3. 5. 6. he saith Paul is nothing and Apollo is nothing but God who giues the increase When he hath giuen God that glorie then in the fourth chapter vers 2. he saith let men so esteeme of vs as the disposers of the mysteries of God so let men euer giue God all glorie and praise and let them be assured the 1. Sam. 2. 33. God whom they honour in their calling shall honour them againe Now to this God be all honour and praise Amen THE THIRTEENTH LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 2. vers 1. 2. 3 1 For I would ye knew what great fighting I haue for your sakes and for them of Laodicea and for as many as haue not seene my person in the flesh 2 That their hearts might be comforted and they knit together in loue and in all riches of the full assurance of vnderstanding to know the mysterie of God euen the father and of Christ 3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdome and of knowledge YE haue heard brethren from the foure and twentith verse of the first chapter of this epistle how Paul hath insisted vpon his owne person purchasing authority to his doctrine y t he hath propounded and to the exhortation begun As yet he continues in speaking of himselfe from the beginning of this second chapter vnto the sixt verse thereof Then after he returnes to his exhortation exhorting the Colossians to perseuerance in that faith which they had receiued The sum of the former Lecture and exhorting them from vaine traditions obtruded or layd on them by the false teachers letting them vnderstand that there was nothing except Christ and his Gospell to be acknowledged or receiued by them and that all other things without him are but vanitie Then to come briefly to our purpose and this text now read in the last verse of the chapter preceding yee heard the Apostle vttered what paines he tooke and what strife he suffered and all for this end to present euery man without exception perfect before God especially in that great day Now the Colossians to whom he writes whom he neuer saw bodily nor they him might haue obiected against this his paine labor and strife which he sustained Well Paul thou pinest thy selfe but for whom what is that to vs It is not for vs thou neuer sawest vs nor we thee so all thy labour fighting and trauell Obiection is nothing profitable for vs. The Apostle in the first verse meets Answere with and answers it I would you knew saith he what great fighting I haue for your sakes and not for you onely but for your neighbours them of Laodicea this is a towne in Phrygia and not for them only but for as many of the Gentiles as haue not seene my person in the flesh There is his answere it is plaine onely hereout I shall gather some short notes for our instruction Then first I marke in the person of the Colossians that moues the question They thought he could haue no care of them except he had seene them so commonly men thinke that they who are absent from them and neuer see them neither know them by their face as we say whom they haue not seene face to face can haue no care of them nor loue to them This is the iudgement commonly of the world and it is so indeede for naturall men that haue no more than naturall loue will speake thus of them with whom they haue not been acquainted I knew him not what haue I to doe with them whom I neuer saw nor knew What good can such men doe to me or I to them This is the fashion of the worldly men But this is all wrong as you The difference betweene the regenerate and vnregenerate The loue of the Saints exceedes the loue of the world shall see and therefore marke in the answere of Paul what great difference is betwixt naturall men and renewed men the common sort of men and the seruants of God In his answere we learne that they that are of God which haue gotten that new birth aboue nature and contrarie to nature the seruants of Christ especially such as Paul was they loue them whom they neuer sawe haue a care ouer them whom they neuer knew yea they will striue and fight to the death for them For why brethren you must vnderstand concerning them that are conioyned in the bodie of Christ one hand will not know another better then they will know one another although they haue not seene one another bodily being far distant in person and place the one from the other because it is the spirit of Iesus who ioynes them together and giues euery one a sure knowledge of the other conioyned with Christ as a member of that body Hence commeth this liuely knowledge which one christian will haue of another whom otherwise he neuer sawe in properperson For they haue not onely this fleshly sight of naturall men and bodily eye to see a mans body and face before them but they haue a spirituall eye whereby they can see to the farthest nooke and corner of the world and will send as it were the very spirit and soule out of the body to the vtmost part of the world where they know there is any of Christs members Therefore Paul saith 1. Cor. 5. 4. When ye are gathered together and my spirit c. Thou that hast no care of the Saints of God where euer they be scattered thou hadst neuer this spirituall and heauenly eye of Paul Suspect thy selfe thou art but a naturall man and if thou haue not a loue to them to embrace and fixe them as it were in thy heart alas it is a token that thou art not in that body of Christ as yet Thirdly in this answere I see it is requisit that we loue them that are Saints howbeit we neuer saw them nor they vs in this world for when the conscience is touched with a feeling of that loue there ariseth The feeling of loue in our hearts a consolation to the soule When thou feelest in thy soule that the Saints loue thee thou maist be assured that God also loues thee and therefore it hath pleased the Lord to leaue in register the acts of the Apostles containing that loue and care they had for the Saints not onely for their owne time but also for all who should liue to the end of the world For Paul he had not onely a care of the Colossians but also of the whole gentils his loue and care extended so far that it reached out to the end of the world If thou be a member of Christ the care of Paul reacheth to thee as one of that body Then lastly I note it is so requisit that we vnderstand of this loue of the We must endeuour to make our loue knowne to the Saints Saints to vs whether we haue seene them or they vs or not that the man
tenth verse of the last chapter to the end Moreouer as concerning Maister Rollocke and his workes because this is the first fruite of his labours published in the English tongue he was as may appeare by many testimonies a most reuerend and faithfull seruant of Iesus Christ His name is very pretious and great in all reformed Churches and Nations which haue receiued the Gospell of Christ His learned and holy Commentaries on the Prophecie of Daniel on the Gospell of Iohn on the Epistle to the Romans Ephesians Galathians Colossians Thessalonians with his other workes extant in the Latine tongue testifie aboundantly of his gifts and graces And least any should except against my iudgement Epistola in Tractar de vocatione efficac ad D. Iohnston which I confesse is but meane or nothing heare one to speake for all whose wisdome and learning is reuerenced of all the godly Churches I meane Maister BEZA concerning this mans workes He saith That his labours on the Epistle to the Romans and Ephesians be as a rich treasure sent from God to his people Next saith he without all flatterie be it spoken I haue neuer as yet read any thing written in this kinde more briefe more eloquent and more indicious And then he proceedeth saying When I had viewed his workes I could not containe my selfe but as I was bound I gaue God thankes for him reioycing for his blessing on the Churches This part of his workes I meane these Lectures on this Epistle they were first preached in the Scottish tongue not much differing from our speech specially in the North parts of this land but now they are published in the most common and vsuall English phrase for the comfort and edification I trust of all such as vnderstand not the Latine tongue in both kingdomes I could wish in mine heart that all Preachers in both Churches would learne of this man to Preach the Gospell of Christ who wanting neither wit nor learning to set forth his exercises yet respects he as the Apostle taught him neither excellency of words nor humane wisdome nor desires to sauour of any thing but of Iesus Christ and him crucified His continuall care is so to speake as that the spirituall power and grace of the 1. Cor. 2 1 2 3 4 5 6. Gospell might speake onely to the consciences of the hearers to worke in them and not himselfe by any perswasions of his learning and eloquence These workes are now published after his death so that he hath not performed what he could and would haue done if his owne hand had been last vpon them The Christian readers will therefore pardon I doubt not all faults louingly which haue past in this first impression And thus hauing commended this worke vnto thee recommend me and it vnto the protection and blessing of the Almightie in Christ Iesus Thine in Christ Iesus Henry Holland MAISTER ROLLOCKS LECTVRES VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians THE FIRST LECTVRE COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 1 2 3 4 5 6. 1 Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ by the will of God and Timotheus our brother 2 To them which are at Colosse Saints and faithfull brethren in Christ Grace be with you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Iesus Christ. 3 We giue thankes to God euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ alwaies praying for you 4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Iesus and of your loue toward all Saints 5 For the hopes sake which is laid vp for you in heauen whereof ye haue heard before by the word of truth which is the Gospell 6 Which is come vnto you euen as it is vnto all the world and is fruitfull as it is also among you from the day that ye heard and truly knew the grace of God I Haue chosen brethren this Epistle which the Apostle Paul lying in bands at Rome wrote to the Church that was at Colosse euen for this cause chiefly because as you shall see in the deduction it sheweth all grace to be in Christ Iesus our Lord all wisdome knowledge mercy and whatsoeuer a sinfull creature standeth in need of is to be sought and found in Iesus Christ and nothing to be sought without him But to come to the purpose briefly the Colossians were so called of Colosse a towne in Phrygia in Asia the lesse whom Epaphras not an Apostle but an Euangelist inferior in ranke to an Apostle had conuerted to the faith of Iesus Christ After him enters in certaine deceiuers to subuert the ground of faith which faithfully and truly Epaphras had laid mingling with the Gospell vaine Philosophie the rites of the Law of Moses voluntarie worshipping as it is called not content with the simplicitie of the Gospell In the meane time the Apostle lyeth at Rome in bandes he had neuer seene them nor been among them because they were not founded by him but by Epaphras who comes to him and communicateth to him the estate of the Church at Colosse how he had founded it and how false teachers had crept in Wherefore he desires the Apostle to write this Epistle to them to exhort them to stand to the true doctrine that Epaphras had taught them and not to beleeue the false teachers And this is the occasion of the writing of this epistle The Principall parts of it are these First the salutation of Parts of the Epistle the Apostle with Timothie to the Church of Colosse Secondly the preface wherein he indeuoureth to purchase the good will and attention of the Colossians Thirdly the doctrine it selfe short but exceeding effectuall of the Lord Iesus and his office as we shall heare hereafter Fourthly after the doctrine he comes to the exhortation exhorting the Colossians to constancie and perseuerance in the faith and doctrine of Iesus Christ Fiftly he admonisheth them to beware of false teachers these things are handled in the first two chapters Sixtly he commeth to certaine precepts partly generall partly particular Seuenthly he endeth his epistle with some salutations As touching this first chapter first we haue to obserue in it the salutation secondly the preface of the Epistle thirdly the doctrine fourthly the exhortation As for the salutation because it is common to the rest of his epistles therefore I shall passe through it briefly The persons that wish health and welfare to the Church of Colosse are first Paul the Apostle sent immediatly by Iesus Christ by the will of the Father first the will of the father goeth before then the sonne the Lord Iesus sendeth out this Apostle for he did nothing without the will of the Father The second person is Timothy a brother so he names him not an Apostle but an Euangelist and fellow labourer following Paul watering where he had planted for the office of euery Euangelist was to water where the Apostles before had planted and to build where they had laid the foundation of the true doctrine of Iesus Christ the Sauiour The persons vnto
