Commentary Upon Colossians, Sermon 6
The ſixth Sermon.
COLOSS. 1. V. 9. 10.
9 For this cauſe we alſo, ſince the day we heard of it, ceaſe not to pray for you, and to deſire that yee might bee fulfilled with knowledge of his will, in all wiſedome and ſpirituall vnderſtanding.
10 That ye might walke worthy of the Lord, and pleaſe him in all things, being fruitfull in all good workes, and increaſing in the knowledge of God.
IT hath bene ſaid that of this place are two parts: one the cauſe of the prayer, and ſupplication, that Paul and his company did make, the other the prayer it ſelfe.
Of the cauſe we hauehave heard, and ſomewhat of the petition it ſelfe, and thus farre we hauehave ſpoken of this notable prayer, the like whereof in ſo few words is ſcarſe to bee found in the Scripture.
Hauing vnderſtood what is the firſt point of Chriſtianity to hauehave knowledge, & to be fill…d with knowledge, which is a Metaphor taken from veſſels, which are filled ready to runne ouer: So the Apoſtle requireth of all men to be full of knowledge. And therefore the Prophet ſpeaking of the time of the Goſpel, ſaith: men ſhall be as the waters, which ſhall euer regorgeEſay 19. of their waters to the fields. And therefore we may condemne the Church of Antichriſt, which were ſo farre from nouriſhing knowledge, as that the chiefe point of their religion, was to mainetaine ignorance.
But let vsus come to our ſelues, let vsus examine whether wee bee able to diſcerne betweene ſweete and ſower, nay, betweene that which hath a ſhew of good, and ill, euill from good, and not onelyonly of the fouleſt and groſeſt, but of the leaſt ſinnes, that wee be able to diſcerne them to be ſinnes: this diſcerning ſpirit muſt be in vsus: And we muſt diſcerne betweene good and good alſo, which is more good, which leſſe. And in euill to ſee the leaſt euill, that can bee, which eueryevery Chriſtian ought to do. Indeed the world vſually doth not diſcerne of euill things, &c. but Gods children do: for they looke into the ſinne, as a man into a Chriſtal glaſſe, wherein a man may ſee the leaſt moate: Euen as well, as a man can by his taſt diſcerne meates and drinkes. Indeed in matter of meate and drinke wee can ſoone feele whether it be ſweete or ſower, ſalt, or ill-ſauory, and yet in ſinnes though as great as Mountaines wee cannot diſcerne them.
This of the firſt point, the next is, that they walke worthy of God: this is another point of Chriſtianity and a farre greater, for knowledge indeed is neceſſary, but with it muſt bee ioined practiſe, without which knowledge is vnprofitable, nay rather hurtful. And it may be ſaid that a man knowes ſo much in Chriſtianity, Ephe. 4.as he practiſeth, if yee bee learned any whit in the ſchoole of CHRIST, yee hauehave learned this, to lay downe the old man, the fleſh and ragges of the old corruption, and put on the new roabes of holineſſe, ſhewing that nothing is learned without practize: for when men ſee you practiſe nothing, they ſay you hauehave learned nothing of the Miniſter. The Prophet, ſpeaking of Sion, ſet on a Mountaine, in theEſay 2. time of the Goſpell, ſaith: they ſhall exhort one another to go vp, why? To heare: and to what end? to walke in the way, we are taught. So that we are in Chriſtianity to know how we may practize. Indeed in ſome knowledge, as of the Artes, &c. knowledge may bee profitable without practiſe, but in matters of God and godlineſſe, it is nothing, without practiſe. The practiſe of a Chriſtian is ſet out
In
Generall, and
Particular
In generall to walke worthy of God, what meaneth the Apoſtle by this, we ſhall conſider better of it by comparing it with other places. The Apoſtle to the Epheſians ſaith, EueryEvery man is to walke worthy of the calling, Ephe. 4. 1. 2.whereunto he is called: and he exhorts the Phillipians to walke worthy of the Goſpell. So that this is ſet downe in three ſorts: to walke worthy of our calling, to Phil. 1. 27.walke worthy of the Goſpell, and to walke worthy of God.
Firſt, to walke according to the Goſpell, ſignifieth, to be ſpirituall and holy, as the Goſpell is holy and ſpirituall.
Secondly, to walke according to our calling, is ſpoken by a ſimilitude, taken from men; becauſe in that calling a man is, he will carry himſelfe according to his place. A Gentleman will not walke baſely, as others doe: And a Magiſtrate will doe according to his eſtate, and a Prince likewiſe. And ſhall not the children of God, being called to be children of God, and the ſonnes of the moſt Higheſt, walke as the children of God. And therefore wee ſee it marked on Dauid as a reproach, that he did carry himſelfe like2. Sam. 21. 13. a mad-man, in Achiſh his Court. And is it not a ſhame for a Chriſtian to carry himſelfe ſo baſely in ſinne? For ſinne is the vileſt thing that can be, it is a moſt baſe thing to bee a ſlaue to ſinne, there is no drudgery ſo loathſome, which can bee compared to it.
Thirdly, to walke worthy of God, here the Apoſtle declareth that hee that maketh light of the Goſpell, maketh light of God himſelfe, and walketh vnworthy of God. It may bee aſked what that worthineſſe is? It is ſet forth to bee a walking in all manner of pleaſing of God, if we ſtudy to pleaſe God in eueryevery thing, which is a very notable thing: 1 To pleaſe God, then to pleaſe him in all things which wee know: to do that which wee know may pleaſe God, and to ſet our ſelues againſt any thing that wee know may diſpleaſe God, for men vſually doe naturally take delight to pleaſe themſelues, and to ſeeke for thoſe things, which may be moſt according to their owne heartes, pleaſant to their owne eyes. And therefore Salomon in Eccleſiaſtes ſaith, to the yong man, mocking him, Go to, Reioyce ô yong man in thy youth, and Eccle. 11. 9.walke in the wayes of thyne heart.
