Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 2 · Chapter 1 · Verse and explication 13
Vers. 17. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, in the knowledge of Him: 18. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened—
THe Apostle, in the second place, giveth a short sum of his prayer unto God for them. And, first, he describeth God the Father, unto whom he prayeth, to be the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, to wit, as Christ is man, Psal. 22. 10. as He is our Mediator, Psal. 40. 8. and with relation to that Covenant of Redemption betwixt God and Christ as mediator, Heb. 2. 13. And the Father of glory; so called, because He is in His own nature infinitly glorious, Psal. 145. 5. the fountain of the whole Godhead, and all the divine Attributes in the Son (Psal. 2. 7.) and holy Ghost, Joh. 14. 26. for, glory is sometimes taken for the Godhead and divine Attributes, Joh. 2. 11. and because He is the first cause of all that glory which is in any of the creatures, Psal. 8. 5. And lastly, He is the object of all glory, to whom all glory is due from the creatures, Psal. 19. 1. Secondly, he sheweth what he sought in prayer, even wisdom, or a further encrease of that wisdom and saving knowledge of divine mysteries, whereof the Spirit of God is the author, mentioned ver. 8. together with a clearer insight in Scripture where those mysteries are revealed by the same Spirit. Which wisdom he sheweth, doth mainly consist in the saving, believing, and operative knowledge of Him, that is, of Jesus Christ, ver. 17. And having more clearly expressed what he meaneth by this Spirit of wisdom, even the removing of the natural blindnesse of their understandings, and enduing them with a clear discerning in the things of God, ver. 17- he doth illustrate it further from those ends, for the attainment whereof he would have this wisdom bestowed, as shall be cleared afterwards. Hence Learn, 1. The more painfull and laborious that others, whether Ministers, parents, friends or neighbours, are for bringing about our salvation and spiritual good, we ought to be so much the more excited to painfulnesse and diligence about the same thing our selves; else their pains will not only do us no good, but also much hurt, the Lord usually judicially plaguing the man, whom every one would have doing well, only himself will not: for, the Apostle sheweth that he prayed, and what he prayed for from God unto them, not to gain applause from them; (for that is condemned, Mat. 6. 5.) but that he might excite them unto prayer for themselves, and to endeavour after those things which he sought; Making mention of you in my prayers, that God may give you, &c. 2. Though we are not of necessity to stint our selves unto a set form of words in prayer, Rom. 8. 26. yet, we would have set purposes condescended upon, and a certain scope to aim at in prayer, so as we may be able to give an accompt of what we pray for, whether in behalf of our selves, or of others; otherwise we can neither expect, nor observe the return of our prayers: for, Paul, setting down the sum of his prayer, sheweth he took notice of those things which he prayed for; even that God may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom, saith he. 3. Our prayers would be directed unto God only, and neither to glorified Saints, who are ignorant of us, Isa. 63. 16. nor yet to the Angels, who (though they be near unto us, 1 Cor. 11. 10. yet) know not the secrets of hearts, Jer. 17. 10. and so are unfit to receive our prayers; besides that there is no warrant in Scripture for praying unto any such, but to God alone: hence the Apostle directeth his prayer unto God, Even, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ may give unto you. 4. We ought to draw near to God, especially in the duties of prayer, whether for our selves or others, with confidence and reverence (the one not marring the other) and in order hereto we are so to conceive of God, and expresse such conceptions of ours concerning Him, as may most strengthen our faith in the expectation of what we seek, and may strike our hearts with reverence towards God, from whom we seek: for, those epithets which Paul giveth unto God, do tend to strengthen his faith, while he calleth Him the God of our Lord Jesus Christ; and to breed deep reverence in his own heart towards God, while he calleth Him, the Father of glory, or glorious Father. 5. That we may have accesse unto God with boldnesse through Christ in prayer, it is necessary to renew that act of faith wherby we apply and appropriate Christ unto our selves, that so being made one with Christ (Eph. 3. 17.) we may be looked upon by the Father, as clothed with His righteousness, Phil. 3. 9. whereby both our persons and imperfect prayers shall be accepted of by God through Him, Heb. 11. 4. for, Paul, whose practice here is a directory for prayer, doth appropriate Christ to himself as his own Christ; The God of our Lord Jesus Christ. 6. It is necessary also in order to the same end, that in closing with Christ we do not part or divide Him, but appropriate to our selves the fulnesse of all those perfections which are in Him; this being an evidence of the sincerity of our closing with Him, and no lesse than whole Christ being necessary to cover all those imperfections, to bear us up under all those discouragements, to help us under all those infirmities which we are incompassed with in our approaches to God: for, Paul doth appropriate Christ to himself under such titles as hold forth His compleat fulnesse, to wit, of Lord, which implyeth His power and soveraignity over all things for the Believers good, Philip. 