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diff --git a/42753-0.txt b/42753-0.txt index abbfe76..118e93d 100644 --- a/42753-0.txt +++ b/42753-0.txt @@ -1,38 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to the -Thessalonians, by James Denney - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to the Thessalonians - -Author: James Denney - -Editor: W. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to the Thessalonians - -Author: James Denney - -Editor: W. Robertson Nicholl - -Release Date: May 20, 2013 [EBook #42753] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE: THESSALONIANS *** - - - - -Produced by Marcia Brooks, Chris Pinfield, Colin Bell and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian -Libraries) - - - - - -Transcriber's Note: - -An advertisement for the Expositor's Bible series has been moved to -the end of the text. - -The start of each chapter extends over several pages in the original. -These have been simplified. - -A ligature and two macrons have been rendered in ordinary font. Small -capitals have been rendered in ordinary capitals. Italics are -indicated by _underscores_, Greek by +plus signs+, and one Hebrew word -by =equal signs=. - -Apparent punctuation errors, and a small number of apparent spelling -errors (both English and Greek) have been corrected. Hyphenation has -been rationalised. - - - - -The - -Expositor's Bible - -Edited by - -W. Robertson Nicoll, D.D., LL.D. - - -THE EPISTLES - -TO THE THESSALONIANS - - BY THE - REV. JAMES DENNEY, B.D. - - HODDER & STOUGHTON - NEW YORK - GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -_THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS._ - - PAGE - I. - THE CHURCH OF THE THESSALONIANS 3 - - II. - THE THANKSGIVING 21 - - III. - THE SIGNS OF ELECTION 37 - - IV. - CONVERSION 53 - - V. - APOLOGIA PRO VITA SUA 69 - - VI. - IMPEACHMENT OF THE JEWS 83 - - VII. - ABSENCE AND LONGING 99 - - VIII. - LOVE AND PRAYERS 117 - - IX. - PERSONAL PURITY 135 - - X. - CHARITY AND INDEPENDENCE 151 - - XI. - THE DEAD IN CHRIST 169 - - XII. - THE DAY OF THE LORD 185 - - XIII. - RULERS AND RULED 201 - - XIV. - THE STANDING ORDERS OF THE GOSPEL 217 - - XV. - THE SPIRIT 233 - - XVI. - CONCLUSION 251 - - -_THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS._ - - I. - SALUTATION AND THANKSGIVING 271 - - II. - SUFFERING AND GLORY 289 - - III. - THE MAN OF SIN 305 - - IV. - THE RESTRAINT AND ITS REMOVAL 323 - - V. - THE THEOLOGY OF PAUL 341 - - VI. - MUTUAL INTERCESSION 359 - - VII. - THE CHRISTIAN WORTH OF LABOUR 375 - - VIII. - FAREWELL 391 - - - - -I. - -THE CHURCH OF THE THESSALONIANS. - - - "Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came - to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, as his - custom was, went in unto them, and for three sabbath days reasoned - with them from the scriptures, opening and alleging, that it behoved - the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this - Jesus, whom, _said he_, I proclaim unto you, is the Christ. And - some of them were persuaded, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and - of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a - few. But the Jews, being moved with jealousy, took unto them certain - vile fellows of the rabble, and gathering a crowd, set the city on an - uproar; and assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them - forth to the people. And when they found them not, they dragged Jason - and certain brethren before the rulers of the city, crying, These - that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; whom - Jason hath received: and these all act contrary to the decrees of - Cæsar, saying that there is another king, _one_ Jesus. And they - troubled the multitude and the rulers of the city, when they heard - these things. And when they had taken security from Jason and the - rest, they let them go."--ACTS xvii. 1-9 (R.V.). - - "Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the church of the - Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to - you and peace."--1 THESS. i. 1 (R.V.). - -Thessalonica, now called Saloniki, was in the first century of our era -a large and flourishing city. It was situated at the north-eastern -corner of the Thermaic gulf, on the line of the great Egnatian road, -which formed the main connection by land between Italy and the East. -It was an important commercial centre, with a mixed population of -Greeks, Romans, and Jews. The Jews, who at the present day amount to -some twenty thousand, were numerous enough to have a synagogue of -their own; and we can infer from the Book of Acts (xvii. 4) that it -was frequented by many of the better spirits among the Gentiles also. -Unconsciously, and as the event too often proved, unwillingly, the -Dispersion was preparing the way of the Lord. - -To this city the Apostle Paul came, attended by Silas and Timothy, in -the course of his second missionary journey. He had just left -Philippi, dearest to his heart of all his churches; for there, more -than anywhere else, the sufferings of Christ had abounded in him, and -his consolations also had been abundant in Christ. He came to -Thessalonica with the marks of the lictors' rods upon his body; but to -him they were the marks of Jesus; not warnings to change his path, but -tokens that the Lord was taking him into fellowship with Himself, and -binding him more strictly to His service. He came with the memory of -his converts' kindness warm upon his heart; conscious that, amid -whatever disappointments, a welcome awaited the gospel, which admitted -its messenger into the joy of his Lord. We need not wonder, then, that -the Apostle kept to his custom, and in spite of the malignity of the -Jews, made his way, when Sabbath came, to the synagogue of -Thessalonica. - -His evangelistic ministry is very briefly described by St. Luke. For -three Sabbath days he addressed himself to his fellow-countrymen. He -took the Scriptures into his hand, that is, of course, the Old -Testament Scriptures,--and opening the mysterious casket, as the -picturesque words in Acts describe his method, he brought out and set -before his auditors, as its inmost and essential secret, the wonderful -idea that the Christ whom they all expected, the Messiah of God, must -die and rise again from the dead. That was not what ordinary Jewish -readers found in the law, the prophets, or the psalms; but, once -persuaded that this interpretation was true, it was not difficult to -believe that the Jesus whom Paul preached was the Christ for whom they -all hoped. Luke tells us that some were persuaded; but they cannot -have been many: his account agrees with the representation of the -Epistle (i. 9) that the church at Thessalonica was mainly Gentile. Of -the "chief women not a few," who were among the first converts, we -know nothing; the exhortations in both Epistles make it plain that -what Paul left at Thessalonica was what we should call a working-class -congregation. The jealousy of the Jews, who resorted to the device -which had already proved successful at Philippi, compelled Paul and -his friends to leave the city prematurely. The mission, indeed, had -probably lasted longer than most readers infer from Acts xvii. Paul -had had time to make his character and conduct impressive to the -church, and to deal with each one of them as a father with his own -children (ii. 11); he had wrought night and day with his own hands for -a livelihood (2 Thess. iii. 8); he had twice received help from the -Philippians (Phil. iv. 15, 16). But although this implies a stay of -some duration, much remained to be done; and the natural anxiety of -the Apostle, as he thought of his inexperienced disciples, was -intensified by the reflection that he had left them exposed to the -malignity of his and their enemies. What means that malignity -employed--what violence and what calumny--the Epistle itself enables -us to see; meantime, it is sufficient to say that the pressure of -these things upon the Apostle's spirit was the occasion of his writing -this letter. He had tried in vain to get back to Thessalonica; he had -condemned himself to solitude in a strange city that he might send -Timothy to them; he must hear whether they stand fast in their -Christian calling. On his return from this mission Timothy joined Paul -in Corinth with a report, cheering on the whole, yet not without its -graver side, concerning the Thessalonian believers; and the first -Epistle is the apostolic message in these circumstances. It is, in all -probability, the earliest of the New Testament writings; it is -certainly the earliest extant of Paul's: if we except the decree in -Acts xv., it is the earliest piece of Christian writing in -existence.[1] - -The names mentioned in the address are all well known--Paul, Silvanus, -and Timothy. The three are united in the greeting, and are sometimes, -apparently, included in the "we" or "us" of the Epistle; but they are -not joint authors of it. It is the Epistle of Paul, who includes them -in the salutation out of courtesy, as in the First to the Corinthians -he includes Sosthenes, and in Galatians "all the brethren that are -with me"; a courtesy the more binding on this occasion that Silas and -Timothy had shared with him his missionary work in Thessalonica. In -First and Second Thessalonians only, of all his letters, the Apostle -adds nothing to his name to indicate the character in which he writes; -he neither calls himself an apostle, nor a servant of Jesus Christ. -The Thessalonians knew him simply for what he was; his apostolic -dignity was yet unassailed by false brethren; the simple name was -enough. Silas comes before Timothy as an older man, and a -fellow-labourer of longer standing. In the Book of Acts he is -described as a prophet, and as one of the chief men among the -brethren; he had been associated with Paul all through this journey; -and though we know very little of him, the fact that he was chosen one -of the bearers of the apostolic decree, and that he afterwards -attached himself to Paul, justifies the inference that he heartily -sympathised with the evangelising of the heathen. Timothy was -apparently one of Paul's own converts. Carefully instructed in -childhood by a pious mother and grandmother, he had been won to the -faith of Christ during the first tour of the Apostle in Asia Minor. He -was naturally timid, but kept the faith in spite of the persecutions -which then awaited it; and when Paul returned, he found that the -steadfastness and other graces of his spiritual son had won an -honourable name in the local churches. He determined to take him with -him, apparently in the character of an evangelist; but before he was -ordained by the presbyters, Paul circumcised him, remembering his -Jewish descent on the mother's side, and desirous of facilitating his -access to the synagogue, in which the work of gospel preaching usually -began. Of all the Apostle's assistants he was the most faithful and -affectionate. He had the true pastoral spirit, devoid of selfishness, -and caring naturally and unfeignedly for the souls of men (Phil. ii. -20 f.). Such were the three who sent their Christian greetings in this -Epistle. - -The greetings are addressed "to the church of (the) Thessalonians in -God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." No such address had ever -been written or read before, for the community to which it was -directed was a new thing in the world. The word translated "church" -was certainly familiar enough to all who knew Greek: it was the name -given to the citizens of a Greek town assembled for public business; -it is the name given in the Greek Bible either to the children of -Israel as the congregation of Jehovah, or to any gathering of them for -a special purpose; but here it obtains a new significance. The church -of the Thessalonians is a church in God the Father and the Lord Jesus -Christ. It is the common relation of its members to God the Father -and the Lord Jesus Christ which constitutes them a church in the sense -of the Apostle: in contradistinction from all other associations or -societies, they form a Christian community. The Jews who met from -Sabbath to Sabbath in the synagogue were a church; they were one in -the acknowledgment of the Living God, and in their observance of His -law; God, as revealed in the Old Testament and in the polity of -Israel, was the element or atmosphere of their spiritual life. The -citizens of Thessalonica, who met in the theatre to discuss their -political interests, were a "church"; they were one in recognising the -same constitution and the same ends of civic life; it was in that -constitution, in the pursuit of those ends, that they found the -atmosphere in which they lived. Paul in this Epistle greets a -community distinct from either of these. It is not civic, but -religious; though religious, it is neither pagan nor Jewish; it is an -original creation, new in its bond of union, in the law by which it -lives, in the objects at which it aims; a church in God the Father and -in the Lord Jesus Christ. - -This newness and originality of Christianity could not fail to impress -those who first received it. The gospel made an immeasurable -difference to them, a difference almost equally great whether they had -been Jews or heathen before; and they were intensely conscious of the -gulf which separated their new life from the old. In another epistle -Paul describes the condition of Gentiles not yet evangelised. Once, he -says, you were apart from Christ, without God, in the world. The -world--the great system of things and interests separated from -God--was the sphere and element of their life. The gospel found them -there, and translated them. When they received it, they ceased to be -in the world; they were no longer apart from Christ, and without God: -they were in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing -could be more revolutionary in those days than to become a Christian: -old things passed away; all things became new; all things were -determined by the new relation to God and His Son. The difference -between the Christian and the non-Christian was as unmistakable and as -clear to the Christian mind as the difference between the shipwrecked -sailor who has reached the shore and him who is still fighting a -hopeless fight with wind and waves. In a country which has long been -Christian, that difference tends, to sense at least, and to -imagination, to disappear. We are not vividly impressed with the -distinction between those who claim to be Christians and those who do -not; we do not see a radical unlikeness, and we are sometimes disposed -to deny it. We may even feel that we are bound to deny it, were it -only in justice to God. He has made all men for Himself; He is the -Father of all; He is near to all, even when they are blind to Him; the -pressure of His hand is felt and in a measure responded to by all, -even when they do not recognise it; to say that any one is +atheos+, -or +chôris Christou+, or that he is _not_ in God the Father and in the -Lord Jesus Christ, seems really to deny both God and man. - -Yet what is at issue here is really a question of fact; and among -those who have been in contact with the facts, among those, above all, -who have had experience of the critical fact--who once were not -Christians and now are--there will not be two opinions about it. The -difference between the Christian and the non-Christian, though -historical accidents have made it less visible, or rather, less -conspicuous than it once was, is still as real and as vast as ever. -The higher nature of man, intellectual and spiritual, must always have -an element in which it lives, an atmosphere surrounding it, principles -to guide it, ends to stimulate its action; and it may find all these -in either of two places. It may find them in the world--that is, in -that sphere of things from which God, so far as man's will and intent -goes, is excluded; or it may find them in God Himself and in His Son. -It is no objection to this division to say that God cannot be excluded -from His own world, that He is always at work there whether -acknowledged or not; for the acknowledgment is the essential point; -without it, though God is near to man, man is still far from God. -Nothing could be a more hopeless symptom in character than the -benevolent neutrality which evades this truth; it takes away every -motive to evangelise the non-Christian, or to work out the originality -and distinctiveness of the Christian life itself. Now, as in the -apostolic age, there are persons who are Christians and persons who -are not; and, however alike their lives may be on the surface, they -are radically apart. Their centre is different; the element in which -they move is different; the nutriment of thought, the fountain of -motives, the standard of purity are different; they are related to -each other as life in God, and life without God; life in Christ, and -life apart from Christ; and in proportion to their sincerity is their -mutual antagonism. - -In Thessalonica the Christian life was original enough to have formed -a new society. In those days, and in the Roman Empire, there was not -much room for the social instincts to expand. Unions of all kinds were -suspected by the governments, and discouraged, as probable centres of -political disaffection. Local self-government ceased to be interesting -when all important interests were withdrawn from its control; and even -had it been otherwise, there was no part in it possible for that great -mass of population from which the Church was so largely recruited, -namely, the slaves. Any power that could bring men together, that -could touch them deeply, and give them a common interest that engaged -their hearts and bound them to each other, met the greatest want of -the time, and was sure of a welcome. Such a power was the gospel -preached by Paul. It formed little communities of men and women -wherever it was proclaimed; communities in which there was no law but -that of love, in which heart opened to heart as nowhere else in all -the world, in which there was fervour and hope and freedom and -brotherly kindness, and all that makes life good and dear. We feel -this very strongly in reading the New Testament, and it is one of the -points on which, unhappily, we have drifted away from the primitive -model. The Christian congregation is not now, in point of fact, the -type of a sociable community. Too often it is oppressed with -constraint and formality. Take any particular member of any particular -congregation; and his social circle, the company of friends in which -he expands most freely and happily, will possibly have no connection -with those he sits beside in the church. The power of the faith to -bring men into real unity with each other is not lessened; we see this -wherever the gospel breaks ground in a heathen country, or wherever -the frigidity of the church drives two or three fervent souls to form -a secret society of their own, but the temperature of faith itself is -lowered; we are not really living, with any intensity of life, in God -the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. If we were, we would be drawn -closer to each other; our hearts would touch and overflow; the place -where we meet in the name of Jesus would be the most radiant and -sociable place we know. - -Nothing could better illustrate the reality of that new character -which Christianity confers than the fact that men can be addressed as -Christians. Nothing, either, could better illustrate the confusion of -mind that exists in this matter, or the insincerity of much -profession, than the fact that so many members of churches would -hesitate before taking the liberty so to address a brother. We have -all written letters, and on all sorts of occasions; we have addressed -men as lawyers, or doctors, or men of business; we have sent or -accepted invitations to gatherings where nothing would have astonished -us more than the unaffected naming of the name of God; did we ever -write to anybody because he was a Christian, and because we were -Christians? Of all the relations in which we stand to others, is that -which is established by "our common Christianity," by our common life -in Jesus Christ, the only one which is so crazy and precarious that it -can never be really used for anything? Here we see the Apostle look -back from Corinth to Thessalonica, and his one interest in the poor -people whom he remembers so affectionately is that they are -Christians. The one thing in which he wishes to help them is their -Christian life. He does not care much whether they are well or ill off -in respect of this world's goods; but he is anxious to supply what is -lacking in their faith (iii. 10). How real a thing the Christian life -was to him! what a substantial interest, whether in himself or in -others, engrossing all his thought, absorbing all his love and -devotion. To many of us it is the one topic for silence; to him it was -the one theme of thought and speech. He wrote about it, as he spoke -about it, as though there were no other interest for man; and letters -like those of Thomas Erskine show that still, out of the abundance of -the heart, the mouth speaketh. The full soul overflows, unaffected, -unforced; Christian fellowship, as soon as Christian life is real, is -restored to its true place. - -Paul, Silas, and Timothy wish the church of the Thessalonians grace -and peace. This is the greeting in all the Apostle's letters; it is -not varied except by the addition of "mercy" in the Epistles to -Timothy and Titus. In form it seems to combine the salutations current -among the Greeks and the Jews (+chairein+ and =shalom=), but in import -it has all the originality of the Christian faith. In the second -Epistle it runs, "Grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord -Jesus Christ." Grace is the love of God, spontaneous, beautiful, -unearned, at work in Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinful men; -peace is the effect and fruit in man of the reception of grace. It is -easy to narrow unduly the significance of peace; those expositors do -so who suppose in this passage a reference to the persecution which -the Thessalonian Christians had to bear, and understand the Apostle to -wish them deliverance from it. The Apostle has something far more -comprehensive in his mind. The peace, which Christ is; the peace with -God which we have when we are reconciled to Him by the death of His -Son; the soul-health which comes when grace makes our hearts to their -very depths right with God, and frightens away care and fear; this -"perfect soundness" spiritually is all summed up in the word. It -carries in it the fulness of the blessing of Christ. The order of the -words is significant; there is no peace without grace; and there is no -grace apart from fellowship with God in Christ. The history of the -Church has been written by some who practically put Paul in Christ's -place; and by others who imagine that the doctrine of the person of -Christ only attained by slow degrees, and in the post-apostolic age, -its traditional importance; but here, in the oldest extant monument of -the Christian faith, and in the very first line of it, the Church is -defined as existing in the Lord Jesus Christ; and in that single -expression, in which the Son stands side by side with the Father, as -the life of all believing souls, we have the final refutation of such -perverse thoughts. By the grace of God, incarnate in Jesus Christ, the -Christian is what he is; he lives and moves and has his being there; -apart from Christ, he is not. Here, then, is our hope. Conscious of -our own sins, and of the shortcomings of the Christian community of -which we are members, let us have recourse to Him whose grace is -sufficient for us. Let us abide in Christ, and in all things grow up -into Him. God alone is good; Christ alone is the Pattern and the -Inspiration of the Christian character; only in the Father and the Son -can the new life and the new fellowship come to their perfection. - -[1] The date cannot be precisely assigned, but it is not later than 54 -A.D., and cannot be so early as 52. Most scholars say 54. It was -written in Corinth. - - - - -II. - -THE THANKSGIVING. - - - "We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in - our prayers; remembering without ceasing your work of faith and - labour of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before - our God and Father; knowing, brethren beloved of God, your - election."--1 THESS. i. 2-4. (R.V.). - -The salutation in St. Paul's epistles is regularly followed by the -thanksgiving. Once only, in the Epistle to the Galatians, is it -omitted; the amazement and indignation with which the Apostle has -heard that his converts are forsaking his gospel for another which is -not a gospel at all, carries him out of himself for a moment. But in -his earliest letter it stands in its proper place; before he thinks of -congratulating, teaching, exhorting, admonishing, he gives God thanks -for the tokens of His grace in the Thessalonians. He would not be -writing to these people at all if they were not Christians; they would -never have been Christians but for the free goodness of God; and -before he says one word directly to them, he acknowledges that -goodness with a grateful heart. - -In this case the thanksgiving is particularly fervent. It has no -drawback. There is no profane person at Thessalonica, like him who -defiled the church at Corinth at a later period; we give thanks, says -the Apostle, for you all. It is, as far as the nature of the case -permits, uninterrupted. As often as Paul prays, he makes mention of -them and gives thanks; he remembers without ceasing their new-born -graces. We ought not to extenuate the force of such words, as if they -were mere exaggerations, the idle extravagances of a man who -habitually said more than he meant. Paul's life was concentrated and -intense, to a degree of which we have probably little conception. He -lived for Christ, and for the churches of Christ; it was literal -truth, not extravagance, when he said, "This one thing I do": the life -of these churches, their interests, their necessities, their dangers, -God's goodness to them, his own duty to serve them, all these -constituted together the one dear concernment of his life; they were -ever with him in God's sight, and therefore in his intercessions and -thanksgivings to God. Other men's minds might surge with various -interests; new ambitions or affections might displace old ones; -fickleness or disappointments might change their whole career; but it -was not so with him. His thoughts and affections never changed their -object, for the same conditions appealed constantly to the same -susceptibility; if he grieved over the unbelief of the Jews, he had -unceasing (+adialeipton+) pain in his heart; if he gave thanks for the -Thessalonians, he remembered without ceasing (+adialeiptôs+) the -graces with which they had been adorned by God. - -Nor were these continual thanksgivings vague or formal; the Apostle -recalls, in each particular case, the special manifestations of -Christian character which inspire his gratitude. Sometimes, as in 1st -Corinthians, they are less spiritual--gifts, rather than graces; -utterance and knowledge, without charity; sometimes, as here, they are -eminently spiritual--faith, love, and hope. The conjunction of these -three in the earliest of Paul's letters is worthy of remark. They -occur again in the well-known passage in 1 Cor. xiii., where, though -they share in the distinction of being eternal, and not, like -knowledge and eloquence, transitory in their nature, love is exalted -to an eminence above the other two. They occur a third time in one of -the later epistles--that to the Colossians--and in the same order as -here. That, says Lightfoot on the passage, is the natural order. -"Faith rests on the past; love works in the present; hope looks to the -future." Whether this distribution of the graces is accurate or not, -it suggests the truth that they cover and fill up the whole Christian -life. They are the sum and substance of it, whether it looks back, or -looks round, or looks forward. The germ of all perfection is implanted -in the soul which is the dwelling-place of "these three." - -Though none of them can really exist, in its Christian quality, -without the others, any of them may preponderate at a given time. It -is not quite fanciful to point out that each in its turn seems to -have bulked most largely in the experience of the Apostle himself. His -earliest epistles--the two to the Thessalonians--are pre-eminently -epistles of hope. They look to the future; the doctrinal interest -uppermost in them is that of the second coming of the Lord, and the -final rest of the Church. The epistles of the next period--Romans, -Corinthians, and Galatians--are as distinctly epistles of faith. They -deal largely with faith as the power which unites the soul to God in -Christ, and brings into it the virtue of the atoning death and -resurrection of Jesus. Later still, there are the epistles of which -Colossians and Ephesians are the type. The great thought in these is -that of the unity wrought by love; Christ is the head of the Church; -the Church is the body of Christ; the building up of the body in love, -by the mutual help of the members, and their common dependence on the -Head, preoccupies the apostolic writer. All this may have been more or -less accidental, due to circumstances which had nothing to do with the -spiritual life of Paul; but it has the look of being natural too. Hope -prevails first--the new world of things unseen and eternal outweighs -the old; it is the stage at which religion is least free from the -influence of sense and imagination. Then comes the reign of faith; the -inward gains upon the outward; the mystical union of the soul to -Christ, in which His spiritual life is appropriated, is more or less -sufficient to itself; it is the stage, if it be a stage at all, at -which religion becomes independent of imagination and sense. Finally, -love reigns. The solidarity of all Christian interests is strongly -felt; the life flows out again, in all manner of Christian service, on -those by whom it is surrounded; the Christian moves and has his being -in the body of which he is a member. All this, I repeat, can be only -comparatively true; but the character and sequence of the Apostle's -writings speak for its truth so far. - -But it is not simply faith, love, and hope that are in question here: -"we remember," says the Apostle, "your _work_ of faith and -_labour_ of love and _patience_ of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." -We call faith, love, and hope the Christian graces; and we are apt to -forget that the associations of heathen mythology, thus introduced, -are disturbing rather than enlightening. The three Graces of the -Greeks are ideally beautiful figures; but their beauty is æsthetic, -not spiritual. They are lovely as a group of statuary is lovely; but -though "by (their) gift come unto men all pleasant things and sweet, -and the wisdom of a man and his beauty, and the splendour of his -fame," their nature is utterly unlike that of the three powers of the -Christian character; no one would dream of ascribing to them work, and -labour and patience. Yet the mere fact that "Graces" has been used as -a common name for both has diffused the idea that the Christian -graces also are to be viewed mainly as the adornments of character, -its unsought, unstudied beauties, set on it by God to subdue and charm -the world. That is quite wrong; the _Greek_ Graces are essentially -beauties; they confer on men all that wins admiration--personal -comeliness, victory in the games, a happy mood; but the _Christian_ -graces are essentially powers; they are new virtues and forces which -God has implanted in the soul that it may be able to do His work in -the world. The heathen Graces are lovely to look at, and that is all; -but the Christian graces are not subjects for æsthetic contemplation; -they are here to work, to toil, to endure. If they have a beauty of -their own--and surely they have--it is a beauty not in form or colour, -not appealing to the eye or the imagination, but only to the spirit -which has seen and loved Christ, and loves His likeness in whatever -guise. - -Let us look at the Apostle's words more closely: he speaks of a work -of faith; to take it exactly, of something which faith has done. Faith -is a conviction with regard to things unseen, that makes them present -and real. Faith in God as revealed in Christ, and in His death for -sin, makes reconciliation real; it gives the believer peace with God. -But it is not shut up in the realm of things inward and unseen. If it -were, a man might say what he pleased about it, and there would be no -check upon his words. Wherever it exists, it works; he who is interested -can see what it has done. Apparently the Apostle has some particular -work of faith in his mind in this passage; some thing which the -Thessalonians had actually done, because they believed but what it is -we cannot tell. Certainly not faith itself; certainly not love, as -some think, referring to Gal. v. 6; if a conjecture may be hazarded, -possibly some act of courage or fidelity under persecution, similar to -those adduced in Heb. xi. That famous chapter contains a catalogue of -the works which faith wrought; and serves as a commentary, therefore, -on this expression. Surely we ought to notice that the great Apostle, -whose name has been the strength and shield of all who preach -justification by faith alone, the very first time he mentions this -grace in his epistles, mentions it as a power which leaves its witness -in work. - -It is so, also, with love: "we remember," he writes, "your labour of -love." The difference between +ergon+ (work) and +kopos+ (labour) is -that between effect and effort. The Apostle recalls something which -the faith of the Thessalonians did; he recalls also the wearisome toil -in which their love spent itself. Love is not so capable of abuse in -religion, or, at least, it has not been so rankly abused, as faith. -Men are much more apt to demand the proof of it. It has an inward side -as much as faith, but it is not an emotion which exhausts itself in -its own transports. Merely as emotion, indeed, it is apt to be -undervalued. In the Church of to-day emotion needs rather to be -stimulated than repressed. The passion of the New Testament startles -us when we chance to feel it. For one man among us who is using up the -powers of his soul in barren ecstasies, there are thousands who have -never been moved by Christ's love to a single tear or a single heart -throb. They must learn to love before they can labour. They must be -kindled by that fire which burned in Christ's heart, and which He came -to cast upon the earth, before they can do anything in His service. -But if the love of Christ has really met that answer in love for which -it waits, the time for service has come. Love in the Christian will -attest itself as it attested itself in Christ. It will prescribe and -point out the path of labour. The word employed in this passage is one -often used by the Apostle to describe his own laborious life. Love set -him, and will set every one in whose heart it truly burns, upon -incessant, unwearied efforts for others' good. Paul was ready to spend -and be spent at its bidding, however small the result might be. He -toiled with his hands, he toiled with his brain, he toiled with his -ardent, eager, passionate heart, he toiled in his continual -intercessions with God, and all these toils made up his _labour_ of -love. "A labour of love," in current language, is a piece of work -done so willingly that no payment is expected for it. But a labour of -love is not what the Apostle is speaking of; it is _laboriousness_, as -love's characteristic. Let Christian men and women ask themselves -whether their love can be so characterised. We have all been tired in -our time, one may presume; we have toiled in business, or in some -ambitious course, or in the perfecting of some accomplishment, or even -in the mastery of some game or the pursuit of some amusement, till we -were utterly wearied: how many of us have so toiled in love? How many -of us have been wearied and worn with some labour to which we set -ourselves for God's sake? This is what the Apostle has in view in this -passage; and, strange as it may appear, it is one of the things for -which he gives God thanks. But is he not right? Is it not a thing to -evoke gratitude and joy, that God counts us worthy to be -fellow-labourers with Him in the manifold works which love imposes? - -The church at Thessalonica was not old; its first members could only -count their Christian age by months. Yet love is so native to the -Christian life, that they found at once a career for it; demands were -made upon their sympathy and their strength which were met at once, -though never suspected before. "What are we to do," we sometimes ask, -"if we would work the works of God?" If we have love enough in our -hearts, it will answer all its own questions. It is the fulfilling of -the law just because it shows us plainly where service is needed, and -puts us upon rendering it at any cost of pain or toil. It is not too -much to say that the very word chosen by the Apostle to characterise -love--this word +kopos+--is peculiarly appropriate, because it brings -out, not the issue, but only the cost, of work. With the result -desired, or without it; with faint hope, or with hope most sure, love -labours, toils, spends and is spent over its task: this is the very -seal of its genuine Christian character. - -The third grace remains: "your patience of hope in our Lord Jesus -Christ." The second coming of Christ was an element in apostolic -teaching which, whether exceptionally prominent or not, had made an -exceptional impression at Thessalonica. It will more naturally be -studied at another place; here it is sufficient to say that it was the -great object of Christian hope. Christians not only believed Christ -would come again; they not only expected Him to come; they were eager -for His coming. "How long, O Lord?" they cried in their distress. -"Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly," was their prayer. - -It is matter of notoriety that hope in this sense does not hold its -ancient place in the heart of the Church. It holds a much lower place. -Christian men hope for this or that; they hope that threatening -symptoms in the Church or in society may pass away, and better things -appear; they hope that when the worst comes to the worst, it will not -be so bad as the pessimists anticipate. Such impotent and ineffective -hope is of no kindred to the hope of the gospel. So far from being a -power of God in the soul, a victorious grace, it is a sure token that -God is absent. Instead of inspiring, it discourages; it leads to -numberless self-deceptions; men _hope_ their lives are right with God, -when they ought to search them and see; they _hope_ things will turn -out well, when they ought to be taking security of them. All this, -where our relations to God are concerned, is a degradation of the very -word. The Christian hope is laid up in heaven. The object of it is the -Lord Jesus Christ. It is not precarious, but certain; it is not -ineffective, but a great and energetic power. Anything else is not -hope at all. - -The operation of the true hope is manifold. It is a sanctifying grace, -as appears from 1 John iii. 3: "Every one that hath this hope set on -Him, purifieth himself, even as He is pure." But here the Apostle -characterises it by its patience. The two virtues are so inseparable -that Paul sometimes uses them as equivalent; twice in the Epistles to -Timothy and Titus, he says faith, love, and patience, instead of -faith, love, and hope. But what is patience? The word is one of the -great words of the New Testament. The corresponding verb is usually -rendered endurance, as in Christ's saying, "He that endureth to the -end, the same shall be saved." Patience is more than resignation or -meek submission; it is hope in the shade, but hope nevertheless; the -brave steadfastness which bears up under all burdens because the Lord -is at hand. The Thessalonians had much affliction in their early days -as Christians; they were tried, too, as we all are, by inward -discouragements--that persistence and vitality of sin that break the -spirit and beget despair; but they saw close at hand the glory of the -Lord; and in the patience of hope they held out, and fought the good -fight to the last. It is truly significant that in the Pastoral -Epistles patience has taken the place of hope in the trinity of -graces. It is as if Paul had discovered, by prolonged experience, that -it was in the form of patience that hope was to be mainly effective in -the Christian life. The Thessalonians, some of them, were abusing the -great hope; it was working mischief in their lives, because it was -misapplied; in this single word Paul hints at the truth which abundant -experience had taught him, that all the energy of hope must be -transformed into brave patience if we would stand in our place at the -last. Remembering their work of faith, and labour of love, and -patience of hope, in the presence of our God and Father, the Apostle -gives thanks to God always for them all. Happy is the man whose joys -are such that he can gratefully dwell on them in that presence: happy -are those also who give others cause to thank God on their behalf. - -The ground of the thanksgiving is finally comprehended in one short -and striking phrase: "Knowing, brethren beloved of God, your -election." The doctrine of election has often been taught as if the -one thing that could never be known about anybody was whether he was -or was not elect. The assumed impossibility does not square with New -Testament ways of speaking. Paul knew the elect, he says here; at -least he knew the Thessalonians were elect. In the same way he writes -to the Ephesians: "God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the -world; ... in love He foreordained us to adoption as sons." Chose whom -before the foundation of the world? Foreordained whom? Himself, and -those whom he addressed. If the Church has learned the doctrine of -election from anybody, it has been from Paul; but to him it had a -basis in experience, and apparently he felt differently about it from -many theologians. He knew when the people he spoke to were elect; how, -he tells in what follows. - - - - -III. - -THE SIGNS OF ELECTION. - - - "How that our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in - power, and in the Holy Ghost, and _in_ much assurance; even as ye - know what manner of men we showed ourselves toward you for your sake. - And ye became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the - word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost; so that ye - became an ensample to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For - from you hath sounded forth the word of the Lord, not only in - Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith to God-ward is - gone forth; so that we need not to speak anything."--1 THESS. i. 5-8 - (R.V.). - -The Revised Version renders the +hoti+, with which ver. 5 begins, "how -that," the Authorised Version, "for." In the first case, the Apostle -is made to explain in what election consists; in the other, he -explains how it is that he knows the Thessalonians to be among the -elect. There is hardly room to doubt that it is this last which he -intends to do. Election does not consist in the things which he -proceeds to enlarge upon, though these may be in some sense its -effects or tokens; and there is something like unanimity among -scholars in favour of the rendering "for," or "because." What, then, -are the grounds of the statement, that Paul knows the election of the -Thessalonians? They are twofold; lying partly in his own experience, -and that of his fellow-labourers, while they preached the gospel in -Thessalonica; and partly in the reception which the Thessalonians gave -to their message. - -I. The tokens in the preacher that his hearers are elect: "Our gospel -came not unto you in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Ghost, -and in much assurance." That was the consciousness of the preachers -themselves, but they could appeal to those who had heard them: "even -as ye know what manner of men we showed ourselves toward you for your -sake." - -The self-consciousness of the preacher, we see from these words, is a -legitimate though a perilous study. Every one has been told that there -is no relation whatever between his own consciousness when preaching, -and the effect of what is preached; but has anybody ever quite -believed this? If there were no relation whatever between the -preacher's consciousness and his conscience; if he did not know that -many a time neglect of prayer or duty had separated him from God, and -made him useless as an evangelist, it would be easier to believe it; -but as our life is, the preacher may know quite well that it is no -proof of God's good will to men that _he_ is sent to preach to them; -or, on the other hand, he may have a humble but sure trust that when -he stands up to speak, God is with him for good to his hearers. Thus -it was with Paul at Thessalonica. - -The heartiness with which he speaks here justifies the inference that -he had had experiences of an opposite and disappointing kind. Twice in -Asia (Acts xvi. 6 f.) he had been forbidden by the Spirit to preach at -all; he could not argue that the people so passed by were specially -favoured of God. Often, especially in his intercourse with the Jews, -he must have spoken, like Isaiah, with the depressing consciousness -that it was all in vain; that the sole issue would be to blind their -eyes and harden their hearts and seal them up in impenitence. In -Corinth, just before writing this letter, he had come forward with -unusual trepidation--in weakness and fear and much trembling; and -though there also the Holy Spirit and a divine power brought home the -gospel to men's hearts, he seems to have been so far from that inward -assurance which he enjoyed at Thessalonica, that the Lord appeared to -him in a vision by night to reveal the existence of an election of -grace even in Corinth. "Fear not: I have much people in this city." In -Thessalonica he had no such sinking of heart. He came thither, as he -hoped to go to Rome, in the fulness of the blessing of Christ (Rom. -xv. 29). He knew in himself that God had given it to him to be a true -minister of His grace; he was full of power by the Spirit of the Lord. -That is why he says so confidently, "Knowing your election." - -The Apostle explains himself more precisely when he writes, "not in -word only, but in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance." -The gospel must come in word at least; but what a profanation it is to -preach it only in word. Not preachers only, but all Christians, have -to be on their guard, lest familiarity rob the great words of the -gospel of their reality, and they themselves sink into that worst -atheism which is for ever handling holy things without feeling them. -How easy is it to speak of God, Christ, redemption, atonement, -sanctification, heaven, hell, and to be less impressed and less -impressive than if we were speaking of the merest trivialities of -every-day life. It is hard to believe that an apostle could have seen -such a possibility even from afar; yet the contrast of "word" and -"power" leaves no room to doubt that such is his meaning. Words alone -are worthless. No matter how brilliant, how eloquent, how imposing -they may be, they cannot do the work of an evangelist. The call to -this requires "power." - -No definition of power is given; we can only see that it is that which -achieves spiritual results, and that the preacher is conscious of -possessing it. It is not his own, certainly: it works through the very -consciousness of his own want of power; "when I am weak, then am I -strong." But it gives him hope and confidence in his work. Paul knew -that it needed a stupendous force to make bad men good; the forces to -be overcome were so enormous. All the sin of the world was arrayed -against the gospel; all the dead weight of men's indifference, all -their pride, all their shame, all their self-satisfaction, all their -cherished wisdom. But he came to Thessalonica _strong_ in the Lord, -confident that his message would subdue those who listened to it; and -therefore, he argued, the Thessalonians were the objects of God's -electing grace. - -"Power" stands side by side with the "Holy Ghost." In a sense, the -Holy Ghost is the source of all spiritual virtues, and therefore of -the very power of which we have been speaking; but the words are -probably used here with some narrower meaning. The predominant use of -the name in the New Testament bids us think of that divine fervour -which the spirit kindles in the soul--that ardour of the new life -which Christ Himself speaks of as fire. Paul came to Thessalonica -aglow with Christian passion. He took that as a good omen in his work, -a sign that God meant well to the Thessalonians. By nature men do not -care passionately for each other as he cared for those to whom he -preached in that city. They are not on fire with love, seeking each -other's good in spiritual things; consumed with fervent longing that -the bad should cease from their badness, and come to enjoy the pardon, -the purity, and the company of Christ. Even in the heart of -apostles--for though they were apostles they were men--the fire may -sometimes have burned low, and a mission have been, by comparison, -languid and spiritless; but at least on this occasion the evangelists -were all on fire; and it assured them that God had a people waiting -for them in the unknown city. - -If "power" and the "Holy Ghost" are in some degree to be judged only -by their effects, there can be no question that "much assurance," on -the other hand, is an inner experience, belonging strictly to the -self-consciousness of the preacher. It means a full and strong -conviction of the truth of the gospel. We can only understand this by -contrast with its opposite; "much assurance" is the counterpart of -misgiving or doubt. We can hardly imagine an apostle in doubt about -the gospel--not quite certain that Christ had risen from the dead; -wondering whether, after all, His death had abolished sin. Yet these -truths, which are the sum and substance of the gospel, seem, at times, -too great for belief; they do not coalesce with the other contents of -our mind; they do not weave easily into one piece with the warp and -woof of our common thoughts; there is no common measure for them and -the rest of our experience, and the shadow of unreality falls upon -them. They are so great that it needs a certain greatness to answer to -them, a certain boldness of faith to which even a true Christian may -feel momentarily unequal; and while he is unequal, he cannot do the -work of an evangelist. Doubt paralyses; God cannot work through a man -in whose soul there are misgivings about the truth. At least, His -working will be limited to the sphere of what is certain for him -through whom He works; and if we would be effective ministers of the -word, we must speak only what we are sure of, and seek the full -assurance of the whole truth. No doubt such assurance has conditions. -Unfaithfulness of one kind or another is, as our Lord teaches (John -vii. 17), the source of uncertainty as to the truth of His word; and -prayer, repentance, and obedience due, the way to certainty again. But -Paul had never been more confident of the truth and power of his -gospel than when he came to Thessalonica. He had seen it proved in -Philippi, in conversions so dissimilar as those of Lydia and the -jailor. He had felt it in his own heart, in the songs which God had -given him in the night while he suffered for Christ's sake. He came -among those whom he addresses confident that it was God's instrument -to save all who believed. This is his last personal reason for -believing the Thessalonians to be elect. - -Strictly speaking, all this refers rather to the delivery of the -message than to the messengers, to the preaching than to the -preachers; but the Apostle applies it to the latter also. "Ye know," -he writes, "what manner of men we showed ourselves toward you for your -sakes." I venture to think[2] that the word rendered "we showed -ourselves" has really the passive sense--"what God enabled us to be"; -it is God's good will to the Thessalonians which is in view, and the -Apostle infers that good will from the character which God enabled him -and his friends to sustain for their sakes. Who could deny that God -had chosen them, when He had sent them Paul and Silas and Timothy; not -mere talkers, cold and spiritless, and dubious of their message; but -men strong in spiritual force, in holy fervour, and in their grasp of -the gospel? If that did not go to show that the Thessalonians were -elect, what could? - -II. The self-consciousness of the preachers, however, significant as -it was, was no conclusive evidence. It only became such when their -inspiration was caught by those who listened to them; and this was the -case at Thessalonica. "Ye became imitators of us and of the Lord, -having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy -Ghost." This peculiar expression implies that the signs of God's -election were to be seen in the evangelists, and eminently in the -Lord. Paul shrinks from making himself and his companions types of the -elect, without more ado; they are such only because they are like Him, -of whom it is written "Behold my servant whom I uphold; Mine elect, in -whom My soul delighteth." He speaks here in the same strain as in 1 -Cor. xi. 1: "Brethren, be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of -Christ." They who have become like the Lord are marked out as the -chosen of God. - -But the Apostle does not rest in this generality. The imitation in -question consisted in this--that the Thessalonians received the word -in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. It is, of course, in -the last part of the sentence that the point of comparison is found. -In a sense it is true that the Lord Himself received the word which He -spoke to men. "I do nothing of Myself," He says; "but as the Father -hath taught Me, I speak these things" (John viii. 28). But such a -reference is irrelevant here. The significant point is that the -acceptance of the gospel by the Thessalonians brought them into -fellowship with the Lord, and with those who continued His work, in -that which is the distinction and criterion of the new Christian -life--much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. That is a summary -of the life of Christ, the Apostle of the Father (John xvii. 18). It -is more obviously a summary of the life of Paul, the apostle of Jesus -Christ. The acceptance of the gospel meant much affliction for him: "I -will show him how great things he must suffer for My name's sake." It -meant also a new and supernatural joy, a joy arising from, and -sustained by, the Holy Spirit, a joy triumphant in and over all -sufferings. This combination of affliction and spiritual joy, this -original, paradoxical experience, is the token of election. Where the -children of God live, as Christ and His apostles lived, in the midst -of a world at war with God and His cause, they will suffer; but -suffering will not break their spirit, or embitter them, or lead them -to desert God; it will be accompanied with spiritual exaltation, -keeping them sweet, and humble, and joyful, through it all. Paul knew -the Thessalonians were elect, because he saw that new power in them, -to rejoice in tribulations, which can only be seen in those who have -the spirit of God. - -This test, obviously, can only be applied when the gospel is a -suffering cause. But if the profession of the Christian faith, and the -leading of a Christian life entail no affliction, what shall we say? -If we read the New Testament aright, we shall say that there is a -mistake somewhere. There is always a cross; there is always something -to bear or to overcome for righteousness' sake; and the spirit in -which it is met tells whether God is with us or not. Not every age is, -like the apostolic, an age of open persecution, of spoiling of goods, -of bonds, and scourging, and death; but the imitation of Christ in His -truth and faithfulness will surely be resented somehow; and it is the -seal of election when men rejoice that they are counted worthy to -suffer shame for His name. Only the true children of God can do that. -Their joy is in some sense a present recompense for their sufferings; -but for suffering they could not know it. "I never knew," said -Rutherford, "by my nine years' preaching, so much of Christ's love as -He hath taught me in Aberdeen, by six months' imprisonment." It is a -joy that never fails those who face affliction that they may be true -to Christ. Think of the Christian boys in Uganda, in 1885, who were -bound alive to a scaffolding and slowly burned to death. "The spirit -of the martyrs at once entered into these lads, and together they -raised their voices and praised Jesus in the fire, singing till their -shrivelled tongues refused to form the sound:-- - - "'Daily, daily sing to Jesus, - Sing my soul, His praises due; - All He does deserves our praises, - And our deep devotion too. - - "'For in deep humiliation, - He for us did live below; - Died on Calvary's cross of torture, - Rose to save our souls from woe.'"[3] - -Who can doubt that these three are among the chosen of God? And who -can think of such scenes, and such a spirit, and recall without -misgiving the querulous, fretful, aggrieved tone of his own life, when -things have not gone with him exactly as he could have wished? - -The Thessalonians were so conspicuously Christian, so unmistakably -exhibited the new Divine type of character, that they became a model -to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. Their conversion called -the attention of all men to the gospel, like a clear and -far-resounding trumpet blast. Thessalonica was a place of much coming -and going on all sides; and the success of the evangelists there, -being carried abroad in various ways, advertised their work, and so -far prepared for their coming. Paul would naturally have spoken of it -when he went to a new city, but found it unnecessary; the news had -preceded him; in every place their faith to God-ward had gone forth. -So far as we learn, it was the most impressive incident which had yet -occurred in the progress of the gospel. A work of grace so -characteristic, so thorough, and so unmistakable, was a token of God's -goodness, not only to those who were immediately the subjects of it, -but to all who heard, and by hearing had their interest awakened in -the evangelists and their message. - -This whole subject has a side for preachers, and a side for hearers of -the gospel. The preacher's peril is the peril of coming to men in word -only; saying things which he does not feel, and which others, -therefore, will not feel; uttering truths, it may be, but truths which -have never done anything for him--enlightened, quickened, or -sanctified him--and which he cannot hope, as they come from his lips, -will do anything for others; or worse still, uttering things of which -he cannot even be confident that they are true. Nothing could be less -a sign of God's grace to men than to abandon them to such a preacher, -instead of sending them one full of power, and of the Holy Ghost, and -of assurance. But whatever the preacher may be, there is something -left to the hearer. There were people with whom even Paul, full of -power and of the Holy Ghost, could not prevail. There were people who -hardened their hearts against Christ; and let the preacher be ever so -unworthy of the gospel, the virtue is in it, and not in him. He may -not do anything to commend it to men; but does it need his commendation? -Can we make bad preaching an excuse for refusing to become imitators -of the Lord? It may condemn the preacher, but it can never excuse us. -Look steadily at the seal which God sets upon His own--the union of -affliction with spiritual joy--and follow Christ in the life which is -marked by this character as not human only, but Divine. That is the -way prescribed to us here to make our election sure. - -[2] With Godet and P. Schmidt; against Ellicott. - -[3] _Life of Bishop Hannington._ - - - - -IV. - -_CONVERSION._ - - - "For they themselves report concerning us what manner of entering in - we had unto you; and how ye turned unto God from idols, to serve a - living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He - raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivereth us from the wrath - to come."--1 THESS. i. 9, 10 (R.V.). - -These verses show what an impression had been made in other places by -the success of the gospel at Thessalonica. Wherever Paul went, he -heard it spoken about. In every place men were familiar with all its -circumstances; they had heard of the power and assurance of the -missionaries, and of the conversion of their hearers from heathenism -to Christianity. It is this conversion which is the subject before us. -It has two parts or stages. There is first, the conversion from idols -to the one living and true God; and then the distinctively Christian -stage of waiting for the Son of God from heaven. Let us look at these -in order. - -The Apostle, so far as we can make out, judged the religions of -heathenism with great severity. He knew that God never left Himself -without a witness in the world, but God's testimony to Himself had -been perverted or ignored. Ever since the creation of the world, His -everlasting power and divinity might be seen by the things He had -made; His law was written on conscience; rain from heaven and -fruitful seasons proved His good and faithful providence; yet men were -practically ignorant of Him. They were not willing, in fact, to retain -Him in their knowledge; they were not obedient; they were not -thankful; when they professed religion at all, they made gods after -their own image, and worshipped them. They bowed before idols; and an -idol, says Paul, is nothing in the world. In the whole system of pagan -religion the Apostle saw nothing but ignorance and sin; it was the -outcome, in part, of man's enmity to God; in part, of God's judicial -abandonment of men; in part, of the activity of evil spirits; it was a -path on which no progress could be made; instead of pursuing it -farther, those who wished really to make spiritual advance must -abandon it altogether. - -It is possible to state a better case than this for the religion of -the ancient world; but the Apostle was in close and continuous contact -with the facts, and it will take a great deal of theorising to reverse -the verdict of a conscience like his on the whole question. Those who -wish to put the best face upon the matter, and to rate the spiritual -worth of paganism as high as may be, lay stress on the ideal character -of the so-called idols, and ask whether the mere conception of Zeus, -or Apollo, or Athene, is not a spiritual achievement of a high order. -Let it be ever so high, and still, from the Apostle's ground, Zeus, -Apollo, and Athene are dead idols. They have no life but that which -is conferred upon them by their worshippers. They can never assert -themselves in action, bestowing life or salvation on those who honour -them. They can never be what the Living God was to every man of Jewish -birth--Creator, Judge, King, and Saviour; a personal and moral power -to whom men are accountable at every moment, for every free act. - -"Ye turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true God." We -cannot over-estimate the greatness of this change. Until we understand -the unity of God, we can have no true idea of His character, and -therefore no true idea of our own relation to Him. It was the -plurality of deities, as much as anything, which made heathenism -morally worthless. Where there is a multitude of gods, the real power -in the world, the final reality, is not found in any of them; but in a -fate of some sort which lies behind them all. There can be no moral -relation of man to this blank necessity; nor, while it exists, any -stable relation of man to his so-called gods. No Greek or Roman could -take in the idea of "serving" a God. The attendants or priests in a -temple were in an official sense the deity's ministers; but the -thought which is expressed in this passage, of serving a living and -true God by a life of obedience to His will, a thought which is so -natural and inevitable to either a Jew or a Christian, that without -it we could not so much as conceive religion--that thought was quite -beyond a pagan's comprehension. There was no room for it in his -religion; his conception of the gods did not admit of it. If life was -to be a moral service rendered to God, it must be to a God quite -different from any to whom he was introduced by his ancestral worship. -That is the final condemnation of heathenism; the final proof of its -falsehood as a religion. - -There is something as deep and strong as it is simple in the words, to -serve the living and true God. Philosophers have defined God as the -_ens realissimum_, the most real of beings, the absolute reality; and -it is this, with the added idea of personality, that is conveyed by -the description "living and true." But does God sustain this character -in the minds even of those who habitually worship Him? Is it not the -case that the things which are nearest to our hand seem to be -possessed of most life and reality, while God is by comparison very -unreal, a remote inference from something which is immediately -certain? If that is so, it will be very difficult for us to serve Him. -The law of our life will not be found in His will, but in our own -desires, or in the customs of our society; our motive will not be His -praise, but some end which is fully attained apart from Him. "My -meat," said Jesus, "is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to -finish His work"; and He could say so because God who sent Him was to -Him the living and true God, the first and last and sole reality, -whose will embraced and covered all His life. Do we think of God so? -Are the existence of God and the claim of God upon our obedience the -permanent element in our minds, the unchanging background of all our -thoughts and purposes? This is the fundamental thing in a truly -religious life. - -But the Apostle goes on from what is merely theistic, to what is -distinctively Christian. "Ye turned to God from idols ... to wait for -His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead." - -This is a very summary description of the issue of Christian -conversion. Judging by the analogy of other places, especially in St. -Paul, we should have expected some mention of faith. In Acts xx., -_e.g._, where he characterises his preaching, he names as its main -elements, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus -Christ. But here faith has been displaced by hope; the Thessalonians -are represented not as trusting in Christ, but as waiting for Him. Of -course, such hope implies faith. They only waited for Him because they -believed He had redeemed them, and would save them at the great day. -If faith and hope differ in that the one seems to look mainly to the -past and the other to the future, they agree in that both are -concerned with the revelation of the unseen. - -Everything in this revelation goes back to the resurrection and rests -upon it. It is mentioned here, in the first instance, exactly as in -Rom. i. 4, as the _argumentum palmarium_ for the Divine Sonship of -Jesus. There are many proofs of that essential doctrine, but not all -can be brought forward in all circumstances. Perhaps the most -convincing at the present time is that which is drawn from the -solitary perfection of Christ's character; the more truly and fully we -get the impression of that character, as it is reflected in the -Gospels, the surer we are that it is not a fancy picture, but drawn -from life; and that He whose likeness it is, stands alone among the -sons of men. But this kind of argument it takes years, not perhaps of -study, but of obedience and devotion, to appreciate; and when the -apostles went forth to preach the gospel they needed a more summary -process of conviction. This they found in Christ's resurrection; that -was an event standing alone in the world's history. There had been -nothing like it before; there has been nothing like it since. But the -men who were assured of it by many infallible proofs, did not presume -to disbelieve it because of its singularity; amazing as it was, they -could not but feel that it became one so unique in goodness and -greatness as Jesus; it was not possible, they saw after the event, -that He should be holden by the power of death; the resurrection only -exhibited Him in His true dignity; it declared Him the Son of God, -and set Him on His throne. Accordingly in all their preaching they put -the resurrection in the forefront. It was a revelation of life. It -extended the horizon of man's existence. It brought into view realms -of being that had hitherto been hidden in darkness. It magnified to -infinity the significance of everything in our short life in this -world, because it connected everything immediately with an endless -life beyond. And as this life in the unseen had been revealed in -Christ, all the apostles had to tell about it centred in Him. The -risen Christ was King, Judge, and Saviour; the Christian's present -duty was to love, trust, obey, and wait for Him. - -This waiting includes everything. "Ye come behind in no gift," Paul -says to the Corinthians, "waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus -Christ." That attitude of expectation is the bloom, as it were, of the -Christian character. Without it, there is something lacking; the -Christian who does not look upward and onward wants one mark of -perfection. This is, in all probability, the point on which we should -find ourselves most from home, in the atmosphere of the primitive -Church. Not unbelievers only, but disciples as well, have practically -ceased to think of the Second Advent. The society which devotes itself -to reviving interest in the truth uses Scripture in a fashion which -makes it impossible to take much interest in its proceedings; yet a -truth so clearly a part of Scripture teaching cannot be neglected -without loss. The door of the unseen world closed behind Christ as He -ascended from Olivet, but not for ever. It will open again; and this -same Jesus shall so come in like manner as the apostles beheld Him go. -He has gone to prepare a place for those who love Him and keep His -word; but "if I go," He says, "and prepare a place for you, I will -come again, and take you to Myself; that where I am, there ye may be -also." That is the final hope of the Christian faith. It is for the -fulfilment of this promise that the Church waits. The Second Coming of -Christ and His Resurrection stand and fall together; and it will not -long be possible for those who look askance at His return to receive -in all its fulness the revelation of life which He made when He rose -again from the dead. This world is too much with us; and it needs not -languor, but strenuous effort on the part of faith and hope, to make -the unseen world as real. Let us see that we come not behind in a -grace so essential to the very being of Christianity. - -The last words of the verse describe the character in which the Son of -God is expected by Christians to appear--Jesus, our deliverer[4] from -the wrath to come (+tês orgês tês erchomenês+). There is, then, -according to apostolic teaching, a coming wrath--a wrath impending -over the world, and actually on its way towards it. It is called the -wrath to come, in distinction from anything of the same nature of -which we have experience here. We all know the penal consequences -which sin brings in its train even in this world. Remorse, unavailing -sorrow, shame, fear, the sight of injury which we have done to those -we love and which we cannot undo, incapacity for service,--all these -are part and parcel of the fruit which sin bears. But they are not the -wrath to come. They do not exhaust the judgment of God upon evil. -Instead of discrediting it, they bear witness to it; they are, so to -speak, its forerunners; the lurid clouds that appear here and there in -the sky, but are finally lost in the dense mass of the thunderstorm. -When the Apostle preached the gospel, he preached the wrath to come; -without it, there would have been a missing link in the circle of -Christian ideas. "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ," he says. -Why? Because in it the righteousness of God is revealed, a -righteousness which is God's gift and acceptable in God's sight. But -why is such a revelation of righteousness necessary? Because the wrath -of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and -unrighteousness of men. The gospel is a revelation made to the world -in view of a given situation, and the most prominent and threatening -element in that situation is the impending wrath of God. The apostles -do not prove it; they declare it. The proof of it is left to conscience, -and to the Spirit of God reinforcing and quickening conscience; if -anything can be added to this, it is the gospel itself; for if there -were no such thing as the wrath of God, the gospel would be -gratuitous. We may, if we please, evade the truth; we may pick and -choose for ourselves among the elements of New Testament teaching, and -reject all that is distasteful; we may take our stand upon pride, and -decline to be threatened even by God; but we cannot be honest, and at -the same time deny that Christ and His apostles warn us of wrath to -come. - -Of course we must not misconceive the character of this wrath. We must -not import into our thoughts of it all that we can borrow from our -experience of man's anger--hastiness, unreason, intemperate rage. The -wrath of God is no arbitrary, passionate outburst; it is not, as wrath -so often is with us, a fury of selfish resentment. "Evil shall not -dwell with Thee," says the Psalmist; and in that simple word we have -the root of the matter. The wrath of God is, as it were, the instinct -of self-preservation in the Divine nature; it is the eternal -repulsion, by the Holy One, of all evil. Evil shall _not_ dwell with -Him. That may be doubted or denied while the day of grace lasts, and -God's forbearance is giving space to the sinful for repentance; but a -day is coming when it will no more be possible to doubt it--the day -which the Apostle calls the day of wrath. It will then be plain to all -the world that God's wrath is no empty name, but the most terrible of -all powers--a consuming fire in which everything opposed to His -holiness is burnt up. And while we take care not to think of this -wrath after the pattern of our own sinful passions, let us take care, -on the other hand, not to make it an unreal thing, without analogy in -human life. If we go upon the ground of Scripture and of our own -experience, it has the same degree and the same kind of reality as the -love of God, or His compassion, or His forbearance. In whatever way we -lawfully think of one side of the Divine nature, we must at the same -time think of the other. If there is a passion of Divine love, there -is a passion of Divine wrath as well. Nothing is meant in either case -unworthy of the Divine nature; what is conveyed by the word passion is -the truth that God's repulsion of evil is as intense as the ardour -with which He delights in good. To deny that is to deny that He is -good. - -The apostolic preacher, who had announced the wrath to come, and -awakened guilty consciences to see their danger, preached Jesus as the -deliverer from it. This is the real meaning of the words in the text; -and neither "Jesus which delivered," as in the Authorised Version, -nor, in any rigorous sense, "Jesus which delivereth," as in the -Revised. It is the character of Jesus that is in view, and neither the -past nor the present of His action. Every one who reads the words must -feel, How brief! how much remains to be explained! how much Paul must -have had to say about how the deliverance is effected! As the passage -stands, it recalls vividly the end of the second Psalm: "Kiss the Son, -lest He be angry, and ye perish in the way, for His wrath will soon be -kindled. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him." To have -the Son a friend, to be identified with Jesus--so much we see at -once--secures deliverance in the day of wrath. Other Scriptures supply -the missing links. The atonement for sin made by Christ's death; faith -which unites the soul to the Saviour, and brings into it the virtue of -His cross and resurrection; the Holy Spirit who dwells in believers, -sanctifying them, and making them fit to dwell with God in the -light,--all these come into view elsewhere, and in spite of the brevity -of this notice had their place, beyond doubt, in Paul's teaching at -Thessalonica.[5] Not that all could be explained at once: that was -unnecessary. But from imminent danger there must be an instantaneous -escape; and it is sufficient to say that it is found in Jesus Christ. -"Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him." The risen Son is -enthroned in power; He is Judge of all; He died for all; He is able to -save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. To commit -everything definitely to Him; to leave Him to undertake for us; to put -on Him the responsibility of our past and our future, as He invites us -to do; to put ourselves for good and all at His side,--this is to find -deliverance from the wrath to come. It leaves much unexplained that we -may come to understand afterwards, and much, perhaps, that we shall -never understand; but it guarantees itself, adventure though it be; -Christ never disappoints any who thus put their trust in Him. - -This description in outline of conversion from paganism to the gospel -should revive the elementary Christian virtues in our hearts. Have we -seen how high a thing it is to serve a living and true God? Or is it -not so, that even among Christians, a _godly_ man--one who lives in -the presence of God, and is conscious of his responsibility to Him--is -the rarest of all types? Are we waiting for His Son from heaven, whom -He raised from the dead? Or are there not many who hardly so much as -form the idea of His return, and to whom the attitude of waiting for -Him would seem strained and unnatural? In plain words, what the New -Testament calls Hope is in many Christians dead: the world to come and -all that is involved in it--the searching judgment, the impending -wrath, the glory of Christ--have slipped from our grasp. Yet it was -this hope which more than anything gave its peculiar colour to the -primitive Christianity, its unworldliness, its moral intensity, its -command of the future even in this life. If there were nothing else to -establish it, would not its spiritual fruits be sufficient? - -[4] The present participle here is simply equivalent to a substantive. - -[5] Much has been made, by writers who wish to trace the spiritual -development of St. Paul, of the absence from his earliest epistles of -explicit teaching on the atonement and on justification by faith. But -we have to remember that the Epistles to the Thessalonians, like most -of his writings, were incidental; their topics were provided, and -limited, by special circumstances. The doctrinal matter in 1 -Thessalonians was not even the principal thing; the +loipon+ in iv. 1 -shows that by the end of chapter iii. the Apostle has done what he -intended to do when he began; even the paragraphs on the Parousia are -casual and supplementary. But if we consider that Paul had now been -preaching for perhaps seventeen years, and that within a few months he -delivered to the Corinthians (1 Cor. xv. 1-4) the one gospel known -alike to him and to the twelve,--the gospel which had for its -fundamental article "that Christ died for our sins according to the -Scriptures,"--we shall see how unreal it is to exclude this doctrine -from his evangelistic work at Thessalonica. No doubt there, as at -Corinth, he delivered this "first of all."--See also chap. v. 10. - - - - -V. - -_APOLOGIA PRO VITA SUA._ - - - "For yourselves, brethren, know our entering in unto you, that it - hath not been found vain: but having suffered before, and been - shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we waxed bold in our - God to speak unto you the gospel of God in much conflict. For our - exhortation _is_ not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: but - even as we have been approved of God to be intrusted with the - gospel, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God which proveth our - hearts. For neither at any time were we found using words of - flattery, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness, God is witness; - nor seeking glory of men, neither from you, nor from others, when we - might have been burdensome, as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle - in the midst of you, as when a nurse cherisheth her own children: - even so, being affectionately desirous of you, we were well pleased - to impart unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own - souls, because ye were become very dear to us. For ye remember, - brethren, our labour and travail: working night and day, that we - might not burden any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. - Ye are witnesses, and God _also_, how holily and righteously and - unblameably we behaved ourselves toward you that believe: as ye know - how we _dealt_ with each one of you, as a father with his own - children, exhorting you, and encouraging _you_, and testifying, to - the end that ye should walk worthily of God, who calleth you into - His own kingdom and glory."--1 THESS. ii. 1-12 (R.V.). - -Our first impression, as we read these verses, is that they contain -little that is new. They simply expand the statement of ch. i., ver. -5: "Our gospel came not unto you in word only, but in power, and in -the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; even as ye know what manner of -men we showed ourselves toward you for your sake." But if their -substance is the same, their tone is very different. It is obvious at -a glance that the Apostle has a definite purpose in view in appealing -so pointedly as he does here to facts with which his readers were -familiar. The truth is, he is standing upon his defence. Unless it -were so, he would not think of writing, as he does in ver. 5, that he -had never had recourse to flattery, nor sought to make gain out of his -apostleship; nor as he does in ver. 10, that God knows the entire -purity of his life among them. Although he does not name them, it is -quite plain that he was already suffering from those enemies who never -ceased to vex him while he lived. As we learn afterwards, these -enemies were the Jews. When they had opportunity, they used open -violence; they roused the Gentile mob against him; they had him -scourged and stoned. When his body was out of their reach, they -assailed him through his character and affections. They crept into the -churches which his love and zeal had gathered here and there, and -scattered injurious suspicions against him among his disciples. He was -not, they hinted, all that he seemed to be. They could tell stories -about his early days, and advised those who did not know him so well -to be on their guard. Evangelising paid him quite as well as harder -work, and his paltry ambition was gratified by lording it over his -ignorant converts. Such messengers of Satan had apparently made their -appearance in Thessalonica since Paul left, and this chapter is his -reply to their insinuations. - -There is something exquisitely painful in the situation thus created. -It would have been like a sword piercing the Apostle's heart, had his -enemies succeeded in their attempt to breed distrust in the -Thessalonians toward him. He could not have borne to think that those -whom he loved so utterly should entertain the faintest suspicion of -the integrity of his love. But happily he is spared that pain. He -writes, indeed, as one who has felt the indignity of the charges -brought against him, but with the frankness and heartiness of a man -who is confident that his defence will be well received. From baseless -insinuations he can appeal to facts which are well known to all. From -the false character in which he has been dressed by his adversaries he -can appeal to the true, in which he lived and moved familiarly among -them. - -The first point in his favour is found in the circumstances under -which he had preached the gospel in Thessalonica. Had he been an -insincere man, with bye ends of his own to serve, he would never have -faced the career of an apostle. He had been scourged and put in the -stocks at Philippi; and when he left that city for Thessalonica, he -brought his troubles with him. Here also he had much conflict; he was -beset on every hand with difficulties; it was only in the strength of -God that he had courage to preach at all. You yourselves, he says, -know that; and how, in spite of that, our coming to you was not vain, -but full of power; surely it needs no more to prove the -disinterestedness of our mission. - -From this point onward, the apology falls into two parts, a negative -and a positive: the Apostle tells us what his gospel and the -proclamation of it are not; and then he tells us what, at -Thessalonica, it had been. - -In the first place, it is not of error. It does not rest on mistakes, -or imaginations, or cunningly devised fables; in the fullest sense it -is the truth. It would have taken the heart out of the Apostle, and -made him incapable of braving anything for its sake, had he been in -doubt of this. If the gospel were a device of man, then men might take -liberties with it, handle it deceitfully, make their own account out -of it; but resting as it does on facts and truth, it demands honest -dealing in all its ministers. Paul claims here a character in -agreement with the dispensation which he serves: can a minister of the -truth, he asks, be other than a true man? - -In the next place, it is not of uncleanness; that is, it is not -prompted by any impure motive. The force of the word here must be -determined by the context; and we see that the impure motives -specially laid to the charge of Paul were avarice and ambition; or, to -use the words of the Apostle himself, covetousness, and the seeking of -honour from men. The first of these is so manifestly inconsistent with -any degree of spirituality that Paul writes instinctively "_a cloke_ -of covetousness"; he did not make his apostolic labour a veil, under -cover of which he could gratify his love of gain. It is impossible to -exaggerate the subtle and clinging character of this vice. It owes its -strength to the fact that it can be so easily cloked. We seek money, -so we tell ourselves, not because we are covetous, but because it is a -power for all good purposes. Piety, charity, humanity, refinement, -art, science--it can minister to them all; but when we obtain it, it -is too easily hoarded, or spent in indulgence, display, and -conformity to the world. The pursuit of wealth, except in an utterly -materialised society, is always cloked by some ideal end to which it -is to minister; but how few there are in whose hands wealth is merely -an instrument for the furtherance of such ends. In many men the desire -for it is naked selfishness, an idolatry as undisguised as that of -Israel at Sinai. Yet all men feel how bad and mean it is to have the -heart set on money. All men see how base and incongruous it is to make -godliness a source of gain. All men see the peculiar ugliness of a -character which associates piety and avarice--of a Balaam, for -instance, a Gehazi, or an Ananias. It is not ministers of the gospel -only, but all to whom the credit of the gospel is entrusted, who have -to be on their guard here. Our enemies are entitled to question our -sincerity when we can be shown to be lovers of money. At Thessalonica, -as elsewhere, Paul had been at pains to make such calumny impossible. -Although entitled to claim support from the Church in accordance with -the law of Christ that they who preach the gospel should live by the -gospel, he had wrought night and day with his own hands that he might -not burden any of them. As a precaution, this self-denial was vain; -there can be no security against malice; but it gave him a triumphant -vindication when the charge of covetousness was actually made. - -The other impure motive contemplated is ambition. Some modern students -of Paul's character--devil's advocates, no doubt--hint at this as his -most obvious fault. It was necessary for him, we are told, to be -first; to be the leader of a party; to have a following of his own. -But he disclaims ambition as explicitly as avarice. He never sought -glory from men, at Thessalonica or elsewhere. He used none of the arts -which obtain it. As apostles of Christ--he includes his friends--they -had, indeed, a rank of their own; the greatness of the Prince whom -they represented was reflected on them as His ambassadors; they might -have "stood upon their dignity,"[6] had they chosen to do so. Their -very self-denial in the matter of money formed a new temptation for -them here. They might well feel that their disinterested service of -the Thessalonians entitled them to a spiritual pre-eminence; and -indeed there is no pride like that which bases on ascetic austerities -the claim to direct with authority the life and conduct of others. -Paul escaped this snare. He did not compensate himself for renouncing -gain, with any lordship over souls. In all things he was the servant -of those to whom he preached. - -And as his motives were pure, so were the means he used. His -exhortation was not in guile. He did not manipulate his message; he -was never found using words of flattery. The gospel was not his own to -do what he pleased with: it was God's; God had approved him so far as -to entrust it to him; yet every moment, in the discharge of his trust, -that same God was proving his heart still, so that false dealing was -impossible. He did not make his message other than it was; he did not -hide any part of the counsel of God; he did not inveigle the -Thessalonians by any false pretences into responsibilities which would -not have been accepted could they have been foreseen. - -All these denials--not of error, not of uncleanness, not of guile; not -pleasing men, not using words of flattery, not cloking over -covetousness--all these denials presuppose the contrary affirmations. -Paul does not indulge in boasting but on compulsion; he would never -have sought to justify himself, unless he had first been accused. And -now, over against this picture, drawn by his enemies, let us look at -the true likeness which is held up before God and man. - -Instead of selfishness there is love, and nothing but love. We are all -familiar with the great passage in the epistle to the Philippians -where the Apostle depicts the mind which was in Christ Jesus. The -contrast in that passage between the disposition which grasps at -eminence and that which makes itself of no reputation, between -+harpagmos+ and +kenôsis+, is reproduced here. Paul had learned of -Christ; and instead of seeking in his apostolic work opportunities for -self-exaltation, he shrank from no service imposed by love. "We were -gentle in the midst of you, as when a nurse cherisheth her own -children." "Her own" is to be emphasised. The tenderness of the -Apostle was that of a mother warming her babe at her breast. Most of -the ancient authorities, the R.V. tells us in the margin, read "We -were _babes_ (+nêpioi+) in the midst of you." If this were correct, -the thought would be that Paul stooped to the level of these infant -disciples, speaking to them, as it were, in the language of childhood, -and accommodating himself to their immaturity. But though this is -appropriate enough, the word +nêpioi+ is not proper to express it.[7] -Gentleness is really what is meant. But his love went further than -this in its yearning over the Thessalonians. He had been accused of -seeking gain and glory when he came among them; but his sole desire -had been not to get but to give. As his stay was prolonged, the -disciples became very dear to their teachers; "we were well pleased to -impart unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls." -That is the true standard of pastoral care. The Apostle lived up to it -always. "_Now_ we _live_," he writes in the next chapter, "if ye stand -fast in the Lord." "Ye are in our hearts," he cries to the -Corinthians, "to live together and to die together." He not only kept -back from them nothing of the whole purpose of God; he kept back no -part of himself. His daily toil, his toil by night, his prayers, his -preaching, his spiritual ardour, his very soul, were theirs. They knew -his labour and travail; they were witnesses, and God also, how holily -and righteously and unblamably he had behaved toward them. - -As the Apostle recalls these recent memories, he dwells for a -moment on another aspect of his love. It had not only the tender -fondness of a mother's, but the educative wisdom of a father's. One -by one he dealt with the disciples--which is not the way to gain -glory--exhorting, encouraging, bearing solemn testimony to the truth -of God. And his end in all this, as they knew, was ideal and -spiritual, an end as remote as possible from any worldly interest of -his own; that they might walk worthily of God who was calling them -into His own kingdom and glory. How far from the rewards and -distinctions of the present must that man's mind be who sees, as Paul -saw steadily, the things that are invisible. If he who is blind to the -golden crown above his head grasps the muck rake tightly and clutches -eagerly all it brings within his reach, surely he whose eye is set -upon the crown must be superior alike to the gain and the glory of the -world. That, at least, is the claim which the Apostle makes here. -Nothing could be more incongruous than that a man to whom the visible -world was transitory and unreal, and the invisible kingdom of God real -and eternal, should be eager for money and applause, and forget the -high calling with which he himself was calling men in Christ. So far -the apology of the Apostle. - -The practical application of this passage is different, according as -we look at it in detail, or as a whole. It exhibits to us, in the -charges brought against Paul, those vices which even bad men can see -to be rankly inconsistent with the Christian character. Covetousness -is the foremost. No matter how we cloke it--and we always cloke it -somehow--it is incurably un-Christian. Christ had no money. He never -wished to have any. The one perfect life that has been lived in this -world is the life of Him who owned nothing, and who left nothing but -the clothes he wore. Whoever names the name of Christ, and professes -to follow Him, must learn of Him indifference to gain. The mere -suspicion of avarice will discredit, and ought to discredit, the most -pious pretensions. The second vice I have spoken of as ambition. It is -the desire to use others for one's own exaltation, to make them the -stepping stones on which we rise to eminence, the ministers of our -vanity, the sphere for the display of our own abilities as leaders, -masters, organisers, preachers. To put ourselves in that relation to -others is to do an essentially un-Christian thing. A minister whose -congregation is the theatre on which he displays his talents or his -eloquence is not a Christian. A clever man, to whom the men and women -with whom he meets in society are merely specimens of human nature on -whom he can make shrewd observations, sharpening his wits on them as -on a grindstone, is not a Christian. A man of business, who looks at -the labourers whom he employs as only so many instruments for rearing -the fabric of his prosperity, is not a Christian. Everybody in the -world knows that; and such men, if they profess Christianity, give a -handle to slander, and bring disgrace on the religion which they wear -merely as a blind. True Christianity is love, and the nature of love -is not to take but to give. There is no limit to the Christian's -beneficence; he counts nothing his own; he gives his very soul with -every separate gift. He is as tender as the mother to her infant; as -wise, as manly, as earnest as the father with his growing boy. - -Looked at as a whole this passage warns us against slander. It must -needs be that slander is spoken and believed; but woe to the man or -woman by whom it is either believed or spoken! None are good enough to -escape it. Christ was slandered; they called Him a glutton and a -drunkard, and said He was in league with the devil. Paul was -slandered; they said he was a very smart man, who looked well to his -own interest, and made dupes of simple people. The deliberate -wickedness of such falsehoods is diabolical, but it is not so very -rare. Numbers of people who would not invent such stories are glad to -hear them. They are not very particular whether they are true or -false; it pleases them to think that an evangelist, eminent in -profession, gets a royalty on hymn-books; or that a priest, famous for -devotion, was really no better than he should have been; or that a -preacher, whose words regenerated a whole church, sometimes despised -his audience, and talked nonsense impromptu. To sympathise with -detraction is to have the spirit of the devil, not of Christ. Be on -your guard against such sympathy; you are human, and therefore need -to. Never give utterance to a suspicious thought. Never repeat what -would discredit a man, if you have only heard it and are not sure it -is true; even if you are sure of its truth, be afraid of yourself if -it gives you any pleasure to think of it. Love thinketh no evil; love -rejoiceth not in iniquity. - -[6] So Alford renders +dynamenoi en barei einai+. - -[7] +nêpios+ always includes the idea of being undeveloped, unripe, -and has often a shade of censure in Paul. - - - - -VI. - -_IMPEACHMENT OF THE JEWS._ - - - "And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when ye - received from us the word of the message, _even the word_ of - God, ye accepted _it_ not _as_ the word of men, but, as it is in - truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe. For - ye, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in - Judæa in Christ Jesus; for ye also suffered the same things of your - own countrymen, even as they did of the Jews; who both killed the - Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drave out us, and please not God, - and are contrary to all men; forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles - that they may be saved; to fill up their sins alway: but the wrath is - come upon them to the uttermost."--1 THESS. ii. 13-16 (R.V.). - -These verses complete the treatment of the subject with which this -chapter opens. The Apostle has drawn a moving picture of his life and -labours in Thessalonica; he has pointed to it as his sufficient -vindication from all the charges laid against him. Before carrying the -war into the enemies' camp, and depicting the traditions and the -spirit of his traducers, he lingers again for a moment on the happy -results of his work. In spite of persecution and calumny, he has cause -to thank God without ceasing when he remembers the reception of the -gospel by the Thessalonians. - -When the message was brought to them, they accepted it, he says, not -as the word of men, but as what it was in truth, the word of God. It -is in this character that the gospel always presents itself. A word of -men cannot address men with authority; it must submit itself to -criticism; it must vindicate itself on grounds which man's understanding -approves. Now, the gospel is not irrational; it is its own demand that -the Christian shall be ready to answer every one who demands a -rational account of the hope that is in him. But neither does it, on -the other hand, come to us soliciting our approval; submitting itself, -as a system of ideas, to our scrutiny, and courting approbation. It -speaks with authority. It _commands_ repentance; it preaches -forgiveness on the ground of Christ's death--a supreme gift of God -which may be accepted or rejected, but is not proposed for discussion; -it exhibits the law of Christ's life as the law which is binding upon -every human being, and calls upon all men to follow him. Its decisive -appeal is made to the conscience and the will; and to respond to it is -to give up will and conscience to God. When the Apostle says, "Ye -received it as, what it is in truth, the word of God," he betrays, if -one may use the word, the consciousness of his own inspiration. -Nothing is commoner now than to speak of the theology of Paul as if it -were a private possession of the Apostle, a scheme of thought that he -had framed for himself, to explain his own experience. Such a scheme -of thought, we are told, has no right whatever to impose itself on us; -it has only a historical and biographical interest; it has no -necessary connexion with truth. The first result of this line of -thought, in almost every case, is the rejection of the very heart of -the apostolic gospel; the doctrine of the atonement is no longer the -greatest truth of revelation, but a rickety bridge on which Paul -imagined he had crossed from Pharisaism to Christianity. Certainly -this modern analysis of the epistles does not reflect the Apostle's -own way of looking at what he called "My gospel." To him it was no -device of man, but unequivocally Divine; in very truth, the word of -God. His theology certainly came to him in the way of his experience; -his mind had been engaged with it, and was engaged with it continually; -but he was conscious that, with all this freedom, it rested at bottom -on the truth of God; and when he preached it--for his theology was the -sum of the Divine truth he held, and he _did_ preach it--he did not -submit it to men as a theme for discussion. He put it above discussion. -He pronounced a solemn and reiterated anathema on either man or angel -who should put anything else in its stead. He published it, not for -criticism, as though it had been his own device; but, as the word of -God, for the obedience of faith. The tone of this passage recalls the -word of our Lord, "Whoso shall not receive the kingdom of God as a -little child shall in no wise enter therein." There are difficulties -enough connected with the gospel, but they are not of a kind that -disappear while we stand and look at them, or even stand and think -about them; unquestioning surrender solves many, and introduces us to -experiences which enable us to bear the rest with patience. - -The word of God, in other words the gospel, proved its Divine -character in the Thessalonians _after_ it was received. "It also -worketh," says Paul, "in you that believe." The last words are not -superfluous. The word preached, we read of an earlier generation, did -not profit, not being mixed with faith in them that heard. Faith -conditions its efficacy. Gospel truth is an active force when it is -within the heart; but it can do nothing for us while doubt, pride, or -unacknowledged reserve, keep it outside. If we have really welcomed -the Divine message, it will not be inoperative; it will work within us -all that is characteristic of New Testament life--love, joy, peace, -hope, patience. These are the proofs of its truth. Here, then, is the -source of all graces: if the word of Christ dwell in us richly; if the -truth of the gospel, deep, manifold, inexhaustible, yet ever the same, -possess our hearts,--the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. - -The particular gospel grace which the Apostle has here in view is -patience. He proves that the word of God is at work in the -Thessalonians by pointing to the fact that they have suffered for His -sake. "Had you been still of the world, the world would have loved its -own; but as it is, you have become imitators of the Christian churches -in Judæa, and have suffered the same things at the hands of your -countrymen as they from theirs." Of all places in the world, Judæa was -that in which the gospel and its adherents had suffered most -severely. Jerusalem itself was the focus of hostility. No one knew -better than Paul, the zealous persecutor of heresy, what it had cost -from the very beginning to be true to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. -Scourging, imprisonment, exile, death by the sword or by stoning, had -rewarded such fidelity. We do not know to what extremity the enemies -of the gospel had gone in Thessalonica; but the distress of the -Christians must have been great when the Apostle could make this -comparison even in passing. He has already told them (ch. i. 6) that -much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost, is the very badge of -God's elect; and here he combines the same stern necessity with the -operation of the Divine word in their hearts. Do not let us overlook -this. The work of God's word (or if you prefer it, the effect of -receiving the gospel), is in the first instance to produce a new -character, a character not only distinct from that of the unconverted, -but antagonistic to it, and more directly and inevitably antagonistic, -the more thoroughly it is wrought out; so that in proportion as God's -word is operative in us, we come into collision with the world which -rejects it. To suffer, therefore, is to the Apostle the seal of faith; -it warrants the genuineness of a Christian profession. It is not a -sign that God has forgotten His people, but a sign that He is with -them; and that they are being brought by Him into fellowship with -primitive churches, with apostles and prophets, with the Incarnate Son -Himself. And hence the whole situation of the Thessalonians, suffering -included, comes under that heartfelt expression of thanks to God with -which the passage opens. It is not a subject for condolence, but for -gratitude, that they have been counted worthy to suffer shame for the -Name. - -And now the Apostle turns from the persecuted to the persecutors. -There is nothing in his epistles elsewhere that can be compared with -this passionate outburst. Paul was proud with no common pride of his -Jewish descent; it was better in his eyes than any patent of nobility. -His heart swelled as he thought of the nation to which the adoption -pertained, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the -law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose were the fathers, -and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came. Apostle of the -Gentiles though he was, he had great sorrow and unceasing pain in his -heart, when he remembered the antagonism of the Jews to the gospel; he -could have wished himself anathema from Christ for their sakes. He was -confident, too, that in some glorious future they would yet submit to -the Messiah, so that all Israel should be saved. The turning of the -heathen to God would provoke them to jealousy; and the Divine calling -with which the nation had been called in Abraham would reach its -predestined goal. Such is the tone, and such the anticipation, with -which, not very long afterwards, Paul writes in the epistle to the -Romans. Here he looks at his countrymen with other eyes. They are -identified, in his experience, with a fierce resistance to the gospel, -and with cruel persecutions of the Church of Christ. Only in the -character of bitter enemies has he been in contact with them in recent -years. They have hunted him from city to city in Asia and in Europe; -they have raised the populace against his converts; they have sought -to poison the minds of his disciples against him. He knows that this -policy is that with which his countrymen as a whole have identified -themselves; and as he looks steadily at it, he sees that in doing so -they have only acted in consistency with all their past history. The -messengers whom God sends to demand the fruit of His vineyard have -always been treated with violence and despite. The crowning sin of the -race is put in the forefront; they slew the Lord, Jesus; but before -the Lord came, they had slain His prophets; and after He had gone, -they expelled His apostles. God had put them in a position of -privilege, but only for a time; they were the depositaries, or -trustees, of the knowledge of God as the Saviour of men; and now, when -the time had come for that knowledge to be diffused throughout all the -world, they clung proudly and stubbornly to the old position. They -pleased not God and were contrary to all men, in forbidding the -apostles to preach salvation to the heathen. There is an echo, all -through this passage, of the words of Stephen: "Ye stiffnecked and -uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost." -There are sentences in heathen authors, who repaid the contempt and -hatred of the Jews with haughty disdain, that have been compared with -this terrible impeachment by the Apostle; but in reality, they are -quite unlike. What we have here is not a burst of temper, though there -is undoubtedly strong feeling in it; it is the vehement condemnation, -by a man in thorough sympathy with the mind and spirit of God, of the -principles on which the Jews as a nation had acted at every period of -their history. - -What is the relation of God to such a situation as is here described? -The Jews, Paul says, did all this "to fill up their sins at all -times." He does not mean that that was their intention; neither does -he speak ironically; but speaking as he often does from that Divine -standpoint at which all results are intended and purposed results, not -outside of, but within, the counsel of God, he signifies that this -Divine end was being secured by their wickedness. The cup of their -iniquity was filling all the time. Every generation did something to -raise the level within. The men who bade Amos begone, and eat his -bread at home, raised it a little; the men who sought Hosea's life in -the sanctuary, raised it further; so did those who put Jeremiah in the -dungeon, and those who murdered Zechariah between the temple and the -altar. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, the cup was full to the -brim. When those whom He left behind to be His witnesses, and to -preach repentance and remission of sins to an men, beginning at -Jerusalem, were expelled or put to death, it ran over. God could bear -no more. Side by side with the cup of iniquity the cup of judgment had -been filling also; and they overflowed together. Even when Paul wrote -he could say, "The wrath is come upon them to the very end."[8] - -It is not easy to explain the precise force of these words. They seem -to point definitely[9] to some event, or some act of God, in which His -wrath had been unmistakably made manifest. To suppose that the fall of -Jerusalem is meant is to deny that Paul wrote the words. All that is -certain is that the Apostle saw in the signs of the times some -infallible token that the nation's day of grace had come to an end. -Perhaps some excess of a Roman procurator, now forgotten; perhaps one -of those famines that desolated Judæa in that unhappy age; perhaps the -recent edict of Claudius, expelling all Jews from Rome, and betraying -the temper of the supreme power; perhaps the coming shadow of an awful -doom, obscure in outline, but none the less inevitable, gave shape to -the expression. The Jews had failed, in their day, to recognise the -things that belonged to their peace; and now they were hid from their -eyes. They had disregarded every presage of the coming storm; and at -length the clouds that could not be charmed away had accumulated over -their heads, and the fire of God was ready to leap out. - -This striking passage embodies certain truths to which we do well to -give heed. It shows us that there is such a thing as a national -character. In the providential government of God a nation is not an -aggregate of individuals, each one of whom stands apart from the rest; -it is a corporation with a unity, life and spirit of its own. Within -that unity there may be a conflict of forces, a struggle of good with -evil, of higher with lower tendencies, just as there is in the -individual soul; but there will be a preponderance on one side or the -other; and that side to which the balance leans will prevail more and -more. In the vast spirit of the nation, as in the spirit of each man -or woman, through the slow succession of generations as in the swift -succession of years, character gradually assumes more fixed and -definite form. There is a process of development, interrupted perhaps -and retarded by such conflicts as I have referred to, but bringing -out all the more decisively and irreversibly the inmost spirit of the -whole. There is nothing which the proud and the weak more dread than -inconsistency; there is nothing, therefore, which is so fatally -certain to happen as what has happened already. The Jews resented from -the first the intrusion of God's word into their lives; they had -ambitions and ideas of their own, and in its corporate action the -nation was uniformly hostile to the prophets. It beat one and killed -another and stoned a third; it was of a different spirit from them, -and from Him who sent them; and the longer it lived, the more like -itself, the more unlike God, it became. It was the climax of its sin, -yet only the climax--for it had previously taken every step that led -to that eminence in evil--when it slew the Lord Jesus. And when it was -ripe for judgment, judgment fell upon it as a whole. - -It is not easy to speak impartially about our own country and its -character; yet such a character there undoubtedly is, just as there is -such a unity as the British nation. Many observers tell us that the -character has degenerated into a mere instinct for trade; and that it -has begotten a vast unscrupulousness in dealing with the weak. Nobody -will deny that there is a protesting conscience in the nation, a voice -which pleads in God's name for justice, as the prophets pled in -Israel; but the question is not whether such a voice is audible, but -whether in the corporate acts of the nation it is obeyed. The state -ought to be a Christian state. The nation ought to be conscious of a -spiritual vocation, and to be animated with the spirit of Christ. In -its dealings with other powers, in its relations to savage or -half-civilised peoples, in its care for the weak among its own -citizens, it should acknowledge the laws of justice and of mercy. We -have reason to thank God that in all these matters Christian sentiment -is beginning to tell. The opium trade with China, the liquor trade -with the natives of Africa, the labour trade in the South Seas, the -dwellings of the poor, the public-house system with its deliberate -fostering of drunkenness, all these are matters in regard to which the -nation was in danger of settling into permanent hostility to God, and -in which there is now hope of better things. The wrath which is the -due and inevitable accompaniment of such hostility, when persisted in, -has not come on us to the very end; God has given us opportunity to -rectify what is amiss, and to deal with all our interests in the -spirit of the New Testament. Let no one be backward or indifferent -when so great a work is in hand. The heritage of sin accumulates if it -is not put away by well doing; and with sin, judgment. It is for us to -learn by the word of God and the examples of history that the nation -and kingdom that will not serve Him shall perish. - -Finally, this passage shows us the last and worst form which sin can -assume, in the words "forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they -should be saved." Nothing is so completely ungodly, so utterly unlike -God and opposed to Him, as that spirit which grudges others the good -things which it prizes for itself. When the Jewish nation set itself -relentlessly to prohibit the extension of the gospel to the -Gentiles--when the word was passed round the synagogues from head -quarters that this renegade Paul, who was summoning the pagans to -become the people of God, was to be thwarted by fraud or violence--God's -patience was exhausted. Such selfish pride was the very negation of -His love; the _ne plus ultra_ of evil. Yet nothing is more easy and -natural than for men who have occupied a position of privilege to -indulge this temper. An imperial nation, which boasts of its freedom, -grudges such freedom to others; it seems to lose the very consciousness -of being free, unless there is a subject people over which it can -tyrannise. In many relations of minor consequence, political and -social, we have cause to make this reflection. Do not think that what -is good for you, is anything else than good for your neighbour. If you -are a better man because you have a comfortable home, leisure, -education, interest in public affairs, a place in the church, so would -he be. Above all, if the gospel of Christ is to you the pearl above -all price, take care how you grudge that to any human soul. This is -not an unnecessary caution. The criticism of missionary methods, which -may be legitimate enough, is interrupted too often by the suggestion -that such and such a race is not fit for the gospel. Nobody who knows -what the gospel is will ever make such a suggestion; but we have all -heard it made, and we see from this passage what it means. It is the -mark of a heart which is deeply estranged from God, and ignorant of -the Golden Rule which embodies both gospel and law. Let us rather be -imitators of the great man who first entered into the spirit of -Christ, and discovered the open secret of His life and death,--the -mystery of redemption--that the heathen should be heirs with God's -ancient people, and of the same body, and partakers of the same -promises. "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even -so to them." - -[8] Weiss renders +eis telos+ "im höchsten Masse." - -[9] Observe the aorist +ephthasen+. - - - - -VII. - -_ABSENCE AND LONGING._ - - - "But we, brethren, being bereaved of you for a short season, in - presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more exceedingly to see your - face with great desire: because we would fain have come unto you, I - Paul once and again; and Satan hindered us. For what is our hope, or - joy, or crown of glorying? Are not even ye, before our Lord Jesus at - His coming? For ye are our glory and our joy. Wherefore when we could - not longer forbear, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens - alone; and sent Timothy, our brother and God's minister in the gospel - of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your - faith; that no man be moved by these afflictions; for yourselves know - that hereunto we are appointed. For verily, when we were with you, we - told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction; even as it came - to pass, and ye know. For this cause I also, when I could no longer - forbear, sent that I might know your faith, lest by any means the - tempter had tempted you, and our labour should be in vain."