Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 2 · Chapter 4 · Verse and explication 13
Vers. 13. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ.
IN the next place, he doth severall wayes illustrate and explain what he presently spake of that great end intended to be brought about by the Ministery and ministeriall gifts. And first, he illustrateth it in this verse, from the term of its duration, by shewing how long (not all those forementioned offices, ver. 11. but) that work of the Ministery in edifying the body of Christ, spoken of, ver. 12. shall continue and last; The term whereof, in a word, is the day of Judgement: And it is set forth by three expressions, the latter whereof, is a further explication of the former, and all of them do hold forth that high degree of perfection, which the Church shall not obtain before that day; And first, he sheweth that work is to continue untill all the Elect (some whereof are not yet born, much lesse called, and some of those who are called, do differ in many things among themselves) do come or meet (for so the word may read) in that compleat unity, not only of opinion, but also, and especially of heart and affection, to be manifested in that most perfect and blessed communion and fellowship, which the Saints shall enjoy, both with Christ, and amongst themselves in glory, called the unity of faith, as having its first rise from faith; however faith, as to the distance from Christ implied in it, shall then cease, 1 Cor. 13. 12. which grace of faith he describeth to be the knowledge of the Son of God; or, as the word signifieth, the acknowledgement of Him, which speaketh somewhat more than our simple knowing of Him, even a knowing Him as our own, and with a speciall application to our selves, and so as we give due honour, respect and reverence to Him: See upon chap. 1. ver. 17. doct. 10. Secondly, He sheweth what unity of faith he meaneth, even that which the Church and all her members shall attain to, being come to the state and degree of perfection in the life to come; which state is here called a perfect man, or a man come to full and perfect age; because that state shall be to the Church, and all her lively members, as their ripe and compleat age, in comparison of their infancy, childehood and growing age here in the world. Thirdly, he sheweth when the Church shall come to her ripe and manly age, to wit, when she attaineth that measure of perfection; (called her stature, with allusion to the ripe age of a man, when he is come to his full stature) That measure, I say, of perfection, which Christ shall fill them with in glory, or whereby Christ mysticall shall be fully compleat, there being none of His Members then wanting, and all of them come to their perfect growth, or a measure of perfection answering, though not in equality, yet in likenesse and conformity to that fulnesse of perfection which is in their head Christ, to whom all the members of this mystical body shall be in some measure conform in glory, 1 Cor. 15. 49. This stature of the fulnesse of Christ may be taken any or all of those wayes, for they all agree in one and the same measure of perfection. Doct. 1. The edification of the body of Christ, is a work that shall be continually in motion, and on foot, untill all that are given to Christ of the Father, no not one being wanting even all the Members of this mystical body, be effectually called and united with Christ the head, and among themselves, and every one of them attain to their full and perfect measure of spirituall growth, so, that Christ shall never want a Church of Believers, while the world endureth: for, the tearm, to which that edifying work, mentioned, ver. 12. shall continue, is, untill we all come to the unity of the faith. 2. The Ministery of the Gospel is a standing ordinance untill Christs second coming; neither are there any other Church-offices to be given by Christ to the Church for edifying His body but those which are already given in the grant of the Gospel: and therefore those are to continue either more visibly or hidly in some one place or other, in despight of men and devils unto the end of the world, Matth. 28. 20. for, this work of the Ministery in edifying the body, spoken of, ver. 12. is to continue untill we all come to the unity of the faith. 3. There is none, no, not the most eminent Saints on earth, who are above the ordinance of the Ministrie, so as to stand in no need of it, or to be without reach of being bettered by it: even Ministers themselves must be wrought upon, and edified by this Ordinance, otherwise they do not what they ought in saving both themselves and others, 1 Tim. 4. 16. for, even Paul reckoneth himself among those whom the Ministery was to have its due effects upon, while he saith, not ye all, but we all come to the unity of the faith. 