Commentary Upon Colossians 1 and 2, Chapter 1 · Verse 18
VERSE 18. And He is the head of the body, the Church: who is the beginning, the firſt borne from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.
NOw he commeth to deſcribe His Perſon, as in relation to the Church, which he ſetteth downe
1 Generally, He is the Head of the Church.
2 Particularly, in regard of a particular preeminence which he had in reſpect of the dead, with the conſequent of it: The firſt fruit, and firſt borne of the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence.
Firſt then wee ſee,Obſ. that CHRIST hath not Lordſhip over the Creatures only, but over the Church alſo; which doth ſtill according to the ſcope in the whole deſcription intended, amplifie the excellencie of His Perſon: the Church is the Lords peculiar ſelect treaſure, though all the earth bee His beſides: how great therefore is hee that hath not the Lords deareſt poſſeſſion excepted from him?
Secondly,Obſ. for our ſelves, marke hence, What kinde of Head is given us of God; even ſuch a one as is God with the Father, the Lord of all the Creature, the Creator of Angels, eternall, the upholder of all the Creature. He it is that is made of God the Head unto us His Church. So Epheſ. 1.22. Who is farre above all Principalitie, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not onelyonly in this world, but alſo in that which is to come, under whoſe feet all the Creature is put, He is our Head; given of God.
Which doth argue the exceeding love of the Father unto us, in giving us ſuch a myſticall Head, an Head of pure gold indeed, if we may allude to thoſe words of the Spouſe.
This muſt teach us to reſt only upon Him as our Governour, Vſe 2 inward and outward, as an all-ſufficient ſtorehouſe of all grace for us. We muſt not ſupply Him with vice-miniſteriall heads: How needeth Hee one in His roome, who is not only preſent; but beareth up and moveth all the Creature? It is true that CHRIST doth admit (though preſent) the miniſtery of men with Himſelfe; yea, when Hee was in His man-hood upon the earth, He did aſſociate ſuch as laboured under Him, giving them calling; but a miniſteriall Vice-roy through His viſible Church, is a thing the Scripture nor ſound Antiquitie acknowledge not: But CHRIST His manhood is abſent. As if Kings cannot governe all their Countreyes, though their Perſons be at their Court onelyonly: How much more our King who is with us in Spirit, where two or three are gathered in His Name?
Secondly, there can be no miniſteriall head; for the work of miniſtery CHRIST hath beſtowed not upon Popelike monachs, but upon Paſtors and Teachers. Eph. 4.11.Againe, none is able to doe theſe things which the nature of an head inforceth, as to quicken us, to governe us by internall influence; which when the Papiſts confeſſe no man can doe, why ſhould they inforce an head under CHRIST, as Kings have viceroyes under them: for a Lord Deputy can doe what the King in perſon ſhould doe; but no man can doe what the Head of the Church is to doe. Againe the Wife is next in authority to the Husband; the Church viſible is the ſpouſe of Chriſt, not one man; but the whole Church hath all authority next to Him. Is it fit the Wife ſhould be kept under the government of a flagitious ſervant? ſuch as the Papiſts grant Popes may be. Let us therefore take heed, that while we ſet up other heads then Chriſt over the Churches, we doe not reject this glorious Head Ieſus Chriſt from ruling over us: as the Iſraelites when they refuſed that Ariſtocraticall governement in which God ruled, and would have a King like other Nations; the Lord chargeth them not only to have caſt off Samuell, but himſelfe: and what is more fooliſh then to thinke it needfull to have a viſible univerſall high Prieſt on earth, becauſe CHRIST is in heaven inviſible to us touching His corporall preſence? ſhould the people of Iſraell have erected another High Prieſt to themſelves, when Aaron was at any time in the Holy of Holies, where he was not viſible to them? ſo we ſtand here below in the entry, our High Prieſt is but gone into the Holieſt Sanctuary, and we though His Divine nature be with us, will ſet up another. Sooner ſhall the heaven have two Suns, then the Church two heads: and though metaphorically one may be ſaid to be the Head of a Church, for the name of God Himſelfe is thus Communicable, yet in proper analogy none can be ſo termed: For then the Church might be ſaid His body properly; which is ſuch ſacriledge, as He, I thinke, in whoſe forehead blaſphemy is written dare ſcarce commit. A double head and a double husband become not the Church: the latter is not for her honeſty, the former fitteth not to decency. Thus much who is over us.
