The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Thessalonians — Section 93

prescribeth, In work e.nd in truth; not only in mente.l desire, but in effectual perform· ance; not only in verbe.l pretence, but in real effect." 3. Ita increase. "But we exhort you, brethren, that ye a.bound more e.nd more." What Paul had prayed for (eh. iii. 12) is now made subject of affectionate exhortation. The watchword formerly applied to the whole of a Gorl-plee.sing course is now Rpecially applied to brotherly love. Let them abound more and more. Let them seek opportunities of manifesting their interest in Christ's people beyond Macedonia. And Jet them look to the purifying and intensifying of their love to the brethren. And, with a. longer Christian history than they had, he.ve we not need of the same watchword? If we have a.bounded, let us a.bound more and more. Let us embrace, in intelligent pre.ctica.l interest, a wider and wider ex:tent of the Christian world. The great obstacle to Jove is selfishness, or exor- bitant fondness for our own interests, for which we have e.ll reason to humble ounelves before God. When she.ll we be taught to abandon this? When shall we be taught e.s in the great school of Christ, by the great lesson of the cross, to give love the unlimit.ed sway of our being, so that we shall ungrudgingly delight in our Christian brethren, seek their advancement in Christian excellence, e.nd help them in all ways that we can? IJ. AOOOUNTING BY THEM THAT ARE WITHOUT THE CHRISTIAN CIBOLE. L ~ and doing <Y1llr own business. "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business." " Be ambitious" is the marginal reading for " study," and the idea of honour which is in the Greek word is to be regarded as thrown into prominence by the association. "Be ambitious to be quiet.'' This is a. paradox; for whereas restlessness belongs to ambition, we are to make it the object of our ambition to be quiet. "Political ambition," says Bengel, "blushes to be quiet;" and, it may be added, Christian ambition rejoices to be quiet. What is it that is here commanded to us ? It is not II mere ne~ation. To be quiet is not necessarily to be without strong force in our nature; but it is to have those forces so placed under Divine restraint.a, BO mode- rated by reason, justice and charity, modesty and sobriety, as that we can do our own business, can con fine ourselves to the sphere of our own proper duties. We may indeed interpose, when the honour and interest of God is much concerned, when the public weal and safety are much endangered. We may interpose for the succour of right against palpable wrong, for our own just and necessary defence. We may interpose when our neighbour is plainly going to ruin, "snatching him: as Jude says, "out of the fire." We may also interpose when we can do our neighbour considerable good. For all that is really doing our own business. But we are not to be impelled by ambition, or covetous desire, or self-conceit, or any other disturbing influence, beyond our own proper bounds. We are not to attempt, unasked, to manage for another, to overbear his will, to impose on him our opinions, to make free in conversation with his character, to pry into his affairs. We are not to thrust upon him our advice, to reprove him unbecomingly, or rashly, or unreasonably, or harshly. We are not to interpose in the contentions of others so as to make.ourselves parties, or 80 a8 to raise or foment dissensions. For all that, against what is here commended, is turbulent mediiling with what God has not ma.de our business. "We may consider," says Barrow, "that every man bath business of his own sufficient to employ him; to exercise his mind, to exhaust his care and pains, to take up all his time and leisure. To study bis own near concernments, to provide for the necessities and conveniences of bis life, to look to the interests of his soul, to be diligent in his calling, to discharge carefully e.nd faithfully all his duties relating to God and man, will e.bun- dantly employ e. man; well it is if some of them do not encumber and distract him. Seeing, then, every man bath burden enough on bis shoulders, imposed by God and nature, it is vain to take on him more load, by engflging himself in the affairs of others; he will taence be forced, either to shake off his own business, or to become overburdened and oppressed with more than he can bear. It is indeed hence observable, and it needs must he.ppen, that those who meddle with the business of others are \'"ont to neglect their own; they that are muoh abroad can seldom be at home ; they that know others most are least acquainted with themselves. Philosophers therefore generally have advised men to shun needless occupations a.s the certain impediments of a good and happy life; they bid us endeavour to simplify ourselves, or to get into a oondition requiring of us the least that can be to do.'' 2. Working with our own handa. "And to work with your hands, even as we charged you." 'l'his is to be regarded u a pau1i• cular ini unction under the foregoing. In the Second Epistle the lan,,auage la, "that they  ll2 THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS. [<B. 1v. 1-18,