Exposition of Colossians, Sermons · Chapter 1 · Verse 17
Ver. 17 VER. 17. And hee is before all things, and in him all things conſiſt.
In this verſe are propounded two things. Firſt a repetition of two generall things affirmed of Chriſt verſe. 15. that he is the firſt borne of eueryevery creature in theſe words. And he is before all things; then a third argument to proue Chriſt to be true eternall God, taken from his powerfull preſeruation of all things, in the wordes following. And in him all things conſiſt; of theſe words in order.
And he is before all things, theſe words beeing onelyonly a repetition of that which before was deliuered, that hee is the firſt borne of eueryevery creature, are ſo to be conceiued, as before I ſhewed when I ſtood vponupon theſe, words, that Chriſt was begotten of the ſubſtance of his Father from all eternity: and now to deriue hence ſome further point of inſtruction, we are to marke that the Apoſtle in the 15. verſe, ſpeaking of the eternity of Chriſt ſets it downe by way of ſimilitude and borrowed ſpeech, becauſe as then I noted, we are not able to comprehend it, but by way of ſhaddow and reſemblance, now heere he deliuers the ſame thing in more plaine termes that he is before all things, to this ende without queſtion, to take away all doubtfulneſſe, ambiguity and errour that might bee occaſioned from the former ſimilitude. The point I hence gather is this;
That whatſoeuer is neceſſary to be knowne and beleeued Doct. 1 of vsus to ſaluation,All things needfull to be knowne and beleeued to ſaluation are plainely ſet forth in the Scripture: is in one place of Scripture or other plainely ſet foorth and eaſie to bee vnderſtood of all them that read diligently, marke attentiuely, pray heartily, and iudge humbly, we ſhal find, that where any thing neceſſary to be knowne to ſaluation is deliuered by trope or figure, or any thing obſcurely, the ſame in another place is explaned, to inſiſt in one or two places, circumciſion is called the couenant and in the next verſe the ſigne of the couenant: the Paſchall lambe is called the paſſeouer,Gen: 17.10. Exo. 12.11.21. 1. Cor. 10.4. and verſe the 27. the ſacrifice of the Lords paſſeouer. Chriſt is called a rocke, yet a ſpirituall rocke by way of expoſition, and ſo that trope in the inſtitution of the Sacrament of the Lords ſupper, ſo much abuſed by the papiſts, as the ground of their tranſubſtantiation is expounded both by our Sauiour and his Apoſtle Paul, 1. Cor. 11.26.and made plaine to them that are not wilfully blind, for when our Sauior ſaid, do this in remembrance of mee, and the Apoſtle, as oft as ye ſhall eat this bread and drinke this cup, ye ſhew the Lords death till hee come, they doe plainly declare that bread & wine be memorials and viſible ſignes of the body & bloud of Chriſt.
Is it ſo, Vſe. that eueryevery thing neceſſary to be knowen and beleeued to ſaluation,Scripture is the beſt expounder of Scripture. ſet downe obſcurely in one place of Scripture, is made plaine in another, then we muſt needs grant that the Scripture is the beſt expounder of Scripture, and that we commonly giuegive to a man of ordinary vnderſtanding, that hee is Optimus ſui interpres, the beſt expounder of his owne meaning, may not bee denied to the wiſedome of God reuealed in his word, wee muſt needes grant that the beſt way of expounding Scripture, is by Scripture it ſelfe, & that this point may tend to ſome ſpeciall profit of eueryevery one of vsus.Note. Learne we hence, that the application of one place of Scripture, muſt bee with the conſideration of another, we are ſo to apply one place of Scripture to our ſelues, as that we forget not another; for if we obſerue it, wee ſhall finde that the Diuell doth this way ſtrongly delude and deceiue a great number in the world, hee makes them not rightly apply, but hold to themſelues ſome places of Scripture helping them forward (by their abuſe of them) in their ſinne with vtter obliuion and forgetfulneſſe of another place, that might pull them backe from their ſinne, wee may ſee this his dealing in one particular, in the ſinne of preſumption, men are bold to ſinne, preſuming on Gods mercy, and hee will furniſh them, with the remembrance of many comfortable places of Scripture, as Pſalm. 103.8. the Lord is full of compaſſion, and Pſal. 136. throughout that his mercy endureth for euer, and Pſal. 145.9. that his mercies are ouer all his workes, and makes them to entitle themſelues to a number of ſuch ſentences, ſounding nothing but mercy, and thus he doth carry them vp as with a Pſalme of mercy, to the higheſt pitch of preſumption, and makes them as it were, lay violent hands, on the comfort found in theſe places, as if it did belong to them, neuer remembring to apply theſe together, with that rule of the Apoſtle, ſetting downe to whom mercy belongs,Gal. 6.16. wee muſt take heede of this manner of application of Scripture, there beeing a ſweet harmony & conſent between the places of ſcripture, they muſt be expounded one by another, and applied one with another, for if that be a trueth (as indeed it is) that in comforting the diſtreſſed, the promiſe alone muſt not bee applied, but tempered with the threats of the Law, becauſe much guile is in the heart