The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Thessalonians — Section 78

mentioned. 1. The central disposition. • Into the love of God." Our hearts are rightly directed, when they 11re directed in love toward him who is the Centre of our being. As being should tend toward its source, so should we tend toward God. As it is natnral for II child to love his parents, BO surely it is natural for us to love him by wbom we have been made, and for whom we have been made. It was the object of the Lord, in bis persona.I ministry on earth, to hold up before men the immeasurable goodn, ss of God. So it is bis object in our hearts, by his Spirit, to bold up Divine exceilence, so that we may be powerfully attracted toward God. And in this love, as it is reai nnd active, is there motive power for the keeping of the commandments ci God h11nded t.o us by inspired men. The Lord, then, give us this love for ourselves and our friends. May God be so presented to us that all misdirection of our hearts shall be powerfully overcome. 2. The special disposition in their situation. "And into the patience of Christ." By the patience of Christ we o.ro to understand the patience exhibited by Christ which is held up before us as our ide.al. "For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself." In the midst, then, of unreason- able and evil men-not more unreasonable and evil than those which assailed Christ- let them in the same spirit en<lure.-R. F. Vers. 6-15.-Duty of withdrawing from a diaorderly lrrother, I. DUTY STATED. "Now we command you, brethren, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketb disorderly, and not after the tradition which they received of us." The commandment, bei11g in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, was as authoritative as though it bad been given directly by him who has the absolute right to command in the Church. It was a commandment relating to a brother walking disorderly, and not after the received tradition. It is implied that a definite order bad been appointed by the Lord for the conduct of members of the Church. This order, har,,nd to the preachers, had been handed by them to the Tbessalonians. But bow was a brother to be dealt with who did not obse"e this order? Our Lord bad laid down the rule with regard to one who offended directly against a brother. "And if thy brother sin against thee, go, show him bis fault betwe,;n thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established. And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the Church: and if he refuse to hear the Church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican." Wha.t we have here differs from that in being the case of one who by his conduct offended against the general order and reputation of the Church to which he belonged. In 1 Cor. v. there is the ordaining of discipline in a case of very great scandal in the Corinthian Church. "For I verily, being absent in body, but present in spirit, have already, as th.ingh I were present, judged him that bath so wrought this thing, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ... to deliver such a one unto Sat.an for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." The disorderliness in the Thessalonian Church was not of the gravest nature. Nor was it disorderliness with the greatest amount of deliberation; but was rather the conse- quence of a false impresion with regard to the coming. Nor was it the most confirmed disorderliness, being after clear enunciation of duty as shown in 1 Thess. iv. 11, 12, and, we may suppose, after warning as directed in 1 Thess. v, 14; but disorderliness to which discipline had not yet been applied. There is allowed, then, to the disorderly person the µosition of brother, and apparently the right to sit down at the Lord's table. But the right-minded members of the Thessalonian community are directed to with- draw from him. Let him, in the way of discipline, be shunned in private intercourse, Let him be m~de clearly to understand that no countenance is given to him in his disorderly course. II. DUTY l!:Nll'OROED BY THE EXAMPLE OF ·rHE PREAOHEBS. .. For yourselves know how ye ought to imitate us: for we behaved nrt ourselves disorderly among you; neither did we eat bread for nought at any man's han l, but in labour and travail, working night and day, that we might not burden any of yo1 ," An appeal is made to what was within their own knowledge nnd observation. They were aware, without their requiring to be told, that there had been nothing disorder!)' in the behaviour of the preachers among them. They bad practised what they had taught. They ha.d been an example in all  78 THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS, [oH. IIL 1-18.