The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Thessalonians — Section 83

peace may flow as a river, broadening and deepening, until it loses itself in the ocean of eternity. 2. Invocation of tM Lord's presence. "The Lord be with you all." 'l'his is a brief but comprehensive form of salutation. The Lord be with our fri4!nds whereve1 their lot is ca~t. The Lord go with them where they go, and dwell with them where they dwell. The Lord he with them in their going out and in their coming ia, The Lord he with th<'m in their basket and in their store. The Lord especially be with them in the great work of their lire. II. RIUU,RK REGARDING THE HANDWRITING OF THE SALUTATION. .. The salutation of me Paul with mine own he.nd, which is the token in every Epistle: so I write." Pe.ul, here dissociating himself from Silas and Timothy as joint-writers, singles out himself b_v ne.me. lt is he who has given turn and fo~ to the thought throuahout. It is he who pre-eminently had the ea.re of the Gentile Churches. A.t the ck>se of 1 Corinthians, and also at the close of Colossians, there is the same language as here. "The salutation of me Paul with mine own hll,nd." In those plaoes there is no salutation preceding; we require, therefore, mentally to supply a salutation. Here, where there is a salutation preceding, we are supplied with what the salutation is. We are to think of the weak-eyed Paul as seated in his room in the city of Corinth, and dictating the letter to the amanuensis beside him. While he had anything on his mind to say to these Thessalonians in the way of commendation, or direction, or advice, the amanuensis continued to write. Dut, having fully unburdened his mind, he took the roll of parch- ment into his own hand, and, in his own handwriting, put down tliese words: "Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord he witla you all" Still continuing to write, he adds the explanatory note: "The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand." In his explanation he includes his reason for giving his own handwriting: "Which is the token in every Epistle: so I write" (i.e. in these characters). A forged epistle in his name had been circulated in Thessalonica; to prevent such imposition in future, he gives them, in the few words in his own hand- writing, a token or seal by which to assure themselves of the genuineness of hi■ letters. Let them accept of no letter which did not carry with it the evidence of its genuineness. ill BENEDICTION. "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." This is the short form which is found in the First Epistle, with the thoughtful addition of "all" There WPre some persons in the Thessalouian Church who had come under his censure. A.s in the sixteenth verse he has included them in his salutation (" with you all"), so now l,e includes them in his benediction. He leaves the Thessalonians for the time, with no grudge in his heart against any, hut with the catholic desire that they should all he dealt with, Dot according 10 their own demerit, but according to the merit of their Saviour, of which he is sovereign Imputer.-R. F. Ver. 1.-Prayer for mi.Bsions. Money is not the sinew of the ■pi.ritual wars of the Church. The necessary appeals for moner so urgently pressed by the ~riend1 of ruissions should not blind our eyes to the higher needs of those great enterprises. All the wealth of the Stock Exchange could not convert one soul. As it was in Israel's great battle with A.malek, when Joshua could only prevail in the field so long as Moses prayed on the mountain, the missionary is successful in proportion as the Church is prayerful. In order that this assertion may not fall powerless as an empty, dogmatic platitude, inquire how it may be substantiated by a consideration of the chief elements of true success in the mission field. I. THE SPIRITUAL CHARACTER OF THE LA.BOOB OJ' THE MISSIONARIES. Money cannot make missiouaries. It may send men abroad, feed, clothe, and house them, but it cannot pnt an apostolic spirit in them, nor cheer and strengthen that spirit when it flagB; and yet without such a spirit no missionary work can be looked for. Careys do not come with good balance-1heets, nor are Moffats evolved out of glowing financial reports. The great want of the missionary societies is men, not money. 1. Prayer i.a 11«,UBQ;r!f that tM right men may be f orthwming. God only can find the men, and the m01t gifted men will fail except they go in pursuit of a Divine vocation. St. Paul was appointed " not from men, nor through mall " (Gal. i. 1); he was sent on his specific mission through indicaLions of the Holy :Spirit in response to the prayers of the Church at Antioch (Acts xiii. 2). 2. Prayer ill ntxesaary that missionariea ~ay be oa. DI. 1-18.J THE SECOND EPISTLE TO 'l'HE THESSALONIANS. 83