Commentary Upon Colossians 1 and 2, Chapter 1 · Verse 20
VERSE 20. And by Him to reconcile all things unto Himſelfe, and to ſet at Peace through the bloud of His Croſſe both the things in earth, and the things in heaven.
NOw followeth the benefit: hee had ſaid before, In Chriſt wee had pardon, and were received to favour: Now he ſheweth the ground of this, viz. It pleaſed God, as to qualifie the Perſon of Chriſt in manner above-named; ſo to doe it, to this end, that we might by Him be reconciled: The benefit is firſt ſimply propounded, then applyed: The ſimple propounding hath two parts:
1 The thing to be done by Him; To reconcile all things to Himſelfe.
2 The manner of doing in thoſe words, Pacifying all things by His bloud.
Marke firſt in the coherence;Obſerv. What gave occaſion to the incarnation of the Son of God, viz. our enemy like eſtrangement from God. We ſee here that to the intent God might reconcile us, He calleth His Sonne to be a Mediator: Evill manners give occaſion, as we ſay, to good lawes. You know what brought forth firſt that ſecret of the Goſpell, The Seed of the woman ſhall breake the Serpents head: Gen. 3.This is the nature of God, to bring light out of darkneſſe, to overcome evill with good: As there is nothing ſo good which the Divell will not draw evill out of; as when he perverteth this grace ſhewen in Chriſt, to become a cloake of wantonneſie; which Gregory obſerving, exclaimeth, O foelix flagitium! and indeed the event to the faithfull is happie; but we muſt not take heart to doe evill, that the miracles of grace might be diſcovered: you know what the Apoſtle ſaith; Shall we ſin that grace may abound? Rom. 6.…God forbid; though the Phyſitian reſtore life with poyſon, none will therefore eat it who is wiſe; but let us expreſſe the vertue of our heavenly Father, who hath called us out of darkneſſe into His marvellous light; and learne out of evill to doe good, and to wound the Divell with his owne weapon.
Secondly marke, that whereas we were the offenders, and ſhould have ſought to God, He doth, when we goe on in our enmitie, ſeeke out a way to reconcile us. Obſerve then,Obſ. How God followeth froward man, He had never done but good by us, we had revolted to the divell from Him, highly provoking Him, yet ſee He ſeeketh us. O gracious Shepheard of ſoules, that commeſt downe from heaven to ſeeke ſtray ſoules; that are as willing to wander as they wickedly ſtrayed! God was in Chriſt reconciling the world, you never heard the world firſt ſought Him; mark it, for it ſetteth out His love, Hee is faine to love us firſt, and to overcome our peeviſh wickedneſſe with love, or we ſhould never leave our enmitie.
It teacheth us our duty, rebuking the pride of many, Vſe who, if one have done them any wrong, and bee ſtiffe through weakneſſe, they will ſay, A God's name let him ſeeke to them, they are as good as he, they are ſure he did the injury: But what if God ſhould have ſtood on ſuch nice termes with you? Let us overcome evill with good; doe good to thoſe that hate you, Seeke Peace, and follow after it, when through peeviſhneſſe of men ſhee is running from you.
Thirdly marke,Obſ. That Chriſt muſt have the God-head firſt dwell perſonally in Him, before He can take up the matter betwixt God and us. Whence note, what it is that maketh the death of Chriſt accepted for all our reconciliation, even this, that He is not bare man, but God alſo. God was in Chriſt reconciling the world to Himſelfe; who not being God durſt have ventured on this worke? 1 Sam. 2.25. If man offend, the Iudge can determine; but if a man ſinne againſt the Lord, who will plead for him? who could have endured the wrath which was to be borne, before attonement could be made? whoſe death could have beene a ſufficient pacification? the Scripture doth hold out this with emphaſie; God hath redeemed us with His bloud: Act. 20.28 Tit. 2.14.the great God hath given Himſelfe for us, to redeeme us and purifie us to Himſelfe a peculiar people Zealous of good workes. Rom. 8.It is God that Iuſtifieth.
Which doth firſt ſerve for confutation of the Papiſts, Vſe 1 who though they yeeld Chriſt God-man, yet will have His ſacrificing, praying, &c. onelyonly to come from His humane Nature; whereas all the efficacy commeth hence, that the divine Nature, and the humane are conjoyned, as the body to the ſoule, the humane nature being but an inſtrument to the divine: neither is it abſurd that the ſame Perſon who as God is to be prayed unto, ſhould as God-man pray to Himſelfe, as God abſolutely conſidered with the Father and ſpirit: for Christ ſuſteyneth a double perſon, one as God abſolutely conſidered with the Father and Spirit and offended by man, as they; another as God-man undertaking to reconcile man offending to the Father Himſelfe, and the Spirit offended.
