Commentary Upon Colossians 1 and 2, Chapter 2 · Verse 3
VERSE 3. In whom are hid all the treaſures of wiſdome, and knowledge.
NOw followeth a deſcription of CHRIST, named in the end of the former verſe, taken from the infinite wiſdome and knowledge in Him. [In whom] may be referred to the myſteryaforeign. ; but it is fitlyer conceived of CHRISTbforeign. : becauſe the intent of the Apoſtle in this Epiſtle, being to ſtabliſh the Coloſsians in the faith of Chriſt, from whom Angels, Ceremonies, and the depth of Philoſophicall wiſdome did thorow Satans working, aſſay to withdraw the beleevers; therefore the Apoſtle doth upon all occaſions amplifie the dignitie and all-ſufficient riches of CHRIST IESUS.
Againe, having before wiſhed them all riches of underſtanding, he doth fitly deſcribe CHRIST from His Omniſcience, that he might thus point them at the fountaine whence they were to draw that which hee mentioned, even all riches of underſtanding, which they wanted.
Thirdly, as in the third Chapter, our life is ſaid to be hidden in CHRIST; So here all wiſdome and underſtanding are ſaid to be hid in Him. Beſide the reaſon following may be reſpective to theſe words, I ſay thus: For in ſpirit I ſee you, that none may draw you from your ſolid faith in CHRIST.
1 Then we learne hence: Doct. That upon fit occaſions we muſt publiſh the glorious properties of IESUS CHRIST: the Apoſtle doth rarely mention Him, but he reciteth ſomething or other which tendeth to glorifie Him; the LORD commanding us no way to diſhonour His name, but by all meanes to ſeeke the glory of it, doth tye us to this duty: eſpecially then we are to doe it, when the ſubtilty of the enemie doth labour to obſcure the account of CHRIST, and ſeduce us from Him. And if wee are bound to challenge the credit of our neighbour, by lending him the beſt teſtimony wee may, and not ſuffering his innocencie to be wronged; how much more muſt we doe this, when the honour of our God in ſome ſort hangeth on it?
Which muſt rebuke the barrenneſſe of Chriſtians this way: Vſe when doe wee upon naming of our SAVIOUR CHRIST, breake forth to extoll Him, and publiſh His glory? Followers of great States, how will they commend the deepe reach, the great experience, the univerſall knowledge of all State affaires which are in thoſe they retaine unto? CHRIST may long be out of account before we like the true Church, preach forth his due praiſes and commendations.
2 That Paul to ſtabliſh them in holding on Chriſt, doth no other thing but tell them the excellencies of Chriſt here and every where.
Obſerve hence: Doct. What maketh us liſten to deceivers, our ignorance of Chriſt. Did we know the excellencie of His Perſon, the riches of His Nature, the offices and all ſufficiencie of Him; our hearts would be armed againſt all ſeducements, then wee would reject them and ſay, Wee knew whom we have truſted; but dimly ſeeing theſe things,2 Tim. 1.12. it is otherwiſe with us. A foole that knoweth not how good, he and his money are ſoone parted: So we, like little children, not knowing ſo fully what a rich Pearle this our LORD IESUS CHRIST is, liſten too much to ſuch beguiling ſuggeſtions, as the Divell by his inſtruments whiſpereth in our eares.
Wherefore, Vſe as you would be armed againſt all enticements and engines of this nature; labour to get the knowledge of CHRIST's Perſon and offices, of the riches of all glorious good things which are in Him; that ſo nothing may make you ſtart aſide from your faith received.
Marke againe, Doct. Who is the ſtore-houſe of all wiſdome and knowledge; namely, Chriſt our Lord. We know the treaſury is it, from whence we fetch for all occaſions: Our treaſuries are ſtores ſufficient to furniſh our particular neceſſities: So God hath made Chriſt a treaſury and ſtorehouſe, as of all other ſpirituall gifts, ſo of wiſdome and knowledge, that from His fulneſſe every member might be ſerved: The Spirit of wiſdome and knowledge reſted upon Him above meaſure. As the light is fully in the Sunne, that Moone and Starres might thence borrow: So the fulneſſe of this, and every ſupernaturall gift is in Him, that thence it might be derived. There is as in Chriſt a double Nature, ſo a double treaſure of wiſedome and knowledge. The firſt is uncreate, that omniſcient wiſdome of God, which knoweth perfectly, and fully comprehendeth all the divine Nature; and not only all which have beene, are, and ſhall be hereafter, but all things which are poſſible to be done, if God were ſo pleaſed. Secondly, there is, as the nature of man, ſo proportionably a created wiſdome and knowledge, whereby Chriſt knoweth God more fully than all the creatures, though not ſo fully as God may be knowne, and is knowne of Himſelfe. For a finite nature is not capable of an infinite, ſo as to comprehend it; for nothing can receive above that which it hath capacitie to receive.
Againe, Hee knoweth in God, as in a glaſſe, all things which have beene, are and ſhall be, ſo farre as agreeth with His happie eſtate, and the execution of His Offices which are committed to Him. Thirdly, Hee knoweth within Himſelfe, and by experience above all that can be uttered; for Hee is filled with theſe gifts not onelyonly for Himſelfe, but that He might ſend from Him into all His members. Chriſt therefore as man, though He know not God ſo fully, as God is knowne of Himſelfe, and know not all things which are poſſible to be done; becauſe this cannot be knowne, but by a full comprehenſion of GOD's omnipotencie, which being infinite, no finite nature can fully comprehend; yet His knowledge is above all knowledge of Angels and men, and is unmeaſurable after ſome ſort, though not ſimply infinite, that from it all of us might be ſupplyed. This then thus opened:
Firſt confuteth the Lutherans, Vſe 1 who will have the humane nature ſimply omniſcient, as the divine Nature is, and the divine knowledge to become the humane Nature, that it might know by it, as wee know by created gifts of knowledge; which they goe about to prove thus:
In Chriſt are all treaſures of wiſdome and knowledge; Object. all treaſures, therefore He is omniſcient.
