The language of the Text is explained. Two questions are subsequently proposed,—What is it to glory in any object?—and secondly, What ground of glorifying is to be found in the cross of Christ? After a brief statement in reply to the former question, the strength of the discourse is expended on the latter.
- The glory of the object is seen in the degree to which it illustrates the perfections of God. 1. The justice of God. 2. His infinite mercy. 3. His incomprehensible wisdom. 4. His power.
- It appears in the greatness of the design. And this is proved—1. From its importance to the whole universe. 2. The solemn preparations made to accomplish it. 3. The circumstance that it is a subject of study and contemplation to all orders of heavenly beings.
- It appears in the effects resulting from it. And this is illustrated—1. From the glorious deliverance it achieves for us. 2. From the opposition it surmounts. 3. From the objection that the work accomplished on the cross met with little honour on earth, which it is shewn, instead of being an objection to it, is a commendation of it. 4. From its inward effects upon the souls of men. 5. From its influence on all parts of the universe, and through all the ages of eternity. And lastly, From the extent to which it assimilates to its own glory every object that sustains a relation to it.
I.
IT is an old and useful observation, that many of the most excellent objects in the world, are objects whose excellency does not appear at first view; as on the other hand, many things of little value appear more excellent at first than a narrower view discovers them to be. There are some things we admire because we do not know them, and the more we know them, the less we admire them; there are other things we despise through ignorance, because it requires pains and application to discover their beauty and excellency.
This holds true in nothing more than in that glorious despised object mentioned in the text. There is nothing the world is more divided about in its opinion than this. To the one part it is altogether contemptible, to the other it is altogether glorious.
The one part of the world wonders what attracts the others find in it, and the other part wonders how the rest of the world are so stupid as not to see them; and are amazed at the blindness of others, and their own former blindness.
It is said of the famous reformer Melanethon, when he first saw the glory of this object at his conversion, he imagined he could easily, by plain persuasion, convince others of it; that the matter being so plain, and the evidence so strong, he did not see how, on a fair representation, any could stand out against it. But upon trial he was forced to express himself with regret, that old Adam was too strong for young Melanethon, and that human corruption was too strong for human persuasion, without divine grace.
The true use we should make of this is certainly to apply for that enlightening grace to ourselves, which the apostle Paul prays for in the behalf of the Ephesians, Eph. i. 17, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ may give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” But as here and in other cases, prayers and means should be joined together; so one of the principal means of right knowledge of the principal object of our faith, and ground of our hope, is to meditate on the glory of that object, asserted so strongly in this text, and that by one, who formerly had as diminishing thoughts of it, as any of its enemies can have.
In the verses preceding the text, the Apostle tells the Galatians, what some false teachers among them gloried in; here he tells what he glorified in himself. They glorified in the old ceremonies of the Jewish law, which were but shadows; he glorified in the cross of Christ, the substance. He knew it was an affront to the substance, to continue these shadows in their former force, after the substance itself appeared, therefore he regrets that practice with zeal, and at the same time confines his own glorying to that blessed object which the shadows were designed to signify. “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”
Here the Apostle showeth us, both his high esteem of the cross of Christ, and the powerful influence of it upon his mind. The cross of Christ signifies in Scripture sometimes our sufferings for Christ, sometimes His suffering for us. As the latter is the chief, and most natural sense of the words, so there is reason to think that it is the sense of the apostle here. This is the sense of the same expression in the 12th verse of this chapter, which speaks of persecution (that is, our suffering) for the cross of Christ, (that is, the doctrine of Christ’s cross). Besides, it is certain that it is not our sufferings, but Christ’s sufferings, which we are chiefly to glory in, to the exclusion of other things, and it is not the former chiefly, but the latter, that mortifies our corruptions, and crucifies the world to us.
The cross of Christ may signify here, not only His death, but the whole of His humiliation, or all the sufferings of His life and death; of which sufferings, the cross was the consummation. The apostle, both here and elsewhere, mentions the cross, to remind us of the manner of His death, and to strengthen in our minds those impressions which the condescension of that death had made, or ought to have made in them. That the Author of liberty should suffer the death of a slave; the fountain of honour, the height of disgrace; that the punishments which were wont to be inflicted upon the meanest persons for the highest offences, should be inflicted on the greatest person that could suffer: this is the object that the apostle gloried in.
