And when all things shall be subdued unto him
For all things as yet are not put under him in fact; though in
right God the Father has given to him an authoritative power over
all things, and a right to dispose of them at his pleasure; but
all things are not actually and in their full extent subject to
him, yet they will be when the last enemy is destroyed: and
then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that
put all
things under him;
which must be interpreted and understood with great care and
caution; not in the Sabellian sense, of refunding of the
characters of the Son, and so of the Father unto God; when they
suppose these characters, which they imagine to be merely
nominal, bare names, will be no more, and God shall be all; but
as the Father will always remain a father, so the Son will remain
a son; for, as the Son of the Highest, he will reign over his
people for ever, and he the Son, as a priest, is consecrated for
ever, more: nor in the Eutychian sense, of the change of the
human mature into the divine, in which they fancy it will be
swallowed up, and God will be all; but Christ will always
continue as a man; he went up to heaven as such, and he will
return as a man, and be visible to all in the human nature, and
in that be the object of the wonderful vision of the saints to
all eternity: nor in the Arian sense, according to the divine
nature, as if he was in that inferior to the Father, when he is
equal with him, has all the perfections he has, and the whole
fulness of the Godhead dwelling in him; it is much better and
safer to understand it as it commonly is of him, as man; though
in this sense, he was always subject to his Father, ever since he
was incarnate, whereas this seems to respect something peculiar
at this time. Others therefore think, that the church, the
mystical body of Christ, is here meant, which in all its members,
and these both in soul and body, will be presented and delivered
up to God; but the words are spoken of him under whom all things
are put, which is not true of the church; and though that is
sometimes called Christ, yet never the Son; and besides, the
church has been always subject to God, though indeed, it will not
be in all its members, and in every respect subject until this
time: it is best, therefore to understand it of the Son's giving
up the account of his mediatorial kingdom and concerns to his
Father; when it will appear that he has in the whole of his
conduct and administration been subject to him; that he has in
all things acted in his name, done all by his power, and to his
honour and glory; and now having accomplished all he undertook
and was intrusted with, gives in his account, delivers up his
charge, and resigns his office; all which will be plain proofs of
his subjection: when I say he will resign or lay aside his office
as Mediator, my meaning is not that he will cease to be God-man
and Mediator; but that he will cease to administer that office as
under God, in the manner he now does: he will be the prophet of
the church, but he will not teach by his Spirit, and word, and
ordinances as now, but will himself be the immediate light of the
saints, he will be a priest for ever, the virtue of his sacrifice
and intercession will always remain, but he will not plead and
intercede as he now does; he will also reign for ever over and
among his saints, but his kingdom will not be a vicarious one, or
administered as it now is; nor be only in his hands as Mediator,
but with God, Father, Son, and Spirit:
that God may be all in all;
for by God is not meant the Father personally, but God
essentially considered, Father, Son, and Spirit, who are the one
true and living God; to whom all the saints will have immediate
access, in whose presence they will be, and with whom they shall
have uninterrupted fellowship, without the use of such mediums as
they now enjoy; all the three divine Persons will have equal
power and government in and over all the saints; they will sit
upon one and the same throne; there will be no more acting by a
delegated power, or a derived authority: God will be all things
to all his saints, immediately without the use of means; he will
be that to their bodies as meat and clothes are, without the use
of them; and all light, glory, and happiness to their souls,
without the use of ordinances, or any means; he will then be all
perfection and bliss, to all the elect, and in them all, which he
now is not; some are dead in trespasses and sins, and under the
power of Satan; the number of them in conversion is not yet
completed; and, of those that are called many are in a state of
imperfection, and have flesh as well as spirit in them; and of
those who are fallen asleep in Christ, though their separate
spirits are happy with him, yet their bodies lie in the grave,
and under the power of corruption and death; but then all being
called by grace, and all being raised, and glorified in soul and
body, God will be all in all: this phrase expresses both the
perfect government of God, Father, Son, and Spirit, over the
saints to all eternity, and their perfect happiness in soul and
body, the glory of all which will be ascribed to God; and it will
be then seen that all that the Father has done in election, in
the council and covenant of peace, were all to the glory of his
grace; and that all that the Son has done in the salvation of his
people, is all to the glory of the divine perfections: and that
all that the Spirit of God has wrought in the saints, and all
that they have done under his grace and influence, are all to the
praise and glory of God, which will in the most perfect manner be
given to the eternal Three in One. The Jews have some expressions
somewhat like this, as when they say F9 of God,
``things future, and things that are past, are together with thee; what is from everlasting and to everlasting, or from the beginning of the world to the end of it, these are "all" of them in thee, and thou art "in" them "all".''So (lk) , "all", is with the Cabalistic doctors F11, the name of the Lord. And he is so called because all things are in him; "Jovis omnia plena".