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1 Paul and Siluanus, and Timotheus, vnto the Church of the Thessalonians, which is in God our Father, and in the Lord Iesus Christ:

2 Grace be with you, & peace fro God our Father, and from the Lorde Iesus Christ.

3 The first part of the epistle, in which he rejoices that through the grace of God, they have bravely sustained all the assaults of their enemies. And in this he strengthens and encourages them, moreover showing with what gifts they must mainly fight, that is, with faith and charity, which must daily increase.We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith That whereas it grew up before, it does also receive some increase every day more and more. groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;

4 So that we our selues reioyce of you in the Churches of God, because of your patience & faith in al your persecutions & tribulatios that ye suffer,

5 He shows the source of all true comfort, that is, that in afflictions which we suffer from the wicked for righteousness' sake, we may behold as it were in a mirror the testimony of that judgment to come, the end of which is most acceptable to us, and most severe to his enemies.[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:

6 A proof: God is just, and therefore he will worthily punish the unjust, and will do away the miseries of his people.Seeing [it is] a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;

7 And to you who are troubled rest He strengthens and encourages them also along the way by this means, that the condition both of this present state and the state to come, is common to him with them. with us, A most glorious description of the second coming of Christ, to be set against all the miseries of the godly, and the triumphs of the wicked. when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them There is no knowledge of God to salvation, without the Gospel of Christ. that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

9 Which shall be punished with euerlasting perdition, from the presence of the Lord, & from the glory of his power,

10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (They are considered as children of God by the faith which they have in the Gospel, which is preached to them by the apostles. because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

11 Seeing that we have the mark set before us, it remains that we go to it. And we go to it, by certain degrees of causes: first by the free love and good pleasure of God, by virtue of which all other inferior causes work: from there proceeds the free calling to Christ, and from calling, faith, upon which follows both the glorifying of Christ in us and us in Christ.Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of By «calling» he does not mean the very act of calling, but that self same thing to which we are called, which is the glory of that heavenly kingdom. [this] calling, and fulfil Which he determined long ago, only upon his gracious and merciful goodness towards you. all the good pleasure of [his] goodness, and the So then, faith is an excellent work of God in us: and we plainly see here that the apostle leaves nothing to free will, to make it something which God works through, as the papists dream. work of faith with power:

12 That the Name of our Lorde Iesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God, and of the Lorde Iesus Christ.

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1 Now The second part of the epistle, containing an excellent prophecy of the state of the Church, which will be from the apostles time to the latter day of judgment. we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our If we think earnestly upon that unmeasurable glory which we will be partakers of with Christ, it will be an excellent remedy for us against wavering and impatience, so that neither the glistening of the world will allure us, nor the dreadful sight of the cross dismay us. gathering together unto him,

2 We must take heed of false prophets, especially in this matter, who go about to deceive, and that for the most part, after three sorts: for either they brag of fake prophetical revelations, or they bring conjectures and reasons of their own, or use counterfeit writings.That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by By dreams and fables, which men pretend to be spiritual revelations. spirit, nor by Either by word of mouth, or by written books. word, nor by Either by forged letter, or falsely commented upon. letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: The apostle foretells that before the coming of the Lord, there will be a throne set up completely contrary to Christ's glory, in which that wicked man will sit, and transfer all things that appertain to God to himself: and many will fall away from God to him. for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and By speaking of one, he singles out the person of the tyrannous and persecuting antichrist. that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4 Who opposeth and All men know who he is that says he can shut up heaven and open it at his pleasure, and takes upon himself to be lord and master above all kings and princes, before whom kings and princes fall down and worship, honouring that antichrist as a god. exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; He foretells that the antichrist (that is, whoever he is that will occupy that seat that falls away from God) will not reign outside of the Church, but in the very bosom of the Church. so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

5 This prophecy was continually declared to the ancient Church, but it was neglected by those that followed.Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6 And now ye know What hinders and stops. what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

7 Even in the apostles time the first foundations of the apostolic seat were laid, but yet so that they deceived men.For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: He foretells that when the empire of Rome is taken away, the seat that falls away from God will succeed and hold its place, as the old writers, Tertullian, Chrysostom, and Jerome explain and interpret it. only he who now He who is now in authority and rules all, that is, the Roman Empire. letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way.

