Commentary Upon Colossians 1 and 2, Table of contents 2
THE DOCTRINES CONTAINED IN THE SECOND CHAPTER.
Verſe 1.
1 VVE muſt warily prevent that which may bee miſconſtrued of us in ſpeeches.
2 In ſome caſe we muſt report our love, and that we doe in love for others.
3 We muſt not onelyonly ſeeke the good of thoſe we know, as familiars, but of thoſe who have no outward acquaintance with us.
Verſe 2.
1 MIniſters muſt ſee what they muſt chiefly helpe forward, even the ſpirituall rejoycing of their people.
2 Beliefe of the Goſpell may be where the conſolation of it and rejoycing of it appeares not.
3 The Spirit worketh in beleevers not a hollow, but a hearty rejoycing.
4 The Goſpell of CHRIST muſt bee the matter of ſound joy.
5 Soundneſſe of love and fulneſſe of affiance and underſtanding bring us to harty rejoycing.
6 True Chriſtians may be much wanting in love, confidence and Spirituall underſtanding.
Verſe 3.
1 ON fit occaſions we muſt publiſh the glorious properties of Chriſt.
2 Ignorance of CHRIST maketh us liſten to deceivers.
3 Chriſt our Lord is the ſtore-houſe of all wiſedome and knowledge.
4 It is not yet apparant to us, that Chriſt is ſo full of wiſedome.
Verſe 4.
1 THe practice of falſe teachers is to bring us out of liking with the faithfull ſervants of Chriſt Ieſus.
2 We muſt be carefull to keepe our people out of the hands of deceivers.
3 The force of ſeaſonable ſpeeches is ſuch, that it preſerveth the people.
4 Falſe Teachers fight with deceit, and ſhew of reaſon, not ſound reaſon.
5 Falſe Teachers uſe flattering and glozing language.
Verſe 5.
1 THere is a preſence whereby Saints are one with another, though never ſo farre diſioyned.
2 The nature of love is to rejoyce in the truth, in the worke of grace, where it is diſcerned.
3 All things in the Primitive Churches were moſt orderly conſtituted and carryed.
4 It is a moſt joyfull ſight to ſee ſoules cleave to Chriſt.
Verſe 6.
1 TRue faiths property is to receive CHRIST.
2 True beliefe on Chriſt hath with it perſeverance, and a life obedient unto Him.
3 Our good beginnings muſt bee a band to us to make good proceedings.
Verſe 7.
1 BY constant going on in Chriſt wee come to have firme conjunction with Him.
2 Reſolved perſwaſion in the Doctrine we profeſſe and grace we believe, groweth out of a conſtant courſe in faith and obedience.
3 Constant walking in Christ, will bring us to abound in perſwaſion.
Verſe 8.
1 TO yeeld to erroneous Doctrines which corrupt reaſon teacheth, doth take us from Chriſt.
2 The wiſedome renowned of the world, hath beene an engine againſt the faith.
3 Sathan by empty ſhewes of religion, ſtanding in vaine rites doth prevaile againſt many.
4 All religious obſervancies contrary to the word of God, are but deceitfull vanity.
5 Error and falſe worſhip become infectious, becauſe they are carnall, ſavoring of the fleſh.
6 Whatſoever is meerely grounded on tradition, and what is carnall and ſenſuall in GODS ſervice, is contrary to Chriſt.
Verſe 9.
1 THis muſt make us rest in CHRIST onelyonly as all ſufficient, that we know Him GOD bleſſed for ever.
2 All the fulneſſe of GOD is communicated with CHRIST as man, the whole entyre Nature of GOD.
3 Not created gifts, or miraculous effects of the divine nature, are united with Chriſt man; but the deity it ſelfe, the fulneſſe of it.
3 The ſame ſingular Nature is in all the three perſons.
5 The manner of GODS dwelling in CHRIST man, is perſonally; ſo as that GOD the Sonne is thereby become perſonally man.
Verſe 10.
1 CHriſt man doth ſend out all the ſtreames of grace and good things to all His members, in that the fountaine dwelleth in Him.
2 Being in CHRIST we receive all kinde of graces, and benefits, that wee lacke nothing.
3 The dignity of CHRIST, who is all to us, is this, that He is the chiefe above all the creatures.
Verſe 11.
1 AN excellent meane to hold us fast to Chriſt, is, to remember what great evil of ſin, He hath ſubdued for us.
2 Chriſt hath given us a ſpirituall Circumciſion.
3 No outward action of the hand of man, reacheth to the clenſing of the ſoule.
4 Sin and grace is to the ſoule, as apparell is to the body.
5 Spirituall circumciſion ſtandeth in putting off all our corruptions.
6 The ſoule of the naturall man is clad with ſinne.
7 Wee must forgoe, not ſome part of our corruption, but the whole body of ſinne.
8 Our maſſe of corruption containeth many ſinnes.
9 IESUS CHRIST it is who worketh in us this ſpirituall circumciſion.
Verſe 12.