--1 THESS. - ii. 17-iii. 5 (R.V.). - -The Apostle has said all that he means to say of the opposition of the -Jews to the gospel, and in the verses before us turns to his own -relations to the Thessalonians. He had been compelled to leave their -city against his will; they themselves had escorted him by night to -Beroea. He cannot find words strong enough to describe the pain of -separation. It was a bereavement, although he hoped it would only last -for a short time. His heart was with them as truly as if he were still -bodily present in Thessalonica. His strongest desire was to look upon -their faces once more. - -Here we ought to notice again the power of the gospel to create new -relations and the corresponding affections. A few months before Paul -had not known a single soul in Thessalonica; if he had been only a -travelling tent-maker, he might have stayed there as long as he did, -and then moved on with as little emotion as troubles a modern gipsy -when he shifts his camp; but coming as a Christian evangelist, he -finds or rather makes brothers, and feels his enforced parting from -them like a bereavement. Months after, his heart is sore for those -whom he has left behind. This is one of the ways in which the gospel -enriches life; hearts that would otherwise be empty and isolated are -brought by it into living contact with a great circle whose nature and -needs are like their own; and capacities, that would otherwise have -been unsuspected, have free course for development. No one knows what -is in him; and, in particular, no one knows of what love, of what -expansion of heart he is capable, till Christ has made real to him -those relations to others by which his duties are determined, and all -his powers of thought and feeling called forth. Only the Christian man -can ever tell what it is to love with all his heart and soul and -strength and mind. - -Such an experience as shines through the words of the Apostle in this -passage furnishes the key to one of the best known but least -understood words of our Saviour. "Verily I say unto you," said Jesus -to the twelve, "there is no man that hath left house, or wife, or -brethren, or parents, or children, for the Kingdom of God's sake, who -shall not receive manifold more in this time, and in the world to come -eternal life." These words might almost stand for a description of -Paul. He had given up everything for Christ's sake. He had no home, -no wife, no child; as far as we can see, no brother or friend among -all his old acquaintances. Yet we may be sure that not one of those -who were most richly blessed with all these natural relations and -natural affections knew better than he what love is. No father ever -loved his children more tenderly, fervently, austerely and -unchangeably than Paul loved those whom he had begotten in the gospel. -No father was ever rewarded with affection more genuine, obedience -more loyal, than many of his converts rendered to him. Even in the -trials of love, which search it, and strain it, and bring out its -virtues to perfection--in misunderstandings, ingratitude, wilfulness, -suspicion--he had an experience with blessings of its own in which he -surpassed them all. If love is the true wealth and blessedness of our -life, surely none was richer or more blessed than this man, who had -given up for Christ's sake all those relations and connections through -which love naturally comes. Christ had fulfilled to him the promise -just quoted; He had given him a hundredfold in this life, houses and -brothers and sisters and mothers and children. It would have been -nothing but loss to cling to the natural affections and decline the -lonely apostolic career. - -There is something wonderfully vivid in the idea which Paul gives of -his love for the Thessalonians. His mind is full of them; he imagines -all the circumstances of trial and danger in which they may be placed; -if he could only be with them at need! He seems to follow them as a -woman follows with her thoughts the son who has gone alone to a -distant town; she remembers him when he goes out in the morning, -pities him if there are any circumstances of hardship in his work, -pictures him busy in shop or office or street, looks at the clock when -he ought to be home for the day; wonders where he is, and with what -companions, in the evening; and counts the days till she will see him -again. The Christian love of the Apostle, which had no basis at all in -nature, was as real as this; and it is a pattern for all those who try -to serve others in the gospel. The power of the truth, as far as its -ministers are concerned, depends on its being spoken in love; unless -the heart of the preacher or teacher is really pledged to those to -whom he speaks, he cannot expect but to labour in vain. - -Paul is anxious that the Thessalonians should understand the strength -of his feeling. It was no passing fancy. On two separate occasions he -had determined to revisit them, and had felt, apparently, some -peculiar malignity in the circumstances which foiled him. "Satan," he -says, "hindered us." - -This is one of the expressions which strike us as remote from our -present modes of thought. Yet it is not false or unnatural. It -belongs to that profound biblical view of life, according to which all -the opposing forces in our experience have at bottom a personal -character. We speak of the conflict of good and evil, as if good and -evil were powers with an existence of their own, but the moment we -think of it we see that the only good force in the world is the force -of a good will, and the only bad force the force of a bad will; in -other words, we see that the conflict of good and evil is essentially -a conflict of persons. Good persons are in conflict with bad persons; -and so far as the antagonism comes to a head, Christ, the New -Testament teaches, is in conflict with Satan. These persons are the -centres of force on one side and on the other; and the Apostle -discerns, in incidents of his life which have now been lost to us, the -presence and working now of this, and now of that. An instructive -illustration is really furnished by a passage in Acts which seems at -the first glance of a very different purport. It is in the 16th chap., -vv. 6-10, in which the historian describes the route of the Apostle -from the East to Europe. "They were _forbidden of the Holy Ghost_ to -speak the word in Asia" ... "they assayed to go into Bithynia; and -_the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not_" ... Paul saw a vision, after -which they "sought to go forth into Macedonia, _concluding that God -had called them_ to preach the gospel unto them." Here, we might -almost say, the three Divine Persons are referred to as the source of -intimations directing and controlling the course of the gospel; yet it -is evident, from the last mentioned, that such intimations might come -in the shape of any event providentially ordered, and that the -interpretation of them depended on those to whom they came. The -obstacles which checked Paul's impulse to preach in Asia and in -Bithynia he recognised to be of Divine appointment; those which -prevented him from returning to Thessalonica were of Satanic origin. -We do not know what they were; perhaps a plot against his life, which -made the journey dangerous; perhaps some sin or scandal that detained -him in Corinth. At all events it was the doing of the enemy, who in -this world, of which Paul does not hesitate to call him the god, has -means enough at his disposal to foil, though he cannot overcome, the -saints. - -It is a delicate operation, in many cases, to interpret outward -events, and say what is the source and what the purpose of this or -that. Moral indifference may blind us; but those who are in the thick -of the moral conflict have a swift and sure instinct for what is -against them or on their side; they can tell at once what is Satanic -and what is Divine. As a rule, the two forces will show in their -strength at the same time; "a great door and effectual is opened unto -me, and there are many adversaries:" each is a foil to the other. -What we ought to remark in this connection is the fundamental -character of all moral action. It is not a figure of speech to say -that the world is the scene of incessant spiritual conflict; it is the -literal truth. And spiritual conflict is not simply an interaction of -forces; it is the deliberate antagonism of persons to each other. When -we do what is right, we take Christ's side in a real struggle; when we -do what is wrong, we side with Satan. It is a question of personal -relations; to whose will do I add my own? to whose will do I oppose my -own? And the struggle approaches its close for each of us as our will -is more thoroughly assimilated to that of one or other of the two -leaders. Do not let us dwell in generalities which disguise from us -the seriousness of the issue. There is a place in one of his epistles -in which Paul uses just such abstract terms as we do in speaking of -this matter. "What fellowship," he asks, "have righteousness and -iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness?" But he clinches -the truth by bringing out the personal relations involved, when he -goes on, "And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what portion -hath a believer with an unbeliever?" These are the real quantities -concerned--all persons: Christ and Belial, believers and unbelievers; -all that happens is at bottom Christian or Satanic; all that we do is -on the side of Christ or on the side of the great enemy of our Lord. - -The recollection of the Satanic hindrances to his visit does not -detain the Apostle more than a moment; his heart overflows them to -those whom he describes as his hope and joy and crown of glorying in -the day of the Lord Jesus. The form of words[10] implies that these -titles are not the property of the Thessalonians only; yet at the same -time, that if they belong to anybody, they belong to them. - -It is almost a pity to analyse words which are spoken out of the -abundance of the heart; yet we pass over the surface, and lose the -sense of their truth, unless we do so. What then does Paul mean when -he calls the Thessalonians his hope? Every one looks at least a -certain distance into the future, and projects something into it to -give it reality and interest to himself. That is his hope. It may be -the returns he expects from investments of money; it may be the -expansion of some scheme he has set on foot for the common good; it -may be his children, on whose love and reverence, or on whose -advancement in life, he counts for the happiness of his declining -years. Paul, we know, had none of these hopes; when he looked down -into the future he saw no fortune growing secretly, no peaceful -retirement in which the love of sons and daughters would surround him -and call him blessed. Yet his future was not dreary or desolate; it -was bright with a great light; he had a hope that made life abundantly -worth living, and that hope was the Thessalonians. He saw them in his -mind's eye grow daily out of the lingering taint of heathenism into -the purity and love of Christ. He saw them, as the discipline of God's -providence had its perfect work in them, escape from the immaturity of -babes in Christ, and grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our -Lord and Saviour to the measure of the stature of perfect men. He saw -them presented faultless in the presence of the Lord's glory in the -great day. That was something to live for. To witness that spiritual -transformation which he had inaugurated carried on to completion gave -the future a greatness and a worth which made the Apostle's heart leap -for joy. He is glad when he thinks of his children walking in the -truth. They are "a chaplet of victory of which he may justly make his -boast"; he is prouder of them than a king of his crown, or a champion -in the games of his wreath. - -Such words might well be charged with extravagance if we omitted to -look at the connection in which they stand. "What is our hope, or joy, -or crown of glorying? Are not even ye, before our Lord Jesus at His -coming?" _Before our Lord Jesus at His coming_: this is the presence, -this the occasion, with which Paul confronts, in imagination, his hope -and joy and triumph. They are such as give him confidence and -exultation even as he thinks of the great event which will try all -common hopes and put them to shame. - -None of us, it may be presumed, is without hope when he looks into the -future; but how far does our future extend? For what situation is -provision made by the hope that we actually cherish? The one certain -event of the future is that we shall stand before our Lord Jesus, at -His coming; can we acknowledge there with joy and boasting the hope on -which our heart is at present set? Can we carry into that presence the -expectation which at this moment gives us courage to look down the -years to come? Not every one can. There are multitudes of human hopes -which terminate on material things, and expire with Christ's coming; -it is not these that can give us joy at last. The only hope whose -light is not dimmed by the brightness of Christ's appearing is the -disinterested spiritual hope of one who has made himself the servant -of others for Jesus' sake, and has lived to see and aid their growth -in the Lord. The fire which tries every man's work of what sort it is, -brings out the imperishable worth of this. The Old Testament as well -as the New tells us that souls saved and sanctified are the one hope -and glory of men in the great day. "They that be wise shall shine as -the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to -righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." It is a favourite -thought of the Apostle himself: "appear as lights in the world, -holding forth the word of life, _that I may have whereof to glory in -the day of Christ_." Even the Lord Himself, as he looks at the men -whom He has gathered out of the world, can say, _I am glorified_ in -them. It is His glory, as the Father's servant, that He has sought and -found and sanctified His Church. - -We ought not to pass by such fervent utterances as if they must mean -less than they say. We ought not, because our own hold on the circle -of Christian facts is weak, to glide over the qualification, "before -our Lord Jesus at His coming," as if it were without any solid -meaning. The Bible is verbally inspired at least in the sense that -nothing in it is otiose; every word is meant. And we miss the main -lesson of this passage, if we do not ask ourselves whether we have any -hope which is valid on the grand occasion in question. Your future may -be secured as far as this world is concerned. Your investments may be -as safe as the National debt; the loyalty and virtue of your children -all that heart could wish; you are not afraid of poverty, loneliness, -age. But what of our Lord Jesus, and His coming? Will your hope be -worth anything before Him, at that day? You do not know how near it -is. For some it may be very near. There are people in every -congregation who know they cannot live ten years. No one knows that he -will live so long. And all are summoned to take that great event into -their view of the future, and to make ready for it. Is it not a fine -thing to think that, if we do so, we can look forward to the coming of -our Lord Jesus with hope and joy and triumph? - -The intensity of Paul's love for the Thessalonians made his longing to -see them intolerable; and after being twice baffled in his attempts to -revisit them he sent Timothy in his stead. Rather than be without news -of them he was content to be left in Athens alone. He mentions this as -if it had been a great sacrifice, and probably it was so for him. He -seems to have been in many ways dependent on the sympathy and -assistance of others; and, of all places he ever visited, Athens was -the most trying to his ardent temperament. It was covered with idols -and exceedingly religious; yet it seemed to him more hopelessly away -from God than any city in the world. Never had he been left alone in a -place so unsympathetic; never had he felt so great a gulf fixed -between others' minds and his own; and Timothy had no sooner gone than -he made his way to Corinth, where his messenger found him on his -return. - -The object of this mission is sufficiently plain from what has been -already said. The Apostle knew the troubles that had beset the -Thessalonians; and it was Timothy's function to establish them and to -comfort them concerning their faith, that no man should be moved by -these afflictions. The word translated "moved" occurs only this once -in the New Testament, and the meaning is not quite certain. It may be -quite as general as our version represents it; but it may also have a -more definite sense, viz., that of allowing oneself to be befooled, or -flattered out of one's faith, in the midst of tribulations. Besides -the vehement enemies who pursued Paul with open violence, there may -have been others who spoke of him to the Thessalonians as a mere -enthusiast, the victim in his own person of delusions about a -resurrection and a life to come, which he sought to impose upon -others; and who, when affliction came on the Church, tried by appeals -of this sort to wheedle the Thessalonians out of their faith. Such a -situation would answer very exactly to the peculiar word here used. -But however this may be, the general situation was plain. The Church -was suffering; suffering is a trial which not every one can bear; and -Paul was anxious to have some one with them who had learned the -elementary Christian lesson, that it is inevitable. The disciples had -not, indeed, been taken by surprise. The Apostle had told them before -that to this lot Christians were appointed; we are destined, he says, -to suffer affliction. Nevertheless, it is one thing to know this by -being told, and another to know it, as the Thessalonians now did, by -experience. The two things are as different as reading a book about a -trade, and serving an apprenticeship to it. - -The suffering of the good because they are good is mysterious, in part -because it has the two aspects here made so manifest. On the one hand, -it comes by Divine appointment; it is the law under which the Son of -God Himself and all His followers live. But on the other hand, it is -capable of a double issue. It may perfect those who endure it as -ordained by God; it may bring out the solidity of their character, and -redound to the glory of their Saviour; or it may give an opening to -the tempter to seduce them from a path so full of pain. The one thing -of which Paul is certain is, that the salvation of Christ is cheaply -purchased at any price of affliction. Christ's life here and hereafter -is the supreme good; the one thing needful, for which all else may be -counted loss. - -This possible double issue of suffering--in higher goodness, or in the -abandonment of the narrow way--explains the difference of tone with -which Scripture speaks of it in different places. With the happy issue -in view, it bids us count it all joy when we fall into divers -temptations; blessed, it exclaims, is the man who endures; for when he -is found proof, he shall receive the crown of life. But with human -weakness in view, and the terrible consequences of failure, it bids us -pray, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. -The true Christian will seek, in all the afflictions of life, to -combine the courage and hope of the one view with the humility and -fear of the other. - -[10] +Tis gar ... ê ouchi kai hymeis?+ - - - - -VIII. - -_LOVE AND PRAYERS._ - - - "But when Timothy came even now unto us from you, and brought us glad - tidings of your faith and love, and that ye have good remembrance of - us always, longing to see us, even as we also _to see_ you; for this - cause, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our distress and - affliction through your faith: for now we live, if ye stand fast in - the Lord. For what thanksgiving can we render again unto God for you, - for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; night - and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face, and may - perfect that which is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and - Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way unto you: and the - Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and - toward all men, even as we also _do_ toward you; to the end He may - stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father, - at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints."--1 THESS. iii. - 6-13 (R.V.). - -These verses present no peculiar difficulty to the expositor. They -illustrate the remark of Bengel that the First Epistle to the -Thessalonians is characterised by a kind of unmixed sweetness,--a -quality which is insipid to those who are indifferent to the relations -in which it is displayed, but which can never lose its charm for -simple, kindly, Christian hearts. - -It is worth observing that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians the moment -Timothy returned.[11] Such promptitude has not only a business value, -but a moral and Christian worth as well. It not only prevents arrears -from accumulating; it gives those to whom we write the first and -freshest feelings of the heart. Of course one may write hastily, as -well as speak hastily; a living critic has had the audacity to say -that if Paul had kept the Epistle to the Galatians long enough to read -it over, he would have thrown it into the fire; but most of our faults -as correspondents arise, not from precipitation, but from undue -delay. Where our hearts prompt us to speak or to write, let us dread -procrastination as a sin. The letter of congratulation or condolence -is natural and in place, and it will be inspired by true feeling, if -it is written when the sad or joyful news has touched the heart with -genuine sympathy; but if it is put on till a more convenient season, -it will never be done as it ought to be. How fervent and hearty is the -language in which Paul here expresses himself. The news that Timothy -has brought from Thessalonica is a veritable gospel to him. It has -comforted him in all his necessities and distresses; it has brought -him new life; it has been an indescribable joy. If he had not written -for a fortnight, we should have missed this rebound of gladness; and -what is more serious, the Thessalonians would have missed it. -Cold-hearted people may think they would have survived the loss; but -it is a loss which the cold hearted cannot estimate. Who can doubt -that, when this letter was read in the little congregation at -Thessalonica, the hearts of the disciples warmed again to the great -teacher who had been among them, and to the message of love which he -had preached? The gospel is wonderfully commended by the manifestation -of its own spirit in its ministers, and the love of Paul to the -Thessalonians no doubt made it easier for them to believe in the love -of God, and to love one another. For good, as well as for evil, a -little spark can kindle a great fire; and it would only be natural if -the burning words of this letter kindled the flame of love anew in -hearts in which it was beginning to die. - -There were two causes for Paul's joy,--one larger and more public; the -other, proper to himself. The first was the faith and love of the -Thessalonians, or, as he calls it further on, their standing fast in -the Lord; the other was their affectionate and faithful remembrance of -him, their desire, earnestly reciprocated on his part, to see his face -once more. - -The visitation of a Christian congregation by a deputy from Synod or -Assembly is sometimes embarrassing: no one knows exactly what is -wanted; a schedule of queries, filled up by the minister or the -office-bearers, is a painfully formal affair, which gives little real -knowledge of the health and spirit of the Church. But Timothy was one -of the founders of the church at Thessalonica; he had an affectionate -and natural interest in it; he came at once into close contact with -its real condition, and found the disciples full of faith and love. -Faith and love are not easily calculated and registered; but where -they exist in any power, they are easily felt by a Christian man. They -determine the temperature of the congregation; and a very short -experience enables a true disciple to tell whether it is high or low. -To the great joy of Timothy, he found the Thessalonians unmistakably -Christian. They were standing fast in the Lord. Christ was the basis, -the centre, the soul of their life. Their faith is mentioned twice, -because that is the most comprehensive word to describe the new life -in its root; they still kept their hold of the Word of God in the -gospel; no one could live among them and not feel that unseen things -were real to their souls; God and Christ, the resurrection and the -coming judgment, the atonement and the final salvation, were the great -forces which ruled their thoughts and lives. Faith in these -distinguished them from their Pagan neighbours. It made them a -Christian congregation, in which an Evangelist like Timothy at once -found himself at home. The common faith had its most signal exhibition -in love; if it separated the brethren from the rest of the world, it -united them more closely to each other. Every one knows what love is -in a family, and how different the spiritual atmosphere is, according -as love reigns or is disregarded in the relations of the household. In -some homes, love does reign: parents and children, brothers and -sisters, masters and servants, bear themselves beautifully to each -other; it is a delight to visit them; there is openness and -simplicity, sweetness of temper, a willingness to deny self, a -readiness to be interested in others, no suspicion, reserve, or gloom; -there is one mind and one heart in old and young, and a brightness -like the sunshine. In others, again, we see the very opposite: -friction, self-will, captiousness, mutual distrust, readiness to -suspect or to sneer, a painful separation of hearts that should be -one. And the same holds good of churches, which are in reality large -families, united not by natural but by spiritual bonds. We ought all -to be friends. There ought to be a spirit of love shed abroad in our -hearts, drawing us to each other in spite of natural differences, -giving us an unaffected interest in each other, making us frank, -sincere, cordial, self-denying, eager to help where help is needed and -it is in our power to render it, ready to resign our own liking, and -our own judgment even, to the common mind and purpose of the Church. -These two graces of faith and love are the very soul of the Christian -life. It is good news to a good man to hear that they exist in any -church. It is good news to Christ. - -But besides this more public cause for joy, which Paul shared to some -extent with all Christian men, there was another more private to -himself,--their good remembrance of him, and their earnest desire to -see him. Paul wrought for nothing but love. He did not care for money -or for fame; but a place in the hearts of his disciples was dear to -him above everything else in the world. He did not always get it. -Sometimes those who had just heard the gospel from his lips, and -welcomed its glad tidings, were prejudiced against him; they deserted -him for more attractive preachers; they forgot, amid the multitude of -their Christian instructors, the father who had begotten them in the -gospel. Such occurrences, of which we read in the Epistles to the -Corinthians and Galatians, were a deep grief to Paul; and though he -says to one of these thankless churches, "I will very gladly spend and -be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you the less I be -loved," he says also, "Brethren, receive us; make room for us in your -hearts; _our_ heart has been opened wide to _you_." He hungered -and thirsted for an answer of love to all the love which he lavished -on his converts; and his heart leapt up when Timothy returned from -Thessalonica, and told him that the disciples there had good -remembrance of him, that is, spoke of him with love, and longed to see -him once more. Nobody is fit to be a servant of Christ in any degree, -as parent, or teacher, or elder, or pastor, who does not know what -this craving for love is. It is not selfishness: it is itself one side -of love. Not to care for a place in the hearts of others; not to wish -for love, not to need it, not to miss it if it is wanting, does not -signify that we are free from selfishness or vanity: it is the mark of -a cold and narrow heart, shut up in itself, and disqualified for any -service the very essence of which is love. The thanklessness or -indifference of others is not a reason why we should cease to serve -them; yet it is apt to make the attempt at service heartless; and if -you would encourage any who have ever helped you in your spiritual -life, do not forget them, but esteem them very highly in love for -their works' sake. - -When Timothy returned from Thessalonica, he found Paul sorely in need -of good news. He was beset by distress and affliction; not inward or -spiritual troubles, but persecutions and sufferings, which befell him -from the enemies of the gospel. So extreme was his distress that he -even speaks of it by implication as death. But the glad tidings of -Thessalonian faith and love swept it at once away. They brought -comfort, joy, thanksgiving, life from the dead. How intensely, we are -compelled to say, did this man live his apostolic life! What depths -and heights are in it; what depression, not stopping short of despair; -what hope, not falling short of triumph. There are Christian workers -in multitudes whose experience, it is to be feared, gives them no key -to what we read here. There is less passion in their life in a year -than there was in Paul's in a day; they know nothing of these -transitions from distress and affliction to unspeakable joy and -praise. Of course all men are not alike; all natures are not equally -impressible; but surely all who are engaged in work which asks the -heart or nothing should suspect themselves if they go on from week to -week and year to year with heart unmoved? It is a great thing to have -part in a work which deals with men for their spiritual interests--which -has in view life and death, God and Christ, salvation and judgment. -Who can think of failures and discouragements without pain and fear? -who can hear the glad tidings of victory without heartfelt joy? Is it -not those only who have neither part nor lot in the matter? - -The Apostle in the fulness of his joy turns with devout gratitude -toward God. It is He who has kept the Thessalonians from falling, and -the only return the Apostle can make is to express his thankfulness. -He feels how unworthy words are of God's kindness; how unequal even to -his own feelings; but they are the first recompense to be made, and he -does not withhold them. There is no surer mark of a truly pious spirit -than this grateful mood. Every good gift and every perfect gift is -from above; most directly and immediately are all gifts like love and -faith to be referred to God as their source, and to call forth the -thanks and praise of those who are interested in them. If God does -little for us, giving us few signs of His presence and help, may it -not be because we have refused to acknowledge His kindness when He has -interposed on our behalf? "Whoso offereth praise," He says, "glorifieth -Me." "In everything give thanks." - -Paul's love for the Thessalonians did not blind him to their -imperfections. It was their faith which comforted him in all his -distress, yet he speaks of the deficiencies of their faith as -something he sought to remedy. In one sense, faith is a very simple -thing, the setting of the heart right with God in Christ Jesus. In -another, it is very comprehensive. It has to lay hold on the whole -revelation which God has made in His Son, and it has to pass into -action through love in every department of life. It is related on the -one side to knowledge, and on the other to conduct. Now Timothy saw -that while the Thessalonians had the root of the matter in them, and -had set themselves right with God, they were far from perfect. They -were ignorant of much which it concerned Christians to know; they had -false ideas on many points in regard to which God had given light. -They had much to do before they could be said to have escaped from the -prejudices, the instincts, and the habits of heathenism, and to have -entered completely into the mind of Christ. In later chapters we shall -find the Apostle rectifying what was amiss in their notions both of -truth and duty; and, in doing so, opening up to us the lines on which -defective faith needs to be corrected and supplemented. - -But we should not pass by this notice of the deficiencies of faith -without asking ourselves whether our own faith is alive and -progressive. It may be quite true and sound in itself; but what if it -never gets any further on? It is in its nature an engrafting into -Christ, a setting of the soul into a vital connection with Him; and if -it is what it should be, there will be a transfusion, by means of it, -of Christ into us. We shall get a larger and surer possession of the -mind of Christ, which is the standard both of spiritual truth and of -spiritual life. His thoughts will be our thoughts; His judgment, our -judgment; His estimates of life and the various elements in it, our -estimates; His disposition and conduct, the pattern and the -inspiration of ours. Faith is a little thing in itself, the smallest -of small beginnings; in its earliest stage it is compatible with a -high degree of ignorance, of foolishness, of insensibility in the -conscience; and hence the believer must not forget that he is a -disciple; and that though he has entered the school of Christ, he has -only entered it, and has many classes to pass through, and much to -learn and unlearn, before he can become a credit to his Teacher. An -Apostle coming among us would in all likelihood be struck with -manifest deficiencies in our faith. This aspect of the truth, he would -say, is overlooked; this vital doctrine is not really a vital piece of -your minds; in your estimate of such and such a thing you are betrayed -by worldly prejudices that have survived your conversion; in your -conduct in such and such a situation you are utterly at variance with -Christ. He would have much to teach us, no doubt, of truth, of right -and wrong, and of our Christian calling; and if we wish to remedy the -defects of our faith, we must give heed to the words of Christ and His -Apostles, so that we may not only be engrafted into Him, but grow up -into Him in all things, and become perfect men in Christ Jesus. - -In view of their deficiencies, Paul prayed exceedingly that he might -see the Thessalonians again; and conscious of his own inability to -overcome the hindrances raised in his path by Satan, he refers the -whole matter to God. "May our God and Father Himself, and our Lord -Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you." Certainly in that prayer the -person directly addressed is our God and Father Himself; our Lord -Jesus Christ is introduced in subordination to Him; yet what a dignity -is implied in this juxtaposition of God and Christ! Surely the name of -a merely human creature, even if such could be exalted to share the -throne of God, could not possibly appear in this connexion. It is not -to be overlooked that both in this and in the similar passage in 2 -Thess. ii. 16 f., where God and Christ are named side by side, the -verb is in the singular number. It is an involuntary assent of the -Apostle to the word of the Lord, "I and My Father are one." We can -understand why He added in this place "our Lord Jesus Christ" to "our -God and Father." It was not only that all power was given to the Son -in heaven and on earth; but that, as Paul well knew from that day on -which the Lord arrested him by Damascus, the Saviour's heart beat in -sympathy with His suffering Church, and would surely respond to any -prayer on its behalf. Nevertheless, he leaves the result to God; and -even if he is not permitted to come to them, he can still pray for -them, as he does in the closing verses of the chapter: "The Lord make -you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all -men, even as we also do toward you; to the end He may stablish your -hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father, at the -coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints." - -Here it is distinctly Christ who is addressed in prayer; and what the -Apostle asks is that He may make the Thessalonians increase and abound -in love. Love, he seems to say, is the one grace in which all others -are comprehended; we can never have too much of it; we can never have -enough. The strong words of the prayer really ask that the -Thessalonians may be loving in a superlative degree, overflowing with -love. And notice the aspect in which love is here presented to us: it -is a power and an exercise of our own souls certainly, yet we are not -the fountain of it; it is the Lord who is to make us rich in love. -The best commentary on this prayer is the word of the Apostle in -another letter: "The love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts -through the Holy Ghost which was given unto us." "We love, because He -first loved us." In whatever degree love exists in us, God is its -source; it is like a faint pulse, every separate beat of which tells -of the throbbing of the heart; and it is only as God imparts His -Spirit to us more fully that our capacity for loving deepens and -expands. When that Spirit springs up within us, an inexhaustible -fountain, then rivers of living water, streams of love, will overflow -on all around. For God is love, and he that dwells in love dwells in -God, and God in him. - -Paul seeks love for his converts as the means by which their hearts -may be established unblameable in holiness. That is a notable -direction for those in search of holiness. A selfish, loveless heart -can never succeed in this quest. A cold heart is not unblameable, and -never will be; it is either pharisaical or foul, or both. But love -sanctifies. Often we only escape from our sins by escaping from -ourselves; by a hearty, self-denying, self-forgetting interest in -others. It is quite possible to think so much about holiness as to put -holiness out of our reach: it does not come with concentrating thought -upon ourselves at all; it is the child of love, which kindles a fire in -the heart in which faults are burnt up. Love is the fulfilling of the -law; the sum of the ten commandments; the end of all perfection. Do -not let us imagine that there is any other holiness than that which is -thus created. There is an ugly kind of faultlessness which is always -raising its head anew in the Church; a holiness which knows nothing of -love, but consists in a sort of spiritual isolation, in censoriousness, -in holding up one's head and shaking off the dust of one's feet -against brethren, in conceit, in condescension, in sanctimonious -separateness from the freedom of common life, as though one were too -good for the company which God has given him: all this is as common in -the Church as it is plainly condemned in the New Testament. It is an -abomination in God's sight. Except your righteousness, says Christ, -exceed this, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. -Love exceeds it infinitely, and opens the door which is closed to -every other claim. - -The kingdom of heaven comes before the Apostle's mind as he writes. -The Thessalonians are to be blameless in holiness, not in the judgment -of any human tribunal, but before our God and Father, at the coming of -our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. At the end of each of these -three chapters this great event has risen into view. The coming of our -Lord Jesus Christ is a scene of judgment for some; of joy and glory -for others; of imposing splendour for all. Many think that the last -words here, "with all His saints," refer to the angels, and Zech. xiv. -5,--"The Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with Thee,"--in -which angels are undoubtedly meant, has been quoted in support of this -view; but such a use of "saints" would be unexampled in the New -Testament.[12] The Apostle means the dead in Christ, who, as he -explains in a later chapter, will swell the Lord's train at His -coming. The instinctiveness with which Paul recurs to this great event -shows how large a place it filled in his creed and in his heart. His -hope was a hope of Christ's second coming; his joy was a joy which -would not pale in that awful presence; his holiness was a holiness to -stand the test of those searching eyes. Where has this supreme motive -gone in the modern Church? Is not this one point in which the -apostolic word bids us perfect that which is lacking in our faith? - -[11] +Arti+ is naturally taken with +elthontos+: as by Ellicott. - -[12] Yet see Jude 14, quoting from Enoch. - - - - -IX. - -_PERSONAL PURITY._ - - - "Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, - that, as ye received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, - even as ye do walk,--that ye abound more and more. For ye know what - charge we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of - God, _even_ your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication; - that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in - sanctification and honour, not in the passion of lust, even as the - Gentiles which know not God; that no man transgress, and wrong his - brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these - things, as also we forewarned you and testified. For God called us - not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. Therefore he that - rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth His Holy Spirit - unto you."--1 THESS. iv. 1-8 (R.V.). - -The "finally" with which this chapter opens is the beginning of the -end of the Epistle. The personal matter which has hitherto occupied us -was the immediate cause of the Apostle's writing; he wished to open -his heart to the Thessalonians, and to vindicate his conduct against -the insidious accusations of his enemies; and having done so, his main -purpose is fulfilled. For what remains--this is the meaning of -"finally"--he has a few words to say suggested by Timothy's report -upon their state. - -The previous chapter closed with a prayer for their growth in love, -with a view to their establishment in holiness. The prayer of a good -man avails much in its working; but his prayer of intercession cannot -secure the result it seeks without the co-operation of those for whom -it is made. Paul, who has besought the Lord on their behalf, now -beseeches the Thessalonians themselves, and exhorts them in the Lord -Jesus, to walk as they had been taught by him. The gospel, we see -from this passage, contains a new law; the preacher must not only do -the work of an evangelist, proclaiming the glad tidings of -reconciliation to God, but the work of a catechist also, enforcing on -those who receive the glad tidings the new law of Christ. This is in -accordance with the final charge of the Saviour: "Go and make -disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and -of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things -whatsoever I have commanded you." The Apostle had followed this Divine -order; he had made disciples in Thessalonica, and then he had taught -them how to walk and to please God. We who have been born in a -Christian country, and bred on the New Testament, are apt to think -that we know all these things; our conscience seems to us a sufficient -light. We ought to know that, though conscience is universal in the -human race, and everywhere distinguishes between a right and a wrong, -there is not one of our faculties which is more in need of -enlightenment. No one doubts that men who have been converted from -heathenism, like the Thessalonians, or the fruits of modern missions -in Nyassaland or Madagascar, need to be _taught_ what kind of life -pleases God; but in some measure we all need such teaching. We have -not been true to conscience; it is set in our human nature like the -unprotected compass in the early iron ships: it is exposed to -influences from other parts of our nature which bias and deflect it -without our knowledge. It needs to be adjusted to the holy will of -God, the unchangeable standard of right, and protected against -disturbing forces. In Thessalonica Paul had laid down the new law, he -says, _through the Lord Jesus_. If it had not been for Him, we should -have been without the knowledge of it altogether; we should have had -no adequate conception of the life with which God is well pleased. But -such a life is exhibited to us in the Gospels; its spirit and -requirements can be deduced from Christ's example, and are explicitly -set forth in His words. He left us an example, that we should follow -in His steps. "Follow Me," is the sum of His commandments; the one -all-embracing law of the Christian life. - -One of the subjects of which we should gladly know more is the use of -the Gospels in the early Church; and this passage gives us one of the -earliest glimpses of it. The peculiar mention of the Lord Jesus in the -second verse shows that the Apostle used the words and example of the -Master as the basis of his moral teaching; the mind of Christ is the -norm for the Christian conscience. And if it be true that we still -need enlightenment as to the claims of God and the law of life, it is -here we must seek it. The words of Jesus have still their old -authority. They still search our hearts, and show us all things that -ever we did, and their moral worth or worthlessness. They still reveal -to us unsuspected ranges of life and action in which God is not yet -acknowledged. They still open to us gates of righteousness, and call -on us to enter in, and subdue new territories to God. The man who is -most advanced in the life which pleases God, and whose conscience is -most nearly identical with the mind of Christ, will be the first to -confess his constant need of, and his constant dependence upon, the -word and example of the Lord Jesus. - -In addressing the Thessalonians, Paul is careful to recognise their -actual obedience. Ye do walk, he writes, according to this rule. In -spite of sins and imperfections, the church, as a whole, had a -Christian character; it was exhibiting human life in Thessalonica on -the new model; and while he hints that there is room for indefinite -progress, he does not fail to notice their present attainments. That -is a rule of wisdom, not only for those who have to censure or to -teach, but for all who wish to judge soberly the state and prospects -of the Church. We know the necessity there is for abounding more and -more in Christian obedience; we can see in how many directions, -doctrinal and practical, that which is lacking in faith requires to be -perfected; but we need not therefore be blind to the fact that it is -in the Church that the Christian standard is held up, and that -continuous, and not quite unsuccessful efforts, are made to reach it. -The best men in a community, those whose lives come nearest to -pleasing God, are to be found among those who are identified with the -gospel; and if the worst men in the community are also found in the -Church at times, that is because the corruption of the best is worst. -If God has not cast off His Church altogether, He is teaching her to -do His will. - -"For this," the Apostle proceeds, "is the will of God, even your -sanctification." It is assumed here that the will of God is the law, -and ought to be the inspiration, of the Christian. God has taken him -out of the world that he may be His, and live in Him and for Him. He -is not his own any longer; even his will is not his own; it is to be -caught up and made one with the will of God; and that is -sanctification. No human will works apart from God to this end of -holiness. The other influences which reach it, and bend it into accord -with them, are from beneath, not from above; as long as it does not -recognise the will of God as its rule and support, it is a carnal, -worldly, sinful will. But the will of God, to which it is called to -submit, is the saving of the human will from this degradation. For the -will of God is not only a law to which we are required to conform, it -is the one great and effective moral power in the universe, and it -summons us to enter into alliance and co-operation with itself. It is -not a dead thing; it is God Himself working in us in furtherance of -His good pleasure. To tell us what the will of God is, is not to tell -us what is against us, but what is on our side; not the force which we -have to encounter, but that on which we can depend. If we set out on -an un-Christian life, on a career of falsehood, sensuality, -worldliness, God is against us; if we go to perdition, we go breaking -violently through the safeguards with which He has surrounded us, -overpowering the forces by which He seeks to keep us in check; but if -we set ourselves to the work of sanctification, He is on our side. He -works in us and with us, because our sanctification is His will. Paul -does not mention it here to dishearten the Thessalonians, but to -stimulate them. Sanctification is the one task which we can face -confident that we are not left to our own resources. God is not the -taskmaster we have to satisfy out of our own poor efforts, but the -holy and loving Father who inspires and sustains us from first to -last. To fall in with His will is to enlist all the spiritual forces -of the world in our aid; it is to pull with, instead of against, the -spiritual tide. - -In the passage before us the Apostle contrasts our sanctification with -the cardinal vice of heathenism, impurity. Above all other sins, this -was characteristic of the Gentiles _who knew not God_. There is -something striking in that description of the pagan world in this -connection: ignorance of God was at once the cause and the effect of -their vileness; had they retained God in their knowledge, they could -never have sunk to such depths of shame; had they shrunk from -pollution with instinctive horror, they would never have been -abandoned to such ignorance of God. No one who is not familiar with -ancient literature can have the faintest idea of the depth and breadth -of the corruption. Not only in writers avowedly immoral, but in the -most magnificent works of a genius as lofty and pure as Plato, there -are pages that would stun with horror the most hardened profligate in -Christendom. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that on the whole -matter in question the heathen world was without conscience: it had -sinned away its sense of the difference between right and wrong; to -use the words of the Apostle in another passage, being past feeling -men had given themselves up to work all manner of uncleanness. They -gloried in their shame. Frequently, in his epistles, Paul combines -this vice with covetousness,--the two together representing the great -interests of life to the ungodly, the flesh and the world. Those who -do not know God and live for Him, live, as he saw with fearful -plainness, to indulge the flesh and to heap up gain. Some think that -in the passage before us this combination is made, and that ver. -6--"that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in _any_ -matter"--is a prohibition of dishonesty in business; but that is -almost certainly[13] a mistake. As the Revised Version shows, the -Apostle is speaking of the matter in hand; in the Church especially, -among brethren in Christ, in the Christian home, the uncleanness of -heathenism can have no place. Marriage is to be sanctified. Every -Christian, marrying in the Lord, is to exhibit in his home-life the -Christian law of sanctification and noble self-respect. - -The Apostle adds to his warning against sensuality the terrible -sanction, "The Lord is an avenger in all these things." The want of -conscience in the heathen world generated a vast indifference on this -point. If impurity was a sin, it was certainly not a crime. The laws -did not interfere with it; public opinion was at best neutral; the -unclean person might presume upon impunity. To a certain extent this -is the case still. The laws are silent, and treat the deepest guilt as -a civil offence. Public opinion is indeed stronger and more hostile -than it once was, for the leaven of Christ's kingdom is actively at -work in society; but public opinion can only touch open and notorious -offenders, those who have been guilty of scandal as well as of sin; -and secrecy is still tempted to count upon impunity. But here we are -solemnly warned that the Divine law of purity has sanctions of its own -above any cognisance taken of offences by man. "The Lord is an avenger -in all these things." "Because of these things cometh the wrath of God -upon the sons of disobedience." - -Is it not true? They are avenged on the bodies of the sinful. -"Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." The holy law of -God, wrought into the very constitution of our bodies, takes care that -we do not violate it without paying the penalty. If it is not at the -moment, it is in the future, and with interest,--in premature old age; -in the torpor which succeeds all spendthrift feats, excesses of man's -prime; in the sudden break-down under any strain put on either -physical or moral courage. They are avenged in the soul. Sensual -indulgence extinguishes the capacity for feeling: the profligate man -would love, but cannot; all that is inspiring, elevating, redeeming in -the passions is lost to him; all that remains is the dull sense of -that incalculable loss. Were there ever sadder lines written than -those in which Burns, with his life ruined by this very thing, writes -to a young friend and warns him against it? - - "I wave the quantum o' the sin, - The hazard o' concealing; - But Och! it hardens a' within, - And petrifies the feeling." - -This inward deadening is one of the most terrible consequences of -immorality; it is so unexpected, so unlike the anticipations of -youthful passion, so stealthy in its approach, so inevitable, so -irreparable. All these sins are avenged also in the will and in the -spiritual nature. Most men repent of their early excesses; some never -cease to repent. Repentance, at least, is what it is habitually -called; but that is not really repentance which does not separate the -soul from sin. That access of weakness which comes upon the back of -indulgence, that break-down of the soul in impotent self-pity, is no -saving grace. It is a counterfeit of repentance unto life, which -deludes those whom sin has blinded, and which, when often enough -repeated, exhausts the soul and leaves it in despair. Is there any -vengeance more terrible than that? When _Christian_ was about to -leave the Interpreter's house, "Stay," said the Interpreter, "till I -have showed thee a little more, and after that thou shalt go on thy -way." What was the sight without which Christian was not allowed to -start upon his journey? It was the Man of Despair, sitting in the -iron cage,--the man who, when Christian asked him "How camest thou in -this condition?" made answer: "I left off to watch and be sober; I -laid the reins upon the neck of my lusts; I sinned against the light -of the word and the goodness of God; I have grieved the Spirit, and He -is gone; I tempted the devil, and he is come to me; I have provoked -God to anger, and He has left me; I have so hardened my heart that I -cannot repent." This is no fancy picture: it is drawn to the life; it -is drawn from the life; it is the very voice and tone in which many a -man has spoken who has lived an unclean life under the cloak of a -Christian profession. They who do such things do not escape the -avenging holiness of God. Even death, the refuge to which despair so -often drives, holds out no hope to them. There remaineth no more a -sacrifice for sin, but a fearful expectation of judgment. - -The Apostle dwells upon God's interest in purity. He is the avenger of -all offences against it; but vengeance is His strange work. He has -called us with a calling utterly alien to it,--not based on -uncleanness or contemplating it, like some of the religions in -Corinth, where Paul wrote this letter; but having sanctification, -purity in body and in spirit, for its very element. The idea of -"calling" is one which has been much degraded and impoverished in -modern times. By a man's calling we usually understand his trade, -profession, or business, whatever it may be; but our calling in -Scripture is something quite different from this. It is our life -considered, not as filling a certain place in the economy of society, -but as satisfying a certain purpose in the mind and will of God. It is -a calling _in Christ Jesus_; apart from Him it could not have -existed. The Incarnation of the Son of God; His holy life upon the -earth; His victory over all our temptations; His consecration of our -weak flesh to God; His sanctification, by His own sinless experience, -of our childhood, youth, and manhood, with all their unconsciousness, -their bold anticipations, their sense of power, their bent to -lawlessness and pride; His agony and His death upon the Cross; His -glorious resurrection and ascension,--all these were necessary before -we could be called with a Christian calling. Can any one imagine that -the vices of heathenism, lust or covetousness, are compatible with a -calling like this? Are they not excluded by the very idea of it? It -would repay us, I think, to lift that noble word "calling" from the -base uses to which it has descended; and to give it in our minds the -place it has in the New Testament. It is God who has called us, and He -has called us in Christ Jesus, and therefore called us to be saints. -Flee, therefore, all that is unholy and unclean. - -In the last verse of the paragraph the Apostle urges both his appeals -once more: he recalls the severity and the goodness of God. - -"Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God". "Rejecteth" -is a contemptuous word; in the margin of the Authorised Version it is -rendered, as in some other places in Scripture, "despiseth." There are -such things as sins of ignorance; there are cases in which the -conscience is bewildered; even in a Christian community the vitality -of conscience may be low, and sins, therefore, be prevalent, without -being so deadly to the individual soul; but that is never true of the -sin before us. To commit this sin is to sin against the light. It is -to do what every one in contact with the Church knows, and from the -beginning has known, to be wrong. It is to be guilty of deliberate, -wilful, high-handed contempt of God. It is little to be warned by an -apostle or a preacher; it is little to despise him: but behind all -human warnings is the voice of God; behind all human sanctions of the -law is God's inevitable vengeance; and it is that which is braved by -the impure. "He that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God." - -But God, we are reminded again in the last words, is not against us, -but on our side. He is the Holy One, and an avenger in all these -things; but He is also the God of Salvation, our deliverer from them -all, who _gives His Holy Spirit unto us_. The words put in the -strongest light God's interest in us and in our sanctification. It is -our sanctification He desires; to this He calls us; for this He works -in us. Instead of shrinking from us, because we are so unlike Him, He -puts His Holy Spirit into our impure hearts, He puts His own strength -within our reach that we may lay hold upon it, He offers us His hand -to grasp. It is this searching, condescending, patient, omnipotent -love, which is rejected by those who are immoral. They grieve the Holy -Spirit of God, that Spirit which Christ won for us by His atoning -death, and which is able to make us clean. There is no power which can -sanctify us but this; nor is there any sin which is too deep or too -black for the Holy spirit to overcome. Hearken to the words of the -Apostle in another place: "Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor -idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves -with men, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor -extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God. And such were some of -you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified -in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God." - -[13] Still I do not feel quite certain (in spite of 2 Cor. ii. 11) -that +pleonektein+ and +pleonexia+ in St. Paul can refer to anything -but covetousness. This is the view taken by Schmidt, who refers to the -combination, in 1 Cor. v. 10, vi. 10, of +pleonektês+ with +harpax+ -and +kleptês+. If it is correct, +en tô pragmati+ must be translated -"in business"; "_dass in geschäftlichen Dingen Keiner ausschreite und -seinen Bruder ausbeute_." Certainly the combination of sensuality and -avarice as the cardinal vices of heathendom is characteristic of the -Apostle. - - - - -X. - -_CHARITY AND INDEPENDENCE._ - - - "But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write - unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another; - for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all - Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more; - and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to - work with your hands, even as we charged you; that ye may walk - honestly toward them that are without, and may have need of - nothing."--1 THESS. iv. 9-12 (R.V.). - -When the gospel first came abroad in the world, two characteristics of -its adherents attracted general attention, namely, personal purity and -brotherly love. Amid the gross sensuality of heathenism, the Christian -stood out untainted by indulgence of the flesh; amid the utter -heartlessness of pagan society, which made no provision for the poor, -the sick, or the aged, the Church was conspicuous for the close union -of its members and their brotherly kindness to each other. Personal -purity and brotherly love were the notes of the Christian and of the -Christian community in the early days; they were the new and -regenerating virtues which the Spirit of Christ had called into -existence in the heart of a dying world. The opening verses of this -chapter enforce the first; those at present before us treat of the -second. - -"Concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto -you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another." The -principle, that is, of brotherly love is of the very essence of -Christianity; it is not a remote consequence of it which might easily -be overlooked unless it were pointed out. Every believer is taught of -God to love the brother who shares his faith; such love is the best -and only guarantee of his own salvation; as the Apostle John writes, -"We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love -the brethren." It is perhaps not unnecessary to remark that, in the -New Testament, brethren means fellow-Christians, and not fellow-men. -We _have_ duties to all men, which the Bible does not fail to -recognise and enforce; we are one with them in the nature God has -given us, and the great alternatives life sets before us; and that -natural unity is the basis of duties which all owe to each other. -Honour _all_ men. But the Church of Christ creates new relations -between its members, and with these new relations mutual obligations -still more strong and binding. God Himself is the Saviour of all, -specially of them that believe; and Christians in like manner are -bound, as they have opportunity, to do good unto all men, but -specially to those who are of the household of faith. This is not -sufficiently considered by most Christian people; who, if they looked -into the matter, might find that few of their strongest affections -were determined by the common faith. Is not love a strong and peculiar -word to describe the feeling you cherish toward some members of the -Church, brethren to you in Christ Jesus? yet love to the brethren is -the very token of our right to a place in the Church for ourselves. -"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." - -These words of John give us the key to the expression "taught of God -to love one another." It is not likely that they refer to anything so -external as the words of Scripture, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as -thyself." Even in the Old Testament, to be taught of God was something -more spiritual than this; it was the same thing as to have the law -written on the heart. That is what the Apostle has in view here. The -Christian has been born again, born of God; he has a new nature, with -new instincts, a new law, a new spontaneity; it is now native to him -to love. Until the Spirit of God enters into men's hearts and -recreates them, life is a war of all against all; man is a wolf to -man; but in the Church that internecine strife has ended, for its -members are the children of God, and every one that loveth Him that -begat loveth him also that is begotten of Him. The selfishness of -man's nature is veiled, and to some extent repressed, in other -societies; but it is not, as a principle, exterminated except in the -Church and by the Spirit of Christ. A family ought to be an unselfish -place, ruled only by and fostering the spirit of love; yet if Christ -be not there, what selfish passions assert themselves in spite of all -restraint. Any association working for the common good--a town council -even--ought to be an unselfish body; yet how often, in such places, is -rivalry conspicuous and self-seeking, and envy, and detraction, and -all that is unlike Christ. In the Church which has been taught of God, -or, in other words, which has learned of Christ, we find at least some -manifestations of a better spirit. It does contain people who love one -another because they are Christians; who are unselfish, giving way to -each other, esteeming each other, helping each other; if it contained -none such, it would not be a Church at all. - -The brotherly love of the early Church was not only visible to the -world; it was its great recommendation in the world's eyes. It had -brought a new thing into being, a thing for which the world was -pining, namely, vital society. The poor people in the cities of Asia -and Europe saw with wonder, joy, and hope, men and women united to one -another in a spiritual union, which gave scope to all their gifts for -society, and satisfied all their desires for it. The early Christian -churches were little companies of people where love was at a high -temperature, where outward pressure very often tightened the inward -bonds, and where mutual confidence diffused continual joy. Men were -drawn to them irresistibly by the desire to share this life of love. -It is the very same force which at this moment draws those who are -outcasts from society into the Salvation Army. Whatever the failings -of that organisation may be, its members are as brothers; the sense of -union, of mutual obligation, of mutual confidence, in one word, of -brotherly love, is very strong; and souls that pine for that -atmosphere are drawn to it with overpowering force. It is not good for -man to be alone; it is vain for him to seek the satisfaction of his -social instincts in any of the casual, selfish, or sinful associations -by which he is often betrayed: even the natural affection of the -family, pure and strong as it may be, does not answer to the width of -his spiritual nature; his heart cries out for that society founded on -brotherly love which only the Church of Christ provides. If there is -one thing more than another which explains the Church's failure in -missionary work, it is the absence of this spirit of love among her -members. If men were compelled to cry still, as in the early days of -the gospel, "Behold these Christians, how they love one another," they -would not be able to remain outside. Their hearts would kindle at the -glow, and all that hindered their incorporation would be burned up. - -The Apostle acknowledges the progress of the Thessalonians. They show -this brotherly love to all the brethren that are in all Macedonia; but -he beseeches them to abound more and more. Nothing is more -inconsistent with the gospel than narrowness of mind or heart, -however often Christians may belie their profession by such vices. -Perhaps of all churches in the world, the church of our own country is -as much in need of this admonition as any, and more than most. Would -it not be higher praise than some of us deserve, to say that we loved -with brotherly cordiality all the Christian churches in Britain, and -wished them God speed in their Christian work? And as for churches -outside our native land, who knows anything about them? There was a -time when all the Protestant churches in Europe were one, and lived on -terms of brotherly intimacy; we sent ministers and professors to -congregations and colleges in France, Germany, and Holland, and took -ministers and professors from the Continent ourselves; the heart of -the Church was enlarged towards brethren whom it has now completely -forgotten. This change has been to the loss of all concerned; and if -we would follow the Apostle's advice, and abound more and more in this -supreme grace, we must wake up to take an interest in brethren beyond -the British Isles. The Kingdom of Heaven has no boundaries that could -be laid down on a map, and the brotherly love of the Christian is -wider than all patriotism. But this truth has a special side connected -with the situation of the Apostle. Paul wrote these words from -Corinth, where he was busily engaged in planting a new church, and -they virtually bespeak the interest of the Thessalonians in that -enterprise. Christian brotherly love is the love which God Himself -implants in the heart; and the love of God has no limitations. It goes -out into all the earth, even to the end of the world. It is an ever -advancing, ever victorious force; the territory in which it reigns -becomes continually wider and wider. If that love abounds in us more -and more, we shall follow with live and growing interest the work of -Christian missions. Few of us have any idea of the dimensions of that -work, and of the nature of its successes. Few of us have any -enthusiasm for it. Few of us do anything worth mentioning to help it -on. Not very long ago the whole nation was shocked by the disclosures -about the Stanley expedition; and the newspapers were filled with the -doings of a few profligate ruffians, who, whatever they failed to do, -succeeded in covering themselves, and the country they belong to, with -infamy. One would fain hope that this exhibition of inhumanity would -turn men's thoughts by contrast to those who are doing the work of -Christ in Africa. The national execration of fiendish wickedness is -nothing unless it passes into deep and strong sympathy with those who -are working among the Africans in brotherly love. What is the merit of -Stanley or his associates, that their story should excite the interest -of those who know nothing of Comber and Hannington and Mackay, and -all the other brave men who loved not their lives to the death for -Christ's sake and Africa's? Is it not a shame to some of us that we -know the horrible story so much better than the gracious one? Let -brotherly love abound more and more; let Christian sympathy go out -with our brethren and sisters in Christ who go out themselves to dark -places; let us keep ourselves instructed in the progress of their -work; let us support it with prayer and liberality at home; and our -minds and hearts alike will grow in the greatness of our Lord and -Saviour. - -Brotherly love in the early Church, within the limits of a small -congregation, often took the special form of charity. Those who were -able helped the poor. A special care was taken, as we see from the -Book of Acts, of widows, and no doubt of orphans. In a later epistle -Paul mentions with praise a family which devoted itself to ministering -to the saints. To do good and to communicate, that is, to impart of -one's goods to those who had need, is the sacrifice of praise which -all Christians are charged not to forget. To see a brother or a sister -destitute, and to shut up the heart against them, is taken as proof -positive that we have not the love of God dwelling in us. It would be -difficult, one might mink, to exaggerate the emphasis which the New -Testament lays on the duty and the merit of charity. "Sell all that -thou hast, and give to the poor," Christ said to the rich young man, -"and thou shalt have treasure in heaven." "Give alms," He cried to the -Pharisees, "of such things as ye have; and behold, all things are -clean unto you." Charity sanctifies. Nor have these strong sayings -been without their due effect. Charity, both organised and private, is -characteristic of Christendom, and of Christendom only. The pagan -world made no provision for the destitute, the sick, the aged. It had -no almshouses, no infirmaries, no orphanages, no convalescent homes. -The mighty impulse of the love of Christ has created all these, and to -this hour it sustains them all. Acknowledged or unacknowledged, it is -the force which lies behind every effort made by man for the good of -his fellows; wherever this disinterested love burns in a human bosom, -it is the fire which Christ cast upon the earth, and He rejoices at -its kindling. As a recent example, look at the great scheme of General -Booth: it is the love of Christ which has inspired it; it is the love -of Christ that must provide all the subordinate agents by whom it is -to be administered, if it is ever carried into effect; it is on the -public conviction that he is animated by the love of Christ and has no -by-ends of his own to secure, that General Booth depends for his -funds. It is only this Christ-enkindled love which gives charity its -real worth, and furnishes any sort of guarantee that it will confer -a double blessing, material and spiritual, on those who receive it. - -For charity is not without its dangers, and the first and greatest of -these is that men learn to depend upon it. When Paul preached the -gospel in Thessalonica, he spoke a great deal about the Second Advent. -It was an exciting subject, and some at least of those who received -his message were troubled by "ill-defined or mistaken expectations," -which led to moral disorder in their lives. They were so anxious to be -ready for the Lord when He came, that they neglected their ordinary -duties, and became dependent upon the brethren. They ceased working -themselves, and so became a burden upon those who continued to work. -Here we have, in a nutshell, the argument against a monastic life of -idleness, against the life of the begging friar. All men must live by -labour, their own or some other's; and he who chooses a life without -labour, as the more holy, really condemns some brother to a double -share of that labouring life to which, as he fancies, the highest -holiness is denied. That is rank selfishness; only a man without -brotherly love could be guilty of it for an hour. - -Now in opposition to this selfishness,--unconscious at first, let us -hope,--and in opposition to the unsettled, flighty, restless -expectations of these early disciples, the Apostle propounds a very -sober and humble plan of life. Make it your ambition, he says, to be -quiet, and to busy yourselves with your own affairs, and to work with -your own hands, as we commanded you. There is a grave irony in the -first words--make it your ambition to be quiet; set your honour in -that. The ordinary ambition seeks to make a noise in the world, to -make itself visible and audible; and ambition of that type is not -unknown even in the Church. But it is out of place there. No Christian -ought to be ambitious of anything but to fill as unobtrusively as -possible the place in life which God has given him. The less notorious -we are, the better for us. The necessities of our situation, -necessities imposed by God, require most of us to spend so many hours -a day in making our daily bread. The bulk of most men's strength, by -an ordinance of God that we cannot interfere with, is given to that -humble but inevitable task. If we cannot be holy at our work, it is -not worth taking any trouble to be holy at other times. If we cannot -be Christians and please God in those common activities which must -always absorb so much of our time and strength, the balance of life is -not worth thinking about. Perhaps some of us crave leisure, that we -may be more free for spiritual work; and think that if we had more -time at our disposal, we should be able to render many services to -Christ and His cause which are out of our power at present. But that -is extremely doubtful. If experience proves anything, it proves that -nothing is worse for most people than to have nothing to do but be -religious. Religion is not controlled in their life by any contact -with realities; in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred they do not know -how to be quiet, but are vain, meddlesome, impracticable, and -senseless. The man who has his trade or his profession to work at, and -the woman who has her household and social duties to attend to, are -not to be condoled with; they are in the very place in which religion -is at once necessary and possible; they can study to be quiet, and to -mind their own business, and to work with their own hands, and in all -this to serve and please God. But those who get up in the morning with -nothing to do but to be pious, or to engage in Christian works, are in -a position of enormous difficulty, which very few can fill. The daily -life of toil, at the bench or the desk, in the shop, the study, or the -street, does not rob us of the Christian life; it really puts it -within our reach. If we keep our eyes open, it is easy to see that -this is so. - -There are two reasons assigned by the Apostle for this life of quiet -industry, both of which are noticeable. First, "That ye may walk -honestly toward them that are without." Honestly is too colourless a -word in modern English; the corresponding adjective in different -places is translated honourable and comely.[14] What the Apostle -signifies is, that the Church has a great character to sustain in the -world, and that the individual Christian has that character, to some -extent, in his charge. Idleness, fussiness, excitability, want of -common sense, these are discreditable qualities, inconsistent with the -dignity of Christianity, and to be guarded against by the believer. -The Church is really a spectacle to the world; those who are without -have their eye upon it; and the Apostle would have it a worthy and -impressive spectacle. But what is there so undignified as an idle -busybody, a man or woman neglecting duty on the pretence of piety, so -excited by an uncertain future as to disregard the most crying -necessities of the present? Perhaps there is none of us who does -anything so bad as this; but there are some in every church who are -not careful of Christian dignity. Remember that there is something -great in true Christianity, something which should command the -veneration of those who are without; and do nothing inconsistent with -that. As the sun breaks through the darkest cloud, so honour peereth -in the meanest habit; and the lowliest occupation, discharged with -diligence, earnestness, and fidelity, gives scope enough for the -exhibition of true Christian dignity. The man who does his common -duties as they ought to be done will never lose his self-respect, and -will never discredit the Church of Christ. - -The second reason for the life of quiet industry is, "That ye may have -lack of nothing." Probably the truer interpretation would be, That ye -may have lack of no one. In other words, independence is a Christian -duty. This is not inconsistent with what has been said of charity, but -is its necessary supplement. Christ commands us to be charitable; He -tells us plainly that the need for charity will not disappear; but He -tells us as plainly that to count upon charity, except in the case of -necessity, is both sinful and shameful. This contains, of course, a -warning to the charitable. Those of us who wish to help the poor, and -who try to do so, must take care to do it in such a way as not to -teach them to depend on help; that is to do them a serious wrong. We -are all familiar with the charges brought against charity; it -demoralises, it fosters idleness and improvidence, it robs those who -receive it of self-respect. These charges have been current from the -beginning; they were freely brought against the Church in the days of -the Roman Empire. If they could be made good, they would condemn what -passes for charity as un-Christian. The one-sided enforcement of -charity, in the sense of almsgiving, in the Romish Church, has -occasionally led to something like a glorification of pauperism; the -saint is usually a beggar. One would hope that in our own country, -where the independence of the national character has been reinforced -by the most pronounced types of Protestant religion, such a deformed -conception of Christianity would be impossible; yet even among us the -caution of this verse may not be unnecessary. It _is_ a sign of grace -to be charitable; but though one would not speak an unkind word of -those in need, it is _not_ a sign of grace to require charity. The -gospel bids us aim not only at brotherly love, but at independence. -Remember the poor, it says; but it says also, Work with your hands, -that you may preserve a Christian dignity in relation to the world, -and have need of no one. - -[14] See 1 Cor. xii. 24; vii. 35; Acts xiii. 50; xvii. 12. - - - - -XI. - -_THE DEAD IN CHRIST._ - - - "But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that - fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, which have no - hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them - also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For - this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, - that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede - them that are fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from - heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the - trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we that - are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in - the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with - the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."--1 THESS. - iv. 13-18 (R.V.). - -The restlessness of the Thessalonians, which caused some of them to -neglect their daily work, was the result of strained expectations of -Christ's second coming. The Apostle had taught them that the Saviour -and Judge of all might appear no one knew when; and they were consumed -with a feverish anxiety to be found ready when He came. How terrible -it would be to be found unready, and to lose one's place in the -heavenly kingdom! The Thessalonians were dominated by such thoughts as -these when death visited the church, and gave rise to new -perplexities. What of the brethren who had been taken away so soon, -and of their part in the glory to be revealed? Had they been robbed, -by death, of the Christian hope? Had the inheritance which is -incorruptible, undefiled, and imperishable, passed for ever beyond -their grasp, because they had died before Christ came to take His -people to Himself? - -This was what some of the survivors feared; and it is to correct -their mistaken ideas, and to comfort them in their sorrow, that the -Apostle writes the words we are now to study. "We would not have you -ignorant," he says, "concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow -not, even as the rest, which have no hope." The last words refer to -those who are away from Christ, and without God in the world. It is a -frightful thing to say of any man, and still more of the mass of men, -that they have no hope; yet it is not only the Apostle who says it; it -is the confession, by a thousand voices, of the heathen world itself. -To that world the future was a blank, or a place of unreality and -shades. If there were great exceptions, men who, like Plato, could not -give up faith in immortality and in the righteousness of God, even in -the face of death, these were no more than exceptions; and even for -them the future had no substance compared with the present. Life was -here, and not there. Wherever we can hear the pagan soul speak of the -future, it is in this blank, heartless tone. "Do not," says Achilles -in the Odyssey, "make light of death to me. Rather would I on earth be -a serf to another, a man of little land and little substance, than be -prince over all the dead that have come to nought." "Suns," says -Catullus, "may set and rise again. When once our brief light has set, -one unbroken night of sleep remains." These are fair specimens of the -pagan outlook; are they not fair enough specimens of the non-Christian -outlook at the present day? The secular life is quite avowedly a life -without hope. It resolutely fixes its attention on the present, and -avoids the distraction of the future. But there are few whom death -does not compel, at some time or other, to deal seriously with the -questions the future involves. If we love the departed, our hearts -cannot but go with them to the unseen; and there are few who can -assure themselves that death ends all. For those who can, what a -sorrow remains! Their loved ones have lost everything. All that makes -life is here, and _they_ have gone. How miserable is their lot, to -have been deprived, by cruel and untimely death, of all the blessings -man can ever enjoy! How hopelessly must those who are left behind -lament them! - -This is exactly the situation with which the Apostle deals. The -Christians in Thessalonica feared that their brethren who had died -would be shut out of the Messiah's kingdom; they mourned for them as -those mourn who have no hope. The Apostle corrects their error, and -comforts them. His words do not mean that the Christian may lawfully -sorrow for his dead, provided he does not go to a pagan extreme; they -mean that the hopeless pagan sorrow is not to be indulged by the -Christian at all. We give their proper force if we imagine him saying: -"Weep for yourselves, if you will; that is natural, and God does not -wish us to be insensible to the losses and sorrows which are part of -His providential government of our lives; but do not weep for _them_; -the believer who has fallen asleep in Christ is not to be lamented; he -has lost nothing; the hope of immortality is as sure for him as for -those who may live to welcome the Lord at His coming; _he_ has gone to -be with Christ, which is _far_, far better." - -The 14th verse gives the Christian proof of this consoling doctrine. -"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also -that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with Him."[15] It is -quite plain that something is wanting here to complete the argument. -Jesus did die and rise again, there is no dispute about that; but how -is the Apostle justified in inferring from this that God will bring -the Christian dead again to meet the living? What is the missing link -in this reasoning? Clearly it is the truth, so characteristic of the -New Testament, that there is a union between Christ and those who -trust Him so close that their destiny can be read in His. All that He -has experienced will be experienced by them. They are united to Him as -indissolubly as the members of the body to the head; and being -planted together in the likeness of His death, they shall be also in -the likeness of His resurrection. Death, the Apostle would have us -understand, does not break the bond between the believing soul and the -Saviour. Even human love is stronger than the grave; it goes beyond it -with the departed; it follows them with strong yearnings, with wistful -hopes, sometimes with earnest prayers. But there _is_ an impotence, at -which death mocks, in earthly love; the last enemy does put a great -gulf between souls, which cannot be bridged over; and there is no such -impotence in the love of Christ. He is never separated from those who -love Him. He is one with them in death, and in the life to come, as in -this life. Through Him God will bring the departed again to meet their -friends. There is something very expressive in the word "bring." -"Sweet word," says Bengel: "it is spoken of living persons." The dead -for whom we mourn are not dead; they all live to God; and when the -great day comes, God will bring those who have gone before, and unite -them to those who have been left behind. When we see Christ at His -coming, we shall see also those that have fallen asleep in Him. - -This argument, drawn from the relation of the Christian to the -Saviour, is confirmed by an appeal to the authority of the Saviour -Himself. "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord:" as if he -said, "It is not merely a conclusion of our own; it is supported by -the express word of Christ." Many have tried to find in the Gospels -the word of the Lord referred to, but, as I think, without success. -The passage usually quoted (Matt. xxiv. 31: "He shall send forth His -angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together -His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other"), -though it covers generally the subject with which the Apostle is -dealing, does not touch upon the essential point, the equality of -those who die before the Second Advent with those who live to see it. -We must suppose that the word of the Lord referred to was one which -failed to find a place in the written Gospels, like that other which -the Apostle preserved, "It is more blessed to give than to receive"; -or that it was a word which Christ spoke to him in one of the many -revelations which he received in his apostolic work. In any case, what -the Apostle is going to say is not his own word, but the word of -Christ, and as such its authority is final for all Christians. What, -then, does Christ say on this great concern? - -He says that "we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the -Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep." The -natural impression one takes from these words is that Paul expected -himself to be alive when Christ came; but whether that impression is -justifiable or not,[16] it is no part of the truth which can claim the -authority of the Lord. Christ's word only assures us that those who -are alive at that day shall have no precedency over those that have -fallen asleep; it does not tell us who shall be in the one class, and -who in the other. Paul did not know when the day of the Lord would be; -but as it was the duty of all Christians to look for and hasten it, he -naturally included himself among those who would live to see it. Later -in life, the hope of surviving till the Lord came alternated in his -mind with the expectation of death. In one and the same epistle, the -Epistle to the Philippians, we find him writing (iv. 5), "The Lord is -at hand"; and only a little earlier (i. 23), "I have the desire to -depart and be with Christ; for it is very far better." Better, -certainly, than a life of toil and suffering; but not better than the -Lord's coming. Paul could not but shrink with a natural horror from -death and its nakedness; he would have preferred to escape that dread -necessity, the putting off of the body; not to be unclothed, was his -desire, but to be clothed upon, and to have mortality swallowed up of -life. When he wrote this letter to the Thessalonians, I do not doubt -that this was his hope; and it does not impugn his authority in the -least that it was a hope destined not to be fulfilled. With the Lord, -a thousand years are as one day; and even those who are partakers in -the kingdom seldom partake to an eminent degree in the patience of -Jesus Christ. Only in the teaching of the Lord Himself does the New -Testament put strongly before us the duration of the Christian era, -and the delays of the Second Advent. How many of His parables, _e.g._, -represent the kingdom as subject to the law of growth--the Sower, the -Wheat and the Tares which have both to ripen, the Mustard Seed, and -the Seed Growing Gradually. All these imply a natural law and goal of -progress, not to be interrupted at random. How many, again, like the -parable of the Unjust Judge, or the Ten Virgins, imply that the delay -will be so great as to beget utter disbelief or forgetfulness of His -coming. Even the expression, "The times of the Gentiles," suggests -epochs which must intervene before men see Him again.[17] But over -against this deep insight and wondrous patience of Christ, we must not -be surprised to find something of impatient ardour in the Apostles. -The world was so cruel to them, their love to Christ was so fervent, -their desire for re-union so strong, that they could not but hope and -pray, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus." Is it not better to recognise the -obvious fact that Paul was mistaken as to the nearness of the Second -Advent, than to torture his words to secure his infallibility? Two -great commentators--the Roman Catholic Cornelius à Lapide, and the -Protestant John Calvin--save Paul's infallibility at a greater cost -than violating the rules of grammar. They admit that his words mean -that he expected to survive till Christ came again; but, they say, an -infallible apostle could not really have had such an expectation; and -therefore we must believe that Paul practised a pious fraud in writing -as he did, a fraud with the good intention of keeping the -Thessalonians on the alert. But I hope, if we had the choice, we would -all choose rather to tell the truth, and be mistaken, than to be -infallible, and tell lies. - -After the general statement, on Christ's authority, that the living -shall have no precedency of the departed, Paul goes on to explain the -circumstances of the Advent by which it is justified. "The Lord -Himself shall descend from heaven." In that emphatic _Himself_ we -have the argument of ver. 14 practically repeated: the Lord, it -signifies, who knows _all_ that are His. Who can look at Christ -as He comes again in glory, and not remember His words in the Gospel, -"Because I live, ye shall live also;" "where I am, there shall also -My servant be"? It is not another who comes, but He to whom all -Christian souls have been united for ever. "The Lord Himself shall -descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, -and with the trump of God." The last two of these expressions are in -all probability the explanation of the first; the voice of the -archangel, or the trumpet of God, is the signal-shout, or as the hymn -expresses it, "the great commanding word," with which the drama of the -last things is ushered in. The archangel is the herald of the -Messianic King. We cannot tell how much is figure in these -expressions, which all rest on Old Testament associations, and on -popular beliefs amongst the Jews of the time; neither can we tell what -precisely underlies the figure. But this much is clearly meant, that a -Divine summons, audible and effective everywhere, goes forth from -Christ's presence; that ancient utterance, of hope or of despair, is -fulfilled: "Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee." When the signal -is given, the dead in Christ rise first. Paul says nothing here of the -resurrection body, spiritual and incorruptible; but when Christ comes, -the Christian dead are raised in that body, prepared for eternal -blessedness, before anything else is done. That is the meaning of "the -dead in Christ shall rise _first_." It does not contrast the -resurrection of the Christian dead with a second resurrection of all -men, either immediately afterwards, or after a thousand years; it -contrasts it as the first scene in this drama with the second, namely, -the rapture of the living. The first thing will be that the dead rise; -the next, that those that are alive, that are left, shall at the same -time, and in company with them, be caught up together in the clouds to -meet the Lord in the air. The Apostle does not look beyond this; so, -he says, shall we--that is, we all, those that live and those that are -fallen asleep--be ever with the Lord. - -A thousand questions rise to our lips as we look at this wonderful -picture; but the closer we look, the more plainly do we see the -parsimony of the revelation, and the strictness with which it is -measured out to meet the necessities of the case. There is nothing in -it, for instance, about the non-Christian. It tells us the blessed -destiny of those who have fallen asleep in Christ, and of those who -wait for Christ's appearing. Much of the curiosity about those who die -without Christ is not disinterested. People would like to know what -_their_ destiny is, because they would like to know whether there -is not a tolerable alternative to accepting the gospel. But the Bible -does not encourage us to look for such an alternative. "Blessed," it -says, "are the dead who die in the Lord"; and blessed also are the -living who live in the Lord; if there are those who reject this -blessedness, and raise questions about what a life without Christ may -lead to, they do it at their peril. - -There is nothing, again, about the nature of the life beyond the -Advent, except this, that it is a life in which the Christian is in -close and unbroken union with Christ--ever with the Lord. Some have -been very anxious to answer the question, Where? but the revelation -gives us no help. It does not say that those who meet the Lord in the -air ascend with Him to heaven, or descend, as some have supposed, to -reign with Him on earth. There is absolutely nothing in it for -curiosity, though everything that is necessary for comfort. For men -who had conceived the terrible thought that the Christian dead had -lost the Christian hope, the veil was withdrawn from the future, and -living and dead alike revealed united, in eternal life, to Christ. -That is all, but surely it is enough. That is the hope which the -gospel puts before us, and no accident of time, like death, can rob us -of it. Jesus died and rose again; He is Lord both of the dead and the -living; and all will, at the great day, be gathered together to Him. -Are _they_ to be lamented, who have this future to look forward -to? Are we to sorrow over those who pass into the world unseen, as if -they had no hope, or as if we had none? No; in the sorrow of death -itself, we may comfort one another with these words. - -Is it not a striking proof of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that -we have, on the express authority of His word, a special revelation, -the exclusive aim of which is to comfort? Jesus knew the terrible -sorrow of bereavement; He had stood by the bedside of Jairus' -daughter, by the young man's bier at Nain, by Lazarus' tomb. He knew -how inconsolable it was, how subtle, how passionate; He knew the dead -weight at the heart which never passes away, and the sudden rush of -feeling which overpowers the strongest. And that all this sorrow might -not rest upon His Church unrelieved, He lifted the curtain that we -might see with our eyes the strong consolation beyond. I have spoken -of it as if it consisted simply in union to Christ; but it is as much -a part of the revelation that Christians whom death has separated are -re-united to each other. The Thessalonians feared they would never see -their departed friends again; but the word of the Lord says, You will -be caught up, in company with them, to meet Me; and you and they shall -dwell with Me for ever. What congregation is there in which there is -not need of this consolation? Comfort one another, the Apostle says. -One needs the comfort to-day, and another to-morrow; in proportion as -we bear each other's burdens, we all need it continually. The unseen -world is perpetually opening to receive those whom we love; but though -they pass out of sight and out of reach, it is not for ever. They are -still united to Christ; and when He comes in His glory He will bring -them to us again. Is it not strange to balance the greatest sorrow of -life against words? Words, we often feel, are vain and worthless; they -do not lift the burden from the heart; they make no difference to the -pressure of grief. Of our own words that is true; but what we have -been considering are not our own words, but the word of the Lord. His -words are alive and powerful: heaven and earth may pass away, but they -cannot pass; let us comfort one another with that. - -[15] There is a certain difficulty about the connection of the words -in the last clause; it would probably be more correct to render them: -Even so them also that are fallen asleep will God through Jesus bring -with Him. - -[16] It is easy to state the inference too strongly. Paul tell us -expressly that he did not know when Christ would come; he could not -therefore know that he himself would have died long before the Advent; -and it was inevitable, therefore, that he should include himself here -in the category of such as might live to see it. - -[17] On this subject see Bruce's _Kingdom of God_, chap. xii. - - - - -XII. - -_THE DAY OF THE LORD._ - - - "But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need - that aught be written unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that - the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. When they are - saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, - as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape. - But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake - you as a thief: for ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we - are not of the night, nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep, as - do the rest, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep - in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But - let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate - of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God - appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation - through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake - or sleep, we should live together with Him. Wherefore exhort one - another, and build each other up, even as also ye do."--1 THESS. v. - 1-11 (R.V.). - -The last verses of the fourth chapter perfect that which is lacking, -on one side, in the faith of the Thessalonians. The Apostle addresses -himself to the ignorance of his readers: he instructs them more fully -on the circumstances of Christ's second coming; and he bids them -comfort one another with the sure hope that they and their departed -friends shall meet, never to part, in the kingdom of the Saviour. In -the passage before us he perfects what is lacking to their faith on -another side. He addresses himself, not to their ignorance, but to -their knowledge; and he instructs them how to improve, instead of -abusing, both what they knew and what they were ignorant of, in regard -to the last Advent. It had led, in some, to curious inquiries; in -others, to a moral restlessness which could not bind itself patiently -to duty; yet its true fruit, the Apostle tells them, ought to be hope, -watchfulness, and sobriety. - -"The day of the Lord" is a famous expression in the -Old Testament; it runs through all prophecy, and is one of its most -characteristic ideas. It means a day which belongs in a peculiar sense -to God: a day which He has chosen for the perfect manifestation of -Himself, for the thorough working out of His work among men. It is -impossible to combine in one picture all the traits which prophets of -different ages, from Amos downward, embody in their representations of -this great day. It is heralded, as a rule, by terrific phenomena in -nature: the sun is turned into darkness and the moon into blood, and -the stars withdraw their light; we read of earthquake and tempest, of -blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The great day ushers in the -deliverance of God's people from all their enemies; and it is -accompanied by a terrible sifting process, which separates the sinners -and hypocrites among the holy people from those who are truly the -Lord's. Wherever it appears, the day of the Lord has the character of -finality. It is a supreme manifestation of judgment, in which the -wicked perish for ever; it is a supreme manifestation of grace, in -which a new and unchangeable life of blessedness is opened to the -righteous. Sometimes it seemed near to the prophet, and sometimes far -off; but near or far, it bounded his horizon; he saw nothing beyond. -It was the end of one era, and the beginning of another which should -have no end. - -This great conception is carried over by the Apostle from the Old -Testament to the New. The day of the Lord is identified with the -Return of Christ. All the contents of that old conception are carried -over along with it. Christ's return bounds the Apostle's horizon; it -is the final revelation of the mercy and judgment of God. There is -sudden destruction in it for some, a darkness in which there is no -light at all; and for others, eternal salvation, a light in which -there is no darkness at all. It is the end of the present order of -things, and the beginning of a new and eternal order. All this the -Thessalonians knew; they had been carefully taught it by the Apostle. -He did not need to write such elementary truths, nor did he need to -say anything about the times and seasons[18] which the Father had kept -in His own power. They knew perfectly all that had been revealed on -this matter, viz., that the day of the Lord comes exactly as a thief -in the night. Suddenly, unexpectedly, giving a shock of alarm and -terror to those whom it finds unprepared,--in such wise it breaks upon -the world. The telling image, so frequent with the Apostles, was -derived from the Master Himself; we can imagine the solemnity with -which Christ said, "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that -watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see -his shame."[19] The New Testament tells us everywhere that men will be -taken at unawares by the final revelation of Christ as Judge and -Saviour; and in so doing, it enforces with all possible earnestness -the duty of watching. False security is so easy, so natural,--looking -to the general attitude, even of Christian men, to this truth, one is -tempted to say, so inevitable,--that it may well seem vain to urge the -duty of watchfulness more. As it was in the days of Noah, as it was in -the days of Lot, as it was when Jerusalem fell, as it is at this -moment, so shall it be at the day of the Lord. Men will say, Peace and -safety, though every sign of the times says, Judgment. They will eat -and drink, plant and build, marry and be given in marriage, with their -whole heart concentrated and absorbed in these transient interests, -till in a moment suddenly, like the lightning which flashes from east -to west, the sign of the Son of Man is seen in heaven. Instead of -peace and safety, sudden destruction surprises them; all that they -have lived for passes away; they awake, as from deep sleep, to -discover that their soul has no part with God. It is too late then to -think of preparing for the end: the end has come; and it is with -solemn emphasis the Apostle adds, "They shall in no wise escape." - -A doom so awful, a life so evil, cannot be the destiny or the duty of -any Christian man. "Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day -should overtake you as a thief." Darkness, in that saying of the -Apostle, has a double weight of meaning. The Christian is not in -ignorance of what is impending, and forewarned is forearmed. Neither -is he any longer in moral darkness, plunged in vice, living a life the -first necessity of which is to keep out of God's sight. Once the -Thessalonians had been in such darkness; their souls had had their -part in a world sunk in sin, on which the day-spring from on high had -not risen; but now that time was past. God had shined into their -hearts; He who is Himself light had poured the radiance of His own -love and truth into them till ignorance, vice, and wickedness had -passed away, and they had become light in the Lord. How intimate is -the relation between the Christian and God, how complete the -regeneration, expressed in the words, "Ye are all _sons_ of light, -and _sons_ of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness"! -There _are_ shady things in the world, and shady persons, but they -are not in Christianity, nor among Christians. The true Christian -takes his nature, all that characterises and distinguishes him, from -light. There is no darkness in him, nothing to hide, no guilty secret, -no corner of his being into which the light of God has not penetrated, -nothing that makes him dread exposure. His whole nature is full of -light, transparently luminous, so that it is impossible to surprise -him or take him at a disadvantage. This, at least, is his ideal -character; to this he is called, and this he makes his aim. There are -those, the Apostle implies, who take their character from night and -darkness,--men with souls that hide from God, that love secrecy, that -have much to remember they dare not speak of, that turn with -instinctive aversion from the light which the gospel brings, and the -sincerity and openness which it claims; men, in short, who have come -to love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. The -day of the Lord will certainly be a surprise to them; it will smite -them with sudden terror, as the midnight thief, breaking unseen -through door or window, terrifies the defenceless householder; it will -overwhelm them with despair, because it will come as a great and -searching light,--a day on which God will bring every hidden thing to -view, and judge the secrets of men's hearts by Christ Jesus. For those -who have lived in darkness the surprise will be inevitable; but what -surprise can there be for the children of the light? They are -partakers of the Divine nature; there is nothing in their souls which -they would not have God know; the light that shines from the great -white throne will discover nothing in them to which its searching -brightness is unwelcome; Christ's coming is so far from disconcerting -them that it is really the crowning of their hopes. - -The Apostle demands of his disciples conduct answering to this ideal. -Walk worthy, he says, of your privileges and of your calling. "Let us -not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober." "Sleep" is -certainly a strange word to describe the life of the worldly man. He -probably thinks himself very wide awake, and as far as a certain -circle of interests is concerned, probably is so. The children of this -world, Jesus tells us, are wonderfully wise for their generation. They -are more shrewd and more enterprising than the children of light. But -what a stupor falls upon them, what a lethargy, what a deep -unconscious slumber, when the interests in view are spiritual. The -claims of God, the future of the soul, the coming of Christ, our -manifestation at His judgment seat, they are not awake to any concern -in these. They live on as if these were not realities at all; if they -pass through their minds on occasion, as they look at the Bible or -listen to a sermon, it is as dreams pass through the mind of one -asleep; they go out and shake themselves, and all is over; earth has -recovered its solidity, and the airy unrealities have passed away. -Philosophers have amused themselves with the difficulty of finding a -scientific criterion between the experiences of the sleeping and the -waking state, _i.e._, a means of distinguishing between the kind of -reality which belongs to each; it is at least one element of sanity to -be able to make the distinction. If we may enlarge the ideas of sleep -and waking, as they are enlarged by the Apostle in this passage, it is -a distinction which many fail to make. When they have the ideas which -make up the staple of revelation presented to them, they feel as if -they were in dreamland; there is no substance to them in a page of St. -Paul; they cannot grasp the realities that underlie his words, any -more than they can grasp the forms which swept before their minds in -last night's sleep. But when they go out to their work in the world, -to deal in commodities, to handle money, then they are in the sphere -of real things, and wide awake enough. Yet the sound mind will reverse -their decisions. It is the visible things that are unreal and that -ultimately pass away; the spiritual things--God, Christ, the human -soul, faith, love, hope--that abide. Let us not face our life in that -sleepy mood to which the spiritual is but a dream; on the contrary, -as we are of the day, let us be wide awake and sober. The world is -full of illusions, of shadows which impose themselves as substances -upon the heedless, of gilded trifles which the man whose eyes are -heavy with sleep accepts as gold; but the Christian ought not to be -thus deceived. Look to the coming of the Lord, Paul says, and do not -sleep through your days, like the heathen, making your life one long -delusion; taking the transitory for the eternal, and regarding the -eternal as a dream; that is the way to be surprised with sudden -destruction at the last; watch and be sober; and you will not be -ashamed before Him at His coming. - -It may not be out of place to insist on the fact that "sober" in this -passage means sober as opposed to drunk. No one would wish to be -overtaken drunk by any great occasion; yet the day of the Lord is -associated in at least three passages of Scripture with a warning -against this gross sin. "Take heed to yourselves," the Master says, -"lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and -drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly -as a snare." "The night is far spent," says the Apostle, "the day is -at hand.... Let us walk honestly as in the day; not in revelling and -drunkenness." And in this passage: "Let us, since we are of the day, -be sober; they that be drunken are drunken in the night." The -conscience of men is awakening to the sin of excess, but it has much -to do before it comes to the New Testament standard. Does it not help -us to see it in its true light when it is thus confronted with the day -of the Lord? What horror could be more awful than to be overtaken in -this state? What death is more terrible to contemplate than one which -is not so very rare--death in drink? - -Wakefulness and sobriety do not exhaust the demands made upon the -Christian. He is also to be on his guard. "Put on the breastplate of -faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation." While -waiting for the Lord's coming, the Christian waits in a hostile world. -He is exposed to assault from spiritual enemies who aim at nothing -less than his life, and he needs to be protected against them. In the -very beginning of this letter we came upon the three Christian graces; -the Thessalonians were commended for their work of faith, labour of -love, and patience of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. There they were -represented as active powers in the Christian life, each manifesting -its presence by some appropriate work, or some notable fruit of -character; here they constitute a defensive armour by which the -Christian is shielded against any mortal assault. We cannot press the -figure further than this. If we keep our faith in Jesus Christ, if we -love one another, if our hearts are set with confident hope on that -salvation which is to be brought to us at Christ's appearing, we need -fear no evil; no foe can touch our life. It is remarkable, I think, -that both here and in the famous passage in Ephesians, as well as in -the original of both in Isaiah lix. 17, salvation, or, to be more -precise, the hope of salvation, is made the helmet. The Apostle is -very free in his comparisons; faith is now a shield, and now a -breastplate; the breastplate in one passage is faith and love, and in -another righteousness; but the helmet is always the same. Without -hope, he would say to us, no man can hold up his head in the battle; -and the Christian hope is always Christ's second coming. If He is not -to come again, the very word hope may be blotted out of the New -Testament. This assured grasp on the coming salvation--a salvation -ready to be revealed in the last times--is what gives the spirit of -victory to the Christian even in the darkest hour. - -The mention of salvation brings the Apostle back to his principal -subject. It is as if he wrote, "for a helmet the hope of salvation; -salvation, I say; for God did not appoint us to wrath, but to the -obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." The day of the -Lord is indeed a day of wrath,--a day when men will cry to the -mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of -Him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for -the great day of their wrath is come. The Apostle cannot remember it -for any purpose without getting a glimpse of those terrors; but it is -not for these he recalls it at this time. God did not appoint -Christians to the wrath of that day, but to its salvation,--a -salvation the hope of which is to cover their heads in the day of -battle. - -The next verse--the tenth--has the peculiar interest of containing the -only hint to be found in this early Epistle of Paul's teaching as to -the mode of salvation. We obtain it through Jesus Christ, who died for -us. It is not who died instead of us, nor even on our behalf -(+hyper+), but, according to the true reading, who died a death in -which we are concerned. It is the most vague expression that could -have been used to signify that Christ's death had something to do with -our salvation. Of course it does not follow that Paul had said no more -to the Thessalonians than he indicates here; judging from the account -he gives in 1st Corinthians of his preaching immediately after he left -Thessalonica, one would suppose he had been much more explicit; -certainly no church ever existed that was not based on the Atonement -and the Resurrection. In point of fact, however, what is here made -prominent is not the mode of salvation, but one special result of -salvation as accomplished by Christ's death, a result contemplated -by Christ, and pertinent to the purpose of this letter; He died for -us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should together live with Him. -The same conception precisely is found in Rom. xiv. 9: "To this end -Christ died, and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead -and the living." This was His aim in redeeming us by passing through -all modes of human existence, seen and unseen. It made Him Lord of -all. He filled all things. He claims all modes of existence as His -own. Nothing separates from Him. Whether we sleep or wake, whether we -live or die, we shall alike live with Him. The strong consolation, to -impart which was the Apostle's original motive in approaching this -subject, has thus come uppermost again; in the circumstances of the -church, it is this which lies nearest to his heart. - -He ends, therefore, with the old exhortation: "Comfort one another, -and build each other up, as also ye do." The knowledge of the truth is -one thing; the Christian use of it is another: if we cannot help one -another very much with the first, there is more in our power with -regard to the last. We are not ignorant of Christ's second coming; of -its awful and consoling circumstances; of its final judgment and final -mercy; of its final separations and final unions. Why have these -things been revealed to us? What influence are they meant to have in -our lives? They ought to be consoling and strengthening. They ought -to banish hopeless sorrow. They ought to generate and sustain an -earnest, sober, watchful spirit; strong patience; a complete -independence of this world. It is left to us as Christian men to -assist each other in the appropriation and application of these great -truths. Let us fix our minds upon them. Our salvation is nearer than -when we believed. Christ is coming. There _will be_ a gathering -together of all His people unto Him. The living and the dead shall be -for ever with the Lord. Of the times and the seasons we can say no -more than could be said at the beginning; the Father has kept them in -His own power; it remains with us to watch and be sober; to arm -ourselves with faith, love, and hope; to set our mind on the things -that are above, where our true country is, whence also we look for the -Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. - -[18] "_The times_ (+chronoi+) are, in Augustine's words, 'ipsa spatia -temporum,' and these contemplated merely under the aspect of their -duration, over which the Church's history should extend; but _the -seasons_ (+kairoi+) are the joints or articulations in these times, -the critical epoch-making periods foreordained of God (+kairoi -protetagmenoi+, Acts xvii. 26; cf. Augustine, _Conf._, xi., 13: 'Deus -operator temporum'); when all that has been slowly, and often without -observation, ripening through long ages is mature and comes to the -birth in grand decisive events, which constitute at once the close of -one period and the commencement of another."--Trench, _Synonyms_, p. -211. - -[19] Rev. xvi. 15. - - - - -XIII. - -_RULERS AND RULED._ - - - "But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labour among you, - and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them - exceeding highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among - yourselves. And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, - encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward - all. See that none render unto any one evil for evil; but alway - follow after that which is good, one toward another, and toward - all."