Colossians 3:2

THE DISCIPLINE OF THE AFFECTIONS

‘Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.’

Colossians 3:2

The affections have been defined as the faculty or power which regulates or determines all our likes or dislikes for persons or things, our tastes, our friendships, our loves. This faculty or power ought to be brought under control by every reasonable man and every reasonable woman. You must refuse to grow attached to what is unworthy of your affections, what is unworthy of your consideration.

I. Choose the best things.—You can cultivate good taste, whether it be in the matter of literature or art or conversation, or any other such thing. It is a duty to choose always the best that is within our reach. It seems obvious, it seems easy in theory; in practice it is really very difficult. Self-culture always means a good deal of effort. You will be tempted by laziness, by habit, or by cowardice, but if you do not choose the best, your taste will in time be spoiled, your affections will inevitably go out towards what is vulgar and common, and your character will suffer in proportion.

II. Choose the best friends.—This is an important point. A bad friend very often means one’s ruin. Again you must choose what is noble and what is true. Fix your eyes upon such qualities as honour, courage, duty, unselfishness, purity. Do not allow your preference to rest upon the mean, the cowardly, the selfish, the dishonest, the impure; and then slowly and surely your affections will fix themselves upon the better traits of character. You will become naturally disposed to make good friends instead of bad ones. And still further we must be ourselves pure, ourselves unselfish.

III. The control of the affections.—Our affections must be controlled as regards those that we love most. Remember that there is a selfish, inconsiderate kind of love. There is a love that proceeds from passion and impurity, there is a love not founded upon sympathy and upon self-sacrifice; there is also an uncurbed, unrestrained love, which regards its object as belonging absolutely to itself rather than as a trust from God. People very often, under the cover of love, will allow those they love all kinds of indulgence, all kinds of laxity. They seem to think that love is an excuse for many things that would be otherwise inadmissible.

Rev. Hamilton Rose.

Illustration

‘True love must come from God Himself, Who is love. And yet people are afraid to love Him. They are afraid of losing something they value, they are afraid of not possessing the object of affection so surely if they first surrender it to God; the result is they choose the lower kind of love in preference to the love that comes from above, and it means infinite loss in the end to themselves, perhaps a greater loss still to those they try to love. Whether then in regard to things or persons, our affections need strict discipline; you may easily grow fond of what is ignoble, unworthy of respect.’

(SECOND OUTLINE)

THE HIGHER LIFE

Let us consider how we may go up to the higher life, and reach towards ‘things above.’

I. It must be by attraction.—The repulsion of this earth may drive you to dislike this world; but no repulsiveness here could ever bring you nearer heaven; it would only make you morose. Christ must draw. And therefore He has ‘gone up on high,’ that He may draw you higher. Put yourself within the attraction.

II. Do not attempt to leap to the top by a bound.—Go up by little steps day by day. Let it be something which is always just above you; not too far; not so far as to discourage you; yet not so near as to be done without effort.

(a) Put more intercession and more praise into your prayers.

(b) Make your reading of the Bible a more real study.

(c) Resolve to come more frequently to Holy Communion.

(d) Do your charity with more method.

(e) Let your social intercourse be more profitable.

III. That you may do this, you must lean less upon yourself.—Perhaps the most beautiful picture in the whole Bible of a Christian is in those words of Solomon’s: ‘Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning on her Beloved?’ ‘Who is this coming up’ and up—always ‘coming up’ and up—through a world which is comparatively ‘a wilderness’—‘leaning’ in very weakness on One she loves, and that Loved One Christ? Who is this? Is it you? ‘Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning on her Beloved?’

Illustration

‘Some years ago a passenger in a homeward-bound ship chanced to go on deck one morning while the captain was teaching his young son to climb to the mast-head. The boy had gone bravely up, while his father stood watching and encouraging him. At last he began to descend, and while doing so he looked down. The captain noted the action and also saw that his boy was getting giddy and was thus in the greatest danger of falling. “Look up,” he at once shouted to the boy, “look up.” Raising his face to the skies, the youth obeyed and came down in safety. “He might have fallen and been killed,” said the passenger to the captain afterwards. “No, he was safe enough as long as he looked up,” was the reply. The Christian in this life is only safe from the danger of falling into sinfulness by looking up heavenwards.’

(THIRD OUTLINE)

UNPOPULAR BUT NECESSARY

Men’s ears are dull to the warnings of the Gospel against worldliness, because their hearts cling strongly to the things of this world, and are loth to give them up.

I. The special feature of holiness and goodness is an increasing nearness and closeness of communion between God and the soul, an affectionateness which the soul feels in thinking of God and in praying to God. Whatever interferes with that nearness, and tends to make division and distance between God and the soul, is that soul’s worst enemy. Whatever turns the affections away from God unto itself hinders the soul’s salvation. Whether it be the unmeasured indulgence of the bodily passions, or dishonest gain, or the excitement of pleasure, or intellectual pride, or mere inertness and sloth, that occupies the soul and shuts out religion, it is a fetter all the same; it hinders the soul from growing into Christ’s likeness, perverts its nature to evil, and risks, or rather hinders altogether, its salvation. Such a pursuit, or such a taste, or such a habit, whatever of pleasure it may offer, whatever of beauty it may have, is in serious truth the deadliest enemy of the soul.

II. This mode of thinking can never be popular, and this counsel of the Apostle’s can never be a popular one. Careless people silently resist it—set themselves in stubborn refusal to give up the world. The command is not, therefore, popular. Say it to the rich man, whose wealth opens to him all the sources of earthly pleasure, ‘Set your affections on things above.’ ‘Oh,’ he replies, ‘that is an exaggerated statement. It is all very well for people to do that who have nothing to enjoy in the world. They may well look for something better, something beyond—but, as for me, I am well off already; let me enjoy what I have.’ Thus he willingly ties down his own soul to the things of earth.

III. Yet how necessary it is!—How can any one be a lover of the world, and at the same time a lover of religion? If he loves Christ best, on the whole, he will certainly have to let the world go. If the world gets tight hold of him, it will certainly make him let Christ go. And though we must all live in the world, we need none of us be the servants of the world. That is just the distinction it is important we should draw. An Englishman living in any foreign country need not part with his nationality. So a servant of Christ, a subject of Christ’s spiritual kingdom, though living as a stranger and sojourner, far from his heavenly home, need not be subject to the principles of the world. He must ‘use the world, as not abusing it.’ Now, to set the affections on it is to abuse it.