Chapter V: AUTOGRAPH CONCLUSION.--1. The Judaisers' motive (ch. vi. 12, 13) (29)

Ver. 7. +As ye learned of Epaphras.+--Short for Epaphroditus, but not he of Phil. ii. 25. He is one of the Colossians; beyond that and his prayerful zeal for them we know nothing of the only one whom St. Paul calls "a fellow-servant."

Ver. 9. +Do not cease to pray for you, and to desire.+--R.V. "pray and make request." The general notion comes first, then, the particulars; so in Mark xi. 24. In the Lord's Prayer there are several "petitions" or "requests." +Knowledge.+--Here represents the advanced knowledge of the initiated. "Spiritual understanding" is the use in the realm of things spiritual of the faculty which, as employed in physical research, makes the difference between the man of scientific method and the empiric. Compare the union of "wisdom" and "spiritual understanding" with our Lord's words, "Thou hast hid these things from the _wise_ and _prudent._"

Ver. 10. +Walk worthy.+--"The end of all knowledge, the apostle would say, is conduct" (_Lightfoot_). The previous verse taken with this gives the "theory and practice" of religion. +Unto all pleasing.+--With the end ever before you of being approved by God. For the same combination, see 1 Thess. iv. 1. +Being fruitful . . . and increasing.+--Like the Gospel itself (see ver. 6).

Ver. 11. +Strengthened with all might according to His glorious power.+--Lit. "with all power made powerful," etc. The two words representing "might" and "power" have become familiar in "dynamite" and the termination of "auto-_crat_"; the one indicating stored-up energy; the other victorious or ruling force. +Patience and longsuffering.+--the first word indicates the attitude of an unfainting mind when things go wrong; the second the quiet endurance under irritation from others, the being "not soon angry."

Ver. 12. +Made us meet.+--Duly qualified us, gave us competence. Just as a man needs to be a qualified practitioner of medicine or the law, so these Colossians are recognised as fit and proper persons for participation in the kingdom of light.

Ver. 13. +Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness.+--The metaphor commenced in the previous verse is carried on here. The settlement in the land flowing with milk and honey is preceded by deliverance with a high hand from the house of bondage--the land of thick darkness. +And hath translated us.+--The same word by which the Jewish historian describes the carrying over of the Israelites to Assyria by Tiglath-Pileser. The apostle regards the deliverance, so far as the Deliverer is concerned, as a thing accomplished. +His dear Son.+--The A.V. margin has become the R.V. text, "The Son of His love." We do not again find this expression; but as there is "no darkness at all" in God, who "is love," so His Son, into whose kingdom we come, reveals the love of the Father.

Ver. 14. +In whom we have redemption.+--A release effected in consideration of a ransom. See on the verse Eph. i. 7. The forgiveness of our sins--lit. "the dismissal of our sins."

Ver. 15. +Who is the image of the invisible God.+--In 2 Cor. iv. 4 St. Paul had so named Christ. "Beyond the very obvious notion of _likeness,_ the word for image involves the idea of _representation_ and _manifestation_" (_Lightfoot_). Man is said to be the image of God (1 Cor. xi. 7), and to have been created in the image of God, as an image on a coin may represent Cæsar, even though unrecognisable almost. Christ is "the very image" (Heb. i. 3) of God, able to say, "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father." +Firstborn of every creature.+--"Not that He is included as part of the creation, but that the relation of the whole creation to Him is determined by the fact that He is the 'firstborn of all creation' (R.V.), so that without Him creation could not be" (_Cremer_). The main ideas involved in the word are (1) priority to all creation; (2) sovereignty over all creation (_Lightfoot_).

Ver. 16. +Thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers.+--That Paul believed in a heavenly hierarchy can scarcely be doubted; but this letter shows that in Colossæ it had become an elaborate superstition.

Ver. 18. +And He is the head of the body, the Church.+--As He held priority of all creation, so also His is the name above every name in the new creation. +The firstborn from the dead.+--The cardinal point of the apostle's faith.

Ver. 19. +For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell.+--The great question on this verse is--seeing that "the Father" has been added--what is the nominative to the word rendered "it pleased"? At least three are possible: (1) "the Father," as A.V., R.V., and many commentators; (2) "all the fulness," etc.; and (3) "the Son was pleased." Lightfoot urges that, as (2) would be an anachronism, and (3) a hopeless confusion of the theology, "the Father was well pleased" seems to be the best rendering.

Ver. 20. +To reconcile all things unto Himself.+--The word "reconcile" is meant to indicate the restoration of a lost friendship; and re-establishment of peaceful relations. It is a good specimen of the care with which St. Paul's advanced expressions are selected.

Ver. 21. +You, that were sometime alienated.+--Does not mean, of course, occasionally alienated, but as the R.V. gives it, "being in time past alienated"--up to the time of the reconciliation _always_ estranged. +Enemies in your mind by wicked works.+--The most interesting question here is whether God is reconciled to the sinner or only the sinner to God. Is "enemies" to mean "hostile" or "hateful"? Lightfoot says, "It is the mind of man, not the mind of God, which must undergo a change that a reunion may be effected."

Ver. 22. +In the body of His flesh through death.+--When a teacher has to be explicit it may seem to those familiar with the subject as if he were verbose or tautological. So here the body is no phantasm, but fleshy and mortal. +To present you holy.+--They were professedly holy "saints" (ver. 2), and the final purpose of their reconciliation is reproachless saintship (on this word, and "unblameable," see Eph. i. 4). +Unreproveable in His sight.+--It is a lofty eminence to which the holy apostle invites us to look in this word. The light in which we walk--fierce indeed towards sin--reveals no evil, so that the most captious critic has no objection (Tit. ii. 8).

