Bridge's remains, being VIII sermons

AFFECTIONS Rightly Placed.

Collos. 3.2. Set your Affections on things above.

IN this verse the Apostle Paul doth exhort the Colossians and us by them, to seek and savour spiritual things. The Exhortation is expressed and answered; expressed in the first verse, seek those things which are above; and in the second, Set your affections on things above. It is enforced by divers arguments, the first is drawn from our Communion with Christ in his Resurrection and Ascension, If ye then, as I have told you in the former Chapter, be r sen with Christ Seek these things that are above, for Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2. Argument is drawn from ⟨p. 25⟩our Communion with Christ in his death, Ye are dead and your Life is hid with God in Christ? Therefore set your affections on things above and not on the earth. 3. Argument is drawn from the danger of inordinate affection, for which things sake, The wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience, verse 6. Therefore mortify your Members which are on the earth, Fornication, Uncleanness, Inordinate affection, verse 5. 4. Argument is drawn from our present relation, state, and condition, in the which ye also walked sometimes when ye lived in them. But you also put off all these, &c. verse 7, 8. So that the words of the Text are part of the Exhortation it self. Set your affections on things above, [Greek or Hebrew]. By things that are above, we must not only understand Heaven, the joys and the glories of it, but all spiritual and heavenly things also, which are to be enjoyed and obtained here, which are from above; because every good and perfect gift is from above, from the father of lights; and whatever grace or spiritual enjoyment we have on this side Heaven, is the seed of that heavenly glory. N•w these heavenly things we are to mind especially, [Greek or Hebrew], mind ye, but because the Apostle had called upon us, to seek these things in the former verse, and there is somewhat more in this then in the former,