Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 2 · Chapter 4 · Verse and explication 19 – Verse and explication 21
Vers. 19. Who being past feeling, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
HE doth here set forth some other, and those higher branches and degrees of their impiety, profanity and godlesse conversation, which did follow upon, and flow from the former. As, 1. They had lost all remorse of conscience, fear of Gods judgement, and so did sin without inward check or challenge. And, secondly, which followed upon the former, they gave themselves with the full consent of their will and benfall of their affections to think upon, and delight in the fulfilling of their lascivious, perulant and filthy lusts. And, thirdly, which was the result of all the rest, they acted all sort of uncleannesse with a sort of greedinesse, and, as it were, striving who should do most mischief for a prize and reward. Doct. 1. Though originall sin hath seazed upon the whole soul, understanding, will and affections; yet the Lord hath keeped so much of the knowledge of Himself, and of right and wrong in the understanding of naturall men, as they may know in many things, when they sin and do evil; and so much of conscience, as to accuse or excuse according to the nature of the fact, Rom. 2. 15. whereupon followeth either grief, or joy in their affections, for, while he saith, they were past all feeling, and lost all remorse, he implieth they once had it, before they came to that height. 2. Wicked men may arrive to such an height of sin, as to have no sense of sin, no greif, nor check, nor challenge from conscience for it: for, this is to passe feeling, which Paul affirmeth of those Gentiles; who having past feeling. 3. As one degree of sin maketh way for another; so in particular, hardnesse of heart, and obstinacie in sin, do eat out the edge of conscience, making it wholly senslesse and stupid, so that it giveth neither check nor challenge for sin: for, upon their hardnesse of heart did follow that which is here affirmed; Who being past feeling. 4. A watching conscience, doing its duty, is the strongest restraint from sin: and where that is not, all other restraints will serve for little purpose: for, upon their having past feeling, he saith, they gave themselves over to lasciviousnesse. 5. When men do give themselves without check and restraint to think upon their sin with delight, they cannot choose but fall out in the outward act of that sin, though it were never so grosse: for, upon their giving themselves over to lasciviousnesse, they gave themselves also to work all uncleannesse. 6. For a man to be given over to lasciviousnesse, and to fulfill his beastly lusts without all check or challenge, it argueth a great height of impiety, and such as speaketh a man ignorant of God, judicially hardned in heart, and altogether past feeling: for, he maketh this the result of all the fore-mentioned branches of their wickednesse, even that they gave themselves over unto lasciviousnesse, to work all wickednesse. 7. As upon senslesse stupidity of conscience, through frequent resisting of light, there followeth an unsatiablenesse in sinning, especially in the sin of uncleannesse, that the more a man doth sin, he is the more eager upon sin, and can never have enough of it; So, when a man cometh to this, he is then arrived at the greatest height of sin, unto which ever the Heathens, destitute of the knowledge of God, did attain: for, this is the highest step of all, that through hardnesse of heart, being past feeling, they did not only simply act uncleannesse, but gave themselves to work all uncleannesse with greedinesse.
Vers. 20. But ye have not so learned Christ:
HE presseth the former exhortation, set down, ver. 17. from this, That the saving knowledge of Christ, wherein they were instructed, was inconsistent with such a licentious life as those other Gentiles lived in. Doct. 1. The anatomizing of that vile monster, sin, and setting it forth in its blackest colours, is not alone sufficient to scare the Lords people from it: but such is the interest which sin hath in the best, and such is their pronenesse to it, that besides, there must be other strong arguments made use of to keep them from falling in it: for, the Apostle, having set forth the vilenesse of sin at length, seeth it necessary here to super add another argument to inforce the former dehortation; But ye have not so learned Christ, saith he. 2. As the giving of loose reigns to sin, is inconsistent with the state of grace and the saving knowledge of Christ; So, there is no argument more prevalent with a gracious heart to keep them up from profanity and loosnesse, than the through inculcating of this truth: for, among many other arguments Paul maketh choice of this, But ye have not so learned Christ. 3. As true Believers must be schollars, daily learning somwhat; So the sum of all they have to learn and know, is Christ, He being the end of the Law, Rom. 10. 4. and the great subject of the Gospel, Col. 1. 27. in whom all the promises are Yea and Amen, 2 Cor. 1. 20. for, saith he, ye have not so learned Christ. 4. There is no remedy or cure of our naturall corruption, and of all those other filthy wounds and sores, that follow upon it, but in Christ Jesus, being truely known, imbraced and made use of, as He is set forth in the Doctrine of the Gospel. No moral precepts, though inforced by most strong and moving considerations, can reach the root of this wofull disease: for, he opposeth their learning Christ, as the alone antidote against that vanity of mind, with all its branches and degrees formerly spoken of; But ye have not so learned Christ. 5. Accordingly as we are instructed and learned by Christ; so we ought to walk, and put that knowledge, which we have of Him and from Him, in practice: for, his scope is to prove they should not walk so, because they had not learned Christ so.
Vers. 21. If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.
HE doth here limit the former reason, by showing the knowledge which they had of Christ, was inconsistent with such a licentious life, only upon this supposall, if so by learning Christ preached, they had been inwardly taught and instructed by Christ Himself in the truth, and as the truth was in him, who did not only know the truth, but also practised what He knew, so that His life was a true copie of that holinesse, which is taught in the Gospel, Matth. 11. 29. Doct. 1. It is not every sort of learning Christ, or of knowledge, that may be had of Christ, which excludeth profanity, and is in consistent with a licentious life. Many do in a sort learn Him and know Him. who abuse that knowledge they have of Him, for making them sin the more securely, Rom. 6. 1. even those, who turn the grace of God to wantonnesse, Jude ver. 4. for, he sheweth what he spake of that inconsistency, which is between learning Christ and the practice of profanity, doth not alwayes hold, while he addeth this limitation, if so be ye have heard him. 2. Whatever grounds a Minister hath for charity to judge of all, or any of the Lords people committed to his charge, as truely gracious; yet he ought to expresse that his judgement of them, with so much warinesse and caution, as ground may be given unto them to enquire in their own condition and search, whether it be so: for, Paul, having (ver. 20.) professed his charitable judgement of them, that they had not so learned Christ, he giveth a limitation here, whereby they might try if it was so; if so be ye have heard him. 3. That learning of Christ, and knowledge of Him, which is the only remedy against the power of inherent corruption, is begotten in us by the ordinary mean of hearing Him preached, and set forth in the publick Ministery of the Gospel, Rom, 10. 14, 15. for, this is one piece of that condition, which is required to the learning of Christ thus, even if so ye have heard him. 4. The hearing of Christ preached by sent Ministers, is not alone sufficient, in order to this effectuall learning of Him, but Christ Himself must teach us inwardly and effectually by His Spirit, else we cannot so learn Him: for, this is another piece, and the main piece of that condition required antecedently to their learning of Christ thus, if so ye have been taught by him. 5. Then do we rightly and savingly learn truth, when the knowledge of truth attained by our learning, is such, as Christs knowledge was, to wit, not theoretick and speculative only, but practicall and operative: for, so was His knowledge of truth, Psal. 40. 8. and they were to be taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus, else they had not so learned Christ.