Commentary Upon Colossians 1 and 2, Chapter 1 · Verse 19
VERSE 19. For it pleaſed the Father, that in Him ſhould all fulneſſe dwell.
NOw he commeth to give a reaſon of the former, opening the fountaine, where the Man IESUS CHRIST found ſuch grace, as that in Him all of us ſhould be redeemed; that Hee ſhould be God in Perſon, over all creatures, yea, the Head of His Church, filling all in all. Now the Reaſon is here ſet downe to be the good pleaſure of God the Father. Firſt, that the fulneſſe of the God-head (for ſo it is beſt conſtrued out of the ſecond Chap. Verſ. 9.) and not only that the fulneſſe of created gifts ſhould dwell perſonally in this humane Nature, as a Temple. 2. That this Perſon, God-man, ſhould by the Sacrifice of Himſelfe, reconcile all unto God.
Firſt then in generall, we ſee;Obſ. That whatſoever the manhood of CHRIST is lifted up unto, it is the meere grace of God, not the merit of the Creature. What could this Man doe, which could deſerve this grace, that it ſhould be perſonally united with God, and ſo lifted up to be incomparably above all the Angels in heaven? And therefore Saint Auguſtine doth not doubt to make CHRIST the Sampler of GOD's free Predeſtination; the free grace of God appearing in none ſo much as in Him which is the Head of all. This CHRIST looketh to in His members; Lord I thanke thee that thou haſt beene pleaſed to reveile theſe things unto babes and ſucklings, and haſt kept them from the wiſe and learned: Even ſo (O Father) becauſe it pleaſed thee. Yea, I doubt not, but as God did predeſtinate him of grace to this honour of being God in fellowſhip of Perſon, and of being the Prince of our ſalvation: So God in the Covenant He did make with Him, and the commandement He gave Him of laying downe His life, did ſtrike it, and fulfill it of grace, not requiring any thing Hee impoſed on His Sonne more than duties of free obedience, which ſhould of grace have that acceptance, and the glorious fruit which followed upon them; and therefore the Scriptures, yea, CHRIST Himſelfe referres all thoſe benefits to God's grace, which upon the death of CHRIST are given us. For it was the fatherly love of God, which made Him pleaſed in the death of His Sonne, and ſmell a ſavour of reſt: not that the merit of His death did extort ſo much derigore juſtiti…. And truly that the ſecond Perſon ſhould ever be ſo joyned to our Nature was unſpeakable grace: the Nature of Angels more excellent than ours, found not this favour; He tooke not the Angelicall Nature, but the ſeed of Abraham. If a King doe but light and reſt Himſelfe in ſome meane Cottage, it is no ſmall favour: But for the immortall God to dwell by indiſſoluble bond of union perſonally in ſuch an houſe of clay as our Nature is (ſinne excepted) it is grace that cannot be comprehended: The greater, if we conſider how that God full of all Majeſty and glory, by His incarnation, thus dwelling in the forme of a ſervant, did emptie Himſelfe, by vayling under this fleſh the brightneſſe of His glory.
We are then hence to learne; Vſe that all things muſt be aſcribed to God's grace, and with CHRIST to reſt in this; Father it hath pleaſed thee to give me CHRIST, this or that benefit in CHRIST, yea, to doe all both in me and CHRIST my SAVIOUR, to the glory of thy rich grace: all muſt come hither, God hath made me good in His eyes for this or that. As for the Papiſts merit, even in rigour of juſtice, not onelyonly in gracious fidelity, it is prejudiciall to God's grace, I think, not to be found betweene the Father and the Sonne, much leſſe betwixt our God and us, with whom it were woe, if all our merits were not free mercies. This in generall.
Now for the matter affirmed, which firſt is the Qualification of the Perſon to be a Mediator. 2. The work of mediation, touching which, 3. Things muſt bee opened.
1 How wee are to conceive of the Perſon here ſpoken of in Him.
2 What is meant by all fulneſſe.
3 What is meant by dwelling.
For the firſt, he meaneth the beloved Sonne as Man; as of the Perſon of CHRIST, as incarnate: the reaſon is, becauſe the Sonne of God, abſolutely conſidered as the ſecond Perſon in Trinity, hath all fulneſſe; not by voluntary diſpenſation, but by naturall neceſſity; in as much as the eternall Father, never was nor could be without His eternall Sonne, God with Himſelfe; this thing never was in the power of His free-will.
For the ſecond, you muſt know that there is in Christ His Perſon a three-fold fulneſſe: The firſt fundamentall; the other two following, as derived from it.
The firſt is the fulneſſe of the divine Nature, which doth perſonally dwell with that Man-hood in Christ: whence it commeth to paſſe, that this Man is truly called God, that is, the Man-hood taken into fellowſhip of the ſelfe-perfect and eternall Perſon of the Sonne of God; ſo that it is become as a part of His Perſon.
The ſecond fulneſſe is the fulneſſe of Office; to which even Chriſt Man is called, of being our Mediator, Prieſt, Prophet, and King: For in regard of his humane Nature now united to the ſecond Perſon, He is as Man called to be the Chriſt of God, that is, Anointed.
Thirdly, the fulneſſe of created or habituall graces, wherewith the divine Nature doth fill the ſoule of Chriſt; which are not the divine Properties, but effects which the God-head worketh diſtinct from it; as the ſoule giveth the body a life, which is not the life wherewith the ſoule liveth (for then when the body dieth, the ſoule ſhould die likewiſe) but is an effect of it. Now all of them may be here underſtood, for they are all antecedent qualifications fitting him for this worke, which in the next words is mentioned, eſpecially the firſt.
