Commentary Upon Colossians, Sermon 10
The tenth Sermon.
COLOSS. 1. V. 21. 22.
21 And you which were in times paſt ſtrangers and enemies, becauſe your minds were ſet in euill workes, hath he now alſo reconciled,
22 In the body of his fleſh through death, to make you holy and vnblameable, and without fault in his ſight,
THE Apoſtle Saint Paule hauing ſet forth vntounto vsus the rich redemption of the world by the blood of CHRIST, doth now ſhew how the ſame doth agree vntounto the Coloſſians The Metaphraſe.themſelues.
Wherefore hauing reconciled all vntounto himſelfe, he hath alſo reconciled you: which benefit that it may the better be eſteemed, conſider what you were, when he reconciled you, ſtrangers from God, yea enemies in your very vnderſtanding, which is the chiefeſt, and therefore much more in other parts; which enmity was made manifeſt by your euill workes. I ſay now he hath reconciled you (in his humane nature like vntounto ours) by his death, to the end he might make you holy, and without ſpot and blameles in all ſincerity as before himſelfe. And this reconciliation know no otherwiſe to belong vntounto you; vnleſſe you abide grounded and ſetled in faith, & be not carryed away from the hope you hauehave had in the Goſpel. The truth wherof appeareth in that ſo ſhort a time it hath bene Preached to all Nations vnderunder the cope of heauen; of which Goſpell I my ſelfe alſo am a Miniſter. Wherein it ought not diſmay you that I am in bonds, ſeeing I my ſelfe doe reioyce in it: ſeeing alſo it is, not for redemption (which CHRIST himſelfe alone hathNote. wrought) but for the confirmation of your faith, and example of your patience. And ſeeing thereby are fulfilled the paſſions, which are yet wanting vntounto the body of CHRIST, which is the Church, which muſt bee like vntounto CHRIST her Head in ſuffering, that it may be like vntounto him in glory. And finally ſeeing it is not for your good alone, but for the good of the whole body of CHRIST which is his Church. Whereof as of the Goſpell I am a Miniſter, & that by the ordinance of God, who hath committed a ſtewardſhip vntounto mee, that in you alſo might be fulfilled the word of God; I meane the ſecret of the Goſpell, ſo worthily called, for that it hath bene hidden from all times and generations hitherto, and now is made manifeſt, not to all, but to his Saints: Euen to as many, as God of his good will would make knowne the glorious riches of this ſecret vntounto, amongſt the Gentiles; which glorious riches is CHRIST in you, the ſame alone, by whom we may hope for glory; the ſame alſo whom we preach, partly admoniſhing all ſorts of men, partly teaching all ſorts of men all heauenly wiſedome, thereby to preſent men of all ſorrs perfectly wiſe and bleſſed through IESVS CHRIST: whereunto I labour ſore, ſtriuing forcebly, which yet would be vnfruitfully, were it not that God worketh by his Spirit mightily, with my Miniſtery.
The ſumme of all is, that the Coloſſians, in the generall redemption of mankind by CHRIST, through the working of the Spirit hauehave their part, vponupon condition, if they abide in the truth to the end.
The parts are
1 A particular application of the common benefits of CHRISTS redemption vntounto the Coloſſians.
2 An exhortation to perſeuerance, that they may bee truely pertakers of that redemption.
The ſumme whereof is to ſet forth vntounto vsus, the benefit of God beſtowed vponupon the Coloſſians, to the end that they ſhould be holy.
Wherein we conſider: Firſt, the application of the benefits of CHRIST to the Coloſſians: Secondly, the end of this redemption, that they ſhould bee holy, without ſpot, and vnblameable.
For the application; it appeareth herein: for when he ſaith, you hath he reconciled; he declareth the wonderfull kindneſſe of God towards thē, viz. the Coloſſians, for though that there be a redemption wrought, yet if the Coloſſians could not apply it to themſelues, nor hauehave any hope that it belonged to them, they were not the better for it; Nay, it is the worſe, when as a bleſſing being abroad, is yet neglected, and not obteined of ſome, when as others get it. And therefore our Sauior CHRIST, ſpeaking to the obſtinate Iewes, ſaith: ye ſhall ſee the Prophets in heauen, and. your Luke 13. 28.ſelues ſhut out; yee ſhall ſee it, arguing the greatneſſe of the iudgemnt.
Here then we are to learne, to try whether we ourInſtruction. ſelues hauehave any part or portion in the ſame, & whether we be not thoſe, which onelyonly ſhall ſee the ſame, and not feele it in our ſelues, and that we are of thoſe that enioy it, and not ſuch as onelyonly heare tell of it.
