The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 58

boon characterized as progressive. The more we get into our minds of Di vino trnth, tho fuller our knowledge of Goel, tho richer will be the fruit which we produce. (8) It is a request for increased strength. "Strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto nll patience and long-suffering with joy." If a tree is to bear fruit, it must be supplied with nourishment. So, if we are to produce every good work, wo must be strengthened by God. The measure according to which strength can be sup- plied is infinite. It is" according to the might of his glory." "Might" is an attribute of the glorious majesty of Gorl. "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this, that power bolongeth unto God." Power can be communicated from this source to us. 'vVe have already been stl'Cngthenecl with some power, but we need to ask for ourselves, and others need to ask for us, that wo may be strengthened with more power. We need to bo strengthened in prosperity to make a right use of our powers; but especially do we need to be strengthened in times of trial unto all patience and long-suffering. "Patience," in so far as it is to be distinguished from "long-suffering," has reference to trials as laid upon us by God. "Long-suffering," in so far as it is to be rlistinguished from" patience," has reference to trials caused, and as caused by others. 'vV e never neerl to bear with God, we have to bear up under what he (directly or indirectly) lays upon us; but we have to bear with others who are unreasonable or do us injury. And the power communicated from the Divine glory is efficient to make us endure with joy. '!'hie is the Christian, as distinguished from the mere Stocial, relation to sufferings. We can rise in triumph over our sufferings. "Let us also," says the apostle, "rejoice in our tribulations." "In the world ye have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (-y) It is a request for thankfulness. .Alike in prosperity and in adversity, we have three causes for joy, for which we pour out our souls in gratitude. (i.) Tl.ankfvlness for the loving purpose of God. "Giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." This is not a mcetening for heaven in the way of holy habits. The words cannot bear that interpretation which is commonly put upon them. The historical parallel is to be kept in view. The Jews had their allotment (it is literally here" the portion of the lot," i.e. the portion which fell to them by lot) in the land of Canaan. God counted it a meet thing (so we would translate) that they should have this allotment. This was, in point of time, antecedent to the deliverance from Egypt, which is referred to in the next verse. It wns true that in .Abraham God counted it a meet thing that they, his descendants, should possess the land of Canaan. So for us saints. i.e. the successors of the holy people (not merely Jewish Christians, but Gent:le Christians, who are referred to at the close of this paragraph), there is in store an allotted inheritance. This is to bo in the world of light (when the shadows have fled away, when the light of God is all-penetrative), and with this in prospect there would need to be a meetening, in the expelling of all impurity, of all darkness, from our natures. Bnt still it is true that this was the loving purpose of God from all eternity. The Father (it was his love that was at the root of it) counted it n meet thing in Christ that we should be partakers of the inheritance in light. .And thus what is expanded and made promi- nent in Ephesians regllrding the purpose of God, we have here in brief and incidentally. (ii.) 1hanlcfulness for the deliverance effected in Ghrist. "Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love." 'fhe historical parallel is still kept up. Egypt was, to the Israelites, a house of bondage. They were under power, not power in its purity, power in the service of light, but .power in the service of darkness-harsh, oppressive power. But out of that they were brought with a strong arm, and were translated into a new orderly state of things, which is expressed by the word "kingdom" (the theocracy). So there is an Egyrt behind us all. Sin was the tyranny of darkness. Bnt the .l!'ather effected for us a deliverance. How it was effected is not statetl here. But, to carry out the historical parallel, it was by the sacrifice of tho Son of his love. 'l'he power of darkness came upon him in all its horrors. He wns the Firstborn, slain in the land of Egypt, that Israel might escnpe. .And this deliverance involved I\ complete changing of our state. It was a briniing us in Christ into a trno kingdom, a kingdom presided over by Christ, a king- dom whose law is love. (iii.) Thankfulness for the enjoyment of redemption. "In whom wo have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins." We are yet in our wilc1ernoss state; we have not corno to our full redemption, to our possession of tho  THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. [OH, I, 1-20,