Commentary Upon Colossians, Sermon 9
The ninth Sermon.
COLOSS. 1. V. 16. to the 21.
16. For by him were all things created which are in heauen, and which are in earth, things viſible and inuiſible: whether they be Thrones, or Dominions, or Principalities, or Powers, all things were created by him, and for him.
17 And hee is before all things, and in him all things conſiſt.
18 And hee is the head of the body of the Church: he is the beginning, and the firſt borne of the dead, that in all things hee might hauehave the preeminence.
19 For it pleaſed the Father, that in him ſhould all fulneſſe dwell.
20 And by him to reconcile all things vntounto himſelfe, and to ſet at peace through the blood of his croſſe, both the things in earth, and the things in heauen.
HERE is ſet forth as we hauehave heard in theſe and them that went before the deſcription of our Sauiour CHRIST, of his excellent and glorious eſtate conſiſting in the deſcription of
his
Perſon,
Office.
The Perſon of CHRIST ſtandeth of both natures, both of the God-head, and man-hood; for thoſe things here ſpoken can neither belong to the God-head a part, not to the man-hood a part.
The laſt point ſpoken of out of the beginning of this part we are to conſider further of, viz., touching the Angels, called here powers, dominions, principalities &c. Where we obſerued, that ſeing there is ſuch an order among the Angels, ſuch excellent creatures, hauehave ſome ſuperiours, others inferiours. And for ſo much as Angels are ſubiect to higher Angels, much more ought men to be ſubiect to their Gouernours and Princes, hauing far more need. This was for inſtruction. An other point for conſolation was deliuered vponupon this queſtion; whether the bleſſed Angels hauehave more ſtrenght then the deuils.
Anſwer. Notwithſtanding the deuils hauehave greatNote. power and ſtrenght and do great things: yet they hauehave not ſuch wiſedome, ſuch power, nor ſtrenght to do miſchiefe, as the good Angels hauehave to defend the children of God. The reaſon is, that as men falling from their eſtate loſt much of their wiſedome, wit, ſtrenght &c. Euen ſo the wicked Angels are by their fall diſhabled of that power, and wiſedome, and ſtrenght in compariſon of the bleſſed ſpirits, for further proofe of this reade Apocalips 20. 2. One Angel (not ſaid to be an Archangell, or principall Angell, but a meaner Angell) is ſaid to take the dragon, the principall deuill (by the necke as it were) and bind him. For when as the deuill, at the increaſe of the Church, about 30. yeares after the aſcention of our Sauiour CHRIST began to rage mightely againſt the Church of God, and would hauehave cleane deuoured it, had not the Lord laid him on his backe. It is ſaid that an Angell tooke him, and bound him vp for a 1000. yeares.
He proceedeth to ſet forth the excellency of our Sauiour CHRIST, in that he ſaith, by him were made Ʋerſe 16.all things, where is noted the excellency of his perſonage, that he muſt needes be indeed a meete and ſufficient one, for the great worke of the redemption, becauſe he was the Creator of all, and if that was ſuch an excellent worke, then the Spirituall recreation & regeneration is a farre more excellent thing, and can be performed by none, but by ſuch a one, which was God. And therefore condemnes the Papiſt, which is ſo wretched to take vponupon him power to redeeme himſelfe, and to helpe himſelfe to heauen. Nay to helpe others by his good workes, as they call them of ſuper-errogation, or rather to be called of ſuperarrogation.
But is there any man that by his good workes can create himſelfe, or helpe in any part to the creation of himſelfe? Much leſſe then is a man able to do any thing in the matter of his redemption: As being not able to do any good thing: thus the Lord hath called and regenerated him. And as all the worke of our Creation dependeth on God, as here it is proued, ſo eueryevery part and lot of our redemption is in God, and by God alone. For howſoeuer, before wee bee called we hauehave life of body, and motion, yet toward the Kingdome of our Sauiour CHRIST, we cannot moue a foore, till the Lord bring vsus
He hath the praeheminence, and all things are madeVerſe 17. for him.
Doctrine Where wee ſee, that our Sauiour CHRIST is the Alpha 1 the beginning that made all, and the Omega, the end of all, for whom all things are ordained. And therefore how dare any challenge him, or reaſon and diſpute againſt him? Shall the pot ſpeake againſt the Potter? For did not hee make all, and did not heeRom. 9. 20. Pro. 16. 4. make them to his glory, as it pleaſed him, whether to glorifie himſelfe in their ſaluation or deſtruction? and therefore what is it, that wretches dare reaſon with God, why he made man to deſtruction?
But faith the Prophet, let the ſheard reaſon withIſa. 45. 9. the ſheard, not with the Potter, and yet the Potter giues onelyonly the forme, not the matter, but God makethNote. both the matter and forme.
