Colossians 3

Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver (or redeem) us from this present evil world. Such as are redeemed by Christ, are risen with Christ (Colossians 3:1). As the birds though they light upon the ground to pick up a little seed, yet immediately they take their wing…

4. Did God create our souls after his image, but we lost it, let us never leave till we are restored to God's image again. We have now got the devil's image in pride, malice, envy; let us get God's image restored, which consists in knowledge and righteousness (Colossians 3:10).…

It were well if we had such magistrates as would by their authority cover the unclean lips of those lepers in this city. 8. The evil tongue is the lying tongue (Colossians 3:9): "Lie not one to another." The Cretians were noted for liars (Titus 1:12): [illegible] "The Cretians a…

The Word is our Magna Charta for heaven; shall we be ignorant of our charter? Colossians 3:16: Let the word of God dwell in you richly. The memory must be a table-book where the Word is written.

Each one resembled the children of a king: Every child of God resembles the King of Heaven; herein God's adopting children and man's differ. A man adopts one for his son and heir that does not at all resemble him, but whoever God adopts for his child is like him; he not only bea…

He is not a consecrated person who is good only in some part, but who is all over sanctified. Therefore in Scripture grace is called a new man (Colossians 3:10), not a new eye, or a new tongue, but a new man. A good Christian, though he be sanctified but in part, yet in every pa…

Redemption was the work of his arm (Luke 1:5). In the creation God gave us ourselves, in the redemption he gave us himself: by creation we have a life in Adam, by redemption we have a life in Christ (Colossians 3:3). By creation we had a right to an earthly paradise, by redempti…

They are the Apostle's words, not answering again. And to those servants who do thus honor their masters, or family-fathers, by submission, diligence, faithfulness, love, and humble silence, for their encouragement let them take that (Colossians 3:24): Servants obey in all thing…

2. The second way of showing honor to parents is in careful obedience. Colossians 3:20: Children obey your parents in all things. Our Lord Christ herein set a pattern to children.

6. Carry it prudently towards your children. A great point of prudence is, when a parent does not provoke his children to wrath (Colossians 3:21). Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

The covetous man has more gods than one; Mammon is his God. He has a god of gold, therefore he is called an idolater (Colossians 3:5). 2. Covetousness breaks the Second Commandment: You shalt not make any graven image, you shalt not bow down thyself to them.

A soul belimed with earth cannot ascend to heavenly cogitations. (Colossians 3:5) Covetousness which is idolatry. Will Christ come into that heart where there is an idol?

While a Christian fixes his thoughts on God and glory, he does as it were tread upon the borders of the heavenly kingdom, and he peeps within the veil; as Moses who had a sight of Canaan, though he did not enter into it; so the heavenly Christian has a sight of heaven, though he…

Demas afterwards became a priest in an idol temple, says Dorotheus. 6. Covetousness will make men idolaters (Colossians 3:5): Covetousness which is idolatry. Though the covetous man will not worship graven images in the church, yet he will worship the graven image in his coin.

Second, their fiery hot and burning lusts, which prey upon and live upon this fuel. Both together make the fire spoken of here, and the comparison holds in many ways. First, because the fuel of these fires of their lusts and comforts is base — things only here below. What is the…

Secondly, in that the Author of this Epistle notes their particular sentence, and by consequence gathers this meditation out of it; that they sought a Country; Hereby all men are taught to exercise themselves in hearing and reading all the places of the Bible: even the Histories…

Meekness the Ornament, 1 Peter 3.4. Love the Bond of perfectness, Colossians 3.14. The Saints' Graces are Weapons to defend them, Wings to elevate them, Jewels to enrich them, Spices to perfume them, Stars to adorn them, Cordials to refresh them: And does not all this work for g…

This image of God has two principal parts: 1. wisdom: 2. holiness. Concerning wisdom Paul says, "Put on the new man which is created in knowledge, after the image of him which created him" (Colossians 3:10). This wisdom consists in three points: 1. in that he knew God his creato…

Question 4: What is the time appointed for prayer? Answer: Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17), that is, upon all occasions: or when a man begins any business, whether it be in word or deed (Colossians 3:17): or as Daniel, who prayed three times every day (Daniel 6:11): or a…

They are hidden, first, for their invisibility; their excellency is not known to many; the world can see their infirmity, not their eminency; a saint has that internal glory as cannot be beheld by a carnal eye; the fair face is hid under a veil. 2. The righteous are hidden for t…

For when men shall be taught that for sundry points of religion they may believe as the Church believes, that the study of the Scriptures is not to be required of them, that to their good they may be barred the reading of them, so long as they know some principal things containe…

A quiet conscience never produced an unquiet conversation. The peace of God rules in the heart as an umpire in appeasing strifes — for so much that word in Colossians 3:15 imports. Wrath and strife are hugely opposed to the frame and temper of a spiritual heart, because they are…

(Romans 3:24-25) Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, etc. (Colossians 3:22) God has concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might b…

He is dead, and his life is hid with Christ in God. And, he mortifies his members on earth (Colossians 3:1-4). He is redeemed from this present evil world (Galatians 1:4).

