part of it go4 
,extreme ,protestants are in the habit  
of opposing ,scripture to  tradition4   
,the ,bible alone1 they say1 is our     
religion2 and we reject  all unwritten  
authority4 ,but1 as a little reflection 
will show1 the  ,bible itself is1 in the
 first instance1 a part of tradition2 it
 is  handed down to us from those who   
have gone before2 it is delivered to  us
 as a sacred deposit by the ,church2 and
 as such we at first regard  it4 ,there 
are good reasons1 no doubt1 for giving  
,scripture a  fundamental and critical  
place among traditions4 ,when its claim 
to  represent the ,christianity of the  

apostles is once made out1 it is  fairly
 regarded as the criterion of everything
 else that appeals to  their authority4 
,the bulk of so-called traditions in the
 ,church of  ,rome are to be rejected1  
not because they are traditions1 but    
because  they are not traditions1 but   
have originated in later times1 and are 
inconsistent with what is known to be   
truly apostolic4 ,we ourselves  are     
bound to keep fast hold of all that     
connects us historically with  the      
apostolic age4 ,we would not disinherit 
ourselves4 ,we would not  lose a single 
thought1 a single like or dislike1 a    
single conviction  or instinct1 of all  
that proves us the spiritual posterity  
of ,peter  and ,paul and ,john4         
,sectarianism destroys the historical   
sense2 it  plays havoc with traditions2 
it weakens the feeling of spiritual     
affinity between the present and the    
past4 ,the ,reformers in the  sixteenth 
century--the men like ,luther1          
,melanchthon1 and ,calvin--made  a great

 point of what they called their        
catholicity1 i4e41 their  claim to      
represent the true ,church of ,christ1  
to be the lawful  inheritors of         
apostolic tradition4 ,they were right1  
both in their  claim1 and in their idea 
of its importance2 and we will suffer   
for it1  if1 in our eagerness for       
independence1 we disown the riches of   
the  past4    ,the ,apostle closes his  
exhortation with a prayer4 ,now our     
,lord ,jesus  ,christ ,himself1 and ,god
 our ,father which loved us and gave us 
eternal  comfort and good hope through  
grace1 comfort#bh your hearts and       
stablish them in every good work and    
word4 ,all human effort1 he seems  to   
say1 must be not only anticipated and   
called forth1 but supported1  by ,god4  
,he alone it is who can give            
steadfastness to our pursuit of  good in
 word and deed4    ,in his prayer the   
,apostle goes back to great events in   
the past1 and  bases his request on the 
assurance which they yield3 ,god1 he    

says1  who loved us and gave us eternal 
comfort and good hope  through grace4   
,when did ,god do these gracious things8
 ,it was when ,he  sent ,his ,son into  
the world for us4 ,he does love us now2 
,he will love  us for ever2 but we go   
back for the final proof1 and for the   
first  conviction of this1 to the gift  
of ,jesus ,christ4 ,there we see ,god   
who  loved us4 ,the death of the ,lord  
,jesus is specially in view4  ,hereby   
know we love1 because ,he laid down ,his
 life for us4 ,herein  is love1 not that
 we loved ,god1 but that ,he loved us1  
and sent ,his ,son  to be the           
propitiation for our sins4 ,the eternal 
consolation is  connected in the closest
 possible way with this grand assurance 
of  love4 ,it is not merely an unending 
comfort1 as opposed to the  transitory  
and uncertain joys of earth2 it is the  
heart to exclaim  with ,st4 ,paul1 ,who 
shall separate us from the love of      
,christ8 ,shall  tribulation1 or        
distress1 or persecution1 or famine1 or 

nakedness1 or  peril1 or sword8444 ,nay1
 in all these things we are more than   
conquerors through ,him that loved us4  
,here1 and now1 this eternal            
consolation is given to the ,christian  
heart2 here1 and now1 rather1 it  is    
enjoyed2 it was given1 once for all1 on 
the cross at ,calvary4  ,stand there1   
and receive that awful pledge of the    
love of ,god1 and see  whether it does  
not1 even now1 go deeper than any       
sorrow4    ,but the eternal consolation 
does not exhaust ,god's gifts4 ,he has  
also  in ,his grace given us good hope4 
,he has made provision1 not only for    
the present trouble1 but for the future 
uncertainty4 ,all life needs an         
outlook2 and those who have stood beside
 the empty grave in the garden  know how
 wide and glorious is the outlook       
provided by ,god for the  believer in   
,jesus ,christ4 ,in the very deepest    
darkness1 a light is  kindled for him2  
in the valley of the shadow of death1 a 
window is  opened to him in heaven4     

,surely ,god1 who sent ,his ,son to die 
for us  upon the ,cross2 ,god1 who      
raised ,him again from the dead on our  
behalf1  and set ,him at ,his own right 
hand in heavenly places1--surely ,he who
  has been at such cost for our         
salvation will not be slow to second all
  our efforts1 and to establish our     
hearts in every good work and word4     
,how simply1 one is tempted to say1 it  
all ends--good works and good  words2   
are these the whole fruits which ,god   
seeks in ,his great work of  redemption8
 ,does it need consolation so wonderful1
 hope so  far-reaching1 to secure       
patient continuance in well-doing8 ,we  
know  only too well that it does4 ,we   
know that the comfort of ,god1 the hope 
of ,god1 prayer to ,god1 are all needed2
 and that all we can make of all  of    
them combined is not too much to make us
 steadily dutiful in word  and deed4 ,we
 know that it is not a disproportionate 
or unworthy moral1  but one befitting   
the grandeur of his theme1 when the     

,apostle  concludes the fifteenth       
chapter of #ast ,corinthians in a tone  
very  similar to that which rules here4 
,the infinite hope of the  ,resurrection
 is made the basis of the commonest     
duties4 ,therefore1 my  beloved         
brethren1 he says1 be ye stedfast1      
unmoveable1 always  abounding in the    
work of the ,lord1 forasmuch as ye know 
that your  labour is not in vain in the 
,lord4 ,that hope is to bear fruit on   
earth--in patience and loyalty1 in      
humble and faithful service4 ,it is  to 
shed its radiance over the trivial      
round1 the common task2 and the         
,apostle does not think it wasted if it 
enables men and women to do  well and   
not weary4    ,the difficulty of        
expounding this passage lies in the     
largeness of the  thoughts2 they        
include1 in a manner1 every part and    
aspect of the  ,christian life4 ,let    
each of us try to bring them near to    
himself4 ,god  has called us by ,his    
gospel3 ,he has declared to us that     

,jesus our ,lord  was delivered for our 
offences1 and that ,he was raised again 
to open  the gates of life to us4 ,have 
we believed the truth8 ,that is where   
the  gospel begins for us4 ,is the truth
 within us1 written on hearts that      
,god's ,spirit has separated from the   
world1 and devoted to a new life8  or is
 it outside of us1 a rumour1 a hearsay1 
to which we have no vital  relation8    
,happy are those who have believed1 and 
taken ,christ into  their souls1 ,christ
 who died for us and rose again3 they   
have the  forgiveness of sins1 a pledge 
of love that disarms and vanquishes     
sorrow1 an infallible hope that outlives
 death4 ,happy are those to  whom the   
cross and the empty tomb give that      
confidence in ,god's love  which makes  
prayer natural1 hopeful1 joyful4 ,happy 
are those to whom  all these gifts of   
grace bring the strength to continue    
patiently in  well-doing1 and to be     
steadfast in every good work and word4  
,all  things are theirs--the world1 and 

life1 and death2 things present and     
things to come2 everlasting consolation 
and good hope2 prayer1  patience1 and   
victory3 all are theirs1 for they are   
,christ's1 and  ,christ is ,god's4      
#bh ,for the verb in the singular1 and  
its import1 compare #ast ,epistle  iii4 
#aa4          ,,vi4    ,,mutual         
,,intercession4       ,finally1         
brethren1 pray for us1 that the word of 
the ,lord may run   and be glorified1   
even as also it is with you2 and that we
 may   be delivered from unreasonable   
and evil men2 for all have not faith4   
,but the ,lord is faithful1 who shall   
stablish you1 and guard you from   the  
evil one4 ,and we have confidence in the
 ,lord touching you1   that ye both do  
and will do the things which we command4
 ,and the ,lord   direct your hearts    
into the love of ,god1 and into the     
patience of   ,christ4--#b ,,thess4 iii4
 #a-e 7,r4,v474    ,the main part of    
this letter is now finished4 ,the       
,apostle has  completed his teaching    