them instantly Paul was oft on his knees praying Men wot not what it is to haue to doe with God I bowe my knees to God for you Ephes 3. 14. So learne of him that it is not enough to thanke God for the prosperous estate of his Church that is but an halfe dutie to thanke him but with the thanking of God thou must ioyne prayer for the continuance of the blessing of God vpon that person Church and Common-wealth for whome thou thankest God There is no man so perfect in happinesse or in any blessed estate whether it be spirituall or temporall but yet so long as he liues in the world he hath want there is a lacke euen in the greatest Emperor and King yea euen in temporall things And he that hath begun well will fall backe againe a hundreth times in a day yea hee will runne faster backeward then euer he went forward if the Lord withhold him not Therefore pray for him that he goe not backeward Then when he is going forward in the good course begun he may not stand still but he must run euer looking to the end There is no man so long as he liues that putteth an end to his course his course ends with his life Hath any man a life He is in the race he is in the way and iourney towards the But or as the Apostle calles it the price of the high calling of God Phil. 3. 14. In the progresse he is not able to go one foote forward except the Lord take him by the hand and leade him Therfore seeing there is no progresse to heauen without God his especiall grace nor thou art not able to lift thy foote without him with euery foote that thou liftest thanke God for his owne benefit and pray to God for the continuance and increase thereof Pray feruently for thy selfe and for those that thou wouldest haue to continue Thus much for the proposition Now followeth the declaration of that wherfore he thankes God he thanketh God for them but not without cause he saw matter of thankes giuing in them and a vaine thing it is to thanke God for that that is The matter of the thankes giuing not in a man What saw he in them We heare saith he of your faith first and then of your loue to al the Saints without exception It is not possible but if thou loue one Saint thou must loue all And if thou hatest one Saint as a Saint it will Loue to the Saints passe thy power to beare affection of loue to any so loue one and loue all otherwise thou canst not loue one Then he seeth matter in them wherefore hee thanketh God and it is for no earthly thing but that these Colossians were conquered to that kingdome of Christ It is better for thee to bee conquered to Christ then to conquer the whole world Then the spirituall matter of reioycing if thou wouldest reioyce congratulate and praise God standeth in spirituall graces if thou wouldest reioyce for thy friend looke if he haue spirituall graces looke if he haue faith and loue if he hath not To reioyce for friends these neither hast thou matter to reioyce for nor he if he had all the world away with all thy gratulation all his prayses and congratulations are as many curses if he want faith and charitie for there is no blessing where they are not Wot ye what faith is It ioynes thee with the head woe is thee that art seuered from him and if thou hadst all the world woe is that soule that is not ioyned with Christ and being ioyned with him then art thou fast The earth shall be shaken and the heauen passe away before thou shalt loose thy gripe and holde of Christ or he twine and part Who shall separate vs from the Faith apprehends Christ loue of God saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 24 there is faith and the vertues thereof What doth loue againe As faith maketh the vnion with the head so loue is the band that makes the communion with the Saints which you rehearse in your beleefe and if thou be not ioyned here with his Church there is no saluation for thee nor life thou shalt neuer see the life of Christ Then when wee see a man standing first in this vnion with Christ and secondly in this communion with the Saints we may say blessed is that soule for cursed are they that are not ioyned this way Conioyne thy selfe with the head and the members there is not a member of the body with whom thou ioynest thy selfe by this communion but so fast as thy heart cleaues to it so fast will it cleaue to thee againe Wherefore reioyceth Paul with the Colossians because they loued the Saints so he being a Saint his heart ioynes with them Thou art a cursed body when a man loues thee if thou will not loue him againe Wherefore was it that they had first this faith in Iesus Christ next this loue towards the Saints what gained they by faith and loue the Apostle saith For that hopes sake that is laide vp in heauen it is not for nothing there is a rich reward of faith and loue Faith and loue will get thee a fairer thing and richer reward then all the things in this world Fye vpon them they are but durt and doung onely see that thou haue faith and loue Sticke by these two and thou shall get thee a richer and more glorious thing then al the things of this world can be to thee You may learne thē it is the respect that a man hath to a rich reward and hope that is of the riches of glorie Ephes 1. and not of this peltry in the earth that makes a man to sticke with Christ and to haue a communion with the Saints Otherwise if thou haue not this to looke vnto and this respect to that ioyfull end fye on thee it is kept to thee Heb. 11. 26 well enough as Peter saith thou hast no more to doe but to hold thine eye vpon it if thou haue it not it shall passe thy power to keepe thee with Christ and to be ioyned with the Church militant for there shall come such iawes and billowes of temptation iaw vpon iaw and billowe vpon billowe that thou shalt perish But contrariwise holding thine eie Phil. 3. 20. euer wayting for the comming of thy Sauiour the Lord Iesus I confesse there be a thousand things to drawe it downe but if thou striue to holde it vp certainely thou shalt sticke fast with Christ and stand with the Saints of God but if thou carry thine eye from heauen like a moule or muddewart grountling on this earth thou shalt tyne and lose Christ and the vnion with his Saints Thou shalt lose thy life and that faire heritage and then wo is thee for euer more To come forward how got they their sight and knowledge of this life Note It is a looking to this life that must keepe
be freed from the wrath of God and that onely in that bloud of Iesus Christ To whom with the Father and the blessed spirit be all honour Amen THE SIXT LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 18 19. 18 And he is the head of the bodie that is of the Church he is the beginning and first begotten of the dead that in all things he might haue the preheminence 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulnes dwell YOu haue heard welbeloued in Iesus Christ the Apostle when hee had spoken of the benefit of our redemption and remission of our sinnes in the bloud of Iesus Christ he falles out into a faire and glorious description of him and all to this end to let vs see the pretiousnes of that bloud wherewith we are redeemed that thereby consequently wee might see the surenes of our redemption by that bloud It being of such value of necessitie wee must be redeemed by that bloud and our redemption must stand fast and stable for euer You heard in the description of Christ first he called him the image the essentiall image of the inuisible God then he stiles him the first borne of all creatures then he cals him such a one by whom all things were created next the end for whom and for whose honour all things were created that are created and lastly he cals him the preseruer vpholder and keeper of all things created So will you compare him with that inuisible God he is equall in glorie with him the image of the inuisible God equall with God whom he represents Will you compare him with the creature there is no comparison for hee is the Creator of all creatures in heauen and in earth and he infinitly passeth in glorie all the creatures both visible and inuisible Now when hee hath set him out in these points of glorie and maiestie hee staies not here for as yet he hath not told all of him and he hath not set out all his glorie but in this text he goes forward and setteth him out further in more points of his glorie This is the difference betwixt the points counted alreadie and the points of his glorie that follow in the text Before he hath described him as he is God the sonne of God from all eternitie for as hee is God properly he is the image of the inuisible God whom he represents as the liuely character of his person so that the points Heb. 1. 2. passed are the points of his glorie as hee is God The points which follow are of his glorie not onely as he is God but as he is man also clad with our flesh and nature There haue past alreadie fiue points of his glorie as he is the sonne of God there follow other fiue points of his glorie as Fiue points of glorie of Christ manifested in the flesh he is God and man in that personall vnion These are they briefly He is the head of the bodie of the Church there is one Secondly he is the beginning and the first borne of the dead Thirdly he hath preheminence among all creatures that euer were or shall be in the world Fourthly he is a man full of God Fiftly in office he is the Mediatour the midman betwixt God and man by whose bloud the reconciliation of man is made with God his father To goe forward in that order as they are here set downe first he is the head of the bodie of his Church these are the words Brethren euery word would furnish great matter of speaking but I am not minded to digresse into a common place Onely I purpose to speake so much for the present as the words will furnish He is called the head The word head that is giuen to him imports sundrie things in him first it imports that Iesus Christ is the Lord and the superiour ouer the bodie which is the Church and that worthily because he is full of grace and excellencie and in him is all matter of Lordship and dominion Of what reckoning is a Lord if there bee no matter of Lordship in him Of what value is an head if there bee not Iesus Christ head of his Church greater graces in it then in the bodie so the word imports a superioritie full of grace and honour Euen as you see the head of a man because of the excellencie of it it is a Lord and a superiour and a commaunder to the bodie Then againe the word that this Lord Iesus the head of the bodie he is not like the common sort of Lords and rulers but a Lord and a superiour who is most streightly conioyned with his subiects the bodie his Church Euen as you see the head most streightly ioyned with the bodie of a man euen so the Lord Iesus is most streightly ioyned with the bodie his Church yea he is more strickly ioyned with his Church then the head of a man is with the bodie for the head of a man may be soone seuered frō the bodie of a man but if Christ thy head be ioyned with thee all the powers in heauen and earth shall neuer seuer thee from thy head Iesus Christ Thou shalt neuer be separated from him as Paul to the Romanes saith Who shall separate vs from the loue of God in Iesus Christ As though he would say not any thing Nay if Iesus Christ become once thy head be assured he will neuer part with thee Yet more the word imports that as he is most strictly conioyned with his Church and euery member of the same as the head of a man with his bodie so he is most louing and tender affected towards it Will not the head of a man loue the bodie well will it not tender it most deerely and intirely will it not minister all graces it hath to the bodie giue life and mouing to the bodie otherwise it were no head to the bodie Euen so the Lord Iesus he loues his bodie the Church better then any head can doe the naturall bodie and in loue ministers a life to his bodie better then the life of this naturall bodie He ministers to his Church a spirituall life he ministers a mouing a doing and a growing and in these respects he is called the head of the Church Now when he hath called him the head of the bodie he turnes to the bodie and hee defines this bodie to be the Church Then there must be a great likenes betwixt the Church of Christ The Church and the bodie of man otherwise it cannot be called a bodie The bodie of man is subiect to the head euen so the Church of Iesus Christ is subiect to her Lord Eph. 5. 23. She is his subiect and he is her Lord. The bodie is streightly ioyned with the head the Church is more streightly ioyned with Christ The head giues life to the bodie euen so the Church of Christ is dead without the head the Lord Iesus Lastly
the whole glorie of Iesus Christ vpon the vniuersall Church so now he turnes it ouer vpon this particular Church of Colosse For the glorie of Iesus Christ the sonne of God as it is the glorie of the whole Church so it is the glorie of euery particular Church and in so doing no question hee applies it to euery particular person in the Church so that the glorie of the sonne of God is mine and thine Beleeuest thou in him All this glorie is thine There is no point of it in him but thou shalt haue the vse of it so that no man or woman that is in the Church needs to enuie this glory in Iesus Christ It is naturall to men and women to enuie the glorie that others haue aboue them yea subiects will enuie the honour and glorie of Princes aboue them But thou who art a subiect in Christs Church thou needes not to enuie Christs glorie All his glorie is thine yea thou oughtest to haue no pleasure but when thou lookest vpon his glorie and exaltation But to come to the words We see then in these words there is a particular application of this benefit of reconciliation to the Church of the Colossians The text first offers vs to be considered who is the reconciler Now saith the Apostle he hath The Reconciler reconciled Who is this that hath reconciled the Colossians to God Before speaking of the reconciliation in generall with the whole Church he said It hath pleased the Father to reconcile all things to himselfe in him but now plainly in the text the Reconciler is changed It was the father before now the sonne of God the second person of that glorious Trinitie hee is the Reconciler Wherein the Apostle lets vs see that in this worke of reconciliation this sonne of God is not onely a patient not onely a Mediatour to suffer for our sinnes but he is an agent a doer a reconciler As he is the Mediatour of the reconciliation he is not onely a sacrifice in the which the reconciliation is made but he is a sacrificer offering himselfe in a sacrifice to God for our sinnes For looke how willingly the father offered him a sacrifice for vs as willingly gladly and ioyfully offered hee himselfe for vs for if hee had not died willingly and gladly in the nature of man but against his will as men will dye his death would neuer haue done men good nor ransomed their sinnes So this is a point of our beleefe that as wee beleeue hee died so wee beleeue hee died willingly and that Christ died willingly they who crucified him were not so willing to crucifie him as he was willing to offer himselfe to be crucified If thou hast not this faith thou hast no good of the death of Christ So the person reconciler is Christ Then to amplifie this benefit of reconciliation he cals them to remembrance of their miserable estate before they were reconciled What were they before Who were in times past saith he strangers and enemies meaning to God and where was this enmitie In the inward mind And why Because their mindes were set onely vpon euill workes Hee will not speake to them of this benefit of reconciliation before hee aduertiseth them of that estate they stood in before they were reconciled Marke it there is no sight of the mercie of God in Iesus Christ no presence of mercy and grace except The miserie of man without Christ in the mirrour to say it so of the past miserie wee were in so that except thou looke to that thou shalt neuer see as thou shouldest see the benefit of mercie and grace in Iesus Christ There is no sinfull creature that is able to ponder and weigh aright in the heart the greatnes of the blessing of God in Iesus Christ except hee take the blessing and mercie and put in a ballance with the miserie and see which of them weigheth downe otherwise thou shalt neuer know the weight of mercie and glorie if thou take it not from the miserie of that stinking nature and filthines of thine neither shalt thou euer be touched with that sound ioy except the sense of miserie goe before He that hath neuer found himselfe in hell hath neuer found himselfe in heauen for all the sense of heauen breakes out of hell Now to weigh the words The first word wherein hee sets down their miserable estate is this Sometime saith he ye were strangers farre off From whom From him who should haue bin their greatest friend whose domesticks they should haue bin from God and so from the Common-wealth of Israel from his Church If thou be a straunger from God and then from his Church there is no life in thee thou art but a dead rotten member in sinnes and offences Ephes 2. 1. Liue as thou wilt breathe as thou wilt haue thy senses as quicke as thou wilt fling here and there and leape as lightly as thou pleasest thou art but dead and more then dead and dye shalt thou euerlastingly Yet marke the words hee cals not them simplie strangers and aliants but he saith they were made strangers to let vs see that all this strangenes from God is not by our creation we were created friendly with him and his domesticks but by our owne defection we haue made our selues of domestickes and household children strangers And therefore it is said in Esai 59. 2. Your sinnes haue diuided betweene me and you So it is thy sinne it is not that naturall substance of thy soule and bodie but it is the corruption of the substance that makes thee a stranger from God Yet marke the words hee saith not that God was estranged from them but that they were estranged from him No no the Lord is not the beginner of this strangenes hee turnes neuer first vpon thee but thou turnest thy backe first vpon him he neuer drawes from thee that sweete countenance of his first but thou drawest thy countenance from him For brethren to speake the trueth when thou hast turned thy backe vpon him and estranged thy selfe from him yet if thou be one of his elect his loue toward thee shall neuer leaue thee nor turne from thee O that loue of God! he loues a sinner that is as it were spitting vpon Gods loue him for the loue of God is inalterable And when thou hast played thee with thy owne counsell serued thy lusts in thy owne time the Lord vtters that loue towards thee and calles thee home againe So there is the first degree of their miserie Yet it is not all said he comes on with another degree and higher then the first Sometime ye were strangers yet more enemies One man may be a straunger to another and yet not his enemie but saith he ye were not onely strangers but you were enemies also The words import not onely a secret hatred but a plaine and open hostilitie they fought against him there was neuer so hot a battell betwixt man and man