1 VVHat Circumciſion was to the old people, that Baptiſme is to us.
2 From our union with CHRIST, dead and buried, we come to have the body of ſinne crucified.
3 GOD doth unite us with CHRIST, even by our Baptiſme.
4 To conſider of our reſurrection, which we have through CHRIST, is a forcible motive to make us cleave to Him.
5 Faith on Chriſt maketh us riſe to new life.
6 The omnipotent action of God which raiſed Chriſt from the dead, is it that begetteth faith in us.
Verſe 13.
1 OVr quickning in CHRIST is ſuch a benefit which we muſt not quickly have done with, and lightly paſſe over.
2 Ministers must amplifie to their people the benefits beſtowed on them.
3 Sinne both originall and actuall is the death of the ſoule.
4 The life of a naturall man is even a death in treſpaſſe.
5 Our courſe in actuall ſin doth ſinke us deeper and deeper in death.
6 We are farre from being prepared to receive the grace ſhewed us by God, when we are quickened to beleeve.
7 The way to bring men to acknowledgement of GOD's grace with thankfulneſſe, is to make them ſee what they were, when God firſt ſhewed it.
8 All beleevers have a new life in and through Chriſt.
9 In order of nature firſt we have pardon of ſinne, before we have the life of grace begun in us.
10 God the Father, Son and Spirit doe properly forgive ſinne.
11 God's pardon is of meere grace to us.
12 We must remember what God hath done for us, while we ſhew to others the things beſtowed on them.
13 The grace of God in forgiving our ſinnes, is exceeding large.
Verſe 14.
1 NOt onelyonly our ſin which is our debt, is anſwered, but whatſoever may ſhew any thing against us, is done away in Chriſt.
2 By Chriſt the ceremoniall Law is taken away.
3 The Iewiſh ceremonies as they were purely legall, were as bills teſtifying the debt of the people before God.
4 Chriſt by ſuffering on the croſſe hath aboliſhed theſe things.
Verſe 15.
1 GOd doth ſet us free from the power of Satan, before we are made alive in Chriſt.
2 God in Chriſt hath crucified and diſarmed Satan.
3 Chriſt in His death made a ſcorne of all the power of darkneſſe; and expoſed them to open ſhame.
Verſe 16.
1 VVE must not make account of mens ſiniſter judgements, as any way giving place unto them.
2 To put no difference in meats for conſcience ſake, or religious reſpect, is no ſinne.
3 Such as doate upon Moſaicall rites, are ready to condemne ſuch as are not done right in them.
Verſe 17.
1 THe legall ceremonies were ſhadowes of that is done in Chriſt and His Church.
Verſe 18.
1 FAlſe teachers are led with a ſpirit of arrogancie, which maketh them uſurpe judgement over others.
2 The naturall man doth judge and condemne what doth not agree with him.
3 Our ſoftneſſe and puſillanimity doth make us ſubject too much to take to heart mens ſinister judgements.
4 Wicked deceivers will ſeeme to ſtand for vertue, and challenge thoſe that are truly godly as wanting it.
5 Adoration of Angels and Saints masketh under the vizor of holineſſe.
6 All religious worſhip of Saints or Angels is unchriſtian.
7 The property of a ſeducer is to ſpeake that he knoweth not.
8. The cauſe of vouching and diving into hidden things, is Pride.
Verſe 19.
1 LOoking to the creatures for helpe and grace, doth make us fall from Chriſt.
2 We have not many, but one Head.
3 In Chriſt myſticall there is nothing but the Head giving growth, and the body receiving growth.
4 For the whole multitude of beleevers, there is ſufficiency in Chriſt.
5 Before we can take ſpirituall growth in Chriſt, we muſt be knit to Him.
6 Every true beleever groweth up in Chriſt, not ſtands at a ſtay.
7 It is God who maketh us as begin, ſo grow in grace.
Verſe 20.
1 CHRIST by His death hath freed us from the Ceremonies of the Law.
2 True Chriſtians muſt not live in that Chriſt dyed to take away.
3 Gods children live out of the world, while in it.
Verſe 21.22.
1 MEn are exact in outward obſervancies, who know not the power of godlineſſe.
2 Hard to forgoe old rites, to which we are accuſtomed.
3 Bodily obſervancies profit nothing.
4 We are not to give credence to any thing not taught in God's Word.
Verſe 23.
1 VIce and error may have a ſhew of truth and vertue.
2 Will-worſhip hath a plauſible ſhew of wiſdom.
3 Lowlineſſe of minde argueth wiſdome.
4 Falſe teachers will make a ſhew of humility.
5 To keepe the body in ſubjection argueth wiſdome.
6 Falſe teachers make ſhew of mortification.
7 Exerciſes much regarded with men, are of no eſteeme with God.
8 Bodily externall things are not of worth with God.
The end of the Doctrines.