of man, and it is exceeding deceitful, then much more, out of that caſe of diſtreſſe, are we to apply to our ſelues the comfort of one place of Scripture, ſo as we forget not the moderation of it, by another wherein there is either a rule or threatning to keep vsus from preſumption, we ſhall finde this practiſed by Chriſt himſelfe, the beſt example for imitation; we read Math. 4.5.6. When hee was tempted to caſt himſelfe downe from a pinacle of the temple, that temptation was backed by a comfortable place of the Pſal. 91.Pſal. 91.11.12 He will giuegive his Angels charge ouer thee, and with their hands they ſhall lift thee vp: l…ſt at any time thou ſhouldeſt daſh thy foote againſt a ſtone. Our Sauiour did not reſt on the conſideration of that place alledged, and anſwer the Deuill as he might, that hee played the Deuil and left out that which made againſt himſelfe, the limitation of the Angels charge, that they muſt take charge of him, not if hee ſhould come downe headlong, but vſing the ordinarie meanes of deſcending, thus he might hauehave anſwered that place alone, but to anſwer the Diuell (which is the thing we are to mark) out of the Law, which is alwaies a cooler of preſumption, he ſaid vntounto him, it is written againe; Thou ſhalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Thus are we to apply the comfort of one place of Scripture, with the remembrance of the mitigation of it by another; for otherwiſe that which ſhould bee our life, will thorow our corruption become our bane, and that which ſhould miniſter matter of comfort to ſaluation, will bee a meanes of encouragement to ſinne with boldneſſe, to our vtter ruine and deſtruction.
I come to the ſecond thing, which is a third argument,Interpretation. proouing Chriſt to be God, in the words following (and in him all things conſiſt) the words are briefly thus to bee conceiued, that by the powerfull hand of Chriſt, all things created, are preſerued in their eſſence and ſtate, and ſuſtained in their ſubſtances, quantities, qualities, motions, and actions, ſo as if hee ſhould withdraw his hand they would all periſh and come to nothing, hence hee is ſaid to beare vp all things by his mighty word, Heb. 1.3. and to be with his Father, as nouriſher of all things, Prou. 8.30. for we muſt not vnderſtand this, and the like places (as I hauehave often noted) excluſiuely, as ſhutting out the prouidence of God the Father, and of the holy Ghoſt, but that he together with the Father, and holy Ghoſt, doth powerfully preſerue all things: now heere, firſt we are to marke the argument of the Apoſtle, that he proues Chriſt to bee true and eternall God by the worke of preſeruation, as before by the creation, that he is the preſeruer of all things, and therefore God. Whence it followes that the preſeruation Doct. 2 of things in their eſſence and ſtate is by the mighty power of God,Preſeruation of all things in their eſſence & ſtate is by the mightie …ower of of God. 1 Pet. 4.19. for elſe the argument had not beene good, that is, Chriſt is the preſeruer of all things, and therefore God. Vnleſſe preſeruation be a proper and peculiar effect of the powerful hand of God, and conſider we the ground of this giuen by the Apoſtle, that God is a faithfull creator, he did not onelyonly make the heauens, and the earth, and all things in them, and ſo leaue them as workemen leaue houſes, as ſoone as they hauehave made them they take away their hands from them; but hee is a faithfull and carefull creator, and doth ſuſtaine things created, and his hand is ſtill with the worke that he hath made, and he holds it vp continually: the preſeruation, as well as the creation of al things, is a proper effect of his power.
Ʋſe. Hence we muſt learne not to reſt in the meanes of our owne preſeruation,We muſt not reſt in the means of their preſeruation. as meate, drinke, and ſuch like: but we muſt ſee, behold and acknowledge in them the powerfull hand of God to ſuſtaine vsus and that he worketh by them, and not they without him. Learne we to ſee in bread, the ſtaffe of bread, as the Lord himſelfe calles it, that is, the ſtrength and power to nouriſh, which comes from the Lord,Leuit. 26.26. and is giuen and taken away at his pleaſure; wee ſhall finde the Lord doth many times teach men this duty by their owne wofull experience, I meane ſuch as are vnmindfull of this duty, that when they ſee not God in the bread which they eat, hee makes them pine away in the midſt of their plenty, the meanes vouchſafed hauehave not power to doe them good, and all, becauſe they ſecretly aſcribe that to the meanes, which they cannot hauehave except the Lord bleſſe them, we therefore are to learne our duty, namely this, not to reſt in the meanes of our preſeruation, but to ſee and acknowledge the powerfull hand of God in them, to doe vsus good. Now for further vſe of this point, heere comes a queſtion to be ſcanned, that ſeeing, our preſeruation in regard of being and ſtate, is by the mighty power of God, and we finde in the Scripture, that ſome hauehave beene preſerued in reſpect of body, by the powerfull hand of God, extraordinarily, as Moſes in the Mount, Daniel in the Lyons denne, Eliah forty dayes and forty nights, with a courſe cake and pot of water.
