1 Thessalonians 3:8

4. Ye see then, dearly Beloved, and, as I suppose, ye understand already, that in these two women, who were both well pleasing to the Lord, both objects of His love, both disciples; ye see, I say (and an important thing it is which whosoever understand, understand hereby, a thing which, even those of you who do not understand ought to give ear to, and to know), that in these two women the two lives are figured, the life present, and the life to come, the life of labour, and the life of quiet, the life of sorrow, and the life of blessedness, the life temporal, and the life eternal. These are the two lives: do ye think of them more fully. …

But not such are our circumstances; rather should another fare ill, there are many to grieve with him: should he obtain distinction, many to find pleasure with him. Not so again the apostle: “For whether,” saith he, “one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.” And the words of him who gives these admonitions, are at one time, “What is my hope or joy? are not even ye?”at another, “Now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord;”at another, “Out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you;”and, “Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I burn not?”

Since we both showed our care for you and have been wholly successful. As he said also in another place, “Now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord;” ( 1 Thess. iii. 8 .) and again, “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? are not even ye?” ( ib. ii. 19 .) For this is life, this comfort, this consolation to a teacher possessed of understanding; the growth of his disciples.

“I therefore,” saith he, “the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called.” What is it, tell me, thou art beseeching? Is it that thou mayest gain any end for thyself? No, saith he, in no wise; it is that I may save others. And yet surely they who beseech, do so for things which are of importance to themselves. True; and this, saith he, is of importance to myself, according to what he says also elsewhere in his writings, “Now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord;” ( 1 Thess. iii. 8 .) for he ever earnestly desired the salvation of those whom he was instructing.

1 Thessalonians iii. 5-8 “For this cause I also, when I could no longer forbear, sent that I might know your faith, lest by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor should be in vain. But when Timothy came even now unto us from you, and brought us glad tidings of your faith and love, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, longing to see us, even as we also to see you; for this cause, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our distress and affliction through your faith: for now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.” A question lies before us to-day, which is much disputed, and which is gathered from many sources. …

Moral. Such ought a Teacher to be, so to regard his disciples, to think them everything. “Now we live,” he says, “if ye stand fast in the Lord.” And again, “What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ?” ( 1 Thess. iii. 8, and ii. 19 .) You see his anxiety in this matter, his regard for the good of his disciples, not less than for his own. For teachers ought to surpass natural parents, to be more zealous than they. And it becomes their children to be kindly affectioned towards them. For he says, “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls as they that must give account.” ( Heb. xiii. …