318 Sect. 4. Chriftians are united to Chrift their Head. Col. II. 18. relating to their various Ranks, Subordina- Ver. 14 Ver. 15. Ver. II. L Mind; 19 And not holding the Body' by Joints and Bands Head, from which all the having Nourishment miniftered, and knit together, increafeth with the Increase of GOD. IMPROVEMENT. ET us contemplate, with daily Pleafure, the glorious Effects of the Death of our Bleffed Redeemer, by which the Mofaick Law was abolished, the Hand-writing of Ordinances blotted out; that Death by which fo glorious a Victory over our fpiritual Enemies was obtained, by which the infernal Principalities and Powers were stripped of their Trophies, and themselves expofed as an open Spectacle. Let us improve this Victory to all the glorious Purposes for which it was intended. Let us above all, confider it as an Engagement to a Life of exemplary Holiness, efpecially as we are ourfelves circumcifed with the Circumcifion of Chrift, as by Baptifm we are and Archangels, and recommend the Worship of them under thofe Names. See Jamblic. de Myft. Sect. II. Cap. 2, 3. It is juftly remarked by Bishop Burnet, that had it been the Apostle's Intention to give the leaft Encouragement to any religious Addreffes to Saints and Angels, this would have been a very natural Occafion of introducing the Subject, and adjufting its proper Boundaries. pag. 225. Burn. on the Art. Reflections on the Authority of Christ as the fole Lawgiver. 319 are folemnly engaged to mortify all irregular Affections, and, being Sect. 4. buried with Chrift in that folemn Rite, to rise to all Newness of Life, having received the Forgiveness of our Sins, and being raised with Ver. 12. Chrift to the Hope of eternal Glory. Ver. 13 Let us be folicitous, ever to maintain the ftricteft Union with Chrift as our Head, remembering how great an Honour it is, to be thus related to him, in whom dwelleth all the Fulness of Godhead Ver. 9, bodily. Let us be careful in Virtue of this Union, to live in the Ver. 10. Communion of Christian Love, with all the Members of the Body, and ourselves to grow with all the Encreafe of GOD. And let us guard against all those human Traditions, or Refine- Ver. 8. ments of philofophical Speculation, which are disagreeable to these Ver. 16, 17. Elements of Christ, into which we have been initiated; and against every Thing, which could be an Infringement of that Liberty, which Christ hath granted to his Church, and which it is our Duty to endeavour to maintain, against all Encroachments; even though they should be made by any in his Name, and under the Pretence of Authority from him. It may be urged upon us as Humility, to Ver. 18 submit to fuch Impofitions, but it is the trueft Humility to maintain an exact Obedience to the Authority of our divine Mafter, and to limit even our Submission to those of our Brethren, whom we may most honour and love, by a Regard to his Command and Inftitution. And if a due Care is not taken in this Respect, we may deprived, at least in fome Degree, of our Prize, by the Methods, whereby fome may endeavour to perfuade us, that we shall most effectually fecure it. May divine Wisdom preserve us from all thofe vain Deceits, whereby our Faith might be corrupted, or our Conformity to the Plan of Chriftian Inftitutions be rendered, in any Refpect, lefs beautiful, pure, and compleat. be Ver. 8. SECT. 444 320 Sect. 5. Col. II. 20. Chriftians are not fubject to Jewish Ordinances. The Apoftle further cautions the Coloffians against those corrupt Additions to Chriftianity, which fome were attempting to introduce, efpecially by Rigours and Superftitions of their own Devifing; and exhorts them, as the propereft Method for their Security, to be endeavouring to raise their Hearts more to Chrift, as their afcended Lord and Life. Col. II. 20, to the End. Chap. III. 1,-4. COL. II. 20. Have mentioned the Relation in which you stand to Chrift as your Head, and I must from hence take Occafion farther to plead the Obligations you are under, to labour after a growing Conformity to him in all Things. If therefore ye are indeed (as by Baptifm ye profefs to be) dead with Chrift (a) from the Elements and Rudiments of the World, from thofe Things, which among the Gentiles or the Jews, Men are apt to build fo much upon, why, as if ye were still living as before in the World, and ftood in that Refpect on an equal Footing with others, do ye meddle with thefe Appointments, fubjecting yourselves to them; yea, and are ready yourfelves to infist on the Obfervation of them, and even to 21 join in impofing them upon others. And particularly thofe which the Mofaick Law incul COL. II. 20. Herefore, if ye be dead with Chrift from the Rudiments of the World; 21 (Touch not, tafte not, (a) If therefore ye be dead with Chrift, &c.] Some have confidered this as the Beginning of a new Paragraph, addreffed to Jewish Zealots among them; and plead in Support of this Opinion, that the Subjection to Ordinances, which the Apostle here reproves, is inconfiftent with the Applaufes he had before beftowed on the Coloffians. But it seems most natural to fuppofe, that he addreffes the Society in general, and leaves it to their own Confciences to determine, which of them deferved the Cenfure. (b) Touch not, handle not: Or Precepts of human Invention. 