The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Thessalonians — Section 48

of an evil hflart and the burden of an evil world, of our being placed where there will be no more need of comfort-in the presence of the eternal Love. It is also a good hope, in its being well founrleJ-not founded on our own thoughts, but founded on ~he. charnct~r a~d work and promise of God. It is a. hope ,~hich ie even now good m 1te cheermg influence upon our hearts. (a) Obtained without deserving of oors. "Through grace." The comfort is not self-created ; we have had nothing to do with the procuring of it. But, seeing it has been graciously provided for ue by eternal Love, we have good reason for taking it in the whole benefit into our hearts. The hope is one which we could not have dared to cherish of ourselves. It is far beyond anything that we could have thought of. But we cannot limit the grace of God. If it is his good pleasure to give us this hope, we have good reason for cherishing it. 2. For what end God is invoked.. (1) To bless the Th,ssalonians with romfort. "Comfort your hearts." There is another incidental proof hero of the Divinity of our Lord in the use of a singular verb, while both our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father are the subject. 'l.'he hearts of the Thessalonians were full of hopes and feal'II in view of the coming which was thought to be imminent; comfort is, therefore, invoked for their hearts. It cannot but be congeniAI to God to comfort the Church. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warrare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she bath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins." Having provided the comfort in Christ, he must best know how, through Christ, to apply it to our need. (2) To bless them also with stability. "And stablish them." Comfort is invoked partly with a view to stability. When we are uncomforted we are unstable as water. Our energies are relaxed, and we are unfitted for our work. Sorrow is weakness, but comfort is strength. Double sphere in which stability is invoked/or them. (a) Work. "In every good work." It was not unnecessary that they should be reminded that they were called to work, even to work with their bands. God gra.nt them all the good elements which belong to work. Let the simplest work be done honestly. Let not their works " with self be soiled." Let them be done unto the glory of God. In these, and in all the elements of good work, let them be confirmed. (b) Word. "And word." Good speaking is even more difficult than good acting. "If any man offend not in wo~d, the same is a perfect man." God grant them all the good elements which belong to speaking. Let every word be characterized by truthfulness. Let it also have fitness; for "a won! fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." Let it also have wholesomeness, and not be like bad frnit. Let it breathe kindliness. Let it breathe loyalty to Christ. In these, and in all 1ne elements of good speaking, let them be confirmed.-R. F. Vel'll. 1, 2.-.4 great delusion. One object, perhaps the principal object, of this Second Epistle to the Tbcssalonians, following as it does so closely upon the First Epistle, is to correct a disturbing error that was obtaining some considerable footing among the Macedonian Christians. I. THE GBEAT DELUSION. The First Epistle contains repeated references to llD. expectation of the second advent of Christ which was evidently very strong in the Thessalonian Church. The wish is father to the thought. From expecting "the day of the Lord" to arrive at any moment, some bad beeb led, on most insufficient evidence, to ask whether it had not already come. The great delusion was that "the day of the Lord is now present." It is not likely that any supposed Christ to have come, though in an invisible way, and in a different manner from which it was expected, or that they thought be might have co::ne to another place, unseen 1rnd unknown to the Churches of northern Greece. What they were inclined to think seems to have been that the new era in which Christ was to appear h11d already dawned, though he himself had not yet come. Similar is the delusion of auy who suppose that the day of grace is over and the time of judgment come, or that of those who think they have got into a new dis- pensation beyond the dispt·nsation of the New Testament. II. THE souR0ll:8 01' THE llELUSlON. 1. Latter-day prophecy. The expression "either by spirit" seems to refer to the supposed inspiration of Christian prophets. St. Paul had previously warned his friends to prove all things, while not quenching the Spirit by despising prophesyings (1 Thess. v. 19-21). We must beware of self-  46 TUE SECOND EPISTLE 'l'O THE THESSALONIANS. [ea, 11. 1-17,