Ver. 23. +Grounded and settled, and not moved away.+--In that land of volcanic agency the readers would perceive only too readily the graphic force of this metaphor. Where stone buildings tumbled over like a house of cards, the figure of a faith, proof against all shocks, was effective (see Heb. xii. 28). +Every creature under heaven.+--The same rhetorical form of expression as in ver. 6, affirming the universal fitness of the Gospel as well as its wide dissemination. +Whereof I Paul am made a minister.+--Wonder that increases and unceasing gratitude are in these words--that the persecutor should serve the faith he once destroyed.

Ver. 24. +Fill up that which is behind in the afflictions of Christ.+--R.V., "and fill up on my part that which is lacking." How we seem to hear through these words the cry of the head of the Church, "Why persecutest thou Me?" And now the persecutor shares the pain of Christ and those to whom it is granted as a favour to suffer for His sake (Phil. i. 29).

Vers. 25-27. See notes on Eph. iii. 7 ff.

Ver. 28. +Whom we preach.+--What a glorious comprehensiveness there is in preaching Him in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead! Here is nothing narrow. +Warning every man.+--R.V. "admonishing." It is a direction of the reflective faculty--a reproof administered with intent to amend the conduct. It corresponds to "Repent ye!" +And teaching every man.+--The positive side of which the warning is the negative. It is not enough to tell a man he is wrong--the right must be indicated; so the heralds of the Gospel followed up "Repent ye" with "Believe the Gospel." Note the repeated "every man." Exclusiveness which shuts the door in the face of any "weak brother for whom Christ died" is utterly strange to the teaching of St. Paul. +That we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.+--St. Paul, and every true successor, labours for this end; and, as ver. 22 shows, in so doing all are "workers together with God." We have the idea of presentation elsewhere in St. Paul, as where he speaks of presenting his converts as a chaste virgin to Christ. The risk of offering a tainted animal for sacrifice is as nothing in comparison of offering a hypocrite as a trophy of the Gospel.

Ver. 29. +I also labour.+--The word implies strenuous effort. "The racer who takes care to slack his speed whenever he is in danger of breaking into a perspiration will not win the prize" (_Maclaren_). +Striving.+--Lit. "agonising," as in Luke xiii. 24. Like a stripped gymnast, every encumbrance cast off. The same word in 1 Tim. vi. 12. "Fight the good fight."

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 1.

_Apostolic Salutation._

In this verse we have _a description of the office and character_ of the persons from whom the salutation emanates.

+I. An exalted and important office.+--"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ." An apostle is one _sent._ Paul was commissioned to declare the grandest truths--truths destined to illumine and upraise mankind. His sphere was the world, his audience the generations of every age. The work of the apostle lives to-day--its vigour is perennial. His was no empty, unmeaning title. It involved incredible thought, overburdening care, incessant toil, unparalleled suffering. It was an office created by the circumstances of the time. That period was the beginning of a gigantic campaign against the consolidated errors and sins of ages. An ordinary officer can keep and govern a garrison; but it requires a gifted general to marshal and direct the militant host in the daring manœuvres of war. In the Divine government of the world the occasion calls forth the man.

+II. The authority that designates and qualifies.+--"By the will of God." The will of God is the great originating and dynamic moral force of the universe. That will raised Paul to the apostleship, and invested him with all essential qualifications. The miraculous incidents of the journey to Damascus (Acts ix.) formed a crisis in his career. The startling discovery as to the character of the Being he had madly opposed evoked the utterance of a changed and willing heart: "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" That was the sublime moment of his _sending._ In undertaking the highest work for God, it is not enough that we possess learning, gifts, piety, unless with all there be a consciously Divine commission. There are crises when we can gain fresh inspiration for the exigencies of the work only by falling back on the clearest call and appointment of the Divine will.

+III. A familiar Christian relationship.+--"Timotheus, our brother." Paul was the means of Timothy's conversion; and in another place he calls him his "own son in the faith." Here he recognises him on the more equal footing of a brother. Christianity is a brotherhood. Not a low, debasing communism that drags down all to its own common level, but a holy confederacy in which men of all ranks, ages, and talents unite. The equality of Christian brotherhood is based on a moral and spiritual foundation. The minister whose reputation is won, and position assured loses nothing by honouring his younger brethren.

+IV. Union of sympathy and desire.+--"Paul . . . _and_ Timothy." The greatest intimacy existed between the two, notwithstanding the disparity in rank and abilities. There were qualities in Timothy that elicited the admiration and love of the great apostle. They were constant companions in travel; and Timothy was often a source of comfort to Paul in captivity. They had a common sympathy in the propagation of the Gospel, and with the changing fortunes of the newly founded Churches and joined in prayer for their welfare. The union of Timothy with himself also strengthened the testimony of the apostle regarding the supernatural character of the truths declared.

+Lessons.+--_Christian salutation_--1. _Takes its value from the character of the sender._ 2. _Should be pervaded with genuine sympathy._ 3. _Implies a mutual interest in the success of Christian work._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 2.

_Apostolic Estimate of Christian Character._

+I. Suggestive phases of Christian character.+--"Saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colossæ."

1. _Saints._--This implies union with God and a personal participation in His righteousness. This is the root of the saintly life. Faith in Christ is the point and means of junction. Canonisation cannot make a saint. Must be saintly experience to produce saintly conduct. A holy reputation excites to action consistent with itself. Nehemiah refused to hide from threatened assassination as an act beneath his well-known character for high integrity and bravery (Neh. vi. 11).