that loues vs although hee be absent yet he should striue to make his loue knowne to vs by a register and putting of it in writing as Paul did He writes vp and registers his loue to vs. It is no shame to Paul to tell vs that he loues vs if so be he haue the glorie of God and our consolation before his eyes So all comes to this in a word it is a comfortable thing for thee to know that the Saints of God loue thee and that thy pastor loues thee and it is an argument that God loues thee and that thou art deere to him This for Pauls answere in the first verse To come to the second verse and to goe forward word by word he sets downe the end of his care he had of them and his strife he sustayned for them the end is that their harts might be comforted that they might get consolation not in their head Consolation is felt in the heart but in their heart Consolation is in the heart It is not a fleeting thing in the head it is not an imagination or phantasie in the braine it is not superficiall but it occupies the whole heart it takes roote in the heart and it spreads all the roots of it through all the parts of the same and this is the true consolation Then brethren you may perceiue by these words that all men by nature are comfortles no man by nature hath Euery man comfortles by nature any consolation O comfortles miserable creatures are we if thou wert borne a king thou art borne a comfortles body and miserable by nature for by nature there is no consolation to mankinde after the fall of Adam but woe and miserie For as touching these earthly things and benefits what sound consolation is in them The light of the sun ministers no true consolation to man that hath no more but nature nay the more blessings which might minister of themselues consolation the more curses to thee if thou stand in nature the greater honor the greater misery if thou stand in nature onely And againe all these benefits shall serue to thy welfare if thou be in Christ through faith This preaching of the word it ministers consolatiō to thy silly soule For the end of it as this place lets you see is to minister true consolation to the comfortles And this is the end of all the care trauell and strife that the Apostle The end of the gospel and ministery therof is to bring consolation vnto men takes to minister comfort vnto thee And therefore Iohn saith in his 1 Epistle chap. 1. 4. These things write I vnto you that your ioy may be full So all that is spoken and written in the Scriptures serues this end that thou mayest haue sound ioy in thy heart And thou that wilt not take consolation at the hand of the minister I denounce against thee though thou werst a king thou shalt get no consolation in this world and thou shalt see no ioy nor consolation in the life to come To come to the next word By what meanes come they to this consolation by being ioyned and compacted in one altogether as the members of a man there is the meane to obtaine this consolation This lesson is easie the meane of true consolation and comfort of sound ioy tranquillity and peace of conscience is this a blessed coniunction with the members Communion with Christ and his members brings sound consolation of Iesus Christ This is it that we call the communion of Saints and to be ioyned in the societie of the Church here in earth And thou that wilt stand thy selfe alone if thou cut thy selfe off as a rotten member and disdaine the societie of the Saints and runne from them run thy way if it were to the end of the world the curse of God followes thee And therefore this being the meane of this consolation without the which no saluation nor ioy can be he that would haue that comfort let him be ioyned with the members and the minister that would comfort any let him labour to make them members of that body of Christ that the ioy of Iesus Christ may flow downe from Christ to them To come to the next word Hee sets downe the meane wherby this coniunctiō is brought to passe being conioyned together saith he through loue Albeit that faith goes before by nature yet I will follow the text as the words lie The meane whereby thou art ioyned with the body of Christ and standest The first meane of the communion of Saints Loue the band to binde vs with men but faith with God with that societie of the Church in the earth is loue Wouldst thou be coupled with the body loue thy neighbour One member of this naturall body will loue another So if thou be a member of the body of Christ thou must needes loue thy neighbour truely And he that cannot loue nor will not loue he shall neuer be ioyned with the body for wanting loue no band can binde thee to Christ nor his Church A malitious euill body that cannot loue call him as ye will a christian he is not in the body and so hath no consolation for without the coniunction with Christ there is no comfort Therefore he that will haue comfort let him be conioyned with the body and hee that would be conioyned with the bodie let him loue the members of the bodie Loue God first aboue all and then thy neighbour as thy selfe And therefore Iohn in his first chapter of his Epistle when he had spoken of this coniunction hee euer in the rest speakes of loue For without this loue there is no coniunction nor societie with his Church The second meane of this coniunction is in these words The second meane of our communion with the Church And in all riches of the full assurance of vnderstanding by these words he meanes nothing els but this faith in Iesus which by nature in this coniunction is formost and loue followes For to speake it so faith is the master sinew that binds the members with the head and this loue is the band which bindes vp the members among themselues Then to come briefly to the matter here ye see the chiefe meane of this societie with the Church One faith in Iesus Christ not two or three or foure faiths sundrie faiths will not make thee a member of the bodie True faith of Iesus Christ If thou be of another faith then this true faith which hath this full assurance then the Church will not be conioyned with thee it will be like a brasen and firie wall to hold thee backe from that societie So that without one faith there cannot be one bodie Therefore Paul when he hath spoken of one bodie then he subioynes one faith meaning that there cannot be one bodie without one faith Marke the place Ephes 4. 5. All these bands of bloud of consanguinitie will not ioyne men together
ceaseth not to doe good to the liuing and to the dead but euen to all the Saints and Seruants of God in this world you manifesting it to these especiallie by sending abroad other fruitfull labours of his for the blessed building of them vp in sound knowledge stedfast faith and all vnfeined obedience of truth Assure your selfe good Sir that this labour of loue in you towards them shall not be left vnrequited neither of God himselfe nor of his deare people for besides that God who leaueth not a cuppe of colde water vnrecompensed giuen in his name to one of the little ones that beleeue in him will render it seuen folde into your bosome euen in this life as hee shall see good but speciallie in the resurrection of the righteous his Saints vpon earth will more and more pursue you with all holy loue and as a sure pledge thereof vouchsafe you their dailie prayers and performe all other fauours and furtherances that they can Nay I will say more the Saints in Heauen and particularlie our ROLLOK shall abound not onely in right and sound but in perfect affection to you and good reason because if when the Saints that dwell here amongst vs doe vnfeinedlie loue one another they cannot but in Heauen perfectlie loue all that are there and their fellow-seruants on earth as well because Heauen freeth vs from all corruption bodilie and spirituall as also because it is the place to and in which God hath appointed fulnes of all ioy and perfection of all graces But whither am I caried It is time to end speciallie sith I doubt not but the wisdome of the Word will teach you and the power of the blessed spirit will inable you to performe these and all other good things to the glorie of God the good of his people and the comfort of your owne conscience thorough Christ In whom I rest assuredlie yours now and for euer Iames Hamelton The Epistle to the Christian Readers THe Citie Colosse was a very auncient populous rich a Zenophon lib. 1. de expeditione Cyriminoris ad Colossas venit celebrem vrbē magnam opulentam Plin. lib. 5. c. 32 and flourishing Citie but much b Herodotus lib. 7. qui inscribitur Polymnia Xerxes praetergressus vrbem Anaua inuenit Colossas Phrigiae oppidum So Strabo li 12 decayed as some report long before the birth of Christ. And since this Church of Christ was founded among the Colossians these three Cities mentioned in this Epistle Laodicea Hierapolis and Colosse were much shaken if not vtterly ruinate with an Earthquake which happened in c Paulus Orosius lib. 4. c. 10. Ioh. Cal. ep ad Coloss Neros time a fearefull spectacle and iudgement sent of God for the d Exod. 5. 3. 1. Cor. 11. 30. Num. 14. 11. contempt of the Gospell as we may see the Citie of Corinth for the same cause euen then smitten with the Pestilence for the instruction no doubt of all succeeding ages to the worldes ende As touching the writing of this Epistle albeit this blessed Apostle had trauailed twise or e Acts. 15. 32. 16. 18. 23. thrise thorough Phrigia where these three Cities were yet came he not to Colosse for that Epaphras Onesimus Tychicus with others had first planted the Church of Christ in those parts The reason is rendred by himselfe when he saith I f Rom. 15. 20. 1. Cor. 3. 9. enforced my selfe to preach the Gospell not where Christ was least I should haue built on another mans foundation Being therefore afterwards occasioned as is most like by Epaphras and Tychicus with other seruants of Christ he wrote this worthy Epistle being prisoner in Rome to the Colossians for their further instruction and confirmation in the faith of Christ. The argument is this in effect Because the turbulent and superstitious Iewes disquieted the peace of the Colossians intending as else where often to make a mixture of the Lawe and the Gospell therefore the Apostle giues The argument of the Epistle to the Colossians in this Epistle a short abridgement of all the heauenly doctrine of our saluation describing vnto vs in a most liuely manner what Christ is in his natures and offices working most powerfully in all his liuing members vnited vnto him and not to be as the world imagineth a dead deformed idle painted Popish Christ. So that this Epistle will teach Christians soundly and truly to discerne betweene the shadow and substance of true Religion betweene the true Christ and fained and consequently betweene the true and false professors of the Gospell There are seuen parts of this Epistle I finde them so Seuen parts of the Epistle to the Colossians set downe in Maister Rollocks latine Commentarie very briefely and truly obserued as followeth The first part is the Salutation chapter 1. verse 1 2. The second is the Preface wherein he reioyceth for their faith in Christ and loue to the Saints from the 3. verse to the 12. The third part containes his doctrine of Christs benefits to the Saints namely their calling and redemption where the Apostle proceedeth vnto an high description of the Sonne of God into whose kingdome they were called and translated by the Gospell applying all things to the Colossians from the 12. verse of the first chapter to the 23. of the same In the fourth part he exhorteth to perseuerance in the faith and admonisheth that they take heede of false teachers from the 23. verse of the first chapter to the end of the second chapter In this part he intermingleth admonition with exhortation for verse 23. of the first chapter he exhorteth to perseuerance in the faith verse 4. of the second chapter he admonisheth them to take heede of false teachers and in the sixt verse of the same chapter he returnes againe to his exhortation but verse 8. he fals againe to his admonition and doth insist therein to the end of that chapter The fift part begins at the third chapter verse 1. and continueth to the seuenth verse of the fourth chapter This part containeth exhortations to holinesse of life And here yee haue againe admonitions partly generall concerning all Christians from the first verse of the third chapter to the 18. of the same partly speciall which concerne certaine particular states of men as of Husbands and Wiues Children and Parents Seruants and Maisters from the 18. verse of the third chapter to the second verse of the fourth chapter where he returnes againe to generall exhortations which be continued to the seuenth verse of the fourth chapter The sixt part is from the seuenth verse of the fourth chapter to the tenth of the same wherein he signifieth to the Colossians that as touching his priuat affaires he had committed them to Tychicus and Onesimus who should report of all things vnto them as they desired The seuenth and last part is the conclusion of the Epistie containing Salutations mixt with some Apostolicall iniunctions and this is from the
