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of a Christian church in Thessalonica, consisting not of Jews only; there were in it a multitude of Greeks: neither of the Greeks only, for some of the Jews believed: not all the Jews in the city, as is evident from the sequel, nor all the Greeks, but some chosen individuals from amongst each class.*

No sooner were these persons called of God, than they began to suffer persecution from men. No sooner did a Thessalonian Isaac begin to move in the city, than he felt the hatred of the Thessalonian Ishmael. The chief enmity was, of course, directed against the Apostle himself, and he was obliged to leave the place, in compliance with that command of his Divine Master, When they persecute you in one city, flee ye to another: but though absent from them in person, his heart was touched with care for them, in common with all the churches: and under the immediate guidance of the Holy Ghost he addressed two epistles to them. In the good providence of God these epistles have been preserved for our instruction, and no communication from God to man can be more direct, than their language to us. Their opening address, Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus, unto the Church of the Thessalonians, &c. may be paraphrased thus: The ministers of Jesus Christ at a particular time, to the believing people of Christ in some particular city or country at that time-Augustine and Cyprian to the church of the Carthagenians; Luther and Melancthon to the church of the Germans; Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley, to the church of the English: and thus, beloved brethren, these epistles are addressed to you. For as God takes care, that there shall be a constant succession of believers, so also, he takes care that there shall be a constant succession of ministers; and the language of these, and of all the epistles, abides in full force, and in a standing uninterrupted application, as the language of God; addressed, by the instrumentality of the faithful ministers of Christ, lawfully appointed in succession from the Apostles, unto the churches of God in all the earth.

After the Apostolical salutation, he says, at the third verse of this chapter, from whence our text is taken, we are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all towards each other aboundeth. Their faith was not merely an historical assent to facts. Such an assent cannot grow. We can be no more than assured of a fact. But true Christian faith does grow exceedingly. It lays hold of the word of God, not only as a record of facts which have actually taken place, but also as a witness for unseen and eternal things. It grows: and with its growth the power of things invisible be* See 1 Thess. i. 4, 5, and compare 2 Thess. ii. 13, 14.

comes more and more dominant over the heart and life. This is manifested by offices of love, abounding love. These are the general characteristics of a Christian church, growing faith, and abounding love; every thing progressive, as the rising sun shining more and more unto the perfect day. For these, where we behold them, we are bound to thank God. He alone giveth the increase. The Apostle proceeds, (verse 4,) so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure. Persecution and tribulation for the sake of Christian faithfulness are the common lot of the people of God, during this dispensation. They are here spoken of as a matter of course. No surprise is expressed at their existence, only thankfulness to God, for the patience and faith with which they were endured. A more direct testimony on this point was contained in the Apostle's first epistle to this church, when he told them (iii. 3,4) that no man should be moved by these afflictions; for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know. Similar to this is the language of our Lord, and of the other Apostles; and the state of things so described must so continue, until the arrival of that grand crisis which is under our consideration-the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

From this fourth verse we learn further, that it is lawful for a minister to glory, or boast, of his believing and obedient people, to other churches: not indeed of any native excellencies in themselves; not of their numbers, their riches, their temporal influence, their talents, or superiority in anything natural, which could minister to their pride: but of the manifestations of God's power in them, sustaining them in patience, by faith, under grievous trials, (verse 5,) which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer. The fact that they were providentially called to endurance, combined with the fact that they were graciously enabled to endure patiently and in faith, supplied to the Apostle a manifest proof of God's righteous dealings with them, preparing them for the enjoyment of his glorious kingdom.

Worthy is used in two senses, to express, 1, merit; and 2, meetness. A beautiful illustration of this is supplied by our communion service. As touching merit, we declare that we are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under the Lord's table: but as touching meetness, we insist upon the necessity of worthiness; saying, that if we eat and drink unworthily, we eat and drink our own damnation. He who

thinks himself worthy in the sense of merit, is utterly unworthy in the sense of meetness.

The sense in the passage now before us, is meetness. From the sufferings, as well as from the doings of creatures, in their highest and most perfect condition, merit is, and must be, for ever excluded; but there is something in suffering, when meekly and patiently endured, in the faith of God's merciful love: there is something in the rod, when the soul is humbled, in trembling cheerfulness to kiss the rod; which has a mighty effect upon the character, in producing meetness, or suitableness, or worthiness, for the inheritance of the kingdom of God.

In the contemplation of all this, the Apostle gives thanks to God, and proceeds to inform the church what the Lord will do, not with them only who suffer, but also with their enemies who caused them to suffer. This is remarkable. According to the estimate which we sometimes hear of charity, it would have been more kind, more gentle, more Christian, more meek-spirited, for the Apostle to have comforted the brethren, without mentioning their enemies; to have set before them their own high expectations, without turning their attention to the sufferings of the ungodly, or disturbing the minds of his readers by such words as "vengeance," "flaming fire," and "everlasting destruction." There is no more common feeling among the people of the world, who fancy themselves Christians, but who have little anxiety about the glory of God, than that it is unchristian to use harsh words. My brethren, the Bible is full of them: the glory of God must be consulted; and whatever human feeling may say, it ought to be enough for the believer to find that the Holy Ghost, the God of true love -(not that plausible professing love, which is in truth barbarity for it leaves the sinner in his sins to perish)-has uttered these words by the Apostle, declaring, with awful plainness, the approaching doom of the troublers of the brethren. They shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. It is a righteous thing, he says, for God to do this.

