A commentary upon the epistle of Saint Paul written to the Colossians. PreachedA commentary vpon the epistle of Saint Paule written to the Colossians. Preached

And our love must be to all the Saints, to the poor aswell as to the rich, whom Saint James meeteth with and sayeth: If a poor man, though of the true religion, come in, he is bid to go behind the door and to sit at our foot-stool; if one rich he is¹ exalted: whereas true love doth embrace even all, that do profess the truth. Here Saint James discovereth the hypocrisy of men in their excuses: why (will they say) are not we to love our neighbours? and the rich men are our neighbours. True, he is your neighbour, but if you love him, why do you not love him also, that is poor, which is more near peradventure, if he be a professor: and again if your love be to the rich, because of the commandment of God, then ye will love the poor aswell as the rich. As if for the love of God ye abstain from adultery, theft, murder &c. Then ye will abstain from all other sins, which are of the same nature, all the commandments being of the same nature, coming from God, who is one and the same; and therefore if I abstain from one sin for the love of² Gods sake, I will aswell abstain from another for that cause. And therefore this condemneth the common practise of men, that being blamed for some one sin; as drunkenness &c. will say I am no thief, no murderer &c, and so will justify himself. But if he have no conscience of that sin he is guilty of all³ other. Indeed a man by infirmity may fail, and be inclining to one sin more then to another, but if he have no strife against it nor hatred of it, it is a sure token that he is guilty of all other sins, and hath no true hatred of any. He confirmeth their faith and ⟨p. 22⟩love, by the true end, that there being a true end of⁴ them, then their faith and love are true. The end is ye look for reward in heaven, without which it were impossible your faith should stand, and your love should be supported: for there are so many assaults befalling unto us, in this present life, which would overthrow our faith and quench our love, unless it were supported by the hope of everlasting life. Therefore in the Epistle to the Hebrews it is compared