his calling then of the Gospell thou shalt neuer see that life Looke ye euer to the truth how euer it shall please Notes to knowe the true ministerie God either ordinarily or extraordinarily to send it to thee with whatsoeuer man thrust out for that effect The second argument of the commendation of the Gospell is the fructifying of the Gospell and the effectuall working of it in the hearts as if he would say skar not at the Gospell preached by Epaphras I shall giue you an argument that it is the Gospell that I haue preached looke if it brought out fruites in you as it hath done in the world of life and regeneration if it hath done this scar not at it There is another note to knowe the truth of the Gospel if the Gospell taught at this day brings out in some I will not say all for many are called but fewe are chosen whose hearts it pleaseth the Lord to open as he did the heart of Lydia this true regeneration renewing the soule how few soeuer the number of them be as it did in the dayes of the Apostles O this Gospel must be the true Gospell for this is sure false doctrine will neuer regenerate thee The inuentions of men will neuer renew thee Nay further good morall precepts will neuer alter thy hard heart Reade Plato Isocrates Cicero reade them if thou wilt tenne thousand yeares all thy reading and hearing of them will not worke in thee the obedience of the heart to God They may well make thee an Hypocrite What Reading of prophane authors their best morall can not conuers the heart Psal 19. 7. were all the Philosophers as many Hypocrites counterfeiting humilitie and the rest of the vertues This ground shall stand then that there is no renewing doctrine which can change the soule but onely the Gospell of Iesus Christ because it is accompanied with the spirit I shall send to you the comforter saith Christ and he shall giue you my word Iohn 14. Onely this Gospell then hath the priuiledge to make thee a new man Therefore let thy rest bee on this Gospell if thou wouldest be renewed and renewed must thou be or else no life for thee nor sight of Christ and of heauen and of the ioyes thereof Sticke fast I say to this blessed and glorious doctrine of the Gospell that must renewe thee by the spirit of the Lord Iesus Christ to whom with the father and the holy spirit be all honour praise and glory Amen THE SECOND LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians beginning at the end of the sixt verse COLOS. Chap. 1. vers 6 7 8 9 10. 6 From the day that ye heard and truly knew the grace of God 7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our deare fellow seruant which is for you a faithfull minister of Christ 8 Who hath also declared vnto vs your loue which ye haue by the spirit 9 For this cause wee also since the day wee heard of it cease not to pray for you and to desire that yee might bee fulfilled with the knowledge of his will in all wisedome and spirituall vnderstanding 10 That ye might walke worthie of the Lord and please him in all things being fruitfull in all good workes and increasing in the knowledge of God THe last day Brethren we intreated of the preface of this epistle of Paul to the Colossians and to the end that his doctrines exhortations and admonitions should be the more effectuall in them he conciliateth to himselfe their fauour and good will and that by two arguments the first shewing that hee thanked God for them the next shewing that hee prayeth continually for them that they should continue perseuere and grow in that grace receiued We entred into the declaration of these two arguments of beneuolence to call them so And first we begun to declare the first argument of his thankesgiuing as it is first in order in the text The thing that moued him to thanke God for them was nothing in this world no no earthly grace or benefit but first their faith in Iesus Christ next their loue to the Saints He setteth downe the cause of their faith and loue They had a respect and to-looke to that euerlasting life glorious in heritance that was laid vp for them and all that beleeue in Iesus and kept to them with Christ in God as the Apostle speaketh teaching vs that except we haue respect to another life and glorie when this life is done it cannot be possible to cleaue to Christ and loue his Saints because there are so many impediments and temptations to drawe vs from him and from the loue of the Saints Then he goes forward and sheweth by what meanes they had this respect and to-looke to this life and glorious inheritance It bred not in their brest first but by hearing and if thou heare not thou shalt not vnderstand that there is another life And what a hearing whereof Of a word What word not of lyes and vanities of the inuentions of men nay heare till the day of doome these vanities thou shalt neuer get by it the hope of another life and of glorie hereafter What a hearing then is this the hearing of the word of veritie which he calleth the Gospell of the blessed God which for the excellencie thereof for it excelles all the words of the Philosophers yea the lawe of Moyses it selfe it is called the word of truth Then he recommendeth this Gospell which they heard by the ministerie of Epaphras least the person of the man should make them to despise the doctrine As for the Gospell which ye haue heard doubt not of it it is the true Gospell and I shall giue you a token confer it with the Gospell that hath past through the world if it be the same Gospell that hath past through the world let not the person of the minister scar you from receiuing it Then hee giues another argument of this commendation of the Gospell looke if it fructifye in you and bringeth forth such fruites as sanctification humilitie charitie and such fruits of the spirit as it doth in the rest of the world doubt not of it for it is the true Gospell of Iesus Christ And therefore let not the person of the minister scar you Then he commeth to the last argument whereat we left you the last day and he calleth them to the remembrance of the sudden effectualnes of the Gospell preached by Epaphras amongst them of the continuance which it had with them and saith from the day that ye heard and truely knew the grace of God Vers 6. remember you not that the first day ye heard of it it begun to fructifie in you and euer since it fructifies in you Therefore if you will looke to the suddennesse of the effect and the continuance of it amongst you it argueth plainely that it is the truth of God Vpon this last argument learne this beside the fruite
the Gentiles therefore in that that I suffer it is for your cause that the Gospell of Iesus Christ may haue place amongst you as among the other Gentiles The second argument In the middest of my afflictions I The second argument The vse of affliction reioyce to testifie my loue towards you for except I had loued you I would not haue suffered with ioy for you Brethren of those that suffer affliction first it is required that it be for a good cause for Gods cause for his truth and for his Church sake Suffer not like a theefe or a murtherer as an harlot or an euill doer in any wise Alas it is a paine yea of all paines in the world the greatest to suffer for euill doing Secondly it is required of him that suffers that he suffer for a good cause with ioy cheerefully and with patience otherwise thou losest thy trauell and praise suffer as thou wilt It is not the good cause onely that makes martyrdome but it is Martyrdome the ioy cheerfulnes and patience ioyned with the good cause that makes thee in suffering to be a Martyr It is hard to flesh to digest this how can there be ioy in the paines of most exquisite torments Brethren Paul at this time is lying in bands at Rome and yet ye see he vtters that in his bands he hath ioy and no question when he came to the very point of death for 2. Tim. 4. 6. 7. 8. he was martyred he had great ioy And certainly I am compelled to think that there is more shrinking and sadnes at the remembrance of the affliction to come then there is in the More grief in the remembrāce of afflictiō then in suffering it when it comes chiefe time of affliction The minde will be more troubled thinking on it then when the person is afflicted For out of question whē the Lord giues a man cōstancie to suffer he will giue him patience ioy which shall swallow vp all the paine and the experience of Martyrs hath proued this Stir not howbeit thou shrinke at hanging heading scalding burning and whatsoeuer paines most cruell exquisit deuised for thee yet stir not for if the Lord giue thee constancie all the paines shal be swallowed vp and thou shalt be armed to suffer with ioy To goe forward The third argument whereby he remoues the offence they might haue taken at his bands is this I saith he fulfill the rest of the afflictions of Christ Iesus as if hee would The third argument say mine afflictions are not so much mine as they are my Lords afflictions how can ye then be offended at them You cannot chuse if you bee offended at my afflictions but you must be offended at Christs afflictions because my affliction is nothing else but the afflictions of Christ and the fulfilling of them Then all these afflictions that are laid vpon the members of the bodie of Christ they are all Christs afflictions and when they are afflicted Christ is afflicted And the Lord counts it his owne persecutions when the members of his bodie Christ must suffer in his members which is his Church are persecuted Saul Saul saith hee Acts 9. 4. why persecutest thou me He speakes this to Paul when he was not persecuting him but his members This he calles his persecution for it was ordained from all eternitie that the Lord Iesus who is the head of the Church should not onely suffer in his owne flesh but also that hee should suffer in the members of his bodie which is his Church So that none of that bodie should be free from suffering no not from the greatest to the least yea euen to the little finger all should suffer and the measure hereof was measured and ordained in that counsell from all eternitie Sufferest thou much or little It was measured to thee ere euer the world was It was not appointed that euery particular person should suffer al and euery sort of affliction no no but as the head should suffer one kinde of affliction proper to himselfe so the rest in the bodie should suffer some in one sort and measure and some in another All shall suffer one thing or other prepare thee for it and it is a token that thou art in that bodie if thou suffer something for Christ But to sticke to the words he calles them not simply the sufferings of Christ but the fulfilling or accomplishment of the afflictions of Christ I saith he fulfill the rest of the afflictions of Christ Marke the word well Euen as the Church of Iesus Christ is the accomplishment and fulfilling of him to make him a perfect man so it is called Ephe. 1. the last verse Euen so the afflictions that the Church and her members suffer they accomplish and fulfill the sufferings of Christ And as the glorie of the head Christ is fulfilled and accomplished in suffering euen so the sufferings of his members they accomplish and fulfill the glorie of Christ Wherein wee haue to marke a loue that Christ beares to vs that cannot bee spoken of The Lord Iesus is perfect in himselfe and he needeth vs not no he hath no neede of me of thee nor of no flesh to make him perfiter The loue of Christ then he is alreadie in himselfe He is full and he fils all in all yet such is his loue to me and thee and to the whole body that he cannot thinke that he is perfect till he haue thee ioyned with him yea the least member of his Church hee will haue to be ioyned with him or els hee counts that his glorie and sufferings are not fulfilled So his afflictions are perfect and hee needes not thee to fulfill any part thereof yet such is his loue that hee will not haue his afflictions perfect without thee He will haue thee made like to himselfe in affliction howbeit his glorie be perfect now at the right hand of the father yet he cannot thinke that he gets the perfection thereof till he get all his members glorified with him in heauen This is his loue Rom. 8. Now let vs see how we account of this We count it a benefit and a grace to be ioyned with him to be the members of his bodie and to be glorified with him but when it comes to the What a great benefit it is to suffer afflictions sufferings there is the shrinking there is none that can accord or be content to be like him in sufferings but they will flye backe there we faile and we cannot thinke that it is a benefit to suffer but rather that it is a curse So ere thou count it a benefit to suffer thou must haue more then flesh and bloud thou must haue the spirit of Iesus It is not onely a benefit to beleeue but also to suffer Philip. 1. 29. And Philip. 3. 10. Paul counts it a blessing to suffer calling it the communion or fellowship of his affliction There he counts it
so now millions and great numbers are saued And whereas before it was but now one and then one that preased into the kingdome of heauen now they come in multitudes striuing and thrunging who should first enter into heauen Matth. 11. 12. For it is impossible that this light should be without life If thou take a pleasure in the light it is not possible that thou canst dye but if thou take no pleasure in it woe be to thee a double death The calling of the Gentiles shall befall thee Woe is to that man who dyes in the light of the Gospell without taking pleasure in the same Well it had been to thee that thou hadst dyed in darknes with the Gentiles for thy damnation shall be doubled Take therefore a pleasure in it and all the world shall not make thee to perish and that is that which Paul saith Sin raigned to death but grace raignes by righteousnes vnto life through the Lord Iesus Rom. 5. vers 21. But looke to the last words of the verse Vnto whom is the manifestation of the Gospell made Not to euerie one beguile not your selues for the Lord will not vouchsafe to manifest himselfe and grace in him to euery man but hee calles them his Saints to whom chiefly hee manifests himselfe Looke your books ye that scorne at the name of Saints if thou be nota Saint thou shalt neuer see heauen then this If thou be not a Saint thou shalt neuer see heauen manifestation is not made to euery man It is true brethren it is preached to all and all heare it it strikes in euery ones eares yet it is also true all men see not It is to many as the light of the Sunne is to a blinde man and the great multitude Simile gets no more good of it then a blind man gets consolation of the Sunne Who is it then that sees it None but the sanctified one that is none but they that are sanctified by the holy Spirit Nay no spirit no sanctification no sanctification no sight of God and so thou art no Saint but the diuell possesseth thee So none sees what this Gospell is but the sanctified ones and that man is he that hath gotten the spirit of Iesus to open the eye of his soule for it is the spirit of God that opens the soule to see what the Gospell of Christ is and what vertue comes with it when it comes If thou hadst the quickest spirit that can be if thou haue not the spirit of God thou shalt not see one whit in God because as it is the spirit of man that searcheth the spirit of man so it is the spirit of God that searcheth all things yea the most secret things of God 1. Cor. 2. 10. So none sees what the Gospell is and what it brings with it but such as are illuminated by the spirit of God Heare as long as thou wilt thou shalt a bide in blindnes till thou come to a desperate hardnes of heart if thou be not enlightened with the spirit of Iesus this is to be had in and by the Gospell Therefore brethren say euer Lord make me a Saint make me one of that number and make me to crie for the spirit of Iesus to sanctifie and Luk. 11. 