because they are contrary to the practice of the heathen world, or because he thinks them too severe, despiseth not man only, but God, who certainly hath given his Spirit, the Holy Spirit to us. 9 But, however needful it may be, to put you in mind of the precepts formerly delivered to you concerning chastity; concerning that pure love which is due to your Christian brethren, ye have no need that I write to you again; for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another, as brethren. 10 And indeed, I hear ye not only love the brethren in your own city, but ye do it to all the brethren, who are throughout the whole province of Macedonia, by relieving them in their straits: however, I exhort you, brethren, to abound still more, in that amiable disposition. 11 And earnestly to study to avoid a contentious meddling disposition, whether on pretence of public-spiritedness, or any other pretence; and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your own hands, at your respective occupations, as I commanded you, when I was with you. gers which were there, spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing. Whitby thinks the apostle also meant by this injunction, to exhort the Thessalonians to avoid the custom, then common, of trusting all their affairs to slaves and servants. But as his epistle was directed to a church in which there were many common people, the precept of working with their own hands for their maintenance was very proper ; being designed to prevent the heathens from reproaching the gospel, as encouraging idleness in those who professed it. 2. And to work with your own hands. Egya, here denotes the labour performed by the poorer sort. Many of the Thessalonian brethren were employed in trade and manufactures; others of them gained their livelihood 12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. 12 ἵνα περιπατητε ευσ χημόνως προς τους εξω, και μηδενος χρειαν έχητε. Fourth Argument, taken from the Resurrection of Jesus, the Author 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, 13 Ου θέλω δε μας αγ νοειν, αδελφοι, περι των κει κοιμημένων, ἵνα μη λυπησθε, iva καθώς και οι λοιποι οι μη ἔχοντες ελπιδα. 14 Ει γαρ πιςευομεν, ότι by serving traders, manufacturers, farmers, &c. To such, the injunction of labouring with their hands, was given with great propriety, to prevent the heathens from imagining, that the gospel encouraged sloth in those who had embraced the Christian religion. Ver. 12.-1. Walk decently. Evoxμove signifies a graceful carriage and motion of the body. Applied to manners, it denotes such a behaviour as gains the approbation of those who behold it. Ver. 13.-1. Concerning them who sleep. Kenosμnusvæv. Who have slept. But the preterite often denotes the continuation of the state expressed by the verb, Ess. iv. 10.—In scripture death is compared to sleep, because it is a relaxation from the toils and afflictions of life, and a short suspension of the powers of sense and action; and because it is to be followed with a reviviscence to a more vigorous and active bodily life than we enjoy at present. The expression in this verse, them who sleep; and that in ver. 15. 17. we the living who remain, are general. Yet, from the whole strain of the discourse, it is evident, that the righteous only are meant in these expressions. Accordingly they are called, ver. 14. them who sleep in Jesus; and ver. 16. the dead in Christ. Besides, of them only can it be said, ver. 17. that they shall be caught up in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air ;-and be for ever with the Lord. See ver. 16. note 5. and 1 Cor. xv. 42. note 3. 2. That ye may not be grieved even as others. It was the custom of the heathens, on the death of their relations, to make a shew of excessive grief, by shaving their heads and cutting their flesh, Levit. xix. 27, 28. and by loud howlings and lamentations over the dead. They even hired persons, who had it for a trade to make these howlings and cries. But this shew of excessive grief, as well as the grief itself, being inconsistent with that know. ledge of the state of the dead, and with that hope of their resurrection, which the gospel gives to mankind, the apostle forbade it; and comforted 12 That ye may walk decently 1 towards them who are without, and may have need of nothing. 12 That your behaviour may be comely in the sight of the heathen, who might speak evil of the gospel, if ye become idle. Also that being able to supply your own wants, ye may have need of nothing from others. of the Gospel, whereby God declared him his Son, the Governor and 13 I will next speak of Christ's resurrection, and of his return from heaven to raise the dead; because these things not only afford consolation to them who have lost their relations, but demonstrate the divine original of the gospel. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them who die, that ye may not be afflicted with excessive grief, even as the heathen who have no hope of seeing their dead friends again. 14 For, if we believe that Jesus was put to death for calling himself the Thessalonians, by fortelling and proving Christ's return to the earth, to raise the dead, and carry the righteous with him into heaven. 3. Who have no hope. Many of the heathens entertained a belief of a future state, and even some confused notion of the resurrection of the body. But their belief and hope of these things, being derived from nothing but an obscure tradition, the origin of which they could not trace; and from their own wishes, unsupported by any demonstrative reasoning, could scarcely be called either belief or hope; and had very little influence on their conduct. None of them had any knowledge or hope of Christ's coming from heaven to raise the righteous with glorious, immortal, incorruptible bodies, and to carry them away to an heavenly country. Neither had they any conception of the employments and enjoyments of that country. St. Paul's discourse, therefore, concerning these grand events, must have given much consolation to the Thessalonians, under the death of their relations, as it assured them, that if they died in Christ, they should all meet again, and spend an endless life in complete happiness, never more to part. In this light, death is only a temporary separation of friends, which is neither to be dreaded nor regretted.