Commentary Upon Colossians, Sermon 22
The 22. Sermon.
COLOSS. 3. V. 2. 3. 4.
2 Set your affections on things which are aboue, and not on things which are on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with CHRIST in God.
4 When CHRIST, which is our life, ſhall appeare, then ſhall ye alſo appeare with him in glory.
WE are entred into the ſecond part of the Epiſtle, which is an exhortatiō to a good life, drawne from the former, in the firſt Chapter.
Set your. 1. LoueLove not the things that are on earth. Now wee are to know what things we are to ſauour of, that we ſauour not of theſe.
There ceremonies, that were before ſpoken off, as touch not, taſt not, &c. theſe are earthly things, which a man muſt not ſet his mind on.
There are other things on earth, as goods &c. we muſt not affect them. 1. not ſet our minds on them and our affections, and much leſſe on drunkeneſſe &c. we muſt not hauehave to doe with ceremonies, and drunkeneſſe &c. theſe we muſt not ſo much as ſauour, no not hauehave any thing to deale with.
Neither are we to ſet our mind on thoſe, that are1. Cor 7. 31. lawfull, as on apparell, goods, nor meates, and drinks &c. We muſt vſe this world as if we loued it not. For theſe are ſo contrary that one cannot louelove them, but we muſt hate the other, no man can ſerue God, and Mammon, Math. 6. 24,
Obiection. The reaſon. If we be truely dead, then we muſtVerſe. 3. needs taſt and ſauour of theſe. For as CHRIST after death roſe againe, ſo if ſinne be dead in you, then you will riſe to the taſte of the things in heauen, and the reaſon why we louelove this world ſo, is becauſe we hauehave no hope of a better, and therefore are laoth to leaue this. And here alſo becauſe it may be ſaid, the Coloſſians are ſubiect to troubles, beſides the ſinnes that they cary about with them.
To this he anſwers, it is true it is hidden, that theSolution. world ſeeth not this ſaluation, and hidden from you, that is, that you hauehave not ſuch a feeling of it, as you ſhall hauehave. And yet as a thing hidden, that it ſhall be ſeene.
Hope is of things, that are not preſent, then ſeing our ſaluation is by hope, therefore we ſhall receiueCant. 1. 4. it. Things that doe ſcarſe appeare, yet they are, ſo of this, Cant. 1. looke not on my blackeneſſe: it is true that I am blacke, deſpiſed in the world, yet I am comely, and like the trees of Cedar, and the tents of the Arabians, which tents were to be remoued when they had dwelt a while in a place, yet I am as faire as thoſe in the curtaines of Salomon.
So that we ſee here that the Church is not ſo beutified and glorified here, as it it to be eſteemed.
2. Reaſon, is, becauſe he is the keeper, it is ſafe, no man can take it away, and therefore Cant. 26. The Church is compared to a ſteepe rocke, where no1. Pet. 1. 5. man dare come to her. And this is that, that Peter ſets forth, that we are preſerued by the power of God. It is redy to meet vsus, when we depart: and the power of hell is not able to preuaile: and therefore it is ſaid, it is hid with God.
3 Reaſon. It is hidden in CHRIST, who appearesVerſ. 4. 3. not as he is, nay not as he ſhall be: for he is appointed to hauehave all his ſubiects. As it is a glory for a King to hauehave many wait vponupon him, ſo he eſtemees it a great glory to hauehave his children about him.
Doctrine And therefore the doctrine is, if the maiſters glory be hidden, why ſhould not the ſeruant be content, not to hauehave that glory, as he ſhould, or to be diſcouraged at our light ſetting by, ſeing we are in a ſtrange country.
For a man regards not his eſtimation in a ſtrangeNote. country, as at home, no more ſhould we. Here we are ſtrangers, what matter is it though we be contemned? Another thing, that when CHRIST ſhall appeare, we ſhall alſo appeare, that is, in the laſt day with him in glory. This is a ſinguler priuiledge for vsus to thinke of.
Eſay. 60. Where deſcribing the eſtate of the children of God, from that▪ that now it is, he vſeth a fine ſpeech. There ſhall be as great difference betweene your ſtate now, and that eſtate you ſhall then be, as there is betweene the braſſe and the gold, and betwixt the wood and the braſſe &c.
You ſhal not hauehave the Sunne & Moone, it is maruelous delightfull to ſee the light of the Sunne and Moone, but then they ſhall not need it: for God ſhall be their light, and he ſhall not goe downe.
