CHAPTER IX: That all things do depend upon Christ as one Lord
sufficient groundwork and foundation for any manifestation of himself he should desire to make; so as I need not to go out of him or leave him out in anything I have a mind to do. And all this over and above, or besides, his being my delight in his person unto myself, whom alone and simply I delighted in for himself alone, which there follows, 'I was his delight,' &c. Thus was he appointed Lord of all, as fitted and suited, both to God and his whole creation, and the designs thereof, which to be meant of him as God-man, I have (I hope) elsewhere made evident.
And this is no other than that which I afore observed to be generally the sense of the Jewish Cabalists, who speak on this wise of the Messiah, that he is a treasure in which God or Jehovah hath hid all the riches he means to communicate unto us. And further, to be the great steward and governor under God Jehovah, nourishing, cherishing, and dispensing all. With which this scripture in the Proverbs agreeth.
CHAPTER IX
That all things do depend upon Christ as one Lord, as God-man, as well as upon the Father, as one God.—God's eternal purposes concerning the whole creation were made in Christ, as God-man.—
By him God made the world.—The more peculiar dependence, which the elect have on Christ, God-man, as their head.—They hold of him the tenure of a spiritual being, above what they had by creation, and of all supernatural blessings and benefits.
By whom are all things, and we by him.—1 COR. 8:6.
We have seen what the import of this high title, 'one Lord,' is, and that in this place it denotes an office put upon him as God-man, and the fitness of that person alone for this universal office or dignity.
I am as yet but upon generals, which lead on to many particulars that are to follow, and at large to be discoursed and beaten out; I intending, God assisting, to dilate upon all, or the most particulars, wherein Christ, considered as God-man, is found subservient unto
God his Father, in and for the giving being to, and effecting of, all his works ad extra, or which are out of himself. But the present purpose on this text is to touch rather upon two generals, according as Christ's Lordship is divided.
First, His relation unto all things, whatever they be, that are distinct from the we. All things in nature or providential.
The second is, What concerns the elect, either in their supernatural being and new constitution of them; in a word, What they are, they are by him, the whole of them, and what belongs to them supernaturally.
I come to the first. For we must remember that this mediation-work between God and man is but one part of his Lordship, although the greatest for moment and glory; but it further contains a commission from God, to be a Lord over all things; as Peter speaks, Acts 10:36, as that which is another part of it. And again, a Lord not only over all things to rule, and govern, and order them for God, and under God, when they shall be once made, but with a commission from God, for the making of them, by virtue of that his office which was given him long afore the creation itself; that although the second person did only personally then subsist, yet he bore or sustained the personage of God-man in the very creation itself. All these you have full in the text, in that title 'one Lord.' And then his Lordship is parted into two administrations and commissions, one towards 'all things,' the other towards 'us.' And that towards all things, extending to their very beings, 'by whom are all things;' even by whom all things are what they are, or any way shall ever be, from the first foundation-stone of being, unto the full perfection of them.
And these being wrapt up here but in generals, I shall therefore do no more, but for the confirmation of this first head, give one general proof comprehensive of all things, and which ascends far higher than to prove Christ's being only instrumental to the execution of all; but further, that God's eternal purposes concerning all things were made in Christ as the forge, or machine, in which they were all formed.
And this, if proved, we must needs acknowledge the dependence of all things upon this one Lord, to be great indeed, when God's very purposes of them shall be found to be in him. And therefore still, that himself was purposed first; and this dependence is superior, and metaphysical (as I may so speak), unto his being the executor or administrator of them all. For his purposes are the supreme cause and original of all things. And therefore in that sole instance, I shall over and above make good, that all things are 'through him' indeed.
I shall now, in this general part of my discourse, allege but one scripture for this head; and add, for the proof of the creation of all things to have been through him, a neighbouring text thereunto, bordering upon it, which will be sufficient in this metaphysical part to have performed, as touching this head.
