ture, and the Works of Creation and Providence, which if they did not improve,but remained ignorant of Gcd,will fall under this Vengeance, And by Knowledge here is not meant ſo much a ſpeculative as a practi- cal knowledge of God, and ſo ſuch as do not fear, love, and honour God, may be ſajd not to know him. As the Gentiles who are faid to know God, Rom. 1, 21. but yet not gloryfying him as God, and living in Idolatry, are ſaid nor to know him, Gal. 4, 8, 1 Theſſ, 4. 5. Andas God tells the King of Fudah, that to do Juftice and Judgment is to know him, Fer, 22. 16, And Eli's Sons, though Priefts, yet are ſaid not to know the Lord, 1 Sam. 2,12. r Which may be taken in con- juntion with the former Words, and then ſuch as obey not the Goſpel are the ſame with them that know mor God, As God is not known ar1zht, but by the Goſpel, fo they only know God aright by the Goſpel wao obey it. Some are ignorant, and know not God, though they live under the Goſpel ; or, ſuch as have knowledge, yet are not obedi- ent, Knowledge and Obedience ought to go together : And this Obe-
SE 2-3
1.16 Gience is called the obeying of the Goſpel. The Goſpel hath not only Gr. il Promiſes to be believed, but Precepts to be obeyed, Yea, Faith it ſelf noel way fall under its Precepts, and then thoſe that believe not the Goſpel,
bis 99 ao not obey it : As the ſame werd in the Greek fignihes to believe and
0”2y, And as the Goſpel hath ſome peculiar Precepts and Inſtitutions,
lv all the Commands of the Moral Law are comprehended in it ; and
the equitable part of the Judiciat Law, yea, and the Ceremonial Law
a9, where that which is Moral is figured by it 3 and fo far as the Go-
IÞ:1 commands, Men ous ht to obey ; and Dilybedience appears to be a T4 fo Us
9 Who ſhall be puniſhed with everlaſting deſtruction s, ||Or, fre, from || the preſence of the Lord, and from the i glory ef ny of his power t. = F - :
3 —
. —— TT -
ry of Power may be meant only that Power which will bring Glory both to the Bodies and Souls of the Saints, and this the wicked ſhall have no experience of in that day.
Io When he ſhall come to be glorihed in his ſaints «, and ro be admired w in all them that believe, (becauſe our teſtimony among you was believed x) in that
day y.
u This ſpeaks the different manner of Chriſt's coming towards the Saints and Believers, not in flaming Fire to deftroy them, as in the for= mer Verſe, but to be glorified and admired in them, © He ſaith not, to be glorified by them,by their adoring and praifing of him, but in them : He hath a p2r/onal Glory wherein he will appear glorious, and 2nother Myſtical in his Saints, The Head will be glorified in the Members, as they are glorified in and from the Head, As the >un hath a Luftre and
Glory in the Moon and Stars, beſides what it hath In its own Poly, as Col. 3. 4. When Chriſt whois our Life ſhall appear, »- alſo ja appear with him in Glory, "The Glory God gave his Son, he hat? given it to his Saints, Fobn 17, 22. and will put it upon them, and be gloriti-« in it in the day of his appearing. As God is faid uo have glorified k:miclt in Iſrael, Jia, 44. 23. w And this Glory will be ſo great, that he ſhall be admired in it, as the word ſignifies. It will ſet the Jaints them- ſelves,and all the Angels of Heaven,yea,the whoie V ocli a wondtings ſmall things do not cauſe admiration, but what is great, an.! we cannot comprehend, that we admire, And Chrift will not only b- admi. cd by them, but in them 3 the wonderful Love, Grace, Mercy, VV iidum, and Faithfulneſs of Chriſt towards them wilt be adraired, to raiie up ſuch a number of poor, fintnl, deſpicable W orms out of the Diu. in- to ſuch a ſublime ſtate of Glory and Dignity; will be admirable, x And that theſe Theſſzlonians might have the comfort of this particu- larly, he having ſpoken of Saints,and thoſe that believe in general ; the Apoſtle applies this therefore to themſelves in- way of Parenthet1s, Q. 4. Chrift will be admired in all that believe, and ye are among them that believe, ergo, &c, And the Dottrine of the Goſpel he had preach- ed, he called it his Te(timony, as Foh. 3. 33. 1 Cor. 3. 6. which implies it was not an invention of his own, he did not ſpeak of himſelf, as the word implies : and this Teſtimony found different entertainment, ſome belived it not, others believed it, and received it, upon Which account the Theſſalonians are commended and comforted here by the Apofile, 7 The Syriac read the words in the future Tenſe, without a Parentheſ1s;
Chrift will come to be thus glorified, and admired in his Saints,becaule our Teſtimony among you concerning it ſhall be believed or confirmed in that day, he means the day of Chriſt's laſt coming, which-he calle& the Day of the Lord. 1 Theff. 5. 2. and becauſe it is fo great a Day, is therefore by way of Emphatis called that Day, 11 Wherefore z alſo we pray always for you, that our God would || count you worthy of this calling a, and |j Or, fulfil all the good pleaſure of his goodneſs b, and the work vouchſafe;
of faith with power c. '
7The Apoſtle here again mentions his praying for theſeTheſſzJonians, as he had ofcen mention'd it in the formerEpiftle. And the reaſon might be, becauſe he was abſent from them, they might the more need his Prayer ; and by telling them of it, thereby affures them that he forgot them not. And the Prayer he here makes for them, hath reference to the Diſcourſe he had been upon, as appears by this Word, *Ers 6, wherefore, or for, or in order ro which we pray, ©c, a Which is figu- ratively to be underſtood of the bleſſed ſtate they were called to,tor the calling it {elt they had receiv'd already: And ſo it is the ſame un effect mentioned before, wer, 5. called there the Kingdom of God, or to have Chriſt glorified, and admired in them, wer, lo. And elſewhere termed
the Prize of the High Calling of God,Phil.3.14.and that God would count them worihy of it; as he had u'ed the lame Expreſſion betore ; only L5S) there
[{ Or, 7:20 im.
Chap. 1.