0321 inculcates, fuch as, touch not any Thing ce- Sect. 5. remonially unclean, tafte not any Food which that prohibits; handle not any Thing by Col. II. 21. which fuch Pollution might be contracted (b). All which Things tend to the Corruption of that excellent Religion, into which you have the Honour to be initiated; by the Abuse of them, according to the Com- 221 mandments and Doctrines of mistaken and ill-defigning Men, who infift fo eagerly upon them, as if they were effential to Salvation; though, as I obferved before, they have answered their great End, so far as they were of Divine Inftitution, and are now laid afide by the fame Authority that introduced them, fo that all Obligation upon the Conscience is ceased. Concerning 23 which Things, we may in the general obferve, that they have indeed a Pretence of Wisdom, and are in that View gravely infifted upon, especially by the more rigorous Sects; but many of them are of fuch a Nature, that, even while that Jewish Oeconomy continued in Force, they made no genuine Part of it, but rather taught Men to pervert Religion, by making it to confist in Willworship, which they themselves devised, and in an affected Humility of Addrefs, and in a Severity to the Body; which, rigorous as it seemed, was far from being true Mortification, or difpofing the Mind to it. On the contrary, while it puffed Men up with a vain Conceit of their own Sanctity, it might be faid rather to tend to the dishonourable fatisfying of the Flesh (c), while it seemed moft (b) Touch not, tafte not, handle not. It has been obferved, that the quick Succeffion of these Precepts, without any Copulatives between, happily expreffes the Eagernefs with which the feducing Teachers inculcated thefe Things. Dr. Whitby fhews that Cerinthus's Doctrine and Precepts had much of this Caft, and fome of his Quotations are remarkable in this View. (c) Difonourable fatisfying the Flefh.] Ουκ εν τιμη τινι προς πλησμονην της σαρκός. VOL. V. Sf fup 322 They should feek thofe Things that are above, Sect. 5. Ch.III.1. indeed a carnal Principle; nor could the Chrift, feek thofe Things And let me farther improve the great Principle I have laid down, and urge, that fince ye are rifen with Chrift, ye fhould therefore feek Things that are above (d) the Sphere of this mortal and animal Life, even there, where Chrift is fitting in Dignity and 2 Felicity at the Right Hand of GOD. my Brethren, charge it continually on your Things on the Earth. Confciences, that ye mind, prefer, affect, and purfue the Things that are above, and not thofe [that are] here on this low Earth. And this Attachment to the great and glorious Views of the invifible and eternal Yes, World 2 Set your Affections on Things above, and not on fuppofe the two Claufes may be tranfpofed,. as if it had been faid, It is to fuch a fatisfying the Fleth as does it no real Honour; which I take to be a Meiofis, to exprefs what is dishonourable; whereas the higheft Honour of our Bodies is to be the Inftruments of our Souls in the Service of GOD. Mr. Howe obferves, that run fignifies Provifion, as well as Honour, and thinks, the Senfe to be, that though there was no Appearance of providing for the Flefh, yet there was a carnal Kind of Satisfaction in thefe affected Severities, when proceeding from the Principles of Vain-glory, and Illnature, which were as contrary to the Genius of true Religion, as any of the groffeft Senfualities that could be imagined. Howe's Works, Foli. pag. 375. And this is certainly the true Senfe in the general, though this Explication of T fhould be difputed. The Pruffian Teftament renders it, Which Things have indeed fome Ap pearance of Wildom, in that they are a voluntary Worship, that they have an Air of Humility, that they fpare not the Body, and that they have no Regard to the fa tiating the Flesh" Which reads roundly,, but gives a most unauthorifed Senfe to ex or Thin Thn, and exchanges the Spirit of the concluding Words for a flat TautoLogy. (d) Things that are above.] Calvin underftands this of the fublimer Parts of Chrif tianity, as oppofed to Jewish Ceremonies and Rudiments of the World, mentioned Chap. II. 20. but it cannet properly be faid, that thefe are with Chrift in Heaven. I think there fore, the Apostle proceeds on the Principles he bad laid down, to graft a molt important practical Exhortation, different from any he had advanced before: (as he cer ainly does, ver. 5.) yet nothing could more effectually tend to take them off from thofe bigotted Attachments, of which he was folicitous to cure them. A remarkable Inftance of that happy Address, which we have fo often had Opportunity of obferving, and which an attentive Reader will obferve in many other Places, where we have not had Rooms to peint it out. |