I. God's eternal purposes concerning all things were made in Christ, as God-man.
God's eternal purposes concerning the creatures, or his works that are out of or without himself, are immanent acts of God's, remaining in himself. And yet God so honoured this our one Lord, as not to purpose any thing which was to be out of himself, ad extra, without the contemplation of his being God-man, on whom (as such) all things should depend. In Eph. 1:9, it is expressly said, 'Which he purposed in himself;' involving therein his very purposes of working all things whatsoever, as well as his purposes of grace to his elect; as appeareth by comparing ver. 11, 'In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.' And in like manner, chap. 3:11 of the same epistle, it is said, 'According to the
eternal purpose which he had made' (so in the original) 'in Jesus Christ our Lord.' Which purposes there, as to the object matter of them, do in like manner involve, and take in all the various goings forth of God, of what kind soever, even the whole system of God's works, wherein and whereby 'the manifold wisdom of God' had, beforehand, contrived to manifest God by; for that is the matter immediately afore treated of in the verse foregoing, ver. 10, 'To the intent that now, unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.'
And unto this it is that those words cited out of ver. 11 do relate: that is, the whole economy and dispensation of God in the works of creation, providence, government of this world, and of his church hitherto under the Old Testament, being now set together, with the work of redemption performed by Jesus Christ, and under the times of the gospel begun to be discovered, and thereby being all viewed in one prospect by the angels, who before had but by piecemeal been the curious observers of all, and each all along observing, and laying still each in their hearts, as they had passed and been acted; but then it came to pass, by the discovery of the gospel, that the infinite, various, or manifold wisdom of God in the whole, broke forth in the person of Christ, to their admiration and astonishment; that all had been purposed in him, even all these purposes whatever, of one as well as of the other. It is there said, that they were made in Jesus
Christ, as he is our Lord, verses 10, 11, 'To the intent that now, unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.' So as this was it which became the matter of the wonderment to them, to see and behold how both their and our Lord Christ was made the centre of them all; and that the works, yea, the purposes of them in God's heart, about creation, providence, and all sorts of works, wherein the manifold wisdom of God had so appeared, all dispensations to the Jews (the church of old), and now the calling of the new church, the Gentiles, were founded all in this one God-man Jesus Christ.
For the concluding of this there are three things particularly and eminently observable to my purpose out of those words, and their coherence.
The first; That all those several sorts of purposes are termed but one single purpose; for so in the original it is in the singular number, all being but one act in God, and all made in one and the same Jesus
Christ, and as one single purpose, though comprehending a whole system and lump of purposes.
The second; The phrase made is used concerning this one big purpose, made (which is the phrase) 'in Jesus Christ.'
Observe, I say, concerning it, that whereas in the former chapter, ver.
9, you read, that 'God purposed all in himself;' yet here, that he made the same purpose in Christ, even as when it should and did come to the execution, it is said, that 'all things are through and by this one
Lord, as well as of one God. As they are coupled jointly in execution, so in purposes. Only as the apostle, in another case, says of him, the purpose of making and ordaining Christ himself, in whom all else are, must necessarily be excepted. And this notes out that they were made in him, as he was made Lord and Christ; as Peter, Acts 2:36,
'Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.' They were verified all in Christ, as the French phrase is, of the sanction to their laws. So all God's purposes, taken up in God's own heart and bosom, are said to be made in Christ; they had their ratification in Christ, God brought them to a firm subsistence and ultimate resolvedness in and through his Christ as a Lord. For, seeing all things purposed were to be brought into existence by him, therefore the honour God gave him in his very decrees was, that the very purposes of them are said to be made in him, without whom they would, as to the effect and issue of them, have been made in vain, he being present and by, and undertaking to effect them all; therefore they are from the very first purposed in him. So as all God's eternal purposes depended on this Lord,
The third thing I observe is, that to shew this universal dependence of all God's purposes on his one Christ, he answerably mentions all his titles.
1. Of Saviour, in that his name of Jesus. 2. Of Christ. 3. Of Lord.
Which three do comprehend a respect and foundation unto all his purposes of what sort soever. The words afore mention all three, 'In Jesus Christ our Lord,' which issues fully to the point in hand, and falls in with the words here to the Corinthians, my text.
Thus of God's purposes, which were the matrix, the womb of all things.
II. Christ is the medium of God's creation, &c.
But more particularly, let me here add one instance, which may yet serve for all other, and I add it here, because it neighboureth so near this form, as I could not well leave it out here. And it concerns the execution of all things begun by the same Christ, as the former did the purposes of all things in Jesus Christ. And so we have proof and instance in both kinds, both in God's purposes and in the execution of them, out of the same chapter.
When God should after, as he did, come to effect or put in execution all or any of these the purposes of his heart, still this Lord presents himself as fit and able to subserve him in the execution thereof, as an universal agent or instrument, in the virtue of whom he effected them all, and brought them forth to act.