8 That wickedness will at length be detected by the word of the Lord, and will utterly be abolished by Christ's coming.And then shall Literally, «that lawless fellow», that is to say, he that will completely tread upon God's law. that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall Bring to nothing. consume with the With his word, for the true ministers of the word are as a mouth, by which the Lord breathes out that mighty and everlasting word, which will break his enemies apart, as though the word were an iron rod. spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9 He foretells that Satan will bestow all his might and power, and use all false miracles that he can to establish that seat, and that with great success, because the wickedness of the world does so deserve it: yet in such a way that only the unfaithful will perish through his deceit.[Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and Which are partly false, and partly done to establish a falsehood. lying wonders,

10 And in al deceiuablenes of vnrighteousnes, among them that perish, because they receiued not the loue of the trueth, that they might be saued.

11 And for this cause God shall send them A most mighty working to deceive them. strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but They liked lies so much that they had pleasure in them, which is the greatest madness that may exist. had pleasure in unrighteousness.

13 The elect will stand steadfast and safe from all these mischiefs. Now election is known by these testimonies: faith is increased by sanctification: faith, by that which we grant to the truth; truth, by calling, through the preaching of the Gospel: from where we come at length to a certain hope of glorification.But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through To sanctify you. sanctification of the Spirit and Faith which does not lay hold upon lies, but upon the truth of God, which is the Gospel. belief of the truth:

14 Whereunto he called you by our By our preaching. gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 The conclusion: it remains then that we continue in the doctrine which was delivered to us by the mouth and writings of the apostles, through the free good will of God, who comforts us with an invincible hope, and that we also continue in all godliness our whole life long.Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

16 Now the same Iesus Christ our Lord; and our God euen the Father which hath loued vs, and hath giuen vs euerlasting consolation and good hope through grace,

17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in euery worde and good worke.

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1 Finally, He adds now consequently according to his manner, various admonitions: the first of them is, that they pray for the increase and passage of the Gospel, and for the safety of the faithful ministers of it. brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have [free] course, and be glorified, even as [it is] with you:

2 And that we may be delivered from Who do not do or care about their duty. unreasonable and wicked men: It is no wonder that the Gospel is hated by so many, seeing that faith is a rare gift of God. Nonetheless, the Church will never be destroyed by the multitude of the wicked, because it is grounded and stayed upon the faithful promise of God. for all [men] have not faith.

3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep [you] from From Satan's snares, or from evil. evil.

4 The second admonition is, that they always follow the doctrine of the apostles as a rule for their life.And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.

5 Thirdly, he diligently and earnestly admonishes them of two things which are given to us only by the grace of God, that is, of charity, and a watchful mind to the coming of Christ.And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

6 Fourthly, he says that idle and lazy persons ought not to be supported by the Church; indeed, they are not to be endured.Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

7 Lest he might seem to deal harshly with them, he sets forth himself as an example, who besides his travail in preaching, laboured with his hands, which he says he was not bound to do.For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;

8 Neither tooke we bread of any man for nought: but we wrought with labour and trauaile night and day, because we would not be chargeable to any of you.

9 Not because we haue not authoritie, but that we might make our selues an ensample vnto you to follow vs.

10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, What will we do then with those fat lazy monks, and sacrificing priests? A monk (says Socrates, book eight, of his Tripartite History) who does not work with hands, is like a thief. neither should he eat.

11 For we hear that there are some which walk among How great a fault idleness is, he declares in that God created no man in vain or to no purpose, neither is there any to whom he has not allotted as it were a certain position and place. From which it follows, that the order which God has appointed is troubled by the idle, indeed broken, which is great sin and wickedness. you disorderly, working not at all, He reprehends a vice, which is joined with the former, upon which follows an infinite sort of mischiefs: that is, that there are none more busy in other men's matters, than they who neglect their own. but are busybodies.

12 The Lord commands and the apostles pray in the name of Christ, first, that no man be idle, and next, that every man quietly and carefully sees to do his duty in that office and calling in which the Lord has placed him.Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

13 We must take heed that the unworthiness of some men does not cause us to be slack in well-doing.But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.

14 Excommunication is a punishment for the obstinate.And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no We must have no familiarity or fellowship with the one who has been excommunicated. company with him, The end of the excommunication is not the destruction, but the salvation of the sinner, that at least through shame he may be driven to repentance. that he may be ashamed.

15 We must avoid familiarity with the one who has been excommunicated in such a way, that we diligently seek every occasion and means that may be, to bring them again into the right way.Yet count [him] not as an enemy, but admonish [him] as a brother.

16 Prayers are the seals of all exhortations.Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord [be] with you all.

17 The apostle writes the conclusion of his letter with his own hand, so that false letters might not be brought and put in place of true ones.The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.

18 The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all, Amen. The second Epistle to the Thessalonians, written from Athens.