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that ought by no means to flacken your Endeavours. A.D. 62. God has it referved *, and laid up in Store for you; and

you are fure to enjoy it.

4 When Chrift who is our life fhall appear, then shall ye alfo appear with him in glory.

fhall (hine out with piness.

5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleannefs, inordinate affection, evil concupifcence, and coveteoufnefs, which is idola

try:

6 For which things fake, the wrath of God cometh on the

children of disobedience +.

7 In the which ye alfo walked fometime, when ye lived in them. verfed among the World.

8 But now you also put off all these, anger, wrath, malice, blaf phemy, filthy communication out of your

mouth.

4. For the prefent Life is a State of Trial and Duty; the Season for your compleat Reward is at the great Appearance of Chrift to Judgment, when all fincere and good Chriftians Him, in perfect Splendor and Hap

5. In order therefore, to qualify
you
for this Glory, you must be
careful to fubdue the Habits of all
thofe carnal Vices you were fo ad-
dicted to in your Heathen State; all
thofe luftful Paffions and + impure
Practices, you fo freely indulged, in
your Course of Idolatrous Religion.

6. Such Enormities as these all
along have, and do ftill, bring down
the heavy Wrath of God upon the
wicked and unreformed Part of Man-
kind.

7. And you Gentile Chriftians, of Coloffe well know, how fad a Share you have formerly had in the Practice of them, when you conheathenifh and wicked Part of the

8. But now you are converted to the pure and fpiritual Religion of the Gofpel, you must utterly renounce them; and, in like manner, you must carefully reform that Temper of furious Anger, and bitter Revenge,

Ver. 3. Hid, xxpula. ibid. with Chrift in God. + Πλεονεξία, Ephef. iv. 19.

Hid as Treasures are faid to be kid.
Compare John x. 28-30.

V. 5.

Er os, Among which Children of Disobedience.

A.D. 62. venge, with all thofe reproachful || Words and filthy Expreffions that flow from it.

9 Lye not one to
another, seeing that ye
have put off the old

man with his deeds.
10 And have put on
the new man,
which

9 & 10. With the fame Care must you for fake that wicked Custom of lying to, and deceiving each other in your Dealings and Expreffions. Which is a particular Inftance of that former Course of Life, you are engaged by your Baptifm to renounce, in order to live up to those Rules of the Gospel that will reduce you to a bleffed Refemblance of God, after whofe Image you were at first created, and of Chrift, who has reformed you to a new and happy Life.

is renewed in know
ledge, after the image
of him that created
him.

11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcifion nor uncircumcifion, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Chrift

11. In the Profeffion of whofe Religion, God now makes no difference between Jew and Gentile ; it matters not of what Country or Parentage any Man be, whether he be Circumcifed, or not, a free Man or a Slave; 'tis fufficient for his Pardon and Salvation, that he becomes a Chriftian, and lives up to the Precepts and Faith of the Gospel.

is all in all.

12 Put on therefore (as the elect of God, holy and beloved) bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meeknefs, long fuffering:

12. Wherefore, being thus made Members of the true Church of God, make it your principal Endeavour to be Mafters of those Graces and virtuous Difpofitions, that become Perfons fo highly privileged; fuch as Mercifulness, Kindnefs, Humility, Meeknefs, and patient Forbearance. 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Chrift forgave you, fo alfo do ye.

13. In all Debates of Right, between Man and Man, let the Example of Chrift, who forgave us all, excite you to bear with the Infirmities, and to forgive the Injuries of each other.

14. Let

Η Διχρολογίαν.

14 And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

14. Let Charity, which confifts A.D. 62, in a tender Regard for the Good and Welfare of others, and which is the Sum of all the Duties of the Second Table, the very Bond of all perfect Union and happy Society, be your principal Virtue, and become habitual to you.

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are call

ed in one body: and

is. Let that perfect Spirit of Peace, by which God intends to cement you all into one Christian Society, be the Rule and Umpire to decide all Controverfies amongst you and, inftead of envying one another, look all up with a thankful Heart to Him, for his univerfal Mercies toward you, in reftoring you all, both Jews and Gentiles, to Peace and Reconciliation with Him:

be ye thankful.