He doth not ſay in Chriſt's humane Nature, Anſw. but in Christ:
Now in Chriſt is the divine Nature, as well as the humane:
CHRIST hath it:
Therefore His humane Nature hath it, followeth not: à toto ad partem. In a man is reaſon:
Therfore in His body.
Beſides [all treaſure] may be ſaid ſimply or reſpectively, compared with that other Creatures have, and thus Chriſt-man hath all treaſures, that is in compariſon of wiſdome in any other, an unmeaſurable treaſury, whence all other His members derive that they have.
We ſee hence, Vſe 2 whither wee are to fly for encreaſe of knowledge, and wiſdome, even to Chriſt; Mine is wiſdome, Prov. 8.mine is underſtanding, ſubtilty dwelleth with mee, Come yee fooles, and underſtand, ſaith this eſſentiall wiſdome of the Father to us, by His ſervants. The Queene of Sheba went a great way to heare Salomons wiſdome: and we have many that travell countries to heare the readers here and there. How ſhould we ſeeke to Chriſt in all meanes Hee hath directed us to, that through Him we might be made wiſe? Hee is made of GOD our wiſdome, He is the Author and matter of it.
Laſtly marke, that theſe treaſures are ſaid to be hid in Him: Whence obſerve: Doctr. That it is not yet apparant to us that CHRIST is ſo full of wiſdome; for it is beleeved to be a treaſure under earth, not found out yet, becauſe we, though wee beleeve it, yet wee ſee it not, and the world neither ſee, nor beleeve any ſuch thing. Hence it is that they count the preaching of CHRIST a fooliſh thing; for affecting depth of wiſdome, it is ſo hid that they cannot eſpie any ſuch thing in Chriſt. Yea, from this hiding it commeth to paſſe, that in ſome philoſophicall ſubtilties, they ſeeme to finde farre greater knowledge than in all that is told of Chriſt.
Againe, our wants doe make it not ſeene to us; though we beleeve it, yet we behold it not preſent: For though we are made wiſe, yet it appeareth not how wiſe we ſhall be; as Saint Iohn ſaith in another caſe, 1 Ioh. 3.2. We know in part, and great are the reliques of folly which dwell with our wiſdome. Now as we ſay of a man who having great wealth, and yet maketh no great ſhew, he is a hidden man: So Chriſt not manifeſting this abundance of wiſdome in us His members, is ſaid to have it treaſured up, and hidden within Him.
Wherefore let us not bee offended at the ſimplicitie which now is in CHRIST, Vſe 1 but by faith give the glory to Him of thoſe things which we are not able yet to diſcerne. Though theſe things we have revealed are ſuch wiſdome, that all knowledge beſide is fooliſhneſſe unto them, yet the things we know are nothing to that which ſhall be revealed in us. Nay, Chriſt ſhould not be wiſe, if he did otherwiſe: A man that is of the greateſt learning in the world, when he teacheth an A. B. C. man, he doth not runne over his Tongues and Arts; but only applieth himſelfe to the capacity of his ſchollar, keeping the other within himſelfe, till his ſchollar growing riper, ſhall be fitted to receive them: So doth our Lord Ieſus Chriſt deale with us; we are Grammar ſchollars, not yet taken to that Vniverſity of the Saints in glory; and therefore Chriſt out of wiſdome doth keep hid in Himſelfe thoſe treaſures here named.
This is a comfort to us, Vſe 2 who are ſo meane in our owne eyes, our wiſdome is hid with Chriſt, as He ſaith of our life, Chap. 3.3. We ſhall in time have it. If we knew not ſome ſecret which we deſired, yet if we had ſome friend, that knew it, who ſhould further tell us, that he in time would ſhew us all the matter, it would make us reſt the better contented: Thus it is with Chriſt; we have great wants in knowledge, but Hee hath all treaſured in Him, and will in His time make us know, as we are knowne. And thus this doctrine might be paſſed over. But the Papiſts doe hence gather, that even Chriſt new borne had the fulneſſe of wiſdome. But the Anſwer is, that Saint Paul ſpeaketh not of the Man-hood of Chriſt only, but his whole Perſon. Secondly, he ſpeakes not of the Perſon according to His Man-hood in the time of His humiliation, when He was ſubject to ignorance, ſo farre as it was an infirmity without ſin, but of Chriſt as now glorified. While He was in ſtate of humiliation, He did grow up in wiſdome; both His habits being more confirmed, and His experimentall knowledge to His end encreaſing in Him: He knew not the barrenneſſe of the Fig-tree, the day of judgement, not only in this ſenſe he knew it not to tell us: True it is, He was anointed above His Brethren with joy, wiſdome, &c. but hence it followeth not, therefore He was actually forthwith having all joyfull bliſſe and wiſdome: For CHRISTS anointing ſignifieth three things:
1 That this Man-hood was after a ſort infinitely bleſſed, in regard that it was perſonally aſſumed of God the Sonne.
2 That it was called and deſtinated of GOD to have all the fulneſſe of ſpirituall graces given it, the right of them was made His.
3 That He had actually given Him all ſuch gifts in every age, as might fitly ſtand with the myſtery of His humiliation. David was anointed King before he actually had the power of a King: Neither is it as abſurd to ſay that the wiſdome of God in His humane Nature wanted, while he voluntarily would not make ſhew of Himſelfe, but emptied Himſelfe: for why may not this be ſayd as well as the Lord of life wanted life, that the God of ſtrength who is neither weary, nor hungry, was weary and thirſty.