Commentary Upon Colossians, Sermon 31
The 31. Sermon.
COLOSS. 4. V. 12 to the end.
12 Ephaphras the ſeruant of Chriſt, which is one of you, ſaluteth you, and alwaies ſtriueth for you in prayers, that ye may ſtand perfect and full in all the will of God.
13 For I beare him record that he hath a great zeale for you, and for them of Laodicea, and them of Hierapolis.
14 Luke the beloued Phyſician greeteth you, and Demas.
15 Salute the brethren which are of Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the Church which is in his houſe.
16 And when this Epiſtle is read of you, cauſe that it be read in the Church of the Laodiceans alſo, and that yee likewiſe reade the Epiſtle written from Laodicea.
17 And ſay to Archippus, Take heed to the miniſtery, that thou haſt receiued in the Lord, that thou fulfill it.
18 The ſalutation by the hand of me Paule. Remembre my bands. Grace by with you, Amen.
WE hauehave entred vponupon the ſalutations ſent from Paule, and from thoſe, that were at Rome with him, to the Coloſſians. And the Apoſtle doth here proceed in that matter, as if he ſhould ſay after this ſort. Ephaphras ſaluteth you, betweene whom and youV. 12. The Metaphraſe. there is a ſpeciall bond, by reaſon whereof euen now abſent from you, yet hee is one of you: and being as you know a worthy ſeruant of Chriſt in the Miniſtery of the Goſpell, whereby his prayes are more effectuall, hee prayeth continually with great ſtrife and earneſtneſſe for you; that hauing entred into the holy profeſſion of the Goſpell, you may ſtand and abide in it, with daily encreaſe both in the knowledge and obedience of the whole will of God, vntill ſuch time as by death you ſhall be complet and perfect men in Chriſt.
For howſoeuer, I am not priuy to his priuate praiers, yet I dare be hold ſo to write, becauſe my ſelfe am witneſſe how (notwithſtanding his abſence) hee burneth in much louelove towards you, and towards the brethren in Laodicea and Hierapolis; the rather for your ſakes which may either bee furthered by their good, or hindered by their ill eſtate.
Luke the Phyſitian, one worthy to be beloued, ſaluteth you, and ſo doth Demas.
Salute the brethren in Laodicea from me, eſpecially Nimphas and his family; which for their piety and good order in it, I may not vnfitly terme a little Church.
And when you hauehave read this Epiſtle in the Church, to teſtifie your communion as in all other good things, ſo eſpecially in this ſacred treaſure of the word of Chriſt, procure it to be read in the Church of Laodicea; as of the other ſide, that you alſo read the Epiſtle which was written from Laodicea.
Tell alſo Archippus your Paſtor and ordinary Miniſter, from me, that he looke more diligently to his charge of miniſtery, which he hath receiued of the Lord: that he do it not by halues, but that he performe it in eueryevery reſpect, both of cheerefull teaching, and of good example of life vntounto the flocke.
Finally, I hauehave ſent you alſo my ſalutations, not by the hand of my Scribe, (as the other ſalutations,) but by mine owne hand: whereunto (for a cloſe of my letters) I adde my requeſt vntounto you, that you would in your prayers, remember my bonds, for the obtayning of whatſoeuer my captiue eſtate doth require.
And further, my humble prayer is for the grace of God, to bee with you: and ſo I am aſſured that it will be.
Here in we are to conſider of the ſalutations, and ſecondly of certaine commandements giuen.
For the ſalutations; they are thoſe, which he ſendeth from them, that are with him, and ſuch ſalutations, as he ſendeth by them vntounto the Church of Laodicea.
There remayneth the verſe before to be ſpoken off.Verſe. 11. For hauing ſpoken of Ariſtarchus, Marke &c. he giueth eueryevery one their ſeuerall commendation. And towching Ieſus, he giueth him this commendation, that he was a Iuſt man, that by his vpright dealing, and cariage towards all men he had gotten this name to be called Iuſt. As we vſually call him, that walketh honeſtly, Le bonne homme, A good man. An example hereof we hauehave in acts the. 1. of Barſabas, one of them, which ſtood in election for the place of Iudas. This Barſabas had gotten this name to be called Iuſt, Act. 1. 23.and had it giuen him by the Church. For as is in the 4. of the Acts, the Church being in great affliction,Act. 4. 36. 47. he ſold that, which he had, and diſtributed it amongſt the Church, whereupon they giuegive him that name Barnabas, the ſonne of conſolation, becauſe of the comfort, he was to many in the Church. This ſheweth the miſerable times now a daies, wherein few Iuſt Note.men are found, and therefore we had need to hauehave a greater light, then of the noonday, to finde ſuch an one, or one that dealeth ſo iuſtly, that one may bargaine with him in the darke, whereas we ought to be more iuſt, hauing ſo plentifull meanes of knowledge of the Goſpell. And what a ſhame is it that ſo few there are, which can hauehave the name of Barnabas, the ſonne of Comfort?