9. 10. 15. enlighten me for otherwise thou shalt perish for want of the light of God Now to come to the next verse when he hath spoken of the Saints he insists vpon the reuelation of the mysterie made vnto them and hee sets it out in sundrie circumstances First hee sheweth who is y e Reuealer to wit God Secondly what cause moued him to make this reuelation to the Saints to wit his The reuelation or manifestation of the Gospell good pleasure towards them Thirdly what thing is reuealed to wit this mysterie And he termes it not simply a mysterie but he calles it the riches of his glorious mysterie and not that onely but the mysterie of Christ Fourthly among whom is it reuealed to wit not among the Iewes onely but among the Gentiles also through the world All tends to this to let vs see the glorie of the grace of God as it is said Ephe. 1. 6. So that this Gospell is shining bright and aboundantly in such a wonderfull great mercie that there is not a circumstance but it lets you see a wonderfull grace in God To come then to the first The reuealer of this mysterie is no other but God He was the author of the reuelation of this The first circumstance mysterie of the Gospell The Saints they begun not to see first but God first reuealed before they saw or could see yea they had neuer seene one glimse with their eye if God had not begun to reueale it no thou shalt neuer see any heauenly or spirituall Flesh and bloud can not teach vs spirituall things thing vnto the time it please the Lord to reueale it vnto thee Then in that hee is the beginner of grace herein appeares the more the glorie of his grace and the matter of praising of him but it staies not here We will come then to the next What moued him to reueale this mysterie to his Saints both of Iewes and Gentiles The Lord doth nothing rashly he hath The second circumstance euer good causes mouing him wherefore he doth this or that He is not like a vaine man that doth and vndoeth again and wots not what hee doth Saw hee any thing in these Saints to moue him Some Papist will say hee foresaw some merit in them O but the text saith that there was no such thing at all without himselfe which could moue him hee saw nothing I Nothing in the world did moue God to send Christ and his Gospell vnto vs but his owne loue and good pleasure say in the same or yet in the world which could moue him but his owne goodnes His good pleasure which was ere euer they were Saints is it that moued him to reueale this mysterie Then againe they were not Saints before the reuelation was made There is not a Saint before Christ be reuealed to them It is the sight of Christ that makes a man holy so there was neuer none holy but he that first gat that sight of Iesus the sight went before holines and holines followed vpon the reuelation because holines is the effect of the reuelation of the Gospell Then ye see that as the Lord is the beginner of the reuelation so it is not our deseruing but his owne good pleasure that moues him thereto The Lord of his good pleasure shewed himselfe to the world and no question this is spoken that thou shouldest euer glorie in God Alas would to God as we haue matter to glorifie God that we could answere to the thousand part of it Then to come to the third circumstance What is the thing The third circumstance that he hath reuealed He calles it a mysterie and
the true blessednes O would to God we could know what blessednes we are called vnto by the preaching of this Gospell To goe forward What is the end of all this preaching of this admonishing and teaching and that in all wisedome The fairest end that euer was What is that end That we saith he may present euery one perfect in Iesus Christ The meaning hereof is that wee may present euery man and woman to whom wee preach of what estate so euer they be a perfect scholler and that in Iesus Christ without whom there is no perfection So this end of this preaching instructing and admonishing is a presenting of euery man in perfectnes and holines especially in the great day of the Lord before that glorious tribunall and to set them vp before their Iudge For if you will reade Paul you shall gather thus much of him that Heb. 13. 17 there is neuer a faithfull preacher but in that day hee shall bring in his companie them whom hee hath conuerted and say Lord there is my companie that were conuerted by my ministery vnto the faith in thy bloud Paul appeares to meane this in these words Alwaies I marke of this presenting that all men and women were once absent from God if thou art to be presented then it must follow that thou wast absent Nay all flesh wandred away from his God The second thing I marke what is the end of all this feruent The end of the ministerie preaching admonition and instruction There is the end to bring men and women that wandred away home againe 2. Cor. 5. 18. 19. to their God in Iesus Christ to bring thee who wast absent from God present to him and to that sight of that countenance in the which is the sacietie of all ioy And in that day when euery Pastor shall present so many as he hath conuerted by the voyce of the Gospell then hee shall see the fruit of his labours for let him preach what he will yet hee shall not see what is the fruit of his trauels till that day Then it shall be said to him Thou didst winne these soules Then he shall get his reward He gets not his wages here modified as you would modifie them to one that serueth you Nay nay but at that day he shall get a Crowne of glorie Paul looked for a Crowne A Crowne of righteousnes saith he is laid vp for me which the Lord that righteous Iudge shall giue me at that day and not to me onely but to all those who looke for his appearing 2. Tim. 4. 8. Who shall be presented Shall onely Kings be presented who haue heard the Gospell shall onely the rich be presented to that glorie shall onely the honorable the Grecian and not the Barbarian shall onely the wise and not the vnwise be presented No no euery man from the King to the very begger that hath heard the Gospell as they all are sinners without exception all hearers of the Gospell of grace all shall be presented without exception in that day Marke it So thou who hearest this Gospell hast no small consolation looke for a faire presenting of thee onely lend thy eare and thou shalt not be frustrate of that glorie howbeit thou be here ignominious and despised for this Gospels sake yet shall it make thee glorious I promise thee it shall glorifie thee if thou wilt honour it in this life So all the faithfull shall there be presented And in what state Perfit saith he Brethren a perfect wisdome makes a perfect man in all knowledge and glorie and be assured of it howbeit thou hearest the Gospell in imperfection yet if thou wilt continue in hearing thou canst not but come to perfection in the end thou shalt be filled with all wisedome and when thou shalt be presented thou shalt be presented in such a perfection as the learnedst in this world cannot attaine vnto Thou art an idiot now in their conceit but if thou wilt heare Christ in his Gospell thou shalt be more wise then euer Plato The wisedome of the world and of Christ how they differ or Aristotle or the wisest worldling that euer was and thou shalt get perfect wisedome in the end And this is that difference betwixt that wisedome of the Philosophers and that wisdome of Christ All their wisedome neuer perfected any man because it was imperfect in it selfe as they themselues who taught it were imperfect but this wisedome of the Gospell which is the wisedome of Christ and of God as he is perfect so is it perfect So shall it perfect the man that heares it if he continue but a short time in hearing In the end of the verse he shewes in whom this perfection is There is nothing without Christ Iesus there is no grace out of him no beginning of grace no progresse in grace no perfection without him Wouldest thou begin in grace Begin in him Wouldest thou proceede in grace goe on in him Wouldest thou be perfected be perfect in him and thou shalt be perfected For euen in this life by reason of that coniunctiō we haue with Christ through faith in his bloud wee haue perfection euen in this imperfection of ours If thou be ingrafted in Christ thou art alreadie perfect in him and maist stand vp and claime it and say O my God I am perfect in Christ But in that great day when wee shall be presented being in Iesus Christ for the hold we get of him here shall neuer let goe thou shalt neuer be seuered from him thou shalt haue a double perfection Thou shalt not onely haue his perfection and his glorie which shall shadow thee and couer thee as a garment but beside that thou shalt then be filled with perfect glorie thy selfe All thy bodie and soule shall be filled with exceeding great glorie So thou shalt haue no small vantage in him All comes to this exhortation sticke by Iesus and be not seuered from him for if thou seuer from him thou art seuered from thy grace and if thou cleaue to him all thy glorie and perfection shall neuer be hindred Let them rent thee and teare thee as they wil thou shalt be glorified and perfected in spite of their teeth Fie then on thee creature that suffers thy selfe to be seuered from Christ cleaue to him as euer thou wilt see glorie and perfection Now we come to the last verse When he hath spoken of the end of his ministerie now hee sheweth he laboured to attaine to it vnto the which saith he I laboured If there was euer any laborious man Paul was one he was a painfull man neuer resting night nor day and all to this end to present many to the Paines in the Ministerie Lord Iesus Then marke the lesson would a Minister attaine to the end of his calling let him be painfull A sluggish Minister will neuer doe good if he be not painfull he is no louing man for loue is euer painfull 1. Thess 1. 3.
aboue these heauens Brethren the presence of Iesus and the loue of that presence should make vs to loue heauen and make vs oftentimes to cast vp not onely the eye of the soule but also the bodily eye to these visible heauens if we loue the presence of Iesus who is aboue these heauens and to striue to pearce through them as to his owne presence For if hee were not there what reckoning is there of these heauens I would not reckon of them more then of the earth which wee tread on and I had rather dwell with Iesus in the earth then in heauen for all the glorie thereof without Iesus for all the pleasure that is either in heauen or earth is in Iesus and without him away with heauen and earth both I will giue nothing for them And therefore the loue of that presence should make vs to loue heauen Ye know if a man loue another entirely he will loue the place where he dwelleth and as we say hee will A note of loue loue the ground hee goeth on so if thou loue thy Lord thou wilt loue the place hee treads on nay thine eye would not be off these visible heauens at the least once in the day for hee is aboue them and shall abide there till his last comming So if thou loue him thine eye would follow him where he is But alas for the lacke of the loue of his presence this loue is not to be found in many mens hearts and of this it commeth to passe that men are so loth to die nay if the loue of thy soule were with him thy soule would say with Paul I groane to be with the Lord it will groane within thee to be out of the bodie And take this for a token where there is not an eye to heauen alas there is no loue of Iesus Christ in thy soule and alas what good thing can possesse thy soule if it be emptie of the loue of Iesus Christ Now followeth in the end of the verse the third argument taken from the estate of Christ in heauen but what is his estate He is sitting at the right hand of God As if hee would say he is in heauē but not there as a seruant or an Angel there are sundrie in heauen but in diuers rankes He is in heauen exalted to that height hee hath such glorie as thou neuer The glorie of Christ in heauen sawest All the Angels bow their knees hee is Lord ouer them all euen as he is man Then as the presence of Iesus and loue of him should draw our heart to heauen so the estate he standeth in presently that passing glorie and that kingdome he is in should draw our hearts vpward to heauen If his glorie were deare to thee thy heart would be where his glorie is and thou wouldest not be content vntill thy heart were lifted vp to him and the eye of thy soule set on him yea this bodily eye would euer pearce to get that presence of Iesus in the heauens glorified in our nature Ye know if a man vpon whom our life and comfort dependeth were in a strange land and promoted A sweete similitude to be a Lord thou wouldst neuer rest vntill thou were with him and thy thought would be euer vpon his glorie Now I would to God wee could haue that affection to Iesus the King of glorie It is true we cannot loue him as we should but I say blessed is that soule that hath any loue towards him pearcing through this bodie of clay Blessed is that heart that can giue once but a sigh either by night or day if it were after neuer so small a measure for the presence of Iesus for be assured that soule shall be glorified with the Lord of glorie Note This for the first exhortation with the three arguments the life whereunto we are risen the presence of Iesus and his glorious estate in heauen al which should make vs set our eye vpward to heauen and bee occupied in seeking of heauenly things meete for the spirituall life Now to goe to the next exhortation and it is to these same things that are aboue Before hee exhorted the Colossians to seeke them now he exhorteth them to be wise in them to fill themselues with them to * Or to desire that they may affect all their senses sent them with all their senses to see them with their eyes and to feele them sensibly as it were with their hands This exhortation is grounded vpon the first argument If ye be risen with Christ c. Then be * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wise in the things that are aboue that is a common ground to both This is so ioyned with the first that there can be no seeking without wisedome How canst thou seeke that that thou knowest not If thou haue no knowledge of heauen heauenly things how canst thou seeke them what desire canst thou haue of them for the prouerbe is true Ignoti nulla cupido there is no desire of that wee know not Then as before he exhorteth to seeke so now hee exhorteth to know and knowledge goeth Knowledge before seeking And therefore thou that wouldest seeke heauen and for heauenly things know them first and when thou hast gotten a knowledge of them then let thy affection come after for if thou seeke without knowledge thou shalt neuer finde them Therefore euer seeke the knowledge of Iesus and of that fulnes of grace that is in him and thinke not that thou hast enough of knowledge alreadie No crie euer Lord open the eye of my soule to see thee and the things that are with thee that I may see the things I haue not seene and that I should see Heare the word of the Gospell for knowledge is gotten by the word of the Gospell Seeke that thy mind may be instructed but to the purpose Bewise As seeking is an action so wisedome is an action There is no action without some sense and knowledge The life of a beast is not without some sense take it away the beast perisheth The life of a man cannot be without some sense and knowledge therefore thou canst not haue the life of God except thou haue a sense and smelling of God and of heauenly things It is a thing impossible that thou that hast no taste of things aboue canst either seek or see them and if thou thinkest otherwise thou art deceiued Can the life of Iesus be in thee without a knowledge of heauenly things No no deceiue not thy soule it is vnpossible for Iesus liueth not in the soules of men altogether ignorant So that if thou get not a portion of this knowledge of this heauenly life and of things aboue thou shalt neuer seeke for them nor haue a desire of them no I say to thee if thou want knowledge thou shalt neuer get them Come forward Let vs see of what things must this knowledge be He answereth of things aboue that
