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He warns the Gentile Converts of their Church against the Vices they had been moft addicted to in their Heathenifh Eftate; particularly againft Uncleannefs. An Encouragement to mutual Love and Charity, and to Industry in their Callings. A Confolation for the Death of their Chriftian Friends, from the Affurance of Christ's glorious Appearance, and our future Refurrection.

F

1 & 2.

Τ'

HE Sum of what I A.D. 52. have now further to exhort you to is, carefully to follow and improve the Directions for a Holy and Chriftian Life, as I

Urthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jefus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk, and to please God, fo ye would abound more Chrift. and more.

gave you them from the DoArine and Authority of Jefus

2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the

Lord Jefus.

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A.D. 52. fanctification, that ye great Duty of Purity and Chastity, fhould abstain from an Abftinence from all kinds of Η πορνεία. wopria, fornication: Uncleanness; which the GofpelReligion is especially defigned to reform you Gentile Chriftians from.

4 That every one
of you should know
hów to poffefs his

veffel in fanctification
and honour :

5 Not in the luft of
concupifence, even as
the Gentiles which
know not God:

4 & 5. How indifpenfibly obliged you all now are to preferve your Bodies in temperate and fober Habits, dedicated to the Service of God, and free of thofe Lufts and Paffions that are a Difhonour to them; and in which none but ignorant Heathens, that have no Senfe and Knowledge of the true

God, would ever indulge themselves.

matter, because that
the Lord is the aven-
ger of all fuch as we
alfo have forewarned
you, and testified.

6 That no man go 6. That none of you prefume beyond and defraud to violate the Rights of his Neighhis brother in any bour's Bed, or abuse human Nature in fuch Lufts as are contrary to it Sins that God will moft feverely punish, as I have formerly, with great Earneftnefs, forewarned you, as against the common Vices of the Countries + you live in. 7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto

holiness.

8 He therefore that

defpifeth, defpifeth
not man, but God,
who hath alfo given
unto us his holy
Spirit. 9 But

7. For nothing is fo oppofite to the Chriftian Religion, the very Purpofe whereof is, to cleanfe and reform you from fuch Impurities.

8. Whoever of you, therefore, neglects or contemns this Advice I give them from the very Infpiration of the Holy Spirit, defpifeth God himself, by whofe Infpiration and Authority Í act.

9. As

*In any matter, & to payati. In fuch a wicked Act; paya, in a bad Senfe being the fame with facinus in the Latin. All Hiftorians are full of the Luxury and Debaucheries of the Grecians.

Ver. 8. Unto us his Holy Spirit. Note, All Henry Stephen's MSS. and several others, read it siç vμãs, unto you: And then

the

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11 And that ye dy to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands (as we commanded you :)

12 That ye may

walk honestly toward them that are with out, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

9. As to the great Duty of Love A.D. 52. and Unity, I need not repeat my Exhortations to you now, who are fo truly fenfible, from my former Example of Chrift himself, how ef Apoftolical Precepts, and from the fential a Duty of Christianity this is

10. And I am convinced, how carefully you exercise it toward all the Chriftians you live amongst. And all I have to do is, to encourage you still further to it.

11. And to advise you all to an industrious and peaceable Temper, to mind the Duties of your several Callings, and not intermeddle unneceffarily in what does not concern you.

12. Thus approving and fhowing your felves to be Men of a decent and orderly in the Eyes of Infidels; fo as not Converfation to be branded with the Character of an idle and ufelefs People, or be beholden for your. Livelihood to Men of a contrary Religion,

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the Senfe is this, "God hath given you his Holy Spirit, on "purpose to cleanse you from Impurity, and reduce you to "Holiness of Life; fo that to neglect and defpise the Advice "I now give, is to defpife God, whofe Spirit it is". Indeed the Sense will be the fame, if by us in this Verse is meant, not us the Apostles, but Chriftians in general, as in the Verse foregoing.

Ver. 9. Taught of God; sodidaxlos- A most emphatical Word- Not only taught by the Precepts, but by the Example of God and Chrift. Their former Heathen Deities could never be truly supposed to teach them univerfal Benevolence: for thofe Gods are faid to have quarrelled amongst one another.