2 Marke from this,Obſerv. that He is called the Head of His Church; what neere compaſsionate and beneficiall ſuperiority or authority that is which Chriſt hath over His Church. He is the Lord of all Creatures, yea the helliſh fiend muſt bow the knee to Him. But He is not an head to every creature, if we take it in that proper analogicall accommodation which the Scripture looketh to in this terme. The head hath the higheſt place and power in the body; but yet it is ſo intimately conjoyned with every member, ſo amiable and beneficiall a ſuperiority, that the like cannot in nature be ſhewen.
For firſt looke at the head; it is by ſinewes and other ligaments ſtraitely conjoyned to every member: ſo is Chriſt through the ſpirit of faith coupled with us.
Secondly from this union the head commeth to have a ſenſe, if any part be diſturbed: ſo hath Chriſt, He knoweth how to compaſſionate our infirmities; Saul, Saul, why perſecuteſt thou Me?
Thirdly, the head what ever it hath, hath in a ſort for the good of the body. The perfect comlineſſe of the head, is the ornament of that body whereof it is the head; the body being but a deformed trunke if the head be remooved. Againe, the ſenſe and motion which are originally in the head as a fountaine, they are derived from it to every member.
Fourthly, The head giveth full direction to the other members: So Chriſt is our glory; He quickeneth us, He giveth us direction both inward and outward. We ſee then that His ſuperiority He hath is moſt intimate, fellow-feeling and commodious unto us.
Which firſt doth let us yet farther ſee what cauſe we have of thankeſgiving, who are come into His kingdom, Vſe 1 who is rather an head unto us, then a King over us, as the head is to the body. To have a powerfull wiſe King, is a great guift; but to have one who is rather Pater then Rex Patriae, is greater: but to have one who ſhould ſo affect his ſubjects, as to condole with the pooreſt of them, this were a miracle.
This muſt breed willing ſubjection to CHRIST our Lord: Vſe 2 looke at the members of the body; doe they feele it a burthen to doe that which the head directeth to?
This muſt ſtrengthen our affiance towards CHRIST, Vſe 3 that He will not faile to take notice of our griefes, to ſuccour and direct us. That is a blockiſh head which can goe on in a Stoicall dedolency, when the members are ill affected; yea it muſt aſſure us that we ſhall have direction and protection from him.
Marke, Obſ. 3 Who they are that have Chriſt ſo neere, ſo beneficiall to them, viz. the Church; that is, ſuch only who are truely faithfull, who ſhall one day be preſented glorious in the heavens; ſuch as ſhall at length have ſalvation by Him. There are in the viſible Church many who are by outward profeſſion members of Chriſt; but if they have not learned Chriſt as the truth is in Chriſt, they ſhall be found not to be of His body; though they ſeeme ſo a while. A glaſſe eye, may be ſo ſet into the head, that one would take it verily to be a naturall part of the head; yet it hath but an externall inſition which art affordeth, and is nothing leſſe then the naturall eye. So many are externally by the Sacrament and externall profeſſion tyed to Chriſt, which are not native members, and have no ſpirituall combination with Him. Nay, if like ſome temporiſers thou doſt get ſome quicknance of the ſpirit of Chriſt, yet not ſuch as purifieth the heart, bringeth thee above all things to rejoyce in Christ Ieſus; thou art not of His body, nor a true member having Him thy head; but art like a wenne or warte, mole or ſuch like thing, which hath a life in the body, but is no member of it.
Wherefore as you would have any benefit by Chriſt, Vſe labour to come into this body, not to be as wennes and wooden legges, but to be living members, ſuch as have Chriſt living in you, teaching you by His ſpirit to thinke, ſpeake and doe all things: it is good being members of good Corporations which have good endowments, priviledges and Charters; but there is not a body like to this, which hath all the unſearchable riches of IESUS CHRIST given it, in which onelyonly there is ſalvation.
That nothing is betwixt Chriſt and His body, Obſ 4 and that all the Church is his body; and every one in the Church a member of the body, not a ſubſtitute head unto it. Where then ſhall we find the Pope? let him take heed, leaſt while he ſtrive to be a ſecondary head, he doe not deprive himſelfe of roome in the body out of which there is no ſalvation. I know a Papiſt will ſay that the Pope as he is referred unto Chriſt, is a member of the body; but as he is referred to men ſubjected to him, he is a head under Chriſt. Anſwer, that every one is a member, we reade it, and therefore beleeve; that any one is a head to all but Chriſt, we reade it not, and therefore reject it. Beſide, it is likely that betwixt Christ and the viſible Church, Saint Peter ſhould have come in thus; God is Chriſts head, Chriſt of the Spirits with Him, and Saint Peter and his ſucceſſors, the Churches head: but this is no where found, yea the contrary; God over Chriſt, Chriſt over the Church, the Churches above Cephas. Objection, Emperours are for the people, yet not inferior to them. Anſwer, Emperors are ſo for the people, that they are Lords over them; and the people are for them, even their Subjects and bodies politique: but Saint Peter nor no Apoſtle are ſo for the Church, that they are Lords of it, and that the Church is their Church and body myſticall; therefore they are ſo for the Churches, that they are inferiors to them. Object. Was not Saint Peter and the reſt immediate legates from Chriſt, Object. and had they not authority which all the Churches were to obey? Anſwer. They had, yet their perſons ſtill under the Church, and their worke of Miniſtery not to domineere over the Churches: the reaſon is becauſe it was the meſſage and order of the Churches Husband, which was of authority above her, not their perſons that did relate it. If a man ſend one of his ſervants with a command to his Wife; the ſervant when he hath got this errand, is not a Lord over the Wife, but a ſervant under her, though his meſſage from her Lord is ſuch which ſhe may not gaineſay.