about the ,second ,advent1 and the      
events which  precede and condition it2 
and nothing remains to dispose of but   
some  minor matters of personal and     
practical interest4    ,he begins by    
asking again1 as at the close of the    
,first ,epistle1 the  prayers of the    
,thessalonians for himself and his      
fellow-workers4 ,it  was a strength and 
comfort to him1 as to every minister of 
,christ1 to  know that he was remembered
 by those who loved him in the presence 
of  ,god4 ,but it is no selfish or      
private interest that the ,apostle has  
in  view when he begs a place in their  
prayers2 it is the interest of the  work
 with which he has identified himself4  
,pray for us1 that the word  of the     
,lord may run and be glorified4 ,this   
was the one business and  concern of his
 life2 if it went well1 all his desires 
were satisfied4    ,hardly anything in  
the ,new ,testament gives us a more     
characteristic  look of the ,apostle's  
soul than his desire that the word of   

the ,lord  should run4 ,the word of the 
,lord is the gospel1 of which he is the 
principal herald to the nations2 and we 
see in his choice of this word  his     
sense of its urgency4 ,it was glad      
tidings to all mankind2 and how  sorely 
needed wherever he turned his eyes6 ,the
 constraint of ,christ's  love was upon 
his heart1 the constraint of men's sin  
and misery2 and  he could not pass      
swiftly enough from city to city1 to    
proclaim the  reconciling grace of ,god1
 and call men from darkness unto light4 
,his  eager heart fretted against       
barriers and restraints of every        
description2 he saw in them the malice  
of the great enemy of ,christ3  ,i was  
minded once and again to come unto you1 
but ,satan hindered me4  ,hence it is   
that he asks the ,thessalonians to pray 
for their removal1  that the word of the
 ,lord may run4 ,the ardour of such a   
prayer1 and of  the heart which prompts 
it1 is far enough removed from the      
common  temper of the ,church1          

especially where it has been long       
established4  ,how many centuries there 
were during which ,christendom1 as it   
was  called1 was practically a fixed    
quantity1 shut up within the limits of  
,western ,european civilisation1 and not
 aspiring to advance a single  step     
beyond it1 fast or slow4 ,it is one of  
the happy omens of our own  time that   
the apostolic conception of the gospel  
as an ever-advancing1  ever-victorious  
force1 has begun again to take its place
 in the  ,christian heart4 ,if it is    
really to us what it was to ,st4        
,paul--a  revelation of ,god's mercy and
 judgment which dwarfs everything else1 
a  power omnipotent to save1 an         
irresistible pressure of love on heart  
and will1 glad tidings of great joy that
 the world is dying for--we  shall share
 in this ardent1 evangelical spirit1 and
 pray for all  preachers that the word  
of the ,lord may run very swiftly4 ,how 
it  passed in apostolic times from land 
to land and from city to  city--from    

,syria to ,asia1 from ,asia to          
,macedonia1 from ,macedonia to  ,greece1
 from ,greece to ,italy1 from ,italy to 
,spain--till in one man's  lifetime1 and
 largely by one man's labour1 it was    
known throughout the  ,roman world4 ,it 
is easy1 indeed1 to over-estimate the   
number of the  early ,christians2 but we
 can hardly over-estimate the fiery     
speed with  which the ,cross went forth 
conquering and to conquer4 ,missionary  
zeal  is one note of the true ,apostolic
 ,church4    ,but ,paul wishes the      
,thessalonians to pray that the word of 
the ,lord  may be glorified1 as well as 
have free course4 ,the word of the ,lord
 is  a glorious thing itself4 ,as the   
,apostle calls it in another place1 it  
is the gospel of the glory of the       
blessed ,god4 ,all that makes the       
spiritual glory of ,god--,his holiness1 
,his love1 ,his wisdom--is  concentrated
 and displayed in it4 ,but its glory is 
acknowledged1 and  in that sense        
heightened1 when its power is seen in   

the salvation of  men4 ,a message from  
,god that did nothing would not be      
glorified3 it  would be discredited and 
shamed4 ,it is the glory of the gospel  
to lay  hold of men1 to transfigure     
them1 to lift them out of evil into the 
company and the likeness of ,christ4    
,for anything else it does1 it may  not 
fill a great space in the world's eye2  
but when it actually brings  the power  
of ,god to save those who receive it1 it
 is clothed in glory4  ,paul did not    
wish to preach without seeing the fruits
 of his labour4  ,he did the work of an 
evangelist2 and he would have been      
ashamed of  the evangel if it had not   
wielded a ,divine power to overcome sin 
and  bring the sinful to ,god4 ,pray    
that it may always have this power4     
,pray  that when the word of the ,lord  
is spoken it may not be an ineffective1 
fruitless word1 but mighty through ,god4
    ,there is an expression in ,titus   
ii4 #aj analogous to this3 ,adorning    
the doctrine of ,god our ,saviour in all

 things4 ,that expression is  less      
fervent1 spoken at a lower level1 than  
the one before us2 but it  more readily 
suggests1 for that very reason1 some    
duties of which we  should be reminded  
here also4 ,it comes home to all who try
 to bring  their conduct into any kind  
of relation to the gospel of ,christ4   
,it is  only too possible for us to     
disgrace the gospel2 but it is in our   
power also1 by every smallest action we 
do1 to illustrate it1 to set  it off1 to
 put its beauty in the true light before
 the eyes of  men4 ,the gospel comes    
into the world1 like everything else1 to
 be  judged on its merits2 that is1 by  
the effects which it produces in the    
lives of those who receive it4 ,we are  
its witnesses2 its character1 in  the   
general mind1 is as good as our         
character2 it is as lovely as we  are   
lovely1 as strong as we are strong1 as  
glorious as we are  glorious1 and no    
more4 ,let us seek to bear it a truer   
and worthier  witness than we have yet  

done4 ,to adorn it is a calling far     
higher  than most of us have aimed at2  
but if it comes into our prayers1 if    
its swift diffusion and powerful        
operation are near our hearts in the    
sight of ,god1 grace will be given us to
 do this also4    ,the next request of  
the ,apostle has more of a personal     
aspect1 yet it  also has his work in    
view4 ,he asks prayer that he and his   
friends may  be delivered from          
unreasonable and wicked men3 for all    
men1 he says1  have not faith4 ,the     
unreasonable and wicked men were no     
doubt the ,jews  in ,corinth1 from which
 place he wrote4 ,their malignant       
opposition was  the great obstacle to   
the spread of the gospel2 they were the 
representatives and instruments of the  
,satan who perpetually hindered  him4   
,the word here rendered unreasonable is 
a rare one in the ,new  ,testament4 ,it 
occurs four times in all1 and in each   
case is  differently translated3 once it
 is amiss1 once harm1 once  wickedness1 

and here unreasonable4 ,the margin in   
this place  renders it absurd4 ,what it 
literally means is1 out of place2 and   
the ,apostle signifies by it1 that in   
the opposition of these men to  the     
gospel there was something preposterous1
 something that baffled  explanation2   
there was no reason in it1 and therefore
 it was hopeless  to reason with it4    
,that is a disposition largely          
represented both in  the ,old ,testament
 and the ,new1 and familiar to every one
 who in  preaching the gospel has come  
into close contact with men4 ,it was one
  of the great trials of ,jesus that ,he
 had to endure the contradiction  of    
those who were sinners against          
themselves2 who rejected the counsel  of
 ,god in their own despite2 in other    
words1 were unreasonable men4  ,the     
gospel1 we must remember1 is good news2 
it is good news to all  men4 ,it tells  
of ,god's love to the sinful2 it brings 
pardon1 holiness1  immortal hope1 to    
every one4 ,why1 then1 should anybody   

have a quarrel  with it8 ,is it not     
enough to drive reason to despair1 that 
men should  wantonly1 stubbornly1       
malignantly1 hate and resist such a     
message8 ,is  there anything in the     
world more provoking than to offer a    
real and  indispensable service1 out of 
a true and disinterested love1 and to   
have it contemptuously rejected8 ,that  
is the fate of the gospel in  many      
quarters2 that was the constant         
experience of our ,lord and of ,st4     
,paul4 ,no wonder1 in the interests of  
his mission1 the ,apostle prays to  be  
delivered from unreasonable men4 ,are   
there any of us who come  under this    
condemnation8 who are senselessly       
opposed to the gospel1  enemies in      
intention of ,god1 but in reality       
hurting no one so much as  ourselves8   
,the ,apostle does not indicate in his  
prayer any mode of  deliverance4 ,he may
 have hoped that in ,god's providence   
his  persecutors would have their       
attention distracted somehow2 he may    

