Commentary Upon Colossians, Sermon 14
The 14. Sermon.
COLOSS. 2. V. 1. to the 8.
1 For I would yee knew what great fighting I hauehave for your ſakes, and for them of Laodicea, and for as many as hauehave not ſeene my perſon in the fleſh,
2 That their hearts might be comforted, and they knit together in louelove, and in all riches of the full aſſurance of vnderſtanding to know the miſterie of God, euen the Father, and of CHRIST:
3 In whom are hid all the treaſures of wiſedome, and knowledge,
4 And this I ſay, leaſt any man ſhould beguile you with intiſing words:
5 For though I be abſent in the fleſh, yet am I with you in the ſpirit, reioycing, and beholding your order, and your ſtedfaſt faith in CHRIST.
6 As yee hauehave therefore receiued CHRIST IESVS the Lord, ſo walke in him,
7 Rooted and built in him, and ſtabliſhed in the faith, as ye hauehave bene taught, abounding therein with thanksgiuing.
WE hauehave heard in the former chapter how the Apoſtle hath deliuered a ſhort ſūme of the holy Doctrine of the Goſpell, recommending the ſame by ſundry arguments, ſome drawne from the excellency of the Doctrine and from the matter of it, CHRIST, and from his owne Miniſtery, faithfulneſſe and dilligence.
Now he entreth into another doctrine, for hauing ſet forth the excellency of the doctrine, hee now ſetteth forth the remedies of certaine errours, which might hauehave ouerturned them from the doctrine.
And firſt in theſe verſes (as before hee had made a preparation) ſo now he maketh another preparation, for the conuincing and reprouing of thoſe errours that were riſen vp among. For wee know how wee are cleaued vntounto our errours, and corruptions, and how hardly remoued from them: And therefore the Apoſtle doth here by this Preface lance (as it were) their hearts, by ſhewing them his exceeding care and louelove towards them.
As if hee ſhould ſay: That which I ſaid of myVerſe 1. grieuous labour and ſtrife for all men, is truely verefied of you: for I would not hauehave you ignorant of the great a gony and ſtrife, that I hauehave for you, and for thoſe that are in the Church of Laodicea, and others about you in the country of Phrygia, notwiſtanding that they neuer did ſee my perſon.
And my care and thought is, that through the Preaching of the Goſpell, you might be comforted at the very heart, by a knitting, ſetting together, and compacting of your minds through louelove one to another, and through all aboundance of perſwaded vnderſtanding, and acknowledgement of the myſtery of God, that is to ſay, of the Father, and of CHRIST.
In which CHRIST are all the treaſures of wiſedome and knowledge treaſured vp, but yet hidden from the naturall man.
The drift of all which commendation of the Preaching of the Goſpell, and of CHRIST, whom the Goſpell doth Preach, & ſet forth vntounto you is, that no man by apparant and perſwaſible ſpeeches do tranſport you.
Where if you aske, how I, that neuer ſaw you, ſhould be thus carefull of you, and ſhould care for you ſo much, that neuer came to ſee you? know, that although I be abſent, as touching the fleſh, yet I am preſent with you, as touching the ſpirit, reioycing to ſee your good order and pollicy of the Church, cauſed from the ſoundneſſe of faith, which is towards CHRIST.
Wherefore as you hauehave receiued the Lord Ieſus Chriſt, ſo let it appeare by your conuerſatiō, as in al other things, ſo in holding faſt the truth of the Goſpel:
Being rooted and builded vponupon in him, & ſtrengthned in the faith, according as you hauehave bene taught of Epaphras: abounding in the ſame faith, and that with thankeſ-giuing, for the mercy you hauehave receiued in CHRIST. This is the ſence.
The parts are
A particular declaration of his care for the Coloſſians, together with
An exhortation to care for themſelues, that they be not caryed away, with any wind of falſe doctrine, contrary to that he hath declared, and which they had learned of Epaphras.
The ſum wherof is a preparation of the hearts and minds of the Coloſſians, to receiue the rebuke, & reprehenſion touching the errour & corruptiō among thē.