2. _Faithful brethren which are at Colossæ._--Implies union with each other. They embraced a common faith and held steadfastly together amid the agitations of false teachers and the defections of the wavering. Christianity blends the strangest elements. It is a foe to all national enmities and prejudices. Paul, a Jew, Timothy, a Grecian, and the Colossians, a mixture of several races, are here united in a holy and faithful brotherhood. "Here the Gentile met the Jew whom he had been accustomed to regard as an enemy of the human race; the Romans met the lying Greek sophist, the Syrian slave, the gladiator born beside the Danube. In brotherhood they met, the natural birth and kindred of each forgotten, the baptism alone remembered in which they had been born again to God and to each other" (_Ecce Homo_).

3. _The sublime origin of the Christian character._--"_In_ Christ." Character is the development and crystallisation of a _life._ The character of the blossom and fruit is decided by the vital energy in the tree. Christ is the unfathomable fount of all spiritual life; the ideal pattern and formative force of a perfect character. He is the centre and bond of all true brotherhood.

+II. The salutation supplicates the bestowment of highest Divine blessings.+--1. _Grace._ A term of vast significance, inclusive of all the blessings that can flow from the superabundant and free favour of God. Grace is the source of all _temporal_ good--life, health, preservation, success, felicity; and of all _spiritual_ benefactions--pardon, soul-rest, guidance, strength, deliverance, purity, final triumph. The generosity of God is illimitable.

2. _Peace._--Grace expresses the spirit and fulness in which Divine manifestations come to us; peace the result they accomplish in us. _Peace with God._ Sin has thrown human nature into a state of discord and enmity. The reception of grace must ever precede the enjoyment of peace. The universal mistake is, in first seeking, through many avenues, the happiness which peace with God alone can bring, instead of accepting humbly, penitently, believingly, the grace of God in Christ. _Peace with each other_--peace in the Church. How great a blessing is this! One turbulent spirit can ruffle the tranquillity of thousands.

3. _The source of the blessings desired._--"From God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." The Father's love and the Son's work are the sole source and cause of every blessing to humanity, while the Holy Spirit is the agent of their communication. The Trinity is ever harmonious in acts of beneficence; the Divine fountain is inexhaustible.

+Learn.+--1. _The broad, deep charity of the apostolic spirit._ 2. _The scope and temper of the prayers we should offer for the race._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 3-5.

_The Causes of Ministerial Thanksgiving._

It is customary with the apostle to begin his epistles with the ardent expression of thanksgiving. This showed the devout habit of his mind, his constant and emphatic recognition of the grand source of good, and his deep interest in the spiritual condition of those to whom he wrote.

+I. Thanksgiving an essential element in prayer.+--"We give thanks, . . . praying always for you" (ver. 3). The participle marks the thanksgiving as part of the prayer, and the adverb makes it prominent, indicating that when they _prayed for them they always gave thanks._ There is no true prayer without thanksgiving. Gratitude intensifies the soul's sense of dependence on God and prompts the cry for the needed help; and, on the other hand, earnest prayer naturally glides into fervent thankfulness. As one sin is interlinked with and produced by another, so the use of one grace begets another. The more temporal things are used, the more they wear and waste; but spiritual things are strengthened and increased with exercise. Every spiritual grace has in it the seed of an endless reproductiveness. Underlying every thanksgiving for others is a spirit of tender, disinterested love. Moved by this passion, the apostle, from the midst of imprisonment and sorrow, could soar on the wings of gratitude and prayer to heaven. "Thanksgiving will be the bliss of eternity."

+II. The Being to whom all thanksgiving is due.+--"To God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (ver. 3). God is the Father of Jesus Christ, not only as God, by an eternal generation and communication of His whole essence unto Him in a method to us mysterious and ineffable, but also as man by virtue of the personal union of the two natures in Christ, and in a special sense exceeding every other way in which He is Father to man or angels. Thus, God and the Father of our Lord Jesus are one; the particle "and" being exegetic of the same thing, not copulative of something different. All our blessings have their source in the bosom of the Divine Father. Christ is the only revealer of the Father, and the active agent in bestowing the paternal benefits on humanity. The paternal aspect of the Divine character as unfolded by Jesus Christ is most fascinating and assuring; and the loving heart delights to trace its blessings up to the Parent of all good and to render Him devout and grateful praise.

+III. This thanksgiving was grounded on the reputation of their faith in the Author of Christianity.+--"Since we heard of your faith in Christ" (ver. 4).

1. _Christ is the object and foundation of all true faith._--He is so as the Divinely consecrated Deliverer of the race. The grandeur of His redeeming work and the dignity and glory of His character are suggested by the titles here given to Him. Man must believe in Christ, not as an abstract truth, not as a poetic conception, not as a dim impersonal force acting in the sphere of ideality, but as a Divine-human _person_--the anointed Saviour.

2. _True faith is the root principle of the Christian life._--Without it neither love nor hope could exist. All the graces that strengthen and beautify the Christian character must grow out of faith.

3. _True faith is ever manifest._--"Since we heard." It is seen in the changed disposition and conduct of the individual believer. It is marked by the anxious Christian worker and becomes known to a wide circle of both friends and foes. Epaphras rejoiced to bear tidings of the fact; and the soul of the apostle, since he heard, glowed with grateful praise. Happy the people whose highest reputation is their faith in Jesus!

+IV. This thanksgiving was grounded on their possession of an expansive Christian love.+--"And of the love which ye have to all the saints" (ver. 4). Love to Christ is necessarily involved, for love to the saints is really a generous, unselfish affection for Christ's image in them. Love is all-embracing. Peculiarities, defects, differences of opinion, distance, are no barriers to its penetrating ardour. It is the unanswerable evidence of moral transformation (1 John iii. 14). It is the grandest triumph over the natural enmity of the human heart. It is the indissoluble bond of choicest fellowship.

