Lectures Upon Colossians, Title page – Dedication
LECTVRES VPONUPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE COLOSSIANS. PREACHED BY THAT FAITHFVLL ſeruant of God, Maiſter ROBERT ROLLOK, ſometime Rector of the Vniuerſitie of Edenburgh.
COLOS. 3. 16, 17.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you plenteouſly in all wiſdome, teaching and admoniſhing your owne ſelues, in pſalmes and hymnes, and ſpirituall ſongs, ſinging with a grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatſoeuer ye ſhall doe, in word or deede, doe all in the Name of the Lord Ieſus, giuing thankes to God euen the Father by him.
AT LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston, dwelling in Pater-noſter row, ouer against the ſigne of the Checker. 1603.
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL AND MY VERY CHRISTIAN FRIEND, Maiſter William Scot of Ely, all goodneſſe in this life, and in the life to come euerlasting happineſſe.
SIr, in many things God hath been pleaſed to linke vsus together, as in nature, in nation, and in honeſt familiaritie or Chriſtian acquaintance, and ſundrie ſuch like: yet in none of theſe, hath this great grace of his, more plainely and plentifully appeared, then in the band of the holy Religion which we profeſſe. As the thing it ſelfe hath been, is, and I truſt ſhall for euer be, the greateſt glorie and beſt comfort, that God hath affoorded vsus in this world: ſo we cannot but make much of the meanes, and thinke well of the men, by which this and many other graces, hauehave been offered vntounto vsus, … …ffected in vsus.
… meanes are the Word, Sacraments, and Prayers of the Church, together with many other good helpes and aides, both publike and priuate which are good, not onelyonly becauſe they proceede from God, From whom alone floweth eueryevery good and perfect gift, and is all onelyonly goodnes himſelfe: but alſo becauſe they tend, to our ſpirituall benefit in generall, and in ſpeciall are, the ſtricteſt band, to tye vsus together one with another, and to hold vsus faſt in the bleſſed fellowſhip of the ſaints. The men are G… faithfull ſeruants, labouring in the miniſterie of Gods holy word and doctrine amongſt vsus. Who howſoeuer they bee of themſelues infirme and weake, and hauehave Gods bleſſed treaſures but in earthen veſſels, and therefore many times euen in both theſe reſpects, not onelyonly deſpiſed, but ill intreated in this euill world, yet are they made vntounto …s and the reſt that beleeue, the ſauor of life vntounto life, … Christ.
Amongſt others, whom God in this laſt age hath vouchſafed vntounto vsus, who may we? or who mould we more continually remember, or more reuerently regard, then that worthie Country man of ours, Maiſter ROBERT ROLLOK, who, what hee was in himſelfe (I meane for his life and conuerſation) I ſuppoſe verilie, you of any man liuing beſt know, and can and will moſt truely relate, as time and occaſion ſhall be offered, becauſe you were not onelyonly the longeſt, but moſt inwardly acquainted with all his cariages. And what he was, and hath been to the Church, his worthy workes left …ind him, beſides his daily labours in the Pulpit and Schooles, can more then ſufficientlie teſtifie▪ What to men in the world, is manifeſted by many things. But not by any more then this, that hitherto enuie it ſelfe, hath not opened her mouth, neither euer ſhall be able ſo to doe, his conuerſation was ſo Chriſtian, and his iudgement ſo ſincere. This worthie inſtrument of his glorie; God graciouſlie offered, nay liberally lent a long while to our Church: but we … ſo reuerentlie eſteeming him, as we ſhould, nor …refullie profiting by him, as in deede we ought, God in great merciemercy towards him doubtles, though in no ſmall iudgement to vsus ward, hath been pleaſed to retraite him to himſelfe, out of this wretched world, and to bring him to, yea to place him in celeſtiall & heauenlie ioyes. Which whatſoeuer he was doing, he did hunger and thirſt after, yea groane and …, and as we may ſay in another mans ſpeech, … another matter, he did eate, drinke, and … eternall life, eueryevery thing in him in a manner aſſuredly teſtifying, that here was not his hope, but that he looked for a citie, eternall in the heauens. All which graces God gaue him, not onelyonly for his owne conſolation, but in deed for our imitation, if happilie we can ſtriue thereto, that he being in ſome meaſure, both in life and death made conformable, to his head and Sauiour Chriſt, we might learne in deed, and