Ver. 13.-Sanctijication. 1. Its nature. It denotes separation and consecration. It consists in the mortification of sin and the production of holiness. 2. Its properties. Universal, adapted to our peculiar characters, discernible, progressive, in this life always imperfect, constant, and eternal. 3. lts Author. The Holy Spirit the immediate Anthor; it is his peculiar office to produce holiness in the soul. He not only purifies our affections, but takes up his abode in our hearts. 4. lts instrument. The belief.of the truth. The instrument with which the Spirit works is the Word of God. We must not disjoin these two; the agency of the Spirit and the instrumentality of the Word arc both equally essential and equally important. Ver. 15.-Retention of Scripture. Whilst we reject the false and wrong, we mus hold fast to the true and right. This is an age of testing. 1. We must examine the evidences of the Word of God. 2. We must endeavour to find out its meaning b,· careful study, and by prayer for the guidance and teaching of God's Spirit. 3. \\" e must bring all doctrines and opinions to the test of Scripture, and draw our belief fro111 the Word of God. and not from the opinions and traditions of men. 4. We must ever walk up to the light which we have. The Spirit is promised to guide us into all truth, and if we depend upon him and follow bis guidance, we shall not he 11utrered to go astray
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vere. I. 2.-.A misapprehension respecting the time of the second advent. The apostle's main design in this Epistle is to correct a most disquieting error that had arisen upon this point. I. TaE PANIC IN TRE TaESSALONIAN Cauaca. 1. II was concerning the date of the second coming of Ch,·uit. "Touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gnthering togi,tber unto him" The facts of this august event had been prophetically described in the First Epistle_ (1) It was the personal coming of Christ in "the day of the Lord" to judge the quick and the dead. (2) It was an event involving their "gathering together unto him" to meet the Lord in the air: a happy meeting, n marvellously glorious sight. 2: The misapprehension caused a eorl of panic. "That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled "-like a ship tessed upon a stormy sea It was this deep agitation of mind, this consternation and surpri~e, which led to the unsettled spirit that manifested itself in the Thessalonian Church. Errors in the region of dispensat.ional truth often have this tendency. 3. The panic waB due to one or other of three sourcu. "Neither by spirit, 1101 by word, nor by letter as from us." on. 11. 1-17,] fHE SECOND El'lSTLI<.: TO THE THESSALONIANS. 29
(1) It may have had its ori,.:in in some pretended revelation or spirilua\ utterance in the Tbessaloni,rn Church. Our Lord had predicted false alarms of this sort. "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe him not" (Matt. xxiv. 23). (:!) Or it may have come "through word," that is, word of mouth, sup- posed to be spoken by the apostle during bis visit to Thessalonica. (3) Or "throngb letter o.s from ue," apparently forged letters such u had already become rife in the early Church. II. THE OBOOND Oll' THE PANIO. " As that the day of the Lord is now present." This is the correct translation ; not "it is at hand." 1. It could inspire no terror for the Thessalonian• to know that the day was at hand, for this had always been the apostle's teaching, as well as that of all Scripture (Matt. xxiv.; Rom. xiii. 12; Phil. iv. 5; Heb. x. 25, 37; Jae. v. 8; 1 Pet. iv. 7), They had been already familiar with the doctrine, which ought rather to have filled their hearts with transcendent gladness. 2. Their disqui, tude and distress arose from the belief th,;zt the Lord had already come without their sha1·ing in the glory of his kingdom. Their relatives were still lying in their graves without any sign of resurrection, and they themselves saw no sign of that transformation of body in themselves that was to be the prelude to their meeting the Lord in the air. The apostle tells them distinctly that the day has not come, and that the signs of its approach boo not yet been exhibited.-T. C.