A commentary of M. John Calvin, upon the Epistle to the Colossians. And translated…A commentarie of M. Iohn Caluine, vpon the Epistle to the Colossians. And translated…

21 And you when sometime you were estranged, and enemies by cogitation in evil works. 22 Now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh by death: that he might make you stand holy and unreprovable in his sight. 23 If so be you abide grounded and firm in faith, and be not removed from the hope of the Gospel which you have heard: which is preached among all creatures which are under heaven: of which I Paul am made a Minister.

21 And you when sometime you were estranged, and enimies by cogitation in euill workes. 22 Now hath he reconciled in the bodye of his fleshe by death: that he might make you stand holy and vnreproueable in his sight. 23 If so be you abide grounded and firme in faith, and bee not remoued from the hope of the Gospell whiche you haue heard: which is preached among all creatures which are vnder heauen: of which I Paule am made a Minister.

21 And you, when sometime. Now doth he shape unto them a general doctrine by an Hypothesis, that they may perceive themselves guilty of the greater unthankfulness if they suffer themselves to be lead over from Christ to new devises and inventions. and this order must diligently be marked: because the application (if I may so say) of peculiar or special doctrine, doth more nearly touch the quick. Afterward he calleth them back to experience, that they might acknowledge in themselves the benefit of the redemption whereof he maketh mention, as if he should say, you your selves are a document or example of the grace which I preach to be exhibited & set […] unto men through Christ. for ye were estranged, namely from G••. Ye were enemies, now are ye received into favour. & whence ⟨p. 20⟩cometh that? forsooth for that God being pacified and appeased by the death of Christ, is again friends with you. Although in this sentence is the changing of the person, for that which hitherto he hath taught touching the father, now he preacheth of Christ. for so of necessity must it be expounded, because he saith, in the body of his flesh. I interpret the word [Greek or Hebrew] [which is translated cogitation] to be put to augment the matter, as if he should have said, that they were utterly and with all the whole sense of their mind estranged from God, least any body should philosophically fain (this) estranging to be in some part, as the Popish divines restrain it to the inferior concupiscences. Nay rather, saith Paul, because it made you hateful unto God, it occupied the whole mind. To be brief his mind was to point forth man, altogether as he is, utterly to disagree from God, & to be unto him an enemy. The old Interpreter hath translated, [Greek or Hebrew], sense, Erasmus hath translated it mind, and I have used the word cogitation, for that which the Frenchmen call intent. For such is the force of the greek word, & Pauls meaning doth so require it. Furthermore that word enemies, whereas it hath as well a passive as active signification, agreeth with us jumply either way as long as we be without Christ. for both are we born the children of wrath, and all the cogitations of the flesh are hatred against God. In evil works He proveth by the effects the inward hatred that lieth hidden in the hart.