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being no longer able to bear | how ye ought to walk, and to

my solicitude, I sent to know your faith; fearing lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labour might be in vain.

6 But now, when Timothy came to us from you, and brought us glad tidings of your faith and love, and that ye have a good remembrance of us always, longing to see us, as we also do, to see you; 7 for this cause, brethren, we were comforted concerning you in all our affliction and distress, even by your faith: 8 for now, if ye stand firmly in the Lord, we live indeed.

please God, ye would abound more and more. 2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification; that ye abstain from fornication; 4 that every one of you know how to keep his body* in sanctification and honour; 5 (not in the passion of desire, even as the nations that know not God;) 6 so as not to go beyond and overreach his brother in this matter: because the Lord is an avenger of all such, as we have also formerly told you, and testified.

7 For God hath not called! us to uncleanness, but to sanctification. 8 He therefore who despiseth, despiseth not man, but God; who hath also given to us his holy spirit.

9 NOW as concerning brotherly kindness, ye need not that I write to you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another: 10 and indeed ye do this towards all the

9 For what thanks can we return to God because of you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sakes before our God; 10 night and day praying very exceedingly, that we might see your face, and might perfect that which remaineth behind of your faith? 11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. 12 And may [the Lord] make you to increase and brethren who are in all Maceabound in love one towards an-donia. But we beseech you, other, and towards all men, even brethren, that ye abound in love as we do towards you: 13 that still more; 11 and he may establish your hearts earnestly strive to be quiet, and in holiness unblameable before to do your own business, and our God and Father, at the to work with your [own] hands, coming of our Lord Jesus as we formerly commanded you; [Christ] with all his saints. 12 that ye may walk becomingly towards those who are without, and that ye may have need of nothing.

CH. IV. 1 FINALLY, then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as ye have received of us

that ye

13 NOW we would not have • Gr. vessel. Newcome.

you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are fallen asleep; that ye grieve not, even as others, who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died, and arose; so also, we believe that God, through Jesus, will bring with him also those who are fallen asleep.

15 For this we say to you, by the word of the Lord, that we who shall be alive, and who shall remain to the appearance of the Lord, shall not be before those who are fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will first be raised: 17 afterward, we who shall be alive, and who shall remain, shall be caught up together with them in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air and so, we shall ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore, comfort ye one another with these words.*

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4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that the last day should overtake you as a thief. 5 For all ye are sons of light, and sons of the day; we are not of the night and of darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, even as others; but let us watch, and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep by night; and those who are drunken, are drunken by night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober; and put on the breast-plate of faith and love, and, for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ; 10 who died for us, that, whether we are waking or sleeping at that day, we shall live together with him. 11 Wherefore, comfort each other, and edify one another, even as ye do.

12 NOW we beseech you, brethren, to acknowledge those who labour among you, and preside over you in the Lord, CH. V. 1 BUT Concerning the and admonish you; 13 and to times and the seasons, brethren, esteem them very highly in ye have no need that I write love for the sake of their office. to you. 2 For yourselves well Be at peace among yourselves. know that the day of the Lord 14 And we exhort you, brethwill come as a thief in the ren, admonish those who are night. 3 When men shall say, disorderly, comfort the feeble"Peace and safety;" then sud-minded, support the weak, be den destruction will come upon long-suffering towards all. them, as pangs upon a woman with child: and they shall not escape.

15 See that none render evil for evil to any; but always follow that which is good, [both]

"Observe here, that all the consolation, which the apostle administers to the bereaved and mourning Thessalonians, is derived from the Christian hope of a resurrection, and from what would happen at that awful and glorious period. He takes no notice of an intervening state of perception and felicity of which their deceased friends were even then in possession. A circumstance which the apostle could hardly have omitted, had the existence of such a state been revealed to him." Im. Ver. note.

towards one another and towards all men.

16 Rejoice always. 17 Pray without ceasing: 18 in every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 19 Quench not the spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings: 21 but prove all things; and hold fast that which is good. 22 Abstain from all appearance of

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25 BRETHREN pray for us. 26 Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss. 27 I adjure you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the [holy] brethren. 28 The favour of our Lord 23 And may the God of Jesus Christ be with you. peace himself sanctify you Amen.

evil.

THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE
THESSALONIANS.

CHAP. I.

1 PAUL and Sylvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians which is in God our Father, and in our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 favour be to you, and peace, from God [our] Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

3 We ought to thank God continually for you, brethren, as it is fit, that your faith increaseth exceedingly, and that the love of every one of you all towards each other aboundeth 4 so that we ourselves glory in you among the churches of God, for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and afflictions which ye endure; 5 for a manifestation of the

just judgment of God, and to the end that ye may be rendered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye even suffer: 6 since it is a just thing with God, to recompense affliction to those who afflict you: 7 but to you who are afflicted, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who know not God, and who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 these shall suffer punishment, even aionian destruction, from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10 when he shall come in that day to be glorified by his saints,

* i. e. he will grant my petition for you.

11 To which end also we ray for you always, that our God would render you worthy of this calling, and accomplish with power, every kind intenion of beneficence, and work of faith: 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in im, according to the favour of our God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ.

and to be admired by all those | now ye know what hindereth ; who have believed: (for our to the end that he may be reestimony among you hath been vealed in his own time. 7 For >elieved.) the mystery of unrighteousness already worketh: only he who now hindereth will hinder, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then the unrighteous one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of his mouth, and will destroy with the brightness of his appearance: 9 even him, whose appearance is according to the working of the adversary, with all false miracles and signs and wonders, 10 and with all iniquitous deceit [among] those who are lost; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

CH. II. 1 NOW we beseech you, brethren, concerning the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to him, 2 that ye be not easily shaken from your judgment, or troubled, either by revelation of the spirit, or by word, or by epistle, as from us, that the day of the Lord is instantly coming.*

3 Let no one by any means deceive you for that day will not come, unless there come first a falling away, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of destruction; 4 who opposeth, and exalteth himself above every one who is called god, or the object of worship: so that he sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself to be a god.

5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And

11 And for this cause God will send them a mighty working of error, that they should believe a falsehood; 12 so that all will be condemned who believe not the truth, but have pleasure [in] iniquity.

13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, that God from the beginning chose you to salvation, in holiness of spirit, and belief of the truth: 14 for which end, he hath called you through our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 So then, brethren, stand firmly, and hold fast the tradiItions which ye have been taught,

See Rom. viii. 38. 1 Cor. iii. 22. The apostle had never affirmed that the second coming of Christ was to take place instantaneously, or that very year, as he knew that some imporant events were to intervene. But this is by no means inconsistent with the supposition, that he might expect this event to take place before the decease of some who were then living. See Im. Ver. note.

whether by our word or by for nothing; but worked with our epistle. 16 Now our Lord labour and toil, night and day, Jesus Christ himself, and our that we might not be burdenGod and Father, who hath lov- some to any of you: 9 not beed us, and hath given us aio- cause we have no right; but nian comfort and good hope to make ourselves an example through favour, 17 comfort to you, that ye might imitate your hearts, and establish [you] | us. in every good doctrine and

work.

CH. III. 1 FINALLY, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is among you; 2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all have not faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you, and keep you from evil. 4 And we have confidence through the Lord,.concerning you, that ye both do, and will do, the things which we command you. 5 And may the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God, and to the patient waiting for Christ.

6 Now, we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw yourselves from every brother who walketh disorderly, and not according to the tradition which they received from us. 7 For yourselves know how ye ought to imitate us; for we behaved not ourselves in a disorderly way among you: 8 nor did we eat bread from any one

10 For, when we were with you, this we commanded you, that, if any be not willing to work, neither let him eat. 11 For we hear that there are some among you, who walk disorderly, doing no business, but prying into the business of others. 12 Now those who are such we command, and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that they quietly do their own business, and eat their own bread.

13 But, brethren, be ye not weary in well-doing. 14 And if any one obey not our word by this epistle, mark that man, [and] keep not company with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. 16 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always, in every manner. The Lord be with you all.

17 THE salutation by the hand of me Paul; which is my token in every epistle: thus I write. 18 The favour of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. [Amen.]

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