3:1 Finally, 1 brethren, pray for us, that the word of the
Lord may have [free] course, and be glorified, even as [it
is] with you:
(1) 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.
3:2 And that we may be delivered from a unreasonable and
wicked men: 2 for all [men] have not faith.
(a) Who do not do or care about their duty.
(2) 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.
3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep
[you] from b evil.
(b) From Satan's snares, or from evil.
3:43 And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye
both do and will do the things which we command you.
(3) The second admonition is, that they always follow the
doctrine of the apostles as a rule for their life.
3:54 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God,
and into the patient waiting for Christ.
(4) 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.
3:65 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.
(5) Fourthly, he says that idle and lazy persons ought not to
be supported by the Church; indeed, they are not to be
endured.
3:76 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we
behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
(6) 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.
3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that
if any would not work, c neither should he eat.
(c) 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.
3:11 For we hear that there are some which walk among 7 you
disorderly, working not at all, 8 but are busybodies.
(7) 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.
(8) 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.
3:129 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our
Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat
their own bread.
(9) 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.
3:1310 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
(10) We must take heed that the unworthiness of some men does
not cause us to be slack in well-doing.
3:1411 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note
that man, and have no 12 company with him, 13 that he
may be ashamed.
(11) Excommunication is a punishment for the obstinate.
(12) We must have no familiarity or fellowship with the one who
has been excommunicated.
(13) 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.
3:1514 Yet count [him] not as an enemy, but admonish [him] as
a brother.
(14) 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.
3:1615 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by
all means. The Lord [be] with you all.
(15) Prayers are the seals of all exhortations.
3:1716 The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is
the token in every epistle: so I write.
(16) 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.
