xii. 12. Truly, the figns of an apoftle were fully wrought among you, with all patience, by figns and wonders, nas dvvapeos, and powers; miracles in which the greatest power was difplayed. 2. And with the Holy Ghoft. The Holy Ghoft here denotes those fpiritual gifts of prophecy, healing difcafes, fpeaking foreign languages, and the interpretation of languages, which the apoftles communicated to the first believers, for the purpose of edifying each other, and for confirming the truth of the gofpel. 3. And with much affurance, TangoPopia, denotes the carrying of a fhip forward, with her fails fpread and filled with the wind. It is elegantly used to exprefs fuch an entire conviction, as carries men to act teadily and uniformly, in all matters which have any connection with that conviction. See 2 Tim. iv. 17. Heb. vi. 11. Ye know that 4. As ye know what fort of men we were among you. we received no reward whatever from you, for preaching the gospel to you; but maintained ourselves by our own labour, all the time we were with you, chap. ii. 9. So that we were teachers of a very different character from any ye had ever been acquainted with. The truth is, the Chriftian preachers greatly excelled the Greek philofophers, whofe cuftom was to teach for hire, and to live in all kinds of fenfual pleasure, whereby they fhewed themselves to be both covetous and profligate. 5. For your fake. This determines the meaning of the general expreffion, What fort of men we were among you, to the apoftle's difintereftedness in preaching the gofpel to the Theffalonians, without demanding maintenance from them, or any reward whatever: for he could not with fo much propriety fay, that he practifed his other virtues among the Theffalonians, for their fake. Ver. 6.1. Having embraced. Ağaμevo, is properly tranflated, embraced, becaufe the word imports fomething more than the bare receiving of the gofpel, as is plain from chap. ii. 13. where, after telling them them that they received the word, he adds, decade, ye embraced it, not as the word of men, &c. ye received it, with the warmest affection, as the word of God. 2. In much affliction. The Theffalonians became imitators of the apostles, and of Chrift, not only in suffering perfecution for the gofpel, but in fuffering it from their own countrymen, as Chrift and his apoftles had fuffered perfecution from the Jews. See 1 Theff. ii. 14. Acts xvii. 1. 6.-9. I 3. With joy of the Holy Ghoft. The gifts of the Holy Ghoft, beftowed on the Gentile believers, being an evidence of their election to be the people of God, and a feal of their title to a glorious immortality, provided they continued in faith and holiness, must have been a fource of unfpeakable joy to them, even in the midft of perfecution and affliction for the word. Ver. 7. Macedonia and Achaia. The Roman general Metellus hav. ing conquered Andrifcus and Alexander, pretended fons of Perfeus the laft king of Macedonia, reduced the countries formerly poffeffed by the Macedonian kings into a Roman province, which was governed by a proconful or prætor, fent from Rome, whofe ufual refidence was in Theffalonica. Not long after this, the conful Mummius, having defeated the Achæans, and deftroyed Corinth, he, with the commiffioners fent from Rome to regulate the affairs of Greece, abolished the affemblies held by the Achæans, Boeotians, Phocians, and the reft, and reduced Greece into a Roman province, called the Province of Achaia, because at the taking of Corinth, the Achæans were the moft powerful people of Greece. Thus the whole of the countries poffeffed by the Greek nations in Europe, were distributed into two great divifions, called Macedonia and Achaia. 9 For they themselves -- Ο Αυτοι γαρ περί ήμων hew of us, what manner of απαγγέλλεσιν ὁποίαν είσοδον entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God. 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he εχομεν προς ύμας, και πως επιςρέψατε προς τον Θεον απο των ειδώλων, δε λευειν Θεῳ ζωντι και αληπ θίνῳ 10 Και αναμένειν τον ύπ ιον αυτε εκ των εράνων, η Ver. 8.-1. From you the word of the I.ord bath refounded, &c. The apoftle does not mean, that the Theffalonian brethren preached the gofpel in all the countries here mentioned; but that their relinquishing idolatry, had occafioned the preaching of the gofpel in Theffalonica to be much talked of, through the provinces of Macedonia and Achaia, and in many other places. This fact, so exprefsly afferted in a letter addreffed to perfons who could not but know whether it was true or falfe, deferves attention, for the reafon mentioned, vol. i. p. 164. 2. In every place your faith to Godward is pread abroad. Grotius obferves, that many of the Theffalonians being merchants who travelled into foreign countries for the fake of commerce, the news of their fellow citizens having renounced the worfhip of the gods, muft have been spread widely abroad by their means, as the apostle affirms. And as this was a very extraordinary event, it would naturally occafion much difcourfe, among them to whom it was reported. Ver. 9. 