Exposition of the Two Epistles of Peter, Epistle and exposition 1 · Chapter 2 · Verse and commentary 6
Verſ. 6. Wherefore it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner-ſtone, elect, precious; and be that believeth on Him ſhall not he confounded.
The Apoſtle doth confirm his former Doctrine, concerning the uſefulneſs and excellency of Jeſus Chriſt for the Church and Believers in Him, by a teſtimony of Scripture, which (though no particular place be here cited) is to be found, Iſa. 28.16. And withall, he adds two further arguments to move them to that hearty receiving of the Goſpel, and uſe-making of Chriſt offered in it, which he hath preſt in the former words: The one is, That we have Jeſus Chriſt, who is the Father's choice, and highly eſteemed by Him, with the Father's great good will, laid in the Church as the foundation, and chief corner-ſtone thereof, for every ſoul to flee to, and reſt upon. The other is, That whoſoever betake themſelves to Him by Faith, ſhall never need to be aſhamed of their ſo doing. Hence Learn, 1. The Miniſters of Chriſt ought to have the written Word ſo richly dwelling in them, that they may be able to confirm every Truth they deliver from that Word; and the Lord's People ought to be ſo well acquainted with the ſame, that though Miniſters do not ſpend time to cite particularly every Chapter and Verſe, where every paſſage they bring forth is to be found, they may notwithſtanding, upon the hearing of it, faithfully and for the ſubſtance repeated to them, acknowledge and receive the ſame for the Lord's mind: for, even the Apoſtle here, as frequently elſwhere, doth confirm his Doctrine by Scripture; and yet, ſupponing thoſe to whom he writes well acquainted, at leaſt with the letter thereof, he doth not condeſcend upon the particular place, judging it ſufficient to ſay, Wherefore it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay, &c. 2. True Faith can have ſolid footing no where but upon the written Word of God, nor ſhould any of the Lord's People be ſatiſfied with the moſt pleaſant notions about Chriſt Jeſus, till they ſee them grounded upon, and drawn from, that Word: therfore the Apoſtle, having in the former words commended Chriſt, as the object of ſaving Faith, doth here repeat again the ſame commendation of Him from the Old Teſtament, that ſo Faith might reſt ſafely upon Him as ſuch a one; Wherefore it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner-ſtone. &c. 3. Jeſus Chriſt, and He alone, is that to the Church, and to every ſoul that flees to Him, which the chief corner ſtone, whether the loweſt or the higheſt, is to the building: He is the ſtone firſt laid, in regard He was and behoved to be actually exerciſing His Mediatory Office, before any ſinner could attain to union or communion with God, Col. 1.18. He is the ſtone, laid lower than any of the reſt in His humiliation, Pſal. 22.6. He bears the weight of the whole Church, and of every believing ſoul, Heb. 1.3. He is more curiouſly wrought than any of the reſt of the ſtones of the building (as the chief corner-ſtone uſeth to be) and engraven by the art of His Father, adorning Him with all perfections ſuitable for the neceſſities of poor ſinners, Zech. 3.9. He is the bond, whereby moſt differing Nations, ſuch as Jews and Gentiles, are united in one building, Eph. 2.16. as the foundation corner-ſtone knits the two ſide-walls of the building together; He is the perfection of the whole, in whom the building, and every lively ſtone thereof is compleat, Col. 2.10. as the higheſt corner-ſtone, and as that alſo, He is the glory and ornament of all the building, Iſa. 22.24. In all which He is reſembled by that, whereby the Spirit of the Lord here ſets Him forth to our capacity, The chief corner-ſtone. 4. We have this great bleſſing, Chriſt for the chief corner-ſtone of this ſpiritual building, with the Father's great good will, who hath laid Him, firſt, In His eternal Counſel or Decree, as the word uſed by Iſaiah, chap. 28.16. and here tranſlated to lay, doth ſignifie, Pſal. 2.2. Secondly, In His actual exhibition of Him to the Church as Mediatour: firſt, in the promiſe of Him, Gen. 3.5. and next, viſibly in our fleſh; for, ſo this word is alſo uſed, to ſignifie the publiſhing or execution of things formerly decreed, 2 Chron. 