that by an example in fraile fleſh and blood, to purge our ſelues from all filthines of the fleſh and the ſpirit, and to finiſh our ſanctification in the feare of God▪ Wherein, that the Lord might the better inſtruc… …s, he hath thus farre graciouſlie prouided for vsus, that though he be departed from vsus, as in regarde of the bodie, yet he is preſent with vsus, in reſpect of his ſpirit; yea to ſay truth he liueth, and that not onelyonly with God, and innumerable Saints and Angels, in the heauenlie places, where is the fruition and fulnes of ioy for euermore, but euen with men, yea holy men vponupon earth, and ſpeaketh to them, though not in a bodily voyce, yet in the ſound of his Lectures, and fame of many excellent things of his, prouoking the good euerie day to be better, and admoniſhing the wicked, eueryevery where to turne from dead workes, vntounto the liuing God, that ſo they might repent, and be ſaued. And this he doth amongſt others, euen in theſe Sermons or Lectures, which now I preſent vntounto you, as a poſthume birth, after the Fathers deceaſe, or as an Orphane deſtitute of earthly parents, not onelyonly to receiue, as it were breath and being from you, for that it hath done alreadie, as without whoſe good meanes in deed, it could neuer hauehave beheld this light, but all good ſupportation beſide, it lying in you, not onelyonly for your ſelfe, but with ſundrie others, by reaſon of the good credit you hauehave among all, ſpeciallie with the godlie, to giuegive it voge, and paſſage.
Take it therefore I pray you into your good patronage and protection, and receiue it, as it is in deed yours: yea, yours I ſay, if not in many good and gracious reſpects beſides, yet in a double regarde at the leaſt. One in conſideration of the author, whoſe things whileſt he liued, yea and after life and death alſo, were yours, as yours again his, but all in Chriſt. Another, in that it is produced to the view of all, by your meanes, without which it ſhould hauehave been, as bed-reden, notable to moue hand or foote, nor to ſee or ſpeake, or ſhould hauehave periſhed inter blattas & tineas, as we ſay; but now commeth forth into the world, cloathed as it were with your countenance, and to be vpheld by your credit.
In this holy louelove of yours, hold on I beſeech you, and increaſe with the increaſings of God, and ſhew it effectuallie, not onelyonly to his, which yet remaine amongſt vsus, as you hauehave bountifullie done, and yet doe, that ſo that may be verified in you, in the daies of your pilgrimage, which was auerred of a right worthie perſon in former time, he ceaſeth not to doe good to the liuing, and to the dead: but euen to all the Saints and Seruants of God in this world, you manifeſting it, to theſe eſpeciallie, by ſending abroad other fruitfull labours of his, for the bleſſed building of them vp in ſound knowledge, ſtedfaſt faith, and all vnfeined obedience of truth. Aſſure your ſelfe (good Sir) that this labour of louelove in you towards them, ſhall not be left vnrequited, neither of God himſelfe, nor of his deare people: for beſides that God, who leaueth not a cuppe of colde water vnrecompenſed, giuen in his name to one of the little ones that beleeue in him, will render it ſeuen folde into your boſome, euen in this life, as hee ſhall ſee good, but ſpeciallie in the reſurrection of the righteous, his Saints vponupon earth, will more and more purſue you, with all holy louelove, and as a ſure pledge thereof, vouchſafe you their dailie prayers, and performe all other fauours and furtherances that they can. Nay I will ſay more, the Saints in Heauen, and particularlie our ROLLOK ſhall abound, not onelyonly in right and ſound, but in perfect affection to you: and good reaſon, becauſe if when the Saints that dwell here amongſt vsus, doe vnfeinedlie louelove one another, they cannot but in Heauen perfectlie louelove all that are there, and their fellowſeruants on earth, as well becauſe Heauen freeth vsus from all corruption bodilie and ſpirituall, as alſo becauſe it is the place to and in which God hath appointed, fulnes of all ioy, and perfection of all graces. But whither am I caried? It is time to end, ſpeciallie ſith I doubt not but the wiſdome of the Word will teach you, and the power of the bleſſed ſpirit will inable you to performe theſe and all other good things, to the glorie of God, the good of his people, and the comfort of your owne conſcience thorough Chriſt. In whom I reſt aſſuredlie yours, now and for euer.
Iames Hamelton.