Commentary Upon Colossians, Sermon 19
The 19. Sermon.
COLLOSS. 2. V. 18. 19.
18 Let no man at his pleaſure beare rule ouer you by humbleneſſe of minde, and worſhipping of Angels, aduancing himſelfe in thoſe things which he neuer ſaw, raſhly puft vp with his fleſhly minde.
19 And holdeth not the head, whereof all the body, furniſhed and knit together by ioints and hands, increaſeth with the increaſing of God.
OF the falſe doctrine that the Coloſſians were bewitched withall, and infected by falſe Teachers, there were two kinds: One which came of the inuentions of the braine, and wits of men: The other were thoſe ceremonies which were once Gods ordinances, enioyned by Moſes, as the ceremonies of the Law. And firſt we hauehave heard how the Apoſtle hath confuted thoſe errours, which were concerning the maintaining the ceremonies of the Law: Now he ſetteth himſelfe to confute thoſe errors which were of mens inuention. As if he ſaid:
Hauing ſpoken of the Elements of the world, which are the ceremonies of the Law, I come now to the vaine Philoſophy, I gaue you warning of. Againſt the which obſerue this rule: Firſt, that you giuegive no man (of what ſhew ſoeuer) this power ouer you, that for his owne luſt, in matters pertaining to God, hee vſurpe authority, howſoeuer the doctrine hee brings, carry a ſhew of humility. As for example thoſe that teach the worſhip of Angels, as meanes to come the more eaſily vntounto CHRIST: in which thing what do they elſe, but thruſt themſelues into things, which they neuer knew, onelyonly grounded vponupon a proud conceite of their fleſhly minde, notwithſtanding their great pretence of humility?
Which errour ought ſo much the more to bee abhorred as they, that are infected with it, doe not (indeed, whatſoeuer they do in word) hold CHRIST faſt, which is the Head of his Church, of whom the whole body as it were by ioints and bands being furniſhed,Ephe. 4. and compact together, is both nouriſhed and increaſed, with that increaſe, which God both aloweth, and is giuer off.
The ſumme is to condemne the doctrine of mens braines.
The parts are
Againſt doctrines of mens braine, namely the worſhipping of Angels.
The reaſon againſt them.
The ſumme then is, to ſet forth vntounto vsus how they ought to beware of the doctrine of men, taught by mens owne heads, as namely the doctrine of worſhipping of Angels, which is ſet for all others.
Firſt of the errours, which was among the Coloſſians, which they were infected withall.
Secondly, the reaſons the Apoſtle vſeth, to ouerthrow, knocke in peeces, grind to powder, this, and all other ſuch errours.
Firſt, for the worſhipping of Angels, wee are 1. to know that God onelyonly is to bee worſhipped, that is with a religious kinde of honour and worſhip. Indeed there is an honour and worſhip giuen to Magiſtrates and ſuperiours, but that is a ciuill honour, And therefore Deut 6. Thou ſhalt worſhip the Lord thy God, and not other idoll gods: And on that our Sauiour CHRIST gathereth this concluſion, Thou ſhalt ſerue the Lord alone: A manifeſt example of thisMath. 4. 10. Reuel. 22. 8. 9. wee ſee, Saint Iohn, being a worthy ſeruant of God, who when the Angell, which God ſent vntounto him, had ſhewed him ſuch glorious and excellent things, being ra…iſhed there-with, fell downe and worſhipped the Angel. But the Angell being moued, ſaith: beware, take heed; hee cuts ſhort his ſpeech, as thoſe that are moued with any thing. And hee giueth him a reaſon, why he ſhould not, for ſaith hee: I am thy fellow-ſeruant, for though my meſſage bee glorious, yet I am appointed of God to doe it, and am his ſeruant, Hebrews 1. 14. The Angels are miniſtring Spirits to ſerue, as the Sunne, Moone, and Starres, for as the Angels are Miniſters to ſerue CHRIST, ſo they are to his ſeruants, beeing one with him, and therefore wee are not to ſerue them.
Obiection. Obiect. Whereas wee ſee oft-times of Angels, that appeared, as in the booke of the Iudges, the Angell, that appeared to Sampſons mother and Father, whenIudges 13. 15. 16. 23. they willed him to ſtay that they might worſhip him, hee bid them, and ſo in other places, therefore it may ſeeme Angels are to be worſhipped.