9.23. Prov. 3.19. And thirdly, in His exalting of Him, when He had perfected the work of Redemption, ſo much of it as concerned Him to do in the ſtate of his humiliation: for, ſo this ſame word, (uſed Pſal. 8.2.) is tranſlated, Mat. 21.16. to perfect a work. In all which reſpects, the Father layes Chriſt the foundation or chief corner-ſtone, in the Church; and calls all to behold what pleaſure He hath in ſo doing: Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner-ſtone. 5. The Father's condeſcendency to give His own bleſſed Son, for the abovementioned uſes to His Church, and Believers in Him, which this ſimilitude, here made uſe of, holds forth, is worthy of our moſt ſerious conſideration; and Chriſt, this chief corner-ſtone, is much to be admired, as differing from all other corner-ſtones, He being one ſtone, who is both the loweſt and higheſt of the building, Philip. 2.6, 7. who hath immediate connexion with the leaſt ſtone, or meaneſt Believer, as well as with the greateſt or moſt eminent, whether Prophets, Apoſtles, or even the virgin Mary, Joh. 17.20, 21. who communicates an influence of life and growth, to every ſtone laid upon Him, Eph. 2.21. and who never ſuffers any that are built upon Him to fall totally and finally off Him, Joh. 10.28. In all which reſpects we are here called to admire Jeſus Chriſt, and to give our moſt ſerious attention and conſideration to the Father in giving Him, by this word, which ſerves both to draw attention and admiration; Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner-ſtone, &c. 6. Though Chriſt be God's gift to the whole Church, made up of Jews and Gentiles, Eph. 2.14. which often hath the name of Sion in Scripture, Obad. 17. Yet with a ſpecial reference to the Church of the Jews, who firſt had that name, He is ſaid to be laid in Sion, being firſt preached publickly, and held forth in Promiſes, Sacrifices, and Types to them, Pſal. 147.19, 20. being come of them according to the fleſh, Rom. 9.5. and firſt offered to them after His incarnation, Matth. 10.5, 6. from whom the news of Him is come to the reſt of the world, Mica. 4.2. and by whom Chriſt ſhall yet have a great part of His publick glory in the world, Hoſ. 3.5. Rom. 11.12, 15. All which ſhould make us pity their preſent caſe, and pray for their converſion: for, with a ſpecial eye to them is this ſpoken, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner-ſtone &c. 7. Chriſt's fitneſs for this great work of our Redemption, evidenced by the Father's chooſing of Him for it, from among all others, as the word elect ſignifies, and by His high eſteem of Him as our Mediator, ſhould ſtrongly draw the hearts of ſinners in to Him, and move them to dwell much upon the thoughts of His worth, and of the Father's eſteem of Him, as He is the receiver of all that come to God through Him: for, the Apoſtle, having commended Chriſt before, from theſe two Epithits, that He is choſen of God, and precious, as motives to draw ſinners in to Him, repeateth them here again, as delighting to write and think of ſo ſweet a ſubject as Chriſt; Elect, precious. 8. That which builds ſinners upon Chriſt, this chief corner-ſtone, is that grace of believing, which, according to the ſignification of the word in the Hebrew, whence the Apoſtle tranſlateth this Text, is, the fixedneſs, or ſtayedneſs (as this ſame word is tranſlated, Exod. 17.12.) of the ſoul in the expectation of ſalvation through Chriſt, offered in the Goſpel; and whereby the ſoul is fed and nouriſhed upon Him, as its neceſſary food, which is alſo in the ſignification of the word in that Language: for, the Apoſtle, inſtead of inſiſting further upon the metaphor of a building, which would have required him to ſay, he that is built upon Him, ſhall not be aſhamed, ſpeaketh properly, expounding what it is to be built upon Him, to wit, to cloſe with Him by Faith; He that believeth on Him ſhall not be aſhamed. 9. Patient waiting on God, in the uſe of His means, for the performance of His promiſes, without ſuch haſting to a delivery as makes us faint or fret under the delay thereof, or uſe unlawful means for attaining to it, is the kindly effect of ſaving Faith, and that which keepeth off ſhame and confuſion, which ſuch haſtineſs occaſioneth to the Lord's People: for, the Apoſtle, tranſlating theſe words of Iſaiah, He that believeth maketh not haſt, expreſſeth the effect of not haſting in the aforeſaid ſenſe to be this, He that believeth on Him ſhall not be confounded.