--1 THESS. v. 12-15 (R.V.). - -At the present moment, one great cause of division among Christian -churches is the existence of different forms of Church government. -Congregationalists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians are separated -from each other much more decidedly by difference of organisation than -by difference of creed. By some of them, if not by all, a certain form -of Church order is identified with the existence of the Church itself. -Thus the English-speaking bishops of the world, who met some time ago -in conference at Lambeth, adopted as a basis, on which they could -treat for union with other Churches, the acceptance of Holy Scripture, -of the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, of the Apostles' -and Nicene creeds, and of the Historic Episcopate. In other words, -diocesan bishops are as essential to the constitution of the Church as -the preaching of the Word of God and the administration of the -Sacraments. That is an opinion which one may say, without offence, has -neither history nor reason on its side. Part of the interest of this -Epistle to the Thessalonians lies in the glimpses it gives of the -early state of the Church, when such questions would simply have been -unintelligible. The little community at Thessalonica was not quite -without a constitution--no society could exist on that footing--but -its constitution, as we see from this passage, was of the most -elementary kind; and it certainly contained nothing like a modern -bishop. - -"We beseech you," says the Apostle, "to know them that labour among -you." "To labour"[20] is the ordinary expression of Paul for such -Christian work as he himself did. Perhaps it refers mainly to the work -of catechising, to the giving of that regular and connected -instruction in Christian truth which followed conversion and baptism. -It covers everything that could be of service to the Church or any of -its members. It would include even works of charity. There is a -passage very like this in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, (xvi. -15 f.), where the two things are closely connected: "Now I beseech -you, brethren (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the -firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have set themselves to minister -unto the saints), that ye also be in subjection unto such, and to -every one that helpeth in the work and laboureth." In both passages -there is a certain indefiniteness. Those who labour are not -necessarily official persons, elders, or, as they are often called in -the New Testament, bishops, and deacons; they may have given -themselves to the work without any election or ordination at all. We -know that this is often the case still. The best workers in a church -are not always or necessarily found among those who have official -functions to perform. Especially is it so in churches which provide no -recognition for women, yet depend for their efficiency as religious -agencies even more on women than on men. What would become of our -Sunday Schools, of our Home Missions, of our charities, of our -visitation of the sick, the aged, and the poor, but for the labour of -Christian women? Now what the Apostle tells us here is, that it is -_labour_ which, in the first instance, is entitled to respect. "Know -them that labour among you," means "Know them for what they are"; -recognise with all due reverence their self-denial, their -faithfulness, the services they render to you, their claim upon your -regard. The Christian labourer does not labour for praise or flattery; -but those who take the burden of the church upon them in any way, as -pastors or teachers or visitors, as choir or collectors, as managers -of the church property, or however else, are entitled to our -acknowledgment, and ought not to be left without it. There is no doubt -a great deal of unknown, unheeded, unrequited labour in every church. -That is inevitable, and probably good; but it should make us the more -anxious to acknowledge what we see, and to esteem the workers very -highly in love because of it. How unseemly it is, and how unworthy of -the Christian name, when those who do not work busy themselves with -criticising those who do,--inventing objections, deriding honest -effort, anticipating failure, pouring cold water upon zeal. That is -bad for all, but bad especially for those who practise it. The -ungenerous soul, which grudges recognition to others, and though it -never labours itself has always wisdom to spare for those who do, is -in a hopeless state; there is no growth for it in anything noble and -good. Let us open our eyes on those who labour among us, men or women, -and recognise them as they deserve. - -There are two special forms of labour to which the Apostle gives -prominence: he mentions as among those that labour "them that are over -you in the Lord, and admonish you." The first of the words here -employed, the one translated "them that are over" you, is the only -hint the Epistle contains of Church government. Wherever there is a -society, there must be order. There must be those through whom the -society acts, those who represent it officially by words or deeds. At -Thessalonica there was not a single president, a minister in our -sense, possessing to a certain extent an exclusive responsibility; the -presidency was in the hands of a plurality of men, what Presbyterians -would call a Kirk Session. This body, as far as we can make out from -the few surviving indications of their duties, would direct, but not -conduct, the public worship, and would manage the financial affairs, -and especially the charity, of the church. They would as a rule be -elderly men; and were called by the official name, borrowed from the -Jews, of elders. They did not, in the earliest times, preach or teach; -they were too old to learn that new profession; but what may be called -the administration was in their hands; they were the governing -committee of the new Christian community. The limits of their -authority are indicated by the words "in the Lord." They are over the -members of the church in their characters and relations as church -members; but they have nothing to do with other departments of life, -so far as these relations are unaffected by them. - -Side by side with those who preside over the church, Paul mentions -those "who admonish you." Admonish is a somewhat severe word; it means -to speak to one about his conduct, reminding him of what he seems to -have forgotten, and of what is rightly expected from him. It gives us -a glimpse of discipline in the early Church, that is, of the care -which was taken that those who had named the Christian name should -lead a truly Christian life. There is nothing expressly said in this -passage about doctrines. Purity of doctrine is certainly essential to -the health of the Church, but rightness of life comes before it. There -is nothing expressly said about teaching the truth; that work belonged -to apostles, prophets, and evangelists, who were ministers of the -Church at large, and not fixed to a single congregation; the only -exercise of Christian speech proper to the congregation is its use in -admonition, _i.e._, for practical moral purposes. The moral ideal of -the gospel must be clearly before the mind of the Church, and all who -deviate from it must be admonished of their danger. "It is difficult -for us in modern times," says Dr. Hatch, "with the widely different -views which we have come to hold as to the relation of Church -government to social life, to understand how large a part discipline -filled in the communities of primitive times. These communities were -what they were mainly by the strictness of their discipline.... In the -midst of 'a crooked and perverse nation' they could only hold their -own by the extreme of circumspection. Moral purity was not so much a -virtue at which they were bound to aim as the very condition of their -existence. If the salt of the earth should lose its savour, wherewith -should it be salted? If the lights of the world were dimmed, who -should rekindle their flame? And of this moral purity the officers of -each community were the custodians. 'They watched for souls as those -that must give account.'" This vivid picture should provoke us to -reflection. Our minds are not set sufficiently on the practical duty -of keeping up the Christian standard. The moral originality of the -gospel drops too easily out of sight. Is it not the case that we are -much more expert at vindicating the approach of the Church to the -standard of the non-Christian world, than at maintaining the necessary -distinction between the two? We are certain to bring a good deal of -the world into the Church without knowing it; we are certain to have -instincts, habits, dispositions, associates perhaps, and likings, -which are hostile to the Christian type of character; and it is this -which makes admonition indispensable. Far worse than any aberration in -thought is an irregularity in conduct which threatens the Christian -ideal. When you are warned of such a thing in your conduct by your -minister or elder, or by any Christian, do not resent the warning. -Take it seriously and kindly; thank God that He has not allowed you to -go on unadmonished; and esteem very highly in love the brother or -sister who has been so true to you. Nothing is more un-Christian than -fault-finding, nothing is more truly Christian than frank and -affectionate admonishing of those who are going astray. This may be -especially commended to the young. In youth we are apt to be proud and -wilful; we are confident that we can keep ourselves safe in what the -old and timid consider dangerous situations; we do not fear -temptation, nor think that this or that little fall is more than an -indiscretion; and, in any case, we have a determined dislike to being -interfered with. All this is very natural; but we should remember -that, as Christians, we are pledged to a course of life which is not -in all ways natural; to a spirit and conduct which are incompatible -with pride; to a seriousness of purpose, to a loftiness and purity of -aim, which may all be lost through wilfulness; and we should love and -honour those who put their experience at our service, and warn us -when, in lightness of heart, we are on the way to make shipwreck of -our life. They do not admonish us because they like it, but because -they love us and would save us from harm; and love is the only -recompense for such a service. - -How little there is of an official spirit in what the Apostle has been -saying, we see clearly from what follows. In one way it is specially -the duty of the elders or pastors in the Church to exercise rule and -discipline; but it is not so exclusively their duty as to exempt the -members of the Church at large from responsibility. The Apostle -addresses the whole congregation when he goes on, "Be at peace among -yourselves. And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, -encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward -all." Let us look more closely at these simple exhortations. - -"Admonish," he says, "the disorderly." Who are they? The word is a -military one, and means properly those who leave their place in the -ranks. In the Epistle to the Colossians (ii. 5) Paul rejoices over -what he calls the solid front presented by their faith in Christ. The -solid front is broken, and great advantage given to the enemy, when -there are disorderly persons in a church,--men or women who fall short -of the Christian standard, or who violate, by irregularities of any -kind, the law of Christ. Such are to be admonished by their brethren. -Any Christian who sees the disorder has a right to admonish them; nay, -it is laid upon his conscience as a sacred duty tenderly and earnestly -to do so. We are too much afraid of giving offence, and too little -afraid of allowing sin to run its course. Which is better--to speak to -the brother who has been disorderly, whether by neglecting work, -neglecting worship, or openly falling into sin: which is better, to -speak to such a one as a brother, privately, earnestly, lovingly; or -to say nothing at all to him, but talk about what we find to censure -in him to everybody else, dealing freely behind his back with things -we dare not speak of to his face? Surely admonition is better than -gossip; if it is more difficult, it is more Christlike too. It may be -that our own conduct shuts our mouth, or at least exposes us to a rude -retort; but unaffected humility can overcome even that. - -But it is not always admonition that is needed. Sometimes the very -opposite is in place; and so Paul writes, "Encourage the -fainthearted." Put heart into them. The word rendered "fainthearted" -is only used in this single passage; yet every one knows what it -means. It includes those for whose benefit the Apostle wrote in chap. -iv. the description of Christ's second coming,--those whose hearts -sunk within them as they thought they might never see their departed -friends again. It includes those who shrink from persecution, from the -smiles or the frowns of the un-Christian, and who fear they may deny -the Lord. It includes those who have fallen before temptation, and are -sitting despondent and fearful, not able to lift up so much as their -eyes to heaven and pray the publican's prayer. All such timid souls -need to be heartened; and those who have learned of Jesus, who would -not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax, will know how -to speak a word in season to them. The whole life of the Lord is an -encouragement to the fainthearted; He who welcomed the penitent, who -comforted the mourners, who restored Peter after his triple denial, is -able to lift up the most timid and to make them stand. Nor is there -any work more Christlike than this. The fainthearted get no quarter -from the world; bad men delight to trample on the timid; but Christ -bids them hope in Him, and strengthen themselves for battle and for -victory. - -Akin to this exhortation is the one which follows, "Support the weak." -That does not mean, Provide for those who are unable to work; but, Lay -hold of those who are weak in the faith, and keep them up. There are -people in every congregation whose connection with Christ and the -gospel is very slight; and if some one does not take hold of them, -they will drift away altogether. Sometimes such weakness is due to -ignorance: the people in question know little about the gospel; it -fills no space in their minds; it does not awe their weakness, or -fascinate their trust. Sometimes, again, it is due to an unsteadiness -of mind or character; they are easily led away by new ideas or by new -companions. Sometimes, without any tendency to lapsing, there is a -weakness due to a false reverence for the past, and for the traditions -and opinions of men, by which the mind and conscience are enslaved. -What is to be done with such weak Christians? They are to be supported. -Some one is to lay hands upon them, and uphold them till their -weakness is outgrown. If they are ignorant, they must be taught. If -they are easily carried away by new ideas, they must be shown the -incalculable weight of evidence which from every side establishes the -unchangeable truth of the gospel If they are prejudiced and bigoted, -or full of irrational scruples, and blind reverence for dead customs, -they must be constrained to look the imaginary terrors of liberty in -the face, till the truth makes them free. Let us lay this exhortation -to heart. Men and women slip away and are lost to the Church and to -Christ, because they were weak, and no one supported them. Your word -or your influence, spoken or used at the right time, might have saved -them. What is the use of strength if not to lay hold of the weak? - -It is an apt climax when the Apostle adds, "Be longsuffering toward -all." He who tries to keep these commandments--"Admonish the -disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak"--will have -need of patience. If we are absolutely indifferent to each other, it -does not matter; we can do without it. But if we seek to be of use to -each other, our moral infirmities are very trying. We summon up all -our love and all our courage, and venture to hint to a brother that -something in his conduct has been amiss; and he flies into a passion, -and tells us to mind our own business. Or we undertake some trying -task of teaching, and after years of pains and patience some guileless -question is asked which shows that our labour has been in vain; or we -sacrifice our own leisure and recreation to lay hold on some weak one, -and discover that the first approach of temptation has been too strong -for him after all. How slow, we are tempted to cry, men are to respond -to efforts made for their good! Yet we are men who so cry,--men who -have wearied God by their own slowness, and who must constantly appeal -to His forbearance. Surely it is not too much for us to be -longsuffering toward all. - -This little section closes with a warning against revenge, the vice -directly opposed to forbearance. "See that none render unto any one -evil for evil; but alway follow after that which is good, one toward -another, and toward all." Who are addressed in this verse? No doubt, I -should say, all the members of the Church; they have a common interest -in seeing that it is not disgraced by revenge. If forgiveness is the -original and characteristic virtue of Christianity, it is because -revenge is the most natural and instinctive of vices. It is a kind of -wild justice, as Bacon says, and men will hardly be persuaded that it -is not just. It is the vice which can most easily pass itself off as -a virtue; but in the Church it is to have no opportunity of doing so. -Christian men are to have their eyes about them; and where a wrong has -been done, they are to guard against the possibility of revenge by -acting as mediators between the severed brethren. Is it not written in -the words of Jesus, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be -called sons of God?" We are not only to refrain from vengeance -ourselves, but we are to see to it, as Christian men, that it has no -place among us. And here, again, we sometimes have a thankless task, -and need to be longsuffering. Angry men are unreasonable; and he who -seeks the blessing of the peacemaker sometimes earns only the ill name -of a busybody in other men's matters. Nevertheless, wisdom is -justified of all her children; and no man who wars against revenge, -out of a heart loyal to Christ, can ever be made to look foolish. If -that which is good is our constant aim, one toward another, and toward -all, we shall gain the confidence even of angry men, and have the joy -of seeing evil passions banished from the Church. For revenge is the -last stronghold of the natural man; it is the last fort which he holds -against the spirit of the gospel; and when it is stormed, Christ -reigns indeed. - -[20] Those "who toil among you and preside over you and admonish you" -are identified by Wight (_Composition of the Four Gospels_, p. 12) as -"the catechists, the presbyters, and evangelists." The third case is -certainly doubtful; and the fact that the article is used only once -makes the whole attempt at such a discrimination of officials -illegitimate. - - - - -XIV. - -_THE STANDING ORDERS OF THE GOSPEL._ - - - "Rejoice alway; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks: for - this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward."--1 THESS. v. - 16-18 (R.V.). - -The three precepts of these three verses may be called the standing -orders of the Christian Church. However various the circumstances in -which Christians may find themselves, the duties here prescribed are -always binding upon them. We are to rejoice alway, to pray without -ceasing, and in everything to give thanks. We may live in peaceful or -in troubled times; we may be encompassed with friends or beset by -foes; we may see the path we have chosen for ourselves open easily -before us, or find our inclination thwarted at every step; but we must -always have the music of the gospel in our hearts in its own proper -key. Let us look at these rules in order. - -"Rejoice alway." There are circumstances in which it is natural for us -to rejoice; whether we are Christians or not, joy fills the heart till -it overflows. Youth, health, hope, love, these richest and best -possessions, give almost every man and woman at least a term of unmixed -gladness; some months, or years perhaps, of pure light-heartedness, -when they feel like singing all the time. But that natural joy can -hardly be kept up. It would not be good for us if it could; for it -really means that we are for the time absorbed in ourselves, and -having found our own satisfaction decline to look beyond. It is quite -another situation to which the Apostle addresses himself. He knows -that the persons who receive his letter have had to suffer cruelly for -their faith in Christ; he knows that some of them have quite lately -stood beside the graves of their dead. Must not a man be very sure of -himself, very confident of the truth on which he stands, when he -ventures to say to people so situated, "Rejoice alway"? - -But these people, we must remember, were Christians; they had received -the gospel from the Apostle; and, in the gospel, the supreme assurance -of the love of God. We need to remind ourselves occasionally that the -gospel is good news, glad tidings of great joy. Wherever it comes, it -is a joyful sound; it puts a gladness into the heart which no change -of circumstances can abate or take away. There is a great deal in the -Old Testament which may fairly be described as doubt of God's love. -Even the saints sometimes wondered whether God was good to Israel; -they became impatient, unbelieving, bitter, foolish; the outpourings -of their hearts in some of the psalms show how far they were from -being able to rejoice evermore. But there is nothing the least like -this in the New Testament. The New Testament is the work of Christian -men, of men who had stood quite close to the supreme manifestation of -God's love in Jesus Christ. Some of them had been in Christ's company -for years. They knew that every word He spoke and every deed He -wrought declared His love; they knew that it was revealed, above all, -by the death which He died; they knew that it was made almighty, -immortal, and ever-present, by His resurrection from the dead. The -sublime revelation of Divine love dominated everything else in their -experience. It was impossible for them, for a single moment, to forget -it or to escape from it. It drew and fixed their hearts as -irresistibly as a mountain peak draws and holds the eyes of the -traveller. They never lost sight of the love of God in Christ Jesus, -that sight so new, so stupendous, so irresistible, so joyful. And -because they did not, they were able to rejoice evermore; and the New -Testament, which reflects the life of the first believers, does not -contain a querulous word from beginning to end. It is the book of -infinite joy. - -We see, then, that this command, unreasonable as it appears, is not -impracticable. If we are truly Christians, if we have seen and -received the love of God, if we see and receive it continually, it -will enable us, like those who wrote the New Testament, to rejoice -evermore. There are places on our coast where a spring of fresh water -gushes up through the sand among the salt waves of the sea; and just -such a fountain of joy is the love of God in the Christian soul, even -when the waters close over it. "As sorrowful," says the Apostle, "yet -alway rejoicing." - -Most churches and Christians need to lay this exhortation to heart. It -contains a plain direction for our common worship. The house of God is -the place where we come to make united and adoring confession of His -name. If we think only of ourselves, as we enter, we may be despondent -and low spirited enough; but surely we ought to think, in the first -instance, of Him. Let God be great in the assembly of His people; let -Him be lifted up as He is revealed to us in Jesus Christ, and joy will -fill our hearts. If the services of the Church are dull, it is because -He has been left outside; because the glad tidings of redemption, -holiness, and life everlasting are still waiting for admission to our -hearts. Do not let us belie the gospel by dreary, joyless worship: it -is not so that it is endeared to ourselves or commended to others. - -The Apostle's exhortation contains a hint also for Christian temper. -Not only our united worship, but the habitual disposition of each of -us, is to be joyful. It would not be easy to measure the loss the -cause of Christ has sustained through the neglect of this rule. -A conception of Christianity has been set before men, and especially -before the young, which could not fail to repel; the typical Christian -has been presented, austere and pure perhaps, or lifted high above the -world, but rigid, cold, and self-contained. That is not the Christian -as the New Testament conceives him. He is cheerful, sunny, joyous; and -there is nothing so charming as joy. There is nothing so contagious, -because there is nothing in which all men are so willing to partake; -and hence there is nothing so powerful in evangelistic work. The joy -of the Lord is the strength of the preacher of the gospel. There is an -interesting passage in 1 Cor. ix., where Paul enlarges on a certain -relation between the evangelist and the evangel. The gospel, he tells -us, is God's free gift to the world; and he who would become a -fellow-worker with the gospel must enter into the spirit of it, and -make his preaching also a free gift. So here, one may say, the gospel -is conceived as glad tidings; and whoever would open his lips for -Christ must enter into the spirit of his message, and stand up to -speak clothed in joy. Our looks and tones must not belie our words. -Languor, dulness, dreariness, a melancholy visage, are a libel upon -the gospel. If the knowledge of the love of God does not make us glad, -what does it do for us? If it does not make a difference to our -spirits and our temper, do we really know it? Christ compares its -influence to that of new wine; it is nothing if not exhilarating; if -it does not make our faces shine, it is because we have not tasted it. -I do not overlook, any more than St. Paul did, the causes for sorrow; -but the causes for sorrow are transient; they are like the dark clouds -which overshadow the sky for a time and then pass away; while the -cause of joy--the redeeming love of God in Christ Jesus--is permanent; -it is like the unchanging blue behind the clouds, ever-present, -ever-radiant, overarching and encompassing all our passing woes. Let -us remember it, and see it through the darkest clouds, and it will not -be impossible for us to rejoice evermore. - -It may seem strange that one difficult thing should be made easy when -it is combined with another; but this is what is suggested by the -second exhortation of the Apostle, "Pray without ceasing." It is not -easy to rejoice alway, but our one hope of doing so is to pray -constantly. How are we to understand so singular a precept? - -Prayer, we know, when we take it in the widest sense, is the primary -mark of the Christian. "Behold, he prayeth," the Lord said of Saul, -when He wished to convince Ananias that there was no mistake about his -conversion. He who does not pray at all--and is it too much to suppose -that some come to churches who never do?--is no Christian. Prayer is -the converse of the soul with God; it is that exercise in which we -hold up our hearts to Him, that they may be filled with His fulness, -and changed into His likeness. The more we pray, and the more we are -in contact with Him, the greater is our assurance of His love, the -firmer our confidence that He is with us to help and save. If we once -think of it, we shall see that our very life as Christians depends on -our being in perpetual contact and perpetual fellowship with God. If -He does not breathe into us the breath of life, we have no life. If He -does not hour by hour send our help from above, we face our spiritual -foes without resources. - -It is with such thoughts present to the mind that some would interpret -the command, "Pray without ceasing." "Cherish a spirit of prayer," -they would render it, "and make devotion the true business of life. -Cultivate the sense of dependence on God; let it be part of the very -structure of your thoughts that without Him you can do nothing, but -through His strength all things." But this is, in truth, to put the -effect where the cause should be. This spirit of devotion is itself -the fruit of ceaseless prayers; this strong consciousness of -dependence on God becomes an ever-present and abiding thing only when -in all our necessities we betake ourselves to Him. Occasions, we must -rather say, if we would follow the Apostle's thought, are never -wanting, and will never be wanting, which call for the help of God; -therefore, pray without ceasing. It is useless to say that the thing -cannot be done, before the experiment has been made. There are few -works that cannot be accompanied with prayer; there are few indeed -that cannot be preceded by prayer; there are none at all that would -not profit by prayer. Take the very first work to which you must set -your mind and your hand, and you know it will be better done if, as -you turn to it, you look up to God and ask His help to do it well and -faithfully, as a Christian ought to do it for the Master above. It is -not in any vague, indefinite fashion, but by taking prayer with us -wherever we go, by consciously, deliberately, and persistently lifting -our hearts to God as each emergency in life, great or small, makes its -new demand upon us, that the apostolic exhortation is to be obeyed. If -prayer is thus combined with all our works, we shall find that it -wastes no time, though it fills all. Certainly it is not an easy -practice to begin, that of praying without ceasing. It is so natural -for us not to pray, that we perpetually forget, and undertake this or -that without God. But surely we get reminders enough that this -omission of prayer is a mistake. Failure, loss of temper, absence of -joy, weariness, and discouragement are its fruits; while prayer brings -us without fail the joy and strength of God. The Apostle himself knew -that to pray without ceasing requires an extraordinary effort; and in -the only passages in which he urges it, he combines with it the duties -of watchfulness and persistence (Eph. vi. 15; Col. iv. 2; Rom. xii. -12). We must be on our guard that the occasion for prayer does not -escape us, and we must take care not to be wearied with this incessant -reference of everything to God. - -The third of the standing orders of the Church is, from one point of -view, a combination of the first and second; for thanksgiving is a -kind of joyful prayer. As a duty, it is recognised by every one within -limits; the difficulty of it is only seen when it is claimed, as here, -without limits: "In everything give thanks." That this is no -accidental extravagance is shown by its recurrence in other places. To -mention only one: in Phil. iv. 6 the Apostle writes, "In everything by -prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made -known to God." Is it really possible to do this thing? - -There are times, we all know, at which thanksgiving is natural and -easy. When our life has taken the course which we ourselves had -purposed, and the result seems to justify our foresight; when those -whom we love are prosperous and happy; when we have escaped a great -danger, or recovered from a severe illness, we feel, or say we feel, -so thankful. Even in such circumstances we are possibly not so -thankful as we ought to be. Perhaps if we were our lives would be a -great deal happier. But at all events we frankly admit that we have -cause for thanksgiving; God has been good to us, even in our own -estimate of goodness; and we ought to cherish and express our grateful -love toward Him. Let us not forget to do so. It has been said that an -unblessed sorrow is the saddest thing in life; but perhaps as sad a -thing is an unblessed joy. And every joy is unblessed for which we do -not give God thanks. "Unhallowed pleasures" is a strong expression, -which seems proper only to describe gross wickedness; yet it is the -very name which describes any pleasure in our life of which we do not -recognise God as the Giver, and for which we do not offer Him our -humble and hearty thanks. We would not be so apt to protest against -the idea of giving thanks in everything, if it had ever been our habit -to give thanks in anything. Think of what you call, with thorough -conviction, your blessings and your mercies,--your bodily health, your -soundness of mind, your calling in this world, the faith which you -repose in others and which others repose in you; think of the love of -your husband or wife, of all those sweet and tender ties that bind our -lives into one; think of the success with which you have wrought out -your own purposes, and laboured at your own ideal; and with all this -multitude of mercies before your face, ask whether even for these you -have given God thanks. Have they been hallowed and made means of grace -to you by your grateful acknowledgment that He is the Giver of them -all? If not, it is plain that you have lost much joy, and have to -begin the duty of thanksgiving in the easiest and lowest place. - -But the Apostle rises high above this when he says, "In everything -give thanks." He knew, as I have remarked already, that the -Thessalonians had been visited by suffering and death: is there a -place for thanksgiving there? Yes, he says; for the Christian does not -look on sorrow with the eyes of another man. When sickness comes to -him or to his home; when there is loss to be borne, or disappointment, -or bereavement; when his plans are frustrated, his hopes deferred, and -the whole conduct of his life simply taken out of his hands, he is -still called to give thanks to God. For he knows that God is love. He -knows that God has a purpose of His own in his life,--a purpose which -at the moment he may not discern, but which he is bound to believe -wiser and larger than any he could purpose for himself. Every one who -has eyes to see must have seen, in the lives of Christian men and -women, fruits of sorrow and of suffering which were conspicuously -their best possessions, the things for which the whole Church was -under obligation to give thanks to God on their behalf. It is not -easy at the moment to see what underlies sorrow; it is not possible to -grasp by anticipation the beautiful fruits which it yields in the long -run to those who accept it without murmuring: but every Christian -knows that all things work together for good to them that love God; -and in the strength of that knowledge he is able to keep a thankful -heart, however mysterious and trying the providence of God may be. -That sorrow, even the deepest and most hopeless, has been blessed, no -one can deny. It has taught many a deeper thoughtfulness, a truer -estimate of the world and its interests, a more simple trust in God. -It has opened the eyes of many to the sufferings of others, and -changed boisterous rudeness into tender and delicate sympathy. It has -given many weak ones the opportunity of demonstrating the nearness and -the strength of Christ, as out of weakness they have been made strong. -Often the sufferer in a home is the most thankful member of it. Often -the bedside is the sunniest spot in the house, though the bedridden -one knows that he or she will never be free again. It is not -impossible for a Christian in everything to give thanks. - -But it is only a Christian who can do it, as the last words of the -Apostle intimate: "This is the will of God _in Christ Jesus_ to -you-ward." These words may refer to all that has preceded: "Rejoice -alway; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks"; or they may -refer to the last clause only. Whichever be the case, the Apostle -tells us that the ideal in question has only been revealed in Christ, -and hence is only within reach of those who know Christ. Till Christ -came, no man ever dreamt of rejoicing alway, praying without ceasing, -and giving thanks in everything. There were noble ideals in the world, -high, severe, and pure; but nothing so lofty, buoyant, and exhilarating -as this. Men did not know God well enough to know what His will for -them was; they thought He demanded integrity, probably, and beyond -that, silent and passive submission at the most; no one had conceived -that God's will for man was that his life should be made up of joy, -prayer, and thanksgiving. But he who has seen Jesus Christ, and has -discovered the meaning of His life, knows that this is the true ideal. -For Jesus came into our world, and lived among us, that we might know -God; He manifested the name of God that we might put our trust in it; -and that name is Love; it is Father. If we know the Father, it is -possible for us, in the spirit of children, to aim at this lofty -Christian ideal; if we do not, it will seem to us utterly unreal. The -will of God in Christ Jesus means the will of the Father; it is only -for children that His will exists. Do not put aside the apostolic -exhortation as paradox or extravagance; to Christian hearts, to the -children of God, he speaks words of truth and soberness when he says, -"Rejoice alway; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks." Has -not Christ Jesus given us peace with God, and made us friends instead -of enemies? Is not that a fountain of joy too deep for sorrow to -touch? Has He not assured us that He is with us all the days, even to -the end of the world? Is not that a ground upon which we can look up -in prayer all the day long? Has He not told us that all things work -together for good to them that love God? Of course we cannot trace His -operation always; but when we remember the seal with which Christ -sealed that great truth; when we remember that in order to fulfil the -purpose of God in each of us He laid down His life on our behalf, can -we hesitate to trust His word? And if we do not hesitate, but welcome -it gladly as our hope in the darkest hour, shall we not try even in -everything to give thanks? - - - - -XV. - -_THE SPIRIT._ - - - "Quench not the Spirit: despise not prophesyings: (but) prove all - things: hold fast that which is good; abstain from every form of - evil."--1 THESS. v. 20-22 (R.V.). - -These verses are abruptly introduced, but are not unconnected with -what precedes. The Apostle has spoken of order and discipline, and of -the joyful and devout temper which should characterise the Christian -Church; and here he comes to speak of that Spirit in which the Church -lives, and moves, and has her being. The presence of the Spirit is, of -course, presupposed in all that he has said already: how could men, -except by His help, "rejoice alway, pray without ceasing, and in -everything give thanks"? But there are other manifestations of the -Spirit's power, of a more precise and definite character, and it is -with these we have here to do. - -_Spiritus ubi est, ardet._ When the Holy Spirit descended on the Church -at Pentecost, "there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like -as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them"; and their lips were -opened to declare the mighty works of God. A man who has received this -great gift is described as fervent, literally, boiling (+zeôn+) with -the Spirit. The new birth in those early days _was_ a new birth; it -kindled in the soul thoughts and feelings to which it had hitherto -been strange; it brought with it the consciousness of new powers; a -new vision of God; a new love of holiness; a new insight into the Holy -Scriptures, and into the meaning of man's life; often a new power of -ardent, passionate speech. In the First Epistle to the Corinthians -Paul describes a primitive Christian congregation. There was not one -silent among them. When they came together every one had a psalm, a -revelation, a prophecy, an interpretation. The manifestation of the -Spirit had been given to each one to profit withal; and on all hands -the spiritual fire was ready to flame forth. Conversion to the -Christian faith, the acceptance of the apostolic gospel, was not a -thing which made little difference to men: it convulsed their whole -nature to its depths; they were never the same again; they were new -creatures, with a new life in them, all fervour and flame. - -A state so unlike nature, in the ordinary sense of the term, was sure -to have its inconveniences. The Christian, even when he had received -the gift of the Holy Ghost, was still a man; and as likely as not a -man who had to struggle against vanity, folly, ambition, and -selfishness of all kinds. His enthusiasm might even seem, in the first -instance, to aggravate, instead of removing, his natural faults. It -might drive him to speak--for in a primitive church anybody who -pleased might speak--when it would have been better for him to be -silent. It might lead him to break out in prayer or praise or -exhortation, in a style which made the wise sigh. And for those -reasons the wise, and such as thought themselves wise, would be apt to -discourage the exercise of spiritual gifts altogether. "Contain -yourself," they would say to the man whose heart burned within him, -and who was restless till the flame could leap out; "contain yourself; -exercise a little self-control; it is unworthy of a rational being to -be carried away in this fashion." - -No doubt situations like this were common in the church at -Thessalonica. They are produced inevitably by differences of age and -of temperament. The old and the phlegmatic are a natural, and, -doubtless, a providential, counterweight to the young and sanguine. -But the wisdom which comes of experience and of temperament has its -disadvantages as compared with fervour of spirit. It is cold and -unenthusiastic; it cannot propagate itself; it cannot set fire to -anything and spread. And because it is under this incapacity of -kindling the souls of men into enthusiasm, it is forbidden to pour -cold water on such enthusiasm when it breaks forth in words of fire. -That is the meaning of "Quench not the Spirit." The commandment -presupposes that the Spirit can be quenched. Cold looks, contemptuous -words, silence, studied disregard, go a long way to quench it. So does -unsympathetic criticism. - -Every one knows that a fire smokes most when it is newly kindled; but -the way to get rid of the smoke is not to pour cold water on the fire, -but to let it burn itself clear. If you are wise enough you may even -help it to burn itself clear, by rearranging the materials, or -securing a better draught; but the wisest thing most people can do -when the fire has got hold is to let it alone; and that is also the -wise course for most when they meet with a disciple whose zeal burns -like fire. Very likely the smoke hurts their eyes; but the smoke will -soon pass by; and it may well be tolerated in the meantime for the -sake of the heat. For this apostolic precept takes for granted that -fervour of spirit, a Christian enthusiasm for what is good, is the -best thing in the world. It may be untaught and inexperienced; it may -have all its mistakes to make; it may be wonderfully blind to the -limitations which the stern necessities of life put upon the generous -hopes of man: but it is of God; it is expansive; it is contagious; it -is worth more as a spiritual force than all the wisdom in the world. - -I have hinted at ways in which the Spirit is quenched; it is sad to -reflect that from one point of view the history of the Church is a -long series of transgressions of this precept, checked by an equally -long series of rebellions of the Spirit. "Where the Spirit of the Lord -is," the Apostle tells us elsewhere, "there is liberty." But liberty -in a society has its dangers; it is, to a certain extent, at war with -order; and the guardians of order are not apt to be too considerate of -it. Hence it came to pass that at a very early period, and in the -interests of good order, the freedom of the Spirit was summarily -suppressed in the Church. "The gift of ruling," it has been said, -"like Aaron's rod, seemed to swallow up the other gifts." The rulers -of the Church became a class entirely apart from its ordinary members, -and all exercise of spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church -was confined to them. Nay, the monstrous idea was originated, and -taught as a dogma, that they alone were the depositaries, or, as it is -sometimes said, the custodians, of the grace and truth of the gospel; -only through them could men come into contact with the Holy Ghost. In -plain English, the Spirit was quenched when Christians met for -worship. One great extinguisher was placed over the flame that burned -in the hearts of the brethren; it was not allowed to show itself; it -must not disturb, by its eruption in praise or prayer or fiery -exhortation, the decency and order of divine service. I say that was -the condition to which Christian worship was reduced at a very early -period; and it is unhappily the condition in which, for the most part, -it subsists at this moment. Do you think we are gainers by it? I do -not believe it. It has always come from time to time to be -intolerable. The Montanists of the second century, the heretical sects -of the middle ages, the Independents and Quakers of the English -Commonwealth, the lay preachers of Wesleyanism, the Salvationists, the -Plymouthists, and the Evangelistic associations of our own day,--all -these are in various degrees the protest of the Spirit, and its right -and necessary protest, against the authority which would quench it, -and by quenching it impoverish the Church. In many Nonconformist -churches there is a movement just now in favour of a liturgy. A -liturgy may indeed be a defence against the coldness and incompetence -of the one man to whom the whole conduct of public worship is at -present left; but our true refuge is not this mechanical one, but the -opening of the mouths of all Christian people. A liturgy, however -beautiful, is a melancholy witness to the quenching of the Spirit: it -may be better or worse than the prayers of one man; but it could never -compare for fervour with the spontaneous prayers of a living Church. - -Among the gifts of the Spirit, that which the Apostle valued most -highly was prophecy. We read in the Book of Acts of prophets, like -Agabus, who foretold future events affecting the fortunes of the -gospel, and possibly at Thessalonica the minds of those who were -spiritually gifted were preoccupied with thoughts of the Lord's -coming, and made it the subject of their discourses in the church; but -there is no necessary limitation of this sort in the idea of -prophesying. The prophet was a man whose rational and moral nature had -been quickened by the Spirit of Christ, and who possessed in an -uncommon degree the power of speaking edification, exhortation, and -comfort. In other words, he was a Christian preacher,[21] endued with -wisdom, fervour, and tenderness; and his spiritual addresses were -among the Lord's best gifts to the Church. Such addresses, or -prophesyings, Paul tells we are not to despise. - -Now despise is a strong word; it is, literally, to set utterly at -naught, as Herod set at naught Jesus, when he clothed Him in purple, -or as the Pharisees set at naught the publicans, even when they came -into the Temple to pray. Of course, prophecy, or, to speak in the -language of our own time, the preacher's calling, may be abused: a man -may preach without a message, without sincerity, without reverence for -God or respect for those to whom he speaks; he may make a mystery, a -professional secret, of the truth of God, instead of declaring it even -to little children; he may seek, as some who called themselves -prophets in early times sought, to make the profession of godliness a -source of gain; and under such circumstances no respect is due. But -such circumstances are not to be assumed without cause. We are rather -to assume that he who stands up in the Church to speak in God's name -has had a word of God entrusted to him; it is not wise to despise it -before it is heard. It may be because we have been so often disappointed -that we pitch our hopes so low; but to expect nothing is to be guilty -of a sort of contempt by anticipation. To despise not prophesyings -requires us to look for something from the preacher, some word of God -that will build us up in godliness, or bring us encouragement or -consolation; it requires us to listen as those who have a precious -opportunity given them of being strengthened by Divine grace and -truth. We ought not to lounge or fidget while the word of God is -spoken, or to turn over the leaves of the Bible at random, or to look -at the clock; we ought to hearken for that word which God has put -into the preacher's mouth for us; and it will be a very exceptional -prophesying in which there is not a single thought that it would repay -us to consider. - -When the Apostle claimed respect for the Christian preacher, he did -not claim infallibility. That is plain from what follows; for all the -words are connected. Despise not prophesyings, but put all things to -the test, that is, all the contents of the prophesying, all the -utterances of the Christian man whose spiritual ardour has urged him -to speak. We may remark in passing that this injunction prohibits all -passive listening to the word. Many people prefer this. They come to -church, not to be taught, not to exercise any faculty of discernment -or testing at all, but to be impressed. They like to be played upon, -and to have their feelings moved by a tender or vehement address; it -is an easy way of coming into apparent contact with good. But the -Apostle here counsels a different attitude. We are to put to the proof -all that the preacher says. - -This is a favourite text with Protestants, and especially with -Protestants of an extreme type. It has been called "a piece of most -rationalistic advice"; it has been said to imply "that every man has a -verifying faculty, whereby to judge of facts and doctrines, and to -decide between right and wrong, truth and falsehood." But this is a -most unconsidered extension to give to the Apostle's words. He does -not say a word about every man; he is speaking expressly to the -Thessalonians, who were Christian men. He would not have admitted that -any man who came in from the street, and constituted himself a judge, -was competent to pronounce upon the contents of the prophesyings, and -to say which of the burning words were spiritually sound, and which -were not. On the contrary, he tells us very plainly that some men have -no capacity for this task--"The natural man receiveth not the things -of the Spirit"; and that even in the Christian Church, where all are -to some extent spiritual, some have this faculty of discernment in a -much higher degree than others. In 1 Cor. xii. 10, "discernment of -spirits," this power of distinguishing in spiritual discourse between -the gold and that which merely glitters, is itself represented as a -distinct spiritual gift; and in a later chapter he says (xiv. 29), -"Let the prophets speak by two or three, and let the others" (that is, -in all probability, the other prophets) "discern." I do not say this -to deprecate the judgment of the wise, but to deprecate rash and hasty -judgment. A heathen man is no judge of Christian truth; neither is a -man with a bad conscience, and an unrepented sin in his heart; neither -is a flippant man, who has never been awed by the majestic holiness -and love of Jesus Christ,--all these are simply out of court. But the -Christian preacher who stands up in the presence of his brethren -knows, and rejoices, that he is in the presence of those who can put -what he says to the proof. They _are_ his brethren; they are in the -same communion of all the saints with Christ Jesus; the same Christian -tradition has formed, and the same Christian spirit animates, their -conscience; their power to prove his words is a safeguard both to them -and to him. - -And it is necessary that they should prove them. No man is perfect, -not the most devout and enthusiastic of Christians. In his most -spiritual utterances something of himself will very naturally mingle; -there will be chaff among the wheat; wood, hay, and stubble in the -material he brings to build up the Church, as well as gold, silver, -and precious stones. That is not a reason for refusing to listen; it -is a reason for listening earnestly, conscientiously, and with much -forbearance. There is a responsibility laid upon each of us, a -responsibility laid upon the Christian conscience of every -congregation and of the Church at large, to put prophesyings to the -proof. Words that are spiritually unsound, that are out of tune with -the revelation of God in Christ Jesus, ought to be discovered when -they are spoken in the Church. No man with any idea of modesty, to say -nothing of humility, could wish it otherwise. And here, again, -we have to regret the quenching of the Spirit. We have all heard the -sermon criticised when the preacher could not get the benefit; but -have we often heard it spiritually judged, so that he, as well as -those who listened to him, is edified, comforted, and encouraged? The -preacher has as much need of the word as his hearers; if there is a -service which God enables him to do for them, in enlightening their -minds or fortifying their wills, there is a corresponding service -which they can do for him. An open meeting, a liberty of prophesying, -a gathering in which any one could speak as the Spirit gave him -utterance, is one of the crying needs of the modern Church. - -Let us notice, however, the purpose of this testing of prophecy. -Despise not such utterances, the Apostle says, but prove all: hold -fast that which is good, and hold off from every evil kind. There is a -curious circumstance connected with these short verses. Many of the -fathers of the Church connect them with what they consider a saying of -Jesus, one of the few which is reasonably attested, though it has -failed to find a place in the written gospels. The saying is, "Show -yourselves approved money-changers." The fathers believed, and on such -a point they were likely to be better judges than we, that in the -verses before us the Apostle uses a metaphor from coinage. To prove is -really to assay, to put to the test as a banker tests a piece of -money; the word rendered "good" is often the equivalent of our -sterling; "evil," of our base or forged; and the word which in our old -Bibles is rendered "appearance"--"Abstain from all appearance of -evil"--and in the Revised Version "form"--"Abstain from every form of -evil"--has, at least in some connections, the signification of mint or -die. If we bring out this faded metaphor in its original freshness, it -will run something like this: Show yourselves skilful money-changers; -do not accept in blind trust all the spiritual currency which you find -in circulation; put it all to the test; rub it on the touchstone; keep -hold of what is genuine and of sterling value, but every spurious coin -decline. Whether the metaphor is in the text or not,--and in spite of -a great preponderance of learned names against it, I feel almost -certain it is,--it will help to fix the Apostle's exhortation in our -memories. There is no scarcity, at this moment, of spiritual currency. -We are deluged with books and spoken words about Christ and the -gospel. It is idle and unprofitable, nay, it is positively pernicious, -to open our minds promiscuously to them; to give equal and impartial -lodgment to them all. There is a distinction to be made between the -true and the false, between the sterling and the spurious; and till we -put ourselves to the trouble to make that distinction, we are not -likely to advance very far. How would a man get on in business who -could not tell good money from bad? And how is any one to grow in the -Christian life whose mind and conscience are not earnestly put to it -to distinguish between what is in reality Christian and what is not, -and to hold to the one and reject the other? A critic of sermons is -apt to forget the practical purpose of the discernment here spoken of. -He is apt to think it his function to pick holes. "Oh," he says, "such -and such a statement is utterly misleading: the preacher was simply in -the air; he did not know what he was talking about." Very possibly; -and if you have found out such an unsound idea in the sermon, be -brotherly, and let the preacher know. But do not forget the first and -main purpose of spiritual judgment--hold fast that which is good. God -forbid that you should have no gain out of the sermon except to -discover the preacher going astray. Who would think to make his -fortune only by detecting base coin? - -In conclusion, let us recall to our minds the touchstone which the -Apostle himself supplies for this spiritual assaying. "No one," he -writes to the Corinthians, "can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy -Ghost." In other words, whatever is spoken in the Holy Ghost, and is -therefore spiritual and true, has this characteristic, this purpose -and result, that it exalts Jesus. The Christian Church, that community -which embodies spiritual life, has this watchword on its banner, -"Jesus is Lord." That presupposes, in the New Testament sense of it, -the Resurrection and the Ascension; it signifies the sovereignty of -the Son of Man. Everything is genuine in the Church which bears on it -the stamp of Christ's exaltation; everything is spurious and to be -rejected which calls that in question. It is the practical recognition -of that sovereignty--the surrender of thought, heart, will, and life -to Jesus--which constitutes the spiritual man, and gives competence to -judge of spiritual things. He in whom Christ reigns judges in all -spiritual things, and is judged by no man; but he who is a rebel to -Christ, who does not wear His yoke, who has not learned of Him by -obedience, who assumes the attitude of equality, and thinks himself at -liberty to negotiate and treat with Christ, _he_ has no competence, -and no right to judge at all. "Unto Him that loveth us, and loosed us -from our sins by His blood; ... to Him be the glory and the dominion -for ever and ever. Amen." - -[21] The contrast drawn by Dr. Hatch in his Hibbert Lectures between -the early Christian prophet and the modern Christian preacher--the -"rhetorical religionist," as he calls him--is, like every other -contrast in that notable book, strained till it becomes utterly false. -It would not be true to say that there was no difference between the -prophet and the preacher; but it would be far truer than to say that -there was no likeness. The prophet was one who spoke, as Paul tells -us, edification, exhortation, and comfort; and as that, we may hope, -is what most preachers try to do, the ideal of the callings is -identical. And it is only by their ideals that they ought to be -compared or criticised. - - - - -XVI. - -_CONCLUSION._ - - - "And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly; and may your - spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the - coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, who - will also do it. Brethren, pray for us. Salute all the brethren with - a holy kiss. I adjure you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto - all the brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with - you."--1 THESS. v. 23-28 (R.V.). - -These verses open with a contrast to what precedes, which is more -strongly brought out in the original than in the translation. The -Apostle has drawn the likeness of a Christian church, as a Christian -church ought to be, waiting for the coming of the Lord; he has -appealed to the Thessalonians to make this picture their standard, and -to aim at Christian holiness; and conscious of the futility of such -advice, as long as it stands alone and addresses itself to man's -unaided efforts, he turns here instinctively to prayer: "The God of -peace Himself"--working in independence of your exertions and my -exhortations--"sanctify you wholly." - -The solemn fulness of this title forbids us to pass it by. Why does -Paul describe God in this particular place as the God of peace? Is it -not because peace is the only possible basis on which the work of -sanctification can proceed? I do not think it is forced to render the -words literally, the God of the peace, _i.e._, the peace with which -all believers are familiar, the Christian peace, the primary blessing -of the gospel. The God of peace is the God of the gospel, the God who -has come preaching peace in Jesus Christ, proclaiming reconciliation -to those who are far off and to those who are near. No one can ever be -sanctified who does not first accept the message of reconciliation. It -is not possible to become holy as God is holy, until, being justified -by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This -is God's way of holiness; and this is why the Apostle presents his -prayer for the sanctification of the Thessalonians to the God of -peace. We are so slow to learn this, in spite of the countless ways in -which it is forced upon us, that one is tempted to call it a secret; -yet no secret, surely, could be more open. Who has not tried to -overcome a fault, to work on a vicious temper, to break for good with -an evil habit, or in some other direction to sanctify himself, and -withal to keep out of God's sight till the work was done? It is of no -use. Only the God of Christian peace, the God of the gospel, can -sanctify us; or to look at the same thing from our own side, we cannot -be sanctified until we are at peace with God. Confess your sins with a -humble and penitent heart; accept the forgiveness and friendship of -God in Christ Jesus; and then He will work in you both will and deed -to further His good pleasure. - -Notice the comprehensiveness of the Apostle's prayer in this place. It -is conveyed in three separate words--wholly (+holoteleis+), entire -(+holoklêron+), and without blame (+amemptôs+). It is intensified by -what has, at least, the look of an enumeration of the parts or -elements of which man's nature consists--"your spirit and soul and -body." It is raised to its highest power when the sanctity for which -he prays is set in the searching light of the Last Judgment--in the -day of our Lord Jesus Christ. We all feel how great a thing it is -which the Apostle here asks of God: can we bring its details more -nearly home to ourselves? Can we tell, in particular, what he means by -spirit and soul and body? - -The learned and philosophical have found in these three words a -magnificent field for the display of philosophy and learning; but -unhappily for plain people, it is not very easy to follow them. As the -words stand before us in the text, they have a friendly Biblical look; -we get a fair impression of the Apostle's intention in using them; but -as they come out in treatises on Biblical Psychology, though they are -much more imposing, it would be rash to say they are more strictly -scientific, and they are certainly much less apprehensible than they -are here. To begin with the easiest one, everybody knows what is meant -by the body. What the Apostle prays for in this place is that God -would make the body in its entirety--every organ and every function of -it--holy. God made the body at the beginning; He made it for Himself; -and it is His. To begin with, it is neither holy nor unholy; it has no -character of its own at all; but it may be profaned or it may be -sanctified; it may be made the servant of God or the servant of sin, -consecrated or prostituted. Everybody knows whether his body is being -sanctified or not. Everybody knows "the inconceivable evil of -sensuality." Everybody knows that pampering of the body, excess in -eating and drinking, sloth and dirt, are incompatible with bodily -sanctification. It is not a survival of Judaism when the Epistle to -the Hebrews tells us to draw near to God "in full assurance of faith, -having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies -washed with pure water." But sanctification, even of the body, really -comes only by employment in God's service; charity, the service of -others for Jesus' sake, is that which makes the body truly His. Holy -are the feet which move incessantly on His errands; holy are the hands -which, like His, are continually doing good; holy are the lips which -plead His cause or speak comfort in His Name. The Apostle himself -points the moral of this prayer for the consecration of the body when -he says to the Romans, "Present your members as servants to -righteousness unto sanctification." - -But let us look, now, at the other two terms--spirit and soul. -Sometimes one of these is used in contrast with body, sometimes the -other. Thus Paul says that the unmarried Christian woman cares for the -things of the Lord, seeking only how she may be holy in body and in -spirit,--the two together constituting the whole person. Jesus, again, -warns His disciples not to fear man, but to fear Him who can destroy -both soul and body in hell; where the person is made to consist, not -of body and spirit, but of body and soul. These passages certainly -lead us to think that soul and spirit must be very near akin to each -other; and that impression is strengthened when we remember such a -passage as is found in Mary's song: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, -and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour"; where, according to -the laws of Hebrew poetry, soul and spirit must mean practically the -same thing. But granting that they do so, when we find two words used -for the same thing, the natural inference is that they give us each a -different look at it. One of them shows it in one aspect; the other in -another. Can we apply that distinction here? I think the use of the -words in the Bible enables us to do it quite decidedly; but it is -unnecessary to go into the details. The soul means the life which is -in man, taken simply as it is, with all its powers; the spirit means -that very same life, taken in its relation to God. This relation may -be of various kinds: for the life that is in us is derived from God; -it is akin to the life of God Himself; it is created with a view to -fellowship with God; in the Christian it is actually redeemed and -admitted to that fellowship; and in all those aspects it is spiritual -life. But we may look at it without thinking of God at all; and then, -in Bible language, we are looking, not at man's spirit, but at his -soul. - -This inward life, in all its aspects, is to be sanctified through and -through. All our powers of thought and imagination are to be -consecrated; unholy thoughts are to be banished; lawless, roving -imaginings, suppressed. All our inventiveness is to be used in God's -service. All our affections are to be holy. Our heart's desire is not -to settle on anything from which it would shrink in the day of the -Lord Jesus. The fire which He came to cast on the earth must be -kindled in our souls, and blaze there till it has burned up all that -is unworthy of His love. Our consciences must be disciplined by His -word and Spirit, till all the aberrations due to pride and passion and -the law of the world have been reduced to nothing, and as face answers -face in the glass, so our judgment and our will answer His. Paul prays -for this when he says, May your whole soul be preserved blameless. But -what is the special point of the sanctification of the spirit? It is -probably narrowing it a little, but it points us in the right -direction, if we say that it has regard to worship and devotion. The -spirit of man is his life in its relation to God. Holiness belongs to -the very idea of this; but who has not heard of sins in holy things? -Which of us ever prays as he ought to pray? Which of us is not weak, -distrustful, incoherent, divided in heart, wandering in desire, even -when he approaches God? Which of us does not at times forget God -altogether? Which of us has really worthy thoughts of God, worthy -conceptions of His holiness and of His love, worthy reverence, a -worthy trust? Is there not an element in our devotions even, in the -life of our spirits at their best and highest, which is worldly and -unhallowed, and for which we need the pardoning and sanctifying love -of God? The more we reflect upon it, the more comprehensive will this -prayer of the Apostle appear, and the more vast and far-reaching the -work of sanctification. He seems himself to have felt, as man's -complex nature passed before his mind, with all its elements, all its -activities, all its bearings, all its possible and actual profanation, -how great a task its complete purification and consecration to God -must be. It is a task infinitely beyond man's power to accomplish. -Unless he is prompted and supported from above, it is more than he can -hope for, more than he can ask or think. When the Apostle adds to his -prayer, as if to justify his boldness, "Faithful is He that calleth -you, who will also do it," is it not a New Testament echo of David's -cry, "Thou, O Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, hast revealed to Thy -servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath Thy -servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto Thee"? - -Theologians have tried in various ways to find a scientific expression -for the Christian conviction implied in such words as these, but with -imperfect success. Calvinism is one of these expressions: its -doctrines of a Divine decree, and of the perseverance of the saints, -really rest upon the truth of this 24th verse,--that salvation is of -God to begin with; and that God, who has begun the good work, is in -earnest with it, and will not fail nor be discouraged until He has -carried it through. Every Christian depends upon these truths, -whatever he may think of Calvinistic inferences from them, or of the -forms in which theologians have embodied them. When we pray to God to -sanctify us wholly; to make us His in body, soul, and spirit; to -preserve our whole nature in all its parts and functions blameless in -the day of the Lord Jesus, is not our confidence this, that God has -called us to this life of entire consecration, that He has opened the -door for us to enter upon it by sending His Son to be a propitiation -for our sins, that He has actually begun it by inclining our hearts to -receive the gospel, and that He may be depended upon to persevere in -it till it is thoroughly accomplished? What would all our good -resolutions amount to, if they were not backed by the unchanging -purpose of God's love? What would be the worth of all our efforts and -of all our hopes, if behind them, and behind our despondency and our -failures too, there did not stand the unwearying faithfulness of God? -This is the rock which is higher than we; our refuge; our stronghold; -our stay in the time of trouble. The gifts and calling of God are -without repentance. We may change, but not He. - -What follows is the affectionate desultory close of the letter. Paul has -prayed for the Thessalonians; he begs their prayers for himself. This -request is made no less than seven times in his Epistles--including the -one before us: a fact which shows how priceless to the Apostle was the -intercession of others on his behalf. So it is always; there is -nothing which so directly and powerfully helps a minister of the -gospel as the prayers of his congregation. They are the channels of -all possible blessing both for him and those to whom he ministers. But -prayer for him is to be combined with love to one another: "Salute all -the brethren with a holy kiss."[22] The kiss was the ordinary greeting -among members of a family; brothers and sisters kissed each other -when they met, especially after long separation; even among those who -were no kin to each other, but only on friendly terms, it was common -enough, and answered to our shaking of hands. In the Church the kiss -was the pledge of brotherhood; those who exchanged it declared -themselves members of one family. When the Apostle says, "Greet one -another with a holy kiss," he means, as holy always does in the New -Testament, a Christian kiss; a greeting not of natural affection, nor -of social courtesy merely, but recognising the unity of all members of -the Church in Christ Jesus, and expressing pure Christian love. The -history of the kiss of charity is rather curious, and not without its -moral. Of course, its only value was as the natural expression of -brotherly love; where the natural expression of such love was not -kissing, but the grasping of the hand, or the friendly inclination of -the head, the Christian kiss ought to have died a natural death. So, -on the whole, it did; but with some partial survivals in ritual, which -in the Greek and Romish Churches are not yet extinct. It became a -custom in the Church to give the kiss of brotherhood to a member newly -admitted by baptism; that practice still survives in some quarters, -even when children only are baptized. The great celebrations at -Easter, when no element of ritual was omitted, retained the kiss of -peace long after it had fallen out of the other services. At Solemn -Mass in the Church of Rome the kiss is ceremonially exchanged between -the celebrant and the assistant ministers. At Low Mass it is omitted, -or given with what is called an osculatory or Pax. The priest kisses -the altar; then he kisses the osculatory, which is a small metal -plate; then he hands this to the server, and the server hands it to -the people, who pass it from one to another, kissing it as it goes. -This cold survival of the cordial greeting of the Apostolic Church -warns us to distinguish spirit from letter. "Greet one another with a -holy kiss" means, Show your Christian love one to another, frankly and -heartily, in the way which comes natural to you. Do not be afraid to -break the ice when you come into the church. There should be no ice -there to break. Greet your brother or your sister cordially and like a -Christian; assume and create the atmosphere of home. - -Perhaps the very strong language which follows may point to some lack -of good feeling in the church at Thessalonica: "I adjure you by the -Lord that this epistle be read unto _all_ the brethren." Why -should he need to adjure them by the Lord? Could there be any doubt -that everybody in the church would hear his Epistle? It is not easy to -say. Perhaps the elders who received it might have thought it wiser -not to tell all that it contained to everybody; we know how -instinctive it is for men in office--whether they be ministers of the -church or ministers of state--to make a mystery out of their business, -and, by keeping something always in reserve, to provide a basis for a -despotic and uncontrolled authority. But whether for this or some -other purpose, consciously or unconsciously influencing them, Paul -seems to have thought the suppression of his letter possible; and -gives this strong charge that it be read to all. It is interesting to -notice the beginnings of the New Testament. This is its earliest book, -and here we see its place in the Church vindicated by the Apostle -himself. Of course when he commands it to be read, he does not mean -that it is to be read repeatedly; the idea of a New Testament, of a -collection of Christian books to stand side by side with the books of -the earlier revelation, and to be used like them in public worship, -could not enter men's minds as long as the apostles were with them; -but a direction like this manifestly gives the Apostle's pen the -authority of his voice, and makes the writing for us what his personal -presence was in his lifetime. The apostolic word is the primary -document of the Christian faith; no Christianity has ever existed in -the world but that which has drawn its contents and its quality from -this; and nothing which departs from this rule is entitled to be -called Christian. - -The charge to read the letter to _all_ the brethren is one of the -many indications in the New Testament that, though the gospel is a -_mysterion_, as it is called in Greek, there is no mystery about -it in the modern sense. It is all open and aboveboard. There is not -something on the surface, which the simple are to be allowed to -believe; and something quite different underneath, into which the wise -and prudent are to be initiated. The whole thing has been revealed -unto babes. He who makes a mystery out of it, a professional secret -which it needs a special education to understand, is not only guilty -of a great sin, but proves that he knows nothing about it. Paul knew -its length and breadth and depth and height better than any man; and -though he had to accommodate himself to human weakness, distinguishing -between babes in Christ and such as were able to bear strong meat, he -put the highest things within reach of all; "Him we preach," he -exclaims to the Colossians, "warning every man, and teaching every man -in every wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ." -There is no attainment in wisdom or in goodness which is barred -against any man by the gospel; and there is no surer mark of -faithlessness and treachery in a church than this, that it keeps its -members in a perpetual pupilage or minority, discouraging the free use -of Holy Scripture, and taking care that all that it contains is not -read to all the brethren. Among the many tokens which mark the Church -of Rome as faithless to the true conception of the gospel, which -proclaims the end of man's minority in religion, and the coming to age -of the true children of God, her treatment of Scripture is the most -conspicuous. Let us who have the Book in our hands, and the Spirit to -guide us, prize at its true worth this unspeakable gift. - -This last caution is followed by the benediction with which in one -form or another the Apostle concludes his letters. Here it is very -brief: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." He ends with -practically the same prayer as that with which he began: "Grace to you -and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." And -what is true of this Epistle is true of all the rest: the grace of the -Lord Jesus Christ is their +A+ and their +Ô+, their first word and -their last. Whatever God has to say to us--and in all the New -Testament letters there are things that search the heart and make it -quake--begins and ends with grace. It has its fountain in the love of -God; it is working out, as its end, the purpose of that love. I have -known people take a violent dislike to the word grace, probably -because they had often heard it used without meaning; but surely it is -the sweetest and most constraining even of Bible words. All that God -has been to man in Jesus Christ is summed up in it: all His -gentleness and beauty, all His tenderness and patience, all the holy -passion of His love, is gathered up in grace. What more could one soul -wish for another than that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ should -be with it? - -[22] Is it a fair inference from these words that the Epistle was to -be delivered to the elders or ruling body in the church? In other -places the Apostle writes, "Greet one another." - - - - -THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE - -THESSALONIANS. - - - - -I. - -_SALUTATION AND THANKSGIVING._ - - - "Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the church of the - Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; Grace to - you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. - - "We are bound to give thanks to God alway for you, brethren, even as - it is meet, for that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the love of - each one of you all toward one another aboundeth; so that we - ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and - faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye - endure."--2 THESS. i. 1-4 (R.V.). - -In beginning to expound the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, it is -necessary to say a few words by way of introduction to the book as a -whole. Certain questions occur to the mind whenever such a document as -this is presented to it; and it will put us in a better position for -understanding details if we first answer these. How do we know, for -instance, that this Epistle is really the _second_ to the -Thessalonians? It has been maintained that it is the earlier of the -two. Can we justify its appearance in the place which it usually -occupies? I think we can. The tradition of the church itself counts -for something. It is quite unmistakable, in other cases in which there -are two letters addressed to the same people,--_e.g._, the -Epistles to the Corinthians and to Timothy,--that they stand in the -canon in the order of time. Presumably the same is the case here. Of -course a tradition like this is not infallible, and if it can be -proved false must be abandoned; but at the present moment, the tendency -in most minds is to under-estimate the historical value of such -traditions; and, in the instance before us, tradition is supported by -various indications in the Epistle itself. For example, in the other -letter, Paul congratulates the Thessalonians on their reception of the -gospel, and the characteristic experiences attendant upon it; here it -is the wonderful growth of their faith, and the abounding of their -love, which calls forth his thanksgiving,--surely a more advanced -stage of Christian life being in view. Again, in the other Epistle -there are slight hints of moral disorder, due to misapprehension of -the Lord's Second Coming; but in this Epistle such disorder is broadly -exposed and denounced; the Apostle has heard of unruly busybodies, who -do no work at all; he charges them in the name of the Lord Jesus to -change their conduct, and bids the brethren avoid them, that they may -be put to shame. Plainly the faults as well as the graces of the -church are seen here at a higher growth. Once more, in chap. ii. 15 of -this letter, there is reference to instruction which the Thessalonians -have already received from Paul in a letter; and though he may quite -conceivably have written them letters which no longer exist, still the -natural reference of these words is to what we call the First Epistle. -If anything else were needed to prove that the letter we are about to -study stands in its right place, it might be found in the appeal of -chap. ii. 1. "Our gathering together unto Him" is the characteristic -revelation of the other, and therefore the earlier letter. - -But though this Epistle is certainly later than the other, it is not -much later. The Apostle has still the same companions--Silas and -Timothy--to join in his Christian greeting. He is still in Corinth or -its neighbourhood; for we never find these two along with him but -there. The gospel, however, has spread beyond the great city, and -taken root in other places, for he boasts of the Thessalonians and -their graces in _the churches_ of God. His work has so far -progressed as to excite opposition; he is in personal peril, and asks -the prayers of the Thessalonians, that he may be delivered from -unreasonable and evil men. If we put all these things together, and -remember the duration of Paul's stay in Corinth, we may suppose that -some months separated the second Epistle from the First. - -What, now, was the main purpose of it? What had the Apostle in his -mind when he sat down to write? To answer that, we must go back a -little way. - -A great subject of apostolic preaching at Thessalonica had been the -Second Advent. So characteristic was it of the gospel message, that -Christian converts from heathenism are defined as those who have -turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to -wait for His Son from heaven. This waiting, or expectation, was the -characteristically Christian attitude; the Christian's hope was -hidden in heaven, and he could not but look up and long for its -appearing. But this attitude became strained, under various -influences. The Apostle's teaching was pressed, as if he had said, not -only that the day of the Lord was coming, but that it was actually -here. Men, affecting to speak through the Spirit, patronised such -fanaticism. We see from chap. ii. 2 that pretended words of Paul were -put in circulation; and what was more deliberately wicked, a forged -epistle was produced, in which his authority was claimed for this -transformation of his doctrine. Weak-minded people were carried off -their feet, and bad-hearted people feigned an exaltation they did not -feel; and both together brought discredit on the church, and injured -their own souls, by neglecting the commonest duties. Not only decorum -and reputation were lost, but character itself was endangered. This -was the situation to which Paul addressed himself. - -We do not need to be fastidious in dealing with the Apostle's teaching -on the Second Advent; our Saviour tells us that of the day and the -hour no man knows, nor angel; nay, not even the Son, but the Father -only. Certainly St. Paul did not know; and almost as certainly, in the -ardour of his hope, he anticipated the end sooner than it was actually -to arrive. He spoke of himself as one who might naturally enough -expect to see the Lord come again; and it was only as experience -brought him new light that in his later years he began to speak of a -desire to depart, and to be with Christ. Not to die, had been his -earlier hope, but to have the mortal being swallowed up of life; and -it was this earlier hope he had communicated to the Thessalonians. -They also hoped not to die; as the sky grew darker over them with -affliction and persecution, their heated imaginations saw the glory of -Christ ready to break through for their final deliverance. The present -Epistle puts this hope, if one may say so, to a certain remove. It -does not fix the date of the Advent; it does not tell us when the day -of the Lord shall come; but it tells us plainly that it is not here -yet, and that it will not be here till certain things have first -happened. What these things are is by no means obvious; but this is -not the place to discuss the question. All we have to notice is this: -that with a view to counteracting the excitement at Thessalonica, -which was producing bad consequences, St. Paul points out that the -Second Advent is the term of a moral process, and that the world must -run through a spiritual development of a particular kind before Christ -can come again. The first Advent was in the fulness of the times; so -will the second be; and though he might not be able to interpret all -the signs, or tell when the great day would dawn, he could say to the -Thessalonians, "The end is not yet." - -This, I say, is the great lesson of the Epistle, the main thing which -the Apostle has to communicate to the Thessalonians. But it is -preceded by what may be called, in a loose sense, a consolatory -paragraph, and it is followed up by exhortations, the same in purport -as those of the First Epistle, but more peremptory and emphatic. The -true preparedness for the Lord's Second Coming is to be sought, he -assures them, not in this irrational exaltation, which is morally -empty and worthless, but in diligent, humble, faithful performance of -duty; in love, faith, and patience. - -The greeting with which the Epistle opens is almost word for word the -same as that of the First Epistle. It is a church which is addressed; -and a church subsisting in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus -Christ. The Apostle has no other interest in the Thessalonians than as -they are Christian people. Their Christian character and their -Christian interests are the only things he cares for. One could wish -it were so among us. One could wish our relation to God and His Son -were so real and so dominant, that it gave us an unmistakable -character, in which we might naturally address each other, without any -consciousness or suspicion of unreality. With every desire to think -well of the Church, when we look to the ordinary tone of conversation -and of correspondence among Christians, we can hardly think that this -is so. There is an aversion to such directness of speech as was alone -natural to the Apostle. Even in church meetings, there is a -disposition to let the Christian character fall into the background; -it is a sensible relief to many to be able to think of those about -them as ladies and gentlemen, rather than as brothers and sisters in -Christ. Yet it is this last relation only in virtue of which we form a -church; it is the interests of this relation that our intercourse with -one another as Christians is designed to serve. We ought not to look -in the Christian assembly for what it was never meant to be,--for a -society to further the temporal interests of its members; for an -educational institution, aiming at the general enlightenment of those -who frequent its meetings; still less, as some seem to be inclined to -do, for a purveyor of innocent amusements: all these are simply beside -the mark; the Church is not called to any such functions; her whole -life is in God and Christ; and she can _say_ nothing and _do_ nothing -for any man until his life has been brought to this source and centre. -An apostolic interest in the Church is the interest of one who cares -only for the relation of the soul to Christ; and who can say no more -to those he loves best than John says to Gaius, "Beloved, I pray that -in all things thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul -prospereth." - -It is in accordance with this Spirit that the Apostle wishes the -Thessalonians not any outward advantages, but grace and peace. Grace -and peace are related as cause and effect. Grace is God's unmerited -love, His free and beautiful goodness to the sinful; and when men -receive it, it bears the fruit of peace. Peace is a far bigger word in -the Bible than in common usage; and it has its very largest sense in -these salutations, where it represents the old Hebrew greeting -_Shalom_. Properly speaking, it means completeness, wholeness, -health--the perfect soundness of the spiritual nature. This is what -the Apostle wishes for the Thessalonians. Of course, there is a -narrower sense of peace, in which it means the quieting of the -perturbed conscience, the putting away of the alienation between the -soul and God; but that is only the initial work of grace, the first -degree of the great peace which is in view here. When grace has had -its perfect work, it results in a more profound and steadfast -peace,--a soundness of the whole nature, a restoration of the shattered -spiritual health, which is the crown of all God's blessings. There is -a vast difference in the degrees of bodily health between the man who -is chronically ailing, always anxious, nervous about himself, and -unable to trust himself if any unexpected drain is made upon his -strength, and the man who has solid, unimpaired health, whose heart is -whole within him, and who is not shaken by the thought of what may be. -It is this radical soundness which is really meant by peace; thorough -spiritual health is the best of God's blessings in the Christian life, -as thorough bodily health is the best in the natural life. Hence the -Apostle wishes it for the Thessalonians before everything else; and -wishes it, as alone it can come, in the train of grace. The free love -of God is all our hope. Grace is love imparting itself, giving itself -away, as it were, to others, for their good. Only as that love comes -to us, and is received in its fulness of blessing into our hearts, can -we attain that stable spiritual health which is the end of our -calling. - -The salutation is followed, as usual, by a thanksgiving, which at the -first glance seems endless. One long sentence runs, apparently without -interruption, from the third verse to the end of the tenth. But it is -plain, on a more attentive glance, that the Apostle goes off at a -tangent; and that his thanksgiving is properly contained in the third -and fourth verses: "We are bound to give thanks to God alway for you, -brethren, even as it is meet, for that your faith groweth exceedingly, -and the love of each one of you all toward one another aboundeth; so -that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your -patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions -which ye endure." It is worthy of remark that the mere existence of -faults in a church never blinded the Apostle to its graces. There was -much in this congregation to rectify, and a good deal to censure; -there were ignorance, fanaticism, falsehood, sloth, unruliness; but -though he knew of them all, and would rebuke them all before he had -done, he begins with this grateful acknowledgment of a Divine work -among them. It is not merely that Paul was constitutionally of a -bright temperament, and looked naturally on the promising side of -things,--I hardly think he was,--but he must have felt it was -undutiful and unbecoming to say anything at all to Christian people, -who had once been pagans, without thanking God for what He had done -for them. Some of us have this lesson to learn, especially in regard -to missionary and evangelistic work and its results. We are too ready -to see everything in it except what is of God,--the mistakes made by -the worker, or the misconceptions in new disciples that the light has -not cleared up, and the faults of character that the Spirit has not -overcome; and when we fix our attention on these things, it is very -natural for us to be censorious. The natural man loves to find fault; -it gives him at the cheapest rate the comfortable feeling of -superiority. But it is a malignant eye which can see and delight in -nothing but faults; before we comment on deficiencies or mistakes -which have only become visible against the background of the new life, -let us give thanks to God that the new life, in however lowly and -imperfect a form, is there. It need not yet appear what it shall be. -But we are bound, by duty, by truth, by all that is right and seemly, -to say, Thanks be to God for what He has begun to do by His grace. -There are some people who should never see half-done work; perhaps the -same people should be forbidden to criticise missions either at home -or abroad. The grace of God is not responsible for the faults of -preachers or of converts, but it is the source of their virtues; it is -the fountain of their new life; it is the hope of their future; and -unless we welcome its workings with constant thanksgiving, we are in -no spirit in which it can work through us. - -But let us see for what fruit of grace the Apostle gives thanks here. -It is because the faith of the Thessalonians grows exceedingly, and -their mutual love abounds. In a word, it is for their progress in the -Christian character. Here is a point of the first interest and -importance. It is the very nature of life to grow; when growth is -arrested, it is the beginning of decay. I would not like to fall into -the very fault I have been exposing, and speak as if there were no -progress, among Christians in general, in faith and love; but one of -the discouragements of the Christian ministry is undoubtedly the -slowness, or it may be the invisibility, not to say the absence, of -growth. At a certain stage in the physical life, we know, equilibrium -is attained: we are at the maturity of our powers; our faces change -little, our minds change little; the tones of our voices and the -character of our handwriting are pretty constant; and when we get past -that point, the progress is backward. But we can hardly say that this -is an analogy by which we may judge the spiritual life. It does not -run its full course here. It has not a birth, a maturity, and an -inevitable decay, within the limits of our natural life. There is room -for it to grow and grow unceasingly, because it is planned for -eternity, and not for time. It should be in continual progress, ever -improving, advancing from strength to strength. Day by day and year by -year Christians should become better men and better women, stronger in -faith, richer in love. The very steadiness and uniformity of our -spiritual life has its disheartening side. Surely there is room, in a -thing so great and expansive as life in Jesus Christ, for fresh -developments, for new manifestations of trust in God, for new -enterprises prompted and sustained by brotherly love. Let us ask -whether we ourselves, each in his own place, face the trials of our -life, its cares, its doubts, its terrible certainties, with a more -unwavering faith in God than we had five years ago? Have we _learned_ -in that interval, or in all the years of our Christian profession, to -commit our life more unreservedly to Him, to trust Him to undertake -for us, in our sins, in our weakness, in all our necessities, temporal -and spiritual? Have we become more loving than we were? Have we -overcome any of our irrational and un-Christian dislikes? Have we made -advances, for Christ's sake and His Church's, to persons with whom we -were at variance, and sought in brotherly love to foster a warm and -loyal Christian feeling in the whole body of believers? God be -thanked, there are some who know what faith and love are better than -they once did; who have learned--and it needs learning--what it is to -confide in God, and to love others in Him; but could an Apostle thank -God that this advance was universal, and that the charity of every one -of us all was abundant to all the rest? - -The apostolic thanksgiving is supplemented in this particular case by -something, not indeed alien to it, yet on a quite different level--a -glorying before men. Paul thanked God for the increase of faith and -love at Thessalonica; and when he remembered that he himself had been -the means of converting the Thessalonians, their progress made him -fond and proud; he boasted of his spiritual children in the churches of -God. "Look at the Thessalonians," he said to the Christians in the -south; "you know their persecutions, and the afflictions they endure; -yet their faith and patience triumph over all; their sufferings only -serve to bring their Christian goodness to perfection." That was a -great thing to be able to say; it would be particularly telling in -that old pagan world, which could meet suffering only with an inhuman -defiance or a resigned indifference; it is a great thing to be able to -say yet. It _is_ a witness to the truth and power of the gospel, -of which its humblest minister may feel justly proud, when the new -spirit which it breathes into men gives them the victory over sorrow -and pain. There is no persecution now to test the sincerity or the -heroism of the Church as a whole; but there are afflictions still; and -there must be few Christian ministers but thank God, and would do it -always, as is meet, that He has allowed them to see the new life -develop new energies under trial, and to see His children out of -weakness made strong by faith and hope and love in Christ Jesus. These -things are our true wealth and strength, and we are richer in them -than some of us are aware. They are the mark of the gospel upon human -nature; wherever it comes, it is to be identified by the combination -of affliction and patience, of suffering and spiritual joy. That -combination is peculiar to the kingdom of God: there is not the like -found in any other kingdom on earth. Blessed, let us say, be the God -and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us such proofs of -His love and power among us; He only doeth such wondrous things; let -the earth be filled with His glory. - - - - -II. - -_SUFFERING AND GLORY._ - - - "A manifest token of the righteous judgment of God; to the end that - ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also - suffer: if so be that it is a righteous thing with God to recompense - affliction to them that afflict you, and to you that are afflicted - rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with - the angels of His power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them - that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord - Jesus: who shall suffer punishment, _even_ eternal destruction - from the face of the Lord and from the glory of His might, when He - shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be marvelled at in - all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was - believed[23]) in that day. To which end we also pray always for you, - that our God may count _you_ worthy of your calling, and fulfil - every desire of goodness, and (every) work of faith, with power; that - the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and ye in Him, - according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."--2 THESS. - i. 5-12 (R.V.). - -In the preceding verses of this chapter, as in the opening of the -First Epistle, the Apostle has spoken of the afflictions of the -Thessalonians, and of the Christian graces which they have developed -under them. To suffer for Christ's sake, he says, and at the same time -to abound in faith and love and spiritual joy, is to have the mark of -God's election on us. It is an experience so truly and characteristically -Christian that the Apostle cannot think of it without gratitude and -pride. He gives thanks to God on every remembrance of his converts. He -boasts of their progress in all the churches of Achaia. - -In the verses before us, another inference is drawn from the -afflictions of the Thessalonians, and their gospel patience under -them. The whole situation is a proof, or manifest token, of the -righteous judgment of God. It has this in view, that the Thessalonians -may be deemed worthy of the (heavenly) kingdom of God, on behalf of -which they suffer. Here, we see, the Apostle sanctions with his -authority the argument from the injustices of this life to the coming -of another life in which they will be rectified. God is just, he says; -and therefore this state of affairs, in which bad men oppress the -innocent, cannot last for ever. It calls aloud for judgment; it -proclaims its approach; it is a prognostic, a manifest token of it. -The suffering which is here in view cannot be an end in itself. Even -the graces which come to perfection in maintaining themselves against -it, do not explain the whole meaning of affliction; it would remain a -blot upon God's justice if it were not counterbalanced by the joys of -His kingdom. "Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and -persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My -sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in -heaven." This is the gracious side of the judgment. The suffering -which is borne with joy and brave patience for Christ's sake proves -how dear Christ is to the sufferer; and this love, tried with fire, is -requited in due time with an answer in love that makes him forget it -all. - -This is one of the doctrines of Scripture that untroubled times find -it easy to dispense with. There is even an affectation of superiority -to what is called the moral vulgarity of being good for the sake of -something beyond goodness. It is idle to enter on any abstract -discussion of such a question. We are called by the gospel to a new -life under certain definite conditions, one of them being the -condition of suffering for its sake. The more thoroughly that -condition is accepted, the less disposition will there be to criticise -the future blessedness which is its counterpoise and compensation. It -is not the confessors and martyrs of the Christian faith--the men who -die daily, like Paul, and share in the tribulations and patience of -Jesus Christ, like John--who become weary of the glory which is to be -revealed. And it is such only who are in a position to judge of the -value of this hope. If it is dear to them, an inspiration and an -encouragement, as it certainly is, it is surely worse than vain for -those who are living an easier and a lower life to criticise it on -abstract grounds. If we have no need of it, if we can dispense with -any sight or grasp of a joy beyond the grave, let us take care that it -is not owing to the absence from our life of that present suffering -for Christ's sake, without which we cannot be His. "The connection," -Bishop Ellicott says, "between holy suffering and future blessedness -is mystically close and indissoluble"; we _must_ through great -tribulations enter into the kingdom of God; and all experience proves -that, when such tribulation comes and is accepted, the recompense of -reward here spoken of, and the Scriptures which give prominence to -it, rise to the highest credit in the mind of the Church. It is not a -token of our enlightenment and moral superiority, if we undervalue -them; it is an indication that we are not drinking of the Lord's cup, -or being baptized with His baptism. - -But the reward is only one side of the righteous judgment foretold by -the suffering of the innocent. It includes punishment as well. "It is -a righteous thing with God to recompense affliction to them that -afflict you." We see here the very simplest conception of God's -justice. It is a law of retribution, of vindication; it is the -reaction, in this particular case, of man's sin against himself. The -reaction is inevitable: if it does not come here, it comes in another -world; if not now, in another life. The hope of the sinner is always -that in some way or other this reaction may never take place, or that, -when it does take place, it may be evaded; but that hope is doomed to -perish. "If it were done when 'tis done," he says as he contemplates -his sin in prospect; but it never _is_ so done; it is exactly -half done when he is finished with it; and the other half is taken in -hand by God. Punishment is the other half of sin; as inseparable from -it as heat from fire, as the inside of a vessel from the outside. "It -is a righteous thing with God to recompense affliction to them that -afflict you." "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." - -One of the favourite pastimes of some modern historians is the -whitewashing of persecutors. A dispassionate interest in the facts -shows, we are told, in many cases, that the persecutors were not so -black as they have been painted, and that the martyrs and confessors -were no better than they should have been. Where fault is found at -all, it is laid rather at the door of systems than of individuals; -judgment is passed on institutions and on centuries that persons and -their actions may go free. Practically that comes to writing history, -which is the story of man's moral life, without recognising the place -of conscience; it may sometimes have the look of intelligence, but at -bottom it is immoral and false. Men must answer for their actions. It -is no excuse for murdering the saints that the murderers think they -are doing God service; it is an aggravation of their guilt. Every man -knows that it is wicked to afflict the good; if he does not, it is -because he has quite corrupted his conscience, and therefore has the -greater sin. Moral blindness may include and explain every sin, but it -justifies none; it is itself the sin of sins. "It is a righteous thing -with God to recompense affliction to those who afflict." If they -cannot put themselves by sympathy into the place of others--which is -the principle of all right conduct--God will put them in that place, -and open their eyes. His righteous judgment is a day of grace to the -innocent sufferers; He rewards their trouble with rest; but to the -persecutor it is a day of vengeance; he eats the fruit of his doings. - -It is characteristic of this Epistle, and of the preoccupation of the -Apostle's mind when he wrote it, that he here expands his notice of -the time when this judgment is to take place into a vivid statement of -its circumstances and issues. The judgment is executed at the -_revelation_ of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with the angels of -His power, in flaming fire. "At this moment," he would say, "Christ is -unseen, and therefore by wicked men ignored, and sometimes by good men -forgotten; but the day is coming when every eye shall see Him." The -Apostle Peter, who had seen Christ in the flesh, as Paul had never -done, and who probably felt His invisibility as few could feel it, is -fond of this word "revelation" as a name for His reappearing. He -speaks of faith which is to be found unto praise and honour and glory -at the _revelation_ of Jesus Christ. "Be sober," he says, "and -hope to the end for the grace that is being brought to you at the -_revelation_ of Jesus Christ." And in another passage, much in -keeping with this of St. Paul's, he says, "Inasmuch as ye are -partakers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice; that at the _revelation_ -of His glory also ye may rejoice with exceeding joy." It is one of the -great words of the New Testament; and its greatness is heightened in -this place by the accompanying description. The Lord is revealed, -attended by the angels of His power, in flaming fire. These -accessories of the Advent are borrowed from the Old Testament; the -Apostle clothes the Lord Jesus at His appearing in all the glory of -the God of Israel.[24] - -When Christ is thus revealed, it is in the character of a Judge: He -renders vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not -the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Two classes of guilty men are -quite plainly distinguished by these words; and as plainly, though the -English alone would not enable us to lay stress upon it, those two -classes are the heathen and the Jews. Ignorance of God is the -characteristic of paganism; when Paul wishes to describe the Gentiles -from the religious point of view, he speaks of them as the Gentiles -which know not God. Now, with us, ignorance is usually regarded as an -excuse for sin; it is an extenuating circumstance, which calls for -compassion rather than condemnation; and we are almost astonished in -reading the Bible to find it used as a summary of the whole guilt and -offence of the heathen world. But we must remember what it is that men -are said not to know. It is not theology; it is not the history of the -Jews, or the special revelations it contains; it is not any body of -doctrines; it is God. And God, who is the fountain of life, the only -source of goodness, does not hide Himself from men. He has His -witnesses everywhere. There is something in all men which is on His -side, and which, if it be regarded, will bring their souls to Him. -Those who know not God are those who have stifled this inner witness, -and separated themselves in doing so from all that is good. Ignorance -of God means ignorance of goodness; for all goodness is from Him. It -is not a lack of acquaintance with any system of ideas about God that -is here exposed to the condemnation of Christ; but the practical lack -of acquaintance with love, purity, truth. If men are familiar with the -opposites of all these; if they have been selfish, vile, bad, false; -if they have said to God, "Depart from us; we desire not the knowledge -of Thy ways; we are content to have no acquaintance with Thee"--is it -not inevitable that, when Christ is revealed as Judge of all, they -should be excluded from His kingdom? What could they do in it? Where -could they be less in place? - -The difficulty which some have felt about the ignorance of the -Gentiles can hardly be raised about the disobedience of the Jews. The -element of wilfulness, of deliberate antagonism to the good, to which -we give such prominence in our idea of sin, is conspicuous here. The -will of God for their salvation had been fully made known to this -stubborn race; but they disobeyed, and persisted in their -disobedience. "He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck"--so -ran their own proverb--"shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without -remedy." Such was the sentence to be executed on them in the day of -Christ. - -When it is said that ignorance of God and disobedience to the gospel -are here presented as the characteristics respectively of Gentile and -Jew, it is not said that the passage is without significance for us. -There may be some of us who are sinking day by day into an ever deeper -ignorance of God. Those who live a worldly and selfish life, whose -interests and hopes are bounded by this material order, who never -pray, who do nothing, give nothing, suffer nothing for others, they, -whatever their knowledge of the Bible or the catechism may be, do not -know God, and fall under this pagan condemnation. And what of -disobedience to the gospel? Notice the word which is here used by the -Apostle; it implies a conception of the gospel which we are apt, in -magnifying the grace of God, to overlook. We speak of receiving the -gospel, believing it, welcoming it, and so forth; it is equally -needful to remember that it claims our obedience. God not only -beseeches us to be reconciled, He commands us to repent. He makes a -display of His redeeming love in the gospel--a love which contains -pardon, renewal, and immortality; and He calls on all men for a life -in correspondence with that love. Salvation is not only a gift, but a -vocation; we enter into it as we obey the voice of Jesus, "Follow Me"; -and if we disobey, and choose our own way, and live a life in which -there is nothing that answers to the manifestation of God as our -Saviour, what can the end be? Can it be anything else than the -judgment of which St. Paul here speaks? If we say, every day of our -life, as the law of the gospel rings in our ears, "No: we will not -have this Man to reign over us," can we expect anything else than that -He will render vengeance? "Do we provoke the Lord to anger? Are we -stronger than He?" - -The ninth verse describes the terrible vengeance of the great day. -"Such men," says the Apostle, "shall pay the penalty, everlasting -destruction, away from the face of the Lord and from the glory of His -might." These are awful words, and it is no wonder that attempts have -been made to empty them of the meaning which they bear upon their -face. But it would be false to sinful men, as well as to the Apostle, -and to the whole of New Testament teaching, to say that any art or -device could in the least degree lessen their terrors. It has been -boldly asserted, indeed, that the word rendered everlasting does not -mean everlasting, but age-long; and that what is in view here is "an -age-long destruction from the presence and glory of Christ, _i.e._, -the being shut out from all sight of and participation in the triumphs -of Christ during _that_ age" ["the age perhaps which immediately -succeeds this present life"]. And this assertion is crowned by -another, that those thus excluded nevertheless "abide in His presence -and share His glory in the ages beyond."[25] Anything more gratuitous, -anything less in keeping with the whole tone of the passage, anything -more daring in its arbitrary additions to the text, it would be -impossible even to imagine. If the gospel, as conceived in the New -Testament, has any character at all, it has the character of finality. -It is God's _last word_ to men. And the consequences of accepting or -rejecting it are final; it opens no prospect beyond the life on the -one hand, and the death on the other, which are the results of -obedience and disobedience. Obey, and you enter into a light in which -there is no darkness at all: disobey, and you pass eventually into a -darkness in which there is no light at all. What God says to us in -all Scripture, from beginning to end, is not, Sooner or later? but, -Life or death? These are the alternatives before us; they are -absolutely separate; they do not run into one another at any time, the -most remote. It is necessary to speak the more earnestly of this -matter, because there is a disposition, on the plea that it is -impossible for us to divide men into two classes, to blur or even to -obliterate the distinction between Christian and non-Christian. Many -things prompt us to make the difference merely one of quantity--a more -or less of conformity to some ideal standard--in which case, of -course, a little more, or a little less, is of no great account. But -that only means that we never take the distinction between being right -with God, and being wrong with God, as seriously as God takes it; with -Him it is simply infinite. The difference between those who obey, and -those who do not obey, the gospel, is not the difference of a little -better and a little worse; it is the difference of life and death. If -there is any truth in Scripture at all, this is true--that those who -stubbornly refuse to submit to the gospel, and to love and obey Jesus -Christ, incur at the Last Advent an infinite and irreparable loss. -They pass into a night on which no morning dawns. - -This final ruin is here described as separation from the face of the -Lord and the glory of His might. In both the Old Testament and the -New, the vision of God is the consummation of blessedness. Thus we -read in one psalm, "Before Thy face is fulness of joy"; in another, -"As for me, I shall behold Thy face in uprightness: I shall be -satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness." In one of the Gospels, -our Saviour says that in heaven the angels of the little ones do -always behold the face of their Father who is in heaven; and in the -Book of Revelation it is the crown of joy that His servants shall -serve Him and shall see his face. From all this joy and blessedness -they condemn themselves to exclusion who know not God, and disobey the -gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Far from the face of the Lord and the -glory of His power, their portion is in the outer darkness. - -But in vivid contrast with this--for the Apostle does not close with -this terrible prospect--is the lot of those who have chosen the good -part here. Christ is revealed taking vengeance on the wicked, as has -just been described; but He comes also to be glorified in His saints -and to be admired in all them that believed--including those -Christians at Thessalonica. This is the Lord's and the Christian's -interest in the great day. The glory that shines from Him is mirrored -in and reflected from them. If there is a glory of the Christian even -while he wears the body of his humiliation, it will be swallowed up in -a glory more excellent when his change comes. Yet that glory will not -be his own: it will be the glory of Christ which has transfigured him; -men and angels, as they look at the saints, will admire not them, but -Him who has made them anew in the likeness of himself. All this is to -take place "on that day"--the great and terrible day of the Lord. The -voice of the Apostle rests with emphasis upon it; let it fill our -minds and hearts. It is a day of revelation, above all things: the day -on which Christ comes, and declares which life is eternally of worth, -and which for ever worthless; the day on which some are glorified, and -some pass finally from our view. Do not let the difficulties and -mysteries of this subject, the problems we cannot solve, the decisions -we could not give, blind our eyes to what Scripture makes so plain: we -are not the judges, but the judged, in this whole scene; and the -judgment is of infinite consequence for us. It is _not_ a question of -less or more, of sooner or later, of better or worse; what is at stake -in our attitude to the gospel is life or death, heaven or hell, the -outer darkness or the glory of Christ. - -[23] "It seems hopeless to find an intelligible meaning for +eph' -hymas+ in connection with +episteuthê+. Apparently, as conjectured by -Markland, +episteuthê+ is a primitive corruption of +epistôthê+, -suggested by the preceding +pisteusasin+, as well as by the -familiarity of +pisteuô+ and its _prima-facie_ appropriateness to -+martyrion+. The reference is probably to vv. 4, 5: the Christian -testimony of suffering for the faith had been confirmed and sealed -upon the Thessalonians. Cf. 1 Cor. i. 6: +Kathôs to martyrion tou -Christou ebebaiôthê en hymin+; also Ps. xciii. (xcii.) 4, 5: -+Thaumastos en hypsêlois ho Kyrios; ta martyria sou epistôthêsan -sphodra+; and for an analogous use of +pistousthai+ followed by +epi+ -with the accusative, 1 Chr. xvii. 23; 2 Chr. i. 9."--F.J.A. HORT. - -[24] For an excellent and instructive study of the relations of Jewish -and Christian eschatology, see Stanton's _Jewish and Christian -Messiah_. - -[25] The quotations are from Cox's _Salvator Mundi_, 13th Edition, pp. -128-9. When the time import of +aiônios+ is in view, many writers -render it, like Dr. Cox, age-long, intending thereby to signify that -æonian time has an end; its finitude, in fact, is the one thing of -which Dr. Cox consents to think. But the very point of the meaning is -that no end is visible. Æonian time is time that fills the mind and -imagination to the furthest horizon and beyond it; there is no -ulterior prospect. - - - - -III. - -_THE MAN OF SIN._ - - - "Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus - Christ, and our gathering together unto Him; to the end that ye be - not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by - spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the - Lord is _now_ present; let no man beguile you in any wise: for - _it will not be_, except the falling away come first, and the - man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, he that opposeth and - exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is - worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself - forth as God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told - you these things?"