and vncleannes and mortalitie out of thy former parents Adam and Eue euen so beleeuing in Iesus thou shalt draw out of him the sappe of life and sanctification But the words following make the words plaine What is meant by this new man There are three things in the words following Three things in the new man There is first the making him new againe Secondly there is the nature what it is wherein he standeth And thirdly there is the paterne according to the which hee is made the Lord had made him according to a paterne First it is said He is renued That is he is created a new againe Then it must follow that he was once made before and that in the creation and if he be made againe hee was once lost and so it was Now after this losing the Lord renueth him againe and therefore ye see a wonderfull mercie of God and it is the will of the spirit that thou shouldest conceiue this in thy heart and say O that exceeding mercie of God! that the Lord of mercie hath shewed on thee this mercie Looke to Paul Ephes chap. 2. vers 4. But God who is rich in mercie according to his great loue wherewith he hath loued vs euen when we were dead in sinnes hath quickened vs together in Christ. There he looketh in through the grate of renouation and therein hee seeth a wonderfull mercie in God Ye shall finde the life of this in the Epistle to Titus Alas wee want this eye there is such a dulnes in vs that we cannot passe vp to see this mercy of God Thou shouldest not so soone heare of mercie but thou shouldest euer looke vnto God and his mercie and thanke him for it What Angell could euer haue thought that God would haue created that new man againe They all wondred when they saw it Alas it is long ere wee can wonder Now what is his nature Which is renued to knowledge What is he I answere he is knowledge the light of the minde thou hast a new minde would ye know what is knowledge Paul Ephes chap. 2. telleth you that the eyes of your minde are opened O if the eye of thy minde bee closed thou art yet in nature Whereto That ye may know that hope Yet he goeth higher and that riches of his grace And yet he groweth higher and that excellent greatnes In a word it is the sight of faith full of that glorie that shall be reuealed I remember the Apostle to the Eph. chap. 4. vers 24. addeth to these two things righteousnes and holines so that in all his members he is light to see God Iesus Christ and all the glorie of heauen there There is the renuing that is spoken of here he is then sincere in heart in his body and in hand he is righteous in dealing with his neighbour If thou haue this new man he will cloathe thee within and without if thou were cloathed with gold and thou haue not this cloathing on thee thou art but a lumpe of stinking dirt The last thing is the paterne hee is created to one paterne Now what looketh God to in making of him looketh he to an Angell and saith I will make this new man like an Angell or looketh hee to the Sunne and Moone to the beasts and elements or to any creature in heauen or earth No no but hee looketh to his owne glorie and maketh thee according to that forme he looketh to that light that is in himselfe and maketh thy light like to his owne light and thy holines like to himselfe Looke the first of Genesis when hee had created all things the heauen the earth and the rest ye shall not finde such a word that he created any to his owne image But when he commeth to man with a consultation saith elohim Let vs make man like to our selues Gen. chap. 1. vers 26. So then O man there is thy first glorie the Lord honored thee in thy creatiō but thou hast lost it And the renuing of this image it is passing excellent it is double more glorious then it was at the beginning O that mercie that renued it Thou deseruedst to be turned into a stone or into the vilest brute beast or vermin that is Therefore it must be a passing great mercie that in renuing thee hee renueth thee in an higher measure then hee created thee in No in the renuing of thee in Christ he doubleth his image in thee And if hee made thee like himselfe at the first now he doubleth it a thousand times more The glorie of Adam was great but now that is farre greater which wee haue in Christ If Adam had kept his glorie yet it would haue bin nothing but an earthly paradize y t he would haue bin in but al the earth is not capable of one glorified bodie in Christ So then striue to beleeue in him and certainly the fall of Adam shall be so farre from thy heart that thou shalt blesse the time that he fell if thou gettest this renued creature in thee through the Lord Iesus otherwise thou shalt curse the time that he fell So beleeue in Iesus Christ and all things shall worke to thy good felicitie and blessednes in Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be honour and praise for euer and euer Amen THE XXVIII LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 3. vers 11. 11 Where is neither Grecian nor Iew circumcision nor vncircumcision Barbarian Scythian bond free but Christ is all and in all things THis whole place is an exhortation to the mortifying of these earthly members these sinfull lusts and affections and to the putting off of them for we haue been ouer long cloathed with them so that they be not put on again Ye haue heard these daies past sundrie sorts of them and likewise sundrie arguments to moue vs to this mortification To come briefly to the purpose The last argument was from our regeneration begun in this life standing in two Coherence parts that is first in putting off the old man that is corruption of nature that we haue drawne not onely out of our mothers wombe but haue suckt out of the loynes of old Adam so that looke how hee is it is as old It sitteth on and pearceth through the skinne to the heart and there is none that is free from it The second part was the putting on of the new man For certainly as I shewed you no man is able to stand naked before God cloathed must thou be or els there is no appearance for thee being naked before that tribunall seate all must be cloathed with that righteousnes and sprinkled with the bloud of Christ and then next with this new man that is with that inherent holines that floweth out of the bloud of Christ For he that is iustified by his bloud must be sanctified by his spirit Ye heard a description of this new man he is new made againe In the
the Apostle 2. Tim. chap. 2. vers 25. c. speakes but he must be allured by peece and peece out of the bands of the diuell Now followeth the fift part of this garment which is Long suffering The word following in the next verse expounds it when one beares iniuries done of another that is long suffering This long suffering is so requisite that the world cannot stand without it What part is there in this land wherin wrong exceedeth not and wrong would not be met with wrong nor iniurie with iniurie but wrong with long suffering and I say if men were not disposed to suffer the world long since had eaten vp one another It is the patient bodie that beares the iniuries otherwise euery one had deuoured another So this is a faire garment of the beloued and holy ones of God but the vertue that followes is greater Forgiuing one another Long suffering may be without forgiuing as a poore may y t sustaines wrong he must lie vnder the wrong because he is not able to reuenge it Others againe albeit they haue abilitie will not reuenge but will hold it in their heart till they get oportunitie Then remission is a greater vertue it will not onely suffer the wrong but it will put it away it will forgiue thee that hast done the wrong or else if it will not altogether forgiue the man it will call him before the Iudge Remission therefore when it thinkes not expedient to forgiue it will not put to the hand as our men will doe but it will call thee before a Iudge The King should reuenge all these wrongs The Lord should not slay the Esquire should not slay the Gentleman should not slay but in the meane time while he is pleading his cause before the Iudge his anger should be abolished and so God shall be glorified But if the iniurie be done to thee by any man and in the meane time thou haue anger in thy heart albeit he be before the Iudge yet thou art the slayer of him So then there is the sixt part of this garment free forgiuenes This vertue is so needfull that if men forgaue not wrongs the world had perished long agoe And let men thinke as they please that runnes in reuenging it is not they that hold vp the world but the blessed ones of God Now to moue them to this vertue he vseth an argument taken from the example of Christ As Christ hath forgiuen you so forgiue you one another There was not a reason put to the rest what meanes this He lets vs see it is a hard thing to flesh and bloud to forgiue if thou take counsell at flesh and bloud thou wilt neuer forgiue admit thou wert dying But flesh and bloud will euer crye a vengeance and so it is a hard thing to forgiue And it is so necessarie that except thou forgiue and striue against thy nature thou shalt neuer haue part with God in heauen and it shall debarre thee from that societie of Iesus Christ For he that inclines not in no measure to forgiue a wrong but is alwaies set to recompence the like for the like he is not a member of Christ and if thou bee not a member thou hast no life And Christ himselfe in Matth. 6. 14. 15. saith If thou forgiue not thy brother in earth thy heauenly father shall not forgiue thee Then brethren ye shall not finde any one more resembling Christ in any vertue then in mercie and compassion and by the contrarie there is none that more resembles the diuell then the merciles bodie and iudge ye how many in this land bee like the diuell and so few like Christ Hee cannot bee satisfied who hath put hand in man not once or twice but he wil triple and quadriple it and so this vice abounds in this land Now to adde this to that that is spoken I dare say a merciles heart neuer wist what the pitie of God was if thou finde crueltie in thy heart it is an argument thou art not his Thou that hast felt the mercy of God his pitie and compassion powred out vpon thee thou wilt powre it out vpon others I see next in this example of Christ Iesus Christ is to be imitated follow him in thy life Would you haue leaders in the way follow Iesus and put thy footsteps where his was but it is to be taken heede to in what things thou followest him Iesus wrought wonders in the world follow him not in these for if thou followest him so thou puttest thy selfe in Gods roume Iesus Christ wrought the worke of redemption follow him not in that because it is the worke proper to the Creator Will you reade the Scripture you shall not finde the example of Christ propounded to follow him in wonders or to follow him in forgiuing of sinnes But when euer we follow him we should follow him in meeknes in lenitie in gentlenes To what end should I speake of the vaine dreames of the Papists they will say imitate Christ Christ fasted fortie daies therefore you must fast al the Lent but I leaue them to their vanitie and they that are vncleane let them be vncleane still and the Lord keepe vs with his truth Now ye see in expresse termes Iesus Christ hath forgiuen vs our sinnes Ephes 4. 6. it is said that God in Christ hath forgiuen vs eur sins In the one place it is said God hath forgiuen vs in the other place that Iesus Christ hath forgiuen vs. Then Iesus Christ is God the redeemer of the world So it followes of this place Iesus Christ is God blessed for euer Amen For why it is proper to God to forgiue sinnes it is onely proper to the Creator the creature hath no power to forgiue Now in the other place Iesus Christ is the price of our redemption through the which remission of sinnes is purchased he is both the forgiuer of the sinne and the price if Iesus had not been the price there had been no redemption in the world Now followeth the third This benefit of our redemption was deerely bought by our Redeemer It was not a word to say forgiue but it behooued him to die and this benefit which he giues he bought it by his owne bloud Then marke a great difference betweene him and man Iesus he dies but where thou forgiuest thou giuest but a word Looke what a doe the Lord hath with the world and what trauell hee takes to get the offence done by thee taken away he dies for it And therefore the thing we haue to presse to is to feele his loue all ioy and welfare is in the sense of this loue And therefore to this Lord be all honour and glorie now and for euer Amen THE XXX LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the Colossians COLOS. Chap. 3. vers 14. 15. 14 And aboue all these things put on loue which is the bond of perfection 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts to