Againe in the name of this man, called Ieſus, we ſee a notable abuſe of the Papiſts of this name Ieſus, that whenſoeuer it was named would make courteſey inNote. token of reuerence. Whereupon ariſeth many abſurdities. For firſt they make an inequality in the Trinity, not giuing that reuerence to the names of the other perſons.
Againe, what a ſhame is it for them, that if it be ſuch a neceſſarie duty, why vſe they not that reuerence to the name of Chriſt in the markets, and in the houſes?
Further ſuch was their ignorance, that if this name of this man Ieſus which is the ſame in Greeke, that Iehoſuah in hebrue, they would, when they hard it, doe worſhip to it, which were an horrible idolatry, to giuegive the worſhip to the name of a man, which though a good man, yet a ſinner.
Doctrine Then he commends them altogether. That they were Iewes, giuing great honour vntounto them thereby. By which we ſee it is an honour to be a Iewe: which condemneth the wretched practiſe amongſt vsus, that hate the Iewes: and when any diſgrace is giuen to any moſt vile, we will ſay, hate him as a Iew. And yet we ſee our Sauiour Chriſt ſaith, ſaluation is from the Iohn. 4. 22.Iewes. And from whence were all the Apoſtles but of the Iewes? yea the chiefe Apoſtle of the Gentils, the Apoſtle Paule himſelfe: yea our Sauiour Chriſt himſelfe was of the Iewes, and therefore why ſhould we ſo hate them. And conſider that before they were reiected, and before the Gentils were called, how oft hauehave we in the Prophets, that they prayed for vsus before we were called? And in the laſt of the Canticles, we hauehave a little ſiſter: and therefore a ſhame for vsus ſoCant. 8. 8. to hate, and contemne them.
And further conſider that they hauehave a promiſe Rom. 11. that they ſhall be gathered to the Church, which no other nation hauehave, therefore ought to be loued, and prayed for of vsus.
He further commendeth theſe, that they onelyonly of the circumciſion there at Rome were help…rs vntounto the Verſe. 11.kingdome of God, which was a notable commendation vntounto them, for that God vouchſaued them, which were men, to be helpers to his kingdome. As it is a great honour for a ſubiect to be counted a defendour A ſimile.of the Prince, as the Princes Champion.
And here we learne in that our Apoſtle commended them being ſo few, and that becauſe they were ſo few that helped him: therefore we are to learne that, if any of the Iewes be called to the Goſpell (as ſome are now) they are ſo much the more to be eſteemed, and commended, though but few. Then he ſhewed wherein they were helpers to the kingdome of God, viz. in that they were comforters to him, which was a chiefe Apoſtle: which was a notable commendation vntounto them, to be helpers vntounto him, that had a great ſway of doing good in the Church. But a greater commendation to helpe one in ſuch a great place, then. 1000. beſide. As he, thatA ſimile. defendeth the King, doth more, then to defend many others. And therefore when Dauid would hauehave2. Sam. 18. 2. 3. gone with his army deuided into. 34. bands againſt Abſolon, they would not let him, alleadging to him that he was worth ten thouſand of them.
Then he proceeds to ſet downe Ephaphras his commendationsƲerſe. 12. vntounto them. And he ſendeth his commendation, deſcribing him to be of them, one that had planted the Goſpell with them, and with the Laodiceans which was a miniſter, not as now they are, but an Euang…liſt.
And he ſaith that Ephaphras prayeth for them▪ Note.commending his praier in that he was the ſeruant of God, to wit, a prophet and miniſter, and therefore his prayer more excellent and effectuall then of a priuate man. As the Lord ſaith to Abimelech, which would hauehave defiled Abrahams wife, the Lord forbids him, laying a curſe vponupon his houſe, but bids himGen. 20. 7. reſtore her, and he ſhall pray for him: for he was a Prophet.
And the matter of his prayer he ſetteth downe to be. 1. that they may continue vntounto the end without any ſlacking or ſtarting backe. 2. that they may be increaſed in grace, vntill they ſhould be accompliſhed in the end, which ſhould not be perfected before they were diſſolued.
