An Exposition Upon Colossians, Biblical commentary 2 · Chapter 2 · Verse 4
VERS. 4.
And this I say lest any should beguile you with inticing words.
Whereas the Colossians might aske, why the Apostle is so large in vrging them to constancie, he shewes in this verse, that it is to preuent the inticements of seducers.
1. It is the dutie of eueryevery Minister to labour by all possible meanes, to preserue his people, that they be not beguiled: tis not enough to teach them true doctrine, but they must be watchfull, that neither Sathan nor euill men infect and corrupt them.
2. It is the vsuall practise of the deuill, when the word hath wrought with any power in any place, to assay by all meanes, to draw away and deceiue the mindes of the people: let men looke to themselues, and not liue securely, for certainly the deuill will attempt them with all cunning and fraud.
3. If these words be compared with the Apostles exhortation in the 23 verse, of the former chapter, it will appeare manifestly, that one reason why many are deceiued, is their vnsetlednes, in the doctrine of faith and hope: if they had been established in their assurance of Gods fauour in Christ, and and the hope brought by the Gospell, they could not hauehave been so deceiued, and beguiled, or not so easily.
4. The way by which men are in points of religion deceiued,foreign What Pithanalogie is. is not by apparant falshoods, but by probabilities of truth: the Apostle calls them paralogismes, of pithanologie. Pithanalogie, which the Apostle condemns is a speech fitted of purpose, by the abuse of Rhetoricke, to intice and by tickling the affections of men, to please and seduce; and herein properly lyes the abuses of Logick or Rhetorick in matters of Diuinitie, when out of affection, & some subtle purpose to deceiue, vaine and false arguments are varnished and coloured ouer, and made probable to the mindes of the simple: yea though the matter taught be sometimes truth, yet many mindes are beguiled, from the power and profit of it, by placing their respects and affections, vponupon the wisdome of the words and the affected artificiall frame: otherwise there is singular vse both of Logicke and Rhetoricke, when they are applied to set out the wisdome of God in his word, vnfolding the hidden depths of the power of the word of God: the very preaching of the Gospell is exceeding effectuall, when without affectation, men vse their arte, to expresse the natiue force and life of the words of the holy Ghost in scripture: but the chiefe thing in generall, is for vsus hence to learne, that heresie and error, was neuer so vnclothed, but it was presented to the world with great colours and probabilities; many simple people wonder that Papists or Brownists should be able to say so much for their idolatrie or schisme: but we must know, that any heretikes that euer were, hauehave brought great probabilities for their heresies as well as they. The deuill were wonderfull simple, if he should thinke, to bewitch men so far, as to beleeue with any confidence, things that had manifest apparance of falshood, that cannot be. Thus in generall.
Now in particular, concerning the corrupting or deceiuing of the soules of men, wee may consider three things. 1. The miserable estate of the soule, that is deceiued, or beguiled, or corrupted. 2. How the soule is corrupted. 3. The meanes to preuent it.
For the first, looke what the carcase is when it is putrified, such is the soule when it is corrupted, it is spiritually loath some, and wonderfully vnpleasing vntounto God, and cast out of his sight: and the more is the miserie of such soules, because to plead that they were deceiued, will not serue turne; wee may deceiue or be deceiued, but God will not be mocked.
For the second, if we aske by whom or how the soule is deceiued or corrupted? It is to be answered generally,Who are deceiuers. wee must take notice of it to beware: the two great deceiuers, are the deuill and Antichrist a2. Cor. 11.3. 2 Thess 2.. It is true that by the malice of Sathan, and frowardnesse of wicked men, Gods faithfull seruants are eueryevery where called deceiuers b2. Cor. 6.. They that most labour to preserue mens soules from corrupting, are most charged with seducing; but these are so called and are not.
The most ordinarie deceiuers, are 1. carnall friends, 2. the profits and pleasures of life, 3. euill companie, this corrupts like leauen, 4. carnall reason, 5. sinne cHeb. 3.13., 6. but especially corrupt and false teachers dIer. 23.14. Ezech. 13.10. Mich. 3.5. Gal. 5.9. 3..
Thirdly, if we would not be beguilde and deceiued, wee must looke to three things, 1. we must get a stedfast faith in Iesus Christ, plerophorie or full assurance of Gods fauour is a wonderfull preseruatiue against corruption of doctrine or life.3Rules to preuent beguiling. 2. we must constantly cleaue to the meanes, vntounto which God hath giuen testimonie by the power of his presence, and blessing; wee should get vnderunder the shelter of a powerfull ministerie, and this will be a rocke of defence. 3. we must preserue vprightnes of life, and our care of innocencie in what we know to be required: contrariwise, so long as we are vnsetled, and want assurance, especially if we liue not vnderunder the power of the word, we are in continuall danger to be drawne away: and so it is with vsus too, if wee fall vntounto the louelove of any sinne, of knowledge; for corruption of life is many times scourged with corruption of doctrine and opinions.
But if we would hauehave more abundant caution for our preseruation, then I will follow the similitude of beguiling amongst men, from whence by comparison, we may learne many things, for our caution and obseruation.
Men that would thriue in their estates, and would not be beguiled in the world or wronged, obserue most an end, these rules. 1. They will buy such things as are durable, not toyes or trifles: so should we, we should set our hearts vponupon eternall things, and not minde earthly things, which will last but for a short time, and when death comes, if we trust vponupon earthly things, wee shall finde our selues deceiued. 2. They will know their commodities themselues that they sell or buy: so should we both for the sinnes wee would part with, and the opinions, or duties, wee would purchase. 3. They will know the persons, with whom they deale: so should wee try the spirits. 4. They will hauehave all the securitie may be had: so should we see all warranted by the scriptures, for other securitie we cannot hauehave put in that is sufficient: if the deuill or the world or corrupt teachers, tempt and intice vsus, wee must put them to it, to put vsus in securitie from the scriptures, which because they cannot doe, we must wisely reiect them. 5. Men that deale for much, are glad to seeke the protection of some great men: so should we seeke the protection of the great God. 6. If men doubt in any thing about their estate, they will presently consult with their friends, and in difficult cases they will hauehave opinions of Lawyers too: so should we doe if we would hauehave our states safe, wee must propound our doubts one to another, especially to our Teachers, that they may resolue vsus out of the word of God.