Commentary Upon Colossians, Sermon 21
The 21. Sermon.
COLOSS. Ch. 3. V. 1.
1 If yee then be riſen with Chriſt, ſeeke thoſe things which are aboue, where Chriſt ſitteth at the right hand of God.
WEE are now, by the grace of God, come vntounto the ſecond part of this Epiſtle, where the Apoſtle doth deliuer certaine morall precepts of godly life and conuerſation: And heere the Apoſtle ſets forth: 1. thoſe things that are generall to the 18. verſe of this chapter, and then certaine perticuler duties, of Parents, Children, Maiſters, and Seruants: and after hee returnes againe to giuegive precepts vntounto them all in generall.
Being through faith ingrafted and incorporatedThe Mataphraſe. Ʋerſe. 1. into Chriſt, (as hath bene ſaid, and as your ſelues profeſſe) as touching ſinne, dead and buried with him; and as touching newneſſe of life, quickened and riſen againe: Now if in truth you be riſen with Chriſt, then as Chriſt riſing remained not on earth, but aſcended vp into heauen, where vnderunder God, as touching his Manhood, he is exalted in power and maieſty aboue all Powers and Principalities, in heauen and earth; ſo you by ſeeing and ſeeking after the graces that come from aboue, aſcend vp whether he is gone.
The ſumme of all, which is a generall exhortation to holineſſe of life, and ſanctification.
The parts are two exhortations.
1 To newneſſe of life.
2 To mortification day by day till wee bee ſlaine by death it ſelfe.
There are ſome things to be learned of the comparing that before with this: 1. After the Apoſtle had laid downe the grounds of true doctrine, and ouerthrowne the falſe, he now teacheth wholeſome duties of good life.
Whence we learne that except wee be grafted into CHRIST, wee cannot poſſibly bring forth any good workes; And therefore the Apoſtle layeth down firſt the doctrine of Iuſtification by CHRIST alone: And therefore if men hauehave not faith, the beſt workes are ſinne, not to ſpeake of Nunneries, which are the neſts of vermine.
Further this is to ouerthrow the Papiſts, that thinke by the naturall power, they bring into the world, before any grace is giuen them of God, they can do good works, and after they merit and deſerue it: whereas it is euidently taught heere, they are all ſinne before they be grafted into CHRIST.
A ſecond thing is, that the Apoſtle, vpō the doctrine of Chriſtianity, buildeth good works: And therfore in the Epiſtle to the Romans, he telleth that nothing can bee done without faith, then after hee exhorteth toRom. 14. 23. good workes. So to the Galathians, hauing Preached faith in CHRIST, hee perſwadeth them to doe good workes. In vaine wee make profeſſion of good workes, and bring forth nothing in our life and conuerſation. Iam. 2. 26. Faith without workes is dead. If a man knew all the things in heauen and the earth, and he were mounted vp as high as the Angels, yet if his life bee not anſwerable, hee had bene better neuer to hauehave made profeſſion.
When the Apoſtle hath ſpoken againſt Circumciſion, new Moones, and Holy daies, ſaue the Sabaoth, of touching and handling, a man will ſay, what will you hauehave vsus doe nothing, of this, then let vsus ſet the cooke on the cooke, let vsus eate, and drinke, and make good-cheere, and take our pleaſure: The Apoſtle anſwereth, that the Lord hath not taken away the yoke to follow our owne luſts, but to glorifie God thereby. And therefore it hath beene found that they hauehave taken more paines to go to hell then others hauehave done, becauſe wee will not faſt, and pull downe our bodies: but they condemne Papiſts almes, becauſe they giuegive none themſelues.
1. Point, an exhortation to quickning and newneſſe of life.
If yee hauehave bene rayſed, &c. where the Apoſtle layeth vsus to our tryall, and giueth vsus a notable tryall, whether we are of CHRIST, for then we are raiſed vp to heauen, but if wee bee grouelings, heere in the things of this life, then wee are not riſen againe, but are on earth: for all theſe go together: for hee that is grafted in CHRIST, hee is quickened, and hee riſeth with CHRIST: for hee roſe not on earth, but into heauen.
Now let vsus examine whether wee are riſen with CHRIST, which is if wee aſcend, which may bee knowne if we ſeeke the things aboue.
Seeke, that is to hauehave a care: for that a man ſeeketh, he deſireth to come vntounto, and takes care for, and ſo the Apoſtle ſaith: a man muſt ſtudy and muſe with himſelfe. So Salomon willeth wee ſhould dig, and labour for wiſedome, otherwiſe it is no ſigne that we are riſen with CHRIST.
Now let vsus conſider if wee bee in the number of thoſe, that ſeeke after heauen. There are found many, that ſeeke for things of this life, and change countries to make themſelues rich: But how many hauehave come to ſeeke the word? nay when they hauehave it brought to their dore they do contemne it, theſe are far from being raiſed with CHRIST.
There are 2 things in ſeeking
1 Knowledge.
2 Practiſe.
Now let vsus examine whether our eares are bored, and whether wee gape for knowledge, as the earth doth for raine: So ſaith Dauid, when hee was in the wilderneſſe perſued by Saul, O how hauehave I deſired to Pſalme 63.come vntounto thy Tabernacle! though hee knew neuer ſo much. Let vsus labour to bee in the number of theſe: but if we hauehave bene ſlacke in this, then let vsus ſee what we hauehave bene in the other, for it is eaſier to know the will of God, then to practiſe it.
Sitteth at the right hand. i; where we muſt continue in knowledge and practiſe, as alſo to teach vsus that CHRIST ſits.
After he ſets forth our ſeeking, by the cauſe, for if wee hauehave no ſauour of the things that are aboue, wee will neuer ſeeke them: For till ſuch time as wee hauehave aloue to the things aboue, it is impoſſible to ſeeke for them.
And therefore it was well ſaid, that the delight doth perfect the action: where the deſire is, there will bee doing.
Pſal. 119. MEM. O how I louelove thy Law! and therefore Pſal. 119. 97.my ſtudy is in it all the day long: ſo that without louelove we ſhould not louelove and ſtudy after it. O taſt and ſee how good the word of God is if you had once taſted it, you would ſeeke after it.
The Apoſtle Saint Peter, exhorteth them to auoid1. Pet. 2. 1. 2. all malice, guile▪ and enuy, and as new borne babes to deſire the ſincere milke of the word (If you had taſted) And hee ſaith taſted, alluding to yong children newly borne, that at firſt will not taſt, but the mother vſeth ſome meanes, but after they come to it: ſo if we hauehave taſted of the word, wee will ſeeke after it.
The end of the 21. Sermon.