s By the Figure called Meioits, its meant, they highly diſpleaſed God, and were haters of God, and hated, and now rejected of him, Though they had the Advantages and Reaſons to pleaſe God above all other People, having had the Law and Ordinances of his Worſhip among them, yet they plealed not God. And particularly in their Perſecutions of the Goſpel, and the Apoſtles, though they might think that therein they did God good ſervice, as Fobn 16. 2, tr Contrary in their \Vor- ſhip, Laws and Cuſtoms. Or rather, contrary to all Men, in hindering the courſe of the Golp2l appointed for Mens Salvation, And deſpifing all other Nations in compariſon of themſelves, they were apt to be ſe- ditious, and raiſe Tumults every where, and to diſdain Familiarity and common Friendſhip with the Gentiles,
And for this cauſe he
Y muck as from God. And it is a great Cau'e e Th oiving to Gud. whon \iinifters hnd a People receive the ro catsl
Ant 1 bo.yctan received as the Word of God, there oh effefially, foas to promote Love, 12! Aorrification, Comfort and Peace, Tc, The mentioned before their Wor: of Faith, Labour. of Love;
o The Fews that believed, ſuf- fereil.from the unbelieving, F-ws of their own Country, fo did theſe Th-N:lonizns. But whether the Apoſtle means only the Gentiles of Theſja/pric, or the Fews that dwelt there and were born among them,
I. THESSALONIANS.
}
9
Chap
your Fathers, x Firſt they filled up their Sin, and then comes th: Wrath, or that Wrath foretold by Daniel, chap. 9. 27. and by Bet ts viour, Mat, 23.3, It was thcir laſt DeftruQtion by the Ronin, ob ws Wrath broke forth upon them ſeveral times before, but not to th _ moſt till now ; Or, 0 the end, as in the Greet, In former Puniſhin, ws God remored his Wrath, and reftored them again, but this TW ra tothe end. Or ſome by the end, underſtand only the perie&tion 2; conſummation of this Wrath. And its coming may be read in the "apr Ir bath prevented them; as bringing them to Judgment befaraiar. tais World, As the deſtruttion of the old World, Sodom 2nd fs : lem, were Figures and Forerunners of the laſt Judgment, Ang _ this doth not contradict what the Apoſtle ſpeaks, Rom. 11. and fb of the Prophets concerning their Calling into the Faith and Church _hrift before the-enc of the World, Alſo we muſt underſtand it ny a! exception of the reinnant of God's EleRion that was amongft them. 77 Bur we, brethren, being taken from you for a ſhox; time {|, in preſence, not in heart, endeavoured more 4.
bundantly to ſee your face with great deſire y.
from them, and his continued Abſence. They were under Treat SE. terings for receiving the Goſpel he had preached ; and for hin there-
tore to leave them fo ſoon as he did, (as appears in the ſtory, 43; wy
and not preſently to return, might diſcourage their Heatcs, and ma. chem queſtion his Love. Firſt for his leaving them, ic tell; thom jr was not voluntary, but forced by the Perſecution of the F-ws, hc being Core away in the night by the Brethren to Berea, As 16, 10, Ang chore. fore he calls it a raking away, rather than a going awiy tron em And (as the Greek Word imports) it was, ſecondly, a thirg oricyy+, to him, as Children that are bereft of Father and Mother, a4 ict; (3. phans, are greatly troubled, And he was afflicted as a Father heref: of Children ; ſo were theſe Theſſalonians to him, having begotten them tg Chrift by the Goſpel. 3. It was but for a ſhort time, for the tins of an hour, when he left them, he intended but a ſhort Rtay from them only to avoid the preſent ftorm : Others think he means by the words his ſudden leaving them before he took ſolemn leave of them, 4. He lefc them in preſence,quoad factem, as to the outward fight,not it lieart, The proper Genius of true Lovers, who are preſent with each; other jn ſoul, when ſeparated in body. 5. He tells them of his endeavours tg (ce their Face ; and that the more abundantly, becauſe he cams aw ſo ſuddenly from them; And laftly, He did this with great delire, ti; endeavours herein were aGted with great AffeQion,
18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, (eve :
[| Paul z) onceand again, but * Satan hindred us a.
13. 20, Phil, 4. 16, and that they might be aſſured it was not his Fc!- low Minifters defire only to come. "Therefore he expreſſeth his on name particularly in a Parentheſis (even I Paul.) Or by his fryins,0-4 { Pau}, he aſſures them concerning his own deſire to come to them ; At leaſt I Paul, though others did not fo ; as the French Bible reads ir And h@had come to them had not Satan hindred him. a Either b7 v3: ling up Diſputes againft the Goſpel at Athens by the Philoſophe: s thcre, Or ii: by fiir
it were t0 the Sea, Affs 16, 14, Or by ſowing Diffentions in cr Or by what way it wa:, Bur being thus hindred, it made his (etice tte more fervent by the oppoſition, 4 And hereby we ſce Satai's En to the Goſpel, eſpecially to Churches new planted, that they might xc; take rooting.
19 For whatzs our hope b, or joy c, or crown cf 1e- joycing d? are noteven ye in the preſence of our Loud
Jeſus Chriſt at his coming ? 6 Here the Apoſtle gives the reaſon of his Defire to ſee them, He
firſt calls them his Hope ; that 1s, the matter of his Hope,that among others they ſhoula be ſaved in the Day of Griſt. c Secondly, Hts i": He at preient rejoyced in their ready and ſincere receiving the Golpe! preached by him, d Thirdly, Zis crown of rejyycing which henifies he triumph and height of joy ; and ſeeing he mentions the Preſence and coming of Jeſus Chriſt, he looks to the Crown that he ſhoild receive at that day, which he ſpeaks of 1 Cor, g. 25, And theſe The]2ontins among others would help to make up this Crown of re'oycing ©0nm, And in the Words we may obſerve an eminent gradation, a> allo £2: the Crown of Miniſters will ariſe not only from Chrift, but :r9:3 their People alſo.
20 For yeare our glory and joy e. e He redoubles the expreſſion, to ſhew his great affection, an com
placency of heart in them. Or to ſhew that they mote than vers
(ll
This he adds further, to fatisfie them of his real Affetion to them, ''* that he attempted to come to them once and again,that is,often,as 2}, **
might be ſaved zz, to fill up their fins alway w - for the 19. 12, & Wrath 1s come upon them to the uttermoſt x.
16 * Forbidding us to ſpeak to the Gentiles, that they