Commentary Upon Colossians 1 and 2, Table of contents 1
THE DOCTRINES OF THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE EPISTLE OF Saint PAUL to the Coloſsians.
Verſe 2.
1 EVery true member of the Church is a Saint.
2 GOD gathereth and ſupporteth His people in all places.
3 In diſtributing holy things, wee muſt put a difference betwixt men; betwixt ſound and counterfeit.
4 Chriſtians are knit together by the ſtraiteſt bond.
5 Wee are to wiſh our ſelves and others favour from God, and peace of Conſcience, as the chiefe bleſſings.
6 The fountaine of all true Peace, is the favour of God testified to us in Chriſt.
7 All good things are to be ſought from God the Father, and the Sonne.
Verſe 3.
1 DVtie bindeth us to pray for others, and to give thankes for others as for our ſelves.
Verſe 4.
1 SPirituall graces beſtowed upon any, muſt move us to thankfulneſſe, and to make requeſt for them.
2 Faith layeth hold onelyonly upon Chriſt leſus for life everlaſting.
3 Our love muſt ſpecially be ſhewed to the Saints.
Verſe 5.
1 THe recompence which God hath in ſtore for us, ſhould quicken us to all duty.
2 Our riches of glory are kept for us in the heavens.
3 The hearing of the Goſpell bringeth us to be poſſeſſed of our hopes.
4 The promiſes of the Goſpell are infallible and certaine.
Verſe 6.
1 THe Goſpell doth viſit us, not looking after it.
2 The faithfulneſſe of God in His promiſes, and the piercing force of His heavenly truth.
3 The Word of God is effectuall, it never wanteth His fruit where it commeth.
4 It is good dealing with men, to come home to their own experience.
5 Before wee can have the fruit of the Word, wee must heare the Word.
6 Not all hearing, no nor all knowing, but the true, inner, powerfull, affectionate knowledge, is it which is fruitfull.
Verſe 7.
1 ALbeit men are not graced with great titles, yet their worke is not in vaine in the Lord.
2 We muſt ſpeake the beſt of all, but eſpecially of Miniſters; though not outwardly glorious.
Verſe 8.
1 WE are to ſpeake ſuch things of man to man, as may tye them in love more neerely one to another.
2 The beſt intelligence and newes fitteſt for Miniſters to ſpeake and heare of, is, how it fareth with the ſoules of the faithfull.
3 We are to tell what good things God worketh in our people.
4 Our love muſt be hearty and unfeigned.
Verſe 9.
1 MIniſters muſt not onelyonly teach and admoniſh, but pray for their people.
2 We muſt not delay going to God, when occaſion is offered.
3 We muſt perſevere in Prayer.
4 Our Prayers muſt be fervent.
5 We muſt wiſh thoſe that are called, a bleſſed proceeding in grace.
Verſe 10.
1 OVr pleaſing of God muſt be in all things.
2 We muſt be fruitfull in good workes.
3 We muſt encreaſe in the knowledge of God.
Verſe 11.
1 CHriſtians have need of ſpirituall ſtrength to walk with God in their ſpirituall conditions.
2 We have not need of ſtrength only, but great ſtrength.
3 All our ſtrength commeth from the ſtrong God.
4 Long-ſuffering is an argument of great ſpirituall ſtrength.
5 We have need of patience and long-ſuffering.
Verſe 12.
VVE muſt as well give thankes for the things given us, as begge for that we want.
2 By nature we are unfit for God's Kingdome.
3 That matter God calleth us unto (viz) an heavenly inheritance, muſt move us to bleſſe Him.
4 OnelyOnly Saints ſhall inherit the glorious inheritance.
5 Our inheritance in heaven for ſubſtance and nature, is light.
Verſe 13.
1 NOne living in the ſtate of darkneſſe can be inheritours of God's Kingdome.
2 Wee are all by nature under the power of the Divell, the prince of darkneſſe, and are in all kinde of darkneſſe.
3 It is ſpeciall matter of praiſe, that God hath put us under the government of Chriſt.
Verſe 14.
1 THe ſingular love of Chriſt our King, that Hee hath bought us with His bloud.
2 The greateſt bleſsing we have by Chriſt our King, is, that He doth procure us pardon of our ſinne.
3 Before we can have any bleſsing from Chriſt, we muſt be partakers of Chriſt.
Verſe 15.