have  hoped that by greater wisdom1     
greater love1 greater power of          
adaptation1 of becoming all things to   
all men1 he might vanquish their        
unreason1 and gain access to their souls
 for the truth4 ,in any case1  his      
request shows us that the gospel has a  
battle to fight that we  should hardly  
have anticipated--a battle with sheer   
perversity1 with  blind1 wilful         
absurdity--and that this is one of its  
most dangerous  foes4 ,o that they were 
wise1 ,god cries of ,his ancient people1
 ,o  that they understood4 ,he has the  
same lament to utter still4    ,we ought
 to notice the reason appended to this  
description of ,paul's  enemies3 absurd 
and evil men1 he says2 for all men have 
not faith4  ,faith1 of course1 means the
 ,christian faith3 all men are not      
believers  in ,christ and disciples of  
,christ2 and therefore the moral        
unreason  and perversity of which ,i    
have spoken actually exist4 ,he who has 
the  faith is morally sane2 he has that 

in him which is inconsistent with  such 
wickedness and irrationality4 ,we can   
hardly suppose1 however1  that the      
,apostle meant to state such a          
superfluous truism as that all  men were
 not ,christians4 ,what he does mean is 
apparently that not all  men have       
affinity for the faith1 have aptitude or
 liking for it2 as  ,christ said when   
,he stood before ,pilate1 the voice of  
truth is only  heard by those who are of
 the truth4 ,so it was when the apostles
  preached4 ,among their hearers there  
were those who were of the  truth1 in   
whom there was1 as it were1 the instinct
 for the faith2 they  welcomed the      
message4 ,others1 again1 discovered no  
such natural  relation to the truth2 in 
spite of the adaptation of the message  
to  human needs1 they had no sympathy   
with it2 there was no reaction in  their
 hearts in its favour2 it was           
unreasonable to them2 and to ,god  they 
were unreasonable4 ,the ,apostle does   
not explain this2 he simply  remarks it4

 ,it is one of the ultimate and         
inexplicable facts of human  experience2
 one of the meeting-points of nature and
 freedom which defy  our philosophies4  
,some are of kin to the gospel when they
 hear it2  they have faith1 and justify 
the counsel of ,god1 and are saved3     
others  are of no kin to the gospel2 its
 wisdom and love wake no response in    
them2 they have not faith2 they reject  
the counsel of ,god to their own  ruin2 
they are preposterous and evil men4 ,it 
is from such1 as  hinderers of the      
gospel1 that ,paul prays to be          
delivered4    ,in the two verses which  
follow1 he plays1 as it were1 with this 
word  faith4 ,all men have not faith1 he
 writes2 but the ,lord is  faithful1 and
 we have faith in the ,lord touching    
you4 ,often the  ,apostle goes on thus  
at a word4 ,often1 especially1 he       
contrasts the  trustworthiness of ,god  
with the faithlessness of men4 ,men may 
not take  the gospel seriously2 but the 
,lord does4 ,he is in indubitable       

earnest  with it2 ,he may be depended   
upon to do ,his part in carrying it into
  effect4 ,see how unselfishly1 at this 
point1 the ,apostle turns from his  own 
situation to that of his readers4 ,the  
,lord is faithful who will  stablish    
you1 and keep you from the evil one4    
,paul had left the  ,thessalonians      
exposed to very much the same trouble as
 beset himself  wherever he went2 but he
 had left them to ,one who1 he well     
knew1 was  able to keep them from       
falling1 and to preserve them against   
all that  the devil and his agents could
 do4    ,and side by side with this     
confidence in ,god stood his confidence 
touching the ,thessalonians themselves4 
,he was sure in the ,lord that  they    
were doing1 and would continue to do1   
the things which he  commanded them2 in 
other words1 that they would lead a     
worthy and  becoming ,christian life4   
,the point of this sentence lies in the 
words  in the ,lord4 ,apart from the    
,lord1 ,paul could have had no such     

confidence as he here expresses4 ,the   
standard of the ,christian life is      
lofty and severe2 its purity1 its       
unworldliness1 its brotherly love2  its 
burning hope1 were new things then in   
the world4 ,what assurance  could there 
be that this standard would be          
maintained1 when the small  congregation
 of working people in ,thessalonica was 
cast upon its own  resources in the     
midst of a pagan community8 ,none at    
all1 apart from  ,christ4 ,if ,he had   
left them along with the ,apostle1 no   
one could  have risked much upon their  
fidelity to the ,christian calling4 ,it 
marks the beginning of a new era when   
the ,apostle writes1 ,we have           
confidence in the ,lord touching you4   
,life has a new element now1 a  new     
atmosphere1 new resources2 and therefore
 we may cherish new hopes  of it4 ,when 
we think of them1 the words include a   
gentle admonition to  the               
,thessalonians1 to beware of forgetting 
the ,lord1 and trusting to  themselves2 

that is a disappointing path1 which will
 put the ,apostle's  confidence toward  
them to shame4 ,but it is an admonition 
as hopeful as  it is gentle2 reminding  
them that1 though the path of ,christian
  obedience cannot be trodden without   
constant effort1 it is a path on  which 
the ,lord accompanies and upholds all   
who trust in ,him4 ,here  there is a    
lesson for us all to learn4 ,even those 
who are engaged in  work for ,christ are
 too apt to forget that the only hope of
 such work  is the ,lord4 ,trust no man1
 says the wisest of commentators1 left  
to  himself4 ,or to put the same thing  
more in accordance with the spirit  of  
the text1 there always is room for hope 
and confidence when the  ,lord is not   
forgotten4 ,in the ,lord1 you may depend
 upon those who  in themselves are weak1
 unstable1 wilful1 foolish4 ,in the     
,lord1 you  may depend on them to stand 
fast1 to fight their temptations1 to    
overcome the world and the wicked one4  
,this kind of assurance1 and the  actual

 presence and help of ,christ which     
justified it1 are very  characteristic  
of the ,new ,testament4 ,they explain   
the joyous1 open1  hopeful spirit of the
 early ,church2 they are the cause1 as  
well as the  effect1 of that vigorous   
moral health which1 in the decay of     
ancient  civilisation1 gave the ,church 
the inheritance of the future4 ,and     
still  we may have confidence in the    
,lord that all whom ,he has called by   
,his  gospel will be able by ,his       
spiritual presence with them to walk    
worthy  of that calling1 and to confute 
alike the fears of the good and the     
contempt of the wicked4 ,for the ,lord  
is faithful1 who will stablish  them1   
and preserve them from the evil one4    
,once more the ,apostle bursts into     
prayer1 as he remembers the  situation  
of these few sheep in the wilderness3   
,the ,lord direct your  hearts into the 
love of ,god1 and into the patience of  
,christ4 ,nothing  could be a better    
commentary than one of ,paul's own      

affectionate  ,epistles on that much    
discussed text1 ,pray without ceasing4  
,look1  for instance1 through this one  
with which we are engaged4 ,it begins   
with a prayer for grace and peace4 ,this
 is followed by a thanksgiving  in which
 ,god is acknowledged as the ,author of 
all their graces4 ,the  first chapter   
ends with a prayer--an unceasing        
prayer--that ,god would  count them     
worthy of ,his calling4 ,in the second  
chapter ,paul renews  his thanksgiving  
on behalf of his converts1 and prays    
again that ,god  may comfort their      
hearts and stablish them in every good  
work and  word4 ,and here1 the moment he
 has touched upon a new topic1 he       
returns1 as it were by instinct1 to     
prayer4 ,the ,lord direct your  hearts4 
,prayer is his very element2 he lives1  
and moves1 and has his  being1 in ,god4 
,he can do nothing1 he cannot conceive  
of anything being  done1 in which ,god  
is not as directly participant as       
himself1 or those  whom he wishes to    

bless4 ,such an intense appreciation of 
,god's  nearness and interest in life   
goes far beyond the attainments of most 
,christians2 yet here1 no doubt1 lies a 
great part of the ,apostle's  power4    
,the prayer has two parts3 he asks that 
the ,lord may direct their  hearts into 
the love of ,god1 and into the patience 
of ,christ4 ,the love  of ,god here     
means love to ,god2 this is the sum of  
all ,christian  virtue1 or at least the 
source of it4 ,the gospel proclaims that
 ,god is  love2 it tells us that ,god   
has proved ,his love by sending ,his    
,son to  die for our sins2 it shows us  
,christ on the cross1 in the passion of 
that love with which ,he loved us when  
,he gave ,himself for us2 and it  waits 
for the answer of love4 ,it comprehended
 the whole effect of the  gospel1 the   
whole mystery of its saving and         
re-creating power1 when  the ,apostle   
exclaimed1 ,the love of ,christ         
constraineth us4 ,it is  this experience
 which in the passage before us he      

