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A17648
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A commentarie of M. Iohn Caluine, vpon the Epistle to the Colossians. And translated into English by R.V.; Commentarii in quatuor Pauli epistolas. English. Selections
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Calvin, Jean, 1509-1564.; Vaux, Robert.
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1581
(1581)
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STC 4403; ESTC S107211
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70,707
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102
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you were without Christ seperated from the gouernment of Israell and straungers from the promises But Metaphorically it should be an allusion to naturall vncircumcision but yet Paule should speake here of the stubbornnesse of mans hart agaynst God and of nature distained with naughty affections or motions I rather hold the former exposition because it agreeth better with the texte For Paule maketh mention that vncircumcision was no let but that they should be partakers of the lyfe of Christ Whereof it followeth that Circumcision derogateth or taketh from the grace of God that which alreadye they had obtayned In that he ascribeth death vnto vncircumcision he doth it not as vnto the cause but as to the badge or marke thereof as he doth in that other place to the Epesians which I haue alleaged And it is often vsed in the Scripture by priuation of the signe to note the priuation of the thing as Ge. 3.22 Least happilye Adam eate of the fruite of life and liue For the tree did not giue life but after it was taken awaye it was the sign or badge of death Paul in this place hath breefely set forth both he sayth they were dead through sinnes this is the cause for sinnes do separate vs froÌ„ God He putteth too In the vncircumcision of the flesh This was the outwarde vncleannesse a testimonie of spirituall death By forgiuing you God in deede doth not quicken vs by onely forgiuenesse of sinnes but in this place he doth peculiarly make mention thereof because free reconciliation with God whiche ouerthroweth righteousnesse of workes doth specially belong to the present cause wherein he discourseth about abrogating doing a way of ceremonies as more largely he hath treated in the Epistle to the Galathians For the false Apostles in establishing ceremonies did binde the consciences with a snare from which Christ hath loosed them 14 Hauing put out the handwriting Now doth he hande to hande cope with the false Apostles For this was the state of the case Whether the keeping of ceremonies were necessarye vnder the kingdome of Christ But Paule contendeth that ceremonies were abolished and that he may proue it hee compareth them to a handwriting whereby God holdeth vs as it were bounde so that we cannot denye our guiltinesse or debt Nowe he sayth we haue so bene deliuered from guiltinesse that the handwriting also hath bene put out that it shoulde not be extant in memorie We vse to subâ—â—ribe our name or marke with our hand wherby we ratify the bond or writing and that here is termed Hand-writing For we know that in all thinges while the hand-writing remaineth the bond or Obligation is of force but after the handwriting is rased or torne in peeces the debter is free and acquited Whereof it followeth that all they doe diminishe the benefite of Christ which as yet vrge ceremonies as though we were not by him acquited and set free for they restore to the handwriting the force which it had that they maye still keepe vs endaungered This therefore is a true reason in diuinitie to proue the abolishing of ceremonies because if Christ hath fully and perfectly redeemed vs from guiltinesse and out of daunger he ought also to take away the memoriall of the Obligation whereby the consciences may be at peace and quiet in the sight of God for these two are annexed and tied together Whereas the interpreters doe expounde this place diuersly there is none of them doth satisfie me Some doe thinke that Paule speaketh simplye of the morall Lawe but vntruely for Paule is accustomed to call that portion of the lawe which is placed in ceremonies decrees as in the Epistle to the Ephesians and a little after Speciallye the place to the Ephesians chap. 2. ver 15. manifestlye proueth that Paule in this place speaketh of Ceremonies And therefore better doe they whiche restrayne it to Ceremonyes but in this poynte they also are deceyued that they adde not a reason why it is called a hand-writing or rather they alleage or assigne a cause that is contrary to the true cause indeede neither yet doe they aptelye applye this similitude to the Texte