All things are for him, viz. our ſelues, our ſoulesƲerſe 16. Doctrine. our bodies, our honour, credit, children, goods, wit, ſtrength, &c, are not to ſerue for our ſelues, for our owne pleaſure and delight, to vſe as wee liſt, much leſſe for others, but onelyonly for the Lord, and for his ſeruice.
Ʋſe. This therefore condemneth them, which vſe their wits, honour, &c. for to ſerue themſelues, and vſe the bleſſings of God for their owne luſts, but if we will not ſerue God with thē, he will make vsus to ſerue him in our deſtruction. On the other ſide, if we honour him with them, he will ſerue and honour vsus, as it is in the Goſpell, that the faithfull ſeruant the Maiſter will cauſe to ſit downe, &c.Luke 19. Verſe 17.
By him all things ſtand, As he created all things, ſo hee keepeth and preſerueth all things, The heauens are kept, the earth ſtayed in the mid'ſt of all, withoutHeb. 1. any prop, onelyonly by the hand of God, and of the Sonne of God, for liuing creatures, Acts 17. In him all things liue, moue, and hauehave their being.
Vſe. And therefore if wee will hauehave comfort in our liuing heere, wee muſt looke to hauehave it continued of him, and by him alone.
Vſe. And if by reaſon that wee are created, and preſerued by him, it is matter ſufficient to incourage vsus, to be ready to glorifie God: Then much more ought our hands to bee ſtrengthned to glorifie God, we being alſo re-created and borne againe: And therefore to imploy our knowledge, wiſedome, ſtrength, and all in Gods ſeruice, and that by ſo much the more, as we hauehave receiued more graces at the hand of God.
Thus much of the firſt part of this Text, The ſecond point of the office of our Sauiour CHRIST, is ſet forth, in that he is called the Head of his Church. Which wee will come vntounto, when wee hauehave vnderſtood the reaſon, why our Sauiour CHRIST which is the firſt begotten of the creatures, &c. is heere ſet downe.
This is to proue vntounto vsus that our Sauiour CHRIST is the fit and ſufficient Meſſiah: for firſt, becauſe he is the image of God, heereby it is proued that by him onelyonly, being in the boſome of his Father, Gods will is reueiled vntounto vsus.
Againe, he is called the heire of al things: for elſe how could he make vsus the inheritours of the things of this life, much leſſe of heauen.
Againe, he is called the ruler of al things) for were not he controuler of the Angels, of the heauens, of the earth and of all things, that ſo hee might ſubdue whatſoeuer ſhould riſe againſt the ſaluation of his children, they ſhould bee diſcouraged. Iohn 17. Hee hath the power of all fleſh, to maiſter whatſoeuer ſhould ſet it ſelfe againſt the ſaluation of his Church: and theſe are the cauſes, why the Apoſtle laboureth to ſet downe the excellency of our Sauiour by all theſe points.
Head of the Church, Here is ſet forth the office of our Sauiour CHRIST, the Church being his body, id est, the Myſticall body of CHRIST.
One office of our Sauiour CHRIST, as he is the Head of his Church, is to be the Prophet: becauſe as from the head commeth wit and light, to all the members, ſo all inſtruction of the Kingdome of God commeth from CHRIST.
Secondly, he is the Prieſt, as he is the Head of his Church, becauſe as from the head commeth all the life, and ſenſe by the Arteries: euen ſo by CHRIST, as the Head, all ſpirituall life floweth.
Thirdly, as the head ruleth all the other parts, ſo CHRIST is King ouer his Church, to rule and gouerne them after his will, ſignifying that whatſoeuer good the Church hath, commeth from CHRIST.
For this cauſe he is called the roote, not the ſprigge of Dauid, becauſe, whatſoeuer good thing Dauid had, hee receiued from CHRIST. And hence it is that he is called in Iohn, a Vine, in whom all the branchesIoh. 15. 1. meete, and of whom they receiue life, ſo that if they be cut of, they muſt needes die.
He is called the Head of the Church, after, in this Epiſtle, and in the Epiſtle to the Epheſians, where itEphe. 1. 23. is ſaid to be his body, euen the fulneſſe of him, that filleth all, in all things, where is ſet forth the louelove of our Sauiour CHRIST, that howſoeuer he perfecteth all things, yet he himſelfe is not willing to be perfected without the Church.
Doctrine Here then we learne, that as we draw life, and all our life from him alone: So wee are taught that hee alone is the Head of the Church, as hee hath bene proued before, by that he is the image of God, and created all things, &c. And therefore hee that will challenge the Head of the Church, muſt challenge himſelfe to bee the image of God: muſt bee before all things: muſt bee hee, that hath created all things.
