An Exposition of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians, Vol. 2

Jf 1/e then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ silteth on the right hand of God.

Set your affection on things above, not on things on tlie earth.

Having established the doctrine of the Gospel, and vanquished the seducers, the Apostle comes to the business of exhortation, that he might train to holiness of life those whom he had brought to hold the truth of faith. But this exhortation arises and is deduced from the twelfth and thirteenth verses of the preceding Chapter, where these words occur. Buried with him in baptism, who hath also raised and (juickened you: hence he now infers, if ye be risen witJt Christ, seek those things ivhich are above. We have said that the first branch of the general exhortation is included in the four first verses; and has for its object to excite the fColossians to aim at and desire the true good, viz. what is spiritual and divine ; and, moreover, to beget in them a contempt of apparent good things, viz. corporeal and earthly ones. And the Apostle acts prudently in prescribing and defining, in the first place, the thirst for the true end: since inordinateness of the will as to the end, engenders inordinate and monstrous actions through the whole course of our life ; for as the form is the principal in natural things, so the end is in morals.

But to come to the matter itself, here are two things to be observed by us.

1. The duty to which we are excited by the Apostle, comprehended in three precepts : Seek those things which are above ; (ppovsTrs, i. e. think upon and love the things above; seek not after, neither mind, earthly things.

2. The inducements, or motives (as they say) to the performance of this duty. For the seeking and loving the things above, two inducements are brought : one taken from our resurrection; vers. 1, le are risen with Christ: the

^ AN EXPOSITION OF ST. paul's Chap, ill»

other from the exaltation of Christ; wJm^e Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. For the despising earthly things two others are used; the first derived from our spiritual death ; Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ, vers. 4 ; the latter, from the expectation of our life of glory ; When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Seek those things which are above."] The word Seek indicates labour and effort; and, to use the scholastic phrase, excludes sluggish willingness. By the things which are above we must understand, in the first place, the kingdom of heaven, or the beatific vision of God, and those pleasures to be hereafter enjoyed with Christ our Head and the blessed angels, which neither eye hath seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, 1 Cor. ii. 9. But, secondly and consequently, we must understand those gifts of grace which are the seeds of this desired glory, as faith, love, holiness, and all those means by which, as by an intermediate path, God would have us proceed to this mark of heavenly glory. For Augustine hath properly remarked, that these things may also be called things which are above, because as to the excellency of their xcorih they far surpass earthly things ; as, furthermore, because all things of this kind are bestowed from above, and come down from the Father of lights, Jas. i. 17. When, therefore, the Apostle exhorts to seek those things which are above, he would have us to understand, that we ought not only to seek celestial pleasures, but so to live that we may at length attain to them. For he who does not advance in faith, love, and holiness, he does not, by the whole course of his life, seek heaven, but hastens to hell.

1. That heaven is not given to the indolent, but to those who seek it by great labour, Seek ye the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, Matt. vi. 33. And elsewhere, the violent take it, not those who slumber.

2. Celestial pleasures are not possessed in this life : we should, therefore, long after and patiently expect those

Ver. 1. EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. 7

things, being certain to obtain them at last, if we seek them as we ought to do.

To. *avi)} (ppomrs, Mind the things above, think upon or savour themJ] The word ^povHrxE, in our translation set your aff'cctions, embraces two acts ; the act of the mind or of the imderstanding reflecting about any thing; and the act of the will and affections approving and loving any thing: Therefore, the Apostle would have us raise our minds to heaven, and perpetually have those things above at heart j neither that alone, but that we should ardently love those things, and fix our affection upon them. Unless we join "7"" these two, no one will prepare to seek heavenly things ; / for there is no desire of a thing unknown: it is, therefore, • necessary to know, and frequently to revolve in mind, these heavenly things ; for no one seeks that about which he thinks not : But neither is it sufficient to think, unless it is done with love and affection ; for nothing is sought by us except that which is desired and loved. Bernard truly observed. The understanding and the affection in men are sometimes opposed to each other, so that the one knows and ap- 4proves the things which are above, although the other is found to desire the things on the earth. When that happens, the mind is distracted and torn away, not excited to seek. Hence it is that Paul exhorts us not only to know, but to savour the things which are above. Hence we learn :

1. That it is the duty of a pious and Christian man, always to have in mind that heavenly kingdom, and those heavenly good things which relate to the attainment of it. We observe this in Abraham, the father of the faithful, of whom the Apostle testifies, Heb. xi. 10, that he looked for a -fa'/y which hath foundations. This we read of the Christians