Matthew Poole and continuators on 1 Thessalonians 1:3

3 Remembring without ceasing your work of faith , and labour of love , and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ , in the sight of God , and our Father .

The occasion of his constant Thanksgivings was his constant remembring of that grace of God, that did so abound and work powerfully in them, not as if he had always an actual remembrance of it, but he did not forget it, the habitual sense of it was continually in his mind, and was often actually in his thoughts, especially in his approaches to God, and that is all which is meant in the original word▪ [non-Latin text not transcribed], while the Apostle was with them he saw this in them, but being now absent he remembred it: and with such a practical remembrance as stirred up his heart to Thanksgiving. That is a good memory where is treasured up matter of Prayer and Thanksgiving.

Or the work of the Faith of you, that is, their Faith and the work of it, whereby he intimates their Faith was true, and real. A Faith unfeigned, 2 Tim. 1.5. The Faith of Gods Elect, Tit. 1.1. and so distinguisht from a dead Faith, Iames 2.26. They received the work in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost, they turned from Idols to the service of the true God, they waited for the coming of Christ, &c. here was the work of Faith.

A labour to weariness as the word imports. Laborious love. True Faith hath its work, but love hath its labour; and when Faith worketh by love it will work laboriously. Whereby the Apostle declares the reality of their love, as well as their Faith; it was unsained love, yea fervent love, the labour of it went forth towards that true God whom they now worshipt: That Jesus Christ on whom they now believed, and to the Saints that were now their fellow Brethren, 1 Thess. 4.10. and particularly to the Apostle himself as in other ways so particularly in the pains and labour that some of them took to conduct and travel along with him from Thessalonica to Athens, Acts 17.15.

The Apostle had mentioned before, their Faith and Love, and now their Hope; which are called the three cardinal or Theological graces; all mentioned together by him, 1 Cor. 13. last. And by which we have all over communion with God on Earth. And as their Faith had its work, and love its labour, so their hope had its patience as the fruit and product of it. There is a patience with respect to an expected good, and with respect to an imcumbent evil; and both produced by hope. The former is more properly called [non-Latin text not transcribed] ▪ or length of mind, consisting in writing for, and expectation of some desired good, the latter is [non-Latin text not transcribed], consisting in patient suffering, or abiding under some present evil, their former patience is mentioned in the 10th. verse of this chapter, They waited for his Son from heaven. The latter in the second chapter 14th. verse, Ye likewise have suffered like things from your own Countreymen as they, (i. e. The Churches of Iudea) did from the Iews. This latter is here specially meant in the Text. And for which he gives God thanks, 2 Thess. 1.4. And hope produceth the former patience as it looks upon the expected good, as that which will come at last, and the latter patience, as it looks upon the suffered evil, as that which will not always continue. And when with respect to both these the mind of man is kept sedate and quiet, this is the patience of hope.

Or, of our Lord Jesus Christ, as the efficient and author of this hope, and of their Faith and its work; and love, and its labour; or in our Lord Iesus Christ, as here rendred; and so he is the object of his hope, 1 Corinth. 15.19. 1 Timothy 1.1. And by this the Christians hope is distinguished from all other, All hope worketh patience, The Husbandmans hope to receive the former and latter rain, maketh him wait for it with patience, Iames 5.7. The hope of the Merchant for the return of his Adventure, the hope of the Heir for his Inheritance; but the Christians hope worketh patience as fixed upon Christ; other hope resteth upon the things of this lower visible World, but this is as an anchor sure and stedfast, entring within the vail, where Christ is entred as a fore-runner, &c. Heb. 6. [illegible: 1 word]. Faith and Love, both have Christ for their object; but considered as present, but the patience of hope in Christ respecteth something future, some revelation of him, and salvation by him which is yet to come. If we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Rom. 8.25.

These words are not in the Syriack or Arabick Version. And they respect either the Apostles Thanksgiving and Prayer for them, and his remembring the Grace of God in them when he solemnly approached God's presence: For in all Duties of Worship we come before God, and present our selves in his sight, and their Graces he before mentioned, he remembred them to God, and presented them to his view: Or they respect the Omniscience of God, that their work of Faith, labour of love, &c. were all in God's sight, and he was a delightful Spectator of them. Or Lastly, They may respect the sincerity of their hearts in all the actings of their Faith, Love, and Hope; they did all as in the sight of God. As the Apostle asserts his sincerity in his Ministry by this, We speak as in the sight of God, 2 Cor. 2.17. And thus the Apostle mentions their Graces, not as the Heathen Orators, who made great Encomiums of Vertue to the praise of men, but to the Honour and praise of God.

Marginal references: Or, before [illegible: 1 word]