--2 THESS. ii. 1-5 (R.V.). - -In the first chapter of this Epistle Paul depicted the righteous -judgment of God which accompanies the advent of Christ. Its terrors -and its glories blazed before his eyes as he prayed for those who were -to read his letter. "With this in view," he says, "we also pray always -for you, that our God would count _you_ worthy of the calling." -The emphatic word in the sentence is _you_. Among all believers -in whom Christ was to be glorified, as they in Him, the Thessalonians -were at this moment nearest to the Apostle's heart. Like others, they -had been called to a place in the heavenly kingdom; and he is eager -that they should prove worthy of it. They will be worthy only if God -powerfully carries to perfection in them their delight in goodness, -and the activities of their faith. That is the substance of his -prayer. "The Lord enable you always to have unreserved pleasure in -what is good, and to show the proof of faith in all you do. So you -shall be worthy of the Christian calling, and the name of the Lord -shall be glorified in you, and you in Him, in that day." - -The second chapter seems, in our English Bibles, to open with an -adjuration: "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord -Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him." If that were -right, we might suppose Paul's meaning to be: As you long for this -great day, and anticipate its appearing as your dearest hope, let me -conjure you not to entertain mischievous fancies about it; or, as you -dread the day, and shrink from the terrible judgment which it brings, -let me adjure you to think of it as you ought to think, and not -discredit it by unspiritual excitement, bringing reproach on the -Church in the eyes of the world. But this interpretation, though apt -enough, is hardly justified by the use of the New Testament, and the -Revised Version is nearer the truth when it gives the rendering -"touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is of it the -Apostle wishes to speak; and what he has to say is, that the true -doctrine of it contains nothing which ought to produce unsettlement or -vague alarms. In the First Epistle, especially in chap. v., he has -enlarged on the moral attitude which is proper to those who cherish -the Christian hope: they are to watch and be sober; they are to put -off the works of darkness, and put on, as children of the day, the -armour of light; they are to be ready and expectant always. Here he -adds the negative counsel that they are not to be quickly shaken from -their mind, as a ship is driven from her moorings by a storm, nor yet -upset or troubled, whether by spirit, or by word or letter purporting -to be from him. These last expressions need a word of explanation. By -"spirit" the Apostle no doubt means a Christian man speaking in the -church under a spiritual impulse. Such speakers in Thessalonica would -often take the Second Advent as their theme; but their utterances were -open to criticism. It was of such utterances that the Apostle had said -in his earlier letter, "Despise not prophesyings; but prove all that -is said, and hold fast that which is good." The spirit in which a -Christian spoke was not necessarily the spirit of God; even if it -were, it was not necessarily unmixed with his own ideas, desires, or -hopes. Hence discernment of spirits was a valued and needful gift, and -it seems to have been wanted at Thessalonica. Besides misleading -utterances of this kind in public worship, there were circulated words -ascribed to Paul, and if not a forged letter, at all events a letter -purporting to contain his opinion, none of which had his authority. -These words and this letter had for their substance the idea that the -day of the Lord was now present--or, as one might say in Scotch, just -here. It was this which produced the unspiritual excitement at -Thessalonica, and which the Apostle wished to contradict. - -A great mystery has been made out of the paragraph which follows, but -without much reason. It certainly stands alone in St. Paul's writings, -an Apocalypse on a small scale, reminding us in many respects of the -great Apocalypse of John, but not necessarily to be judged by it, or -brought into any kind of harmony with it. Its obscurity, so far as it -is obscure, is due in part to the previous familiarity of the -Thessalonians with the subject, which allowed the Apostle to take much -for granted; and in part, no doubt, to the danger of being explicit in -a matter which had political significance. But it is not really so -obscure as it has been made out to be by some; and the reputation for -humility which so many have sought, by adopting St. Augustine's -confession that he had no idea what the Apostle meant, is too cheap to -be coveted. We must suppose that St. Paul wrote to be understood, and -was understood by those to whom he wrote; and if we follow him word by -word, a sense will appear which is not really questionable except on -extraneous grounds. What, then, does he say about the delaying of the -Advent? - -He says it will not come till the falling away, or apostasy, has come -first. The Authorised Version says "_a_" falling away, but that is -wrong. The falling away was something familiar to the Apostle and his -readers; he was not introducing them to any new thought. But a falling -away of whom? or from what? Some have suggested, of the members of the -Christian Church from Christ;[26] but it is quite plain from the -whole passage, and especially from ver. 12f., that the Apostle is -contemplating a series of events in which the Church has no part but -as a spectator. But the "apostasy" is clearly a religious defection; -though the word itself does not necessarily imply as much, the -description of the falling away does; and if it be not of Christians, -it must be of the Jews; the Apostle could not conceive of the heathen -"who know not God" as falling away from him. This apostasy reaches its -height, finds its representative and hero, in the man of sin, or, as -some MSS. have it, the man of lawlessness. When the Apostle says _the -man_ of sin, he means the _man_,--not a principle, nor a system, nor a -series of persons, but an individual human person who is identified -with sin, an incarnation of evil as Christ was of good, an -Antichrist. The man of sin is also the son of perdition; this name -expressing his fate--he is doomed to perish--as the other his nature. -This person's portrait is then drawn by the Apostle. He is the -adversary _par excellence_, he who sets himself in opposition, a human -Satan, the enemy of Christ. The other features in the likeness are -mainly borrowed from the description of the tyrant king Antiochus -Epiphanes in the Book of Daniel: they may have gained fresh meaning to -the Apostle from the recent revival of them in the insane Emperor -Caligula. The man of sin is filled with demoniac pride; he lifts -himself on high against the true God, and all gods, and all that men -adore; he seats himself in the temple of God; he would like to be -taken by all men _for_ God. There has been much discussion over the -temple of God in this passage. It is no doubt true that the Apostle -sometimes uses the expression figuratively, of a church and its -members--"The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are"--but it is -surely inconceivable that a _man_ should _take his seat_ in _that_ -temple; when these words were fresh, no one could have put that -meaning on them. The temple of God is, therefore, the temple at -Jerusalem; it was standing when Paul wrote; and he expected it to -stand till all this was fulfilled. When the Jews had crowned their -guilt by falling away from God; in other words, when they had finally -and as a whole decided against the gospel, and God's purpose to save -them by it; when the falling away had been crowned by the revelation -of the man of sin, and the profanation of the temple by his impious -pride, _then_, and not till then, would come the end. "Do you not -remember," says the Apostle, "that when I was with you I used to tell -you this?" - -When Paul wrote this Epistle, the Jews were the great enemies of the -gospel; it was they who persecuted him from city to city, and roused -against him everywhere the malice of the heathen; hostility to God was -incarnated, if anywhere, in them. They alone, because of their -spiritual privileges, were capable of the deepest spiritual sin. -Already in the First Epistle he has denounced them as the murderers of -the Lord Jesus and of their own prophets, a race that please not God -and are contrary to all men, sinners on whom the threatened wrath has -come without reserve. In the passage before us the course is outlined -of that wickedness against which the wrath was revealed. The people of -God, as they called themselves, fall definitely away from God; the -monster of lawlessness who rises from among them can only be pictured -in the words in which prophets pourtrayed the impiety and presumption -of a heathen king; he thrusts God aside, and claims to be God himself. - -There is only one objection to this interpretation of the Apostle's -words, namely, that they have never been fulfilled. Some will think -that objection final; and some will think it futile: I agree with the -last. It proves too much; for it lies equally against every other -interpretation of the words, however ingenious, as well as against the -simple and natural one just given. It lies, in some degree, against -almost every prophecy in the Bible. No matter what the apostasy, and -the man of sin, are taken to be, nothing has ever appeared in history -which answers exactly to Paul's description. The truth is that -inspiration did not enable the apostles to write history before it -happened; and though this forecast of the Apostle's has a spiritual -truth in it, resting as it does on a right perception of the law of -moral development, the precise anticipation which it embodies was not -destined to be realised. Further, it must have changed its place in -Paul's own mind within the next ten years; for, as Dr. Farrar has -observed, he barely alludes again to the Messianic surroundings (or -antecedents) of a second personal advent. "He dwells more and more on -the mystic oneness with Christ, less and less on His personal return. -He speaks repeatedly of the indwelling presence of Christ, and the -believer's incorporation with Him, and hardly at all of that visible -meeting in the air which at this epoch was most prominent in his -thoughts." - -But, it may be said, if this anticipation was not to be fulfilled, is -it not altogether deceptive? is it not utterly misleading that a -prophecy should stand in Holy Scripture which history was to falsify? -I think the right answer to that question is that there is hardly any -prophecy in Holy Scripture which has not been in a similar way -falsified, while nevertheless in its spiritual import true. The -details of this prophecy of St. Paul were not verified as he -anticipated, yet the soul of it was. The Advent was _not_ just -then; it was delayed till a certain moral process should be -accomplished; and this was what the Apostle wished the Thessalonians -to understand. He did not know when it would be; but he could see so -far into the law of God's working as to know that it would not come -till the fulness of time; and he could understand that, where a final -judgment was concerned, the fulness of time would not arrive till evil -had had every opportunity, either to turn and repent, or to develop -itself in the most utterly evil forms, and lie ripe for vengeance. - -This is the ethical law which underlies the Apostle's prophecy; it is -a law confirmed by the teaching of Jesus Himself, and illustrated by -the whole course of history. The question is sometimes discussed -whether the world gets better or worse as it grows older, and -optimists and pessimists take opposite sides upon it. Both, this law -informs us, are wrong. It does not get better only, nor worse only, -but both. Its progress is not simply a progress in good, evil being -gradually driven from the field; nor is it simply a progress in evil, -before which good continually disappears: it is a progress in which -good and evil alike come to maturity, bearing the ripest fruit, -showing all that they can do, proving their strength to the utmost -against each other; the progress is not in good in itself, nor in evil -in itself, but in the antagonism of the one to the other. This is the -same truth which we are taught by our Lord in the parable of the wheat -and the tares: "Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the -time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares," -etc. _In the time of harvest_: not till all is ripe for judgment, not -till the wheat and the tares alike have shown all that is in them, -will the judgment come. This is what St. Paul understood, and what the -Thessalonians did not understand; and if his ignorance of the scale of -the world, and the scale of God's purposes, made him apply this law to -the riddle of history hastily, with a result which the event has not -justified, that is nothing to the prejudice of the law itself, which -was true when he applied it with his imperfect knowledge, and is true -for application still. - -One other remark is suggested by the description of the character in -which sin culminates, viz., that as evil approaches its height it -assumes ever more spiritual forms. There are some sins which betray -man on the lower side of his nature, through the perversion of the -appetites which he has in common with the brutes: the dominance of -these is in some sense natural; they are not radically and essentially -evil. The man who is the victim of lust or drunkenness may lose his -soul by his sin, but he is its _victim_; there is not in his guilt -that malignant hatred of good which is here ascribed to the man of -sin. The crowning wickedness is this demoniac pride: the temper of one -who lifts himself on high above God, owning no superior, nay, claiming -for himself the highest place of all. This is rather spiritual than -sensual: it may be quite free from the gross vices of the flesh, -though the connection between pride and sensuality is closer than is -sometimes imagined; but it is more conscious, deliberate, malignant, -and damnable than any brutality could be. When we look at the world in -any given age--our own or another--and make inquiry into its moral -condition, this is a consideration which we are apt to lose sight of, -but which is entitled to the utmost weight. The collector of moral -statistics examines the records of criminal courts; he investigates -the standard of honesty in commerce; he balances the evidences of -peace, truth, purity, against those of violence, fraud, and -immorality, and works out a rough conclusion. But that material -morality leaves out of sight what is most significant of all--the -spiritual forms of good and of evil in which the opposing forces show -their inmost nature, and in which the world ripens for God's judgment. -The man of sin is not described as a sensualist or a murderer; he is -an apostate, a rebel against God, a usurper who claims not the palace -but the temple for his own. This God-dethroning pride is the utmost -length to which sin can go. The judgment will not come till it has -fully developed; can any one see tokens of its presence? - -In asking such a question we pass from the interpretation of the -Apostle's words to their application. Much of the difficulty and -bewilderment that have gathered about this passage are due to the -confusion of these two quite different things.[27] The interpretation -gives us the meaning of the very words the Apostle used. We have seen -what that is, and that in its precise detail it was not destined to be -fulfilled. But when we have passed behind the surface meaning, and -laid hold on the law which the Apostle was applying in this passage, -then we can apply it ourselves. We can use it to read the signs of -the times in our own or in any other age. We may see developments of -evil, resembling in their main features the man of sin here depicted, -in one quarter or another, and in one person or another; and if we do, -we are bound to see in them tokens that a judgment of God is at hand; -but we must not imagine that in so applying the passage we are finding -out what St. Paul meant. That lies far, far behind us; and our -application of his words can only claim our own authority, not the -authority of Holy Scripture. - -Of the multitude of applications which have been made of this passage -since the Apostle wrote it, one only has had historical importance -enough to be of interest to us--I mean that which is found in several -Protestant confessions, including the Westminster Confession of Faith, -and which declares the Pope of Rome, in the words of this last, to be -"that Antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalteth -himself in the Church against Christ, and all that is called God." As -an interpretation, of course, that is impossible; the man of sin is -one man, and not a series, like the Popes; the temple of God in which -a man sits is a temple made with hands, and not the Church; but when -we ask whether or not it is a fair _application_ of the Apostle's -words, the question is altered. Dr. Farrar, whom no one will suspect -of sympathy with the Papacy, is indignant that such an uncharitable -idea should ever have crossed the mind of man. Many in the churches -which hold by the Westminster Confession would agree with him. Of -course it is a matter on which every one is entitled to judge for -himself, and, whether right or wrong, ought not to be in a confession; -but for my own part I have little scruple in the matter. There have -been Popes who could have sat for Paul's picture of the man of sin -better than any characters known to history--proud, apostate, atheist -priests, sitting in the seat of Christ, blasphemously claiming His -authority, and exercising His functions. And individuals apart--for -there have been saintly and heroic Popes as well, true servants of the -servants of God--the hierarchical system of the Papacy, with the -monarchical priest at its head, incarnates and fosters that very -spiritual pride of which the man of sin is the final embodiment; it is -a seed-bed and nursery of precisely such characters as are here -described. There is not in the world, nor has ever been, a system in -which there is less that recalls Christ, and more that anticipates -Antichrist, than the Papal system. And one may say so while -acknowledging the debt that all Christians owe to the Romish Church, -and while hoping that it may somehow in God's grace repent and reform. - -It would ill become us, however, to close the study of so serious a -subject with the censure of others. The mere discovery that we have -here to do with a law of moral development, and with a supreme and -final type of evil, should put us rather upon self-scrutiny. The -character of our Lord Jesus Christ is the supreme and final type of -good; it shows us the end to which the Christian life conducts those -who follow it. The character of the man of sin shows the end of those -who obey not His gospel. They become, in their resistance to Him, more -and more identified with sin; their antagonism to God settles into -antipathy, presumption, defiance; they become gods to themselves, and -their doom is sealed. This picture is set here for our warning. We -cannot of ourselves see the end of evil from the beginning; we cannot -tell what selfishness and wilfulness come to, when they have had their -perfect work; but God sees, and it is written in this place to startle -us, and fright us from sin. "Take heed, brethren, lest haply there -shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away -from the living God: but exhort one another day by day, so long as it -is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness -of sin." - -[26] There are indications of such a thing in various words of Jesus. -"Many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray. And -because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax -cold."--Matt. xxiv. 11f. "There shall arise false Christs, and false -prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead -astray, if possible, even the elect."--Matt. xxiv. 24. "When the Son -of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?"--Luke xviii. 8. What -answers to these in St. Paul's writings we see in Acts xx. 29f.; Eph. -iv. 14; 1 Tim. iv. 1. But these passages belong to the very latest -years in his life, and they are not connected with any such -anticipations as are characteristic of the Thessalonian Apocalypse. -The history of the Church, as Paul foresaw it, did not include in -itself a phenomenon which could be described as +hê apostasia+. - -[27] A conspectus of the historical interpretations, most of which are -really applications, of this passage, is given in most commentaries. -The fullest is Lünemann's, which is followed by Alford. Farrar's -Appendix is briefer. - - - - -IV. - -_THE RESTRAINT AND ITS REMOVAL._ - - - "And now ye know that which restraineth to the end that he may be - revealed in his own season. For the mystery of lawlessness doth - already work: only _there is_ one that restraineth now, until he - be taken out of the way. And then shall be revealed the lawless one, - whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and - bring to nought by the manifestation of His coming; _even he_, - whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and - signs and lying wonders, and with all deceit of unrighteousness for - them that are perishing; because they received not the love of the - truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God sendeth them - a working of error, that they should believe a lie: that they all - might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in - unrighteousness."--2 THESS. ii. 6-12 (R.V.). - -Christ cannot come, the Apostle has told us, until the falling away -has first come, and the man of sin been revealed. In the verses before -us, we are told that the man of sin himself cannot come, in the full -sense of the word, he cannot be revealed in his true character of the -counter-Christ, till a restraining force, known to the Thessalonians, -but only obscurely alluded to by the Apostle, is taken out of the way. -The Last Advent is thus at two removes from the present. First, there -must be the removal of the power which holds the man of sin in check; -then the culmination of evil in that great adversary of God; and not -till then the return of the Lord in glory as Saviour and Judge. - -We might think that this put the Advent to such a distance as -practically to disconnect it from the present, and make it a matter of -little interest to the Christian. But, as we have seen already, what -is significant in this whole passage is the spiritual law which -governs the future of the world, the law that good and evil must ripen -together, and in conflict with each other; and it is involved in that -law that the final state of the world, which brings on the Advent, is -latent, in all its principles and spiritual features, in the present. -That day is indissolubly connected with this. The life that we now -live has all the importance, and ought to have all the intensity, -which comes from its bearing the future in its bosom. Through the eyes -of this New Testament prophet we can see the end from the beginning; -and the day on which we happen to read his words is as critical, in -its own nature, as the great day of the Lord. - -The end, the Apostle tells us, is at some distance, but it is -preparing. "The mystery of lawlessness doth already work." The forces -which are hostile to God, and which are to break out in the great -apostasy, and the insane presumption of the man of sin, are even now -in operation, but secretly. They are not visible to the careless, or -to the infatuated, or to the spiritually blind; but the Apostle can -discern them. Taught by the Spirit to read the signs of the times, he -sees in the world around him symptoms of forces, secret, unorganised, -to some extent inscrutable, yet unmistakable in their character. They -are the beginnings of the apostasy, the first workings, fettered as -yet and baffled, of the power which is to set itself in the place of -God. He sees also, and has already told the Thessalonians, of another -power of an opposite character. "Ye know," he says, "that which -restraineth ... only _there is_ one that restraineth now, until he be -taken out of the way." This restraining power is spoken of both in the -neuter and the masculine, both as a principle or institution, and as a -person; and there is no reason to doubt that those fathers of the -Church are right who identified it with the Empire of Rome and its -sovereign head. The apostasy was to take place among the Jews; and the -Apostle saw that Rome and its Emperor were the grand restraint upon -the violence of that stubborn race. The Jews had been his worst -enemies, ever since he had embraced the cause of the Nazarene Messiah -Jesus; and all that time the Romans had been his best friends. If -injustice had been done him in their name, as at Philippi, atonement -had been made; and, on the whole, he had owed to them his protection -against Jewish persecution. He felt sure that his own experience was -typical; the final development of hatred to God and all that was on -God's side could not but be restrained so long as the power of Rome -stood firm. That power was a sufficient check upon anarchic violence. -While it held its ground, the powers of evil could not organise -themselves and work openly; they constituted a mystery of iniquity, -working, as it were, underground. But when this great restraint was -removed, all that had been labouring so long in secret would come -suddenly to view, in its full dimensions; the lawless one would stand -revealed. - -But, it may be asked, could Paul imagine that the Roman power, as -represented by the Emperor, was likely to be removed within any -measurable time? Was it not the very type and symbol of all that was -stable and perpetual in man's life? In one way, it was; and as at -least a temporary check on the final eruption of wickedness, it is -here recognised to have a degree of stability; but it was certainly -not eternal. Paul may have seen plainly enough in such careers as -those of Caligula and Claudius the impending collapse of the Julian -dynasty; and the very obscurity and reserve with which he expresses -himself amount to a distinct proof that he has something in his mind -which it was not safe to describe more plainly. Dr. Farrar has pointed -to the remarkable correspondence between this passage, interpreted of -the Roman Empire, and a paragraph in Josephus, in which that historian -explains the visions of Daniel to his pagan readers. Josephus shows -that the image with the head of gold, the breast and arms of silver, -the belly and thighs of brass, and the ankles and feet of iron, -represents a succession of four empires. He names the Babylonian as -the first, and indicates plainly that the Medo-Persian and the Greek -are the second and third; but when he comes to the fourth, which is -destroyed by the stone cut out without hands, he does not venture, as -all his countrymen did, to identify it with the Roman. That would have -been disloyal in a courtier, and dangerous as well; so he remarks, -when he comes to the point, that he thinks it proper to say nothing -about the stone and the kingdom it destroys, his duty as a historian -being to record what is past and gone, and not what is yet to come. In -a precisely similar way does St. Paul here hint at an event which it -would have been perilous to name. But what he means is: When the Roman -power has been removed, the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord -will come to destroy him. - -What was said of the man of sin in the last lecture has again its -application here. The Roman Empire did _not_ fall within any such -period as Paul anticipated; nor, when it did, was there any such -crisis as he describes. The man of sin was not revealed, and the Lord -did not come. But these are the human elements in the prophecy; and -its interest and meaning for us lie in the description which an -inspired writer gives of the final forms of wickedness, and their -connection with principles which were at work around him, and are at -work among us. He does not, indeed, come to these at once. He passes -over them, and anticipates the final victory, when the Lord shall -destroy the man of sin with the breath of His mouth, and bring him to -nought by the appearance of His coming; he would not have Christian -men face the terrible picture of the last workings of evil until they -have braced and comforted their hearts with the prospect of a crowning -victory. There _is_ a great battle to be fought; there _are_ great -perils to be encountered; there is a prospect with something in it -appalling to the bravest heart; but there is light beyond. It needs -but the breath of the Lord Jesus; it needs but the first ray of His -glorious appearing to brighten the sky, and all the power of evil is -at an end. Only after he has fixed the mind on this does St. Paul -describe the supreme efforts of the enemy. - -His coming, he says--and he uses the word applied to Christ's advent, -as though to teach us that the event in question is as significant for -evil as the other for good--his coming is according to the working of -Satan. When Christ was in the world, His presence with men was -according to the working of God; the works that the Father gave Him to -do, the same He did, and nothing else. His life was the life of God -entering into our ordinary human life, and drawing into its own mighty -and eternal current all who gave themselves up to Him. It was the -supreme form of goodness, absolutely tender and faithful; using all -the power of the Highest in pure unselfishness and truth. When sin -has reached its height, we shall see a character in whom all this is -reversed. Its presence with men will be according to the working of -Satan; not an ineffective thing, but very potent; carrying in its -train vast effects and consequences; so vast and so influential, in -spite of its utter badness, that it is no exaggeration to describe its -coming (+parousia+), its "appearing" (+epiphaneia+), and its -"revelation" (+apokalypsis+), by the very same words which are -applied to Christ Himself. If there is one word which can characterise -this whole phenomenon, both in its principle and in its consummation, -it is falsehood. The devil is a liar from the beginning, and the -father of lies; and where things go on according to the working of -Satan, there is sure to be a vast development of falsehood and -delusion. This is a prospect which very few fear. Most of us are -confident enough of the soundness of our minds, of the solidity of our -principles, of the justice of our consciences. It is very difficult -for us to understand that we can be mistaken, quite as confident about -falsehood as about truth, unsuspecting victims of pure delusion. We -can see that some men are in this wretched plight, but that very fact -seems to give us immunity. Yet the falsehoods of the last days, St. -Paul tells us, will be marvellously imposing and successful. Men will -be dazzled by them, and unable to resist. Satan will support his -representative by power and signs and wonders of every description, -agreeing in nothing but in the characteristic quality of falsehood. -They will be lying miracles. Yet those who are of the truth will not -be left without a safeguard against them, a safeguard found in this, -that the manifold deceit of every kind which the devil and his agents -employ, is deceit of unrighteousness. It furthers unrighteousness; it -has evil as its end. By this it is betrayed to the good; its moral -quality enables them to penetrate the lie, and to make their escape -from it. However plausible it may seem on other grounds, its true -character comes out under the touchstone of conscience, and it stands -finally condemned. - -This is a point for consideration in our own time. There is a great -deal of falsehood in circulation--partly superstitious, partly -quasi-scientific--which is not judged with the decision and severity -that would be becoming in wise and good men. Some of it is more or -less latent, working as a mystery of iniquity; influencing men's souls -and consciences rather than their thoughts; disinclining them to -prayer, suggesting difficulties about believing in God, giving the -material nature the primacy over the spiritual, ignoring immortality -and the judgment to come. The man knows very little, who does not know -that there is a plausible case to be stated for atheism, for -materialism, for fatalism, for the rejection of all belief in the -life beyond the grave, and its connection with our present life; but -however powerful and plausible the argument may be, he has been very -careless of his spiritual nature, who does not see that it is a deceit -of unrighteousness. I do not say that only a bad man could accept it; -but certainly all that is bad in any man, and nothing that is good, -will incline him to accept it. Everything in our nature that is -unspiritual, slothful, earthly, at variance with God; everything that -wishes to be let alone, to forget what is high, to make the actual and -not the ideal its portion; everything that recalls responsibilities of -which such a system would discharge us for ever, is on the side of its -doctrines. But is not that itself a conclusive argument against the -system? Are not all these most suspicious allies? Are they not, beyond -dispute, our very worst enemies? and can it be possible that a way of -thinking is true, which gives them undisputed authority over us? Do -not believe it. Do not let any plausibility of argument impose upon -you; but when the moral issue of a theory is plainly immoral, when by -its working it is betrayed to be the leaven of the Sadducees, reject -it as a diabolical deceit. Trust your conscience, that is, your whole -nature, with its instinct for what is good, rather than any dialectic; -it contains far more of what you are; and it is the whole man, and not -the most unstable and self-confident of his faculties, that must -judge. If there is nothing against a spiritual truth but the -difficulty of conceiving how it can be, do not let that mental -incapacity weigh against the evidence of its fruits. - -The Apostle points to this line of thought, and to this safeguard of -the good, when he says that those who come under the power of this -vast working of falsehood are those who are perishing, because they -received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. But for -this clause we might have said, Why expose men, defenceless, to such a -terrific trial as is here depicted? Why expect weak, bewildered, -unstable creatures to keep their feet, when falsehood comes in like a -flood? But such queries would show that we mistook the facts. None are -carried away by the prevailing falsehood but those who received not -the love of the truth that they might be saved. It is a question, we -see, not of the intelligence simply, but of the whole man. He does not -say, They received not the truth; that might have been due to some -cause over which they had no control. They might never have had so -much as a good look at the truth; they might have got an incurable -twist in their education, a flaw in their minds like a flaw in a -mirror, that prevented them from ever seeing what the truth was like. -These would be cases to stand apart. But he says, "They received not -the love of the truth." That truth which is presented for our -acceptance in the gospel is not merely a thing to scrutinise, to -weigh, to judge by the rules of the bench or the jury box: it is a -truth which appeals to the heart; from cultured and uncultured, from -the clear-headed and the puzzle-headed; from the philosopher and the -message boy, it demands the answer of love. It is this which is the -true test of character--the answer which is given, not by the brain, -disciplined or undisciplined, but by the whole man, to the revelation -of the truth in Jesus Christ. Intelligence, by itself, may be a very -little matter; all that some men have is but a tool in the hands of -their passions; but the love of the truth, or its opposite, shows -truly what we are. Those who love it are safe. They cannot love -falsehood at the same time; all the lies of the devil and his agents -are powerless to do them any harm. Satan, we see here, has no -advantage over us that we do not first give him. The absence of -_liking_ for the truth, want of sympathy with Christ, a disposition to -find less exacting ways than His, a _resolution_ to find them or to -_make_ them, ending in a positive antipathy to Christ and to all the -truth which He teaches and embodies,--these give the enemy his -opportunity and his advantage over us. Put it to yourself in this -light if you wish to discern your true attitude to the gospel. You -may have difficulties and perplexities about it on one side or -another; it runs out into mystery on every hand; but these will not -expose you to the danger of being deceived, as long as you receive the -love of it in your heart. It _is_ a thing to command love; the truth -as truth is in Jesus. All that is good in us is enlisted in its -favour; not to love it is to be a bad man. A recent Unitarian lecturer -has said that to love Jesus is not a religious duty; but that is -certainly not a New Testament doctrine. It is not only a religious -duty, but the sum of all such duties; to do it, or not to do it, is -the decisive test of character, and the arbiter of fate. Does not He -Himself say--He who is the Truth--"He that loveth father or mother -more than Me is not worthy of Me"? Does not His Apostle say, "If any -man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema?" Depend upon -it, love to Him is all our goodness, and all our defence against the -powers of evil. To grow cold and indifferent is to give the enemy of -our souls an opening against us. - -The last two verses in this passage are very striking. We have seen -already two agents in the destruction of men's souls. They perish by -their own agency, in that they do not welcome and love the truth; and -they perish by the malevolence of the devil, who avails himself of -this dislike to the truth to befool them by falsehood, and lead them -ever further and further astray. But here we have a third agent, most -surprising of all, God Himself. "For this cause God sendeth them a -working of error, that they should believe a lie: that they all might -be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in -unrighteousness." Is God, then, the author of falsehood? Do the -delusions that possess the minds of men, and lead them to eternal -ruin, owe their strength to Him? Can He intend anybody to believe a -lie, and especially a lie with such terrific consequences as are -here in view? The opening words--"for this cause"--supply the answer -to these questions. For this cause, _i.e._, because they have not -loved the truth, but in their liking for evil have turned their backs -upon it, for this cause God's judgment comes upon them, binding them -to their guilt. Nothing is more certain, however we may choose to -express it, than the word of the wise man: "His own iniquities shall -take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his -sin." He chooses his own way, and he gets his fill of it. He loves the -deceit of unrighteousness, the falsehood which delivers him from God -and from His law; and by God's righteous judgment, acting through the -constitution of our nature, he comes continually more and more under -its power. He believes the lie, just as a good man believes the truth; -he becomes every day more hopelessly beclouded in error; and the end -is that he is judged. The judgment is based, not on his intellectual, -but on his _moral_ state. It is true he has been deluded, but his -delusion is due to this, that he had pleasure in unrighteousness. It -was this evil in him which gave weight to the sophistries of Satan. - -Again and again in Scripture this is represented as the punishment of -the wicked, that God gives them their own way, and infatuates them in -it. The error works with ever greater power in their souls, till they -cannot imagine that it is an error; none can deliver himself, or say, -Is there not a lie in my right hand? "My people would not hearken to -My voice, and Israel would none of Me. So I gave them up unto their -own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels." "When they -knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; ... -wherefore God gave them up to uncleanness." "They changed the truth of -God into a lie; ... for this cause God gave them up unto vile -affections." "They did not like to retain God in their knowledge.... -God gave them over to a reprobate mind." "They received not the love -of the truth: and for this cause God sendeth unto them a working of -error." Sin bears its punishment in itself; when it has had its -perfect work, we see that it has been executing a judgment of God more -awful than anything we could conceive. If you would have Him on your -side, your ally and not your adversary, receive the love of the truth. - -This is the final lesson of the passage. We do not know all the forces -that are at work in the world in the interest of error; but we know -there are many. We know that the mystery of iniquity is already in -operation. We know that falsehood, in this spiritual sense, has much -in man which is its natural ally; and that we need to be steadily on -our guard against the wiles of the devil. We know that passion is -sophistical, and reason often weak, and that we see our true selves in -the action of heart and conscience. Be faithful, therefore, to God at -the core of your nature. Love the truth that you may be saved. This -alone is salvation. This alone is a safeguard against all the -delusions of Satan; it was one who knew God, who lived in God, who did -always the works of God, who loved God as the only begotten Son the -Father, who could say, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath -nothing in Me." - - - - -V. - -_THE THEOLOGY OF PAUL._ - - - "But we are bound to give thanks to God alway for you, brethren - beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you from the beginning unto - salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: - whereunto He called you through our gospel, to the obtaining of the - glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brethren, stand fast, and - hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or by - epistle of ours. - - "Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father which loved us - and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your - hearts and stablish them in every good work and word."--2 THESS. ii. - 13-17 (R.V.). - -The first part of this chapter is mysterious, awful, and oppressive. -It deals with the principle of evil in the world, its secret working, -its amazing power, its final embodiment in the man of sin, and its -decisive overthrow at the Second Advent. The characteristic action of -this evil principle is deceit. It deludes men, and they become its -victims. True, it can only delude those who lay themselves open to its -approach by an aversion to the truth, and by delight in -unrighteousness; but when we look round us, and see the multitude of -its victims, we might easily be tempted to despair of our race. The -Apostle does not do so. He turns away from that gloomy prospect, and -fixes his eyes upon another, serene, bright, and joyful. There -_is_ a son of perdition, a person doomed to destruction, who will -carry many to ruin in his train; but there is a work of God going on -in the world as well as a work of evil; and it also has its triumphs. -Let the mystery of iniquity work as it will, "_we_ are bound to give -thanks alway to God for _you_, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that -God chose you from the beginning _unto salvation_." - -The thirteenth and fourteenth verses of this chapter are a system of -theology in miniature. The Apostle's thanksgiving covers the whole -work of salvation from the eternal choice of God to the obtaining of -the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ in the world to come. Let us -observe the several points which it brings out. As a thanksgiving, of -course, God is the main subject in it. Every separate clause only -serves to bring out another aspect of the fundamental truth that -salvation is of the Lord. What aspects, then, of this truth are -presented in turn? - -(1) In the first place, the original idea of salvation is God's. He -chose the Thessalonians to it from the beginning. There are really two -assertions in this simple sentence--the one, that God chose them; the -other, that His choice is eternal. The first of these is obviously a -matter on which there is an appeal to experience. These Christian men, -and all Christian men, could tell whether it was true or not that they -owed their salvation to God. In point of fact, there has never been -any doubt about that matter in any church, or, indeed, in any -religion. All good men have always believed that salvation is of the -Lord. It begins on God's side. It can most truly be described from His -side. Every Christian heart responds to the word of Jesus to the -disciples: "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you." Every -Christian heart feels the force of St. Paul's words to the Galatians: -"After that ye have known God, or rather were known of God." It is His -taking knowledge of us which is the original, fundamental, decisive -thing in salvation. That is a matter of experience; and so far the -Calvinist doctrine of election, which has sometimes an unsubstantial, -metaphysical aspect, has an experimental basis. We are saved, because -God in His love has saved us; that is the starting-point. That also -gives character, in all the Epistles, to the New Testament doctrine of -election. The Apostle never speaks of the elect as an unknown -quantity, a favoured few, hidden in the Church, or in the world, -unknown to others or to themselves: "God," he says, "chose -_you_,"--the persons addressed in this letter,--"and you -_know_ that He did." So does every one who knows anything of God -at all. Even when the Apostle says, "God chose you from the -beginning," he does not leave the basis of experience. "Known unto God -are all His works from the beginning of the world." The purpose of -God's love to save men, which comes home to them in their reception of -the gospel, is not a thing of to-day or yesterday; they know it is -not; it is the manifestation of His nature; it is as eternal as -Himself; they can count on it as securely as they can on the Divine -character; if God has chosen them at all, He has chosen them from the -beginning. The doctrine of election in Scripture is a religious -doctrine, based upon experience; it is only when it is separated from -experience, and becomes metaphysical, and prompts men to ask whether -they who have heard and received the gospel are elect or not--an -impossible question on New Testament ground--that it works for evil in -the Church. If you have chosen God, you know it is because He first -chose you; and His will revealed in that choice is the will of the -Eternal. - -(2) Further, the means of salvation for men are of God. "He chose -you," says the Apostle, "in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of -the truth." Perhaps "means" is not the most precise word to use here; -it might be better to say that sanctification wrought by the Spirit, -and belief of the truth, are the state in which, rather than the means -by which, salvation is realised. But what I wish to insist upon is, -that both are included in the Divine choice; they are the instruments -or the conditions of carrying it into effect. And here, when we come -to the accomplishment of God's purpose, we see how it combines a -Divine and a human side. There is a sanctification, or consecration, -wrought by the Spirit of God upon the spirit of man, the sign and seal -of which is baptism, the entrance of the natural man into the new and -higher life; and coincident with this, there is the belief of the -truth, the acceptance of God's message of mercy, and the surrender of -the soul to it. It is impossible to separate these two things, or to -define their relation to each other. Sometimes the first seems to -condition the second; sometimes the order is reversed. Now it is the -Spirit which opens the mind to the truth; again it is the truth which -exercises a sanctifying power like the Spirit. The two, as it were, -interpenetrate each other. If the Spirit stood alone, man's mind would -be baffled, his moral freedom would be taken away; if the reception of -the truth were everything, a cold, rationalistic type of religion -would supplant the ardour of the New Testament Christian. The eternal -choice of God makes provision, in the combination of the Spirit and -the truth, at once for Divine influence and for human freedom; for a -baptism of fire and for the deliberate welcoming of revelation; and it -is when the two are actually combined that the purpose of God to save -is accomplished. What can we say here on the basis of experience? Have -we believed the truth which God has declared to us in His Son? Has its -belief been accompanied and made effectual by a sanctification wrought -by His Spirit, a consecration which has made the truth live in us, and -made us new creatures in Christ? God's choice does not become -effective apart from this; it comes out in this; it secures its own -accomplishment in this. His chosen are not chosen to salvation -irrespective of any experience; _none_ are chosen except as they -believe the truth and are sanctified by His Spirit. - -(3) Once more, the execution of the plan of salvation in time is of -God. To this salvation, says Paul, _He_ called you by our gospel. -The apostles and their companions were but messengers: the message -they brought was God's. The new truths, the warnings, the summonses, -the invitations, all were His. The spiritual constraint which they -exercised was His also. In speaking thus, the Apostle magnifies his -office, and magnifies at the same time the responsibility of all who -heard him preach. It is a light thing to listen to a man speaking his -own thoughts, giving his own counsel, inviting assent to his own -proposals; it is a solemn thing to listen to a man speaking truly in -the name of God. The gospel that we preach is ours, only because we -preach it and because we receive it; but the true description of it -is, the gospel of God. It is His voice which proclaims the coming -judgment; it is His voice which tells of the redemption which is in -Christ Jesus, even the forgiveness of our trespasses; it is His voice -which invites all who are exposed to wrath, all who are under the -curse and power of sin, to come to the Saviour. Paul had thanked God -in the First Epistle that the Thessalonians had received his word, -not as the word of man, but as what it was in truth, the word of the -living God; and here he falls back again on the same thought in a new -connection. It is too natural for us to put God as far as we can out -of our minds, to keep Him for ever in the background, to have recourse -to Him only in the last resort; but that easily becomes an evasion of -the seriousness and the responsibilities of our life, a shutting of -our eyes to its true significance, for which we may have to pay dear. -_God_ has spoken to us all in His word and by His Spirit,--God, and -not only some human preacher: see that ye despise not Him that -speaketh. - -(4) Lastly, under this head, the end proposed to us in obeying the -gospel call is of God. It is the obtaining of the glory of our Lord -Jesus Christ. Paul became a Christian and an Apostle, because he saw -the Lord of Glory on the way to Damascus; and his whole conception of -salvation was shaped by that sight. To be saved meant to enter into -that glory into which Christ had entered. It was a condition of -perfect holiness, open only to those who were sanctified by Christ's -Spirit; but perfect holiness did not exhaust it. Holiness was -manifested in glory, in a light surpassing the brightness of the sun, -in a strength superior to every weakness, in a life no longer -assailable by death. Weak, suffering, destitute--dying daily for -Christ's sake--Paul saw salvation concentrated and summed up in the -glory of Christ. To obtain this was to obtain salvation. "When Christ -who is our life shall appear," he says elsewhere, "then shall ye also -appear with Him in glory." "This corruptible must put on incorruption, -and this mortal must put on immortality." If salvation were anything -lower than this, there might be a plausible case to state for man as -its author; but reaching as it does to this immeasurable height, who -can accomplish it but God? It needs the operation of the might of His -power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead. - -One cannot read these two simple verses without wondering at the new -world which the gospel created for the mind of man. What great -thoughts are in them--thoughts that wander through eternity, thoughts -based on the most sure and blessed of experiences, yet travelling back -into an infinite past, and on into immortal glory; thoughts of the -Divine presence and the Divine power interpenetrating and redeeming -human life; thoughts addressed originally to a little company of -working people, but unmatched for length and breadth and depth and -height by all that pagan literature could offer to the wisest and the -best. What a range and sweep there is in this brief summary of God's -work in man's salvation. If the New Testament is uninteresting, can -it be for any other reason than that we arrest ourselves at the words, -and never penetrate to the truth which lies beneath? - -On this review of the work of God the Apostle grounds an exhortation -to the Thessalonians. "So then, brethren," he writes, "stand fast, and -hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or by -epistle of ours." The objection that is brought against Calvinism is -that it destroys every motive for action on our part, by destroying -all need of it. If salvation is of the Lord, what is there for us to -do? If God conceived it, planned it, executes it, and alone can -perfect it, what room is left for the interference of man? This is a -species of objection which would have appeared extremely perverse to -the Apostle. Why, he would have exclaimed, if God left it to us to do, -we might well sit down in despair and do nothing, so infinitely would -the task exceed our powers; but since the work of salvation is the -work of God, since He Himself is active on that side, there is reason, -hope, motive, for activity on our part also. If we work in the same -line with Him, toward the same end with Him, our labour will not be -cast away; it will be triumphantly successful. God _is_ at work; -but so far from that furnishing a motive to non-exertion on our part, -it is the strongest of all motives to action. Work out your own -salvation, not because it is left to you to do, but because it is God -who is working in you both will and deed in furtherance of His good -pleasure. Fall in, the Apostle virtually says in this place, with the -purpose of God to save you; identify yourselves with it; stand fast, -and hold the traditions which ye were taught. - -"Traditions" is an unpopular word in one section of the Church, -because it has been so vastly abused in another. But it is not an -illegitimate word in any church, and there is always a place for what -it means. The generations are dependent on each other; each transmits -to the future the inheritance it has received from the past; and that -inheritance--embracing laws, arts, manners, morals, instincts, -religion--can all be comprehended in the single word tradition. The -gospel was handed over to the Thessalonians by St. Paul, partly in -oral teaching, partly in writing; it was a complex of traditions in -the simplest sense, and they were not to let any part of it go. -Extreme Protestants are in the habit of opposing Scripture to -tradition. The Bible alone, they say, is our religion; and we reject -all unwritten authority. But, as a little reflection will show, the -Bible itself is, in the first instance, a part of tradition; it is -handed down to us from those who have gone before; it is delivered to -us as a sacred deposit by the Church; and as such we at first regard -it. There are good reasons, no doubt, for giving Scripture a -fundamental and critical place among traditions. When its claim to -represent the Christianity of the apostles is once made out, it is -fairly regarded as the criterion of everything else that appeals to -their authority. The bulk of so-called traditions in the Church of -Rome are to be rejected, not because they are traditions, but because -they are not traditions, but have originated in later times, and are -inconsistent with what is known to be truly apostolic. We ourselves -are bound to keep fast hold of all that connects us historically with -the apostolic age. We would not disinherit ourselves. We would not -lose a single thought, a single like or dislike, a single conviction -or instinct, of all that proves us the spiritual posterity of Peter -and Paul and John. Sectarianism destroys the historical sense; it -plays havoc with traditions; it weakens the feeling of spiritual -affinity between the present and the past. The Reformers in the -sixteenth century--the men like Luther, Melanchthon, and Calvin--made -a great point of what they called their catholicity, _i.e._, their -claim to represent the true Church of Christ, to be the lawful -inheritors of apostolic tradition. They were right, both in their -claim, and in their idea of its importance; and we will suffer for it, -if, in our eagerness for independence, we disown the riches of the -past. - -The Apostle closes his exhortation with a prayer. "Now our Lord Jesus -Christ Himself, and God our Father which loved us and gave us eternal -comfort and good hope through grace, comfort[28] your hearts and -stablish them in every good work and word." All human effort, he seems -to say, must be not only anticipated and called forth, but supported, -by God. He alone it is who can give steadfastness to our pursuit of -good in word and deed. - -In his prayer the Apostle goes back to great events in the past, and -bases his request on the assurance which they yield: "God," he says, -"who _loved_ us and _gave_ us eternal comfort and good hope -through grace." When did God do these gracious things? It was when He -sent His Son into the world for us. He does love us now; He will love -us for ever; but we go back for the final proof, and for the first -conviction of this, to the gift of Jesus Christ. There we see God who -_loved_ us. The death of the Lord Jesus is specially in view. -"Hereby know we love, because He laid down His life for us." "Herein -is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son -to be the propitiation for our sins." The eternal consolation is -connected in the closest possible way with this grand assurance of -love. It is not merely an unending comfort, as opposed to the -transitory and uncertain joys of earth; it is the heart to exclaim -with St. Paul, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall -tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or -peril, or sword?... Nay, in all these things we are more than -conquerors through Him that loved us." Here, and now, this eternal -consolation is given to the Christian heart; here, and now, rather, it -is enjoyed; it _was_ given, once for all, on the cross at Calvary. -Stand there, and receive that awful pledge of the love of God, and see -whether it does not, even now, go deeper than any sorrow. - -But the eternal consolation does not exhaust God's gifts. He has also -in His grace given us good hope. He has made provision, not only for -the present trouble, but for the future uncertainty. All life needs an -outlook; and those who have stood beside the empty grave in the garden -know how wide and glorious is the outlook provided by God for the -believer in Jesus Christ. In the very deepest darkness, a light is -kindled for him; in the valley of the shadow of death, a window is -opened to him in heaven. Surely God, who sent His Son to die for us -upon the Cross; God, who raised Him again from the dead on our behalf, -and set Him at His own right hand in heavenly places,--surely He who -has been at such cost for our salvation will not be slow to second all -our efforts, and to establish our hearts in every good work and word. - -How simply, one is tempted to say, it all ends--good works and good -words; are these the whole fruits which God seeks in His great work of -redemption? Does it need consolation so wonderful, hope so -far-reaching, to secure patient continuance in well-doing? We know -only too well that it does. We know that the comfort of God, the hope -of God, prayer to God, are all needed; and that all we can make of all -of them combined is not too much to make us steadily dutiful in word -and deed. We know that it is not a disproportionate or unworthy moral, -but one befitting the grandeur of his theme, when the Apostle -concludes the fifteenth chapter of 1st Corinthians in a tone very -similar to that which rules here. The infinite hope of the -Resurrection is made the basis of the commonest duties. "Therefore, my -beloved brethren," he says, "be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always -abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your -labour is not in vain in the Lord." That hope is to bear fruit on -earth--in patience and loyalty, in humble and faithful service. It is -to shed its radiance over the trivial round, the common task; and the -Apostle does not think it wasted if it enables men and women to do -well and not weary. - -The difficulty of expounding this passage lies in the largeness of the -thoughts; they include, in a manner, every part and aspect of the -Christian life. Let each of us try to bring them near to himself. God -has called us by His gospel: He has declared to us that Jesus our Lord -was delivered for our offences, and that He was raised again to open -the gates of life to us. Have we believed the truth? That is where the -gospel begins for us. Is the truth within us, written on hearts that -God's Spirit has separated from the world, and devoted to a new life? -or is it outside of us, a rumour, a hearsay, to which we have no vital -relation? Happy are those who have believed, and taken Christ into -their souls, Christ who died for us and rose again: they have the -forgiveness of sins, a pledge of love that disarms and vanquishes -sorrow, an infallible hope that outlives death. Happy are those to -whom the cross and the empty tomb give that confidence in God's love -which makes prayer natural, hopeful, joyful. Happy are those to whom -all these gifts of grace bring the strength to continue patiently in -well-doing, and to be steadfast in every good work and word. All -things are theirs--the world, and life, and death; things present and -things to come; everlasting consolation and good hope; prayer, -patience, and victory: all are theirs, for they are Christ's, and -Christ is God's. - -[28] For the verb in the singular, and its import, compare 1st Epistle -iii. 11. - - - - -VI. - -_MUTUAL INTERCESSION._ - - - "Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run - and be glorified, even as also _it is_ with you; and that we may - be delivered from unreasonable and evil men; for all have not faith. - But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and guard you from - the evil _one_. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, - that ye both do and will do the things which we command. And the Lord - direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of - Christ."--2 THESS. iii. 1-5 (R.V.). - -The main part of this letter is now finished. The Apostle has -completed his teaching about the Second Advent, and the events which -precede and condition it; and nothing remains to dispose of but some -minor matters of personal and practical interest. - -He begins by asking again, as at the close of the First Epistle, the -prayers of the Thessalonians for himself and his fellow-workers. It -was a strength and comfort to him, as to every minister of Christ, to -know that he was remembered by those who loved him in the presence of -God. But it is no selfish or private interest that the Apostle has in -view when he begs a place in their prayers; it is the interest of the -work with which he has identified himself. "Pray for us, that the word -of the Lord may run and be glorified." This was the one business and -concern of his life; if it went well, all his desires were satisfied. - -Hardly anything in the New Testament gives us a more characteristic -look of the Apostle's soul than his desire that the word of the Lord -should _run_. The word of the Lord is the gospel, of which he is the -principal herald to the nations; and we see in his choice of this word -his sense of its urgency. It was glad tidings to all mankind; and how -sorely needed wherever he turned his eyes! The constraint of Christ's -love was upon his heart, the constraint of men's sin and misery; and -he could not pass swiftly enough from city to city, to proclaim the -reconciling grace of God, and call men from darkness unto light. His -eager heart fretted against barriers and restraints of every -description; he saw in them the malice of the great enemy of Christ: -"I was minded once and again to come unto you, but Satan hindered me." -Hence it is that he asks the Thessalonians to pray for their removal, -that the word of the Lord may run. The ardour of such a prayer, and of -the heart which prompts it, is far enough removed from the common -temper of the Church, especially where it has been long established. -How many centuries there were during which Christendom, as it was -called, was practically a fixed quantity, shut up within the limits of -Western European civilisation, and not aspiring to advance a single -step beyond it, fast or slow. It is one of the happy omens of our own -time that the apostolic conception of the gospel as an ever-advancing, -ever-victorious force, has begun again to take its place in the -Christian heart. If it is really to us what it was to St. Paul--a -revelation of God's mercy and judgment which dwarfs everything else, a -power omnipotent to save, an irresistible pressure of love on heart -and will, glad tidings of great joy that the world is dying for--we -shall share in this ardent, evangelical spirit, and pray for all -preachers that the word of the Lord may run very swiftly. How it -passed in apostolic times from land to land and from city to -city--from Syria to Asia, from Asia to Macedonia, from Macedonia to -Greece, from Greece to Italy, from Italy to Spain--till in one man's -lifetime, and largely by one man's labour, it was known throughout the -Roman world. It is easy, indeed, to over-estimate the number of the -early Christians; but we can hardly over-estimate the fiery speed with -which the Cross went forth conquering and to conquer. Missionary zeal -is one note of the true Apostolic Church. - -But Paul wishes the Thessalonians to pray that the word of the Lord -may be glorified, as well as have free course. The word of the Lord is -a glorious thing itself. As the Apostle calls it in another place, it -is the gospel of the glory of the blessed God. All that makes the -spiritual glory of God--His holiness, His love, His wisdom--is -concentrated and displayed in it. But its glory is acknowledged, and -in that sense heightened, when its power is seen in the salvation of -men. A message from God that did nothing would not be glorified: it -would be discredited and shamed. It is the glory of the gospel to lay -hold of men, to transfigure them, to lift them out of evil into the -company and the likeness of Christ. For anything else it does, it may -not fill a great space in the world's eye; but when it actually brings -the power of God to save those who receive it, it is clothed in glory. -Paul did not wish to preach without seeing the fruits of his labour. -He did the work of an evangelist; and he would have been ashamed of -the evangel if it had not wielded a Divine power to overcome sin and -bring the sinful to God. Pray that it may always have this power. Pray -that when the word of the Lord is spoken it may not be an ineffective, -fruitless word, but mighty through God. - -There is an expression in Titus ii. 10 analogous to this: "Adorning -the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things." That expression is -less fervent, spoken at a lower level, than the one before us; but it -more readily suggests, for that very reason, some duties of which we -should be reminded here also. It comes home to all who try to bring -their conduct into any kind of relation to the gospel of Christ. It is -only too possible for us to disgrace the gospel; but it is in our -power also, by every smallest action we do, to illustrate it, to set -it off, to put its beauty in the true light before the eyes of -men. The gospel comes into the world, like everything else, to be -judged on its merits; that is, by the effects which it produces in the -lives of those who receive it. We are its witnesses; its character, in -the general mind, is as good as our character; it is as lovely as we -are lovely, as strong as we are strong, as glorious as we are -glorious, and no more. Let us seek to bear it a truer and worthier -witness than we have yet done. To adorn it is a calling far higher -than most of us have aimed at; but if it comes into our prayers, if -its swift diffusion and powerful operation are near our hearts in the -sight of God, grace will be given us to do this also. - -The next request of the Apostle has more of a personal aspect, yet it -also has his work in view. He asks prayer that he and his friends may -be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men, he says, -have not faith. The unreasonable and wicked men were no doubt the Jews -in Corinth, from which place he wrote. Their malignant opposition was -the great obstacle to the spread of the gospel; they were the -representatives and instruments of the Satan who perpetually hindered -him. The word here rendered unreasonable is a rare one in the New -Testament. It occurs four times in all, and in each case is -differently translated: once it is "amiss," once "harm," once -"wickedness," and here "unreasonable." The margin in this place -renders it "absurd." What it literally means is, "out of place"; and -the Apostle signifies by it, that in the opposition of these men to -the gospel there was something preposterous, something that baffled -explanation; there was no reason in it, and therefore it was hopeless -to reason with it. That is a disposition largely represented both in -the Old Testament and the New, and familiar to every one who in -preaching the gospel has come into close contact with men. It was one -of the great trials of Jesus that He had to endure the contradiction -of those who were sinners against themselves; who rejected the counsel -of God in their own despite; in other words, were unreasonable men. -The gospel, we must remember, is good news; it is good news to all -men. It tells of God's love to the sinful; it brings pardon, holiness, -immortal hope, to every one. Why, then, should anybody have a quarrel -with it? Is it not enough to drive reason to despair, that men should -wantonly, stubbornly, malignantly, hate and resist such a message? Is -there anything in the world more provoking than to offer a real and -indispensable service, out of a true and disinterested love, and to -have it contemptuously rejected? That is the fate of the gospel in -many quarters; that was the constant experience of our Lord and of St. -Paul. No wonder, in the interests of his mission, the Apostle prays to -be delivered from unreasonable men. Are there any of us who come -under this condemnation? who are senselessly opposed to the gospel, -enemies in intention of God, but in reality hurting no one so much as -ourselves? The Apostle does not indicate in his prayer any mode of -deliverance. He may have hoped that in God's providence his -persecutors would have their attention distracted somehow; he may have -hoped that by greater wisdom, greater love, greater power of -adaptation, of becoming all things to all men, he might vanquish their -unreason, and gain access to their souls for the truth. In any case, -his request shows us that the gospel has a battle to fight that we -should hardly have anticipated--a battle with sheer perversity, with -blind, wilful absurdity--and that this is one of its most dangerous -foes. "O that they were wise," God cries of His ancient people, "O -that they understood." He has the same lament to utter still. - -We ought to notice the reason appended to this description of Paul's -enemies: absurd and evil men, he says; for all men have not faith. -Faith, of course, means the Christian faith: all men are not believers -in Christ and disciples of Christ; and therefore the moral unreason -and perversity of which I have spoken actually exist. He who has the -faith is morally sane; he has that in him which is inconsistent with -such wickedness and irrationality. We can hardly suppose, however, -that the Apostle meant to state such a superfluous truism as that all -men were not Christians. What he does mean is apparently that not all -men have affinity for the faith, have aptitude or liking for it; as -Christ said when He stood before Pilate, the voice of truth is only -heard by those who are _of_ the truth. So it was when the apostles -preached. Among their hearers there were those who were _of_ the -truth, in whom there was, as it were, the instinct for the faith; they -welcomed the message. Others, again, discovered no such natural -relation to the truth; in spite of the adaptation of the message to -human needs, they had no sympathy with it; there was no reaction in -their hearts in its favour; it was unreasonable to them; and to God -they were unreasonable. The Apostle does not explain this; he simply -remarks it. It is one of the ultimate and inexplicable facts of human -experience; one of the meeting-points of nature and freedom which defy -our philosophies. Some _are_ of kin to the gospel when they hear it; -they have faith, and justify the counsel of God, and are saved: others -are of _no_ kin to the gospel; its wisdom and love wake no response in -them; they have not faith; they reject the counsel of God to their own -ruin; they are preposterous and evil men. It is from such, as -hinderers of the gospel, that Paul prays to be delivered. - -In the two verses which follow, he plays, as it were, with this word -"faith." All men have not faith, he writes; but _the Lord_ is -faithful, and _we_ have _faith_ in the Lord touching you. Often the -Apostle goes on thus at a word. Often, especially, he contrasts the -trustworthiness of God with the faithlessness of men. Men may not take -the gospel seriously; but the Lord does. He is in indubitable earnest -with it; He may be depended upon to do His part in carrying it into -effect. See how unselfishly, at this point, the Apostle turns from his -own situation to that of his readers. The Lord is faithful who will -stablish _you_, and keep you from the evil one. Paul had left the -Thessalonians exposed to very much the same trouble as beset himself -wherever he went; but he had left them to One who, he well knew, was -able to keep them from falling, and to preserve them against all that -the devil and his agents could do. - -And side by side with this confidence in God stood his confidence -touching the Thessalonians themselves. He was sure in the Lord that -they were doing, and would continue to do, the things which he -commanded them; in other words, that they would lead a worthy and -becoming Christian life. The point of this sentence lies in the words -"in the Lord." Apart from the Lord, Paul could have had no such -confidence as he here expresses. The standard of the Christian life is -lofty and severe; its purity, its unworldliness, its brotherly love; -its burning hope, were new things then in the world. What assurance -could there be that this standard would be maintained, when the small -congregation of working people in Thessalonica was cast upon its own -resources in the midst of a pagan community? None at all, apart from -Christ. If _He_ had left them along with the Apostle, no one could -have risked much upon their fidelity to the Christian calling. It -marks the beginning of a new era when the Apostle writes, "We have -confidence _in the Lord_ touching you." Life has a new element now, a -new atmosphere, new resources; and therefore we may cherish new hopes -of it. When we think of them, the words include a gentle admonition to -the Thessalonians, to beware of forgetting the Lord, and trusting to -themselves; that is a disappointing path, which will put the Apostle's -confidence toward them to shame. But it is an admonition as hopeful as -it is gentle; reminding them that, though the path of Christian -obedience cannot be trodden without constant effort, it is a path on -which the Lord accompanies and upholds all who trust in Him. Here -there is a lesson for us all to learn. Even those who are engaged in -work for Christ are too apt to forget that the only hope of such work -is the Lord. "Trust no man," says the wisest of commentators, "left to -himself." Or to put the same thing more in accordance with the spirit -of the text, there always is room for hope and confidence when the -Lord is not forgotten. _In the Lord_, you may depend upon those who -_in themselves_ are weak, unstable, wilful, foolish. In the Lord, you -may depend on them to stand fast, to fight their temptations, to -overcome the world and the wicked one. This kind of assurance, and the -actual presence and help of Christ which justified it, are very -characteristic of the New Testament. They explain the joyous, open, -hopeful spirit of the early Church; they are the cause, as well as the -effect, of that vigorous moral health which, in the decay of ancient -civilisation, gave the Church the inheritance of the future. And still -we may have confidence in the Lord that all whom He has called by His -gospel will be able by His spiritual presence with them to walk worthy -of that calling, and to confute alike the fears of the good and the -contempt of the wicked. For the Lord is faithful, who will stablish -them, and preserve them from the evil one. - -Once more the Apostle bursts into prayer, as he remembers the -situation of these few sheep in the wilderness: "The Lord direct your -hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ." Nothing -could be a better commentary than one of Paul's own affectionate -Epistles on that much discussed text, "Pray without ceasing." Look, -for instance, through this one with which we are engaged. It begins -with a prayer for grace and peace. This is followed by a thanksgiving -in which God is acknowledged as the Author of all their graces. The -first chapter ends with a prayer--an unceasing prayer--that God would -count them worthy of His calling. In the second chapter Paul renews -his thanksgiving on behalf of his converts, and prays again that God -may comfort their hearts and stablish them in every good work and -word. And here, the moment he has touched upon a new topic, he -returns, as it were by instinct, to prayer. "The Lord direct your -hearts." Prayer is his very element; he lives, and moves, and has his -being, in God. He can do nothing, he cannot conceive of anything being -done, in which God is not as directly participant as himself, or those -whom he wishes to bless. Such an intense appreciation of God's -nearness and interest in life goes far beyond the attainments of most -Christians; yet here, no doubt, lies a great part of the Apostle's -power. - -The prayer has two parts: he asks that the Lord may direct their -hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ. The love -of God here means love to God; this is the sum of all Christian -virtue, or at least the source of it. The gospel proclaims that God is -love; it tells us that God has proved His love by sending His Son to -die for our sins; it shows us Christ on the cross, in the passion of -that love with which He loved us when He gave Himself for us; and it -waits for the answer of love. It comprehended the whole effect of the -gospel, the whole mystery of its saving and re-creating power, when -the Apostle exclaimed, "The love of Christ constraineth us." It is -this experience which in the passage before us he desires for the -Thessalonians. There is no one without love, or at least without the -power of loving, in his heart. But what is the object of it? On what -is it actually directed? The very words of the prayer imply that it is -easily misdirected. But surely if love itself best merits and may best -claim love, none should be the object of it before Him who is its -source. God has earned our love; He desires our love; let us look to -the Cross where He has given us the great pledge of His own, and yield -to its sweet constraint. The old law is not abolished, but to be -fulfilled: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and -with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind." -If the Lord fix our souls to Himself by this irresistible attraction, -nothing will be able to carry us away. - -Love to God is naturally joyous; but life has other experiences than -those which give free scope for its joyous exercise; and so the -Apostle adds, "into the patience of Jesus Christ." The Authorised -Version renders, "the patient waiting for Christ," as if what the -Apostle prayed for were that they might continue steadfastly to hope -for the Last Advent; but although that idea is characteristic of -these Epistles, it is hardly to be found in the words. Rather does he -remind his readers that in the difficulties and sufferings of the path -which lies before them, no strange thing is happening to them, nothing -that has not already been borne by Christ in the spirit in which it -ought to be borne by us. Our Saviour Himself had need of patience. He -was made flesh, and all that the children of God have to suffer in -this world has already been suffered by Him. This prayer is at once -warning and consoling. It assures us that those who will live godly -will have trials to bear: there will be untoward circumstances; feeble -health; uncongenial relations; misunderstanding and malice; -unreasonable and evil men; abundant calls for patience. But there will -be no sense of having missed the way, or of being forgotten by God; on -the contrary, there will be in Jesus Christ, ever present, a type and -a fountain of patience, which will enable them to overcome all that is -against them. The love of God and the patience of Christ may be called -the active and the passive sides of Christian goodness,--its free, -steady outgoing to Him who is the source of all blessing; and its -deliberate, steady, hopeful endurance, in the spirit of Him who was -made perfect through suffering. The Lord direct our hearts into both, -that we may be perfect men in Christ Jesus. - - - - -VII. - -_THE CHRISTIAN WORTH OF LABOUR._ - - - "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, - that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh - disorderly, and not after the tradition which they received of us. - For yourselves know how ye ought to imitate us: for we behaved not - ourselves disorderly among you; neither did we eat bread for nought - at any man's hand, but in labour and travail, working night and day, - that we might not burden any of you: not because we have not the - right, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you, that ye should - imitate us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, If - any will not work, neither let him eat. For we hear of some that walk - among you disorderly, that work not at all, but are busybodies. Now - them that are such we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, - that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But ye, - brethren, be not weary in well-doing. And if any man obeyeth not our - word by this epistle, note that man, that ye have no company with - him, to the end that he may be ashamed. And yet count him not as an - enemy, but admonish him as a brother."--2 THESS. iii. 6-15 (R.V.). - -This passage is very similar in contents to one in the fourth chapter -of the First Epistle. The difference between the two is in tone; the -Apostle writes with much greater severity on this than on the earlier -occasion. Entreaty is displaced by command; considerations of -propriety, the appeal to the good name of the church, by the appeal to -the authority of Christ; and good counsel by express directions for -Christian discipline. Plainly the moral situation, which had caused -him anxiety some months before, had become worse rather than better. -What, then, was the situation to which he here addresses himself so -seriously? It was marked by two bad qualities--a disorderly walk and -idleness. - -"We hear," he writes, "of some that walk among you disorderly." The -metaphor in the word is a military one; the underlying idea is that -every man has a post in life or in the Church, and that he ought to be -found, not away from his post, but at it. A man without a post is a -moral anomaly. Every one of us is part of a whole, a member of an -organic body, with functions to discharge which can be discharged by -no other, and must therefore be steadily discharged by himself. To -walk disorderly means to forget this, and to act as if we were -independent; now at this, now at that, according to our discretion or -our whim; not rendering the community a constant service, in a place -of our own--a service which is valuable, largely because it can be -counted on. Every one knows the extreme unsatisfactoriness of those -men who never can keep a place when they get it. Their friends plague -themselves to find new openings for them; but without any gross -offence, such as drunkenness or dishonesty, they persistently fall out -of them; there is something about them which seems to render them -incapable of sticking to their post. It is an unfortunate -constitution, perhaps; but it is a grave moral fault as well. Such men -settle to nothing, and therefore they render no permanent service to -others; whatever they might be worth otherwise, they are worth nothing -in any general estimate, simply because they cannot be depended upon. -What is more, they are worth nothing to themselves; they never -accumulate moral, any more than material, capital; they have no -reserve in them of fidelity, sobriety, discipline. They are to be -pitied, indeed, as all sinners are to be pitied; but they are also to -be commanded, in the name of the Lord Jesus, to lay their minds to -their work, and to remember that steadfastness in duty is an -elementary requirement of the gospel. Among the Thessalonians it was -religious excitement that unsettled men, and made them abandon the -routine of duty; but whatever be the cause, the evil results are the -same. And, on the other hand, when we are loyal, constant, regularly -at our post, however humble it be, we render a real service to others, -and grow in strength of character ourselves. It is the beginning of -all discipline and of all goodness to have fixed relations and fixed -duties, and a fixed determination to be faithful to them. - -Besides this disorderly walk, with its moral instability, Paul heard -of some who worked not at all. In other words, idleness was spreading -in the church. It went to a great and shameless length. Christian men -apparently thought nothing of sacrificing their independence, and -eating bread for which they had not wrought. Such a state of affairs -was peculiarly offensive at Thessalonica, where the Apostle had been -careful to set so different an example. If any one could have been -excused for declining to labour, on the ground that he was preoccupied -with religious hopes and interests, it was he. His apostolic ministry -was a charge which made great demands upon his strength; it used up -the time and energy which he might otherwise have given to his trade: -he might well have urged that other work was a physical impossibility. -More than this, the Lord had ordained that they who preached the -gospel should live by the gospel; and on that ground alone he was -entitled to claim maintenance from those to whom he preached. But -though he was always careful to safeguard this right of the Christian -ministry, he was as careful, as a rule, to refrain from exercising it; -and in Thessalonica, rather than prove a burden to the church, he had -wrought and toiled, night and day, with his own hands. All this was an -example for the Thessalonians to imitate; and we can understand the -severity with which the Apostle treats that idleness which alleges in -its defence the strength of its interest in religion. It was a -personal insult. - -Over against this shallow pretence, Paul sets the Christian virtue of -industry, with its stern law, "If any man _will_ not work, neither let -him eat." If he claims to lead a superhuman angelic life, let him -subsist on angels' food. What we find in this passage is not the -exaggeration which is sometimes called the gospel of work; but the -soberer and truer thought that work is essential, in general, to the -Christian character. The Apostle plays with the words when he writes, -"That work not at all, but are busybodies"; or, as it has been -reproduced in English, who are busy only with what is not their -business. This is, in point of fact, the moral danger of idleness, in -those who are not otherwise vicious.[29] Where men are naturally bad, -it multiplies temptations and opportunities for sin; Satan finds some -mischief still for idle hands to do. But even where it is the good who -are concerned, as in the passage before us, idleness has its perils. -The busybody is a real character--a man or a woman who, having no -steady work to do, which must be done whether it is liked or disliked, -and which is therefore wholesome, is too apt to meddle in other -people's affairs, religious or worldly; and to meddle, too, without -thinking that it _is_ meddling; an impertinence; perhaps a piece of -downright, stone-blind Pharisaism. A person who is not disciplined and -made wise by regular work has no idea of its moral worth and -opportunities; nor has he, as a rule, any idea of the moral -worthlessness and vanity of such an existence as his own. - -There seem to have been a good many fussy people in Thessalonica, -anxious about their industrious neighbours, concerned for their lack -of interest in the Lord's coming, perpetually meddling with them--and -living upon them. It is no wonder that the Apostle expresses himself -with some peremptoriness: "If any man will not work, neither let him -eat." The difficulty about the application of this rule is that it has -no application except to the poor. In a society like our own, the -busybody may be found among those for whom this law has no terror; -they are idle, simply because they have an income which is independent -of labour. Yet what the Apostle says has a lesson for such people -also. One of the dangers of their situation is that they should -under-estimate the moral and spiritual worth of industry. A retired -merchant, a military or naval officer on half-pay, a lady with money -in the funds and no responsibilities but her own,--all these have a -deal of time on their hands; and if they are good people, it is one of -the temptations incident to their situation, that they should have -what the Apostle calls a busybody's interest in others. It need not be -a spurious or an affected interest; but it misjudges the moral -condition of others, and especially of the labouring classes, because -it does not appreciate the moral content of a day full of work. If the -work is done honestly at all, it is a thing of great price; there are -virtues embedded in it, patience, courage, endurance, fidelity, which -contribute as much to the true good of the world and the true -enrichment of personal character as the pious solicitude of those who -have nothing to do but be pious. Perhaps these are things that do not -require to be said. It may rather be the case in our own time that -mere industry is overvalued; and certainly a natural care for the -spiritual interests of our brethren, not Pharisaic, but Christian, not -meddlesome, but most earnest, can never be in excess. It is the -busybody whose interference is resented; the brother, once he is -recognised as a brother, is made welcome. - -Convinced as he is that for mankind in general "no work" means "no -character," Paul commands and exhorts in the Lord Jesus all such as he -has been speaking of to work with quietness, and to eat their own -bread. Their excitement was both unnatural and unspiritual. It was -necessary for their moral health that they should escape from it, and -learn how to walk orderly, and to live at their post. The quietness of -which he speaks is both inward and outward. Let them compose their -minds, and cease from their fussiness; the agitation within, and the -distraction without, are equally fruitless. Far more beautiful, far -more Christlike, than any busybody, however zealous, is he who works -with quietness and eats his own bread. Probably the bulk of the -Thessalonian Church was quite sound in this matter; and it is to -encourage them that the Apostle writes, "But ye, brethren, be not -weary in well-doing." The bad behaviour of the busybodies may have -been provoking to some, infectious in the case of others; but they are -to persevere, in spite of it, in the path of quiet industry and good -conduct. This has not the pretentiousness of an absorbed waiting for -the Lord, and a vaunted renunciation of the world; but it has the -character of moral loveliness; it exercises the new man in the powers -of the new life. - -Along with his judgment on this moral disorder, the Apostle gives the -Church directions for its treatment. It is to be met with reserve, -protest, and love. - -First, with reserve: "Withdraw yourselves from every brother that -walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which they received of -us; ... note that man, that ye have no company with him." The -Christian community has a character to keep, and that character is -compromised by the misconduct of any of its members. To such -misconduct, therefore, it cannot be, and should not be, indifferent: -indifference would be suicidal. The Church exists to maintain a moral -testimony, to keep up a certain standard of conduct among men; and -when that standard is visibly and defiantly departed from, there will -be a reaction of the common conscience in the Church, vigorous in -proportion to her vitality. A bad man may be quite at home in the -world; he may find or make a circle of associates like himself; but -there is something amiss, if he does not find himself alone in the -Church. Every strong life closes itself against the intrusion of what -is alien to it--a strong moral life most emphatically of all. A wicked -person of any description ought to feel that the public sentiment of -the Church is against him, and that as long as he persists in his -wickedness he is virtually, if not formally, excommunicated. The -element of communion in the Church is spiritual soundness; "If we walk -in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with -another." But if any one begins to walk in darkness, he is out of the -fellowship. The only hope for him is that he may recognise the justice -of his exclusion, and, as the Apostle says, be ashamed. He is shut out -from the society of others that he may be driven in upon himself, and -compelled, in spite of wilfulness, to judge himself by the Christian -standard. - -But reserve, impressive as it may be, is not enough. The erring -brother is to be admonished; that is, he is to be gravely spoken to -about his error. Admonition is a difficult duty. Not every one feels -at liberty, or _is_ at liberty, to undertake it. Our own faults -sometimes shut our mouths; the retort courteous, or uncourteous, to -any admonition from us, is too obvious. But though such considerations -should make us humble and diffident, they ought not to lead to -neglect of plain duty. To think too much of one's faults is in some -circumstances a kind of perverted vanity; it is to think too much of -oneself. We have all our faults, of one kind or another; but that does -not prohibit us from aiding each other to overcome faults. If we avoid -anger, and censoriousness; if we shun, as well as disclaim, the spirit -of the Pharisee, then with all our imperfections God will justify us -in speaking seriously to others about their sins. We do not pretend to -judge them; we only appeal to themselves to say whether they are -really at ease when they stand on one side, and the word of God and -the conscience of the Church on the other. In a sense, this is -specially the duty of the elders of the Church. It is they who are -pastors of the flock of God, and who are expressly responsible for -this moral guardianship; but there is no officialism in the Christian -community which limits the interest of any member in all the rest, or -exempts him from the responsibility of pleading the cause of God with -the erring. How many Christian duties there are which seem never to -have come in the way of some Christians. - -Finally, in the discipline of the erring, an essential element is -love. Withdraw from him, and let him feel he is alone; admonish him, -and let him be convinced he is gravely wrong; but in your admonition -remember that he is not an enemy, but a brother. Judgment is a -function which the natural man is prone to assume, and which he -exercises without misgiving. He is so sure of himself, that instead of -admonishing, he denounces; what he is bent upon is not the -reclamation, but the annihilation, of the guilty. Such a spirit is -totally out of place in the Church; it is a direct defiance of the -spirit which created the Christian community, and which that community -is designed to foster. Let the sin be never so flagrant, the sinner is -a brother; he is one for whom Christ died. To the Lord who bought him -he is inexpressibly valuable; and woe to the reprover of sin who -forgets this. The whole power of discipline which is committed to the -Church is for edification, not for destruction; for the building up of -Christian character, not for pulling it down. The case of the offender -is the case of a brother; if we are true Christians, it is our own. We -must act toward him and his offence as Christ acted toward the world -and its sin: no judgment without mercy, no mercy without judgment. -Christ took the sin of the world on Himself, but He made no compromise -with it; He never extenuated it; He never spoke of it or treated it -but with inexorable severity. Yet though the sinful felt to the depth -of their hearts His awful condemnation of their sins, they felt that -in assenting to that condemnation there was hope. To them, as opposed -to their sins, He was winning, condescending, loving. He received -sinners, and in His company they sinned no more. - -Thus it is that in the Christian religion everything comes back to -Christ and to the imitation of Christ. He is the pattern of those -simple and hardy virtues, industry and steadfastness. He wrought at -his trade in Nazareth till the hour came for Him to enter on His -supreme vocation; who can undervalue the possibilities of goodness in -the lives of men who work with quietness and eat their own bread, that -remembers it was over a village carpenter the heavenly voice sounded, -"This is My beloved Son"? Christ is the pattern also for Christian -discipline in its treatment of the erring. No sinner could feel -himself, in his sin, in communion with Christ: the Holy One -instinctively withdrew from him, and he felt he was alone. No offender -had his offence simply condoned by Jesus: the forgiveness of sins -which He bestows includes condemnation as well as remission; it is -wrought in one piece out of His mercy and His judgment. But neither, -again, did any offender, who bowed to Christ's judgment, and suffered -it to condemn him, find himself excluded from His mercy. The Holy One -was the sinner's friend. Those whom He at first repelled were -irresistibly drawn to Him. They began, like Peter, with "Depart from -me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord"; they ended, like him, with "Lord, -to whom shall we go?" This, I say, is the pattern which is set before -us, for the discipline of the erring. This includes reserve, -admonition, love, and much more. If there be any other commandment, it -is summarily comprehended in this word, "Follow Me." - -[29] _Cf._ 1 Tim. v. 13: "And withal they learn also to be idle, going -about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and -busybodies, speaking things which they ought not." - - - - -VIII. - -_FAREWELL._ - - - "Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in all - ways. The Lord be with you all. - - "The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in - every epistle: so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with - you all."--2 THESS. iii. 16-18 (R.V.). - -The first verse of this short passage is taken by some as in close -connection with what goes before. In the exercise of Christian -discipline, such as it has been described by the Apostle, there may be -occasions of friction or even of conflict in the Church; it is this -which he would obviate by the prayer, "The Lord of peace Himself give -you peace always." The contrast is somewhat forced and disproportioned; -and it is certainly better to take this prayer, standing as it does at -the close of the letter, in the very widest sense. Not merely freedom -from strife, but peace in its largest Christian meaning, is the burden -of his petition. - -The Lord of peace Himself is Christ. He is the Author and Originator -of all that goes by that name in the Christian communion. The word -"peace" was not, indeed, a new one; but it had been baptized into -Christ, like many another, and become a new creation. Newman said that -when he passed out of the Church of England into the Church of Rome, -all the Christian ideas, were so to speak, magnified; everything -appeared on a vaster scale. This is a very good description, at all -events, of what one sees on passing from natural morality to the New -Testament, from writers so great even as Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius -to the Apostles. All the moral and spiritual ideas are magnified--sin, -holiness, peace, repentance, love, hope, God, man, attain to new -dimensions. Peace, in particular, was freighted to a Christian with a -weight of meaning which no pagan could conceive. It brought to mind -what Christ had done for man, He who had made peace by the blood of -His Cross; it gave that assurance of God's love, that consciousness of -reconciliation, which alone goes to the bottom of the soul's unrest. -It brought to mind also what Christ had been. It recalled that life -which had faced all man's experience, and had borne through all a -heart untroubled by doubts of God's goodness. It recalled that solemn -bequest: "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you." In every -sense and in every way it was connected with Christ; it could neither -be conceived nor possessed apart from Him; He was Himself the Lord of -the Christian peace. - -The Apostle shows his sense of the comprehensiveness of this blessing -by the adjuncts of his prayer. He asks the Lord to give it to the -Thessalonians uninterruptedly and in all the modes of its -manifestation. Peace may be lost. There may be times at which the -consciousness of reconciliation passes away, and the heart cannot -assure itself before God; these are the times in which we have somehow -lost Christ, and only through Him can we have our peace with God -restored. "Uninterruptedly" we must count upon Him for this first and -fundamental blessing; He is the Lord of Reconciling Love, whose blood -cleanses from all sin, and makes peace between earth and Heaven for -ever. Or there may be times at which the troubles and vexations of -life become too trying for us; and instead of peace within, we are -full of care and fear. What resource have we then but in Christ, and -in the love of God revealed to us in Him? His life is at once a -pattern and an inspiration; His great sacrifice is the assurance that -the love of God to man is immeasurable, and that all things work -together for good to them that love Him. When the Apostle prayed this -prayer, he no doubt thought of the life which lay before the -Thessalonians. He remembered the persecutions they had already -undergone at the hands of the Jews; the similar troubles that awaited -them; the grief of those who were mourning for their dead; the deeper -pain of those on whose hearts rushed suddenly, from time to time, the -memory of days and years wasted in sin; the moral perplexities that -were already rising among them,--he remembered all these things, and -because of them he prayed, "The Lord of peace Himself give you peace -at all times in every way." For there are many ways in which peace may -be possessed; as many ways as there are disquieting situations in -man's life. It may come as penitent trust in God's mercy; it may come -as composure in times of excitement and danger; as meekness and -patience under suffering; as hope when the world would despair; it may -come as unselfishness, and the power to think of others, because we -know God is taking thought for us,--as "a heart at leisure from -itself, to soothe and sympathise." All these are peace. Such peace as -this--so deep and so comprehensive, so reassuring and so -emancipating--is the gift of Christ alone. He can give it without -interruption; He can give it with virtues as manifold as the trials of -the life without or the life within. - -Here, properly speaking, the letter ends. The Apostle has communicated -his mind to the Thessalonians as fully as their situation required; -and might end, as he did in the First Epistle, with his benediction. -But he remembers the unpleasant incident, mentioned in the beginning -of ch. ii., of a letter purporting to be from him, though not really -his; and he takes care to prevent such a mistake for the future. This -Epistle, like almost all the rest, had been written by some one to the -Apostle's dictation; but as a guarantee of genuineness, he closes it -with a line or two in his own hand. "The salutation of me Paul with -mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write." What -does "so I write" mean? Apparently, "You see the character of my -writing; it is a hand quite recognisable as mine; a few lines in this -hand will authenticate every letter that comes from me." - -Perhaps "every letter" only means every one which he would afterwards -write to Thessalonica; certainly attention is not called in all the -Epistles to this autographic close. It is found in only two -others--1st Corinthians (xvi. 21) and Colossians (iv. 18)--exactly as -it stands here, "The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand"; in -others it may have been thought unnecessary, either because, like -Galatians, they were written throughout in his own hand; or, like 2nd -Corinthians and Philemon, were conveyed by persons equally known and -trusted by the Apostle and the recipients. The great Epistle to the -Romans, to judge from its various conclusions, seems to have been from -the very beginning a sort of circular letter; and the personal -character, made prominent by the autograph signature, was less in -place then. The same remark applies to the Epistle to the Ephesians. -As for the pastoral Epistles, to Timothy and Titus, they may have been -autographic throughout; in any case, neither Timothy nor Titus was -likely to be imposed upon by a letter falsely claiming to be Paul's. -They knew their master too well. - -If it was possible to make a mistake in the Apostle's lifetime, and to -take as his an Epistle which he never wrote, is it impossible to be -similarly imposed upon now? Have we reasonable grounds for believing -that the thirteen Epistles in the New Testament, which bear his name -upon their front, really came from his hand? That is a question which -in the last hundred years, and especially in the last fifty, has been -examined with the amplest learning and the most minute and searching -care. Nothing that could possibly be alleged against the authenticity -of any of these Epistles, however destitute of plausibility, has been -kept back. The references to them in early Christian writers, their -reception in the early Church, the character of their contents, their -style, their vocabulary, their temper, their mutual relations, have -been the subject of the most thorough investigation. Nothing has ever -been more carefully tested than the historical judgment of the Church -in receiving them; and though it would be far from true to say that -there were no difficulties, or no divergence of opinion, it is the -simple truth that the consent of historical critics in the great -ecclesiastical tradition becomes more simple and decided. The Church -did not act at random in forming the apostolic canon. It exercised a -sound mind in embodying in the New Testament of our Lord and Saviour -the books which it did embody, and no other. Speaking of Paul in -particular, one ought to say that the only writings ascribed to him, -in regard to which there is any body of doubtful opinion, are the -Epistles to Timothy and Titus. Many seem to feel, in regard to these, -that they are on a lower key than the undoubtedly Pauline letters; -there is less spirit in them, less of the native originality of the -gospel, a nearer approach to moral commonplace; they are not unlike a -half-way house between the apostolic and the post-apostolic age. These -are very dubious grounds to go upon; they will impress different minds -very differently; and when we come to look at the outward evidence for -these letters, they are almost better attested, in early Christian -writers, than anything else in the New Testament. Their semi-legal -character, and the positive rules with which they abound, inferior as -they make them in intellectual and spiritual interest to high works of -inspiration like Romans and Colossians, seem to have enabled simple -Christian people to get hold of them, and to work them out in their -congregations and their homes. All that Paul wrote need not have been -on one level; and it is almost impossible to understand the authority -which these Epistles immediately and universally obtained, if they -were not what they claimed to be. Only a very accomplished scholar -could appreciate the historical arguments for and against them; yet I -do not think it is unfair to say that even here the traditional -opinion is in the way, not of being reversed, but of being confirmed. - -The very existence of such questions, however, warns us against -mistaken estimates of Scripture. People sometimes say, if there be one -point uncertain, our Bible is gone. Well, there _are_ points -uncertain; there are points, too, in regard to which an ordinary -Christian can only have a kind of second-hand assurance; and this of -the genuineness of the pastoral Epistles is one. There is no doubt a -very good case to be made out for them by a scholar; but not a case -which makes doubt impossible. Yet our Bible is not taken away. The -uncertainty touches, at most, the merest fringe of apostolic teaching; -nothing that Paul thought of any consequence, or that is of any -consequence to us, but is abundantly unfolded in documents which are -beyond the reach of doubt. It is not the letter, even of the New -Testament, which quickens, but the Spirit; and the Spirit exerts its -power through these Christian documents as a whole, as it does through -no other documents in the world. When we are perplexed as to whether -an apostle wrote this or that, let us consider that the most important -books in the Bible--the Gospels and the Psalms--do not name their -authors at all. What in the Old Testament can compare with the -Psalter? Yet these sweet songs are practically anonymous. What can be -more certain than that the Gospels bring us into contact with a real -character--the Son of Man, the Saviour of sinners? Yet we know their -authors only through a tradition, a tradition indeed of weight and -unanimity that can hardly be over-estimated; but simply a tradition, -and not an inward mark such as Paul here sets on his letter for the -Thessalonians. "The Church's one Foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord;" -as long as we are actually brought into connection with Him through -Scripture, we must be content to put up with the minor uncertainties -which are inseparable from a religion which has had a birth and a -history. - -But to return to the text. The Epistle closes, as the Apostle's custom -is, with a benediction: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with -you all." Grace is pre-eminently a Pauline word; it is found alike in -the salutations with which Paul addresses his churches, and in the -benedictions with which he bids them farewell; it is the beginning and -the end of his gospel; the element in which Christians live, and move, -and have their being. He excludes no one from his blessing; not even -those who had been walking disorderly, and setting at nought the -tradition they had received from him; their need is the greatest of -all. If we had imagination enough to bring vividly before us the -condition of one of these early churches, we would see how much is -involved in a blessing like this, and what sublime confidence it -displays in the goodness and faithfulness of our Lord. The -Thessalonians, a few months ago, had been heathens; they had known -nothing of God and His Son; they were living still in the midst of a -heathen population, under the pressure of heathen influences both on -thought and conduct, beset by numberless temptations; and if they were -mindful of the country from which they had come forth, not without -opportunity to return. Paul would willingly have stayed with them to -be their pastor and teacher, their guide and their defender, but his -missionary calling made this impossible. After the merest introduction -to the gospel, and to the new life to which it calls those who receive -it, they had to be left to themselves. Who should keep them from -falling? Who should open their eyes to understand the ideal which the -Christian is summoned to work out in his life? Amid their many -enemies, where could they look for a sufficient and ever-present ally? -The Apostle answers these questions when he writes, "The grace of our -Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." Although he has left them, they -are not really alone. The free love of God, which visited them at -first uncalled, will be with them still, to perfect the work it has -begun. It will beset them behind and before; it will be a sun and a -shield to them, a light and a defence. In all their temptations, in -all their sufferings, in all their moral perplexities, in all their -despondencies, it will be sufficient for them. There is not any kind -of succour which a Christian needs which is not to be found in the -grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. - -Here, then, we bring to a close our study of the two earliest Epistles -of St. Paul. They have given us a picture of the primitive apostolic -preaching, and of the primitive Christian Church. That preaching -embodied revelations, and it was the acceptance of these revelations -that created the new society. The Apostle and his fellow-evangelists -came to Thessalonica telling of Jesus, who had died and risen again, -and who was about to return to judge the living and the dead. They -told of the impending wrath of God, that wrath which was revealed -already against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, and was to -be revealed in all its terrors when the Lord came. They preached Jesus -as the Deliverer from the coming wrath, and gathered, through faith in -Him, a Church living in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. -To an uninterested spectator, the work of Paul and his companions -would have seemed a very little thing; he would not have discovered -its originality and promise; he would hardly have counted upon its -permanence. In reality, it was the greatest and most original thing -ever seen in the world. That handful of men and women in Thessalonica -was a new phenomenon in history; life had attained to new dimensions -in them; it had heights and depths in it, a glory and a gloom, of -which the world had never dreamed before; all moral ideas were -magnified, as it were, a thousandfold; an intensity of moral life was -called into being, an ardent passion for goodness, a spiritual fear -and hope, which made them capable of all things. The immediate -effects, indeed, were not unmixed; in some minds not only was the -centre of gravity shifted, but the balance utterly upset; the future -and unseen became so real to them, or were asserted to be so real, -that the present and its duties were totally neglected. But with all -misapprehensions and moral disorders, there was a new experience; a -change so complete and profound that it can only be described as a new -creation. Possessed by Christian faith, the soul discovered new powers -and capacities; it could combine "much affliction" with "joy of the -Holy Ghost"; it could believe in inexorable judgment and in infinite -mercy; it could see into the depths of death and life; it could endure -suffering for Christ's sake with brave patience; it had been lost, but -had found itself again. The life that had once been low, dull, vile, -hopeless, uninteresting, became lofty, vast, intense. Old things had -passed away; behold, all things had become new. - -The Church is much older now than when this Epistle was written; time -has taught her many things; Christian men have learned to compose -their minds and to curb their imaginations; we do not lose our heads -nowadays, and neglect our common duties, in dreaming on the world to -come. Let us say that this is gain; and can we say further that we -have lost nothing which goes some way to counterbalance it? Are the -new things of the gospel as real to us, and as commanding in their -originality, as they were at the first? Do the revelations which are -the sum and substance of the gospel message, the warp and woof of -apostolic preaching, bulk in our minds as they bulk in this letter? Do -they enlarge our thoughts, widen our spiritual horizon, lift to their -own high level, and expand to their own scale, our ideas about God and -man, life and death, sin and holiness, things visible and invisible? -Are we deeply impressed by the coming wrath and by the glory of -Christ? Have we entered into the liberty of those whom the revelation -of the world to come enabled to emancipate themselves from this? These -are the questions that rise in our minds as we try to reproduce the -experience of an early Christian church. In those days, everything was -of inspiration; now, so much is of routine. The words that thrilled -the soul then have become trite and inexpressive; the ideas that gave -new life to thought appear worn and commonplace. But that is only -because we dwell on the surface of them, and keep their real import at -a distance from the mind. Let us accept the apostolic message in all -its simplicity and compass; let us believe, and not merely say or -imagine we believe, that there is a life beyond death, revealed in the -Resurrection, a judgment to come, a wrath of God, a heavenly glory; -let us believe in the infinite significance, and in the infinite -difference, of right and wrong, of holiness and sin; let us realise -the love of Christ, who died for our sins, who calls us to fellowship -with God, who is our Deliverer from the coming wrath; let these truths -fill, inspire, and dominate our minds, and for us, too, faith in -Christ will be a passing from death unto life. - - - - -The EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE - - _Edited_ by W. ROBERTSON NICOLL, D.D., LL.D. - _New and Cheaper Edition. Printed from original plates_ - _Complete in every detail. Uniform with this volume_ - Price 50 cents per volume. (If by mail add 10 cents postage) - -OLD TESTAMENT VOLUMES - - GENESIS. By Rev. Prof. Marcus Dods, D.D. - EXODUS. By Very Rev. G. A. Chadwick, D.D., Dean of Armagh. - LEVITICUS. By Rev. S. H. Kellogg, D.D. - NUMBERS. By Rev. R. A. Watson, D.D. - DEUTERONOMY. By Rev. Prof. Andrew Harper, B.D. - JOSHUA. By Rev. Prof. W. G. Blaikie, D.D., LL.D. - JUDGES AND RUTH. By Rev. R. A. Watson, D.D. - FIRST SAMUEL. By Rev. Prof. W. G. Blaikie, D.D., LL.D. - SECOND SAMUEL. By same author. - FIRST KINGS. By F. W. Farrar, D.D., Dean of Canterbury. - SECOND KINGS. By same author. - FIRST AND SECOND CHRONICLES. By Rev. Prof. W. H. Bennett. - EZRA, NEHEMIAH, AND ESTHER. By Rev. Prof. W. F. Adeney. - JOB. By Rev. R. A. Watson, D.D. - PSALMS. In 3 vols. Vol. I., Chapters I.-XXXVIII.; Vol. II., Chapters - XXXIX.-LXXXIX.; Vol. III., Chapters XC.-CL. By Rev. Alexander - Maclaren, D.D. - PROVERBS. By Rev. R. F. Horton, D.D. - ECCLESIASTES. By Rev. Samuel Cox, D.D. - SONG OF SOLOMON AND LAMENTATIONS. By Rev. Prof. W. F. Adeney. - ISAIAH. In 2 vols. Vol I., Chapters I.-XXXIX.; Vol. II., Chapters - XL-LXVI. By Prof. George Adam Smith, D.D., LL.D. - JEREMIAH. Chapters I.--XX. With a Sketch of his Life and Times. By - Rev. C. J. Ball. - JEREMIAH. Chapters XXI.--LII. By Rev. Prof. W. H. Bennett. - EZEKIEL. By Rev. Prof. John Skinner. - DANIEL. By F. W. Farrar, D.D., Dean of Canterbury. - THE TWELVE (Minor) PROPHETS. In 2 vols. By Rev. George Adam Smith, - D.D., LL.D. - -NEW TESTAMENT VOLUMES - - ST. MATTHEW. By Rev. J. Monro Gibson, D.D. - ST. MARK. By Very Rev. G. A. Chadwick, D.D., Dean of Armagh. - ST. LUKE. By Rev. Henry Burton. - GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN. In 2 vols. Vol. I., Chapters I.-XI.; Vol. II., - Chapters XII.-XXI. By Rev. Prof. Marcus Dods, D.D. - THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. In 2 vols. By Rev. Prof. G. T. Stokes, D.D. - ROMANS. By Rev. Handley C. G. Moule, D.D. - FIRST CORINTHIANS. By Rev. Prof. Marcus Dods, D.D. - SECOND CORINTHIANS. By Rev. James Denney, D.D. - GALATIANS. By Rev. Prof. G. G. Findlay, D.D. - EPHESIANS. By same author. - PHILIPPIANS. By Rev. Principal Robert Rainy, D.D. - COLOSSIANS AND PHILEMON. By Rev. Alexander Maclaren, D.D. - THESSALONIANS. By Rev. James Denney, D.D. - PASTORAL EPISTLES. By Rev. A. Plummer, D.D. - HEBREWS. By Rev. Principal T. C. Edwards, D.D. - ST. JAMES and ST. JUDE. By Rev. A. Plummer, D.D. - ST. PETER. By Rev. Prof. J. Rawson Lumby, D.D. - EPISTLES OF ST. JOHN. By Rt. Rev. W. Alexander, Lord Bishop of Derry. - REVELATION. By Prof. W. Milligan, D.D. - INDEX VOLUME TO ENTIRE SERIES. - -_New York_: HODDER & STOUGHTON, _Publishers_ - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to -the Thessalonians, by James Denney - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE: THESSALONIANS *** - -***** This file should be named 42753-8.txt or 42753-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/7/5/42753/ - -Produced by Marcia Brooks, Chris Pinfield, Colin Bell and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian -Libraries) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to the Thessalonians - -Author: James Denney - -Editor: W. Robertson Nicholl - -Release Date: May 20, 2013 [EBook #42753] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE: THESSALONIANS *** - - - - -Produced by Marcia Brooks, Chris Pinfield, Colin Bell and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian -Libraries) - - - - - - -</pre> - +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 42753 ***</div> <div class="cover"> @@ -8724,383 +8682,6 @@ Christ will be a passing from death unto life.