4. As the Elect by nature are far removed from God, from Christ, and one from another; So their great work, when once converted, should be and in a great part will be, to tend and advance by degrees towards a compleat union and communion with God, and with one another in God, as the great scope they aim at, and the point or center, which they propose unto themselves to meet in: for, the former of those is supponed, and the latter expressed while he saith, till we all come, or meet in the unity, &c, 5. This perfect union and communion of all Believers. with God, and with one another in God, is not attained at the first; yea, not in this life, nor before the resurrection: untill then there will be alwayes some alienation and distance, not only from God, 2 Cor. 5. 6. but also among themselves, and that both in their judgements and affections, 1 Cor. 13. 9. for, he saith, till we come in the unity: which implieth, there will be some time before we come at it, even till the Church be a perfect man in glory. 6. Diversity of gifts bestowed upon Ministers, and the exercise of them in the work of the Ministery, is the ordinary mean, appointed of God for working up the body of Christ to this unity; and therefore ought not to be occasion unto the people of strife and emulation, schism or faction, 1 Corinth. 3. 4. much lesse should they be improven by Ministers for begettting, or entertaining divisions or rents, either among themselves, or in the Church of God, Phil. 1. 15, 16. for, he sheweth the work of the Ministery, (ver. 12.) diversity of offices (ver. 11.) and diverse measures of gifts and graces, (ver. 7.) are all given to promot this unity; and therefore ought not to raise division: Till we all meet in the unity. 7. The grace of faith, and the exercise thereof, is the way wherein the Saints do walk towards this blessed and perfect union; in so far, as faith uniteth us to Christ, and through Christ to God and one to another, chap. 2. 15. which union by faith, is a step towards, and endeth in, that perfect union and communion with God and all the Saints by sight, or sense, which shall be in glory, 1 Pet. 1. 9. And therefore the exercise of faith, and closing with Christ, would mainly be pressed by Ministers, and sought after by people, as they would attain to unity, entertain it being begun here, or meet in that perfect unity hereafter: for, therefore is it called the unity of faith, as having its rise from that grace; till we all come in the unity of the faith. 8. As faith in Christ cannot be without the knowledge of Christ, and such a knowledge, as is a reall acknowledging of Him, implying application and high esteem of Him when he is known; So faith cannot find a sure foundation in Christ to rest on, while He be taken up, as God equal with the Father, and consequently endued with sufficient strength and worth for doing all those things, for which the Believer imployeth Him, for he describeth faith to be the knowledge, or, acknowledgement of the Son of God. 9. The Church and body of Christ, in respect of particular Believers, the Members of that body, hath its divine different periods of age, as the infancy of the Church and particular Believers, so called, because of their childish ignorance and infirmities: this age is spoken of, ver. 14. Next their youth and growing age, when they are making progresse in the way of grace towards perfection: this is mentioned, ver. 15. And, lastly, their perfect manly age, when grace is fully perfected in glory, spoken of in this verse. Only they have no declining, fading, or old age, but shall alwayes remain a perfect man unto all eternity, 1 Thess. 4. 17. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, unto a perfect man. See the exposition. 10. As Believers ought to aim at no lower degree of perfection than conformity with Christ, their glorious head; so they shall at last attain unto it: they shall be holy, harmlesse, undefiled, separate from sinners, as He, Heb. 7. 26. above the reach of all tentations, as He, Joh. 14. 30. their vile bodies made conform to His glorious body, Philip. 3. 21. and both soul and body confirmed in that glorious state, unto all eternity, even as He, Rom. 6. 9. that so there may be a due proportion between the head and body of mysticall Christ: and when all Believers are from the fountain of fulnesse in Christ thus filled with a fulnesse of perfection, in some measure answerable unto that which is in Himself, then, and not till then, hath mysticall Christ attained His just stature, proportion and fulnesse: He doth in a manner reckon Himself imperfect, empty and incompleat, so long as one member of His mysticall body is wanting: for, Paul maketh the measure of the Churches perfection, or manly and full stature, to be the fulnesse of Christ, to wit, that perfection, which, flowing from Christs fulnesse, shall compleat Christ mysticall, and be conform to that fulnesse of perfection which is in Christ: Unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ.