Deo, qui vocavit vos in suum regnum et gloriam.
CHAPTER 2
the Church than to their own life, and not be impelled to duty by a regard to their own advantage, but by a sincere love to those to whom they know that they are conjoined, and laid under obligation. 698
1 Thessalonians 2:9-12
1 Thessalonians 2:9-12 9. For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.
9. Memoria enim tenetis, fratres, laborem nostrum et sudorem: nam die ac nocte opus facientes, ne gravaremus quenquam vestrum, praedicavimus apud vos Evangelium Dei.
10. Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:
10. Vos testes estis et Deus, ut sancte, et iuste, et sine querela vobis, qui creditis, fuerimus.
11. As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,
11. Quemadmodum nostis, ut unumquemque vestrum, quasi pater suos liberos,
12. That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
12. Exhortati simus, et monuerimus et obtestati simus, ut ambularetis digne Deo, qui vocavit vos in suum regnum et gloriam.
9 For ye remember. These things tend to confirm what he had stated previously --- that to spare them he did not spare himself. He must assuredly have burned with a wonderful and more than human zeal, inasmuch as, along with the labor of teaching, he labors with his hand as an operative, with the view of earning a livelihood, and in this respect, also, refrained from exercising his right. For it is the law of Christ, as he also teaches elsewhere, (1 Corinthians 9:14) that every church furnish its ministers with food and other necessaries. Paul, therefore, in laying no burden upon the Thessalonians, does something more than could, from the requirements of his office, have been required from him. In addition to this, he does not merely refrain from incurring public expense, but avoids burdening any one individually. Farther, there can be no doubt, that he was influenced by some good and special consideration in thus refraining from exercising his right, 699 for in other churches he exercised, equally with others, the liberty allowed him. 700 He received nothing from the Corinthians, lest he should give the false apostles a handle for glorying
698"Pour vne vraye amour et non feinte qu'ils portent a ceux, ausquels ils scauent que Dieu les a conionts et liez ou obligez;" — "From a true and unfeigned love which they bear to those, to whom they know that God has conjoined, and tied, or bound them."
699"Entre les Thessaloniciens;" — "Among the Thessalonians." 700"La liberte que Dieu donne;" — "The liberty that God gives."
John Calvin as to this matter. In the mean time, he did not hesitate to ask 701 from other churches, what was needed by him, for he writes that, while he bestowed labor upon the Corinthians, free of charge, he robbed the Churches that he did not serve. (2 Corinthians 11:8) 702 Hence, although the reason is not expressed here, we may, nevertheless, conjecture that the ground on which Paul was unwilling that his necessities should be ministered to, was --- lest such a thing should put any hindrance in the way of the gospel. For this, also, ought to be matter of concern to good pastors --- that they may not merely run with alacrity in their ministry, but may, so far as is in their power, remove all hindrances in the way of their course.
10 Ye are witnesses. He again calls God and them to witness, with the view of affirming his integrity, and cites, on the one hand, God as a witness of his conscience, and them, 703 on the other hand, as witnesses of what they had known by experience. How holily, says he, and justly, that is, with how sincere a fear of God, and with what fidelity and blamelessness towards men; and thirdly, unreproachably, by which he means that he had given no occasion of complaint or obloquy. For the servants of Christ cannot avoid calumnies, and unfavorable reports; for being hated by the world, they must of necessity be evil-spoken of among the wicked. Hence he restricts this to believers, who judge uprightly and sincerely, and do not revile malignantly and groundlessly.
11 Every one as a father. He insists more especially on those things which belong to his office. He has compared himself to a nurse: he now compares himself to a father. What he means is this --- that he was concerned in regard to them, just as a father is wont to be as to his sons, and that he had exercised a truly paternal care in instructing and admonishing them. And, unquestionably, no one will ever be a good pastor, unless he shews himself to be a father to the Church that is committed to him. Nor does he merely declare himself to be such to the entire body, 704 but even to the individual members. For it is not enough that a pastor in the pulpit teach all in common, if he does not add also particular instruction, according as necessity requires, or occasion offers. Hence Paul himself, in Acts 20:26, declares himself to be free from the blood of all men, because he did not cease to admonish all publicly, and also individually in private in their own houses. For instruction given in common is sometimes of little service, and some cannot be corrected or cured without particular medicine.
12 Exhorted. He shews with what earnestness he devoted himself to their welfare, for he relates that in preaching to them respecting piety towards God and the duties of the Christian life, it had not been merely in a perfunctory way, 705 but he says that he had made use of exhortations and adjurations. It is a 701"Il n'a point fait de conscience de prendre lors des autres Eglises;" — "He made no scruple to take at that time from other Churches."
702See Calvin on the Corinthians, vol. 2, p. 347. 703"Les Thessaloniciens;" — "The Thessalonians." 704"Tout le corps de ceste Eglise-la;" — "The whole body of the Church there." 705"Il n'y a point este par acquit, comme on dit;" — "It had not been in the mere perfor-