And therefore this muſt needs be a blaſphemous thing to attribute this to Peter. That howſoeuer he was an excellent man, yet he neuer arrogated this to himſelfe. And we ſee that the wiſedome of the holy Ghoſt, making Peter ſuch an excellent inſtrument of his glory, & fore-ſeeing the wretched abuſe of Peter to follow afterward, that he ſhould by reaſon, that he was ſuch a worthy man be more eſteemed, then he ought, doth neuer ſet forth any excellent thing in Peter, but ſetteth forth alſo with all very notableNote. and great, ſpeciall faultes, and blots, and blemiſhes in him. As when he had made that worthy confeſſion of his faith, concerning our Sauiour CHRIST, which our Sauiour commended, he preſently is brought in to diſwade our Sauiour from ſuffering, which was as much as from the worke of redemptio… … which cauſe our Sauiour rebukes him ſharply,Math. 16. 23. Mark. 8. 33. Math. 14. 28. 31. …als him Satan, get thee behind me Satan. And againe, when that he would by reaſon of the ſtrength of his faith walke on the ſeas, he ſhews, as he ſhewed his great faith, ſo his great infidelity. And alſo, whē he bragged that he would ſuffer with our Sauiour, heMath. 26. moſt ſhamefully denied and forſware him. And after all this was taxed by Paule for a point of hipocriſy.Gal. 2. 11. 12. 13.
And if this cannot without blaſphemy, be giuen to Peter, who for all his great infirmities was an excellent Apoſtle of our Sauiour CHRIST, much more blaſphemous is it to impute it to the Pope, a moſt wretched man.
And if they ſay the Pope is a Miniſteriall head and deputie, what needeth CHRIST to hauehave a deputyMath. 28 20. being preſent himſelfe. Therfore Iohn 14. and 16. I leaue my ſpirit, and therfore if he hauehave any deputie, it is his owne ſpirit.
The beginning and firſt begotten. Beginning 1. theVerſe. 18. fruites (firſt begotten) 1. both himſelfe roſe, and is the1. Cor. 15. 20. cauſe of the reſurrection of all the children of God. Iohn 11. I am the reſurrection 1. the cauſe of the reſurrectionIohn 11. 25. of his children. For as he is God, he is the cauſe of the reſurrection of all men. But as he is the mediatour and head of the Church, he is the cauſeNote. of the reſurrection of his Church. For if the head riſe, the body muſt needs follow. And therfore, as by one man all men fell, ſo by one, all (viz. that are ſaued)1. Cor. 15. 22. riſe againe.
A part of this reſurrection is in this life, by mortification and quickening wrought in them, which ſhall be perfected at the laſt reſurrection, when theyNote. ſhall riſe in glory. Indeed then the wicked …hall riſe, but by the generall power of his God head not by the perticuler power of vertue or his medi… All fullneſſe dwelleth: this hath been ſpoken of i… …14. verſe, we will onelyonly ſpeake of that, not then handled.
It pleaſed: it is onelyonly ſo to be ſet downe, for the father is not in the Greeke: howſoeuer it be of Diuines thought to be ment of the father: yet it ſeemeth rather to be vnderſtood, that it pleaſed God the father God the Sonne himſelfe, and the holy Ghoſt.
Againe, by reconciling is ment to reconcile, notVerſe. 20. to his father onelyonly, but to himſelfe, and to the holy Ghoſt alſo.
An other point, not obſerued before, in that he ſaith, by himſelfe, which may ſeeme to be a ſurpluſage of words, but in regard of the corruption that ſhould ariſe, he ſaith that this ſacrifice is to be offered by himſelfe alone, where we are to be referred to the further proofe of it in the Epiſtle to the Hebrewes, where the Apoſtle ſaith that CHRIST hath,Heb. 1. 3. By himſelfe purged our ſinnes.
Queſt. All things Queſt. Why not all men? for men onelyonly are ſaued and reconciled vntounto God, hauing been his enimies.
Anſwer. True, for it is not ment of the Angels,Solution. nor of the other creatures. And yet all theſe dumbe and vnreaſonable creatures hauehave reſtauration by the death of CHRIST. For the Heauens and earth and all things ſhall be renued, and the ſunne ſhall hauehave2. Pet. 3. 13. double the light it hath, and therefore the vertue of CHRISTS ſufferings reacheth euen to them. But yet theſe can not be ſaid to be reconciled vntounto God, becauſe they were neuer his enemies, how be it, by reaſon of the ſinne of man, they were pertakers with him of the curſe of God. But by reconciling, all things, is here ment all the children of God, that are alreadie in heauen, or in earth, or ſhall be to the end of the world.
The end of the ninth Sermon.