Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 2 · Chapter 1 · Verse and explication 18
Vers.—22. And gave Him to be the head over all things to the Church, 23. Which is his body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.
THe Apostle, having spoken of Christ's glory and soveraignity in general over all the creatures, doth next hold forth His special dominion and soveraignity over the Church, by shewing, that Christ, over or above all, that is, in a special manner, is given by the Father to be the Churches head; which is a metaphor taken from the natural body, to which he compareth Christ and his Church. And, first, he sheweth that Christ doth answer to the head: which implyeth an eminency in Him above the Church, His Body Cant. 5. 10. together with authority and power over His Church to rule and govern her, both visibly by His own Officers, dispensing the Word and Censures, 1 Cor. 5. 4, and inwardly, by the powerfull operation of his Spirit, Joh. 16. 13. 14. It implyeth also onenesse of nature betwixt Him and His Church, Heb. 2. 14. and fulnesse of perfection, enabling Him to do all the duties of an head to such a great, necessirous and infirm body, as His Church is, Col. 2. 3. And it implyeth a strict union betwixt Him and His Church, as is betwixt the head and members in the natural body: the tye of which union, as to the Church visible (which is His visible, political and ministerial body, 1 Cor. 10. 16, 17.) is the bond of the Covenant of Grace, wherein they are externally, Psal. 50. 5. together with a profession of faith in Christ, Act. 8. 37. But as to the invisible Church of real Believers, they are as to the inward man, animated and enlivened with that same Spirit, which was poured-forth on Christ, Rom. 8. 9. they have also faith in Him, and love to Him, wrought by His Spirit in them, Col. 1. 4. Eph. 6. 24. and hereby they are united most strictly to Him. And, lastly, the metaphor implyeth communication of influence from Christ to the Church, to wit, an influence of common gifts from His Spirit to the visible Church, Eph. 4. 7, &c. and an influence of spirituall life, motion, and of saving grace to the invisible Church of Believers, Col. 2. 19. even as the head is above, and ruleth the body, is of the same nature with the body, hath all the inward and outward senses with memory and understanding seated in it for guiding the body, is united to the body, and conveyeth influence for motion and sense unto the body. And, secondly, ver. 23. he sheweth that the Church answereth to the rest of the body under the head, and is called Christ's body, to wit, not His natural, but mystical body: which implyeth not only the Churches union with Christ, but union and order also among the members themselves, together with diversity of gifts and functions, as there are several members in the natural body. 1 Cor. 12. It implyeth also their receiving influence for life and motion from Christ, Eph. 4. 16. and the duty of subjection and obedience due unto Him as head, Eph. 5. 24. He sheweth also the high honour which is put upon the Church by being Christ's body, even, that hereby they become Christ's fulnesse, not as if Believers did adde any personal perfection to Him, who is infinit in perfections, unto whom nothing can be added; Only, they are members of that mystical body, unto which He of grace hath undertaken the relation of head, so, that the Church is the fulnesse, not of personall, but of mystical Christ, as both head and members of that mystical body are comprehended under that name Christ. See 1 Cor. 12. 12. and therefore, lest any should think that this expression did imply any want of perfection in Christ to be supplyed by the Church, the Apostle sheweth, that Christ, as God-man, Mediator, filleth the all of His body the Church (for, the purpose in hand requireth this all to be so astricted) upon whom He bestoweth a fulnesse, partly of gifts, and partly of graces, a fulnesse answerable to the present state of childhood and imperfection, wherein we live here on earth; as the Romans are said to be full of goodnesse and knowledge, Rom. 15. 14 So, that Christ is so far from borrowing any perfection from His Church, that all her perfections are but drops falling from that Ocean and fulnesse of grace which is in Him, Joh. 1. 16. Doct. 1. As Jesus Christ is the Father's gift unto the Church; A gift which is offered unto all within the Church, Job. 3. 16. though not received by all, Joh. 1. 11. but by real Believers, who, by receiving Him, obtain a right unto Him, Job. 3. 36. with 1 Joh. 5. 11, 12. and to all those excellent saving priviledges, which were purchased by Him, Job. 1. 12. So, whoever would receive this gift aright, must receive Him as their head, to quicken them, to rule them, and to be reverenced by them: for, He gave Him to be head to the Church. 2. The power and superiority, which Christ hath over His Church, chiefly, the invisible Church of reall Believers, as head, is of another kind than that which He hath over all other creatures besides, as being more intimate, amiable, and in a manner more native and natural, and accompanied with willing subjection in His Church, Psal. 110. 3-. even as the superiority which the King's head hath over his own body, or his royal consort, being compared with that which he hath over his subjects, or rather his subdued enemies: for, He gave Him to be head over all to the Church: Over all, that is, in a singular and eminent manner above the domination which He hath over all other creatures. 3. None in any sense can be an head to the Church, unto whom the Church in that same sense is not a body; so, that if the Church be not the Pope's body, the Pope cannot be the Churches head: for, there is a reciprocation betwixt the head and body in this purpose, as Christ is the Churches head, so the Church is His body; He gave Him to be head to the Church, which is His body. 4. None can draw comfort from those sweet relations of head, husband, king, &c. which Christ hath taken upon Him towards His Church, but they who stand under a correspondent relation towards Him, as being His body, spouse, and subjects, and who make conscience of such duties as each of these relations do bind unto: for, as Christ is an head to the Church, so the Church is His body; Which is His body, saith he. 5. As Christ by taking upon Himself those relations towards His Church, which are found amongst men, doth stand obliged unto those duties, which men are bound to by vertue of such relations, Psal. 23. 1, &c. So the Lord's People are allowed, and commanded to search unto the duties and priviledges following upon such relations among men, and from thence to learn what to expect from Christ by vertue of that relation, and what honour and priviledges they do enjoy by standing under that relation to Christ: for, from this, that Christ and the Church stand under the relation of head and body, the Apostle inferreth that the Church hath this priviledge of being Christ's fulnesse, even, as the shoulders, arms, breast, belly, legs, and thighes, are the fulnesse of the natural body, so that mystical Christ made up of head and members, is not compleat and full without the Church, or the least Believer in the Church; Which is His body, the fulnesse of Him, saith he. 6. In searching forth the grounds of these similitudes or relations, taken from amongst men, whereby Christ setteth forth to our capacity what He himself is to His People, we would carefully guard, lest by pressing them too far, we ascribe any thing to Christ which is not according to the analogie of Faith, or in any measure dishonourable to Him: for, Paul, having stretched-forth that similitude of the head and body so far as to infer thence, that the Church is the fulnesse of mystical Christ, he carefully guardeth against a mistake, whereby people might think, that then some perfection were wanting in Christ to be supplyed by His Church, while he saith, that Christ filleth all in all. 7. As even Believers in themselves are empty creatures till they be filled, being destitute of all good which they may call their own, Rom. 7. 18. and unable to help themselves, if it were but with one right thought, 2 Cor. 3. 5. So there is a supply to the full of all their emptinesse in Christ, who is made of God unto them, wisdom, righteousnesse, sanctification, and redemption, 1 Cor, 1. 30. and communicateth largely and to the full of His own fulnesse, unto such as are sensible of their own emptinesse, Joh. 1. 16. Psal. 81. -10. for, He filleth all in all. 8. Before that Christ do thus supply our emptiness out of His own fulness, He must first be in us, and united to us by faith, Eph. 3. 17. for, He is in all whom He filleth; He filleth all in all.