An Exposition of Pauls Epistles, Letter 3 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
HEE proceeds to defend his Ministery against slanderers. There are two parts of this Chapter: In the first hee proveth his Ministery to bee commendable, by five Arguments, to vers. 6. In the second hee illustrateth and confirmeth the last Argument by comparing the Legal Ministery, or the Covenant of Works, with the Gospel, or the Covenant of Grace.
Vers. 1. Do wee begin again to commend our selves? or need wee, as some others, Epistles of commendation to you, or Letters of commendation from you?
Argum. 1. Of the commendation of his Ministery, containing also his clearing himself from the desire of vain-glory.
The efficacy of my Ministery is so apparent to all the Churches, that I need not any commendatory Letters from any particular person, or from you, or from others, neither do I say these things, because I care for vain-glory, but that I may defend my Ministery against my enemies for your good: Therefore my Ministery is commendable.
Vers. 2. Yee are our Epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men.
Argum. 2. Because your conversion, O Corinthians, to the profession of the Faith by my Ministery, sufficeth in my conscience and yours, for a commendatory Epistle, which is understood and acknowledged amongst all.
Vers. 3. Forasmuch as yee are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ ministred by us, written not with Ink, but with the Spirit of the Living God, not in Tables of stone, but in fleshy Tables of the heart.
Argum. 3. by confirmation of the former: Because my Ministery was effectual, not onelyonly in bringing you to the profession of the Faith; but also to your saving regeneration, by the speciall operation of Christs Spirit, this is that which hee saith that they were the Epistle, which Christ himself by his Ministery hath written, by writing his will in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, after a more excellent manner, than any thing was wont to bee writ with Ink upon Paper or Tables of Stone.
Vers. 4. And such trust have wee through Christ to God-ward:
5. Not that wee are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves: but our sufficiency is of God:
Argum. 4. Because hee himself (as it becomes a faithful servant) doth not ascribe the whole confidence of glorying, to himself, but to his Lord, Jesus Christ, in the sight of God.
Which Argument hee illustrates, partly by confessing his natural impotency to think that which is good, or to the least beginnings of a good work, much less to the converting the Corinthians, partly by acknowledging the Grace of God, as the fountain of his sufficiency, in that hee is fitted to communicate so much Grace to others.
Vers. 6. Who also hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament, not of the Letter, but of the Spirit; for the Letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth l…fe.
Argum. 5. Because his Ministery is the Ministery of the New Covenant, not of the Law and Covenant of Works. Hee confirms this Argument with a seven-fold Comparison of the Ministery of both Covenants.
The second Part.
Not of the Letter] Compar. 1. The Ministery of the Law, or the Covenant of Works is onelyonly the Letter written or spoken, without efficacy, without all spiritual virtue to perform that which it commands: But the Ministery of the Gospel, or the Covenant of Grace through Christ, is the Ministring of the Spirit, because according to, and by that, the Holy Ghost is administred, whereby the hearer is quickened and strengthened to embrace that which is propounded.
Killeth] Compar. 2. Confirming the former. The Ministery of the Law of Works, or the written Letter onelyonly convinceth of sin, and killeth the sinner, by pronouncing to him the sentence of death. But the Ministery of the Gospel, or grace in the New Covenant sheweth liberty from sin, absolves the sinner, and so brings him life.
Vers. 7. But if the ministration of death written and engraven on stones was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses, for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to bee done away:
8. How shall not the ministration of the Spirit rather bee glorious?
In Stones] Compar. 3. The Law of Works which onelyonly administers death (for according to this Covenant no man doth obtain righteousness or life) was engraven in stones, to signifie that the heart by it cannot bee mollified nor renewed, but remaineth dead: But the Gospel of Grace is writ in the fleshy Tables of the heart, i. e. in hearts, by the power of the holy Ghost, quickened and mollified, it is so imprinted, that the virtue of divine Grace, may bee discerned in all the expressions of the heart.
Glorious] Compar. 4. The Ministery of the Covenant of Works, which is the Ministery of death to all that have sinned, was truly glorious, as it appeared in Moses (for justice is glorious in punishing of sin) But the Ministery of the New Covenant, which is the Ministery of the Spirit quickening, is more glorious; for as in Moses pronouncing the curse of the Law against sinners, his bodily glory did shine: but O how much spiritual glory doth shine in the face of Christ, setting sinners at liberty by his Grace!
Vers. 9. For if the ministration of condemnation bee glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
Compar. 4. The Ministery of the Law, or the Old Covenant of Works is a Ministery of condemnation for sin, therefore indeed glorious: But the Ministry of the Gospel, or the New Covenant, is the Ministery of the Righteousness of Christ, and absolution from sin; and therefore so much the more glorious, by how much absolution and justification do excel condemnation and sin. Because by the Covenant of Works wee are all accused of sin, wee are all condemned, and made obnoxious to death: Therefore its Ministery is called the Ministery of sin, condemnation and death.
