Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A17648
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A commentarie of M. Iohn Caluine, vpon the Epistle to the Colossians. And translated into English by R.V.; Commentarii in quatuor Pauli epistolas. English. Selections
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Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564.; Vaux, Robert.
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1581
(1581)
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STC 4403; ESTC S107211
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70,707
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102
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honorably set out the worthines of the Gospel In the seconde Chapiter he openeth more playnely the cause wherfore he did write namely that he might preuent the daunger which he sawe to hang ouer theire heades where by the waye he treateth of his loue toward them to theâ—de they might acknowlege he had a care for their sauegarde From that he passeth ouer to exhorting wherewith he applieth his doctrine afore going as it were to a present vse For hee also biddeth them settle them selues in Christe alone and condemneth it of vanitie whatsoeuer it is that is without Christ He speaketh by name of Circumcision abstinence of meates and other outward exercises vnto which they doe ouerthwartly and amisse binde the seruice of God He speak'th also of the preposterous seruice of Angels whom they depâ—â—ed in Christes roome And being moued by occasion of circumcision he doth also by the waye touch what office and nature of ceremonies was Wherevpon he determineth that they were abrogated by Christ And these things doth he fill the end of the second chapiter In the third chapiter he setteth the true dueties of godlines wherwith the Lorde wil haue vs bâ—fied against those vaine precepts to the obseruing wherof the false apostle wold constrayn the faithfull And he beginneth at the spring head it selfe that is to saye at mortification of the fleshe newnes of life from whence he draweth brooke that is to say particular exhortations some which belong to all Christians alyke and some which priuatly partayne to certayne persons according to the reason and manner of their calling In the beginning of the fourth Chapiter hee goeth on still with the same argument after that when he hath commended himselfe to their prayers he declareth by many tokens howe greatly hee loueth them and is desirous to poruide and care for their saluation ¶ A Commentarie of M. John Caluine vpon the Epistle of Paule to the Colossians done into Englishe by R. V. 1 Paule an Apostle of Iesus Christ by the will of God and Timothie a brother 2 To the Saintes which are at Colossa and to the faithfull bretheren in Christ grace vnto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Iesus Christ 3 We giue thankes to God and the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ alwayes praying for you 4 Hauing heard of your faith which is in Christ Iesus and loue toward all Saintes 5 For the hope layde vp for you in heauen whereof you haue heard before by the worde of truth that is to say of the Gospell 6 Which is come vnto you as also in the vniuersall Worlde it doth bring forth fruite and is encreased as in you also froÌ„ the day which you heard knew the grace of God in truth 7 As also you haue learned of Epaphras our beloued fellow seruaunt who is towardes you a faithfull Minister of Christ 8 Who also hath made knowne vnto vs your loue in the spirite PAule an Apostle It hath bene alreadye often declared to what purpose these superscriptions doe belong Because the Colossians had neuer seene him and that therefore his authoritie was not as yet so firme amonges them that his owne name alone was sufficient he doth at the beginning tell them that hee was ordayned the Apostle of Christ by the will of God Whereof it followed that he did not rashly in that he wrote to them he know not because hee did the Embassade committed to him of God For he was not appoynted to one Church but his Apostleship had way to all The name of Saints which he attributeth vnto them is more honourable but in that he calleth theÌ„ faithfull bretheren he doth more gently allure theÌ„ to hearken vnto him The rest you may seeke out of the former Epistles 3 We giue thankes He commendeth the faith and loue of the Colossians wherby he may the better confirme theÌ„ cheerefully to go forward and to be constant Beside that wheras he sheweth that he hath such a perswasion of them hee winneth vnto him their harts whereby they may be the more ready apt to receiue his doctrine Alwayes must you marke that