Anſwere, But that doth no… follow: For wee areSolution. to conſider that where any Angell was to bee worſhipped, it was the Angell of the Couenant, theMal. 3. 2. Sonne of God: who though hee tooke vponupon him a body to execute the function, hee was ſent to doe by his Father, which body hee preſently left off: yet hee appeared to the end that hee might ſignifie, that hee was afterward indeed to come, to take our nature, and to vnite it vntounto him: And hee was to bee worſhipped, being not a created Angell. But for the other Angels, they are not to bee prayed vntounto. Contrary to the Papiſts, who wretchedly abuſe theſe places of Scripture.
And if the Angels may not, much leſſe can or ought the Saints to bee prayed vntounto. And if any, the Angels rather, who attend vponupon the Saints of God to their good, but the Saints know not our eſtate, and therefore can helpe vsus much leſſe. And therefore Eliah ſaith to Eliſeus, being to be2. King. 2. 9. taken away, haſt thou any thing I ſhould do for thee, tell it mee now, for after I cannot doe thee any good, And a further reaſon why they are not to bee prayed vntounto, nor the Angels neither, becauſe they vnderſtand not our heartes: For wee cannot expreſſe our owne heartes, as Hannah could not expreſſe1. Sam. 1. 1. Cor. 2. 11. her griefe. The ſpirit of God onelyonly doth vnderſtand.
The reaſons the Apoſtle vſeth: 1. Let no man (ſaith hee) take that authority ouer you, and iudge ouer you. Where hee taketh the ſimilitude alluding to the cuſtome of the Romanes, who in the ſports of running▪ &c. had Iudges of the game, and whomſoeuer they iudged to be worthy had the Garland. But ſaith hee, Let no man bee iudge in your faith, neither ſtand vponupon any mans iudgements to beleeue that they ſay: For there is no man Iudge or Lord ouer a mans faith: 2. Corrinth: 1. 24. Wee are not Lords ouer your faith. This the Apoſtle rebuketh the Corrinthians, for that they ſuffered themſelues to bee2 Cor. 11. 20. buffi…ed, by the falſe Prophets, viz: to become ſeruants vntounto them in their ſoules, as to bee bound to whatſoeuer they ſaid or taught, and ſo alſo became to bee ſeruants vntounto them in their bodies: So was it in the time of Popery, when eueryevery Sir Iohn Lackelattine, whatſoeuer hee ſaid, all was beleeued. So is it in thoſe, that will yeeld vntounto the iudgements, and opinions of men in an errour, which is to admit a Iudge into the Church of God, whereas there is none but CHRIST alone. Iam. 4. 12. There is one Iam. 4. 12.Law-giuer, which is able to ſaue and deſtroy. And therefore wee are not to take mans authority in the word of God, and matters of religion, but to examine his doctrine, as the men of Berea did▪ Acts. 17. 11.And therefore let no man take that authority, as to deſire to hauehave his word ſtand in matters of religion, neither are wee to giuegive this authority to any.
Heere further the Apoſtle taketh away their obiection, which come (they ſay) in humility, they would not preſume to come directly vntounto CHRIST, but by the Angels, as vntounto a Prince wee will goe by the ſeruant: was not this a great humility and meekeneſſe not to preſume to come vntounto CHRIST raſhly? But vnderunder this ſhew the fleſh doth maske.
Doct. Heere wee ſee that wee hauehave heard before: Doctrine. that vnderunder the ſhew of truth and godlineſſe ofttimes come fearefull and dangerous errours, and errours ofttimes hauehave a fayrer ſhew, then truth, it ſelfe. As the bayt that ſeemeth to the fiſh to be good meat.
And be it that it be humility, yet is it but a blind humility, which is broken out without the light of the word.
Doctrine Doctrine. That whatſoeuer hath not the word of God and is not grounded on the word, though euer ſo humble, it is ignorance. Rom. 8. 14. 23. IfIſa. 8. 20. not grounded on the Law and the Prophets it is ſinne. This is one argument.
