Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 2 · Chapter 2 · Verse and explication 4
Vers. 4. But God who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, 5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickned us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)
THe Apostle, having already set forth that miserable state, wherein both Jew and Gentile were by nature, and before conversion, he doth in the second place hold forth their delivery from that wofull state, and that in such a lively, ravishing and comprehensive strain of speech, as might not only inform their judgments, but also work upon their affections to imbrace and adhere unto those truths which he here delivereth, according to his intended scope. And, first, (ver. 4.) he declareth God to have been the prime author and efficient cause of their delivery, whom he calleth rich in mercy, to shew that He was acted herein, not from their worth, but His own abundant mercy, which attribute of mercy doth speak His favour and good-will, with relation to His Peoples miserie. And withall, he sheweth that it was only His great and ancient love towards them, which set His mercy on work in order to their delivery.
Next (vers. 5.) having resumed what he spoke of their miserable case, ver. 1. (but so, as he applyeth what was there spoken of the Gentiles only, unto himself and the other Jews, according to what was held forth, ver. 3.) he propoundeth the first branch of their delivery, to wit, God's quickning of them together with Christ, whereby is meaned the Lord's work of regeneration, and bestowing upon them a spiritual life of grace, in opposition to that spiritual death formerly spoken of, together with all those benefits which accompany and flow from regeneration in this life. And they are said to have been quickned with Christ, though not in their own persons, (for they were so quickned a long time after Christ's resurrection, in their effectual calling) but they were then quickned in their head and atturney Jesus Christ, whose quickning after death was a sure pledge that they, every one in his own time, should be quickned also, 1 Cor. 15. 20. and that the vertue purchased by Christs death, Rom. 8. 11. and to be applyed unto them by Him, who is now alive, and liveth for evermore for that end, Heb. 7. 25. And therefore the Apostle expresseth Gods bestowing of this spiritual life upon them, by His quickning them with Christ. And before he mention the other pieces of their delivery, he doth in the close of this vers. ascribe the whole work of their salvation to Gods free grace, which is the same in effect with His mercy and love spoken of, ver. 4. Only it further expresseth the freedom of those, in opposition to any merit or worth in the persons to be saved, which might procure their salvation. Doct. 1. The Ministers of Christ would not only inculcate the doctrine of sin and misery, but, having insisted so much upon this subject as may serve to bring down that high conceit which people naturally have of their own righteousnesse, and to convince them of their need of Jesus Christ a Saviour, Then is it timous for them to open up the riches of Gods free grace and good will, to save the vilest of sinners, and what He hath freely done for bringing about salvation to their hand: for, the Apostle, having set forth unto the life the natural misery of those Ephesians, doth now openup the rich treasures of Gods free grace in Christ; But God who is rich in mercy. 2. The Lords Ministers when they fall upon this subject of Gods delivering lost sinners from their natural state of sin and misery through Christ, they would labour to speak to it so fully, affectionatly, sensibly, and with such life and power, as that they may not only inform the understandings of the Lords People in those truths, but also inflame their affections with love to them, and admiration at the wisdom, mercy, goodnesse and other attributes of God manifested in this work: for, so doth the Apostle speak of this purpose, not simply by saying God hath quickned us, but God who is rich in mercy, according to His great love, and so forward in the two following verses. 3. There is nothing contributeth more to inable a Minister to speak to the commendation of God's free grace in the salvation of sinners with that fulnesse, sense, life and affection, as he ought, than a deep insight in his own misery, and the great need which he himself doth stand in of God's mercy: for, Paul, in the third verse fore-going, doth shew how sensible he was of the depth and breadth of his own misery; hence he doth here speak so fully and movingly to the present purpose; But God who is rich in mercy, &c. 4. The quickning of sinners, and drawing them out of nature unto grace is only God's work, there being no lesse required for bringing this about, than omnipotent creating power; See ver. 10. And there being not only no principle left in man, who is by nature dead in sins and trespasses, whereby he might work or concur with God in working towards his own quickning, Rom. 9. 16. but also much to oppose and resist it, 2 Cor. 10. 5. So that in the first instant of his conversion, and untill a new heart be given him, and the seeds and habits of saving graces infused in him, he is wholly passive, as to any actual influence upon the effect which is wrought, Jer. 31. 33. for, Paul here, condescending upon the cause of their quickning, doth pitch, not upon their own free will in whole, or in part, but upon God only, while he saith, But God who is rich in mercy—hath quickned us. 5. This attribute of mercy in God, whereby without any grief or perturbation of mind, (which accompanieth men in the exercise of mercy) he hath a propension and inclination to do good to the sinfull and miserable, so far as His wisdom seeth convenient, is the only thing in opposition unto all that is in a mans self, which moveth God to quicken and bestow grace upon dead and gracelesse sinners: for, the Apostle, speaking of God's quickning of those Ephesians, describeth Him from His mercy, to shew it was not their worth, but His own mercy, which moved Him to quicken them; But God who is rich in mercy—hath quickned us. 6. As God is rich and overflowing in the exercise of this attribute of mercy, which will appear, if we consider that there is no creature towards which He doth not exercise His mercy, Psal. 104. 24. and that mercy is exercised, not only without, but also often contrary to the deserving of those upon whom it is exercised, Ezek. 36. 21, 22. so there is nothing wherein God doth more manifest the riches and abundance of His mercy, than in the work of quickning dead sinners, and of carrying-on the work of grace in them, untill it be perfected in glory. The misery (Ezek. 16. 3, &c.) and bad deservings of the object, (Jer. 14. 7.) the great good things which are bestowed upon those miserable objects, (Luke 12. 