reacheth the AtteQions, and eſpecially enclines the Heart to love, ' tor God is Love ; and though they were taught other things of God be- nics this Love, yer he mentions only this as the moſt proper Work of . Me opirit of God by the Goſpel ; aad though common Love of Man to L Man may be found in meer Nature, ; 10 And indeed you do lit & towards all the brethren Which are in all Macedonia b; but we beſeech you, bre- *%2] 7 __ . " j Len, that ye increaſe || more and more c. | + AS an, Evidence of the truth of their Love, for which he com- | ging | Y (_) b- + 11,
p*rceive that God's teaching doth not only enlighten the Mind, but '
of the Hands ; but either under one Species he comprehcnds ail, Or It may be he fitteth his Speech to the Condition of the Ieople to wiiom ke writes, who generally had ſuch Occupations wherein they wrouzht with their Hands, 1b-faloni-a being a great place of Trade. And the Apoſtle ſpeaks of the Churches of Mzcedgnza as a poor ſort of Peo- ple, 2 Cor. 8.2. and liberal beyond their Power ; though ſome amonz them might be tempted to Iulenels by the Charity of others to them, which, as ſome conceive, was the occation of the Apoftl-'s thus” writing, But if Men have Eſtates, and upon that account nee! not work, yet no Man is to be idie : Mens Time, Parts, or other | 41-45
are to be employed, and account thereof is to be given, Matrrh. 25. 15, And the unprofitable Servant is caſt into utter Darknets, ver. 30. Coins way or other every Man is to Work, and may work for profit to him- {elt and others, unleſs under ſome invincible Impediment, 2 He means when he was with them. He might probably obſerve ſome occation for this Commandment : Induftry is of good report with all ; anil by med- ling in others Affairs, and unquiet Carriage and Idleacts, they mivhe diſhonour their Chriſtian Profcthon among the Heathen, which might be the chief reaſon of this Commandment ; and the Apofile doth not act herein as a civil Magiſtrate, commanding about Civil Aitairs for the publick Welfare, but as a Miniſter of Chritt wich retpect to a [piritual End, as appears by what follows,
12 Lhatye may walk honeſtly || þ towards them that | Or, de- are without z, and that ye may have lack || of nothing. ——_
h He entorceth his Commands by a two-fold Reaſon; The former is || Or, of 220 ab honeſto, the other is ab utili, kirſt, that ye may walk honeſtly, cr man, y decently, as the word is rendred, 1 Cor. 14. 29. # That is, Gentiles,
Inhidels, fo they are deſcribed, u Cor. 5. 12. C9. 4. 5. as thole tha were received into the Church of Chriſt, are ſaid to be withivr, i he A- poſtle would have them honour the Gotpel before the Heathen in ch moral Actions which they did approve of, and were able to judze of, not underſtanding the higher Myſteries of Faith and Goſpel-Holincls, which he calls walking in Wiſdom towards them that are without, C21. 4+ 5. Ihe other Realon is, ab unit, Thar ye may have lack of nothing z; or, of no Man, Have no need to beg of any Man, It might offend, and bea Stumbling-block to the Gentilcs to lee Chriſtians to beg of any,and eſpecially of themielves, for their necelfary reliet ;or.of nothizg,cthat you may, by your own Labour, be able to ſubtiſt, and not depend upon others ; and ſo not be a burden to ti jends, or a >candal ro Strangers, For every Man to ſubfift by his own Labour, was the primitive Law to Adam, Gen. 3.19. commended often by S$o/gmon in his Proveryc, and enjoined by the Apoftle to believing Chriſtians, 2 1kyf, 3. 10.
13 But | would not have you to be ignorant, bre. thren k, concerning them' which are atleep 1, thar ve for-
row not * even as others that have no hope m. * 2 33m & The Apoſtle now proceees to a new Dilcouric, abo!t moderation: 42, 20s Ls R) 2!
WW +
4
Mi netnt
— ge" q <——_ Wo I ”
Chap. IV.
* 1 Cor.
' tality of the Soul,
be. 13,
>
'S W:; 7+
heir ſorrow for the dead, and not for all, but the dead in Chrift. He | 15
of fl C Mal either uh ipvcd their forrow in this kind exceſhtve,while with them, or ee hy 17:49:44, or ſome other way he had hear! of 1-,
fir, Grade deſtovs not Nature, but regulates its nor reaſun, but c.t;fes it 3 nor rakes away the Affettions, Out moderates them ; doth
Affettions are good when ſet npon | A
not make us Stoicks or Stocks, r Objtts, and Kept 2ach.and Grace doih Ctr. he dead mn the F.ofd, 18 a Gol requireth ; and the contrary is reproved by God himſelf, J/2.57-1. ard to d! Ciily then immoderate Sorrow the Apoſtle here means. Vent it, or remove It, gives many Inſtructions an! Arguments. And 2 he ſurpulth their Ignorance might be a great occaſion of it,and lo in- {trn&s them about the Doftrine of the Reſurrection, and Chriſt's per- {onal cominv again, which by the light of Nature,whye Gentiles, they ncw nothing of, or were very uncertain in. And the Apoſfile, be- | 1 caule of this ſhort ſtay among them, had not hail opportunity to inftruct them zbout the'e things,and therefore doth it here diftin&Uy and tully, 25 he doth the Corinthiims, 1C9r, 15, 12, hearing there were lome a- nonz them, even of the Church it elf, that ſaid there was 70 Keſur- »-dion, It 15 ſuch a Myſtery to Reaſon, that it is hard to believe it ; 1nd the moſt learned of the Heathen doubted of it, and ſome exploded and ſcoffed at it,aswe find 4t517.,15,cven ſuch as yet held the Immor- And hereupon in this Verſe the Apoſtle doth atlert two things in general to relieve them againſt immoderate Sorrow. { 1, He calls the death of the Saints a ſleep, Dan. 12. 2, Luke 8, 52.
4
ii ICT Fon 11, 11, I Cor. 15. 20, 21. Whether referring to tho{e that are al- ready dead, or do ie, or that ſhall afterwards die, and why ſhould they then exceſhvely mourn ? Affeer ſleep, we know there is a waking,
».-
and by fleep Nature i revived; and fo it ſhall be with the Saints in