Another is, that this is not humility, but an intollerable pride and arrogancy. For what an arrogancy is this that a mortall man will take vponupon him to talke of that he neuer heard of, of the word of God? Againe what a wretched arrogancy is it, for a mortall man to reſiſt and contradict the ordinance of God! for as there is but one God: ſo there is but one mediatour, 1. Tim. 2. 5.and if they will hauehave more, they muſt hauehave more Gods. This is the Apoſtles reaſon. For there can be no mediatour betwene God, and vsus, but CHRIST alone. For he is moſt fit to be a daies man that can beſt agree with both the parties.
And who can be better thē our Sauiour CHRIST, for he communicateth with God in his God-head, which Saints and Angels doe not. And he hath greater communication with vsus in his man-hood, then the ſaints, for he is our head. This the Apoſtle hath a notable place for Rom. 8. If there be another mediatour and interceſſor, then there is another hath died for vsus, and another fitteth at the right hand of God.
To returne to their pride. To make another Mediatour is nothing but a proud thing. For is it not a great pride to doe contrary to the commandement of God? Iohn. 13. Peter when our Sauiour would hauehave waſhed his feet, he would not, but denied againe and againe, which though it ſeemed an humility; yet it was great pride, not to obey the commandement of his maſter.
A greater reaſon he alledgeth verſe. 19. Becauſe they held not the head: all errours are dangerous: but this is moſt dangerous of all to take away the head, as which take away our Sauiour CHRIST. And therefore the Apoſtle Peter ſaith in the latter…. Pet. 2. 1. dayes ſhall come ſuch, as ſhall teach pernitious Hereſies, denying the Lord: For as it is in the hurts of theA ſimile. body, thoſe hurts though ſmall, yet being in the vitall parts, as braine, heart, &c. do coſt the life, whereas other great wounds will not: ſo it is in religion, ſome errours doe not hurt the life of theNote. ſoule, but thoſe that are againſt the head points of religion, kill the life of their ſaluation.
Whatſoeuer doth ouerthrow the foundation doth ouerthrow ſaluation: As in Popery, Idolatry, and worſhiping &c. making another head of the Church.
And vnles it be of the God-head, all their doctrine is not onelyonly errours, but a cleane apoſtacy: for they corrupt all other points. Indeed there be errours, if they held onelyonly, and none els, as free will &c. They might be ſaued, but if they come to this, as to hold worſhiping Angels &c. ouerthrowing the foundation, they exclude themſelues, CHRIST he is the onelyonly head of the Church, which conueyeth life to all his parts, and to appoint worſhip to any other is to take him away.
This ouerthroweth the Papiſts that will hauehave the Pope to be the miniſteriall head which is a fooliſh thing. For as the head is the higheſt, ſo is our Sauiour CHRIST alone, therefore not the Pope.
Againe, the head giueth life and motion to all the body, which our Sauiour onelyonly doth, the Pope cannot.
Againe, in that they ſay the Pope is a miniſteriall head, but our Sauiour CHRIST needeth noneMath. 28. being preſent by his ſpyrit to the end of the world, giuing direction to his Church.
And the Apoſtle ſhewing that our Sauiour is the head of the Church deſcribeth it, to be tyed as the members of the body to the head, ſo the Church to CHRIST.
Againe, our Sauiour is the head of the Church to conuay life and ſuſtenance to all the members. And he giueth nouriſhment not to all alike, but to ſome more, ſome leſſe, as they need: for the greater membersNote. hauehave more need of ſuccours, and relief.
Doctrine Doctrine. Not to enuy thoſe that hauehave more then we. For if the Lord hath beſtowed more on them it is for our good.
Againe, in regard that the members are members of one body and agree with the head, we learne
That if we be the members of CHRIST and ioyned vntounto CHRIST by faith, we muſt be ioyned together one to another.
For as when there is a member out of ioynt all the other are grieued, ſo if we be not ioyned in hart, it ſheweth that we are not right in CHRIST.
Our vnity muſt be in CHRIST onelyonly, O how Pſal. 1. 33.good and how pleaſant a thing is it for brethren to liue in vnity? Where we ſee if we be ioyned together in CHRIST, we ſhall be pertakers of all the graces of God, which being powred out vponupon CHRIST ſhall deſcend as the oyle which was powred on the head of Aaron, which came euen to his skirts. And as the dew of Hermon watreth the valleyes ſo ſhall it be with vsus. TheEpheſ. 4. bond whereby we are to be ioyned one to another is louelove, which is the Bond of of perfection.
The end of the 19. Sermon.