The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Thessalonians — Section 106

hope of Hlvation," why we may with <'On• oiate, and llsteem. Them whioh labour fidenc(' put on snch a hope as B helmet. amoD.IJ you. It was Pr1Ul's cust<,m to or- God hatb not appointed ua to wrath, but to ganize the Churches which he had fo111,ded, obtain-or. lo the acq11i,it,'on ~f-alvation by and to Appoint presbyters among them. -or. through-our Lord .Jeana Christ. Not Although the Ohuroh of Thessalonica had through the doctrine of Christ, nor e\'en been so recently founded, yet it he.d its through faith in Chri•t. but through the presbyters. And are over you. The pres- Lord Jesus Christ himeelf, through wl,11t he byters, in virtue of their office, presided over hBB done for us, and especi111ly through his the Christian assemhlies. In the Lord; the at<'ning death. The appointrnPut of God's sphere in wl,ich they were set over the grace is here m~ntioned as the efficient Church; they were ordained to minister in MU•e of our seh-etion; e.nd the Lord Jesus se.cred things. And admonish you. There Christ. as the Media.tor through whom a.re not three classes or orders of office- sel ration is bestowed. bearers here mentioned-those who laboured Ver. 10.-Who died. His death being the among them, those who presided over them, meritorious cause of our so.I vation. For us ; and those who admonished them (Mo.o- that is here, not "instead of us," but "for knight); but all these duties belonged to our benefit.," or "on our e.coount." That, one closs, namely, the presbyters. whet.her we wa.ke or sleep. Here not to be Ver. 13.-And to esteem them very highly ta.ken in an ethice.l sense-whether we are in love for their work's sake ; the.t is, both spiritue.lly awake or a.sleep, for those who on account of their labours, e.nd especia.lly are spiritually a.sleep will be surprised by on account of the dignity of their office, for the coming of the Lord; nor in e. natural their work is the work of the Lord. Both sense-whether he come in the night and love for their persons e.nd respect for their find us ta.king our natural sleep, or in the authority are here enjoined. And; to be de.y, when we a.re awa.ke-which would be a omitted, as not in the origina.l. :Be at peaoe mere trifling observation; but in e. meta- among yoUl'llelves. A new exhortation, en- phorical sense-whether we are alive or tirely independ~nt of the preceding; it is dee.d. The apostle has just been speaking not addressed to the presbyters, but to the of thQBe who a.re dee.d under the designa- members of the Church in general. tion of those "who are a.sleep " ( eh. iv. 13), Ver. H.-Now we exhort you, brethren; and therefore it is natural to interpret the an exhortation also addressed to a.It Warn clause, "whether we wake or sleep," of the them that are =n':-; or, e.s in the margin, condition of believers at the cowing of the du.orderly (R.V.). Different modes of Lord. There is here certninly e. cl,ange of treatment have to be adapted to different; metaphor: "slee~" in ,·er. 6 denotes religious classes ; the unruly have to be warned. <'arelessness ; in ver. 7, natural sleep ; and The word here rendered " unruly" or "dis- here, death. We shall live together-or, in orderly" we.a originally a military term one company-with hlm. The apostle is still expressing the character of those soldiers continuing his consr-latory address to tl,ose who would not keep their ranks-out or the who were mourning over their deceased ranks. It would seem from this e.nd other friends; and he tells them that e.t the intimations that disorders existed among advent there will be no di1ference between the Thesse.\onie.ns ; e.nd that, especially those wl.Jo are then alive and tho~e who being impressed by a belief in the near sleep-both will live together with the Lord approach of the advent, severe.I of them ·(comp. Rom. xiv. 8, 9). neglected the common duties of life, and Ver. 11.-Wherefore; because, whether abstained from working. Comfort the feeble- alin or dead, you will equally share in the minded. By" the feeble-minded" are meant blessings of the advent. Comfort yolll'Belves the desponding or faint-hearted; those who together. The words refer back to the last were agitated about the fate of their deceased verse of the preceding chapter (eh. iv. 18), friends, or those who despaired of the grace and with them the apostle concludes his of God by reason of their sins. These were consolatory address to those who were not to be reprimanded, but comforted e.nd mourning ov~r the loss of their friends. exhorted. B12pport the weak. By "the And edify one another ; or, buil.d up. It weak •• are not meant those who a.re phy- we.s e. favourite figure of the apostle to sic-ally w•-the sick; but those who are compare the Christian Churolt and each 1l'piritually weak, whose faith we.a feeble- individual believer to a building. those who were afraid of persecution, or were Ver. 12.-With this verse comr1a,~s a troubled with vaia scruples. These were to new paragraph. The apostle adds in oon- be supported-confirmed in the fnith. :Be cl uaion a few brief and eomewl,a.t miscel- patient toward all men ; a.II men in general, Janeons exhortations. And we beseech you, whether believers 01 unbelievers; tow11rd brethren; an expression of eame11tness and them pu.tien04, and forbeu.rr,nce were la l,p affection. To know; &bat is, io value, appre- exerciBed. en. v. 1-28.J 'l'HE l•'IRS'f EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIAN& .106 --·--- --- ---------------------~ Ver. 1/i.