HOMILY VII.] HOMILIES ON COLOSSIANS. 289 seen." (Eph. ii. 4.) For he hath not seen Angels, and yet is affected as though he had. Therefore he saith, " Puffed up by his fleshly mind vainly," not about any true fact. About this doctrine, he is puffed up, and puts forward a show of humility. By his carnal mind, not spiritual ; his reasoning is of man. " And not holding fast the Head," he saith, " from whom all the body." All the body thence hath its being, and its well-being. Why, letting go the Head, dost thou cling to the members? If thou art fallen off from it, thou art lost. " From whom all the body." Every one, be he who he may, thence has not life only, but also even connection. All the Church, so long as she holds The Head, increaseth ; because here is no more passion of pride and vainglory, nor invention of human fancy. Mark that " from l whom," meaning the Son. "Through the joints and bands," he says, "being supplied, and knit together, increases with the increase of God " ; he means, that which is according to God, that of the best life. Ver. 20. " If ye died with Christ." He puts that in the middle, and on either side, expressions of greater vehemence. " If ye died with Christ from the elements of the world," he saith, " why as though living in the world do ye subject yourselves to ordinances?" This is not the consequence, for what ought to have been said is, " how as though living are ye subject to those elements?" But letting this pass, what saith he? Ver. 21, 22. "Handle not, nor taste, nor touch ; all which things are to perish with the using ; after the precepts and doctrines of n\en." Ye are not in the world, he saith, how is it ye are subject to its elements? how to its observ ances ? And mark how he makes sport of them, "touch not, handle not, taste not," as though they were cowards and keeping themselves clear of some great matters, " all which things are to perish with the using." He has taken down the swollenness of the many, and added, " after the precepts and doctrines of men." What sayest thou? Dost thou speak even of the Law? Henceforth it is but a doctrine of men, after the time is come. 2 Or, because they adulterated it, or else, he alludes to the Gentile institutions. The doctrine, he says, is altogether of man. Ver. 23. "Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and severity to the body ; but are not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh." " Show," he saith ; not power, not truth. So so is rightly omitted in Rev. Ver. The participle must then take a different sense, such as dwelling in the things which he hath seen, poring over and confining himself to these. The expression is ob scure, and was simplified by inserting "not." Comp. Meyer. J.A. B.] 1 ef, which makes Him a source of action in Himself. 2 icaipbi , i.e. the time of Christ s Advent, or " after its time." that even though they have a show of wisdom, let us turn away from them. For he may seem to be a religious person, and modest, and to have a contempt for the body. " Not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh." For God hath given it honor, but they use it not with honor. Thus, when it is a doctrine, he knows how to call it honor. They dishonor the flesh, he says, depriving it, and stripping it of its liberty, not giving leave to rule it with its will. God hath honored the flesh. Chap. iii. ver. i. "If then ye were raised to gether with Christ." He brings them together, having above estab lished that He died. Therefore he saith, " If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above." No observances are there. " Where Christ is seated on the right hand of God." Wonderful ! Whither hath he led our minds aloft ! How hath he filled them with mighty aspiration ! It was not enough to say, " the things that are above," nor yet, "where Christ is," but what? "seated on the right hand of God." From that point he was preparing them henceforward to see the earth. Ver. 2, 3, 4. "Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth. For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life shall be manifested, then shall ye also with Him be manifested in glory." This is not your life, he saith, it is some other one. He is now urgent to remove them, and insists upon showing that they are seated above, and are dead ; from both considerations estab lishing the position, that they are not to seek the things which are here. For whether ye be dead, ye ought not to seek them ; or whether ye be above, ye ought not to seek them. Doth Christ appear? Neither doth your life. It is in God, above. What then? When shall we live ? When Christ shall be manifested, who is your life; then seek ye glory, then life, then enjoyment. This is to prepare the way for drawing them off from pleasure and ease. Such is his wont : when establishing one position, he darts off to another ; as, for instance, when discoursing of those who at supper were beforehand with one another, he all at once falls upon the observance of the Mysteries. 3 For he hath a great rebuke when it is administered unsuspected. " It is hid," he saith, from you. " Then shall ye also with Him be manifested." So that, now, ye do not appear. See how he hath removed them into the very heaven. For, as I said, he is always bent upon showing that they have the 3 See his Comment on i Cor. xi. 17-21. Horn, xxvii. on i Cor., where he says that the supper referred to was " when the solemn service was completed, after the Communion of the Mysteries.