The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Thessalonians — Section 119

~II C~ri8tiRn8 must te.ke their pa.rt in the great work of saving souls; a.II a.re rcspon- s1ble, m a greater or less degree, for the welfare of the souls the.t come within their influence. All true Christians must admonish when admonition is needed· all must comfort those who ste.nd in need of comfort. All must support the weak, e.nd a.II must practise patience towards all men, unbelievers as well e.s believers. For these duties are so me.ny different phases of Christian love, n11d Christian love is the highest of all grace■. The love of the brethren is the proof that we have passed from death unto life. Then the Christian who is living in that life which is hid with Christ in God must te.ke a deep e.nd holy interest in the souls a.round him. The nearer he liveij to God the better he will be able to admonish, to comfort, to support; the more willinu he will be t-0 le.hour in the cause of Christ. 2. They must teach tlWJ unlawfulness of retlffige. The heathen almost universally applauded it. To return evil for evil, they thought, was as commendable e.s to requite good with good. The Christian must learn of Christ, the blessed Master, to pray, "Father, forgive them." He must crush out of his heart all revengeful feelings; he must learn to love his enemies, to pray for those who use him despitefully. It is a hard lesson sometimes. We shall learn it if we are living by faith in the presence of the crosa. He died for the 'l.'hessalonians when they were enemies; tl,ey must learn of him to be kind to all men, even to the untbankful and to the evil. 3. Glwislian Joy. It is e. duty, not merely a privilege. A sullen, joyless &emper iruplies a wa11t of faith, the absence of hope and love. "The kingdom of God is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.." Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit. He dwelleth in the Christian heart, and his presence bringeth joy. There must be joy where God is; the joy of heaven lieth in this, "He th:i.t sitteth on the :hrone shall dwell among them." .And the joy of the faithful on earth is joy in the Lord, joy in his presence, in his love. Not to rejoice is want of trustfulness in him whose love should gladden the Christian heart. Barrow begins his great sermon on this text with the words, "0 good apostle, how acceptable rules dost thou prescribe I 0 gracious God, how gracious laws dost thou inspire 1" but" res severa verum gaudium." Many rejoice at times, in seasons of excitement; but to rejoice evermore, in sickness, and pain, and disappointments, and bereavement■-this is difficult indeed; this implies e. high degree of self-mastery, a living faith in God. We must lee.m to regard joy e.s our bounden duty, a duty which flows out of the great debt of love which we owe to God. Joy is the expression of our gratitude; it ought to be the free-will offering of a thankful heart. " Rejoice evermore" is the commandment of the Lord. He who commands gives also power to obey. He giveth to all men largely. He gives his Holy Spirit to all who ask in faith, and with the Spirit comes the gift of joy. 4. Peraever- ana in pray,:r. The whole of the Christian life should be consecrated to God-every action, word, tbouuht. This involves a constant reference of all the little details of our daily lives to the bwill of God. We should refer them all to him, as Hezekiah spread the letter of Sennacherib before the Lord. No emergency is so great as to keep the faithful Christian froill bis God, none of our little difficulties is so small as to make it needless or unseemly to consult the Lord in prayer. "Whauioever ye do in word or in deed, do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus." '!'bus the whole life must be sanctified by habitual communion with God, while in the stated hours of prayer the believer will coustantly entreat the Giver of all good with unceasing and ever more urgent impor- tunity for more abundant grace, for larger spiritual gifts, for strength from on high to offer daily e. more acceptable service. Thus prayer will be without ceasing. The heart prays when the lips are ,ilent. 5. T/1,(],nkfulnus. Thanksgiving must always accom, 1,any prayer. It springs out of faithful prayer; for faithful prayer brings us into the presence of God, and in tLat preHence we must give thanks. Thanksgiving, like prayer,·should be without ceasiug, in everything. We thank God for his unspeakable gift, the gift of Christ; we thank him for our access to him io prayer and praise aoc.l holy ucrament; we thank him for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings ol this life. We must learn to thank him, not only in our joys, but in our sorrows too We must thank him for his chastisements, for they are sent in love. "Hast thou lllffered any evil," ■ays CbryBOBtom ; "if thou wilt, it is no evil; give thanks to God. oa. •· 1-28.) 'l'HE FIRST EPISTLE TO TBB THE88ALONIAB8. 111