for Chrift.

St. Paul exhorts them to continue in Prayer,

ye ferve the Lord Mafters may value themfelves upon,,

25 But he that doeth

Wrong, fhall receive for other Hand, h

the Wrong which he hath done: and there is no Refpect of Perfons.

I Mafters, give unto your Servants that which is juft and equal, knowing that ye alfo have a Mafter in

Heaven.

333

but Sect.

7.

what is infinitely more important, the Pof-
feffion of an eternal Inheritance above. For Col. III. 24.
ye herein ferve the Lord Chrift, whofe Re-
wards are according to his own Majefty,
Grace and Power, and not according to the
Meannefs of our Deferts. And on the 25
that is injurious to any, in
one Relation of Life or another, fhall receive
according to the Injury that he hath done, and
there is no Refpect of Perfons with GoD.
Nor fhall a Chriftian Servant be excufed,
because it is an Heathen Mafter he hath
injured.

On the fame Principles, ye Mafters are Ch. IV. 1. to be exhorted and charged, that ye render unto [your] Servants Justice and Equity; even to those who are most entirely in your Power, and who have no human Appeal left, whatever Wrongs they may receive : knowing that ye alfo have a Master in the Heavens, to whom you muft give an Account, whofe Power is irrefiftible, and who feeing, as he does, the whole of your Conduct, will another Day bring you unto Judgment for every Relation you have fuftained, and will not forget your Treatment of your very Slaves. And that on the whole, all 2 thefe different Duties may be well difcharged, and all thefe Relations in Life properly filled up, perfevere in fervent and earnest Prayer to GOD, watching against Negligence: and Indolence in it, and endeavouring to keep up your Hearts and your Hopés, with a Mixture of Thanksgiving for thofe Mercies, which you have already received in Anfwer to former Petitions, or in which GOD has prevented you with the Bleffings of his Goodnefs. And thefe are fo various and fo important, that in whatever Circumstances you are, you will neceffarily have Caufe for 3 Withal, praying alfo Praife. At the fame Time alfo, in a par- 3

2 Continue in Prayer, and watch in the fame with Thanksgiving;

for

ticular

334

Sect. 7.

Col.
Col. IV.

3.

us a Door of

to speak the

And fo walk in Wisdom towards thofe without. ticular Manner be praying for us (a), that for us, that GOD would GOD may open to us a Door of Utterance, open unto Utterance, (compare 1 Cor. xvi. 9.) that I may have an Mystery of Chrift, for which Opportunity to speak of the Gofpel in general, I am alfo in Bonds: and the Right of the believing Gentiles to all its Privileges, even the Mystery of Christ, for which alfo I am in Bonds; Bonds, then moft grievous to me, when they prove an Obftruction to that great Bufinefs and Joy of my Life, the Propagation of that facred Scheme and Syftem of Truths, in which the Glory of GoD, and the Happiness of 4 Men is fo highly concerned. And pray, that when thefe Restraints fhall be taken off, I may make it manifeft, as I ought to speak; and may never be fo terrified by the most formidable Enemies or Dangers, as in any Degree to fupprefs it.

your

As for yourselves, walk in Wisdom towards them that are without the Pale of the Church, Heathen Neighbours, and particularly your Magiftrates; doing nothing to difgrace Religion in their Eyes, or unneceffarily to exafperate them against you; redeeming the Time; endeavouring to employ it as ufefully as you can, and to protract your Period of Service as long as may be, by prudently declining any Dangers, to which Duty does not require you to expofe yourselves.

Let your Speech [be] always with Grace (b), conducted in the most mild and courteous, the most proper and graceful Manner; fo that it may appear influenced by a governing Principle of Divine Grace and unfeigned Piety in your Hearts. Let it in this refpect be fo feafoned with the Salt of heavenly Wif

dom,

4 That I may make it manifeft, as I ought to fpeak.

5 Walk in Wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the Time.

(a) Praying for us.] Dr. Whitby justly obferves, that it is very remarkable, that Paul, who fo often and fo earneftly intreats the Interceffion of his Chriftian Friends, fhould never fpeak of the Interceffion of the Virgin Mary, or of departed Saints, or Angels, if he believed it a Duty to feek it.

(b) Always with Grace.] Dr. Scott thinks that the Phrafe xapil fignifies chearful and agreeable, not whining and melancholy. Scott's Chriftian Life, Vol. i. pag. 285. I have included this in the Paraphrafe, but cannot apprehend it was chiefly defigned.

Reflections on the Importance of Relative Duties.

how ye ought to anfwer dom, as may render it favoury and edifying.
every Man.
In this View, reflect upon Things and Cir-
cumstances before you fpeak, that you may
not utter any Thing which would be rath
and foolish, but may know how you ought to
answer every one, who may queftion you
about your Religion and your Conduct, in a
Manner that may moft effectually tend to
your own Security, and to the Edification of
others. Compare 1 Pet. iii. 15..

HOW

IMPROVEMENT.

Col. IV. 6.

18-24.

OW happy will particular Perfons, Families, and larger So- Chap. III. cieties be, if thefe Apoftolick Maxims be carefully purfued! While Wives are fubmiffive to their Husbands, and Hufbands affectio nate to their Wives; Children obedient to their Parents, and Parents tenderly careful of their Children; Servants revering the Commands of their Mafters, and confcientiously and conftantly attending to their Interefts; and Mafters concerned to maintain all Equity in their Behaviour to thofe of their Servants, who are moft entirely in their Ch. IV. 1. Power; remembering on all Sides the Account to be given to the fupreme Mafter in Heaven, and humbly looking for the Reward of Ch. III. 24 the Inheritance.