Now for the dwelling of all fulneſſe in Chriſt Man: the later two are in Him ſubjectively; the former, viz. the God-head, doth dwell in Chriſt Man, not as in the Saints, 2 Cor. 6.23. I will dwel with you, you are the foreign, the habitation of God, of God by the Spirit; the Temple of the HOLY GHOST, which is onelyonly a dwelling by relation of love and communion of the effects of it in grace; nor yet as God dwelleth in the glorified Saints, 1 Cor. 15. when God ſhal be all in al, which is likewiſe a dwelling together in regard of aboundant love manifeſted in the gift of glory; nor any ſuch ſimple cohabitation; but it dwelleth with this man-hood as with a Nature which is taken to Vnity of Perſon in the Sonne of God, and ſo is through grace become of the ſubſtance of the ſecond Perſon; So that He is now as truly ſaid to be Man alſo, as before He was ſaid to be God only: Now then the ſumme is; Chriſt as Man, or the Manhood of Chriſt hath the ſecond Perſon of Trinity, God with the Father and Spirit dwelling perſonally in it; So that this Man-hood is eſſentially and ſubſtantially coupled with the Deity in unity of one ſelfeperfect and eternall Perſon.
Secondly, it is anointed with fulneſſe of Office and of Created gifts; that Chriſt God-man, that every way filled, might be a fit Perſon to work our reconciliation following, and to be an Head repleniſhing His Church, which went before.
Firſt then from the matter we ſee, what an all-ſufficient Head we have: Looke to thy Nature in heaven. Such a man as hath Plenitudinem Poteſtatis, in regard of office, full of all habituall graces, which our nature can receive, farre above all Angels, yea, full of that never drying Fountaine of life, grace and glory; it being taken into one Perſon with God, neither could he elſe bee an Head quickening His Church. He that muſt fill all the bleſſed Angels and all the redeemed peculiar people of God, had need to have the Fountaine of life reſiding in him.
Which doth both refute that preſumptuous uſurpation of the man of ſinne, Vſe 1 I meane the Pope, in challenging to be an head of all the viſible Church; whereas Chriſt could not be our Head, were He not God as well as Man.
As alſo it teacheth us our duty, Vſe 2 both whither to run for ſupply, even hither, to the Well-head of grace and life, all fulneſſe is in Him; that we might draw from Him grace plenteouſly, grace heaped on grace. Oh bleſſed are thoſe ſtreames of grace which have this Head of living waters to feed them.
As likewiſe it teacheth where to offer prayſe for the meaſure of grace we have received; we ſhould be affected as receivers, in thankfulneſſe to GOD, in humility towards men; For what have wee that wee have not received?
Laſtly, this is very comfortable, for if there be ſuch a fulneſſe in CHRIST, then what though there be abundance of ſinne in us and guiltineſſe, yet there is a fulneſſe in Him to remove it, and take it away; a fulneſſe of merciemercy to heare our ſupplications, a fulneſſe of merit to make a full atonement for our fouleſt ſinnes, a fulneſſe of favour to prevaile with His Father in any requeſt; if therefore there be ſuch a fulneſſe in Chriſt as there is, be not diſcouraged: though thy ſinnes abound, yet his grace abounds much more, they cannot be ſo out of meaſure ſinfull, as he is mercifull. Remember but the two metaphors in Scripture, I will ſcatter your ſinnes as a miſt: I wil drowne them in the bottome of the Sea. Now the Sunne, by reaſon of his force, can ſcatter the thickeſt miſt, as well as the thinneſt vapour: and the Sea, by reaſon of his great vaſtneſſe, can drowne mountaines as well as mole-hils. So CHRIST, by reaſon of the great vaſtneſſe of grace that is in Him, is able, yea, forward and willing to forgive the greateſt, as well as the leaſt ſins; For mercy though it be a quality in us, yet it is a Nature in God; now that which is naturall, there is no unwillingneſſe nor wearineſſe in doing of it, as the eye is not weary of ſeeing, the eare is not weary of hearing: therefore though our ſinnes be never ſo great and many, His grace is all-ſufficient for the pardon of them. Now I beſeech you take not this exhortation in vain; for there is nothing more effectual to heale a rebellious diſpoſition, and to cauſe a ſinner to change his courſe, than to bee fully perſwaded that hee ſhall be received to mercy, and that his ſinnes ſhall be forgiven him in Chriſt. Therefore let this fulneſſe of mercy in Chriſt be an effectuall motive to us all to come in, and to give up our ſelves wholly to Chriſt, to ſerve Him with perfect hearts all our dayes.
Secondly,Obſ. marke, Into what glory our nature is exalted, that God ſhould dwell perſonally in our nature, and take it to Himſelfe, ſo as to be of the ſubſtance of his Perſon: It is an unſpeakable dignity; all the conceits of men and Angels put together, cannot deviſe an higher exaltation of it: See what love the Father hath ſhewed us, 1 Ioh. 3.1.that we ſhould be called the ſonnes of God; having the title and thing through grace of adoption; but that our Nature ſhould be made the true Naturall Sonne of God, of the ſubſtance of His Perſon, what admiration is here ſufficient? Which muſt be taught diligently to the people, for this is the rocke to ſee the Son of God, God with the Father bleſſed for ever, Perſonally exiſting in this our Nature which Hee hath taken unto Him: to ſee God dwelling in this His owne ſoule and bodic no leſſe now through free grace of His Perſon, than my ſoule and body are of mine. This is the rocke againſt which Hell-gates cannot prevaile, this is the onelyonly rocke of Iſrael. But there is place of ſpeaking more fully of this in the next Chapter.