There are not two things more opposite than glory and shame; here the apostle joins them together. The cross in itself is an object full of shame; in this case it appeareth to the apostle full of glory. It had been less remarkable, had he only said, he gloried in his Redeemer’s exaltation after he had left the world, or in the glory He had with the Father, before He came to it, yea, before the world was. But the object of the apostle’s glorying is the Redeemer, not only considered in the highest state of honour and dignity, but even viewed in the lowest circumstances of disgrace and ignominy; not only as a powerful and exalted, but as a condemned and crucified Saviour.
Glorifying signifies the highest degree of esteem. The cross of Christ was an object of which the Apostle had the most exalted sentiments, and the most profound veneration. This veneration he took pleasure to avow before the world, and was ready to publish on all occasions. This object so occupied his heart and engrossed his affections, that it left no room for any thing else; he glorified in nothing else: and, as he telleth us in other places, he counted every thing else but loss and dung, and would know nothing else, and was determined about it.
The manner of expressing his esteem of this object has a remarkable force and vehemence in it. God forbid, or let it by no means happen; as if he had said, ‘God forbid, whatever others do, that ever it should be said, that Paul, the old persecutor, should glory in any thing else, but in the crucified Redeemer; who plucked him as a brand out of the fire, when he was running further and further into it; and who pursued him with mercy and kindness, when he was pursuing Him in His members with fierceness and cruelty. I did it through ignorance (and it is only through ignorance that any despise Him)—He has now revealed Himself to me, and God forbid that the light that met me near Damascus, should ever go out of my mind; it was a light full of glory, the object it discovered was all glorious, my all in all, and God forbid that I should glory in any thing else.’
His esteem of that blessed object was great, and its influence on him proportionable. By it the world was crucified to him, and he was crucified to the world; here is a mutual crucifixion. His esteem of Christ was the cause why the world despised him, and was despised by him; not that the cross made him hate the men of the world, or refuse the lawful enjoyments of it. It allowed him the use of the latter, and obliged him to love the former; but it crucified those corruptions, which are contrary both to the love of our neighbour, and the true enjoyment of the creatures. This is called fighting, warring, wrestling, and killing. The reason is, because we should look upon sin as our greatest enemy, the greatest enemy of our souls, and of the Saviour of our souls.
This was the view the apostle had of sin, and of “the corruption that is in the world through lust,” II. Pet. i. 4; he looked upon it as the murderer of his Redeemer, and this inspired him with a just resentment against it; it filled him with those blessed passions against it mentioned by himself, II. Cor. vii. 11, as the native fruits of faith, and repentance, zeal, indignation, revenge; that is, such a detestation of sin, as was joined with the most careful watchfulness against it.
This is that crucifying of the world meant by the apostle. The reason of the expression is, because the inordinate love of worldly things is one of the chief sources of sin. The cross of Christ gave such a happy turn to the Apostle’s affections, that the world was no more the same thing to him that it was to others, and that it had been formerly to himself. His soul was sick of its pomp; and the things he was most fond of before, had now lost their relish with him. Its honours appeared now contemptible, its riches poor, its pleasures nauseous. Its examples and favours did not allure, nor its hatred terrify him. He considered the love or hatred of men, not chiefly as it affected him, but themselves, by furthering or hindering the success of his doctrine among them. All these things may be included in that “crucifying of the world” mentioned in the last clause of the verse. But the intended ground of the discourse being the first clause, the doctrine to be insisted on is this:
“That the cross of Christ affords sinners matter of glorying above all other things: yea, that it is in a manner the only thing they should glory in. The whole humiliation of Christ, and particularly His death for the sake of sinners, is an object that has such incomparable glory in it, that it becomes us to have the most honourable and exalted thoughts of it.” As this is evidently contained in the text, so it is frequently inculcated on us in other Scriptures, (II. Cor. iv. 6; II. Cor. iii. 18; I. Cor. i. 19, 24). It is plain, that when the Scriptures speak of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ, it is meant chiefly of His glory in the face of Christ crucified; that is, in the work of redemption finished on the cross.
