Colossians 2

2. They pray to angels. Angel-worship is forbidden (Colossians 2:18-19), and that we may not pray to angels is clear from Romans 10:14: How shall they call upon him in whom they have not believed? We may not pray to any but whom we may believe in; but we may not believe in an an…

Christ is the great Luminary. In him are hidden all treasures of knowledge (Colossians 2:3). The middle lamp of the Sanctuary gave light to all the other lamps.

This being a grand article of our faith, I shall amplify: I know the Arians, Socinians, Ebionites would rob Christ of the best jewel of his crown, his Godhead; but the Apostolical, Nicene, Athanasian Creed affirm Christ's deity, to this the churches of Helvetia, Bohemia, Wittemb…

The saints are not only compared to stars for their light, but trees for their growth (Isaiah 61:3; Hosea 14:5). A good Christian is not like Hezekiah's sun that went backward, nor Joshua's sun that stood still, but is always advancing in holiness, and increasing with the increa…

If our obedience be not according to the Word, it is offering up strange fire; it is [⟨ in non-Latin alphabet ⟩], Will-worship; and God will say, Who has required this at your hand? The Apostle condemns worshipping of angels, which had a show of humility (Colossians 2:18). The J…

3. A miraculous faith, which was granted to the apostles, to work miracles for the confirmation of the gospel: this Judas had, he cast out devils, yet was cast out to the devil. 4. A true justifying faith, which is called a faith of the operation of God (Colossians 2:12), and is…

Who has required this at your hand? (Isaiah 1:12). The Apostle condemns the worshipping of angels, which had a show of humility (Colossians 2:18). The Jews might say, they were loath to be so bold as to go to God in their own persons; they would be more humble, and prostrate the…

Is a gold mine so precious? how precious is he who founded this mine? What is Christ in whom are hid all treasures? (Colossians 2:3). We should ascend from the creature to the Creator.

The strings of a viol may be the same, but the tune is altered: before this regeneration, there are spiritual pangs, much heart-breaking for sin. Regeneration is called a circumcising of the heart (Colossians 2:11). In circumcising there was pain in the flesh: so in this spiritu…

He is a pillar in the temple of God. Colossians 2:7: Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith. Unbelievers are skeptics in religion, they are unsettled; they question every truth.

3. He is coessential with God the Father. The Godhead subsists in Christ (Colossians 2:9). In whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

When a poor sinner looks upon himself, and sees his guilt, and when he looks upon God's justice and holiness, he falls down confounded, but here is that may be as cork to the net, to keep him from despair, if you will leave your sins and come to Christ, mercy can seal your pardo…

They are here presented as they were preached, with little alteration or addition, in method, style, or matter: only to make up the treatise more complete, I entirely added, against the publishing thereof, that whole discourse about Satan's part and hand in these desertions, beg…

Fourth, fire is a devouring thing — a whole world would not satisfy it if it were left to burn on. And one day this whole world will be burned up by fire as punishment for enticing people. Just such are people's desires after pleasures — never satisfied. The more fuel is added,…

For thus Paul makes a special request, that he might know Christ, and the virtue of his resurrection (Philippians 3:10), that is, that he might feel in himself that power whereby Christ was raised from death to life, to raise him also from the bondage of his sins to a new life m…

The King's daughter is glorious within. Jesus Christ himself was outwardly mean, yet in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom (Colossians 2:3). A soul inspired by the Almighty, and beautified with grace, does exceed others more than the light of the sun does exceed the light o…

Reason 3. Thirdly the Holy Ghost affirms (Ephesians 2; Colossians 2:13) that all men by nature are dead in sins and trespasses: not as the Papists say, weak, sick, or half dead. Hence I gather, that man lacks natural power not to will simply, but freely and frankly to will that…

Galatians 5:1: Stand fast in the liberty wherein Christ has made you free. Colossians 2:16: Let no man judge you in meat or drink. To conclude: whereas the Papists magnify these their vows and yet make no such account of the vow in baptism, we for our parts must be contrary to t…

3. It takes in our Lord's actual delivery — he not only received the sentence of absolution, but was actually set free; so that as he was pleased to put himself in prison and in straits for us, so he was brought from every step of his humiliation, from prison and from judgment,…

He has redeemed us from the curse of the law (says the Apostle, Galatians 3:13), being made a curse for us, that the blessing of Abraham might come on us Gentiles: and so Christ's death in this respect is to be looked on as a laying down of the same price that justice would have…

It may be soon cleared, if we consider, that there is a twofold obstacle in the way of sinners, partaking of life, which Christ's sufferings do remove. The 1st obstacle is a standing quarrel, between God and the elect, they having sinned, and having nothing to pay their debt; th…

So that when we come to plead and found our defense before God's throne; it is not on this, that Christ is a King, and has subdued us; but it is on this [reconstructed: ground]; that He is our Priest, and has satisfied justice for us, and paid our debt, and procured a discharge…

2. The great number of captives that our Lord in His victory, and triumph takes, and brings off; that is, He gets a great booty; which is that spoken of in the words before, By his knowledge shall many be justified; and it's that which is expressed in (Psalm 68:18), You have asc…

Therefore, We cannot know this, except it be evident, that our keeping of his commandment comes from faith, and the knowledge of God. Object. 6. Such a faith as a practical syllogism can make, is not a faith wrought by the Lord's almighty power; for the conclusion follows, but f…

And, there is a testimony of the Spirit, and voice to the soul, merely immediate, without any respect to, or concurrence with the word. And, such a faith as is wrought by a practical syllogism, or the word of God, is but a human faith; because the conclusion follows but from the…

