But now when Timotheus came from you unto us
At Corinth, as appears from ( Acts 18:5 ) which shows
that this epistle was not written from Athens, as the
subscription to it asserts, but from Corinth; for as soon as ever
Timothy came from Thessalonica, to the apostle at Corinth, and
made the report to him, he immediately sent them this epistle
which is here suggested: "but, now" just now; "lately", as the
Syriac version renders it, a very little while ago, Timothy was
just come:
and brought us good tidings of your faith and
charity;
of their faith, the grace of faith, that it was of the right
kind; as far as could be judged, it was the faith of God's elect,
like precious faith with theirs; an unfeigned one, strong and
lively, operative and growing: or of the doctrine of faith, as
received and embraced by them; as that they were greatly led, and
had much light into it, and had, for the time, made considerable
proficiency in it; that they held it fast, and stood fast in it,
and contended for it, notwithstanding all the afflictions,
reproaches, and persecutions which they either saw in the
apostles, or endured themselves for the sake of it; and likewise
of the profession of both the grace and doctrine of faith, which
they held fast, and without wavering, and that in a pure
conscience, which was good news indeed. Timothy also brought an
account of their "charity", or love, which faith works by; these
two graces are always found together; they are wrought in the
soul by one, and the same hand, and at the same time; where the
one is, the other is; and as the one flourishes and increases, so
does the other. And by this grace is meant love to God, to
Christ, to his truths, ordinances, ways, and worship, and to one
another, and even to all men; and which was without
dissimulation, in sincerity, in deed, and in truth, and was
constant and fervent: and this was not the whole of the report,
for it follows,
and that ye have a remembrance of us always
they bore in memory the persons of the apostles; and when they
made mention of their names, it was with the greatest respect and
reverence; nor were they forgetful hearers of the word, but
remembered with great affection and pleasure the truths, the
doctrines, and exhortations they delivered to them, so as to put
them in practice, and longed for another visit from them, to have
their memories refreshed by them:
desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see
you,
they had an equal desire to see their spiritual fathers, as they
had to see their spiritual children. Now such a report as this
concerning their steady faith in Christ, their fervent love to
one another, and their affectionate regard to the ministers of
the word, was a sort of a Gospel, as the word used signifies; or
it was good news and glad tidings to the apostle, and those that
were with him.