Another ſort of men walke to pleaſe the world, and care not what they may doe, ſo they may pleaſe thoſe, whoſe fauour they deſire; but if I ſhould pleaſe Gal. 1. 10.men, I ſhould not bee the ſeruant of God, ſaith the Apoſtle, And as wee are to pleaſe God, ſo, in all things wee ought to doe it, at the leaſt to wreſtle and ſtriue with our ſelues to the obedience of Gods will in all things. And if in doing the will of God, the world bee diſpleaſed, wee need not to care, but to goe forward: For al-be-it the Apoſtle ſaith, as much as wee can with pleaſing God wee are to pleaſe all men, yetRom. 15. if wee cannot pleaſe men, but diſpleaſe God, wee are not to care for mens diſpleaſure in regard of Gods: for Saint Paul ſaith, I care not for mans 1. Cor. 4.iudgement.
Examine our ſelues, therefore we ought, whether wee pleaſe our ſelues, or the world, more then God, or no.
It followeth, Being fruitfull in all good workes, thatƲerſe 10. is, bringing forth eueryevery good fruite; this is the ſame with the former, but it explaineth the other by a Metaphor, if we bring forth good fruite in eueryevery good worke, where hee compareth men to fruitfull creatures, as ſheepe, eſpecially bringing forth two lambes, or to trees bringing forth good fruite. The children of God are in Eſay, called Okes of righteouſneſſe,Eſay 61. 3. in that they are ſtrong and ſtand againſt all temptations and tempeſts: And like Okes in ſteadineſſe of profeſſion: So alſo in regard of the excellent fruite, they are compared to the Vin…, which is accounted in the Scripture of all trees a moſt excellent tree, and moſt profitable, ſweete, and pleaſant, as alſo plentifull, and therefore in regard of the goodneſſe and aboundance, we are to like of it. And therefore our Sauiour ſaith: I am the Ʋine, and my Ioh. 15. 2.Father the Huſbandman to dreſſe the Vine. And the Vine is ſingular and moſt excellent in regard of theEzek. 15. fruite, for elſe it is good for nothing, not for to make a pin, but for the fire: ſo Chriſtians, which profeſſe God and the Goſpell, if they bring forth no fruite and pleaſe not God, they are the worſt of all men, worſe then the Iewes, Turkes, and heathen, let them brag what they will of the word, and Sacraments, &c. And they muſt bring forth much fruite, viz. in eueryevery good worke, and therefore it is ſaid the Father doth trimme that Vine, to make it bring forth more fruite, It was required alwaies that the childrenIohn 15. 2. Zach. 12. 8. of God, ſhould bring forth fruite, but much more in the time of the Goſpell. And therefore the Prophet ſaith, the leaſt, baſeſt, and weakeſt of the people of God, at that time ſhall be as Dauid, and he that is as Dauid ſhall be as an Angell of God. Wee know how valiant and couragious Dauid was, ſo ſhall the weakeſt in the Goſpell.
To increaſe in knowledge, is another point ofƲerſe 10. walking worthy of God, as to bee endowed with the graces of God, ſo to encreaſe (both the Miniſters and others) in the knowledge of God, that is, in the knowledge of the will of God, and to bee quicke-ſighted in the ſame. In the beginning of the booke of Prouerbes there is a ſaying, which mayProu. 1. 4. bee referred to all the Scripture. That the Prouerbes of Salomon are ſuch as the leaſt child, that hath wit, and the hardeſt man of capacity, the ſimpleſt, may profit by it to knowledge, and there is not the wiſeſt man in the world, but may learne wiſedome thereby, and may wax more wiſe, and ſo it is to bee ſaid of all the bookes of the Scripture.
Obiection. If they bee full, then they neede not to increaſe?
Anſwer. There fulneſſe is not a perfect fulneſſe, for we know in part, &c. For as there is a great difference between the vnderſtanding of a child, and of one of riper1. Cor. 13. yeares, ſo we are not alwayes to be children in Chriſtianitie.
There is (as we hauehave heard) required of vsus knowledge and practize. Laſtly, there is beſides theſe, Conſtancy, to continew in the good thing, we know and practize: and yet noe ſtrength is of our ſelues; the Apoſtle tels vsus where we muſt hauehave ſtrenght, in the power of God, in his glorious power, for we hauehave ſore enimies, for firſt wee hauehave a corruption within vsus, which is compared to an exceſſiue lumpe of fleſh, and fat hanging on vsus, which we cannot caſt ofHeb. 12. 1. at our pleaſure, which we might do, if it were tyed only at our backe, or girdle, and therefore we muſt hauehave ſtrenght to carrie it and to weld it.
The world alſo is ready by tentation, by illuſions, examples, and diſcouragements, to hinder vsus: And the deuill being a ſtrong enimie laboureth to circumuent vsus, and therefore we had need to hauehave this glorious ſtrenght from God, which we cannot hauehave of our ſelues.
And hauing entred a good courſe, it becometh vsus to goe forward. For better not to begin, then hauing entred not to proceed.
Laſtly, we muſt hauehave long Patience to beare theVerſe. 11. things which come hard vntounto vsus, whether they be greiuous or of long continuance, as the word ſignifieth. And that with ioy and comfortablenes, as the Apoſtles, when they had been whipped, and ſcourged,Act. 5. 41. reioyced greatly that they were accounted worthy to ſuffer for CHRISTS ſake.
The end of the ſixth Sermon.