2 Thessalonians 3:9 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Not because we have not power;— St. Paul would not here leave room. for any person to insinuate, as we find his enemies did at Corinth, 1 Corinthians 9:1; 1 Corinthians 9:27 that he knew himself not to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and therefore he abstained from takingor demanding any thing from their church, merely for want of such an apostolic power; but, so heartily concerned was he to spread genuine Christianity, and so cautious and prudent, in order to do it in the most effectual manner, that he refused a maintenance, in the rich city of Corinth, and thereby prevented the false apostle's demanding any thing under the pretence of his example; and, by maintaining himself at Thessalonica, he prevented the idle Christian brethren there from pleading the example of their great apostle in defence of their idleness.