desires for the  ,thessalonians4 ,there 
is no one without love1 or at least     
without the  power of loving1 in his    
heart4 ,but what is the object of it8   
,on what  is it actually directed8 ,the 
very words of the prayer imply that it  
is  easily misdirected4 ,but surely if  
love itself best merits and may best    
claim love1 none should be the object of
 it before ,him who is its  source4 ,god
 has earned our love2 ,he desires our   
love2 let us look to  the ,cross where  
,he has given us the great pledge of    
,his own1 and yield  to its sweet       
constraint4 ,the old law is not         
abolished1 but to be  fulfilled3 ,thou  
shalt love the ,lord thy ,god with all  
thy heart1 and  with all thy soul1 and  
with all thy strength1 and with all thy 
mind4  ,if the ,lord fix our souls to   
,himself by this irresistible           
attraction1  nothing will be able to    
carry us away4    ,love to ,god is      
naturally joyous2 but life has other    
experiences than  those which give free 

scope for its joyous exercise2 and so   
the  ,apostle adds1 into the patience of
 ,jesus ,christ4 ,the ,authorised       
,version renders1 the patient waiting   
for ,christ1 as if what the  ,apostle   
prayed for were that they might continue
 steadfastly to hope  for the ,last     
,advent2 but although that idea is      
characteristic of  these ,epistles1 it  
is hardly to be found in the words4     
,rather does he  remind his readers that
 in the difficulties and sufferings of  
the path  which lies before them1 no    
strange thing is happening to them1     
nothing  that has not already been borne
 by ,christ in the spirit in which it   
ought to be borne by us4 ,our ,saviour  
,himself had need of patience4 ,he  was 
made flesh1 and all that the children of
 ,god have to suffer in  this world has 
already been suffered by ,him4 ,this    
prayer is at once  warning and          
consoling4 ,it assures us that those who
 will live godly  will have trials to   
bear3 there will be untoward            

circumstances2 feeble  health2          
uncongenial relations2 misunderstanding 
and malice2  unreasonable and evil men2 
abundant calls for patience4 ,but there 
will  be no sense of having missed the  
way1 or of being forgotten by ,god2 on  
the contrary1 there will be in ,jesus   
,christ1 ever present1 a type and  a    
fountain of patience1 which will enable 
them to overcome all that is  against   
them4 ,the love of ,god and the patience
 of ,christ may be called  the active   
and the passive sides of ,christian     
goodness1--its free1  steady outgoing to
 ,him who is the source of all blessing2
 and its  deliberate1 steady1 hopeful   
endurance1 in the spirit of ,him who was
  made perfect through suffering4 ,the  
,lord direct our hearts into both1  that
 we may be perfect men in ,christ       
,jesus4          ,,vii4    ,,the        
,,christian ,,worth ,,of ,,labour4      
,now we command you1 brethren1 in the   
name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1   that
 ye withdraw yourselves from every      

brother that walketh   disorderly1 and  
not after the tradition which they      
received of us4   ,for yourselves know  
how ye ought to imitate us3 for we      
behaved not   ourselves disorderly among
 you2 neither did we eat bread for      
nought   at any man's hand1 but in      
labour and travail1 working night and   
day1   that we might not burden any of  
you3 not because we have not the        
right1 but to make ourselves an ensample
 unto you1 that ye should   imitate us4 
,for even when we were with you1 this we
 commanded you1 ,if   any will not work1
 neither let him eat4 ,for we hear of   
some that walk   among you disorderly1  
that work not at all1 but are           
busybodies4 ,now   them that are such we
 command and exhort in the ,lord ,jesus 
,christ1   that with quietness they     
work1 and eat their own bread4 ,but ye1 
brethren1 be not weary in well-doing4   
,and if any man obeyeth not our   word  
by this epistle1 note that man1 that ye 
have no company with   him1 to the end  

that he may be ashamed4 ,and yet count  
him not as an   enemy1 but admonish him 
as a brother4--#b ,,thess4 iii4 #f-ae   
7,r4,v474    ,this passage is very      
similar in contents to one in the fourth
 chapter  of the ,first ,epistle4 ,the  
difference between the two is in tone2  
the  ,apostle writes with much greater  
severity on this than on the earlier    
occasion4 ,entreaty is displaced by     
command2 considerations of  propriety1  
the appeal to the good name of the      
church1 by the appeal to  the authority 
of ,christ2 and good counsel by express 
directions for  ,christian discipline4  
,plainly the moral situation1 which had 
caused  him anxiety some months before1 
had become worse rather than better4    
,what1 then1 was the situation to which 
he here addresses himself so  seriously8
 ,it was marked by two bad qualities--a 
disorderly walk and  idleness4    ,we   
hear1 he writes1 of some that walk among
 you disorderly4 ,the  metaphor in the  
word is a military one2 the underlying  

idea is that  every man has a post in   
life or in the ,church1 and that he     
ought to be  found1 not away from his   
post1 but at it4 ,a man without a post  
is a  moral anomaly4 ,every one of us is
 part of a whole1 a member of an        
organic body1 with functions to         
discharge which can be discharged by  no
 other1 and must therefore be steadily  
discharged by himself4 ,to  walk        
disorderly means to forget this1 and to 
act as if we were  independent2 now at  
this1 now at that1 according to our     
discretion or  our whim2 not rendering  
the community a constant service1 in a  
place  of our own--a service which is   
valuable1 largely because it can be     
counted on4 ,every one knows the extreme
 unsatisfactoriness of those  men who   
never can keep a place when they get it4
 ,their friends plague  themselves to   
find new openings for them2 but without 
any gross  offence1 such as drunkenness 
or dishonesty1 they persistently fall   
out  of them2 there is something about  

them which seems to render them         
incapable of sticking to their post4 ,it
 is an unfortunate  constitution1       
perhaps2 but it is a grave moral fault  
as well4 ,such men  settle to nothing1  
and therefore they render no permanent  
service to  others2 whatever they might 
be worth otherwise1 they are worth      
nothing  in any general estimate1 simply
 because they cannot be depended upon4  
,what is more1 they are worth nothing to
 themselves2 they never  accumulate     
moral1 any more than material1 capital2 
they have no  reserve in them of        
fidelity1 sobriety1 discipline4 ,they   
are to be  pitied1 indeed1 as all       
sinners are to be pitied2 but they are  
also to  be commanded1 in the name of   
the ,lord ,jesus1 to lay their minds to 
their work1 and to remember that        
steadfastness in duty is an  elementary 
requirement of the gospel4 ,among the   
,thessalonians it was  religious        
excitement that unsettled men1 and made 
them abandon the  routine of duty2 but  

whatever be the cause1 the evil results 
are the  same4 ,and1 on the other hand1 
when we are loyal1 constant1 regularly  
at our post1 however humble it be1 we   
render a real service to others1  and   
grow in strength of character ourselves4
 ,it is the beginning of  all discipline
 and of all goodness to have fixed      
relations and fixed  duties1 and a fixed
 determination to be faithful to them4  
,besides this disorderly walk1 with its 
moral instability1 ,paul heard  of some 
who worked not at all4 ,in other words1 
idleness was spreading  in the church4  
,it went to a great and shameless       
length4 ,christian men  apparently      
thought nothing of sacrificing their    
independence1 and  eating bread for     
which they had not wrought4 ,such a     
state of affairs  was peculiarly        
offensive at ,thessalonica1 where the   
,apostle had been  careful to set so    
different an example4 ,if any one could 
have been  excused for declining to     
labour1 on the ground that he was       

preoccupied  with religious hopes and   
interests1 it was he4 ,his apostolic    
ministry  was a charge which made great 
demands upon his strength2 it used up   
the time and energy which he might      
otherwise have given to his trade3  he  
might well have urged that other work   
was a physical impossibility4  ,more    
than this1 the ,lord had ordained that  
they who preached the  gospel should    
live by the gospel2 and on that ground  
alone he was  entitled to claim         
maintenance from those to whom he       
preached4 ,but  though he was always    
careful to safeguard this right of the  
,christian  ministry1 he was as careful1
 as a rule1 to refrain from exercising  
it2  and in ,thessalonica1 rather than  
prove a burden to the church1 he had    
wrought and toiled1 night and day1 with 
his own hands4 ,all this was an  example
 for the ,thessalonians to imitate2 and 
we can understand the  severity with    
which the ,apostle treats that idleness 
which alleges in  its defence the       