Fiftly Obſerve,Obſ. the dignity of the faithfull, and their neere conjunction with Chriſt, they are the body of Chriſt: not the naturall body united to the ſecond perſon, nor the Sacramentall body, but a myſticall body; ſuch who by force of Chriſt His Spirit are knit to Him, and receive all things from Him proportionably, as the body naturall doth from the head. Many other compariſons, as of Vine and branches, Man and Wife, &c. doe ſet it downe; but none more lively then this which is the ofteneſt frequented.
To ſhew us the excellent condition to which we are brought; Vſe 1 to aſſure us of Chriſts love: who ever hated His owne fleſh? He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of Mine eye.
This letteth us alſo ſee the fearefulneſſe of abuſing the godly that are truely faithfull; Vſe 2 they lift at millſtones.
Laſtly,Obſ. ſeeing Chriſt is riſen from the dead: we muſt labour and ſtrive thither alſo: if a Captaine hath made a breach and entered the hold of the enemy; will not the ſouldiers preſſe after, and ambitiouſly affect who ſhould get next him? ſo we: Chriſt hath led us the daunce, and broke through the gates of death into the City of God: we ſhould affect to come after, as Saint Paul did; ſtrive for conformity with Chriſt in this point; both in the firſt and ſecond Reſurrection.
The third point is:Obſerv. That Chriſts Reſurrection hath ſpeciall priviledge above all others: for all others before were not begotten from among the dead, becauſe they were raiſed up with mortality tending to death againe: but our Saviour Chriſt in that He dyed, He dyed at once, not long to be held of it; but in that He is riſen, He is raiſed to live for ever, death ſhall no more have dominion over Him.
2 All other roſe as private and ſingular men, not as publique perſons in the name of other, making hope to all the dead of their reſurrection; therefore they were not the firſt fruits duely gathered, but like a ſingular eare of corne by occaſion more timely gathered. Now Chriſt is riſen, as He dyed, not for Himſelfe onelyonly, but for all us: ſo Chriſt is riſen in al our names; ſo that as we all dyed in Him, ſo we all are raiſed in Him: as a Burgeſſe of a Parliament, what he doth or ſpeaketh, it is in the name of the Corporation, who doth it in him. When God created Adam, He made all mankinde, in as much as He made him who was to be a Principle of naturall generation to all mankind, conveying life and being to them in their order: ſo when He raiſed Chriſt, He raiſed us all, in as much as He hath raiſed up a ſecond Adam, a Principle of ſpirituall regeneration, even of the firſt and ſecond reſurrection to all Gods choſen in their order. Hence it is that Paul ſaith, Eph. 2.6. We are raiſed up in Chriſt, and ſet in heavenly places in Him; that Peter ſaith,1 Pe… 1.3. God hath begotten us to that happy hope in the Reſurrection of Ieſus Chriſt.
Laſtly, He raiſed Himſelfe, as who was the Lord from heaven, the quickening Spirit: Deſtroy this body, and in three dayes I will raiſe it up. Great therefore every way is the prerogative of our Lord IESUS CHRIST; even in regard of that Nature which was dead, but now is alive: He was ſlaine before the foundation of the world; Hee is raiſed up as the hope, and fore-runner of all our immortality. Thou lookeſt at His death, as thy death, and againſt all guilt of ſinne and terrour of conſcience threatning the Curſe, doeſt ſay, I have borne the Curſe in my Lord, Gal. 3.13.made a curſe for me: So againſt all terrours of bodily death hold this; I am raiſed up in CHRIST, for He is riſen in all our names who beleeve on Him. If wee beleeve that IESUS is dead and riſen againe, 1 Theſſ. 4.14.ſo alſo God ſhall bring thoſe who are ſlept in Ieſus (ſay to life eternall) with Him.