1 Thessalonians 2

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And yourselves, my dear Christian brethren, know that, as I and my two fellow preachers did not entertain you with unprofitable subjects, or a mere sound of words in our ministrations, so they were not without that good fruit which the promise of God had given us ground to expect

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And in hopes of this, even after we had been treated with the utmost cruelty and contempt at Philippi, we, in an humble dependance on our God, publicly preached the gospel among you with an holy resolution and undaunted courage, and with great zeal and fervour of spirit, striving for your conversion, and against the furious opposition of the unbelieving Jews: 3. For our exhortations to duty, and comforting encouragements under sufferings, did not consist of erroneous doctrines leading to licentiousness, but of the pure gospel of Christ, productive of holiness in heart and life; nor did we minister to you in hypocritical pretences of piety and zeal, or of love to you, in order to promote our own selfish ends, but in the sincerity of our hearts, for the glory of God and your real welfare

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There was no falsehood or impurity in the matter, or insincerity or selfishness in the manner, of our preaching; but as God had chosen, authorized, and furnished us for, and intrusted us with, the preaching of the gospel, so we endeavoured to preach it exactly as we received it from him—not in a manner suited to the corrupt taste, notions, and fancies of men, but with such purity and sincerity as God the searcher of hearts could not but approve of

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We can appeal to you, and even to God himself, that we never studied by fawning or complimentary speeches, to ingratiate ourselves with any of you; nor did we ever encourage any to expect salvation in their sins or by their own righteousness or strength; nor did we ever make use of religion as a pretence to cover some secret design of making advantage of you

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Nor were we ever ambitious of being honoured by men, or ever contrived, intended or endeavoured, to be admired, caressed, or applauded by any among whom we ministered; nor (though as messengers of Christ we might have justly claimed it) did we ever require a maintenance from you: 7. But, on the contrary, we behaved among you with such humility, modesty, meekness, and self-denial, as plainly marked the most tender and affectionate concern to do every thing possible for your spiritual benefit, help, comfort, and eternal salvation

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In so much that we not only took great pleasure in preaching to you the gospel of Christ in a suitableness to your necessities, but were ready to testify our affection to you in the most tender compassion, exhausting our strength and spirits, and hazarding or even laying down our lives to promote your spiritual and eternal welfare

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In proof of which, ye cannot but remember that, while we were among you, we not only spent our strength in our ministerial labours, but even worked early and late at our secular callings for our livelihood:—that, as an evidence it was not your wealth, but your spiritual and eternal salvation, we were earnestly desirous of—we might preach the gospel to you without putting you to any expense

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We can appeal to your consciences, and even to the all-seeing and heart-searching God, that we exercised ourselves, in a conscientious discharge of all the duties of religion towards God, and of righteousness towards men; and always in such a sober, humble, benevolent, and inoffensive, manner as might best recommend the good ways of the Lord among you, who were brought to the faith of Christ by our ministrations. 11, 12. And, while we set you a good example in our behaviour, ye cannot but know how we counselled, entreated, excited, and encouraged, every one of you to practise the like Christian duties in your respective stations; and did all that we could to comfort you under your tribulations; and, with the greatest earnestness and affection, in the name and authority of Jesus Christ, solemnly charged you to live answerably to the holy nature and will, and to the special favours, of God as your God, who has effectually called you by the gospel to partake of all the blessings and honours of his kingdom of grace in this world, and of his kingdom of glory in that which is to come: 13. In reflection upon which, we are exceedingly thankful to God, and daily praise his blessed name, that, when we were sent by him to preach the gospel to you, your hearts were opened to attend to it and embrace it with reverence, faith, love, and obedience, not as an human scheme, or on the ground of human authority, but as indeed a revelation from God, and upon the ground of his authority, as a doctrine of which none but God himself is the Contriver and Author, and which, through his blessing, worketh so powerfully in changing the sentiments, inclinations, and views, of you who believed it

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As a proof of which effectual operation in you, ye had no sooner embraced it in faith and love, than ye became imitators of us and of the believers in Judea; courageously, calmly, patiently, and even cheerfully, submitting to the persecutions of your countrymen for the sake of Christ, even as they did to those of their Jewish brethren

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Who, in the madness of their rage, murdered the Lord of glory, and only Saviour of mankind, as their fathers did the ancient prophets; and who have all along, and every where, persecuted us ministers of Christ; acting in direct opposition to the merciful nature and holy law and gospel of God, and even to the common welfare of men

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Doing what in them lies to hinder our preaching the gospel to you Gentiles for your conversion and salvation; and thus, through their obstinate prejudices and furious opposition to Christ and his servants and cause, filling up the measure of their own and their fathers’ iniquities, till the righteous vengeance of God, which has already begun against them, dreadfully complete their ruin, and without remedy destroy their church and state for many ages, till the fulness of the Gentiles’ conversion to Christ occasion their restoration. 17, 18. Being by their outrageous persecution driven from you exceedingly against our will, when in your tribulation and danger ye had much need of our further counsel, admonitions, cautions, and encouragements, my brethren, and especially myself have been extremely desirous, and have once and again attempted to pay you a visit; but Satan, that adversary of Christ and his ministers, and of your salvation, has hitherto, by his instruments, laid such entanglements and obstacles in our way as rendered it improper. 19, 20. We are nevertheless still as mindful of you as ever, and as affectionately desirous to see you, if the Lord permit; for what 13 E is the hope which chiefly animates us in our ministrations? What is our chief joy in them? Or what is the crown of glory we expect as our reward at the end?—Is it not that we shall present you and other converts as chaste virgins to Christ; that when he who is our life shall appear, ye, together with us, may appear with him in glory, and sit on his right hand?

REFLECTIONS UPON CHAP. II.—Great patience, courage, candour, diligence, humility, prudence, tender affection, self-denial, unblameable holiness, and equity, are necessary for ministers in all their ministrations and conduct. And happy is the church in which such are found, and where hearers receive the gospel into their hearts upon the testimony of the Holy Ghost, and experience it powerfully influencing them to universal holiness and readiness to suffer for its sake! Desperately malicious are apostate professors against Christ, his truths and people; and certain and dreadful is their punishment. In manifold forms Satan bestirs himself to hinder the spread of the gospel by faithful ministers. But dear is the affection such bear to their spiritual children; great the comfort they take in them now, and exalted the honour they will have by them in the great day of account