Which observances are indeed (as it was before intimated vv. 4. and 8.) set off by some specious fair shows; as, that they are voluntary services or freewill offerings to God; that there is great humility in them, (as in that of worshipping angels, ver. 18;) that they are a great austerity and punishing of the body; that they are quite contrary to the placing any honour in the satisfying the desires of the flesh, though it be by conjugal enjoyments: (but for all this, are but specious, and not real services, have nothing of true worship in them.) ¹⁷ being supplied, ἐπιχορηγούμενον. ¹⁸ elements: see note [b]. ¹⁹ come not near: see note [i]. ²⁰ to corruption by the abuse of them, εἰς φθορὰν τῇ ἀποχρήσει. ²¹ austerity to, ἀφειδίᾳ. [i] will-worship] The word ἐθελοθρησκεία, voluntary worship, is not elsewhere used in the New Testament; and being not at all to be found among the Greek translators or apocryphal writers of the Old, and by other later writers taken particularly from this one place, it will be worthy our inquiry how it is used here, whether in an ill or a good sense; and that will be done best by a full view of the whole place. The occasion of the apostle's discourse here is, the dogmatizing of some, ver. 20, that is, teaching some things to be forbidden by God which were not now forbidden by him, (nor by any under God which had authority to command,) and so by their ἐντάλματα, commands or precepts, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, (their own heretical fancies,) Matt. xv. 9. The matter of these dogmata is here HAMMOND ANNOTT. VOL. II. R And a minister of his church, appointed immediately by God to bear his word, to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, and particularly to you, (to whom, by Epaphras, I have done so, ver. 7.) and to leave no place (whither I can come by myself or others) without preaching the gospel to them. [e] fulfil the word] Πληρῶσαι τὸν λόγον, to fulfil his word, is a phrase which we meet with 1 Macc. ii. 55, spoken of Joshua, that for fulfilling the word he was made a judge in Israel: where, as the word signifies the will and pleasure of God revealed to him, so πληρῶσαι, to fulfil it, is to perform it in a very eminent manner. But in this place ὁ λόγος being by the context confined to another notion, the preaching or publishing the gospel of Christ peculiarly, πληροῦν τὸν λόγον Θεοῦ, to fulfil the word of God, will be, to fulfil that preaching, that is, to proceed as far in the preaching of it as by all his diligence and care, by himself and others, he could do, and so belongs to the preaching it to these Colossians, to whom, being out of his way, he yet had sent Epaphras, ver. 7. Thus we have a like phrase Rom. xv. 19. πληρῶσαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, to fill up the preaching or gospel of Christ, that is, to preach it from city to city, from Jerusalem as far as to Illyricum. That gospel, I mean, or revelation of the will of God, which was not revealed so clearly in former ages, but kept under shadows and dark prefigurations, but now is freely preached to all that receive the faith of Christ: God being willing to exhibit to such (and no longer to keep close) this illustrious mercy of his to the Gentiles, so long concealed, viz. Christ preached, the gospel revealed to these, and in it hope of pardon and of bliss afforded them upon reformation of their former lives, and receiving and practising the commands of Christ. Whose doctrine we now publish to the world, his precepts of divine purity and his glorious promises, first preaching the fundamental heads of the truth of Christ, and then superstructing all further knowledge of Christian duties, and this to Gentiles as well as Jews, that by this means we may bring in servants to God, as many as possibly we can, to serve him in all that holiness of life that Christ Jesus himself exemplified and prescribed.