Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 2 · Chapter 5 · Verse and explication 32
Vers. 32. This is a great mysterie: but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.
THe Apostle concludeth this purpose concerning the spiritual conjunction of Christ and His Church, here made use of to illustrate that near conjunction betwixt husband and wife, with an observable acclamation, that it is a great mysterie: which word, as it is usually taken in Scripture, doth signifie a thing secret, not obvious to every understanding; and hid, either in it self, or in its cause and reason, whether it be held out in plain terms, or under the vail of some external sign or figure to represent it. See 1 Tim. 3. 16. Eph. 3. 3. 1 Cor. 15. 51. Rom. 11. 25. 2 Thess. 2. 7. And lest, by reason of his speaking all alongs of the bodily marriage betwixt husband and wife, any had so far mistaken him, as to think he called that a mysterie, therefore he explaineth himself, by shewing he was to be understood, not of the bodily marriage, but of the spiritual, or that strict union or conjunction which is betwixt Christ and His Church. Now he calleth this union a great mysterie, because it is a thing hid in it self, before it be revealed, 1 Cor. 2. 7, 8. yea, and after, it remaineth unsearchable by the light of reason, how Christ, now glorified in heaven, can be one with us on earth, and can only be acknowledged by faith, Heb. 11. 1. Beside, the bonds of this blessed union and conjunction, are not naturall or bodily, but spirituall, even the Spirit of Christ, Eph. 2. 18. and the grace of faith, Eph. 3. 17. and therefore, though the conjunction, following upon these bonds, be real, (Joh. 17. 21.) operative, (Joh. 15. 5.) and indissoluble, Joh. 10. 28, 29. yet the way of it, is wholly spirituall and heavenly: and consequently not so much to be searched into by reason, what, or how it is, as to be believed that it is, and improved for attaining and finding in our selves those blessed effects, which do attend it where it is. Doct. 1. That Papists have not ground from this place to make marriage a Sacrament properly so called, is clear from the Apostle's own commentary, whereby he sheweth by the mysterie here spoken of, he doth not understand the bodily marriage, but the spiritual: beside, that the word mysterie, as we shew, in the use of Scripture, doth signifie a sacred secret, not obvious to ordinary capacity, and therefore every mysterie is not a Sacrament, (See 2 Thess. 2. 7. Rom. 11. 25.) This is a great mysterie: but I speak concerning Christ and the Church. 2. The more a man doth attain to know of this mysterie of the mystical union and conjunction which is betwixt Christ and His Church, the more he will be ravished with admiration at the unsearchable deepnesse and profundity of it, so far will he be from thinking himself able sufficiently to comprehend it: for, even Paul, who saw as far in this mysterie as any other, Eph. 3. 4. doth stand, admire and cry, This is a great mysterie. 3. As Ministers are bound to set forth to the Lords People that most near and blessed union betwixt Christ and believing souls, and to presse upon them the study of the knowledge of it; So, both Pastors and People have need of much sobriety of spirit in diving into this subject, not trusting to the quicknesse of their own wit, nor judging of it by natural reason, but resting upon what God hath revealed and made known concerning it, and choosing rather to remain ignorant where he hath not revealed, than curiously to search and pry further than is revealed: for, Paul, while he is instructing them in this subject, seeth it necessary to minde them of the profoundnesse of it; this is a great mysterie. 4. As we are ready through ignorance, or inadvertence, to mistake the right meaning and sense of Scripture; So the Spirit of God, speaking in Scripture, hath carefully guarded against all such mistakes, while he doth clear the right and genuine sense of a doubt some and dark Scripture, by Scripture it self, either in the same place, or another: for, so doth Paul here, while, to obviate a possible mistake, he saith, But I speak concerning Christ and the Church.