Commentary Upon Colossians 1 and 2, Chapter 1 · Verse 22
VERSE 22. Hath He now reconciled, in the body of His fleſh through death, to make you holy and unblameable, and without fault in His ſight.
HItherto of their former Condition. Now he having beaten them downe in remembrance of their miſery, doth raiſe them up in recounting GOD's mercy. Obſerve hence in generall: As wee muſt looke with one eye downe to our unworthineſſe, Obſerv.ſo wee muſt caſt the other upon GOD's mercies to us. Theſe two doe well together; the one corrects the other: ſo that both as wholeſome purging medicines without interlacing reſtoratives, will weaken too much. 1 Cor. 6.11. Such were ſome of you, but now yee are waſhed, &c. Eph. 2.13. Now in CHRIST IESUS, yee which once were a farre off, are made neere by the bloud of CHRIST. Tit. 3.3, 4. We alſo in times paſt were unwiſe, diſobedient, deceived, &c. But, when the bountifulneſſe and love of GOD our SAVIOUR toward man appeared, &c. This is to be noted from this: that Paul doth not ſhew them their eſtate of Nature alone; but being a bitter pill, doth gild it over with annexing their comfortable condition in CHRIST.
We muſt learne to compound theſe meditations, Vſe now taking a courſe in remembring our wretched eſtate; now refreſhing our ſelves in recounting the bleſſed benefits we have by CHRIST: as men will walke in ſome garden or orchard, or go a while to ſome pleaſant exerciſe, when they are wearied with bodily labours.
2 From this, that ſuch are reconciled, Obſ.marke the free and large grace of God: if we had beene enemies in heart only, it had beene much to finde favour; but where wee have made a trade of evill workes, and lived all our lives in open rebellion, how undeſerved and how rich is the grace which giveth pardon. If the King doe pardon one whoſe good will is doubtfull, and take him to grace, it is much: but when one hath lived in making attempts on his perſon, then to forget and to forgive, were more than credible clemencie. The love of God is ſeene in this, Rom. 5.10that when we were enemies, He gave His Son to reconcile us. It is the greateſt love that ever the ſons of men enjoyed.1 Ioh. 3.16. Hereby wee perceive the love of God, becauſe He laid downe His life for us. Herein is love, not that we loved God; but that He loved us, 1 Ioh. 4.10.and ſent His Sonne to be the propitiation for our ſinnes. See how the holy Apoſtle ſpeaking of the love of God, ſtill layes his finger upon the matter in this: not in noble birth, in high Parentage, no, no, away with that carnall plea, I hope the LORD loves me, why? becauſe He hath kept me to this day, and He hath given me wealth and health. No, in this it appeares, that He died for you; make this good to your ſoules. In the time of the old Law, there were as it were ſome ſhadowes and glympſe of Gods love; but now CHRIST is come, the Sunne ſhines in his full brightneſſe. The bleſſed Apoſtle who was almoſt as neere CHRIST's heart as his body, ſtands admiring at this love; So God loved the world; as who ſhould ſay,Ioh. 3.16. ſo wonderfull it is, I cannot expreſſe it, it even raviſheth my heart to thinke on it; but ſo it was, that God ſhould ſtoope to man, and Majeſty to meaneneſſe, and Heaven bow to earth. The Reaſons hereof are divers.
The firſt is taken from the Partie that loved us, Reaſ. 1 it was God bleſſed for ever: had He ſent to a poore man, in time of miſery and poverty, honour or money, it had not been ſuch a wonder; but that he ſhould ſend his Son, and that to die for us, this is miraculous: It hath bin heard that a man hath ſent a Pearle to his friend, but this was never heard that any ſhould ſend his whole treaſury; but God hath not ſpared to ſend all His whole treaſure. Coloſſ. 2.3. the Text ſaith, that in Him are all theſe treaſures of wiſdome and knowledge. Heare this all you poore creatures that have any part in CHRIST: you complaine you are poore, comfort your ſelves in this, you have a treaſure better than the beſt gold in India, you have the treaſures of heaven, how then can you be poore? Conſider this: when the leaſt favour was too much for us, and the ſmalleſt mercy more than we deſerved or deſired; yet God accounted the greateſt favours too little for us: earth He hath given to us, and that's not enough; heaven Hee hath prepared for us, with the joy and glory thereof, and yet that's not enough; He hath ſent His Spirit to guide us, His CHRIST to redeeme us, nay, He hath beſtowed Himſelfe upon us, hath laid downe His life for us, that by His death we might live.
