by another to brangle it (Luke xxii. 31, 32), as knowing therein the believer's great strength doth lay (1 John v. 4), that even the strongest faith hath need of confirmation and establishment: and it is the godly man's wisdom and duty, in trying times, to have a special care to guard his faith, as that grace which not only Satan striveth to shake most, but also upon the stability whereof the safety, strength, and vigour of his other graces depend much for though Paul had praised their faith much (chap. i. 8), yet he sends here to confirm it, and it especially more than any other of their graces To establish you concerning your faith, saith he.

"A singular means for strengthening faith, under sad afflictions and trials, is for ministers to hold out, and people to embrace those excellent comforts, which the word of truth holds forth to the Lord's people in suffering times: our standing at a distance from, and questioning our interest in those, do breed discouragement and terror, and thereby make way for shameful fainting in duty, and foul defection from truth (Heb. xii. 13); for Timotheus was sent both 'to establish and comfort them concerning their faith.''

In the third verse he mentions another object he had in view, "That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto." The afflictions he refers to are those he experienced himself. There is conveyed to us in this incidental remark, that his Thessalonian congregation, hearing that Paul was in perils by land, in perils by sea, in perils among false brethren, might draw an inference that human nature is very prone to draw, that Paul could not be a good man, seeing he

"And there

you that you

A

was the subject of so many afflictions. fore," says Paul, "I have sent him to tell should not be moved, nor put out of your way, in the midst of the afflictions that I suffer; for we told you before that we, the ministers of the gospel, should suffer tribulation." How prone are we all still, when we hear of a great calamity, to draw from it the inference that the subject of it must have been guilty of a great crime. But that is often a great mistake. man may die building a beautiful church, and not be a Christian; another may die building a playhouse, and yet be a child of God and an heir of heaven. One man may die at his daily meal, and die in the Lord; another may die at a communion-table, and be a stranger to Christ and to the power of the gospel altogether. One man may die peacefully, in the beautiful language of Scripture fall asleep, without suffering, and in the midst of sorrowing friends; another man may be crushed in a railway train, or lost in the stormy ocean, or struck down on the field of battle; the latter may die in the Lord, and the former may be a stranger to religion altogether. And hence our Lord, with grand wisdom, with true philosophy, says, "Think ye that those eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell were sinners above all men? I tell you, nay." In other words, never infer what a man is before God by what a man suffers in this present world. God's greatest saints are often, for mysterious reasons, the world's greatest sufferers; but then the suffering of a Christian is not penal-that is, the punishment of a criminal; but always and everywhere paternal-that is, the chastisement of a son by a father. But of all judgments that is the most incorrect, the most uncha

ritable, that thinks, as an element of conviction, less what character is, and thinks more what the judgment or the affliction is. God's people are Christians, whatever they suffer; they that are not his people are not Christians, if sunshine should constantly eradiate their footsteps, and a peace-such a peace as it is-should occupy their hearts continually.

Then says the apostle, in the next place, "For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter,"—that is Satan," have tempted you, and our labour be in vain. But now," he adds, "when Timothy came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity," or love; "and that ye have good remembrance of us always, as anxious to see us as we are to see you; then, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith," that is to say, the apostle cared not for his affliction, in consequence of the comfort he derived from the progress, the happiness, and prosperity of his people.

"The Lord doth powerfully overrule and turn about the deepest designs of Satan against his work to the furtherance of it, as if they had been purposely contrived for that end; for Satan, by hindering Paul to go to Thessalonica (chap ii. 18), got no advantage, but detriment, in so far as when Paul was converting souls to God, first at Athens, next at Corinth, Timotheus was confirming the Church at Thessalonica: 'When Timotheus came from you unto us,' which supposeth he had been with them, and Satan could not hinder that.

"That the work of God's grace doth thrive among a people is good tidings from them, and such good

tidings may be had even from persecuted Christians ; for those were the tidings which Timotheus did report from this persecuted Church, and they are called good tidings: 'He brought us good tidings of your faith,' &c.

"The Lord's way with his work and people doth often soar so high above all probable means, that it disappoints and abundantly refutes our anxious, and sometimes misbelieving fears. So was it here, ver. 5, he feared they had yielded to the tempter in his absence from them at a time of so great need, but now he finds it was otherwise, the Lord having supplied the want of Paul by some other way: 'He brought us good tidings of your faith and charity.'

"The best tidings which can be reported of any is, that he is a believer in Jesus Christ, a maintainer of charity and good works in his own practice, and one that accounteth highly of the faithful servants of Jesus Christ; and as all those three are always conjoined, so nothing almost worth the hearing can be reported of any, in whom all or any of those are wanting; for the good tidings which he reported were, of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us,' saith Paul.

"Though none who are truly godly ought to be excluded from our special love, yet some may justly challenge a choice room in our affections above others, according to our special interest in them, and stricter tie unto them by nature (1 Tim. v. 4), by cohabitation (1 Tim. v. 8), by favours received from them (1 Sam. xviii. 1), by their greater usefulness in the work of God (2 Sam. xviii. 3), and because of a greater measure of God's grace shining in them; for they made evident their special love unto Paul beyond

VOL. IX.

others, by their 'good remembrance of him, and desire to see him.'

"Among all those who may justly claim, and do most easily obtain a choice room in the child of God his affections above others, a gracious minister whom the Lord hath made instrumental for his conversion is with the first; for Paul had been an instrument of their conversion, and therefore he shareth most deeply in their love: ́And that ye have good remembrance of us,' saith he.

"As Christian love doth vent itself in speaking the best of the party loved, so it differeth much as to this effect, from popular applause; Christian love is a constant friend, but popular applause is most uncertain."

He adds, "What thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God?" A large measure of apostolic joy was derived from the happiness and comfort of apostolic Christians. "Night and day," he says, "I prayed exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith." His whole prayer was that he might be useful.

He concludes the chapter by an earnest prayer': "Now God himself, even our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour, direct our way unto you," that is, so arrange, so facilitate our engagements, that we may be able to see you.

"So necessary, and of so universal use, is this duty of prayer, that our heart should be constantly kept in such a readiness to it, that whenever the least opportunity is offered, we may set about it; yea, and where a man is fervent in prayer, he will lay hold upon every occasion to break out in it; for Paul having but made