—Concerning our knowing one another at the resurrection, see chap. ii. 20. note. Ver. 14.-1. So also them who sleep (dia) in Jesus. Some commentators, translating the preposition dia by the word for, think the apostle is speaking of them who suffered death for the sake of Christ. But as all the righteous are to be brought into heaven with Christ, and as ver. 16. the expression is, dead (1) in Christ, I am of opinion that ♪ is rightly translated by the preposition in; and that the apostle is speaking of the faithful in general. Others, by them who sleep in Jesus, understand them who die uniteď to Christ, as members of his body. But this makes no difference in the sense. 2. Will God bring with him. The apostle does not mean, that them who sleep in Jesus will God bring with him from heaven to the earth to be judg ed. Their souls only could be so brought, even on the supposition that they had been in heaven, from the time of their death to the coming of Christ. But he is speaking of the whole person of the righteous, their body as well as their soul. And therefore the sense of the passage is, that God will bring the righteous, not from heaven, but into heaven, with Jesus. Accordingly God is said, Heb. ii. 10. to bring many sons into glory; and Jesus himself hath declared this to be one of the purposes of his own return to the earth; John xiv. 3. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. Thus understood, ver. 14. contains a general view or proposition of the subject, of which the apostle is going to treat. Perhaps the expression, bring with Jesus, may mean also, bring with Jesus out of the grave into heaven. For we are said to be raised together with Christ. Yet as the word (ağıı, ducet) bring or lead, is applicable only to living persons, I prefer the former interpretation.-See 1 Cor. xv. 13. note, where the resurrection of the dead, is shewed to be a necessary consequence of Christ's resurrection. Ver. 15.-1. We the living, who remain at the coming of the Lord. This and some of the apostle's other expressions, led the Thessalonians to fancy, that he imagined he should be alive at the coming of Christ; consequently, that the day of judgment was to happen in that age. The same imagination several learned moderns have ascribed, not to Paul alone, but to all the apostles; because in their epistles, they speak of the coming of Christ as then at again; so also, them who sleep (da) in Jesus,' (ch. i. 1. note 2.) will God bring with him.2 15 (Τέτο γας, 91, λεγοKEV.) Besides this we af firm to you, by the command of the Lord, that we the living, who remain1 (s) at the coming of the Lord, shall not anticipate? them who are asleep. the Son of God, and rose again from the dead, to demonstrate the truth of these assertions; so also we must believe, that them who have died in subjection to Jesus, will God at the last day bring with him into heaven. 15 Besides, to shew you in what manner the righteous are to be brought into heaven with Christ, this I affirm to you, by the commandment of the Lord Jesus, that such righteous persons as are living, and remaining on earth, at the coming of the Lord, shall not anticipate them who have died in subjection to Jesus, by receiving their glorified body before them; hand. But in attributing this error to the apostles, these commentators have forgotten that Paul, in particular, wrote his second epistle to the Thessalonians, expressly to assure them, that the day of Christ was not at hand, but at a great distance: Forgotten likewise, what the apostle hath affirmed concerning this passage, that it was written by the command of the Lord : So that if he has erred in this, or in any particular, his inspiration must have been a delusion. Besides, we have no reason to think that Paul imagined, he would be alive at the coming of Christ to judge the world. For with respect to ver. 15. We the living, who remain at the coming of the Lord : and 1 Cor. xv. 51. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, it is evident that whatever force may be in these expressions, to prove that Paul thought he was to be one of the living at Christ's coming to judgment, the expression found, 2 Cor. iv. 14. He who raised up Jesus, shall raise us up also by Jesus, and shall present us with you, must be of equal force to prove, that Paul thought he should be of the number of the dead, who are to be raised by Jesus at his coming. The truth is, such expressions as these, are not to be understood of the writers themselves. They are mere figures of speech, used by the best authors, to draw their readers' attention, or te soften some harsh or disagreeable sentiment; without intending to represent themselves, either as of the number, or of the character of the persons with whom they class themselves. Thus Paul, Galat. i. 23. to shew that he was now connected with the disciples of Christ, reckons himself among the number of those whom he had formerly persecuted. They had heard only that he who persecuted us, &c. Psalm lxvi. 6. He turned the sea into dry land; they went through the flood on foot; there did we rejoice in him. In like manner Hosea, speaking of Jacob, says, chap. xii. 4. He found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us. This figure, in the mouth of Christ's |