ing tv that Prophecy, 4/2. 2. 20, 21. which reters to Goſpel-rtimes. |
? Olerye with Religious Worſhip proper io God ; though th2 Papiſts
I. THESS ALONIANS.
>
+ ? And jn all theſe things we had reſpe&t 1 And here the Apoſtle ſpeaks of their Religion in the potitive parr, ! | former being negative, The living Ged, fo calle in oppoſition to Idols, which were either Images without Life, cr inaximate Crearur?:, or Men that were dead whom they worſtipt, or livin; tr cave God is ſo eminently, being Life effentially, originally, eternally, immura bly , and derivatively to all things that live, 4s 1 Ive, faith ++ Tort, and as if none had Lite but himſelf, 72. 49. 18, Gr. And cat rhe zrue God,in oppoſition to falſe Gods, The Heathen Gods had no 3-1 but what Men gave them by worſhipping them. They were nut Gods i by Natare, Gal, 4. 8. and fo not true, And as theſe things are fnoke to ſhew the power of the Goſpel, ſo in a way of commendation, that they did not only turn from Jdols, but ai ferve the true God ; none proteſs the true God, but ſerve him not, As alio they deagre rheic privilege that they ſerved a God that couid fave chem, which their 1dols could not. : ; 10 And * to wait for his ſon from heaven &, whom ,,. _ he raiſed from the dead 1, ever Jeſus m, who delivered 1»; 5 us * from the wrath to come #, *\lat. 3-7.
+ This is added to ſhew the further power of the &otpet won them, Roms. 9 they had not only Faith to God-ward, as was faic! defore, but to {lhritt ward. They did not only turn to the true God, in onpoiition to hh Heathen,but to theSon of God as the true Chriſt, in opnoncion 57012 5) believing Jews, For tho* he was the Son of David after the Fieth, yer h. was the Son of God alſo, and not'by Creation, as the Angels arc catl't the Sons of God,nor by Adoption, as the Saints are, but by Eternal neration, though the Man Chrift Jeſus by his Perſonal Union is th of God, And their Faith reſj®&ing the Son of God, was their. wa
OZ iT for him from Heay'n not that their Faith confiſted only in this, but i O
Ge- *2 ting 2U ſuited their preſent ſtate of Affliction to wait for Chriſt's comin a Deliverer and Rewarder, therefore here mentioned by the ApoR!: and their Faith, Hope, Love, Patience, may all be included in it. They believed that he was gone to Heaven, and would come again, which are two great Articles of the Chriftian Faith, And though there was nothing in Scnſe or Reaſon, or any Tradition to perſs2:le them of it, yet they believed it upon the Apoſtles preaching it. .\nd though the time of his coming was unknown to them, yet their Faith preſently put them upon waiting for it, And the certain time of his coming is kept ſecret, that t?ZSal...s in every Age may wait for it. Tho! he will not come *till the end of the World, yet the Saints oughs to be influenced with the expeRation of it in all Generations that do. precede it, It is to their advantage to wait for it, though they live not to ſee him come, And here the Apoſtle concludes his Account of the glorious effeRts of the Goſpel upon theſe Theſſzlonizns + that which tollows in the Chapter, is by way of Dofrin concerning the Sun ot God, 7 He mentions his Reſurrettion from the Dead after his Son{hi' ; for he was there declared to be the Son of God with Powe r, Ron. 1.-4- And, Thou art my Sg, this day have I begonen thee, appiied to Chritt's Reſurreftion, A#s 13. 33. Or the Apoftle mentions is to conficmn their hope of his coming again. Had they heard of his Death, and nor ot his riting again, they could not haveexpetted his coming from Hea- ven, It 1s uſed as an Argument by Paul to the Atberizns, that Chrik will come again to judge the World by Gol{!'s raiting him from the Dead, As 17.31, And theſe Believers all might comfortably cx- pet their own Reſurrettion, ſeeing that he him{elf is already riten, at his coming, and ſo be ſupported under their preſent Sufteri::25, though: they ſhould reach to the killing of the Body, m He that was be.re called the Son of God, is here called Jeſus, or Saviour ; A Nams that might more endear him to them, than by call'ns him the Son And he mentions a great Aet of his Salvation in the ncxt therefore here properly called Saviour ;- and when he comes, he wiil come to his Peoples Salvation, 4Z-b, g, ulr, 7 It x our Tranſlation hath it, d:{7vered, it looks to what Chriit hiatts 11
by 2 if { q\} (1 C =— d =
_ & *? 5 $5.5 |. + nz | ws _ "I LEA vS% 3, \b 41S
done and ſuffer'd for our Deliverance, If in the oro Gag hl ha
Greek now hath it, it implies a continved AQ Hott [ole tng
from the Wrath to come, either by his Intc: cethon, or oy no tics wr 3 » d i i
his Grace, delivering us from the power of $3 aud rFemptitions, and fo
preſerving us ina ſtate of Salvation; or if ve real the WWordin the Future Tenſe, who will deltver us, as we often fin the pr oout Ione both in the Zebrew and Greek to have a furure fignifcation, it refers to his laſt coming ; and therefore thz Saints need not be atratl uf che te: rour of that day, but wairt for it ; For thoush tho VW ratli ro ome is greater than ever yet brake forth in the \V ori.l, Xo, 2. <, oe a ©
of it ſhall not fall upon chem. Though they may wvor Þ 2 Hom
ral Atfitions and Chaſtiſements at preſent, and ma bu of,
the Wrath of Men, yet ſhall be free from 11.2 Writ ro c 1 this will be done by a powerful Keſeuc of Chritt, as the \V« E. evousyoy, notwithſtanding all the dinzer and difficulty tia : tend it,
SH A:P. I.
Th: Apoſtle declares bis Uprighinefs il Conſtany in Proact ing if 3.1 among ſt them, ſeeking no Honour nor I: 0f't, witch þ: Wins pat domes as an Apoſtle of Chriſt, but carried ittowards them with 4/7 50d fie Fions and Holineſs, 1——19%. an how they received ts :;* ;4
as ſuch ;, and had ſuff:red for it 5 their Counnymen ; ber: Fog vers of the Churches in Fudea; the Fews, as they k1od nr ford, (7 me {le ling up their ſins, 17 16, 41c is d-jrous ro-jee then 182177, fa they were his Boaſting and G/ory I the comir oof Chrijt, 17 = 20.
1 TOR your ſfelvesa, brethren, know our entraitce in un»
to youb, thatirt was not ja vain c.