destruction. The apostle expresses his ardent gratitude to God for the increasing faith and glowing love by which this church was characterized. Nor less did he commend their patience that difficult virtue-under persecutions, tokens to them of faithfulness, and earnests of judgment on persecutors.

66 'The written word of God is so contrived that it did not only serve to edify those unto whom it was first directed, but also doth hold forth copious matter of edification unto all others to whose knowledge it shall come, and should be improved by them accordingly : for this and the rest of Paul's epistles, which were at first directed to such and such particular churches and persons, do stand in Scripture as a rule and canon of faith and manners unto all Christian churches and persons to the world's end. 'Paul, unto the Church of the Thessalonians.'

"The Spirit of God which speaketh in Scripture, doth not so much regard either variety or elegance of words and style, as the purpose expressed by those words; and ministers who would rather edify the Lord's people, than beget a good opinion of their own abilities among their hearers, should study to be acted by the same spirit (1 Cor. ii. 4); for Paul useth the very same form of plain words in the inscription of this epistle, which he used in the former. 'Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus,' &c.

"Though the Lord hath bound himself by absolute promise, to grant unto us whatever we ask in the name of Christ (John xvi. 23), and according to his will (1 John v. 14), yet the most fervent prayers of gracious saints, accompanied with all conditions required in prayer, are not always attended with an answer in the same very thing which is sought; and therefore the forementioned

promises must be understood with this alternative, God will grant us, either what we pray for, or what He in wisdom seeth more expedient for us (2 Cor. xii. 8, 9); for Paul prayed fervently that he might see their face (1 Thess. iii. 10), which desire hath not been granted, as appeareth by his writing to them of new to supply the continued want of his presence. 'Paul, to the Church of the Thessalonians.'

"The Lord's people, and especially his public instruments, when marred and crossed in prosecuting some one or other expedient, projected by them as tending much to advance the Lord's work, ought not to fret or sit down discouraged, but to consider wisely what other expedient the Lord in providence doth carve out to be followed by them instead of that, and without anxiety are to apply themselves unto it: for Paul, being hindered from coming to them, without more ado doth reverence the Lord in his disappointment, and betaketh himself to writing. 'Paul, unto the Church of the Thessalonians.'

The Apostle declare in 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."

On these words Ferguson thus comments :—

"A minister's boasting and gloriation as to his flock and charge should not be in their multitude, riches, greatness, or civilities towards himself, nor yet simply in their high esteem of him for his abilities and graces, but in the success of his pains among them, and in the saving graces of God's Spirit bestowed upon them by means of his ministry; neither is it unlawful, but sometimes convenient, for a minister so to glory in his

flock, providing his gloriation be qualified as Paul's was; for Paul saith, 'We ourselves glory in you, for your faith and patience.'

"As it is the duty of the Lord's people to speak to the commendation of God's grace in others, so they should be ruled by prudence in the discharge of this duty, and not too lavish in their commendations, either by commending men too much above their known worth, or by boasting of them, although their worth deserve it, indifferently unto all, even to those who know not the worth of grace, and to whom the boaster, party boasted of, and the graces of God's Spirit for which he boasteth, are alike unsavoury. There should be a distinct and prudent choice both of the party in whom, and of the party to whom we boast: for Paul's boasting is of men eminently gracious, as the preceding verse doth shew, and not indifferently before all, but only in the churches of God. 'So that,' saith he, 'we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God.'

"That persecutions, crosses, and tribulations, especially from wicked men, are the ordinary lot of God's church and people. In all your persecutions and tribulations which you endure,' saith he.

"The greatest glory of Christians, and the richest matter of gloriation in them, and of thankfulness to God which can be afforded unto others from them, is not so much in their resisting by force, and breaking the yoke and power of their persecuting enemies, as in their meek and patient endurance of the utmost of their rage and fury, before they cede one hove [concede anything] in the point of truth and duty; for Paul did glory in them for their 'patience in all their tribulations.'

"As the grace of patience under sufferings presupposeth faith, and cannot be where faith is not, whatever seeming patience a natural man, destitute of faith in Jesus Christ, may have, it is not a saving grace, but either brutish stupidity (Gen. xlix. 15), or heartless despair (Gen. iv. 13, 14), or, at the best, a moral virtue only (1 Cor. xiii. 3), defective as to the intensive measure of patience, contrary to Col. i. 11, or as to the extent of patience to all crosses, contrary to Col. i. 11, and as to the spiritual grounds and motives from which it should flow, contrary to Rom. v. 3, compared with 1; so the more a man doth grow in faith the more he will be assisted and furnished with the grace of patience under cross dispensations; and as faith is weakened, so our patience also will decay and languish. For, he joineth their 'patience with faith in all their tribulations.'

"As grace is then most praiseworthy, when, the more it is opposed, the more it groweth ; so it argueth an eminent degree of faith and patience, and such as may indeed be boasted of, and propounded as a pattern for imitation unto others, when variety of trials and cross dispensations from God, and of persecutions from men, do not mar, but rather quicken the exercise of those graces; for their 'patience' and 'faith,' of which he gloried, were such as did sustain them and make them 'endure all their persecutions and tribulations.""

In verse 5, the Apostle remarks,-" 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."

"As none shall enjoy the kingdom of heaven but those whom God maketh fit and meet for it, though

not by making them to merit heaven (for it is the gift of God, Rom. vi. 23), yet by working in them all those gracious qualifications, which are required in those upon whom he hath bound himself by gracious covenant and promise to bestow eternal happiness (Col. i. 12, with 13, 14); so that the main business of the day of God's righteous judgment, at least that piece of it wherein the comfort of believers doth chiefly lie, shall be in the Lord's judicial accepting, and public declaring, that the persecuted godly (whom wicked men did judge the scum and off-scouring of the world, 1 Cor. iv. 13), are worthy, fit, and meet to reign with him for ever. Which gracious acceptation of his, though it be really past (Eph. i. 6), and intimated to their own consciences here on earth (1 John iii. 19), yet the public manifestation of it, in the view of angels, devils, and reprobates, is reserved until that day, and shall be then performed; for he sheweth that the end and event of the righteous judgment of God is, that they may be counted judicially accepted and declared 'worthy' and meet for the kingdom of God.' Now, he accounteth and declareth none meet for it but those who are made meet."

"As the kingdom of heaven and glory is worthy to be suffered for, and will be so esteemed of by all them who shall one day be counted worthy of it, and meet for it; so, such ill will hath Satan that any should enjoy that kingdom, which he himself hath irrecoverably lost (2 Pet. ii. 4), and such is the hatred of wicked men, though not to heaven itself, yet to the way of faith and obedience which leadeth to it, that there is none who entereth that way, who may not expect the utmost of Satan's and wicked men's malice to pursue them in it, and that