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A50354 Epaphras, A sermon preached at Saint Austell in Cornwal, in commemoration of a benefactor, the second of February, 1639 by Ioseph May ... May, Joseph, b. 1584 or 5. 1641 (1641) Wing M1390; ESTC R15046 14,778 36

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Apostle Epaphras in those dayes was glorious among the Saints on earth Col. 1.8 but now is he glorious among the Saints in Heaven And so in remembrance of the man wee come to the matter of his commendation which is grounded on three severall foundations as they lye in order of the Text. First upon his love to his countrey who is one of you and for you Secondly upon his calling and office a servant of Christ Thirdly upon his labour and exercise of prayer not without respect to his calling and love to his countrey alwayes labouring for your fervently in prayers c. In which holy exercise of his there offer themselves to be considered the subject matter of his prayer and the severall circumstances thereof The subject matter of his prayer is that they may stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God The severall circumstances are these First the painefulnesse of his exercise in prayer expressed by labour and striving yea and that fervently It was not faint and easie cold and perfunctory but hot and fervent with labour and strivings for surely to labour fervently in prayer is a painefull and hot exercise this is amplifyed by his zeale for hee had a great zeale for them Secondly the continuance of his exercise in prayer Alwayes that is constantly and continually not intending every minute of every day but exercise of prayer every day As it was called a continuall burnt-offering which was offered but morning and evening every day Numb 28.4 compared with verse 6. So they may be said to pray alwayes and continually which morning and evening doe offer the spirituall sacrifice of prayer Thirdly the extense of his laborious prayers which are made not onely for the Colossians but also for them of Daodicea and Hierapolis other congregations where Epaphras had bestowed his labours to plant the grace of God in truth Thus much concerning the grounds of his commendation in generall Now with your leave and liking as I hope I shall a little more discourse upon those grounds of the Apostles commendation of Epaphras in their order whereof the first is the ground of his just commendation taken frō his love to his country who is one of you labouring for you and hath a zeale for you saith the Apostle Epaphras was a Colossian their owne countryman and townseman their countryman either by birth or by education or by habitation in which severall senses one may be said to bee a countryman or townsman Natus in Bethlehem educatus in Nazareth incola in Capernaum Theophilact as Christ was a Bethlemite a Nazarite and a Capernaite Lyra saith perhaps he was a Gentile by Nation and made Pauls Disciple Without perhaps Dionisius Carthusianus saith he was natione Colossensis Forte crat Gent. lis natione de partibus Colossensium Lyrain locum Dionysius Cart. in lbcum a countreyman of that place this agreeth with the text for he was one of them Marcus Aristarcus and Jesus called Justus they were Jewes of the circumcision vers 11. but Epaphras was their owne countryman and by that tye had a neerer relation unto them which causeth him more fully to expresse his love and affection toward them It was their glory that such a flower grew in their garden as Theophilact noteth upon the place much more for their consolation and comfort that they had such a faithfull Minister and such a beloved brother Nescio qua natale solum dulcedine cunctos Ducit immemores non sinit esse sui He is unnaturall that hath no better affection to his native soyle then to a forraine country Psal 137. By the rivers of Babylon we sate downe and wept when we remembred thee O Sion Hierusalem could not be forgotten rather the right hand should forget her cunning and the tongue cleave to the roofe of the mouth whom nature hath joyned together they cannot easily be put asunder This made Mordecai and Hester to intercede for their Countrymen at Ahasuerus Court Hester 4. As it was sayd of the couragious souldiers in Hectors army Enreliqui cives vestra virtute teguntur So it may be said of good men well affected to their Country that the endeavour and care of one man doth many times deliver a whole city from disolation Were the armed Spartans by Agesilaus accounted Moenia urbis wals of the city Certainely good men are Propugnacula acclesiae the defence of the Church like the Towen of David builded for an armory whereon hang a thousand Bucklers all shields of mighty men Can. 4.4 Sodome had beene delivered had there beene but a few righteous men in that place to have interceded for the rest for good men borne and abiding in a towne or countrey are termed Auxiliatores ab ipsa natura suppeditati Plutarch helps ordained by nature for that purpose Therefore what some one may prize too much as Lots Wife did her delightfull Sodome one cannot choose but look back upon to wit his owne country the sympathy of native affection is not easily wiped off as it appeareth by Moses into whose heart it came to visit his brethren the Children of Israell As 7.23 after 40. yeares spent in Pharaohs Court O patriae natalis amor Sic allicis omnes O quantum dulcoris habes Such was the love of Epaphras to the Colossians the first ground of his commendation The second ground of his worthy commendations is that he was a servant of Christ and so generally is every beleeving Christian bought and redeemed from the bondage of sinne and Satan to serve and obey God in righteousnesse and true holinesse Rom. 6.18 For such as are made free from sinne doe become the servants of God and therefore being delivered from our enemies wee must serve him without feare in righteousnesse and holinesse all the dayes of our life and hereby such as love the Lord Iesus in sincerity are called and accounted as our Saviour Christ was his righteous servants Esay 53.11 or rather by this service they have obtained a greater honour then to be called servants Rem 12.1 for we are no more his servants but his sonnes Gal. 4.7 Because we doe and performe that reasonable service which belongeth rather unto sons then servants Such servants were Abraham Isaac and Jacob Job Noah and Daniel and such are all those that desire to glorifie God by doing his will with fervency of spirit serving the Lord. Rom. 12.11 These are they which are numbred of the Tribes of Isreal Revel 7. one hundred forty and four thousands and of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues a great multitude which no man could number and are called the servants of our God who are said to bee sealed in their foreheads in that they doe openly professe Christ and embrace the truth and make profession thereof with courage and constancy making an open shew of their faith Revel 14.1 because the Name of the Lamb of