This doth teach us what we muſt looke at in Chriſt: Vſe 2 if we will have our conſciences comfortably ſetled in the perſwaſion of our reconcilement, we muſt looke at Him as God, who goeth betweene us and God; this doth ſtill the conſcience, and fill it with good hope. When we have offended ſome great perſonages, if ſome meane one ſhould moove them in our behalfe, it would not ſo ſtay us: for we know they will often not heare them ſpeake; or have them in light regard, if they doe give them the hearing; but if we can procure ſuch as are their peeres to deale effectually for us, we doubt not but that things ſhall be well compounded; what will they deny to ſuch as ſhall be equall to themſelves, and moſt neerely acquainted with them? ſo with us, &c.
Now in the coherence it ſelfe theſe things being marked, come wee to the action it ſelfe, where are three things.
1 The reconciler, by Him.
2 The thing to be reconciled.
3 To whom theſe things were to be reconciled, to Him: which is to be ſupplied out of the ver, before, where either foreign, indefinitely, or foreign, may bee underſtood: out of the firſt and third circumſtances, wee gather theſe things joyntly.
By Him: Obſ.Obſerve hence; Who is the worker of our reconciliation with God; even this deare Sonne: the Father teſtifieth from heaven, ſaying; this is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleaſed: So Rom. 3.25. Him hath God ſet forth (ſpeaking of Chriſt) as a reconciliation, as a propitiatory ſacrifice in which He would returne into favour with us. God was in Chriſt reconciling the world to Himſelfe. The Father and the ſpirit reconcile us to themſelves, but by Chriſt; Chriſt immediately by Himſelfe doth procure us favour: and this was it which all the attonements made by propitiatory ſacrifices did preſignify unto us; even how this High Prieſt Ieſus Chriſt ſhould with the ſacrifice of His bloud make God and us one againe in mutuall love, as He and His Father are one.
Which doth let us ſee what we muſt looke to in all terrors of conſcience cauſed by apprehenſion of God; Vſe 1 wrath, even to Ieſus Chriſt. He hath with His bloud quenched this wild fire, for Gods wrath is a conſuming fire. We with ſcreenes doe keepe the fire from face and eys; but they are wiſe which put between their ſoules and Gods wrath this ſcreene of Chriſt His reconciliation, leaſt this fire burne to the pit of deſtruction.
This muſt make us cleave unto Chriſt, even to let our tendereſt bowels love Him that hath done this for us: ô if one doe but take up ſome hurtfull jarre betwixt us and ſome other whoſe favour we have found very beneficiall, whoſe diſpleaſure we find very prejudiciall; wee would be very thankefull to Him. If one ſhould mollifie the Kings diſpleaſure and make Him favour us; would we not with all love imbrace Him? Chriſt hath healed worſe things betwixt God and thee, love Him with all thy ſoule. If one ſhould interpoſe his mediation to the King for ſome malefactor, ſay a Theefe that hath greatly wronged ſome man in his eſtate; the King will ſay, out of juſtice thou muſt ſee the dammages done bee made whole, and undertake that he ſhal leave that courſe of life; els in juſtice and wiſedome, I cannot but refuſe the ſuite: even ſo if Christ had not giuen ſuch ſatisfaction as was accepted and undertaken, to kill the raigne of ſinne and enmity againſt God for the time to come; this bleſſed reconciliation could not have beene concluded.
The uſe of it is to ſtirre us up, Vſe 1 if we have care to have God reconciled to us, to make ſure that our ſin is covered, and that there be no enmity raging in our hearts againſt Him for hereafter. As he ſaid to Iehu, peace Iehu? he anſwer'd, how can there be peace whiles Iezabels fornications are not revenged? Say thou to God in thy enemylike courſes, not ſubject to his commandements, art thou reconciled Lord? He wil ſay, how ſhould I? thou haſt that uncovered in thee which maketh all the quarrell; for I cannot ſee iniquity ſo as to like of it, I am God that hate it.
This teacheth us what is the true way of reconciling, to take away that which maketh the difference, for elſe truce we may have (which ſouldiers hoſtilelike affected have) but true reconcilement will be far from us.
