Paraphrase of the Hard Texts of Scripture, Scripture 48
THE FIRST EPISTLE OF S. PAVL THE APOSTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS.
CAP. I.
3 Remembring without ceasing your worke of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Iesus Christ, in in the sight of God and our Father.WE do, upon all occasons, give thanks to God, for your faith, hope, and charity; and for the gracious effects, and proofe of them all; that your faith hath approved it selfe in good workes, your love in a laboursome indeavour for the help of your brethren, your hope in a patient enduring of sufferings; whereby ye have fastned yourselves upon our Lord Jesus Christ, in sincerity, as in the sight of God, our heavenly Father.
Knowing brethren,4 Knowing brethren beloved, your election of God. and being upon good reason fully perswaded, that ye are elected of God, to salvation.
And the ground of this our perswasion, is the happy and fruitfull successe of our preaching amongst you;5 For our Gospell came not unto you in word onelyonly, but also in power, and in the holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as ye know what manner of men wee were among you for your sake. For our Gospell was not onelyonly verbally preached amongst you, and so formally intertained, but it was both delivered, and received amongst you, in much powerfull working upon your hearts, with much evidence of the holy Ghost, and in much assurance of the infallible truth thereof; as we doe also appeale to your consciences, after what manner we demeaned our selves amongst you, with what meeknesse, patience, diligence for the winning of your soules.
For when we goe about to report your forwardnesse,9 For they themselves shew of us, what manner of entring in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from Idols, to serve the living and true God. they are ready to prevent us; and upon famous relation can tell us how loving intertainment, and kinde acceptance we had from you, in our first entring to you; and how cheerfully yee obeyed our Gospell, in turning presently from your Idols, to serve the true, and ever-living God.
CAP. II.
FOr your selves brethren,1 For your selves brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vaine. and your owne consciences can abundantly testifie, that our preaching amongst you was not in vaine, but exceedingly effectuall.
To speake unto you the Gospell of God,2 To speake unto you the Gospell of God with much contention. with much fervency of zeale, and with powerfull opposition of the gainesayers.
For our teaching amongst you was not in a colloguing,3 For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleannesse, nor in guile. and colluding fashion, to make a gaine secretly of you, neither was it in a plausible way of humouring uncleannesse and impurity of living.
Neither did I make my preaching as a colour,5 Nor a cloake of covetousnesse, God is witnesse. or cloake of my covetous seeking for wealth; as if I aimed at my profit onelyonly, in my teaching.
When we might have taken upon us,6 When we might have beene burthensome as the Apostles of Christ. and have requited a charge…ble maintenance, and have borne a port, fit for the Apostles of Christ.
Not the Gospell onelyonly, but our very lives also,8 But also our owne soules, because yee were deare unto us. which are worthy to be most deare, and precious to us.
12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdome and glory.That yee would walke in so holy a manner, as might become those, whom God hath honoured with the high calling of Christianity; and to whom hee hath intended to give so glorious a kingdome.
14 For yee brethren became followers of the Churches of God which in Iudea are in Christ Iesus, for ye also have suffered like things of your owne countrimen, &c.For yee, brethren, became followers of those Christian Churches, which are planted in Judea, for ye also have suffered from your countrimen of Thessalonica, the very same kinde of persecutions, which they suffered of their countrimen, the Jewes.
15 Who both killed the Lord Iesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men.Which Jewes (that ye may see and know ye have partners, in all your sufferings, and hard measures offered unto you) have proceeded very maliciously in their cruell persecutions; for they both killed the Lord Jesus, and their owne holy Prophets; and have spightfully chased us, who are of their blood and nation; and have runne very deep upon the displeasure of God, and oppose themselves against all men in resisting the course, and successe of the Gospell among the Gentiles.
16 Forbidding us, to speake to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sinnes alway, &c. for the wrath is come upon them to the utmost.That they may make up that full measure of their owne, and their forefathers sinnes, upon the fulfilling whereof, God hath intended to sweep them away with his judgements, by the hands of the Romans; and to execute his wrathfull displeasure, and vengeance upon them to the utmost.
18 But Satan hindred us.But Satan stirred up these envious Jewes, to raise oppositions against me, and by these meanes hindered my journey to you.
CAP. III.
1 We thought it good to be left at Athens alone.WEe were well content rather to be left alone at Athens, then ye should want the help, and comfort of so worthy a teacher, as Timotheus our brother.
CAP. IV.
