Paraphrase of the Hard Texts of Scripture, Scripture 47
THE EPISTLE OF S. PAVL THE APOSTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS.
CAP. I.
5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof yee heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospell.FOr those goodly, and glorious things, which your hope assures you to be laid up for you in heaven, whereof yee have heard before, in that most true word of the Gospell:
6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world.Which Gospell is comne unto you, being preached amongst you, as it is all the world over, &c.
10 That ye might walke worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.That yee may behave your selves so, as may become those, which are honoured by God, with so high a calling, and ordained by him, to so great glory; and so as may be in all things well pleasing unto him, &c.
12 Giving thankes unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light.Giving thankes unto God the Father, who hath furnisht us with such graces, as whereby wee may be fitted to become partakers of that glorious, and everlight-some, and blessed inheritance of his Saints in heaven.
In, and by whom,14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgivenesse of sinnes. wee are freed and bought out from the bondage of sin, and satan, even by the ransome of his most pretious blood, in that by the vertue thereof, and the full satisfaction made thereby unto God, wee have forgivenesse of sinnes.
Who is unto us that onelyonly and perfect meanes, in,15 Who is the Image of the invisible God, the first borne of every creature. and by whom, God which is by nature invisible, is manifested, and revealed to mankinde, in the Sonne, as in a cleare and perfect glasse, we see the Father: That eternall Sonne had his being of, and with the Father, before ever any creature was made.
And as hee had an eternall being before them,16 For by him were all things created, &c. so they had their being in time from him, for by him were all things created, &c.
Who is the first cause of all things,18 Who is the beginning, the first borne from the dead, that in all things hee might have the preheminence. giving a beginning unto them all; and restoring them all again, by the power of his resurrection, as being the omnipotent raiser of himselfe from the dead; and he, by whose power all others either have risen, or shall rise.
For it pleased the Father,19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell. that in him should essentially dwell all perfection of grace, of wisedome, of power, of goodnesse, and mercy.
And (having made peace,20 And having made peace through the blood of his crosse, by him to reconcile all things unto himselfe; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. through the satisfaction made by his precious blood, shed upon the crosse) by the perfect worke of his onelyonly mediatorship, to reconcile unto himselfe, all things, that were formerly set at variance with him by sinne; and to set unity betwixt God and men, betwixt Angels and men.
And amongst the rest, even you Colossians,21, 22 And you that were sometimes alienated, and enemies in your minde, by wicked workes, yet now hath hee reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable in his sight. that were sometimes in your naturall, and heathenish condition, not onelyonly strangers from God, but even enemies to him, both in respect of the sinfull disposition of your mindes, and of your wicked workes also, and trade of sinne, wherein ye lived, yet now hath he reconciled, in that true humane body of his, by suffering death for you, that hee might present you holy, &c.
Which mercy of reconciliation,23 If yee continue in the faith grounded and setled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospell, which yee have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I Paul am made a minister. and peace ye shall be sure to receive, if yee continue constantly firme in that true faith, and Christian hope which hath been wrought in you, by the Gospell: which Gospell ye have had preached unto you, and not to you only hath it beene taught, but to all the nations under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister.
Who now rejoyce in those persecutions,24 Who now rejoyce in my sufferings for you, & fill up that which is behind, of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his bodies sake, which is the Church, which I suffer for your sake, yea for Christs; every Saint of God is a member of Christs body; and Christ therefore suffers in him; thus it is then with me; my afflictions are Christs; and I doe, in suffering, fill up that which is behinde of the afflictions of Christ, in my flesh, for his Churches sake.
25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God, which is given to mee for you, to fulfill the word of God.Of which Church I am made a minister, according to the dispensation, which is committed to me of God, for your behoofe; that I may fully deliver that errand which I have received, of preaching the Gospell to you, and to the rest of the Gentiles every where.
26 Even the mysterie which hath been hid from ages, and from generations, but now is made manifest to his Saints.Even this mystery of salvation by Christ revealed to the Gentiles; which hath been hid from former ages, and from the fore-passed generations of our forefathers; but now is made clearely manifest to his Saints.
To whom God would make knowne, what is the glorious riches,27 To whom God would make knowne what is the riches of the glory of this mystery amongst the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. and treasure of this great mystery of the Gospell, for the salvatiō of the Gentiles, as well as of the chosen people of the Jewes; the summe and substance of which mystery, and Gospell, is Jesus Christ; in whom onelyonly ye have the hope of eternall glory.
CAP. II.
1 For I would that yee knew, what great conflict I have for you, & for them at Loadicea, & for as many as have not seene, &c.FOr I would that ye knew what great care, and anxiety, and selfe-conflicts I have within me, for you and for your neighbours of Laodicea; and for all other converts to Christ, which have not seen my face, nor injoyed my bodily presence.