The children partakers of flesh and blood (verse 14), these for whom he through death, which he tasted for all, and for whom he destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; if the devil reigns in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2), if they be born of the…

Now Antinomians lay all our perfection on Justification and Remission of sins; yet pardon of sins — except in the sense, which is a gradual accident of pardon, and not pardon itself — is not like the new moon that receives fuller and more light till it be full moon; for remissio…

And because the justification of himself which Christ spoke of as looked for from God was to be made at his resurrection (as has been said), therefore Paul here puts a 'rather' upon his resurrection. And further to establish this: as you heard before out of Romans 6:10 that in r…

Sins and devils are not only dead but triumphed over. Compare with this that other place, Colossians 2:15: 'Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in himself' — so I read it, and the Greek bears it, and so it is in the margi…

Use Christ and have Christ, use grace and have grace; grow up in the use of him, and you shall grow up in the possession of him. And therefore as you have received Christ so walk in him (Colossians 2:7-8), as if that were the way to get more rooting in Christ; labor to live by f…

Act 3. Thirdly, a man asks in humility, when he puts up his petitions with submission to God's will, he desires not that God would satisfy him in any lust, but only grant him the things that are expedient for him, so far as may stand with the good pleasure of his heavenly Father…

You know Christ waded through an estate of humiliation, and exaltation: these are the main principles of religion; that look as it was with Christ's estate, it was sometime, the time wherein he was humbled in this world, all the course of his life was a time of humiliation, and…

It is a hard saying, they thought it incredible (verse 52), they would think it a savage brutishness to fall upon him in that manner, and therefore our Savior so confesses, that it is no part of his meaning, that they should eat and drink his real body and blood: but he means th…

(1.) The dignity of his person was seen, for the Transfiguration was a ray of the divine glory. It was not the addition of any glory to Christ which he had not before, but a manifestation of the glory which he had, though obscured under the veil of our flesh, for the fullness of…

Therefore all their prophecies begin, "Thus says the Lord," as having for every particular message and errand new revelation; but on Christ the Spirit descended once for all, and commanded the belief of all and obedience to all that he should say. Therefore it is said (Colossian…

But here we may plainly see that Paul reckons idolatry and heresy among the works of the flesh, which two (as before we have said) reason esteems to be most high and excellent virtues, wisdom, religion, holiness and righteousness. Paul in Colossians 2 calls it the religion of an…

The flesh is accused, exercised with temptations, oppressed with heaviness and sorrow, bruised by this active righteousness of the law: but the spirit reigns, rejoices, and is saved by this passive and Christian righteousness, because it knows that it has a Lord in heaven at the…

Therefore the Apostle casts out these words with great displeasure and indignation: If you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing: that is to say, no profit shall redound to you of all his benefits: but he has bestowed them all upon you in vain. Hereby it appears suffic…

Behold, I Paul (says he a little after in chapter 5) do write to you, that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing (Galatians 5:2). And (Colossians 2:16) let no man judge you in meat or drink, or in a piece of a holy day, or of a new Moon, or Sabbath day, etc. So…

And although it goes about to vex and to trouble the conscience never so much, yet she is not moved therewith. For she has Christ crucified before her eyes, who has removed out of the conscience all the offices of the law: putting out the handwriting of ordinances that was again…

There is none but the Lord Jesus only and alone, which takes away the law, kills and destroys my death in his body, and by this means spoils hell, judges, and crucifies the Devil, and throws him down into hell. To be brief, all the enemies which did before torment and oppress me…

In him we are complete. Col. 2. Election, justification, salvation, and all is done in, and by Christ. 2.

Paul says, Christ was obedient to the death of the crosse, Phil 2:8. The triumph of Christ beganne upon the crosse, Col 2:15. and he could not triumph before he had made a full, and perfect satisfaction for vs. When Christ had procured deliverance from hell, and Right to life eu…

For our sins are the swords, and spears which have crucified him (Zechariah 12:10). Secondly, this sight brings us true and lively comfort: for beholding Christ crucified, we see Paradise as it were in the midst of hell: we see the handwriting against us, canceled (Colossians 2:…

Religion that stands in the afflicting of the body, is but a shadow, and an appearance of humilitie. Col 2:23. And the true worshippers of God in the new Testament, worship him in spirit and trus, Ioh. 4. v. 24

This must be a stay to our minds, when we see more corruption, than grace in ourselves, and our obedience tainted with many spots of disobedience. The third deliverance is from the observation of the ceremonial law of Moses (Colossians 2:16). And hence arises another deliverance…

There is great reason why men should restore their brethren in all meekness: for without it there is nothing but swelling, and faction, but troubles, and tragedies. Again, as meekness is necessary for every Christian (Colossians 2:12; Titus 3:2), so it is most necessary for him…

For with whatever flourishes the unbelievers seek to shadow their superstitions, yet notwithstanding this sentence remains sure, that obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). And therefore Paul (Colossians 2:23) under the word superstition, comprehends all those corr…

Can this be acceptable to God, think we? No, shall it not rather be termed superstition, which Saint Paul so much detests (Colossians 2:23)? Those which make such vows then brag in vain that they serve God therein, as if this place any way favored their conceit, because the Lord…

And afterwards he adds, that the abasing of Christ, was the beginning of his imperial dignity. As also Saint Paul says, that after Christ had taken away the handwriting which was against us, he triumphed upon the cross (Colossians 2:14). So far was it from the case then, that th…