4 That every one of you should know how to possesse his vessell in sanctification, &c.THat every one of you should know how to use, and governe his body, holily, and chastly.
5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles, which know not God.Not yeelding your selves over to be slaves unto your owne beastly lusts and inordinate desires, as the Gentiles which know not God.
8 Hee therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who also hath given unto us his holy Spirit.Hee therefore that despiseth these wholsome, and Apostolicall counsels and commands, despiseth not man, but God himselfe; who hath given us his holy Spirit▪ and hath indited these things unto us.
I need not give this literall charge to you,9 But as touching brotherly love, yee need not that I write unto you, for yee your selves are taught of God to love one another. of loving one another, as if it were a thing as yet unperformed of you, for God hath already written these reall characters of love in your hearts, and hath enabled you to give good proofe of this Christian charity, to each other.
And that ye doe earnestly affect, and studiously endeavour for peace, and quietnesse,11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to doe your own businesse, and to worke with your owne hands. and laying aside all curious intermedling with other mens businesse, be carefull of your owne, &c.
Carry your selves in an honest and seemly fashion among the Gentiles, not giving them occasion of scorne,12 That yee may walke honestly towards them that are without, and that yee may have lacke of nothing. by your basenesse, and idle want; but labour in your vocations, so as that ye may have lacke of nothing, nor be too much beholden to others courtesie.
Concerning your dead friends,13 Concerning them which are asleepe, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. that ye sorrow not for their losse, in an over passionate, and immoderate fashion, and measure, like to Gentiles, that apprehend not the hope of a resurrection.
For this wee deliver unto you,15 For this wee say unto you, by the word of the Lord, that wee which are alive, and remaine unto the comming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. as from the expresse charge of God, that those which shall be found alive, at the second comming of the Lord to judgement, shall not prevent them, which are before dead in their graves, so as to be glorified before them.
For the Lord himselfe shall personally descend from heaven, with a mighty noyse,16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangell, and with the trumpe of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. even with the loud and powerfull voyce of an Archangell, which shall be as the trumpet of God, to summon the world before the tribunall of Christ; and then they that are dead in the faith of Christ, shall rise, ere the full consummation of the living.
CAP. V.
BUt as for any speciall designation of the times and seasons of Christs comming, brethren,1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, yee have no need that I write unto you. it is curiosity for you to inquire into it, and unnecessary for mee to write thereof to you.
This your selves know perfectly already,2 For your selves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so commeth as a thiefe in the night. and it is enough for you to know it, that whensoever that day commeth, it shall come suddenly, and inexpectedly, even as a theefe in the night.
Therefore let us not give up our selves to a carnall security, as doe others;6 Therefore let us not sleepe as doe others, but let us watch and be sober. but let us be watchfull and sober.
7 For they that sleepe, sleepe in the night, and they that be drunken, are drunken in the night.For the time of darknesse is fit for the workes of darknesse: sleepers and drunkards make choice of the night, as meetest for them.
8 But let us who are of the day, be sober, putting on the brestplate of faith, and love, and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.But let us, who are children of the light, and with whom there is no night of riot, and disorder, be ever sober; our profession cals us unto it; for wee know wee are in a continuall warfare; we must therefore be ever watchfull, and be furnished with the brestplate of a lively faith in Christ, with love to our brethren, and with hope of salvation by Christ, as with an helmet.
12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you.And wee beseech you brethren, that you take speciall notice of, and give due regard to those your spirituall overseers, which labour amongst you in word, and doctrine, and have the charge of your soules committed unto them by the Lord, and do admonish you.
16 Rejoyce evermore.Rejoyce in the Lord alwayes, and let none of the outward crosses of this life, rob you of your joy in the holy Ghost.
17 Pray without ceasing.Pray upon all occasions, and at all meet oportunities, and be evermore lifting up your hearts in heavenly ejaculations to God.
19 Quench not the Spirit.Doe not ye coole, and discourage, and (as much as in you lieth) quench and put out the good graces of Gods Spirit, either in your selves or in others; but cherish and foster them.
20 Despise not Prophesying.Despise not the preaching of the Gospell, upon any pretence soever, whether of the meanenesse of gifts, or of prejudice against the teacher; but reverence and honour it.
23 And I pray God your whole spirit, and soule, and body be preserved blamelesse unto the, &c.And I pray God that all your inward faculties of understanding, will, affections, and all outward members of your bodies may be preserved, &c.