Matthew Poole and continuators on 1 Thessalonians 5:23

23 And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly : and I pray God your whole Spirit, and soul and body be preserved z blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ .

The Apostle here concludes all with Prayer, as knowing all his exhortations and admonitions before given would not be effectual without God, and he prays for their sanctification and preservation, Though they were sanctified already, yet but in part, so that he prays for further progress in it to perfection, which he means by wholly. A word no where used by the Apostle, but in this place, and variously rendred; some render it thro[illegible: 1 letter]ghout, some perfectly, some in every part, some i[illegible: 1 letter] all things, some fully, and the French entirely: It may refer to all the parts of holiness, and the degrees of holiness, and to the whole man in the several faculties of Soul and Body, exprest in the next words by Spirit, Soul, and Body, that their whole man may be entirely separated, and consecrated to God, offered up to him as a Sacrifice, Rom. 12.1, and hence we observe that not only the beginning, but progress in Grace is from God. The Apostle therefore prays for it to God, (whom he calls the God of peace, to enforce his exhortation to peace, ver. 3) which confutes the Pelagians, who thought objective Grace sufficient to sanctifie, or that mans Nature needs only at first to be excited by God, and then can go forward of it self, being only maimed, not totally corrupted by the fall. It's true, our faculties cooperate with God, but not of themselves, but as acted by h[illegible: 1 letter]s inherent Grace, and indwelling Spirit. And what the Apostle prays for, that Christians should endeavour after, which is a progress in sanctification to perfection. We may also note, That true sanctification reacheth to the whole man, Spirit, Soul and Body. 2. Preservation, which we call perseverance, exprest here both by the Subject and Term of it. The Subject is the whole man, branched into three parts, Spirit, Soul, and Body, figured, at least resembled by the three parts of the Temple. Consider man naturally, and then by Spirit we mean his superiour faculties, as the Mind, Conscience, Rational Will. By Soul, his sensitive Appetite, with the Affections and Passions. By Body, the outward Man, the Tabernacle and Instrument of the soul. The Iewish Rabbins and others think all these are exprest in the Creation of man, Gen. 2.7. God formed man of the dust of the earth, there is his Body, and breathed into man the breath of life, or lives, Nishmath Chaiim, Nephesh Chaijah; that is, the faculties of the rational Soul, and Man became a living Soul, that is, the Animal and Sensitive Life; neither is properly meant here the Spirit of God, for he saith, your Spirit, nor the sanctified part of the Soul; for he prays for the preserving of their persons. Only observe when he speaks of their Spirit, he calls it their whole Spirit. And by the Figure Zeugma the word whole is to be carryed also to Soul and Body, so that as he prayed their whole Man might be sanctified, so their whole Spirit, their whole Soul, their whole Body might be preserved; and the same word we find Iames 1.4. where it is rendred perfect, alluding to the perfect possessing of an Inheritance, or lot that belongs to a man. And by preserving, he means not so much the substance of the Spirit, Soul, and Body, to preserve them in Being, as to preserve them in Holiness. And they are preserved, partly by being delivered from the sinful Distempers that are naturally in them; as ignorance, Vanity, Impotency, and Enmity in the mind, Reluctancy and Obstinacy in the Will, Inordinacy and Irregularity in the Affections; Disobedience to the Law of God, and the Regular Commands of the Soul in the Body. If these prevail, they will bring destruction: as Diseases prevailing destroy the Natural Life; and partly also by being supplyed with that Grace whereby they act regularly towards God, and are serviceable to the end of mans Being, as supply of Oyl preserveth the Lamp burning: And whereby we may understand, that not only the Inferiour Faculties are corrupted in mans fall, but the superiour and the supreme of all, else the Apostle need not have prayed for the Spirit to be sanctified and preserved as well as the Soul and Body. And elsewhere prays for a renewing in the Spirit of the Mind, Eph. 4.23.

Next we may consider this preservation with respect to the term of it, Preserved blameless unto the coming of Christ. The same which the Apostle means by being preserved to Gods Heavenly Kingdom, 2 Tim. 4.18. and 2 Pet. 3.14. And those that are preserved to that day, are preserved to the end, and will be found blameless and their whole Man, Spirit, Soul, and Body being first sanctified, and then preserved, shallbe saved and glorified. And the Apostle insinuates in the word [non-Latin text not transcribed] blameless, that strict discovery that will be made of persons at that day, wherein some will be blamed, and others be found without blame. And herein the Apostle may have respect both to the Teachers and Ministers in this Church, and the private Members of it, that with respect to their several Duties belonging to them they may be found blameless; and though according to the strictness of the Law of God, none can be without blame, yet, those that have been sincere, and have their sin pardoned, and their persons accepted in Christ may be found blameless in the day of Christ, however it is that which we should strive after.

Marginal references: Phil. 4.9.; chap. 3.13.