strength of its interest in religion4   
,it was a  personal insult4    ,over    
against this shallow pretence1 ,paul    
sets the ,christian virtue of  industry1
 with its stern law1 ,if any man will   
not work1 neither let  him eat4 ,if he  
claims to lead a superhuman angelic     
life1 let him  subsist on angels' food4 
,what we find in this passage is not the
  exaggeration which is sometimes called
 the gospel of work2 but the  soberer   
and truer thought that work is          
essential1 in general1 to the           
,christian character4 ,the ,apostle     
plays with the words when he writes1    
,that work not at all1 but are          
busybodies2 or1 as it has been          
reproduced in ,english1 who are busy    
only with what is not their  business4  
,this is1 in point of fact1 the moral   
danger of idleness1 in  those who are   
not otherwise vicious4#bi ,where men are
 naturally bad1  it multiplies          
temptations and opportunities for sin2  
,satan finds some  mischief still for   

idle hands to do4 ,but even where it is 
the good who  are concerned1 as in the  
passage before us1 idleness has its     
perils4  ,the busybody is a real        
character--a man or a woman who1 having 
no  steady work to do1 which must be    
done whether it is liked or disliked1   
and which is therefore wholesome1 is too
 apt to meddle in other  people's       
affairs1 religious or worldly2 and to   
meddle1 too1 without  thinking that it  
is meddling2 an impertinence2 perhaps a 
piece of  downright1 stone-blind        
,pharisaism4 ,a person who is not       
disciplined and  made wise by regular   
work has no idea of its moral worth and 
opportunities2 nor has he1 as a rule1   
any idea of the moral  worthlessness and
 vanity of such an existence as his own4
    ,there seem to have been a good many
 fussy people in ,thessalonica1  anxious
 about their industrious neighbours1    
concerned for their lack  of interest in
 the ,lord's coming1 perpetually        
meddling with them--and  living upon    

them4 ,it is no wonder that the ,apostle
 expresses himself  with some           
peremptoriness3 ,if any man will not    
work1 neither let him  eat4 ,the        
difficulty about the application of this
 rule is that it has  no application    
except to the poor4 ,in a society like  
our own1 the  busybody may be found     
among those for whom this law has no    
terror2  they are idle1 simply because  
they have an income which is independent
  of labour4 ,yet what the ,apostle says
 has a lesson for such people  also4    
,one of the dangers of their situation  
is that they should  under-estimate the 
moral and spiritual worth of industry4  
,a retired  merchant1 a military or     
naval officer on half-pay1 a lady with  
money  in the funds and no              
responsibilities but her own1--all these
 have a  deal of time on their hands2   
and if they are good people1 it is one  
of  the temptations incident to their   
situation1 that they should have  what  
the ,apostle calls a busybody's interest

 in others4 ,it need not be  a spurious 
or an affected interest2 but it         
misjudges the moral  condition of       
others1 and especially of the labouring 
classes1 because  it does not appreciate
 the moral content of a day full of     
work4 ,if the  work is done honestly at 
all1 it is a thing of great price2 there
 are  virtues embedded in it1 patience1 
courage1 endurance1 fidelity1 which     
contribute as much to the true good of  
the world and the true  enrichment of   
personal character as the pious         
solicitude of those who  have nothing to
 do but be pious4 ,perhaps these are    
things that do not  require to be said4 
,it may rather be the case in our own   
time that  mere industry is overvalued2 
and certainly a natural care for the    
spiritual interests of our brethren1 not
 ,pharisaic1 but ,christian1 not        
meddlesome1 but most earnest1 can never 
be in excess4 ,it is the  busybody whose
 interference is resented2 the brother1 
once he is  recognised as a brother1 is 

made welcome4    ,convinced as he is    
that for mankind in general no work     
means no  character1 ,paul commands and 
exhorts in the ,lord ,jesus all such as 
he  has been speaking of to work with   
quietness1 and to eat their own  bread4 
,their excitement was both unnatural and
 unspiritual4 ,it was  necessary for    
their moral health that they should     
escape from it1 and  learn how to walk  
orderly1 and to live at their post4 ,the
 quietness of  which he speaks is both  
inward and outward4 ,let them compose   
their  minds1 and cease from their      
fussiness2 the agitation within1 and the
  distraction without1 are equally      
fruitless4 ,far more beautiful1 far     
more ,christlike1 than any busybody1    
however zealous1 is he who works  with  
quietness and eats his own bread4       
,probably the bulk of the  ,thessalonian
 ,church was quite sound in this matter2
 and it is to  encourage them that the  
,apostle writes1 ,but ye1 brethren1 be  
not  weary in well-doing4 ,the bad      

behaviour of the busybodies may have    
been provoking to some1 infectious in   
the case of others2 but they are  to    
persevere1 in spite of it1 in the path  
of quiet industry and good  conduct4    
,this has not the pretentiousness of an 
absorbed waiting for  the ,lord1 and a  
vaunted renunciation of the world2 but  
it has the  character of moral          
loveliness2 it exercises the new man in 
the powers  of the new life4    ,along  
with his judgment on this moral         
disorder1 the ,apostle gives the        
,church directions for its treatment4   
,it is to be met with reserve1  protest1
 and love4    ,first1 with reserve3     
,withdraw yourselves from every brother 
that  walketh disorderly1 and not after 
the tradition which they received of    
us2 444 note that man1 that ye have no  
company with him4 ,the  ,christian      
community has a character to keep1 and  
that character is  compromised by the   
misconduct of any of its members4 ,to   
such  misconduct1 therefore1 it cannot  

be1 and should not be1 indifferent3     
indifference would be suicidal4 ,the    
,church exists to maintain a moral      
testimony1 to keep up a certain standard
 of conduct among men2 and  when that   
standard is visibly and defiantly       
departed from1 there will  be a reaction
 of the common conscience in the        
,church1 vigorous in  proportion to her 
vitality4 ,a bad man may be quite at    
home in the  world2 he may find or make 
a circle of associates like himself2 but
  there is something amiss1 if he does  
not find himself alone in the  ,church4 
,every strong life closes itself against
 the intrusion of what  is alien to     
it--a strong moral life most            
emphatically of all4 ,a wicked  person  
of any description ought to feel that   
the public sentiment of  the ,church is 
against him1 and that as long as he     
persists in his  wickedness he is       
virtually1 if not formally1             
excommunicated4 ,the  element of        
communion in the ,church is spiritual   

soundness2 ,if we walk  in the light as 
,he is in the light1 we have fellowship 
one with  another4 ,but if any one      
begins to walk in darkness1 he is out of
 the  fellowship4 ,the only hope for him
 is that he may recognise the justice   
of his exclusion1 and1 as the ,apostle  
says1 be ashamed4 ,he is shut out  from 
the society of others that he may be    
driven in upon himself1 and  compelled1 
in spite of wilfulness1 to judge himself
 by the ,christian  standard4    ,but   
reserve1 impressive as it may be1 is not
 enough4 ,the erring  brother is to be  
admonished2 that is1 he is to be gravely
 spoken to  about his error4 ,admonition
 is a difficult duty4 ,not every one    
feels  at liberty1 or is at liberty1 to 
undertake it4 ,our own faults  sometimes
 shut our mouths2 the retort courteous1 
or uncourteous1 to  any admonition from 
us1 is too obvious4 ,but though such    
considerations  should make us humble   
and diffident1 they ought not to lead to
  neglect of plain duty4 ,to think too  

much of one's faults is in some         
circumstances a kind of perverted       
vanity2 it is to think too much of      
oneself4 ,we have all our faults1 of one
 kind or another2 but that does  not    
prohibit us from aiding each other to   
overcome faults4 ,if we avoid  anger1   
and censoriousness2 if we shun1 as well 
as disclaim1 the spirit  of the         
,pharisee1 then with all our            
imperfections ,god will justify us  in  
speaking seriously to others about their
 sins4 ,we do not pretend to  judge     
them2 we only appeal to themselves to   
say whether they are  really at ease    
when they stand on one side1 and the    
word of ,god and  the conscience of the 
,church on the other4 ,in a sense1 this 
is  specially the duty of the elders of 
the ,church4 ,it is they who are        
pastors of the flock of ,god1 and who   
are expressly responsible for  this     
moral guardianship2 but there is no     
officialism in the ,christian  community
 which limits the interest of any member