For instance:
The first purpose of God that was put into execution, and which was indeed the groundwork, the materia substrata, or subject matter of all other works that were to follow in execution, was that of creation; the putting of all things into being (as the ultimate or bottomsubject, the matter which his decrees were to have to work upon); of
this it is expressly said, in Eph. 3:9, and indeed is added by the apostle as the eminent instance of all the rest, 'Who created all things by Jesus Christ,' not one thing excepted, but was created by him.
And again; If when God, setting his hand to create, would make more worlds than one (as he hath made two, viz., heaven and earth), in the virtual influence of this Lord, God-man, it was, that these worlds were made, Heb. 1:2, 'Whom he hath appointed heir of all things; by whom also he made the worlds.' And herein, likewise again, this Lord is the maker of all and every thing in each and both these worlds; so Col. 1:16, 'visible or invisible, whether things in earth or in heaven.'
All which is to be understood of him as God-man. But of these things afterwards, upon that Col. 1:16, &c., more particularly.
III. The church of the elect have a more special dependence upon the one Lord Christ, as God-man, 1 Cor. 8:6, 'And we by him.'
I shall lay down only some generals, that shew the tenure that the church of the elect hold on the one Lord Christ, as God-man.
Two things are imported in these words, 'And we by him.'
1. A super-creation being and existence given us in him.
2. Super-creation blessings, and benefits by him, which appertain to that being in him. Which blessings are of two sorts.
(1.) Of redemption, as sinners, through this one Lord; as he is Jesus, that we hold of his merits.
(2.) Of blessings abstractly considered from those of redemption; that we hold of him as he is Christ the Lord, through our relation to, and union with his person.
We have had a general view presented to us, how all things, that is, the whole creation, do and did depend upon our Lord Christ, even in God's very purposing of them.
It is therefore meet I should next speak the like generally to this other part, the tenure that the saints, the elect of God, have, and do hold of Christ: to the end, that this part of the structure may correspond with that which is foregone, which had but in general treated the dependence that all things have upon him.
And it is this latter is infinitely the more eminent of the two, and yet both necessary to shew the completeness of Christ, as God-man; as in his person, so in his subserviency to God, in all his works whatsoever.
And we by him. 1. The we here are God's church of mankind, selected out of all things which he created, and here separated from them, as a company standing out apart by themselves, and who were separated and appointed by his Father to be a body unto him as a head. Now, if we consider them in their first creation state, so they are to be counted among the all things, and as such efficiently depending on him as one Lord, the creator, &c., of them. But when here he adds, and 'we by him,' this imports their being a chosen generation, a peculiar people to God, the chosen of God out of all things else; and his being a peculiar, special founder unto them of a super-creation state, and a dependency upon him for the whole of it, as he is Jesus Christ the Lord, which they have from him de novo, and by a newer kind of title than that of creation—a state, and all things belonging to it, wholly supernatural unto that which was by creation.
And here again, like as was said in way of premise to that former first head, of the dependency of all things upon Christ, our thoughts and contemplations must mount up again to that supreme age, or highest point of eternity, the top of that vast sphere and circle that comprehended us and all things, considered as yet decreeable by God, and but in decreeing; and considered,* that there lay afore our great God, in his divine understanding, a platform of far higher and momentous designs than those, and beyond those of the first creation and providence towards all things, together with man, after
his kind, in common with them, namely, of calling in, and bringing a certain first-fruits (as the apostle James's word is, James 1:18, 'Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures') of that his intended first creation, to consecrate them to himself, through a super-creation union and communion with himself—a state which was to be utterly superlative in all the things belonging to it, comparatively unto that state of and by their first creation, and all and everything whatsoever that appertains thereto—a state, in the ultimate end and perfection of it, such as in heaven, after the work of redemption is finished, the saints and angels shall enjoy to all eternity; and in bringing us to which he carries us through variety of means preparatory, or conducing thereunto, and all and each of them supernatural also. He, in his infinite grace and wisdom, found his only begotten Son, Christ, Godman, to be the person. Yea, and in his person as such, every way accomplished, adapted, and furnished to accomplish this design so fully and completely, as that whatever be designed by such a gracious decree, proceeding out of sovereignty, and such a love that should so far transcend that love which by creation he bore to us (a pure supercreation grace, I style it), whatever (I say) should enter into the thoughts of such an exceeding 'riches of grace,' to bestow on them he would so love, this great Lord, his Christ, was adequately fitted and enabled to be the founder of. This God-man was a person after God's own heart, to the very utmost extent of his gracious purposes and counsels; and in his person empowered to accomplish, at the first instant of his undertaking it, whatever God could think of for them, or had a mind to give them.
