Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 2 · Chapter 2 · Verse and explication 13
Vers. 14. For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us: 15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of Commandments, contained in Ordinances—
THe Apostle being, next, more largely to explain and prove what he hath briefly asserted, that the Gentiles were made nigh to God and His Church by the bloud of Christ, doth, first, confirm it by an argument taken from Christ's Priestly office, according to which He is not only the Mediator for peace, and peace-maker betwixt God and man, and among men themselves; but He is also our peace, as being the propitiatory sacrifice, and having purchased this peace with His own bloud, Isa. 53. 5. and so the very cause and reason of this peace, is in Himself, and nothing extrinsicall to Himself. Secondly, he doth prove that Christ was their peace, by the effect produced by Him, and the matter of working this effect. The effect it self, is, that where before the Jews and Gentiles were irrecoverably separated by reason of their different Religion and religious Rites, He had now united them in one and the same Church, which is said to have been then done, because it was in part done: for, the rejecting of Israel, is only in part, Rom. 11. -25- but the full accomplishment of it shall be when all Israel, and the fulnesse of the Gentiles, shall be called, Rom. 11. -25, 26- The manner of working this effect, is set down in three phrases, all signifying one thing, though different in regard of diverse considerations. First, He broke down the middle wall of partition, whereby, as he explaineth himself in the following verse, is meaned the ceremonial Law, and it is called the middle wall of partition, or of a hedge and stone-wall (for, the Original signifieth both) with an eye, questionlesse, to to the wall, which was in Solomons Temple between the court of the People and of the Gentiles, which hindered all manner of passage, sight, or communication betwixt them, Ezek. 42. 20. So the meaning is, that in order to this union He did abolish the legall ceremonies, whereby the Jews were distinguished from the Gentiles, as two houses, by a mid-wall going betwixt them, or as an inclosed Garden is separated from an out-field, by an hedge or dyke of rough stones, ver. 14. Secondly, He did abolish the enmity: by which, enmity is meaned the same ceremoniall Law, and that chiefly because it was the occasion of a perpetuall standing strife betwixt Jew and Gentile, while the Jew reproached the Gentile with uncircumcision and neglect of Gods worship, Act. 10. 28. the Gentile again reproached the Jew with circumcision, and the rest of these Legall rites, which they judged unreasonable, irreligious and absurd, Esth. 3. 8. although those ceremoniall rites may be also called enmity with relation to God, in so far as the practising of them by the Jews was a real testimony and confession of their own guilt, and the enmity which was betwixt them and God. See Collos. 2. 14. And His withholding them from the Gentiles, was an evidence of His displeasure, and enmity against them, Ps. 147. 20. and here the Apostle expresseth the way, how Christ did abolish that enmity, or these ceremoniall rites, to wit, in His own flesh, that is, by His death, which He suffered in His flesh, or humane nature, 1 Pet. 3. -18- Thirdly, he expoundeth what he meant by the mid-wall and the enmity, which Christ abolished, even the Law of Commandments in ordinances. The first of which words, is more general, to wit, the Law, as comprehending, according to the custom of the Hebrew language, all Doctrine revealed to the Church, Psal. 19. 7. and this is astricted by the second word, which is more speciall, to wit, Commandments, signifying that Doctrine only, which commandeth what should be done, and forbiddeth what should not be done; and both those are astricted by the third, which is yet more special, to wit, Ordinances, whereby are meaned those Commandments only, which did relate to Gods externall worship, and were prescribed by God, as so many types and shadows of Christ to come, and of those good things which were purchased by Him, Heb. 9. 9, 10. So that the Law and Commandments were only abolished, as to that part of them which was contained in those Ordinances, ver. 15-.
From ver. 14. Learn, 1. Every man by nature in himself, and without Christ, is at war and enmity with God, with His Church, and chiefly those in the Church who are truely regenerate: he cannot be subject unto the Law of God, Rom. 8. 7. And, as therefore he hateth the Law-giver, and those who yeeld obedience to His Laws; So he is under the Law-givers curse, Gal. 3. 10. for, while the Apostle speaketh of making those Ephesians nigh to God and His Church by Christ, he saith, Christ was their peace: which implyeth that their distance from those consisted in hatred of, and enimity against them; for he is our peace, saith he. 2. This enmity chiefly, which is between God and fallen man, was irreconciliable, and impossible to be removed, except Jesus Christ that great high Priest and Prince of Peace had shed His bloud and suffered death, by the merit whereof, as He hath given satisfaction to a provoked God, Eph. 5. 2. So by the efficacy and vertue thereof He subdueth that rebellious disposition against God, which naturally is in us, Rom. 6. 6. and maketh us accept the offer of friendship and reconciliation with God, and yeeld our selves servants to righteousnesse unto holinesse, Acts 5. 31. and so upon both hands He maketh peace: for, saith he, He is our peace, to wit, by His bloud, spoken of in the preceeding verse. 3. The uniting of both Jew and Gentile in one Church, is a branch of that peace which Christ hath purchased with His bloud: And that not only, because their actuall union was, according as God in His wise counsel had decreed, to follow upon Christs death, and not to go before it (See upon Gal. 3. vers. 14. Doct. 4.) but also in order to this union, the Law of ceremonies behoved to be abolished, See Doct. 5. and this called for Christs death; See vers. 15. Doct. 4. for, the Apostle having asserted that Christ was their peace by His bloud, he giveth this as an instance, or effect of His so being, Who hath made both one. 4. From the Apostles designing the ceremoniall Law by a metaphor taken from houses divided by a mid-wall, or from an orchard, garden or inclosure, separated from the out-field, by a dyke or wall of rough stones, We learn, several things relating to the nature, use and duration of the ceremoniall Law, which are the grounds of the similitude. And, first, as a wall is builded by the owner of the inclosure, So the ceremonial Law was of Gods own appointment, who only had power to choose what part of the world He thought fit, to be an inclosure for Himself, Deut. 32. 