The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Thessalonians — Section 75

Churches. The Lord hath ordained, he said, that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. But he did not claim this right for himself. It was not pride that prompted his conduct; he accepted the gifts of the Philippians. But he knew the value of an example of self-rlenying and absolutely disinterested labour. 'l'he Gentile world had never seen such a life. It was a power in itself; it constrained the admiration and won the hearts of men; it forced them to admit the reality of a religion which sustained him in such unparalleled self-sacrifices. So he would not eat any man'■ breed for nought. For nought, he says in his humility; though he knew well that his converts in Thessalonica owed to him, like Philemon, even their own selves. He wrought with his own hands, and that night and day. It was hard, uninteresting, ill-paid labour. It required the close application of many hours to earn even the simple livelihood which contented him. But he worked on in patie11r,', knowing the power of example. m. HE INSISTS ON THE DUTY OF HONEST LABOUR. 1. He had done BO during his atay at Thessalonica. He had given his opinion in the words of a short, stern proverb, "If any will not work, neither let him eat." Labour is the ordinance of God; a punish- ment at first (Gen. iii 19), but it is turned into a blessing (Ps. cxxviii. 2) to those who accept it as the will of God, and use it as a discipline of obedience and self-denial. Work, in some form or other, is a necessity for us; without work, life soon becomes dreary, full of restlessness and dissatisfaction. To have nothing to do is far from enviable ; it is full of ennui and weariness. Time is a priceless talen-t, given us that we might work ont our own salvation; to waste it day after day, to "kill time," as the saying is, is a miserable misuse of the good gifts of God. We must all work, if we would be happy here, if we would be ready to meet the Lord when he cometh. Mental labour is the lot of some, manual labour of others. God has ordered our lot and appointed our work. Work of some sort we must have, None have a right to eat their bread without labour, neither the rich nor the poor. (1) If God has given us worldly means, still we have no right to eat the bread of hlleness. We must find work to do, the work which the Master bas set us. If we need not work for our- selves, we must work for others. There is work enough for all in the vineyard of the Lord; only in work can we find peace and satisfaction. Without work, we are eating the bread which we have not earned; without work, we must in the end be restless and unhappy; without work, bow can we bear to read those awful words, "Thou wicked and slothful servant''? (2) .And the apostle forbids indiscriminate almsgiving. When the Lord said, "Give to him that asketh thee," he did not mean to the idle and the worthless. Give freely, but give to the old, the sick, the helpless. It is a difficult thing to give rightly; it needs study, thought, prayer. We must not encourage idleness, but neither must we allow our heart to be hardened by the imposture which we meet so often. Be generous, full of sympathy to the afflicted, but let the idle be corrected by the stern discipline of hunger. To give to such is doubly wrong; it encourages the slothful in their sinful idleness, and it robs the really poor. 2. Be repea,tB his exhortatwn 'TIO'ID. There were busybodies at Thessalonica, who neglected their own business, and busied themselves with matters which did not concern them, or with curious questions which were beyond their reach. It is always so with the idle; the redtless thoughts must find occupation, and commonly find it in mischief. SL Paul exhorts them again. He does not sternly leave them to themselves; he longs for their spiritual welfare. He exhorts them, and that in the presence of the Lord Jesus Chrut, to work with quietness; not to let ox.cited feelings interfere with the quiet, well-ordered life of Christian duty ; but to eat their own bread, the bread earned by honest labour; not to live on the alms of others, when they might preserve a manly, Chri■ tian independence. IV. HE ASKS THE BRETIIB.EN TO BUPPOBT Hl8 EXBOBTATIONB. 1. 'l'hey must not be WtJMf ill well-doing. There is much to make Christians weary; their own helplessness and ,;iufulness; the disappointments, misunderstandings, ingratitude, which they meet with in their work. But they must ,persevere in the quiet walk of duty; they must do good, seeking no reward save that which comes from our Father who seeth in secret. W•riness i1 hard to bear; it will press heavily upon us at times. We must run with patience the race that is set before us, looking always unto Jesus. 2. They must carry £,ut his censUf'es. His Epistle was an authoritative document; it came from the Lord'R on, UL 1-18.] THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONlANS. 76