ALONIANS.
mended them, and that they were taught it of God, He gives a pra- ical Inftance of it in this Ver, elſe the Apoſtle might have been rhoug ht to tlatter, or to commend a Lore that was without Fruit: And herefore he ſaith not, ye profe(s it, but ye do it, fo 2 Cor, 8.11. per» form the doing of it, þ Which was a large Province, wherein were planted many Churches, Their Love was not guide by Intereſts, Opi- nions, Civil Relations, or Sel-Reſpetts, bur it reachet to all rat were Brethren, an'l that in ſume real effect of it, in tome work of Ci; rity, or Liherality, or otherwiie not here mericioned, but we read of it 2 Cor. 8.1, 2. c But howover, their Love was not yec »criecdt, and therefore he beſeecheth them ro ahound more ant more; either meant 41s to the extent of it, not to contne it only to Maicedonta $; or torke degree of it, to excl men 1 it, .a5 the Greek word may be rentired.: And the ſame wor the Apuitle nieth, and upon the tame account, 2 Cor. 8, 7. neither Love, or ay other Grace 15 made perfect at onc? ; cven thoſe that are taught of God, are taught by degrees. And Love being, a Grace fo ſuitable to tne Goipel, and their preſent fuftering ſtate, he therefore eſpecially cxNorts to a progre(; in if.
11 And that ye ſtudv to be quiet d, and * to do your » 1 Per, +. own bulineſs e, and ro * work with || your own hands f, ITE Cas we commanded you) 7g. SN l.
4 He exhorts to quietnels, and jt to be diligent; 3nd probably te þ = _ might fee this needtul, either by what he himſelf had obierve.l amon Res ne chem, or by what he had heard of them, as appears by wit he wi hes” OEM in his {cond Epiſtle, chap. 3. 10, 11. To be quiet 1s to be of a peacca- ble Temper and Carriage, as the Greek word #ejuchazein inporteth both + and ftands contrary to Strite, Contention, Diviſion, either ujor a Civil or Religious Account. And to ſtudy ro be quier, becanle the thing may be difhculr, eſpecially in ſome circumſtances of Times, Places and Perſons, And the Gr22Þ word Philorimeiſthei implies an ambitious >tudy. Quietne!s we {bould purſue with an. holy Ambition, as that ' which is honourable to our ſelves, and our Profeſſion, Prov. 20. 3. the fame word is wed 2 Cer. 5, 9, wher? its rendred we labour, &c, Study is properly the Exerciſe of the Mind, vet it here comprehends any kin{ of Labour. This agrees with what the Apoſtle elſewhere exhorteth to,
Heb. 12, 14. 1 Vet, 3. 13, £ He next commendeth to them Diligence, and that in our own Butine*, and this he preſcribeth as a good way for quietnels, Contentions often ariſing from medling in the Afffairs of other Men which concerns us not, for which he rebukes ſome in this Church, 2 /he}.-3, 11, But yet only to ſeek our own things is a great fault, and lamented by the Apoftle, Phil. 2, 21, we are to concern our ſelves in the Afffeirs of others when called to it, and not otherwiſe ; and then we may reckon them among our own things. A Chriftian's Calling is either general or p44 Yi; and what falls not within the compals of one of theſe, is to be accounted not our own buſineſs. And our doing and ſuffering ought to be kept within the Sphere of our Cal- ling 3 for to ſuffer otherwile, is to ſuffer as Bufie-bodies, which the A- poftle cautions againft, 1 Per. 4. 15. as a Biſhop intruding himſelf into anothers Orhce z to which the Word there alludes, f This condem- neth Idleneſs, and living out of a Calling ; we are not oniy to keen within our own Sphere, bur to f{tretch forth our Hands to work, {hc ſame Precept he gives to the Epheſrans, chap, 4. 23- Not to te21, but to work with their Hands, that they may not only cat their own Bread, 2 Theſ. 3. 12. but have to give to him that lacketh : not that there is nÞ other work hut that of the Hands, (the Minifters 0” {06 are excuſed from that, 1 Cor, 6. 9, but not from work) there is the work
Il wt
of the Head, and the Tongue, and the Foot, and the Lun: a3 well
a5
God, is ae i.tn Cd, Or, that the Apoſtle was deſpiſed by ſome ,be- of the © * :4 meanneſs of his Perſon, or queſtioning his Autho- rity. Xx 3.11: > as athird Argument , ſo that what he had preach- a to tht was net from himſelf, but from the Holy Spirit ; Or if by 5 ho 5 thele Theſjul mins allo, as ſome Copies read it, be hath g£/:22 2, &e, then heargues trom the gift of the Holy Spirit they had I avainlt living in the Sin of Uncleanneſs, This would be very ; dizazrevahl- nor only to their Holy Calling, but the Holy Spirit God bad given them, Or<lſe theie Arguments of the Apoſtle are to per-
ſwade to univerſal Holinels, taking SanCtification and Holineſs in a lar- cerSenſe, and Uncleanne!s for all Sin in general ſtanding oppotite thereunto. Sin is oft ſpoken of in Scripture under the Notion of Filth, Defilement, Pollution, &c, and ſo was typed forth under the Law ;
and to be cleanſed from Sin, is a cleanting Man from Filthinels, 2 Cor.
7. 1, ſo that to live in vin, as the Apoſtle argues, is to live in Unclean-
nels, to contradict our Holy Calling, to deſpile God, and to walk con- trary tothe Natare and Dictates of his Holy Spirit, |
9 But as touching brotherly love you need not that I
write unto you y, for * ye your ſelves are taught of God
5. *to love one another z. *'* } The Apoftle proceeds from Chaftity and Juſtice to ſpeak of Bro-
[0
* tzzxly Love, which is Love upon a Spiritual ground : To love the dajats as ſuch, with reſpe& to God as a common Father, and ſo all his 4 : *Ciildren are Brethren, chap, 2. 8, 9. ſo Heb, 12, 1. and he perſwadeth -, the prattice of it by a loving and winning Infinuationz ſure you are ._*(oryard enough of your ſelves. As he uſeth the ſame Artifice, Ats 26, "27, 28, 2 Cor, g, 1, wherein the Apoftle tacitely commends them, and} *zreby would engage them to anſwer the Commendation and good! Opinion he had of them. + What need T write to teach you that | which you have already been taught of God ? The Saints have this | Promile, 1/2. 54. 13. Fer. 31. 34. fulfilled, 1 Foh. 2. 26, 27. and this | Divine Teaching is always efficacious, For none reacketh like God z not | That ali teaching of Men is to be laid aſide, as ſome Enthuſiaſts would | ance inter ; but that the Apoftle- thought he had leſs need to teach ' that which God himſelf had ſo effettually taught them. Hereby we
i