The queſtion may bee, Quest. when wee may lawfully expect the extraordinary power and prouidence of God for our preſeruation, which is a thing needfull to bee knowen, to keepe vsus, that we doe not at all times looke for the extraordinary power of God to preſerue vsus, for ſo we ſhall many times tempt the Lord.
I anſwer therefore, Anſ. that when ordinary meanes are wanting, and there is no way to come by them, then the faith of the true beleeuer may reſt on the extraordinary prouidence of God, and we may then perſwade our ſelues, that the Lord (if he ſee it good) will ſend helpe extraordinarily. When the people of Iſrael are at the red ſea, and ſee no way how to eſcape their enemies, then they may look that the Lord will deuide the ſea, and giuegive them paſſage thorow it; when Daniel is caſt into the Lyons den, hee may then expect Angels to come and cloſe the Lyons mouths, the Scripture is plentifull in examples of this kinde, but on the other ſide, when ordinary meanes are to be had, then it is contempt of Gods ordinance and preſumption not to vſe them, but to expect extraordinary helpe from heauen. When Eliſha and his ſeruant were alone in Dotham,2. Kings 6.17. and without meanes of defence, then hee might lawfully expect his garriſon of Angels, but verſ. 32. where ordinary meanes were to be had, then he did not looke for ſuch extraordinary helpe, but vſed the meanes offered, hee ſhuts the doore, and bids them handle the meſſenger roughly, and thus this queſtion is anſwered, that when ordinary meanes cannot bee had, then wee may looke for the extraordinary, when they may bee had wee are to vſe them, yet ſo as wee reſt not vponupon them, but ſee in them and by them the powerfull working of the Lord.
Doct. 3 One thing more is offered vntounto vsus from theſe wordes, and that is a matter of comfort to all true beleeuers,The Church of Chriſt is preſerued by his prouidēce in ſpeciall manner. Pſa. 18.1.2. namely this, in that all things are preſerued by Chriſt, it cannot be but that his Church, his body, is kept and preſerued by his prouidence in ſpecall manner Iſay. 27.3. the Lord ſaith he keepes his vineyard, and hee will water it, and Dauid found ſuch ſafety & ſecurity vnderunder the ſpeciall prouidence of God as hee was not able (as it ſhould ſeeme) with any words to expreſſe, and therefore he vſeth all theſe metaphors, my rocke, my caſtle, my fortreſſe, my buckler, my ſhield, &c. Now the ſame God is the ſame caſtle, and ſhield, and fortreſſe, & bulwarke, and deliuerer from all enemies and from the Deuill and his inſtruments, to all them that put their truſt in him for euer. Pſ. 17.8. Dauid prayed for ſpeciall defence keepe me as the apple of the eye, hide me vnderunder the ſhadow of thy wings, he prayed (no doubt) in faith with aſſurance that the Lord would ſo keepe him, & doth ſo keepe all his children, now who will not warily keep the apple of his eye, it is the tendreſt thing and that part of the body that men are moſt carefull of, and euen as the apple of the eye doth the Lord Ieſus keepe his, Ʋſe. if then Ieſus Chriſt be our keeper,If Chriſt keep vsus we neede feare nothing. whom need we feare, do but remember that which wee hauehave in this text, that in him all things conſiſt, and the motion of all things is from and by his power, though ſinfull motions as they are ſinfull are from the wicked themſelues, yet as motions they are from the Lord, and they cannot moue the leaſt finger, but as rhey are ſuſtained by him, why then ſhould we feare them? no, no, know that the hand of Chriſt Ieſus is with thee, thou that art a member of him) both in life and death, yea his hand ſhall keepe the very duſt of his owne, when they are dead; let this therefore ſinke and ſettle into eueryevery one of our hearts, that Ieſus Chriſt is our keeper, and it will make vsus louelove him, cleaue to him, and be of good courage in the waues of the ſea of this troubleſome world and feare nothing.