For euen as if there ſhould be a thouſand Rebels, and a pardon granted to ſome ten, or an hundred, if a man know not that hee is one of the men, which ſhould bee pardoned, what ſhould it profite him to know there is a pardon?Note.
And as if any ſhould heare of a treaſure found, and yet be not ſure that he hath part in it, what auaileth it him? ſo it is in the caſe of our Redemption, when as wee know not that this fauour belongeth to vsus. And when as wee onelyonly can ſay that there are ſome that ſhall bee redeemed, and can talke of the ſaluation of others, and not of our owne: how can wee bee truely thankfull?
Vſe. This ſerueth to confute the Papiſts, which ſay that this is a preſumptuous doctrine to bee aſſured of our ſaluation. But we ſee the Apoſtle dealeth otherwiſe to the Coloſſians, for he aſſureth the Coloſſians of their redemption.Note.
And it is farre otherwiſe with the poſſeſſion of our ſaluation, then with worldly poſſeſſions, which poſſeſſion may bee loſt, but this cannot bee taken away.
Now againſt the wretched opinion of the Papiſts we out of Geneſis 15. and 17. are to conſider, that ſeeing the Lord ſaith, (making his couenant to Abraham) I am thy God, thou art my ſeruant, why ſhould not the couenant of God make Abraham ſay againe, Thou art my God, I am thy ſeruant? Hoſ. 2. 23. I will ſay to them, which were not my people, Thou art my people, and they ſhall ſay, Thou art my God.
Queſtion. Queſt. How could Saint Paul know this, ſeeing there are ſo many deceits, and turnings of Hypocriſy in a mans heart, that a man can hardly know any thing of certaine in himſelfe.
Anſ. The Apoſtle might know, and we may wellSolution. know, that whereſoeuer God doth ſpread the banner of the Goſpell, there are ſome, that are certainely called and elected.
Indeed there are many that are Reprobates and Hypocrites, but yet ſo long as the Goſpell was there, the Apoſtle might know, that there were ſome Elect.
Doctrine Hereby we learne, that we are ſurely and vndoutedly to know, that whereſoeuer the Goſpell is Preached, there is a Church planted, and there are people which God hath choſen to ſaue eternally.
Contrarily, this confuteth thoſe, that for corruptionsNote againſt the Browniſts. in the Church, will vtterly deface the Chuch of God, and make it to be no Church, and forſake it. For where the Goſpell is Preached by authority from God, there is CHRISTS throne erected.
Vſe. The vſe of this is to teach vsus, that when the Lord calleth vntounto vsus by his word, and ſtretcheth the armes of his Goſpell, to receiue thoſe that come, we are to go vntounto him, and receiue him, leaſt if wee doe not, hee cloſe his hands, and with-draw his Goſpell from vsus, and leaue vsus in a deſperate and miſerable eſtate.
To the further ſetting forth of their excellent eſtate he ſeteth downe their curſed eſtate before.Verſe. 21.
Doctrine Here then we learne, that to the end we may ſee the excellency of our happie eſtate in CHRIST, we are to ſee what a curſed and wretched condition we were in by our nature. And indeed we can neuer in any meaſure ſee the notable redemption of vsus by CHRIST, nor can neuer be thankefull vntounto God before that be felt of vsus. The full man, ſaith Salomon, loaths hony, the ſweeteſt thing. And a man though ſicke, yet if he feell not his diſeaſe, will neuer ſeeke to the Phiſitian.
So it is in our eſtate of ſaluation, that becauſe weNote. ſee not how lothſome we were naturally, we can not diſcerne the wonderfull glory offered. Hence it was that the Papiſts being filled, with their Merits, Dirges, Maſſes, &c. could not ſee the pretiouſneſſe of CHRIST, and therefore ſought not to him.
And, we, though we are by Gods mercy deliuered from the ſincke of Idolatry, yet we do not wey ſufficiently our redemption, becauſe we do not ſee narrowly into our ſinnes, nor behold the vileneſſe of them; indeed we confeſſe in generall we are ſinners &c. but the cauſe of our Froſenneſſe is for that we doe not ſee the horribleneſſe of our ſinnes.
And therfore we are to ſtudie, and to looke diligently into the glaſſe of Gods word, wherein we may ſee our ſinnes in their proper coulors. Indeed if men be once touched with the ſenſe of ſinne by the hand of God, then will they cry, oh the goodneſſe of God! &c. then they will acknowledge it to be the moſt precious thing that is, to be aſſured of the fauour of God. It followeth.
