Is Christ divided?
&c.] Some read the words as an assertion, "Christ is
divided"; that is, his body, the church, is divided by such
factions and parties; though in some copies (mh) , the note of interrogation, is
put before the clause, and so to be rendered, "is Christ
divided?" no; his human body was not to be divided; a bone of him
was not to be broken, ( John 19:36 ) ( Psalms 34:20
) ; the seamless garment he wore was not to be rent asunder, (
John 19:23
John 19:24 ) ;
nor is his mystical body, the church, to be torn in pieces by
schisms and divisions; nor is anyone part of his Gospel different
from, or opposite to another part of it; his doctrine is the same
as preached by one minister and another, and is all of a piece,
uniform and harmonious. Christ is not divided from his Father,
not in nature; though he is to be distinguished from him, yet not
to be divided; he is one in nature with him, though he is a
distinct person from him; nor is he, nor can he, or will be ever
separated from him; nor is he to be divided from him in his works
and actions, with whom he was jointly concerned in creation,
providence, and grace; and such are to be blamed as dividers of
Christ from the Father, who talk of Christ to the exclusion of
the Father, or to the dropping and neglect of any of his acts of
grace; as his everlasting love to his chosen ones, the eternal
election of them in Christ, the covenant of grace made with him,
and the instance of his grace in the gift and mission of his Son:
nor is Christ divided from himself, not in his nature and person;
the two natures, human and divine, are united in one person; they
are to be distinguished, and not to be confounded, yet not to be
separated as to wake two distinct persons: nor in his offices; a
whole Christ is to be received; Christ in his kingly as well as
in his priestly office; to claim him as a Saviour and disown him
as a King, is dishonourable to him; it is to make one end of his
death void, as much as in such lies, which is, that he may be
Lord of dead and living; and argues a carnal selfish spirit, and
that faith in him is not right: such are to be blamed for being
for Christ, and as dividers of him, who talk of being saved by
him, and yet would not have him to rule over them. Nor is he
divided from his Spirit, not from the person of the Spirit; he is
to be distinguished from him as a person, but is one in nature
with him; nor from his gifts and graces, which he has as man and
Mediator without measure; nor from the work of the Spirit; for it
is his grace the Spirit of God implants in the hearts of men: it
comes from him, it centres in him, it makes men like him, and
glorifies him; such who cry up Christ, and cry down the work of
his Spirit upon the soul, are to be blamed for being for Christ,
and to be reckoned dividers of them as much as in them lies: nor
is Christ divided from his church and people; there is a close
union between them, and he dwells in them, and among them; and
they are to be blamed that talk of Christ, and never meet with
his saints in public service and worship: nor is he divided from
his ministers, word, and ordinances; Christ is the sum of the
ministry of the word; the ordinances are instituted by him; he
submitted to them himself, and is the substance of them, and has
promised his presence in them to the end of the world: and what
God has put together, let no man put asunder.
Was Paul crucified for you?
no; he had taught them another doctrine; namely, that Christ was
crucified for them, that he died for their sins, and had bought
them with the price of his own blood; and therefore they were not
to be the servants of men, or to call any man master, or to be
called by his name, or any other man's, only by Christ's, who had
redeemed them by his blood; so that they were not their own, nor
any other's, but his, and ought to glorify him with their souls
and bodies, which were his.
Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul;
no; but in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost. The apostle did not pretend to be the author of a new
revelation, or the propagator of a new religion, but was a
preacher of the Gospel, and an administrator of the ordinances of
Christ; wherefore he baptized not in his own name, but in the
name of Christ: to whose worship and service such as are baptized
are devoted, and not to the service of men, and therefore not to
be called after their names.