2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ:That their hearts may be furnished with the rich, and full understanding of the Gospell of Christ, and may bee setled in the perfect acknowledgment of the great mystery of religion, wherein God is revealed to men, even God the Father, and Jesus Christ his Sonne.
In whom alone are laid up all the treasures of wisedome,3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdome, and knowledge. and knowledge; so as that without him they cannot be had; and by him they are imparted unto his faithfull ones, for their salvation.
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Iesus the Lord, so walke ye in him:As ye have therefore received the true doctrine, concerning Christ Jesus the Lord; so do ye persist, and persevere therein.
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have beene taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.Ye are living plants, ye must be fast rooted in the soile of Christ; ye are living stones, ye must bee laid fast, and firmly mortered upon the foundatiō of Christ; ye must be strongly stablished in the true faith of Christ, as ye have beene taught by your faithfull teachers, Archippus, and Epaphras; abounding, more and more, in the knowledge, and profession thereof, with thankfulnesse to God, for that light which he hath imparted unto you.
Beware, lest any man make a prey of you,8 Beware lest any man spoile you through Philosophy and vaine deceite, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments, of the world, and not after Christ. through the false pretence of secular wisedome, as mixing divine things with humane, and measuring heavenly mysteries by their naturall reason; or, through the vaine inforcement of Jewish rites, and ceremonies; both which kinds of false teachers forme their doctrines after the uncertaine and mis-devised traditions of men, or after the beggerly rudiments of the world, viz. the ceremonies of the law, which are now out of date, and not after the truth of Christ.
For in him, the whole God-head dwelleth essentially,9 For in him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily. and the divine nature is not onelyonly united to the soule of Christ, but to the body also; and in him hath God fully revealed himselfe to the world.
And ye are in, and by him filled with all saving grace,10 And ye are compleat in him, which is the head of all principalitie and power. and divine knowledge; even in him, who is your head; and not yours onelyonly, but the head of all the heavenly Angells, even those mighty, and powerfull spirits above.11 In whom also yee are circumcised, with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ.
In whom also yee are spiritually circumcised in your hearts, by that inward circumcision which is made by his holy Spirit, and not by the hands of men, in that yee have, by his gracious worke in you, put off your sinfull corruptions, through the vertue of that circumcision, not which Moses, but which Christ hath wrought in you.
The effect of which circumcision ye have received,12 Buried with him in Baptisme, wherein also you are risen with him, through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. in that ye have received that baptisme, which succeeds that other legall Sacrament; yee are therefore circumcised, in that ye are baptized, and ye are in baptisme buried together with Christ, in respect of the mortification of your sinnes, represented by lying under the water; and in the same baptisme, yee rise up with him, in newnesse of life, represented by your rising up out of the water againe; through that faith of yours, which is grounded upon the mighty power of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
And you, being once altogether dead in your sinnes,13 And you being dead in your sinnes, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickned together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses: and in the spirituall uncircumcision of your hearts, hath he quickened, and raised up to a life of grace, and new obebience, together with himselfe, by the power of his resurrection; having forgiven you all those trespasses, wherein ye formerly lay.
Blotting out, by his precious blood,14 Blotting out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and tooke it out of the way, nailing it to his crosse. that obligatory bond of Mosaicall ordinances, and ceremonies, which carried in them a secret accusation of our guiltinesse; and cancelled it utterly; nayling it to his crosse, as void, and of none effect.
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, hee made shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.And having spoyled the principalities, and powers of hell, he made a shew openly, leading them, as manicled captives, after him; being exalted upon the triumphant chariot of his crosse.
Since therfore the Mosaicall ceremonies are thus abrogated,16 Let no man therefore judge you in meate, or in drinke, or in respect of an Holy day, or of the New-moone, or of the Sabbath dayes: let no man judge you, in matter of eating, or drinking; or in respect of your solemne annuall festivities, of Pasch, Pentecost, Tabernacles, or of your monethly feast of new-moones, or of your weekly feasts, the Jewish Sabbaths.
17 Which are a shadowe of things to come, but the body is of Christ.Which observations are onelyonly types, and shadowes of things, which were then to come; but the body and substance, shadowed and figured out by them, is Christ.
18 Let no man beguile you of your reward, in a voluntary humility, and worshipping of Angells, intruding into those things which hee hath not seene, vainely puft up by his fleshly minde.Let no man beguile you of your prize (which is laid ready at the goale for you) by drawing you aside, under pretences of voluntarie humility, to those opinions, and practices which are not warrantable; as to worship the Angells, under colour of an awfull modesty, in not going first to God, without a mediation; out of a bold curiosity intruding himselfe into the profession of knowing that, which he hath not seene; and vainely puft up with a proud conceit of his owne skill.