"While we walk with God in light,
God our hearts doth still unite;
Dearest fellowship we prove,
Fellowship in Jesu's love."

+V. This thanksgiving was further grounded on their enjoyment of a well-sustained hope.+--The grace of hope naturally springs out of and is properly associated with the preceding two. Not one member of the holy triad can be divorced from the other without irreparable damage; without, in fact, the loss of that which is the resultant of the three--viz. active religious life. "Faith rests on the past; love works in the present; hope looks to the future. They may be regarded as the efficient, material, and final causes respectively of the spiritual life" (_Lightfoot_).

1. _The character of this hope._--"The hope which is laid up for you in heaven" (ver. 5). It is the prospect of future heavenly felicity. Hope is put for the object hoped for--the hope of possessing a spiritual inheritance whose wealth never diminishes, whose splendours never fade; the hope of seeing Christ in all His regal glory; of being like Him; of dwelling with Him for ever. A prospect like this lifts the soul above the meannesses, disappointments, and sufferings of the present limited life.

2. _The security of this hope._--"Laid up." This priceless inheritance is safely deposited as a precious jewel in God's secret coffer. There no pilfering hands can touch it, no breath can tarnish, no rust corrode, no moth corrupt. Earthly treasures vanish, and sometimes, to God's people, nothing but the treasure of hope remains. The saint's enduring riches are in the future, locked up in the heavenly casket. Where the treasure is there the heart should ever be.

3. _The source and foundation of this hope._--"Whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel" (ver. 5). The Gospel is based on unchangeable truth and is therefore worthy of universal credence. It alone unfolds the mysteries and glories of the future. The hope of heaven rests, not on the discoveries of human philosophy, but on the revelations of the true Gospel. In vain do men seek it elsewhere. By the preaching of the Gospel this hope is made known to man. How dismal the outlook where hope is unknown!

+Lessons.+--1. _We should thank God for others more on account of their spiritual than temporal welfare._ 2. _Learn what are the essential elements of the Christian character--faith, love, hope._ 3. _The proclamation of the Gospel should be welcomed, and its message pondered._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 3-5. _Good News and its Good Effects._

+I. The good news, what it was.+--That certain at Colossæ had not only the Gospel, but had known the grace of God in truth, and were now joined to Christ by faith and to His people by love.

+II. What were the results.+--1. _Abundant thanksgiving to the God of redemption._ 2. _Constant prayer._ 3. _This epistle._

+III. Application.+--1. _It is well that ministers should be informed of the success of the Gospel, both for their own encouragement and to secure their sympathy, prayers, and counsel for the young converts._ 2. _Established Christians and especially ministers should assure young converts of the gratitude, joy, and sympathy they feel and the prayers they present on their behalf._ 3. _If our hearts are right, we shall rejoice at the success of the Gospel.--Preacher's Magazine._

Ver. 5. _Hope a Stimulus to Christian Perseverance_--

+I. In gaining the heavenly reward.+

+II. Because the heavenly reward is secure.+--"Laid up for you."

+III. Is based on truth already known.+--"Whereof ye heard before in
the word of the truth of the Gospel."

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 6-8.

_The True Gospel universally the Same._

Wherever the Gospel comes it carries with it the ineffaceable impress of its Divine origin, and of its universal adaptability to the condition of humanity. There are certain truths that are self-evident to the understanding and are not susceptible of proof. They are axiomatic and must be admitted as such before any satisfactory system can be constructed upon them. Of this character are the fundamental truths of the Gospel. Their authority is supreme, and their evidential force irresistible. But a truth may be universally self-evident, and not be universally adopted. It is at this point the guilt of the unbeliever is incurred. The Gospel comes to mankind with ever-accumulating evidences of its Divine truthfulness; but men resist it. This is the condemnation. "He that believeth on the Son is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already" (John iii. 18). The false teachers, against whom the apostle warns the Colossians, sought to spoil the Gospel by the intermixture of ideas from Jew and Gentile.

+I. The true Gospel is universally the same in its adaptation and enterprise.+--"Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world" (ver. 6). The Gospel, though first proclaimed to the Jews, was not confined to them. It reached, penetrated, and changed the Colossians. In them all races were represented. Their conversion was typical of the possibilities of the Gospel for all. The world's greatest blessings are not indigenous, are not even sought; they are sent from above. There is not a human being the Gospel cannot benefit; it adapts itself to the wants of all. The Gospel started from Judea with a world-wide mission and was eager to fulfil it. Its enterprise was irresistible. It soon spread throughout Asia, Europe, and Africa--the regions embracing the Roman empire, which was then virtually the whole world. Its marvellous propagation proved its universal adaptability. The celebrated systems of philosophy among the Grecians lived only in the soil that produced them. Heresies are at best ethnic; truth is essentially catholic. In less than a quarter of a century Christianity was diffused through the entire world. The success of Mahometanism was of a different character and effected by different means. It depended more on the scimitar than the Koran. Alexander, Sesostris, and others achieved similar conquests, and as rapidly, by the force of arms. The victories of the Gospel were won by moral weapons. It is the greatest privilege of any nation to possess the Gospel, and its most solemn duty to make it known to the world.