</p> </div> - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to -the Thessalonians, by James Denney - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE: THESSALONIANS *** - -***** This file should be named 42753-h.htm or 42753-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/7/5/42753/ - -Produced by Marcia Brooks, Chris Pinfield, Colin Bell and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian -Libraries) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to the Thessalonians - -Author: James Denney - -Editor: W. Robertson Nicholl - -Release Date: May 20, 2013 [EBook #42753] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE: THESSALONIANS *** - - - - -Produced by Marcia Brooks, Chris Pinfield, Colin Bell and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian -Libraries) - - - - - -Transcriber's Note: - -An advertisement for the Expositor's Bible series has been moved to -the end of the text. - -The start of each chapter extends over several pages in the original. -These have been simplified. - -A ligature and two macrons have been rendered in ordinary font. Small -capitals have been rendered in ordinary capitals. Italics are -indicated by _underscores_, Greek by +plus signs+, and one Hebrew word -by =equal signs=. - -Apparent punctuation errors, and a small number of apparent spelling -errors (both English and Greek) have been corrected. Hyphenation has -been rationalised. - - - - -The - -Expositor's Bible - -Edited by - -W. Robertson Nicoll, D.D., LL.D. - - -THE EPISTLES - -TO THE THESSALONIANS - - BY THE - REV. JAMES DENNEY, B.D. - - HODDER & STOUGHTON - NEW YORK - GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -_THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS._ - - PAGE - I. - THE CHURCH OF THE THESSALONIANS 3 - - II. - THE THANKSGIVING 21 - - III. - THE SIGNS OF ELECTION 37 - - IV. - CONVERSION 53 - - V. - APOLOGIA PRO VITA SUA 69 - - VI. - IMPEACHMENT OF THE JEWS 83 - - VII. - ABSENCE AND LONGING 99 - - VIII. - LOVE AND PRAYERS 117 - - IX. - PERSONAL PURITY 135 - - X. - CHARITY AND INDEPENDENCE 151 - - XI. - THE DEAD IN CHRIST 169 - - XII. - THE DAY OF THE LORD 185 - - XIII. - RULERS AND RULED 201 - - XIV. - THE STANDING ORDERS OF THE GOSPEL 217 - - XV. - THE SPIRIT 233 - - XVI. - CONCLUSION 251 - - -_THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS._ - - I. - SALUTATION AND THANKSGIVING 271 - - II. - SUFFERING AND GLORY 289 - - III. - THE MAN OF SIN 305 - - IV. - THE RESTRAINT AND ITS REMOVAL 323 - - V. - THE THEOLOGY OF PAUL 341 - - VI. - MUTUAL INTERCESSION 359 - - VII. - THE CHRISTIAN WORTH OF LABOUR 375 - - VIII. - FAREWELL 391 - - - - -I. - -THE CHURCH OF THE THESSALONIANS. - - - "Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came - to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, as his - custom was, went in unto them, and for three sabbath days reasoned - with them from the scriptures, opening and alleging, that it behoved - the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this - Jesus, whom, _said he_, I proclaim unto you, is the Christ. And - some of them were persuaded, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and - of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a - few. But the Jews, being moved with jealousy, took unto them certain - vile fellows of the rabble, and gathering a crowd, set the city on an - uproar; and assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them - forth to the people. And when they found them not, they dragged Jason - and certain brethren before the rulers of the city, crying, These - that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; whom - Jason hath received: and these all act contrary to the decrees of - Caesar, saying that there is another king, _one_ Jesus. And they - troubled the multitude and the rulers of the city, when they heard - these things. And when they had taken security from Jason and the - rest, they let them go."--ACTS xvii. 1-9 (R.V.). - - "Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the church of the - Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to - you and peace."--1 THESS. i. 1 (R.V.). - -Thessalonica, now called Saloniki, was in the first century of our era -a large and flourishing city. It was situated at the north-eastern -corner of the Thermaic gulf, on the line of the great Egnatian road, -which formed the main connection by land between Italy and the East. -It was an important commercial centre, with a mixed population of -Greeks, Romans, and Jews. The Jews, who at the present day amount to -some twenty thousand, were numerous enough to have a synagogue of -their own; and we can infer from the Book of Acts (xvii. 4) that it -was frequented by many of the better spirits among the Gentiles also. -Unconsciously, and as the event too often proved, unwillingly, the -Dispersion was preparing the way of the Lord. - -To this city the Apostle Paul came, attended by Silas and Timothy, in -the course of his second missionary journey. He had just left -Philippi, dearest to his heart of all his churches; for there, more -than anywhere else, the sufferings of Christ had abounded in him, and -his consolations also had been abundant in Christ. He came to -Thessalonica with the marks of the lictors' rods upon his body; but to -him they were the marks of Jesus; not warnings to change his path, but -tokens that the Lord was taking him into fellowship with Himself, and -binding him more strictly to His service. He came with the memory of -his converts' kindness warm upon his heart; conscious that, amid -whatever disappointments, a welcome awaited the gospel, which admitted -its messenger into the joy of his Lord. We need not wonder, then, that -the Apostle kept to his custom, and in spite of the malignity of the -Jews, made his way, when Sabbath came, to the synagogue of -Thessalonica. - -His evangelistic ministry is very briefly described by St. Luke. For -three Sabbath days he addressed himself to his fellow-countrymen. He -took the Scriptures into his hand, that is, of course, the Old -Testament Scriptures,--and opening the mysterious casket, as the -picturesque words in Acts describe his method, he brought out and set -before his auditors, as its inmost and essential secret, the wonderful -idea that the Christ whom they all expected, the Messiah of God, must -die and rise again from the dead. That was not what ordinary Jewish -readers found in the law, the prophets, or the psalms; but, once -persuaded that this interpretation was true, it was not difficult to -believe that the Jesus whom Paul preached was the Christ for whom they -all hoped. Luke tells us that some were persuaded; but they cannot -have been many: his account agrees with the representation of the -Epistle (i. 9) that the church at Thessalonica was mainly Gentile. Of -the "chief women not a few," who were among the first converts, we -know nothing; the exhortations in both Epistles make it plain that -what Paul left at Thessalonica was what we should call a working-class -congregation. The jealousy of the Jews, who resorted to the device -which had already proved successful at Philippi, compelled Paul and -his friends to leave the city prematurely. The mission, indeed, had -probably lasted longer than most readers infer from Acts xvii. Paul -had had time to make his character and conduct impressive to the -church, and to deal with each one of them as a father with his own -children (ii. 11); he had wrought night and day with his own hands for -a livelihood (2 Thess. iii. 8); he had twice received help from the -Philippians (Phil. iv. 15, 16). But although this implies a stay of -some duration, much remained to be done; and the natural anxiety of -the Apostle, as he thought of his inexperienced disciples, was -intensified by the reflection that he had left them exposed to the -malignity of his and their enemies. What means that malignity -employed--what violence and what calumny--the Epistle itself enables -us to see; meantime, it is sufficient to say that the pressure of -these things upon the Apostle's spirit was the occasion of his writing -this letter. He had tried in vain to get back to Thessalonica; he had -condemned himself to solitude in a strange city that he might send -Timothy to them; he must hear whether they stand fast in their -Christian calling. On his return from this mission Timothy joined Paul -in Corinth with a report, cheering on the whole, yet not without its -graver side, concerning the Thessalonian believers; and the first -Epistle is the apostolic message in these circumstances. It is, in all -probability, the earliest of the New Testament writings; it is -certainly the earliest extant of Paul's: if we except the decree in -Acts xv., it is the earliest piece of Christian writing in -existence.[1] - -The names mentioned in the address are all well known--Paul, Silvanus, -and Timothy. The three are united in the greeting, and are sometimes, -apparently, included in the "we" or "us" of the Epistle; but they are -not joint authors of it. It is the Epistle of Paul, who includes them -in the salutation out of courtesy, as in the First to the Corinthians -he includes Sosthenes, and in Galatians "all the brethren that are -with me"; a courtesy the more binding on this occasion that Silas and -Timothy had shared with him his missionary work in Thessalonica. In -First and Second Thessalonians only, of all his letters, the Apostle -adds nothing to his name to indicate the character in which he writes; -he neither calls himself an apostle, nor a servant of Jesus Christ. -The Thessalonians knew him simply for what he was; his apostolic -dignity was yet unassailed by false brethren; the simple name was -enough. Silas comes before Timothy as an older man, and a -fellow-labourer of longer standing. In the Book of Acts he is -described as a prophet, and as one of the chief men among the -brethren; he had been associated with Paul all through this journey; -and though we know very little of him, the fact that he was chosen one -of the bearers of the apostolic decree, and that he afterwards -attached himself to Paul, justifies the inference that he heartily -sympathised with the evangelising of the heathen. Timothy was -apparently one of Paul's own converts. Carefully instructed in -childhood by a pious mother and grandmother, he had been won to the -faith of Christ during the first tour of the Apostle in Asia Minor. He -was naturally timid, but kept the faith in spite of the persecutions -which then awaited it; and when Paul returned, he found that the -steadfastness and other graces of his spiritual son had won an -honourable name in the local churches. He determined to take him with -him, apparently in the character of an evangelist; but before he was -ordained by the presbyters, Paul circumcised him, remembering his -Jewish descent on the mother's side, and desirous of facilitating his -access to the synagogue, in which the work of gospel preaching usually -began. Of all the Apostle's assistants he was the most faithful and -affectionate. He had the true pastoral spirit, devoid of selfishness, -and caring naturally and unfeignedly for the souls of men (Phil. ii. -20 f.). Such were the three who sent their Christian greetings in this -Epistle. - -The greetings are addressed "to the church of (the) Thessalonians in -God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." No such address had ever -been written or read before, for the community to which it was -directed was a new thing in the world. The word translated "church" -was certainly familiar enough to all who knew Greek: it was the name -given to the citizens of a Greek town assembled for public business; -it is the name given in the Greek Bible either to the children of -Israel as the congregation of Jehovah, or to any gathering of them for -a special purpose; but here it obtains a new significance. The church -of the Thessalonians is a church in God the Father and the Lord Jesus -Christ. It is the common relation of its members to God the Father -and the Lord Jesus Christ which constitutes them a church in the sense -of the Apostle: in contradistinction from all other associations or -societies, they form a Christian community. The Jews who met from -Sabbath to Sabbath in the synagogue were a church; they were one in -the acknowledgment of the Living God, and in their observance of His -law; God, as revealed in the Old Testament and in the polity of -Israel, was the element or atmosphere of their spiritual life. The -citizens of Thessalonica, who met in the theatre to discuss their -political interests, were a "church"; they were one in recognising the -same constitution and the same ends of civic life; it was in that -constitution, in the pursuit of those ends, that they found the -atmosphere in which they lived. Paul in this Epistle greets a -community distinct from either of these. It is not civic, but -religious; though religious, it is neither pagan nor Jewish; it is an -original creation, new in its bond of union, in the law by which it -lives, in the objects at which it aims; a church in God the Father and -in the Lord Jesus Christ. - -This newness and originality of Christianity could not fail to impress -those who first received it. The gospel made an immeasurable -difference to them, a difference almost equally great whether they had -been Jews or heathen before; and they were intensely conscious of the -gulf which separated their new life from the old. In another epistle -Paul describes the condition of Gentiles not yet evangelised. Once, he -says, you were apart from Christ, without God, in the world. The -world--the great system of things and interests separated from -God--was the sphere and element of their life. The gospel found them -there, and translated them. When they received it, they ceased to be -in the world; they were no longer apart from Christ, and without God: -they were in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing -could be more revolutionary in those days than to become a Christian: -old things passed away; all things became new; all things were -determined by the new relation to God and His Son. The difference -between the Christian and the non-Christian was as unmistakable and as -clear to the Christian mind as the difference between the shipwrecked -sailor who has reached the shore and him who is still fighting a -hopeless fight with wind and waves. In a country which has long been -Christian, that difference tends, to sense at least, and to -imagination, to disappear. We are not vividly impressed with the -distinction between those who claim to be Christians and those who do -not; we do not see a radical unlikeness, and we are sometimes disposed -to deny it. We may even feel that we are bound to deny it, were it -only in justice to God. He has made all men for Himself; He is the -Father of all; He is near to all, even when they are blind to Him; the -pressure of His hand is felt and in a measure responded to by all, -even when they do not recognise it; to say that any one is +atheos+, -or +choris Christou+, or that he is _not_ in God the Father and in the -Lord Jesus Christ, seems really to deny both God and man. - -Yet what is at issue here is really a question of fact; and among -those who have been in contact with the facts, among those, above all, -who have had experience of the critical fact--who once were not -Christians and now are--there will not be two opinions about it. The -difference between the Christian and the non-Christian, though -historical accidents have made it less visible, or rather, less -conspicuous than it once was, is still as real and as vast as ever. -The higher nature of man, intellectual and spiritual, must always have -an element in which it lives, an atmosphere surrounding it, principles -to guide it, ends to stimulate its action; and it may find all these -in either of two places. It may find them in the world--that is, in -that sphere of things from which God, so far as man's will and intent -goes, is excluded; or it may find them in God Himself and in His Son. -It is no objection to this division to say that God cannot be excluded -from His own world, that He is always at work there whether -acknowledged or not; for the acknowledgment is the essential point; -without it, though God is near to man, man is still far from God. -Nothing could be a more hopeless symptom in character than the -benevolent neutrality which evades this truth; it takes away every -motive to evangelise the non-Christian, or to work out the originality -and distinctiveness of the Christian life itself. Now, as in the -apostolic age, there are persons who are Christians and persons who -are not; and, however alike their lives may be on the surface, they -are radically apart. Their centre is different; the element in which -they move is different; the nutriment of thought, the fountain of -motives, the standard of purity are different; they are related to -each other as life in God, and life without God; life in Christ, and -life apart from Christ; and in proportion to their sincerity is their -mutual antagonism. - -In Thessalonica the Christian life was original enough to have formed -a new society. In those days, and in the Roman Empire, there was not -much room for the social instincts to expand. Unions of all kinds were -suspected by the governments, and discouraged, as probable centres of -political disaffection. Local self-government ceased to be interesting -when all important interests were withdrawn from its control; and even -had it been otherwise, there was no part in it possible for that great -mass of population from which the Church was so largely recruited, -namely, the slaves. Any power that could bring men together, that -could touch them deeply, and give them a common interest that engaged -their hearts and bound them to each other, met the greatest want of -the time, and was sure of a welcome. Such a power was the gospel -preached by Paul. It formed little communities of men and women -wherever it was proclaimed; communities in which there was no law but -that of love, in which heart opened to heart as nowhere else in all -the world, in which there was fervour and hope and freedom and -brotherly kindness, and all that makes life good and dear. We feel -this very strongly in reading the New Testament, and it is one of the -points on which, unhappily, we have drifted away from the primitive -model. The Christian congregation is not now, in point of fact, the -type of a sociable community. Too often it is oppressed with -constraint and formality. Take any particular member of any particular -congregation; and his social circle, the company of friends in which -he expands most freely and happily, will possibly have no connection -with those he sits beside in the church. The power of the faith to -bring men into real unity with each other is not lessened; we see this -wherever the gospel breaks ground in a heathen country, or wherever -the frigidity of the church drives two or three fervent souls to form -a secret society of their own, but the temperature of faith itself is -lowered; we are not really living, with any intensity of life, in God -the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. If we were, we would be drawn -closer to each other; our hearts would touch and overflow; the place -where we meet in the name of Jesus would be the most radiant and -sociable place we know. - -Nothing could better illustrate the reality of that new character -which Christianity confers than the fact that men can be addressed as -Christians. Nothing, either, could better illustrate the confusion of -mind that exists in this matter, or the insincerity of much -profession, than the fact that so many members of churches would -hesitate before taking the liberty so to address a brother. We have -all written letters, and on all sorts of occasions; we have addressed -men as lawyers, or doctors, or men of business; we have sent or -accepted invitations to gatherings where nothing would have astonished -us more than the unaffected naming of the name of God; did we ever -write to anybody because he was a Christian, and because we were -Christians? Of all the relations in which we stand to others, is that -which is established by "our common Christianity," by our common life -in Jesus Christ, the only one which is so crazy and precarious that it -can never be really used for anything? Here we see the Apostle look -back from Corinth to Thessalonica, and his one interest in the poor -people whom he remembers so affectionately is that they are -Christians. The one thing in which he wishes to help them is their -Christian life. He does not care much whether they are well or ill off -in respect of this world's goods; but he is anxious to supply what is -lacking in their faith (iii. 10). How real a thing the Christian life -was to him! what a substantial interest, whether in himself or in -others, engrossing all his thought, absorbing all his love and -devotion. To many of us it is the one topic for silence; to him it was -the one theme of thought and speech. He wrote about it, as he spoke -about it, as though there were no other interest for man; and letters -like those of Thomas Erskine show that still, out of the abundance of -the heart, the mouth speaketh. The full soul overflows, unaffected, -unforced; Christian fellowship, as soon as Christian life is real, is -restored to its true place. - -Paul, Silas, and Timothy wish the church of the Thessalonians grace -and peace. This is the greeting in all the Apostle's letters; it is -not varied except by the addition of "mercy" in the Epistles to -Timothy and Titus. In form it seems to combine the salutations current -among the Greeks and the Jews (+chairein+ and =shalom=), but in import -it has all the originality of the Christian faith. In the second -Epistle it runs, "Grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord -Jesus Christ." Grace is the love of God, spontaneous, beautiful, -unearned, at work in Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinful men; -peace is the effect and fruit in man of the reception of grace. It is -easy to narrow unduly the significance of peace; those expositors do -so who suppose in this passage a reference to the persecution which -the Thessalonian Christians had to bear, and understand the Apostle to -wish them deliverance from it. The Apostle has something far more -comprehensive in his mind. The peace, which Christ is; the peace with -God which we have when we are reconciled to Him by the death of His -Son; the soul-health which comes when grace makes our hearts to their -very depths right with God, and frightens away care and fear; this -"perfect soundness" spiritually is all summed up in the word. It -carries in it the fulness of the blessing of Christ. The order of the -words is significant; there is no peace without grace; and there is no -grace apart from fellowship with God in Christ. The history of the -Church has been written by some who practically put Paul in Christ's -place; and by others who imagine that the doctrine of the person of -Christ only attained by slow degrees, and in the post-apostolic age, -its traditional importance; but here, in the oldest extant monument of -the Christian faith, and in the very first line of it, the Church is -defined as existing in the Lord Jesus Christ; and in that single -expression, in which the Son stands side by side with the Father, as -the life of all believing souls, we have the final refutation of such -perverse thoughts. By the grace of God, incarnate in Jesus Christ, the -Christian is what he is; he lives and moves and has his being there; -apart from Christ, he is not. Here, then, is our hope. Conscious of -our own sins, and of the shortcomings of the Christian community of -which we are members, let us have recourse to Him whose grace is -sufficient for us. Let us abide in Christ, and in all things grow up -into Him. God alone is good; Christ alone is the Pattern and the -Inspiration of the Christian character; only in the Father and the Son -can the new life and the new fellowship come to their perfection. - -[1] The date cannot be precisely assigned, but it is not later than 54 -A.D., and cannot be so early as 52. Most scholars say 54. It was -written in Corinth. - - - - -II. - -THE THANKSGIVING. - - - "We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in - our prayers; remembering without ceasing your work of faith and - labour of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before - our God and Father; knowing, brethren beloved of God, your - election."--1 THESS. i. 2-4. (R.V.). - -The salutation in St. Paul's epistles is regularly followed by the -thanksgiving. Once only, in the Epistle to the Galatians, is it -omitted; the amazement and indignation with which the Apostle has -heard that his converts are forsaking his gospel for another which is -not a gospel at all, carries him out of himself for a moment. But in -his earliest letter it stands in its proper place; before he thinks of -congratulating, teaching, exhorting, admonishing, he gives God thanks -for the tokens of His grace in the Thessalonians. He would not be -writing to these people at all if they were not Christians; they would -never have been Christians but for the free goodness of God; and -before he says one word directly to them, he acknowledges that -goodness with a grateful heart. - -In this case the thanksgiving is particularly fervent. It has no -drawback. There is no profane person at Thessalonica, like him who -defiled the church at Corinth at a later period; we give thanks, says -the Apostle, for you all. It is, as far as the nature of the case -permits, uninterrupted. As often as Paul prays, he makes mention of -them and gives thanks; he remembers without ceasing their new-born -graces. We ought not to extenuate the force of such words, as if they -were mere exaggerations, the idle extravagances of a man who -habitually said more than he meant. Paul's life was concentrated and -intense, to a degree of which we have probably little conception. He -lived for Christ, and for the churches of Christ; it was literal -truth, not extravagance, when he said, "This one thing I do": the life -of these churches, their interests, their necessities, their dangers, -God's goodness to them, his own duty to serve them, all these -constituted together the one dear concernment of his life; they were -ever with him in God's sight, and therefore in his intercessions and -thanksgivings to God. Other men's minds might surge with various -interests; new ambitions or affections might displace old ones; -fickleness or disappointments might change their whole career; but it -was not so with him. His thoughts and affections never changed their -object, for the same conditions appealed constantly to the same -susceptibility; if he grieved over the unbelief of the Jews, he had -unceasing (+adialeipton+) pain in his heart; if he gave thanks for the -Thessalonians, he remembered without ceasing (+adialeiptos+) the -graces with which they had been adorned by God. - -Nor were these continual thanksgivings vague or formal; the Apostle -recalls, in each particular case, the special manifestations of -Christian character which inspire his gratitude. Sometimes, as in 1st -Corinthians, they are less spiritual--gifts, rather than graces; -utterance and knowledge, without charity; sometimes, as here, they are -eminently spiritual--faith, love, and hope. The conjunction of these -three in the earliest of Paul's letters is worthy of remark. They -occur again in the well-known passage in 1 Cor. xiii., where, though -they share in the distinction of being eternal, and not, like -knowledge and eloquence, transitory in their nature, love is exalted -to an eminence above the other two. They occur a third time in one of -the later epistles--that to the Colossians--and in the same order as -here. That, says Lightfoot on the passage, is the natural order. -"Faith rests on the past; love works in the present; hope looks to the -future." Whether this distribution of the graces is accurate or not, -it suggests the truth that they cover and fill up the whole Christian -life. They are the sum and substance of it, whether it looks back, or -looks round, or looks forward. The germ of all perfection is implanted -in the soul which is the dwelling-place of "these three." - -Though none of them can really exist, in its Christian quality, -without the others, any of them may preponderate at a given time. It -is not quite fanciful to point out that each in its turn seems to -have bulked most largely in the experience of the Apostle himself. His -earliest epistles--the two to the Thessalonians--are pre-eminently -epistles of hope. They look to the future; the doctrinal interest -uppermost in them is that of the second coming of the Lord, and the -final rest of the Church. The epistles of the next period--Romans, -Corinthians, and Galatians--are as distinctly epistles of faith. They -deal largely with faith as the power which unites the soul to God in -Christ, and brings into it the virtue of the atoning death and -resurrection of Jesus. Later still, there are the epistles of which -Colossians and Ephesians are the type. The great thought in these is -that of the unity wrought by love; Christ is the head of the Church; -the Church is the body of Christ; the building up of the body in love, -by the mutual help of the members, and their common dependence on the -Head, preoccupies the apostolic writer. All this may have been more or -less accidental, due to circumstances which had nothing to do with the -spiritual life of Paul; but it has the look of being natural too. Hope -prevails first--the new world of things unseen and eternal outweighs -the old; it is the stage at which religion is least free from the -influence of sense and imagination. Then comes the reign of faith; the -inward gains upon the outward; the mystical union of the soul to -Christ, in which His spiritual life is appropriated, is more or less -sufficient to itself; it is the stage, if it be a stage at all, at -which religion becomes independent of imagination and sense. Finally, -love reigns. The solidarity of all Christian interests is strongly -felt; the life flows out again, in all manner of Christian service, on -those by whom it is surrounded; the Christian moves and has his being -in the body of which he is a member. All this, I repeat, can be only -comparatively true; but the character and sequence of the Apostle's -writings speak for its truth so far. - -But it is not simply faith, love, and hope that are in question here: -"we remember," says the Apostle, "your _work_ of faith and -_labour_ of love and _patience_ of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." -We call faith, love, and hope the Christian graces; and we are apt to -forget that the associations of heathen mythology, thus introduced, -are disturbing rather than enlightening. The three Graces of the -Greeks are ideally beautiful figures; but their beauty is aesthetic, -not spiritual. They are lovely as a group of statuary is lovely; but -though "by (their) gift come unto men all pleasant things and sweet, -and the wisdom of a man and his beauty, and the splendour of his -fame," their nature is utterly unlike that of the three powers of the -Christian character; no one would dream of ascribing to them work, and -labour and patience. Yet the mere fact that "Graces" has been used as -a common name for both has diffused the idea that the Christian -graces also are to be viewed mainly as the adornments of character, -its unsought, unstudied beauties, set on it by God to subdue and charm -the world. That is quite wrong; the _Greek_ Graces are essentially -beauties; they confer on men all that wins admiration--personal -comeliness, victory in the games, a happy mood; but the _Christian_ -graces are essentially powers; they are new virtues and forces which -God has implanted in the soul that it may be able to do His work in -the world. The heathen Graces are lovely to look at, and that is all; -but the Christian graces are not subjects for aesthetic contemplation; -they are here to work, to toil, to endure. If they have a beauty of -their own--and surely they have--it is a beauty not in form or colour, -not appealing to the eye or the imagination, but only to the spirit -which has seen and loved Christ, and loves His likeness in whatever -guise. - -Let us look at the Apostle's words more closely: he speaks of a work -of faith; to take it exactly, of something which faith has done. Faith -is a conviction with regard to things unseen, that makes them present -and real. Faith in God as revealed in Christ, and in His death for -sin, makes reconciliation real; it gives the believer peace with God. -But it is not shut up in the realm of things inward and unseen. If it -were, a man might say what he pleased about it, and there would be no -check upon his words. Wherever it exists, it works; he who is interested -can see what it has done. Apparently the Apostle has some particular -work of faith in his mind in this passage; some thing which the -Thessalonians had actually done, because they believed but what it is -we cannot tell. Certainly not faith itself; certainly not love, as -some think, referring to Gal. v. 6; if a conjecture may be hazarded, -possibly some act of courage or fidelity under persecution, similar to -those adduced in Heb. xi. That famous chapter contains a catalogue of -the works which faith wrought; and serves as a commentary, therefore, -on this expression. Surely we ought to notice that the great Apostle, -whose name has been the strength and shield of all who preach -justification by faith alone, the very first time he mentions this -grace in his epistles, mentions it as a power which leaves its witness -in work. - -It is so, also, with love: "we remember," he writes, "your labour of -love." The difference between +ergon+ (work) and +kopos+ (labour) is -that between effect and effort. The Apostle recalls something which -the faith of the Thessalonians did; he recalls also the wearisome toil -in which their love spent itself. Love is not so capable of abuse in -religion, or, at least, it has not been so rankly abused, as faith. -Men are much more apt to demand the proof of it. It has an inward side -as much as faith, but it is not an emotion which exhausts itself in -its own transports. Merely as emotion, indeed, it is apt to be -undervalued. In the Church of to-day emotion needs rather to be -stimulated than repressed. The passion of the New Testament startles -us when we chance to feel it. For one man among us who is using up the -powers of his soul in barren ecstasies, there are thousands who have -never been moved by Christ's love to a single tear or a single heart -throb. They must learn to love before they can labour. They must be -kindled by that fire which burned in Christ's heart, and which He came -to cast upon the earth, before they can do anything in His service. -But if the love of Christ has really met that answer in love for which -it waits, the time for service has come. Love in the Christian will -attest itself as it attested itself in Christ. It will prescribe and -point out the path of labour. The word employed in this passage is one -often used by the Apostle to describe his own laborious life. Love set -him, and will set every one in whose heart it truly burns, upon -incessant, unwearied efforts for others' good. Paul was ready to spend -and be spent at its bidding, however small the result might be. He -toiled with his hands, he toiled with his brain, he toiled with his -ardent, eager, passionate heart, he toiled in his continual -intercessions with God, and all these toils made up his _labour_ of -love. "A labour of love," in current language, is a piece of work -done so willingly that no payment is expected for it. But a labour of -love is not what the Apostle is speaking of; it is _laboriousness_, as -love's characteristic. Let Christian men and women ask themselves -whether their love can be so characterised. We have all been tired in -our time, one may presume; we have toiled in business, or in some -ambitious course, or in the perfecting of some accomplishment, or even -in the mastery of some game or the pursuit of some amusement, till we -were utterly wearied: how many of us have so toiled in love? How many -of us have been wearied and worn with some labour to which we set -ourselves for God's sake? This is what the Apostle has in view in this -passage; and, strange as it may appear, it is one of the things for -which he gives God thanks. But is he not right? Is it not a thing to -evoke gratitude and joy, that God counts us worthy to be -fellow-labourers with Him in the manifold works which love imposes? - -The church at Thessalonica was not old; its first members could only -count their Christian age by months. Yet love is so native to the -Christian life, that they found at once a career for it; demands were -made upon their sympathy and their strength which were met at once, -though never suspected before. "What are we to do," we sometimes ask, -"if we would work the works of God?" If we have love enough in our -hearts, it will answer all its own questions. It is the fulfilling of -the law just because it shows us plainly where service is needed, and -puts us upon rendering it at any cost of pain or toil. It is not too -much to say that the very word chosen by the Apostle to characterise -love--this word +kopos+--is peculiarly appropriate, because it brings -out, not the issue, but only the cost, of work. With the result -desired, or without it; with faint hope, or with hope most sure, love -labours, toils, spends and is spent over its task: this is the very -seal of its genuine Christian character. - -The third grace remains: "your patience of hope in our Lord Jesus -Christ." The second coming of Christ was an element in apostolic -teaching which, whether exceptionally prominent or not, had made an -exceptional impression at Thessalonica. It will more naturally be -studied at another place; here it is sufficient to say that it was the -great object of Christian hope. Christians not only believed Christ -would come again; they not only expected Him to come; they were eager -for His coming. "How long, O Lord?" they cried in their distress. -"Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly," was their prayer. - -It is matter of notoriety that hope in this sense does not hold its -ancient place in the heart of the Church. It holds a much lower place. -Christian men hope for this or that; they hope that threatening -symptoms in the Church or in society may pass away, and better things -appear; they hope that when the worst comes to the worst, it will not -be so bad as the pessimists anticipate. Such impotent and ineffective -hope is of no kindred to the hope of the gospel. So far from being a -power of God in the soul, a victorious grace, it is a sure token that -God is absent. Instead of inspiring, it discourages; it leads to -numberless self-deceptions; men _hope_ their lives are right with God, -when they ought to search them and see; they _hope_ things will turn -out well, when they ought to be taking security of them. All this, -where our relations to God are concerned, is a degradation of the very -word. The Christian hope is laid up in heaven. The object of it is the -Lord Jesus Christ. It is not precarious, but certain; it is not -ineffective, but a great and energetic power. Anything else is not -hope at all. - -The operation of the true hope is manifold. It is a sanctifying grace, -as appears from 1 John iii. 3: "Every one that hath this hope set on -Him, purifieth himself, even as He is pure." But here the Apostle -characterises it by its patience. The two virtues are so inseparable -that Paul sometimes uses them as equivalent; twice in the Epistles to -Timothy and Titus, he says faith, love, and patience, instead of -faith, love, and hope. But what is patience? The word is one of the -great words of the New Testament. The corresponding verb is usually -rendered endurance, as in Christ's saying, "He that endureth to the -end, the same shall be saved." Patience is more than resignation or -meek submission; it is hope in the shade, but hope nevertheless; the -brave steadfastness which bears up under all burdens because the Lord -is at hand. The Thessalonians had much affliction in their early days -as Christians; they were tried, too, as we all are, by inward -discouragements--that persistence and vitality of sin that break the -spirit and beget despair; but they saw close at hand the glory of the -Lord; and in the patience of hope they held out, and fought the good -fight to the last. It is truly significant that in the Pastoral -Epistles patience has taken the place of hope in the trinity of -graces. It is as if Paul had discovered, by prolonged experience, that -it was in the form of patience that hope was to be mainly effective in -the Christian life. The Thessalonians, some of them, were abusing the -great hope; it was working mischief in their lives, because it was -misapplied; in this single word Paul hints at the truth which abundant -experience had taught him, that all the energy of hope must be -transformed into brave patience if we would stand in our place at the -last. Remembering their work of faith, and labour of love, and -patience of hope, in the presence of our God and Father, the Apostle -gives thanks to God always for them all. Happy is the man whose joys -are such that he can gratefully dwell on them in that presence: happy -are those also who give others cause to thank God on their behalf. - -The ground of the thanksgiving is finally comprehended in one short -and striking phrase: "Knowing, brethren beloved of God, your -election." The doctrine of election has often been taught as if the -one thing that could never be known about anybody was whether he was -or was not elect. The assumed impossibility does not square with New -Testament ways of speaking. Paul knew the elect, he says here; at -least he knew the Thessalonians were elect. In the same way he writes -to the Ephesians: "God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the -world; ... in love He foreordained us to adoption as sons." Chose whom -before the foundation of the world? Foreordained whom? Himself, and -those whom he addressed. If the Church has learned the doctrine of -election from anybody, it has been from Paul; but to him it had a -basis in experience, and apparently he felt differently about it from -many theologians. He knew when the people he spoke to were elect; how, -he tells in what follows. - - - - -III. - -THE SIGNS OF ELECTION. - - - "How that our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in - power, and in the Holy Ghost, and _in_ much assurance; even as ye - know what manner of men we showed ourselves toward you for your sake. - And ye became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the - word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost; so that ye - became an ensample to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For - from you hath sounded forth the word of the Lord, not only in - Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith to God-ward is - gone forth; so that we need not to speak anything."--1 THESS. i. 5-8 - (R.V.). - -The Revised Version renders the +hoti+, with which ver. 5 begins, "how -that," the Authorised Version, "for." In the first case, the Apostle -is made to explain in what election consists; in the other, he -explains how it is that he knows the Thessalonians to be among the -elect. There is hardly room to doubt that it is this last which he -intends to do. Election does not consist in the things which he -proceeds to enlarge upon, though these may be in some sense its -effects or tokens; and there is something like unanimity among -scholars in favour of the rendering "for," or "because." What, then, -are the grounds of the statement, that Paul knows the election of the -Thessalonians? They are twofold; lying partly in his own experience, -and that of his fellow-labourers, while they preached the gospel in -Thessalonica; and partly in the reception which the Thessalonians gave -to their message. - -I. The tokens in the preacher that his hearers are elect: "Our gospel -came not unto you in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Ghost, -and in much assurance." That was the consciousness of the preachers -themselves, but they could appeal to those who had heard them: "even -as ye know what manner of men we showed ourselves toward you for your -sake." - -The self-consciousness of the preacher, we see from these words, is a -legitimate though a perilous study. Every one has been told that there -is no relation whatever between his own consciousness when preaching, -and the effect of what is preached; but has anybody ever quite -believed this? If there were no relation whatever between the -preacher's consciousness and his conscience; if he did not know that -many a time neglect of prayer or duty had separated him from God, and -made him useless as an evangelist, it would be easier to believe it; -but as our life is, the preacher may know quite well that it is no -proof of God's good will to men that _he_ is sent to preach to them; -or, on the other hand, he may have a humble but sure trust that when -he stands up to speak, God is with him for good to his hearers. Thus -it was with Paul at Thessalonica. - -The heartiness with which he speaks here justifies the inference that -he had had experiences of an opposite and disappointing kind. Twice in -Asia (Acts xvi. 6 f.) he had been forbidden by the Spirit to preach at -all; he could not argue that the people so passed by were specially -favoured of God. Often, especially in his intercourse with the Jews, -he must have spoken, like Isaiah, with the depressing consciousness -that it was all in vain; that the sole issue would be to blind their -eyes and harden their hearts and seal them up in impenitence. In -Corinth, just before writing this letter, he had come forward with -unusual trepidation--in weakness and fear and much trembling; and -though there also the Holy Spirit and a divine power brought home the -gospel to men's hearts, he seems to have been so far from that inward -assurance which he enjoyed at Thessalonica, that the Lord appeared to -him in a vision by night to reveal the existence of an election of -grace even in Corinth. "Fear not: I have much people in this city." In -Thessalonica he had no such sinking of heart. He came thither, as he -hoped to go to Rome, in the fulness of the blessing of Christ (Rom. -xv. 29). He knew in himself that God had given it to him to be a true -minister of His grace; he was full of power by the Spirit of the Lord. -That is why he says so confidently, "Knowing your election." - -The Apostle explains himself more precisely when he writes, "not in -word only, but in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance." -The gospel must come in word at least; but what a profanation it is to -preach it only in word. Not preachers only, but all Christians, have -to be on their guard, lest familiarity rob the great words of the -gospel of their reality, and they themselves sink into that worst -atheism which is for ever handling holy things without feeling them. -How easy is it to speak of God, Christ, redemption, atonement, -sanctification, heaven, hell, and to be less impressed and less -impressive than if we were speaking of the merest trivialities of -every-day life. It is hard to believe that an apostle could have seen -such a possibility even from afar; yet the contrast of "word" and -"power" leaves no room to doubt that such is his meaning. Words alone -are worthless. No matter how brilliant, how eloquent, how imposing -they may be, they cannot do the work of an evangelist. The call to -this requires "power." - -No definition of power is given; we can only see that it is that which -achieves spiritual results, and that the preacher is conscious of -possessing it. It is not his own, certainly: it works through the very -consciousness of his own want of power; "when I am weak, then am I -strong." But it gives him hope and confidence in his work. Paul knew -that it needed a stupendous force to make bad men good; the forces to -be overcome were so enormous. All the sin of the world was arrayed -against the gospel; all the dead weight of men's indifference, all -their pride, all their shame, all their self-satisfaction, all their -cherished wisdom. But he came to Thessalonica _strong_ in the Lord, -confident that his message would subdue those who listened to it; and -therefore, he argued, the Thessalonians were the objects of God's -electing grace. - -"Power" stands side by side with the "Holy Ghost." In a sense, the -Holy Ghost is the source of all spiritual virtues, and therefore of -the very power of which we have been speaking; but the words are -probably used here with some narrower meaning. The predominant use of -the name in the New Testament bids us think of that divine fervour -which the spirit kindles in the soul--that ardour of the new life -which Christ Himself speaks of as fire. Paul came to Thessalonica -aglow with Christian passion. He took that as a good omen in his work, -a sign that God meant well to the Thessalonians. By nature men do not -care passionately for each other as he cared for those to whom he -preached in that city. They are not on fire with love, seeking each -other's good in spiritual things; consumed with fervent longing that -the bad should cease from their badness, and come to enjoy the pardon, -the purity, and the company of Christ. Even in the heart of -apostles--for though they were apostles they were men--the fire may -sometimes have burned low, and a mission have been, by comparison, -languid and spiritless; but at least on this occasion the evangelists -were all on fire; and it assured them that God had a people waiting -for them in the unknown city. - -If "power" and the "Holy Ghost" are in some degree to be judged only -by their effects, there can be no question that "much assurance," on -the other hand, is an inner experience, belonging strictly to the -self-consciousness of the preacher. It means a full and strong -conviction of the truth of the gospel. We can only understand this by -contrast with its opposite; "much assurance" is the counterpart of -misgiving or doubt. We can hardly imagine an apostle in doubt about -the gospel--not quite certain that Christ had risen from the dead; -wondering whether, after all, His death had abolished sin. Yet these -truths, which are the sum and substance of the gospel, seem, at times, -too great for belief; they do not coalesce with the other contents of -our mind; they do not weave easily into one piece with the warp and -woof of our common thoughts; there is no common measure for them and -the rest of our experience, and the shadow of unreality falls upon -them. They are so great that it needs a certain greatness to answer to -them, a certain boldness of faith to which even a true Christian may -feel momentarily unequal; and while he is unequal, he cannot do the -work of an evangelist. Doubt paralyses; God cannot work through a man -in whose soul there are misgivings about the truth. At least, His -working will be limited to the sphere of what is certain for him -through whom He works; and if we would be effective ministers of the -word, we must speak only what we are sure of, and seek the full -assurance of the whole truth. No doubt such assurance has conditions. -Unfaithfulness of one kind or another is, as our Lord teaches (John -vii. 17), the source of uncertainty as to the truth of His word; and -prayer, repentance, and obedience due, the way to certainty again. But -Paul had never been more confident of the truth and power of his -gospel than when he came to Thessalonica. He had seen it proved in -Philippi, in conversions so dissimilar as those of Lydia and the -jailor. He had felt it in his own heart, in the songs which God had -given him in the night while he suffered for Christ's sake. He came -among those whom he addresses confident that it was God's instrument -to save all who believed. This is his last personal reason for -believing the Thessalonians to be elect. - -Strictly speaking, all this refers rather to the delivery of the -message than to the messengers, to the preaching than to the -preachers; but the Apostle applies it to the latter also. "Ye know," -he writes, "what manner of men we showed ourselves toward you for your -sakes." I venture to think[2] that the word rendered "we showed -ourselves" has really the passive sense--"what God enabled us to be"; -it is God's good will to the Thessalonians which is in view, and the -Apostle infers that good will from the character which God enabled him -and his friends to sustain for their sakes. Who could deny that God -had chosen them, when He had sent them Paul and Silas and Timothy; not -mere talkers, cold and spiritless, and dubious of their message; but -men strong in spiritual force, in holy fervour, and in their grasp of -the gospel? If that did not go to show that the Thessalonians were -elect, what could? - -II. The self-consciousness of the preachers, however, significant as -it was, was no conclusive evidence. It only became such when their -inspiration was caught by those who listened to them; and this was the -case at Thessalonica. "Ye became imitators of us and of the Lord, -having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy -Ghost." This peculiar expression implies that the signs of God's -election were to be seen in the evangelists, and eminently in the -Lord. Paul shrinks from making himself and his companions types of the -elect, without more ado; they are such only because they are like Him, -of whom it is written "Behold my servant whom I uphold; Mine elect, in -whom My soul delighteth." He speaks here in the same strain as in 1 -Cor. xi. 1: "Brethren, be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of -Christ." They who have become like the Lord are marked out as the -chosen of God. - -But the Apostle does not rest in this generality. The imitation in -question consisted in this--that the Thessalonians received the word -in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. It is, of course, in -the last part of the sentence that the point of comparison is found. -In a sense it is true that the Lord Himself received the word which He -spoke to men. "I do nothing of Myself," He says; "but as the Father -hath taught Me, I speak these things" (John viii. 28). But such a -reference is irrelevant here. The significant point is that the -acceptance of the gospel by the Thessalonians brought them into -fellowship with the Lord, and with those who continued His work, in -that which is the distinction and criterion of the new Christian -life--much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. That is a summary -of the life of Christ, the Apostle of the Father (John xvii. 18). It -is more obviously a summary of the life of Paul, the apostle of Jesus -Christ. The acceptance of the gospel meant much affliction for him: "I -will show him how great things he must suffer for My name's sake." It -meant also a new and supernatural joy, a joy arising from, and -sustained by, the Holy Spirit, a joy triumphant in and over all -sufferings. This combination of affliction and spiritual joy, this -original, paradoxical experience, is the token of election. Where the -children of God live, as Christ and His apostles lived, in the midst -of a world at war with God and His cause, they will suffer; but -suffering will not break their spirit, or embitter them, or lead them -to desert God; it will be accompanied with spiritual exaltation, -keeping them sweet, and humble, and joyful, through it all. Paul knew -the Thessalonians were elect, because he saw that new power in them, -to rejoice in tribulations, which can only be seen in those who have -the spirit of God. - -This test, obviously, can only be applied when the gospel is a -suffering cause. But if the profession of the Christian faith, and the -leading of a Christian life entail no affliction, what shall we say? -If we read the New Testament aright, we shall say that there is a -mistake somewhere. There is always a cross; there is always something -to bear or to overcome for righteousness' sake; and the spirit in -which it is met tells whether God is with us or not. Not every age is, -like the apostolic, an age of open persecution, of spoiling of goods, -of bonds, and scourging, and death; but the imitation of Christ in His -truth and faithfulness will surely be resented somehow; and it is the -seal of election when men rejoice that they are counted worthy to -suffer shame for His name. Only the true children of God can do that. -Their joy is in some sense a present recompense for their sufferings; -but for suffering they could not know it. "I never knew," said -Rutherford, "by my nine years' preaching, so much of Christ's love as -He hath taught me in Aberdeen, by six months' imprisonment." It is a -joy that never fails those who face affliction that they may be true -to Christ. Think of the Christian boys in Uganda, in 1885, who were -bound alive to a scaffolding and slowly burned to death. "The spirit -of the martyrs at once entered into these lads, and together they -raised their voices and praised Jesus in the fire, singing till their -shrivelled tongues refused to form the sound:-- - - "'Daily, daily sing to Jesus, - Sing my soul, His praises due; - All He does deserves our praises, - And our deep devotion too. - - "'For in deep humiliation, - He for us did live below; - Died on Calvary's cross of torture, - Rose to save our souls from woe.'"[3] - -Who can doubt that these three are among the chosen of God? And who -can think of such scenes, and such a spirit, and recall without -misgiving the querulous, fretful, aggrieved tone of his own life, when -things have not gone with him exactly as he could have wished? - -The Thessalonians were so conspicuously Christian, so unmistakably -exhibited the new Divine type of character, that they became a model -to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. Their conversion called -the attention of all men to the gospel, like a clear and -far-resounding trumpet blast. Thessalonica was a place of much coming -and going on all sides; and the success of the evangelists there, -being carried abroad in various ways, advertised their work, and so -far prepared for their coming. Paul would naturally have spoken of it -when he went to a new city, but found it unnecessary; the news had -preceded him; in every place their faith to God-ward had gone forth. -So far as we learn, it was the most impressive incident which had yet -occurred in the progress of the gospel. A work of grace so -characteristic, so thorough, and so unmistakable, was a token of God's -goodness, not only to those who were immediately the subjects of it, -but to all who heard, and by hearing had their interest awakened in -the evangelists and their message. - -This whole subject has a side for preachers, and a side for hearers of -the gospel. The preacher's peril is the peril of coming to men in word -only; saying things which he does not feel, and which others, -therefore, will not feel; uttering truths, it may be, but truths which -have never done anything for him--enlightened, quickened, or -sanctified him--and which he cannot hope, as they come from his lips, -will do anything for others; or worse still, uttering things of which -he cannot even be confident that they are true. Nothing could be less -a sign of God's grace to men than to abandon them to such a preacher, -instead of sending them one full of power, and of the Holy Ghost, and -of assurance. But whatever the preacher may be, there is something -left to the hearer. There were people with whom even Paul, full of -power and of the Holy Ghost, could not prevail. There were people who -hardened their hearts against Christ; and let the preacher be ever so -unworthy of the gospel, the virtue is in it, and not in him. He may -not do anything to commend it to men; but does it need his commendation? -Can we make bad preaching an excuse for refusing to become imitators -of the Lord? It may condemn the preacher, but it can never excuse us. -Look steadily at the seal which God sets upon His own--the union of -affliction with spiritual joy--and follow Christ in the life which is -marked by this character as not human only, but Divine. That is the -way prescribed to us here to make our election sure. - -[2] With Godet and P. Schmidt; against Ellicott. - -[3] _Life of Bishop Hannington._ - - - - -IV. - -_CONVERSION._ - - - "For they themselves report concerning us what manner of entering in - we had unto you; and how ye turned unto God from idols, to serve a - living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He - raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivereth us from the wrath - to come."--1 THESS. i. 9, 10 (R.V.). - -These verses show what an impression had been made in other places by -the success of the gospel at Thessalonica. Wherever Paul went, he -heard it spoken about. In every place men were familiar with all its -circumstances; they had heard of the power and assurance of the -missionaries, and of the conversion of their hearers from heathenism -to Christianity. It is this conversion which is the subject before us. -It has two parts or stages. There is first, the conversion from idols -to the one living and true God; and then the distinctively Christian -stage of waiting for the Son of God from heaven. Let us look at these -in order. - -The Apostle, so far as we can make out, judged the religions of -heathenism with great severity. He knew that God never left Himself -without a witness in the world, but God's testimony to Himself had -been perverted or ignored. Ever since the creation of the world, His -everlasting power and divinity might be seen by the things He had -made; His law was written on conscience; rain from heaven and -fruitful seasons proved His good and faithful providence; yet men were -practically ignorant of Him. They were not willing, in fact, to retain -Him in their knowledge; they were not obedient; they were not -thankful; when they professed religion at all, they made gods after -their own image, and worshipped them. They bowed before idols; and an -idol, says Paul, is nothing in the world. In the whole system of pagan -religion the Apostle saw nothing but ignorance and sin; it was the -outcome, in part, of man's enmity to God; in part, of God's judicial -abandonment of men; in part, of the activity of evil spirits; it was a -path on which no progress could be made; instead of pursuing it -farther, those who wished really to make spiritual advance must -abandon it altogether. - -It is possible to state a better case than this for the religion of -the ancient world; but the Apostle was in close and continuous contact -with the facts, and it will take a great deal of theorising to reverse -the verdict of a conscience like his on the whole question. Those who -wish to put the best face upon the matter, and to rate the spiritual -worth of paganism as high as may be, lay stress on the ideal character -of the so-called idols, and ask whether the mere conception of Zeus, -or Apollo, or Athene, is not a spiritual achievement of a high order. -Let it be ever so high, and still, from the Apostle's ground, Zeus, -Apollo, and Athene are dead idols. They have no life but that which -is conferred upon them by their worshippers. They can never assert -themselves in action, bestowing life or salvation on those who honour -them. They can never be what the Living God was to every man of Jewish -birth--Creator, Judge, King, and Saviour; a personal and moral power -to whom men are accountable at every moment, for every free act. - -"Ye turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true God." We -cannot over-estimate the greatness of this change. Until we understand -the unity of God, we can have no true idea of His character, and -therefore no true idea of our own relation to Him. It was the -plurality of deities, as much as anything, which made heathenism -morally worthless. Where there is a multitude of gods, the real power -in the world, the final reality, is not found in any of them; but in a -fate of some sort which lies behind them all. There can be no moral -relation of man to this blank necessity; nor, while it exists, any -stable relation of man to his so-called gods. No Greek or Roman could -take in the idea of "serving" a God. The attendants or priests in a -temple were in an official sense the deity's ministers; but the -thought which is expressed in this passage, of serving a living and -true God by a life of obedience to His will, a thought which is so -natural and inevitable to either a Jew or a Christian, that without -it we could not so much as conceive religion--that thought was quite -beyond a pagan's comprehension. There was no room for it in his -religion; his conception of the gods did not admit of it. If life was -to be a moral service rendered to God, it must be to a God quite -different from any to whom he was introduced by his ancestral worship. -That is the final condemnation of heathenism; the final proof of its -falsehood as a religion. - -There is something as deep and strong as it is simple in the words, to -serve the living and true God. Philosophers have defined God as the -_ens realissimum_, the most real of beings, the absolute reality; and -it is this, with the added idea of personality, that is conveyed by -the description "living and true." But does God sustain this character -in the minds even of those who habitually worship Him? Is it not the -case that the things which are nearest to our hand seem to be -possessed of most life and reality, while God is by comparison very -unreal, a remote inference from something which is immediately -certain? If that is so, it will be very difficult for us to serve Him. -The law of our life will not be found in His will, but in our own -desires, or in the customs of our society; our motive will not be His -praise, but some end which is fully attained apart from Him. "My -meat," said Jesus, "is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to -finish His work"; and He could say so because God who sent Him was to -Him the living and true God, the first and last and sole reality, -whose will embraced and covered all His life. Do we think of God so? -Are the existence of God and the claim of God upon our obedience the -permanent element in our minds, the unchanging background of all our -thoughts and purposes? This is the fundamental thing in a truly -religious life. - -But the Apostle goes on from what is merely theistic, to what is -distinctively Christian. "Ye turned to God from idols ... to wait for -His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead." - -This is a very summary description of the issue of Christian -conversion. Judging by the analogy of other places, especially in St. -Paul, we should have expected some mention of faith. In Acts xx., -_e.g._, where he characterises his preaching, he names as its main -elements, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus -Christ. But here faith has been displaced by hope; the Thessalonians -are represented not as trusting in Christ, but as waiting for Him. Of -course, such hope implies faith. They only waited for Him because they -believed He had redeemed them, and would save them at the great day. -If faith and hope differ in that the one seems to look mainly to the -past and the other to the future, they agree in that both are -concerned with the revelation of the unseen. - -Everything in this revelation goes back to the resurrection and rests -upon it. It is mentioned here, in the first instance, exactly as in -Rom. i. 4, as the _argumentum palmarium_ for the Divine Sonship of -Jesus. There are many proofs of that essential doctrine, but not all -can be brought forward in all circumstances. Perhaps the most -convincing at the present time is that which is drawn from the -solitary perfection of Christ's character; the more truly and fully we -get the impression of that character, as it is reflected in the -Gospels, the surer we are that it is not a fancy picture, but drawn -from life; and that He whose likeness it is, stands alone among the -sons of men. But this kind of argument it takes years, not perhaps of -study, but of obedience and devotion, to appreciate; and when the -apostles went forth to preach the gospel they needed a more summary -process of conviction. This they found in Christ's resurrection; that -was an event standing alone in the world's history. There had been -nothing like it before; there has been nothing like it since. But the -men who were assured of it by many infallible proofs, did not presume -to disbelieve it because of its singularity; amazing as it was, they -could not but feel that it became one so unique in goodness and -greatness as Jesus; it was not possible, they saw after the event, -that He should be holden by the power of death; the resurrection only -exhibited Him in His true dignity; it declared Him the Son of God, -and set Him on His throne. Accordingly in all their preaching they put -the resurrection in the forefront. It was a revelation of life. It -extended the horizon of man's existence. It brought into view realms -of being that had hitherto been hidden in darkness. It magnified to -infinity the significance of everything in our short life in this -world, because it connected everything immediately with an endless -life beyond. And as this life in the unseen had been revealed in -Christ, all the apostles had to tell about it centred in Him. The -risen Christ was King, Judge, and Saviour; the Christian's present -duty was to love, trust, obey, and wait for Him. - -This waiting includes everything. "Ye come behind in no gift," Paul -says to the Corinthians, "waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus -Christ." That attitude of expectation is the bloom, as it were, of the -Christian character. Without it, there is something lacking; the -Christian who does not look upward and onward wants one mark of -perfection. This is, in all probability, the point on which we should -find ourselves most from home, in the atmosphere of the primitive -Church. Not unbelievers only, but disciples as well, have practically -ceased to think of the Second Advent. The society which devotes itself -to reviving interest in the truth uses Scripture in a fashion which -makes it impossible to take much interest in its proceedings; yet a -truth so clearly a part of Scripture teaching cannot be neglected -without loss. The door of the unseen world closed behind Christ as He -ascended from Olivet, but not for ever. It will open again; and this -same Jesus shall so come in like manner as the apostles beheld Him go. -He has gone to prepare a place for those who love Him and keep His -word; but "if I go," He says, "and prepare a place for you, I will -come again, and take you to Myself; that where I am, there ye may be -also." That is the final hope of the Christian faith. It is for the -fulfilment of this promise that the Church waits. The Second Coming of -Christ and His Resurrection stand and fall together; and it will not -long be possible for those who look askance at His return to receive -in all its fulness the revelation of life which He made when He rose -again from the dead. This world is too much with us; and it needs not -languor, but strenuous effort on the part of faith and hope, to make -the unseen world as real. Let us see that we come not behind in a -grace so essential to the very being of Christianity. - -The last words of the verse describe the character in which the Son of -God is expected by Christians to appear--Jesus, our deliverer[4] from -the wrath to come (+tes orges tes erchomenes+). There is, then, -according to apostolic teaching, a coming wrath--a wrath impending -over the world, and actually on its way towards it. It is called the -wrath to come, in distinction from anything of the same nature of -which we have experience here. We all know the penal consequences -which sin brings in its train even in this world. Remorse, unavailing -sorrow, shame, fear, the sight of injury which we have done to those -we love and which we cannot undo, incapacity for service,--all these -are part and parcel of the fruit which sin bears. But they are not the -wrath to come. They do not exhaust the judgment of God upon evil. -Instead of discrediting it, they bear witness to it; they are, so to -speak, its forerunners; the lurid clouds that appear here and there in -the sky, but are finally lost in the dense mass of the thunderstorm. -When the Apostle preached the gospel, he preached the wrath to come; -without it, there would have been a missing link in the circle of -Christian ideas. "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ," he says. -Why? Because in it the righteousness of God is revealed, a -righteousness which is God's gift and acceptable in God's sight. But -why is such a revelation of righteousness necessary? Because the wrath -of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and -unrighteousness of men. The gospel is a revelation made to the world -in view of a given situation, and the most prominent and threatening -element in that situation is the impending wrath of God. The apostles -do not prove it; they declare it. The proof of it is left to conscience, -and to the Spirit of God reinforcing and quickening conscience; if -anything can be added to this, it is the gospel itself; for if there -were no such thing as the wrath of God, the gospel would be -gratuitous. We may, if we please, evade the truth; we may pick and -choose for ourselves among the elements of New Testament teaching, and -reject all that is distasteful; we may take our stand upon pride, and -decline to be threatened even by God; but we cannot be honest, and at -the same time deny that Christ and His apostles warn us of wrath to -come. - -Of course we must not misconceive the character of this wrath. We must -not import into our thoughts of it all that we can borrow from our -experience of man's anger--hastiness, unreason, intemperate rage. The -wrath of God is no arbitrary, passionate outburst; it is not, as wrath -so often is with us, a fury of selfish resentment. "Evil shall not -dwell with Thee," says the Psalmist; and in that simple word we have -the root of the matter. The wrath of God is, as it were, the instinct -of self-preservation in the Divine nature; it is the eternal -repulsion, by the Holy One, of all evil. Evil shall _not_ dwell with -Him. That may be doubted or denied while the day of grace lasts, and -God's forbearance is giving space to the sinful for repentance; but a -day is coming when it will no more be possible to doubt it--the day -which the Apostle calls the day of wrath. It will then be plain to all -the world that God's wrath is no empty name, but the most terrible of -all powers--a consuming fire in which everything opposed to His -holiness is burnt up. And while we take care not to think of this -wrath after the pattern of our own sinful passions, let us take care, -on the other hand, not to make it an unreal thing, without analogy in -human life. If we go upon the ground of Scripture and of our own -experience, it has the same degree and the same kind of reality as the -love of God, or His compassion, or His forbearance. In whatever way we -lawfully think of one side of the Divine nature, we must at the same -time think of the other. If there is a passion of Divine love, there -is a passion of Divine wrath as well. Nothing is meant in either case -unworthy of the Divine nature; what is conveyed by the word passion is -the truth that God's repulsion of evil is as intense as the ardour -with which He delights in good. To deny that is to deny that He is -good. - -The apostolic preacher, who had announced the wrath to come, and -awakened guilty consciences to see their danger, preached Jesus as the -deliverer from it. This is the real meaning of the words in the text; -and neither "Jesus which delivered," as in the Authorised Version, -nor, in any rigorous sense, "Jesus which delivereth," as in the -Revised. It is the character of Jesus that is in view, and neither the -past nor the present of His action. Every one who reads the words must -feel, How brief! how much remains to be explained! how much Paul must -have had to say about how the deliverance is effected! As the passage -stands, it recalls vividly the end of the second Psalm: "Kiss the Son, -lest He be angry, and ye perish in the way, for His wrath will soon be -kindled. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him." To have -the Son a friend, to be identified with Jesus--so much we see at -once--secures deliverance in the day of wrath. Other Scriptures supply -the missing links. The atonement for sin made by Christ's death; faith -which unites the soul to the Saviour, and brings into it the virtue of -His cross and resurrection; the Holy Spirit who dwells in believers, -sanctifying them, and making them fit to dwell with God in the -light,--all these come into view elsewhere, and in spite of the brevity -of this notice had their place, beyond doubt, in Paul's teaching at -Thessalonica.[5] Not that all could be explained at once: that was -unnecessary. But from imminent danger there must be an instantaneous -escape; and it is sufficient to say that it is found in Jesus Christ. -"Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him." The risen Son is -enthroned in power; He is Judge of all; He died for all; He is able to -save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. To commit -everything definitely to Him; to leave Him to undertake for us; to put -on Him the responsibility of our past and our future, as He invites us -to do; to put ourselves for good and all at His side,--this is to find -deliverance from the wrath to come. It leaves much unexplained that we -may come to understand afterwards, and much, perhaps, that we shall -never understand; but it guarantees itself, adventure though it be; -Christ never disappoints any who thus put their trust in Him. - -This description in outline of conversion from paganism to the gospel -should revive the elementary Christian virtues in our hearts. Have we -seen how high a thing it is to serve a living and true God? Or is it -not so, that even among Christians, a _godly_ man--one who lives in -the presence of God, and is conscious of his responsibility to Him--is -the rarest of all types? Are we waiting for His Son from heaven, whom -He raised from the dead? Or are there not many who hardly so much as -form the idea of His return, and to whom the attitude of waiting for -Him would seem strained and unnatural? In plain words, what the New -Testament calls Hope is in many Christians dead: the world to come and -all that is involved in it--the searching judgment, the impending -wrath, the glory of Christ--have slipped from our grasp. Yet it was -this hope which more than anything gave its peculiar colour to the -primitive Christianity, its unworldliness, its moral intensity, its -command of the future even in this life. If there were nothing else to -establish it, would not its spiritual fruits be sufficient? - -[4] The present participle here is simply equivalent to a substantive. - -[5] Much has been made, by writers who wish to trace the spiritual -development of St. Paul, of the absence from his earliest epistles of -explicit teaching on the atonement and on justification by faith. But -we have to remember that the Epistles to the Thessalonians, like most -of his writings, were incidental; their topics were provided, and -limited, by special circumstances. The doctrinal matter in 1 -Thessalonians was not even the principal thing; the +loipon+ in iv. 1 -shows that by the end of chapter iii. the Apostle has done what he -intended to do when he began; even the paragraphs on the Parousia are -casual and supplementary. But if we consider that Paul had now been -preaching for perhaps seventeen years, and that within a few months he -delivered to the Corinthians (1 Cor. xv. 1-4) the one gospel known -alike to him and to the twelve,--the gospel which had for its -fundamental article "that Christ died for our sins according to the -Scriptures,"--we shall see how unreal it is to exclude this doctrine -from his evangelistic work at Thessalonica. No doubt there, as at -Corinth, he delivered this "first of all."--See also chap. v. 10. - - - - -V. - -_APOLOGIA PRO VITA SUA._ - - - "For yourselves, brethren, know our entering in unto you, that it - hath not been found vain: but having suffered before, and been - shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we waxed bold in our - God to speak unto you the gospel of God in much conflict. For our - exhortation _is_ not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: but - even as we have been approved of God to be intrusted with the - gospel, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God which proveth our - hearts. For neither at any time were we found using words of - flattery, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness, God is witness; - nor seeking glory of men, neither from you, nor from others, when we - might have been burdensome, as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle - in the midst of you, as when a nurse cherisheth her own children: - even so, being affectionately desirous of you, we were well pleased - to impart unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own - souls, because ye were become very dear to us. For ye remember, - brethren, our labour and travail: working night and day, that we - might not burden any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. - Ye are witnesses, and God _also_, how holily and righteously and - unblameably we behaved ourselves toward you that believe: as ye know - how we _dealt_ with each one of you, as a father with his own - children, exhorting you, and encouraging _you_, and testifying, to - the end that ye should walk worthily of God, who calleth you into - His own kingdom and glory."--1 THESS. ii. 1-12 (R.V.). - -Our first impression, as we read these verses, is that they contain -little that is new. They simply expand the statement of ch. i., ver. -5: "Our gospel came not unto you in word only, but in power, and in -the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; even as ye know what manner of -men we showed ourselves toward you for your sake." But if their -substance is the same, their tone is very different. It is obvious at -a glance that the Apostle has a definite purpose in view in appealing -so pointedly as he does here to facts with which his readers were -familiar. The truth is, he is standing upon his defence. Unless it -were so, he would not think of writing, as he does in ver. 5, that he -had never had recourse to flattery, nor sought to make gain out of his -apostleship; nor as he does in ver. 10, that God knows the entire -purity of his life among them. Although he does not name them, it is -quite plain that he was already suffering from those enemies who never -ceased to vex him while he lived. As we learn afterwards, these -enemies were the Jews. When they had opportunity, they used open -violence; they roused the Gentile mob against him; they had him -scourged and stoned. When his body was out of their reach, they -assailed him through his character and affections. They crept into the -churches which his love and zeal had gathered here and there, and -scattered injurious suspicions against him among his disciples. He was -not, they hinted, all that he seemed to be. They could tell stories -about his early days, and advised those who did not know him so well -to be on their guard. Evangelising paid him quite as well as harder -work, and his paltry ambition was gratified by lording it over his -ignorant converts. Such messengers of Satan had apparently made their -appearance in Thessalonica since Paul left, and this chapter is his -reply to their insinuations. - -There is something exquisitely painful in the situation thus created. -It would have been like a sword piercing the Apostle's heart, had his -enemies succeeded in their attempt to breed distrust in the -Thessalonians toward him. He could not have borne to think that those -whom he loved so utterly should entertain the faintest suspicion of -the integrity of his love. But happily he is spared that pain. He -writes, indeed, as one who has felt the indignity of the charges -brought against him, but with the frankness and heartiness of a man -who is confident that his defence will be well received. From baseless -insinuations he can appeal to facts which are well known to all. From -the false character in which he has been dressed by his adversaries he -can appeal to the true, in which he lived and moved familiarly among -them. - -The first point in his favour is found in the circumstances under -which he had preached the gospel in Thessalonica. Had he been an -insincere man, with bye ends of his own to serve, he would never have -faced the career of an apostle. He had been scourged and put in the -stocks at Philippi; and when he left that city for Thessalonica, he -brought his troubles with him. Here also he had much conflict; he was -beset on every hand with difficulties; it was only in the strength of -God that he had courage to preach at all. You yourselves, he says, -know that; and how, in spite of that, our coming to you was not vain, -but full of power; surely it needs no more to prove the -disinterestedness of our mission. - -From this point onward, the apology falls into two parts, a negative -and a positive: the Apostle tells us what his gospel and the -proclamation of it are not; and then he tells us what, at -Thessalonica, it had been. - -In the first place, it is not of error. It does not rest on mistakes, -or imaginations, or cunningly devised fables; in the fullest sense it -is the truth. It would have taken the heart out of the Apostle, and -made him incapable of braving anything for its sake, had he been in -doubt of this. If the gospel were a device of man, then men might take -liberties with it, handle it deceitfully, make their own account out -of it; but resting as it does on facts and truth, it demands honest -dealing in all its ministers. Paul claims here a character in -agreement with the dispensation which he serves: can a minister of the -truth, he asks, be other than a true man? - -In the next place, it is not of uncleanness; that is, it is not -prompted by any impure motive. The force of the word here must be -determined by the context; and we see that the impure motives -specially laid to the charge of Paul were avarice and ambition; or, to -use the words of the Apostle himself, covetousness, and the seeking of -honour from men. The first of these is so manifestly inconsistent with -any degree of spirituality that Paul writes instinctively "_a cloke_ -of covetousness"; he did not make his apostolic labour a veil, under -cover of which he could gratify his love of gain. It is impossible to -exaggerate the subtle and clinging character of this vice. It owes its -strength to the fact that it can be so easily cloked. We seek money, -so we tell ourselves, not because we are covetous, but because it is a -power for all good purposes. Piety, charity, humanity, refinement, -art, science--it can minister to them all; but when we obtain it, it -is too easily hoarded, or spent in indulgence, display, and -conformity to the world. The pursuit of wealth, except in an utterly -materialised society, is always cloked by some ideal end to which it -is to minister; but how few there are in whose hands wealth is merely -an instrument for the furtherance of such ends. In many men the desire -for it is naked selfishness, an idolatry as undisguised as that of -Israel at Sinai. Yet all men feel how bad and mean it is to have the -heart set on money. All men see how base and incongruous it is to make -godliness a source of gain. All men see the peculiar ugliness of a -character which associates piety and avarice--of a Balaam, for -instance, a Gehazi, or an Ananias. It is not ministers of the gospel -only, but all to whom the credit of the gospel is entrusted, who have -to be on their guard here. Our enemies are entitled to question our -sincerity when we can be shown to be lovers of money. At Thessalonica, -as elsewhere, Paul had been at pains to make such calumny impossible. -Although entitled to claim support from the Church in accordance with -the law of Christ that they who preach the gospel should live by the -gospel, he had wrought night and day with his own hands that he might -not burden any of them. As a precaution, this self-denial was vain; -there can be no security against malice; but it gave him a triumphant -vindication when the charge of covetousness was actually made. - -The other impure motive contemplated is ambition. Some modern students -of Paul's character--devil's advocates, no doubt--hint at this as his -most obvious fault. It was necessary for him, we are told, to be -first; to be the leader of a party; to have a following of his own. -But he disclaims ambition as explicitly as avarice. He never sought -glory from men, at Thessalonica or elsewhere. He used none of the arts -which obtain it. As apostles of Christ--he includes his friends--they -had, indeed, a rank of their own; the greatness of the Prince whom -they represented was reflected on them as His ambassadors; they might -have "stood upon their dignity,"[6] had they chosen to do so. Their -very self-denial in the matter of money formed a new temptation for -them here. They might well feel that their disinterested service of -the Thessalonians entitled them to a spiritual pre-eminence; and -indeed there is no pride like that which bases on ascetic austerities -the claim to direct with authority the life and conduct of others. -Paul escaped this snare. He did not compensate himself for renouncing -gain, with any lordship over souls. In all things he was the servant -of those to whom he preached. - -And as his motives were pure, so were the means he used. His -exhortation was not in guile. He did not manipulate his message; he -was never found using words of flattery. The gospel was not his own to -do what he pleased with: it was God's; God had approved him so far as -to entrust it to him; yet every moment, in the discharge of his trust, -that same God was proving his heart still, so that false dealing was -impossible. He did not make his message other than it was; he did not -hide any part of the counsel of God; he did not inveigle the -Thessalonians by any false pretences into responsibilities which would -not have been accepted could they have been foreseen. - -All these denials--not of error, not of uncleanness, not of guile; not -pleasing men, not using words of flattery, not cloking over -covetousness--all these denials presuppose the contrary affirmations. -Paul does not indulge in boasting but on compulsion; he would never -have sought to justify himself, unless he had first been accused. And -now, over against this picture, drawn by his enemies, let us look at -the true likeness which is held up before God and man. - -Instead of selfishness there is love, and nothing but love. We are all -familiar with the great passage in the epistle to the Philippians -where the Apostle depicts the mind which was in Christ Jesus. The -contrast in that passage between the disposition which grasps at -eminence and that which makes itself of no reputation, between -+harpagmos+ and +kenosis+, is reproduced here. Paul had learned of -Christ; and instead of seeking in his apostolic work opportunities for -self-exaltation, he shrank from no service imposed by love. "We were -gentle in the midst of you, as when a nurse cherisheth her own -children." "Her own" is to be emphasised. The tenderness of the -Apostle was that of a mother warming her babe at her breast. Most of -the ancient authorities, the R.V. tells us in the margin, read "We -were _babes_ (+nepioi+) in the midst of you." If this were correct, -the thought would be that Paul stooped to the level of these infant -disciples, speaking to them, as it were, in the language of childhood, -and accommodating himself to their immaturity. But though this is -appropriate enough, the word +nepioi+ is not proper to express it.[7] -Gentleness is really what is meant. But his love went further than -this in its yearning over the Thessalonians. He had been accused of -seeking gain and glory when he came among them; but his sole desire -had been not to get but to give. As his stay was prolonged, the -disciples became very dear to their teachers; "we were well pleased to -impart unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls." -That is the true standard of pastoral care. The Apostle lived up to it -always. "_Now_ we _live_," he writes in the next chapter, "if ye stand -fast in the Lord." "Ye are in our hearts," he cries to the -Corinthians, "to live together and to die together." He not only kept -back from them nothing of the whole purpose of God; he kept back no -part of himself. His daily toil, his toil by night, his prayers, his -preaching, his spiritual ardour, his very soul, were theirs. They knew -his labour and travail; they were witnesses, and God also, how holily -and righteously and unblamably he had behaved toward them. - -As the Apostle recalls these recent memories, he dwells for a -moment on another aspect of his love. It had not only the tender -fondness of a mother's, but the educative wisdom of a father's. One -by one he dealt with the disciples--which is not the way to gain -glory--exhorting, encouraging, bearing solemn testimony to the truth -of God. And his end in all this, as they knew, was ideal and -spiritual, an end as remote as possible from any worldly interest of -his own; that they might walk worthily of God who was calling them -into His own kingdom and glory. How far from the rewards and -distinctions of the present must that man's mind be who sees, as Paul -saw steadily, the things that are invisible. If he who is blind to the -golden crown above his head grasps the muck rake tightly and clutches -eagerly all it brings within his reach, surely he whose eye is set -upon the crown must be superior alike to the gain and the glory of the -world. That, at least, is the claim which the Apostle makes here. -Nothing could be more incongruous than that a man to whom the visible -world was transitory and unreal, and the invisible kingdom of God real -and eternal, should be eager for money and applause, and forget the -high calling with which he himself was calling men in Christ. So far -the apology of the Apostle. - -The practical application of this passage is different, according as -we look at it in detail, or as a whole. It exhibits to us, in the -charges brought against Paul, those vices which even bad men can see -to be rankly inconsistent with the Christian character. Covetousness -is the foremost. No matter how we cloke it--and we always cloke it -somehow--it is incurably un-Christian. Christ had no money. He never -wished to have any. The one perfect life that has been lived in this -world is the life of Him who owned nothing, and who left nothing but -the clothes he wore. Whoever names the name of Christ, and professes -to follow Him, must learn of Him indifference to gain. The mere -suspicion of avarice will discredit, and ought to discredit, the most -pious pretensions. The second vice I have spoken of as ambition. It is -the desire to use others for one's own exaltation, to make them the -stepping stones on which we rise to eminence, the ministers of our -vanity, the sphere for the display of our own abilities as leaders, -masters, organisers, preachers. To put ourselves in that relation to -others is to do an essentially un-Christian thing. A minister whose -congregation is the theatre on which he displays his talents or his -eloquence is not a Christian. A clever man, to whom the men and women -with whom he meets in society are merely specimens of human nature on -whom he can make shrewd observations, sharpening his wits on them as -on a grindstone, is not a Christian. A man of business, who looks at -the labourers whom he employs as only so many instruments for rearing -the fabric of his prosperity, is not a Christian. Everybody in the -world knows that; and such men, if they profess Christianity, give a -handle to slander, and bring disgrace on the religion which they wear -merely as a blind. True Christianity is love, and the nature of love -is not to take but to give. There is no limit to the Christian's -beneficence; he counts nothing his own; he gives his very soul with -every separate gift. He is as tender as the mother to her infant; as -wise, as manly, as earnest as the father with his growing boy. - -Looked at as a whole this passage warns us against slander. It must -needs be that slander is spoken and believed; but woe to the man or -woman by whom it is either believed or spoken! None are good enough to -escape it. Christ was slandered; they called Him a glutton and a -drunkard, and said He was in league with the devil. Paul was -slandered; they said he was a very smart man, who looked well to his -own interest, and made dupes of simple people. The deliberate -wickedness of such falsehoods is diabolical, but it is not so very -rare. Numbers of people who would not invent such stories are glad to -hear them. They are not very particular whether they are true or -false; it pleases them to think that an evangelist, eminent in -profession, gets a royalty on hymn-books; or that a priest, famous for -devotion, was really no better than he should have been; or that a -preacher, whose words regenerated a whole church, sometimes despised -his audience, and talked nonsense impromptu. To sympathise with -detraction is to have the spirit of the devil, not of Christ. Be on -your guard against such sympathy; you are human, and therefore need -to. Never give utterance to a suspicious thought. Never repeat what -would discredit a man, if you have only heard it and are not sure it -is true; even if you are sure of its truth, be afraid of yourself if -it gives you any pleasure to think of it. Love thinketh no evil; love -rejoiceth not in iniquity. - -[6] So Alford renders +dynamenoi en barei einai+. - -[7] +nepios+ always includes the idea of being undeveloped, unripe, -and has often a shade of censure in Paul. - - - - -VI. - -_IMPEACHMENT OF THE JEWS._ - - - "And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when ye - received from us the word of the message, _even the word_ of - God, ye accepted _it_ not _as_ the word of men, but, as it is in - truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe. For - ye, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in - Judaea in Christ Jesus; for ye also suffered the same things of your - own countrymen, even as they did of the Jews; who both killed the - Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drave out us, and please not God, - and are contrary to all men; forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles - that they may be saved; to fill up their sins alway: but the wrath is - come upon them to the uttermost."--1 THESS. ii. 13-16 (R.V.). - -These verses complete the treatment of the subject with which this -chapter opens. The Apostle has drawn a moving picture of his life and -labours in Thessalonica; he has pointed to it as his sufficient -vindication from all the charges laid against him. Before carrying the -war into the enemies' camp, and depicting the traditions and the -spirit of his traducers, he lingers again for a moment on the happy -results of his work. In spite of persecution and calumny, he has cause -to thank God without ceasing when he remembers the reception of the -gospel by the Thessalonians. - -When the message was brought to them, they accepted it, he says, not -as the word of men, but as what it was in truth, the word of God. It -is in this character that the gospel always presents itself. A word of -men cannot address men with authority; it must submit itself to -criticism; it must vindicate itself on grounds which man's understanding -approves. Now, the gospel is not irrational; it is its own demand that -the Christian shall be ready to answer every one who demands a -rational account of the hope that is in him. But neither does it, on -the other hand, come to us soliciting our approval; submitting itself, -as a system of ideas, to our scrutiny, and courting approbation. It -speaks with authority. It _commands_ repentance; it preaches -forgiveness on the ground of Christ's death--a supreme gift of God -which may be accepted or rejected, but is not proposed for discussion; -it exhibits the law of Christ's life as the law which is binding upon -every human being, and calls upon all men to follow him. Its decisive -appeal is made to the conscience and the will; and to respond to it is -to give up will and conscience to God. When the Apostle says, "Ye -received it as, what it is in truth, the word of God," he betrays, if -one may use the word, the consciousness of his own inspiration. -Nothing is commoner now than to speak of the theology of Paul as if it -were a private possession of the Apostle, a scheme of thought that he -had framed for himself, to explain his own experience. Such a scheme -of thought, we are told, has no right whatever to impose itself on us; -it has only a historical and biographical interest; it has no -necessary connexion with truth. The first result of this line of -thought, in almost every case, is the rejection of the very heart of -the apostolic gospel; the doctrine of the atonement is no longer the -greatest truth of revelation, but a rickety bridge on which Paul -imagined he had crossed from Pharisaism to Christianity. Certainly -this modern analysis of the epistles does not reflect the Apostle's -own way of looking at what he called "My gospel." To him it was no -device of man, but unequivocally Divine; in very truth, the word of -God. His theology certainly came to him in the way of his experience; -his mind had been engaged with it, and was engaged with it continually; -but he was conscious that, with all this freedom, it rested at bottom -on the truth of God; and when he preached it--for his theology was the -sum of the Divine truth he held, and he _did_ preach it--he did not -submit it to men as a theme for discussion. He put it above discussion. -He pronounced a solemn and reiterated anathema on either man or angel -who should put anything else in its stead. He published it, not for -criticism, as though it had been his own device; but, as the word of -God, for the obedience of faith. The tone of this passage recalls the -word of our Lord, "Whoso shall not receive the kingdom of God as a -little child shall in no wise enter therein." There are difficulties -enough connected with the gospel, but they are not of a kind that -disappear while we stand and look at them, or even stand and think -about them; unquestioning surrender solves many, and introduces us to -experiences which enable us to bear the rest with patience. - -The word of God, in other words the gospel, proved its Divine -character in the Thessalonians _after_ it was received. "It also -worketh," says Paul, "in you that believe." The last words are not -superfluous. The word preached, we read of an earlier generation, did -not profit, not being mixed with faith in them that heard. Faith -conditions its efficacy. Gospel truth is an active force when it is -within the heart; but it can do nothing for us while doubt, pride, or -unacknowledged reserve, keep it outside. If we have really welcomed -the Divine message, it will not be inoperative; it will work within us -all that is characteristic of New Testament life--love, joy, peace, -hope, patience. These are the proofs of its truth. Here, then, is the -source of all graces: if the word of Christ dwell in us richly; if the -truth of the gospel, deep, manifold, inexhaustible, yet ever the same, -possess our hearts,--the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. - -The particular gospel grace which the Apostle has here in view is -patience. He proves that the word of God is at work in the -Thessalonians by pointing to the fact that they have suffered for His -sake. "Had you been still of the world, the world would have loved its -own; but as it is, you have become imitators of the Christian churches -in Judaea, and have suffered the same things at the hands of your -countrymen as they from theirs." Of all places in the world, Judaea was -that in which the gospel and its adherents had suffered most -severely. Jerusalem itself was the focus of hostility. No one knew -better than Paul, the zealous persecutor of heresy, what it had cost -from the very beginning to be true to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. -Scourging, imprisonment, exile, death by the sword or by stoning, had -rewarded such fidelity. We do not know to what extremity the enemies -of the gospel had gone in Thessalonica; but the distress of the -Christians must have been great when the Apostle could make this -comparison even in passing. He has already told them (ch. i. 6) that -much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost, is the very badge of -God's elect; and here he combines the same stern necessity with the -operation of the Divine word in their hearts. Do not let us overlook -this. The work of God's word (or if you prefer it, the effect of -receiving the gospel), is in the first instance to produce a new -character, a character not only distinct from that of the unconverted, -but antagonistic to it, and more directly and inevitably antagonistic, -the more thoroughly it is wrought out; so that in proportion as God's -word is operative in us, we come into collision with the world which -rejects it. To suffer, therefore, is to the Apostle the seal of faith; -it warrants the genuineness of a Christian profession. It is not a -sign that God has forgotten His people, but a sign that He is with -them; and that they are being brought by Him into fellowship with -primitive churches, with apostles and prophets, with the Incarnate Son -Himself. And hence the whole situation of the Thessalonians, suffering -included, comes under that heartfelt expression of thanks to God with -which the passage opens. It is not a subject for condolence, but for -gratitude, that they have been counted worthy to suffer shame for the -Name. - -And now the Apostle turns from the persecuted to the persecutors. -There is nothing in his epistles elsewhere that can be compared with -this passionate outburst. Paul was proud with no common pride of his -Jewish descent; it was better in his eyes than any patent of nobility. -His heart swelled as he thought of the nation to which the adoption -pertained, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the -law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose were the fathers, -and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came. Apostle of the -Gentiles though he was, he had great sorrow and unceasing pain in his -heart, when he remembered the antagonism of the Jews to the gospel; he -could have wished himself anathema from Christ for their sakes. He was -confident, too, that in some glorious future they would yet submit to -the Messiah, so that all Israel should be saved. The turning of the -heathen to God would provoke them to jealousy; and the Divine calling -with which the nation had been called in Abraham would reach its -predestined goal. Such is the tone, and such the anticipation, with -which, not very long afterwards, Paul writes in the epistle to the -Romans. Here he looks at his countrymen with other eyes. They are -identified, in his experience, with a fierce resistance to the gospel, -and with cruel persecutions of the Church of Christ. Only in the -character of bitter enemies has he been in contact with them in recent -years. They have hunted him from city to city in Asia and in Europe; -they have raised the populace against his converts; they have sought -to poison the minds of his disciples against him. He knows that this -policy is that with which his countrymen as a whole have identified -themselves; and as he looks steadily at it, he sees that in doing so -they have only acted in consistency with all their past history. The -messengers whom God sends to demand the fruit of His vineyard have -always been treated with violence and despite. The crowning sin of the -race is put in the forefront; they slew the Lord, Jesus; but before -the Lord came, they had slain His prophets; and after He had gone, -they expelled His apostles. God had put them in a position of -privilege, but only for a time; they were the depositaries, or -trustees, of the knowledge of God as the Saviour of men; and now, when -the time had come for that knowledge to be diffused throughout all the -world, they clung proudly and stubbornly to the old position. They -pleased not God and were contrary to all men, in forbidding the -apostles to preach salvation to the heathen. There is an echo, all -through this passage, of the words of Stephen: "Ye stiffnecked and -uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost." -There are sentences in heathen authors, who repaid the contempt and -hatred of the Jews with haughty disdain, that have been compared with -this terrible impeachment by the Apostle; but in reality, they are -quite unlike. What we have here is not a burst of temper, though there -is undoubtedly strong feeling in it; it is the vehement condemnation, -by a man in thorough sympathy with the mind and spirit of God, of the -principles on which the Jews as a nation had acted at every period of -their history. - -What is the relation of God to such a situation as is here described? -The Jews, Paul says, did all this "to fill up their sins at all -times." He does not mean that that was their intention; neither does -he speak ironically; but speaking as he often does from that Divine -standpoint at which all results are intended and purposed results, not -outside of, but within, the counsel of God, he signifies that this -Divine end was being secured by their wickedness. The cup of their -iniquity was filling all the time. Every generation did something to -raise the level within. The men who bade Amos begone, and eat his -bread at home, raised it a little; the men who sought Hosea's life in -the sanctuary, raised it further; so did those who put Jeremiah in the -dungeon, and those who murdered Zechariah between the temple and the -altar. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, the cup was full to the -brim. When those whom He left behind to be His witnesses, and to -preach repentance and remission of sins to an men, beginning at -Jerusalem, were expelled or put to death, it ran over. God could bear -no more. Side by side with the cup of iniquity the cup of judgment had -been filling also; and they overflowed together. Even when Paul wrote -he could say, "The wrath is come upon them to the very end."[8] - -It is not easy to explain the precise force of these words. They seem -to point definitely[9] to some event, or some act of God, in which His -wrath had been unmistakably made manifest. To suppose that the fall of -Jerusalem is meant is to deny that Paul wrote the words. All that is -certain is that the Apostle saw in the signs of the times some -infallible token that the nation's day of grace had come to an end. -Perhaps some excess of a Roman procurator, now forgotten; perhaps one -of those famines that desolated Judaea in that unhappy age; perhaps the -recent edict of Claudius, expelling all Jews from Rome, and betraying -the temper of the supreme power; perhaps the coming shadow of an awful -doom, obscure in outline, but none the less inevitable, gave shape to -the expression. The Jews had failed, in their day, to recognise the -things that belonged to their peace; and now they were hid from their -eyes. They had disregarded every presage of the coming storm; and at -length the clouds that could not be charmed away had accumulated over -their heads, and the fire of God was ready to leap out. - -This striking passage embodies certain truths to which we do well to -give heed. It shows us that there is such a thing as a national -character. In the providential government of God a nation is not an -aggregate of individuals, each one of whom stands apart from the rest; -it is a corporation with a unity, life and spirit of its own. Within -that unity there may be a conflict of forces, a struggle of good with -evil, of higher with lower tendencies, just as there is in the -individual soul; but there will be a preponderance on one side or the -other; and that side to which the balance leans will prevail more and -more. In the vast spirit of the nation, as in the spirit of each man -or woman, through the slow succession of generations as in the swift -succession of years, character gradually assumes more fixed and -definite form. There is a process of development, interrupted perhaps -and retarded by such conflicts as I have referred to, but bringing -out all the more decisively and irreversibly the inmost spirit of the -whole. There is nothing which the proud and the weak more dread than -inconsistency; there is nothing, therefore, which is so fatally -certain to happen as what has happened already. The Jews resented from -the first the intrusion of God's word into their lives; they had -ambitions and ideas of their own, and in its corporate action the -nation was uniformly hostile to the prophets. It beat one and killed -another and stoned a third; it was of a different spirit from them, -and from Him who sent them; and the longer it lived, the more like -itself, the more unlike God, it became. It was the climax of its sin, -yet only the climax--for it had previously taken every step that led -to that eminence in evil--when it slew the Lord Jesus. And when it was -ripe for judgment, judgment fell upon it as a whole. - -It is not easy to speak impartially about our own country and its -character; yet such a character there undoubtedly is, just as there is -such a unity as the British nation. Many observers tell us that the -character has degenerated into a mere instinct for trade; and that it -has begotten a vast unscrupulousness in dealing with the weak. Nobody -will deny that there is a protesting conscience in the nation, a voice -which pleads in God's name for justice, as the prophets pled in -Israel; but the question is not whether such a voice is audible, but -whether in the corporate acts of the nation it is obeyed. The state -ought to be a Christian state. The nation ought to be conscious of a -spiritual vocation, and to be animated with the spirit of Christ. In -its dealings with other powers, in its relations to savage or -half-civilised peoples, in its care for the weak among its own -citizens, it should acknowledge the laws of justice and of mercy. We -have reason to thank God that in all these matters Christian sentiment -is beginning to tell. The opium trade with China, the liquor trade -with the natives of Africa, the labour trade in the South Seas, the -dwellings of the poor, the public-house system with its deliberate -fostering of drunkenness, all these are matters in regard to which the -nation was in danger of settling into permanent hostility to God, and -in which there is now hope of better things. The wrath which is the -due and inevitable accompaniment of such hostility, when persisted in, -has not come on us to the very end; God has given us opportunity to -rectify what is amiss, and to deal with all our interests in the -spirit of the New Testament. Let no one be backward or indifferent -when so great a work is in hand. The heritage of sin accumulates if it -is not put away by well doing; and with sin, judgment. It is for us to -learn by the word of God and the examples of history that the nation -and kingdom that will not serve Him shall perish. - -Finally, this passage shows us the last and worst form which sin can -assume, in the words "forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they -should be saved." Nothing is so completely ungodly, so utterly unlike -God and opposed to Him, as that spirit which grudges others the good -things which it prizes for itself. When the Jewish nation set itself -relentlessly to prohibit the extension of the gospel to the -Gentiles--when the word was passed round the synagogues from head -quarters that this renegade Paul, who was summoning the pagans to -become the people of God, was to be thwarted by fraud or violence--God's -patience was exhausted. Such selfish pride was the very negation of -His love; the _ne plus ultra_ of evil. Yet nothing is more easy and -natural than for men who have occupied a position of privilege to -indulge this temper. An imperial nation, which boasts of its freedom, -grudges such freedom to others; it seems to lose the very consciousness -of being free, unless there is a subject people over which it can -tyrannise. In many relations of minor consequence, political and -social, we have cause to make this reflection. Do not think that what -is good for you, is anything else than good for your neighbour. If you -are a better man because you have a comfortable home, leisure, -education, interest in public affairs, a place in the church, so would -he be. Above all, if the gospel of Christ is to you the pearl above -all price, take care how you grudge that to any human soul. This is -not an unnecessary caution. The criticism of missionary methods, which -may be legitimate enough, is interrupted too often by the suggestion -that such and such a race is not fit for the gospel. Nobody who knows -what the gospel is will ever make such a suggestion; but we have all -heard it made, and we see from this passage what it means. It is the -mark of a heart which is deeply estranged from God, and ignorant of -the Golden Rule which embodies both gospel and law. Let us rather be -imitators of the great man who first entered into the spirit of -Christ, and discovered the open secret of His life and death,--the -mystery of redemption--that the heathen should be heirs with God's -ancient people, and of the same body, and partakers of the same -promises. "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even -so to them." - -[8] Weiss renders +eis telos+ "im hoechsten Masse." - -[9] Observe the aorist +ephthasen+. - - - - -VII. - -_ABSENCE AND LONGING._ - - - "But we, brethren, being bereaved of you for a short season, in - presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more exceedingly to see your - face with great desire: because we would fain have come unto you, I - Paul once and again; and Satan hindered us. For what is our hope, or - joy, or crown of glorying? Are not even ye, before our Lord Jesus at - His coming? For ye are our glory and our joy. Wherefore when we could - not longer forbear, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens - alone; and sent Timothy, our brother and God's minister in the gospel - of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your - faith; that no man be moved by these afflictions; for yourselves know - that hereunto we are appointed. For verily, when we were with you, we - told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction; even as it came - to pass, and ye know. For this cause I also, when I could no longer - forbear, sent that I might know your faith, lest by any means the - tempter had tempted you, and our labour should be in vain."