2. 9. 10, 11. Of Jesus, which signifieth a Saviour, and pointeth forth His great work and errand to the world to save sinners, Mat. 1. 21. And of Christ, which signifieth annointed, and so pointeth at His threefold Office unto which He was annointed and furnished in order to that work, Psal. 45. 7. The God of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7. As wisdom, or the saving knowledge of divine mysteries, is necessary unto a Christian; So, even those who are effectually called, and have a good measure of this grace already, ought not to sit down upon the measure received, but would constantly aspire after more of it, as being yet ignorant of many things, and not sufficiently rooted in the knowledge of those things, which they already know, 1 Cor. 13. 9. for, while Paul prayeth for a greater measure of wisdom unto those Ephesians, towards whom God had already abounded in all wisdom, ver. 8. he doth indirectly excite them to endeavour to grow in this grace; May give unto you the Spirit of wisdom. 8. The wisdom and knowledge which Christians are to seek after, is not at all that carnal wisdom, which is enimity to God, Iam. 3. 15. nor yet chiefly that naturall wisdom, or knowledge of the hid mysteries of nature, Eccles. 1. 17, 18. nor yet that wisdom or knowledge of divine mysteries, which is only a gift, and floweth from a common influence of the Spirit, 1 Cor. 8. -1-. but that whereof the Spirit of God by His special operation and influence is author and worker, and is more than a gift, even the grace of wisdom, which is not acquired by our own industry and pains only, nor yet puffeth up, neither is it weak and coldrife, not warming the heart with love to the thing known, as the gift of wisdom is: but this grace of wisdom cometh from above, Iam. 3. 17. by the use of other lawfull means, Prov. 2. 1, &c. and must be sought from above, Iam. 1. 5. It humbleth the man who hath it, Job 42. 3, 5, 6. it is operative upon the heart, and worketh love unto the thing known, Joh. 4. 10. for, the Apostle prayeth, that God would give them the Spirit of wisdom, that is, whereof the Spirit of God is author by His spiritual grace. 9. Spiritual things, the object of this heavenly wisdom and knowledge, are not, for the most part, conclusions drawn from natures light; but are revealed and made known by the Spirit of God, to wit, either in an extraordinary, immediate way, without the help of humane means unto the Prophets and Apostles, Eph. 3. 5. or, in an ordinary and mediate way by the help of Scripture, and blessing of God upon the pains of publick Teachers, and such other means as He hath appointed for attaining to the mind of God revealed in Scripture, 2 Tim. 3. 15, &c. for, joyntly with the Spirit of wisdom he seeketh the Spirit of revelation, implying, that this wisdom cannot be had without revelation. 10. The sum of all saving wisdom, is, to know Christ, and what Scripture speaketh of Him as a compleat Mediator; and so to know Him, as that we acknowledge Him; which speaketh somewhat more than our simple knowing of Him, even a knowing of Him as our own, and with special application to our selves, and so, as we give due honour, respect and reverence unto Him: for, though we are said to know even strangers, and those whom we contemn and despise; yet we are not in strict phrase of speech said to acknowledge any, but these of near relations, or whom we prosecute with that respect and honour which is due unto them, as the servant is said to acknowledge his master. Now, Paul giveth this as the sum and compend of saving wisdom, while he saith, In the knowledge of Him, to wit, of Christ, or, in the acknowledgement of Him, as it is in the Original. 11. It is not sufficient for attaining this grace of wisdom, or saving knowledge of divine truths, that those truths be plainly revealed by the Spirit of God in Scripture; there must be also a removal of that natural darknesse and blindnesse which is in our understandings, whereby we may be enabled to take up that which is revealed, even as to the beholding of colours by the outward sense, there must not only be an outward light to make the object conspicuous, but also the faculty of seeing in the eye: a blind man cannot see at noon-day, nor yet the sharpestsighted at midnight. Thus for the taking up of things heavenly, the Apostle prayeth both for a Spirit of revelation, to make those truths conspicuous, and for a new power of discerning in the understanding, that they might be able to take up the truth so revealed: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened. 12. The natural faculties of the soul are not destroyed in conversion, so as if from that time forward the renewed man did nothing, and the Spirit of God residing in him did all things: no, they are only renewed by the implanting of new gracious habits and dispositions in them, so that our wit, will and affections being renewed, quickened and wrought upon by the Spirit of God, do also themselves work, Philip. 2. -12. for, Paul prayeth not that their understanding might be destroyed but enlightened; The eyes of your understanding being enlightened.