-9ee that none render e"fil for tht form of cloven tongues like e.e of ffre ovil unto any. The prohibition of revenge (A, ts ii. 3). By the i':pirit here is um111Jy is peculil\rly Uhrielinn, neither corresponding unrlP.rstood the minw11lo11s gifts of the to t.he edirit of heathenism, nor yet cl,-urly Spir',t-spea.king with ton:(nee or propbesy- revenle in Judaism. A precisely eimilnr ings; and it is supposed tlie.t the apostle µrohibition ie given in Rom. xii. 17, "Re- here forbid ➔ the exercise of these gift• compense to no mnn evil for evil." But ever being hindered or checked. In the nex 1 follow j pursue after. That whioh is good; ver•e tl,e gift of prophesying is mentioned. the good, the beneficial. Both among your- But there i.• no rea.eon to exdu<le tl,e ordi- selves; your fellow-Christiane. And to all nary and still more vahml,le gifts of the men. The humnn re.ce in general; the one Spirit, sucl, ae pure tlioughls, holy action•, being brotherly kindness and the other devout affections, which may be effectually charity (2 Pet. i. 7). q,wnched by a careless or immoral life. Ver. 16.-Bejoioe evermore; or, rejoice "Quench not the Spirit." Do not those always (R.V.). Joy is that feeling of delight things which are opposed to his influence•. which arises from the possession of present Be on your guard against sin, as opposed to good, or from the anticipation of future the work of the Spirit in the soul. In this happiness; and in both respects the believer sense the admonition is similar to that given bas abundant reason for constant joy. He by Paul in bis Epistle to the Ephesians : possesses the blessedness of forgiveness and " Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God"' (Eph. the sure prospect of eternal life, and he has iv. 30). the oooaeiousness that all things work to- Ver. 20.-Despise not prophesyinga. This gether for good to them that love God (Rom. refers to the mire.culons gift of prophecy viii, 28). God wishes his people to be possessed by the primitive Church. And hRppy, and does not suffer them to be indif- by prophesyings here we are to understand, fereut to their own peace. He oomm1mds not the prediction of the future, but in- ll,em to rejoice, yee., to rejoice evermore. spired discourse, conducive to the instruc- " Rejoice in the Lord always, and ngain I tion and edification of the Church. "By the say, Rejoice" (Phil. iv. 4). term ' prophesying,' " observes Calvin, " I Ver. 17.-Pre.y without oee.sing. The do not understand the gift of foretelling the means of promoting religious joy is prayer. future, but the science of interpreting Scrip- 'fhis prayer is to be "without ceasing," im- ture, so that a prophet is e.n interpreter of plying oonste.ncy (Col. iv. 2) and persever- the will of God." This useful gift, it would ance (Rom. xii. 12; Eph. vi. 18; Luke xviii. seem, was apt to be despised, and the infe- I). This is not a mere precept "capable of rior miraculous gift of tongues to be preferred fulfilment in idea, rather than in fact" before it (1 Cor. xiv. 1-3). (Jowett); but it is a.n exhortation to li~e in Ver. 21.-Prove all things. This exhu- a. devotional frame of mind. It i, . •· tation is clo1!0ly connected with the preced- eible to be always on our bended knees;but ing. "Prove e.11 things,'' namely, whatever we may be in the spirit of pre.yer when wa.s advanced by the prophets in their in- engaged in the duties of our earthly calling. spired discourses (comp. 1 John iv. l, Prayer ma.y be without ceBBing in the heart "Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits which is full of the presence of God, o.nd whether they are of God "). " Prove " here evermore communing with him. means to test, a.s metals are tested in the tire ; Ver. 18.-In everything give thank1. In and hence the word frequently denotes the every circumstance-in joy and in sorrow; for favourable result of the testing, or approval. everything-for prosperity and for adversity; There was a special gift of discerning in every place-in the house of God and spirits in the primitive Church (1 Cor. xii. 10; on the bed of sickness; Chri~tians should xiv. 2!"1). But although tlie words primarily not only be enge.ged in constant prayer, but refer to the testing of prophetio utteranc.,,,, in constant thanksgiving; indeed, thei.J: yet they have a general application. We prayers should partake largely of the nature should not rest our faith on the authority of thanksgiving. For this; this thankful of others. The right of private judgment spirit. Is the will of God; hie ,lesirn. In is the characteristio 11,nd privilege of Pru- Christ J'es118; the sphere in which this will testan tism. We ought thoroughly to ex- uf God is displayed. Concerning you. God amine all doctrines by the test of Scripture, by the gift of hie Son has lnid us uuder the and then, discerning their reo.sons, we shall obligation of perpetu11.l thanksgiving. Our be able to take a firrutlr hold of them. At whole lives ought to be one continued thank- the same time, the fundamental principle of ofi'ering for all the blessings of redemption. rationalism, that reason as such is the judge Ver. 19.-Quenoh not the Spirit. The of the doctrines of revelation, is not coo Spirit is hMe considered as a flume which tained in these words, and oonnot be infem,o may be extinguished (Matt. iii. 11). The from them. Rold fast ; retain. That whiob desoent of the Spirit at Pentecost was in is good ; the good, the beautifnl. the hu110UJ'  106 THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE TIIESSALONIANS. [oe. v. 1-28.