Commentary Upon Colossians, Sermon 4
The fourth Sermon.
COLOSS. 1. 5.
5 For the hope ſake which is laid vp for you in heauen, whereof yee hauehave heard before by the word of truth, which is the Goſpell.
THE Apoſtle▪ as we hauehave heard doth giuegive God thankes for two things: Firſt, faith towards God, and louelove towards all Saints. In the firſt place yee hauehave heard confirmed vntounto vsus, the truth, both of their faith and of their louelove. One marke of the truth thereof, wee hauehave heard to bee their hope, which did vphold them in their faith and in their louelove. Now it is further deſcribed to be true faith and true louelove, here it being ſet forth by another argument. Namely that they hauehave heard it in the word of truth: ſo that it is true faith and louelove, if it come by the hearing of the word of truth, which is the Goſpell.
Doctrine So that the word is an inſtrument, and is ſet as a cauſe of true faith, and true louelove, and true hope: for this is not as the prouerbe goeth amongſt men, words are as wind, which indeed is true in mens words, but this word, which the Apoſtle …ere ſpeaketh of, is another thing more effectuall, viz: that whereby God giueth faith, louelove, and hope vntounto his children. According as it is in the Prophet, the Lord ſaith, I will not alwaies be angry, I will not alwaies chide; for then the ſoules and bodies of men would bee conſumed, but ſaith the Lord, though I hauehave chaſtiſed them, yet I will heale them I will comfort them, and the medicine I will vſe ſhall be the fruite and reuerence of the lips, And this ſhall bring peace, that is, ſuch peace, that none can take from them. This is the word of God, and this indeed we may truſt vntounto, and leane vponupon. Men may ſpeake that which they will not or cannot performe: but ſaith Salomon to the Lord, that 1. King. 5. 8.which thy mouth hath ſpoken, thine arme will performe. The arme and mouth of God are of one meaſure,Note. whereas men hauehave wide mouthes to ſpeake much, but ſhort armes to bring to paſſe that they ſpeake: but God he is as good as his word, nay oftentimes he is better then his word, for hee oft performeth and bringeth to paſſe, that he neuer promiſed. As to the children of Iſrael, he promiſed them onelyonly the land of Canaan, but he gaue them, beſides the whole land of Canaan, two other kingdomes which hee neuer promiſed; and to Zachary for his vnbeleefe hee wasLuke 1. ſtricken dumbe, hee promiſed to giuegive him his ſpeech at the birth of the child, but beſides he gaue him alſo the gift of Prophecy.
The word of God hath another title here annexed, the word of truth, for all the promiſes of God are in CHRIST, Yea, and Amen, (as Paul ſaith) it is vndoubtedly true, and therefore in that regard it is a word of truth. And againe it is the word of truth (as it is in Pſal.) becauſe it is tryed and purged ſeuenPſal. 12. times, that is very often, for as ſiluer and gold, when it is often tryed in the fire, at length will bee ſo pure that there will be no droſſe found in it, euen ſo is the word of God, and therefore we may well beleeue it Becauſe for all the often tryall of it, yet ſtill it ſtands ſure: Mettals with often trials will diminiſh: Gods word is not ſo. And therfore our Sauiour CHRISTIoh. 17. in his prayer that he made for his Apoſtles, and conſequently for the Church of God, ſaith, ſanctify thē by the truth, and in the next verſe, ſaith he, thy word is truth. Againe, by the word of God we are bound to beleeue other truthes, we are not bound vntounto this to beleeue there was an Ariſtotle, and Plato, &c. Further, it is called the word of truth, becauſe it is the touch-ſtone of all truth, acording to which all is to bee tryed in the Church of God, and the Church it ſelfe to bee gouerned by it: which confutes the Papiſtes, which makes the word of God to bee controuled by the word of the Church. And if the Church ſhould ſay that the Epiſtles of Iames, or of any of the ApoſtlesNote. were not the word, then it were no word, which is a vilde blaſphemy, for what diſorder were it that the word of the wife ſhould preuaile againſt the word of her Spouſe and Huſband, in his owne houſe eſpecially?
Againe, the word is called the Goſpell, the Goſpel is an accompliſhment of all the promiſes of God in CHRIST at his comming, which beganne at Saint Iohn Baptiſt, for howſoeuer the Prophets and Dauid, &c. hauehave notably and plainely ſpoken of CHRIST, yet that was not the Goſpell, they ſpeaking of things to come, the Goſpell of that which is preſent. To teach vsus to conſider what thankefulneſſe wee are bound to render to God, for that mercy and light, that he hath vouchſafed vsus by the Goſpell, viz. that which Abraham and the Fathers and Kings hauehave deſired to ſee and could not.
The Goſpell is a good newes, and therefore this commendeth it vntounto vsus, as to bee ſo much the more deſired of vsus: And who is it, that naturally is not deſirous to heare good newes, and will very much inquire of it: if not too much; as that it may bee well ſaid of vsus, which the Apoſtle ſaith of the Athenians, Speake againe? But (alas) how backeward are wee toAct. 17. enquire of this newes of the Goſpell? we enquire of newes out of England, France, Spaine, and other places, but how much more ought we to be deſirous & inquiſitiue of the news of our owne country, indeed, which the Goſpell bringeth? for we are but ſtrangers here in this life, and our owne country is in heauen.
Againe, wee will bee very deſirous to heare other newes which yet may be vncertaine, but this newes of the Goſpell is moſt true and certaine. Further, if good newes come to vsus, which is confirmed to vsus from all quarters, we reioyce in it, and are the more deſirous of it, and if they ſhould ſay that this newes is not confirmed vntounto vsus, euen by God himſelfe, and by CHRIST, they ſhould lye, and therefore this newes is to be preferred before all newes. The Apoſtle proceedes further to proue it to be the truth, becauſe the Goſpell is come to them, and is preached through all the world.
