STANS. Ch mands; Angels could not ſhed blood which was nico .. make peace and reconcile Enemies; And thouzh ſome Falie ", poſtles might ſeduce to the worſhipping of them, their oheq; ence could not be meritorious. y God defignins an 2+... ment to himſelf. 7. e. God the Father (and by conſeatiene s. the whole Trinity) did it by Chriſt in whom all fulneſs dy: - ling, there was a proper fitneſs upon his Father's c21l Iſa _ I, 4, 6. with Heb. Ch. g. for ſo perfett a work as to ta. the enmity of thoſe alienated from God, and to bring them Br favour again. The great enquiry is about the extent of this Reconciliation, becauſe the Apoſtle mentions all thi;;rs (rather than all Perſons) and then having emphatically repeated by tim 2 Viz. Chriſt as God-man, and none other, As 4, 12, Tt adds a diſtribution of all things, whether they be things in 32-11. or things in Heaven? To aniwer which all things may be unde! ſtood either, (1.) Reſtrigively to the Subjett, the Univerſal Church, of which Chriſt is the Head; fo he doth not men 1 things whatſoever illimitedly, but with reſpet& to the enhicc Matter, as v. 21. All things which being alienated from Gyg. are reconciled to him, 7. e. whatſoever things are reconcil.a; are by him reconciled, all relating to the Subje& Matter of 16. conciliation (as all made to creation, v. 16.) all the real Shi-4; of his Kingdom, whether gathered and gone to Heaven b«jy;. in hope, of the Meſſiah to come, or now, and hereafter ſhall j.. gathered, Ads 15, 11. Rom. 3. 25. Eph. 3. 15. Heb. 11, 2%,
40. and 12. 23, yet this doth not altogether ſatisfie ſome , þy reaſon of the ſublimity of the Apoſtle's word in the diftriny;. on, and ordinarily in Scripture by things in Heaven are mn: the Angels, whoſe natural ſeat it is (ſpirits of juſt Men made perfe&t being advanced thither only by God's gracious vouch. ſafement) or (2.) largely , as comprehending the good Anzel;, eſpecially if upon the foundation of reconciliation confidercd ſtrictly, we take Reconciliation here more generally (as the Apoſtle doth in his Epiſtle to the Epheſians, expatiating more upon this matter there, than he doth here, writing more con- citely and contraaly) for Recapitulation, (or analogical recon- ciltation) bringing all under one Head, the recompoting , or reuniting of Creatures terreſtrial, or celeſtial upon the attone- ment for Sinners'by Chriſt, ſo that all his Subjects, thoſe tha: divide the State of his Kingdom are. at an agreement among themſelves, and with each other, God did ſo by Chriſt conjoin miſerable Men with himſelf, that now alſo the holy Angels are conjoin'd, they come under the ſame Head Chriſt, <<. 2, 1, Eph, 1» 21. whom they worſhip as at his firſt, ſo ſecond com- ing, Luke 2. 13, 14. Heb. 1.9. as Men cleave to him by faith, ſo the Angels by viſion, (1 Tim. 3. 16.) look upon him their Head, yet is he not their Redeemer, v. 14. Eph. 1. 3. not par- taking of their Nature, they are not his Members as believers are, (as God is the Head of Chrift, yet is not he a Member ot God, 1 Cor. Il. 3.) Chriſt beareth a more ſpecial relation to them, than he doth unto theſe Principalities and Powers, Eph. 5. 23, 30, 31. However, they being under an Hypothe- tical poſſibility of falling, ſhould ſeem to have need of a prever- tive kind of Reconciliation, upon that account, if their frand- ing 1s otherwiſe ſecured to them, they abiding in their Purity, could not be friends to impure Creatures, Gen. 3. 24. but upon the fatisfaftion of their Lord their diſtafte and diffatisfaction is remov'd, they being reduced into a Corporation under Chrift, with thoſe whom he hath reconciled, Eph. x. 10. as they to the glory of the ſupreme Majefty, rejoyc'd when Chriſt came to ſeek theſe loſt ones, ſo theſe are Miniſters to them that he bath made willing, Zeb. 1. 14. they delight in the Miniftry ot Reconciliation, Eph. 3. 10. 1 Pet. 1. 12, attend the ſervice with their Brethren (in doing their Office) Kev. 19. 10. and 22. 9. further the work, Ais 8. 26. rejoice when it takes et- fect, Luke 15. 10. and carry thoſe that are perftetted to the place of their own Refidence, Lyke 16. 22. to their own innu- merable Afſembly in the heavenly Feruſatem, Heb. 12. 22. wai'- ing on Chriſt (according to the typical Repreſentatives, £x9, 25. 19. and 26. 1. 1 Kings 6. 23, 29.) with thoſe that 2ce with him, and made like to him at his Throne, Mat. 22. 30. Mark 12. 25. where he fits as the Son of Man, and the holy Angels (as he faith) are continually aſcending and deſcending upon him, Fohy 1.51. he fills them as the reit of his Subjects, all in all, Eph. 1. 21, 23. They have Grace by way of Particr pation, having it from him their Head, who hath it of himio!, Fobn 5. 26. So that upon the matter, this Reconciliation 0: things in Heaven, ſeems moſt to accord with, Fph. 1. 9, 1c. ad 1s not much unlike that in, Eph. 2. 14, 15. that which is ſeparately ſaid there by his blood, wv. 13. and by his Croſs, v. 16. is here conjoin'd by the blood of his Croſs. There is making peace 11 one ſimple word here (in the Greek) in a compound one. There that he might reconcile both to God: Aere that he might re- concile all things to himſelf, 7. e. God. There he ſpeaks only of Men on Farth being reconciled among themſelves, becauc they had alſo been reconciled to God, if we take in Angcts 4/9 under thoſe all, we have an allowance from that forecited, #/- 1. 10. yea and in favour of the larger acceptation of Reconciiia- tion here, it may be conſidered [that the whole Creation whicl! was put into diſorder and ſubjected unto vanity, is in earncit expectation of the Fruits of this gracious Reconciliation in 2ils brought to a perfett Harmony to the glory of him wiv 55 all in all, Rom. 8. 19, to 24. With 1 Cyr. 15. 59.
21 And b you that were ſometime alienated c, and enemies d * in your mind by wicked works e, }l now hath he reconciled f.
wherefore, leading the Colofſi.ns from the Docrins be had pro- pos'd to contider. c Their own eftrangement from God and the things that pleaſe him, before they vere effec ually Ca” led by the Goſpel, being then in ſuch a miſerable condition as others were in a ſtate of corrupted nature. ove {Jum 5+ 5
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Chap. L
Fab. 2,