--1 THESS. - ii. 17-iii. 5 (R.V.). - -The Apostle has said all that he means to say of the opposition of the -Jews to the gospel, and in the verses before us turns to his own -relations to the Thessalonians. He had been compelled to leave their -city against his will; they themselves had escorted him by night to -Beroea. He cannot find words strong enough to describe the pain of -separation. It was a bereavement, although he hoped it would only last -for a short time. His heart was with them as truly as if he were still -bodily present in Thessalonica. His strongest desire was to look upon -their faces once more. - -Here we ought to notice again the power of the gospel to create new -relations and the corresponding affections. A few months before Paul -had not known a single soul in Thessalonica; if he had been only a -travelling tent-maker, he might have stayed there as long as he did, -and then moved on with as little emotion as troubles a modern gipsy -when he shifts his camp; but coming as a Christian evangelist, he -finds or rather makes brothers, and feels his enforced parting from -them like a bereavement. Months after, his heart is sore for those -whom he has left behind. This is one of the ways in which the gospel -enriches life; hearts that would otherwise be empty and isolated are -brought by it into living contact with a great circle whose nature and -needs are like their own; and capacities, that would otherwise have -been unsuspected, have free course for development. No one knows what -is in him; and, in particular, no one knows of what love, of what -expansion of heart he is capable, till Christ has made real to him -those relations to others by which his duties are determined, and all -his powers of thought and feeling called forth. Only the Christian man -can ever tell what it is to love with all his heart and soul and -strength and mind. - -Such an experience as shines through the words of the Apostle in this -passage furnishes the key to one of the best known but least -understood words of our Saviour. "Verily I say unto you," said Jesus -to the twelve, "there is no man that hath left house, or wife, or -brethren, or parents, or children, for the Kingdom of God's sake, who -shall not receive manifold more in this time, and in the world to come -eternal life." These words might almost stand for a description of -Paul. He had given up everything for Christ's sake. He had no home, -no wife, no child; as far as we can see, no brother or friend among -all his old acquaintances. Yet we may be sure that not one of those -who were most richly blessed with all these natural relations and -natural affections knew better than he what love is. No father ever -loved his children more tenderly, fervently, austerely and -unchangeably than Paul loved those whom he had begotten in the gospel. -No father was ever rewarded with affection more genuine, obedience -more loyal, than many of his converts rendered to him. Even in the -trials of love, which search it, and strain it, and bring out its -virtues to perfection--in misunderstandings, ingratitude, wilfulness, -suspicion--he had an experience with blessings of its own in which he -surpassed them all. If love is the true wealth and blessedness of our -life, surely none was richer or more blessed than this man, who had -given up for Christ's sake all those relations and connections through -which love naturally comes. Christ had fulfilled to him the promise -just quoted; He had given him a hundredfold in this life, houses and -brothers and sisters and mothers and children. It would have been -nothing but loss to cling to the natural affections and decline the -lonely apostolic career. - -There is something wonderfully vivid in the idea which Paul gives of -his love for the Thessalonians. His mind is full of them; he imagines -all the circumstances of trial and danger in which they may be placed; -if he could only be with them at need! He seems to follow them as a -woman follows with her thoughts the son who has gone alone to a -distant town; she remembers him when he goes out in the morning, -pities him if there are any circumstances of hardship in his work, -pictures him busy in shop or office or street, looks at the clock when -he ought to be home for the day; wonders where he is, and with what -companions, in the evening; and counts the days till she will see him -again. The Christian love of the Apostle, which had no basis at all in -nature, was as real as this; and it is a pattern for all those who try -to serve others in the gospel. The power of the truth, as far as its -ministers are concerned, depends on its being spoken in love; unless -the heart of the preacher or teacher is really pledged to those to -whom he speaks, he cannot expect but to labour in vain. - -Paul is anxious that the Thessalonians should understand the strength -of his feeling. It was no passing fancy. On two separate occasions he -had determined to revisit them, and had felt, apparently, some -peculiar malignity in the circumstances which foiled him. "Satan," he -says, "hindered us." - -This is one of the expressions which strike us as remote from our -present modes of thought. Yet it is not false or unnatural. It -belongs to that profound biblical view of life, according to which all -the opposing forces in our experience have at bottom a personal -character. We speak of the conflict of good and evil, as if good and -evil were powers with an existence of their own, but the moment we -think of it we see that the only good force in the world is the force -of a good will, and the only bad force the force of a bad will; in -other words, we see that the conflict of good and evil is essentially -a conflict of persons. Good persons are in conflict with bad persons; -and so far as the antagonism comes to a head, Christ, the New -Testament teaches, is in conflict with Satan. These persons are the -centres of force on one side and on the other; and the Apostle -discerns, in incidents of his life which have now been lost to us, the -presence and working now of this, and now of that. An instructive -illustration is really furnished by a passage in Acts which seems at -the first glance of a very different purport. It is in the 16th chap., -vv. 6-10, in which the historian describes the route of the Apostle -from the East to Europe. "They were _forbidden of the Holy Ghost_ to -speak the word in Asia" ... "they assayed to go into Bithynia; and -_the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not_" ... Paul saw a vision, after -which they "sought to go forth into Macedonia, _concluding that God -had called them_ to preach the gospel unto them." Here, we might -almost say, the three Divine Persons are referred to as the source of -intimations directing and controlling the course of the gospel; yet it -is evident, from the last mentioned, that such intimations might come -in the shape of any event providentially ordered, and that the -interpretation of them depended on those to whom they came. The -obstacles which checked Paul's impulse to preach in Asia and in -Bithynia he recognised to be of Divine appointment; those which -prevented him from returning to Thessalonica were of Satanic origin. -We do not know what they were; perhaps a plot against his life, which -made the journey dangerous; perhaps some sin or scandal that detained -him in Corinth. At all events it was the doing of the enemy, who in -this world, of which Paul does not hesitate to call him the god, has -means enough at his disposal to foil, though he cannot overcome, the -saints. - -It is a delicate operation, in many cases, to interpret outward -events, and say what is the source and what the purpose of this or -that. Moral indifference may blind us; but those who are in the thick -of the moral conflict have a swift and sure instinct for what is -against them or on their side; they can tell at once what is Satanic -and what is Divine. As a rule, the two forces will show in their -strength at the same time; "a great door and effectual is opened unto -me, and there are many adversaries:" each is a foil to the other. -What we ought to remark in this connection is the fundamental -character of all moral action. It is not a figure of speech to say -that the world is the scene of incessant spiritual conflict; it is the -literal truth. And spiritual conflict is not simply an interaction of -forces; it is the deliberate antagonism of persons to each other. When -we do what is right, we take Christ's side in a real struggle; when we -do what is wrong, we side with Satan. It is a question of personal -relations; to whose will do I add my own? to whose will do I oppose my -own? And the struggle approaches its close for each of us as our will -is more thoroughly assimilated to that of one or other of the two -leaders. Do not let us dwell in generalities which disguise from us -the seriousness of the issue. There is a place in one of his epistles -in which Paul uses just such abstract terms as we do in speaking of -this matter. "What fellowship," he asks, "have righteousness and -iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness?" But he clinches -the truth by bringing out the personal relations involved, when he -goes on, "And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what portion -hath a believer with an unbeliever?" These are the real quantities -concerned--all persons: Christ and Belial, believers and unbelievers; -all that happens is at bottom Christian or Satanic; all that we do is -on the side of Christ or on the side of the great enemy of our Lord. - -The recollection of the Satanic hindrances to his visit does not -detain the Apostle more than a moment; his heart overflows them to -those whom he describes as his hope and joy and crown of glorying in -the day of the Lord Jesus. The form of words[10] implies that these -titles are not the property of the Thessalonians only; yet at the same -time, that if they belong to anybody, they belong to them. - -It is almost a pity to analyse words which are spoken out of the -abundance of the heart; yet we pass over the surface, and lose the -sense of their truth, unless we do so. What then does Paul mean when -he calls the Thessalonians his hope? Every one looks at least a -certain distance into the future, and projects something into it to -give it reality and interest to himself. That is his hope. It may be -the returns he expects from investments of money; it may be the -expansion of some scheme he has set on foot for the common good; it -may be his children, on whose love and reverence, or on whose -advancement in life, he counts for the happiness of his declining -years. Paul, we know, had none of these hopes; when he looked down -into the future he saw no fortune growing secretly, no peaceful -retirement in which the love of sons and daughters would surround him -and call him blessed. Yet his future was not dreary or desolate; it -was bright with a great light; he had a hope that made life abundantly -worth living, and that hope was the Thessalonians. He saw them in his -mind's eye grow daily out of the lingering taint of heathenism into -the purity and love of Christ. He saw them, as the discipline of God's -providence had its perfect work in them, escape from the immaturity of -babes in Christ, and grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our -Lord and Saviour to the measure of the stature of perfect men. He saw -them presented faultless in the presence of the Lord's glory in the -great day. That was something to live for. To witness that spiritual -transformation which he had inaugurated carried on to completion gave -the future a greatness and a worth which made the Apostle's heart leap -for joy. He is glad when he thinks of his children walking in the -truth. They are "a chaplet of victory of which he may justly make his -boast"; he is prouder of them than a king of his crown, or a champion -in the games of his wreath. - -Such words might well be charged with extravagance if we omitted to -look at the connection in which they stand. "What is our hope, or joy, -or crown of glorying? Are not even ye, before our Lord Jesus at His -coming?" _Before our Lord Jesus at His coming_: this is the presence, -this the occasion, with which Paul confronts, in imagination, his hope -and joy and triumph. They are such as give him confidence and -exultation even as he thinks of the great event which will try all -common hopes and put them to shame. - -None of us, it may be presumed, is without hope when he looks into the -future; but how far does our future extend? For what situation is -provision made by the hope that we actually cherish? The one certain -event of the future is that we shall stand before our Lord Jesus, at -His coming; can we acknowledge there with joy and boasting the hope on -which our heart is at present set? Can we carry into that presence the -expectation which at this moment gives us courage to look down the -years to come? Not every one can. There are multitudes of human hopes -which terminate on material things, and expire with Christ's coming; -it is not these that can give us joy at last. The only hope whose -light is not dimmed by the brightness of Christ's appearing is the -disinterested spiritual hope of one who has made himself the servant -of others for Jesus' sake, and has lived to see and aid their growth -in the Lord. The fire which tries every man's work of what sort it is, -brings out the imperishable worth of this. The Old Testament as well -as the New tells us that souls saved and sanctified are the one hope -and glory of men in the great day. "They that be wise shall shine as -the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to -righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." It is a favourite -thought of the Apostle himself: "appear as lights in the world, -holding forth the word of life, _that I may have whereof to glory in -the day of Christ_." Even the Lord Himself, as he looks at the men -whom He has gathered out of the world, can say, _I am glorified_ in -them. It is His glory, as the Father's servant, that He has sought and -found and sanctified His Church. - -We ought not to pass by such fervent utterances as if they must mean -less than they say. We ought not, because our own hold on the circle -of Christian facts is weak, to glide over the qualification, "before -our Lord Jesus at His coming," as if it were without any solid -meaning. The Bible is verbally inspired at least in the sense that -nothing in it is otiose; every word is meant. And we miss the main -lesson of this passage, if we do not ask ourselves whether we have any -hope which is valid on the grand occasion in question. Your future may -be secured as far as this world is concerned. Your investments may be -as safe as the National debt; the loyalty and virtue of your children -all that heart could wish; you are not afraid of poverty, loneliness, -age. But what of our Lord Jesus, and His coming? Will your hope be -worth anything before Him, at that day? You do not know how near it -is. For some it may be very near. There are people in every -congregation who know they cannot live ten years. No one knows that he -will live so long. And all are summoned to take that great event into -their view of the future, and to make ready for it. Is it not a fine -thing to think that, if we do so, we can look forward to the coming of -our Lord Jesus with hope and joy and triumph? - -The intensity of Paul's love for the Thessalonians made his longing to -see them intolerable; and after being twice baffled in his attempts to -revisit them he sent Timothy in his stead. Rather than be without news -of them he was content to be left in Athens alone. He mentions this as -if it had been a great sacrifice, and probably it was so for him. He -seems to have been in many ways dependent on the sympathy and -assistance of others; and, of all places he ever visited, Athens was -the most trying to his ardent temperament. It was covered with idols -and exceedingly religious; yet it seemed to him more hopelessly away -from God than any city in the world. Never had he been left alone in a -place so unsympathetic; never had he felt so great a gulf fixed -between others' minds and his own; and Timothy had no sooner gone than -he made his way to Corinth, where his messenger found him on his -return. - -The object of this mission is sufficiently plain from what has been -already said. The Apostle knew the troubles that had beset the -Thessalonians; and it was Timothy's function to establish them and to -comfort them concerning their faith, that no man should be moved by -these afflictions. The word translated "moved" occurs only this once -in the New Testament, and the meaning is not quite certain. It may be -quite as general as our version represents it; but it may also have a -more definite sense, viz., that of allowing oneself to be befooled, or -flattered out of one's faith, in the midst of tribulations. Besides -the vehement enemies who pursued Paul with open violence, there may -have been others who spoke of him to the Thessalonians as a mere -enthusiast, the victim in his own person of delusions about a -resurrection and a life to come, which he sought to impose upon -others; and who, when affliction came on the Church, tried by appeals -of this sort to wheedle the Thessalonians out of their faith. Such a -situation would answer very exactly to the peculiar word here used. -But however this may be, the general situation was plain. The Church -was suffering; suffering is a trial which not every one can bear; and -Paul was anxious to have some one with them who had learned the -elementary Christian lesson, that it is inevitable. The disciples had -not, indeed, been taken by surprise. The Apostle had told them before -that to this lot Christians were appointed; we are destined, he says, -to suffer affliction. Nevertheless, it is one thing to know this by -being told, and another to know it, as the Thessalonians now did, by -experience. The two things are as different as reading a book about a -trade, and serving an apprenticeship to it. - -The suffering of the good because they are good is mysterious, in part -because it has the two aspects here made so manifest. On the one hand, -it comes by Divine appointment; it is the law under which the Son of -God Himself and all His followers live. But on the other hand, it is -capable of a double issue. It may perfect those who endure it as -ordained by God; it may bring out the solidity of their character, and -redound to the glory of their Saviour; or it may give an opening to -the tempter to seduce them from a path so full of pain. The one thing -of which Paul is certain is, that the salvation of Christ is cheaply -purchased at any price of affliction. Christ's life here and hereafter -is the supreme good; the one thing needful, for which all else may be -counted loss. - -This possible double issue of suffering--in higher goodness, or in the -abandonment of the narrow way--explains the difference of tone with -which Scripture speaks of it in different places. With the happy issue -in view, it bids us count it all joy when we fall into divers -temptations; blessed, it exclaims, is the man who endures; for when he -is found proof, he shall receive the crown of life. But with human -weakness in view, and the terrible consequences of failure, it bids us -pray, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. -The true Christian will seek, in all the afflictions of life, to -combine the courage and hope of the one view with the humility and -fear of the other. - -[10] +Tis gar ... e ouchi kai hymeis?+ - - - - -VIII. - -_LOVE AND PRAYERS._ - - - "But when Timothy came even now unto us from you, and brought us glad - tidings of your faith and love, and that ye have good remembrance of - us always, longing to see us, even as we also _to see_ you; for this - cause, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our distress and - affliction through your faith: for now we live, if ye stand fast in - the Lord. For what thanksgiving can we render again unto God for you, - for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; night - and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face, and may - perfect that which is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and - Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way unto you: and the - Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and - toward all men, even as we also _do_ toward you; to the end He may - stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father, - at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints."--1 THESS. iii. - 6-13 (R.V.). - -These verses present no peculiar difficulty to the expositor. They -illustrate the remark of Bengel that the First Epistle to the -Thessalonians is characterised by a kind of unmixed sweetness,--a -quality which is insipid to those who are indifferent to the relations -in which it is displayed, but which can never lose its charm for -simple, kindly, Christian hearts. - -It is worth observing that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians the moment -Timothy returned.[11] Such promptitude has not only a business value, -but a moral and Christian worth as well. It not only prevents arrears -from accumulating; it gives those to whom we write the first and -freshest feelings of the heart. Of course one may write hastily, as -well as speak hastily; a living critic has had the audacity to say -that if Paul had kept the Epistle to the Galatians long enough to read -it over, he would have thrown it into the fire; but most of our faults -as correspondents arise, not from precipitation, but from undue -delay. Where our hearts prompt us to speak or to write, let us dread -procrastination as a sin. The letter of congratulation or condolence -is natural and in place, and it will be inspired by true feeling, if -it is written when the sad or joyful news has touched the heart with -genuine sympathy; but if it is put on till a more convenient season, -it will never be done as it ought to be. How fervent and hearty is the -language in which Paul here expresses himself. The news that Timothy -has brought from Thessalonica is a veritable gospel to him. It has -comforted him in all his necessities and distresses; it has brought -him new life; it has been an indescribable joy. If he had not written -for a fortnight, we should have missed this rebound of gladness; and -what is more serious, the Thessalonians would have missed it. -Cold-hearted people may think they would have survived the loss; but -it is a loss which the cold hearted cannot estimate. Who can doubt -that, when this letter was read in the little congregation at -Thessalonica, the hearts of the disciples warmed again to the great -teacher who had been among them, and to the message of love which he -had preached? The gospel is wonderfully commended by the manifestation -of its own spirit in its ministers, and the love of Paul to the -Thessalonians no doubt made it easier for them to believe in the love -of God, and to love one another. For good, as well as for evil, a -little spark can kindle a great fire; and it would only be natural if -the burning words of this letter kindled the flame of love anew in -hearts in which it was beginning to die. - -There were two causes for Paul's joy,--one larger and more public; the -other, proper to himself. The first was the faith and love of the -Thessalonians, or, as he calls it further on, their standing fast in -the Lord; the other was their affectionate and faithful remembrance of -him, their desire, earnestly reciprocated on his part, to see his face -once more. - -The visitation of a Christian congregation by a deputy from Synod or -Assembly is sometimes embarrassing: no one knows exactly what is -wanted; a schedule of queries, filled up by the minister or the -office-bearers, is a painfully formal affair, which gives little real -knowledge of the health and spirit of the Church. But Timothy was one -of the founders of the church at Thessalonica; he had an affectionate -and natural interest in it; he came at once into close contact with -its real condition, and found the disciples full of faith and love. -Faith and love are not easily calculated and registered; but where -they exist in any power, they are easily felt by a Christian man. They -determine the temperature of the congregation; and a very short -experience enables a true disciple to tell whether it is high or low. -To the great joy of Timothy, he found the Thessalonians unmistakably -Christian. They were standing fast in the Lord. Christ was the basis, -the centre, the soul of their life. Their faith is mentioned twice, -because that is the most comprehensive word to describe the new life -in its root; they still kept their hold of the Word of God in the -gospel; no one could live among them and not feel that unseen things -were real to their souls; God and Christ, the resurrection and the -coming judgment, the atonement and the final salvation, were the great -forces which ruled their thoughts and lives. Faith in these -distinguished them from their Pagan neighbours. It made them a -Christian congregation, in which an Evangelist like Timothy at once -found himself at home. The common faith had its most signal exhibition -in love; if it separated the brethren from the rest of the world, it -united them more closely to each other. Every one knows what love is -in a family, and how different the spiritual atmosphere is, according -as love reigns or is disregarded in the relations of the household. In -some homes, love does reign: parents and children, brothers and -sisters, masters and servants, bear themselves beautifully to each -other; it is a delight to visit them; there is openness and -simplicity, sweetness of temper, a willingness to deny self, a -readiness to be interested in others, no suspicion, reserve, or gloom; -there is one mind and one heart in old and young, and a brightness -like the sunshine. In others, again, we see the very opposite: -friction, self-will, captiousness, mutual distrust, readiness to -suspect or to sneer, a painful separation of hearts that should be -one. And the same holds good of churches, which are in reality large -families, united not by natural but by spiritual bonds. We ought all -to be friends. There ought to be a spirit of love shed abroad in our -hearts, drawing us to each other in spite of natural differences, -giving us an unaffected interest in each other, making us frank, -sincere, cordial, self-denying, eager to help where help is needed and -it is in our power to render it, ready to resign our own liking, and -our own judgment even, to the common mind and purpose of the Church. -These two graces of faith and love are the very soul of the Christian -life. It is good news to a good man to hear that they exist in any -church. It is good news to Christ. - -But besides this more public cause for joy, which Paul shared to some -extent with all Christian men, there was another more private to -himself,--their good remembrance of him, and their earnest desire to -see him. Paul wrought for nothing but love. He did not care for money -or for fame; but a place in the hearts of his disciples was dear to -him above everything else in the world. He did not always get it. -Sometimes those who had just heard the gospel from his lips, and -welcomed its glad tidings, were prejudiced against him; they deserted -him for more attractive preachers; they forgot, amid the multitude of -their Christian instructors, the father who had begotten them in the -gospel. Such occurrences, of which we read in the Epistles to the -Corinthians and Galatians, were a deep grief to Paul; and though he -says to one of these thankless churches, "I will very gladly spend and -be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you the less I be -loved," he says also, "Brethren, receive us; make room for us in your -hearts; _our_ heart has been opened wide to _you_." He hungered -and thirsted for an answer of love to all the love which he lavished -on his converts; and his heart leapt up when Timothy returned from -Thessalonica, and told him that the disciples there had good -remembrance of him, that is, spoke of him with love, and longed to see -him once more. Nobody is fit to be a servant of Christ in any degree, -as parent, or teacher, or elder, or pastor, who does not know what -this craving for love is. It is not selfishness: it is itself one side -of love. Not to care for a place in the hearts of others; not to wish -for love, not to need it, not to miss it if it is wanting, does not -signify that we are free from selfishness or vanity: it is the mark of -a cold and narrow heart, shut up in itself, and disqualified for any -service the very essence of which is love. The thanklessness or -indifference of others is not a reason why we should cease to serve -them; yet it is apt to make the attempt at service heartless; and if -you would encourage any who have ever helped you in your spiritual -life, do not forget them, but esteem them very highly in love for -their works' sake. - -When Timothy returned from Thessalonica, he found Paul sorely in need -of good news. He was beset by distress and affliction; not inward or -spiritual troubles, but persecutions and sufferings, which befell him -from the enemies of the gospel. So extreme was his distress that he -even speaks of it by implication as death. But the glad tidings of -Thessalonian faith and love swept it at once away. They brought -comfort, joy, thanksgiving, life from the dead. How intensely, we are -compelled to say, did this man live his apostolic life! What depths -and heights are in it; what depression, not stopping short of despair; -what hope, not falling short of triumph. There are Christian workers -in multitudes whose experience, it is to be feared, gives them no key -to what we read here. There is less passion in their life in a year -than there was in Paul's in a day; they know nothing of these -transitions from distress and affliction to unspeakable joy and -praise. Of course all men are not alike; all natures are not equally -impressible; but surely all who are engaged in work which asks the -heart or nothing should suspect themselves if they go on from week to -week and year to year with heart unmoved? It is a great thing to have -part in a work which deals with men for their spiritual interests--which -has in view life and death, God and Christ, salvation and judgment. -Who can think of failures and discouragements without pain and fear? -who can hear the glad tidings of victory without heartfelt joy? Is it -not those only who have neither part nor lot in the matter? - -The Apostle in the fulness of his joy turns with devout gratitude -toward God. It is He who has kept the Thessalonians from falling, and -the only return the Apostle can make is to express his thankfulness. -He feels how unworthy words are of God's kindness; how unequal even to -his own feelings; but they are the first recompense to be made, and he -does not withhold them. There is no surer mark of a truly pious spirit -than this grateful mood. Every good gift and every perfect gift is -from above; most directly and immediately are all gifts like love and -faith to be referred to God as their source, and to call forth the -thanks and praise of those who are interested in them. If God does -little for us, giving us few signs of His presence and help, may it -not be because we have refused to acknowledge His kindness when He has -interposed on our behalf? "Whoso offereth praise," He says, "glorifieth -Me." "In everything give thanks." - -Paul's love for the Thessalonians did not blind him to their -imperfections. It was their faith which comforted him in all his -distress, yet he speaks of the deficiencies of their faith as -something he sought to remedy. In one sense, faith is a very simple -thing, the setting of the heart right with God in Christ Jesus. In -another, it is very comprehensive. It has to lay hold on the whole -revelation which God has made in His Son, and it has to pass into -action through love in every department of life. It is related on the -one side to knowledge, and on the other to conduct. Now Timothy saw -that while the Thessalonians had the root of the matter in them, and -had set themselves right with God, they were far from perfect. They -were ignorant of much which it concerned Christians to know; they had -false ideas on many points in regard to which God had given light. -They had much to do before they could be said to have escaped from the -prejudices, the instincts, and the habits of heathenism, and to have -entered completely into the mind of Christ. In later chapters we shall -find the Apostle rectifying what was amiss in their notions both of -truth and duty; and, in doing so, opening up to us the lines on which -defective faith needs to be corrected and supplemented. - -But we should not pass by this notice of the deficiencies of faith -without asking ourselves whether our own faith is alive and -progressive. It may be quite true and sound in itself; but what if it -never gets any further on? It is in its nature an engrafting into -Christ, a setting of the soul into a vital connection with Him; and if -it is what it should be, there will be a transfusion, by means of it, -of Christ into us. We shall get a larger and surer possession of the -mind of Christ, which is the standard both of spiritual truth and of -spiritual life. His thoughts will be our thoughts; His judgment, our -judgment; His estimates of life and the various elements in it, our -estimates; His disposition and conduct, the pattern and the -inspiration of ours. Faith is a little thing in itself, the smallest -of small beginnings; in its earliest stage it is compatible with a -high degree of ignorance, of foolishness, of insensibility in the -conscience; and hence the believer must not forget that he is a -disciple; and that though he has entered the school of Christ, he has -only entered it, and has many classes to pass through, and much to -learn and unlearn, before he can become a credit to his Teacher. An -Apostle coming among us would in all likelihood be struck with -manifest deficiencies in our faith. This aspect of the truth, he would -say, is overlooked; this vital doctrine is not really a vital piece of -your minds; in your estimate of such and such a thing you are betrayed -by worldly prejudices that have survived your conversion; in your -conduct in such and such a situation you are utterly at variance with -Christ. He would have much to teach us, no doubt, of truth, of right -and wrong, and of our Christian calling; and if we wish to remedy the -defects of our faith, we must give heed to the words of Christ and His -Apostles, so that we may not only be engrafted into Him, but grow up -into Him in all things, and become perfect men in Christ Jesus. - -In view of their deficiencies, Paul prayed exceedingly that he might -see the Thessalonians again; and conscious of his own inability to -overcome the hindrances raised in his path by Satan, he refers the -whole matter to God. "May our God and Father Himself, and our Lord -Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you." Certainly in that prayer the -person directly addressed is our God and Father Himself; our Lord -Jesus Christ is introduced in subordination to Him; yet what a dignity -is implied in this juxtaposition of God and Christ! Surely the name of -a merely human creature, even if such could be exalted to share the -throne of God, could not possibly appear in this connexion. It is not -to be overlooked that both in this and in the similar passage in 2 -Thess. ii. 16 f., where God and Christ are named side by side, the -verb is in the singular number. It is an involuntary assent of the -Apostle to the word of the Lord, "I and My Father are one." We can -understand why He added in this place "our Lord Jesus Christ" to "our -God and Father." It was not only that all power was given to the Son -in heaven and on earth; but that, as Paul well knew from that day on -which the Lord arrested him by Damascus, the Saviour's heart beat in -sympathy with His suffering Church, and would surely respond to any -prayer on its behalf. Nevertheless, he leaves the result to God; and -even if he is not permitted to come to them, he can still pray for -them, as he does in the closing verses of the chapter: "The Lord make -you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all -men, even as we also do toward you; to the end He may stablish your -hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father, at the -coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints." - -Here it is distinctly Christ who is addressed in prayer; and what the -Apostle asks is that He may make the Thessalonians increase and abound -in love. Love, he seems to say, is the one grace in which all others -are comprehended; we can never have too much of it; we can never have -enough. The strong words of the prayer really ask that the -Thessalonians may be loving in a superlative degree, overflowing with -love. And notice the aspect in which love is here presented to us: it -is a power and an exercise of our own souls certainly, yet we are not -the fountain of it; it is the Lord who is to make us rich in love. -The best commentary on this prayer is the word of the Apostle in -another letter: "The love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts -through the Holy Ghost which was given unto us." "We love, because He -first loved us." In whatever degree love exists in us, God is its -source; it is like a faint pulse, every separate beat of which tells -of the throbbing of the heart; and it is only as God imparts His -Spirit to us more fully that our capacity for loving deepens and -expands. When that Spirit springs up within us, an inexhaustible -fountain, then rivers of living water, streams of love, will overflow -on all around. For God is love, and he that dwells in love dwells in -God, and God in him. - -Paul seeks love for his converts as the means by which their hearts -may be established unblameable in holiness. That is a notable -direction for those in search of holiness. A selfish, loveless heart -can never succeed in this quest. A cold heart is not unblameable, and -never will be; it is either pharisaical or foul, or both. But love -sanctifies. Often we only escape from our sins by escaping from -ourselves; by a hearty, self-denying, self-forgetting interest in -others. It is quite possible to think so much about holiness as to put -holiness out of our reach: it does not come with concentrating thought -upon ourselves at all; it is the child of love, which kindles a fire in -the heart in which faults are burnt up. Love is the fulfilling of the -law; the sum of the ten commandments; the end of all perfection. Do -not let us imagine that there is any other holiness than that which is -thus created. There is an ugly kind of faultlessness which is always -raising its head anew in the Church; a holiness which knows nothing of -love, but consists in a sort of spiritual isolation, in censoriousness, -in holding up one's head and shaking off the dust of one's feet -against brethren, in conceit, in condescension, in sanctimonious -separateness from the freedom of common life, as though one were too -good for the company which God has given him: all this is as common in -the Church as it is plainly condemned in the New Testament. It is an -abomination in God's sight. Except your righteousness, says Christ, -exceed this, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. -Love exceeds it infinitely, and opens the door which is closed to -every other claim. - -The kingdom of heaven comes before the Apostle's mind as he writes. -The Thessalonians are to be blameless in holiness, not in the judgment -of any human tribunal, but before our God and Father, at the coming of -our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. At the end of each of these -three chapters this great event has risen into view. The coming of our -Lord Jesus Christ is a scene of judgment for some; of joy and glory -for others; of imposing splendour for all. Many think that the last -words here, "with all His saints," refer to the angels, and Zech. xiv. -5,--"The Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with Thee,"--in -which angels are undoubtedly meant, has been quoted in support of this -view; but such a use of "saints" would be unexampled in the New -Testament.[12] The Apostle means the dead in Christ, who, as he -explains in a later chapter, will swell the Lord's train at His -coming. The instinctiveness with which Paul recurs to this great event -shows how large a place it filled in his creed and in his heart. His -hope was a hope of Christ's second coming; his joy was a joy which -would not pale in that awful presence; his holiness was a holiness to -stand the test of those searching eyes. Where has this supreme motive -gone in the modern Church? Is not this one point in which the -apostolic word bids us perfect that which is lacking in our faith? - -[11] +Arti+ is naturally taken with +elthontos+: as by Ellicott. - -[12] Yet see Jude 14, quoting from Enoch. - - - - -IX. - -_PERSONAL PURITY._ - - - "Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, - that, as ye received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, - even as ye do walk,--that ye abound more and more. For ye know what - charge we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of - God, _even_ your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication; - that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in - sanctification and honour, not in the passion of lust, even as the - Gentiles which know not God; that no man transgress, and wrong his - brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these - things, as also we forewarned you and testified. For God called us - not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. Therefore he that - rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth His Holy Spirit - unto you."--1 THESS. iv. 1-8 (R.V.). - -The "finally" with which this chapter opens is the beginning of the -end of the Epistle. The personal matter which has hitherto occupied us -was the immediate cause of the Apostle's writing; he wished to open -his heart to the Thessalonians, and to vindicate his conduct against -the insidious accusations of his enemies; and having done so, his main -purpose is fulfilled. For what remains--this is the meaning of -"finally"--he has a few words to say suggested by Timothy's report -upon their state. - -The previous chapter closed with a prayer for their growth in love, -with a view to their establishment in holiness. The prayer of a good -man avails much in its working; but his prayer of intercession cannot -secure the result it seeks without the co-operation of those for whom -it is made. Paul, who has besought the Lord on their behalf, now -beseeches the Thessalonians themselves, and exhorts them in the Lord -Jesus, to walk as they had been taught by him. The gospel, we see -from this passage, contains a new law; the preacher must not only do -the work of an evangelist, proclaiming the glad tidings of -reconciliation to God, but the work of a catechist also, enforcing on -those who receive the glad tidings the new law of Christ. This is in -accordance with the final charge of the Saviour: "Go and make -disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and -of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things -whatsoever I have commanded you." The Apostle had followed this Divine -order; he had made disciples in Thessalonica, and then he had taught -them how to walk and to please God. We who have been born in a -Christian country, and bred on the New Testament, are apt to think -that we know all these things; our conscience seems to us a sufficient -light. We ought to know that, though conscience is universal in the -human race, and everywhere distinguishes between a right and a wrong, -there is not one of our faculties which is more in need of -enlightenment. No one doubts that men who have been converted from -heathenism, like the Thessalonians, or the fruits of modern missions -in Nyassaland or Madagascar, need to be _taught_ what kind of life -pleases God; but in some measure we all need such teaching. We have -not been true to conscience; it is set in our human nature like the -unprotected compass in the early iron ships: it is exposed to -influences from other parts of our nature which bias and deflect it -without our knowledge. It needs to be adjusted to the holy will of -God, the unchangeable standard of right, and protected against -disturbing forces. In Thessalonica Paul had laid down the new law, he -says, _through the Lord Jesus_. If it had not been for Him, we should -have been without the knowledge of it altogether; we should have had -no adequate conception of the life with which God is well pleased. But -such a life is exhibited to us in the Gospels; its spirit and -requirements can be deduced from Christ's example, and are explicitly -set forth in His words. He left us an example, that we should follow -in His steps. "Follow Me," is the sum of His commandments; the one -all-embracing law of the Christian life. - -One of the subjects of which we should gladly know more is the use of -the Gospels in the early Church; and this passage gives us one of the -earliest glimpses of it. The peculiar mention of the Lord Jesus in the -second verse shows that the Apostle used the words and example of the -Master as the basis of his moral teaching; the mind of Christ is the -norm for the Christian conscience. And if it be true that we still -need enlightenment as to the claims of God and the law of life, it is -here we must seek it. The words of Jesus have still their old -authority. They still search our hearts, and show us all things that -ever we did, and their moral worth or worthlessness. They still reveal -to us unsuspected ranges of life and action in which God is not yet -acknowledged. They still open to us gates of righteousness, and call -on us to enter in, and subdue new territories to God. The man who is -most advanced in the life which pleases God, and whose conscience is -most nearly identical with the mind of Christ, will be the first to -confess his constant need of, and his constant dependence upon, the -word and example of the Lord Jesus. - -In addressing the Thessalonians, Paul is careful to recognise their -actual obedience. Ye do walk, he writes, according to this rule. In -spite of sins and imperfections, the church, as a whole, had a -Christian character; it was exhibiting human life in Thessalonica on -the new model; and while he hints that there is room for indefinite -progress, he does not fail to notice their present attainments. That -is a rule of wisdom, not only for those who have to censure or to -teach, but for all who wish to judge soberly the state and prospects -of the Church. We know the necessity there is for abounding more and -more in Christian obedience; we can see in how many directions, -doctrinal and practical, that which is lacking in faith requires to be -perfected; but we need not therefore be blind to the fact that it is -in the Church that the Christian standard is held up, and that -continuous, and not quite unsuccessful efforts, are made to reach it. -The best men in a community, those whose lives come nearest to -pleasing God, are to be found among those who are identified with the -gospel; and if the worst men in the community are also found in the -Church at times, that is because the corruption of the best is worst. -If God has not cast off His Church altogether, He is teaching her to -do His will. - -"For this," the Apostle proceeds, "is the will of God, even your -sanctification." It is assumed here that the will of God is the law, -and ought to be the inspiration, of the Christian. God has taken him -out of the world that he may be His, and live in Him and for Him. He -is not his own any longer; even his will is not his own; it is to be -caught up and made one with the will of God; and that is -sanctification. No human will works apart from God to this end of -holiness. The other influences which reach it, and bend it into accord -with them, are from beneath, not from above; as long as it does not -recognise the will of God as its rule and support, it is a carnal, -worldly, sinful will. But the will of God, to which it is called to -submit, is the saving of the human will from this degradation. For the -will of God is not only a law to which we are required to conform, it -is the one great and effective moral power in the universe, and it -summons us to enter into alliance and co-operation with itself. It is -not a dead thing; it is God Himself working in us in furtherance of -His good pleasure. To tell us what the will of God is, is not to tell -us what is against us, but what is on our side; not the force which we -have to encounter, but that on which we can depend. If we set out on -an un-Christian life, on a career of falsehood, sensuality, -worldliness, God is against us; if we go to perdition, we go breaking -violently through the safeguards with which He has surrounded us, -overpowering the forces by which He seeks to keep us in check; but if -we set ourselves to the work of sanctification, He is on our side. He -works in us and with us, because our sanctification is His will. Paul -does not mention it here to dishearten the Thessalonians, but to -stimulate them. Sanctification is the one task which we can face -confident that we are not left to our own resources. God is not the -taskmaster we have to satisfy out of our own poor efforts, but the -holy and loving Father who inspires and sustains us from first to -last. To fall in with His will is to enlist all the spiritual forces -of the world in our aid; it is to pull with, instead of against, the -spiritual tide. - -In the passage before us the Apostle contrasts our sanctification with -the cardinal vice of heathenism, impurity. Above all other sins, this -was characteristic of the Gentiles _who knew not God_. There is -something striking in that description of the pagan world in this -connection: ignorance of God was at once the cause and the effect of -their vileness; had they retained God in their knowledge, they could -never have sunk to such depths of shame; had they shrunk from -pollution with instinctive horror, they would never have been -abandoned to such ignorance of God. No one who is not familiar with -ancient literature can have the faintest idea of the depth and breadth -of the corruption. Not only in writers avowedly immoral, but in the -most magnificent works of a genius as lofty and pure as Plato, there -are pages that would stun with horror the most hardened profligate in -Christendom. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that on the whole -matter in question the heathen world was without conscience: it had -sinned away its sense of the difference between right and wrong; to -use the words of the Apostle in another passage, being past feeling -men had given themselves up to work all manner of uncleanness. They -gloried in their shame. Frequently, in his epistles, Paul combines -this vice with covetousness,--the two together representing the great -interests of life to the ungodly, the flesh and the world. Those who -do not know God and live for Him, live, as he saw with fearful -plainness, to indulge the flesh and to heap up gain. Some think that -in the passage before us this combination is made, and that ver. -6--"that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in _any_ -matter"--is a prohibition of dishonesty in business; but that is -almost certainly[13] a mistake. As the Revised Version shows, the -Apostle is speaking of the matter in hand; in the Church especially, -among brethren in Christ, in the Christian home, the uncleanness of -heathenism can have no place. Marriage is to be sanctified. Every -Christian, marrying in the Lord, is to exhibit in his home-life the -Christian law of sanctification and noble self-respect. - -The Apostle adds to his warning against sensuality the terrible -sanction, "The Lord is an avenger in all these things." The want of -conscience in the heathen world generated a vast indifference on this -point. If impurity was a sin, it was certainly not a crime. The laws -did not interfere with it; public opinion was at best neutral; the -unclean person might presume upon impunity. To a certain extent this -is the case still. The laws are silent, and treat the deepest guilt as -a civil offence. Public opinion is indeed stronger and more hostile -than it once was, for the leaven of Christ's kingdom is actively at -work in society; but public opinion can only touch open and notorious -offenders, those who have been guilty of scandal as well as of sin; -and secrecy is still tempted to count upon impunity. But here we are -solemnly warned that the Divine law of purity has sanctions of its own -above any cognisance taken of offences by man. "The Lord is an avenger -in all these things." "Because of these things cometh the wrath of God -upon the sons of disobedience." - -Is it not true? They are avenged on the bodies of the sinful. -"Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." The holy law of -God, wrought into the very constitution of our bodies, takes care that -we do not violate it without paying the penalty. If it is not at the -moment, it is in the future, and with interest,--in premature old age; -in the torpor which succeeds all spendthrift feats, excesses of man's -prime; in the sudden break-down under any strain put on either -physical or moral courage. They are avenged in the soul. Sensual -indulgence extinguishes the capacity for feeling: the profligate man -would love, but cannot; all that is inspiring, elevating, redeeming in -the passions is lost to him; all that remains is the dull sense of -that incalculable loss. Were there ever sadder lines written than -those in which Burns, with his life ruined by this very thing, writes -to a young friend and warns him against it? - - "I wave the quantum o' the sin, - The hazard o' concealing; - But Och! it hardens a' within, - And petrifies the feeling." - -This inward deadening is one of the most terrible consequences of -immorality; it is so unexpected, so unlike the anticipations of -youthful passion, so stealthy in its approach, so inevitable, so -irreparable. All these sins are avenged also in the will and in the -spiritual nature. Most men repent of their early excesses; some never -cease to repent. Repentance, at least, is what it is habitually -called; but that is not really repentance which does not separate the -soul from sin. That access of weakness which comes upon the back of -indulgence, that break-down of the soul in impotent self-pity, is no -saving grace. It is a counterfeit of repentance unto life, which -deludes those whom sin has blinded, and which, when often enough -repeated, exhausts the soul and leaves it in despair. Is there any -vengeance more terrible than that? When _Christian_ was about to -leave the Interpreter's house, "Stay," said the Interpreter, "till I -have showed thee a little more, and after that thou shalt go on thy -way." What was the sight without which Christian was not allowed to -start upon his journey? It was the Man of Despair, sitting in the -iron cage,--the man who, when Christian asked him "How camest thou in -this condition?" made answer: "I left off to watch and be sober; I -laid the reins upon the neck of my lusts; I sinned against the light -of the word and the goodness of God; I have grieved the Spirit, and He -is gone; I tempted the devil, and he is come to me; I have provoked -God to anger, and He has left me; I have so hardened my heart that I -cannot repent." This is no fancy picture: it is drawn to the life; it -is drawn from the life; it is the very voice and tone in which many a -man has spoken who has lived an unclean life under the cloak of a -Christian profession. They who do such things do not escape the -avenging holiness of God. Even death, the refuge to which despair so -often drives, holds out no hope to them. There remaineth no more a -sacrifice for sin, but a fearful expectation of judgment. - -The Apostle dwells upon God's interest in purity. He is the avenger of -all offences against it; but vengeance is His strange work. He has -called us with a calling utterly alien to it,--not based on -uncleanness or contemplating it, like some of the religions in -Corinth, where Paul wrote this letter; but having sanctification, -purity in body and in spirit, for its very element. The idea of -"calling" is one which has been much degraded and impoverished in -modern times. By a man's calling we usually understand his trade, -profession, or business, whatever it may be; but our calling in -Scripture is something quite different from this. It is our life -considered, not as filling a certain place in the economy of society, -but as satisfying a certain purpose in the mind and will of God. It is -a calling _in Christ Jesus_; apart from Him it could not have -existed. The Incarnation of the Son of God; His holy life upon the -earth; His victory over all our temptations; His consecration of our -weak flesh to God; His sanctification, by His own sinless experience, -of our childhood, youth, and manhood, with all their unconsciousness, -their bold anticipations, their sense of power, their bent to -lawlessness and pride; His agony and His death upon the Cross; His -glorious resurrection and ascension,--all these were necessary before -we could be called with a Christian calling. Can any one imagine that -the vices of heathenism, lust or covetousness, are compatible with a -calling like this? Are they not excluded by the very idea of it? It -would repay us, I think, to lift that noble word "calling" from the -base uses to which it has descended; and to give it in our minds the -place it has in the New Testament. It is God who has called us, and He -has called us in Christ Jesus, and therefore called us to be saints. -Flee, therefore, all that is unholy and unclean. - -In the last verse of the paragraph the Apostle urges both his appeals -once more: he recalls the severity and the goodness of God. - -"Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God". "Rejecteth" -is a contemptuous word; in the margin of the Authorised Version it is -rendered, as in some other places in Scripture, "despiseth." There are -such things as sins of ignorance; there are cases in which the -conscience is bewildered; even in a Christian community the vitality -of conscience may be low, and sins, therefore, be prevalent, without -being so deadly to the individual soul; but that is never true of the -sin before us. To commit this sin is to sin against the light. It is -to do what every one in contact with the Church knows, and from the -beginning has known, to be wrong. It is to be guilty of deliberate, -wilful, high-handed contempt of God. It is little to be warned by an -apostle or a preacher; it is little to despise him: but behind all -human warnings is the voice of God; behind all human sanctions of the -law is God's inevitable vengeance; and it is that which is braved by -the impure. "He that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God." - -But God, we are reminded again in the last words, is not against us, -but on our side. He is the Holy One, and an avenger in all these -things; but He is also the God of Salvation, our deliverer from them -all, who _gives His Holy Spirit unto us_. The words put in the -strongest light God's interest in us and in our sanctification. It is -our sanctification He desires; to this He calls us; for this He works -in us. Instead of shrinking from us, because we are so unlike Him, He -puts His Holy Spirit into our impure hearts, He puts His own strength -within our reach that we may lay hold upon it, He offers us His hand -to grasp. It is this searching, condescending, patient, omnipotent -love, which is rejected by those who are immoral. They grieve the Holy -Spirit of God, that Spirit which Christ won for us by His atoning -death, and which is able to make us clean. There is no power which can -sanctify us but this; nor is there any sin which is too deep or too -black for the Holy spirit to overcome. Hearken to the words of the -Apostle in another place: "Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor -idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves -with men, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor -extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God. And such were some of -you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified -in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God." - -[13] Still I do not feel quite certain (in spite of 2 Cor. ii. 11) -that +pleonektein+ and +pleonexia+ in St. Paul can refer to anything -but covetousness. This is the view taken by Schmidt, who refers to the -combination, in 1 Cor. v. 10, vi. 10, of +pleonektes+ with +harpax+ -and +kleptes+. If it is correct, +en to pragmati+ must be translated -"in business"; "_dass in geschaeftlichen Dingen Keiner ausschreite und -seinen Bruder ausbeute_." Certainly the combination of sensuality and -avarice as the cardinal vices of heathendom is characteristic of the -Apostle. - - - - -X. - -_CHARITY AND INDEPENDENCE._ - - - "But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write - unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another; - for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all - Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more; - and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to - work with your hands, even as we charged you; that ye may walk - honestly toward them that are without, and may have need of - nothing."--1 THESS. iv. 9-12 (R.V.). - -When the gospel first came abroad in the world, two characteristics of -its adherents attracted general attention, namely, personal purity and -brotherly love. Amid the gross sensuality of heathenism, the Christian -stood out untainted by indulgence of the flesh; amid the utter -heartlessness of pagan society, which made no provision for the poor, -the sick, or the aged, the Church was conspicuous for the close union -of its members and their brotherly kindness to each other. Personal -purity and brotherly love were the notes of the Christian and of the -Christian community in the early days; they were the new and -regenerating virtues which the Spirit of Christ had called into -existence in the heart of a dying world. The opening verses of this -chapter enforce the first; those at present before us treat of the -second. - -"Concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto -you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another." The -principle, that is, of brotherly love is of the very essence of -Christianity; it is not a remote consequence of it which might easily -be overlooked unless it were pointed out. Every believer is taught of -God to love the brother who shares his faith; such love is the best -and only guarantee of his own salvation; as the Apostle John writes, -"We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love -the brethren." It is perhaps not unnecessary to remark that, in the -New Testament, brethren means fellow-Christians, and not fellow-men. -We _have_ duties to all men, which the Bible does not fail to -recognise and enforce; we are one with them in the nature God has -given us, and the great alternatives life sets before us; and that -natural unity is the basis of duties which all owe to each other. -Honour _all_ men. But the Church of Christ creates new relations -between its members, and with these new relations mutual obligations -still more strong and binding. God Himself is the Saviour of all, -specially of them that believe; and Christians in like manner are -bound, as they have opportunity, to do good unto all men, but -specially to those who are of the household of faith. This is not -sufficiently considered by most Christian people; who, if they looked -into the matter, might find that few of their strongest affections -were determined by the common faith. Is not love a strong and peculiar -word to describe the feeling you cherish toward some members of the -Church, brethren to you in Christ Jesus? yet love to the brethren is -the very token of our right to a place in the Church for ourselves. -"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." - -These words of John give us the key to the expression "taught of God -to love one another." It is not likely that they refer to anything so -external as the words of Scripture, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as -thyself." Even in the Old Testament, to be taught of God was something -more spiritual than this; it was the same thing as to have the law -written on the heart. That is what the Apostle has in view here. The -Christian has been born again, born of God; he has a new nature, with -new instincts, a new law, a new spontaneity; it is now native to him -to love. Until the Spirit of God enters into men's hearts and -recreates them, life is a war of all against all; man is a wolf to -man; but in the Church that internecine strife has ended, for its -members are the children of God, and every one that loveth Him that -begat loveth him also that is begotten of Him. The selfishness of -man's nature is veiled, and to some extent repressed, in other -societies; but it is not, as a principle, exterminated except in the -Church and by the Spirit of Christ. A family ought to be an unselfish -place, ruled only by and fostering the spirit of love; yet if Christ -be not there, what selfish passions assert themselves in spite of all -restraint. Any association working for the common good--a town council -even--ought to be an unselfish body; yet how often, in such places, is -rivalry conspicuous and self-seeking, and envy, and detraction, and -all that is unlike Christ. In the Church which has been taught of God, -or, in other words, which has learned of Christ, we find at least some -manifestations of a better spirit. It does contain people who love one -another because they are Christians; who are unselfish, giving way to -each other, esteeming each other, helping each other; if it contained -none such, it would not be a Church at all. - -The brotherly love of the early Church was not only visible to the -world; it was its great recommendation in the world's eyes. It had -brought a new thing into being, a thing for which the world was -pining, namely, vital society. The poor people in the cities of Asia -and Europe saw with wonder, joy, and hope, men and women united to one -another in a spiritual union, which gave scope to all their gifts for -society, and satisfied all their desires for it. The early Christian -churches were little companies of people where love was at a high -temperature, where outward pressure very often tightened the inward -bonds, and where mutual confidence diffused continual joy. Men were -drawn to them irresistibly by the desire to share this life of love. -It is the very same force which at this moment draws those who are -outcasts from society into the Salvation Army. Whatever the failings -of that organisation may be, its members are as brothers; the sense of -union, of mutual obligation, of mutual confidence, in one word, of -brotherly love, is very strong; and souls that pine for that -atmosphere are drawn to it with overpowering force. It is not good for -man to be alone; it is vain for him to seek the satisfaction of his -social instincts in any of the casual, selfish, or sinful associations -by which he is often betrayed: even the natural affection of the -family, pure and strong as it may be, does not answer to the width of -his spiritual nature; his heart cries out for that society founded on -brotherly love which only the Church of Christ provides. If there is -one thing more than another which explains the Church's failure in -missionary work, it is the absence of this spirit of love among her -members. If men were compelled to cry still, as in the early days of -the gospel, "Behold these Christians, how they love one another," they -would not be able to remain outside. Their hearts would kindle at the -glow, and all that hindered their incorporation would be burned up. - -The Apostle acknowledges the progress of the Thessalonians. They show -this brotherly love to all the brethren that are in all Macedonia; but -he beseeches them to abound more and more. Nothing is more -inconsistent with the gospel than narrowness of mind or heart, -however often Christians may belie their profession by such vices. -Perhaps of all churches in the world, the church of our own country is -as much in need of this admonition as any, and more than most. Would -it not be higher praise than some of us deserve, to say that we loved -with brotherly cordiality all the Christian churches in Britain, and -wished them God speed in their Christian work? And as for churches -outside our native land, who knows anything about them? There was a -time when all the Protestant churches in Europe were one, and lived on -terms of brotherly intimacy; we sent ministers and professors to -congregations and colleges in France, Germany, and Holland, and took -ministers and professors from the Continent ourselves; the heart of -the Church was enlarged towards brethren whom it has now completely -forgotten. This change has been to the loss of all concerned; and if -we would follow the Apostle's advice, and abound more and more in this -supreme grace, we must wake up to take an interest in brethren beyond -the British Isles. The Kingdom of Heaven has no boundaries that could -be laid down on a map, and the brotherly love of the Christian is -wider than all patriotism. But this truth has a special side connected -with the situation of the Apostle. Paul wrote these words from -Corinth, where he was busily engaged in planting a new church, and -they virtually bespeak the interest of the Thessalonians in that -enterprise. Christian brotherly love is the love which God Himself -implants in the heart; and the love of God has no limitations. It goes -out into all the earth, even to the end of the world. It is an ever -advancing, ever victorious force; the territory in which it reigns -becomes continually wider and wider. If that love abounds in us more -and more, we shall follow with live and growing interest the work of -Christian missions. Few of us have any idea of the dimensions of that -work, and of the nature of its successes. Few of us have any -enthusiasm for it. Few of us do anything worth mentioning to help it -on. Not very long ago the whole nation was shocked by the disclosures -about the Stanley expedition; and the newspapers were filled with the -doings of a few profligate ruffians, who, whatever they failed to do, -succeeded in covering themselves, and the country they belong to, with -infamy. One would fain hope that this exhibition of inhumanity would -turn men's thoughts by contrast to those who are doing the work of -Christ in Africa. The national execration of fiendish wickedness is -nothing unless it passes into deep and strong sympathy with those who -are working among the Africans in brotherly love. What is the merit of -Stanley or his associates, that their story should excite the interest -of those who know nothing of Comber and Hannington and Mackay, and -all the other brave men who loved not their lives to the death for -Christ's sake and Africa's? Is it not a shame to some of us that we -know the horrible story so much better than the gracious one? Let -brotherly love abound more and more; let Christian sympathy go out -with our brethren and sisters in Christ who go out themselves to dark -places; let us keep ourselves instructed in the progress of their -work; let us support it with prayer and liberality at home; and our -minds and hearts alike will grow in the greatness of our Lord and -Saviour. - -Brotherly love in the early Church, within the limits of a small -congregation, often took the special form of charity. Those who were -able helped the poor. A special care was taken, as we see from the -Book of Acts, of widows, and no doubt of orphans. In a later epistle -Paul mentions with praise a family which devoted itself to ministering -to the saints. To do good and to communicate, that is, to impart of -one's goods to those who had need, is the sacrifice of praise which -all Christians are charged not to forget. To see a brother or a sister -destitute, and to shut up the heart against them, is taken as proof -positive that we have not the love of God dwelling in us. It would be -difficult, one might mink, to exaggerate the emphasis which the New -Testament lays on the duty and the merit of charity. "Sell all that -thou hast, and give to the poor," Christ said to the rich young man, -"and thou shalt have treasure in heaven." "Give alms," He cried to the -Pharisees, "of such things as ye have; and behold, all things are -clean unto you." Charity sanctifies. Nor have these strong sayings -been without their due effect. Charity, both organised and private, is -characteristic of Christendom, and of Christendom only. The pagan -world made no provision for the destitute, the sick, the aged. It had -no almshouses, no infirmaries, no orphanages, no convalescent homes. -The mighty impulse of the love of Christ has created all these, and to -this hour it sustains them all. Acknowledged or unacknowledged, it is -the force which lies behind every effort made by man for the good of -his fellows; wherever this disinterested love burns in a human bosom, -it is the fire which Christ cast upon the earth, and He rejoices at -its kindling. As a recent example, look at the great scheme of General -Booth: it is the love of Christ which has inspired it; it is the love -of Christ that must provide all the subordinate agents by whom it is -to be administered, if it is ever carried into effect; it is on the -public conviction that he is animated by the love of Christ and has no -by-ends of his own to secure, that General Booth depends for his -funds. It is only this Christ-enkindled love which gives charity its -real worth, and furnishes any sort of guarantee that it will confer -a double blessing, material and spiritual, on those who receive it. - -For charity is not without its dangers, and the first and greatest of -these is that men learn to depend upon it. When Paul preached the -gospel in Thessalonica, he spoke a great deal about the Second Advent. -It was an exciting subject, and some at least of those who received -his message were troubled by "ill-defined or mistaken expectations," -which led to moral disorder in their lives. They were so anxious to be -ready for the Lord when He came, that they neglected their ordinary -duties, and became dependent upon the brethren. They ceased working -themselves, and so became a burden upon those who continued to work. -Here we have, in a nutshell, the argument against a monastic life of -idleness, against the life of the begging friar. All men must live by -labour, their own or some other's; and he who chooses a life without -labour, as the more holy, really condemns some brother to a double -share of that labouring life to which, as he fancies, the highest -holiness is denied. That is rank selfishness; only a man without -brotherly love could be guilty of it for an hour. - -Now in opposition to this selfishness,--unconscious at first, let us -hope,--and in opposition to the unsettled, flighty, restless -expectations of these early disciples, the Apostle propounds a very -sober and humble plan of life. Make it your ambition, he says, to be -quiet, and to busy yourselves with your own affairs, and to work with -your own hands, as we commanded you. There is a grave irony in the -first words--make it your ambition to be quiet; set your honour in -that. The ordinary ambition seeks to make a noise in the world, to -make itself visible and audible; and ambition of that type is not -unknown even in the Church. But it is out of place there. No Christian -ought to be ambitious of anything but to fill as unobtrusively as -possible the place in life which God has given him. The less notorious -we are, the better for us. The necessities of our situation, -necessities imposed by God, require most of us to spend so many hours -a day in making our daily bread. The bulk of most men's strength, by -an ordinance of God that we cannot interfere with, is given to that -humble but inevitable task. If we cannot be holy at our work, it is -not worth taking any trouble to be holy at other times. If we cannot -be Christians and please God in those common activities which must -always absorb so much of our time and strength, the balance of life is -not worth thinking about. Perhaps some of us crave leisure, that we -may be more free for spiritual work; and think that if we had more -time at our disposal, we should be able to render many services to -Christ and His cause which are out of our power at present. But that -is extremely doubtful. If experience proves anything, it proves that -nothing is worse for most people than to have nothing to do but be -religious. Religion is not controlled in their life by any contact -with realities; in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred they do not know -how to be quiet, but are vain, meddlesome, impracticable, and -senseless. The man who has his trade or his profession to work at, and -the woman who has her household and social duties to attend to, are -not to be condoled with; they are in the very place in which religion -is at once necessary and possible; they can study to be quiet, and to -mind their own business, and to work with their own hands, and in all -this to serve and please God. But those who get up in the morning with -nothing to do but to be pious, or to engage in Christian works, are in -a position of enormous difficulty, which very few can fill. The daily -life of toil, at the bench or the desk, in the shop, the study, or the -street, does not rob us of the Christian life; it really puts it -within our reach. If we keep our eyes open, it is easy to see that -this is so. - -There are two reasons assigned by the Apostle for this life of quiet -industry, both of which are noticeable. First, "That ye may walk -honestly toward them that are without." Honestly is too colourless a -word in modern English; the corresponding adjective in different -places is translated honourable and comely.[14] What the Apostle -signifies is, that the Church has a great character to sustain in the -world, and that the individual Christian has that character, to some -extent, in his charge. Idleness, fussiness, excitability, want of -common sense, these are discreditable qualities, inconsistent with the -dignity of Christianity, and to be guarded against by the believer. -The Church is really a spectacle to the world; those who are without -have their eye upon it; and the Apostle would have it a worthy and -impressive spectacle. But what is there so undignified as an idle -busybody, a man or woman neglecting duty on the pretence of piety, so -excited by an uncertain future as to disregard the most crying -necessities of the present? Perhaps there is none of us who does -anything so bad as this; but there are some in every church who are -not careful of Christian dignity. Remember that there is something -great in true Christianity, something which should command the -veneration of those who are without; and do nothing inconsistent with -that. As the sun breaks through the darkest cloud, so honour peereth -in the meanest habit; and the lowliest occupation, discharged with -diligence, earnestness, and fidelity, gives scope enough for the -exhibition of true Christian dignity. The man who does his common -duties as they ought to be done will never lose his self-respect, and -will never discredit the Church of Christ. - -The second reason for the life of quiet industry is, "That ye may have -lack of nothing." Probably the truer interpretation would be, That ye -may have lack of no one. In other words, independence is a Christian -duty. This is not inconsistent with what has been said of charity, but -is its necessary supplement. Christ commands us to be charitable; He -tells us plainly that the need for charity will not disappear; but He -tells us as plainly that to count upon charity, except in the case of -necessity, is both sinful and shameful. This contains, of course, a -warning to the charitable. Those of us who wish to help the poor, and -who try to do so, must take care to do it in such a way as not to -teach them to depend on help; that is to do them a serious wrong. We -are all familiar with the charges brought against charity; it -demoralises, it fosters idleness and improvidence, it robs those who -receive it of self-respect. These charges have been current from the -beginning; they were freely brought against the Church in the days of -the Roman Empire. If they could be made good, they would condemn what -passes for charity as un-Christian. The one-sided enforcement of -charity, in the sense of almsgiving, in the Romish Church, has -occasionally led to something like a glorification of pauperism; the -saint is usually a beggar. One would hope that in our own country, -where the independence of the national character has been reinforced -by the most pronounced types of Protestant religion, such a deformed -conception of Christianity would be impossible; yet even among us the -caution of this verse may not be unnecessary. It _is_ a sign of grace -to be charitable; but though one would not speak an unkind word of -those in need, it is _not_ a sign of grace to require charity. The -gospel bids us aim not only at brotherly love, but at independence. -Remember the poor, it says; but it says also, Work with your hands, -that you may preserve a Christian dignity in relation to the world, -and have need of no one. - -[14] See 1 Cor. xii. 24; vii. 35; Acts xiii. 50; xvii. 12. - - - - -XI. - -_THE DEAD IN CHRIST._ - - - "But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that - fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, which have no - hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them - also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For - this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, - that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede - them that are fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from - heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the - trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we that - are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in - the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with - the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."--1 THESS. - iv. 13-18 (R.V.). - -The restlessness of the Thessalonians, which caused some of them to -neglect their daily work, was the result of strained expectations of -Christ's second coming. The Apostle had taught them that the Saviour -and Judge of all might appear no one knew when; and they were consumed -with a feverish anxiety to be found ready when He came. How terrible -it would be to be found unready, and to lose one's place in the -heavenly kingdom! The Thessalonians were dominated by such thoughts as -these when death visited the church, and gave rise to new -perplexities. What of the brethren who had been taken away so soon, -and of their part in the glory to be revealed? Had they been robbed, -by death, of the Christian hope? Had the inheritance which is -incorruptible, undefiled, and imperishable, passed for ever beyond -their grasp, because they had died before Christ came to take His -people to Himself? - -This was what some of the survivors feared; and it is to correct -their mistaken ideas, and to comfort them in their sorrow, that the -Apostle writes the words we are now to study. "We would not have you -ignorant," he says, "concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow -not, even as the rest, which have no hope." The last words refer to -those who are away from Christ, and without God in the world. It is a -frightful thing to say of any man, and still more of the mass of men, -that they have no hope; yet it is not only the Apostle who says it; it -is the confession, by a thousand voices, of the heathen world itself. -To that world the future was a blank, or a place of unreality and -shades. If there were great exceptions, men who, like Plato, could not -give up faith in immortality and in the righteousness of God, even in -the face of death, these were no more than exceptions; and even for -them the future had no substance compared with the present. Life was -here, and not there. Wherever we can hear the pagan soul speak of the -future, it is in this blank, heartless tone. "Do not," says Achilles -in the Odyssey, "make light of death to me. Rather would I on earth be -a serf to another, a man of little land and little substance, than be -prince over all the dead that have come to nought." "Suns," says -Catullus, "may set and rise again. When once our brief light has set, -one unbroken night of sleep remains." These are fair specimens of the -pagan outlook; are they not fair enough specimens of the non-Christian -outlook at the present day? The secular life is quite avowedly a life -without hope. It resolutely fixes its attention on the present, and -avoids the distraction of the future. But there are few whom death -does not compel, at some time or other, to deal seriously with the -questions the future involves. If we love the departed, our hearts -cannot but go with them to the unseen; and there are few who can -assure themselves that death ends all. For those who can, what a -sorrow remains! Their loved ones have lost everything. All that makes -life is here, and _they_ have gone. How miserable is their lot, to -have been deprived, by cruel and untimely death, of all the blessings -man can ever enjoy! How hopelessly must those who are left behind -lament them! - -This is exactly the situation with which the Apostle deals. The -Christians in Thessalonica feared that their brethren who had died -would be shut out of the Messiah's kingdom; they mourned for them as -those mourn who have no hope. The Apostle corrects their error, and -comforts them. His words do not mean that the Christian may lawfully -sorrow for his dead, provided he does not go to a pagan extreme; they -mean that the hopeless pagan sorrow is not to be indulged by the -Christian at all. We give their proper force if we imagine him saying: -"Weep for yourselves, if you will; that is natural, and God does not -wish us to be insensible to the losses and sorrows which are part of -His providential government of our lives; but do not weep for _them_; -the believer who has fallen asleep in Christ is not to be lamented; he -has lost nothing; the hope of immortality is as sure for him as for -those who may live to welcome the Lord at His coming; _he_ has gone to -be with Christ, which is _far_, far better." - -The 14th verse gives the Christian proof of this consoling doctrine. -"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also -that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with Him."[15] It is -quite plain that something is wanting here to complete the argument. -Jesus did die and rise again, there is no dispute about that; but how -is the Apostle justified in inferring from this that God will bring -the Christian dead again to meet the living? What is the missing link -in this reasoning? Clearly it is the truth, so characteristic of the -New Testament, that there is a union between Christ and those who -trust Him so close that their destiny can be read in His. All that He -has experienced will be experienced by them. They are united to Him as -indissolubly as the members of the body to the head; and being -planted together in the likeness of His death, they shall be also in -the likeness of His resurrection. Death, the Apostle would have us -understand, does not break the bond between the believing soul and the -Saviour. Even human love is stronger than the grave; it goes beyond it -with the departed; it follows them with strong yearnings, with wistful -hopes, sometimes with earnest prayers. But there _is_ an impotence, at -which death mocks, in earthly love; the last enemy does put a great -gulf between souls, which cannot be bridged over; and there is no such -impotence in the love of Christ. He is never separated from those who -love Him. He is one with them in death, and in the life to come, as in -this life. Through Him God will bring the departed again to meet their -friends. There is something very expressive in the word "bring." -"Sweet word," says Bengel: "it is spoken of living persons." The dead -for whom we mourn are not dead; they all live to God; and when the -great day comes, God will bring those who have gone before, and unite -them to those who have been left behind. When we see Christ at His -coming, we shall see also those that have fallen asleep in Him. - -This argument, drawn from the relation of the Christian to the -Saviour, is confirmed by an appeal to the authority of the Saviour -Himself. "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord:" as if he -said, "It is not merely a conclusion of our own; it is supported by -the express word of Christ." Many have tried to find in the Gospels -the word of the Lord referred to, but, as I think, without success. -The passage usually quoted (Matt. xxiv. 31: "He shall send forth His -angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together -His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other"), -though it covers generally the subject with which the Apostle is -dealing, does not touch upon the essential point, the equality of -those who die before the Second Advent with those who live to see it. -We must suppose that the word of the Lord referred to was one which -failed to find a place in the written Gospels, like that other which -the Apostle preserved, "It is more blessed to give than to receive"; -or that it was a word which Christ spoke to him in one of the many -revelations which he received in his apostolic work. In any case, what -the Apostle is going to say is not his own word, but the word of -Christ, and as such its authority is final for all Christians. What, -then, does Christ say on this great concern? - -He says that "we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the -Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep." The -natural impression one takes from these words is that Paul expected -himself to be alive when Christ came; but whether that impression is -justifiable or not,[16] it is no part of the truth which can claim the -authority of the Lord. Christ's word only assures us that those who -are alive at that day shall have no precedency over those that have -fallen asleep; it does not tell us who shall be in the one class, and -who in the other. Paul did not know when the day of the Lord would be; -but as it was the duty of all Christians to look for and hasten it, he -naturally included himself among those who would live to see it. Later -in life, the hope of surviving till the Lord came alternated in his -mind with the expectation of death. In one and the same epistle, the -Epistle to the Philippians, we find him writing (iv. 5), "The Lord is -at hand"; and only a little earlier (i. 23), "I have the desire to -depart and be with Christ; for it is very far better." Better, -certainly, than a life of toil and suffering; but not better than the -Lord's coming. Paul could not but shrink with a natural horror from -death and its nakedness; he would have preferred to escape that dread -necessity, the putting off of the body; not to be unclothed, was his -desire, but to be clothed upon, and to have mortality swallowed up of -life. When he wrote this letter to the Thessalonians, I do not doubt -that this was his hope; and it does not impugn his authority in the -least that it was a hope destined not to be fulfilled. With the Lord, -a thousand years are as one day; and even those who are partakers in -the kingdom seldom partake to an eminent degree in the patience of -Jesus Christ. Only in the teaching of the Lord Himself does the New -Testament put strongly before us the duration of the Christian era, -and the delays of the Second Advent. How many of His parables, _e.g._, -represent the kingdom as subject to the law of growth--the Sower, the -Wheat and the Tares which have both to ripen, the Mustard Seed, and -the Seed Growing Gradually. All these imply a natural law and goal of -progress, not to be interrupted at random. How many, again, like the -parable of the Unjust Judge, or the Ten Virgins, imply that the delay -will be so great as to beget utter disbelief or forgetfulness of His -coming. Even the expression, "The times of the Gentiles," suggests -epochs which must intervene before men see Him again.[17] But over -against this deep insight and wondrous patience of Christ, we must not -be surprised to find something of impatient ardour in the Apostles. -The world was so cruel to them, their love to Christ was so fervent, -their desire for re-union so strong, that they could not but hope and -pray, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus." Is it not better to recognise the -obvious fact that Paul was mistaken as to the nearness of the Second -Advent, than to torture his words to secure his infallibility? Two -great commentators--the Roman Catholic Cornelius a Lapide, and the -Protestant John Calvin--save Paul's infallibility at a greater cost -than violating the rules of grammar. They admit that his words mean -that he expected to survive till Christ came again; but, they say, an -infallible apostle could not really have had such an expectation; and -therefore we must believe that Paul practised a pious fraud in writing -as he did, a fraud with the good intention of keeping the -Thessalonians on the alert. But I hope, if we had the choice, we would -all choose rather to tell the truth, and be mistaken, than to be -infallible, and tell lies. - -After the general statement, on Christ's authority, that the living -shall have no precedency of the departed, Paul goes on to explain the -circumstances of the Advent by which it is justified. "The Lord -Himself shall descend from heaven." In that emphatic _Himself_ we -have the argument of ver. 14 practically repeated: the Lord, it -signifies, who knows _all_ that are His. Who can look at Christ -as He comes again in glory, and not remember His words in the Gospel, -"Because I live, ye shall live also;" "where I am, there shall also -My servant be"? It is not another who comes, but He to whom all -Christian souls have been united for ever. "The Lord Himself shall -descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, -and with the trump of God." The last two of these expressions are in -all probability the explanation of the first; the voice of the -archangel, or the trumpet of God, is the signal-shout, or as the hymn -expresses it, "the great commanding word," with which the drama of the -last things is ushered in. The archangel is the herald of the -Messianic King. We cannot tell how much is figure in these -expressions, which all rest on Old Testament associations, and on -popular beliefs amongst the Jews of the time; neither can we tell what -precisely underlies the figure. But this much is clearly meant, that a -Divine summons, audible and effective everywhere, goes forth from -Christ's presence; that ancient utterance, of hope or of despair, is -fulfilled: "Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee." When the signal -is given, the dead in Christ rise first. Paul says nothing here of the -resurrection body, spiritual and incorruptible; but when Christ comes, -the Christian dead are raised in that body, prepared for eternal -blessedness, before anything else is done. That is the meaning of "the -dead in Christ shall rise _first_." It does not contrast the -resurrection of the Christian dead with a second resurrection of all -men, either immediately afterwards, or after a thousand years; it -contrasts it as the first scene in this drama with the second, namely, -the rapture of the living. The first thing will be that the dead rise; -the next, that those that are alive, that are left, shall at the same -time, and in company with them, be caught up together in the clouds to -meet the Lord in the air. The Apostle does not look beyond this; so, -he says, shall we--that is, we all, those that live and those that are -fallen asleep--be ever with the Lord. - -A thousand questions rise to our lips as we look at this wonderful -picture; but the closer we look, the more plainly do we see the -parsimony of the revelation, and the strictness with which it is -measured out to meet the necessities of the case. There is nothing in -it, for instance, about the non-Christian. It tells us the blessed -destiny of those who have fallen asleep in Christ, and of those who -wait for Christ's appearing. Much of the curiosity about those who die -without Christ is not disinterested. People would like to know what -_their_ destiny is, because they would like to know whether there -is not a tolerable alternative to accepting the gospel. But the Bible -does not encourage us to look for such an alternative. "Blessed," it -says, "are the dead who die in the Lord"; and blessed also are the -living who live in the Lord; if there are those who reject this -blessedness, and raise questions about what a life without Christ may -lead to, they do it at their peril. - -There is nothing, again, about the nature of the life beyond the -Advent, except this, that it is a life in which the Christian is in -close and unbroken union with Christ--ever with the Lord. Some have -been very anxious to answer the question, Where? but the revelation -gives us no help. It does not say that those who meet the Lord in the -air ascend with Him to heaven, or descend, as some have supposed, to -reign with Him on earth. There is absolutely nothing in it for -curiosity, though everything that is necessary for comfort. For men -who had conceived the terrible thought that the Christian dead had -lost the Christian hope, the veil was withdrawn from the future, and -living and dead alike revealed united, in eternal life, to Christ. -That is all, but surely it is enough. That is the hope which the -gospel puts before us, and no accident of time, like death, can rob us -of it. Jesus died and rose again; He is Lord both of the dead and the -living; and all will, at the great day, be gathered together to Him. -Are _they_ to be lamented, who have this future to look forward -to? Are we to sorrow over those who pass into the world unseen, as if -they had no hope, or as if we had none? No; in the sorrow of death -itself, we may comfort one another with these words. - -Is it not a striking proof of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that -we have, on the express authority of His word, a special revelation, -the exclusive aim of which is to comfort? Jesus knew the terrible -sorrow of bereavement; He had stood by the bedside of Jairus' -daughter, by the young man's bier at Nain, by Lazarus' tomb. He knew -how inconsolable it was, how subtle, how passionate; He knew the dead -weight at the heart which never passes away, and the sudden rush of -feeling which overpowers the strongest. And that all this sorrow might -not rest upon His Church unrelieved, He lifted the curtain that we -might see with our eyes the strong consolation beyond. I have spoken -of it as if it consisted simply in union to Christ; but it is as much -a part of the revelation that Christians whom death has separated are -re-united to each other. The Thessalonians feared they would never see -their departed friends again; but the word of the Lord says, You will -be caught up, in company with them, to meet Me; and you and they shall -dwell with Me for ever. What congregation is there in which there is -not need of this consolation? Comfort one another, the Apostle says. -One needs the comfort to-day, and another to-morrow; in proportion as -we bear each other's burdens, we all need it continually. The unseen -world is perpetually opening to receive those whom we love; but though -they pass out of sight and out of reach, it is not for ever. They are -still united to Christ; and when He comes in His glory He will bring -them to us again. Is it not strange to balance the greatest sorrow of -life against words? Words, we often feel, are vain and worthless; they -do not lift the burden from the heart; they make no difference to the -pressure of grief. Of our own words that is true; but what we have -been considering are not our own words, but the word of the Lord. His -words are alive and powerful: heaven and earth may pass away, but they -cannot pass; let us comfort one another with that. - -[15] There is a certain difficulty about the connection of the words -in the last clause; it would probably be more correct to render them: -Even so them also that are fallen asleep will God through Jesus bring -with Him. - -[16] It is easy to state the inference too strongly. Paul tell us -expressly that he did not know when Christ would come; he could not -therefore know that he himself would have died long before the Advent; -and it was inevitable, therefore, that he should include himself here -in the category of such as might live to see it. - -[17] On this subject see Bruce's _Kingdom of God_, chap. xii. - - - - -XII. - -_THE DAY OF THE LORD._ - - - "But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need - that aught be written unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that - the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. When they are - saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, - as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape. - But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake - you as a thief: for ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we - are not of the night, nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep, as - do the rest, but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep - in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But - let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate - of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God - appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation - through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake - or sleep, we should live together with Him. Wherefore exhort one - another, and build each other up, even as also ye do."--1 THESS. v. - 1-11 (R.V.). - -The last verses of the fourth chapter perfect that which is lacking, -on one side, in the faith of the Thessalonians. The Apostle addresses -himself to the ignorance of his readers: he instructs them more fully -on the circumstances of Christ's second coming; and he bids them -comfort one another with the sure hope that they and their departed -friends shall meet, never to part, in the kingdom of the Saviour. In -the passage before us he perfects what is lacking to their faith on -another side. He addresses himself, not to their ignorance, but to -their knowledge; and he instructs them how to improve, instead of -abusing, both what they knew and what they were ignorant of, in regard -to the last Advent. It had led, in some, to curious inquiries; in -others, to a moral restlessness which could not bind itself patiently -to duty; yet its true fruit, the Apostle tells them, ought to be hope, -watchfulness, and sobriety. - -"The day of the Lord" is a famous expression in the -Old Testament; it runs through all prophecy, and is one of its most -characteristic ideas. It means a day which belongs in a peculiar sense -to God: a day which He has chosen for the perfect manifestation of -Himself, for the thorough working out of His work among men. It is -impossible to combine in one picture all the traits which prophets of -different ages, from Amos downward, embody in their representations of -this great day. It is heralded, as a rule, by terrific phenomena in -nature: the sun is turned into darkness and the moon into blood, and -the stars withdraw their light; we read of earthquake and tempest, of -blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The great day ushers in the -deliverance of God's people from all their enemies; and it is -accompanied by a terrible sifting process, which separates the sinners -and hypocrites among the holy people from those who are truly the -Lord's. Wherever it appears, the day of the Lord has the character of -finality. It is a supreme manifestation of judgment, in which the -wicked perish for ever; it is a supreme manifestation of grace, in -which a new and unchangeable life of blessedness is opened to the -righteous. Sometimes it seemed near to the prophet, and sometimes far -off; but near or far, it bounded his horizon; he saw nothing beyond. -It was the end of one era, and the beginning of another which should -have no end. - -This great conception is carried over by the Apostle from the Old -Testament to the New. The day of the Lord is identified with the -Return of Christ. All the contents of that old conception are carried -over along with it. Christ's return bounds the Apostle's horizon; it -is the final revelation of the mercy and judgment of God. There is -sudden destruction in it for some, a darkness in which there is no -light at all; and for others, eternal salvation, a light in which -there is no darkness at all. It is the end of the present order of -things, and the beginning of a new and eternal order. All this the -Thessalonians knew; they had been carefully taught it by the Apostle. -He did not need to write such elementary truths, nor did he need to -say anything about the times and seasons[18] which the Father had kept -in His own power. They knew perfectly all that had been revealed on -this matter, viz., that the day of the Lord comes exactly as a thief -in the night. Suddenly, unexpectedly, giving a shock of alarm and -terror to those whom it finds unprepared,--in such wise it breaks upon -the world. The telling image, so frequent with the Apostles, was -derived from the Master Himself; we can imagine the solemnity with -which Christ said, "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that -watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see -his shame."[19] The New Testament tells us everywhere that men will be -taken at unawares by the final revelation of Christ as Judge and -Saviour; and in so doing, it enforces with all possible earnestness -the duty of watching. False security is so easy, so natural,--looking -to the general attitude, even of Christian men, to this truth, one is -tempted to say, so inevitable,--that it may well seem vain to urge the -duty of watchfulness more. As it was in the days of Noah, as it was in -the days of Lot, as it was when Jerusalem fell, as it is at this -moment, so shall it be at the day of the Lord. Men will say, Peace and -safety, though every sign of the times says, Judgment. They will eat -and drink, plant and build, marry and be given in marriage, with their -whole heart concentrated and absorbed in these transient interests, -till in a moment suddenly, like the lightning which flashes from east -to west, the sign of the Son of Man is seen in heaven. Instead of -peace and safety, sudden destruction surprises them; all that they -have lived for passes away; they awake, as from deep sleep, to -discover that their soul has no part with God. It is too late then to -think of preparing for the end: the end has come; and it is with -solemn emphasis the Apostle adds, "They shall in no wise escape." - -A doom so awful, a life so evil, cannot be the destiny or the duty of -any Christian man. "Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day -should overtake you as a thief." Darkness, in that saying of the -Apostle, has a double weight of meaning. The Christian is not in -ignorance of what is impending, and forewarned is forearmed. Neither -is he any longer in moral darkness, plunged in vice, living a life the -first necessity of which is to keep out of God's sight. Once the -Thessalonians had been in such darkness; their souls had had their -part in a world sunk in sin, on which the day-spring from on high had -not risen; but now that time was past. God had shined into their -hearts; He who is Himself light had poured the radiance of His own -love and truth into them till ignorance, vice, and wickedness had -passed away, and they had become light in the Lord. How intimate is -the relation between the Christian and God, how complete the -regeneration, expressed in the words, "Ye are all _sons_ of light, -and _sons_ of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness"! -There _are_ shady things in the world, and shady persons, but they -are not in Christianity, nor among Christians. The true Christian -takes his nature, all that characterises and distinguishes him, from -light. There is no darkness in him, nothing to hide, no guilty secret, -no corner of his being into which the light of God has not penetrated, -nothing that makes him dread exposure. His whole nature is full of -light, transparently luminous, so that it is impossible to surprise -him or take him at a disadvantage. This, at least, is his ideal -character; to this he is called, and this he makes his aim. There are -those, the Apostle implies, who take their character from night and -darkness,--men with souls that hide from God, that love secrecy, that -have much to remember they dare not speak of, that turn with -instinctive aversion from the light which the gospel brings, and the -sincerity and openness which it claims; men, in short, who have come -to love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. The -day of the Lord will certainly be a surprise to them; it will smite -them with sudden terror, as the midnight thief, breaking unseen -through door or window, terrifies the defenceless householder; it will -overwhelm them with despair, because it will come as a great and -searching light,--a day on which God will bring every hidden thing to -view, and judge the secrets of men's hearts by Christ Jesus. For those -who have lived in darkness the surprise will be inevitable; but what -surprise can there be for the children of the light? They are -partakers of the Divine nature; there is nothing in their souls which -they would not have God know; the light that shines from the great -white throne will discover nothing in them to which its searching -brightness is unwelcome; Christ's coming is so far from disconcerting -them that it is really the crowning of their hopes. - -The Apostle demands of his disciples conduct answering to this ideal. -Walk worthy, he says, of your privileges and of your calling. "Let us -not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober." "Sleep" is -certainly a strange word to describe the life of the worldly man. He -probably thinks himself very wide awake, and as far as a certain -circle of interests is concerned, probably is so. The children of this -world, Jesus tells us, are wonderfully wise for their generation. They -are more shrewd and more enterprising than the children of light. But -what a stupor falls upon them, what a lethargy, what a deep -unconscious slumber, when the interests in view are spiritual. The -claims of God, the future of the soul, the coming of Christ, our -manifestation at His judgment seat, they are not awake to any concern -in these. They live on as if these were not realities at all; if they -pass through their minds on occasion, as they look at the Bible or -listen to a sermon, it is as dreams pass through the mind of one -asleep; they go out and shake themselves, and all is over; earth has -recovered its solidity, and the airy unrealities have passed away. -Philosophers have amused themselves with the difficulty of finding a -scientific criterion between the experiences of the sleeping and the -waking state, _i.e._, a means of distinguishing between the kind of -reality which belongs to each; it is at least one element of sanity to -be able to make the distinction. If we may enlarge the ideas of sleep -and waking, as they are enlarged by the Apostle in this passage, it is -a distinction which many fail to make. When they have the ideas which -make up the staple of revelation presented to them, they feel as if -they were in dreamland; there is no substance to them in a page of St. -Paul; they cannot grasp the realities that underlie his words, any -more than they can grasp the forms which swept before their minds in -last night's sleep. But when they go out to their work in the world, -to deal in commodities, to handle money, then they are in the sphere -of real things, and wide awake enough. Yet the sound mind will reverse -their decisions. It is the visible things that are unreal and that -ultimately pass away; the spiritual things--God, Christ, the human -soul, faith, love, hope--that abide. Let us not face our life in that -sleepy mood to which the spiritual is but a dream; on the contrary, -as we are of the day, let us be wide awake and sober. The world is -full of illusions, of shadows which impose themselves as substances -upon the heedless, of gilded trifles which the man whose eyes are -heavy with sleep accepts as gold; but the Christian ought not to be -thus deceived. Look to the coming of the Lord, Paul says, and do not -sleep through your days, like the heathen, making your life one long -delusion; taking the transitory for the eternal, and regarding the -eternal as a dream; that is the way to be surprised with sudden -destruction at the last; watch and be sober; and you will not be -ashamed before Him at His coming. - -It may not be out of place to insist on the fact that "sober" in this -passage means sober as opposed to drunk. No one would wish to be -overtaken drunk by any great occasion; yet the day of the Lord is -associated in at least three passages of Scripture with a warning -against this gross sin. "Take heed to yourselves," the Master says, -"lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and -drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly -as a snare." "The night is far spent," says the Apostle, "the day is -at hand.... Let us walk honestly as in the day; not in revelling and -drunkenness." And in this passage: "Let us, since we are of the day, -be sober; they that be drunken are drunken in the night." The -conscience of men is awakening to the sin of excess, but it has much -to do before it comes to the New Testament standard. Does it not help -us to see it in its true light when it is thus confronted with the day -of the Lord? What horror could be more awful than to be overtaken in -this state? What death is more terrible to contemplate than one which -is not so very rare--death in drink? - -Wakefulness and sobriety do not exhaust the demands made upon the -Christian. He is also to be on his guard. "Put on the breastplate of -faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation." While -waiting for the Lord's coming, the Christian waits in a hostile world. -He is exposed to assault from spiritual enemies who aim at nothing -less than his life, and he needs to be protected against them. In the -very beginning of this letter we came upon the three Christian graces; -the Thessalonians were commended for their work of faith, labour of -love, and patience of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. There they were -represented as active powers in the Christian life, each manifesting -its presence by some appropriate work, or some notable fruit of -character; here they constitute a defensive armour by which the -Christian is shielded against any mortal assault. We cannot press the -figure further than this. If we keep our faith in Jesus Christ, if we -love one another, if our hearts are set with confident hope on that -salvation which is to be brought to us at Christ's appearing, we need -fear no evil; no foe can touch our life. It is remarkable, I think, -that both here and in the famous passage in Ephesians, as well as in -the original of both in Isaiah lix. 17, salvation, or, to be more -precise, the hope of salvation, is made the helmet. The Apostle is -very free in his comparisons; faith is now a shield, and now a -breastplate; the breastplate in one passage is faith and love, and in -another righteousness; but the helmet is always the same. Without -hope, he would say to us, no man can hold up his head in the battle; -and the Christian hope is always Christ's second coming. If He is not -to come again, the very word hope may be blotted out of the New -Testament. This assured grasp on the coming salvation--a salvation -ready to be revealed in the last times--is what gives the spirit of -victory to the Christian even in the darkest hour. - -The mention of salvation brings the Apostle back to his principal -subject. It is as if he wrote, "for a helmet the hope of salvation; -salvation, I say; for God did not appoint us to wrath, but to the -obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." The day of the -Lord is indeed a day of wrath,--a day when men will cry to the -mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of -Him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for -the great day of their wrath is come. The Apostle cannot remember it -for any purpose without getting a glimpse of those terrors; but it is -not for these he recalls it at this time. God did not appoint -Christians to the wrath of that day, but to its salvation,--a -salvation the hope of which is to cover their heads in the day of -battle. - -The next verse--the tenth--has the peculiar interest of containing the -only hint to be found in this early Epistle of Paul's teaching as to -the mode of salvation. We obtain it through Jesus Christ, who died for -us. It is not who died instead of us, nor even on our behalf -(+hyper+), but, according to the true reading, who died a death in -which we are concerned. It is the most vague expression that could -have been used to signify that Christ's death had something to do with -our salvation. Of course it does not follow that Paul had said no more -to the Thessalonians than he indicates here; judging from the account -he gives in 1st Corinthians of his preaching immediately after he left -Thessalonica, one would suppose he had been much more explicit; -certainly no church ever existed that was not based on the Atonement -and the Resurrection. In point of fact, however, what is here made -prominent is not the mode of salvation, but one special result of -salvation as accomplished by Christ's death, a result contemplated -by Christ, and pertinent to the purpose of this letter; He died for -us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should together live with Him. -The same conception precisely is found in Rom. xiv. 9: "To this end -Christ died, and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead -and the living." This was His aim in redeeming us by passing through -all modes of human existence, seen and unseen. It made Him Lord of -all. He filled all things. He claims all modes of existence as His -own. Nothing separates from Him. Whether we sleep or wake, whether we -live or die, we shall alike live with Him. The strong consolation, to -impart which was the Apostle's original motive in approaching this -subject, has thus come uppermost again; in the circumstances of the -church, it is this which lies nearest to his heart. - -He ends, therefore, with the old exhortation: "Comfort one another, -and build each other up, as also ye do." The knowledge of the truth is -one thing; the Christian use of it is another: if we cannot help one -another very much with the first, there is more in our power with -regard to the last. We are not ignorant of Christ's second coming; of -its awful and consoling circumstances; of its final judgment and final -mercy; of its final separations and final unions. Why have these -things been revealed to us? What influence are they meant to have in -our lives? They ought to be consoling and strengthening. They ought -to banish hopeless sorrow. They ought to generate and sustain an -earnest, sober, watchful spirit; strong patience; a complete -independence of this world. It is left to us as Christian men to -assist each other in the appropriation and application of these great -truths. Let us fix our minds upon them. Our salvation is nearer than -when we believed. Christ is coming. There _will be_ a gathering -together of all His people unto Him. The living and the dead shall be -for ever with the Lord. Of the times and the seasons we can say no -more than could be said at the beginning; the Father has kept them in -His own power; it remains with us to watch and be sober; to arm -ourselves with faith, love, and hope; to set our mind on the things -that are above, where our true country is, whence also we look for the -Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. - -[18] "_The times_ (+chronoi+) are, in Augustine's words, 'ipsa spatia -temporum,' and these contemplated merely under the aspect of their -duration, over which the Church's history should extend; but _the -seasons_ (+kairoi+) are the joints or articulations in these times, -the critical epoch-making periods foreordained of God (+kairoi -protetagmenoi+, Acts xvii. 26; cf. Augustine, _Conf._, xi., 13: 'Deus -operator temporum'); when all that has been slowly, and often without -observation, ripening through long ages is mature and comes to the -birth in grand decisive events, which constitute at once the close of -one period and the commencement of another."--Trench, _Synonyms_, p. -211. - -[19] Rev. xvi. 15. - - - - -XIII. - -_RULERS AND RULED._ - - - "But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labour among you, - and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them - exceeding highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among - yourselves. And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, - encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward - all. See that none render unto any one evil for evil; but alway - follow after that which is good, one toward another, and toward - all."