 in all the rest1 or  exempts him from  
the responsibility of pleading the cause
 of ,god with  the erring4 ,how many    
,christian duties there are which seem  
never to  have come in the way of some  
,christians4    ,finally1 in the        
discipline of the erring1 an essential  
element is  love4 ,withdraw from him1   
and let him feel he is alone2 admonish  
him1  and let him be convinced he is    
gravely wrong2 but in your admonition   
remember that he is not an enemy1 but a 
brother4 ,judgment is a  function which 
the natural man is prone to assume1 and 
which he  exercises without misgiving4  
,he is so sure of himself1 that instead 
of  admonishing1 he denounces2 what he  
is bent upon is not the  reclamation1   
but the annihilation1 of the guilty4    
,such a spirit is  totally out of place 
in the ,church2 it is a direct defiance 
of the  spirit which created the        
,christian community1 and which that    
community  is designed to foster4 ,let  
the sin be never so flagrant1 the sinner

 is  a brother2 he is one for whom      
,christ died4 ,to the ,lord who bought  
him  he is inexpressibly valuable2 and  
woe to the reprover of sin who  forgets 
this4 ,the whole power of discipline    
which is committed to the  ,church is   
for edification1 not for destruction2   
for the building up of  ,christian      
character1 not for pulling it down4 ,the
 case of the offender  is the case of a 
brother2 if we are true ,christians1 it 
is our own4 ,we  must act toward him and
 his offence as ,christ acted toward the
 world  and its sin3 no judgment without
 mercy1 no mercy without judgment4      
,christ took the sin of the world on    
,himself1 but ,he made no compromise    
with it2 ,he never extenuated it2 ,he   
never spoke of it or treated it  but    
with inexorable severity4 ,yet though   
the sinful felt to the depth  of their  
hearts ,his awful condemnation of their 
sins1 they felt that  in assenting to   
that condemnation there was hope4 ,to   
them1 as opposed  to their sins1 ,he was

 winning1 condescending1 loving4 ,he    
received  sinners1 and in ,his company  
they sinned no more4    ,thus it is that
 in the ,christian religion everything  
comes back to  ,christ and to the       
imitation of ,christ4 ,he is the pattern
 of those  simple and hardy virtues1    
industry and steadfastness4 ,he wrought 
at  his trade in ,nazareth till the hour
 came for ,him to enter on ,his  supreme
 vocation2 who can undervalue the       
possibilities of goodness in  the lives 
of men who work with quietness and eat  
their own bread1 that  remembers it was 
over a village carpenter the heavenly   
voice sounded1  ,this is ,my beloved    
,son8 ,christ is the pattern also for   
,christian  discipline in its treatment 
of the erring4 ,no sinner could feel    
himself1 in his sin1 in communion with  
,christ3 the ,holy ,one  instinctively  
withdrew from him1 and he felt he was   
alone4 ,no offender  had his offence    
simply condoned by ,jesus3 the          
forgiveness of sins  which ,he bestows  

includes condemnation as well as        
remission2 it is  wrought in one piece  
out of ,his mercy and ,his judgment4    
,but neither1  again1 did any offender1 
who bowed to ,christ's judgment1 and    
suffered  it to condemn him1 find       
himself excluded from ,his mercy4 ,the  
,holy ,one  was the sinner's friend4    
,those whom ,he at first repelled were  
irresistibly drawn to ,him4 ,they began1
 like ,peter1 with ,depart from  me1 for
 ,i am a sinful man1 ,o ,lord2 they     
ended1 like him1 with ,lord1  to whom   
shall we go8 ,this1 ,i say1 is the      
pattern which is set before  us1 for the
 discipline of the erring4 ,this        
includes reserve1  admonition1 love1 and
 much more4 ,if there be any other      
commandment1 it  is summarily           
comprehended in this word1 ,follow ,me4 
#bi ,cf4 #a ,tim4 v4 #ac3 ,and withal   
they learn also to be idle1 going  about
 from house to house2 and not only idle1
 but tattlers also and  busybodies1     
speaking things which they ought not4   

,,viii4    ,,farewell4       ,now the   
,lord of peace ,himself give you peace  
at all times in all   ways4 ,the ,lord  
be with you all4     ,the salutation of 
me ,paul with mine own hand1 which is   
the token in   every epistle3 so ,i     
write4 ,the grace of our ,lord ,jesus   
,christ be with   you all4--#b ,,thess4 
iii4 #af-ah 7,r4,v474    ,the first     
verse of this short passage is taken by 
some as in close  connection with what  
goes before4 ,in the exercise of        
,christian  discipline1 such as it has  
been described by the ,apostle1 there   
may be  occasions of friction or even of
 conflict in the ,church2 it is this    
which he would obviate by the prayer1   
,the ,lord of peace ,himself give  you  
peace always4 ,the contrast is somewhat 
forced and disproportioned2  and it is  
certainly better to take this prayer1   
standing as it does at  the close of the
 letter1 in the very widest sense4 ,not 
merely freedom  from strife1 but peace  
in its largest ,christian meaning1 is   

the burden  of his petition4    ,the    
,lord of peace ,himself is ,christ4 ,he 
is the ,author and ,originator  of all  
that goes by that name in the ,christian
 communion4 ,the word  peace was not1   
indeed1 a new one2 but it had been      
baptized into  ,christ1 like many       
another1 and become a new creation4     
,newman said that  when he passed out of
 the ,church of ,england into the       
,church of ,rome1  all the ,christian   
ideas1 were so to speak1 magnified2     
everything  appeared on a vaster scale4 
,this is a very good description1 at all
  events1 of what one sees on passing   
from natural morality to the ,new       
,testament1 from writers so great even  
as ,epictetus and ,marcus ,aurelius  to 
the ,apostles4 ,all the moral and       
spiritual ideas are magnified--sin1     
holiness1 peace1 repentance1 love1 hope1
 ,god1 man1 attain to new  dimensions4  
,peace1 in particular1 was freighted to 
a ,christian with a  weight of meaning  
which no pagan could conceive4 ,it      

brought to mind  what ,christ had done  
for man1 ,he who had made peace by the  
blood of  ,his ,cross2 it gave that     
assurance of ,god's love1 that          
consciousness of  reconciliation1 which 
alone goes to the bottom of the soul's  
unrest4  ,it brought to mind also what  
,christ had been4 ,it recalled that life
  which had faced all man's experience1 
and had borne through all a  heart      
untroubled by doubts of ,god's goodness4
 ,it recalled that solemn  bequest3     
,peace ,i leave with you2 ,my peace ,i  
give unto you4 ,in every  sense and in  
every way it was connected with ,christ2
 it could neither  be conceived nor     
possessed apart from ,him2 ,he was      
,himself the ,lord of  the ,christian   
peace4    ,the ,apostle shows his sense 
of the comprehensiveness of this        
blessing  by the adjuncts of his prayer4
 ,he asks the ,lord to give it to the   
,thessalonians uninterruptedly and in   
all the modes of its  manifestation4    
,peace may be lost4 ,there may be times 

at which the  consciousness of          
reconciliation passes away1 and the     
heart cannot  assure itself before ,god2
 these are the times in which we have   
somehow  lost ,christ1 and only through 
,him can we have our peace with ,god    
restored4 ,uninterruptedly we must count
 upon ,him for this first and           
fundamental blessing2 ,he is the ,lord  
of ,reconciling ,love1 whose blood      
cleanses from all sin1 and makes peace  
between earth and ,heaven for  ever4 ,or
 there may be times at which the        
troubles and vexations of  life become  
too trying for us2 and instead of peace 
within1 we are  full of care and fear4  
,what resource have we then but in      
,christ1 and  in the love of ,god       
revealed to us in ,him8 ,his life is at 
once a  pattern and an inspiration2 ,his
 great sacrifice is the assurance that  
the love of ,god to man is immeasurable1
 and that all things work  together for 
good to them that love ,him4 ,when the  
,apostle prayed this  prayer1 he no     

doubt thought of the life which lay     
before the  ,thessalonians4 ,he         
remembered the persecutions they had    
already  undergone at the hands of the  
,jews2 the similar troubles that awaited
  them2 the grief of those who were     
mourning for their dead2 the deeper     
pain of those on whose hearts rushed    
suddenly1 from time to time1 the  memory
 of days and years wasted in sin2 the   
moral perplexities that  were already   
rising among them1--he remembered all   
these things1 and  because of them he   
prayed1 ,the ,lord of peace ,himself    
give you peace  at all times in every   
way4 ,for there are many ways in which  
peace may  be possessed2 as many ways as
 there are disquieting situations in    
man's life4 ,it may come as penitent    
trust in ,god's mercy2 it may come  as  
composure in times of excitement and    
danger2 as meekness and  patience under 
suffering2 as hope when the world would 
despair2 it may  come as unselfishness1 
and the power to think of others1       