Firſt, here is a declaration of the Apoſtles great care towards the Coloſſians, & others of their neighbours countries, Phrigia and Laodicea.
Secondly, an exhortation that they ſhould hauehave care of themſelues. For the firſt, here is an application of all, that he had ſpoken before generally, that he tooke them to witneſſe, that the care and louelove which hee had, was to them-ward.
Doctrine So that it is neceſſary that the Miniſter ſhould hauehave the louelove of the people, & make knowne vntounto thē hisNote. louing affection, before his reprofe can ſettle in their hearts, it is neceſſary that the perſwaſion, that hee doth it in louelove, be entred into them.
Of the great ſtrife and agony: A ſimilitude taken frō the cuſtome of the Country, where at certaine times there was a great meeting to wreſtle & run for maſtery: So that as they, which did venture this ſtrife, vſe all their ſtrength and might to get the maſtery, and ſo likewiſe in dangerous fight, which they had euen to bloud. Hereby the ſheweth the exceeding paines and great care he had for them; & therefore the Apoſtle, beſides the outward thing of baniſhment, ſcourgings, ſhipwracks, &c: had alſo a great troupe of enemies within: viz: his exceeding cares, which he tooke, that troubled him exceedingly. His care appeared not onelyonly in earneſt prayer continually, but in writing, exhorting, & perſwading thē to continue & go forward, &c. And theſe cares he cōpares to an army or troupe of enemies which met with him & contēded with him, ſuch was his care: And no doubt, that ſeeing his charge was through the whole world, it muſt be great. For as the Church is ſaid to trauell inReu. 12. 2. bringing forth children, ſo the Apoſtle, trauelling of ſo many, euen through the whole world, it being cō mitted vntounto him, muſt needs hauehave great care & paine.
Heere wee ſee the exceeding louelove of the Apoſtle, that ſeeing he was abſent and had neuer ſeene them, nor they him, yet his care was ſo great he commend…th his exceeding louelove. For the ſight of miſery doth greatly increaſe the affection & care, the eye, & the eare beingthe dores by which pitty enters in. The cauſe wherefore he cared was that they might be cō forted in ſpirit. Now in ſo much as his care and louelove apeared by his writing, which cōſiſted of the Goſpel: Doctrine It ſheweth that there is nothing in the world, that miniſtreth ſound comfort, but the Goſpell. For as for pleaſures, wealth, good-cheare, &c. they bring no ſound cōfort, but are like to a flame, that is ſoone out▪ or ſmoake in the top of the chimny, that ſoone vaniſheth away, or like the fat of lambs, that when a little heate of affliction cōmeth, melteth. But the cōfort by the Goſpell ſtandeth by one in all affliction; yea in death it ſelfe, it is a continuall feaſt. And therefore in Mat. 22. 2. the Kingdome of heauen is compared to a Feaſt; yea to a Kings feaſt at the mariage of his ſon, where no delicate fare can bee wanting, but by his commandement will bee brought. So S. Iohn ſaith:1. Ioh. 1. 4. Acts 2. 46. This we write that your ioye may be full. In the Acts we reade, that thoſe that were called, though they were hated of all yet met together, & participated in eating of meate, and did eate their cōmon meate with great ioy. This is vſual in the Acts, that where the Goſpel came, was great ioy and comfort: and therefore when Philip came to Samaria, they receiuing the Goſpel, wereActs 8. comforted. So that that comfort which is in ſin, as adultery, &c. is wretched, & the beginning of ſorrow, & that which is in lawfull outward things, is but momentany, But this peace which Chriſt giueth, is conſtant. My peace (ſaith he) ſhall neuer be taken away.
The firſt cauſe of this cōfort that we receiue by the goſpel, is the knowledge of the truth of the Goſpell, as hath bin deliuered in the chap. before: for it is a notable cōfort when a man knows which is the word of God & what God hath cōmanded, it is a comfort to doe it when he knoweth it is commanded by God, and contrariwiſe it is a comfort, when it is knowne what is forbidden.