Marke, Obſ. 2 in what all our peace is grounded, the bloud-ſhed of Ieſus Chriſt: the phraſe is to be noted, by the bloud of the Croſſe; by Him; the latter pointing at the excellency of of His perſon, as the thing which made His bloud-ſhed ſo forceable.1 Ioh. 2.7. This purgeth all our ſinnes ſaith Saint Iohn. This doth worke a death of ſinne, our ſinfull life being crucified in Him and through Him; this maketh way for the Father of all mercies to exchange (and that without wrong to His juſtice) His juſt wrath with fatherly favour, yea the conſpiring Angels, with the heyres of ſalvation, and joy they have in them, yea peace wth all the creatures; yea inward and outward agreement of man with man muſt hence be derived: for what breakes downe the partition wall; what killeth ſinne in vsus, but this alone? ô pretious bloud that cryeſt not for revenge, but ſpeakeſt better things then the bloud of Abell! But here three things are to be layd downe for the cleering of this point.
1 The true order of our reconciliation.
2 What is meant by the bloud of His Croſſe.
3 Why the Scripture doth attribute this every where to His bloud and externall ſufferings.
1 To the firſt, we are reconciled in this order: (1) All cauſe of inward and outward enmity is taken away, the matter of enmity betwixt God and us being ſinne; betwixt man and man, Iew and Gentile, the ceremoniall law; now Chriſt by His death did take both away: (2) This done away, God doth lay aſide wrath, and is quieted toward us. God is ſaid to ſmell a ſavour of rest in Chriſts death: ſo that He ſaith, wrath is not in Me. (3) He doth come to take us to grace, and ſheweth us the favour of a moſt mercifull Father, and in this is perfect reconciliation.
2 For the ſecond, this phraſe is a Synechdoche, bloud is put for a bloudy death upon the Croſſe; and bloudy death on the Croſſe doth together note the curſe of the Law felt in His ſoule who indured it, Gal. 3.13. Chriſt hath redeemed us from the curſe of the Law, when he was made a curſe for us. Now though Chriſts interceſſion hath His place in appeaſing God, and other actions, yet His death is chiefely named, becauſe the force that other things have to pacify God, is derived from this ſacrifice, which Chriſt the Sacrificer Himſelfe offereth. Againe, He ſo often nameth bloud, not to exclude inward ſufferings, but becauſe this was more eaſily knowne being viſible. 2. The curſed manner in which it was ſhed, that is, how it was ſhed, ſo that His ſoule did feele the wrath of God againſt ſinne, the curſe of the Law, for in theſe two ſtands the vertue and excellency of Chriſts Paſſion.
This Doctrine is a looking glaſſe to us, wherein we may ſee the heavy diſpleaſure of God againſt ſin: Vſe 1 heavy it is which could not otherwiſe be reconciled; ſinne is good cheape men thinke; yet we ſee it was of that haynous nature, that the pardon of it could not be purchaſed nor obteyned, but by the ſhedding of the deareſt bloud in the heart of the Sonne of God.
It letteth us ſee CHRIST His love to us, Vſe 2 and to our peace.
It gives us to underſtand in what pretious account we are to have this benefit; Vſe 3 if we ſhould buy a thing with a maſſe of money, how charily would we keepe it? but this and the other are bought, not with ſilver, and gold, but with the pretious bloud of CHRIST.
Marke laſtly,Obſerv. the thing in which the Fathers were reconciled to GOD, it was CHRIST His bloud. for what ſpirits were at Chriſts ſufferings in heaven, which did need reconciling to God by bloud, but the ſinne of the juſt, who were dead in the faith of CHRIST to come? Now as we ſee, they by the faith on this bloud had ſalvation, Acts 15.11.
How can they be ſaid to be reconciled to GOD by Chriſts ſufferings, Queſt. who were in heaven with God before He ſuffered?
This is ſaid, Anſw. not in regard that now the benefit was applyed in them, but becauſe now the thing was done, by force wher of they had reconciliation, that was now actually exhibited, whereby they in former ages were taken to mercy: the ſins under the old Teſtament are ſaid to be forgiven in Chriſts death, Heb. 9.15. becauſe then that was done for which they were pardoned, though the pardon was given forth before. 2. Becauſe theſe things were now actually paſſed twixt God offended and God man our ſurety and Mediator.
This letteth us ſee how Chriſt hath beene in all times the onelyonly atonement twixt God and us. Vſe
Laſtly marke hence,Obſ. that the Fathers were in heaven before Chriſts aſcenſion: Pſal. 73. Thou guidest me by thy counſell, and takeſt me to glory. The Saints dying, goe into everlaſting Tabernacles, now what is an everlaſting manſion, never to be changed, but heaven?