in steede of gratulation or reioicing he vseth giuing thankes whereby he teacheth that in all reioicing strayight way the remembrance of Gods goodnesse ought to come in mind because it is his good gift whatsoeuer it is that happeneth vnto vs ioyfull and happy Moreouer by his example hee doth admonishe vs that wee not onelye bee thankefull for those thinges which the Lorde doth bestowe vpon ourselues but for that also which he bestoweth vpon others But for what thinges doeth hee giue thankes to the Lorde for the fayth and loue of the Colossians Therefore he confesseth that both of them are giuen of God or else his thankesgiuing were but fayned And what haue we but of his liberalitie If so be that the very smallest thinges that we haue come from him how muche rather must wee confesse the same of these two gifts in which the whole summe of our excellencie is planted To god and the Father Thus expound it To God which is the Father of Christ For it is not lawful vnto vs to acknowledge anye other God but him that hath shewed forth himselfe vnto vs in his Sonne And this is the Raye which alone doth open the gate vnto vs if we will come vnto the true God For euen therefore he is a father vnto vs because he hath embraced vs in his only begotten Sonne and in him hath set forth his fatherlye fauour to be viewed of vs. Alwayes for you Some doe thus expound it We giue thankes vnto God alwayes for you that is to saye continually And some thus Praying for you alwayes It may also be thus expounded As ofte as wee praye for you wee doe withall giue thankes vnto GOD. But this is the playner and more simple meaning Wee giue thankes to God withal we pray Whereby he declareth thâ—â— the state of the faithfull is neuer so perfect in this worlde but that at all tymes somewhat is amisse or wanting For euen hee who hath very well begon may euery day reuolte or fall a hundred times and of necessitie we must continually go forward whilest as yet we be on our iourney So than must wee minde ioying for graces receiued and for the same giue God thanks that withal we desire of him perseuering and increase 4 Hauing heard our faith This was a prouocation both of loue towards them and of care for their saluation wheÌ„ he heard that they excelled in faith loue And certainly such force ought the excellent gifes of God to worke in vs that wheresoeuer they appeare they should enforce vs to be in loue with them He calleth it faith In Christ to the end we should alway remeÌ„ber that Christ is the proper or very marke for the leuell of faith He putteth Charitie to the Saints not to the end he would exclude or shut out other therefrom but for that as euery
one is neere ioined vnto vs in God so more neerelye ought we to embrace him with a peculiar loue True loue than will extende it selfe to all men vniuersally because euen all men are our flesh and are created after the Image of God but as concearning degrees it will begin at them that be of housholde the of fayth 5 For the hope layd vp for you in the heauens Neuer will the hope of eternall life bee idle in vs but will bring forth in vs loue For needes must it be that he who is certainly perswaded that the treasure of life is layde vp for him in heauen will sette naught by the world and will haue a longing thether The meditating vpon the heauenly life forceth oure affections both to serue God and to seeke after loue The sophisters abuse this testimonie or place to extoll the merits of workes as though the hope of saluation depended vpon works but their reason is friuolous For it followâ—th not that hope is therefore grouÌ„ded on workes because it pricketh vs vp to desire to liue well wheras nothing is more effectuous thervnto than the free goodnesse of God which bring al the confidence of works to naught But there is a Metâ—â—eâ—nya in the word hope because it is taken for the thing heâ—â—tofor For hope in our harts is the glory which wee hope for in heaueÌ„ But yet wheras he saith That we haue hope layde vp in heauen he meaneth that the faithfull ought to be as sure of the promise of euerlasting felicity as if they had already a treasure laide vp in a certaine and sure place Of whiche you haue heard before Because eternall saluation is a thing aboue the capacitie of our vnderstanding therefore hee addeth that the certaintie thereof was brought vnto the Colossians by the Gospell and withall he sheweth them aforehande that hee will bring no new thing but only that he meaneth this to confirme them in that doctrine which they haue already receaued Erasmus hath translated it thus the true word of the Goâ—pell Neither am I ignoraunt that after the maner of the Hebrewes the Genitiue case is often vsed in Paule