Commentary Upon Colossians, Sermon 11
The eleuenth Sermon.
COLOSS. 1. V. 24. to the end.
23 If yee continue grounded and eſtabliſhed in the faith, and bee not moued away from the hope of the Goſpell, whereof ye have heard, and which hath bene Preached to eueryevery creature, which is vnderunder heauen, whereof I Paul am a Miniſter.
24 Now reioyce I in my ſufferings for you, and fulfill the reſt of the afflictions of CHRIST in my fleſh, for his bodies ſake, which is the Church.
25 Whereof I am a Miniſter, according to the diſpenſation of God, which is giuen me vntounto you-ward, to fulfill the word of God.
26 Which is the myſtery hid ſince the world beganne, and from all ages, but now is made manifeſt to his Saints.
27 To whom God would make knowne what is the riches of his glorious myſterie among the Gentiles, which riches is CHRIST in you, the hope of glory.
28 Whom we preach, admoniſhing eueryevery man and teaching eueryevery man in all wiſedome, that wee may preſent eueryevery man perfect in CHRIST IESVS.
29 Whereunto I alſo labour and ſtriue according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
THe Apoſtle hauing ſet forth the redemption brought vntounto vsus by our Sauiour and hauing ſhewed that the Coloſſians had a part in that redemption, hee commeth to ſet forth vntounto vsus a condition, Whereupon his grace and mercy of God is beſtowed vponupon them, viz. no other but this: If ye continue grounded and ſetled in the faith, and be not moued away from the hope of the Goſpell, yee hauehave heard of, &c.
The ſenſe hath bene before metaphraſtically ſet downe.
The ſumme containes an earneſt exhortation and effectuall vntounto conſtancy, and abiding in the truth they hauehave receiued.
Firſt, conſider the exhortation, which Saint Paul giueth to the Coloſſians, and in them to all the children of God, to abide in the true faith.
Secondly, the reaſon and grounds, whereon this exhortation is laid, many, ſundry, and ſtrong.
Firſt, for the exhortation to continue in the truth,Reaſons of conſtancy. to which men are perſwaded by many reasons, for otherwiſe they hauehave no part in CHRIST, no part in the reconciliation or ſanctification by CHRIST, for this is neceſſary to all the children of God to continue vntounto the end: Therefore (Math. 24.) our Sauiour ſpeaking of the great troubles, which ſhould come, ſaith: he that continueth to the end ſhall be ſaued. We ſeeMath. 23. 13. example of thoſe that hauing profeſſed, go backe, leeſe their hope and the comforts of Gods children, L…ts wife though ſhe went not backe, but deſired toGen. 19. 26. go to Sodom, in regard of wealth, & riches, & therefore our Sauiour ſaith, Remember Lott wife.Luke 17. 32.
Thus wee ſee the children of Iſrael in Exod. that though they went out of Aegypt with ioy and gladneſſe, yet feeling after want of meate in the wilderneſſe,Exod. 16. 3. Heb. 3. 17. 18. wiſhed to returne into Aegypt: and therefore it is ſaid, they ſhould not enter into the Lords reſt: viz: the ſpirituall Cannan. Let vsus beware therefore of Apoſtacy, and that wee runne not in vaine. For it were better wee had neuer profeſſed at all, then hauing once profeſſed the truth, afterward to fall away,2. Pet. 2. 21. 22. and to returne like a dogge to his vomite:
It is a great matter to enter into the profeſſion of CHRIST, and if wee doe not continue, but depart from it, it had bene better we had neuer knowne, nor profeſſed it. Therefore wee reade in the Actes that Barnabas admoniſh'd the brethren of Antioch, to continue in the grace of God.Acts 13. 43.
One notable degree of contiuance is to hauehave aNote. purpoſe to continue: and therefore thoſe that hauehave not this purpoſe to abide in the truth, come life, come death; but rather purpoſe, if an other time ſhould come, they are as ready for that, as for this, they are nothing but hypocrites, and hauehave a witneſſe in their owne heart of their condemnation. And we muſt not onelyonly hauehave a purpoſe, but wee muſt labour to bee ſtrong, and vſe all meanes for the confirming of vsus, calling on the name of God for it. For Peter had a purpoſe indeed not to deny CHRIST, but to ſtand for him: but yet he denied him groſly, becauſe he did not call earneſtly vntounto the Lord for ſtrenght, neither did vſe the meanes of abſteyning himſelfe from danger before hee was called, but would needs runne into danger to the high Prieſts houſe, and leane too much duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page vponupon himſelfe. Doctrine Againe, we learne, that they that are once truly reconciled & called, ſhal abide for euer: for the Apoſtle ſaith, they are reconciled, if they continue and abide; and therefore if they abide not they are not truely reconciled and ſanctified: So that this is a true doctrine, a Saint once, a Saint euer, & that if God once louelove vsus, he will neuer forſake vsus. As Rom. 8. Neither Rom. 8. 39.life, nor death, &c. ſhall ſeperate vsus, from the louelove of God in CHRIST. And here it is that our Sauiour prayeth for all: Iohn 17. not onelyonly for Peter, but for all thatIoh. 17. 20. ſhall beleeue by the doctrine of his Apoſtles vntounto the worlds end, euen for all the faithfull; and hee was heard in his prayer, and therefore it is vnpoſſible that they which beleeue ſhould periſh. Mat. 24. They ſhall ſeduce if it were poſſible, the Elect: ſo that it is impoſſible for the Elect to periſh. And thoſe onelyonly are elected which beleeue: Therefore it is ſaid, that thoſe Acts 13. 48.beleeued that were choſen to life. And therefore wee ſee that the inheritance which God hath giuen vntounto vsus, by his ſon, we cannot be diſherited of, CHRISTS Sheepe ſhall not periſh: none ſhall pul them, out ofIoh. 10. 28. his hands, nor depriue them of that life, which in him is laid vp for them.