This is more notably ſet forth in the reuelationReuelation. 21. 10. 21. where it is ſaid; That it is a City on a hill full of precious ſtones, impoſſible to be found in the world, the gates of precious ſtone, the ſtreets pure gold. Theſe are meanes to point at, not able to expreſſe the glory of it. If we will heare of this further, it is ſaid that when CHRIST was tranſlated, Peter tooke ſuch delight in ſeing Moſes and Elias tranſlated, that though he were in his naturall bodie yet he tooke ſuch delight, that he ſaid: It is good for vsus to be Math. 17. 4.here, let vsus make our abode here.
And then ſure if they had ſuch delight, when they were in their naturall corrupt bodies, then much more when they ſhall be changed: then the ioy ſhall be ſuch, as no ey hath ſeene, nor eare hath heard &c.
And then it will follow that they will leaue thoſe filthineſſes that they hauehave here with them, as it is ſaid in the next verſe. It followes;
Mortifie &c. This that followeth ſtandeth in 2. parts, firſt in forbearing to doe ſinne, and 2. to do thoſe things that are good, and the 1. laſts to the 12. verſe.
And firſt for mortification, which is partly laid out in theſe two verſes.
And to the intent you may carefully ſeeke afterThe Metaphraſe. Verſe. 2. them, yee muſt firſt ſauour and ſet your affections vponupon the things that are aboue, and conſequently not to ſet your affections vponupon either the former corruptions of falſe doctrine, or elſe vponupon the defilements of a corrupt conuerſation of life: or finally vponupon the periſhable tranſitory things of this baſe world, all which are meere earthly.
VntoUnto which diſtaſte of earthly things you are called, in that you beeing riſen with CHRIST, are conſequently dead with him. Where if haply you ſhould obiect, that there is ſmall wiſedome to quitte your former life, not being aſſured of another, and ſhould aske how it ſhould appeare you liue, ſeeing beſides, the afflictions you are expoſed vntounto, you feele the daily incumbrance of ſinne, which dwelleth in your mortall bodies: It is true that it is not ſo apparant, as that which is hidden from the world, and of your ſelues not ſo fully and feelingly vnderſtood. Howbeit that ought not to diſmay you: firſt, for that it is laid vp with God, who is a true keeper of it. And ſecondly, for that as your life is hidden, ſo is CHRISTS life and glory, who is the head.
4. And laſtly, for that when CHRIST, of whom you hauehave life, ſhall be made manifeſt in glory, then ſhall you alſo with him appeare glorious.
Wherein we hauehave to conſider of the exhortation to abſtaine from certaine vices, ſecondly the reaſon, whereupon it is laid, viz. the puniſhment. It ſeemeth3. Reaſons why ſinnes are termed members. Reaſon. 1. Rom. 7. 25. very ſtrange that he ſhould call ſinne the members of a mans body: and the reaſon is firſt becauſe the Apoſtle elſe where calleth ſinne a body, and then it is fitly ſaid that the perticulers thereof be the members of this body. 2. Our ſinne may be called members, for that they are ſo grafted and deeply ſet as members in the body. And this is notably ſet forth in Math. 5. 18. If thy ey off…nd pluck it out &c. if thy foote &c. Where our Sauiour doth as Paule doth here compare ſinne to our ey, and hand, and foote: for that we come to them by our ſight, by handling, yet we muſt pull them out. So violently we muſt ſtriue to pull out our ſinnes as a man to hauehave his ey pulled, yea and though they were ſinnes as deare vntounto vsus as our ey, our hands, feet &c. excellent inſtrumentes & deere. Now ſome wil abſtaine from drunkenneſſe, ſtealing, and yet are giuen to whoring. And thereforeHeb. 12. 4. Paule inſinuates that we ſhould ſtriue with ſinne vntounto blood. EueryEvery Chriſtian, that doth not ſtriue euen to blood, if need be, he ſhall not be cro…ned.
Reaſon. 3 Laſtly, they are called members, becauſe looke how many members we hauehave, ſo many inſtruments we hauehave to allure vsus to ſinne, which we are the more to be ware of: And therefore as the Apoſtle ſaith, as we hauehave giuen our members as weapons of vnrighteouſneſſe to ſinne, ſo now let vsus giuegive our …m. 6. 19.members ſeruants vntounto righteouſneſſe in holineſſe.
The end of the 22. Sermon.