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IV. 10. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

That now, at the last, you have given good proof of your careful respects to me, which seemed for the time to be intermitted, in that provision, which you sent to me, by the hands of Epaphroditus: not that I make question of your care of me, formerly: I know ye wanted not will and desire, to have expressed your love to me; but ye wanted opportunity, till now. IV. 11. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever &c.

Not that I rejoice so much in regard of the supply of my want; which I well know how to bear, for I have learned &c. IV. 13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Let no man think that I arrogate this power to myself: no; of myself I can do nothing, but in and through Christ, which strengtheneth me, I can do all things.

IV. 17. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.

Not that I desire a gift: it is all one to me, whether I want or abound; but, in this, I desire that a benefit may accrue unto you, whose beneficence to me is an advantage unto yourselves.

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO

THE COLOSSIANS.

I. 5. For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; For those goodly and glorious things, which your hope assures you to be laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye have heard before, in that most true word of the Gospel ;

I. 6. Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world. Which Gospel is come unto you, being preached amongst you, as it is all the world over.

I. 10. That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.

That ye may behave yourselves so, as may become those, which are honoured by God with so high a calling, and ordained by him to so great glory; and so as may be in all things well pleasing unto him.

I. 12. Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Giving thanks unto God the Father, who hath furnished us with such graces, as whereby we may be fitted to become par

takers of that glorious, and everlightsome, and blessed inheritance of his Saints in heaven.

I. 14. In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.

In and by whom, we are freed and brought out from the bondage of sin and Satan, even by the ransom of his most precious blood; in that, by the virtue thereof, and the full satisfaction made thereby unto God, we have forgiveness of sins: I. 15. Who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature:

Who is unto us that only and perfect means, in and by whom, God, which is by nature invisible, is manifested and revealed to mankind: in the Son, as in a clear and perfect glass, we see the Father: that eternal Son had his being of and with the Father, before ever any creature was made:

I. 16. For by him were all things created, &c.

And, as he had an eternal being before them, so they had their being in time from him; for by him were all things created, &c.

I. 18. Who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence.

Who is the first cause of all things, giving a beginning unto them all; and restoring them all again, by the power of his Resurrection, as being the omnipotent raiser of himself from the dead; and he, by whose power all others either have risen, or shall rise.

I. 19. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

For it pleased the Father, that in him should essentially dwell all perfection of grace, of wisdom, of power, of goodness, and mercy;

I. 20. And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

And, having made peace through the satisfaction made by his precious blood, shed upon the cross, by the perfect work of his only mediatorship, to reconcile unto himself all things, that were formerly set at variance with him by sin; and to set unity betwixt God and men, betwixt angels and men.

I. 21, 22. And you, that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight.

And, amongst the rest, even you Colossians, that were sometimes in your natural and heathenish condition, not only strangers from God, but even enemies to him, both in respect of the sinful disposition of your minds and of your wicked works also and trade of sin wherein ye lived; yet now hath he

reconciled, in that true human body of his, by suffering death for you, that he might present you holy, &c.

I. 23. If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister ;

Which mercy of reconciliation and peace ye shall be sure to receive, if ye continue constantly firm in that true faith and Christian hope, which hath been wrought in you by the Gospel; which Gospel ye have had preached unto you; and not to you only hath it been taught, but to all the nations under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

I. 24. Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

Who now rejoice in those persecutions, which I suffer for your sake, yea for Christ's: every Saint of God is a member of Christ's body, and Christ therefore suffers in him: thus it is then with me; my afflictions are Christ's; and I do, in suffering, fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ, in my flesh, for his Church's sake:

I. 25. Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

Of which Church I am made a minister, according to the dispensation, which is committed to me of God, for your behoof; that I may fully deliver that errand which I have received, of preaching the Gospel to you, and to the rest of the Gentiles every where;

I. 26. Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

and

Even this mystery of salvation by Christ revealed to the Gentiles, which hath been hid from former ages and from the fore-passed generations of our forefathers; but now is made clearly manifest to his Saints:

I. 27. To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this nystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

To whom God would make known, what is the glorious riches and treasure of this great mystery of the Gospel, for the salvation of the Gentiles, as well as of the chosen people of the Jews; the sum and substance of which mystery and Gospel, is Jesus Christ, in whom only ye have the hope of eternal glory.

II. 1. For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;

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For I would that that ye knew what great care, and anxiety, and self-conflicts I have within me, for you and for your neighbours of Laodicea; and for all other converts to Christ; which have not seen my face, nor enjoyed my bodily pre

sence;

II. 2. That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

That their hearts may be furnished with the rich and full understanding of the Gospel of Christ, and may be settled in the perfect acknowledgement of the great mystery of religion, wherein God is revealed to men, even God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son;

II. 3. In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

In whom alone are laid up all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; so as that without him they cannot be had, and by him they are imparted unto his faithful ones for their salvation.

II. 6. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

As ye have, therefore, received the true doctrine concerning Christ Jesus the Lord, so do ye persist and persevere therein:

II. 7. Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Ye are living plants; ye must be fast rooted in the soil of Christ: ye are living stones; ye must be laid fast and firmly mortered upon the foundation of Christ: ye must be strongly stablished in the true faith of Christ, as ye have been taught by your faithful teachers, Archippus and Epaphras; abounding, more and more, in the knowledge and profession thereof, with thankfulness to God, for that light which he hath imparted unto you.

II. 8. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Beware, lest any man make a prey of you, through the false pretence of secular wisdom; as mixing divine things with human, and measuring heavenly mysteries by their natural reason; or, through the vain enforcement of Jewish rites and ceremonies: both which kinds of false teachers form their doctrines after the uncertain and mis-devised traditions of men; or after the beggarly rudiments of the world, viz. the ceremonies of the Law, which are now out of date; and not after the truth of Christ.

II. 9. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

For in him the whole Godhead dwelleth essentially, and the Divine Nature is not only united to the soul of Christ, but to the body also; and in him hath God fully revealed himself to the world.

II. 10. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

And ye are, in and by him, filled with all saving grace and divine knowledge; even in him, who is your Head; and not yours only, but the Head of all the heavenly angels, even those mighty and powerful spirits above:

II. 11. In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in the putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.

In whom also ye are spiritually circumcised in your hearts, by that inward circumcision which is made by his Holy Spirit, and not by the hands of men; in that ye have, by his gracious work in you, put off your sinful corruptions, through the virtue of that circumcision, not which Moses but which Christ hath wrought in you.

II. 12. Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

The effect of which circumcision ye have received; in that ye have received that baptism, which succeeds that other legal Sacrament: ye are therefore circumcised, in that ye are baptized; and ye are in baptism buried together with Christ, in respect of the mortification of your sins, represented by lying under the water; and, in the same baptism, ye rise up with him in newness of life, represented by your rising up out of the water again; through that faith of yours, which is grounded upon the mighty power of God, who hath raised him from the dead. II. 13. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

And you being once altogether dead in your sins, and in the spiritual uncircumcision of your hearts, hath he quickened, and raised up to a life of grace and new obedience, together with himself, by the power of his Resurrection; having forgiven you all those trespasses, wherein ye formerly lay;

II. 14. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Blotting out, by his precious blood, that obligatory bond of Mosaical ordinances and ceremonies, which carried in them a secret accusation of our guiltiness; and cancelled it utterly, nailing it to his cross, as void and of none effect;

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