*4*2* f The former Verſes contained Conſolatien,this is an Exhortation : The Apoſtle had aſſured them of their being eletted and called, yet ex- horts them to their Duty. Aſſurance of Salvation doth not encourage negligence ; the Apoſtle takes this Argument from thence to quicken them, Therefore, &c, And that which he exhorts them to, is, 1. To | ſand faft, a Miiitary Word, ſpeaking as a Captain to his Soldiers; ſo | 1 Cor. 16. 12, Eph. 6.14, having before foretold a great Apoftaſte that | | would come: Or becauſe he had told them of the great Glory they had been called to the obtaining of by theGoſpel: He exhorts them to ftand faſt, which implies a firm perſwaſjon of Mind, and conftant purpole of Will ; and ftands oppofite to Hetitation and Deſpondency. 2. 70 hold the rraditions which th:y ha4 been raught, g The word 1ra47tiof figni- fies any thing delivered to another ; eſpecially meant of Doctrines, The Phariſees Dottrine is called Traditions, Mar. 15. 3. And fo the true Dottrines of cheGoſpel, being ſuch as the Apoſtles delivered to the people : as the Doctrine of the Lord's Supper is ſaid to be delivered, rt Cor,11, 22, -and lo K9m, 6, 13, bþ By word of mouth in publick | | preaching, or private Inſtruction, The Apoſtie had both preached | | and written to theſe Theſſalonizns, before he wrote this ſecond Epiſtle, | And that the Papifts ſhould hence infer, that there are matters of ne- ; ceſiary Conlequer.ce in Religion, not contained in the Scriptures, is | without ground : Theſe they call Tradirions,fome whereofare concern- | inz Faith, others concerning Manners, others Ritual, with reſpett to , the Worſhip of God, or the external Polity of the Church. But who can aſſure us what theſe are ? What a Door is here opened to introduce what Men pleaſe into the Church, under pretence of Tradition ? Who are the Perſons the Apoſtle intruſted to keep theſe Traditions ? Why ſhould he not declare the whole Syſtem of Goſpel-truths he had re- ceived from Chriſt in writing, as well as part ? Why ſhould he conceal ſome things, when he wrote others ? And doth not the Apoſtle aſſure Timothy, that all Scripture is by inſpiration of God, and is profitable for 2Arine, for r wo. for correFion, for inſtrution, that the man of God may be perfet, throughly furniſh'd unto all good works, 2 Tim, 3,16, 17, Whir need then Traditions ? And how can we know that they are by | D: inc Inſpiration, as we are aſſured all Scripture is, Our Saviour re- prove the | hari/zes about their Traditions, when from hence they would obſerve and impoſe Ceremonies of waſhing Hands, Cups and Platte.s, Matt 5,2, yea,and by them make the Commandments of God of nun- «ff<Q, which the Apoftle cautions the Coloſſians about, 01.2.8, an.! whereof Paul declares his Zeal before his Converſion, G1, 1, 14. an! we find men's Zeal fti!} more about them than Moral Duties, and expreſs Inſtitutions of God's Worſhip, All the Apoſtles Dottrine, whether by Word vr Epiſtle, he calls by the Name of Tradition in the Text here, and he commends the Corinthians, 1 Cor, 11, 2, That they kept th? Traditions delivered ro them, But were not they all committed \ to WV riting in ſome place or other of his Epiſtles ? and which were, an4 which were not, who can be certain? And why ſhould Traditions be confined only to thoſe things which the Apoſtle did not write? He | exhorts the Theſjalomians to hold the Traditions which they had been taught,wherher by word or EpiſtI-, And if they hold them with ſtrength,
as the word is, by this means they would ſtand faſt.
16 Now 4 our Lord Jeſus Chriſt himſelf k, and God | even our Father 1, which hath loved us mm, and given us everlaſting conſolation #, and good hope o, through
Brace Þ.
7 The Apoſtle here addeth Prayer to his Exhortation, the Word and Prayer are to £0 together, whether it be written or preached ; as | he told the Diſciples, 4s 6. 4, We will give our ſelves:to the Word and | Prayer, He had planted them a Church, but he knew God gives the | Increaſe, 1 Cor. 3. 6. k The perſons he prays to are here, firſt, our
Lord Feſus Chriſt, which was a good Argument in Athanaſuus's time, for the Dignity of Chriſt againft the Arias, and fo it is ſtill, and now azainſt the Socinians: For God alone is the Ohjeat of Worſhip,and the Beftower of thoſe Gifts which he here prays for. Only the Apoſtle when he mentions Chriſt delights to mention him in his relation to his People, ſo he doth for the moſt part in all his Epiſtles, and ſo in this Text, He uſeth a Pronoun Poffeſhve,our,for it is relation and intereſt | which commendeth and ſweetneth any good to us. 7 And the other Perſon is God the Father, who is the ,Father of Lights, from whom cometh every good and perfe& Gift, Fames 1,17, and whom in his Prayer he mentions,together with Chrift ; becauſe no Acceſs can be to God, but through Chriſt ; and no good Gift deſcends to us, but | throuzh him. And fo God the Father is mentioned in his relation to his Peop's alſo, God even our Father ; and'when Chrift is ours, in him God is ours alſo. And the Apoſtle thus looking, and thus ſpeaking of Chriſt, and of God, ftrengthens his own, and their Faith, tor the ob- taining of the Gifrs he prays for. m Another Argument is from Go!'s Love 3 our Doubts in Prayer ariſe more from Unbelief in God's Will than his Power, which will vaniſh when we look upon him in his Love to us; for the nature of Love is vele bonum,to will good to whom we love, » Another is, from Gifts already received, which are firſt ever/aſting Conſolation, whereby it appears, that God's Love is commu- nicative, and that it is not common, but his ſpecial Love he ſpake of. Outward Comforts are common Gifts,but theſe the Apoſtle means not | here,b<caulc they are not everlaſting; they continue not beyond Death ;
IL THESSALONIANS Chan. 177,