1 IT is matter of praiſe, that we have ſuch an one to be our King and Saviour, who is God with the Father.
2 It is a wonderfull benefit to us, that we are made ſubjects to ſuch a King as is the Lord leſus Chriſt.
Verſe 16.
1 THeſe creatures which we ſee, doe give teſtimony to the inviſible God whom we ſee not.
2 Chriſt hath juſt title to the Lordſhip and inheritance of all the creatures.
3 Chriſt our King is the Creator of all things.
4 God hath His places and miniſters attending about Him unſeene and unknowne to us.
5 Our Lord Ieſus Chriſt is the Creator of Angels.
6 As by Him, ſo to His honour all the creature was made.
Verſe 17.
1 OVr King is ancienter than all creatures.
2 All things are preſerved in their being, moving and order, by Chriſt.
Verſe 18.
1 CHriſt hath not Lordſhip over the creatures onelyonly, but alſo over the Church.
2 We have ſuch a Head given us of God, who is God with the Father.
3 Chriſt hath a moſt neere, compaſsionate, and beneficiall ſuperiority over His Church.
4 OnelyOnly the Church and people of God have Chriſt ſo neere, and ſo beneficiall to them.
5 All the Church is the body of Chriſt.
6 The dignity of the faithfull in having ſo neere conjunction with Chriſt.
7 Chriſt's Reſurrection hath ſpeciall priviledge above all others.
Verſe 19.
1 VVHatſoever the man-hood of Chriſt is advanced unto, it is the meere grace of God, not the merit of the creature.
2 It is an admirable glory to which our nature is exalted, that God ſhould dwell perſonally in our nature, and take it to Himſelfe, ſo as to be of the ſubſtance of His perſon.
Verſe 20.
1 THat which gave occaſion to the incarnation of the Son of God, was our enemy-like eſtrangement from God.
2 God followeth froward man.
3 Chriſt muſt first have the God head dwell perſonally in Him, before Hee can take up the matter betwixt God and us.
4 The deare Sonne of God is the worker of our reconciliation with God.
5 All our peace is grounded in the bloud-ſhed of Chriſt Ieſus.
6 The Fathers of old were reconciled to God by the bloud of Chriſt.
7 The Fathers were in heaven before Chriſts Aſcenſion.
Verſe 21.
1 VVE muſt not only teach in generall, but apply in particular the things of the Goſpell.
2 We muſt not forget our miſerable condition by nature.
3 A most miſerable condition not to be a member of the viſible Church.
4 We by nature are enemy-like affected to God and His people.
5 Our naughty actions diſcover our enemy-like affections.
Verſe 22.
1 AS we muſt looke with one eye downe to our unworthineſſe, ſo wee muſt caſt the other up on God's mercies to us.
2 The grace of God is moſt free and large.
3 Every one who findes his ſinne forgiven in Chriſt, ſhall one day be made glorious before Him.
Verſe 23.
1 VVHoſoever is partaker of the benefit of reconciliation by Chriſt, muſt perſevere founded and eſtabliſhed in Chriſt.
2 Wee must bee well grounded, and lay a good foundation.
3 Hee loſeth his hope that is removed from his profeſsion.
4 The Goſpell hath beene preached thorow the world.
5 Paul was a ſpeciall inſtrument thereof.
Verſe 24.
1 IT is no new thing for the Miniſters of Chriſt to be afflicted for the Goſpell.
2 The Church loſeth nothing, but gaineth much by the ſufferings of the godly.
3 The Church is the body of Chriſt.
Verſe 25.
1 TThe Ministers of CHRIST are the Miniſters of the Church.
2 Their miniſtery is committed to them by the moſt wiſe and holy government, whereby God governeth the Church His houſe.
3 A Minister must have a care of every part of his charge:
Verſe 26.
1 THe Goſpell is a myſterie not to be attained by any wit or learning.
2 It is the priviledge onelyonly of the Saints to know the myſteries of the Goſpell.
Verſe 27.
1 THe Goſpell preached to the Gentiles is a myſtery full of glory.
2 CHRIST is the ſubject of this glorious myſterie of the Goſpell.
3 CHRIST is among us in the preaching of the Goſpell.
4 CHRIST is Hee in whom we looke and wait for glorie.
The end of the Doctrines.