As the perſon is incomprehenſible, Reaſ. 2 ſo the excellencie of the worke is beyond our reach or conceit; me thinkes this love goes beyond God Himſelfe. The excellencie of it appeares in two particulars:
1 In regard of the difficulty thereof: had the Lord ſent CHRIST to have beene a King over us, or a Ruler among us, what a comfort had it beene? Should a King ſend one of his favourites to a poore creature in priſon, how would it comfort him? but to ſend his ſonne, hee would thinke it unſpeakable and tranſcendent love: The LORD IESUS hath done much more than this; He came down from heaven, where He ſate at the right hand of God, and is now bleſſed for ever, he ſuffered here by moſt wicked wretches the curſed death of the Croſſe; that Bleſſedneſſe it ſelfe ſhould be accurſed, that Life it ſelfe ſhould dye, that Glory it ſelfe ſhould be aſhamed, that Happineſſe ſhould become miſery; Nay, yet to goe further, that He ſhould be content to loſe for a time the ſenſe and feeling of the love of His Father, not onelyonly to forſake His being, but thus to be tormented for a company of traytors; He that bare up the whole frame of heaven, was ſcarce able to beare the burthen of our ſins, but was even cruſhed under the waight thereof, in that Hee was forced to cry, My God, my God, Pſal. 22.1.why haſt thou forſaken me? 'Tis true as He was a Son, Hee was alwayes beloved; but as He was a ſurety, He was not ſo; if this be moſt free love and large grace, judge you.
2 Adde to this the good of the worke, it is that which gives good to all other goods, ſo that without this we never had enjoyed any good truely good. There are two things that hinder our good: 1. The poyſon of ſin that defiles us, and poiſons all the creatures. 2. The juſt anger of God for our ſinne, and that curſeth all; had not CHRIST dyed, theſe would never have beene removed.
Conſider the unworthineſſe and baſeneſſe of thoſe for whom Hee dyed. Reaſ. 3 Wee dye becauſe of ſome worth in a man, or ſome benefit formerly received from him: but CHRIST dyed for ſinners, for enemies to Him, traytors againſt Him; this is the wonder, the miracle of all mercies; I may ſay of CHRIST, what Saul of David, Who findes his enemie and ſtayes him not? but who findes his enemy and dyeth for him? Had He dyed for Angels, it had beene no great wonder, but for a Son to dye to redeeme a ſlave, to pardon a traytor, to free a rebell, this is unſpeakable.
To ſhew the abundance of grace, Reaſ. 4 Where ſin aboundeth, grace aboundeth much more, Rom. 6.2.
To ſhew us preſidents of mercy, Reaſ. 5 as Saint Paul ſaith of himſelfe.
Here we have matter of admiration, Vſe and daily remembrance: Oh ſuffer not this kindneſſe to ſlip out of your minde, that a company of miſcreant wretches ſhould be beloved, ſaved, and a Sonne ſlaine; reaſon cannot reach it, religion doth not deſire it, nature doth not require it, nay, juſtice doth not exact it, only love hath done it: Oh with David call earneſtly upon thy ſoule to praiſe the Lord, Pſal. 103.1.Praiſe the Lord O my ſoule; againe and againe, awake O my ſoule and praiſe the Lord; when we have done what we can, it is not enough, oh that we could doe more when we have done what we can, call upon the Angels for help, Praiſe the Lord all yee Angels and hoaſts of the Lord. Let a poore ſoule goe aſide and thinke with himſelfe, Good Lord, how comes this, that the Lord Ieſus ſhould dye for me? if it had beene a creature, or an Angell that had done it, it had not beene ſo much; but a Son, the beloved Sonne of God to doe all this! heaven and earth, Angels and men can never ſufficiently admire this.
If this be ſo, Vſe 2 that God's love is ſo great to us, Brethren what will ye doe now for God? I will ſay nothing, your hearts ſhall ſpeake: Hath CHRIST done thus for me? then I will labour to walke anſwerably to his love, and in ſome meaſure worthy thereof; that's the right uſe. Had a man but common reaſon, or good nature in him, he muſt needs thinke it a vile thing to be a traytor againe to that God that hath beene ſo mercifull to him. Be not content ſometimes when the fit takes to ſtumble upon a good dutie, but thinke all too little for Him, that thought not His heart bloud too little for you; be frequent in prayer, and abound in holy duties, live no more to your ſelves, but to CHRIST. CHRIST dyed for us; But wherefore? that we ſhould live in ſinne ſtill? No, but that wee ſhould dye to ſin, and live hence-forth not to our ſelves, but to Him: Nay, ſaith he, the love of CHRIST conſtraines mee: Moſt mercy requires moſt duty, the greateſt kindneſſe asketh the greateſt thankfulneſſe at the hand of the receiver. It was that which Moſes preſſed upon the children of Iſrael, to remember alwayes to praiſe the Lord for His goodneſſe, that had ſo miraculouſly delivered them from the hand of the Aegyptians, and carryed them thorow the red Sea: Oh how much more ſhould we praiſe Him for this? that He not onelyonly redeemed us from Aegypt, but from Hell, not onelyonly from Pharaoh, but from Satan? therefore above all admire this, and yeeld your ſoules and bodies, and all you have, wholly to the ſervice of the Lord: when any temptation violently preſſeth in upon you, ſpeake to your hearts, and tell them, as ſometime the Apoſtle Paul did the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 6.19, 20. Know yee not, that your bodies are the temples of the HOLY GHOST, which is in you, and that you are not your owne? as who ſhould ſay, ye know it full well, that ye are not your owne, ye were bought at a deare rate, even with the bloud of CHRIST; why then doe you follow ſinne, and ſerve your luſts? for ſhame away with this ill dealing, and give every man his owne: let GOD have His, and the Divell his: downe with this hatred and Pride, ſend them packing to the Divell from whence they came; and reſolve to ſay thus, if ſinne preſſe in upon you: I am not mine owne, the Lord hath bought all, and therefore Hee ſhall have all. Say to Satan, I am preſſed to ſerve the King, I have received preſſe-money at the hands of the Lord Ieſus Chriſt; therefore be gone.
