without giving them any aid, either by their counsel or their example, the philosophers might urge that circumftance as a proof that these pretended meffengers of God were deficient in courage, and had no affection for their difciples; to the great difcredit of Paul in particular, who had boasted of his fortitude in fuffering for the gospel, and had professed the greatest love to the Theffalonians.

If the reader will, for a moment, suppose himself in the place of the learned Greeks, at the time the gospel was first preached in Theffalonica, he will be fenfible how natural it was for them to oppose it by disputation; nay, he will acknowledge that their discourses, after the apostle's flight, might be fuch as we have represented. On this fuppofition, it can hardly be doubted, that these discourses were reported to Timothy in Bercea, by the brethren who came to him from Theffalonica, after Paul's departure; and that when Timothy followed the apoftle to Athens, he informed him particularly of every thing he had heard. What else could have moved the apoftle to fend Timothy back to Theffalonica, to exhort the brethren concerning their faith, and to caution them not to be moved by his afflictions? 1 Theff iii. 2, 3. The truth is, the danger the Theffalonians were in, of being moved by the fpecious reasonings of the philosophers addreffed to their prejudices, was great, and would have required the presence of the apostle himself to fortify them. But as the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles were greatly enraged against him, he could not return, but employed Timothy to perform that office; which he was well qualified to do, by his extraordinary talents and endowments. Timothy, therefore, returning to Theffalonica, gave the brethren the neceffary exhortations and encouragements, which no doubt proved of great ufe to many.

During this fecond vifit to the Theffalonians, Timothy had an opportunity of hearing from the philofophers themselves, the objections which they urged against Paul's character and behaviour, together with the arguments whereby they endeavoured to difprove the gofpel. So that when he came to the apostle at Corinth, we may fuppofe he explained the whole to him with greater precision than formerly; and added, that although the fophifts had endeavoured to fhake the faith of the Theffalo

nians, they had stood firm hitherto, and had borne the persecution with admirable patience, 1 Theff. iii. 6. Nevertheless, being young converts, they were but ill fitted to maintain their cause against such powerful opponents, either in the way of arguing or of fuffering, unless they were properly affifted. Indeed the apostle himself, when he fled from Theffalonica, was fo fenfible of this, that during his abode in Beroa, he had endeavoured once and again to return to Theffalonica, that he might strengthen his converts, by defending the gospel against the cavils of the men of learning; but Satan hindered him, 1 Theff. ii. 18. Wherefore to fupply to the Theffalonian brethren the want of his prefence and counfels, he wrote them from Corinth this his first epistle, in which he furnished them with a formal proof of the divine original of the gospel, intermixed with answers to the objections, which we fuppofe the learned Greeks, who made the gofpel a fubject of difputation, raised against its evidences; together with a vindication of his own conduct in fleeing from Theffalonica, when the Jews and the idolatrous multitude affaulted the houfe of Jafon, in which he and his affiftants lodged.

This account of the apoftle's defign in writing his first epistle to the Theffalonians, and of the subjects handled in it, I acknowledge is not explicitly declared in the epiftle itself. But in the effay on St. Paul's manner of writing, I have fhewed that it is not by any formal declaration, but by the nature of the things written, that he commonly discovers the purpose for which he wrote. This is the cafe, particularly, in the firft epistle to the Theffalonians, where the nature of the things written clearly leads us to confider it as a proof of the divine original of the gofpel, and a refutation of the objections raised against the gospel and its preachers; for the whole fentiments evidently point toward these objects; and viewed in that light, the language in which they are clothed exhibits a clear unambiguous meaning, as fhall be fhewed in the illustrations prefixed to the feveral chapters. Not to mention, that, on fuppofition the apostle had these objects in view when he wrote this epiftle, many of his expreffions acquire a beauty, and energy, which entirely disappear when we lose fight of the apostle's defign. To these things add, that the long apology which the apostle makes for his fud

den

den flight from Theffalonica, together with the many warm expreffions of his affection to the Theffalonians, which take up a confiderable part of the fecond, and the whole of the third chapters, appear with the greatest propriety, confidered as a vindication of the apoftle's conduct as a missionary from God; whereas, in any other light, these particulars appear to be introduced for no purpose. Since, therefore, the things written in the first epistle to the Theffalonians, form a regular and connected proof of the divine original of the gofpel, there can be no doubt of the apostle's intending that proof, both for the confirmation of the faith of the Theffalonians, and for enabling them to convince unbelievers.

