THE EPISTLE

OF THE

APOSTLE PAUL,

TO THE

COLOSSIANS.

I.

PAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, and 2 Timothy the brother, to the holy and faithful brethren in Christ at Colosse: favour be to you, and peace, from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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We give thanks to the God and father of our Lord Jesus 4 Christ, always praying for you, (having heard of your belief 5 in Christ Jesus, and of your love for all the saints) on account

of the hope laid up for you in the heavens, of which you heard before by the true word of the gospel, which is come to you, 6 as it hath also to all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it

doth among you, from the day you heard and acknowledged the 7 favour of God in truth, as you learned it from Epaphras our 8 dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of the 9 Christ, and the person who informed us of your love in spirit. For this cause, we indeed, from the day we heard of it, do not cease praying for you, and requesting, in order that you may be filled, in respect to the acknowledgment of his will, 10 with all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that you may walk worthy of the Lord, to all well pleasing.

By every good work we bear fruit, and grow up for the 11 acknowledgment of God; being strengthened with all might according to the power of his glory for all patience and long12 suffering we with joy give thanks to the Father who hath fitted

13 us for a portion of the inheritance of the saints in light; who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and removed us into the kingdom of his beloved son, by whom we have 14 this redemption, even the remission of our sins by the blood 15 of him who is an image of the invisible God, a first born of the whole creation.

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Because all the things which are in the heavens and which are on the earth were created by him-the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, they were all created by him, and for him; therefore he is 17 before all, and they are all kept in consistence by him, and he

is the head of the body, namely of the congregation. He who 18 is the beginning is a first born from the dead that in all things 19 he might be pre-eminent. Because all the plenitude was pleas

ed* to dwell in him, and by him to reconcile all to himself, 20 he having by the blood of his cross-by himself, brought

them to be at peace, (whether they be the things on earth or the 21 things in heaven,) hath now therefore brought you, who were for a time alienated, and enemies in your minds by wicked 22 works, to a state of reconcilement by the body of his flesh

by his death, to present you holy and without blemish, and 23 exempt from accusation in his sight, provided you continue in this belief, grounded and settled, and are not moved away from the hope of the glad tidings which you have heard, which have been proclaimed to this whole creation under heaven, of which I Paul was made a minister.

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Now I rejoice in these sufferings of mine for you, and am in my turn making up in my flesh the remainders of the sufferings of the Christ, for his body, namely, the congregation 25 of which I was made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which was committed to me for you, to confirm the 26 word of God-the mystery which was hidden from the ages

and from the generations, but is now manifested to his saints; 27 to whom God hath been pleased to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations-namely Christ

28 in you the hope of Glory, whom we proclaim, admonishing every man, and teaching every man with all wisdom; that we 29 may present every one a full grown man in Christ Jesus; for

which I indeed labour, and struggle with all my might, according to that energy of his which operateth in me with pow er. For I wish you to know what a great struggle I have for II. you, and for them in Laodicea, and as many as have not 2 seen me in person, that, they being knit together in love, their hearts may be comforted, even to all the riches of the full assurance of this knowledge-to the acknowledgement of the mystery of the God and Father and the Christ, in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

4.

Now I say this in order that none may deceive you with 5 enticing discourse; for though I am absent in person, yet in spirit I am present with you, rejoicing and beholding the re6 gularity of your conduct and the stedfastness of your belief in 7 Christ. As you therefore have received the Christ Jesus for your Lord, walk in him, rooted and built up in him, and firmly 8 established in this belief, as you have been taught; abounding in it with thankfulness. Be on your guard, that none may make a prey of you by their philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, 9 and not according to Christ, Because all the plenitude of the 10 deity resideth substantially in him, therefore you are complete 11 in him who is the head of all principality and power; in whom

also you have been circumcised with a circumcision made without hands-with the putting off of the body of the sins of 12 the flesh-with the circumcision of the Christ; having been buried with him in that baptism in which also you were raised with him by your belief in the mighty power of God, who raised him from the dead.

13 When you were dead in the trespasses and the uncircum

cision of your flesh he raised you to life with him. Having 14 freely forgiven you all those trespasses-having blotted out

the hand-writing which was against us by the ordinances; that 15 which was adverse to us he removed out of the way-having

nailed this to the cross-having divested himself of the prin16 cipalities and the powers, he exposed them to public view when he triumphed over them on it. Let none therefore judge

17 you in respect to eating or drinking, or in respect to a festival, 18 or a new moon, or sabbaths, which are a shadow of the things to come. And with respect to the body of the Christ, let no one deprive you of the prize; however delighted he may be with 19 an affected humility and the religion of angels, prying into mat

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ters which he hath not seen, being vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not adhering to the head, from which the whole body, being by means of joints and ligaments supplied and knit together, is to receive the divine increase.

If you, then, have died with the Christ from the elements of the world, why are you, as if you were living in the world, 21 troubled with these dogmas, "Touch not; taste not; handle not," which all tend to corruption by this improper use ac22 cording to the injunctions and doctrines of those men. These indeed have a show of wisdom in will-worship and humility and self denial. Are they not in some estimation for the gratification of the flesh?

III. Since you then have been raised up with the Christ, 2 seek the things which are above; where the Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your affections on the things 3 above and not on the things of this earth. For you have died,

and your life is hid with the Christ in God. When the Christ, 4 our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with him in 5 glory. Mortify, therefore, with regard to your members which are on earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate passions, wicked desire, and that licentiousness, which is idolatry, on 6 the account of which things the wrath of God is coming on the children of disobedience, and in which even you yourselves 7 walked formerly when you lived among them. But now lay ye aside also all these things, anger, wrath, malice, detraction, 9 obscene discourse out of your mouth. Lie not one to another. 10 Having put off the old man, with his deeds, and put on

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the new man, which is renewed for knowledge after the image 11 of him who created it, where there is not Greek and Jew, cir

cumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, scythian, bondman, 12 freeman, but the all, and in all, Christ; put on therefore as chosen of God, holy and beloved, bowels of tender mercies, gentleness, humility, meekness, long suffering, bearing with 13 one another, and forgiving one another. If any one hath a cause

14 of complaint against another; as the Christ hath freely forgiven 15 you, so do ye. And over all these put on love which is the band of this perfection; and let the peace of God, to which 16 you have been called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be ye grateful. Let the word of the Christ dwell richly in you with all wisdom, when you teach and admonish one another; when with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs you sing grate17 fully to the Lord with your heart. Indeed whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to the God and Father by him.

18 Wives, be submissive to your own husbands, as is fit in 19 the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and be not imbittered against them.

20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well 21 pleasing to the Lord.

22 Fathers, exasperate not your children, lest they be discouraged.

Servants, obey in all respects them who are your masters 23 according to the flesh; not with eye-service as men pleasers,

but with singleness of heart, fearing God; and whatever you 24 do, do it heartily as for the Lord, and not for men, knowing 25 that you will receive from the Lord the reward of the inheritance; for you are serving the Lord Christ, and he who doth wrong shall receive according to the wrong he hath done. There is no respect of persons.

IV.

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Masters, render to your servants what is just and equitable; knowing that you have a master in heaven.

Continue in the constant exercise of prayer, watching there3 in with thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us also, that 4 God would open for us the door of the word, that we may

declare the mystery of the Christ (for which I indeed am in bonds) that I may publish it in the manner I ought to do. 5 Walk in wisdom towards them who are without, redeeming the time.

6 Let your conversation be always with courteousness, seasoned with salt, with a knowledge how you ought to answer

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every one.

With regard to my affairs, you will receive full information from Tychicus, the beloved brother, and faithful minis