To engage a steady and uniform Care in all these various Duties, and to make us truly good in every Relation of Life, let us be daily drawing down Grace from GOD, by continuing inftant in Prayer; Ch. IV. 2. and as our Spirits are fo ready to grow cold and indifferent in it, let us watch thereunto, left by infenfible Degrees we grow remifs in the Performance, and from that Remiffness come entirely or frequently to neglect it.

Let every Mercy we receive from GoD awaken our Thankfulnefs, and animate our Devotion; and let us not forget in our Prayers the Minifters of Chrift; but afk for them thofe Afiftances from on Ver. 3, 4. high, which may enable them to open their Mouth boldly, in declaring that mysterious and important Doctrine, with which they are charged, and on which the Salvation of immortal Souls depends.

To enforce their Labours as much as poffible, let us add the Influence of a regular and amiable Behaviour, conducting ourselves with Wisdom towards all, and particularly thofe who are Strangers to Religion; and redeeming Time, as thofe that know its infinite Impor- Ver. 5

tance,

336

Sect. 7.

Ver. 6.

St. Paul refers them to Tychicus for an Account of himself. tance, because they fee Eternity connected with it. And that we may not, as is fo frequent, lofe the Time we spend in Converfation, let us feck more of the Salt of Divine Grace in our Hearts, to correct their innate Corruption, and learn the happy Art of improving Discourse well, and of anfwering others in fuch a Manner, that, without dictating to them, we may gently lead them to the most ufeful Reflections, and make our Lips, like thofe of the Righteous, a Fountain of Life unto them. (Prov. X. 11.)

SECT. VIII.

The Apoftle concludes his Epiftle to the Coloffians, with recommending Tychicus and Onefimus to them, and inferts various Salutations, and a folemn Admonition to Archippus. Col. IV. 7, to the End.

T

IT

COL. IV. 7.

ALL my State shall Ty

chicus declare unto you,

who is a beloved Brother, and a faithful Minifter, and

Fellow-fervant in the Lord:

. Sect. 8.. is now Time that I fhould draw to-
wards the Clofe of this Epiftle, which I
Col. IV. 7. will not enlarge by infifting particularly on the
Things which relate to myself: For Tychicus (a),
a beloved Brother, and a faithful Deacon of
your Church, and Fellow-fervant with me
in the delightful Work of our common Lord,
will make them known to you by Word of
Mouth, in a more particular Manner, than
I can now conveniently write of them.
8 To him I entrust this Epiftle, and to him I
refer you for an Account of my prefent Situ-
ation, whom I have now fent to you for this very
Purpofe, that he may know your Affairs, and
when he returns to me again, (as I hope y

8 Whom I have fent un

to you for the fame Purpofe, that he might know A6

her

(a) Tychicus.] From comparing this Verfe with Eph. vi. 21, 22. where Tychicus is mentioned as fent by Paul from Rome to Ephefus, a City not very far from Calaffe, it may, I think, (as has been already obferved in the Introduction to this Epistle, and in that to the Ephefians) be very probably inferred, that these two Epiftles, which contain many Paffages very nearly refembling one another, were written about the fame Time, and might be fent together.

(b) One

He inferts Salutations from his Friends at Rome.

337

your Eftate, and comfort he quickly will), I may know them alfo; Sect. 8.

your Hearts:

10 Ariftarchus my Fellow-prifoner faluteth you,

and Marcus Sifters Son to

ye

Barnabas (touching whom received Commandments; if he come unto you, receive him.)

and that he in the mean Time may comfort

your Hearts by his Christian Counfels and Col. IV. 8. Exhortations, as well as by the Information

he

may bring you of what has paffed here,
and of the State of the Churches around,
fo far as I have been made acquainted with
it. And with him comes Onefimus (b), a 9
faithful and beloved Brother, who is [one] of
you, and has refided at Rome fome Time.
They will be able more particularly to inform
you of the State of Things here.

ΙΟ

Ariftarchus, once my Companion and 10
Fellow-Labourer at Ephesus, (Âcts xix. 29.)
and now my Fellow-Captive for the Sake of
the Gospel, falutes you in the Lord; and John
Mark, who is Sifter's Son to that great and
excellent Apostle Barnabas, concerning whom
ye bave formerly received Inftructions: He
will quickly leave these Parts; I defire there-
fore, that, if he comes to you, ye would receive
bim with all Respect and Affection, as he
is one, who, whatever Misunderstanding
there might once have been between us, is
entitled to my fincereft Efteem (c). (Com-
pare Acts xv. 38.) And I am alfo to fend II
you the Salutation of Jefus, who is called Juf-
tus (d), and well deferves the Name, on Ac-
unto count of his ftrict and approved Integrity.
These whom I have named last, are the only

II And Jefus, which is called Juftus, who are of the Circumcision. These

only are my Fellow-workers

Per

(b) Onefimus.] This Verfe makes it probable, that this Epiftle, if it was not written, was at leaft delivered after that to Philemon, and that the admirable Letter to him produced its defired Effect. See the Introduction to the Ephefians, pag. 114.

(c) My fincereft Efteem.] That notwithstanding the Breach, mentioned in the Text referred to, there had been an entire Reconcilation between Paul and Mark, farther appears from 2 Tim. iv. 11. and Philem. ver. 24.

(d) Fefus, who is called fuftus.] Mr. Fleming thinks that good Man changed his Name from a Principle of Confcience, as questioning at least whether it was lawful to wear, that which had been divinely appropriated to the great Saviour; which feems to have been his own Opinion. Flem. Chriftolog. Vol. iii. pag. 604. But I can scarce think he would have exchanged it for that of Juftus, which rather feems to be an additional Name, which the Refpect of his Friends had bestowed upon him.

VOL. V.

U u

(e) Luke