Exposition of the Principal Scriptures Used in our English Liturgy, Part 38
2. Cor. 13. 13.
The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, &.
THezLut…er. com…ent. in Galat. cap. 1. vers. 3. two fiends that torment vsus, are sinne, and a bad conscience: grace releaseth sinne: peace doth quiet the conscience. Paul therfore begins his epistles with grace and peace: and the Church ends her deuotions either with the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, &c. or with the peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding, &c. But because there can bee no peace with God, except wee hauehave the grace of Christ: first and chiefly Paul desireth grace, then peace: Rom. 1. 7. Grace be with you and peace. Because (I say) grace comprehends in it eueryevery good and perfect gift,a1. Cor. 15. 10. by which only, we are whatsoeuer we are; Paul doth not only begin, but end his writings also with this one clause specially, Grace be with you, &c. But aboue the rest, the conclusion of this excellent epistle is most full: and therefore worthilie receiued of our and other Churches, as the fittest close, to shut vp our publique prayers. In it obserue Pauls affection towards the Corinthians, amplified
With
Extention: in regard of the
Thing: The grace of Christ, the louelove of God, the communion of the holy Ghost.
Persons: With you all.
Intention: Amen.
The worke of our saluation is ascribed in our
Election, to the louelove of the Father.
Redēption, to the grace of the Son.
Sanctification, to the communion of the holy Ghost.
SobComment. in loc. S. Ambrose doth expound this text pithily: Dilectio dei misit nobis Saluatorem Iesum, cuius gratia saluati sumus: vt possideamus hanc gratiā communicatio facit spiritus sancti: God the Father socIoh. 3. 16. loued the world, that hee sent his only begotten SonnedRom. 4. 25. to die for our sinnes, and to rise againe for our iustification: andeIohn 15. 26. God the Sonne, from God the▪ Father, sent God the holy Ghost which crieth in our hearts Abba father: applying to our comfort both the louelove of God, and the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ.
The word, God, is vsed here personally, not essentially: for thefAmbrose, Hierom, Theophylact. Fathers on this text note the blessed Trinitie, that God isgNon triplex. Augustin. de Trin. lib. 6. cap. 7 & Lombard. 1. sent. dist. 19. Trinus in numero, vnus in numine. S. Hierom thinkes that Paul foreseeing the blasphemous Arrian heresie, placed the second person in the first roome, God the Son before God the Father.hCaluin. & Marlorat. in loc. Other affirme, that the grace of Christ is named first, because it concernes vsus most. For albeit the louelove of God in it owne nature goe before the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ, chusing vsus before the foundation of the world: Ephes. 1. 4: yet in our view the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ goeth before the louelove of God. Rom. 5. 10 We are reconciled vntounto God, by the death of his Sonne: we feele the mercies of the one in the merits of the other.
It is a fruitfull obseruation ofiVbi supra. Martin Luther, that Christian religion beginneth not at the highest, as other religions doe, but at the lowest: it will hauehave vsus to climbe vp to heauen by Iacobs ladder, whose feete touch the very earth. And therefore when thou art occupied in the matter of thy saluation, setting aside all curious speculations of Gods vnsearchable counsels, all cogitations of workes, of traditions, of Philosophie, yea and of Gods law too, runne straight to the manger, embrace the little babe Christ in thine armes, and behold him as hee was borne, sucking, growing vp, conuersant among men, teaching, dying, rising againe, ascending aboue the heauens, and hauing power aboue all things. This sight will make thee shake off all terrors and errors, as the Sunne driueth away the cloudes. In a disputation with a Iew, Turke, Papist, Heretike, concerning Gods infinite wisedome, Maiestie, power; imploy all thy wit and industrie to be so profound and subtill as thou canst: but in the matter of Iustification, wherein thou doest wrestle with the law, sinne, death, and other spirituall enemies; it is the best course to looke vponupon no God, but Christ incarnate, and cloathed with thine owne nature: to fixe thine eyes vponupon the man Iesus only; who setteth himselfe foorth vntounto thee, to be a Mediatour, and saith,kMatth. 11. 21. Come vntounto me all …ee that labour, and are heauie laden, and I will refresh you. To behold the Lambe of God, who taketh away the sinnes of the world: and so by the grace of Christ thou shalt vnderstand the louelove of God, thou shalt perceiue his wisedome, power, Maiestie, sweetned and tempered to thy capacitie: thou shalt finde the saying oflColoss. 2. 3. Paul to be most true, that in Christ are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge: that Christ in our iustification is all in all; and therefore good reason he should hauehave the first, and most place in this argument; that his grace should be named first and last.