+II. The true Gospel is universally the same in its results.+--"Bringeth forth fruit, and _increaseth_" (as the most valuable MSS. read) "as it doth also in you" (ver. 6). The effects produced on the Colossians by their reception of the Gospel were a sample of the results in other parts of the world. The fruit-bearing denotes its inward and subjective influence on the soul and life; the increasing refers to its outward and diffusive influence as it makes progress in the world. The metaphor used by the apostle suggests that the Gospel, as a tree, not only bears fruit, but grows, sending forth its roots more firmly and widely, and extending its branches in the air. Thus, it bears fruit and makes advancement (_Spence_). There are some plants which exhaust themselves in bearing fruit and then wither. The Gospel is a plant whose seed is in itself, and its external growth keeps pace with its reproductive energy. We cannot monopolise the benefits of the Gospel to ourselves; it is intended for the world, and wherever it comes it brings forth fruit. It is intensely practical, and aims at results, corresponding with its character, purpose, and power.

+III. The true Gospel is universally the same in the manner of its reception.+--"Since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth" (ver. 6). Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. The mode of receiving the Gospel is the same to all. It is apprehended by the understanding, approved by the judgment, and embraced by the affections. It is not enough that it falls on the ear like the strain of a seraphic melody, not enough that it enters the understanding as a clearly conceived, full-orbed truth, not enough that it ripples through the sphere of the emotions as an unspeakable ecstasy, unless, aided by the Divine Spirit, it be cordially embraced by the heart and conscience as the whole truth--the only truth that saves and regenerates. It is in the Gospel only that we "hear of the grace of God"--the good news that He has provided redemption and restoration for the race. Nature, with all her revelations of beauty, wisdom, and power, is dumb on this subject. Providence, with its vast repertory of mingled mystery and bounty, unfolds it not. It is only by believing the Gospel that, like the Colossians, we can "know the grace of God in truth."

+IV. The true Gospel is universally the same in the method of its propagation.+--1. _It is propagated by preaching._ "As ye also learned" (ver. 7)--more correctly, "Even as ye were instructed" in the truth mentioned in the preceding verse. It is believed Epaphras first preached the Gospel at Colossæ, and, under the direction of Paul, he was probably also evangelist to the neighbouring cities of Hierapolis and Laodicea. Preaching is the Divinely instituted means of disseminating the Gospel. It cannot be superseded by any other agency. Its success has been marvellous.

2. _It is propagated by men thoroughly qualified for the work._--(1) _The apostle recognised Epaphras as a co-labourer with himself._ "Our dear fellow-servant" (ver. 7). The preacher must labour as belonging to Christ, as entirely dependent on Him, and as deeply attached to Him. He is not a servant _of_ the Church; he is a servant _for_ the Church, in doctrine, supplication to God, and varied endeavours among men. With all frankness, affection, and modesty, the great apostle acknowledges Epaphras as "a dear fellow-labourer." Envy and jealousy of the gifts and reputation of others are pernicious and unjustifiable. (2) _The apostle recognised Epaphras as a faithful minister of Christ._ It was a great honour to be a fellow-servant with Paul, but greater still to be a minister of Christ, the Lord of glory, the Head of the Church, the Monarch of men and angels; commissioned by Him to proclaim the most vital truths and promote the best interests of the people. Moreover, he is called a _faithful_ minister; the appellation of minister he had in common with many others; the praise of faithfulness is confined to few. "The great secret lies in these three things--Christ, immortal souls, self-humiliation" (_Bishop Wilson_). (3) _The apostle recognised Epaphras as a man of deep spiritual insight._ "Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit" (ver. 8). Love is the leading characteristic of the Gospel. It is announced as a message of God's love to man, and its object is to produce love in every believing heart. Epaphras apprehended this prominent feature in the message itself, discerned its origin in the work of the Spirit, and rejoiced in declaring its exercise towards the apostle, towards God, and towards all men.

+Lessons.+--1. _The universality of the Gospel a strong evidence of its Divine authorship._ 2. _Though all the world were to reject the Gospel it would still be true._ 3. _To whomsoever the Gospel comes the imperative duty is to believe it._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Ver. 6. _The Gospel manifests Itself._

+I. It spreads its good news in all possible places.+--"Which is
come unto you, as it is in all the world."

+II. Produces unmistakable spiritual results.+--"And bringeth forth
fruit, as it doth also in you."

+III. Is a revelation of Divine grace.+--"The grace of God in truth."

+IV. To be an evident blessing it must be heard and thoroughly
believed as the only truth.+--"Since the day ye heard of and
knew."

Vers. 7, 8. _A Successful Preacher_--

+I. Is affectionately recognised as a faithful minister of Christ+
(ver. 7).

+II. Attributes his success to the work of the Spirit+ (ver. 8).

+III. Regards the exercise of love in his hearers as a prominent
feature of success+ (ver. 8).

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 9-11.

_A Comprehensive Apostolic Prayer._

+I. It was a prayer expressive of deep spiritual interest.+--1. _It was suggested by the report of their active Christian virtues._ "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray" (ver. 9). They had believed in Christ, they had shown a genuine love to the brethren, they hoped for the glory of the future, they brought forth the fruits of the Spirit. All this excites the grateful heart of the apostle to pray that they may enjoy yet higher spiritual blessings, may increase in knowledge and wisdom, and rise to the highest standard of moral perfection. We best show our love to others by praying for them. Prayer is always needed, since the most excellent Christian graces are imperfect, liable to decay, and may be abused.

2. _It was constant and fervent._--"Do not cease to pray for you and to desire" (ver. 9). The apostle had unbounded faith in the efficacy of prayer. Many in these days limit the advantage of prayer to its reflex influence on the individual who prays--expanding the thoughts, spiritualising the mind, and sanctifying the heart; and maintain that it is powerless to affect God, whose purposes must advance by the irresistible operation of unchanging law, irrespective of human supplication. Above this partial philosophy of the modern scientist we have the authority and practice of an inspired apostle. If God did not hear and answer prayer--answer it, not in violation of, but in harmony with, the highest law--then the frequent intercessions of the apostle are reduced to a solemn mockery, are unjustifiable and inexplicable. The apostle prayed with the utmost assiduity--night and day, as opportunity permitted--and with the utmost ardency, desiring that the blessings sought might be liberally and at once bestowed. As Augustine puts it, our desires being prayers, these are continual when our desires are continual.