A. D. 52.

See the

Pref. § 4.

13 But I would not
have you to be igno-
rant, brethren, con-
cerning them which
are afleep, that ye

forrow not even as
others which have no
hope.

13. I must also particularly arm you against the proud Suggestions and Pretences of the Jewish Zealots, who would fright you into a Belief, That no uncircumcifed Perfon, or any that forfake the Jewish Religion, can partake of the future Happiness, any more than a Heathen that has no Hope or Prospect at all of it: whereby they endeavour to difcourage your Hopes of the good Condition of all your Chriftian Friends that have died in the Faith of Chrift.

14 For if we believe that Jefus died, and rofe again even fo them alfo which fleep in Jefus, will God bring with him.

14. But be not terrified with such impudent and groundless Affertions; for the full Aflurance you have of the actual Death and Refurrection of Jefus, your Head and Saviour, is Demonstration enough to you, that at his fecond Coming to judge the World, God will raise up and fully reward all his true Difciples and Followers.

15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, That we which are alive, and ing of the Lord, fhall not prevent them which are asleep.

remain unto the com

15. And, for your further Confirmation in this great Truth, let me aflure you of the following Circumftances of this future Judgment and Refurrection, as I received them from Chrift himfelf; viz. That thofe good Chriftians that fhall be alive upon Earth, at our Lord's Appearance, shall not receive their happy Change, and glorious Reward, till all thofe that died in his true Faith, be raised from their Graves, to receive it along with them †.

16. For

* Ver. 13. That ye forrow not even as others that have no hope, viz. of a Refurrection. The Apostle means to diffwade the Chriftians from using thofe exceffive Signs of Sorrow, thofe Howlings and Lamentations over their dead Friends, which the Heathens were known to make.

+ Ver. 15. We which are alive shall not prevent them which are afleep. Note, I have mentioned the Jewish Zealots as the Perfons against whofe Infinuations this Paffage, from Verse 13,

to

himself fhall defcend from heaven with a fhout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

16 For the Lord 16. For Chrift himself fhall then, A. D. 52. in the moft folemn and glorious Manner, with a vaft Retinue of the Holy Angels, his Heralds and Minifters, defcend from Heaven, to fummon all Mankind to a final Judgment; and the first Thing then to be done will be, to raise Chriftians from Death *.

*

all good and fincere 17 Then we which are alive, and remain, fhall be caught up to gether with them in the Clouds, to meet the Lord in the air : and fo fhall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore com

with these words.

#Rev. XX,

5, 6. 17. And then thofe faithful Chri- 1 Cor. xv. ftians that are alive at the Refur- 23. rection, fhall undergo their bleffed Change; and fo all together shall be taken up into the Clouds, to meet their Saviour, and be carried with him into a blessed and eternal Abode.

18. With these Confiderations, fort one another † therefore t, fully fatisfy and comfort one another, as to the Condition of your departed Friends, and your own happy State after Death.

to the End of the Chapter, feems to be levelled. Yet I muft confefs it seems, probably, to have been spoken against the Mifunderstandings of fome Theffalonian Chriftians, concerning the expected coming of Chrift, the Day of the Lord, which they took to be near at hand, 2 Theff. ii. 2, 3. in which they seem to have been of Opinion, that those who were then alive should enjoy a long and great Happiness, before the Refurrection of fuch Chriftians as were dead. Against this Imagination, the feveral Phrafes of this Paffage are indeed very much adpted, especially this of the 15th Verfe- We which are alive shall not prevent, power, i. e. fhall have no advantage above, or hall not get the fart of them which fleep: So far from that, fays the Apoftle, That the dead in Chrift shall rife firft, ver. 16.

* Ver. 16. The dead in Chrift fhall rife firft. See Revelat. xx. 4, 5, 6. with my Paraph. and Notes there, and upon the reft of that Chapter.

+ With thefe Words, ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τέτοις, with thefe Things,

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