Now God hath anointed us in Christ. The order is this :
First, Christ himself, as Mediator, is ' anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows,' Ps. xlv. 7, but for his fellows. The ointment is first poured on the head of spiritual Aaron, and then it runs down to all the skirts of his garment, that is, to the meanest Christian. Even as the least finger and toe is actuated, and enlivened, and moved by the soul and spirits, that the head and the chief vital parts are ; so every Christian, though he be but as the toe or the foot, yet all have communicated by the Spirit, from Christ the head. So that the third person, the Holy Ghost, that sanctified the human nature of Christ, that filled and enriched it with all grace, and anointed Christ ; the same Spirit euricheth all his mystical members. As there is one Spirit in Christ, and that sacred body he took on him ; so there is in the mystical body but one Spirit quickening and enlivening, and moving the head and the members. He is a head of influence, as well as a head of eminence. ' Of his fulness we have all grace for grace,' John i. 16. He is first anointed, and then we are anointed in him.
We will first speak of it as it hath reference to anointment ; and then, as it hath reference to the persons anointed.
In the first place then, why are graces here called anointing?
I answer, they are called ' anointing,' from reference to that composed ointment in Exod. xxx. 22, seq., where you have the composition of the holy oil laid down.
But in particular, you may observe these five particulars in which the relation standeth.
1. First, ointment is a liquor supereminent : it will have the highest place, it will have the eminency, and be above all other liquors, and in that respect it is a royal liquor. So the graces of God's Spirit, they are of an eminent nature. Spiritual gifts are above the gifts of nature ; and spiritual blessings are above earthly things. The grace of God is a supereminent, a royal thing. It will be above all, even above our parts of nature. If a man have by nature a strong wit, grace wall subdue his wit, so that he shall be only witty ■'• to salvation, he shall be only strong to defend the truth, and to do nothing against it : he will subjugate and subordinate his parts and what- soever excellency he hath by nature to grace, cast all at Christ's feet, ' count * That is, ' wise.' — G.
444 COMMENTARY OX
all as ilnnj,', in comparison of the excellent knowledge of Christ,' Philip, iii. 8. And so aj^ain, {^race is above corrupt nature, above all our corrup- tions. It will bring them undtsr, it will subdue corruptions, temptations, alHictions ; any thing, what you will, that is either natural or diabolical ; for gi-ace is spiritual, and that which is spiritual is above all that is below. Grace is of an invincible nature. It will bear sway by little and little. It is little in quantity, but it is mighty in operation. And it is above any outward excellency whatsoever. If a man be a king, if he have this anoint* ing, it makes him better than himself. He is better in that he is a Chris- tian, that he hath this sacred anointing, than for any other created excellency under heaven whatsoever, yea, though he were an angel. Grace hath its derivance* and influence from Christ, who is higher than all, and will be above all ; and so will grace. That is the first. Other liipiors, the best of them will be beneath, but oil, it will be above all.
2. It is compared to ointment in the sccotid place, because that ointment is su-eet and derujhiftd. So was the ointment that was poured upon our Saviour by the woman in the gospel. Therefore the spouse in Cant. i. 3, speaking of Christ, ' Because,' saith she, ' of the savour of thy good oint- ments, thy name is an ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.' The graces that are in Christ are so sweet, that they draw the virgins, they draw all believers after him. So grace in a Christian, it makes us sweet ; it sweetens our persons and our actions. It sweetens our persons to God. God delights in the smell of his own graces. It makes us delectable for Christ and his Holy Spirit to lodge in our souls as in a garden of spices. It makes us sweet to the church, to the communion of saints. A gracious man, that hath his corruptions subdued, is wondrous sweet. His heart is as fine silver, every thing is sweet that comes from him. When the woman poured the box of ointment upon Christ, the whole house was filled with the smell thereof, John xii. 3 ; so the whole church is filled with the savour of the graces of good men, that either do live in the present times, or have left their graces in writing to posterity.
A wicked man is an abomination to God, and so are all his actions. He that is in the flesh ' cannot please God,' Rom. viii. 8. A civil man that hath not this anointing, all that he doth is abominable to God. * All things are unclean to the unclean,' Rom. xiv. 14 : even their best actions have a tincture of defilement from their corruption. Without this ointment we are not sweet, neither to God nor to others. Therefore the Scripture terms men in the state of nature, swine and goats, stinking creatures ; and so indeed they that have not this anointing, they are stinking goats, and shall be set at Christ's left hand, except they have grace to sweeten their understandings and afiections, and to di-aw them higher than nature can.