+II. It was a prayer for amplest knowledge.+--1. _The main subject of the knowledge desired._ "The knowledge of His will" (ver. 9). Man thirsts for knowledge. He is eager to become acquainted with himself and the wonders around him. In his unwearied search after knowledge he has conquered colossal difficulties; has penetrated the starry spaces with the telescope; revealed the smallest visual atom with the microscope; and, with the deep-sea dredge, has made us familiar with the long-hidden treasures of the ocean. But the highest knowledge is the knowledge of God--not simply of His nature, majesty, perfections, works, but the knowledge of His _will._ So far as we are concerned, that will comprehends all that God wishes us to be, believe, and do. We must know His will in order to salvation, and as the supreme rule and guide of every action. Man may be ignorant of many things; but he cannot be ignorant of God's will and be saved. The knowledge of that will is the first great urgent duty of life.

2. _The measure in which the knowledge may be possessed._--"Filled with knowledge." The word "knowledge" is full and emphatic, indicating a living, comprehensive, complete knowledge of the Divine will. They already possessed some knowledge of that will; and the apostle prays that it may be deeper, clearer, and increasingly potent within them, that they may be _filled._ The soul is not only to possess this knowledge, but it is to possess the soul--informing, animating, and impelling it onwards to higher attainments in the things of God. Knowledge is a power for good only as it acquaints with the Divine will, and as it pervades and actuates the whole spiritual being. We may seek great things from God. He gives largely, according to His infinite bounty. There is no limit to our increase in Divine knowledge but our own capacity, diligence, and faith.

3. _The practical form in which the knowledge should be exercised._--"In all wisdom and spiritual understanding" (ver. 9). The word "spiritual" applies to both wisdom and understanding. The false teachers offered a _wisdom_ which they highly extolled, but it had only a show of wisdom; it was an empty counterfeit, calling itself philosophy; the offspring of vanity, nurtured by the flesh; it was unspiritual. The true Gospel is spiritual in its origin, characteristics, and effects. The wisdom and understanding it imparts are the work of the Holy Spirit. Without His presence and operation in the soul both the knowledge of the Divine will and advancement in it would be impossible. The two terms are similar in meaning, but there is a distinction. _Wisdom_ refers to the God-given organ by which truth is selected and stored up; _understanding_ to the faculty by which truth is practically and prudently used; the one is comprehensive and accumulative, the other discriminative and practical. True spiritual insight is the work of the Holy Spirit. No amount of mental or moral culture, of human wisdom and sagacity, can supply it. This was the power lacked by the Galatians when they were so soon seduced from the Gospel; and to prevent a similar result among the Colossians the apostle prays they may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in _all_ spiritual wisdom and understanding, that they may discern between the false and the true, the carnal and spiritual, the human and the Divine.

+III. It was a prayer for the loftiest Christian career.+--1. _The standard of Christian conduct._ "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord" (ver. 10). Life is a journey; death is the common goal and resting-place where all meet. Our conduct is the pathway on which we travel. The _walk_ therefore describes the general course of life, the actions, habits, and deportment of the man in his relations to God and to the race. This walk is to "be worthy of the Lord"--worthy of His holy and dignified character; worthy of His law, of His kingdom, of His glory, of the high destiny He has designed for us. When a certain prince, on being captured, was asked how he should be treated, his prompt reply was, "As a king." We should ever remember the high vocation wherewith we are called, and the exalted pattern after which our behaviour should be modelled (Eph. iv. 1; 1 Thess. ii. 12). Our life is to be worthy of the Lord--in its spirit, motive, active outgoing, development, scope, and aim. For this purpose, we are filled with the knowledge of His will. The end of knowledge is practice; its value consists in what it enables us to do. He is not an architect who simply theorises about buildings, but he who has the art to erect them. To speak eloquently of war does not constitute a general; he only deserves that distinction who can skilfully manage an army in the field, whether in attacking or defending.

2. _The rule by which that standard is maintained._--"Unto all pleasing" (ver. 10). We are to please the Lord in all things; to attempt and sanction nothing that will not be acceptable to Him. We are not to please ourselves--we are not to please others--as the ultimate object of life. If our conduct please others--our parents, our friends, our country--it is well; but though all others are displeased and estranged, we must strive in all things to please God. This is the simplest as well as the highest and grandest rule of life. Attention to this will settle many perplexing questions concerning human duty. The will of God must be studied as our supreme rule, and to it all our throughs, words, and actions must be conformed. Thus, the life on earth becomes a preparation and discipline for heaven and blends the present with a future of immortal blessedness. It is well with us when we obey the Lord (Jer. xlii. 6).

3. _The productiveness of Christian consistency._--"Being fruitful in every good work" (ver. 10). One result of a worthy walk is fertility in Christian activity. In order to fruitfulness there must be life. The believer's life is hid with Christ in God, and the existence of the hidden life is manifest in the fruits. Fruitfulness also involves culture. Neglect the vine, and instead of the pendent clusters of glossy, luscious fruit there will be barrenness and decay--withered branches fit only for the consuming fire. God disciplines His people for fruitful and abundant service by painful but loving exercises of His providence (John xv. 2). It is not enough to bear one kind of fruit; there must be fertility "in every good work." The Christian is in sympathy with every good enterprise that aims at the physical, social, or moral welfare of man, and will heartily contribute his influence and effort in its promotion.