--1 THESS. v. 12-15 (R.V.). - -At the present moment, one great cause of division among Christian -churches is the existence of different forms of Church government. -Congregationalists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians are separated -from each other much more decidedly by difference of organisation than -by difference of creed. By some of them, if not by all, a certain form -of Church order is identified with the existence of the Church itself. -Thus the English-speaking bishops of the world, who met some time ago -in conference at Lambeth, adopted as a basis, on which they could -treat for union with other Churches, the acceptance of Holy Scripture, -of the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, of the Apostles' -and Nicene creeds, and of the Historic Episcopate. In other words, -diocesan bishops are as essential to the constitution of the Church as -the preaching of the Word of God and the administration of the -Sacraments. That is an opinion which one may say, without offence, has -neither history nor reason on its side. Part of the interest of this -Epistle to the Thessalonians lies in the glimpses it gives of the -early state of the Church, when such questions would simply have been -unintelligible. The little community at Thessalonica was not quite -without a constitution--no society could exist on that footing--but -its constitution, as we see from this passage, was of the most -elementary kind; and it certainly contained nothing like a modern -bishop. - -"We beseech you," says the Apostle, "to know them that labour among -you." "To labour"[20] is the ordinary expression of Paul for such -Christian work as he himself did. Perhaps it refers mainly to the work -of catechising, to the giving of that regular and connected -instruction in Christian truth which followed conversion and baptism. -It covers everything that could be of service to the Church or any of -its members. It would include even works of charity. There is a -passage very like this in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, (xvi. -15 f.), where the two things are closely connected: "Now I beseech -you, brethren (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the -firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have set themselves to minister -unto the saints), that ye also be in subjection unto such, and to -every one that helpeth in the work and laboureth." In both passages -there is a certain indefiniteness. Those who labour are not -necessarily official persons, elders, or, as they are often called in -the New Testament, bishops, and deacons; they may have given -themselves to the work without any election or ordination at all. We -know that this is often the case still. The best workers in a church -are not always or necessarily found among those who have official -functions to perform. Especially is it so in churches which provide no -recognition for women, yet depend for their efficiency as religious -agencies even more on women than on men. What would become of our -Sunday Schools, of our Home Missions, of our charities, of our -visitation of the sick, the aged, and the poor, but for the labour of -Christian women? Now what the Apostle tells us here is, that it is -_labour_ which, in the first instance, is entitled to respect. "Know -them that labour among you," means "Know them for what they are"; -recognise with all due reverence their self-denial, their -faithfulness, the services they render to you, their claim upon your -regard. The Christian labourer does not labour for praise or flattery; -but those who take the burden of the church upon them in any way, as -pastors or teachers or visitors, as choir or collectors, as managers -of the church property, or however else, are entitled to our -acknowledgment, and ought not to be left without it. There is no doubt -a great deal of unknown, unheeded, unrequited labour in every church. -That is inevitable, and probably good; but it should make us the more -anxious to acknowledge what we see, and to esteem the workers very -highly in love because of it. How unseemly it is, and how unworthy of -the Christian name, when those who do not work busy themselves with -criticising those who do,--inventing objections, deriding honest -effort, anticipating failure, pouring cold water upon zeal. That is -bad for all, but bad especially for those who practise it. The -ungenerous soul, which grudges recognition to others, and though it -never labours itself has always wisdom to spare for those who do, is -in a hopeless state; there is no growth for it in anything noble and -good. Let us open our eyes on those who labour among us, men or women, -and recognise them as they deserve. - -There are two special forms of labour to which the Apostle gives -prominence: he mentions as among those that labour "them that are over -you in the Lord, and admonish you." The first of the words here -employed, the one translated "them that are over" you, is the only -hint the Epistle contains of Church government. Wherever there is a -society, there must be order. There must be those through whom the -society acts, those who represent it officially by words or deeds. At -Thessalonica there was not a single president, a minister in our -sense, possessing to a certain extent an exclusive responsibility; the -presidency was in the hands of a plurality of men, what Presbyterians -would call a Kirk Session. This body, as far as we can make out from -the few surviving indications of their duties, would direct, but not -conduct, the public worship, and would manage the financial affairs, -and especially the charity, of the church. They would as a rule be -elderly men; and were called by the official name, borrowed from the -Jews, of elders. They did not, in the earliest times, preach or teach; -they were too old to learn that new profession; but what may be called -the administration was in their hands; they were the governing -committee of the new Christian community. The limits of their -authority are indicated by the words "in the Lord." They are over the -members of the church in their characters and relations as church -members; but they have nothing to do with other departments of life, -so far as these relations are unaffected by them. - -Side by side with those who preside over the church, Paul mentions -those "who admonish you." Admonish is a somewhat severe word; it means -to speak to one about his conduct, reminding him of what he seems to -have forgotten, and of what is rightly expected from him. It gives us -a glimpse of discipline in the early Church, that is, of the care -which was taken that those who had named the Christian name should -lead a truly Christian life. There is nothing expressly said in this -passage about doctrines. Purity of doctrine is certainly essential to -the health of the Church, but rightness of life comes before it. There -is nothing expressly said about teaching the truth; that work belonged -to apostles, prophets, and evangelists, who were ministers of the -Church at large, and not fixed to a single congregation; the only -exercise of Christian speech proper to the congregation is its use in -admonition, _i.e._, for practical moral purposes. The moral ideal of -the gospel must be clearly before the mind of the Church, and all who -deviate from it must be admonished of their danger. "It is difficult -for us in modern times," says Dr. Hatch, "with the widely different -views which we have come to hold as to the relation of Church -government to social life, to understand how large a part discipline -filled in the communities of primitive times. These communities were -what they were mainly by the strictness of their discipline.... In the -midst of 'a crooked and perverse nation' they could only hold their -own by the extreme of circumspection. Moral purity was not so much a -virtue at which they were bound to aim as the very condition of their -existence. If the salt of the earth should lose its savour, wherewith -should it be salted? If the lights of the world were dimmed, who -should rekindle their flame? And of this moral purity the officers of -each community were the custodians. 'They watched for souls as those -that must give account.'" This vivid picture should provoke us to -reflection. Our minds are not set sufficiently on the practical duty -of keeping up the Christian standard. The moral originality of the -gospel drops too easily out of sight. Is it not the case that we are -much more expert at vindicating the approach of the Church to the -standard of the non-Christian world, than at maintaining the necessary -distinction between the two? We are certain to bring a good deal of -the world into the Church without knowing it; we are certain to have -instincts, habits, dispositions, associates perhaps, and likings, -which are hostile to the Christian type of character; and it is this -which makes admonition indispensable. Far worse than any aberration in -thought is an irregularity in conduct which threatens the Christian -ideal. When you are warned of such a thing in your conduct by your -minister or elder, or by any Christian, do not resent the warning. -Take it seriously and kindly; thank God that He has not allowed you to -go on unadmonished; and esteem very highly in love the brother or -sister who has been so true to you. Nothing is more un-Christian than -fault-finding, nothing is more truly Christian than frank and -affectionate admonishing of those who are going astray. This may be -especially commended to the young. In youth we are apt to be proud and -wilful; we are confident that we can keep ourselves safe in what the -old and timid consider dangerous situations; we do not fear -temptation, nor think that this or that little fall is more than an -indiscretion; and, in any case, we have a determined dislike to being -interfered with. All this is very natural; but we should remember -that, as Christians, we are pledged to a course of life which is not -in all ways natural; to a spirit and conduct which are incompatible -with pride; to a seriousness of purpose, to a loftiness and purity of -aim, which may all be lost through wilfulness; and we should love and -honour those who put their experience at our service, and warn us -when, in lightness of heart, we are on the way to make shipwreck of -our life. They do not admonish us because they like it, but because -they love us and would save us from harm; and love is the only -recompense for such a service. - -How little there is of an official spirit in what the Apostle has been -saying, we see clearly from what follows. In one way it is specially -the duty of the elders or pastors in the Church to exercise rule and -discipline; but it is not so exclusively their duty as to exempt the -members of the Church at large from responsibility. The Apostle -addresses the whole congregation when he goes on, "Be at peace among -yourselves. And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, -encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward -all." Let us look more closely at these simple exhortations. - -"Admonish," he says, "the disorderly." Who are they? The word is a -military one, and means properly those who leave their place in the -ranks. In the Epistle to the Colossians (ii. 5) Paul rejoices over -what he calls the solid front presented by their faith in Christ. The -solid front is broken, and great advantage given to the enemy, when -there are disorderly persons in a church,--men or women who fall short -of the Christian standard, or who violate, by irregularities of any -kind, the law of Christ. Such are to be admonished by their brethren. -Any Christian who sees the disorder has a right to admonish them; nay, -it is laid upon his conscience as a sacred duty tenderly and earnestly -to do so. We are too much afraid of giving offence, and too little -afraid of allowing sin to run its course. Which is better--to speak to -the brother who has been disorderly, whether by neglecting work, -neglecting worship, or openly falling into sin: which is better, to -speak to such a one as a brother, privately, earnestly, lovingly; or -to say nothing at all to him, but talk about what we find to censure -in him to everybody else, dealing freely behind his back with things -we dare not speak of to his face? Surely admonition is better than -gossip; if it is more difficult, it is more Christlike too. It may be -that our own conduct shuts our mouth, or at least exposes us to a rude -retort; but unaffected humility can overcome even that. - -But it is not always admonition that is needed. Sometimes the very -opposite is in place; and so Paul writes, "Encourage the -fainthearted." Put heart into them. The word rendered "fainthearted" -is only used in this single passage; yet every one knows what it -means. It includes those for whose benefit the Apostle wrote in chap. -iv. the description of Christ's second coming,--those whose hearts -sunk within them as they thought they might never see their departed -friends again. It includes those who shrink from persecution, from the -smiles or the frowns of the un-Christian, and who fear they may deny -the Lord. It includes those who have fallen before temptation, and are -sitting despondent and fearful, not able to lift up so much as their -eyes to heaven and pray the publican's prayer. All such timid souls -need to be heartened; and those who have learned of Jesus, who would -not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax, will know how -to speak a word in season to them. The whole life of the Lord is an -encouragement to the fainthearted; He who welcomed the penitent, who -comforted the mourners, who restored Peter after his triple denial, is -able to lift up the most timid and to make them stand. Nor is there -any work more Christlike than this. The fainthearted get no quarter -from the world; bad men delight to trample on the timid; but Christ -bids them hope in Him, and strengthen themselves for battle and for -victory. - -Akin to this exhortation is the one which follows, "Support the weak." -That does not mean, Provide for those who are unable to work; but, Lay -hold of those who are weak in the faith, and keep them up. There are -people in every congregation whose connection with Christ and the -gospel is very slight; and if some one does not take hold of them, -they will drift away altogether. Sometimes such weakness is due to -ignorance: the people in question know little about the gospel; it -fills no space in their minds; it does not awe their weakness, or -fascinate their trust. Sometimes, again, it is due to an unsteadiness -of mind or character; they are easily led away by new ideas or by new -companions. Sometimes, without any tendency to lapsing, there is a -weakness due to a false reverence for the past, and for the traditions -and opinions of men, by which the mind and conscience are enslaved. -What is to be done with such weak Christians? They are to be supported. -Some one is to lay hands upon them, and uphold them till their -weakness is outgrown. If they are ignorant, they must be taught. If -they are easily carried away by new ideas, they must be shown the -incalculable weight of evidence which from every side establishes the -unchangeable truth of the gospel If they are prejudiced and bigoted, -or full of irrational scruples, and blind reverence for dead customs, -they must be constrained to look the imaginary terrors of liberty in -the face, till the truth makes them free. Let us lay this exhortation -to heart. Men and women slip away and are lost to the Church and to -Christ, because they were weak, and no one supported them. Your word -or your influence, spoken or used at the right time, might have saved -them. What is the use of strength if not to lay hold of the weak? - -It is an apt climax when the Apostle adds, "Be longsuffering toward -all." He who tries to keep these commandments--"Admonish the -disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak"--will have -need of patience. If we are absolutely indifferent to each other, it -does not matter; we can do without it. But if we seek to be of use to -each other, our moral infirmities are very trying. We summon up all -our love and all our courage, and venture to hint to a brother that -something in his conduct has been amiss; and he flies into a passion, -and tells us to mind our own business. Or we undertake some trying -task of teaching, and after years of pains and patience some guileless -question is asked which shows that our labour has been in vain; or we -sacrifice our own leisure and recreation to lay hold on some weak one, -and discover that the first approach of temptation has been too strong -for him after all. How slow, we are tempted to cry, men are to respond -to efforts made for their good! Yet we are men who so cry,--men who -have wearied God by their own slowness, and who must constantly appeal -to His forbearance. Surely it is not too much for us to be -longsuffering toward all. - -This little section closes with a warning against revenge, the vice -directly opposed to forbearance. "See that none render unto any one -evil for evil; but alway follow after that which is good, one toward -another, and toward all." Who are addressed in this verse? No doubt, I -should say, all the members of the Church; they have a common interest -in seeing that it is not disgraced by revenge. If forgiveness is the -original and characteristic virtue of Christianity, it is because -revenge is the most natural and instinctive of vices. It is a kind of -wild justice, as Bacon says, and men will hardly be persuaded that it -is not just. It is the vice which can most easily pass itself off as -a virtue; but in the Church it is to have no opportunity of doing so. -Christian men are to have their eyes about them; and where a wrong has -been done, they are to guard against the possibility of revenge by -acting as mediators between the severed brethren. Is it not written in -the words of Jesus, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be -called sons of God?" We are not only to refrain from vengeance -ourselves, but we are to see to it, as Christian men, that it has no -place among us. And here, again, we sometimes have a thankless task, -and need to be longsuffering. Angry men are unreasonable; and he who -seeks the blessing of the peacemaker sometimes earns only the ill name -of a busybody in other men's matters. Nevertheless, wisdom is -justified of all her children; and no man who wars against revenge, -out of a heart loyal to Christ, can ever be made to look foolish. If -that which is good is our constant aim, one toward another, and toward -all, we shall gain the confidence even of angry men, and have the joy -of seeing evil passions banished from the Church. For revenge is the -last stronghold of the natural man; it is the last fort which he holds -against the spirit of the gospel; and when it is stormed, Christ -reigns indeed. - -[20] Those "who toil among you and preside over you and admonish you" -are identified by Wight (_Composition of the Four Gospels_, p. 12) as -"the catechists, the presbyters, and evangelists." The third case is -certainly doubtful; and the fact that the article is used only once -makes the whole attempt at such a discrimination of officials -illegitimate. - - - - -XIV. - -_THE STANDING ORDERS OF THE GOSPEL._ - - - "Rejoice alway; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks: for - this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward."--1 THESS. v. - 16-18 (R.V.). - -The three precepts of these three verses may be called the standing -orders of the Christian Church. However various the circumstances in -which Christians may find themselves, the duties here prescribed are -always binding upon them. We are to rejoice alway, to pray without -ceasing, and in everything to give thanks. We may live in peaceful or -in troubled times; we may be encompassed with friends or beset by -foes; we may see the path we have chosen for ourselves open easily -before us, or find our inclination thwarted at every step; but we must -always have the music of the gospel in our hearts in its own proper -key. Let us look at these rules in order. - -"Rejoice alway." There are circumstances in which it is natural for us -to rejoice; whether we are Christians or not, joy fills the heart till -it overflows. Youth, health, hope, love, these richest and best -possessions, give almost every man and woman at least a term of unmixed -gladness; some months, or years perhaps, of pure light-heartedness, -when they feel like singing all the time. But that natural joy can -hardly be kept up. It would not be good for us if it could; for it -really means that we are for the time absorbed in ourselves, and -having found our own satisfaction decline to look beyond. It is quite -another situation to which the Apostle addresses himself. He knows -that the persons who receive his letter have had to suffer cruelly for -their faith in Christ; he knows that some of them have quite lately -stood beside the graves of their dead. Must not a man be very sure of -himself, very confident of the truth on which he stands, when he -ventures to say to people so situated, "Rejoice alway"? - -But these people, we must remember, were Christians; they had received -the gospel from the Apostle; and, in the gospel, the supreme assurance -of the love of God. We need to remind ourselves occasionally that the -gospel is good news, glad tidings of great joy. Wherever it comes, it -is a joyful sound; it puts a gladness into the heart which no change -of circumstances can abate or take away. There is a great deal in the -Old Testament which may fairly be described as doubt of God's love. -Even the saints sometimes wondered whether God was good to Israel; -they became impatient, unbelieving, bitter, foolish; the outpourings -of their hearts in some of the psalms show how far they were from -being able to rejoice evermore. But there is nothing the least like -this in the New Testament. The New Testament is the work of Christian -men, of men who had stood quite close to the supreme manifestation of -God's love in Jesus Christ. Some of them had been in Christ's company -for years. They knew that every word He spoke and every deed He -wrought declared His love; they knew that it was revealed, above all, -by the death which He died; they knew that it was made almighty, -immortal, and ever-present, by His resurrection from the dead. The -sublime revelation of Divine love dominated everything else in their -experience. It was impossible for them, for a single moment, to forget -it or to escape from it. It drew and fixed their hearts as -irresistibly as a mountain peak draws and holds the eyes of the -traveller. They never lost sight of the love of God in Christ Jesus, -that sight so new, so stupendous, so irresistible, so joyful. And -because they did not, they were able to rejoice evermore; and the New -Testament, which reflects the life of the first believers, does not -contain a querulous word from beginning to end. It is the book of -infinite joy. - -We see, then, that this command, unreasonable as it appears, is not -impracticable. If we are truly Christians, if we have seen and -received the love of God, if we see and receive it continually, it -will enable us, like those who wrote the New Testament, to rejoice -evermore. There are places on our coast where a spring of fresh water -gushes up through the sand among the salt waves of the sea; and just -such a fountain of joy is the love of God in the Christian soul, even -when the waters close over it. "As sorrowful," says the Apostle, "yet -alway rejoicing." - -Most churches and Christians need to lay this exhortation to heart. It -contains a plain direction for our common worship. The house of God is -the place where we come to make united and adoring confession of His -name. If we think only of ourselves, as we enter, we may be despondent -and low spirited enough; but surely we ought to think, in the first -instance, of Him. Let God be great in the assembly of His people; let -Him be lifted up as He is revealed to us in Jesus Christ, and joy will -fill our hearts. If the services of the Church are dull, it is because -He has been left outside; because the glad tidings of redemption, -holiness, and life everlasting are still waiting for admission to our -hearts. Do not let us belie the gospel by dreary, joyless worship: it -is not so that it is endeared to ourselves or commended to others. - -The Apostle's exhortation contains a hint also for Christian temper. -Not only our united worship, but the habitual disposition of each of -us, is to be joyful. It would not be easy to measure the loss the -cause of Christ has sustained through the neglect of this rule. -A conception of Christianity has been set before men, and especially -before the young, which could not fail to repel; the typical Christian -has been presented, austere and pure perhaps, or lifted high above the -world, but rigid, cold, and self-contained. That is not the Christian -as the New Testament conceives him. He is cheerful, sunny, joyous; and -there is nothing so charming as joy. There is nothing so contagious, -because there is nothing in which all men are so willing to partake; -and hence there is nothing so powerful in evangelistic work. The joy -of the Lord is the strength of the preacher of the gospel. There is an -interesting passage in 1 Cor. ix., where Paul enlarges on a certain -relation between the evangelist and the evangel. The gospel, he tells -us, is God's free gift to the world; and he who would become a -fellow-worker with the gospel must enter into the spirit of it, and -make his preaching also a free gift. So here, one may say, the gospel -is conceived as glad tidings; and whoever would open his lips for -Christ must enter into the spirit of his message, and stand up to -speak clothed in joy. Our looks and tones must not belie our words. -Languor, dulness, dreariness, a melancholy visage, are a libel upon -the gospel. If the knowledge of the love of God does not make us glad, -what does it do for us? If it does not make a difference to our -spirits and our temper, do we really know it? Christ compares its -influence to that of new wine; it is nothing if not exhilarating; if -it does not make our faces shine, it is because we have not tasted it. -I do not overlook, any more than St. Paul did, the causes for sorrow; -but the causes for sorrow are transient; they are like the dark clouds -which overshadow the sky for a time and then pass away; while the -cause of joy--the redeeming love of God in Christ Jesus--is permanent; -it is like the unchanging blue behind the clouds, ever-present, -ever-radiant, overarching and encompassing all our passing woes. Let -us remember it, and see it through the darkest clouds, and it will not -be impossible for us to rejoice evermore. - -It may seem strange that one difficult thing should be made easy when -it is combined with another; but this is what is suggested by the -second exhortation of the Apostle, "Pray without ceasing." It is not -easy to rejoice alway, but our one hope of doing so is to pray -constantly. How are we to understand so singular a precept? - -Prayer, we know, when we take it in the widest sense, is the primary -mark of the Christian. "Behold, he prayeth," the Lord said of Saul, -when He wished to convince Ananias that there was no mistake about his -conversion. He who does not pray at all--and is it too much to suppose -that some come to churches who never do?--is no Christian. Prayer is -the converse of the soul with God; it is that exercise in which we -hold up our hearts to Him, that they may be filled with His fulness, -and changed into His likeness. The more we pray, and the more we are -in contact with Him, the greater is our assurance of His love, the -firmer our confidence that He is with us to help and save. If we once -think of it, we shall see that our very life as Christians depends on -our being in perpetual contact and perpetual fellowship with God. If -He does not breathe into us the breath of life, we have no life. If He -does not hour by hour send our help from above, we face our spiritual -foes without resources. - -It is with such thoughts present to the mind that some would interpret -the command, "Pray without ceasing." "Cherish a spirit of prayer," -they would render it, "and make devotion the true business of life. -Cultivate the sense of dependence on God; let it be part of the very -structure of your thoughts that without Him you can do nothing, but -through His strength all things." But this is, in truth, to put the -effect where the cause should be. This spirit of devotion is itself -the fruit of ceaseless prayers; this strong consciousness of -dependence on God becomes an ever-present and abiding thing only when -in all our necessities we betake ourselves to Him. Occasions, we must -rather say, if we would follow the Apostle's thought, are never -wanting, and will never be wanting, which call for the help of God; -therefore, pray without ceasing. It is useless to say that the thing -cannot be done, before the experiment has been made. There are few -works that cannot be accompanied with prayer; there are few indeed -that cannot be preceded by prayer; there are none at all that would -not profit by prayer. Take the very first work to which you must set -your mind and your hand, and you know it will be better done if, as -you turn to it, you look up to God and ask His help to do it well and -faithfully, as a Christian ought to do it for the Master above. It is -not in any vague, indefinite fashion, but by taking prayer with us -wherever we go, by consciously, deliberately, and persistently lifting -our hearts to God as each emergency in life, great or small, makes its -new demand upon us, that the apostolic exhortation is to be obeyed. If -prayer is thus combined with all our works, we shall find that it -wastes no time, though it fills all. Certainly it is not an easy -practice to begin, that of praying without ceasing. It is so natural -for us not to pray, that we perpetually forget, and undertake this or -that without God. But surely we get reminders enough that this -omission of prayer is a mistake. Failure, loss of temper, absence of -joy, weariness, and discouragement are its fruits; while prayer brings -us without fail the joy and strength of God. The Apostle himself knew -that to pray without ceasing requires an extraordinary effort; and in -the only passages in which he urges it, he combines with it the duties -of watchfulness and persistence (Eph. vi. 15; Col. iv. 2; Rom. xii. -12). We must be on our guard that the occasion for prayer does not -escape us, and we must take care not to be wearied with this incessant -reference of everything to God. - -The third of the standing orders of the Church is, from one point of -view, a combination of the first and second; for thanksgiving is a -kind of joyful prayer. As a duty, it is recognised by every one within -limits; the difficulty of it is only seen when it is claimed, as here, -without limits: "In everything give thanks." That this is no -accidental extravagance is shown by its recurrence in other places. To -mention only one: in Phil. iv. 6 the Apostle writes, "In everything by -prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made -known to God." Is it really possible to do this thing? - -There are times, we all know, at which thanksgiving is natural and -easy. When our life has taken the course which we ourselves had -purposed, and the result seems to justify our foresight; when those -whom we love are prosperous and happy; when we have escaped a great -danger, or recovered from a severe illness, we feel, or say we feel, -so thankful. Even in such circumstances we are possibly not so -thankful as we ought to be. Perhaps if we were our lives would be a -great deal happier. But at all events we frankly admit that we have -cause for thanksgiving; God has been good to us, even in our own -estimate of goodness; and we ought to cherish and express our grateful -love toward Him. Let us not forget to do so. It has been said that an -unblessed sorrow is the saddest thing in life; but perhaps as sad a -thing is an unblessed joy. And every joy is unblessed for which we do -not give God thanks. "Unhallowed pleasures" is a strong expression, -which seems proper only to describe gross wickedness; yet it is the -very name which describes any pleasure in our life of which we do not -recognise God as the Giver, and for which we do not offer Him our -humble and hearty thanks. We would not be so apt to protest against -the idea of giving thanks in everything, if it had ever been our habit -to give thanks in anything. Think of what you call, with thorough -conviction, your blessings and your mercies,--your bodily health, your -soundness of mind, your calling in this world, the faith which you -repose in others and which others repose in you; think of the love of -your husband or wife, of all those sweet and tender ties that bind our -lives into one; think of the success with which you have wrought out -your own purposes, and laboured at your own ideal; and with all this -multitude of mercies before your face, ask whether even for these you -have given God thanks. Have they been hallowed and made means of grace -to you by your grateful acknowledgment that He is the Giver of them -all? If not, it is plain that you have lost much joy, and have to -begin the duty of thanksgiving in the easiest and lowest place. - -But the Apostle rises high above this when he says, "In everything -give thanks." He knew, as I have remarked already, that the -Thessalonians had been visited by suffering and death: is there a -place for thanksgiving there? Yes, he says; for the Christian does not -look on sorrow with the eyes of another man. When sickness comes to -him or to his home; when there is loss to be borne, or disappointment, -or bereavement; when his plans are frustrated, his hopes deferred, and -the whole conduct of his life simply taken out of his hands, he is -still called to give thanks to God. For he knows that God is love. He -knows that God has a purpose of His own in his life,--a purpose which -at the moment he may not discern, but which he is bound to believe -wiser and larger than any he could purpose for himself. Every one who -has eyes to see must have seen, in the lives of Christian men and -women, fruits of sorrow and of suffering which were conspicuously -their best possessions, the things for which the whole Church was -under obligation to give thanks to God on their behalf. It is not -easy at the moment to see what underlies sorrow; it is not possible to -grasp by anticipation the beautiful fruits which it yields in the long -run to those who accept it without murmuring: but every Christian -knows that all things work together for good to them that love God; -and in the strength of that knowledge he is able to keep a thankful -heart, however mysterious and trying the providence of God may be. -That sorrow, even the deepest and most hopeless, has been blessed, no -one can deny. It has taught many a deeper thoughtfulness, a truer -estimate of the world and its interests, a more simple trust in God. -It has opened the eyes of many to the sufferings of others, and -changed boisterous rudeness into tender and delicate sympathy. It has -given many weak ones the opportunity of demonstrating the nearness and -the strength of Christ, as out of weakness they have been made strong. -Often the sufferer in a home is the most thankful member of it. Often -the bedside is the sunniest spot in the house, though the bedridden -one knows that he or she will never be free again. It is not -impossible for a Christian in everything to give thanks. - -But it is only a Christian who can do it, as the last words of the -Apostle intimate: "This is the will of God _in Christ Jesus_ to -you-ward." These words may refer to all that has preceded: "Rejoice -alway; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks"; or they may -refer to the last clause only. Whichever be the case, the Apostle -tells us that the ideal in question has only been revealed in Christ, -and hence is only within reach of those who know Christ. Till Christ -came, no man ever dreamt of rejoicing alway, praying without ceasing, -and giving thanks in everything. There were noble ideals in the world, -high, severe, and pure; but nothing so lofty, buoyant, and exhilarating -as this. Men did not know God well enough to know what His will for -them was; they thought He demanded integrity, probably, and beyond -that, silent and passive submission at the most; no one had conceived -that God's will for man was that his life should be made up of joy, -prayer, and thanksgiving. But he who has seen Jesus Christ, and has -discovered the meaning of His life, knows that this is the true ideal. -For Jesus came into our world, and lived among us, that we might know -God; He manifested the name of God that we might put our trust in it; -and that name is Love; it is Father. If we know the Father, it is -possible for us, in the spirit of children, to aim at this lofty -Christian ideal; if we do not, it will seem to us utterly unreal. The -will of God in Christ Jesus means the will of the Father; it is only -for children that His will exists. Do not put aside the apostolic -exhortation as paradox or extravagance; to Christian hearts, to the -children of God, he speaks words of truth and soberness when he says, -"Rejoice alway; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks." Has -not Christ Jesus given us peace with God, and made us friends instead -of enemies? Is not that a fountain of joy too deep for sorrow to -touch? Has He not assured us that He is with us all the days, even to -the end of the world? Is not that a ground upon which we can look up -in prayer all the day long? Has He not told us that all things work -together for good to them that love God? Of course we cannot trace His -operation always; but when we remember the seal with which Christ -sealed that great truth; when we remember that in order to fulfil the -purpose of God in each of us He laid down His life on our behalf, can -we hesitate to trust His word? And if we do not hesitate, but welcome -it gladly as our hope in the darkest hour, shall we not try even in -everything to give thanks? - - - - -XV. - -_THE SPIRIT._ - - - "Quench not the Spirit: despise not prophesyings: (but) prove all - things: hold fast that which is good; abstain from every form of - evil."--1 THESS. v. 20-22 (R.V.). - -These verses are abruptly introduced, but are not unconnected with -what precedes. The Apostle has spoken of order and discipline, and of -the joyful and devout temper which should characterise the Christian -Church; and here he comes to speak of that Spirit in which the Church -lives, and moves, and has her being. The presence of the Spirit is, of -course, presupposed in all that he has said already: how could men, -except by His help, "rejoice alway, pray without ceasing, and in -everything give thanks"? But there are other manifestations of the -Spirit's power, of a more precise and definite character, and it is -with these we have here to do. - -_Spiritus ubi est, ardet._ When the Holy Spirit descended on the Church -at Pentecost, "there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like -as of fire; and it sat upon each one of them"; and their lips were -opened to declare the mighty works of God. A man who has received this -great gift is described as fervent, literally, boiling (+zeon+) with -the Spirit. The new birth in those early days _was_ a new birth; it -kindled in the soul thoughts and feelings to which it had hitherto -been strange; it brought with it the consciousness of new powers; a -new vision of God; a new love of holiness; a new insight into the Holy -Scriptures, and into the meaning of man's life; often a new power of -ardent, passionate speech. In the First Epistle to the Corinthians -Paul describes a primitive Christian congregation. There was not one -silent among them. When they came together every one had a psalm, a -revelation, a prophecy, an interpretation. The manifestation of the -Spirit had been given to each one to profit withal; and on all hands -the spiritual fire was ready to flame forth. Conversion to the -Christian faith, the acceptance of the apostolic gospel, was not a -thing which made little difference to men: it convulsed their whole -nature to its depths; they were never the same again; they were new -creatures, with a new life in them, all fervour and flame. - -A state so unlike nature, in the ordinary sense of the term, was sure -to have its inconveniences. The Christian, even when he had received -the gift of the Holy Ghost, was still a man; and as likely as not a -man who had to struggle against vanity, folly, ambition, and -selfishness of all kinds. His enthusiasm might even seem, in the first -instance, to aggravate, instead of removing, his natural faults. It -might drive him to speak--for in a primitive church anybody who -pleased might speak--when it would have been better for him to be -silent. It might lead him to break out in prayer or praise or -exhortation, in a style which made the wise sigh. And for those -reasons the wise, and such as thought themselves wise, would be apt to -discourage the exercise of spiritual gifts altogether. "Contain -yourself," they would say to the man whose heart burned within him, -and who was restless till the flame could leap out; "contain yourself; -exercise a little self-control; it is unworthy of a rational being to -be carried away in this fashion." - -No doubt situations like this were common in the church at -Thessalonica. They are produced inevitably by differences of age and -of temperament. The old and the phlegmatic are a natural, and, -doubtless, a providential, counterweight to the young and sanguine. -But the wisdom which comes of experience and of temperament has its -disadvantages as compared with fervour of spirit. It is cold and -unenthusiastic; it cannot propagate itself; it cannot set fire to -anything and spread. And because it is under this incapacity of -kindling the souls of men into enthusiasm, it is forbidden to pour -cold water on such enthusiasm when it breaks forth in words of fire. -That is the meaning of "Quench not the Spirit." The commandment -presupposes that the Spirit can be quenched. Cold looks, contemptuous -words, silence, studied disregard, go a long way to quench it. So does -unsympathetic criticism. - -Every one knows that a fire smokes most when it is newly kindled; but -the way to get rid of the smoke is not to pour cold water on the fire, -but to let it burn itself clear. If you are wise enough you may even -help it to burn itself clear, by rearranging the materials, or -securing a better draught; but the wisest thing most people can do -when the fire has got hold is to let it alone; and that is also the -wise course for most when they meet with a disciple whose zeal burns -like fire. Very likely the smoke hurts their eyes; but the smoke will -soon pass by; and it may well be tolerated in the meantime for the -sake of the heat. For this apostolic precept takes for granted that -fervour of spirit, a Christian enthusiasm for what is good, is the -best thing in the world. It may be untaught and inexperienced; it may -have all its mistakes to make; it may be wonderfully blind to the -limitations which the stern necessities of life put upon the generous -hopes of man: but it is of God; it is expansive; it is contagious; it -is worth more as a spiritual force than all the wisdom in the world. - -I have hinted at ways in which the Spirit is quenched; it is sad to -reflect that from one point of view the history of the Church is a -long series of transgressions of this precept, checked by an equally -long series of rebellions of the Spirit. "Where the Spirit of the Lord -is," the Apostle tells us elsewhere, "there is liberty." But liberty -in a society has its dangers; it is, to a certain extent, at war with -order; and the guardians of order are not apt to be too considerate of -it. Hence it came to pass that at a very early period, and in the -interests of good order, the freedom of the Spirit was summarily -suppressed in the Church. "The gift of ruling," it has been said, -"like Aaron's rod, seemed to swallow up the other gifts." The rulers -of the Church became a class entirely apart from its ordinary members, -and all exercise of spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church -was confined to them. Nay, the monstrous idea was originated, and -taught as a dogma, that they alone were the depositaries, or, as it is -sometimes said, the custodians, of the grace and truth of the gospel; -only through them could men come into contact with the Holy Ghost. In -plain English, the Spirit was quenched when Christians met for -worship. One great extinguisher was placed over the flame that burned -in the hearts of the brethren; it was not allowed to show itself; it -must not disturb, by its eruption in praise or prayer or fiery -exhortation, the decency and order of divine service. I say that was -the condition to which Christian worship was reduced at a very early -period; and it is unhappily the condition in which, for the most part, -it subsists at this moment. Do you think we are gainers by it? I do -not believe it. It has always come from time to time to be -intolerable. The Montanists of the second century, the heretical sects -of the middle ages, the Independents and Quakers of the English -Commonwealth, the lay preachers of Wesleyanism, the Salvationists, the -Plymouthists, and the Evangelistic associations of our own day,--all -these are in various degrees the protest of the Spirit, and its right -and necessary protest, against the authority which would quench it, -and by quenching it impoverish the Church. In many Nonconformist -churches there is a movement just now in favour of a liturgy. A -liturgy may indeed be a defence against the coldness and incompetence -of the one man to whom the whole conduct of public worship is at -present left; but our true refuge is not this mechanical one, but the -opening of the mouths of all Christian people. A liturgy, however -beautiful, is a melancholy witness to the quenching of the Spirit: it -may be better or worse than the prayers of one man; but it could never -compare for fervour with the spontaneous prayers of a living Church. - -Among the gifts of the Spirit, that which the Apostle valued most -highly was prophecy. We read in the Book of Acts of prophets, like -Agabus, who foretold future events affecting the fortunes of the -gospel, and possibly at Thessalonica the minds of those who were -spiritually gifted were preoccupied with thoughts of the Lord's -coming, and made it the subject of their discourses in the church; but -there is no necessary limitation of this sort in the idea of -prophesying. The prophet was a man whose rational and moral nature had -been quickened by the Spirit of Christ, and who possessed in an -uncommon degree the power of speaking edification, exhortation, and -comfort. In other words, he was a Christian preacher,[21] endued with -wisdom, fervour, and tenderness; and his spiritual addresses were -among the Lord's best gifts to the Church. Such addresses, or -prophesyings, Paul tells we are not to despise. - -Now despise is a strong word; it is, literally, to set utterly at -naught, as Herod set at naught Jesus, when he clothed Him in purple, -or as the Pharisees set at naught the publicans, even when they came -into the Temple to pray. Of course, prophecy, or, to speak in the -language of our own time, the preacher's calling, may be abused: a man -may preach without a message, without sincerity, without reverence for -God or respect for those to whom he speaks; he may make a mystery, a -professional secret, of the truth of God, instead of declaring it even -to little children; he may seek, as some who called themselves -prophets in early times sought, to make the profession of godliness a -source of gain; and under such circumstances no respect is due. But -such circumstances are not to be assumed without cause. We are rather -to assume that he who stands up in the Church to speak in God's name -has had a word of God entrusted to him; it is not wise to despise it -before it is heard. It may be because we have been so often disappointed -that we pitch our hopes so low; but to expect nothing is to be guilty -of a sort of contempt by anticipation. To despise not prophesyings -requires us to look for something from the preacher, some word of God -that will build us up in godliness, or bring us encouragement or -consolation; it requires us to listen as those who have a precious -opportunity given them of being strengthened by Divine grace and -truth. We ought not to lounge or fidget while the word of God is -spoken, or to turn over the leaves of the Bible at random, or to look -at the clock; we ought to hearken for that word which God has put -into the preacher's mouth for us; and it will be a very exceptional -prophesying in which there is not a single thought that it would repay -us to consider. - -When the Apostle claimed respect for the Christian preacher, he did -not claim infallibility. That is plain from what follows; for all the -words are connected. Despise not prophesyings, but put all things to -the test, that is, all the contents of the prophesying, all the -utterances of the Christian man whose spiritual ardour has urged him -to speak. We may remark in passing that this injunction prohibits all -passive listening to the word. Many people prefer this. They come to -church, not to be taught, not to exercise any faculty of discernment -or testing at all, but to be impressed. They like to be played upon, -and to have their feelings moved by a tender or vehement address; it -is an easy way of coming into apparent contact with good. But the -Apostle here counsels a different attitude. We are to put to the proof -all that the preacher says. - -This is a favourite text with Protestants, and especially with -Protestants of an extreme type. It has been called "a piece of most -rationalistic advice"; it has been said to imply "that every man has a -verifying faculty, whereby to judge of facts and doctrines, and to -decide between right and wrong, truth and falsehood." But this is a -most unconsidered extension to give to the Apostle's words. He does -not say a word about every man; he is speaking expressly to the -Thessalonians, who were Christian men. He would not have admitted that -any man who came in from the street, and constituted himself a judge, -was competent to pronounce upon the contents of the prophesyings, and -to say which of the burning words were spiritually sound, and which -were not. On the contrary, he tells us very plainly that some men have -no capacity for this task--"The natural man receiveth not the things -of the Spirit"; and that even in the Christian Church, where all are -to some extent spiritual, some have this faculty of discernment in a -much higher degree than others. In 1 Cor. xii. 10, "discernment of -spirits," this power of distinguishing in spiritual discourse between -the gold and that which merely glitters, is itself represented as a -distinct spiritual gift; and in a later chapter he says (xiv. 29), -"Let the prophets speak by two or three, and let the others" (that is, -in all probability, the other prophets) "discern." I do not say this -to deprecate the judgment of the wise, but to deprecate rash and hasty -judgment. A heathen man is no judge of Christian truth; neither is a -man with a bad conscience, and an unrepented sin in his heart; neither -is a flippant man, who has never been awed by the majestic holiness -and love of Jesus Christ,--all these are simply out of court. But the -Christian preacher who stands up in the presence of his brethren -knows, and rejoices, that he is in the presence of those who can put -what he says to the proof. They _are_ his brethren; they are in the -same communion of all the saints with Christ Jesus; the same Christian -tradition has formed, and the same Christian spirit animates, their -conscience; their power to prove his words is a safeguard both to them -and to him. - -And it is necessary that they should prove them. No man is perfect, -not the most devout and enthusiastic of Christians. In his most -spiritual utterances something of himself will very naturally mingle; -there will be chaff among the wheat; wood, hay, and stubble in the -material he brings to build up the Church, as well as gold, silver, -and precious stones. That is not a reason for refusing to listen; it -is a reason for listening earnestly, conscientiously, and with much -forbearance. There is a responsibility laid upon each of us, a -responsibility laid upon the Christian conscience of every -congregation and of the Church at large, to put prophesyings to the -proof. Words that are spiritually unsound, that are out of tune with -the revelation of God in Christ Jesus, ought to be discovered when -they are spoken in the Church. No man with any idea of modesty, to say -nothing of humility, could wish it otherwise. And here, again, -we have to regret the quenching of the Spirit. We have all heard the -sermon criticised when the preacher could not get the benefit; but -have we often heard it spiritually judged, so that he, as well as -those who listened to him, is edified, comforted, and encouraged? The -preacher has as much need of the word as his hearers; if there is a -service which God enables him to do for them, in enlightening their -minds or fortifying their wills, there is a corresponding service -which they can do for him. An open meeting, a liberty of prophesying, -a gathering in which any one could speak as the Spirit gave him -utterance, is one of the crying needs of the modern Church. - -Let us notice, however, the purpose of this testing of prophecy. -Despise not such utterances, the Apostle says, but prove all: hold -fast that which is good, and hold off from every evil kind. There is a -curious circumstance connected with these short verses. Many of the -fathers of the Church connect them with what they consider a saying of -Jesus, one of the few which is reasonably attested, though it has -failed to find a place in the written gospels. The saying is, "Show -yourselves approved money-changers." The fathers believed, and on such -a point they were likely to be better judges than we, that in the -verses before us the Apostle uses a metaphor from coinage. To prove is -really to assay, to put to the test as a banker tests a piece of -money; the word rendered "good" is often the equivalent of our -sterling; "evil," of our base or forged; and the word which in our old -Bibles is rendered "appearance"--"Abstain from all appearance of -evil"--and in the Revised Version "form"--"Abstain from every form of -evil"--has, at least in some connections, the signification of mint or -die. If we bring out this faded metaphor in its original freshness, it -will run something like this: Show yourselves skilful money-changers; -do not accept in blind trust all the spiritual currency which you find -in circulation; put it all to the test; rub it on the touchstone; keep -hold of what is genuine and of sterling value, but every spurious coin -decline. Whether the metaphor is in the text or not,--and in spite of -a great preponderance of learned names against it, I feel almost -certain it is,--it will help to fix the Apostle's exhortation in our -memories. There is no scarcity, at this moment, of spiritual currency. -We are deluged with books and spoken words about Christ and the -gospel. It is idle and unprofitable, nay, it is positively pernicious, -to open our minds promiscuously to them; to give equal and impartial -lodgment to them all. There is a distinction to be made between the -true and the false, between the sterling and the spurious; and till we -put ourselves to the trouble to make that distinction, we are not -likely to advance very far. How would a man get on in business who -could not tell good money from bad? And how is any one to grow in the -Christian life whose mind and conscience are not earnestly put to it -to distinguish between what is in reality Christian and what is not, -and to hold to the one and reject the other? A critic of sermons is -apt to forget the practical purpose of the discernment here spoken of. -He is apt to think it his function to pick holes. "Oh," he says, "such -and such a statement is utterly misleading: the preacher was simply in -the air; he did not know what he was talking about." Very possibly; -and if you have found out such an unsound idea in the sermon, be -brotherly, and let the preacher know. But do not forget the first and -main purpose of spiritual judgment--hold fast that which is good. God -forbid that you should have no gain out of the sermon except to -discover the preacher going astray. Who would think to make his -fortune only by detecting base coin? - -In conclusion, let us recall to our minds the touchstone which the -Apostle himself supplies for this spiritual assaying. "No one," he -writes to the Corinthians, "can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy -Ghost." In other words, whatever is spoken in the Holy Ghost, and is -therefore spiritual and true, has this characteristic, this purpose -and result, that it exalts Jesus. The Christian Church, that community -which embodies spiritual life, has this watchword on its banner, -"Jesus is Lord." That presupposes, in the New Testament sense of it, -the Resurrection and the Ascension; it signifies the sovereignty of -the Son of Man. Everything is genuine in the Church which bears on it -the stamp of Christ's exaltation; everything is spurious and to be -rejected which calls that in question. It is the practical recognition -of that sovereignty--the surrender of thought, heart, will, and life -to Jesus--which constitutes the spiritual man, and gives competence to -judge of spiritual things. He in whom Christ reigns judges in all -spiritual things, and is judged by no man; but he who is a rebel to -Christ, who does not wear His yoke, who has not learned of Him by -obedience, who assumes the attitude of equality, and thinks himself at -liberty to negotiate and treat with Christ, _he_ has no competence, -and no right to judge at all. "Unto Him that loveth us, and loosed us -from our sins by His blood; ... to Him be the glory and the dominion -for ever and ever. Amen." - -[21] The contrast drawn by Dr. Hatch in his Hibbert Lectures between -the early Christian prophet and the modern Christian preacher--the -"rhetorical religionist," as he calls him--is, like every other -contrast in that notable book, strained till it becomes utterly false. -It would not be true to say that there was no difference between the -prophet and the preacher; but it would be far truer than to say that -there was no likeness. The prophet was one who spoke, as Paul tells -us, edification, exhortation, and comfort; and as that, we may hope, -is what most preachers try to do, the ideal of the callings is -identical. And it is only by their ideals that they ought to be -compared or criticised. - - - - -XVI. - -_CONCLUSION._ - - - "And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly; and may your - spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the - coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, who - will also do it. Brethren, pray for us. Salute all the brethren with - a holy kiss. I adjure you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto - all the brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with - you."--1 THESS. v. 23-28 (R.V.). - -These verses open with a contrast to what precedes, which is more -strongly brought out in the original than in the translation. The -Apostle has drawn the likeness of a Christian church, as a Christian -church ought to be, waiting for the coming of the Lord; he has -appealed to the Thessalonians to make this picture their standard, and -to aim at Christian holiness; and conscious of the futility of such -advice, as long as it stands alone and addresses itself to man's -unaided efforts, he turns here instinctively to prayer: "The God of -peace Himself"--working in independence of your exertions and my -exhortations--"sanctify you wholly." - -The solemn fulness of this title forbids us to pass it by. Why does -Paul describe God in this particular place as the God of peace? Is it -not because peace is the only possible basis on which the work of -sanctification can proceed? I do not think it is forced to render the -words literally, the God of the peace, _i.e._, the peace with which -all believers are familiar, the Christian peace, the primary blessing -of the gospel. The God of peace is the God of the gospel, the God who -has come preaching peace in Jesus Christ, proclaiming reconciliation -to those who are far off and to those who are near. No one can ever be -sanctified who does not first accept the message of reconciliation. It -is not possible to become holy as God is holy, until, being justified -by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This -is God's way of holiness; and this is why the Apostle presents his -prayer for the sanctification of the Thessalonians to the God of -peace. We are so slow to learn this, in spite of the countless ways in -which it is forced upon us, that one is tempted to call it a secret; -yet no secret, surely, could be more open. Who has not tried to -overcome a fault, to work on a vicious temper, to break for good with -an evil habit, or in some other direction to sanctify himself, and -withal to keep out of God's sight till the work was done? It is of no -use. Only the God of Christian peace, the God of the gospel, can -sanctify us; or to look at the same thing from our own side, we cannot -be sanctified until we are at peace with God. Confess your sins with a -humble and penitent heart; accept the forgiveness and friendship of -God in Christ Jesus; and then He will work in you both will and deed -to further His good pleasure. - -Notice the comprehensiveness of the Apostle's prayer in this place. It -is conveyed in three separate words--wholly (+holoteleis+), entire -(+holokleron+), and without blame (+amemptos+). It is intensified by -what has, at least, the look of an enumeration of the parts or -elements of which man's nature consists--"your spirit and soul and -body." It is raised to its highest power when the sanctity for which -he prays is set in the searching light of the Last Judgment--in the -day of our Lord Jesus Christ. We all feel how great a thing it is -which the Apostle here asks of God: can we bring its details more -nearly home to ourselves? Can we tell, in particular, what he means by -spirit and soul and body? - -The learned and philosophical have found in these three words a -magnificent field for the display of philosophy and learning; but -unhappily for plain people, it is not very easy to follow them. As the -words stand before us in the text, they have a friendly Biblical look; -we get a fair impression of the Apostle's intention in using them; but -as they come out in treatises on Biblical Psychology, though they are -much more imposing, it would be rash to say they are more strictly -scientific, and they are certainly much less apprehensible than they -are here. To begin with the easiest one, everybody knows what is meant -by the body. What the Apostle prays for in this place is that God -would make the body in its entirety--every organ and every function of -it--holy. God made the body at the beginning; He made it for Himself; -and it is His. To begin with, it is neither holy nor unholy; it has no -character of its own at all; but it may be profaned or it may be -sanctified; it may be made the servant of God or the servant of sin, -consecrated or prostituted. Everybody knows whether his body is being -sanctified or not. Everybody knows "the inconceivable evil of -sensuality." Everybody knows that pampering of the body, excess in -eating and drinking, sloth and dirt, are incompatible with bodily -sanctification. It is not a survival of Judaism when the Epistle to -the Hebrews tells us to draw near to God "in full assurance of faith, -having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies -washed with pure water." But sanctification, even of the body, really -comes only by employment in God's service; charity, the service of -others for Jesus' sake, is that which makes the body truly His. Holy -are the feet which move incessantly on His errands; holy are the hands -which, like His, are continually doing good; holy are the lips which -plead His cause or speak comfort in His Name. The Apostle himself -points the moral of this prayer for the consecration of the body when -he says to the Romans, "Present your members as servants to -righteousness unto sanctification." - -But let us look, now, at the other two terms--spirit and soul. -Sometimes one of these is used in contrast with body, sometimes the -other. Thus Paul says that the unmarried Christian woman cares for the -things of the Lord, seeking only how she may be holy in body and in -spirit,--the two together constituting the whole person. Jesus, again, -warns His disciples not to fear man, but to fear Him who can destroy -both soul and body in hell; where the person is made to consist, not -of body and spirit, but of body and soul. These passages certainly -lead us to think that soul and spirit must be very near akin to each -other; and that impression is strengthened when we remember such a -passage as is found in Mary's song: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, -and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour"; where, according to -the laws of Hebrew poetry, soul and spirit must mean practically the -same thing. But granting that they do so, when we find two words used -for the same thing, the natural inference is that they give us each a -different look at it. One of them shows it in one aspect; the other in -another. Can we apply that distinction here? I think the use of the -words in the Bible enables us to do it quite decidedly; but it is -unnecessary to go into the details. The soul means the life which is -in man, taken simply as it is, with all its powers; the spirit means -that very same life, taken in its relation to God. This relation may -be of various kinds: for the life that is in us is derived from God; -it is akin to the life of God Himself; it is created with a view to -fellowship with God; in the Christian it is actually redeemed and -admitted to that fellowship; and in all those aspects it is spiritual -life. But we may look at it without thinking of God at all; and then, -in Bible language, we are looking, not at man's spirit, but at his -soul. - -This inward life, in all its aspects, is to be sanctified through and -through. All our powers of thought and imagination are to be -consecrated; unholy thoughts are to be banished; lawless, roving -imaginings, suppressed. All our inventiveness is to be used in God's -service. All our affections are to be holy. Our heart's desire is not -to settle on anything from which it would shrink in the day of the -Lord Jesus. The fire which He came to cast on the earth must be -kindled in our souls, and blaze there till it has burned up all that -is unworthy of His love. Our consciences must be disciplined by His -word and Spirit, till all the aberrations due to pride and passion and -the law of the world have been reduced to nothing, and as face answers -face in the glass, so our judgment and our will answer His. Paul prays -for this when he says, May your whole soul be preserved blameless. But -what is the special point of the sanctification of the spirit? It is -probably narrowing it a little, but it points us in the right -direction, if we say that it has regard to worship and devotion. The -spirit of man is his life in its relation to God. Holiness belongs to -the very idea of this; but who has not heard of sins in holy things? -Which of us ever prays as he ought to pray? Which of us is not weak, -distrustful, incoherent, divided in heart, wandering in desire, even -when he approaches God? Which of us does not at times forget God -altogether? Which of us has really worthy thoughts of God, worthy -conceptions of His holiness and of His love, worthy reverence, a -worthy trust? Is there not an element in our devotions even, in the -life of our spirits at their best and highest, which is worldly and -unhallowed, and for which we need the pardoning and sanctifying love -of God? The more we reflect upon it, the more comprehensive will this -prayer of the Apostle appear, and the more vast and far-reaching the -work of sanctification. He seems himself to have felt, as man's -complex nature passed before his mind, with all its elements, all its -activities, all its bearings, all its possible and actual profanation, -how great a task its complete purification and consecration to God -must be. It is a task infinitely beyond man's power to accomplish. -Unless he is prompted and supported from above, it is more than he can -hope for, more than he can ask or think. When the Apostle adds to his -prayer, as if to justify his boldness, "Faithful is He that calleth -you, who will also do it," is it not a New Testament echo of David's -cry, "Thou, O Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, hast revealed to Thy -servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath Thy -servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto Thee"? - -Theologians have tried in various ways to find a scientific expression -for the Christian conviction implied in such words as these, but with -imperfect success. Calvinism is one of these expressions: its -doctrines of a Divine decree, and of the perseverance of the saints, -really rest upon the truth of this 24th verse,--that salvation is of -God to begin with; and that God, who has begun the good work, is in -earnest with it, and will not fail nor be discouraged until He has -carried it through. Every Christian depends upon these truths, -whatever he may think of Calvinistic inferences from them, or of the -forms in which theologians have embodied them. When we pray to God to -sanctify us wholly; to make us His in body, soul, and spirit; to -preserve our whole nature in all its parts and functions blameless in -the day of the Lord Jesus, is not our confidence this, that God has -called us to this life of entire consecration, that He has opened the -door for us to enter upon it by sending His Son to be a propitiation -for our sins, that He has actually begun it by inclining our hearts to -receive the gospel, and that He may be depended upon to persevere in -it till it is thoroughly accomplished? What would all our good -resolutions amount to, if they were not backed by the unchanging -purpose of God's love? What would be the worth of all our efforts and -of all our hopes, if behind them, and behind our despondency and our -failures too, there did not stand the unwearying faithfulness of God? -This is the rock which is higher than we; our refuge; our stronghold; -our stay in the time of trouble. The gifts and calling of God are -without repentance. We may change, but not He. - -What follows is the affectionate desultory close of the letter. Paul has -prayed for the Thessalonians; he begs their prayers for himself. This -request is made no less than seven times in his Epistles--including the -one before us: a fact which shows how priceless to the Apostle was the -intercession of others on his behalf. So it is always; there is -nothing which so directly and powerfully helps a minister of the -gospel as the prayers of his congregation. They are the channels of -all possible blessing both for him and those to whom he ministers. But -prayer for him is to be combined with love to one another: "Salute all -the brethren with a holy kiss."[22] The kiss was the ordinary greeting -among members of a family; brothers and sisters kissed each other -when they met, especially after long separation; even among those who -were no kin to each other, but only on friendly terms, it was common -enough, and answered to our shaking of hands. In the Church the kiss -was the pledge of brotherhood; those who exchanged it declared -themselves members of one family. When the Apostle says, "Greet one -another with a holy kiss," he means, as holy always does in the New -Testament, a Christian kiss; a greeting not of natural affection, nor -of social courtesy merely, but recognising the unity of all members of -the Church in Christ Jesus, and expressing pure Christian love. The -history of the kiss of charity is rather curious, and not without its -moral. Of course, its only value was as the natural expression of -brotherly love; where the natural expression of such love was not -kissing, but the grasping of the hand, or the friendly inclination of -the head, the Christian kiss ought to have died a natural death. So, -on the whole, it did; but with some partial survivals in ritual, which -in the Greek and Romish Churches are not yet extinct. It became a -custom in the Church to give the kiss of brotherhood to a member newly -admitted by baptism; that practice still survives in some quarters, -even when children only are baptized. The great celebrations at -Easter, when no element of ritual was omitted, retained the kiss of -peace long after it had fallen out of the other services. At Solemn -Mass in the Church of Rome the kiss is ceremonially exchanged between -the celebrant and the assistant ministers. At Low Mass it is omitted, -or given with what is called an osculatory or Pax. The priest kisses -the altar; then he kisses the osculatory, which is a small metal -plate; then he hands this to the server, and the server hands it to -the people, who pass it from one to another, kissing it as it goes. -This cold survival of the cordial greeting of the Apostolic Church -warns us to distinguish spirit from letter. "Greet one another with a -holy kiss" means, Show your Christian love one to another, frankly and -heartily, in the way which comes natural to you. Do not be afraid to -break the ice when you come into the church. There should be no ice -there to break. Greet your brother or your sister cordially and like a -Christian; assume and create the atmosphere of home. - -Perhaps the very strong language which follows may point to some lack -of good feeling in the church at Thessalonica: "I adjure you by the -Lord that this epistle be read unto _all_ the brethren." Why -should he need to adjure them by the Lord? Could there be any doubt -that everybody in the church would hear his Epistle? It is not easy to -say. Perhaps the elders who received it might have thought it wiser -not to tell all that it contained to everybody; we know how -instinctive it is for men in office--whether they be ministers of the -church or ministers of state--to make a mystery out of their business, -and, by keeping something always in reserve, to provide a basis for a -despotic and uncontrolled authority. But whether for this or some -other purpose, consciously or unconsciously influencing them, Paul -seems to have thought the suppression of his letter possible; and -gives this strong charge that it be read to all. It is interesting to -notice the beginnings of the New Testament. This is its earliest book, -and here we see its place in the Church vindicated by the Apostle -himself. Of course when he commands it to be read, he does not mean -that it is to be read repeatedly; the idea of a New Testament, of a -collection of Christian books to stand side by side with the books of -the earlier revelation, and to be used like them in public worship, -could not enter men's minds as long as the apostles were with them; -but a direction like this manifestly gives the Apostle's pen the -authority of his voice, and makes the writing for us what his personal -presence was in his lifetime. The apostolic word is the primary -document of the Christian faith; no Christianity has ever existed in -the world but that which has drawn its contents and its quality from -this; and nothing which departs from this rule is entitled to be -called Christian. - -The charge to read the letter to _all_ the brethren is one of the -many indications in the New Testament that, though the gospel is a -_mysterion_, as it is called in Greek, there is no mystery about -it in the modern sense. It is all open and aboveboard. There is not -something on the surface, which the simple are to be allowed to -believe; and something quite different underneath, into which the wise -and prudent are to be initiated. The whole thing has been revealed -unto babes. He who makes a mystery out of it, a professional secret -which it needs a special education to understand, is not only guilty -of a great sin, but proves that he knows nothing about it. Paul knew -its length and breadth and depth and height better than any man; and -though he had to accommodate himself to human weakness, distinguishing -between babes in Christ and such as were able to bear strong meat, he -put the highest things within reach of all; "Him we preach," he -exclaims to the Colossians, "warning every man, and teaching every man -in every wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ." -There is no attainment in wisdom or in goodness which is barred -against any man by the gospel; and there is no surer mark of -faithlessness and treachery in a church than this, that it keeps its -members in a perpetual pupilage or minority, discouraging the free use -of Holy Scripture, and taking care that all that it contains is not -read to all the brethren. Among the many tokens which mark the Church -of Rome as faithless to the true conception of the gospel, which -proclaims the end of man's minority in religion, and the coming to age -of the true children of God, her treatment of Scripture is the most -conspicuous. Let us who have the Book in our hands, and the Spirit to -guide us, prize at its true worth this unspeakable gift. - -This last caution is followed by the benediction with which in one -form or another the Apostle concludes his letters. Here it is very -brief: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." He ends with -practically the same prayer as that with which he began: "Grace to you -and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." And -what is true of this Epistle is true of all the rest: the grace of the -Lord Jesus Christ is their +A+ and their +O+, their first word and -their last. Whatever God has to say to us--and in all the New -Testament letters there are things that search the heart and make it -quake--begins and ends with grace. It has its fountain in the love of -God; it is working out, as its end, the purpose of that love. I have -known people take a violent dislike to the word grace, probably -because they had often heard it used without meaning; but surely it is -the sweetest and most constraining even of Bible words. All that God -has been to man in Jesus Christ is summed up in it: all His -gentleness and beauty, all His tenderness and patience, all the holy -passion of His love, is gathered up in grace. What more could one soul -wish for another than that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ should -be with it? - -[22] Is it a fair inference from these words that the Epistle was to -be delivered to the elders or ruling body in the church? In other -places the Apostle writes, "Greet one another." - - - - -THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE - -THESSALONIANS. - - - - -I. - -_SALUTATION AND THANKSGIVING._ - - - "Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the church of the - Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; Grace to - you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. - - "We are bound to give thanks to God alway for you, brethren, even as - it is meet, for that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the love of - each one of you all toward one another aboundeth; so that we - ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and - faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye - endure."--2 THESS. i. 1-4 (R.V.). - -In beginning to expound the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, it is -necessary to say a few words by way of introduction to the book as a -whole. Certain questions occur to the mind whenever such a document as -this is presented to it; and it will put us in a better position for -understanding details if we first answer these. How do we know, for -instance, that this Epistle is really the _second_ to the -Thessalonians? It has been maintained that it is the earlier of the -two. Can we justify its appearance in the place which it usually -occupies? I think we can. The tradition of the church itself counts -for something. It is quite unmistakable, in other cases in which there -are two letters addressed to the same people,--_e.g._, the -Epistles to the Corinthians and to Timothy,--that they stand in the -canon in the order of time. Presumably the same is the case here. Of -course a tradition like this is not infallible, and if it can be -proved false must be abandoned; but at the present moment, the tendency -in most minds is to under-estimate the historical value of such -traditions; and, in the instance before us, tradition is supported by -various indications in the Epistle itself. For example, in the other -letter, Paul congratulates the Thessalonians on their reception of the -gospel, and the characteristic experiences attendant upon it; here it -is the wonderful growth of their faith, and the abounding of their -love, which calls forth his thanksgiving,--surely a more advanced -stage of Christian life being in view. Again, in the other Epistle -there are slight hints of moral disorder, due to misapprehension of -the Lord's Second Coming; but in this Epistle such disorder is broadly -exposed and denounced; the Apostle has heard of unruly busybodies, who -do no work at all; he charges them in the name of the Lord Jesus to -change their conduct, and bids the brethren avoid them, that they may -be put to shame. Plainly the faults as well as the graces of the -church are seen here at a higher growth. Once more, in chap. ii. 15 of -this letter, there is reference to instruction which the Thessalonians -have already received from Paul in a letter; and though he may quite -conceivably have written them letters which no longer exist, still the -natural reference of these words is to what we call the First Epistle. -If anything else were needed to prove that the letter we are about to -study stands in its right place, it might be found in the appeal of -chap. ii. 1. "Our gathering together unto Him" is the characteristic -revelation of the other, and therefore the earlier letter. - -But though this Epistle is certainly later than the other, it is not -much later. The Apostle has still the same companions--Silas and -Timothy--to join in his Christian greeting. He is still in Corinth or -its neighbourhood; for we never find these two along with him but -there. The gospel, however, has spread beyond the great city, and -taken root in other places, for he boasts of the Thessalonians and -their graces in _the churches_ of God. His work has so far -progressed as to excite opposition; he is in personal peril, and asks -the prayers of the Thessalonians, that he may be delivered from -unreasonable and evil men. If we put all these things together, and -remember the duration of Paul's stay in Corinth, we may suppose that -some months separated the second Epistle from the First. - -What, now, was the main purpose of it? What had the Apostle in his -mind when he sat down to write? To answer that, we must go back a -little way. - -A great subject of apostolic preaching at Thessalonica had been the -Second Advent. So characteristic was it of the gospel message, that -Christian converts from heathenism are defined as those who have -turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to -wait for His Son from heaven. This waiting, or expectation, was the -characteristically Christian attitude; the Christian's hope was -hidden in heaven, and he could not but look up and long for its -appearing. But this attitude became strained, under various -influences. The Apostle's teaching was pressed, as if he had said, not -only that the day of the Lord was coming, but that it was actually -here. Men, affecting to speak through the Spirit, patronised such -fanaticism. We see from chap. ii. 2 that pretended words of Paul were -put in circulation; and what was more deliberately wicked, a forged -epistle was produced, in which his authority was claimed for this -transformation of his doctrine. Weak-minded people were carried off -their feet, and bad-hearted people feigned an exaltation they did not -feel; and both together brought discredit on the church, and injured -their own souls, by neglecting the commonest duties. Not only decorum -and reputation were lost, but character itself was endangered. This -was the situation to which Paul addressed himself. - -We do not need to be fastidious in dealing with the Apostle's teaching -on the Second Advent; our Saviour tells us that of the day and the -hour no man knows, nor angel; nay, not even the Son, but the Father -only. Certainly St. Paul did not know; and almost as certainly, in the -ardour of his hope, he anticipated the end sooner than it was actually -to arrive. He spoke of himself as one who might naturally enough -expect to see the Lord come again; and it was only as experience -brought him new light that in his later years he began to speak of a -desire to depart, and to be with Christ. Not to die, had been his -earlier hope, but to have the mortal being swallowed up of life; and -it was this earlier hope he had communicated to the Thessalonians. -They also hoped not to die; as the sky grew darker over them with -affliction and persecution, their heated imaginations saw the glory of -Christ ready to break through for their final deliverance. The present -Epistle puts this hope, if one may say so, to a certain remove. It -does not fix the date of the Advent; it does not tell us when the day -of the Lord shall come; but it tells us plainly that it is not here -yet, and that it will not be here till certain things have first -happened. What these things are is by no means obvious; but this is -not the place to discuss the question. All we have to notice is this: -that with a view to counteracting the excitement at Thessalonica, -which was producing bad consequences, St. Paul points out that the -Second Advent is the term of a moral process, and that the world must -run through a spiritual development of a particular kind before Christ -can come again. The first Advent was in the fulness of the times; so -will the second be; and though he might not be able to interpret all -the signs, or tell when the great day would dawn, he could say to the -Thessalonians, "The end is not yet." - -This, I say, is the great lesson of the Epistle, the main thing which -the Apostle has to communicate to the Thessalonians. But it is -preceded by what may be called, in a loose sense, a consolatory -paragraph, and it is followed up by exhortations, the same in purport -as those of the First Epistle, but more peremptory and emphatic. The -true preparedness for the Lord's Second Coming is to be sought, he -assures them, not in this irrational exaltation, which is morally -empty and worthless, but in diligent, humble, faithful performance of -duty; in love, faith, and patience. - -The greeting with which the Epistle opens is almost word for word the -same as that of the First Epistle. It is a church which is addressed; -and a church subsisting in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus -Christ. The Apostle has no other interest in the Thessalonians than as -they are Christian people. Their Christian character and their -Christian interests are the only things he cares for. One could wish -it were so among us. One could wish our relation to God and His Son -were so real and so dominant, that it gave us an unmistakable -character, in which we might naturally address each other, without any -consciousness or suspicion of unreality. With every desire to think -well of the Church, when we look to the ordinary tone of conversation -and of correspondence among Christians, we can hardly think that this -is so. There is an aversion to such directness of speech as was alone -natural to the Apostle. Even in church meetings, there is a -disposition to let the Christian character fall into the background; -it is a sensible relief to many to be able to think of those about -them as ladies and gentlemen, rather than as brothers and sisters in -Christ. Yet it is this last relation only in virtue of which we form a -church; it is the interests of this relation that our intercourse with -one another as Christians is designed to serve. We ought not to look -in the Christian assembly for what it was never meant to be,--for a -society to further the temporal interests of its members; for an -educational institution, aiming at the general enlightenment of those -who frequent its meetings; still less, as some seem to be inclined to -do, for a purveyor of innocent amusements: all these are simply beside -the mark; the Church is not called to any such functions; her whole -life is in God and Christ; and she can _say_ nothing and _do_ nothing -for any man until his life has been brought to this source and centre. -An apostolic interest in the Church is the interest of one who cares -only for the relation of the soul to Christ; and who can say no more -to those he loves best than John says to Gaius, "Beloved, I pray that -in all things thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul -prospereth." - -It is in accordance with this Spirit that the Apostle wishes the -Thessalonians not any outward advantages, but grace and peace. Grace -and peace are related as cause and effect. Grace is God's unmerited -love, His free and beautiful goodness to the sinful; and when men -receive it, it bears the fruit of peace. Peace is a far bigger word in -the Bible than in common usage; and it has its very largest sense in -these salutations, where it represents the old Hebrew greeting -_Shalom_. Properly speaking, it means completeness, wholeness, -health--the perfect soundness of the spiritual nature. This is what -the Apostle wishes for the Thessalonians. Of course, there is a -narrower sense of peace, in which it means the quieting of the -perturbed conscience, the putting away of the alienation between the -soul and God; but that is only the initial work of grace, the first -degree of the great peace which is in view here. When grace has had -its perfect work, it results in a more profound and steadfast -peace,--a soundness of the whole nature, a restoration of the shattered -spiritual health, which is the crown of all God's blessings. There is -a vast difference in the degrees of bodily health between the man who -is chronically ailing, always anxious, nervous about himself, and -unable to trust himself if any unexpected drain is made upon his -strength, and the man who has solid, unimpaired health, whose heart is -whole within him, and who is not shaken by the thought of what may be. -It is this radical soundness which is really meant by peace; thorough -spiritual health is the best of God's blessings in the Christian life, -as thorough bodily health is the best in the natural life. Hence the -Apostle wishes it for the Thessalonians before everything else; and -wishes it, as alone it can come, in the train of grace. The free love -of God is all our hope. Grace is love imparting itself, giving itself -away, as it were, to others, for their good. Only as that love comes -to us, and is received in its fulness of blessing into our hearts, can -we attain that stable spiritual health which is the end of our -calling. - -The salutation is followed, as usual, by a thanksgiving, which at the -first glance seems endless. One long sentence runs, apparently without -interruption, from the third verse to the end of the tenth. But it is -plain, on a more attentive glance, that the Apostle goes off at a -tangent; and that his thanksgiving is properly contained in the third -and fourth verses: "We are bound to give thanks to God alway for you, -brethren, even as it is meet, for that your faith groweth exceedingly, -and the love of each one of you all toward one another aboundeth; so -that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your -patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions -which ye endure." It is worthy of remark that the mere existence of -faults in a church never blinded the Apostle to its graces. There was -much in this congregation to rectify, and a good deal to censure; -there were ignorance, fanaticism, falsehood, sloth, unruliness; but -though he knew of them all, and would rebuke them all before he had -done, he begins with this grateful acknowledgment of a Divine work -among them. It is not merely that Paul was constitutionally of a -bright temperament, and looked naturally on the promising side of -things,--I hardly think he was,--but he must have felt it was -undutiful and unbecoming to say anything at all to Christian people, -who had once been pagans, without thanking God for what He had done -for them. Some of us have this lesson to learn, especially in regard -to missionary and evangelistic work and its results. We are too ready -to see everything in it except what is of God,--the mistakes made by -the worker, or the misconceptions in new disciples that the light has -not cleared up, and the faults of character that the Spirit has not -overcome; and when we fix our attention on these things, it is very -natural for us to be censorious. The natural man loves to find fault; -it gives him at the cheapest rate the comfortable feeling of -superiority. But it is a malignant eye which can see and delight in -nothing but faults; before we comment on deficiencies or mistakes -which have only become visible against the background of the new life, -let us give thanks to God that the new life, in however lowly and -imperfect a form, is there. It need not yet appear what it shall be. -But we are bound, by duty, by truth, by all that is right and seemly, -to say, Thanks be to God for what He has begun to do by His grace. -There are some people who should never see half-done work; perhaps the -same people should be forbidden to criticise missions either at home -or abroad. The grace of God is not responsible for the faults of -preachers or of converts, but it is the source of their virtues; it is -the fountain of their new life; it is the hope of their future; and -unless we welcome its workings with constant thanksgiving, we are in -no spirit in which it can work through us. - -But let us see for what fruit of grace the Apostle gives thanks here. -It is because the faith of the Thessalonians grows exceedingly, and -their mutual love abounds. In a word, it is for their progress in the -Christian character. Here is a point of the first interest and -importance. It is the very nature of life to grow; when growth is -arrested, it is the beginning of decay. I would not like to fall into -the very fault I have been exposing, and speak as if there were no -progress, among Christians in general, in faith and love; but one of -the discouragements of the Christian ministry is undoubtedly the -slowness, or it may be the invisibility, not to say the absence, of -growth. At a certain stage in the physical life, we know, equilibrium -is attained: we are at the maturity of our powers; our faces change -little, our minds change little; the tones of our voices and the -character of our handwriting are pretty constant; and when we get past -that point, the progress is backward. But we can hardly say that this -is an analogy by which we may judge the spiritual life. It does not -run its full course here. It has not a birth, a maturity, and an -inevitable decay, within the limits of our natural life. There is room -for it to grow and grow unceasingly, because it is planned for -eternity, and not for time. It should be in continual progress, ever -improving, advancing from strength to strength. Day by day and year by -year Christians should become better men and better women, stronger in -faith, richer in love. The very steadiness and uniformity of our -spiritual life has its disheartening side. Surely there is room, in a -thing so great and expansive as life in Jesus Christ, for fresh -developments, for new manifestations of trust in God, for new -enterprises prompted and sustained by brotherly love. Let us ask -whether we ourselves, each in his own place, face the trials of our -life, its cares, its doubts, its terrible certainties, with a more -unwavering faith in God than we had five years ago? Have we _learned_ -in that interval, or in all the years of our Christian profession, to -commit our life more unreservedly to Him, to trust Him to undertake -for us, in our sins, in our weakness, in all our necessities, temporal -and spiritual? Have we become more loving than we were? Have we -overcome any of our irrational and un-Christian dislikes? Have we made -advances, for Christ's sake and His Church's, to persons with whom we -were at variance, and sought in brotherly love to foster a warm and -loyal Christian feeling in the whole body of believers? God be -thanked, there are some who know what faith and love are better than -they once did; who have learned--and it needs learning--what it is to -confide in God, and to love others in Him; but could an Apostle thank -God that this advance was universal, and that the charity of every one -of us all was abundant to all the rest? - -The apostolic thanksgiving is supplemented in this particular case by -something, not indeed alien to it, yet on a quite different level--a -glorying before men. Paul thanked God for the increase of faith and -love at Thessalonica; and when he remembered that he himself had been -the means of converting the Thessalonians, their progress made him -fond and proud; he boasted of his spiritual children in the churches of -God. "Look at the Thessalonians," he said to the Christians in the -south; "you know their persecutions, and the afflictions they endure; -yet their faith and patience triumph over all; their sufferings only -serve to bring their Christian goodness to perfection." That was a -great thing to be able to say; it would be particularly telling in -that old pagan world, which could meet suffering only with an inhuman -defiance or a resigned indifference; it is a great thing to be able to -say yet. It _is_ a witness to the truth and power of the gospel, -of which its humblest minister may feel justly proud, when the new -spirit which it breathes into men gives them the victory over sorrow -and pain. There is no persecution now to test the sincerity or the -heroism of the Church as a whole; but there are afflictions still; and -there must be few Christian ministers but thank God, and would do it -always, as is meet, that He has allowed them to see the new life -develop new energies under trial, and to see His children out of -weakness made strong by faith and hope and love in Christ Jesus. These -things are our true wealth and strength, and we are richer in them -than some of us are aware. They are the mark of the gospel upon human -nature; wherever it comes, it is to be identified by the combination -of affliction and patience, of suffering and spiritual joy. That -combination is peculiar to the kingdom of God: there is not the like -found in any other kingdom on earth. Blessed, let us say, be the God -and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us such proofs of -His love and power among us; He only doeth such wondrous things; let -the earth be filled with His glory. - - - - -II. - -_SUFFERING AND GLORY._ - - - "A manifest token of the righteous judgment of God; to the end that - ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also - suffer: if so be that it is a righteous thing with God to recompense - affliction to them that afflict you, and to you that are afflicted - rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with - the angels of His power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them - that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord - Jesus: who shall suffer punishment, _even_ eternal destruction - from the face of the Lord and from the glory of His might, when He - shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be marvelled at in - all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was - believed[23]) in that day. To which end we also pray always for you, - that our God may count _you_ worthy of your calling, and fulfil - every desire of goodness, and (every) work of faith, with power; that - the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and ye in Him, - according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."--2 THESS. - i. 5-12 (R.V.). - -In the preceding verses of this chapter, as in the opening of the -First Epistle, the Apostle has spoken of the afflictions of the -Thessalonians, and of the Christian graces which they have developed -under them. To suffer for Christ's sake, he says, and at the same time -to abound in faith and love and spiritual joy, is to have the mark of -God's election on us. It is an experience so truly and characteristically -Christian that the Apostle cannot think of it without gratitude and -pride. He gives thanks to God on every remembrance of his converts. He -boasts of their progress in all the churches of Achaia. - -In the verses before us, another inference is drawn from the -afflictions of the Thessalonians, and their gospel patience under -them. The whole situation is a proof, or manifest token, of the -righteous judgment of God. It has this in view, that the Thessalonians -may be deemed worthy of the (heavenly) kingdom of God, on behalf of -which they suffer. Here, we see, the Apostle sanctions with his -authority the argument from the injustices of this life to the coming -of another life in which they will be rectified. God is just, he says; -and therefore this state of affairs, in which bad men oppress the -innocent, cannot last for ever. It calls aloud for judgment; it -proclaims its approach; it is a prognostic, a manifest token of it. -The suffering which is here in view cannot be an end in itself. Even -the graces which come to perfection in maintaining themselves against -it, do not explain the whole meaning of affliction; it would remain a -blot upon God's justice if it were not counterbalanced by the joys of -His kingdom. "Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and -persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My -sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in -heaven." This is the gracious side of the judgment. The suffering -which is borne with joy and brave patience for Christ's sake proves -how dear Christ is to the sufferer; and this love, tried with fire, is -requited in due time with an answer in love that makes him forget it -all. - -This is one of the doctrines of Scripture that untroubled times find -it easy to dispense with. There is even an affectation of superiority -to what is called the moral vulgarity of being good for the sake of -something beyond goodness. It is idle to enter on any abstract -discussion of such a question. We are called by the gospel to a new -life under certain definite conditions, one of them being the -condition of suffering for its sake. The more thoroughly that -condition is accepted, the less disposition will there be to criticise -the future blessedness which is its counterpoise and compensation. It -is not the confessors and martyrs of the Christian faith--the men who -die daily, like Paul, and share in the tribulations and patience of -Jesus Christ, like John--who become weary of the glory which is to be -revealed. And it is such only who are in a position to judge of the -value of this hope. If it is dear to them, an inspiration and an -encouragement, as it certainly is, it is surely worse than vain for -those who are living an easier and a lower life to criticise it on -abstract grounds. If we have no need of it, if we can dispense with -any sight or grasp of a joy beyond the grave, let us take care that it -is not owing to the absence from our life of that present suffering -for Christ's sake, without which we cannot be His. "The connection," -Bishop Ellicott says, "between holy suffering and future blessedness -is mystically close and indissoluble"; we _must_ through great -tribulations enter into the kingdom of God; and all experience proves -that, when such tribulation comes and is accepted, the recompense of -reward here spoken of, and the Scriptures which give prominence to -it, rise to the highest credit in the mind of the Church. It is not a -token of our enlightenment and moral superiority, if we undervalue -them; it is an indication that we are not drinking of the Lord's cup, -or being baptized with His baptism. - -But the reward is only one side of the righteous judgment foretold by -the suffering of the innocent. It includes punishment as well. "It is -a righteous thing with God to recompense affliction to them that -afflict you." We see here the very simplest conception of God's -justice. It is a law of retribution, of vindication; it is the -reaction, in this particular case, of man's sin against himself. The -reaction is inevitable: if it does not come here, it comes in another -world; if not now, in another life. The hope of the sinner is always -that in some way or other this reaction may never take place, or that, -when it does take place, it may be evaded; but that hope is doomed to -perish. "If it were done when 'tis done," he says as he contemplates -his sin in prospect; but it never _is_ so done; it is exactly -half done when he is finished with it; and the other half is taken in -hand by God. Punishment is the other half of sin; as inseparable from -it as heat from fire, as the inside of a vessel from the outside. "It -is a righteous thing with God to recompense affliction to them that -afflict you." "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." - -One of the favourite pastimes of some modern historians is the -whitewashing of persecutors. A dispassionate interest in the facts -shows, we are told, in many cases, that the persecutors were not so -black as they have been painted, and that the martyrs and confessors -were no better than they should have been. Where fault is found at -all, it is laid rather at the door of systems than of individuals; -judgment is passed on institutions and on centuries that persons and -their actions may go free. Practically that comes to writing history, -which is the story of man's moral life, without recognising the place -of conscience; it may sometimes have the look of intelligence, but at -bottom it is immoral and false. Men must answer for their actions. It -is no excuse for murdering the saints that the murderers think they -are doing God service; it is an aggravation of their guilt. Every man -knows that it is wicked to afflict the good; if he does not, it is -because he has quite corrupted his conscience, and therefore has the -greater sin. Moral blindness may include and explain every sin, but it -justifies none; it is itself the sin of sins. "It is a righteous thing -with God to recompense affliction to those who afflict." If they -cannot put themselves by sympathy into the place of others--which is -the principle of all right conduct--God will put them in that place, -and open their eyes. His righteous judgment is a day of grace to the -innocent sufferers; He rewards their trouble with rest; but to the -persecutor it is a day of vengeance; he eats the fruit of his doings. - -It is characteristic of this Epistle, and of the preoccupation of the -Apostle's mind when he wrote it, that he here expands his notice of -the time when this judgment is to take place into a vivid statement of -its circumstances and issues. The judgment is executed at the -_revelation_ of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with the angels of -His power, in flaming fire. "At this moment," he would say, "Christ is -unseen, and therefore by wicked men ignored, and sometimes by good men -forgotten; but the day is coming when every eye shall see Him." The -Apostle Peter, who had seen Christ in the flesh, as Paul had never -done, and who probably felt His invisibility as few could feel it, is -fond of this word "revelation" as a name for His reappearing. He -speaks of faith which is to be found unto praise and honour and glory -at the _revelation_ of Jesus Christ. "Be sober," he says, "and -hope to the end for the grace that is being brought to you at the -_revelation_ of Jesus Christ." And in another passage, much in -keeping with this of St. Paul's, he says, "Inasmuch as ye are -partakers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice; that at the _revelation_ -of His glory also ye may rejoice with exceeding joy." It is one of the -great words of the New Testament; and its greatness is heightened in -this place by the accompanying description. The Lord is revealed, -attended by the angels of His power, in flaming fire. These -accessories of the Advent are borrowed from the Old Testament; the -Apostle clothes the Lord Jesus at His appearing in all the glory of -the God of Israel.[24] - -When Christ is thus revealed, it is in the character of a Judge: He -renders vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not -the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Two classes of guilty men are -quite plainly distinguished by these words; and as plainly, though the -English alone would not enable us to lay stress upon it, those two -classes are the heathen and the Jews. Ignorance of God is the -characteristic of paganism; when Paul wishes to describe the Gentiles -from the religious point of view, he speaks of them as the Gentiles -which know not God. Now, with us, ignorance is usually regarded as an -excuse for sin; it is an extenuating circumstance, which calls for -compassion rather than condemnation; and we are almost astonished in -reading the Bible to find it used as a summary of the whole guilt and -offence of the heathen world. But we must remember what it is that men -are said not to know. It is not theology; it is not the history of the -Jews, or the special revelations it contains; it is not any body of -doctrines; it is God. And God, who is the fountain of life, the only -source of goodness, does not hide Himself from men. He has His -witnesses everywhere. There is something in all men which is on His -side, and which, if it be regarded, will bring their souls to Him. -Those who know not God are those who have stifled this inner witness, -and separated themselves in doing so from all that is good. Ignorance -of God means ignorance of goodness; for all goodness is from Him. It -is not a lack of acquaintance with any system of ideas about God that -is here exposed to the condemnation of Christ; but the practical lack -of acquaintance with love, purity, truth. If men are familiar with the -opposites of all these; if they have been selfish, vile, bad, false; -if they have said to God, "Depart from us; we desire not the knowledge -of Thy ways; we are content to have no acquaintance with Thee"--is it -not inevitable that, when Christ is revealed as Judge of all, they -should be excluded from His kingdom? What could they do in it? Where -could they be less in place? - -The difficulty which some have felt about the ignorance of the -Gentiles can hardly be raised about the disobedience of the Jews. The -element of wilfulness, of deliberate antagonism to the good, to which -we give such prominence in our idea of sin, is conspicuous here. The -will of God for their salvation had been fully made known to this -stubborn race; but they disobeyed, and persisted in their -disobedience. "He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck"--so -ran their own proverb--"shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without -remedy." Such was the sentence to be executed on them in the day of -Christ. - -When it is said that ignorance of God and disobedience to the gospel -are here presented as the characteristics respectively of Gentile and -Jew, it is not said that the passage is without significance for us. -There may be some of us who are sinking day by day into an ever deeper -ignorance of God. Those who live a worldly and selfish life, whose -interests and hopes are bounded by this material order, who never -pray, who do nothing, give nothing, suffer nothing for others, they, -whatever their knowledge of the Bible or the catechism may be, do not -know God, and fall under this pagan condemnation. And what of -disobedience to the gospel? Notice the word which is here used by the -Apostle; it implies a conception of the gospel which we are apt, in -magnifying the grace of God, to overlook. We speak of receiving the -gospel, believing it, welcoming it, and so forth; it is equally -needful to remember that it claims our obedience. God not only -beseeches us to be reconciled, He commands us to repent. He makes a -display of His redeeming love in the gospel--a love which contains -pardon, renewal, and immortality; and He calls on all men for a life -in correspondence with that love. Salvation is not only a gift, but a -vocation; we enter into it as we obey the voice of Jesus, "Follow Me"; -and if we disobey, and choose our own way, and live a life in which -there is nothing that answers to the manifestation of God as our -Saviour, what can the end be? Can it be anything else than the -judgment of which St. Paul here speaks? If we say, every day of our -life, as the law of the gospel rings in our ears, "No: we will not -have this Man to reign over us," can we expect anything else than that -He will render vengeance? "Do we provoke the Lord to anger? Are we -stronger than He?" - -The ninth verse describes the terrible vengeance of the great day. -"Such men," says the Apostle, "shall pay the penalty, everlasting -destruction, away from the face of the Lord and from the glory of His -might." These are awful words, and it is no wonder that attempts have -been made to empty them of the meaning which they bear upon their -face. But it would be false to sinful men, as well as to the Apostle, -and to the whole of New Testament teaching, to say that any art or -device could in the least degree lessen their terrors. It has been -boldly asserted, indeed, that the word rendered everlasting does not -mean everlasting, but age-long; and that what is in view here is "an -age-long destruction from the presence and glory of Christ, _i.e._, -the being shut out from all sight of and participation in the triumphs -of Christ during _that_ age" ["the age perhaps which immediately -succeeds this present life"]. And this assertion is crowned by -another, that those thus excluded nevertheless "abide in His presence -and share His glory in the ages beyond."[25] Anything more gratuitous, -anything less in keeping with the whole tone of the passage, anything -more daring in its arbitrary additions to the text, it would be -impossible even to imagine. If the gospel, as conceived in the New -Testament, has any character at all, it has the character of finality. -It is God's _last word_ to men. And the consequences of accepting or -rejecting it are final; it opens no prospect beyond the life on the -one hand, and the death on the other, which are the results of -obedience and disobedience. Obey, and you enter into a light in which -there is no darkness at all: disobey, and you pass eventually into a -darkness in which there is no light at all. What God says to us in -all Scripture, from beginning to end, is not, Sooner or later? but, -Life or death? These are the alternatives before us; they are -absolutely separate; they do not run into one another at any time, the -most remote. It is necessary to speak the more earnestly of this -matter, because there is a disposition, on the plea that it is -impossible for us to divide men into two classes, to blur or even to -obliterate the distinction between Christian and non-Christian. Many -things prompt us to make the difference merely one of quantity--a more -or less of conformity to some ideal standard--in which case, of -course, a little more, or a little less, is of no great account. But -that only means that we never take the distinction between being right -with God, and being wrong with God, as seriously as God takes it; with -Him it is simply infinite. The difference between those who obey, and -those who do not obey, the gospel, is not the difference of a little -better and a little worse; it is the difference of life and death. If -there is any truth in Scripture at all, this is true--that those who -stubbornly refuse to submit to the gospel, and to love and obey Jesus -Christ, incur at the Last Advent an infinite and irreparable loss. -They pass into a night on which no morning dawns. - -This final ruin is here described as separation from the face of the -Lord and the glory of His might. In both the Old Testament and the -New, the vision of God is the consummation of blessedness. Thus we -read in one psalm, "Before Thy face is fulness of joy"; in another, -"As for me, I shall behold Thy face in uprightness: I shall be -satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness." In one of the Gospels, -our Saviour says that in heaven the angels of the little ones do -always behold the face of their Father who is in heaven; and in the -Book of Revelation it is the crown of joy that His servants shall -serve Him and shall see his face. From all this joy and blessedness -they condemn themselves to exclusion who know not God, and disobey the -gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Far from the face of the Lord and the -glory of His power, their portion is in the outer darkness. - -But in vivid contrast with this--for the Apostle does not close with -this terrible prospect--is the lot of those who have chosen the good -part here. Christ is revealed taking vengeance on the wicked, as has -just been described; but He comes also to be glorified in His saints -and to be admired in all them that believed--including those -Christians at Thessalonica. This is the Lord's and the Christian's -interest in the great day. The glory that shines from Him is mirrored -in and reflected from them. If there is a glory of the Christian even -while he wears the body of his humiliation, it will be swallowed up in -a glory more excellent when his change comes. Yet that glory will not -be his own: it will be the glory of Christ which has transfigured him; -men and angels, as they look at the saints, will admire not them, but -Him who has made them anew in the likeness of himself. All this is to -take place "on that day"--the great and terrible day of the Lord. The -voice of the Apostle rests with emphasis upon it; let it fill our -minds and hearts. It is a day of revelation, above all things: the day -on which Christ comes, and declares which life is eternally of worth, -and which for ever worthless; the day on which some are glorified, and -some pass finally from our view. Do not let the difficulties and -mysteries of this subject, the problems we cannot solve, the decisions -we could not give, blind our eyes to what Scripture makes so plain: we -are not the judges, but the judged, in this whole scene; and the -judgment is of infinite consequence for us. It is _not_ a question of -less or more, of sooner or later, of better or worse; what is at stake -in our attitude to the gospel is life or death, heaven or hell, the -outer darkness or the glory of Christ. - -[23] "It seems hopeless to find an intelligible meaning for +eph' -hymas+ in connection with +episteuthe+. Apparently, as conjectured by -Markland, +episteuthe+ is a primitive corruption of +epistothe+, -suggested by the preceding +pisteusasin+, as well as by the -familiarity of +pisteuo+ and its _prima-facie_ appropriateness to -+martyrion+. The reference is probably to vv. 4, 5: the Christian -testimony of suffering for the faith had been confirmed and sealed -upon the Thessalonians. Cf. 1 Cor. i. 6: +Kathos to martyrion tou -Christou ebebaiothe en hymin+; also Ps. xciii. (xcii.) 4, 5: -+Thaumastos en hypselois ho Kyrios; ta martyria sou epistothesan -sphodra+; and for an analogous use of +pistousthai+ followed by +epi+ -with the accusative, 1 Chr. xvii. 23; 2 Chr. i. 9."--F.J.A. HORT. - -[24] For an excellent and instructive study of the relations of Jewish -and Christian eschatology, see Stanton's _Jewish and Christian -Messiah_. - -[25] The quotations are from Cox's _Salvator Mundi_, 13th Edition, pp. -128-9. When the time import of +aionios+ is in view, many writers -render it, like Dr. Cox, age-long, intending thereby to signify that -aeonian time has an end; its finitude, in fact, is the one thing of -which Dr. Cox consents to think. But the very point of the meaning is -that no end is visible. AEonian time is time that fills the mind and -imagination to the furthest horizon and beyond it; there is no -ulterior prospect. - - - - -III. - -_THE MAN OF SIN._ - - - "Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus - Christ, and our gathering together unto Him; to the end that ye be - not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by - spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the - Lord is _now_ present; let no man beguile you in any wise: for - _it will not be_, except the falling away come first, and the - man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, he that opposeth and - exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is - worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself - forth as God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told - you these things?"