In discoursing on this subject, it will be proper, first, to consider briefly, What it is to glory in any object; and then, What ground of glorying we have in this blessed object, proposed in the text. To glory in any object includes these two things; first a high esteem of it, and then some concern in it. We do not glory in the things we are interested in unless we esteem them; nor in the things we admire and esteem, unless we are some way interested in them. But although all professing Christians are some way concerned to glory in the cross of Christ, because of their outward relation to Him, by their baptismal covenant, and because the blessed fruits of His cross are both plainly revealed and freely offered to them; yet it is those only who have sincerely embraced these offers that can truly glory in that object. Yet what is their privilege is the duty of all; all should be exhorted to glory in this object, and to have a high esteem of it, because of its excellency in itself; to fix their hearts on it by faith, because it is offered to them; to shew their esteem of it, by seeking an interest in it; and having a due esteem of it, and obtained an interest in it, to study a frame of habitual triumph in it. But the nature of this happy frame of mind is best understood by considering the glory of the object of it.
The ancient prophets, who foretell Christ’s coming, appear transported with the view of His glory. Not only the New Testament, but also the Old, represents the Messiah as the most remarkable and most honourable person that ever appeared on the stage of the world. It speaks of Him as a glorious Governor, a Prince, a King, a Conqueror; besides other magnificent titles of the greatest dignity, showing that His government should be extensive and everlasting, and that His glory should fill the whole earth. But, while the prophets foretell His greatness, they foretell also His meanness. They show, indeed, He was to be a glorious king, but a king who would be rejected and despised of men; and that, after all the great expectation the world would have of Him, He was to pass over the stage of the world disregarded and unobserved, excepting as to the malicious treatment He was to meet with on it.
About the time of His coming, the Jews were big with hopes of Him as the great deliverer and chief ornament of their nation. And, if history may be credited, even the heathens had a notion about that time, which possibly was derived from the Jewish prophecies, that there was a Prince of unparalleled glory to rise in the east, and even in Judea in particular, who was to found a kind of universal monarchy. But their vain hearts, like that of most men in all ages, were so intoxicated with the admiration of worldly pomp, that that was the only greatness they had any notion or relish of. This made them form a picture of Him, who was the desire of all nations, very unlike the original.
A king which the world admires is one of extensive power, with numerous armies, a golden crown and sceptre, a throne of state, magnificent palaces, sumptuous feasts, many attendants of high rank, immense treasures to enrich them with, and various posts of honour to prefer them to. Here was the reverse of all this:—for a crown of gold, a crown of thorns; for a sceptre, a reed put in His hand in derision; for a throne, a cross; instead of palaces, not a place to lay His head in; instead of sumptuous feasts to others, oft-times hungry and thirsty Himself; instead of great attendants, a company of poor fishermen: instead of treasures to give them, not money enough to pay tribute, without working a miracle; and the preferment offered them, was to give each of them His cross to bear. In all things the reverse of worldly greatness from first to last; a manger for a cradle at His birth, not a place to lay His head sometimes in His life, nor a grave of His own at His death.
Here unbelief frets and murmurs, and asks, Where is all the glory that is so much extolled? For discovering this, faith needs only look through that thin vail of flesh; and under that low disguise appears the Lord of glory, the King of kings, the Lord of hosts, strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle; the heavens His throne, the earth His footstool, the light His garments, the clouds His chariots, the thunder His voice, His strength omnipotence, His riches all-sufficiency, His glory infinite, His retinue the hosts of heaven, and the excellent ones of the earth, on whom He bestows’ riches unsearchable, and inheritance incorruptible, banquets of everlasting joys, and preferments of immortal honour, making them kings and priests unto God, conquerors, yea, and more than conquerors, children of God, and mystically one with Himself.
Here appears something incomparably above all worldly glory, though under a mean disguise. But the objection is still against that disguise; yet even that disguise, upon due consideration, will appear to be so glorious, that its very meanness is honourable. It was a glorious disguise, because the designs and effects of it are so. If He suffered shame, poverty, pain, sorrows, and death, for a time, it was that we might not suffer these things for ever. That meanness therefore was glorious, because it was subservient unto an infinitely glorious design of love and mercy.
