1 Thessalonians 2

You have an anointing from the holy One. 2. God calls them to glory, as if a man were called out of a prison to sit upon a throne (1 Thessalonians 2:12). Who has called you to his kingdom and glory.

God's glory is much promoted in the preaching of the word, because it is his engine whereby he converts souls. Now, such as would hinder the preaching of the word, these fight against God's glory (1 Thessalonians 2:16): Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles, that they might be…

Ministers are but as the pipes and organs; it is the Spirit of the Living God breathes in them: when we come to the Word, we should think thus with ourselves, God speaks in this preacher. The Thessalonians heard the Word Paul preached, as if God himself had spoken to them (1 The…

As disobedience reproaches the ministry, so obedience honors it. The apostle calls his Thessalonians, his crown (1 Thessalonians 2:19): What is our crown of rejoicing, are not you? A thriving people are a minister's crown.

This sin can dress itself in the attire of virtue. It is called the cloak of covetousness (1 Thessalonians 2:5). Covetousness is a sin that wears a cloak; it cloaks itself under the name of frugality and good husbandry.

Secondly, God's wrath has something in it positive. That is, his frown and enraged fury, which is [in non-Latin alphabet], wrath come upon the sinner to the uttermost (1 Thessalonians 2:16). Here, three positions or maxims.

His policy is either to hinder from duty, or discourage in duty, or put men on too far in duty. 1. To hinder from duty, as (1 Thessalonians 2:18): I would have come once and again, but Satan hindered me. So many duties of religion had been performed, but Satan hindered.

Which place must thus be understood: not that the gospel must be preached to the whole world at any one time, for that (as I take it) was never yet seen, neither shall be; but that it shall be published distinctly and successively at several times: and thus understanding the wor…

And this was among the things with which Augustine comforted the lady Italica after the death of her dear husband, telling her that she should know him in the world to come among the glorified saints. Indeed, a greater than either of these — Paul — comforted himself that the The…

Faithful pastors take in cities, and subdue crowns and kingdoms, to Christ. Paul conquered many crowns to Christ (1 Thessalonians 2:19). For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing?

All things are delivered to mee by my Father: and presently after for all this he says, Come to me all you that are heavie laden,—[I am meeke and lowly;] verse 28, 29. Look therefore what lovely, sweete, and delightfull thoughts you use to have of a deere friend, who is of an am…

If a man be in a wrong, and will not see his error, will not see the evil he has done in God's sight, his stiffness is a sign of his dead-heartedness; so much stiffness here, so much deadness in his heart, and so much nearness to the chambers of death: For a living Christian if…

Abraham knew Lazarus (Luke 16:25). Ministers (1 Thessalonians 2:19): What is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing, are not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming. Christ's argument (Luke 16:9): Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness…

The word is a torment, rather than a comfort to you, you are afraid it will be found too true. 4. Do you receive it as the word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13) It may be you do not contradict the divine authority in the Scriptures, but do you soundly believe them, and know the cer…

By this the Ministers of the Gospel are taught to handle their doctrine with modesty, and humility, without ostentation, with reverence, and with a consideration of the majesty of God whose the doctrine is which they utter, that God may be glorified (1 Peter 4:11). Secondly, the…

By this we are taught, that we may not fix our love, and our confidence upon riches: and they that buy, must be as though they bought not, and they that possess, as though they possessed not, because riches steal away the heart. The second cause of their poverty was, that they w…

Answer: Carnal Ishmaelites, such as are of the same religion and family with Isaac. Thus the Jews persecuted their own Prophets, and the Thessalonians were persecuted of their own people (1 Thessalonians 2:14). Thus Priests and Jesuits, that have been heretofore born, baptized,…

The reason was this. The Roman Emperor had given liberty to the Jews to live according to their own laws, and that without molestation or disturbance, in all places of the Roman Empire, so that if a Jew became a Christian, he had the privilege of a Jew, so long as he kept the ce…

Although all Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorified: for in this place we may see that two contraries are opposed one to another. If the ministers of the word be ordained to save men, it is a great honor to them when many are brought to salvation; if not, it makes them…

Of his abundant Love, 2 Corinthians 2:4. And of his affectionate and [tender] Love, as of a Nurse towards her children, 1 Thessalonians 2:7, 8. [So] being affectionately [desirous] of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of [God only], but also [our own…

'Whereunto I also labor, striving, according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.' 1 Thessalonians 2:2. 'We are bold in our God, to speak unto you the gospel of God, with much contention.'

