not the persuasiveness that comes from the truth. They were conscious of no basis of reality for their speech .. They tau$ht a system fo~ which there were not proors. They pretended b~ their sophm and ~osis to ?pen up hidden. things; but it was only pre- tence: Their_ fine phrases, the1_r plaus1~le representations, their large promises, wero delusive, leadmg away from reality, lcadmg away from Christ in whom alone are the hidden treasures. 2. Spfritua), presence with them. " For though I am absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stead- fastness _of your ~a)th in Christ." The spi~it is freer than t~e body. 'l'he apostle was present m the spmt, where he was absent in the flesh. This spoke to a certain cocrni- zance of them, from all that he had heard of them, and especially from the intensity of his sympathy with them. Transferred, as it were, to Colossm, his feelings (and to this prominence is given) were those of joy. He was not repelled (as from whe.t we.s dis- agreeable), but was rather enchained. It especially gave him joy to observe two points which were important in reference to his purpose. (1) Their order. They were (to take one of the associations of the word) like a well-appointed regiment. They were well organized as a community. They were organized for the advancement of the cause of Christ among themselves and beyond themselves. Hitherto they had been free from divisions. There was no disorderliness, such as there was in the Church of Corinth. (2) TM steadfastness of their faith in Ghrist. Their outward state ( which was one of order) was conditioned inwardly by faith. They had an immovable object for their faith. "If we are faithless, he abideth fait.hful; for he cannot deny himself." Their faith in some degree corresponded. It had such a hold on Christ that it was, as the word is, something firm, like a piece of solid masonry (in a fortification) not easily battered down. It would stand, he hoped, the assaults made on it by the false teachers. III. EXHORTATION TO REMAIN TRUE TO THEIR STARTING-POINT. He does not bestow praise withont giving exhortation (in view of the danger). The spirit of the exhorta- tion is given in the words of the Lord to the Church of Smyrna (where danger, how- ever, had not been well met)," Remember therefore how thou hast received, and didst hear." In the force of the apostle's thought there is a certain disregard of metaphor (walle, tree, building). It is, therefore, necessary to present the thought (in our divi- sion) without keepiug to metaphor. 1. We a1·e to think and act from day to day in accurdance with our first reception r,f Ghrist. "As therefore ye received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him." There is an emphatic specification of the object. 'l'hey received Christ (the person of Christ being in dispute). Whom did they receive as Christ? 'l'he historical Jesus (partaker of humanity). This Jesus they received and worshipped as the Lord (with supreme power over the universe and the Church). And the apostle holds rightly that they were bound by their past action. Having thus received Christ, they were not to cast him off. 'l'hey were not to think and act accord- ing to their pleasure or according to the suggestion of heretical teachers. But their thoughts and actions (specially the former in the present instance) were to be controlled by Christ and his laws. 2. What is added in our development is to be in accordance with its beginnings. " Rooted and builded up in him." 'l'he change of tense is not brought out in the translation. It is literally, "Raving been rooted and being builded up in him." They got a rooting in Christ at the beginni?g, viz. under Epaphras, who presented. Christ plainly to them, giving them line upon lme and precept upon precept, until they came to a clear conception of the truth. This rooting was effectual in the subsequent development. To change the figure with the apostle, they got a grounding in Christ (as we get a grounding in a language or science). Every successive layer was to be in accordance with their grounding. 'l'he building was to rise up in, and to take form from, that Christ in whom they had been so well grounded. 8. Our faith is to be established in accordance with our early teaching. "And stablished in your faith, even as ye were taught." .All early teaching is not good, and the development is often hindered by imperfect or faulty grounding. 'l'he early teaching enjoy~d by i~e ,Colos- sians was proved to be good by the subsequent development. There IS a m1ssmg of the thought by Meyer and Ellicott, who interpret, "'l'augh! to become established in [or,• by') the faith." The idea rather is that, under the teachrng of Epaphras, they got a nght hold. of Christ. From him thus laid bold of by them they were not to be moved away. The whole carrying forward of their faith in the way of stability was to bo OJI, IL 1-23.] 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSTANS. 125
toward no folse Christ, but toward Christ Jesus the Lord. Su~joined exhortation to thanksgiving. "Abounding in thanksgiving." This comes in with a certain abrupt- ness. But the duty of thanksgiving is so frequently (five times) introduced as to form a subordinate feature of the Epistle. An overflowing of thanksgiving to God for the faith by which they came in their early teaching, and for all the blessing opened uo to them by faith (the hidden treasures in Christ), would be helpful to their faith bein"'0 stablished in view of present danger.-R. F.