328

The Peace of GOD should rule in their Hearts, Sect. 6. And above all thefe Things, [put on] Love, 14 And above all thefe which is indeed the very Bond of all Perfec- which is the Bond of PerThings, put on Charity,

Col. III. 14. tion, and which will keep your Minds ftedfaft, and establish that Confiftency of Sentiments and Behaviour, which is fo honourable in the Chriftian Character, and tends 15 fo much to its Security. And let the Peace of GOD always prefide, as the great Umpire, in your Hearts (d), even that placid and benign Temper, which fo naturally refults from a Senfe of your Reconciliation to God. This is the bleffed State and Dif

T

• GOD. into which you allo are called

by

the Gofpel, being happily united in one Bo-
dy: And be ye thankful for thofe Privileges
which refult from it, whatever Affliction
may for the prefent be allotted to you.
16 And let the Word of Chrift, the Gospel which
you
have received, dwell in you richly in all
Wisdom; lay it up in your
your Hearts, meditate
upon it continually, and endeavour wifely to
improve it to the beft Purpose. And in this
View, be often teaching one another the
Doctrines of Chriftianity; and admonishing
one another concerning the Duties of it; and
let thefe Seafons, whether of publick Wor-
fhip, or private Conference, be in a proper
Manner diverfified with the Ufe of David's
Pfalms, and other evangelical Hymns and
Spiritual Songs (e), which under the Influ-

dences

fectness.

15 And let the Peace of GOD rule in your Hearts, to the which alfo ye are

called in one Body; and be ye thankful.

(d) Let the Peace of GOD prefide in your Hearts.] The original Word, which we render prefide, is Spacevel. Let it fill your Hearts, fays Pafor, with fuch a Joy, as Victors have when they receive To Spasov, the Prize, in the Olympick Games. I rather think it fignifies, let it prefide in your Minds, as the Mafter of the Games does in those Solemnities. And as this is the Senfe, in which I long ago apprehended the Word was to be taken, it is a great Satisfaction to me to find this Interpretation confirmed by the Authority of fo great a Critick as Beza.

(e) Pfalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs.] Calvin thinks all thefe Words refer to David's poetical Pieces, as fome of, them are called D, Mixmarim, Pfalms attended with Inftruments, fome Dn, Tehillim, which he thinks were, Prayers Be nerally fung, and others, Shurim, Songs, containing not only proper immediate Acts of Devotion addreffed to GOD, but also moral and religious Inftructions. But I fee not the Authority of this Interpretation, and think it much more reasonable

and

to

And all Things should be done in the Name of Christ. with Grace in your Hearts

to the Lord.

17 And whatfoever 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

329

ences of the Spirit ye may be enabled to Sect. 6.
compofe. For it will be both pleasant and
profitable to be frequently employed in fing- Col. III. 16..
ing fuch Pieces of facred Poetry, and Mu-
fick, provided it be not merely the Language
of the Lip, or the Exercife of the Voice, but be
likewife attended with the Exercise of Grace
in your Heart; which furely it will be, if
we rightly confider that they are addressed
to the Lord, to whom every Sentiment of
the Heart is known, and to whom nothing
can be acceptable, which is not attended.
with cordial Devotion. And upon this
great Principle you may take it as a general
Rule, that whatsoever ye do in Word, or in
Deed, in all your Difcourfes, and in all
Actions, you [do] all Things in the Name of
the Lord Jefus Chrift; all to the Purposes of
his Glory, and all in humble Dependence-
upon him, both for the Communication of
fpiritual Strength, and for your Acceptance
with GOD. And while you have fo dear
and acceptable a Name to ufe, in your Ap-
proaches to the Divine Majefty, rejoice in
this ineftimable Privilege; perform the Du-
ties incumbent upon you with Pleasure, and
be continually giving Thanks to GOD, even
the Father through him, who will graciously
recommend, by his prevailing Interceffion,
your Prayers and Praifes, as well as your
other Services, to the divine Regard.

your

IMPROVE

to believe, that by Hymns and fpiritual Songs, he means fuch poetical Composures, as under the Influence of the Spirit were written or uttered. For it would be very abfurd to fuppofe, that when there was fuch a Gift in the Church, as we are fure there was, (compare 1 Cor. xiv. 15, 26.) they fhould be confined to the Words of David, in all their Devotions of this Kind. And it would certainly be as reasonable for us in thefe later Ages, to explode all Kind of Prayers in publick, but Liturgies collected from the Words of Scripture, as all Sacred Songs in divine Worthip, but literal Tranflations from what is called the Book of Pfalms. Numberlefs Paffages of the old and new Tef tament are equally capable of furnishing us with facred Anthems,

330 Reflections on the Obligation of Chriftians to Holiness.

Sect. 6.

Ver. 5, 6.

Ver. 8, 9.

Ver. 10.

Ver. 11.

Ver. 12.

Ver. 13.

L

IMPROVEMENT.

ET Chriftians folemnly charge upon themselves an Abftinence from thofe Vices, which bring the Wrath of GOD upon Heathens ; and though it should be like wounding or cutting off our Members, let us put on an holy Refolution to mortify them, and not content with refraining from all Degrees of Pollution, Falsehood, and Malignity of Heart, let us be more folicitous to put on the new Man, which is the Creation of GOD in the Soul, and which bears his amiable Image. Whatever our Nation or Rank, our Education, or our Circumstances in Life may be, let this be our Concern, that we may be in Chrift, and Chrift in us, for on that depends our everlafting all. Happy the moft untaught Savage, and the most oppreffed Slave, who is thus related to the incarnate Wisdom of GOD, and the great Lord of all, infinitely beyond the politeft Greek, the most ceremonious Jew, the freeft Subject, or the moft defpotick Prince, who is a Stranger to fuch a Bleffing!