God is righteous: essentially, unalterably, eternally righteous. He will, he can do nothing but what is righteous. In his management of this world, during this present dispensation, or as we commonly express it, in Divine Providence, there are many things which seem to us to be unrighteous. In the language of one of our poets,

"That vice should triumph, virtue vice obey,

Here springs a doubt of Providence's sway.'

And, certainly, that dishonest men should thrive upon the gains of fraudulent dealing, and men of strict principle be

defrauded, and imposed upon, and laughed at: That plausible, fawning hypocrites should succeed in their wily schemes, and fasten evil reports, false charges, sorrows, persecutions, losses, upon their sincere and upright and unsuspecting neighbours: That such a man as Henry Martyn, whose whole heart and soul and life were devoted to the service of God, should be afflicted with pain and sickness, and cut off in the bloom of his age-while such a man as Carlile, who publicly tramples upon the Bible, and defies God to stike him dead, should be spared in health and strength, and ease, to an old age-these and such like are startling things to creatures such as we are, forming such opinions as we form, and cannot but form, concerning goodness and Omnipotence. But this is our infirmity. There is an old proverb, which, without the slightest irreverence, but in all holy solemnity, may be applied to this: "Fools and children should not judge of half-done work." A wise man who can understand the plan and end of the work, may form a correct judgment of the progress. An architect and a common labourer look with very different eyes and minds upon the foundation of a complicated but well-planned building. Touching God's great work in providence, the wisest man upon earth is but a fool, or a child, or an untutored labourer. It is as yet but half-done work. The foundation is indeed laid, and the work in progress, and the great Architect beholds the plan and end. The end will explain all. Providence is the enigma: judgment the solution. Nothing but the judgment can throw light, true light, upon the dark places of Providence. Now, as the judgment of God is entirely a matter of prophecy to us, it follows that except as we study and understand prophecy, and believe what is therein revealed, we have no true satisfactory light in the contemplation of Providence. The utmost that can be accomplished on this point, by. human sagacity, is a successful appeal to human ignorance. Difficulties similar to those we meet with in moral providence are shown to exist in the natural world. Nature, in all her procedure, is taken for granted to be God's work; and thence it is concluded, and most forcibly, that it would be unreasonable to deny his moral government, on account of difficulties similar to those, to which we must submit in the natural world. This after all is, as I have said, but an (argumentum ad ignorantiam) argument addressed to our ignorance. But the volume of prophecy contains information upon the subject. It supplies that measure of information which it has pleased God to bestow; and which will be found very satisfactory, both as regards the natural and the moral state of this present evil world. It sup

plies warning also; and thus addresses itself to the hopes and fears of every man who believes it.

But if men will not study the word of prophecy,-if they will persevere in saying, "prophecy was intended only for evidence after it is fulfilled, and every attempt to elucidate its meaning previously must be fanciful and vain," then they wilfully deprive themselves of divine information concerning the character of God's present patience, and divine warning concerning the nature of God's coming judgment.

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St. Paul beheld the providence of God over the church of the Thessalonians. It was dark. The people of God, who had forsaken idolatry, and were waiting for the coming of Christ, were persecuted and in affliction. The wicked heathen and Jewish persecutors were prosperous and powerful. How shall the Apostle view this state of things as righteous? And how shall he minister consolation to the saints, who were suffering under it? Impossible, without reference to prophecy. This, however, throws light upon the whole matter. It not only holds out hope in the end, but it reflects back righteousness upon the various steps of the progress. Here are undeserved suffering on one side, and unprovoked persecution on the other; and God seems to disregard it! Yet all is righteous, when looked upon as part of a great whole. Viewed as detached links, many things seem utterly disproportionate; but seen in the universal chain, and connected with the great end, all things are beautifully harmonious. The end is judgment: the righteous judgment of God: judgment twofold. Tribulation to the troublers: rest to the troubled. Vengeance, flaming fire, everlasting destruction to the persecutors: the kingdom of God, and the glory and beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the persecuted for righteousness sake. The time also of the judgment is here distinctly declared: When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels.

It is true, this judgment did not come during the lifetime of the suffering Thessalonians. It has not yet come. But God deals with and addresses his church as an aggregate continuous body, a sort of corporation, which lives from generation to generation. The last generation of it shall not die,* but be transformed in a moment into the likeness of their returning Lord; and so, at once, be eyewitnesses of his rectifying judgment. The church is addressed in the Bible as if each generation might be the last. Thus each successive generation, that gives heed to the Bible, is kept watchful; the language of the Bible is kept in perpetual application; and shall at last find

* 1 Thess. iv. 15-17. 1 Cor. xv. 51.

+ Matt. xxiv. 42-44. Phil. iii. 20, 21. James v. 7, 8.

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