The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Thessalonians — Section 8

our Father. These wor<la ere to be conjoined Ver. 6.-Now follows the second rce.sn11 with "remembering:" " remembering un- assigned by Paul for hie confidence in their ceasingly before God an<l our Father your election. And ye became followers (or, imi- work of fnilh," eto. Af)('nr<l ing to the lalma) of us, and of the Lord ; of Chri•t. English l<liom, the conjunction "and" ia By becoming imitatora of the apostle, they dr,>pped-" God our Father." became imitators of Christ. "Be ye fol- Yer. 4.-Xnowing; that ia, not the Thea- lowers of me," writes St. Paul to the Corin- saloniana themselves, but we, Paul an<l Sil- thians, "even aa I a.lso nm of Christ" ( I vanua and Timotheua; knowing, being well Cor. xi. I). The point of imitation did not assured of. Brethren beloved, your eleotion consist in their eordial reception of the gos- of God; or rather, aa it ia in the margin pel, for that could not apply to Christ; but in and in the R.V., Kncrwing bretAren, be- their joyful endurance of suffering. Having loved of God, your election. By election received the word in much affliction. We ia meant that act of free grace by which learn from the Acts that the unbelieving Jews God destines individuals to become believers stirred np the heathen rabble, and raised a in Christ. Thus the Thessalonian converts persecution age.inst Paul and his associates, were chosen or eleoted by God from among in consequence of which they had to depart their heathen countrymen to become Chris- from Theesalonira (Acts xvii. 4-10). It tians. The ultimate reason of their Chris- would a.ppea.r that, after the apostle ha.d left tianity was their election of God. the city, the persecution, fe.r from a.bating, Ver. 5.-l!'or; or rather, how that (R.V.); rather increased, and the Gentile inhabit- or, be.oauae ; assigning the reasons for Paul's ants united with the unbelieving Jews confidence in their election; and these rea- age.inst the Christians; the Tl,essalonie.n sons were two: first, the powerful entrance converts suffered from their own country- which the gospel ha.d among them ; and men a.s well e.s from the Jews (eh. ii. 14). 8800lldly, the joyful reception whioh was With joy of the Roly Ghost ; that is. not given to it by the 'fhessa.lonia.ns. Our gospel ; merely spiritual joy, or joy in the Holy that is, the gospel whioh was preached by Ghost, but joy which proceeds from the us. Came not unto you in word only. The Holy Ghost-joy which is produced by him, gospel came in word, fo, this was o nece88Bry of which he is tile Author. pre-requisite, but "not in wo,d only," that Ver. 7.-So that ye were ensamplea. The is, it was not a be.re publica.tion or commu- word here rendered "ensamples •• liter,illy nication in human words. lint in power. signifies "types.'' It is nsed to denote a Some restriot the epithets which here follow form or figure (Acts vii. 43), e. model or to the teachers, a.a denoting the mode in likeness (Acts vii. 44), a mark or impression whioh they preached the gospel; but it is (John xx. 25). Hence, in a metaphorical better to refer them both to the teachers sense, it came to signify an e::i:a.mple, a and the taught. By "power" is not meant pattern for imitation. •• Now these things mire.oles, but, in contrast to " word," the are our examples" (1 Car. x. 6). To all power with which Paul and his companions that believe-to all believers-in Macedonia preaohed, and the impression which the and Achaia. These are the two provinces gospel me.de on the hearers. And in the into which ancient Greece was divided by Holy Ghost. Here also the reference is, not the Romans, ea.eh of which was governed by to miraculous gifts, but to the influences of a proconsul. Macedonia WllS the northern the Spirit accompanying the preaching of portion, including Macedonia. proper, Epirus the gospel ; such was the effica.oy of Paul's and Illyricum; at first it was divided into preaching that it proved itself to be e.ccom- four districts, but afterwards united into pe.nied by the operation of the Holy Ghost one province, of whicb Thessalonica WBS in the oonversion of his hearers. There is constituted the co.pita.I. Achaia. was th!'! here an ascent: the gospel ea.me in power, southern portion of ancieut Greece, includ- and, what is more, it co.me in the Holy ing the Peloponnesus, Attica., Breotia., eic., Ghost. And in muoh assuranoe. By "as- and, until recently, was nearly of the same surance" here is meaut the confidence with dimensions with the moderu ki11gdom of whioh Paul a.nd his fellow-workers preached Greece; its capital was Coriuth. the gospel to the ThessRlonians, and the Ver. 8.-For; or, beca~ the pn .of of this fulness of <'.Onviction with which the Thes- praise conferred on the Thessa.loniai,s. From se.lonians received it. As ye know. An you sounded out. Resou11tled like the sou 11d appeal to their knowledge that what he now of o trumpet. Comp. Rom. ::i:. IS, "Their statea is true. What manner of men we sound went into all the eurth, und th,·ir were among you. Alluding to the blame- words unto the end of tlie world." The lessness of their behaviour when in 'l'bessa.- word of the Lord. 'fhis does not intimate lonioa. l'or your sake ; namely, that we that the Thessalonians by their missionary sough* not our own profit 01· advantage, but your spiritual good. l activity disseminated tlie gospel, but that from them 1~117 the gospel bad spread.  I 'l'HE FIRST EI'ISTLE 'l'O THE 'l'HESSALONIANS. [oB, L 1-10.