32.) the course taken for satisfying divine justice, that so those good things might be, without wronging of justice, bestowed, (Joh. 3. 16.) and the multitude of sins, which mercy covereth in those objects, not only before their conversion, (Isa. 55. 7.) but also after it, Prov. 24. 16. All these, and many considerations besides these, do manifest God to be rich in mercy in quickning of dead sinners; But God who is rich in mercy—hath quickned us. 7. The highest cause which moveth God to manifest this His rich and special mercy upon any of lost mankind, and from mercy to quicken them, and bestow His saving graces on them, was His love towards them: which is no other than His will and resolution to impart those good things unto them, together with His hearty acquiescence in the thing, as that wherewith He is well pleased. He did it because He would do it, resolved to do it, and had pleasure in the doing of it: for, saith he, God who is rich in mercy, for His great love—hath quickned us. 8. As God's love towards those whom He converteth doth not begin when they are converted, but is of a more ancient, even an eternal rise, chap. 1. 4. So it is not an ordinary, but a great love wherewith He loveth them. The infinit distance betwixt Him and them (Psal. 8. 4.) His loving them when they were yet enemies, (Rom. 5. 8.) the great things bestowed by His love (Rom. 5. 6, 7, 8.) and His unchangeablenesse in His love,, even notwithstanding of great provocations to the contrary, Psal. 89. 33. All these, and many besides these, do abundantly declare, that this love is a great, wonderfull, and matchlesse love: for, saith he, For His great love, wherewith He loved us 9. The Lord hath love to the Elect, even when they are children of wrath, and liable in the course of justice to the stroke of His vindictive anger: for, although God could not, with safety of His own justice, bestow Heaven upon them, when they were actually such; yet nothing hindereth, why He might not love them being such, that is, have a will and fixed resolution, even when they were liable unto wrath, to bestow Heaven upon them, having first from that same love given His own Son to deliver them from that state of wrath; that so what eternal love had resolved to give them, might be actually bestowed upon them, without doing injury to divine justice: for, ver. 3. he sheweth they were children of wrath, and here, that God loved them, and both these before He quickned them; Wherewith He loved us, saith he, even in the by-past time. 10. The doctrine of our natural misery, and spirituall death through sin, is a lesson most necessary to be learned, which we have no great pleasure to learn, and which we are prone to forget, as to a deep and lively impression of it, even when it is learned: for, the Apostle's repeating this doctrine, almost in the same words, by which he had expressed it, ver. 1. doth hint at all these; Even when we were dead in sins, saith he. 11. There is no application of the doctrine of God's mercy in order to our delivery from sin and misery, except the doctrine of sin and misery be first applied and taken with: for, Paul, being to apply God's mercy in quickning sinners, unto himself and his country-men the believing Jews, he doth first apply the doctrine of natural sin and misery unto them, while he doth now speak of himself and the Jews also, whereas (ver. 1.) he spoke of the Gentiles only, as appeareth by the change of the person; Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickned us. 12. Whatever a man be before his conversion, as to the point of civility and right use of his natural parts; yet, he is looked upon by God when He cometh to quicken him, as one dead in sins, who can neither help himself, nor merit help at God's hand: for, therfore doth the Apostle assert that they were dead in sins immediatly before, yea, and in the act of God's quickning of them, while he saith, Even when we were dead in sins, He hath quickned us. 13. The state of grace, which sinners, dead by nature, are brought unto at their conversion, and wherein they continue untill death, is a state of life; the sentence of eternall death which they were liable unto (ver. -3.) being taken off, Rom. 8. 1. there being also new principles and powers infused in them at their effectuall calling, whereby they are enabled to do those actions of a spiritual life, Ezek. 36. 26, 27. which powers are also continually actuated and excited to their work by renewed influence from the Spirit of God, Philip. 2. 13. and accompanied oftimes in their actings with assurance of God's love (Rom. 8. 16.) peace of conscience (Rom. 5. 1, 2.) and joy unspeakable and full of glory, 1 Pet. 1. 8. whereby also they have not only a right unto (Joh. 3. 16.) but also the first fruits and begun possession of eternall life, Joh. 17. 3. for, the Apostle expresseth God's bringing them to, and continuing them in the state of grace by His quickning of them; hath quickned us, saith he. 14. Though love and mercy in God do set Him on work to quicken dead sinners; yet this work cannot be brought about or accomplished without the intervention of Christ's merit and intercession, who behoved to satisfie divine justice, and thereby acquire unto us those things which love and mercy had prepared for us, Isa. 53. 5. seing they were all lost in Adam, Rom. 5. 15, 16. and who, being now exalted, doth also apply them to us, Act. 5. 31. for, notwithstanding of what was said (ver. 4.) of God's mercy and love, as the inward impulsive causes moving God to quicken them; yet the Apostle here sheweth, that their actual quickning had a necessary dependance upon Christ's merit and mediation, while he saith, He hath quickned us together with Christ. 15. That Jesus Christ behoved of necessity to strike-in with His merit and mediation, hereby to acquire and apply saving grace and salvation unto us, doth in nothing hinder, but that notwithstanding our compleat salvation, from the first step unto the last, doth wholly flow from God's free grace; seing it was of grace that the Father did send the Son to die for us, Joh. 3. 16. It was of grace that the Son did undertake, Joh. 15. 12, 13. And it is no lesse grace, that what He did or suffered should be accepted in our name, Rom. 3. 24, 25. So that all is of grace and free good-will, as to us: for, the Apostle, having pointed at the necessity of Christ's mediation, in order to their quickning, doth presently adde, as in a parenthesis, by grace are ye saved. 16. There is an infallible connexion betwixt converting grace and salvation; so that all those, who are now converted and quickned, shall be undoubtedly saved: for, what the Apostle calleth quickned in the former part of the verse, he calleth saved in the close, so that he taketh the one for the other; He hath quickned us—By grace are ye saved.