Now all and the whole of this super-creation state we have by him, are reducible unto two principal heads.
First, What we are, or rather that we are, or are endowed with a new super-creation being.
Secondly, The endowments which that being is invested withal, or the super-creation benefits that appertain and belong to it.
And both these, and all of these, we are by him; he is the foundation of all we are or have.
1. He is the founder of a new super-creation being, which is the subject of all benefits bestowed; as God's giving Adam a natural being after his image, that was the subject and recipient of all the blessings he enjoyed, and a thing distinctly to be considered of.
We commonly say, when a subject hath been raised up unto a great estate, honours, offices, whereunto he hath a legal right given him by his prince, in whose power it alone was to invest him therewith, we use in like manner of speech unto this here to express it, that what he is he is by him, and therefore call him his creature; which is but translatitious, when yet he had not his existence, which is the subject, or the person, unto whom all these privileges do belong. But this our Christ is not only the founder of our right to all those supernatural, super-creation benefits, but God hath also founded for us in him a super-creation being and existence (and not only that actual existence we have from him), when we are made new creatures: a workmanship created in Christ Jesus more truly than the child may be said to be formed and fashioned in the mother, and the foundation of his being lay in her womb. And it is this new creature, superinduced over the natural person, which is the subjectum of the first creation, which in Scripture is termed 'the man;' Col. 3:10, 'Put on the new man, after the image of him that created him,' namely, Christ, the creator of it. That is the man and the him in the apostle's account. And observe the language the apostle useth, when he speaks of himself, 2 Cor. 12, 'I knew a man in Christ,' &c., ver. 2; 'Of such a man I will glory, but of myself I will not glory,' ver. 5. And yet it was himself he spake of. But he reckoned not himself by the creation-roll, but what he was in the King's book; no, nor of the new creature neither would he glory, but as it was in Christ, and so it had a being. But further, we had a super-creation existence given us in Christ afore the world was, which was the foundation of the new creature, and which makes us thus capable of all those benefits which were then also and therewith given. And
super-creation benefits must have a super-creation being, or state of being, given them, superior to our first creation being, and the benefits thereof, which in God's decrees we were appointed unto, as well as naturally to exist, by virtue of which we come to have a title unto those blessings.
For if our first creation members were all written in God's book of his purposes, so all the members, which are the various graces, the new man or creature consists of, they were all written in God's everlasting purposes. Yea, and all the blessings that belong to this new creature, are altogether therewith given us in Christ, as is express in 2 Tim.
1:9, 'Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.' The work in God's calling us, is the forming the new creature in our hearts; styled therefore there 'an holy calling,' as working holiness. And this foundation-blessing is said to have been given us in Christ, according to his purpose of grace in Christ, that was afore the world began; and they could not be said to have been given us in Christ, unless we were considered some way or other in Christ then. God did not take up naked purposes of grace and good-will to us, with a firm intent and resolution to bestow those blessings on us, though his purposes are as mountains of brass, as the prophet speaks, Zech. 6:1. But he was pleased to fix and ratify them in his Christ; and in like manner us and our persons he founded then in Christ, and considered in Christ.
God had as then his Christ present with him, and by him; and reckoned of us as members of him, and elected us as such. And God thought not his bare purpose of election of our persons enough to satisfy Christ, who at that present undertook for us; nor to comfort us when we should come actually to exist in this world, and to lay hold of his grace; nor was he contented, if I may so speak, with Christ's bare concurrence, as second person, in choosing us, as well as the Father himself did, but further to strengthen his own heart in those his purposes towards us; as in the 8th of Proverbs it is said, our
Christ was with him, strengthening and supporting his intended creation to him. He thereby engaged himself unto Christ then
present for us, yea, and constituted and set up Christ as a representative of us, and common person for us. And Christ accepted us, took us into himself, and owned us as his, and pieces of himself.