Obiection. But the Papiſts obiect vntounto vsus thus, the Goſpell is not the truth, becauſe it is but of late, for (ſay they) where was it before Luther and Iohn Huſſe time? but the Goſpell (ſay they) muſt bee through all the world.
Anſ. We muſt not alwaies meaſure the ChurchSolution. by the vniuerſality of it, as they affirme, for let vsus cō ſider in the daies before CHRIST, and eſpecially in Abrahams time, when the Church was ſhut vp in his houſhold and family, and all the world was Heatheniſh: after it proceeded and the Church was contained in a Kingdome, one Kingdome onelyonly had the knowledge of the truth, and none might preach the Law in any place of the world beſides. And howſoeuer Ionah preached, yet hee preached iudgement, not the Goſpell, they could not be ſaued by it. But after the ten Tribes ſell away, and the Tribe of Iudah and Beniamin remained; And the Iewes themſelues fayled▪ as in the time of Eliah, and though there were ſeuen thouſand, yet in the view of men, euen of Elias himſelfe, they could not be ſeene.
Obiection. But they will obiect further, that before CHRIST the Church was concluded in one place, but after CHRIST it was to be diſperſed ouer all the world.
Anſ. But neuertheleſſe it is not to be vnderſtoodSolution. that all times of the Goſpell & continually it ſhould be ouer the world, but our Sauiour CHRIST ſaith that the end ſhould not be yet, viz. of Ieruſalem before the Goſpell was to bee Preached ouer all the world, which beganne at Ieruſalem as the ProphetEſay 2. teſtifieth. And therefore it was neceſſary that the word ſhould go throughout the world indeed, but not generally at all times. But if they will hauehave that to be the Truth and the Goſpel which was Preached in the whole world, then theirs is not the Goſpell, which was neuer in India, nor in Turkey, nor in any of the Greeke Churches, for the Patriarke of Conſtantinople neuer embraced their religion, and therefore their Goſpell is not the true Goſpell. Our Goſpell is that which was ſpoken by the Prophets, and hath bene through the world, it is that, which was taught and Preached by the Apoſtles, &c. and therefore ours is the true Goſpell.
Another argument of the truth of the Goſpell he proueth by the fruits, for the Goſpell will ſhew it ſelfe by the fruits.
Obiection. And they will obiect hereby that we hauehave not the Goſpell, for where (ſay they) is your fruits? In the time of the Popiſh religion there was more almes and not ſo much wickedneſſe, as among the Proteſtantes.
Solution. Anſwer. Would to God they could not too rightly obiect that to vsus But yet they cannot hereby proue our Goſpell to be none, or not the true Goſpell. For in the time of Popery, they liued in ignorance in palpable & Egiptiacall darkeneſſe, wherein ſmall ſinnes could not be ſeene to be ſinnes. Great ſinnes as blaſphemie, infidelity &c. were no ſinnes. For there was no liberty in reading of the word. Now the light of the Goſpell diſcouereth ſinnes that are committed vnderunder it, which in time of ignorance were not thought nor knowne to be ſinnes. Againe wee wiſh it might bee found more truely; That if the ſinne in time of the Goſpell bee puniniſhed vnderunder the Goſpell, then the Goſpell is quit and free from that accuſation. Now by the Goſpell, the Goſpell appointeth the ſinnes committed vnderunder it to be puniſhed, and ſo much the more ſharply, as becauſe in the light they hauehave beene committed. And therfore thoſe, that hauehave the charge in the common wealth, and the Miniſters are more earneſty to performe that duty more carefully for the credit of the Goſpell. The Miniſters ought to inueigh the more vehemently againſt ſinne and to reproue it out of the word of God, and the Magiſtrates to ſee it more ſeuerely puniſhed. Thirdly our Goſpell is proued indeed to be the Goſpell, becauſe that in the Goſpell ſinnes more brake out then without the Goſpell, which is ſtrange. But the Apoſtle proueth it, for theRom. 2. preaching of the Law, which goeth before the preaching of the Goſpell, preſſeth (ſaith he) the wicked. And in the wicked it hath this effect, that it maketh them worſe: for thoſe that are truly called are but a few, and a little flocke, and therefore the word muſt hauehave an effect of condemnation in the greater ſort. Fourthly, but the truth and fruite of the Goſpell doth appeare in thoſe, that are truly called, for in them it bringeth forth holineſſe of life and good workes. And therefore wee be to them, that ſeeing any ſinnes vnderunder the Goſpell lay it vponupon the Goſpell, whereas it is the corruption of men, which is the cauſe of offences and tranſgreſſion and not the Goſpell. And therefore it ſheweth their corruption, which paſſe by thoſe good men, and inſtruments of Gods glorie, the moſt religious and holy men, and will not behold the good things, that are in the Church. But the Apoſtle proceeds further to confirme them more perticularly, that whereas they might hauehave doubted whether it was the ſame, that was preached to Macedonia, and other Churches, he anſwers, it is the very ſame with theirs, which was preached by Epaphras their Miniſter. And ſo we may ſay of our faithfull Miniſters, which hauehave truly inſtructed vsus before, that our doctrine now is the ſame, which was preached by them to vsus heretofore.
And Epaphras he deſcribeth to be their Deare fellow ſeruant and a faithfull miniſter of CHRIST, &c. By that he giueth commendation vntounto him, thereby to maintaine the honour and reputation of the Miniſter to his people, that ſo they might be the better perſwaded of his louelove. Doctrine This ought eueryevery good Miniſter to doe, to labour by all meanes to maintayne the honour and reputation of other the true Miniſters of God, amongſt their people and charges: that ſo their doctrine may be the better receiued of the people.
The end of the fourth Sermon.