a perfect man in his generation the mandate to Abraham is to all the children of Abraham Gen. 17.1 Walke before me and be thou perfect for not onely the man of God in his holyfunction but also the servant of God in his holy conversation must bee perfect to every good work 2 Tim. 3.16 And for that the chiefest grace and vertue of this life consisteth in love the Apostle calleth love vinculum perfectionis the bond of perfection Colos 3.14 And wise Solomon in the Canticles speaking mystically of the graces proper to the Church of Christ saith vna est columba mea Cant. 6.8 perfecta mea Which our translation rendreth my Dove mine undefiled is one uniting love and perfection in every good Christian This perfection is first in the heart there rooted thence spreadeth unto the tongue the hands It is first in the minde and the affection and thence proceedeth into words and workes by a sanctified operation for such a perfection is required First wee must serve God with a perfect heart as the good King Ezechiah did 2 King 20.3 and as David commanded his sonne Solomon to doe 1 Chion 28 9. And then with our tongues it any man offend not in word the same is a perfect man And for our hands James 3 2. they are to be made perfect unto every good work Phil. 3.14 15. By this meanes pressing hard toward the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus Let us therefore as many as bee perfect and would be really perfect bee thus minded For this perfection and fulnesse laboured Epaphras on the behalfe of his Countreymen the Colossions in his prayers and farther limits this perfection and fulnesse with the will of God For his labour for them in prayers is that they may stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God where his will is to be understood not for his Essentiall Attribute which is the councell of his will Voluntas Volitio Volitum Ephes 1.11 for that is hidden from us nor for his will bringing to passe what he hath decreed for so his judgements are unsearchable and his wayes past finding out Rom. 11.33 And who hath refisted his will Rom. 9.19 but for the object of his will which is revealed and made manifest by the word taught and preacht This is the will of God required to be done of us in which will we must shew our obedience Psal 40.7 8. In the volume of the booke saith David it is written that I delight to doe thy will O my God! which is Prophetically spoken of Christ Allegorically of every good Christian whose duty it is to be a follower of Iesus Christ 2 Cor. 11.1 For it is just and requisite for such as know the will of God should approve the things that are more excellent as instructed out of the volume of his booke Rom. 2.18 Luke 6.46 Mat. 7.21 Why should we call him Lord and Master if we doe not the things that hee saith It is not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven saith our Saviour Christ It is required that we be transformed by the renewing of our mindes that we may prove and by our obedience approve Rom. 12.2 what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God It must must be unto us as it was unto Christ meat to doe the will of God and to finish his worke Ioh. 4.34 Mens thoughts ought especially to pitch on three things concerning the will of God First what he will doe with us Secondly what hee will doe for us And thirdly what hee will have us to doe If we doe what hee will have us to doe then will he make us vessels of mercie this will he doe with us and he will blesse us here and hereafter this hee will doe for us The summe of our obedience to the will of God in doing what he will have us to doe is First Acts 17.10 John 3.16 1 Thess 4.3 to repent seriously Secondly to believe in Christ constantly Thirdly to lead a holy life continually It is the will of God that wee recover our selves out of the snares of the Divell 2 Tim. 2.26 and turne from sinne unto God and so make our selves new creatures that wee may believe in Iesus Christ by faith appprehending him to bee our Priest to offer sacrifice for us our Prophet to teach and our King to rule and governe us and that we become holy as he is holy eschewing evill and doing good 1 Pet. 1.16 separating our selves from wickednesse and wicked company dedicating our selves and labours to God and godlinesse walking circumspectly ever learning and practising piety devotion and heavenly mindednesse cleansing our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit and perfecting holinesse in the feare of God 2 Cor. 7.1 forsaking our owne weake and corrupt wills and applying our selves wholly to the will of God which calleth us to repentance and newnesse of life For if God bee our Father what Christ applied to the Scribes and Pharisees to another purpose is most true of us The workes of your Father yee will doe To doe his workes and obey his will John ● 44 confirmeth the spirituall kindred farre more noble and excellent then the carnall betwixt Christ and us for whosoever shall doe the will of his father which is in heaven Mat. 12 ●0 he is his brother and fister and mother Luke ● 21 and his mother and brethren are those which heare the word of God and doe it Where the word of God and the will of God are one and of one signification that no man might bee to seeke where to learne or how to know the will of God Wilson There need no rules of Philosophy no decrees of Popes no traditions of the Church for the salvation of mens soules or the ordering of mens lives 2 Tim. 3.16.17 the Scripture alone which is a most absolute witnesse of Gods will is sufficient to make the man of God perfect There is the rule and Canon of obedience to the will of God because all doctrines necessary thereunto are in the Scriptures fully declared and expressed For when Moses had told the people the words of the Lord and had taken the Booke of the Covenant and read it in the audience of the people they said All that the Lord hath said we will doe and be obedient Exod. 24.7 And our Apostle thanketh God for the Romans that they had obeyed from the heart that forme of doctrine which was delivered them Rom. 6.17 For to obey is better then sacrifice 1 Sam. 15.22 because he that sacrificeth doth but slay a beast but he that obeyeth doth slay himselfe in his owne corrupt will and naturally depraved affections Now then Epaphras in the subject matter of