If we have any Reafon to hope, that we are the Elect of GOD, boly and beloved by him, let this charm us to entertain the most beneficent Sentiments and Views with Regard to our Fellow-Creatures, and teach us to put on Bowels of Mercy, Gentleness, Humility, Meeknefs and Long-fuffering. Let the Grace of Chrift in freely forgiving us, teach us to rejoice in Opportunities of imitating it. Do we defire to feel the Peace of GOD prefiding in us, let us exercife Charity, Ver. 14, 15. the Bond of Perfectness, and let us ftudy to be more and more thankful, in whatever Station we are placed; obferving attentively its advantageous Circumftances, reflecting efpecially how much worfe Things might have been, and how unworthy we ourselves are of any Diftinction, which God may be pleafed to make in our Fa

Ver. 16.

Ver. 17.

vour.

We have efpecially great Reafon moft thankfully to acknowledge the divine Goodness, in providing us with fo many religious Advantages, and particularly with those that relate to the most decent and edifying Performance of the Duty of Pfalmody. To furnish us for a right Discharge of it, let us carefully treafure up the Word of Chrift in our Minds, and let us be ever more folicitous to preferve the Melody of the Heart, than that of the Voice. In this and in every other Service, let all be done in the Name of Chrift, and then we may humbly hope that all fhall be accepted through him. And if that prevailing Name do not recommend us to Acceptance, the

5

Divine

Duties of Husbands and Wives.

331

Divine Purity will find something in every one of them, which will Sect. 6. justify God, not only in rejecting them, but in condemning us.

SECT. VII.

The Apostle recommends to the Coloffians a Care in per-
forming the Duties, that answered to the feveral Rela-.
lations of Life, in which they flood, whether they were
Wives or Husbands, Children or Parents, Servants or
Mafters. Col. III. 18, to the End. IV. 1,---6.

COL. III. 18.

WIVES, fubmit your

felves unto your own Hufbands, as it is fit in the Lord.

19 Hufbands, love your Wives, and be not bitter against them.

20 Children, obey your
Parents

COL. III. 18.

ET me now remind you, as I frequent- Sect. 7. ly do my other Christian Friends, both

Lly do

in my Sermons and Epiftles, of how great Col. III. 18.
Importance it is, to endeavour after such a
Temper and Behaviour, in respect to the re-
lative Duties of Life, as may adorn a Christian
Profeffion. And be particularly exhorted, ye
Wives, that ye be fubject to your own Huf-
bands, though they should be Jews or Hea-
thens, as it is becoming in the Lord: For a
modeft, respectful, obedient Behaviour in
this most, endearing Relation, will make
your Characters appear beautiful, and so far
gain upon those of them who are Strangers
to Chriftianity, as to give them a good Õpi-
nion of it upon that Account.
And on 19
the other Hand, ye Hufbands, be exhorted
tenderly to love [your] Wives, and be not fe-
vere and bitter against them, as too many in
the World are, who become domestick Ty-
rants, and quarrel with their Wives upon
every trifling Occafion; thus overbearing
thofe whom they should rather guard and
comfort, breaking their tender Spirits, and
perhaps fhortening their Days.

Children, fee to it that ye be obedient to
[your

Tt2

20

332

Duties of Parents and Children, Mafters and Servants. Sect. 7. [your own] Parents, in all lawful Things; Parents in all Things: for this is well-pleafing unto for this is well-pleafing to the Lord Jefus the Lord. Col. III. 20. Chrift himself, who, when he condefcended to dwell in human Flesh, was a conftant Example of filial Piety, not only to his real Mother, but to him who was only his fup21 pofed Father. (Luke xi. 51.) And ye Fathers, fee to it, that you do not fo abufe the Superiority of the Relation, as by a per-, verfe and exceffively fevere Conduct to provoke your Children [to Wrath], left they be dif couraged from attempting to please you, when it shall seem to be an impoffible Tafk and be rendered unfit to pass through the World with

22

.

I have been foVantage, when their Spirits

unreasonably broken under
an oppreffive Yoke, in the earliest Years of
Life.

Ye Servants, be fubject in all Things, fo
far as Duty will permit, to [them that are],
with refpect to the Flesh, [your] Mafters, and
whofe Property divine Providence has fuf-
fered you to become :
: Obey their Com-
mands, and take Care of their Intereft, not
merely with Eye-fervice, as thofe who are
folicitous only to be Men-pleafers, but as in
the Simplicity of your Heart fearing GOD,
and therefore for his Sake attending to the
Offices of that humble Station, he has been
pleafed to affign you; as thofe who remem-
ber, that his Authority enforces that of your
23 earthly Masters: And what foever Work ye
are employed in, pursue it heartily and dili-
gently, as therein paying a Tribute of Love
and Duty to the Lord Jefus Chrift himself,
24 and not to Men alone. Knowing that in
this Cafe, your Diligence in.
your fecular
Calling fhall be accepted, with Regard to the
Principle from whence it proceeds, and that
you shall receive from the Lord Jefus Christ
the gracious Recompence; not indeed an
Eftate in this World, like that which your

Masters.

22 Servants, obey in all

Things your Mafters according to the Flesh; not with Eye-fervice, as Menpleafers, but in Singleness of Heart, fearing GOD:

23 And whatfoever 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:

for