8. and to appoint these means and ordinances, whereby He would have them inclosed and separated from others, Exod. 25. 40. Secondly, as a rough wall is made up of so many hard unpolished stones, not covered over with lime or plaister; So the ceremoniall Law consisted of many Ordinances, Heb. 9. 10. and those very difficult to be obeyed, and an untolerable yoke, Act. 15. 10. Thirdly, as a wall or hedge incloseth a peece of ground for the owners special use, (which therefore is more painfully manured) and separateth that inclosure from the out-field which lyeth about it; So the ceremoniall Law did serve to inclose the people of Israel, as the Lords own garden and vineyard, for bringing forth fruit unto Himself, Isa. 5. 7. and to separate them from all the world besides, Deut. 4. 7, 8. as being a worship wholly different from, and contrary unto the superstitious rites and worship used among the Gentiles, Deut. 12. 2. and containing strict injunctions unto the Jews to avoid all conformity with the Gentiles in their garments, Num. 15. 38. cutting of their hair, Lev. 19 27. and such like. Fourthly, as a rough wall is but weak and ruinous, as not being built with cement or morter, to make it strong, and therefore but to endure for a season, untill the owner think fit to enlarge his inclosure, and take-in more of the open field; So the ceremoniall Law was not to last for ever, but only for a time, untill Christ should come in the flesh, and take in the Gentiles within the inclosure of His Church, who were before an open field, not possessed, nor manured by Him, after which there was no further use of the mid-wall; And hath broken down the mid-wall of partition between us, saith he, meaning the ceremoniall Law. Doct. 5. So long as the ceremoniall Law did stand in force and vigour, the Jews and Gentiles could not be united into one Church: for, seing by that Law the chief parts of Gods worship were astricted to the Temple at Jerusalem, therefore, though scattered proselytes of the neighbouring Nations did joyn themselves to the Church of the Jews, and in some measure observed the way of Worship then enjoyned, Act. 8. 27. yet there was a physicall impossibility for the generality of many Nations far remote from Jerusalem, to have served God according to the prescript of Worship, which then was: besides, there was such an habituate, and, as it were, an naturall antipathy transmitted from one generation unto another among the Gentiles against the ceremoniall worship; that there was little lesse than a morall impossibility of bringing up the body of the Gentiles unto a cordiall joyning with the Jews in it: for, the Apostle sheweth the ceremoniall Law behoved to be abrogated, in order to an union betwixt these two, while he saith, Who hath made both one, and broken down the middle-wall of partition between us. 6. Whoever would make peace betwixt God and himself, or betwixt himself and others, he ought seriously to think upon those things which stand in the way of peace, and set about the removall of them, if it be in his power, and chiefly those evils in himself, of pride, vain-glory, self-seeking, and a contentious disposition, which are great obstructions in the way of peace, Phil. 2. 3, 4. else, what ever be his pretences for peace, he is no real follower of it: for, Christ, intending to make peace betwixt Jew and Gentile, did take away whatever might have impeded it; He even broke down the middle wall of partition between them.
From ver. 15- Learn, 1. As Gods people in covenant with Him, ought to be highly incensed against, and averse from any voluntary intire fellowship with those who neglect and contemn the Ordinances of Worship prescribed by God in His Word; So those who are without the Church, yea and all unregenerate men do look upon the ordinances of Gods Worship, as base, ridiculous and contemptible, and carry a kind of hatred and disdain to all such as make conscience of them: for, so the ancient Worship, prescribed in the ceremoniall Law, was the occasion of hatred and enmity betwixt the Gentile, who contemned it, and the Jew, who made conscience of it. And therefore is here called the enmity; having abolished the enmity. 2. As the morall Law contained in the Ten Commandments, was no part of that mid-wall of partition between Jew and Gentile; seing some of the draughts and lineaments of that Law are upon the hearts of all by nature, Rom. 2. 15. So there was no necessity to abrogate this Law at Christs death in order to the uniting of Jew and Gentile; neither was it at all abolished: for, the Law abolished, was the Law, not simply, but the Law of Commandments, and these not all, but such Commandments as were contained in Ordinances, to wit, the ceremoniall Law, as we shew in the Exposition; Even the Law of Commandments contained in Ordinances, saith he. 3. As God only hath power and liberty to prescribe what manner of Worship He will be served by; So He did once give a most observable evidence of this His power and liberty, by changing that externall way of worship, which was prescribed by Himself under the Old Testament, unto another under the New, although the internals of His Worship, to wit, the graces of faith, love, hope, joy in God, do remain the same in both; Matth. 22. 37, 39. for, He did abolish the Law of Commandments contained in Ordinances, even all the ancient Worship consisting in rites and ceremonies, sensible and fleshly observations, which God did then prescribe, not as simply delighted in them, but as accomodating Himself to the childish condition of the Church in those times, and hath now appointed a more spirituall way of Worship, as more suitable to the grown age of the Church, Joh. 4. 21. 23. See further the reasons why the ceremoniall-Law was abolished, and concerning that state of indifferency, wherein the practice of it was left for a time, upon Gal. 2. ver. 3. Doct. 2. and ver. 4. Doct. 1. 4. It was Christs sufferings and death, which put an end to the Law of ceremonies, and made the binding power thereof to cease: for, seing His sufferings were the body and substance of all those shadows, they neither did nor could evanish untill Christ had suffered, but then they did; it being impossible that a shadow, and the body, whereof it is a shadow, can consist in one and the same place; Having abolished in His flesh the Law of Commandments contained in Ordinances.