the which ye are called in one bodie and be ye thankefull THe Apostle brethren after he had exhorted the Colossians to put off the cloathing of the olde man which was made vp of foule affections as peeces of his garment he begins to exhort to put on the cloathing of the new man which is made vp of sundrie graces of Christ vertues and holy affections The last day we reckoned vp certaine pieces of this cloathing Parts of the garment of the new man namely sixe to wit the bowels of pitie and compassion kindnes humblenes of minde meekenes long suffering and lastly the forgiuing of offences Now to come to the text wee haue in hand yet hee continues in this raiment and cloathing and reckons vp other parts of it The seuenth part of this garment he calles it Loue charitie that one beares to another neighbour to neighbour Among all the rest of the peeces he desires them to put on loue And whereon should they put this peece of the garment And aboue all these saith he put on loue as the vppermost garment they being vnder it it being aboue thē all as a cloake aboue all the rest of the cloathing Now brethren Loue must be the vppermost garment you know commonly the vppermost cloath is the fairest and the honestest the preciousest cloath because it is in the eyes of the world therefore seeing hee craues that they should put on charitie as vppermost it must follow that it is the fairest comliest and preciousest peece of cloathing that is I say more when thou hast put on all the rest as mercie Obserue kindnes humblenes meekenes long suffering forgiuenes if thou put not on loue aboue all all is nought worth It is but a garment of hypocrisie and there is no sinceritie in thy mercie thou shewest no sinceritie in thy humblenes nor in none other of thy vertues Looke what the Apostle speakes of thy vertues that can be giuen to a man 1. Cor. 13. without charitie the gift of tongues is nothing the gift of prophesie of wisedome of faith of doing miracles of almes deedes all is nothing and lastly of long suffering it is nothing without this charitie It may well be thou profit others but as for thy selfe without charitie thou shalt get no profit Therfore the Apostle saith speaking of these gifts and many more they be not profitable if I want charitie and what auailes it if it be not profitable to me So without charitie all is nothing of no value and if these vertues want charitie I say to thee they are but dead images of vertues Thy mercie is but a dead image of vertue if thou want loue and so foorth in the rest for the life of all vertues is loue if the heart be not with the hand that is the heart with the action it shall neuer doe thee good Then marke in euery good action there are two things to be considered The first is the good action it selfe The second is the manner of the doing of the action O there is no small respect to be had of the manner of doing which is the very habite and cloathing of it Now the action comes from the hand O but the forme the manner the habit which is the ornament of it comes from the heart now the heart of him doth the good deede if it be euill affected the action if it were neuer so good it hath an euill habit on it it is euill fauoured to the Lord how pleasant so euer it seeme in the eyes of man yet it is not acceptable to the Lord all is lost yea all good workes if they want this loue stinke in the sight of the Lord and thou shalt neuer get good of them But if the heart be disposed with loue that comes of faith in Iesus Christ then thy action appeares before the Lord in a faire beautie and hee makes that deede thou doest to returne backe to thee to thy A good worke returnes back with much comfort to him which doth it good as it is good to him to whom thou doest it Therefore let euery one seeke to be clad with al vertues and good offices but looke to this that euery one of them appeare before the Lord with loue and charitie that thy heart and hand may goe together Put not out thy hand alone put out heart and hand together otherwise thy action shall neuer be good to thee for thou art commaunded aboue all things to put on charitie Now to goe forward to the words following he desines this loue and by it he lets vs see that it is no small grace And first he calles it a Band. Loue is a band that binds things together All the rest of the graces are likewise bands mercie kindnes humblenes and the rest binde vp the members of Iesus Christ but without charitie all be but superficiall bands outward bands binding the bodies of men and not their hearts together But loue is an inward band and it comes from the heart and meetes with another heart and bindes vp heart with Loue is a band heart and so the knot of loue is knit all the rest giue outward things but loue giues inward things euen the heart of him which loueth I say he that loues thee giues thee his heart The word in the originall language imports not onely a band but a mutuall band as my loue to thee and thine to me so that thy loue meetes my loue for if loue be not met with loue againe it will not auaile for friendship cannot stand on one side Therefore looke that charitie be mutuall otherwise be not content with thy selfe This for the first word The next is the band of perfection This is the effect of this band It perfecteth the man in whom it is for it bindeth thee vp with the bodie it perfects thee so that thou shalt want nothing but al shall be supplied till thou beest perfected Now there is no member of the bodie that hath all perfection The Lord hath not disposed so neither was it meete it should so be but that euery member ioyned with another should bee supplied The eye cannot goe therefore the foote comes in and carries the eye the foote cannot see but in comes the eye and lets the foote see and directs it So in the bodie of man there is not a member euen the vilest and the foulest but all the rest be readie to couer that member and to supplie the want of it It is euen so with the spirituall bodie of Iesus howbeit man cannot see it yet it is as true for euery member hath not all grace no not the King nor the Apostles nor no man in any estate hath all graces yet being vnited in that bodie of Christ O thou lackest nothing for all is communicated to thee So that Paul had not a grace but it is mine All is yours saith the Apostle and you are Christs 1. Cor. 3. 21. 23. You may challenge
all the graces that are in the bodie that is a great benefit yea the graces that are not in thee thou maist challenge them being in thy brethren members with thee of one bodie Therefore enuie not any mans grace but challenge it as thy owne Euery one would haue al who is he or she that would not haue all graces and perfectiō But I shall teach thee how thou shalt be perfect Wilt thou stand vp thy self alone like an A per se A and say I wil not be in any mans Common and so seuer thy self frō the body I say thou shalt haue no perfection thou shalt be as a rottē branch cast into y e fire if thou were a King the Lord shall cause thee stinke and die in thine owne pollution Away with a proude headed lowne who cannot humble himselfe to creepe in to the bodie Then the way to be perfect is to seeke to the body for there euery member shall supplie thy want Thus for this faire peece of garment Loue or charitie Goe to the rest that followes The eight peece of this garment is set down in these words And let the peace of God beare rule in your hearts So the eight 8 The eight part of the garment of the nevv man peece of this garment is vnitie of minde concord followes vppon charitie for he that loues must be a peaceable man They will not be restles spirits full of enmitie and strife I will not insist much to speake of this peace onely this I call this peace nothing els but a sweete quietnes in the heart of man and woman together with amitie and concord with thy neighbour for when thy heart hath peace within thee then thy heart is in Peace vnitie with thy neighbour and therefore it is opposed to that restlesnesse of the affections of mens hearts Alas what pleasure canst thou haue when thy heart cannot rest within thee The peace of heart comes not of nature no no by nature thy heart is troubled and out of tune and all is vnruly reeling and rumbling within thee From whence comes it then Of grace that God giues in Iesus Christ If thou haue a pacified heart the Lord hath giuen it thee and therefore it is called the peace of God and it is not of one sort for there is a peace Note of the kinds of peace that is with God himselfe and that is the first peace there is another peace that is with thy neighbour The peace that thou hast with God is a pacified heart with God so that thy Peace with God heart is setled with him that it stirres thee not vp to enmitie against God When thou findest that thou art iustified by faith in Christ O the peace of heart that thou shalt haue with God! thou wilt appeare before his tribunall with boldnes Rom. 5. 1. For being iustified by faith wee haue peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ. The peace with man is a pacified heart with man when the affection is ioyned in loue with man This peace comes of the other for being at peace with God thou art at peace with all the world get once a setled heart towards God of necessitie Peace with man thou must be at vnitie and peace with all men O then begin at God! What is the cause of all these variances debates and al these slaughters It is the want of the peace with God O murtherer thou hast no peace with God thou hast nothing to do with God and therefore that wrath of God shall consume thee O murtherer when thou fightest with man thou hast to doe with the great God O restles spirit that canst not rest till thou haue bathed thy selfe in thy neighbours bloud thou art at warres both with thy selfe and with the great God who shall at one time or other meete with thee and plucke off all thy harnesse and then thou shalt neuer get peace nor rest Now to come to this peace that is with man that is spoken of here This peace it must beare rule in thee it must be a commaunder of thee She must sit ouer thee and hold downe thy foule affections when they are fighting within thee Where must she sit In thy heart and not in thy hand for oftentimes when thy hand will be hindred to murther thy heart will be persecuting thy neighbour to death therefore it must be in thy heart Now marke the order When hee hath required all good vertues at last hee requires peace Whereunto To be commaunder of thine affections This teacheth thee that except they be commaunded and put in order looke not that thou Affections must be cōmanded can doe any good turne in the world Canst thou who art disordred in thine affection doe any good to thy neighbour No therefore minde not to doe any good without this peace Then beseech the Lord that hee will put this peace in thy heart to put these affections into an order For when enmitie possesseth the heart what good canst thou doe Well is that bodie that can lie downe in peace with God and man Therefore aske the peace of God that thou maist rest in peace with thy selfe and liue in peace with thy neighbour O villaine thou that liest downe with anger and a restles affection and risest vp and goest out and stabst thy neighbour what disorder is in thee and what peace hast thou with God No thou art in rage with God himselfe when thine affections be not ruled with loue to thy neighbour and peace thou canst not haue with thy neighbour if thou haue not the first peace which is with God And so thou in bearing hatred against thy neighbour tellest plainly thou hast no peace with God and wanting this thou tellest plainly that thou art yet in thy sinnes and therefore vnder the wrath of God Now when hee hath exhorted them to this peace hee subioynes the argument To the which saith he ye are called in one bodie They who are in one bodie should liue in peace together An argument to moue vs to peace The first argument then is from our Christian calling It is a shame to a man not to be answerable to his calling if thou be called to such a thing why shouldest thou not doe it But aboue all a Christian man is called to this peace and therefore woe is to him in that great day if he bee one who hath wanted it Now take the lesson As ye see a man is called to be a member in any citie not to liue at variance or debate with his neighbours no no he is called to peace and to be a quiet man an vnquiet man is an euill neighbour a restlesse spirit a seditious and an vnpeaceable spirit is an euill neighbour euen so a man called to be a member in the citie of God in the kingdome of Christ for that is our calling he is called to be a quiet and peaceable body For saith the Apostle what is
Lord Iesus I presse ye with experience foundest thou euer any true ioy in thy heart when thy hart eye was not on Christ No no there is no actiō if it were neuer so glorious that will minister ioy to thy heart except the eye heart be on Christ No if it were a Preacher if he haue not the eye of him on his Lord his speeches auailes not they will not comfort the soule of him Therefore haue euer thy eye vpon this Lord Iesus as euer thou wouldest haue pleasure and ioy in thy heart and benefit to thy selfe in the Lord Iesus To whom with the Father and blessed Spirit be all honour and praise for euer Amen THE XXXII LECTVRE VPON THE EPISTLE OF PAVL TO THE Colossians COLOS. Chap. 3. vers 18. 19. 18 Wiues submit your selues vnto your husbands as is comely in the Lord. 19 Husbands loue your wiues and be not bitter vnto them IN the text preceding the exhortation hath been generall to wit to mortification pertaining to euery estate in the world Now in this text he descends in particular to certaine speciall estates of men and women directing his exhortation particularly to them and namely to three estates The first is to husbands and wiues The second is to parents and children The third is to masters and seruants To come then to the purpose It is to be vnderstood that from the beginning of this world there hath euer been these three principall estates and ranks of men and women in the world The first is the estate of husbands and wiues for ye know Adam ere euer he had children he had his wife The next after Inequality in all estates this was the estate of parents and children and then by processe of time there became some masters and some seruants so that this is the last in order and time In these three estates all be not equall but there is an inequalitie some are superiours and some are inferiours The superiours he hath made to be Husbands Parents and Masters The inferiours he hath made to bee Wiues Children and Seruants For if all were equall no policie could stand nor order on the earth but a confusion The Lord who is onely wise knew this and therefore it pleased him to dispose the world after this manner so that a policie might be kept in it These being the three estates the Scripture hath chiefe respect to them and giues exhortations to these three In all he begins first at the inferiours as in this place he begins at the wiues and then comes to the husbands The cause of this is because the estate of the inferiours is hardest and therefore the spirit of God first informes the inferiours that they should take that burthen the Lord hath laid on them and that they should doe that which they doe willingly for I will not giue a peny for thy seruice and subiection if it be compelled for the subiection that is voluntarie is blessed whether it be by wife child or seruant otherwise all is nothing worth thou hast lost thy thankes But to come to the words First he saith Wiues submit your selues vnto your husbands Few words but pithie Note foure things In them ye shall marke foure things First that dutie that is required of maried wiues the dutie is subiection and obedience The second is to whom they owe this dutie not to euery one but to their owne husbands The third is the manner of subiection how it shall be done to wit in the Lord. The fourth is the argument to moue them and it is taken from that that is comely The dutie then is subiection let vs weigh it The first thing in it is obedience in deede and effect This is the first part of subiection as appeares in the first Epistle of Peter chap. 3. where the Apostle making mention of the ancient women brings in the example of Sara and there he defines that subiection Yet there is more in this subiection then simple obedience The obedience must haue ioyned with it honouring of thy husband in word As thou obeyest Subiection of wiues to the husbands and what required in it him indeede and effect so thou must honour him in word therefore in that same place it is said that Sara called her husband Lord. Yet there is more then all this there is feare and reuerence in the heart required that is the ground of all Paul Ephes 5. 33. speakes expresly of this Looke that the wife feare and reuerence her husband in heart So then there is this subiection in the whole parts thereof In deed it is obedience in word it is honouring of him in heart it is feare and reuerence Note So that wife which will be subiect to her husband must keepe these three points or else she faileth in subiection Come to the second to whom this subiection ought to be giuen not to euery one To your owne husbands This subiection is commaunded not to strange men but to your owne husbands The speciall kind of subiection wherein stands the dutie of the wife to the husband is not to be communicated with any other man It is true the male kind hath a preferment aboue the female it hath honour aboue the other Looke Paul 1. Tim. 2. 13. 14. where he giues two reasons of this preferment The first is from the creation Adam was first created and then Eue. The second is from the transgression the woman fell first and it is sure first in sinne last in honour Notwithstanding this wiues are not commaunded to doe this dutie to euery man but to their owne husbands If you will mark the words narrowly you shal perceiue there lurks an argument in them The argument is taken from their propertie they are your proper goods thou hast nothing so proper as thy husband and therefore seeing thy husband is thy proper good shouldest thou not doe a dutie to thy husband But I leaue this and I come to the manner The manner of this subiection is bounded In the Lord the Lord Iesus must be the rule of it But to consider the words Wiues be subiect to your husbands in the Lord The manner of the subiection in these two respects First when you are subiect to your husbands be first subiect to Iesus Christ obey him honour him there is the first dutie which is according to the law discharge thy dutie to God first otherwise thou art in a backward way Begin neuer then at a man though it were at a King to shew and giue thy subiection but begin first at God and subiect thy selfe first to him Secondly when thou hast done thy dutie to the Lord Iesus Christ then for the loue and pleasure and glorie of this Lord thou shouldest subiect thy selfe to thy husband I will giue thee my counsell let neuer wife be subiect to her husband but for the cause of Christ and not for thy husbands cause First if thou doe it so for the Lords
