Col. ii. 9. In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
THE Church of Christ in the first ages was com- posed of Jews and Gentiles. Now, the Jews were at all times fond of their own superstitions, as the Gen- tiles were of the dogmas of philosophy : and the two,
meeting together upon one common ground, were ready to incorporate their respective peculiarities with the Gospel of Christ. To what extent this has been done in the Church of Rome, is well known. In truth, the whole system of the Catholics is little better than a mixture of heathen rites with Jewish superstitions. And those corruptions, which have prevailed to such an awful extent in the Church of Rome, began at a very early period to make their way into the house of God. Symptoms of an alarm- ing nature had already appeared in the different Churches of Asia : and against them the Apostle put the Colossian converts on their guard ; reminding them, that, whatever they might hope to add to Christ and his Gospel, their efforts would be in vain ; since " in Him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily ;" and, consequently, without any addition from the conceits of philosophy, or the traditions of Judaism, he was amply sufficient for the work as- signed him, and was " able to save to the uttermost all that should come unto God by him."
From this assertion of the Apostle, I shall take occasion to set before you,
I. The doctrine of the Divinity of Christ —
It will be proper to consider it, 1. As expressed in the text itself —
[There are some texts, which, to a superficial observer, bear somewhat of a similar aspect with that before us. For instance, it is said in this very epistle, " It hath pleased the Father, that in Christ should all fulness dwella." And, " Out of his fulness we are said to receive even grace for grace b." There is yet a stronger expression in the Epistle to the Ephe- sians, wherein we are exhorted to contemplate the love of Christ, till we are " filled with all the fulness of Godc:" nay, more : we are said ourselves to be " the fulness of Him who filleth all in alld." From such Scriptures as these it is argued by many, that the fulness spoken of in my text is only a ful- ness of gifts committed to Christ for the use of his Church ; and that we may as well assume to ourselves the character of
a Col. i. 19. b John i. 16.
c Eph. iii. 18, 19. d Eph. i. 23.