16 Let the word of

Chrift dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admo. nishing one another in pfalms, and hymns, and fpiritual fongs, finging with grace in your hearts to the Lord *:

16. Let the Doctrine of the Gofpel be carefully ftudied, and freely communicated; let Chrift be the frequent Subject of your Converfation with one another; that God may, daily beftow on you more and more of the Spirit of Wisdom, and the true Knowledge of his Word; which will enable you in your Chriftian Affemblies, or in your private Families, moft decently and religioufly to fing his Praises, in fpiritual Pfalms and divine Hymns; inftead of thofe lewd and prophane Songs with which you were formerly wont to celebrate your Idolatrous Festivals.

17 And whatfoe. ver ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Je fus, giving thanks to God and the Father. by him.

17. In fine, in all your Words and Actions, whether in publick or private, have a careful and confcientious Regard to the Authority and Limits of your Chriftian Duty; ofCommands of Chrift, and the juft fering up all your Prayers and devout

ἐν

Praises

*Ver. 16. Singing with grace, in xάpirt, with or by the (fpiritual) Gift, Ephef. v. 19. James v. 13.

A. D.62. Praifes to God the Father, through his Mediation, and for

his fake.

18 Wives, fubmit yourselves unto your own Husbands, as it

is fit in the Lord.

18 & 19. Let none of your Chriftian Privileges, nor any Differences in religious Opinions, make any Perfon think himfelf exempt from the 19 Husbands, love your Wives, and be not perfect Performance of Relative and bitter against them. Civil Duties. Let the Wife pay all due Submiffion to the Hufband, and the Hufband use all loving and tender Carriage to the Wife; whether they be both of the fame Chriftian *Sertiments, or not.

20 Children, obey your Parents in all things, for this is wellpleafing unto the Lord. 21 Fathers, provoke not your children to Anger, left they be discouraged.

20 & 21. Let Children, and all young People obey their Parents, in every lawful thing, as an effential Duty of Chriftianity. And let all Chriftian Parents be especially careful that, by no fevere Ufage, they discourage their Children, either from paying juft Obedience to themselves, or from embracing the Chriftian Religion, by the BadSee Epb. nefs of their Temper or Example . 22 Servants, obey in all things your mafters according to the flesh not with eyefervice, as men-pleafers, but in fingleness of heart, fearing God:

vi. 4.

23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and

not unto men :

24 Knowing, that of the Lord ye fhall receive the reward of the inheritance: forye ferve the Lord Chrift. 25 But

22. Let fuch Christians as are Slaves to Heathen Masters, ferve them chearfully and fincerely from a religious Principle; carefully discharging their Duty, and feeking their Intereft, as well out of their Sight, as while they are under their Inspection.

23 & 24. Remembring that a laborious and faithful Service to an Earthly Mafter is in effect to ferve Chrift our Great Lord, whofe Providence put you into that Condition, and who will not fail to reward your patient Submission to it, with an Inheritance of eternal Life.

25. And

4. for St. Paul's full Meaning

* See Pref. to the Ephefians,
in this and the following relative Duties,

25 But he that doth wrong fhall receive for the wrong which he hath done and there is no refpect of perfons.

:

25. And let both Mafter and Ser- A. D. 62.
vant confider, that which-ever of
them does Wrong to the other, shall
be juftly and proportionably punish-
ed for it another Day, by him who
can have no partial Regards to any

Man upon account of his external Circumftance in this
World.

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The first Verfe concludes the Exhortations of the latter Part of the foregoing Chapter, and ought to have been joined to it. Then he exhorts them to conftant Prayer for themfelves, and for Him their Gentile Apoftle; to Difcretion in their Behaviour toward Infidels, and to Prudence in their Words and Expreffions to all Men. Salutations to and from feveral Chriftians. Orders this Epiftle to be read to the Laodiceans, and theirs to be read by the Coloffians. A Warning to Archippus. His own Salutation, and Conclufion.

M

Afters, give unto your fervants that which is just and equal, knowing that

ye

also have a Master in heaven *.

1.

A

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Cap. iii.

ND as Chriftian Slaves are obliged to be fincerely 22, &c. obfervant to even their Heathen Mafters; fo let all Chriftian Masters be just, and kind toward their Servants or Slaves, be they of what religious Principles foever; remembring, they themselves have a heavenly Lord, that will reward and punish their Behaviour as impartially as he will do that of the meanest Servant.

I 2

2. AND

*Note, This firft Verfe does fo evidently belong to, and conclude the foregoing Chapter, that it is amazing it fhould here be put at the Beginning of a Chapter, which enters upon a quite different Argument.

See Pref. to the Ephefians, $4.

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