19 And not holding the head, from which all the body by joynts and bands having nourishment ministred, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.And not holding himselfe to the true knowledge of Christ; who is the only head of the Church; from whom, all the body of his universall Church, being knit together by the joynts, and bands of one common Spirit, receiveth due spirituall nourishment, and groweth up, and increaseth in the graces of God, till it come to a full stature.
20, 21. Wherefore if ye bee dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world: why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances? (Touch not, tast not, handle not:Wherefore, if ye have part in Christs death, by which these Mosaicall ordinances are abrogated, and abolished; Why, as though ye were still of the world, and had no interest in Christ; are ye subject to the rites, and ordinances of the ceremoniall Law? (as to stand upon the termes of, touch not this, tast not that, handle not that other:
22 Which are all to perish with the using) after the commandements, and doctrines of men.All which meates, and drinks (whereof they are so scrupulous) perish with the using, and have no further being, after they are received) interpreted and urged after the commandements, and traditions of men.
23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisedome in will-worship and humilitie, and neglecting of the body, not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.Which opinions and practices of theirs, are such, as wherein, they make indeed a great shew of wisedome and piety, professing a voluntary humiliation, and afflicting of themselves with hard usages of the body, in fasting, and abstinence; and not yeelding that due respect and care to the body which were meet for the moderate and fit sustentation thereof.
CAP. III.
IT is not for you to affect the things of the world,3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. for ye are dead to the world, and to all the vaine, and sinful motions, and desires thereof, but ye have already, and shall injoy hereafter, another manner of life, which the world cannot see, or discerne; for it is hid, and laid up with Christ, in God; as out of the knowledge,5 Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleannesse. so out of the danger of the world.
Mortifie therefore all the lims of your earthly and sinfull corruptions, fornication, uncleannesse, &c.
Seeing that ye have put off your old depraved nature,9 Seeing that yee have put off the old man with his deeds; with the sinfull works thereof;
And are professed that yee are become new …en,10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledg, after the Image of him, that created him: renewed in knowledge, and all holy disposition; a…ter the image of God, who hath created this new heart in you.
In which businesse of renovation, there is no respect of persons at all, whether a man be a Jew or a Greeke,11 Where there is neither Greeke, nor Iew, circumcision, nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, &c. &c. but every man is accepted according to that measure wherein Christ his Saviour, and his holy Spirit dwells and workes in him.
Contrary therefore to those lims of your corruptions,12 Put on therefore (as the elect of God, holy and beloved) bowels of mercies, kindnesse, humblenesse of minde, meeknesse, long suffering, &c. take to yourselves, as it becomes the elect children of God, holy and beloved; all those graces of regeneration which are meet for your Christian profession, tender mercies, and compassion, kindnesse, &c.
And above all these,14, 15. And above all these things put on charity which is the bond of perfectnesse, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also yee are called in one body; and be ye thankfull. see that your hearts bee filled with charity, which doth perfectly unite together all the members of this mysticall body; and by, and in which, all other graces are perfected, for the use of Gods Church. And let that Christian peace, which God worketh in you, and which your holy profession calleth you to, by vertue of your union with the whole Church, rule and raigne in your hearts.
Let the doctrine of Christ be familiarly setled in your hearts, and make you rich in all wisedome;16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisedome, teaching and admonishing one another in Psalmes, &c. so as that yee may be able to teach, and admonish one another; that ye may expresse the joy of your hearts in Psalmes, &c.
CAP. IIII.
3 That God would open unto us a doore of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds.THat God would vouchsafe unto us faire, and happy oportunities of preaching the Gospell, and give us powerfull assistance, and abilities to deliver the great mysteries of the Gospell of Christ, for which I am now in bonds.5 Walke in wisedome towards them that are without, redeeming the time.
Walke carefully and wisely, and carry your selves inoffensively towards those that are not of the Church of God; and take all advantages, and oportunities of doing good.6 Let your speech bee alwayes with grace, seasoned with salt that you may know how yee ought to answer every man.
Let your speech be alwaies gracious and savory, such as may argue the holy disposition of the heart, from whence it comes; so framing your words to the occasion, as that ye may returne a meet answer to every man.
11 These onelyonly are my fellow workers unto the Kingdome of God, which have beene a comfort to me.These two onelyonly of the Jewish nation, have helped me, in the preaching, and furtherance of the Gospell, and have beene comfortable unto me, in their incouragements, and loving ministrations.
16 And when this Epistle is read amongst you, cause that it be read also in the Church of the Laodiceans: and that ye likewise read the Epistle from Laodicea.And after that this my Epistle hath beene read among you, cause that it be read also in the neighbour Church of Laodicea; and let this inclosed Epistle, which was written to me from Laodicea, importing much the good of you all, be likewise read amongst you.