The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Thessalonians — Section 46

f!f <Jed." .. It was requisite," it hu been 1111,id of the Athenie.n priesthoods, "the.t &II prie11ts should be of legitimate birth, wit.hout bodily defect, and of unbla.m&ble life and conversation. 'l'hese particulllrs were ascert&ined by e. dokime.sia." It cannot be said of all who are in the office of the ministry that they he.ve received the Divine approve.I. There must be a certain 1Lptitude in natural gifts for preaching the gospel. There must especially be e.ptitude in the moral ste.te of the pree.cher. God he.s seen fit, by saved men, to save men. He employs, in the preaching of the goHpel, those who he.ve sympe.thy with the gospel. In this light Pe.ul e.nd Sile.s and 'l'imothy were no pre- tenden;, but had received the Divine ste.mp-h&d been pronounced fit, from their gifts e.nd experiences, to be employed in the se.ving of souls. (3) The spirit in which they .fe.lfillm- their truat. Danger they avouud. This was man-pleasing. There is a certain pleasing of men which is not to be avoided. by the pree.cher of the gospel. He is to seek to interest men by all legitime.te methods. But this plea.sing cannot be exalted into a law universal. We are not to please men as though we were responsible to them. We are not to please men as though we had to consult their false ta.stes, their ne.tural dislike to the gospel. On the contrary, ·s.11 man-pleasing is to be repudie.ted where it interferes with the main design of the gospel, which is to effect a change upon the heart. Excel'lence they cultivated. This was God-p"teasing. This is a sa.fo rule to follow in every case. For he is infinit.e excellence, and he who seeks to please him follows no low or variable ste.ndard. It is the fit thing to do in the position in which we are ple.ced. He has entrusted us preachers with the gospel ; it is therefore &imply our duty to please him who has given us so solemn a trust. If we have been approved of God to be entrusted with the gospel, that is so far well. But there is a.u approval the.t we ha.veto look forward to at the end of our labours. And ehs.11 it then be seen that we ha.ve stood the test? Shall we then receive the word of e.pproval, "Well done, good and faithful servant"? Paul and Silas and Timothy cle.imed that, in accordance with the fact of their having been approved, they spake pleasing God. And this is heightened. by the consideration tha.t God is regarded. as proving their hearts. They preached as under the eye of the heart-trying God. They preached as if asking God to remove from their bee.rte all that unfitted them for dealing· with the gospel. They prached with some consciousness in the depth of their being that their single aim was to find accept.ance for the good message. Ill. THEIR HAllIT TOWAII.D THB TBEseALoNUNL 1. Denial ef ,elfishneBB. (1) In tMfurm of flattery. "For neither at any time were we found using words of flattery, as ye know." In proof of what was their geners.l ha.bit, an appeal is made to what their he.bit was particularly toward the Thesse.lonians. At no time were they found using speech whose contents were flattery. Having denied generally the method" of deceit, they now deny, toward the Thesss.lonians, the method of flattery. It is a method commonly resorted to by deceivers. It may seem removed from selfishness, inasmuch as it is a way of pleasing ruen. In that respect it is not so odious as a habit of detrac- tion. But the flatterer is essentially selfish. He professes affection he does not feel ; be bestowh praises beyond what he considers to be deserved. He thus goes age.inst the pen;on he seeks to flatter, who has a right to ha.ve presented to him what a man really is, and not wha.t he e.ssumes to be-a true face, and not a maek. And he further goes against him, inasmuch e.s he would have him think of himself II.I! different from whe.t lie really is. Paul and his companions were not slow to let the real affection of their bee.rt be known, and to bestow praises where they were deBerved. But they disclaimed flattery, appealing, in support of their truthfulness in doing so, to the experience of the Thee.se.lonians. (2) In the form of covetousnesR. "Nor a cloa.k of covetousness, God is witness." The idea of deceit is carried forward in the word "cloak." It is something worn under which, or, to keep nearer to the Greek word, " woven before" ("pretext"), behind which the r~I design is concealed. Covetousness is doubly degrading in connec- tion with sacred service. It is le.id down as one of the qua.lifica.tions of a minister tha.t be i.B not to be greedy of filthy lucre. Paal and his compa.nions did not use grea.t pro- fellllion of godliness, or of affection and esteem for the Thessalonie.ns, as a pretext for getting their money. They were conscious to their own minds of purity in this matter, and, feeling the vast importance of being thorouj!:hly cleared from such an imputation, they solemnly call God to witness that tbey were stating the truth. Thie form of confirmation-" God i~ witness "-approach •n~ to the oath, is only to be nsed in a matter  ce. 11. 1-Z0.] THE FlitST EPI::,TLE TO 'l'HE THESSALONIANS. fa