in place of the Epithet or Adiectiue but here the wordes of Paule haue a greater Emphasis or force For in the toppe or highest degree he nameth the Gospell the word of truth for honoures sake whereby they might the more surely and firmelye abide in the reuelation taken from it And so the word Gospell is ioyned appositiuely 6 As also in the whole world it doth fructifie This auayleth as well to the confirmation as to the comfort of the godlye to see farre and wide the effect of the Gospell in gathering many vnto Christ In deede the fayth thereof dependeth not vppon the successe thereof so that therefore we should beleeue because many beleeue Although the whole worlde shrinke although heauen it selfe fall yet the conscience of a godly man ought not to wauer because God notwithstanding in whome the conscience is grounded abideth true But this letteth not but that our fayth may be helped as ofte as it seeth the power of God which doth so much the more mightily shew forth it selfe as the number is greater that is gayned vnto Christ Adde this too that in the multitude of the beleeuers at that time was seene the fulfilling of so many prophesies which stretch out the kingdome of God from the east to the West Is this a small matter or a vulgare and common helpe vnto fayth with the eyes to beholde fulfilled concearning the kingdome of Christ to be extended throughout all countreyes that whiche the Prophets long afore had foretold that which I say there is none of the faithfull but by experience doth fynde it himselfe Paule therefore with this sentence would more enbolden the Colossians that seing in all places the fruite and encreasing of the Gospell they mighte with the more ioyous zeale embrace it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which I haue traunslated is encreased is not reade in some copies yet because it was somewhat sit vnto the texte I woulde not omit it And it appeareth by the Commentaries of the olde Writers that this reading was alwayes more vsed From the daye that you heard and knew the grace A praise of their aptnesse in that they did by and by embrace wholsome doctrine a prayse of constancie in that they did abide in the same And properly is the faith of the Gospell called the knowledge of the grace of God because no man at any time hath tasted the Gospell but hee that knew himselfe reconciled vnto God and toke holde of saluation profered in Christ In the truth signifieth truely and without deceite for as afore he testified the Gospell to be the vndoubted truth so now he addeth that it was sincerely deliuered vnto them and that of Epaphras For whereas all doe boast of the Gospell but manye are euill Workemen by whose eyther ignoraunce or ambition or auarice the puritie therrof is corrupted very requisite it is to make a difference betweene faythful and trustie ministers and those that are naught Neither yet is it ynough to holde the name of the Gospell except we know that this is the true Gospell whiche is preached by Paule and Epaphras Wherefore Paule by giuing his voice confirmeth the doctrine of Epaphras to the end he may holde them in the same and by that meanes mighte call tham back froÌ„ varlets who went about to bring in strange doctrines And withal he setteth out Epaphras himselfe with a notable title whereby he may haue the more authoritie Finallye he maketh that he is the better beloued vnto the Colossians in that hee sayth hee testified vnto him their loue Paule in euerye place is diligent in this to make such as he knew faythfullye to serue Christ by his commendation to bee most deare vnto the Congregations as on the contrary side the ministers of Sathan are wholy occupied in this to alienate estrange by their sinister speeches the hartes of the simple from their faithful Pastours Loue in the spirite I take for spirituall loue as doeth Chrisostome vnto whome I consent not in that which wente before Finally spirituall loue is that which hath no respect to the world Is appointed to be directed by Godlinesse but it is consecrate to the guidaunce and disposition of godlynesse and hath as it were a roote within whereas carnall friendship dependeth of outward cause 9 We therefore also since the day we heard thereof cease not to pray for you and to desire that you maye be fulfilled with the knowledge of his will in all wisedome and spirituall prudence 10 That you may walke worthie of God into al obedieÌ„ce bringing forth fruite in euery good worke and encreasing in the knowledge of God 11 Strengthened with al strength according to the power of his glory into al long suffering and patience with ioy 9 We therefore also As afore in his gratulation he declared his loue towarde them so