(22) Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. (23) For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. (24) Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. (25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (27) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (28) So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. (29) For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: (30) For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. (31) For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. (32) This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (33) Nevertheless let everyone of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
I comprise all that is here said into one view, for it leads but to one and the same subject: and the sweetest of all subjects it forms; namely, Christ's marriage with his Church. We cannot be sufficiently thankful to God the Holy Ghost for it, as it so fully explains the soul-comforting subject, and throws such a beautiful light over many parts of Scripture which refer to the same.
Who should have thought, but from what God the Holy Ghost hath said here, that the institution of the marriage in Eden, between our first Parents, was a shadow of an union, long before formed in substance, between Christ and his Church ? But Paul so saith. This is a great mystery, (saith he), but I speak concerning Christ, and his Church! Who would have conceived, that when at the creation of the first woman, the Lord said it is not good for the man to be alone, I will make him an help meet for him; Genesis 2:18. and the Lord formed the woman from one of his ribs: that this had a much higher, and a far more early allusion, to the God-man Christ Jesus; concerning whom, it was not good, for the promotion of Jehovah's designs in the glory of Christ, that he should be alone, but that a Church should be raised up for him, and taken from himself; which might be his Spouse, his Partner, in all communicable grace here, and glory hereafter? Who would have seen Christ in that Scripture, when Adam, beholding his wife, called her bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh; Genesis 2:23. had not God the Holy Ghost un folded its spiritual meaning, when here he tells us, that we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones? Precious Jesus! it was thou, and not Adam, for he had no father of the earth to leave, which didst leave thy heavenly Father, to cleave to thy wife, the Church; and thy Church is now one flesh with thee, in thy human nature, forever. Genesis 2:24
Paul might well call this a mystery, yea, a great mystery, for all the shadows of it sink to nothing, in comparison of the substance. And, indeed, all the affections, and relations of life, between man and man, are less than nothing, when we look to our relationship in Christ. I would beg the Reader's indulgence yet a little further, to consider one or two points more, of this great mystery, and seek the teaching of the Lord, that we may have a right understanding on a subject so truly beautiful and interesting.
And here let us take up the matter from the beginning. It appears then, from several parts of the Holy Scripture, that the marriage of Christ and his Church, took place from everlasting. For there can be no period, either in time, or in eternity, to which a date can be fixed, so as to say, that then it began. When Christ was set up, as the Head, and Husband of his Church, the Church must have been set up with him. For there could not have been an head, without a body: neither an husband without a wife. For, on the supposition that Christ, as Christ, that is, God and man in one Person, might have been before all others; yet not in his relative characters. He could not have been the everlasting Father, before he had children neither the Head, without a body: neither the Husband, without a wife. So that Christ and his Church, as Husband, and wife, are from everlasting together. And to this agrees all the Scriptures. Jesus, under the character of wisdom saith, that he was set up from everlasting. And that then his delights were with the sons of men. Proverbs 8:31; Proverbs 8:31. He saith also himself, as the Husband of his people: I will betroth thee unto me forever. Hosea 2:19. And, the Prophet agrees to the same, when he saith to the Church: For thy Maker is thine husband, the Lord of Hosts is his name: and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth shall he be called. Isaiah 54:5
Secondly. It appears equally, plain from the Scriptures of truth, that God, when he chose the Church in Christ, before the foundation of the world, chose her to be holy and without blame before him in love. Ephesians 1:4. Hence it must follow, that when the Church was presented to Christ, she was as the King's daughter all glorious within. Psalms 45:13. And, though she hath since fallen into poverty and wretchedness by sin; yet, when Christ married her, she was holy, and without blame before him in love. And such she is again when washed from her sins, in his blood. And such will she be, as this Chapter states, when Jesus comes to present her to himself, at the last day, a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but to be holy, and without blemish. Oh! who shall conceive the glories of that day, when Jesus shall bring home his church; and when all the members, being fully prepared, in body, soul and spirit, for the everlasting enjoyment of her Lord in glory, s hall enter with him, into the marriage-supper of the Lamb, and be forever with the Lord!