But the true reason is that all the ceremonies of Moses hadde with them some confession of guiltinesse which bounde the followers of them as it were with a more straight bande before the iudgement of GOD. As for example What other thinges were the washinges but a testimonie of filth and vncleannesse As ofte as any sacrifice was offred vp did not the people that stoode by beholde in the same an image or representation of their own death For when men didde place in their steede a harmelesse beast they confessed that they themselues deserued that death To be breese looke how manye rites or ceremonies there were so many shewes of mens guiltinesse and handwritinges of obligation were there If any obiect and say that they were sacramentes of the grace of God as at this daye Baptisme and the Eucharist are vnto vs the aunswere is easie for two thinges are to be considered in the old ceremonies that whiche was agreeable vnto the tyme and than that which lead men vnto the kingdome of Christ Whatsoeuer was than done did shewe forth nothing else but an obligation or binding Grace was after a sorte suspended and deferred till the comming of Christ not that the fathers were excluded from the same but they had no present shewe thereof in their ceremonies For they did see nothing beside the blood of beasts in sacrifices and in their washings they did see nothing but water Therefore as concerning the present vewe or shewe guiltinesse remayned naye rather the ceremonies themselues didde seale vp and signe guiltinesse After this maner also speaketh the Apostle in all the Epistle to the Hebrues because he setteth Christe directly opposite and agaynste the ceremonies But howe is it now The Sonne of God by his death hath not only deliuered vs from condemnation of death but to the end our acquiting and discharge might be the more certayne hee hath abrogated and done away those ceremonies that there should appeare no remembraunce or monument of Obligation or building This is ful and perfect libertie that Christ by his blood hath wiped out not onely our sinnes but euery hand writing that might testifie that we were guiltie and endaungered vnto God Erasmus in his translation hath disordred and confounded the text set down by Paule while he thus placeth it Which was contrary to vs by decrees Therefore holde fast as it is true and naturall this reading which I haue set down He hath taken out of the way Hauing fastned it to his Crosse He sheweth the way whereby Christ hath rased the handwriting for as he fastned to his crosse our curse and malediction our sinnes and paynes also due to vs so hath he done in like maner that bondage of the Law what soeuer belongeth to the bynding of our consciences For being fastned to the crosse he toke all
one is neere ioined vnto vs in God so more neerelye ought we to embrace him with a peculiar loue True loue than will extende it selfe to all men vniuersally because euen all men are our flesh and are created after the Image of God but as concearning degrees it will begin at them that be of housholde the of fayth 5 For the hope layd vp for you in the heauens Neuer will the hope of eternall life bee idle in vs but will bring forth in vs loue For needes must it be that he who is certainly perswaded that the treasure of life is layde vp for him in heauen will sette naught by the world and will haue a longing thether The meditating vpon the heauenly life forceth oure affections both to serue God and to seeke after loue The sophisters abuse this testimonie or place to extoll the merits of workes as though the hope of saluation depended vpon works but their reason is friuolous For it followâ—th not that hope is therefore grouÌ„ded on workes because it pricketh vs vp to desire to liue well wheras nothing is more effectuous thervnto than the free goodnesse of God which bring al the confidence of works to naught But there is a Metâ—â—eâ—nya in the word hope because it is taken for the thing heâ—â—tofor For hope in our harts is the glory which wee hope for in heaueÌ„ But yet wheras he saith That we haue hope layde vp in heauen he meaneth that the faithfull ought to be as sure of the promise of euerlasting felicity as if they had already a treasure laide vp in a certaine and sure place Of whiche you haue heard before Because eternall saluation is a thing aboue the capacitie of our vnderstanding therefore hee addeth that the certaintie thereof was brought vnto the Colossians by the Gospell and withall he sheweth them aforehande that hee will bring no new thing but only that he meaneth this to confirme them in that doctrine which they haue already receaued Erasmus hath translated it thus the true word of the Goâ—pell Neither am I ignoraunt that after the maner of the