THIS second Epistle to the Thessalonians seemes to haue beene written soone after the first. The occasion of the wryting thereof may be gathered of the Epistle it selfe. The Thessalonians were at that tyme persecuted and heauily troubled for the faith of Christ; and lykewise there entered in amongst them false teachers and deceiuers who went about to perswade them that the comming of Christ was instantly at hand, taking occasion, as it appeares, by the Thessalonians mistaking of certaine speeches vttered by the Apostle in the first Epistle, especially these wordes in the fourth chapter, We vvhich liue and are remaining in the comming of the Lord shall be caught vp in the cloudes vvith them that are dead in Christ, after their resurrection, to meete the Lord in the aire, and so shall vve euer be vvith the Lord. Where-vpon the Thessalonians concluded that Christ should come before they died, and they should be on lyfe at his comming. The deuill to confirme them in this errour raises vp these deceiuers who went about to perswade them of it, as though it had beene true that they should haue beene liuing at the comming of the Lord, alledging that they had it, both by the reuelation of the Spirit of God, and also by the tradition of PAVL. The Apostle therefore thought it needfull to wryte this second Epistle to the Thessalonians, partly to comfort them against the persecutions of their enemies, partly to admonish them that they giue not eare to these false deceiuers, assuring them that before Christ come the Antichrist should come, and there should be an vniuersall defection from the trueth. The Epistle may fitlie be diuyded in six parts. The first part is the salutation in the two first verses in the first chapter. The second is the Preface, wherein he rejoyceth for their perseuerance and increase of Faith, of Loue and Patience in all their persecutions and tribulations, from the third verse to the fift. In the third part he comfortes them against the troubles and persecutions that they sustained for the faith of Christ from the fift verse to the end of the first chapter. In the fourth part he admonishes them that they giue not eare to these false teachers that said Christs comming was at hand, showing them that before the second comming of Christ the Antichrist should be reueiled, and there should be an vniuersall defection from the faith of Christ Yet he comfortes them against the feare of defection, and exhortes them to abyde constant in the doctrine they had receiued from him, crauing true comfort and constancie to them at Gods hands. This parte is conteinde in the whole second chapter. The fifth part containeth exhortations to good maners and Christian dueties, from the beginning of the third chapter to the sixteenth verse. In the last part he concludeth the Epistle with prayer and salutation, from the sixteenth verse to the end.