4. _Progress in Divine knowledge._--"And increasing in the knowledge of God" (ver. 10). The knowledge of God is the real instrument of enlargement, in soul and life, of the believer (_Alford_). We can reach no stage in Christian experience and practice in which additional knowledge is unnecessary. Activity in goodness sharpens the knowing faculty and adds to the stores of wisdom. On the other hand, increased knowledge reacts and stimulates the worker (John vii. 17; Matt. xxv. 29). _Divine_ knowledge is the great necessity of the soul, and the real means of fruitfulness and growth in goodness. It appeals to, elevates, and expands the whole man.

+IV. It was a prayer for supernatural strength.+--1. _The appropriateness and fulness of the blessing desired._ "Strengthened with all might" (ver. 11). Man is morally weak. Sin has enfeebled and debased the soul; it has tyrannised over humanity for ages. "When we were yet without strength" Christ came and introduced another force which counteracts sin and will ultimately effect its overthrow. All who believe in Christ receive strength to struggle against and conquer sin. This imparted strength is especially necessary in realising the blessings for which the apostle prays--complete knowledge of the Divine will; a life worthy of the Lord; spiritual fertility and advancement in heavenly wisdom. "Strengthened with _all_ might." Our enemies are numerous, violent, and obstinate, and our infirmities are many. We therefore need strength of every kind. As it is necessary to overcome _all_ our enemies, so it is necessary to be endued with _all_ might--might to endure the most furious assault, might to resist the most bewitching solicitation to evil.

2. _The supernatural source of the blessing._--"According to His glorious power" (ver. 11)--or, more correctly, "according to the power of His glory." Moral power is not native to the Christian; it has its source in God. He imparts it to the believing heart. The motive and measure of our strength is in the might of His glory. Power is an essential attribute of the Divine glory; it is manifested in the splendid works of creation, in the inscrutable ways of Providence, and pre-eminently in the marvels of human redemption. God's revelation of Himself to us, in whatever form, is the one source of our highest strength. The power of His glory reveals itself more and more to him who walks worthy of the Lord. Armed with this supernatural energy, the weakest saint becomes invincible.

3. _The great practical purpose contemplated by the blessing._--"Unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (ver. 11). _Patience_ is the temper which does not easily succumb under trial; _longsuffering,_ or longmindedness, is the self-restraint which does not hastily retaliate a wrong. Patience respects the weight of the affliction, longsuffering its duration. The former is exercised in relation to God, in the endurance of trial, or in waiting for promised blessing; the latter in relation to man, in long-continued forbearance under irritating wrongs. The true strength of the believer consists, not so much in what he can do, as in what he can endure (Isa. xxx. 15). The quiet, uncomplaining sufferer is greater than the most vigorous athlete. The characteristic of both patience and long-suffering is expressed in the phrase _"with joyfulness."_ To suffer with joyfulness is the great distinction and triumph of the Christian spirit. The endurance of the Stoic was often the effect of pride or insensibility. But the Christian, though keenly sensitive to pain, is enabled by the Holy Spirit to rejoice in the assurance of God's presence, in the certain victory of His cause, and in the prospect of reward both here and hereafter.

+Lessons.+--1. _How sublime are the topics of genuine prayer._ 2. _Deep experimental acquaintance with the things of God is essential to a lofty and useful career._ 3. _Knowledge, wisdom, spiritual fertility, and strength are the gifts of God._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES._

Vers. 9-11. _Paul's Prayer for the Colossians_--

+I. For knowledge.+--Fulness of knowledge both extensively and intensively is the burden of his desire. "In all wisdom"--as a practical guide, not as mere theory. "And spiritual understanding"--the spirit of the believer receiving the Spirit of God to lead him inwardly to understand, realise, and delight in the Divine will.

+II. For fruitfulness.+---1. _A life worthy of the Christian as it is well pleasing unto his Lord._ 2. _Good works of every kind._ 3. _Substantial growth._

+III. For strength.+--In order to this fruitfulness all might is required of body, mind, and spirit, but especially that of the Spirit within. The measure--"according to His glorious power"; so as to suffer patiently the constant trials of the Christian life and exercise all longsuffering towards persecutors and enemies of the truth, and this with _joyfulness._ It is not what we can do, but what He can do in us, and we through Him.--_Preacher's Magazine._

Ver. 11. _Divine Strength_--

+I. Is spiritual strength, the source and sustenance of all might.+

+II. May be realised in increasing measure.+

+III. Arms the soul with invincible power.+--Power to endure with
patience the trials of life; power to bear with the opposition
and cruelty of others.

+IV. Enables the soul to rejoice in the midst of suffering.+

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 12.

_Meetness for Saintly Inheritance._

The epistle has been hitherto occupied with prefatory observations. In this verse the writer enters upon his principal theme relating to the person and redemption of Jesus Christ. He offers _thanks to God the Father as the primal source of that grace which constitutes the meetness for the saintly heritage._ Observe:--

+I. The opulent inheritance provided for the good.+--1. _It is a present and prospective possession._ "The inheritance of the saints in light." _Light_ is symbolic of knowledge, purity, and joy. The saints even now are called out of darkness into God's kingdom of marvellous light. "They walk in the light as He is in the light." They have a measure of knowledge, but it is dimmed by many earthly obscurities; of purity, but it is surrounded with imperfections; of joy, but it is moderated by life's sorrows. In the prospective heavenly inheritance, of which the earthly portion is a preparation and pledge, knowledge shall be unclouded and complete, purity unsullied, joy uninterrupted. "The life for eternity is _already_ begun: we are at and from the very hour of our regeneration introduced into the spiritual world--a world which, though mysterious and invisible, is as real as the world of sense around us: the Christian's life of heavenliness is the first stage of heaven itself! There is a power now within the believer in the germ, of which his celestial immortality shall be the proper fruit. The dawn of heaven hath already begun in all who are yet to rejoice in its noontide glory" (_Archer Butler_).