To whom coming as to a living stone, disallowed indeed of men; but that's no matter; chosen of God, and precious: [reconstructed: who could we come to], but here, on a stone with life, and so noble a life as an intellectual life, and then the life of God? O death, come to your l…

This is to make John (who only prepared the way for Christ) to be the Messiah indeed (as many of the Jews thought) — that is, to think the eminent work of John's ministry (which was to humble and so prepare men for Christ) to be their attaining Christ himself. But if you be wear…

And 2. it was a law wrought into suitable dispositions in his heart; and therefore said to be a law in his heart or bowels. You may easily conceive what law it was by the subject of it, his bowels; which are still put for the most tender affections; (Colossians 3:12, bowels of m…

This is, first when a man has such respect to all the commandments of God, as that there is none of them but he greatly delights in it (Psalm 119:6) then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect to all your commandments: He looks at them all with such respect, as the commandm…

And truly there is a certain kind of conformity even in this very point, between the Lord Jesus and every servant of Christ; as he is weak, so are we; as he dies, so do we; as he is in his greatest debasements, and advancements, so it is with us. And hence it is that you read th…

Now if this be a thing which is so common in the mouth of the Holy Ghost, and you see was the practice of the greatest women, then upon the earth; the greatest princes in those times, the more gracious, the more diligent, and laborious in their callings: you see it will well sta…

3. Though we owe this religious friendship to all that fear God, yet some few may be chosen for our intimacy and spiritual solace. We owe it in some respects to all that fear God and must dispense the general acts of friendship to them (Acts 4:32): The multitude of them that bel…

The righteous shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. So (Colossians 3:3-4), Now our life is hidden with Christ, but when he who is our life shall appear, we shall appear with him in glory (1 John 3:2). When he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see h…

In which words he again reproves the false apostles: for they had abolished the form of Christ in the hearts of the believers, and had devised another form, that is to say, their own: as he says (Galatians 6:13): They would have you circumcised, that they might rejoice in your f…

Eph 2:6. Col 3:1. and they are in the same manner to be expounded. Moreouer, the benefits that arise of this communion with Christ in his passion, are two.

These words signify: first, to baptize by the commandment and authority of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: secondly, to baptize by and with the invocation of the name of the true God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that is, by the i…

This is the law of nature, and the law of nations. Paul says (Colossians 3:20), that children must obey their parents in all things. When the devil had obtained liberty to afflict Job in all things that belonged to him, save his person; he destroyed his children (Job 1:12, 18).

Here we see that the end of a man's life is to serve God in serving of man, for this is the sum of the whole law. Servants are commanded in serving their masters, to serve God, and to do whatever they do, as to God (Colossians 3:23). And so every man in his place, in dealing wit…

Besides, let them consider that though they seem to labor in vain, and to spend their strength in vain, and that their words take no more effect than if they were spoken in the wind: yet, that their judgment is with the Lord, and their work with their God (Isaiah 49:4), remember…

Moses long since gave this admonition, stand you still, and the Lord shall fight for you (Exodus 14:14). Not that he meant they should fall asleep, or be idle, but he only required they would keep this peace in their hearts (Colossians 3:15). Which if we enjoy, we shall find by…

For then they boasted themselves as being Lords of the whole world: but in the end they should feel that it is the proper and particular possession of God's children. Everlasting joy may be referred to the external estate of the Church; because God daily furnishes them with ampl…

“has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ,” (Ephesians 1:3.) Though we are like dead men, yet we know that our life is secure; for it “is hid with Christ in God,” (Colossians 3:3.) From this doctrine, as its source, is drawn the exhortation to rep…

But if we were honestly and firmly convinced that our happiness is in heaven, it would be easy for us to trample upon the world, to despise earthly blessings, (by the deceitful attractions of which the greater part of men are fascinated,) and to rise towards heaven. For this rea…

Profane historians applaud Crates, a Theban, because he threw into the sea his money and all that he reckoned valuable; for he did not think that he could save himself unless his wealth were lost; as if it would not have been better to bestow on others what he imagined to be mor…

This is a useless controversy; for faith cannot be separated from good works, nor do good works proceed from any other source than from faith. But Christ intended only to state, that the Lord calls us on the express condition of our being renewed by the Spirit after his image; a…

And though we are renewed by the Spirit of God, yet as our life is still hidden, (Colossians 3:3,) the manifestation of it will truly and perfectly distinguish us from strangers.

Hence we conclude, that charity is justly pronounced by Paul to be the bond of perfection, (Colossians 3:14,) and, in another passage, the

I reply: As the time was not fully come when the whole body of the Church should be gathered to its Head, he exhibited in a few persons an instance of the new life which all ought to expect. For we know that Christ was received into heaven on the condition that the life of his m…

Do not almost all cleave to the earth, as if there had been no promise of a resurrection? But while the greater part of men, forgetful of their end, fall off on all sides, let us remember that it is a virtue peculiar to believers, to seek the things which are above, (Colossians…

For so writes Saint Paul (Ephesians 6): Servants, be obedient to them that are your Masters, according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your hearts, as to Christ, not with service to the eye, as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will o…

And therefore [reconstructed: how] preposterous course do those [illegible] [reconstructed: hot] spirits take, which use to whip and [reconstructed: pierce], yea many times to [reconstructed: harm] themselves with beating, thinking by that means to [reconstructed: merit] and win…