1. What fort of entrance (εχομεν) we have, for (εσχομεν) w had, to you. See Eff. iv. 12. The Alexandrian MS. reads here εσχομεν, anfwering to επιτρέψατε in the following claufe: The meaning is, these perfons publifh every where, that we entered and established ourfelves among you, by great miracles. 2. Το ferve the living and true God. The epithet living is given to God to diftinguish him from the heathen idols, which were deftitute of life. He is likewife called the true God, in oppofition to the ficti tious 8 Befides, your faith and fufferings have occafioned the fame of the gospel of Christ to refound, not only through Macedonia and Achaia; but alfo in every place to which your fellow-citizens refort for the fake of commerce, the news of your faith in the true God, is spread abroad by them; fo that we have no need to Speak any thing, either in our own praife, or in yours. 9 For your fellow-citizens themfelves, who spread abroad the news of your converfion, publish every where concerning us, in what manner we established ourselves among you, as meffengers from God; and how, convinced by the miracles wrought, ye turned to God from dead idols, to ferve the living and true God alone. we 10 And to expect not the appearing on earth of any of the gods for tious deities worshipped by the heathens, who, though they may formerly have lived, or are now living, are not true Gods; fuch as demons and the fouls of men departed. By their worshipping the true God the Theffalonians were distinguished from the heathens; and by their waiting for God's Son from heaven, mentioned in the next verse, they were distinguished from the Jews. Ver. 10.-1. And to wait for his Son from heaven. Chrift himself, on two different occafions, promifed that he would return from heaven, Matt. xvi. 27. John xiv. 3. The angels, likewife, who attended at And as the his afcenfion, foretold that he will return, Acts i. 11. great defign of his return is to punish his enemies, and reward his faithful fervants, his fecond coming was always a principal topic, on which the apoftles infifted in their difcourfes; confequently it was a principal article of the faith and hope of the first Chriftians, a frequent fubject of their conversation, and a powerful fource of confolation to them in all their afflictions and troubles. May it ever be the object of our faith and hope, and the fource of our confolation, especially at death! ρυόμενον, 2. Jefus who delivers. Grotius thinks puoμevov, the prefent partiBut it is ciple, ftands here for the future, puσoμevov, who will deliver. ufual in scripture, to speak of things future in the present tenfe, to fhew the certainty of their happening. C 4 3. From raised from the dead, even Jefus which delivered us from the wrath to come. γειρεν εκ νεκρων, Ιησεν τον ρυσμένον ήμας απο της ορο γης της ερχομενης. 3. From the wrath that is to come. Wrath, the cause, is here put for punishment, the effect. The punishment which Chrift, at the day of judgment, will inflict, and the perfons on whom he will inflict it, are defcribed, 2 Theff. i. 8. Infliding punishment with flaming fire on them who know not God, and who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift CHAP. II. View and Illuftration of the Matters contained in this Chapter. IN N this chapter, the apoftle propofes his fecond argument in proof of the truth of the gofpel. It is taken from the character, the behaviour, and the views of the persons who first preached it. Now the importance of this argument will appear, if we confider, what the things were which the preachers of the gofpel publifhed, and required mankind to believe. They told every where, that Jefus their mafter is the Son of God; that he wrought many miracles in Judea; that he was crucified by the Jews, his countrymen, as a deceiver; but that God declared him to be his Son, by raifing him from the dead, agreeably ta what Jefus, before his death, had foretold; that after his refurrection, having spent fome time on earth among his difciples, he afcended into heaven, while they looked on; and that two angels, who were prefent on the occafion, affured them, that in like manner as they had seen Jesus go into heaven, so he would return. But to induce mankind to believe matters fo extraordinary, it was neceffary that the perfons who called themselves eyewitneffes of them, and who reported them to the world, should be men of found judgment and known integrity, and free from all interested views; that they fhould be fully perfuaded themfelves of the truth of the things which they told; that they fhould use no guile nor flattery, to procure themselves credit; and that, by their whole deportment, they fhould fhew themfelves to be pious and virtuous perfons, whofe only aim in this undertaking, was to promote the glory of God, and the good of mankind, |