Imitate Him, Vſe 3 Love your enemies, doe good to them that hate you.
Not to deſpaire of Gods grace for others without, Vſe 4 who yet are enemy-like affected toward Him.
To aſſure us that Hee will not faile us, Vſe 5 till Hee hath brought us to ſalvation, now we are friends, who when we were enemies did reconcile us.
Now for the Particulars in this benefit repeated:
1 He ſetteth downe the fact of reconciling us.
2 The inſtrument, in the body of His fleſh, that is, His humane Nature; a Synechdoche. Heb. 5.7. In the dayes of His fleſh He offred up ſtrong cryes to God. For this our Nature is an inſtrument perſonally united, wherein the ſecond Perſon worketh, and by which, as by a conduit, Hee conveyeth our ſpirituall life.
3 The manner, by death.
4 The end of this our reconcilement, that Hee may preſent you holy &c. that is, Pure: for holineſſe is nothing but an univerſall godly pureneſſe; then negatively, by denying any remainder of ſpot or corruption inherent which dwelleth in us.
From the end marke thus much:Obſ. That every one who is come to finde ſinne forgiven in Christ, ſhall one day be made glorious before Him: This is thus gathered; Chriſt doth reconcile us to God, to this end that Hee may preſent us glorious before Himſelfe: Now either Chriſt muſt be fruſtrate of His purpoſe, for which He ſpendeth no leſſe than His bloud, or elſe all true beleevers reconciled to God through Chriſt His bloud, for this purpoſe ſhall obtaine this end in due ſeaſon. Which is ſo certaine, that Saint Paul doubteth not to affirme, according to the propheticall manner, Such whom He hath juſtified, He hath glorified; becauſe hee hath begun it in the worke of grace, and will not leave till He have ſet them with Christ glorious in the Heavens. See Epheſ. 5.26, 27. Chriſt gave Himſelfe for His Church, that He might ſanctifie and cleanſe it with the waſhing of water, by the Word, that Hee might preſent it to Himſelfe a glorious Church, not having ſpot or wrinkle, or any ſuch thing: but that it ſhould be holy and without blemiſh. If we buy a thing at a deare rate for this or that purpoſe, will wee when the thing is bought and paid for, not uſe it to that end? it muſt bee becauſe wee were not provident enough to ſee the beſt uſe, our after-thoughts proving wiſer, or becauſe ſome difficulty commeth betwixt us, which we cannot overcome, or that we are inconſtant, or that we did purpoſe it not abſolutely, but conditionally, which condition was out of our hand, in the power of another: But for inconſtancie, impotencie, or improvidence, who dare aſcribe them to the only wiſe, eternall and unchangeable God? Would a man with all his ſubſtance procure himſelfe contracted with purpoſe of mariage, and when he had brought it hither thus dearely, leave her then, and not take her to houſe? Shall God with His bloud bring us to be contracted to Him by faith, get His Fathers liking through Him, and ſhall Hee not when the Father and all is pleaſed, take us home to dwell with Him where He is? This ſhall ſuffice to ſhew the truth of it.
Now for the manner of it: Thou muſt know then that for good purpoſe, it is an ancient cuſtome, that Contracts goe before mariages, both to trie the conſtancie of the couple, to encreaſe their mutuall deſires; after a certaine time thus paſſed, they are publikely preſented one before the other, and the man taketh the woman home to houſe: Thus it is with the Lord Ieſus; He is contracted to us, but yet to trie us how we will hold to Him, and becauſe our wedding garments are but in making, He ſtayeth till He come to Iudgement, and then all being finiſhed, we ſhall bee preſented before Him, and bee taken to houſe, even thoſe heavenly manſions with Him for ever.