t £1. 5.20. & Theſe two are -put together, becau'e there is no ac- c£1S to God the Fati:cr, omminion with him, and ſo no Being in him, but through Je- {ts Chrift, And by both they might ſee the bletſed ftate they were now brought to by the Goſpel, Being before ſtrangers to God the Father and Jcſus Chriſt, but now in them. And though being in God the Father is firſt mention'd, yet in the order of Nature we are firſt in Chriſt, and through him, in God the Father. And the Aroftle the rather atlerts this of them, becauſe the Goſpel came to thein not in word only, but in power. And whereby he gives them the Character ofa true Church of Chriſt; what it is, at caſt what it ought to be, For to be in God the Father, and in the Lord Jeſus Chrijt, import more than literal Knowledge, Dog- matical Faith, or outward Profefſion. f This the Apoftle calls h:s fulutation with his onn hand, which is my token, ſaith he, in every E- piſtle, ſo I write, 2 Theſe 2.17. Read 1Cor, 1.3. 2 Cor. 1.2, ©c. and under the Old4 Teftament the Fews uſual ſalutation was, Peace te ro you; under the New, it i: Grace and Peace, Peace comprebends ail bleffings ; and Grace or Favour, the Spring out of which they flow, The Grace of Gol is now ſaid to have appear- ed ard to ſhine forth, Tir, 2. 11, and the Church of God to be bleſt with all (piricual Blefſings; Eph 1. 3. fo that now the Apoſtle Pau! falntes the Churches with Gr...'* -»d Peace; and the Apoftle Peter adds, Crace and Peace be multiplied to you, 2 Pet, 1.2, Fude 2. Mercy unto you, and peace and love be multiplied, Or if we take Grace, for Grace inherent in us, as ſometimes it is taken ; and Peace for the inward Franquility of Mind, Heart and Con- icieace, the Text may bear it. Yet the former rather meant To you, lo you that are in God the Father, and in Jeſus Chriſt : Not to Infdels out of the Church, Grace ta you and Peace, g Wherein are ſhewed Grace and Peace z in their original, from God ; and not trom God, ablvlutely confider'd, but as our Father; as a Father he conveys the Bleſſinzs of Grace and Peace to his Children. But yer not immediately, but through Jeſus Chrifr, as merited by his Blood, 2nd procured by his interceinon, The Holy Ghott is not mention- ed, though he muft be underſtood, but he is rather conſidered as the attual conveyor of theſe bleſſings, than the original or procurer of them. -\nd the three Perſons work in the ſame order in the work of Redemptiou as of Creation, though more diftinaly, 2 * We give thanks to God bþ always 7 for you all &, making mention || of you in our Prayers /. h After his alutation, he adds his Thankſgiving and Prayer for them. He faw in them an eminent ſeal of his Apoſtleſhip, and ef-
27172 feet of his Miniſtry, and advantage to the Goſpel in their example,
and fo gives thanks. And his thanks 1s to God, becaule the ſucceſs of the Goſpel was more from his blefſing than his own Miniſtry, 7 @&y- 7z7z, that is, in a conſtant courſe ; or affetu, though not au, by a oratetul ſenſe he had of it continually upon his heart. & For he had a zood report of them all from 7imorky, chap. 3. 6. and we find not one reproof in this Firſt Epiſtle to any one, as in the Second, ]. He adds alſo his Praycr tor them, wherein he made mention of them by name, as ſome underſtand the words, pyetzy voy me uerr, Praver and Thankſgiving ought to go together, eſpecially inthe Mini- fters of the Goſpel, and in the work of their Miniſtry, And thus the A- poſtle practiſed towards other Churches alſo, as Rom.t.8, Phil.1,3, &c,
3 Remembring withoutcealing 2 your work of faith z, and labour of love o, and patience of hope p in our Lord Jeſus Chriſt q, in the fight of God |], and our
Father 7.
1m The occaſion of his conftant Thankſgivings, was his conſtant re- membring of that grace of God, that did ſo abouad and work pow- erfully in them, not as it he had always aa actual remembrance of it, but he did not forget it, the habitual ſenſe of it was continually in his mind, and was often attually in his Thoughts, eſpecially in his approaches to God, and that is all which is meant in the original word, *Afeagn]os, while the Apoſtle was with them he ſaw this in them, but being now abſent he remembred it: and with ſuch a practical remembrance as ſtirred up his heart to Thankſgiving. That is a good memory where is treaſured up Matter of Prayer and Thank(ſ: Ziving, 2 Or the work of the Faith of you, that is, their Faith and the work of it, whereby he intimates their Faith was true, and real, A Faith unteigned, 2 Tim. 1.5, The Faith of God's Elet, 777. 1, 1, and ſo diftinguifht from a dead Faith, Fam. 2. 26. They received the work in much afflition, with joy of the toly Ghoſt, they turned from I- dols, to the ſervice of the rue Gol, they waited for the coming of Chriſt, &c. Here was the work of Faith. o A labor to wearinel's as the word imports. Laborious Love. True Faith hath its work, but love hath its labour; and when Faith worketh by Love it works laborioully, Whereby the Apoſtle declares the reality of their Love, as well as their Faith; it was unteigned Lore, yea fervent Love, the labonr of it went forth towards that true God whom they now worihip: That Jeſus Chrift on whom they now Belieyed, and to the Saints that were now their fellow Brethren, 1 Thefſ. 4, 10. and particularly to the Apoftle himſelf, as ip other ways, ſo particularly in the pains and labour that ſome of them took to conduct and trayel along with him from Theſ-
IL. THESS ALONIANS.
| their Faith and Lore, -and now their Hope $ which are calle
no true worthip of him, no Union, or]
thre? cardinal or Theological graces ; all mention'd rogurher 3 "OY t Cor, 13, #lt, And by which we have a!l our Communion wi! h Gol on Faith, And as their Faith had its work, and Icyo OO beir hope had 1ts patience, as the Fruit and produet of jt, is a Patience with reſpect to an expected good, and with reſpect tg an incumbent evil; and both produc-d by hope. The former ; mo: properly called paxeoluuia, or length of mind
waiting tor, and expectation of ſome deſired good, vm un, conliſting in patient ſuffering, or abiding under ſm Wy rerie of
\ent evils their tormer patience 18 mentioned in the 19th