11s Soul to the perſon whom he intirely loves, as 1/4. 58. 19. when a man gives relief to a perſon in want out of love and compaſſion, he imparts his Soul in what he gives, So did they in the Goſpel thus preached, And the word znparting is uſed to expreſs relief to the wants of the body, Rom. 12. 8. and the Goſpel is the Bread of Lite to give relief. to the Soul, and uſed in this ſenſe alſo, Rom. 1. 11. The A- poitle may here further allude to Mothers that are Nurſes, who im- yart not only other food, but their Milk, which is their blood to che- rith their Children, + Or ye have been beloved of us, wherein the A- pottle more plainly declares their love to them as the ground of all tir Labours and perils in preaching to them; yea, it may reach © all that he had ſaid betore concerning their carriage among them, «11 Was trom love,
9 For ye remember brethren a our labour b and tra-
2&, 20,VClI c - For *labouring night and day, becauſe we would
.nI7 be chargeable to any of you d, we preached unto jor the goſpel of God.
1 70 make good what he had afſerted before ahout their inte- gErity in preaching the Goſpel, that it was without Covetoulnels, and vain Glory, &c. and about their great aftztion to them there- in, he appeals to their own Memory, 6 Labour, in what we ſuffered, attended with care and folicitude of Mind; as the word imports : cand travel in what we did, attended with wearineſs, as ſome di- Ningviſh of the words. 4 This refers to ſome bodily labour thy ueu, which I find not mentioned in the ftory while they were at Th-{/a,cnica, though Paul did praQtiſe at Corinth, Ats 18, 3 To prevenc [canda), ard miſconſtruttion that ray arile from receiving maintenance, and in caſe of the Churches poverty, the Apoſtle would it, bur without reſpect to theſe he pleaded it as his due, I Cr, 0, 1, ©. Andhis refuſing was no work of ſuper-eroga- ten, as the Papifts plead hence; for in ſuch caſes it was a Duty
', refpett to the honour of his Miniſtry, ſo that it ought not to «3 to a rule, either that Minitters in no caſe may labour with (ir hands to get their Bread; or that they ouzgbt foto do al- Vays, as {ume would conciade hence, and preach freely : How- "er he commends them rhat they torgot not the labour and travel <%Y underwent for their fake, 2n4 that both night and day, which
\. THESSALONI $ 4 » ; implies aſſiinity and diligence, as P/al. 1. 2, Tute 2, 37. 1 Theſ. '3. 10. And fo to hetaken here,
Chap. IT.
| Though it may fignifie their ſpen4-
ing part of the night as well as the day in ſome bodily labour ; the lame we read 2 Th:f, 23, $. yet not to be underſtood as if they ſpent
the whole night ani day therein ; for how then could they have preached the Gotpel to th-m as he here addeth z and they would take nothing of maintenance from 41y of them, or be chargeable or bur- denſom to them 3 not trom tie poor to whom it might really he a burthen, nor from the ric: who y=t might be backward, and account
it a hurthen, ; : |
10 Ye are witneſſes, and God alſo, * how holily, * T:-- +,
juſtly, and unblameably, we behaved our ſelves among 3. 7.
you that believe e.
e The former Verſes gave account of their carriage in the Mini- fry, this here of their Chriſtian Converſation, holily, with reſpe& to God, juſtly, with reſpe& to Duties commanded towards men, and unblameably, in denying themſelves in lawtul liberty to avoid al! occation of blame from any of them. And for the truth of this he appeals to themſelves ; yea, to God himſelf. There is the wirnels of men, and the witneſs of Conſcience greater than of men, and the witneſs of God greateft of all, 1 Fob 3. 20, He appeals to them witneffes about their external Adtions, and to God about the integri- ty of their hearts: And he doth this not ina way of boaſting, bir! to be anexample to them, and asa further reaſon ot the great ſucceſs of his Miniſtry, The Converſation of Minifters hath great influence upon the ſuccels of their labours,
11 As you know how we exhorted and comtorted,
and charged every one of you as a father doth his cht}- dren f.
f Beſides his publick Miniftry he dealt more privately wit them, as AFs 20. 20, And that in a way of exhortation and comfort. By ex- hortation to quicken them, and by comfort to ſupport them under troubles, both outward and inward. And he did this as a Father to his Children, with much earneſtne6, Compatſhon, and Love, yea, and Authority alſo : He was before repreſented as a Morber, ver, 9, And here asa Father whoſe work and duty is to Exhort, Counſel and Com- fort his Children privately at home, {o did he as well as publickly, for he was their Spiritual Father, as he begat them to Chritt by the Goſpel, as he tells the Corinthians alſo, 1 Cor. 4. 15. AS before hs repreſented his gentleneſs, ſo here his Fatherly care, Or at their firtt Converſion he carried it with gentlene{5 as a Mother, but afterwards uſed his Fatherly Authority, And in this he appeals to their own knowledge alſo, calling, their own Conſciences to bear witneſs to an he ſpeaks, that it might leave rhe greater impreſſion upon tnem,
12 * That he would walk worthy of God g, who hath * Phil, z.
called you || unto his Kingdom and glory þ. 27.
h In the Greek Text the word charged mentioned in the former | Or, verſe, begins this verſe pegſuesuev, it fignifies teſtifying ; ſome read IMG 0.6 it, we obreſted, which is as much as beſeeching : others contetted, which is a ſevere charge, containing a threatning, as Exod. 19. 21. Charge the People, faith God to Moſes in the Margin, conteft the People, or wiſh the People. Tt isa charge here which the ' Apoſtle gives ſolemaly in the Name of God to them, calling in the witneſs of God to it, g That is, ſuitably to the nature of that God who is the true and living God, That you may walk like a people who belong to ſuch a God, and expreſs the virtues of this Gol in your &C onverſation, 1. Pet. 2, 9. or, ſuitably to the great mercy, and glo- rious priviledges you have received from him, which he mentions in the following words. þ Or, bo ts calling you ; Then by Got's King- dom and Glory we muft underftand the future ſtate of Heaven : Though they were not yet poſſeſt of it, yet by the Goſpel God had called them to it, as Phil, 3.14. 1 Pet. 5. 10, Or, Iho hath 47.
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