THESSALONICA was a cheefe City of Macedonia, rich, populous, and puissant, builded by Philip the father of Alexander the great, King of Macedonia, after the victory he had gotten ouer Thessalia inuaded by him at vnawares. For returning home victorious he builded a Citty and named it Thessalonica, that it might be a perpetuall memoriall of that great and excellent victory he had obtained. Paul (as ye may read Act. 16. and 17. chapters) in his peregrination together with Sylas (who in this Epistle is named Syluanus) the sixteenth yeere after his conuersion, being called by a vision to preach the Gospell in Macedonia came first to Philippi, and next passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia came to this Cittie Thessalonica, and entering in the Synagogue of the Iewes three Sabboth dayes disputed with them, prouing by the Scriptures that it behoued the Messias to suffer and rise againe from the dead, and therefore that Christ whom he preached was the true Messias and Redeemer of the world. At the which preaching of Paul, sundrie of the Iewes that dwelt at Thessalonica beleeued and joyned company with Paul and Sylas together with a great multitude of the Grecians, and many of the cheefe wemen of the Cittie. But the Iewes that beleeued not, moued with inuy, raised a great persecution against Paul, whereby he was forced to flee to Berea: where he preached the Gospell with better successe: For the Iewes of that Synagogue receiued the word with al readines, and tryed his doctrine by the Scriptures, so that many of them, & likewise many men and wemen among the Grecians were conuerted. Yet the obstinate Iewes there also mouing persecution against him, he is brought to the brethren to Athens, where he waited for Sylas and Timotheus, who returned vnto him when he was in Corinth in Achaia Act. 18. 5. Therefore it was reported to him that the brethren that beleued at Thessalonica wer heauily persecuted by the obstinate Iewes: where-vpon the Apostle was moued with an earnest desire to come to them, but he was hundred by Satan. 1. Thessa. 2. 18. Therefore tarying himselfe at Athens he sent Timothie to them (1. Thessa. 3. 2.) to comforte them in their trouble, and confirme them in the trueth. Timothie returning and bringing good tydinges to him of the great grace of God that he found with them, because he could not come himselfe; the more to comfort, confirme and encouradge them to continue in the trueth, he writes vnto them this Epistle, which by the judgement of learned men is thought to be the first this Apostle wrote.
There are foure parts of this Epistle: The first part is the Salutation. chapter. 1. verse 1. The second is a Congratulation and rejoycing with them for the graces that by Timothies reporte he vnderstood to be in them, wherein he insisles very largely, euen from the 2. verse of the first chapter vnto the fourth chapter. Yet oft-tymes he breakes off this Congratulation by occasion casting in sundry purposes needful to be entreated. First, he falles out in a discourse of himself, and the successe the Lord gaue him in his ministrie towards them, and his sinceritie in his ministrie, he remooues from himselfe all suspicion of vnsinceritie, eyther by decease, by vncleannessen or by guyle, together with the fountaines from whence it proceedes, as flatterie, auarice, ambition, and testifies his inteere affection towardes them, from the beginning of the second chapter to the 12. verse. Next he excuses himselfe that he came not to them, from the 17. verse of the second chapter, to the last part of the verse of the third chapter, where he falles out in an exhortation to them to suffer afflictions patiently vnto the 5. verse of the third chapters, there be brings a new reason to excuse his not comming to them vnto the 9 verse of the third chapter: then returning to the congratulation in the end of the third chapter he concludes it with a praier for the Thessalonians. The third part of the Epistle is anexhortation to holinesse of life. He exhorts first generally to sanctification, in the first three vers. of the 4. chap. Then he commes more particularly to the parts of sanctification, and insistes in them to the 23 verse of the last chapter. In this part of the Epistle the Apostle to comfort the Thessalonians who sorrowed aboue measure for the departure of their friendes, by the way falles out in a discourse of the estate of the faithfull departed this life, of the comming of the Lord of the rysing againe of the dead, of the tyme of the Lords comming, from the 13. verse of the fourth chapter to the 6 verse of the fifth chapter. The fourth part of the Epistle is the Conclusion, containing a prayer for them, a promise of sanctification made to them, with some other purposes, from the 23. verse of the fifth chapter to the end of the Epistle.
