vine has in its root and trunk that sap, of which all the branches
partake, and by which they are nourished8 Faith,
moreover, brings him to Christ for daily supplies of those
blessings which his various necessities require11 And
having received communications of grace according to his ne- cessities, he is stirred up by it to improve them to the glory of his Redeemer's name In a word, whatever the Chris- tian has to do for God, he does it through the operation of this principle ; by which, and by which alone, he overcomes the world1, and purines his heart k. This faith he had seen in his Thessalonian converts : yea, so eminently had it shone forth in them, that they were celebrated for it in almost every Church throughout all the Roman empire, and were held forth as patterns and ensamples of it to all the Christian world1!]
2. A laborious love —
[Love is that fruit by which, above all, the truth and reality of faith will be discerned1". It is by this, above all, that we can assure ourselves", or be known to others0, as faithful followers of Christ. If we have it not, all else that we can have is of no value p. But love is a laborious grace : it is always seeking for something which it may do, either for God or man. It cannot endure to be idle. Whether it can do little or much, it delights to be doing what it canq. Nor is it diverted from its pursuit by slight obstacles : no ; like the water obstructed by the dam, it will overcome them; and will evince its strength and ardour, in proportion to the diffi- culties that impede its exercise. Love is a self-denying grace : and where it exists in due measure, it will prompt a man not only to sacrifice ease and interest, but even to lay down his life itself for the brethren r. This grace was so conspicuous in the Thessalonian converts, that St. Paul judged it quite un- necessary to write to them on the subject : they were so taught by God himself respecting all its duties and offices, that he could add nothing to them, but only exhort them to abound more and more in the conduct which they had already pursued8.]
3. A patient hope —
[Hope is the offspring of faith and love, or at least of that faith which worketh by love. It is here called " hope in our Lord Jesus Christ ;" because " in him all the promises of
s Col. i. 19. Eph. i. 22, 23. John xv. 5. h John i. 16.
1 1 John v. 4. k Acts xv. 9. l ver. 7, 8.
m Gal. v. 6. n 1 John iii. 14. ° John xiii. 35.
p 1 Cor. xiii. 1 — 3. <5 Mark xiv. 8. r 1 John iii. 16. s 1 Thess. iv. 9, 10.