For thus I guide all my counsel, whom I afterward receive to glory. The first direction (go your way forth by the foot-steps of the flock) holds forth, 1. That all believers, of old and late, are of one flock, of one common concernment, and under the care of one chief shepherd:…

3. This is in respect of the glory, that results to Christ from their submission and acknowledgment, even as sinners despising him, put (as it were) a blot on him, put him to open shame, and say we will not have him to reign over us; so believers, yielding up themselves to Chris…

Now, this may relate either to the reward that faithful ministers shall have from Christ, spoken of, Daniel 12:3. O what joy and glory will result to them, from the people's fruitfulness (among whom they have labored) in the day of the Lord! that they have not run in vain, but w…

James 1:3. The TRYING of your Faith works Patience. 1 Thessalonians 2:4. God who TRIES our Hearts. The same Word is used in 2 Corinthians 8:8. To PROVE the Sincerity of your Love.

And effectual to melt the heart! And as the warm rain is most refreshing, so when the word comes warmly, from the melting affections of the preacher, who imparts not only the Gospel, but his own soul with it (1 Thessalonians 2:8), this does abundantly more good than that which d…

1. To walk worthy of the Gospel; it is a Kingdom. The Apostle has an exhortation and charge to this purpose (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12), that you would walk worthy of God, who has called you to his Kingdom and glory. Walk in obedience to Christ, that's one thing.

1. The precepts are a part of the divine revelation: the object of faith is the whole Word of God, and every part of divinely inspired truth is worthy of all belief and reverence. The word works not unless it be received as the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13): For this cause…

1. On the one side there is the law of God's mouth, it is God's own Word, and we should be as sure of it as if we had heard him utter it and pronounce it with his own mouth, or had received it immediately by oracle from him. And indeed that is one way to raise this esteem (1 The…

So that of Samuel to Israel (1 Samuel 12:24-25), and that of David to Solomon (1 Kings 2:1-3) etc., indeed to all his children; Come, says he, I will teach you the fear of the Lord (Psalm 34:11), and it is by the fear of the Lord, that men depart from evil. So in the New Testame…

6 Another sin, which is the work of the devil, and which makes them that do it like the devil, is hindering persons from believing and closing with the truth of the Gospel, which may be done several ways: as, 1 By keeping them in ignorance, and blinding them (2 Corinthians 4:4),…

[illegible] can you escape the damnation of hell (verse 32-33). 1 Thessalonians 2:15: The Jews both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us, they please not God and are contrary to all men, to fill up their sins always, for the wrath is come upon th…

He that wins souls is wise. This is a minister's glory (1 Thessalonians 2:19): For what is our joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even you?

While you are laying out, God is laying up; the more glory you bring to God, the more glory you shall have from God. Walk worthy of this Kingdom (1 Thessalonians 2:12): That you would walk worthy of God who has called you to his Kingdom. Live as kings; let the majesty of holines…

And so the branches of the Jews have no holiness from the root, nor are they beloved for the fathers, as verse 28. 2. All the Jews do not cease to be members of the invisible church; for Paul says (Romans 11:25) blindness in part has happened to Israel [illegible] — to a part of…

8. In duties there are these: 1. The end. 2. The delight in them. 3. The success. As to the first, the less of the creature and self, and the more of God in the end, so much the more denied and spiritual is the doer, when purely for God [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩] we do (1 Corinth…

2. He shows us of a lively faith of Abraham, which wrought with his works, now it is a foolish error to make Abraham's faith, and the faith of believing Rahab of the same nature with the faith of the vain empty hypocrite, whose faith is nothing but fair words, and with the faith…

Hence, when they saw the multitude of the Gentiles coming to the preaching of Paul, they were filled with envy, contradicting, blaspheming, and stirring up persecution against them (Acts 13:45, 50). Which the apostle again relates of them in 1 Thessalonians 2:15-16: 'They please…

The poena sensus, the punishment of sense, is bad enough. Then wrath will come upon sinners, [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], to the uttermost, 1 Thessalonians 2.16. If when God's anger is kindled but a little, and a spark of it flies into a man's conscience in this life, it is so t…

Hereby then does the Holy Ghost so evidence the Divine Authority of the Word, namely, by that Divine Power which it has upon our Souls and Consciences, that we do assuredly acquiesce in it to be from God. So the Thessalonians are commended that they received the Word not as the…

Question 1. Do I make the approbation of God or the applause of men the very end and main design of my religious performances (1 Thessalonians 2:4; Colossians 3:23)? Will the acceptance of my duties by men satisfy me, whether God accepts my duties and person or not?

And though sometimes you have ignorant men, whom you take to be just well-meaning men, with whom you might trust untold gold, and they are forward, according to their knowledge, yet notwithstanding, if they be ignorant; for all this, the wrath of God may lie upon them to the utm…

And therefore that which follows upon this, he does it all comfortably, though he meet with little encouragements from man, though the more faithful service he does, the less he is accepted; whereas an unbelieving heart would be discontented, that he can find no acceptance, but…

There is yet one note more from these subjects upon whom the Spirit of grace is poured forth, who were these, the house of David, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; were they not those that pierced Christ, that killed the prophets, and stoned them, the same men that lived in that…