because we  know ,god is taking thought 
for us1--as a heart at leisure from     
itself1 to soothe and sympathise4 ,all  
these are peace4 ,such peace as         
this--so deep and so comprehensive1 so  
reassuring and so  emancipating--is the 
gift of ,christ alone4 ,he can give it  
without  interruption2 ,he can give it  
with virtues as manifold as the trials  
of  the life without or the life within4
    ,here1 properly speaking1 the letter
 ends4 ,the ,apostle has communicated   
his mind to the ,thessalonians as fully 
as their situation required2  and might 
end1 as he did in the ,first ,epistle1  
with his benediction4  ,but he remembers
 the unpleasant incident1 mentioned in  
the beginning  of ch4 ii41 of a letter  
purporting to be from him1 though not   
really  his2 and he takes care to       
prevent such a mistake for the future4  
,this  ,epistle1 like almost all the    
rest1 had been written by some one to   
the  ,apostle's dictation2 but as a     
guarantee of genuineness1 he closes it  

with a line or two in his own hand4 ,the
 salutation of me ,paul with  mine own  
hand1 which is the token in every       
epistle3 so ,i write4 ,what  does so ,i 
write mean8 ,apparently1 ,you see the   
character of my  writing2 it is a hand  
quite recognisable as mine2 a few lines 
in this  hand will authenticate every   
letter that comes from me4    ,perhaps  
every letter only means every one which 
he would afterwards  write to           
,thessalonica2 certainly attention is   
not called in all the  ,epistles to this
 autographic close4 ,it is found in only
 two  others--#ast ,corinthians 7xvi4   
#ba7 and ,colossians 7iv4 #ah7--;exactly
 as  it stands here1 ,the salutation of 
me ,paul with mine own hand2 in  others 
it may have been thought unnecessary1   
either because1 like  ,galatians1 they  
were written throughout in his own hand2
 or1 like #bnd  ,corinthians and        
,philemon1 were conveyed by persons     
equally known and  trusted by the       
,apostle and the recipients4 ,the great 

,epistle to the  ,romans1 to judge from 
its various conclusions1 seems to have  
been from  the very beginning a sort of 
circular letter2 and the personal       
character1 made prominent by the        
autograph signature1 was less in  place 
then4 ,the same remark applies to the   
,epistle to the ,ephesians4  ,as for the
 pastoral ,epistles1 to ,timothy and    
,titus1 they may have been  autographic 
throughout2 in any case1 neither        
,timothy nor ,titus was  likely to be   
imposed upon by a letter falsely        
claiming to be ,paul's4  ,they knew     
their master too well4    ,if it was    
possible to make a mistake in the       
,apostle's lifetime1 and to  take as his
 an ,epistle which he never wrote1 is it
 impossible to be  similarly imposed    
upon now8 ,have we reasonable grounds   
for believing  that the thirteen        
,epistles in the ,new ,testament1 which 
bear his name  upon their front1 really 
came from his hand8 ,that is a question 
which  in the last hundred years1 and   

especially in the last fifty1 has been  
examined with the amplest learning and  
the most minute and searching  care4    
,nothing that could possibly be alleged 
against the authenticity  of any of     
these ,epistles1 however destitute of   
plausibility1 has been  kept back4 ,the 
references to them in early ,christian  
writers1 their  reception in the early  
,church1 the character of their         
contents1 their  style1 their           
vocabulary1 their temper1 their mutual  
relations1 have  been the subject of the
 most thorough investigation4 ,nothing  
has ever  been more carefully tested    
than the historical judgment of the     
,church  in receiving them2 and though  
it would be far from true to say that   
there were no difficulties1 or no       
divergence of opinion1 it is the  simple
 truth that the consent of historical   
critics in the great  ecclesiastical    
tradition becomes more simple and       
decided4 ,the ,church  did not act at   
random in forming the apostolic canon4  

,it exercised a  sound mind in embodying
 in the ,new ,testament of our ,lord and
 ,saviour  the books which it did       
embody1 and no other4 ,speaking of ,paul
 in  particular1 one ought to say that  
the only writings ascribed to him1  in  
regard to which there is any body of    
doubtful opinion1 are the  ,epistles to 
,timothy and ,titus4 ,many seem to feel1
 in regard to these1  that they are on a
 lower key than the undoubtedly ,pauline
 letters2  there is less spirit in them1
 less of the native originality of the  
gospel1 a nearer approach to moral      
commonplace2 they are not unlike a      
half-way house between the apostolic and
 the post-apostolic age4 ,these  are    
very dubious grounds to go upon2 they   
will impress different minds  very      
differently2 and when we come to look at
 the outward evidence for  these        
letters1 they are almost better         
attested1 in early ,christian  writers1 
than anything else in the ,new          
,testament4 ,their semi-legal           

character1 and the positive rules with  
which they abound1 inferior as  they    
make them in intellectual and spiritual 
interest to high works of  inspiration  
like ,romans and ,colossians1 seem to   
have enabled simple  ,christian people  
to get hold of them1 and to work them   
out in their  congregations and their   
homes4 ,all that ,paul wrote need not   
have been  on one level2 and it is      
almost impossible to understand the     
authority  which these ,epistles        
immediately and universally obtained1 if
 they  were not what they claimed to be4
 ,only a very accomplished scholar      
could appreciate the historical         
arguments for and against them2 yet ,i  
do not think it is unfair to say that   
even here the traditional  opinion is in
 the way1 not of being reversed1 but of 
being confirmed4    ,the very existence 
of such questions1 however1 warns us    
against  mistaken estimates of          
,scripture4 ,people sometimes say1 if   
there be one  point uncertain1 our      

,bible is gone4 ,well1 there are points 
uncertain2 there are points1 too1 in    
regard to which an ordinary  ,christian 
can only have a kind of second-hand     
assurance2 and this of  the genuineness 
of the pastoral ,epistles is one4 ,there
 is no doubt a  very good case to be    
made out for them by a scholar2 but not 
a case  which makes doubt impossible4   
,yet our ,bible is not taken away4 ,the 
uncertainty touches1 at most1 the merest
 fringe of apostolic teaching2  nothing 
that ,paul thought of any consequence1  
or that is of any  consequence to us1   
but is abundantly unfolded in documents 
which are  beyond the reach of doubt4   
,it is not the letter1 even of the ,new 
,testament1 which quickens1 but the     
,spirit2 and the ,spirit exerts its     
power through these ,christian documents
 as a whole1 as it does through  no     
other documents in the world4 ,when we  
are perplexed as to whether  an apostle 
wrote this or that1 let us consider that
 the most important  books in the       

,bible--the ,gospels and the ,psalms--do
 not name their  authors at all4 ,what  
in the ,old ,testament can compare with 
the  ,psalter8 ,yet these sweet songs   
are practically anonymous4 ,what can be 
more certain than that the ,gospels     
bring us into contact with a real       
character--the ,son of ,man1 the        
,saviour of sinners8 ,yet we know their 
authors only through a tradition1 a     
tradition indeed of weight and          
unanimity that can hardly be            
over-estimated2 but simply a tradition1 
and not an inward mark such as ,paul    
here sets on his letter for the         
,thessalonians4 ,the ,church's one      
,foundation is ,jesus ,christ her ,lord2
  as long as we are actually brought    
into connection with ,him through       
,scripture1 we must be content to put up
 with the minor uncertainties  which are
 inseparable from a religion which has  
had a birth and a  history4    ,but to  
return to the text4 ,the ,epistle       
closes1 as the ,apostle's custom  is1   

with a benediction3 ,the grace of our   
,lord ,jesus ,christ be with  you all4  
,grace is pre-eminently a ,pauline word2
 it is found alike in  the salutations  
with which ,paul addresses his churches1
 and in the  benedictions with which he 
bids them farewell2 it is the beginning 
and  the end of his gospel2 the element 
in which ,christians live1 and move1    
and have their being4 ,he excludes no   
one from his blessing2 not even  those  
who had been walking disorderly1 and    
setting at nought the  tradition they   
had received from him2 their need is the
 greatest of  all4 ,if we had           
imagination enough to bring vividly     
before us the  condition of one of these
 early churches1 we would see how much  
is  involved in a blessing like this1   
and what sublime confidence it  displays
 in the goodness and faithfulness of our
 ,lord4 ,the  ,thessalonians1 a few     
months ago1 had been heathens2 they had 
known  nothing of ,god and ,his ,son2   
they were living still in the midst of a

