Commentary Upon Colossians, Sermon 27
The 27. Sermon.
COLOSS. 3. V. 18. 19. 20. 21.
18 Wiues, ſubmit your ſelues vntounto your husbands, as it is comely in the Lord.
19 Husbands louelove your wiues, and be not bitter vntounto them.
20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for that is well pleaſing vntounto the Lord.
21 Fathers, prouoke not your children to anger, leſt they be diſcouraged.
THE Apoſtle hauing diſcourſed ſeuerally and perticulerly of ſundry duties of Chriſtian men, generall to all men of what ſtates and conditions, ſexes, and ages ſoeuer they be, he now commeth to the perticuler duties belonging to eueryevery one in their perticuler calling.Ʋerſe 18. The Metaphraſe.
Hauing inſtructed you in the duties which are generall to all, I come to informe you in thoſe that are ſpeciall, according to the ſeuerall callings of eueryevery one of you, as thoſe which will eaſily come from you, if you hauehave well profited in the former. Now according to the order God himſelfe keepeth in the fifth Commandement, I will begin with the duty of inferiors.
You wiues therefore, notwithſtanding you hauehave other duties, I exhort you, as to that which is hardeſt for you, wherein you are cuſtomably ſhorteſt, and being performed, others will eaſily follow; that you be ſubiect & obedient, as to others that may bee aboue you (as Parents and Magiſtrates) ſo eſpecially vntounto your owne husbands, as that which is the moſt comely thing of all, becauſe you (I know) ſtriue to comelineſſe. Which obedience and ſubiection is not yet ſo abſolute, and ſo generall, but it hath this exception, ſo farre as you are commanded, things not vnlawfull by the word of God.
You husbands, although you owe ſundry duties vntounto your wiues, yet ſpecially I exhort you to louelove them dearely, as that which you are moſt cuſtomably ſhorteſt in: and which being throughly ſetled in you, will eaſily pull all other duties after it. And therefore be not bitter to them, which cannot ſtand with louelove.
You children, from a heart ſubdued, and truly humble, obey your parents; not by halues, and ſo farre as they cōmand things to your liking, but in all things, not contrary to the word of God, although it be to the croſſing of your deſires: for which cauſe let it be alwayes before your eyes, as a goade to ſtirre you vp to this obedience: that in ſo doing you ſhall not onelyonly pleaſe your parents, but doe a thing acceptable to the Lord himſelfe.
You parents, abuſe not your authority, or the pliable minds of your children, either by cōmanding things vnlawfull, or by hard vſage of them, to prouoke them to any vndutifulneſſe towards you, or to hauehave no courage or comfort to do the things required of them.
The ſumme of all which is an Exhortation, which the Apoſtle giueth to the moſt ſtraighteſt bonds amongſt men.
| The firſt of the | Wife, and Husband. | Which are the ſtraighteſt bonds betweene men. |
| The ſecond of the | Parents & Children. |
But firſt we are to ſpeake of the laſt verſe of the other text: Whatſoeuer yee do, or ſay, &c.) The ApoſtleVerſe. 17. had trauelled in ſetting forth vntounto them many ſpeciall duties they ought to performe, as Chriſtian men and women. And becauſe it were an infinite thing to ſet downe all duties perticular to Chriſtians, he wiſely comprehendeth all, both thoſe duties ſpoken of before, & all other duties in this verſe, ſaying: Whatſoeuer yee ſay, or do, let all be done in the name of our Sauiour Chriſt. The like doth our Sauiour Chriſt, who hauing ſpoken in the 5. and 6. and part of the 7. of Mathew, of the duties to our neighbours, doth comprehend all the duties which we owe to our brother, in all the Law and Prophets, in this: Do as ye would be Math. 7. 12.done by. So here the Apoſtle doth. The like we hauehave, 1. Cor. 10. Whether ye eate or drinke, or whatſoeuer ye do, 1. Cor. 10. 31. Note.do all to the glory of God. Here we hauehave a very Notable rule, that we ſhould not ſpeake, nor do any thing, but that which we may commend vntounto God in prayer: And therfore eueryevery man ought to purpoſe with himſelfe in the day, to do nothing elſe but that which is good and right: and this will be a meanes to keepe him from whoring, drinking, & all vnhoneſt things, when as he is to do onelyonly that which he ſhould deſire a bleſſing in prayer of God in; and for which after we are to returne to God in thankeſ-giuing againe, which none is ſo ſenceleſſe as that hee will do for his ſinnes, and wickedneſſe he hath committed. And indeed there is no good thing, whatſoeuer a man doth, as to ſpeake of Law, Phyſicke, &c. which of themſelues are good, and therefore cannot be good vntounto vsus (though to others they may be) vnleſſe we commend them vntounto the Lord in prayer.
Here alſo we are taught, in that we are to pray to God, and thanke God for all good things, we ſay and do, we hauehave them not of our ſelues, but from the Lord.
After the Apoſtle doth ſet downe a notable ExpoſitionVerſe. 18. of the fifth Commandement, 1. beginning at the duties of the neereſt bonds: and firſt hee ſetteth the duty of the inferiors to the ſuperiors. And firſt he ſheweth forth the duties of thoſe which owe commō duties together one to another mutually, as huſband and wife: and then the duties of them ioyntly to thoſe that are vnderneath them both.