And in these respects the elect had a being afore God; such as was far more than what was simply given them in God's decrees, or purposes of grace, or good-will, or bare choice on God's part. But his choice did find a foundation of their existing. For this his Christ was there present with him, actually existent, and at his request to bear the person of God-man; and therein to estate us all, at the instant of his choice, as far as he should name them to him, to be his body, spouse, members; and he from that instant also to bear and represent their persons afore his Father, and so to give them a representative being in himself, which other creatures then had not, but were left singly to their own fortunes, stations. And in these respects it is that Christ, as God-man, is styled the everlasting Father, Isa. 9:6. Father of us, namely, from everlasting; bearing us then in his heart, as a mother doth her children in her womb. So as by means hereof it came to pass, that the elect were not as branches hanging in the sunbeams of God's single purpose of grace only, to produce and bring them forth into actual existence by its single influence, but such as have withal a soil, a root they were planted in, the person of Christ; he and we being σύμφυτοι, as twin-plants, planted together in God's heart from the first. Hence that high foundation of election, which is called 'the election of grace,' is said to be in Christ. He hath chosen us in Christ afore the world began. And though God chose the persons, yet completed he his choice of them in Christ, and gave us a being in him, as in a head, and then gave them this being in Christ; but chose them in Christ, from the first cast of his thoughts to choose them.
God never considered us as single persons out of Christ (though in this respect that he determinately and distinctly foreknew, and pitched upon each of our persons), but chose us one in and with his
Son, as a head, or common person, taking our persons and undertaking for them. He never abstractedly considered or viewed us apart from, or without Christ, but as one in him, and with him, constituted and made one head and body at once. And this aforehand gave them a subsistence of another kind than what by creation they
were to receive. Insomuch as their state in him is termed a being, a new being and existence; as the subject upon which being first constituted, the benefits do fall. 'Of him ye are in Jesus Christ,' says the apostle, 1 Cor. 1:30. Lay that as our foundation of Christ his being made wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption to us; which are the benefits that belong to that being. In him ye are or have a being, says the apostle. And before God Christ had it, from that time wherein we were given to God by him. And we began so far to be, as we were considered in him, and that was at our everlasting election; and he to be sure had an actual being, and bore an actual representation of us. And this laid a corner-stone of a higher being supernatural, even from eternity, than what our first creation came unto.
This super-creation being having been thus settled, I come to the second head proposed, viz., II. A general consideration of the benefits wholly supercreational.
These super-creation blessings we hold of Christ, are of two sorts, and distinct, 1. Such as are supernatural, even in respect of our first creation estate, unto which for that cause I give the style of super-creation benefits, which do far exceed in value the first stock of creation blessings: such as that of adoption of sons, heirs of glory, an unchangeable love of God to us, and of an immutability of our love, and of perfect holiness in us unto God again.
2. The second sort of benefits are those that are supernatural in respect unto our sinful, corrupt, miserable estate we are fallen into, and delivered out of. Such as are pardon of sin, justification, and a restauration of that original holiness we lost, and had once in Adam; together with that high superinduction of the image of Christ in his dying and rising; which involves in it the original holiness we had once in Adam, conformable to the holy law. These I call purely
redemption-blessings, and may wholly be called supernatural, as aforesaid.
And these two sorts of benefits, as they are apparently distinct in themselves, so answerably they have a distinct foundation of Christ.
For The first sort have their foundation in his very person, through a given relation of us to him, and him to us; and these are abstractly considered from redemption, or the benefits belonging thereunto, and purchased thereby. So as God giving us unto him, and he accepting us for his body, and to be one with us for ever; even by virtue of this relation there is a wonderful sphere and round of blessings, which have a foundation thereby, and might have had, if God had so pleased, if men should never have fallen. And although man falling, God decreed that other sort of redemption mercies; yet so as these first sort were originally decreed, as being more glorious, without the consideration of the fall. And though (as I acknowledge) they were upon man's fall purchased all anew, upon the account of redemption; yet the interest of his person, and our very relation to his person (as aforesaid) was in the original decree of God about us, and continues to be the main foundation, with a distinct consideration from those of redemption, of our right unto those blessings, although also purchased by redemption, so as for us to have a double title to them.
The second sort of benefits are wholly by virtue of redemption, and flow from the merits and influence of the acts thereof, and wholly so arise from an acquired interest of his obedience, death, resurrection,
&c. And again, although the merit that purchased these benefits do wholly arise from the worth and dignity of his person; as namely his death and blood, that it was the blood of God; and the obedience of him that was offered up by the eternal Spirit, the Godhead in him, and is therefore called 'the righteousness of God;' yet these benefits are not founded and conveyed merely from our relation to his person, abstractedly considered from his redemption; as if that