The subjects handled in this epiftle, being matters in which all the brethren throughout the province of Macedonia were equally concerned with the Theffalonians, the apostle ordered it to be read to all the holy brethren; chap. v. 27. that is, it was to be read publicly, not only in the church of the Theffalonians, but to the brethren in Philippi and Bercea, and in all the other cities in the province of Macedonia, where churches were planted. Nay, it was intended to be fhewed to the unbelieving inhabitants of that province, whofe curiofity might lead them to inquire into the causes of the rapid progrefs of the gospel, or whofe malice might incline them to impugn the Christian faith at least, the things written in this epiftle are evidently anfwers, which the Theffalonians were to give to fuch as required a reafon of the faith that was in them.

Before this fection is finished, it may be proper to remark, that the proof of the divine original of the gofpel, contained in the first epistle to the Theffalonians, being written by one of the greatest inspired preachers of the gospel, and being defigned for the confideration of perfons celebrated for their genius and learning, it will ever merit the attention of the friends of the Chriftian revelation, and fhould not be overlooked by its enemies; because it may be fuppofed to exhibit the principal arguments on which the Chriftian preachers themselves built their pretenfions as miffionaries from God, and by which they fo effectually deftroyed the prevailing idolatry, and turned great numbers of the heathens every where, to the faith and worship of the true God,

SECT. III. Of the Subjects treated in the first Epifle to the Theffalonians; and of the Perfons mentioned in the Infcription, as the Writers of this Epiftle.

IN the opinion of the best critics and chronologers, this being one of the first inspired writings which the Apostle Paul addreffed to the Greeks, whofe philofophical genius led them to examine matters of science and opinion with the greatest accuracy, he very properly chose for the subject of it, the proofs by which the gospel is fhewed to be a revelation from God. The reason is, by furnishing a clear and concife view of the evidences of the gospel, he not only confirmed the Theffalonians themselves in the faith thereof, as a revelation from God, but enabled them to perfuade others alfo of its divine original; or, at least, he taught them how to confute their adverfaries, who, by mifrepresentations and false reasonings, endeavoured to overthrow the gospel.

The arguments propofed in this epiftle, for proving the divine original of the Christian revelation, are the four following. 1. That many and great miracles were wrought by the preachers of the gospel, profeffedly for the purpose of demonstrating, that they were commiffioned by God to preach it to the world. -2. That the apoftles and their affiftants, by preaching the gofpel, brought upon themselves, every where, all manner of present evils, without obtaining the leaft worldly advantage, either in poffeffion or in prospect; That in preaching this new doctrine, they did not, in any refpect, accommodate it to the prevailing inclinations of their hearers, nor encourage them in their vicious practices: That they used none of the bafe arts peculiar to impoftors, for gaining belief; but that their manner of preaching and acting, was, in all refpects, fuitable to the character of miffionaries from God; fo that on account of their perfonal character, they were entitled to the highest credit as teachers.-3. That the first preachers of the gospel delivered to their difciples, from the very beginning, precepts of the greatest strictness and holiness: fo that by the fanctity of its precepts, the gospel is fhewed to be a scheme of religion every way worthy of the true God, and highly beneficial to mankind.-4. That

Jefus,

Jefus, the author of our religion, was declared to be the Son of God, and the Judge of the world, by his refurrection from the dead and that by the fame miracle, his own promise, and the predictions of his apostles concerning his return from heaven, to reward the righteous and punish the wicked, especially them who obey not his gofpel, are rendered abfolutely certain.

In fetting forth the proofs of the divine original of the gospel, the Apostle with great propriety infifted, in a particular manner, on the character, behaviour, and views of the Chriftian preachers: because an argument of that kind could not fail to have great weight with the Greeks, as it made them fenfible that the ministers of the gospel were the very reverse of their philosophers, the only teachers to whom that intelligent and inquifitive people had hitherto liftened. Wherefore we will not be mistaken, if we fuppofe, that in defcribing the character, manners, and views of the Chriftian teachers, the writers of this epiftle tacitly contrasted themselves, not only with impoftors in general, but with the Greek philofophers in particular, who, though in high estimation with the people, were many of them unprincipled impoftors, and exceffively debauched in their morals.

To the arguments offered in this epiftle, in proof of the gospel revelation, little can be added, except what arifes from the fulfilment of the prophefies of the Old Testament; and therefore, the very fame arguments have often, fince the apostle's days, been urged by those who have undertaken the defence of the Chrif tian religion. But it is proper to remark, that in the mouth of Paul and his affiftants, these arguments have double weight; for, it is not the miracles, the character, and the precepts of other perfons, which they have appealed to, but their own. And, as in this epiftle they have affirmed, in the most direct terms, that the Theffalonians were eye-witneffes of the miracles which they wrought for the confirmation of the gospel, and that they knew the fanctity both of their manners and of their precepts, no doubt can be entertained of these things. For it is not to be supposed, that three men of common understanding, would have joined in writing after this manner, to fuch numerous focieties as the Theffalonian church, and the other churches, in which they ordered this epiftle to be read, unless the things which they affirm were done in their presence, had really been true. And if

they