--2 THESS. ii. 1-5 (R.V.). - -In the first chapter of this Epistle Paul depicted the righteous -judgment of God which accompanies the advent of Christ. Its terrors -and its glories blazed before his eyes as he prayed for those who were -to read his letter. "With this in view," he says, "we also pray always -for you, that our God would count _you_ worthy of the calling." -The emphatic word in the sentence is _you_. Among all believers -in whom Christ was to be glorified, as they in Him, the Thessalonians -were at this moment nearest to the Apostle's heart. Like others, they -had been called to a place in the heavenly kingdom; and he is eager -that they should prove worthy of it. They will be worthy only if God -powerfully carries to perfection in them their delight in goodness, -and the activities of their faith. That is the substance of his -prayer. "The Lord enable you always to have unreserved pleasure in -what is good, and to show the proof of faith in all you do. So you -shall be worthy of the Christian calling, and the name of the Lord -shall be glorified in you, and you in Him, in that day." - -The second chapter seems, in our English Bibles, to open with an -adjuration: "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord -Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him." If that were -right, we might suppose Paul's meaning to be: As you long for this -great day, and anticipate its appearing as your dearest hope, let me -conjure you not to entertain mischievous fancies about it; or, as you -dread the day, and shrink from the terrible judgment which it brings, -let me adjure you to think of it as you ought to think, and not -discredit it by unspiritual excitement, bringing reproach on the -Church in the eyes of the world. But this interpretation, though apt -enough, is hardly justified by the use of the New Testament, and the -Revised Version is nearer the truth when it gives the rendering -"touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is of it the -Apostle wishes to speak; and what he has to say is, that the true -doctrine of it contains nothing which ought to produce unsettlement or -vague alarms. In the First Epistle, especially in chap. v., he has -enlarged on the moral attitude which is proper to those who cherish -the Christian hope: they are to watch and be sober; they are to put -off the works of darkness, and put on, as children of the day, the -armour of light; they are to be ready and expectant always. Here he -adds the negative counsel that they are not to be quickly shaken from -their mind, as a ship is driven from her moorings by a storm, nor yet -upset or troubled, whether by spirit, or by word or letter purporting -to be from him. These last expressions need a word of explanation. By -"spirit" the Apostle no doubt means a Christian man speaking in the -church under a spiritual impulse. Such speakers in Thessalonica would -often take the Second Advent as their theme; but their utterances were -open to criticism. It was of such utterances that the Apostle had said -in his earlier letter, "Despise not prophesyings; but prove all that -is said, and hold fast that which is good." The spirit in which a -Christian spoke was not necessarily the spirit of God; even if it -were, it was not necessarily unmixed with his own ideas, desires, or -hopes. Hence discernment of spirits was a valued and needful gift, and -it seems to have been wanted at Thessalonica. Besides misleading -utterances of this kind in public worship, there were circulated words -ascribed to Paul, and if not a forged letter, at all events a letter -purporting to contain his opinion, none of which had his authority. -These words and this letter had for their substance the idea that the -day of the Lord was now present--or, as one might say in Scotch, just -here. It was this which produced the unspiritual excitement at -Thessalonica, and which the Apostle wished to contradict. - -A great mystery has been made out of the paragraph which follows, but -without much reason. It certainly stands alone in St. Paul's writings, -an Apocalypse on a small scale, reminding us in many respects of the -great Apocalypse of John, but not necessarily to be judged by it, or -brought into any kind of harmony with it. Its obscurity, so far as it -is obscure, is due in part to the previous familiarity of the -Thessalonians with the subject, which allowed the Apostle to take much -for granted; and in part, no doubt, to the danger of being explicit in -a matter which had political significance. But it is not really so -obscure as it has been made out to be by some; and the reputation for -humility which so many have sought, by adopting St. Augustine's -confession that he had no idea what the Apostle meant, is too cheap to -be coveted. We must suppose that St. Paul wrote to be understood, and -was understood by those to whom he wrote; and if we follow him word by -word, a sense will appear which is not really questionable except on -extraneous grounds. What, then, does he say about the delaying of the -Advent? - -He says it will not come till the falling away, or apostasy, has come -first. The Authorised Version says "_a_" falling away, but that is -wrong. The falling away was something familiar to the Apostle and his -readers; he was not introducing them to any new thought. But a falling -away of whom? or from what? Some have suggested, of the members of the -Christian Church from Christ;[26] but it is quite plain from the -whole passage, and especially from ver. 12f., that the Apostle is -contemplating a series of events in which the Church has no part but -as a spectator. But the "apostasy" is clearly a religious defection; -though the word itself does not necessarily imply as much, the -description of the falling away does; and if it be not of Christians, -it must be of the Jews; the Apostle could not conceive of the heathen -"who know not God" as falling away from him. This apostasy reaches its -height, finds its representative and hero, in the man of sin, or, as -some MSS. have it, the man of lawlessness. When the Apostle says _the -man_ of sin, he means the _man_,--not a principle, nor a system, nor a -series of persons, but an individual human person who is identified -with sin, an incarnation of evil as Christ was of good, an -Antichrist. The man of sin is also the son of perdition; this name -expressing his fate--he is doomed to perish--as the other his nature. -This person's portrait is then drawn by the Apostle. He is the -adversary _par excellence_, he who sets himself in opposition, a human -Satan, the enemy of Christ. The other features in the likeness are -mainly borrowed from the description of the tyrant king Antiochus -Epiphanes in the Book of Daniel: they may have gained fresh meaning to -the Apostle from the recent revival of them in the insane Emperor -Caligula. The man of sin is filled with demoniac pride; he lifts -himself on high against the true God, and all gods, and all that men -adore; he seats himself in the temple of God; he would like to be -taken by all men _for_ God. There has been much discussion over the -temple of God in this passage. It is no doubt true that the Apostle -sometimes uses the expression figuratively, of a church and its -members--"The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are"--but it is -surely inconceivable that a _man_ should _take his seat_ in _that_ -temple; when these words were fresh, no one could have put that -meaning on them. The temple of God is, therefore, the temple at -Jerusalem; it was standing when Paul wrote; and he expected it to -stand till all this was fulfilled. When the Jews had crowned their -guilt by falling away from God; in other words, when they had finally -and as a whole decided against the gospel, and God's purpose to save -them by it; when the falling away had been crowned by the revelation -of the man of sin, and the profanation of the temple by his impious -pride, _then_, and not till then, would come the end. "Do you not -remember," says the Apostle, "that when I was with you I used to tell -you this?" - -When Paul wrote this Epistle, the Jews were the great enemies of the -gospel; it was they who persecuted him from city to city, and roused -against him everywhere the malice of the heathen; hostility to God was -incarnated, if anywhere, in them. They alone, because of their -spiritual privileges, were capable of the deepest spiritual sin. -Already in the First Epistle he has denounced them as the murderers of -the Lord Jesus and of their own prophets, a race that please not God -and are contrary to all men, sinners on whom the threatened wrath has -come without reserve. In the passage before us the course is outlined -of that wickedness against which the wrath was revealed. The people of -God, as they called themselves, fall definitely away from God; the -monster of lawlessness who rises from among them can only be pictured -in the words in which prophets pourtrayed the impiety and presumption -of a heathen king; he thrusts God aside, and claims to be God himself. - -There is only one objection to this interpretation of the Apostle's -words, namely, that they have never been fulfilled. Some will think -that objection final; and some will think it futile: I agree with the -last. It proves too much; for it lies equally against every other -interpretation of the words, however ingenious, as well as against the -simple and natural one just given. It lies, in some degree, against -almost every prophecy in the Bible. No matter what the apostasy, and -the man of sin, are taken to be, nothing has ever appeared in history -which answers exactly to Paul's description. The truth is that -inspiration did not enable the apostles to write history before it -happened; and though this forecast of the Apostle's has a spiritual -truth in it, resting as it does on a right perception of the law of -moral development, the precise anticipation which it embodies was not -destined to be realised. Further, it must have changed its place in -Paul's own mind within the next ten years; for, as Dr. Farrar has -observed, he barely alludes again to the Messianic surroundings (or -antecedents) of a second personal advent. "He dwells more and more on -the mystic oneness with Christ, less and less on His personal return. -He speaks repeatedly of the indwelling presence of Christ, and the -believer's incorporation with Him, and hardly at all of that visible -meeting in the air which at this epoch was most prominent in his -thoughts." - -But, it may be said, if this anticipation was not to be fulfilled, is -it not altogether deceptive? is it not utterly misleading that a -prophecy should stand in Holy Scripture which history was to falsify? -I think the right answer to that question is that there is hardly any -prophecy in Holy Scripture which has not been in a similar way -falsified, while nevertheless in its spiritual import true. The -details of this prophecy of St. Paul were not verified as he -anticipated, yet the soul of it was. The Advent was _not_ just -then; it was delayed till a certain moral process should be -accomplished; and this was what the Apostle wished the Thessalonians -to understand. He did not know when it would be; but he could see so -far into the law of God's working as to know that it would not come -till the fulness of time; and he could understand that, where a final -judgment was concerned, the fulness of time would not arrive till evil -had had every opportunity, either to turn and repent, or to develop -itself in the most utterly evil forms, and lie ripe for vengeance. - -This is the ethical law which underlies the Apostle's prophecy; it is -a law confirmed by the teaching of Jesus Himself, and illustrated by -the whole course of history. The question is sometimes discussed -whether the world gets better or worse as it grows older, and -optimists and pessimists take opposite sides upon it. Both, this law -informs us, are wrong. It does not get better only, nor worse only, -but both. Its progress is not simply a progress in good, evil being -gradually driven from the field; nor is it simply a progress in evil, -before which good continually disappears: it is a progress in which -good and evil alike come to maturity, bearing the ripest fruit, -showing all that they can do, proving their strength to the utmost -against each other; the progress is not in good in itself, nor in evil -in itself, but in the antagonism of the one to the other. This is the -same truth which we are taught by our Lord in the parable of the wheat -and the tares: "Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the -time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares," -etc. _In the time of harvest_: not till all is ripe for judgment, not -till the wheat and the tares alike have shown all that is in them, -will the judgment come. This is what St. Paul understood, and what the -Thessalonians did not understand; and if his ignorance of the scale of -the world, and the scale of God's purposes, made him apply this law to -the riddle of history hastily, with a result which the event has not -justified, that is nothing to the prejudice of the law itself, which -was true when he applied it with his imperfect knowledge, and is true -for application still. - -One other remark is suggested by the description of the character in -which sin culminates, viz., that as evil approaches its height it -assumes ever more spiritual forms. There are some sins which betray -man on the lower side of his nature, through the perversion of the -appetites which he has in common with the brutes: the dominance of -these is in some sense natural; they are not radically and essentially -evil. The man who is the victim of lust or drunkenness may lose his -soul by his sin, but he is its _victim_; there is not in his guilt -that malignant hatred of good which is here ascribed to the man of -sin. The crowning wickedness is this demoniac pride: the temper of one -who lifts himself on high above God, owning no superior, nay, claiming -for himself the highest place of all. This is rather spiritual than -sensual: it may be quite free from the gross vices of the flesh, -though the connection between pride and sensuality is closer than is -sometimes imagined; but it is more conscious, deliberate, malignant, -and damnable than any brutality could be. When we look at the world in -any given age--our own or another--and make inquiry into its moral -condition, this is a consideration which we are apt to lose sight of, -but which is entitled to the utmost weight. The collector of moral -statistics examines the records of criminal courts; he investigates -the standard of honesty in commerce; he balances the evidences of -peace, truth, purity, against those of violence, fraud, and -immorality, and works out a rough conclusion. But that material -morality leaves out of sight what is most significant of all--the -spiritual forms of good and of evil in which the opposing forces show -their inmost nature, and in which the world ripens for God's judgment. -The man of sin is not described as a sensualist or a murderer; he is -an apostate, a rebel against God, a usurper who claims not the palace -but the temple for his own. This God-dethroning pride is the utmost -length to which sin can go. The judgment will not come till it has -fully developed; can any one see tokens of its presence? - -In asking such a question we pass from the interpretation of the -Apostle's words to their application. Much of the difficulty and -bewilderment that have gathered about this passage are due to the -confusion of these two quite different things.[27] The interpretation -gives us the meaning of the very words the Apostle used. We have seen -what that is, and that in its precise detail it was not destined to be -fulfilled. But when we have passed behind the surface meaning, and -laid hold on the law which the Apostle was applying in this passage, -then we can apply it ourselves. We can use it to read the signs of -the times in our own or in any other age. We may see developments of -evil, resembling in their main features the man of sin here depicted, -in one quarter or another, and in one person or another; and if we do, -we are bound to see in them tokens that a judgment of God is at hand; -but we must not imagine that in so applying the passage we are finding -out what St. Paul meant. That lies far, far behind us; and our -application of his words can only claim our own authority, not the -authority of Holy Scripture. - -Of the multitude of applications which have been made of this passage -since the Apostle wrote it, one only has had historical importance -enough to be of interest to us--I mean that which is found in several -Protestant confessions, including the Westminster Confession of Faith, -and which declares the Pope of Rome, in the words of this last, to be -"that Antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalteth -himself in the Church against Christ, and all that is called God." As -an interpretation, of course, that is impossible; the man of sin is -one man, and not a series, like the Popes; the temple of God in which -a man sits is a temple made with hands, and not the Church; but when -we ask whether or not it is a fair _application_ of the Apostle's -words, the question is altered. Dr. Farrar, whom no one will suspect -of sympathy with the Papacy, is indignant that such an uncharitable -idea should ever have crossed the mind of man. Many in the churches -which hold by the Westminster Confession would agree with him. Of -course it is a matter on which every one is entitled to judge for -himself, and, whether right or wrong, ought not to be in a confession; -but for my own part I have little scruple in the matter. There have -been Popes who could have sat for Paul's picture of the man of sin -better than any characters known to history--proud, apostate, atheist -priests, sitting in the seat of Christ, blasphemously claiming His -authority, and exercising His functions. And individuals apart--for -there have been saintly and heroic Popes as well, true servants of the -servants of God--the hierarchical system of the Papacy, with the -monarchical priest at its head, incarnates and fosters that very -spiritual pride of which the man of sin is the final embodiment; it is -a seed-bed and nursery of precisely such characters as are here -described. There is not in the world, nor has ever been, a system in -which there is less that recalls Christ, and more that anticipates -Antichrist, than the Papal system. And one may say so while -acknowledging the debt that all Christians owe to the Romish Church, -and while hoping that it may somehow in God's grace repent and reform. - -It would ill become us, however, to close the study of so serious a -subject with the censure of others. The mere discovery that we have -here to do with a law of moral development, and with a supreme and -final type of evil, should put us rather upon self-scrutiny. The -character of our Lord Jesus Christ is the supreme and final type of -good; it shows us the end to which the Christian life conducts those -who follow it. The character of the man of sin shows the end of those -who obey not His gospel. They become, in their resistance to Him, more -and more identified with sin; their antagonism to God settles into -antipathy, presumption, defiance; they become gods to themselves, and -their doom is sealed. This picture is set here for our warning. We -cannot of ourselves see the end of evil from the beginning; we cannot -tell what selfishness and wilfulness come to, when they have had their -perfect work; but God sees, and it is written in this place to startle -us, and fright us from sin. "Take heed, brethren, lest haply there -shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away -from the living God: but exhort one another day by day, so long as it -is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness -of sin." - -[26] There are indications of such a thing in various words of Jesus. -"Many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray. And -because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax -cold."--Matt. xxiv. 11f. "There shall arise false Christs, and false -prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead -astray, if possible, even the elect."--Matt. xxiv. 24. "When the Son -of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?"--Luke xviii. 8. What -answers to these in St. Paul's writings we see in Acts xx. 29f.; Eph. -iv. 14; 1 Tim. iv. 1. But these passages belong to the very latest -years in his life, and they are not connected with any such -anticipations as are characteristic of the Thessalonian Apocalypse. -The history of the Church, as Paul foresaw it, did not include in -itself a phenomenon which could be described as +he apostasia+. - -[27] A conspectus of the historical interpretations, most of which are -really applications, of this passage, is given in most commentaries. -The fullest is Luenemann's, which is followed by Alford. Farrar's -Appendix is briefer. - - - - -IV. - -_THE RESTRAINT AND ITS REMOVAL._ - - - "And now ye know that which restraineth to the end that he may be - revealed in his own season. For the mystery of lawlessness doth - already work: only _there is_ one that restraineth now, until he - be taken out of the way. And then shall be revealed the lawless one, - whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and - bring to nought by the manifestation of His coming; _even he_, - whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and - signs and lying wonders, and with all deceit of unrighteousness for - them that are perishing; because they received not the love of the - truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God sendeth them - a working of error, that they should believe a lie: that they all - might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in - unrighteousness."--2 THESS. ii. 6-12 (R.V.). - -Christ cannot come, the Apostle has told us, until the falling away -has first come, and the man of sin been revealed. In the verses before -us, we are told that the man of sin himself cannot come, in the full -sense of the word, he cannot be revealed in his true character of the -counter-Christ, till a restraining force, known to the Thessalonians, -but only obscurely alluded to by the Apostle, is taken out of the way. -The Last Advent is thus at two removes from the present. First, there -must be the removal of the power which holds the man of sin in check; -then the culmination of evil in that great adversary of God; and not -till then the return of the Lord in glory as Saviour and Judge. - -We might think that this put the Advent to such a distance as -practically to disconnect it from the present, and make it a matter of -little interest to the Christian. But, as we have seen already, what -is significant in this whole passage is the spiritual law which -governs the future of the world, the law that good and evil must ripen -together, and in conflict with each other; and it is involved in that -law that the final state of the world, which brings on the Advent, is -latent, in all its principles and spiritual features, in the present. -That day is indissolubly connected with this. The life that we now -live has all the importance, and ought to have all the intensity, -which comes from its bearing the future in its bosom. Through the eyes -of this New Testament prophet we can see the end from the beginning; -and the day on which we happen to read his words is as critical, in -its own nature, as the great day of the Lord. - -The end, the Apostle tells us, is at some distance, but it is -preparing. "The mystery of lawlessness doth already work." The forces -which are hostile to God, and which are to break out in the great -apostasy, and the insane presumption of the man of sin, are even now -in operation, but secretly. They are not visible to the careless, or -to the infatuated, or to the spiritually blind; but the Apostle can -discern them. Taught by the Spirit to read the signs of the times, he -sees in the world around him symptoms of forces, secret, unorganised, -to some extent inscrutable, yet unmistakable in their character. They -are the beginnings of the apostasy, the first workings, fettered as -yet and baffled, of the power which is to set itself in the place of -God. He sees also, and has already told the Thessalonians, of another -power of an opposite character. "Ye know," he says, "that which -restraineth ... only _there is_ one that restraineth now, until he be -taken out of the way." This restraining power is spoken of both in the -neuter and the masculine, both as a principle or institution, and as a -person; and there is no reason to doubt that those fathers of the -Church are right who identified it with the Empire of Rome and its -sovereign head. The apostasy was to take place among the Jews; and the -Apostle saw that Rome and its Emperor were the grand restraint upon -the violence of that stubborn race. The Jews had been his worst -enemies, ever since he had embraced the cause of the Nazarene Messiah -Jesus; and all that time the Romans had been his best friends. If -injustice had been done him in their name, as at Philippi, atonement -had been made; and, on the whole, he had owed to them his protection -against Jewish persecution. He felt sure that his own experience was -typical; the final development of hatred to God and all that was on -God's side could not but be restrained so long as the power of Rome -stood firm. That power was a sufficient check upon anarchic violence. -While it held its ground, the powers of evil could not organise -themselves and work openly; they constituted a mystery of iniquity, -working, as it were, underground. But when this great restraint was -removed, all that had been labouring so long in secret would come -suddenly to view, in its full dimensions; the lawless one would stand -revealed. - -But, it may be asked, could Paul imagine that the Roman power, as -represented by the Emperor, was likely to be removed within any -measurable time? Was it not the very type and symbol of all that was -stable and perpetual in man's life? In one way, it was; and as at -least a temporary check on the final eruption of wickedness, it is -here recognised to have a degree of stability; but it was certainly -not eternal. Paul may have seen plainly enough in such careers as -those of Caligula and Claudius the impending collapse of the Julian -dynasty; and the very obscurity and reserve with which he expresses -himself amount to a distinct proof that he has something in his mind -which it was not safe to describe more plainly. Dr. Farrar has pointed -to the remarkable correspondence between this passage, interpreted of -the Roman Empire, and a paragraph in Josephus, in which that historian -explains the visions of Daniel to his pagan readers. Josephus shows -that the image with the head of gold, the breast and arms of silver, -the belly and thighs of brass, and the ankles and feet of iron, -represents a succession of four empires. He names the Babylonian as -the first, and indicates plainly that the Medo-Persian and the Greek -are the second and third; but when he comes to the fourth, which is -destroyed by the stone cut out without hands, he does not venture, as -all his countrymen did, to identify it with the Roman. That would have -been disloyal in a courtier, and dangerous as well; so he remarks, -when he comes to the point, that he thinks it proper to say nothing -about the stone and the kingdom it destroys, his duty as a historian -being to record what is past and gone, and not what is yet to come. In -a precisely similar way does St. Paul here hint at an event which it -would have been perilous to name. But what he means is: When the Roman -power has been removed, the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord -will come to destroy him. - -What was said of the man of sin in the last lecture has again its -application here. The Roman Empire did _not_ fall within any such -period as Paul anticipated; nor, when it did, was there any such -crisis as he describes. The man of sin was not revealed, and the Lord -did not come. But these are the human elements in the prophecy; and -its interest and meaning for us lie in the description which an -inspired writer gives of the final forms of wickedness, and their -connection with principles which were at work around him, and are at -work among us. He does not, indeed, come to these at once. He passes -over them, and anticipates the final victory, when the Lord shall -destroy the man of sin with the breath of His mouth, and bring him to -nought by the appearance of His coming; he would not have Christian -men face the terrible picture of the last workings of evil until they -have braced and comforted their hearts with the prospect of a crowning -victory. There _is_ a great battle to be fought; there _are_ great -perils to be encountered; there is a prospect with something in it -appalling to the bravest heart; but there is light beyond. It needs -but the breath of the Lord Jesus; it needs but the first ray of His -glorious appearing to brighten the sky, and all the power of evil is -at an end. Only after he has fixed the mind on this does St. Paul -describe the supreme efforts of the enemy. - -His coming, he says--and he uses the word applied to Christ's advent, -as though to teach us that the event in question is as significant for -evil as the other for good--his coming is according to the working of -Satan. When Christ was in the world, His presence with men was -according to the working of God; the works that the Father gave Him to -do, the same He did, and nothing else. His life was the life of God -entering into our ordinary human life, and drawing into its own mighty -and eternal current all who gave themselves up to Him. It was the -supreme form of goodness, absolutely tender and faithful; using all -the power of the Highest in pure unselfishness and truth. When sin -has reached its height, we shall see a character in whom all this is -reversed. Its presence with men will be according to the working of -Satan; not an ineffective thing, but very potent; carrying in its -train vast effects and consequences; so vast and so influential, in -spite of its utter badness, that it is no exaggeration to describe its -coming (+parousia+), its "appearing" (+epiphaneia+), and its -"revelation" (+apokalypsis+), by the very same words which are -applied to Christ Himself. If there is one word which can characterise -this whole phenomenon, both in its principle and in its consummation, -it is falsehood. The devil is a liar from the beginning, and the -father of lies; and where things go on according to the working of -Satan, there is sure to be a vast development of falsehood and -delusion. This is a prospect which very few fear. Most of us are -confident enough of the soundness of our minds, of the solidity of our -principles, of the justice of our consciences. It is very difficult -for us to understand that we can be mistaken, quite as confident about -falsehood as about truth, unsuspecting victims of pure delusion. We -can see that some men are in this wretched plight, but that very fact -seems to give us immunity. Yet the falsehoods of the last days, St. -Paul tells us, will be marvellously imposing and successful. Men will -be dazzled by them, and unable to resist. Satan will support his -representative by power and signs and wonders of every description, -agreeing in nothing but in the characteristic quality of falsehood. -They will be lying miracles. Yet those who are of the truth will not -be left without a safeguard against them, a safeguard found in this, -that the manifold deceit of every kind which the devil and his agents -employ, is deceit of unrighteousness. It furthers unrighteousness; it -has evil as its end. By this it is betrayed to the good; its moral -quality enables them to penetrate the lie, and to make their escape -from it. However plausible it may seem on other grounds, its true -character comes out under the touchstone of conscience, and it stands -finally condemned. - -This is a point for consideration in our own time. There is a great -deal of falsehood in circulation--partly superstitious, partly -quasi-scientific--which is not judged with the decision and severity -that would be becoming in wise and good men. Some of it is more or -less latent, working as a mystery of iniquity; influencing men's souls -and consciences rather than their thoughts; disinclining them to -prayer, suggesting difficulties about believing in God, giving the -material nature the primacy over the spiritual, ignoring immortality -and the judgment to come. The man knows very little, who does not know -that there is a plausible case to be stated for atheism, for -materialism, for fatalism, for the rejection of all belief in the -life beyond the grave, and its connection with our present life; but -however powerful and plausible the argument may be, he has been very -careless of his spiritual nature, who does not see that it is a deceit -of unrighteousness. I do not say that only a bad man could accept it; -but certainly all that is bad in any man, and nothing that is good, -will incline him to accept it. Everything in our nature that is -unspiritual, slothful, earthly, at variance with God; everything that -wishes to be let alone, to forget what is high, to make the actual and -not the ideal its portion; everything that recalls responsibilities of -which such a system would discharge us for ever, is on the side of its -doctrines. But is not that itself a conclusive argument against the -system? Are not all these most suspicious allies? Are they not, beyond -dispute, our very worst enemies? and can it be possible that a way of -thinking is true, which gives them undisputed authority over us? Do -not believe it. Do not let any plausibility of argument impose upon -you; but when the moral issue of a theory is plainly immoral, when by -its working it is betrayed to be the leaven of the Sadducees, reject -it as a diabolical deceit. Trust your conscience, that is, your whole -nature, with its instinct for what is good, rather than any dialectic; -it contains far more of what you are; and it is the whole man, and not -the most unstable and self-confident of his faculties, that must -judge. If there is nothing against a spiritual truth but the -difficulty of conceiving how it can be, do not let that mental -incapacity weigh against the evidence of its fruits. - -The Apostle points to this line of thought, and to this safeguard of -the good, when he says that those who come under the power of this -vast working of falsehood are those who are perishing, because they -received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. But for -this clause we might have said, Why expose men, defenceless, to such a -terrific trial as is here depicted? Why expect weak, bewildered, -unstable creatures to keep their feet, when falsehood comes in like a -flood? But such queries would show that we mistook the facts. None are -carried away by the prevailing falsehood but those who received not -the love of the truth that they might be saved. It is a question, we -see, not of the intelligence simply, but of the whole man. He does not -say, They received not the truth; that might have been due to some -cause over which they had no control. They might never have had so -much as a good look at the truth; they might have got an incurable -twist in their education, a flaw in their minds like a flaw in a -mirror, that prevented them from ever seeing what the truth was like. -These would be cases to stand apart. But he says, "They received not -the love of the truth." That truth which is presented for our -acceptance in the gospel is not merely a thing to scrutinise, to -weigh, to judge by the rules of the bench or the jury box: it is a -truth which appeals to the heart; from cultured and uncultured, from -the clear-headed and the puzzle-headed; from the philosopher and the -message boy, it demands the answer of love. It is this which is the -true test of character--the answer which is given, not by the brain, -disciplined or undisciplined, but by the whole man, to the revelation -of the truth in Jesus Christ. Intelligence, by itself, may be a very -little matter; all that some men have is but a tool in the hands of -their passions; but the love of the truth, or its opposite, shows -truly what we are. Those who love it are safe. They cannot love -falsehood at the same time; all the lies of the devil and his agents -are powerless to do them any harm. Satan, we see here, has no -advantage over us that we do not first give him. The absence of -_liking_ for the truth, want of sympathy with Christ, a disposition to -find less exacting ways than His, a _resolution_ to find them or to -_make_ them, ending in a positive antipathy to Christ and to all the -truth which He teaches and embodies,--these give the enemy his -opportunity and his advantage over us. Put it to yourself in this -light if you wish to discern your true attitude to the gospel. You -may have difficulties and perplexities about it on one side or -another; it runs out into mystery on every hand; but these will not -expose you to the danger of being deceived, as long as you receive the -love of it in your heart. It _is_ a thing to command love; the truth -as truth is in Jesus. All that is good in us is enlisted in its -favour; not to love it is to be a bad man. A recent Unitarian lecturer -has said that to love Jesus is not a religious duty; but that is -certainly not a New Testament doctrine. It is not only a religious -duty, but the sum of all such duties; to do it, or not to do it, is -the decisive test of character, and the arbiter of fate. Does not He -Himself say--He who is the Truth--"He that loveth father or mother -more than Me is not worthy of Me"? Does not His Apostle say, "If any -man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema?" Depend upon -it, love to Him is all our goodness, and all our defence against the -powers of evil. To grow cold and indifferent is to give the enemy of -our souls an opening against us. - -The last two verses in this passage are very striking. We have seen -already two agents in the destruction of men's souls. They perish by -their own agency, in that they do not welcome and love the truth; and -they perish by the malevolence of the devil, who avails himself of -this dislike to the truth to befool them by falsehood, and lead them -ever further and further astray. But here we have a third agent, most -surprising of all, God Himself. "For this cause God sendeth them a -working of error, that they should believe a lie: that they all might -be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in -unrighteousness." Is God, then, the author of falsehood? Do the -delusions that possess the minds of men, and lead them to eternal -ruin, owe their strength to Him? Can He intend anybody to believe a -lie, and especially a lie with such terrific consequences as are -here in view? The opening words--"for this cause"--supply the answer -to these questions. For this cause, _i.e._, because they have not -loved the truth, but in their liking for evil have turned their backs -upon it, for this cause God's judgment comes upon them, binding them -to their guilt. Nothing is more certain, however we may choose to -express it, than the word of the wise man: "His own iniquities shall -take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his -sin." He chooses his own way, and he gets his fill of it. He loves the -deceit of unrighteousness, the falsehood which delivers him from God -and from His law; and by God's righteous judgment, acting through the -constitution of our nature, he comes continually more and more under -its power. He believes the lie, just as a good man believes the truth; -he becomes every day more hopelessly beclouded in error; and the end -is that he is judged. The judgment is based, not on his intellectual, -but on his _moral_ state. It is true he has been deluded, but his -delusion is due to this, that he had pleasure in unrighteousness. It -was this evil in him which gave weight to the sophistries of Satan. - -Again and again in Scripture this is represented as the punishment of -the wicked, that God gives them their own way, and infatuates them in -it. The error works with ever greater power in their souls, till they -cannot imagine that it is an error; none can deliver himself, or say, -Is there not a lie in my right hand? "My people would not hearken to -My voice, and Israel would none of Me. So I gave them up unto their -own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels." "When they -knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; ... -wherefore God gave them up to uncleanness." "They changed the truth of -God into a lie; ... for this cause God gave them up unto vile -affections." "They did not like to retain God in their knowledge.... -God gave them over to a reprobate mind." "They received not the love -of the truth: and for this cause God sendeth unto them a working of -error." Sin bears its punishment in itself; when it has had its -perfect work, we see that it has been executing a judgment of God more -awful than anything we could conceive. If you would have Him on your -side, your ally and not your adversary, receive the love of the truth. - -This is the final lesson of the passage. We do not know all the forces -that are at work in the world in the interest of error; but we know -there are many. We know that the mystery of iniquity is already in -operation. We know that falsehood, in this spiritual sense, has much -in man which is its natural ally; and that we need to be steadily on -our guard against the wiles of the devil. We know that passion is -sophistical, and reason often weak, and that we see our true selves in -the action of heart and conscience. Be faithful, therefore, to God at -the core of your nature. Love the truth that you may be saved. This -alone is salvation. This alone is a safeguard against all the -delusions of Satan; it was one who knew God, who lived in God, who did -always the works of God, who loved God as the only begotten Son the -Father, who could say, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath -nothing in Me." - - - - -V. - -_THE THEOLOGY OF PAUL._ - - - "But we are bound to give thanks to God alway for you, brethren - beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you from the beginning unto - salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: - whereunto He called you through our gospel, to the obtaining of the - glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brethren, stand fast, and - hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or by - epistle of ours. - - "Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father which loved us - and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your - hearts and stablish them in every good work and word."--2 THESS. ii. - 13-17 (R.V.). - -The first part of this chapter is mysterious, awful, and oppressive. -It deals with the principle of evil in the world, its secret working, -its amazing power, its final embodiment in the man of sin, and its -decisive overthrow at the Second Advent. The characteristic action of -this evil principle is deceit. It deludes men, and they become its -victims. True, it can only delude those who lay themselves open to its -approach by an aversion to the truth, and by delight in -unrighteousness; but when we look round us, and see the multitude of -its victims, we might easily be tempted to despair of our race. The -Apostle does not do so. He turns away from that gloomy prospect, and -fixes his eyes upon another, serene, bright, and joyful. There -_is_ a son of perdition, a person doomed to destruction, who will -carry many to ruin in his train; but there is a work of God going on -in the world as well as a work of evil; and it also has its triumphs. -Let the mystery of iniquity work as it will, "_we_ are bound to give -thanks alway to God for _you_, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that -God chose you from the beginning _unto salvation_." - -The thirteenth and fourteenth verses of this chapter are a system of -theology in miniature. The Apostle's thanksgiving covers the whole -work of salvation from the eternal choice of God to the obtaining of -the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ in the world to come. Let us -observe the several points which it brings out. As a thanksgiving, of -course, God is the main subject in it. Every separate clause only -serves to bring out another aspect of the fundamental truth that -salvation is of the Lord. What aspects, then, of this truth are -presented in turn? - -(1) In the first place, the original idea of salvation is God's. He -chose the Thessalonians to it from the beginning. There are really two -assertions in this simple sentence--the one, that God chose them; the -other, that His choice is eternal. The first of these is obviously a -matter on which there is an appeal to experience. These Christian men, -and all Christian men, could tell whether it was true or not that they -owed their salvation to God. In point of fact, there has never been -any doubt about that matter in any church, or, indeed, in any -religion. All good men have always believed that salvation is of the -Lord. It begins on God's side. It can most truly be described from His -side. Every Christian heart responds to the word of Jesus to the -disciples: "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you." Every -Christian heart feels the force of St. Paul's words to the Galatians: -"After that ye have known God, or rather were known of God." It is His -taking knowledge of us which is the original, fundamental, decisive -thing in salvation. That is a matter of experience; and so far the -Calvinist doctrine of election, which has sometimes an unsubstantial, -metaphysical aspect, has an experimental basis. We are saved, because -God in His love has saved us; that is the starting-point. That also -gives character, in all the Epistles, to the New Testament doctrine of -election. The Apostle never speaks of the elect as an unknown -quantity, a favoured few, hidden in the Church, or in the world, -unknown to others or to themselves: "God," he says, "chose -_you_,"--the persons addressed in this letter,--"and you -_know_ that He did." So does every one who knows anything of God -at all. Even when the Apostle says, "God chose you from the -beginning," he does not leave the basis of experience. "Known unto God -are all His works from the beginning of the world." The purpose of -God's love to save men, which comes home to them in their reception of -the gospel, is not a thing of to-day or yesterday; they know it is -not; it is the manifestation of His nature; it is as eternal as -Himself; they can count on it as securely as they can on the Divine -character; if God has chosen them at all, He has chosen them from the -beginning. The doctrine of election in Scripture is a religious -doctrine, based upon experience; it is only when it is separated from -experience, and becomes metaphysical, and prompts men to ask whether -they who have heard and received the gospel are elect or not--an -impossible question on New Testament ground--that it works for evil in -the Church. If you have chosen God, you know it is because He first -chose you; and His will revealed in that choice is the will of the -Eternal. - -(2) Further, the means of salvation for men are of God. "He chose -you," says the Apostle, "in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of -the truth." Perhaps "means" is not the most precise word to use here; -it might be better to say that sanctification wrought by the Spirit, -and belief of the truth, are the state in which, rather than the means -by which, salvation is realised. But what I wish to insist upon is, -that both are included in the Divine choice; they are the instruments -or the conditions of carrying it into effect. And here, when we come -to the accomplishment of God's purpose, we see how it combines a -Divine and a human side. There is a sanctification, or consecration, -wrought by the Spirit of God upon the spirit of man, the sign and seal -of which is baptism, the entrance of the natural man into the new and -higher life; and coincident with this, there is the belief of the -truth, the acceptance of God's message of mercy, and the surrender of -the soul to it. It is impossible to separate these two things, or to -define their relation to each other. Sometimes the first seems to -condition the second; sometimes the order is reversed. Now it is the -Spirit which opens the mind to the truth; again it is the truth which -exercises a sanctifying power like the Spirit. The two, as it were, -interpenetrate each other. If the Spirit stood alone, man's mind would -be baffled, his moral freedom would be taken away; if the reception of -the truth were everything, a cold, rationalistic type of religion -would supplant the ardour of the New Testament Christian. The eternal -choice of God makes provision, in the combination of the Spirit and -the truth, at once for Divine influence and for human freedom; for a -baptism of fire and for the deliberate welcoming of revelation; and it -is when the two are actually combined that the purpose of God to save -is accomplished. What can we say here on the basis of experience? Have -we believed the truth which God has declared to us in His Son? Has its -belief been accompanied and made effectual by a sanctification wrought -by His Spirit, a consecration which has made the truth live in us, and -made us new creatures in Christ? God's choice does not become -effective apart from this; it comes out in this; it secures its own -accomplishment in this. His chosen are not chosen to salvation -irrespective of any experience; _none_ are chosen except as they -believe the truth and are sanctified by His Spirit. - -(3) Once more, the execution of the plan of salvation in time is of -God. To this salvation, says Paul, _He_ called you by our gospel. -The apostles and their companions were but messengers: the message -they brought was God's. The new truths, the warnings, the summonses, -the invitations, all were His. The spiritual constraint which they -exercised was His also. In speaking thus, the Apostle magnifies his -office, and magnifies at the same time the responsibility of all who -heard him preach. It is a light thing to listen to a man speaking his -own thoughts, giving his own counsel, inviting assent to his own -proposals; it is a solemn thing to listen to a man speaking truly in -the name of God. The gospel that we preach is ours, only because we -preach it and because we receive it; but the true description of it -is, the gospel of God. It is His voice which proclaims the coming -judgment; it is His voice which tells of the redemption which is in -Christ Jesus, even the forgiveness of our trespasses; it is His voice -which invites all who are exposed to wrath, all who are under the -curse and power of sin, to come to the Saviour. Paul had thanked God -in the First Epistle that the Thessalonians had received his word, -not as the word of man, but as what it was in truth, the word of the -living God; and here he falls back again on the same thought in a new -connection. It is too natural for us to put God as far as we can out -of our minds, to keep Him for ever in the background, to have recourse -to Him only in the last resort; but that easily becomes an evasion of -the seriousness and the responsibilities of our life, a shutting of -our eyes to its true significance, for which we may have to pay dear. -_God_ has spoken to us all in His word and by His Spirit,--God, and -not only some human preacher: see that ye despise not Him that -speaketh. - -(4) Lastly, under this head, the end proposed to us in obeying the -gospel call is of God. It is the obtaining of the glory of our Lord -Jesus Christ. Paul became a Christian and an Apostle, because he saw -the Lord of Glory on the way to Damascus; and his whole conception of -salvation was shaped by that sight. To be saved meant to enter into -that glory into which Christ had entered. It was a condition of -perfect holiness, open only to those who were sanctified by Christ's -Spirit; but perfect holiness did not exhaust it. Holiness was -manifested in glory, in a light surpassing the brightness of the sun, -in a strength superior to every weakness, in a life no longer -assailable by death. Weak, suffering, destitute--dying daily for -Christ's sake--Paul saw salvation concentrated and summed up in the -glory of Christ. To obtain this was to obtain salvation. "When Christ -who is our life shall appear," he says elsewhere, "then shall ye also -appear with Him in glory." "This corruptible must put on incorruption, -and this mortal must put on immortality." If salvation were anything -lower than this, there might be a plausible case to state for man as -its author; but reaching as it does to this immeasurable height, who -can accomplish it but God? It needs the operation of the might of His -power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead. - -One cannot read these two simple verses without wondering at the new -world which the gospel created for the mind of man. What great -thoughts are in them--thoughts that wander through eternity, thoughts -based on the most sure and blessed of experiences, yet travelling back -into an infinite past, and on into immortal glory; thoughts of the -Divine presence and the Divine power interpenetrating and redeeming -human life; thoughts addressed originally to a little company of -working people, but unmatched for length and breadth and depth and -height by all that pagan literature could offer to the wisest and the -best. What a range and sweep there is in this brief summary of God's -work in man's salvation. If the New Testament is uninteresting, can -it be for any other reason than that we arrest ourselves at the words, -and never penetrate to the truth which lies beneath? - -On this review of the work of God the Apostle grounds an exhortation -to the Thessalonians. "So then, brethren," he writes, "stand fast, and -hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or by -epistle of ours." The objection that is brought against Calvinism is -that it destroys every motive for action on our part, by destroying -all need of it. If salvation is of the Lord, what is there for us to -do? If God conceived it, planned it, executes it, and alone can -perfect it, what room is left for the interference of man? This is a -species of objection which would have appeared extremely perverse to -the Apostle. Why, he would have exclaimed, if God left it to us to do, -we might well sit down in despair and do nothing, so infinitely would -the task exceed our powers; but since the work of salvation is the -work of God, since He Himself is active on that side, there is reason, -hope, motive, for activity on our part also. If we work in the same -line with Him, toward the same end with Him, our labour will not be -cast away; it will be triumphantly successful. God _is_ at work; -but so far from that furnishing a motive to non-exertion on our part, -it is the strongest of all motives to action. Work out your own -salvation, not because it is left to you to do, but because it is God -who is working in you both will and deed in furtherance of His good -pleasure. Fall in, the Apostle virtually says in this place, with the -purpose of God to save you; identify yourselves with it; stand fast, -and hold the traditions which ye were taught. - -"Traditions" is an unpopular word in one section of the Church, -because it has been so vastly abused in another. But it is not an -illegitimate word in any church, and there is always a place for what -it means. The generations are dependent on each other; each transmits -to the future the inheritance it has received from the past; and that -inheritance--embracing laws, arts, manners, morals, instincts, -religion--can all be comprehended in the single word tradition. The -gospel was handed over to the Thessalonians by St. Paul, partly in -oral teaching, partly in writing; it was a complex of traditions in -the simplest sense, and they were not to let any part of it go. -Extreme Protestants are in the habit of opposing Scripture to -tradition. The Bible alone, they say, is our religion; and we reject -all unwritten authority. But, as a little reflection will show, the -Bible itself is, in the first instance, a part of tradition; it is -handed down to us from those who have gone before; it is delivered to -us as a sacred deposit by the Church; and as such we at first regard -it. There are good reasons, no doubt, for giving Scripture a -fundamental and critical place among traditions. When its claim to -represent the Christianity of the apostles is once made out, it is -fairly regarded as the criterion of everything else that appeals to -their authority. The bulk of so-called traditions in the Church of -Rome are to be rejected, not because they are traditions, but because -they are not traditions, but have originated in later times, and are -inconsistent with what is known to be truly apostolic. We ourselves -are bound to keep fast hold of all that connects us historically with -the apostolic age. We would not disinherit ourselves. We would not -lose a single thought, a single like or dislike, a single conviction -or instinct, of all that proves us the spiritual posterity of Peter -and Paul and John. Sectarianism destroys the historical sense; it -plays havoc with traditions; it weakens the feeling of spiritual -affinity between the present and the past. The Reformers in the -sixteenth century--the men like Luther, Melanchthon, and Calvin--made -a great point of what they called their catholicity, _i.e._, their -claim to represent the true Church of Christ, to be the lawful -inheritors of apostolic tradition. They were right, both in their -claim, and in their idea of its importance; and we will suffer for it, -if, in our eagerness for independence, we disown the riches of the -past. - -The Apostle closes his exhortation with a prayer. "Now our Lord Jesus -Christ Himself, and God our Father which loved us and gave us eternal -comfort and good hope through grace, comfort[28] your hearts and -stablish them in every good work and word." All human effort, he seems -to say, must be not only anticipated and called forth, but supported, -by God. He alone it is who can give steadfastness to our pursuit of -good in word and deed. - -In his prayer the Apostle goes back to great events in the past, and -bases his request on the assurance which they yield: "God," he says, -"who _loved_ us and _gave_ us eternal comfort and good hope -through grace." When did God do these gracious things? It was when He -sent His Son into the world for us. He does love us now; He will love -us for ever; but we go back for the final proof, and for the first -conviction of this, to the gift of Jesus Christ. There we see God who -_loved_ us. The death of the Lord Jesus is specially in view. -"Hereby know we love, because He laid down His life for us." "Herein -is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son -to be the propitiation for our sins." The eternal consolation is -connected in the closest possible way with this grand assurance of -love. It is not merely an unending comfort, as opposed to the -transitory and uncertain joys of earth; it is the heart to exclaim -with St. Paul, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall -tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or -peril, or sword?... Nay, in all these things we are more than -conquerors through Him that loved us." Here, and now, this eternal -consolation is given to the Christian heart; here, and now, rather, it -is enjoyed; it _was_ given, once for all, on the cross at Calvary. -Stand there, and receive that awful pledge of the love of God, and see -whether it does not, even now, go deeper than any sorrow. - -But the eternal consolation does not exhaust God's gifts. He has also -in His grace given us good hope. He has made provision, not only for -the present trouble, but for the future uncertainty. All life needs an -outlook; and those who have stood beside the empty grave in the garden -know how wide and glorious is the outlook provided by God for the -believer in Jesus Christ. In the very deepest darkness, a light is -kindled for him; in the valley of the shadow of death, a window is -opened to him in heaven. Surely God, who sent His Son to die for us -upon the Cross; God, who raised Him again from the dead on our behalf, -and set Him at His own right hand in heavenly places,--surely He who -has been at such cost for our salvation will not be slow to second all -our efforts, and to establish our hearts in every good work and word. - -How simply, one is tempted to say, it all ends--good works and good -words; are these the whole fruits which God seeks in His great work of -redemption? Does it need consolation so wonderful, hope so -far-reaching, to secure patient continuance in well-doing? We know -only too well that it does. We know that the comfort of God, the hope -of God, prayer to God, are all needed; and that all we can make of all -of them combined is not too much to make us steadily dutiful in word -and deed. We know that it is not a disproportionate or unworthy moral, -but one befitting the grandeur of his theme, when the Apostle -concludes the fifteenth chapter of 1st Corinthians in a tone very -similar to that which rules here. The infinite hope of the -Resurrection is made the basis of the commonest duties. "Therefore, my -beloved brethren," he says, "be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always -abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your -labour is not in vain in the Lord." That hope is to bear fruit on -earth--in patience and loyalty, in humble and faithful service. It is -to shed its radiance over the trivial round, the common task; and the -Apostle does not think it wasted if it enables men and women to do -well and not weary. - -The difficulty of expounding this passage lies in the largeness of the -thoughts; they include, in a manner, every part and aspect of the -Christian life. Let each of us try to bring them near to himself. God -has called us by His gospel: He has declared to us that Jesus our Lord -was delivered for our offences, and that He was raised again to open -the gates of life to us. Have we believed the truth? That is where the -gospel begins for us. Is the truth within us, written on hearts that -God's Spirit has separated from the world, and devoted to a new life? -or is it outside of us, a rumour, a hearsay, to which we have no vital -relation? Happy are those who have believed, and taken Christ into -their souls, Christ who died for us and rose again: they have the -forgiveness of sins, a pledge of love that disarms and vanquishes -sorrow, an infallible hope that outlives death. Happy are those to -whom the cross and the empty tomb give that confidence in God's love -which makes prayer natural, hopeful, joyful. Happy are those to whom -all these gifts of grace bring the strength to continue patiently in -well-doing, and to be steadfast in every good work and word. All -things are theirs--the world, and life, and death; things present and -things to come; everlasting consolation and good hope; prayer, -patience, and victory: all are theirs, for they are Christ's, and -Christ is God's. - -[28] For the verb in the singular, and its import, compare 1st Epistle -iii. 11. - - - - -VI. - -_MUTUAL INTERCESSION._ - - - "Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run - and be glorified, even as also _it is_ with you; and that we may - be delivered from unreasonable and evil men; for all have not faith. - But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and guard you from - the evil _one_. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, - that ye both do and will do the things which we command. And the Lord - direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of - Christ."--2 THESS. iii. 1-5 (R.V.). - -The main part of this letter is now finished. The Apostle has -completed his teaching about the Second Advent, and the events which -precede and condition it; and nothing remains to dispose of but some -minor matters of personal and practical interest. - -He begins by asking again, as at the close of the First Epistle, the -prayers of the Thessalonians for himself and his fellow-workers. It -was a strength and comfort to him, as to every minister of Christ, to -know that he was remembered by those who loved him in the presence of -God. But it is no selfish or private interest that the Apostle has in -view when he begs a place in their prayers; it is the interest of the -work with which he has identified himself. "Pray for us, that the word -of the Lord may run and be glorified." This was the one business and -concern of his life; if it went well, all his desires were satisfied. - -Hardly anything in the New Testament gives us a more characteristic -look of the Apostle's soul than his desire that the word of the Lord -should _run_. The word of the Lord is the gospel, of which he is the -principal herald to the nations; and we see in his choice of this word -his sense of its urgency. It was glad tidings to all mankind; and how -sorely needed wherever he turned his eyes! The constraint of Christ's -love was upon his heart, the constraint of men's sin and misery; and -he could not pass swiftly enough from city to city, to proclaim the -reconciling grace of God, and call men from darkness unto light. His -eager heart fretted against barriers and restraints of every -description; he saw in them the malice of the great enemy of Christ: -"I was minded once and again to come unto you, but Satan hindered me." -Hence it is that he asks the Thessalonians to pray for their removal, -that the word of the Lord may run. The ardour of such a prayer, and of -the heart which prompts it, is far enough removed from the common -temper of the Church, especially where it has been long established. -How many centuries there were during which Christendom, as it was -called, was practically a fixed quantity, shut up within the limits of -Western European civilisation, and not aspiring to advance a single -step beyond it, fast or slow. It is one of the happy omens of our own -time that the apostolic conception of the gospel as an ever-advancing, -ever-victorious force, has begun again to take its place in the -Christian heart. If it is really to us what it was to St. Paul--a -revelation of God's mercy and judgment which dwarfs everything else, a -power omnipotent to save, an irresistible pressure of love on heart -and will, glad tidings of great joy that the world is dying for--we -shall share in this ardent, evangelical spirit, and pray for all -preachers that the word of the Lord may run very swiftly. How it -passed in apostolic times from land to land and from city to -city--from Syria to Asia, from Asia to Macedonia, from Macedonia to -Greece, from Greece to Italy, from Italy to Spain--till in one man's -lifetime, and largely by one man's labour, it was known throughout the -Roman world. It is easy, indeed, to over-estimate the number of the -early Christians; but we can hardly over-estimate the fiery speed with -which the Cross went forth conquering and to conquer. Missionary zeal -is one note of the true Apostolic Church. - -But Paul wishes the Thessalonians to pray that the word of the Lord -may be glorified, as well as have free course. The word of the Lord is -a glorious thing itself. As the Apostle calls it in another place, it -is the gospel of the glory of the blessed God. All that makes the -spiritual glory of God--His holiness, His love, His wisdom--is -concentrated and displayed in it. But its glory is acknowledged, and -in that sense heightened, when its power is seen in the salvation of -men. A message from God that did nothing would not be glorified: it -would be discredited and shamed. It is the glory of the gospel to lay -hold of men, to transfigure them, to lift them out of evil into the -company and the likeness of Christ. For anything else it does, it may -not fill a great space in the world's eye; but when it actually brings -the power of God to save those who receive it, it is clothed in glory. -Paul did not wish to preach without seeing the fruits of his labour. -He did the work of an evangelist; and he would have been ashamed of -the evangel if it had not wielded a Divine power to overcome sin and -bring the sinful to God. Pray that it may always have this power. Pray -that when the word of the Lord is spoken it may not be an ineffective, -fruitless word, but mighty through God. - -There is an expression in Titus ii. 10 analogous to this: "Adorning -the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things." That expression is -less fervent, spoken at a lower level, than the one before us; but it -more readily suggests, for that very reason, some duties of which we -should be reminded here also. It comes home to all who try to bring -their conduct into any kind of relation to the gospel of Christ. It is -only too possible for us to disgrace the gospel; but it is in our -power also, by every smallest action we do, to illustrate it, to set -it off, to put its beauty in the true light before the eyes of -men. The gospel comes into the world, like everything else, to be -judged on its merits; that is, by the effects which it produces in the -lives of those who receive it. We are its witnesses; its character, in -the general mind, is as good as our character; it is as lovely as we -are lovely, as strong as we are strong, as glorious as we are -glorious, and no more. Let us seek to bear it a truer and worthier -witness than we have yet done. To adorn it is a calling far higher -than most of us have aimed at; but if it comes into our prayers, if -its swift diffusion and powerful operation are near our hearts in the -sight of God, grace will be given us to do this also. - -The next request of the Apostle has more of a personal aspect, yet it -also has his work in view. He asks prayer that he and his friends may -be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men, he says, -have not faith. The unreasonable and wicked men were no doubt the Jews -in Corinth, from which place he wrote. Their malignant opposition was -the great obstacle to the spread of the gospel; they were the -representatives and instruments of the Satan who perpetually hindered -him. The word here rendered unreasonable is a rare one in the New -Testament. It occurs four times in all, and in each case is -differently translated: once it is "amiss," once "harm," once -"wickedness," and here "unreasonable." The margin in this place -renders it "absurd." What it literally means is, "out of place"; and -the Apostle signifies by it, that in the opposition of these men to -the gospel there was something preposterous, something that baffled -explanation; there was no reason in it, and therefore it was hopeless -to reason with it. That is a disposition largely represented both in -the Old Testament and the New, and familiar to every one who in -preaching the gospel has come into close contact with men. It was one -of the great trials of Jesus that He had to endure the contradiction -of those who were sinners against themselves; who rejected the counsel -of God in their own despite; in other words, were unreasonable men. -The gospel, we must remember, is good news; it is good news to all -men. It tells of God's love to the sinful; it brings pardon, holiness, -immortal hope, to every one. Why, then, should anybody have a quarrel -with it? Is it not enough to drive reason to despair, that men should -wantonly, stubbornly, malignantly, hate and resist such a message? Is -there anything in the world more provoking than to offer a real and -indispensable service, out of a true and disinterested love, and to -have it contemptuously rejected? That is the fate of the gospel in -many quarters; that was the constant experience of our Lord and of St. -Paul. No wonder, in the interests of his mission, the Apostle prays to -be delivered from unreasonable men. Are there any of us who come -under this condemnation? who are senselessly opposed to the gospel, -enemies in intention of God, but in reality hurting no one so much as -ourselves? The Apostle does not indicate in his prayer any mode of -deliverance. He may have hoped that in God's providence his -persecutors would have their attention distracted somehow; he may have -hoped that by greater wisdom, greater love, greater power of -adaptation, of becoming all things to all men, he might vanquish their -unreason, and gain access to their souls for the truth. In any case, -his request shows us that the gospel has a battle to fight that we -should hardly have anticipated--a battle with sheer perversity, with -blind, wilful absurdity--and that this is one of its most dangerous -foes. "O that they were wise," God cries of His ancient people, "O -that they understood." He has the same lament to utter still. - -We ought to notice the reason appended to this description of Paul's -enemies: absurd and evil men, he says; for all men have not faith. -Faith, of course, means the Christian faith: all men are not believers -in Christ and disciples of Christ; and therefore the moral unreason -and perversity of which I have spoken actually exist. He who has the -faith is morally sane; he has that in him which is inconsistent with -such wickedness and irrationality. We can hardly suppose, however, -that the Apostle meant to state such a superfluous truism as that all -men were not Christians. What he does mean is apparently that not all -men have affinity for the faith, have aptitude or liking for it; as -Christ said when He stood before Pilate, the voice of truth is only -heard by those who are _of_ the truth. So it was when the apostles -preached. Among their hearers there were those who were _of_ the -truth, in whom there was, as it were, the instinct for the faith; they -welcomed the message. Others, again, discovered no such natural -relation to the truth; in spite of the adaptation of the message to -human needs, they had no sympathy with it; there was no reaction in -their hearts in its favour; it was unreasonable to them; and to God -they were unreasonable. The Apostle does not explain this; he simply -remarks it. It is one of the ultimate and inexplicable facts of human -experience; one of the meeting-points of nature and freedom which defy -our philosophies. Some _are_ of kin to the gospel when they hear it; -they have faith, and justify the counsel of God, and are saved: others -are of _no_ kin to the gospel; its wisdom and love wake no response in -them; they have not faith; they reject the counsel of God to their own -ruin; they are preposterous and evil men. It is from such, as -hinderers of the gospel, that Paul prays to be delivered. - -In the two verses which follow, he plays, as it were, with this word -"faith." All men have not faith, he writes; but _the Lord_ is -faithful, and _we_ have _faith_ in the Lord touching you. Often the -Apostle goes on thus at a word. Often, especially, he contrasts the -trustworthiness of God with the faithlessness of men. Men may not take -the gospel seriously; but the Lord does. He is in indubitable earnest -with it; He may be depended upon to do His part in carrying it into -effect. See how unselfishly, at this point, the Apostle turns from his -own situation to that of his readers. The Lord is faithful who will -stablish _you_, and keep you from the evil one. Paul had left the -Thessalonians exposed to very much the same trouble as beset himself -wherever he went; but he had left them to One who, he well knew, was -able to keep them from falling, and to preserve them against all that -the devil and his agents could do. - -And side by side with this confidence in God stood his confidence -touching the Thessalonians themselves. He was sure in the Lord that -they were doing, and would continue to do, the things which he -commanded them; in other words, that they would lead a worthy and -becoming Christian life. The point of this sentence lies in the words -"in the Lord." Apart from the Lord, Paul could have had no such -confidence as he here expresses. The standard of the Christian life is -lofty and severe; its purity, its unworldliness, its brotherly love; -its burning hope, were new things then in the world. What assurance -could there be that this standard would be maintained, when the small -congregation of working people in Thessalonica was cast upon its own -resources in the midst of a pagan community? None at all, apart from -Christ. If _He_ had left them along with the Apostle, no one could -have risked much upon their fidelity to the Christian calling. It -marks the beginning of a new era when the Apostle writes, "We have -confidence _in the Lord_ touching you." Life has a new element now, a -new atmosphere, new resources; and therefore we may cherish new hopes -of it. When we think of them, the words include a gentle admonition to -the Thessalonians, to beware of forgetting the Lord, and trusting to -themselves; that is a disappointing path, which will put the Apostle's -confidence toward them to shame. But it is an admonition as hopeful as -it is gentle; reminding them that, though the path of Christian -obedience cannot be trodden without constant effort, it is a path on -which the Lord accompanies and upholds all who trust in Him. Here -there is a lesson for us all to learn. Even those who are engaged in -work for Christ are too apt to forget that the only hope of such work -is the Lord. "Trust no man," says the wisest of commentators, "left to -himself." Or to put the same thing more in accordance with the spirit -of the text, there always is room for hope and confidence when the -Lord is not forgotten. _In the Lord_, you may depend upon those who -_in themselves_ are weak, unstable, wilful, foolish. In the Lord, you -may depend on them to stand fast, to fight their temptations, to -overcome the world and the wicked one. This kind of assurance, and the -actual presence and help of Christ which justified it, are very -characteristic of the New Testament. They explain the joyous, open, -hopeful spirit of the early Church; they are the cause, as well as the -effect, of that vigorous moral health which, in the decay of ancient -civilisation, gave the Church the inheritance of the future. And still -we may have confidence in the Lord that all whom He has called by His -gospel will be able by His spiritual presence with them to walk worthy -of that calling, and to confute alike the fears of the good and the -contempt of the wicked. For the Lord is faithful, who will stablish -them, and preserve them from the evil one. - -Once more the Apostle bursts into prayer, as he remembers the -situation of these few sheep in the wilderness: "The Lord direct your -hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ." Nothing -could be a better commentary than one of Paul's own affectionate -Epistles on that much discussed text, "Pray without ceasing." Look, -for instance, through this one with which we are engaged. It begins -with a prayer for grace and peace. This is followed by a thanksgiving -in which God is acknowledged as the Author of all their graces. The -first chapter ends with a prayer--an unceasing prayer--that God would -count them worthy of His calling. In the second chapter Paul renews -his thanksgiving on behalf of his converts, and prays again that God -may comfort their hearts and stablish them in every good work and -word. And here, the moment he has touched upon a new topic, he -returns, as it were by instinct, to prayer. "The Lord direct your -hearts." Prayer is his very element; he lives, and moves, and has his -being, in God. He can do nothing, he cannot conceive of anything being -done, in which God is not as directly participant as himself, or those -whom he wishes to bless. Such an intense appreciation of God's -nearness and interest in life goes far beyond the attainments of most -Christians; yet here, no doubt, lies a great part of the Apostle's -power. - -The prayer has two parts: he asks that the Lord may direct their -hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ. The love -of God here means love to God; this is the sum of all Christian -virtue, or at least the source of it. The gospel proclaims that God is -love; it tells us that God has proved His love by sending His Son to -die for our sins; it shows us Christ on the cross, in the passion of -that love with which He loved us when He gave Himself for us; and it -waits for the answer of love. It comprehended the whole effect of the -gospel, the whole mystery of its saving and re-creating power, when -the Apostle exclaimed, "The love of Christ constraineth us." It is -this experience which in the passage before us he desires for the -Thessalonians. There is no one without love, or at least without the -power of loving, in his heart. But what is the object of it? On what -is it actually directed? The very words of the prayer imply that it is -easily misdirected. But surely if love itself best merits and may best -claim love, none should be the object of it before Him who is its -source. God has earned our love; He desires our love; let us look to -the Cross where He has given us the great pledge of His own, and yield -to its sweet constraint. The old law is not abolished, but to be -fulfilled: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and -with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind." -If the Lord fix our souls to Himself by this irresistible attraction, -nothing will be able to carry us away. - -Love to God is naturally joyous; but life has other experiences than -those which give free scope for its joyous exercise; and so the -Apostle adds, "into the patience of Jesus Christ." The Authorised -Version renders, "the patient waiting for Christ," as if what the -Apostle prayed for were that they might continue steadfastly to hope -for the Last Advent; but although that idea is characteristic of -these Epistles, it is hardly to be found in the words. Rather does he -remind his readers that in the difficulties and sufferings of the path -which lies before them, no strange thing is happening to them, nothing -that has not already been borne by Christ in the spirit in which it -ought to be borne by us. Our Saviour Himself had need of patience. He -was made flesh, and all that the children of God have to suffer in -this world has already been suffered by Him. This prayer is at once -warning and consoling. It assures us that those who will live godly -will have trials to bear: there will be untoward circumstances; feeble -health; uncongenial relations; misunderstanding and malice; -unreasonable and evil men; abundant calls for patience. But there will -be no sense of having missed the way, or of being forgotten by God; on -the contrary, there will be in Jesus Christ, ever present, a type and -a fountain of patience, which will enable them to overcome all that is -against them. The love of God and the patience of Christ may be called -the active and the passive sides of Christian goodness,--its free, -steady outgoing to Him who is the source of all blessing; and its -deliberate, steady, hopeful endurance, in the spirit of Him who was -made perfect through suffering. The Lord direct our hearts into both, -that we may be perfect men in Christ Jesus. - - - - -VII. - -_THE CHRISTIAN WORTH OF LABOUR._ - - - "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, - that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh - disorderly, and not after the tradition which they received of us. - For yourselves know how ye ought to imitate us: for we behaved not - ourselves disorderly among you; neither did we eat bread for nought - at any man's hand, but in labour and travail, working night and day, - that we might not burden any of you: not because we have not the - right, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you, that ye should - imitate us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, If - any will not work, neither let him eat. For we hear of some that walk - among you disorderly, that work not at all, but are busybodies. Now - them that are such we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, - that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But ye, - brethren, be not weary in well-doing. And if any man obeyeth not our - word by this epistle, note that man, that ye have no company with - him, to the end that he may be ashamed. And yet count him not as an - enemy, but admonish him as a brother."--2 THESS. iii. 6-15 (R.V.). - -This passage is very similar in contents to one in the fourth chapter -of the First Epistle. The difference between the two is in tone; the -Apostle writes with much greater severity on this than on the earlier -occasion. Entreaty is displaced by command; considerations of -propriety, the appeal to the good name of the church, by the appeal to -the authority of Christ; and good counsel by express directions for -Christian discipline. Plainly the moral situation, which had caused -him anxiety some months before, had become worse rather than better. -What, then, was the situation to which he here addresses himself so -seriously? It was marked by two bad qualities--a disorderly walk and -idleness. - -"We hear," he writes, "of some that walk among you disorderly." The -metaphor in the word is a military one; the underlying idea is that -every man has a post in life or in the Church, and that he ought to be -found, not away from his post, but at it. A man without a post is a -moral anomaly. Every one of us is part of a whole, a member of an -organic body, with functions to discharge which can be discharged by -no other, and must therefore be steadily discharged by himself. To -walk disorderly means to forget this, and to act as if we were -independent; now at this, now at that, according to our discretion or -our whim; not rendering the community a constant service, in a place -of our own--a service which is valuable, largely because it can be -counted on. Every one knows the extreme unsatisfactoriness of those -men who never can keep a place when they get it. Their friends plague -themselves to find new openings for them; but without any gross -offence, such as drunkenness or dishonesty, they persistently fall out -of them; there is something about them which seems to render them -incapable of sticking to their post. It is an unfortunate -constitution, perhaps; but it is a grave moral fault as well. Such men -settle to nothing, and therefore they render no permanent service to -others; whatever they might be worth otherwise, they are worth nothing -in any general estimate, simply because they cannot be depended upon. -What is more, they are worth nothing to themselves; they never -accumulate moral, any more than material, capital; they have no -reserve in them of fidelity, sobriety, discipline. They are to be -pitied, indeed, as all sinners are to be pitied; but they are also to -be commanded, in the name of the Lord Jesus, to lay their minds to -their work, and to remember that steadfastness in duty is an -elementary requirement of the gospel. Among the Thessalonians it was -religious excitement that unsettled men, and made them abandon the -routine of duty; but whatever be the cause, the evil results are the -same. And, on the other hand, when we are loyal, constant, regularly -at our post, however humble it be, we render a real service to others, -and grow in strength of character ourselves. It is the beginning of -all discipline and of all goodness to have fixed relations and fixed -duties, and a fixed determination to be faithful to them. - -Besides this disorderly walk, with its moral instability, Paul heard -of some who worked not at all. In other words, idleness was spreading -in the church. It went to a great and shameless length. Christian men -apparently thought nothing of sacrificing their independence, and -eating bread for which they had not wrought. Such a state of affairs -was peculiarly offensive at Thessalonica, where the Apostle had been -careful to set so different an example. If any one could have been -excused for declining to labour, on the ground that he was preoccupied -with religious hopes and interests, it was he. His apostolic ministry -was a charge which made great demands upon his strength; it used up -the time and energy which he might otherwise have given to his trade: -he might well have urged that other work was a physical impossibility. -More than this, the Lord had ordained that they who preached the -gospel should live by the gospel; and on that ground alone he was -entitled to claim maintenance from those to whom he preached. But -though he was always careful to safeguard this right of the Christian -ministry, he was as careful, as a rule, to refrain from exercising it; -and in Thessalonica, rather than prove a burden to the church, he had -wrought and toiled, night and day, with his own hands. All this was an -example for the Thessalonians to imitate; and we can understand the -severity with which the Apostle treats that idleness which alleges in -its defence the strength of its interest in religion. It was a -personal insult. - -Over against this shallow pretence, Paul sets the Christian virtue of -industry, with its stern law, "If any man _will_ not work, neither let -him eat." If he claims to lead a superhuman angelic life, let him -subsist on angels' food. What we find in this passage is not the -exaggeration which is sometimes called the gospel of work; but the -soberer and truer thought that work is essential, in general, to the -Christian character. The Apostle plays with the words when he writes, -"That work not at all, but are busybodies"; or, as it has been -reproduced in English, who are busy only with what is not their -business. This is, in point of fact, the moral danger of idleness, in -those who are not otherwise vicious.[29] Where men are naturally bad, -it multiplies temptations and opportunities for sin; Satan finds some -mischief still for idle hands to do. But even where it is the good who -are concerned, as in the passage before us, idleness has its perils. -The busybody is a real character--a man or a woman who, having no -steady work to do, which must be done whether it is liked or disliked, -and which is therefore wholesome, is too apt to meddle in other -people's affairs, religious or worldly; and to meddle, too, without -thinking that it _is_ meddling; an impertinence; perhaps a piece of -downright, stone-blind Pharisaism. A person who is not disciplined and -made wise by regular work has no idea of its moral worth and -opportunities; nor has he, as a rule, any idea of the moral -worthlessness and vanity of such an existence as his own. - -There seem to have been a good many fussy people in Thessalonica, -anxious about their industrious neighbours, concerned for their lack -of interest in the Lord's coming, perpetually meddling with them--and -living upon them. It is no wonder that the Apostle expresses himself -with some peremptoriness: "If any man will not work, neither let him -eat." The difficulty about the application of this rule is that it has -no application except to the poor. In a society like our own, the -busybody may be found among those for whom this law has no terror; -they are idle, simply because they have an income which is independent -of labour. Yet what the Apostle says has a lesson for such people -also. One of the dangers of their situation is that they should -under-estimate the moral and spiritual worth of industry. A retired -merchant, a military or naval officer on half-pay, a lady with money -in the funds and no responsibilities but her own,--all these have a -deal of time on their hands; and if they are good people, it is one of -the temptations incident to their situation, that they should have -what the Apostle calls a busybody's interest in others. It need not be -a spurious or an affected interest; but it misjudges the moral -condition of others, and especially of the labouring classes, because -it does not appreciate the moral content of a day full of work. If the -work is done honestly at all, it is a thing of great price; there are -virtues embedded in it, patience, courage, endurance, fidelity, which -contribute as much to the true good of the world and the true -enrichment of personal character as the pious solicitude of those who -have nothing to do but be pious. Perhaps these are things that do not -require to be said. It may rather be the case in our own time that -mere industry is overvalued; and certainly a natural care for the -spiritual interests of our brethren, not Pharisaic, but Christian, not -meddlesome, but most earnest, can never be in excess. It is the -busybody whose interference is resented; the brother, once he is -recognised as a brother, is made welcome. - -Convinced as he is that for mankind in general "no work" means "no -character," Paul commands and exhorts in the Lord Jesus all such as he -has been speaking of to work with quietness, and to eat their own -bread. Their excitement was both unnatural and unspiritual. It was -necessary for their moral health that they should escape from it, and -learn how to walk orderly, and to live at their post. The quietness of -which he speaks is both inward and outward. Let them compose their -minds, and cease from their fussiness; the agitation within, and the -distraction without, are equally fruitless. Far more beautiful, far -more Christlike, than any busybody, however zealous, is he who works -with quietness and eats his own bread. Probably the bulk of the -Thessalonian Church was quite sound in this matter; and it is to -encourage them that the Apostle writes, "But ye, brethren, be not -weary in well-doing." The bad behaviour of the busybodies may have -been provoking to some, infectious in the case of others; but they are -to persevere, in spite of it, in the path of quiet industry and good -conduct. This has not the pretentiousness of an absorbed waiting for -the Lord, and a vaunted renunciation of the world; but it has the -character of moral loveliness; it exercises the new man in the powers -of the new life. - -Along with his judgment on this moral disorder, the Apostle gives the -Church directions for its treatment. It is to be met with reserve, -protest, and love. - -First, with reserve: "Withdraw yourselves from every brother that -walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which they received of -us; ... note that man, that ye have no company with him." The -Christian community has a character to keep, and that character is -compromised by the misconduct of any of its members. To such -misconduct, therefore, it cannot be, and should not be, indifferent: -indifference would be suicidal. The Church exists to maintain a moral -testimony, to keep up a certain standard of conduct among men; and -when that standard is visibly and defiantly departed from, there will -be a reaction of the common conscience in the Church, vigorous in -proportion to her vitality. A bad man may be quite at home in the -world; he may find or make a circle of associates like himself; but -there is something amiss, if he does not find himself alone in the -Church. Every strong life closes itself against the intrusion of what -is alien to it--a strong moral life most emphatically of all. A wicked -person of any description ought to feel that the public sentiment of -the Church is against him, and that as long as he persists in his -wickedness he is virtually, if not formally, excommunicated. The -element of communion in the Church is spiritual soundness; "If we walk -in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with -another." But if any one begins to walk in darkness, he is out of the -fellowship. The only hope for him is that he may recognise the justice -of his exclusion, and, as the Apostle says, be ashamed. He is shut out -from the society of others that he may be driven in upon himself, and -compelled, in spite of wilfulness, to judge himself by the Christian -standard. - -But reserve, impressive as it may be, is not enough. The erring -brother is to be admonished; that is, he is to be gravely spoken to -about his error. Admonition is a difficult duty. Not every one feels -at liberty, or _is_ at liberty, to undertake it. Our own faults -sometimes shut our mouths; the retort courteous, or uncourteous, to -any admonition from us, is too obvious. But though such considerations -should make us humble and diffident, they ought not to lead to -neglect of plain duty. To think too much of one's faults is in some -circumstances a kind of perverted vanity; it is to think too much of -oneself. We have all our faults, of one kind or another; but that does -not prohibit us from aiding each other to overcome faults. If we avoid -anger, and censoriousness; if we shun, as well as disclaim, the spirit -of the Pharisee, then with all our imperfections God will justify us -in speaking seriously to others about their sins. We do not pretend to -judge them; we only appeal to themselves to say whether they are -really at ease when they stand on one side, and the word of God and -the conscience of the Church on the other. In a sense, this is -specially the duty of the elders of the Church. It is they who are -pastors of the flock of God, and who are expressly responsible for -this moral guardianship; but there is no officialism in the Christian -community which limits the interest of any member in all the rest, or -exempts him from the responsibility of pleading the cause of God with -the erring. How many Christian duties there are which seem never to -have come in the way of some Christians. - -Finally, in the discipline of the erring, an essential element is -love. Withdraw from him, and let him feel he is alone; admonish him, -and let him be convinced he is gravely wrong; but in your admonition -remember that he is not an enemy, but a brother. Judgment is a -function which the natural man is prone to assume, and which he -exercises without misgiving. He is so sure of himself, that instead of -admonishing, he denounces; what he is bent upon is not the -reclamation, but the annihilation, of the guilty. Such a spirit is -totally out of place in the Church; it is a direct defiance of the -spirit which created the Christian community, and which that community -is designed to foster. Let the sin be never so flagrant, the sinner is -a brother; he is one for whom Christ died. To the Lord who bought him -he is inexpressibly valuable; and woe to the reprover of sin who -forgets this. The whole power of discipline which is committed to the -Church is for edification, not for destruction; for the building up of -Christian character, not for pulling it down. The case of the offender -is the case of a brother; if we are true Christians, it is our own. We -must act toward him and his offence as Christ acted toward the world -and its sin: no judgment without mercy, no mercy without judgment. -Christ took the sin of the world on Himself, but He made no compromise -with it; He never extenuated it; He never spoke of it or treated it -but with inexorable severity. Yet though the sinful felt to the depth -of their hearts His awful condemnation of their sins, they felt that -in assenting to that condemnation there was hope. To them, as opposed -to their sins, He was winning, condescending, loving. He received -sinners, and in His company they sinned no more. - -Thus it is that in the Christian religion everything comes back to -Christ and to the imitation of Christ. He is the pattern of those -simple and hardy virtues, industry and steadfastness. He wrought at -his trade in Nazareth till the hour came for Him to enter on His -supreme vocation; who can undervalue the possibilities of goodness in -the lives of men who work with quietness and eat their own bread, that -remembers it was over a village carpenter the heavenly voice sounded, -"This is My beloved Son"? Christ is the pattern also for Christian -discipline in its treatment of the erring. No sinner could feel -himself, in his sin, in communion with Christ: the Holy One -instinctively withdrew from him, and he felt he was alone. No offender -had his offence simply condoned by Jesus: the forgiveness of sins -which He bestows includes condemnation as well as remission; it is -wrought in one piece out of His mercy and His judgment. But neither, -again, did any offender, who bowed to Christ's judgment, and suffered -it to condemn him, find himself excluded from His mercy. The Holy One -was the sinner's friend. Those whom He at first repelled were -irresistibly drawn to Him. They began, like Peter, with "Depart from -me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord"; they ended, like him, with "Lord, -to whom shall we go?" This, I say, is the pattern which is set before -us, for the discipline of the erring. This includes reserve, -admonition, love, and much more. If there be any other commandment, it -is summarily comprehended in this word, "Follow Me." - -[29] _Cf._ 1 Tim. v. 13: "And withal they learn also to be idle, going -about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and -busybodies, speaking things which they ought not." - - - - -VIII. - -_FAREWELL._ - - - "Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in all - ways. The Lord be with you all. - - "The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in - every epistle: so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with - you all."--2 THESS. iii. 16-18 (R.V.). - -The first verse of this short passage is taken by some as in close -connection with what goes before. In the exercise of Christian -discipline, such as it has been described by the Apostle, there may be -occasions of friction or even of conflict in the Church; it is this -which he would obviate by the prayer, "The Lord of peace Himself give -you peace always." The contrast is somewhat forced and disproportioned; -and it is certainly better to take this prayer, standing as it does at -the close of the letter, in the very widest sense. Not merely freedom -from strife, but peace in its largest Christian meaning, is the burden -of his petition. - -The Lord of peace Himself is Christ. He is the Author and Originator -of all that goes by that name in the Christian communion. The word -"peace" was not, indeed, a new one; but it had been baptized into -Christ, like many another, and become a new creation. Newman said that -when he passed out of the Church of England into the Church of Rome, -all the Christian ideas, were so to speak, magnified; everything -appeared on a vaster scale. This is a very good description, at all -events, of what one sees on passing from natural morality to the New -Testament, from writers so great even as Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius -to the Apostles. All the moral and spiritual ideas are magnified--sin, -holiness, peace, repentance, love, hope, God, man, attain to new -dimensions. Peace, in particular, was freighted to a Christian with a -weight of meaning which no pagan could conceive. It brought to mind -what Christ had done for man, He who had made peace by the blood of -His Cross; it gave that assurance of God's love, that consciousness of -reconciliation, which alone goes to the bottom of the soul's unrest. -It brought to mind also what Christ had been. It recalled that life -which had faced all man's experience, and had borne through all a -heart untroubled by doubts of God's goodness. It recalled that solemn -bequest: "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you." In every -sense and in every way it was connected with Christ; it could neither -be conceived nor possessed apart from Him; He was Himself the Lord of -the Christian peace. - -The Apostle shows his sense of the comprehensiveness of this blessing -by the adjuncts of his prayer. He asks the Lord to give it to the -Thessalonians uninterruptedly and in all the modes of its -manifestation. Peace may be lost. There may be times at which the -consciousness of reconciliation passes away, and the heart cannot -assure itself before God; these are the times in which we have somehow -lost Christ, and only through Him can we have our peace with God -restored. "Uninterruptedly" we must count upon Him for this first and -fundamental blessing; He is the Lord of Reconciling Love, whose blood -cleanses from all sin, and makes peace between earth and Heaven for -ever. Or there may be times at which the troubles and vexations of -life become too trying for us; and instead of peace within, we are -full of care and fear. What resource have we then but in Christ, and -in the love of God revealed to us in Him? His life is at once a -pattern and an inspiration; His great sacrifice is the assurance that -the love of God to man is immeasurable, and that all things work -together for good to them that love Him. When the Apostle prayed this -prayer, he no doubt thought of the life which lay before the -Thessalonians. He remembered the persecutions they had already -undergone at the hands of the Jews; the similar troubles that awaited -them; the grief of those who were mourning for their dead; the deeper -pain of those on whose hearts rushed suddenly, from time to time, the -memory of days and years wasted in sin; the moral perplexities that -were already rising among them,--he remembered all these things, and -because of them he prayed, "The Lord of peace Himself give you peace -at all times in every way." For there are many ways in which peace may -be possessed; as many ways as there are disquieting situations in -man's life. It may come as penitent trust in God's mercy; it may come -as composure in times of excitement and danger; as meekness and -patience under suffering; as hope when the world would despair; it may -come as unselfishness, and the power to think of others, because we -know God is taking thought for us,--as "a heart at leisure from -itself, to soothe and sympathise." All these are peace. Such peace as -this--so deep and so comprehensive, so reassuring and so -emancipating--is the gift of Christ alone. He can give it without -interruption; He can give it with virtues as manifold as the trials of -the life without or the life within. - -Here, properly speaking, the letter ends. The Apostle has communicated -his mind to the Thessalonians as fully as their situation required; -and might end, as he did in the First Epistle, with his benediction. -But he remembers the unpleasant incident, mentioned in the beginning -of ch. ii., of a letter purporting to be from him, though not really -his; and he takes care to prevent such a mistake for the future. This -Epistle, like almost all the rest, had been written by some one to the -Apostle's dictation; but as a guarantee of genuineness, he closes it -with a line or two in his own hand. "The salutation of me Paul with -mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write." What -does "so I write" mean? Apparently, "You see the character of my -writing; it is a hand quite recognisable as mine; a few lines in this -hand will authenticate every letter that comes from me." - -Perhaps "every letter" only means every one which he would afterwards -write to Thessalonica; certainly attention is not called in all the -Epistles to this autographic close. It is found in only two -others--1st Corinthians (xvi. 21) and Colossians (iv. 18)--exactly as -it stands here, "The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand"; in -others it may have been thought unnecessary, either because, like -Galatians, they were written throughout in his own hand; or, like 2nd -Corinthians and Philemon, were conveyed by persons equally known and -trusted by the Apostle and the recipients. The great Epistle to the -Romans, to judge from its various conclusions, seems to have been from -the very beginning a sort of circular letter; and the personal -character, made prominent by the autograph signature, was less in -place then. The same remark applies to the Epistle to the Ephesians. -As for the pastoral Epistles, to Timothy and Titus, they may have been -autographic throughout; in any case, neither Timothy nor Titus was -likely to be imposed upon by a letter falsely claiming to be Paul's. -They knew their master too well. - -If it was possible to make a mistake in the Apostle's lifetime, and to -take as his an Epistle which he never wrote, is it impossible to be -similarly imposed upon now? Have we reasonable grounds for believing -that the thirteen Epistles in the New Testament, which bear his name -upon their front, really came from his hand? That is a question which -in the last hundred years, and especially in the last fifty, has been -examined with the amplest learning and the most minute and searching -care. Nothing that could possibly be alleged against the authenticity -of any of these Epistles, however destitute of plausibility, has been -kept back. The references to them in early Christian writers, their -reception in the early Church, the character of their contents, their -style, their vocabulary, their temper, their mutual relations, have -been the subject of the most thorough investigation. Nothing has ever -been more carefully tested than the historical judgment of the Church -in receiving them; and though it would be far from true to say that -there were no difficulties, or no divergence of opinion, it is the -simple truth that the consent of historical critics in the great -ecclesiastical tradition becomes more simple and decided. The Church -did not act at random in forming the apostolic canon. It exercised a -sound mind in embodying in the New Testament of our Lord and Saviour -the books which it did embody, and no other. Speaking of Paul in -particular, one ought to say that the only writings ascribed to him, -in regard to which there is any body of doubtful opinion, are the -Epistles to Timothy and Titus. Many seem to feel, in regard to these, -that they are on a lower key than the undoubtedly Pauline letters; -there is less spirit in them, less of the native originality of the -gospel, a nearer approach to moral commonplace; they are not unlike a -half-way house between the apostolic and the post-apostolic age. These -are very dubious grounds to go upon; they will impress different minds -very differently; and when we come to look at the outward evidence for -these letters, they are almost better attested, in early Christian -writers, than anything else in the New Testament. Their semi-legal -character, and the positive rules with which they abound, inferior as -they make them in intellectual and spiritual interest to high works of -inspiration like Romans and Colossians, seem to have enabled simple -Christian people to get hold of them, and to work them out in their -congregations and their homes. All that Paul wrote need not have been -on one level; and it is almost impossible to understand the authority -which these Epistles immediately and universally obtained, if they -were not what they claimed to be. Only a very accomplished scholar -could appreciate the historical arguments for and against them; yet I -do not think it is unfair to say that even here the traditional -opinion is in the way, not of being reversed, but of being confirmed. - -The very existence of such questions, however, warns us against -mistaken estimates of Scripture. People sometimes say, if there be one -point uncertain, our Bible is gone. Well, there _are_ points -uncertain; there are points, too, in regard to which an ordinary -Christian can only have a kind of second-hand assurance; and this of -the genuineness of the pastoral Epistles is one. There is no doubt a -very good case to be made out for them by a scholar; but not a case -which makes doubt impossible. Yet our Bible is not taken away. The -uncertainty touches, at most, the merest fringe of apostolic teaching; -nothing that Paul thought of any consequence, or that is of any -consequence to us, but is abundantly unfolded in documents which are -beyond the reach of doubt. It is not the letter, even of the New -Testament, which quickens, but the Spirit; and the Spirit exerts its -power through these Christian documents as a whole, as it does through -no other documents in the world. When we are perplexed as to whether -an apostle wrote this or that, let us consider that the most important -books in the Bible--the Gospels and the Psalms--do not name their -authors at all. What in the Old Testament can compare with the -Psalter? Yet these sweet songs are practically anonymous. What can be -more certain than that the Gospels bring us into contact with a real -character--the Son of Man, the Saviour of sinners? Yet we know their -authors only through a tradition, a tradition indeed of weight and -unanimity that can hardly be over-estimated; but simply a tradition, -and not an inward mark such as Paul here sets on his letter for the -Thessalonians. "The Church's one Foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord;" -as long as we are actually brought into connection with Him through -Scripture, we must be content to put up with the minor uncertainties -which are inseparable from a religion which has had a birth and a -history. - -But to return to the text. The Epistle closes, as the Apostle's custom -is, with a benediction: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with -you all." Grace is pre-eminently a Pauline word; it is found alike in -the salutations with which Paul addresses his churches, and in the -benedictions with which he bids them farewell; it is the beginning and -the end of his gospel; the element in which Christians live, and move, -and have their being. He excludes no one from his blessing; not even -those who had been walking disorderly, and setting at nought the -tradition they had received from him; their need is the greatest of -all. If we had imagination enough to bring vividly before us the -condition of one of these early churches, we would see how much is -involved in a blessing like this, and what sublime confidence it -displays in the goodness and faithfulness of our Lord. The -Thessalonians, a few months ago, had been heathens; they had known -nothing of God and His Son; they were living still in the midst of a -heathen population, under the pressure of heathen influences both on -thought and conduct, beset by numberless temptations; and if they were -mindful of the country from which they had come forth, not without -opportunity to return. Paul would willingly have stayed with them to -be their pastor and teacher, their guide and their defender, but his -missionary calling made this impossible. After the merest introduction -to the gospel, and to the new life to which it calls those who receive -it, they had to be left to themselves. Who should keep them from -falling? Who should open their eyes to understand the ideal which the -Christian is summoned to work out in his life? Amid their many -enemies, where could they look for a sufficient and ever-present ally? -The Apostle answers these questions when he writes, "The grace of our -Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." Although he has left them, they -are not really alone. The free love of God, which visited them at -first uncalled, will be with them still, to perfect the work it has -begun. It will beset them behind and before; it will be a sun and a -shield to them, a light and a defence. In all their temptations, in -all their sufferings, in all their moral perplexities, in all their -despondencies, it will be sufficient for them. There is not any kind -of succour which a Christian needs which is not to be found in the -grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. - -Here, then, we bring to a close our study of the two earliest Epistles -of St. Paul. They have given us a picture of the primitive apostolic -preaching, and of the primitive Christian Church. That preaching -embodied revelations, and it was the acceptance of these revelations -that created the new society. The Apostle and his fellow-evangelists -came to Thessalonica telling of Jesus, who had died and risen again, -and who was about to return to judge the living and the dead. They -told of the impending wrath of God, that wrath which was revealed -already against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, and was to -be revealed in all its terrors when the Lord came. They preached Jesus -as the Deliverer from the coming wrath, and gathered, through faith in -Him, a Church living in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. -To an uninterested spectator, the work of Paul and his companions -would have seemed a very little thing; he would not have discovered -its originality and promise; he would hardly have counted upon its -permanence. In reality, it was the greatest and most original thing -ever seen in the world. That handful of men and women in Thessalonica -was a new phenomenon in history; life had attained to new dimensions -in them; it had heights and depths in it, a glory and a gloom, of -which the world had never dreamed before; all moral ideas were -magnified, as it were, a thousandfold; an intensity of moral life was -called into being, an ardent passion for goodness, a spiritual fear -and hope, which made them capable of all things. The immediate -effects, indeed, were not unmixed; in some minds not only was the -centre of gravity shifted, but the balance utterly upset; the future -and unseen became so real to them, or were asserted to be so real, -that the present and its duties were totally neglected. But with all -misapprehensions and moral disorders, there was a new experience; a -change so complete and profound that it can only be described as a new -creation. Possessed by Christian faith, the soul discovered new powers -and capacities; it could combine "much affliction" with "joy of the -Holy Ghost"; it could believe in inexorable judgment and in infinite -mercy; it could see into the depths of death and life; it could endure -suffering for Christ's sake with brave patience; it had been lost, but -had found itself again. The life that had once been low, dull, vile, -hopeless, uninteresting, became lofty, vast, intense. Old things had -passed away; behold, all things had become new. - -The Church is much older now than when this Epistle was written; time -has taught her many things; Christian men have learned to compose -their minds and to curb their imaginations; we do not lose our heads -nowadays, and neglect our common duties, in dreaming on the world to -come. Let us say that this is gain; and can we say further that we -have lost nothing which goes some way to counterbalance it? Are the -new things of the gospel as real to us, and as commanding in their -originality, as they were at the first? Do the revelations which are -the sum and substance of the gospel message, the warp and woof of -apostolic preaching, bulk in our minds as they bulk in this letter? Do -they enlarge our thoughts, widen our spiritual horizon, lift to their -own high level, and expand to their own scale, our ideas about God and -man, life and death, sin and holiness, things visible and invisible? -Are we deeply impressed by the coming wrath and by the glory of -Christ? Have we entered into the liberty of those whom the revelation -of the world to come enabled to emancipate themselves from this? These -are the questions that rise in our minds as we try to reproduce the -experience of an early Christian church. In those days, everything was -of inspiration; now, so much is of routine. The words that thrilled -the soul then have become trite and inexpressive; the ideas that gave -new life to thought appear worn and commonplace. But that is only -because we dwell on the surface of them, and keep their real import at -a distance from the mind. Let us accept the apostolic message in all -its simplicity and compass; let us believe, and not merely say or -imagine we believe, that there is a life beyond death, revealed in the -Resurrection, a judgment to come, a wrath of God, a heavenly glory; -let us believe in the infinite significance, and in the infinite -difference, of right and wrong, of holiness and sin; let us realise -the love of Christ, who died for our sins, who calls us to fellowship -with God, who is our Deliverer from the coming wrath; let these truths -fill, inspire, and dominate our minds, and for us, too, faith in -Christ will be a passing from death unto life. - - - - -The EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE - - _Edited_ by W. ROBERTSON NICOLL, D.D., LL.D. - _New and Cheaper Edition. Printed from original plates_ - _Complete in every detail. Uniform with this volume_ - Price 50 cents per volume. (If by mail add 10 cents postage) - -OLD TESTAMENT VOLUMES - - GENESIS. By Rev. Prof. Marcus Dods, D.D. - EXODUS. By Very Rev. G. A. Chadwick, D.D., Dean of Armagh. - LEVITICUS. By Rev. S. H. Kellogg, D.D. - NUMBERS. By Rev. R. A. Watson, D.D. - DEUTERONOMY. By Rev. Prof. Andrew Harper, B.D. - JOSHUA. By Rev. Prof. W. G. Blaikie, D.D., LL.D. - JUDGES AND RUTH. By Rev. R. A. Watson, D.D. - FIRST SAMUEL. By Rev. Prof. W. G. Blaikie, D.D., LL.D. - SECOND SAMUEL. By same author. - FIRST KINGS. By F. W. Farrar, D.D., Dean of Canterbury. - SECOND KINGS. By same author. - FIRST AND SECOND CHRONICLES. By Rev. Prof. W. H. Bennett. - EZRA, NEHEMIAH, AND ESTHER. By Rev. Prof. W. F. Adeney. - JOB. By Rev. R. A. Watson, D.D. - PSALMS. In 3 vols. Vol. I., Chapters I.-XXXVIII.; Vol. II., Chapters - XXXIX.-LXXXIX.; Vol. III., Chapters XC.-CL. By Rev. Alexander - Maclaren, D.D. - PROVERBS. By Rev. R. F. Horton, D.D. - ECCLESIASTES. By Rev. Samuel Cox, D.D. - SONG OF SOLOMON AND LAMENTATIONS. By Rev. Prof. W. F. Adeney. - ISAIAH. In 2 vols. Vol I., Chapters I.-XXXIX.; Vol. II., Chapters - XL-LXVI. By Prof. George Adam Smith, D.D., LL.D. - JEREMIAH. Chapters I.--XX. With a Sketch of his Life and Times. By - Rev. C. J. Ball. - JEREMIAH. Chapters XXI.--LII. By Rev. Prof. W. H. Bennett. - EZEKIEL. By Rev. Prof. John Skinner. - DANIEL. By F. W. Farrar, D.D., Dean of Canterbury. - THE TWELVE (Minor) PROPHETS. In 2 vols. By Rev. George Adam Smith, - D.D., LL.D. - -NEW TESTAMENT VOLUMES - - ST. MATTHEW. By Rev. J. Monro Gibson, D.D. - ST. MARK. By Very Rev. G. A. Chadwick, D.D., Dean of Armagh. - ST. LUKE. By Rev. Henry Burton. - GOSPEL OF ST. JOHN. In 2 vols. Vol. I., Chapters I.-XI.; Vol. II., - Chapters XII.-XXI. By Rev. Prof. Marcus Dods, D.D. - THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. In 2 vols. By Rev. Prof. G. T. Stokes, D.D. - ROMANS. By Rev. Handley C. G. Moule, D.D. - FIRST CORINTHIANS. By Rev. Prof. Marcus Dods, D.D. - SECOND CORINTHIANS. By Rev. James Denney, D.D. - GALATIANS. By Rev. Prof. G. G. Findlay, D.D. - EPHESIANS. By same author. - PHILIPPIANS. By Rev. Principal Robert Rainy, D.D. - COLOSSIANS AND PHILEMON. By Rev. Alexander Maclaren, D.D. - THESSALONIANS. By Rev. James Denney, D.D. - PASTORAL EPISTLES. By Rev. A. Plummer, D.D. - HEBREWS. By Rev. Principal T. C. Edwards, D.D. - ST. JAMES and ST. JUDE. By Rev. A. Plummer, D.D. - ST. PETER. By Rev. Prof. J. Rawson Lumby, D.D. - EPISTLES OF ST. JOHN. By Rt. Rev. W. Alexander, Lord Bishop of Derry. - REVELATION. By Prof. W. Milligan, D.D. - INDEX VOLUME TO ENTIRE SERIES. - -_New York_: HODDER & STOUGHTON, _Publishers_ - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to -the Thessalonians, by James Denney - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE: THESSALONIANS *** - -***** This file should be named 42753.txt or 42753.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/7/5/42753/ - -Produced by Marcia Brooks, Chris Pinfield, Colin Bell and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian -Libraries) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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