It was subservient more ways than one; it satisfied the penalty of the law, it put unspeakable honour on the commandments of it. It was a part of Christ’s design to make holiness (that is, obedience to the law) so honourable, that everything else should be contemptible in comparison of it. Love of worldly greatness is one of the principal hindrances of it. We did not need the example of Christ to commend earthly grandeur to us, but very much to reconcile us to the contrary, and to make us esteem holiness, though accompanied with meanness. Christ’s low state was an excellent means for this end. There was, therefore, greatness even in His meanness. Other men are honourable by their station, but Christ’s station was made honourable by Him; He has made poverty and meanness, joined with holiness, to be a state of dignity.
Thus Christ’s outward meanness, that disguised His real greatness, was in itself glorious, because of the design of it. Yet that meanness did not wholly becloud it; many beams of glory shone through it.
His birth was mean on earth below; but it was celebrated with hallelujahs by the heavenly host in the air above: he had a poor lodging; but a star lighted visitants to it from distant countries. Never prince had such visitants, so conducted. He had not the magnificent equipage that other kings have, but He was attended with multitudes of patients, seeking, and obtaining healing of soul and body: that was more true greatness than if He had been attended with crowds of princes. He made the dumb that attended Him sing His praises, and the lame to leap for joy, the deaf to hear His wonders, and the blind to see His glory. He had no guard of soldiers, nor magnificent retinue of servants; but, as the centurion that had both acknowledged, health and sickness, life and death, took orders from Him. Even the winds and storms, which no earthly power can control, obeyed Him; and death and the grave durst not refuse to deliver up their prey when He demanded it. He did not walk upon tapestry, but when He walked on the sea, the waters supported Him. All parts of the creation, excepting sinful men, honoured Him as their Creator. He kept no treasure; but when He had occasion for money, the sea sent it to Him in the mouth of a fish. He had no barns nor corn-fields; but when He inclined to make a feast, a few loaves covered a sufficient table for many thousands. None of all the monarchs of the world ever gave such entertainment. By these and many such things, the Redeemer’s glory shone through His meanness, in the several parts of His life. Nor was it wholly clouded at His death. He had not indeed that fantastic equipage of sorrow that other great persons have on such occasions. But the frame of nature solemnized the death of its Author; heaven and earth were mourners: the sun was clad in black; and if the inhabitants of the earth were unmoved, the earth itself trembled under the awful load. There were few to pay the Jewish compliment of rending their garments; but the rocks were not so insensible; they rent their bowels. He had not a grave of His own, but other men’s graves opened to Him. Death and the grave might be proud of such a tenant in their territories; but He came not there as a subject, but as an invader, a conqueror. It was then the king of terrors lost his sting, and on the third day the Prince of Life triumphed over him, spoiling death and the grave. But this last particular belongs to Christ’s exaltation: the other instances show a part of the glory of His humiliation, but it is a small part of it.
The glory of the cross of Christ, which we are chiefly to esteem, is the glory of God’s infinite perfections displayed in the work of redemption, as the apostle expresses it, “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,” even “of Christ crucified.” It is this which makes any other object glorious, according as it manifests more or less of the perfections of God. This is what makes the works of creation so glorious. The heavens declare God’s glory, the firmament His handiwork. And we are inexcusable for not taking more pains to contemplate God’s perfections in them, His almighty power, and incomprehensible wisdom, and particularly His infinite goodness. But the effects of the Divine goodness in the works of creation are only temporal favours. The favours purchased to us by the cross of Christ are eternal. Besides, although the works of creation plainly show that God is in Himself good; yet they also show that God is just, and that He is displeased with us for our sins. Nor do they point out to us the way how we may be reconciled to Him. They publish the Creator’s glory; they publish at the same time His laws and our obligations to obey them. Our consciences tell us that we have neglected these obligations, violated these laws, and consequently incurred the Lawgiver’s displeasure: His works declaring His glory, show that in His favour is life, and consequently that in His displeasure is death and ruin; yea, they lay us in some measure under His displeasure already. Why else do natural causes give so much trouble in life and pain in death? From all quarters the works of God revenge the quarrel of His broken law; they give these frail bodies subsistence for a time, but it is a subsistence embittered with many vexations, and at last they crush them, and dissolve them in dust.
(To be continued.)
The church grew under the Sword; she was hatched under the wings of the Roman eagle spread for her destruction.—Stephen Charnock.