The louelove of God, is the fountaine of all goodnes (as Diuines speake) gratiarum gratia: from which originallie proceeds eueryevery perfect gift and grace. For almightie God hath not elected vsus in regard of our works, or other worth: but cōtrariwise, because God loued vsus, we do that which is acceptable in his sight. I obtained merciemercy of the Lord (saith m1. Cor. 7. 27.Paul) to be faithfull; Vt fidelis essem, non quia fidelis eram, as nSent. lib. 1. dist. 41.Lombard aptly.
The nature of this short treatise will not endure, that I should wade farre into this Abyssus. I rememberoRom. 11. 33. Pauls exclamation; O the deepnes of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God, how vnsearchable are his iudgements, and his wa…es past finding out! And the glosse ofpDe verbis Apost. serm. 7. tom. 10. fol. 194 Augustine: Volentes disputare de de… profundo, mersi sunt: Or, (asqLomb. vbi supra. other) Versi sunt in profundum. I come therefore to the Communion of the holy Ghost: a point more comfortable, then ordinarily felt, and yet more felt then can be disputed. It is said, Gal 4. 6. God hath sent the spirit of his Sonne crying in our hear…s Abba father: he said not calling, but crying: and Rom. 8. 26. hee calleth this crying vnspeakeable groaning. When a man is tempted and afflicted, hee feeleth the strength of his enemies, and the weaknesse of his flesh: he feeleth the fierie darts of Satan, the terrors of death, the wrath of God, all these cry out against him horribly: so that the perplexed soule sees nothing but sinne threatning, heauen thundering, the diuell roring, the earth trembling, hell mouth open and ready to swallow him vp. But yet in the midst of all these, Gods holy spirit crieth in our hearts, rLuther. com. in. Gal. 4. 6.and this cry doth outcry the clamors of the law, the bellowes of hell, and howlings of infernall fiends: it pearceth the clouds, and ascends vp to the eares of God, insomuch that the blessed Angels seeme to heare nothing else but this cry. The spirit helpeth our infirmities, and thes1. Cor. 12. 9. strength of Christ is made perfect through our weaknesse. For Christ is most powerfull, when as we are most fearfull: euen when we can scarsely groane, marke the words of Paul; The spirit maketh intercession for vsus in our temptation; not with many words, or long praiers, he crieth not aloud with teares, hauehave merciemercy on me O God: but only giues a little sound, and a feeble groaning, as, ah father: this is but one word, yet notwithstanding comprehends all things. Indeed the mouth speaketh not: but the good affection of the soule crieth aloud after this manner: O Lord God of compassion and father of mercies, although I am grieuously vexed on eueryevery side with affliction and anguish; yet am I thy child, and thou art my father in Christ. This little word, or rather no word, but a poore thought, conceiued aright, passeth all the flowing eloquence of Demosthenes and Tully, yea Tertullian and all the Orators that euer were in the world: for this matter is not expressed with words, but with groanings, and these groanings are from the blessed Spirit. Thus you see the large extent of Pauls affection, in regard of the thing wished vntounto the Corinthians: The grace of Christ, the louelove of God, the communion of the holy Ghost.
The second extension is in regard of the persons, be with you all: for the Pastor must wish well, not only to the best, or to the worst, but this praier ought to be made for eueryevery one as well as for any one. There is none so bad, but hath receiued some grace: none so good but hath need to receiue more grace. Wherefore pray we still, that the grace of Christ may be with vsus all.
The Church of England addes a third extension in regard of the time; for euermore: the which is implied in the text also, for the Corinthians (as we reade in thetCap. 1. vers. 2. former epistle) were Saints by calling, and so doubtlesse had receiued already the grace of Christ, and had tasted of the louelove of God, through the fellowship of the holy Ghost. He doth therefore now desire uPhil. 1. 6.that the good worke begun in them, may be perfect:xNicolaus Cabasila exposit. liturg. cap. …6. that the grace receiued may continue with them, and increase daily vntounto the end, and in the end: that the louelove of God which cannot be greater secundùm essentiam, may be greater secundùm efficientiam, appearing, growing, abounding in them more and more for euermore.