Obiection. Obiect. If thoſe that beleeue, cannot fall away, but muſt neceſſarily bee ſaued, what then needs theſe manifold exhortations and reaſons? it is in vaine for the Preachers to enforce them ſo much, and for vsus to come to heare, This is obiected of the Papiſts, who would hauehave vsus ſtand in doubt of our Election, and their reaſon is this, becauſe the Apoſtle ſtands vponupon this ſo much, becauſe men may fall away.
Anſ. But theſe hauehave a good agreement, for GodSolution. which hath ordained wee ſhould not periſh, hath ordained vsus theſe meanes of his Miniſters, whereby wee ſhould not periſh. We know out of the Scripture that eueryevery mans time is ſet of God, which heIob. 7. 1. ſhall not paſſe, as the Prophet in the Pſalme; my daies are in thyne hand ô Lord: And becauſe God hath appointed me my dayes, is it a reaſonable ſpeach that therefore I ſhould not vſe meanes to prolong my life to that time, by food, apparell &c. is this reaſon?
Againe, Gen. 9 God hath promiſed after drowning of the world, that the world ſhould neuer be drowned, and that there ſhould be harueſt to the worlds end: ſhould not men therefore ſow and reape their corne? it is a fooliſh thing to deny it.
Acts. 27. When Paule was in danger, the Lord told him that not a man ſhould be loſt: it was moſt true: and the Lord hauing promiſed, would performe: yet after when the mariners would hauehave gone away, ſaith the Apoſtle, vnles theſe ſtay we ſhall not be ſafe.
So that as the Lord hath promiſed, ſo he hath prouided, that the things ſhould be effected by meanes.
For the ſetting forth of this he vſeth two ſimilitudes, one drawne from a ground or foundation: that as in Mathew the houſe founded on the rockeMath. 7. 24. cannot be ouerthrowne; ſo they that are grounded on CHRIST, by faith, Mathew 16. 18. the very gates of hell ſhall not preuaile againſt them. The ſecond ſimilitude is in the word Setled, taken from the ſitting of the body, which when it is ſet is more firme, and ſteddy. By which two ſimilitudes he ſheweth what manner of faith we ſhould hauehave.
For the further proofe of this, he vſeth another reaſon viz. if yea be not remoued from the hope of thoſe things, you are in expectation of. So that two things are required: one, that we be not remoued from faith nor leeſe our faith. Secondly that we be not remoued from hope nor leeſe our hope. The difference betweene theſe 2. graces is this. Faith apprehends and layes hold on the grace and mercy of God in CHRIST. Hope layeth hold on the fruite of this grace, which is eternall life: and faith regards the word of the promiſe, but hope looks to the thing promiſed. The reaſon then is, that we ſhould abide in the truth, becauſe we looke and hope for euerlaſting life, the bleſſedneſſe laid vp for the children of God.
If there were no other reaſon, but to abide on theNote. commandement of God, who commands vsus to walke in obedience, nay though we ſhould be damned, yet we are to giuegive obedience to the commandements of God. But when as God vſeth this reaſon of alluring vsus by propounding euerlaſting life to vsus, that ought much more to incourage vsus hereunto. Men are naturally bent to deſire honour, riches &c. The Lord here propoundeth to vsus the greateſt happineſſe that can be, euen in the kingdome of heauen.
1. Cor. 9. 24. EueryEvery man, ſaith the Apoſtle, runs the race, yet but a few, ſhall hauehave the priſe. But ſeeing there are ſo many rewards in the kingdome of heauen for all that attaine to the end, what a blockiſhnes is it in vsus that are ſo dull and dead to runne this race of Chriſtianity?
Againe, in theſe races they runne for periſhableNote. things, and they will for a time abſtaine from things, that are pleaſant, and content themſelues with a hard diet, to the end they may runne better and be more light: and ſhall not we therefore abſtaine from, and abridge our ſelues of the pleaſures and profits of this life for the gayning of an incorruptible Crowne in the kingdome of heauen?
And therefore if we could rightly conſider that when that I leeſe my pleaſure here, and mine honour and wealth &c. if I gaine euerlaſting life in the kingdome of heauen, what loſſe hauehave I thereby? And on the other ſide, if in this life I ſeeke my pleaſure and delight, my credit, welth, honour, worldly preferment &c. and take no care nor paines for the life to come, to be pertaker of the kingdom of God, what a wretched and miſerable caſe am I in? This would make vsus more to labour for that which periſheth not, & to contemne theſe worldly things in compariſon of the heauenly, and this life in compariſon of that in the world to come.
The end of the eleuenth Sermon.