Vers. 10. For even that which was made glorious, had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glery that excelleth.
Compar. 5. The Ministery of the Law, although it was glorious, was exceedingly excelled by the glory of the Ministery of the Gospel, or of Grace, that it not deserves to bee called glorious, but let it vanish rather in comparison, as the glory of the Stars, when the Sun appears, is obscured: But the Ministery of the Gospel, is simply, and by way of excellency, glorious.
Vers. 11. For if that which was done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
Compar. 6. The Ministery of the Covenant of Works, in respect to the annexed ceremonies, hath onelyonly the glory of temporal dispensation, because so long it was to endure, whilst men in the infancy of the Church, convicted of sins, and of their own impotency to deliver themselves, were taught to fly unto Christ, and as it were by the hand of a School-master might bee led to him: which manner of instructing, the Church being now at its full growth, and continuing under the brightne…s of the revealed Gospel, is abolished as unprofitable: But the Ministery of the New Covenant hath permanent glory, until the glorious coming of Christ.
Vers. 12. Seeing then that wee have such hope, wee use great plainness of speech:
13. And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that th… children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished.
Compar. 7. The Ministery of the New Covenant is plain and perspicuous, so that the Ministers thereof can plainly and confidently preach the way of Salvation, having Christ now revealed, who in times past being to come was hoped for: But the Ministery of the Law, as it did appear in the type of the Mosaical ministration was obscure, and wrapped up in types.
Put] Hee follows this comparison to the end of the Chapter, illustrating the latter part thereof to the last verse, in this sense. Moses the Minister of the Law turned from the Tabernacle, from the Altar, from the Ark, and the Propitiatory, speaking with his face veiled, signified to the people, and typically related the nature of the legal Covenant of Works, and of its Ministery divided from Christ, and did also figure out the blindness of the people under the legal Covenant, because they did not perceive Christ to bee the end of the Law, and temporal ceremonies now abolished.
Vers. 14. But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament: which veil is done away in Christ.
15. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.
The Apostle observes that now blindness also may bee perceived in the Iews, who while they read the Old Testament, they see nothing besides the veil of ceremonies, because the veil of ignorance and infidelity remaineth upon their minds, which veil, represented by the type of the external veil covering Moses his face, by Christ is taken away from all the Faithful, for righteousness, life, virtue; and lastly, all grace and glory is published and communicated to the Faithful in Christ: But hitherto this veil doth remain upon the hearts of the unbelieving Iews.
Vers. 16. Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall bee taken away.
Hee hath hope of the Iews Conversion, when by the Grace of God the heart of the Israelites, or the Doctrine of Moses now veiled, should bee turned by them to God, i. e. should bee brought according to this typical signification to Christ, who is the end of the Law: Then the veil of ignorance, and of the darkness of ceremonies, should bee taken from them, as the veil was taken from the face of Moses, when hee entred in unto God sitting betwixt the Cherubins; chiefly that they might see God their Lord, and their Saviour Christ, and might acknowledge him to bee the true end of the whole Law▪
Vers. 17. Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
The reason of this is given: Because 1. Christ is the Spirit, or the Soul of all ceremonies, that a spiritual thing is signified by them. 2. Christ is also the Spirit, or the Soul of the Moral Law, because hee fulfilled the Law, in whom alone the perfect righteousness of the Law is to bee found. 3. Christ is the Spirit, because hee quickens those that believe to new obedience and life everlasting, and hee delivereth those from sin and misery: for when it is said, Where the Spirit of Christ the Lord is, or where Christ is, there is liberty; the liberty is to bee understood, not from the obedience of the Commandments, but from the ceremonial yoke, from the bondage of sin, and yoke of the Legal Covenant, and all evils which do follow from its violation: Liberty, I say, was given to the Faithful by the Spirit of the Gospel, at leastwise that which belongeth to them of right, although not alwayes according to sense, nor ever before the end of life, as to a full possession: For although the Spirit with a loud voice proclaimeth, that there is a gate opened unto us, that wee may go out of prison, yet wee by reason of the weakness of Faith, do go slowly forth. And this is the Explication of the first part of the Comparison concerning the Ministery of the Law.
Vers. 18. But wee all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Here followeth another branch of the Comparison, concerning the Ministery of the Gospel in those that believe, which is propounded in this sense: But wee that by the Ministery of the Gospel believe in Christ, the veil of ceremonies and ignorance, the veil of infidelity and hardness of heart also being removed, are freely admitted to the clear beholding of Christ, and the glory of the grace of God shining in the Gospel, as in a glass, and beholding Christ by Faith wee are sanctified, and more and more made happy in conformity with Christ, encreased daily by degrees, from one measure of glory and sanctity to another, and that by the powerful working of the Holy Ghost. Sanctification is called glory, because Sanctification is the beginning of Glorification, for by that the Image of God is repaired in us, which is our glory.