Hebrewes the Genitiue case is often vsed in Paule in place of the Epithet or Adiectiue but here the wordes of Paule haue a greater Emphasis or force For in the toppe or highest degree he nameth the Gospell the word of truth for honoures sake whereby they might the more surely and firmelye abide in the reuelation taken from it And so the word Gospell is ioyned appositiuely 6 As also in the whole world it doth fructifie This auayleth as well to the confirmation as to the comfort of the godlye to see farre and wide the effect of the Gospell in gathering many vnto Christ In deede the fayth thereof dependeth not vppon the successe thereof so that therefore we should beleeue because many beleeue Although the whole worlde shrinke although heauen it selfe fall yet the conscience of a godly man ought not to wauer because God notwithstanding in whome the conscience is grounded abideth true But this letteth not but that our fayth may be helped as ofte as it seeth the power of God which doth so much the more mightily shew forth it selfe as the number is greater that is gayned vnto Christ Adde this too that in the multitude of the beleeuers at that time was seene the fulfilling of so many prophesies which stretch out the kingdome of God from the east to the West Is this a small matter or a vulgare and common helpe vnto fayth with the eyes to beholde fulfilled concearning the kingdome of Christ to be extended throughout all countreyes that whiche the Prophets long afore had foretold that which I say there is none of the faithfull but by experience doth fynde it himselfe Paule therefore with this sentence would more enbolden the Colossians that seing in all places the fruite and encreasing of the Gospell they mighte with the more ioyous zeale embrace it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which I haue traunslated is encreased is not reade in some copies yet because it was somewhat sit vnto the texte I woulde not omit it And it appeareth by the Commentaries of the olde Writers that this reading was alwayes more vsed From the daye that you heard and knew the grace A praise of their aptnesse in that they did by and by embrace wholsome doctrine a prayse of constancie in that they did abide in the same And properly is the faith of the Gospell called the knowledge of the grace of God because no man at any time hath tasted the Gospell but hee that knew himselfe reconciled vnto God and toke holde of saluation profered in Christ In the truth signifieth truely and without deceite for as afore he testified the Gospell to be the vndoubted truth so now he addeth that it was sincerely deliuered vnto them and that of Epaphras For whereas all doe boast of the Gospell but manye are euill Workemen by whose eyther ignoraunce or ambition or auarice the puritie therrof is corrupted very requisite it is to make a difference betweene faythful and trustie ministers and those that are naught Neither yet is it ynough to holde the name of the Gospell except we know that this is the true Gospell whiche is preached by Paule and Epaphras Wherefore Paule by giuing his voice confirmeth the doctrine of Epaphras to the end he may holde them in the same and by that meanes mighte call tham back froÌ„ varlets who went about to bring in strange doctrines And withal he setteth out Epaphras himselfe with a notable title whereby he may haue the more authoritie Finallye he maketh that he is the better beloued vnto the Colossians in that hee sayth hee testified vnto him their loue Paule in euerye place is diligent in this to make such as he knew faythfullye to serue Christ by his commendation to bee most deare vnto the Congregations as on the contrary side the ministers of Sathan are wholy occupied in this to alienate estrange by their sinister speeches the hartes of the simple from their faithful Pastours Loue in the spirite I take for spirituall loue as doeth Chrisostome vnto whome I consent not in that which wente before Finally spirituall loue is that which hath no respect to the world Is appointed to be directed by Godlinesse but it is consecrate to the guidaunce and disposition of godlynesse and hath as it were a roote within whereas carnall friendship dependeth of outward cause 9 We therefore also since the day we heard thereof cease not to pray for you and to desire that you maye be fulfilled with the knowledge of his will in all wisedome and spirituall prudence 10 That you may walke worthie of God into al obedieÌ„ce bringing forth fruite in euery good worke and encreasing in the knowledge of God 11 Strengthened with al strength according to the power of his glory into al long suffering and patience with ioy 9 We therefore also As afore in his gratulation he declared his loue towarde them so