in the faith and may be iustly called sonnes and this is that which the Apostle saith in the Corinthians that though they had many teachers yet they had but one father which was himselfe who also had begotten them vnto God through the Gospell 1. Cor. 4. 14. But when that worke hath increased in them and that they are become strong men in Christ then hee doth euery where and so may wee acknowledge all sound beleeuers to be our brethren as who are indeede the sonnes of one and the selfesame father to wit God in and by Christ the first begotten brother of vs all and in whom the whole familie is named both in heauen and earth Secondly he commendeth Onesimus vnto them by these termes that he was one of them that is as wee would say their countriman and had the fellowship of the same countrey or nation with them and that not onely generally as Grecians neither yet more particularly as people of Phrygia wherein Colosse stood but it may be of the selfesame towne and citie Whatsoeuer it be we may learne here many good lessons and doctrines And first that no mans sinne which hee hath truly repented of before God and the Church should be any disparagement to him in subsequent times no more then Onesimus fraud and flying from his master was to him nor wee thinke neuer a whit the worse of him nor haue him in lesse esteeme then Paul had Onesimus for seeing God hath forgiuen it as repentance is a true pledge thereof and the Church hath receiued him as it ought vpon vnfained amendment what reason that priuate and particular persons should refuse them or thinke euill of them vnlesse they will be more wise and iust then God or more seuere then the Church and I think neither the one nor the other is fit for priuate men And yet we see amongst vs men so peeuishly pettish and wayward towards I will not say offending parties howsoeuer they offended but repenting persons that after a sinne is once discouered they will neuer be satisfied but alwaies suspicious hauing for a ground of their surmises a maxime of the Ciuil law He that is once found to be euill is alwaies supposed to be euill but forgetting the rule of the Apostle 1. Cor. 13. that charitie is not suspicious and that they proceede by another rule towards offending yea repenting persons then Iwis they would haue practised towards them if they were in the like case But let vs cast away from vs this and all other corruptions that so wee may walke more religiously towards God and more charitably towards his seruants Secondly obserue that Paul not thinking it enough to haue commended Onesimus for his brotherly loue and coniunction that he had with him in Christ but adding also that hee was of the same nation countrey yea it may be citie with them in which respect also he speaketh afterwards of Epaphras vers 12. of this chapter and of this very Onesimus in his Epistle to Philemon vers 16. he declareth that hee should be so much the more deare to Philemon because he had been his seruant Obserue I say and gather from hence that these naturall and ciuill familiarities and friendships in which men partake one of them with another as for example consanguinitie affinitie nation countrey citie c. should be vnto them which through faith are ingrafted into Christ more strict causes and occasions of mutuall loue one of them towards another in the Lord. We denie not but that that spirituall fellowship and communion which we haue in Christ is indeed very necessarie because by it wee are all in him made brethren one with another yea that without it there can be no true or sound loue although men otherwise may be very strictly ioyned together The reason is that whatsoeuer is in men without him is but naturall and humane And indeede to say truth there cannot be any synceritie of the heart without Christ and yet notwithstanding if vnto that spirituall coniunction there be added some naturall or politicall coniunction there will also be a greater degree and further step of loue in so much that the faithful people may more tenderly loue and regard them which both in faith and flesh are linked to them then those that are knit to them onely in the fellowship of the same religion Which as the Apostle himselfe meaneth 1. Timoth. 5. 8. saying If any man prouide not for his owne and specially for them that are of his household he hath denied the faith and is worse then an Infidell so it is not obscurely signified in that rule Galat. 6. Do good vnto all specially to those that are of the household of faith And if nature must giue place to religion then religion and it being ioyned together men are and must be more strictly tyed And yet we see that vnder the colour of kinred religion is destitute and some vnder pretext of relieuing the religious destitute their owne flesh The truth is that both must be performed if God himselfe giue abilitie and when we lack power to doe to all alike then to preferre them that concerne vs in flesh and faith And let this suffice for the persons as they are distinctly commended to the Colossians Now a little of them coniunctly He saith that he sent Tychicus to them and with him Onesimus There are two causes as it should seeme for which hee sent them For though vers 8. hee seemeth to speake of Tychicus onely yet he expressely mentioneth Onesimus vers 9 and laieth almost the same burthen vpon him specially as in regard of priuate affaires that he doth vpon Tychicus I say therefore as I said there are two causes of this mission or legation One that hee might by them vnderstand in what termes the affaires of the Colossians stood specially for their Church causes for otherwise though hee wished them well in the world yet he medled not much with their worldly busines The other that knowing how weake and faint good mens hearts be he might by the comming and presence of these two comfort and incourage the Colossians Which though most properly it were the worke of Tychicus as of the minister of the word yet no doubt Onesimus as a particular member of the Church might in his measure performe it yea and did in his measure To these two causes he addeth a third and the same of no lesse moment then the former namely to cause the Colossians to vnderstand in what state he and his matters were Because as the good condition of the Colossians would make the Apostles heart glad so the Apostle being well who had been their gracious and good teacher they could not but reioyce From all which wee may obserue that though Paul were in his enemies hands and were fast bound in chaines as we say yet he thought it not enough by writing this present Epistle to the Colossians to confirme and strengthen them in the faith but also sendeth
and godly zeale that hee bare towards them but also towards their neighbours the Laodiceans and them of Hierapolis for whom certes euen as for the Colossians hee did in prayer euen as it were striue with the Lord. For wee cannot earnestly powre forth prayers vnto God for any vnlesse that our hearts be seized before hand with an earnest affection towards them And it would bee marked that to the end this great care and loue of Epaphras towards them might be the more assuredly manifest and they the better perswaded of it he confirmeth it by his owne testimonie which considering what great authoritie and credit specially as an Apostle hee ought to haue amongst them should at no hand be counted either light or deceitfull and that causeth him to say and deliuer it in this forme This I testifie of him It followeth in our text namely vers 14. of this chapter Luke the beloued Physition saluteth you c. These are still salutations and greetings sent them and indeed comefrom sundrie of the Gentiles as diuers of those before did This Luke that is mentioned here was Pauls continuall companion in all his troubles and trauailes as appeareth in the Acts of the Apostles which hee himselfe wrote and hee remained with Paul euen then when other being sent away from him Demas forsooke him also which also the Apostle sheweth saying Onely Luke is with me 2. Timoth. 4. 11. And in Pauls Epistle to Philemon vers 24. he is called Pauls helper that is a labourer or worker with him in the Ministerie Now Paul deseribeth him here first by the calling which he had before God put him a part to preach the Gospell hee was a Physition from whence wee may learne that no politike or ciuill calling or occupation can hinder Gods calling vnto the ministerie of Nothing can hinder Gods calling of men to the holie ministerie Christ but hee will call whom hee will and of what sort of people please him He calleth Matthew from the receipt of custome to be an Apostle He calleth Peter Andrew Iohn and Iames who were busied about catching of fishes and he maketh them fishers of men He chose Amos from being a heardman to be a Prophet and the like may we reade in many other And so he maketh Luke the Physition to become an Euangelist For as God is most free in himselfe so is he not tyed to any condition or calling of men whatsoeuer but chuseth whom he will as he will to do his worke alwaies notwithstanding induing them with gifts fit for the execution of their duties according to his good pleasure Secondly hee setteth him out by this adiunct beloued in which terme the Apostle commendeth him for that great loue which he bore towards him as a Christian man and one that was very inward with him and familiar vnto him For the loue that Christs Apostle and the friendship that was betweene them did not a little commend the man By which wee may see that it is no small To be beloued of them that loue God matter but indeed of good worth both to our selues and to others to be beloued of them that either loue God or are loued of him To our selues as a testimonie of good comfort and to others as an argument of good credit To him he adioyneth Demas This was he of whom the Apostle complaineth that he was forsaken saying 1. Tim. 4. 10. Demas hath for saken me and imbraced this present world In the Epistle to Philemon he is called Pauls helper from whence we may with good probabilitie gather that at that time he was a minister of the Gospell but afterwards forsaking his calling he fell away and gaped after gaine From whence wee may see that the loue of this present world cannot stand with the The loue of the world and the ministerie of the Gospell cannot stand together ministerie of the Gospell For no man saith Christ can serue two masters for either he shall hate the one and loue the other or cleaue to the one and forsake the other Ye cannot serue God and Mammon Matth. 6. 24. If the mind once be caried away with the carefulnes of worldly things it cannot be wholy occupied in seeking Christ and his glorie but will easily preferre the world before Christ himselfe And thus farre concerning these verses and the true and naturall meaning of them with other necessarie matter in sort and manner as you haue heard Now to some obseruations out of them And first in that Epaphras did alwaies striue for them in his prayers wee may gather that it is not so easie a matter to make prayers vnto God No easie matter to pray well as commonly men account it but rather indeede very hard and of great labour Which may appeare by this that if a man doth but once settle himselfe to it specially if hee doe it earnestly hee shall finde a thousand lets and hindrances set before him if not vtterly to pull him away from prayer yet to stay him much therein or to make his prayers more cold and faint Sometimes Satans malice sometimes his own corruptiō will stand vp against him sometimes other mens examples of neglect or of cold performance of prayer And though Hindrances to pray these were not but that men thought still they prayed yet shall men if they would sift and sound their hearts well perceiue y t this is one cause why in prayer or to prayer men find no hindrance because they are content with a certaine forme of words which flow from the mouth but haue no seate in the heart and so praying without true faith indeede or any serious affection of the minde or any vnfained reuerence of God or any sound feeling of their owne miseries or any heartie desire to bee reconciled to the Lord c. their prayers are Things necessarie to him that would pray well lip-labour yea lost labour Neither will Satan much set himselfe against such praiers if we may call them praiers because he knoweth they will not much hurt him and his kingdome But hee will mightily oppose against the heartie praiers of Gods people and resist them by obiecting and casting in their way all the temptations that possibly he can because he well knoweth that by meanes thereof his kingdome shall if not be ouerthrowne yet greatly diminished Secondly in the person and practise of Epaphras learne that it is the Pastors dutie not onely to teach and to instruct his The Pastors dutie in presence and absence flocke in the doctrine of the Gospell whilest he is present with them but euen as it were to carrie them about with him in his heart and to take himselfe continually bound and tyed to zeale and care for them and with earnest requests and supplications to wish for and procure their saluation and continually to pray for them to almightie God And great reason they are their fathers they are their teachers Fathers are vnnaturall if