57 lines
3.5 KiB
XML
57 lines
3.5 KiB
XML
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<div2 id="Col.i" n="i" next="Col.ii" prev="Col" progress="63.29%" title="Introduction">
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<div class="Center" id="Col.i-p0.1"><h2 id="Col.i-p0.2">Colossians</h2>
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<p id="Col.i-p1">Completed by <span class="smallcaps" id="Col.i-p1.1">William Harris</span>.</p>
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</div>
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<hr/>
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<pb id="Col.i-Page_748" n="748"/>
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<div class="Center" id="Col.i-p1.3">
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<p id="Col.i-p2"><b>AN</b></p>
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<h3 id="Col.i-p2.1">EXPOSITION,</h3>
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<h4 id="Col.i-p2.2">W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E
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R V A T I O N S,</h4>
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<h5 id="Col.i-p2.3">OF THE EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL TO</h5>
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<h2 id="Col.i-p2.4">T H E C O L O S S I A N
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S.</h2>
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<hr style="width:2in"/>
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</div>
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<p class="indent" id="Col.i-p3"><span class="smallcaps" id="Col.i-p3.1">Colosse</span> was
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a considerable city of Phrygia, and probably not far from Laodicea
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and Hierapolis; we find these mentioned together, <scripRef id="Col.i-p3.2" osisRef="Bible:Col.4.13" parsed="|Col|4|13|0|0" passage="Col 4:13">iv. 13</scripRef>. It is now buried in ruins,
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and the memory of it chiefly preserved in this epistle. The design
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of the epistle is to warn them of the danger of the Jewish zealots,
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who pressed the necessity of observing the ceremonial law; and to
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fortify them against the mixture of the Gentile philosophy with
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their Christian principles. He professes a great satisfaction in
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their stedfastness and constancy, and encourages them to
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perseverance. It was written about the same time with the epistles
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to the Ephesians and Philippians, A.D. 62, and in the same place,
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while he was now a prisoner at Rome. He was not idle in his
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confinement, and the word of God was not bound.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Col.i-p4">This epistle, like that to the Romans, was
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written to those he had never seen, nor had any personal
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acquaintance with. The church planted at Colosse was not by Paul's
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ministry, but by the ministry of Epaphras or Epaphroditus, an
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evangelist, one whom he delegated to preach the gospel among the
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Gentiles; and yet, I. There was a flourishing church at Colosse,
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and one which was eminent and famous among the churches. One would
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have thought none would have come to be flourishing churches but
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those which Paul himself had planted; but here was a flourishing
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church planted by Epaphras. God is sometimes pleased to make use of
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the ministry of those who are of less note, and lower gifts, for
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doing great service to his church. God uses what hands he pleases,
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and is not tied to those of note, that the <i>excellence of the
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power may appear to be of God and not of men,</i> <scripRef id="Col.i-p4.1" osisRef="Bible:2Cor.4.7" parsed="|2Cor|4|7|0|0" passage="2Co 4:7">2 Cor. iv. 7</scripRef>. II. Though Paul had not
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the planting of this church, yet he did not therefore neglect it;
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nor, in writing his epistles, does he make any difference between
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that and other churches. The Colossians, who were converted by the
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ministry of Epaphras, were as dear to him, and he was as much
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concerned for their welfare, as the Philippians, or any others who
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were converted by his ministry. Thus he put an honour upon an
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inferior minister, and teaches us not to be selfish, nor think all
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that honour lost which goes beside ourselves. We learn, in his
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example, not to think it a disparagement to us to water what others
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have planted, or build upon the foundation which others have laid:
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as he himself, as a <i>wise master-builder, laid the foundation,
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and another built thereon,</i> <scripRef id="Col.i-p4.2" osisRef="Bible:1Cor.3.10" parsed="|1Cor|3|10|0|0" passage="1Co 3:10">1 Cor.
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iii. 10</scripRef>.</p>
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</div2>
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