2. _It is a possession provided for the good._--"The saints." Not for the unholy, the impenitent, the unbelieving, the worldly. It is an inheritance where only the pure in heart can dwell. There is a world of significance in that pithy saying of an old Divine: "Every one will get to heaven who could live there." Only the saints who have made the Lord their light and their salvation can bear the splendour of His presence.

3. _It is a possession freely given._--The legal heir has no need to work for his inheritance; he enters in possession by right of succession or testatorial bequest. The saint enters upon his inheritance of righteousness, not by natural descent or by any self-constituted right, but on the ground of a free, Divine gift. The believer has a _title_ to the inheritance; but it is not earned by his own efforts: it is bestowed by Christ who won the inheritance by suffering and dying. Thus, all idea of merit is excluded; we can do nothing to deserve such a heritage of blessing. The word "inheritance" really means "the parcel of the lot"--an expression borrowed from the Old Testament (Ps. xvi. 5). The promised Canaan suggests an analogy between it and the higher hopes and wealthier possessions of the new dispensation. As each Israelite, through the grace of God, obtained his allotment, so the Christian obtains his portion in the kingdom of God. The present and future possession of the saints infinitely surpasses the earthly inheritance.

+II. The special meetness necessary to a participation in the inheritance.+--"Hath made us meet to be partakers."

1. _This meetness is absolutely necessary._--Naturally we are unmeet. A monarch may raise the basest slave to a dukedom, but he cannot give him fitness to discharge the duties of the exalted position; he may change his state, but he cannot change his nature. To obtain a moral fitness for the saintly inheritance our nature must be changed. "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

2. _This meetness consists in the loving conformity of the human will to the Divine._--The future life of heaven is the object and pattern of our present heavenly life: "there is the mighty model on which we are to reconstruct our nature; there dwells that central form of moral and spiritual beauty of which our life is to be the transcript." The celestial spirits find their highest glory and blessedness in the complete submission of their whole nature to God; in cheerful, willing, loving obedience to His will. The heavenly life is the test and standard of our life on earth--of every motive, word, and deed. The Church of Christ is a training school for a more exalted career. An ancient sage once said, "Boys ought most to learn what most they shall need when they become men." So, men ought to learn in this life what they shall need most as glorified beings in the future. Only as our whole soul is conformed in loving obedience to the will of God are we "meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." We are thus brought into sympathy with the good in all realms and fitted to participate in the most exalted fellowships of the future!

3. _This meetness is a Divine work._--It is God "the Father who hath made us meet." He provides the inheritance; He gives the title to it; He confers the moral fitness by which the soul enters into its possession and enjoyment. None but God, the fountain of holiness, goodness, and power, could accomplish this work. "He worketh in us to will and to do." In the meetening process He hath dealt with us as a FATHER, instructing our ignorance, correcting and chastising our faults, and comforting and strengthening us in trouble.

+III. The great duty we owe to the generous donor of the inheritance.+--"Giving thanks." Gratitude is the easiest and commonest duty of a dependent creature; yet is the duty most frequently and grossly neglected. Our hearts should ever glow with an unquenchable flame of grateful praise to the bountiful Author of all our blessings.

+Lessons.+--1. _We owe thanks to God as the Provider of the inheritance._ 2. _We owe thanks to God as the active Agent in producing the special meetness to participate in the enjoyments of the inheritance._ 3. _Our thanks to God should be expressed in active obedience to His will._ 4. _Our thanks to God should be joyful, fervent, and constant._

_GERM NOTES ON THE VERSE._

Ver. 12. _Qualification for Heaven._

+I. The state contemplated.+--It is "an inheritance"; not a purchased property, but the common heritage of the children of God. "Of the saints," holy persons. "In light," knowledge, holiness, happiness.

+II. The meetness required.+--Adaptations in the natural world. In social arrangement. In regard to the heavenly state. A change of heart is necessary. Without it heaven would not be heaven to us. It must be sought and obtained in the present world. It is here ascribed to the Father.

+III. The thanks to be rendered.+--We thank our fellow-men for their gifts. We thank God for His other gifts. We should thank Him for meetness for heaven. This thanksgiving prepares us for heaven.--_G. Brooks._

_Meetness for the Inheritance of the Saints in Light._--Life for eternity is already begun. The business and the beatitude of heaven must consist in conformity of the will to the will of God: this is equally the law of earth.

+I. Faith is the realising power of this meetness.+

+II. Hope is the consoling and fortifying power.+

+III. Love is the uniting power, the consummation, and the perfection
of all.+--_A. Butler._

_The Inheritance of the Saints._

+I. An interesting view of the future world as it is inherited by believers.+--1. _The saints are in light in respect to the place._ 2. _As it respects purity._ 3. _In respect of the permanency of their felicity._ 4. _As it respects knowledge._

+II. The meetness which is wrought by God in the hearts of all who are raised to the enjoyment of this inheritance.+--1. _The relative meetness is expressed by the word "inheritance."_ It is assigned to heirs. 2. _The personal meetness is indicated by the term "saints."_

+Lessons.+--1. _Give thanks to God for those who are made meet._ 2. _Give thanks to God if the work be begun in yourselves.--R. Watson._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 13, 14.

_The Great Moral Translation._