quires this of the-poor that are neceſſitated to live upon alms : And by eating their own bread the Apoſtle means, maintaining themſelves, and Families, for bread is taken in Scripture for all things that maintain the natural Life : And the Apoſtle here inſinuates a bleſſing upon ho- neſt labour, that thereby men ſhall have bread of their own: and doth aſſert property againſt that community which ſome have pleaded for, the civil right that men have to what they honeſtly get and poſſeſs, but hereby condemn Oppreſſours, Pirats, Robbers, Cheaters, Uſurpers, yea, and Tyrannical Princes, who maintain themſelves upon the ſpoil of others, and take their bread out of others mouths: And why not alſo ſuch as are not quiet and contented with their own portion, but either envy others, or murmur againft providence, 13 But ye, brethren 4, be not || weary in well-doing b. 4 The Apoftle now diretts his ſpeech to thoſe of the Church, that were not guilty of the diſorders before mentioned, to whom he ſpeaks in mild and familiar Language, as if the others deſerved not to be ſo called. b And that which he ſpeaks to them is, ot to be weary of well doing. The Greek word is often uſed about ſufferings, as 2 Cor, 4. 1. Eph. 3. 13. and then uſually Tranſlated fatnring, and which ſeems to be its moſt proper uſe;to ſhrink or faint as cowards in War, Mi £xrg.- xiours Ne ſepneſcite, definite, defatigamini, it ſignifies a receding, or fainting, or tiring in our duty, becauſe of the evil that attends it, ſome=- times it's uſed of prayer, Luke 18, 1, and ſometimes generally of all Auties of Religion, which are generally call'd well-doing, Gal. 6. g, and ſignifies either a ſloathfulneſs in them, or wearineſs of them ; as thoſe whom the Prophets complain of, Amos8. 5. H141. 1. 13. the Apoſtle uſeth the ſame word in this ſence, Gal. 6. 9g, Be not weary of well-doing ; and in the Text, thoſe that did walk orderly, he exhorts them to hold on their courſe, cither more peculiarly to the works of Charity, which are called well-doing, Phil. 4. 14. Though thoſethat workt not did not deſerve them, or enjoy them, yet this ſhould not diſcourage them from praftifing them towards others 3 or the word may extend more generally to ail good works, we ſhould perſevere in them without faint- ing or wearineſs, notwithſtanding the evils that may threaten us there-
II. THESSALO NIANS.
ſeemeth needleſs, And he ſpeaks here of ſome greater contun acy th before, when his word in this ſecond Epiſtle is not obeved, We = ſuppoſe the Apoſtle may mean not only a withdrawing from fzmi1;a > with him, but expoſing his name to ſome publick notice in the Churet! that both his crime and his name ſhould be publikly noticed, Asthe ra poſtle ſpeaks of Zymeneus and Alexander, and Philetus, by name in bis Epiſtles that were made publick, EypeisSn, Note him by a ſign, 5 the word ſignifies, which cannot well be done by a meer withdrawing A F ſeeing heTpeaks here of one that is not only diſorderly, but obflinate ſome further and more ſignal att of Diſcipline is to be inflied on him, And what word the Apoſtle refers to in this Epiſtle as not obeyed ” not expreſt, neither need we limit it, but may be meant of all-hjs Ca mandments herein,to which obedience was required. And the word : writtenzis the word of God, and is to be obeyed as well as that Which © preached, I know there is another reading of the Text,!f any may thy not our word, note that man by an Epiſtle, and ſo it is in our Margins 4 this is not probable ; by an Epiſtle ? to whom ? To the Apcftle himſelf ? And for what ? to know how to proceed towards ſuch an one ? What need that,when he here gives direction about it to them ? which follow e Or, be not mingled with him, which refers either to his crime 2 the Greek word 1s ſo applyed, Eph. 5. 11. or to his perſon alſo, 0 the word is uſed, 1 Cor. 5.9. And yet ſome think the Apoſtle here forbias only Civil Communion,not Sacred, becauſe the word in the Text js 2M nerally ſo uſed,and fo render'd by Expoſitors,but Sacred Communian i; expreft in the new Teſtament by another word, x Foh. 1,3, Arq is meant of Sacred, it is then caſting him out of the Church, 'which i; x delivering him up to Satan, Vid, Eſtias in loc, And that ſeems no to agree with what follows, Admoniſh bim as a Brother : and ſo not to he accounted as an Heathen or a Publican, Matth.,18.1 7. And we knoy 24. monition goes before cafting out.” But to be thruſt out of the com Mar of the people of God in all Civil Friendly Society is a great puniſhmer: and affliftion. And ſome think that the noreing of him was to be done by the Governours of the Church, and the renouncing his company by all the people, let the reader judge. f The end of both is hee expreh, This is not added before as a reaſon of withdrawing, and therefore ſyme think the Apoſtle required that only, to avoid the infe&ion of fin hy f4. miliar ſociety; but this further proceeding hcre mentioned is to mate the man aſhamed that is obſtinate in diſobedience, but we need not limit it. 41d thx making him aſhamed is not to be out of hatred to his per- ſon, but for his good, as all Church cenſures ought to be fo intendedygo bring him to that ſhame that may be the firſt ſtep to true Repentance, There is a ſhamefulness in ſin z and when ſinners repent, they ſeeit, and are aſhamed, Iſa. 1. 29, Ezek. 16. 61. Rom. 6. 21. And God con- plains of finners when not aſhamed, Fer, 3, 3. Shame is a natural af. tection in men,and is not in the nature of Beaſts neither was it in man before the fall; and though in it ſelf it is no vertue, being the pro- per effett of fin,yet it is of uſe to reſtrain much open Wiickednefs, and to keepdecorum in mens outward aftions : And God makes uſe of it al. ſo in leading men to trne repentance. To ſhame men out of envy or hatred is ſinful, and againft the Law of Charity z but to do it tobring them to Repentance, is better than by flattery or familiar Society to harden them in ſin,
15 Yet cont him not as an enemy g, but admoniſh him as a brother h.