And further he doth teſtifie his zeale and care towardsVerſe. 13. them, and mindfulneſſe of them, which himſelfe was an ey-witneſſe of, though not of his priuate praier. After he ſendeth ſalutations of Luke, viz. theVerſe. 14. Phiſitian (not the Euangeliſt, for then he would hauehave giuen him that title) and he ſheweth that this man is to be loued, becauſe of the good to the Church in his skil of Phiſicke.
Demas his ſalutation he ſetteth downe, but giueth him no commendation: becauſe that (as it ſeemeth) he began now to ſlide away, which after he did ſhamefully. Then after this he deſireth them to remember his ſalutations to the Church of Laodicea. WhereƲerſe. 15. we learne, as in all the other ſalutations, ſo in this, that it is a neceſſary duty to ſend ſalutations to ourNote. friends, eſpecially to thoſe of the Church, which profeſſe the truth.
And amongſt this Church, he commends himſelfeVerſe. 15. to one Nymphas, and to his houſe, which by reaſon of the good order & gouernement in his whole houſe, might be called a little Church. For in his houſe there was obedience of wiſe, children, ſeruants &c. WhereNote. he ſheweth what a notable mercy of God it is when a family is well ordered and gouerned, that all the family ioyne together in their duties to God, and one to an other: and therefore this commendation by this Epiſtle of this man remayneth to the end of the world. And therefore ſheweth what an excellent commendation it is that the houſehold ioyne togegether in ſinging vntounto God & in other religious duties. And therefore ſheweth our great infidelity, that are ſo careleſſe of this duty, looking not for the bleſſing of God, which he hath promiſed. But if for one perſō, as for one Ioſeph in Putiphars houſe, the wholeNote. houſe was bleſſed, for one Iacob Laban bleſſed, and for ten good men Sodom had been ſpared, then whenGen. 18. 32. husband, wife, children, and all are religious, when thoſe, that command, command a right, and thoſe that obey, do it as they ought, obſeruing their duties in their place, and order, there muſt needs be a great bleſſing of God vponupon that whole family, and vponupon eueryevery one in the ſame.
After he willeth that this Epiſtle be read vntounto theVerſe. 16. Church of Laodicea, as that which not onelyonly bel…d to them, but vntounto the whole Church of God, being the word of God; for the word of God (as one ſaith) is the Epiſtle of God to his creature. Which teachet… vsusNote. that this belongs not onelyonly vntounto them, to who… …t was ſent, but alſo vntounto vsus. And in that he commandeth it to be read, we hauehave therein (if there were noNote. other place) a manifeſt and plaine confirmation of the publike reading of the word in the Church.
Then he willeth them to warne Archippus (whichVerſe. 17. was their miniſter) to fulfill the miniſtery, which he had receiued of the Lord. Where he ſemeth to reprehend him of ſome ſlackeneſſe, and negligence in executing the duty of the miniſtery, where we learne that it is the duty of the miniſter to be carefull and diligent in the miniſtery, which the Lord hath called him vntounto, and that he fulfil the worke committed vntounto him, and therefore muſt labour to increaſe in knowledge, vſing the meanes, that he may be more and more able to be of vſe vntounto the Church of God:Ier. 48. 10. for as the Prophet Ieremy ſaith, curſed are all they, that doe the worke of the Lord negligently: Which howſoeuer there it is ſpoken of the magiſtrate, yet it belongeth as much alſo vntounto the Miniſter.
Then doing his owne ſalutations, vntounto them.Ʋerſe. 18. He deſireth them to be mindfull of him in his bonds and perſecution, which afterward he ſuffred doth in. Which we hauehave heard of before which teacheth vsus as to be mindfull of all, that are in bonds for the truth ſake; ſo eſpecially of the Miniſters.
Laſtly he commendeth them vntounto the grace of God, deſiring the gracious fauour and bleſſing of God vponupon them.
And ſaith Amen, aſſuring himſelfe of the grace and … of God towards them, that God would heare …yer for them, and ſhew his fauour towards …. And thus much of this Epiſtle, wherein …e hauehave heard the preface and the Epiſtle it ſelfe, in which the Apoſtle perſwads them vntounto a conſtant embracing of the pure doctrine of Chriſt Ieſus, without the mixture of mans inuentions.
FINIS.
Trini-vni Deo Gloria.
End of the text · Thomas Cartwright, Commentary Upon Colossians (1612)