Strangers: viz. in regard of the inheritance of God,Verſe. 21. we hauehave no lot nor portion with CHRIST, before our redemption. Againe without CHRIST we are ſtrangers from the Citie of God, from the heauenlyEph. 2. 12. Ieruſalem, and we are vagabonds and rogues from the common wealth of God. Whereas if we be pertakers of CHRIST, we are of the Citie of God, of the heauenly Citie, which came downe from aboue.
And if to be a Burgeſſe and free Cittizen, be ſuchNote. an excellēt thing, as in the world it is accounted highly: for wee ſee when as Paule ſaid he was a Cittizen of Rome, Liſias ſaid, I bought it with a great price. AndAct. 22. 28. ſaith he, dare you beat a Cittizen. But how much more excellent and precious a thing is it to be a freeman in the heauenly Citie of God?
Now if we be Citizens of Gods Citie, then foloweth an other point, that we muſt be ſtrangers fromNote. the world. And therefore if we be not ſtrangers from the world, from drunkeneſſe, from our pleaſures, from our riches, &c. we are ſtrangers from God. It followeth.
Enemies, not onelyonly ſtrangers, but enemies. For howſoeuer with men they may be ſtrangers one toNote. an other, but yet may be in league together, but with God it is not ſo. For if we be ſtrangers, we are enemies to God, which is a fearfull thing, for if God be our enemy, what can all freinds do vsus good? AndPro. 16. 14. if the anger of a King be death, then what is the anger of the King of Kings?
The anger of God we may ſee in Iob, who howſoeuerIob. 7. 20. Et. 16. 9. he was the child of God, yet in his owne feeling he thought God to be his enemy. And therefore feeling the anger of God he could not reſt: when it was morning he deſired it were euening &c. And Dauid, ſaith the Lord had ſhot his arrowes at him, &Pſ. 38. 2. 3. that nothing was ſoūd in him by reaſō of Gods anger
Queſt. Queſt. How can we be ſaid to hauehave been Gods enemies, ſeeing he alwaies loued vsus from the beginning of the world? And therefore whether is this enmity to be conſidered, actiuely, or paſſiuely in regard of God or of our ſelues?
Solution. Anſwer. True it is God loued vsus from the beginningEph. 1. 4. of the world, but that was in regard of CHRIST, in regard of our ſelues he hated vsus, we were his enemies: And had it not been for the louelove in CHRIST,Eph. 2. 1. 3. 12. we ſhould not hauehave abidden in his preſence, but had been conſumed and therefore we hauehave to praiſe God, that in louelove he ſpared vsus ſo long, till he called vsus, and ſent meanes of calling vsus. It followeth.
Mind: We were enemies therein, which is the principall part of the ſoule, and therefore we were much more enemies in the inſeriour faculties, in our groſſe affections, of feare, anger, and in regard of louelove, and alſo of our bodie.
Doctrine Doctrine. We learne that ſeing we are thus enemies, there is nothing in vsus but corruption and enm…ties in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Which is contrary to the Papiſts, which will make vsus that we can merit at the hand of God by our good works. But if the tree be corrupt, what ſhall the fruite be? For the reconciliation by CHRIST we hauehave heardVerſe. 22. of it before. The end of our reconciliation is in theLuk. 1. 74. 75. next words expreſſed: which is ſanctification, which is the end we why are redeemed. This the Apoſtle ſetteth out by the three words.
The firſt word ſignifieth, that which is not earthly, Hagios, holy, not earthly, of foreign, and foreign.viz. that our minds ſhould be caried from earthly things to heauenly. The ſecond is without ſpot. viz. not a man that is not charged with blame, but which being blamed, is not truly nor iuſtly blamed.
The third word, ſignifieth a man, that cannot be iuſtly brought into iudgemēt before the magiſtrate, or before the Church. Signifying, that a man, not onelyonly may befree frō great crimes, but euen from all, that may be reprehended by other inferiour men. And here is ment not onelyonly to walke vnblamable before men, but euen before God, to walke vprightly and ſincerely. So that ſanctification is the end of our redemption. That the Goſpell ſhould not be euill ſpoken of.
Doctrine Here is confuted Iuſtification by good works. For ſeeing good works are the end, and the effects of our ſaluation and come after our redemption, they cannot then be the cauſes of the ſame, and as the fruite commeth after the trees, ſo doe good works after from righteouſneſſe, which is as the Tree, that bearethPhil. VII. them.
The end of the tenth Sermon.