And this is the order which the Apoſtle vſeth, who hauing ſet downe generall duties of Chriſtianity before, he now commeth to particular; thereby inſinuating, that thoſe that hauehave laboured to obſerue the generall, as of Holineſſe, Temperancy, Long-ſuffering, LoueLove, &c. they ſhall more eaſily performe theſe particular duties. This is a notable doctrine, and therefore we ſee Iethro counſelleth Moſes to chooſe ſuchExod. 18. 21. rulers to helpe him, as hated couetouſneſſe. This is a generall duty to hate couetouſneſſe; noting, that if they were faithfull in that, they would be good Gouernours, and Magiſtrates▪ and Captaines. And therefore we ſee Ioſeph, hauing all which his maiſter had,Gen. 39. 5. 9. vnderunder his hand ſaue his wife, is ſaid to hauehave ordered all things well: the reaſon is, becauſe hee feared God, that is, becauſe he had the generall duty.
Againe, therefore we ſee, that ſeruants by the generall duty of doing their duty in the ſight of God, are perſwaded to obedience to their maiſters. So that this is to teach vsus to labour principally for to hauehave the louelove and feare of God, and to do our duties as in the ſight of God, which is a meanes to helpe vsus in our particular calling.
And as it is a true thing, that if I louelove all men, and performe duty to all men, as much as I can, then much more will I do it to my wife, children, & thoſe that depend vponupon me, according to this Rule of the Apoſtle.
And as that is true, ſo alſo the diligent and true performance of the duties of our particular calling, is a great meanes to helpe, and to confirme vsus in the generall duties. 1. Rom. The Apoſtle taking an oath, and calling God to witneſſe, confirmeth the faithfulneſſe of his oath, by his faithfulneſſe in his particular office of his Miniſtery. And to Timothy hee ſaith:1. Tim. 3. 5. that he that is not able to gouerne his wife and family priuately, is not fit to gouerne publickely in the Church, or Common-wealth.
For the particular duties firſt of Wiues. In the Epiſtle to Titus, though the Apoſtle requireth LoueLove ofTit. 2. 4. the yonger wiues to their husbands, and children, yet they are not ſo ready to bee behinde hand in LoueLove, as in this duty of Subiection: for when ſhe is admitted to the friendly and amiable vſe of her Husband, that ſhe hath Power ouer his body, as he of hers, therefore1. Cor. 7. 4. ſhe thinkes ſhe is ſhut out from ſubiection to his authority: and therefore it is that the Apoſtle ſo ſtands eſpecially vponupon that duty of ſubiection: for concerning louelove it is vſually more exceeding in women then in men.
And therefore Dauid in his verſes on Ionathan, ſaith:2. Sam. 1. 26. his louelove exceeded the louelove of women.
But he inſiſteth vponupon her obedience: And hee bringeth this reaſon, becauſe it is comely: It had beene a notable reaſon to hauehave perſwaded her to ſubiection, becauſe the Lord commands her will to bee ſubiect vntounto her husband: And howſoeuer before the fall ſheGen. 3. 16. 1. Cor. 14. 34. was ſubiected vntounto him, yet after the fall, her yoke was heauier, & therfore the Lord ſaith: Thy wil ſhall be ſubiect to thy husband, & he ſhall rule ouer thee. Againe, as 1. Cor. 11. 9. Hee might hauehave ſaid the woman was made for the man, not the man for the woman. AndGen. 2. 18. the woman was taken out of the man, not the man out of the woman.
And a more notable reaſon is in 1. Tim. 3. 14. The woman was deceiued, not the man: for hee was led away by affection to her, and was not deceiued: And to Titus, the Apoſtle rendreth another reaſon of thisTit. 2. 5. ſubiection, leaſt the Goſpell be euill ſpoken of, therefore the wiues ſhould be ſubiect to their husbands.
But here the Apoſtle rendreth this reaſon, that itNote. is comely: becauſe women delight in neateneſſe and comlineſſe. And howſoeuer they thinke it a diſgrace to be ſubiect, yet the Apoſtle ſaith, this is more comely to be ſubiect. And S. Peter ſtandeth much vponupon it,1. Pet. 3. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. teaching that the comlineſſe of a woman, which is moſt comely in the ſight of God, is, that ſhe be quiet, humble, and obedient: And therefore if women will hauehave their rings, Iewels, and bracelets, as an ornament and comelineſſe to them, let them bee decked with this, to bee humble in obedience to their husbands.
And yet this ſubiection is reſtrained, that it be in the Verſe 18. & Ephe. 5. 24.Lord, if hee bee too ſeuere, and command things not fit, yet ſhe is not to reiect the yoke of obedience, but go vnderunder it, but if hee giuegive commandement contrary to God, ſhee is not to obey therein: following the Apoſtles rule, It is better to obey God then Man.Acts 4. 19.
Then hee ſetteth downe the duty of husbands:Ʋerſe 19. And howſoeuer there are many duties inioyned thē, yet the principall duty the Apoſtle requireth is louelove, becauſe men are vſually ſhort and cold in that affection. Indeed in the affection and louelove for fornication they will be oftentimes exceeding hot: but in this true louelove are farre ſhort and too ſtrait-laced.
The Apoſtle ſetteth forth this affection of a man in Ephe: 5. ſaying that he ſhould louelove his wife, as his Ephe. 5. 28. 1. Pet. 3. 7.owne body: And the reaſon is, becauſe ſhee is weaker, and full of infirmities, and weakeneſſes, and therefore he is to couer them by louelove: For if he hauehave maymes, orProu. 10. 12. blemiſhes in his body, hee will bee ready to vſe all meanes to hide them, ſo muſt the man do to his wife, being his owne body.
And the Apoſtle Saint Peter, ſheweth a generall1. Pet. 4. 8. duty of louelove, to couer many infirmities: Aboue all things (ſaith he) hauehave feruent louelove, for lour ſhall couer the multitude of ſinnes. And the Apoſtle ſaith further,Note. hee is not to bee bitter, For louelove hath no gall in it, and therefore the husband is to exerciſe his louelove toward his wife by auoiding all manner of bitterneſſe toward her.
The twenty and 21. are handled in the next Sermon.
The end of the 27. Sermon.