  heathen population1 under the pressure
 of heathen influences both on  thought 
and conduct1 beset by numberless        
temptations2 and if they were  mindful  
of the country from which they had come 
forth1 not without  opportunity to      
return4 ,paul would willingly have      
stayed with them to  be their pastor and
 teacher1 their guide and their         
defender1 but his  missionary calling   
made this impossible4 ,after the merest 
introduction  to the gospel1 and to the 
new life to which it calls those who    
receive  it1 they had to be left to     
themselves4 ,who should keep them from  
falling8 ,who should open their eyes to 
understand the ideal which the          
,christian is summoned to work out in   
his life8 ,amid their many  enemies1    
where could they look for a sufficient  
and ever-present ally8  ,the ,apostle   
answers these questions when he writes1 
,the grace of our  ,lord ,jesus ,christ 
be with you all4 ,although he has left  
them1 they  are not really alone4 ,the  

free love of ,god1 which visited them at
  first uncalled1 will be with them     
still1 to perfect the work it has       
begun4 ,it will beset them behind and   
before2 it will be a sun and a  shield  
to them1 a light and a defence4 ,in all 
their temptations1 in  all their        
sufferings1 in all their moral          
perplexities1 in all their              
despondencies1 it will be sufficient for
 them4 ,there is not any kind  of       
succour which a ,christian needs which  
is not to be found in the  grace of the 
,lord ,jesus ,christ4    ,here1 then1 we
 bring to a close our study of the two  
earliest ,epistles  of ,st4 ,paul4 ,they
 have given us a picture of the         
primitive apostolic  preaching1 and of  
the primitive ,christian ,church4 ,that 
preaching  embodied revelations1 and it 
was the acceptance of these revelations 
that created the new society4 ,the      
,apostle and his fellow-evangelists     
came to ,thessalonica telling of ,jesus1
 who had died and risen again1  and who 

was about to return to judge the living 
and the dead4 ,they  told of the        
impending wrath of ,god1 that wrath     
which was revealed  already against all 
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men1 
and was to  be revealed in all its      
terrors when the ,lord came4 ,they      
preached ,jesus  as the ,deliverer from 
the coming wrath1 and gathered1 through 
faith in  ,him1 a ,church living in ,god
 the ,father and in the ,lord ,jesus    
,christ4  ,to an uninterested spectator1
 the work of ,paul and his companions   
would have seemed a very little thing2  
he would not have discovered  its       
originality and promise2 he would hardly
 have counted upon its  permanence4 ,in 
reality1 it was the greatest and most   
original thing  ever seen in the world4 
,that handful of men and women in       
,thessalonica  was a new phenomenon in  
history2 life had attained to new       
dimensions  in them2 it had heights and 
depths in it1 a glory and a gloom1 of   
which the world had never dreamed       

before2 all moral ideas were  magnified1
 as it were1 a thousandfold2 an         
intensity of moral life was  called into
 being1 an ardent passion for goodness1 
a spiritual fear  and hope1 which made  
them capable of all things4 ,the        
immediate  effects1 indeed1 were not    
unmixed2 in some minds not only was the 
centre of gravity shifted1 but the      
balance utterly upset2 the future  and  
unseen became so real to them1 or were  
asserted to be so real1  that the       
present and its duties were totally     
neglected4 ,but with all                
misapprehensions and moral disorders1   
there was a new experience2 a  change so
 complete and profound that it can only 
be described as a new  creation4        
,possessed by ,christian faith1 the soul
 discovered new powers  and capacities2 
it could combine much affliction with   
joy of the  ,holy ,ghost2 it could      
believe in inexorable judgment and in   
infinite  mercy2 it could see into the  
depths of death and life2 it could      

endure  suffering for ,christ's sake    
with brave patience2 it had been lost1  
but  had found itself again4 ,the life  
that had once been low1 dull1 vile1     
hopeless1 uninteresting1 became lofty1  
vast1 intense4 ,old things had  passed  
away2 behold1 all things had become new4
    ,the ,church is much older now than 
when this ,epistle was written2 time    
has taught her many things2 ,christian  
men have learned to compose  their minds
 and to curb their imaginations2 we do  
not lose our heads  nowadays1 and       
neglect our common duties1 in dreaming  
on the world to  come4 ,let us say that 
this is gain2 and can we say further    
that we  have lost nothing which goes   
some way to counterbalance it8 ,are the 
new things of the gospel as real to us1 
and as commanding in their  originality1
 as they were at the first8 ,do the     
revelations which are  the sum and      
substance of the gospel message1 the    
warp and woof of  apostolic preaching1  
bulk in our minds as they bulk in this  

letter8 ,do  they enlarge our thoughts1 
widen our spiritual horizon1 lift to    
their  own high level1 and expand to    
their own scale1 our ideas about ,god   
and  man1 life and death1 sin and       
holiness1 things visible and invisible8 
,are we deeply impressed by the coming  
wrath and by the glory of  ,christ8     
,have we entered into the liberty of    
those whom the revelation  of the world 
to come enabled to emancipate themselves
 from this8 ,these  are the questions   
that rise in our minds as we try to     
reproduce the  experience of an early   
,christian church4 ,in those days1      
everything was  of inspiration2 now1 so 
much is of routine4 ,the words that     
thrilled  the soul then have become     
trite and inexpressive2 the ideas that  
gave  new life to thought appear worn   
and commonplace4 ,but that is only      
because we dwell on the surface of them1
 and keep their real import at  a       
distance from the mind4 ,let us accept  
the apostolic message in all  its       

simplicity and compass2 let us believe1 
and not merely say or  imagine we       
believe1 that there is a life beyond    
death1 revealed in the  ,resurrection1 a
 judgment to come1 a wrath of ,god1 a   
heavenly glory2  let us believe in the  
infinite significance1 and in the       
infinite  difference1 of right and      
wrong1 of holiness and sin2 let us      
realise  the love of ,christ1 who died  
for our sins1 who calls us to fellowship
  with ,god1 who is our ,deliverer from 
the coming wrath2 let these truths      
fill1 inspire1 and dominate our minds1  
and for us1 too1 faith in  ,christ will 
be a passing from death unto life4      
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,dean of ,canterbury4   ,,the ,,twelve  
7,minor7 ,,prophets4 ,in #b vols4 ,by   
,rev4 ,george ,adam ,smith1     ,d4,d41 
,,ll4,d4    ,,new ,,testament ,,volumes 
,,st4 ,,matthew4 ,by ,rev4 ,j4 ,monro   
,gibson1 ,d4,d4   ,,st4 ,,mark4 ,by     
,very ,rev4 ,g4 ,a4 ,chadwick1 ,d4,d41  
,dean of ,armagh4   ,,st4 ,,luke4 ,by   

,rev4 ,henry ,burton4   ,,gospel ,,of   
,,st4 ,,john4 ,in #b vols4 ,vol4 ,i41   
,chapters ,i4-,,xi42 ,vol4 ,,ii41       
,chapters ,,xii4-,,xxi4 ,by ,rev4 ,prof4
 ,marcus ,dods1 ,d4,d4   ,,the ,,acts   
,,of ,,the ,,apostles4 ,in #b vols4 ,by 
,rev4 ,prof4 ,g4 ,t4 ,stokes1 ,d4,d4    
,,romans4 ,by ,rev4 ,handley ,c4 ,g4    
,moule1 ,d4,d4   ,,first ,,corinthians4 
,by ,rev4 ,prof4 ,marcus ,dods1 ,d4,d4  
,,second ,,corinthians4 ,by ,rev4 ,james
 ,denney1 ,d4,d4   ,,galatians4 ,by     
,rev4 ,prof4 ,g4 ,g4 ,findlay1 ,d4,d4   
,,ephesians4 ,by same author4           
,,philippians4 ,by ,rev4 ,principal     
,robert ,rainy1 ,d4,d4   ,,colossians   
,,and ,,philemon4 ,by ,rev4 ,alexander  
,maclaren1 ,d4,d4   ,,thessalonians4 ,by
 ,rev4 ,james ,denney1 ,d4,d4           
,,pastoral ,,epistles4 ,by ,rev4 ,a4    
,plummer1 ,d4,d4   ,,hebrews4 ,by ,rev4 
,principal ,t4 ,c4 ,edwards1 ,d4,d4     
,,st4 ,,james and ,,st4 ,,jude4 ,by     
,rev4 ,a4 ,plummer1 ,d4,d4   ,,st4      
,,peter4 ,by ,rev4 ,prof4 ,j4 ,rawson   

,lumby1 ,d4,d4   ,,epistles ,,of ,,st4  
,,john4 ,by ,rt4 ,rev4 ,w4 ,alexander1  
,lord ,bishop of ,derry4   ,,revelation4
 ,by ,prof4 ,w4 ,milligan1 ,d4,d4       
,,index ,,volume ,,to ,,entire ,,series4
    ,new ,york3 ,,hodder  ,,stoughton1  
,publishers