Whereas on the contrary, to the children of God it is a great anguiſh to be ignorant what to doe in Gods ſeruice, and what courſe to take, which might be pleaſing vntounto God.
Secondly not onelyonly knowledge, but perſwaſion, which next followeth, to know that the promiſes ſhall come to paſſe, and the threathings ſhall be performed, to be aſſured of it.
Thirdly, but eſpecially acknowledgement is matter of moſt ſinguler comfort, when he not onelyonly knoweth and is perſwaded, but applieth it to himſelfe: this is notable comfort, for what profit is it to a man to know this is good for him, and hath it not: to be in a dungeon, and to know the Sunne-ſhineth. and yet to hauehave no light, and to be an hungry and to know there is meat and bread, and yet to hauehave no part, this is rather matter of greater grief.
An other cauſe of comfort is louelove, which is compared to the iointures of the artificers, that when they build any houſe, by the ioints they ſet all the parts together; Or rather to the ioints of the body, wherby eueryevery part being ioined are in peace, whereas if one be out of ioint, it is a paine to all. So is the ioyning of Chriſtians, by a true louing affection one towards another. In whom are all the treaſures of wiſedome Ʋerſe. 3.and knowledge hid. Hauing commended the Goſpell, becauſe it brings wonderfull comfort by wiſedome and knowledge, now he ſheweth where they are to be had, viz. in CHRIST, in whom are hid all the treaſures of his father viz. touching his manhood, whereof here it is ſpoken, which is for vsus, who from his manhood receiue the graces of God, flowing and running from the head to the edges of the garment. And in his manhood are all the graces of God, though not infinitly, yet ſo farre as the manhood can comprehend, perfectly laid vp in CHRIST. For he hath all the graces we hauehave need of, and therefore the Goſpell hath all, ſo as here is a conuerſe reaſon, for CHRIST hath all, therefore the Goſpell hath all, and contrary, the Goſpell hath all the graces of God neceſſary for vsus, therefore CHRIST hath all. For whatſoeuer the Goſpell hath, CHRIST hath, and we receiue from him by the Goſpell.
This confuteth the Papiſts, who will hauehave vsus to hauehave any thing from cannons, decrees of Popes &c. But the Apoſtle ſaith that the Goſpell hath all wiſedome and vnderſtanding becauſe it hath them from CHRIST.
Hidde. Which ſheweth that theſe graces of God are hid from all creatures, yea from the Angels themſelues, and therefore they labour and bend, euen with paine (if it were poſſible) ſtooping to ſee into theſe myſteries.
This ſecret and hid wiſedome of God we ſee in this. For 1. it ſeemeth a ſtrange thing that all men ſhould fall and become the membres of Satan, and yet that out of Satans hands he would take his children, this was a ſtrange thing, and a wonderfull miſtery, and wiſedome, to ſhew his louelove to them the more 2. It is a ſtrange and a hid thing that God ſhould giuegive his Sonne to dye, yet it is a ſinguler miſtery, to ſhew the hatred of ſinne, and louelove of his children, that he abaſed his ſonne for their ſake.
3. Againe it is a ſtrange thing, that God ſhould ſuffer his children to be afflicted in this life, and the wicked to hauehave eaſe and peace; and the godly to go to heauen, by hell, to honour, by diſhonour &c. But it was that they might know their owne infirmities, and alſo the better hauehave a feeling of the comforts, that it might be the ſweeter. 4. Againe, a great miſtery that the Lord, to the building of the excellent worke of the Church ſhould chooſe ſuch weake inſtruments, and ſuch poore meanes, as fiſhermen &c.
But it is that in their weakeneſſe his power might be manifeſt. 5. Againe it is a ſtrange miſtery in the manner of the deliuery of the Goſpell, not in eloquence of men, but in a plaine ſtile, that as well the Maid at the mill, as the Prince in the Throne might vnderſtand it. But it was that none might impute it to the excellency of the tongue.
The end of the 14. Sermon