Christ the Corner-Stone

    CHRIST THE CORNER-STONE

    "I lay in Zion a chief Corner-stone, elect and precious," 1Pe 2:6.

    "The Stone which the builders refused, the same is become the head of the Corner," Ps 118:22.

    CHRIST by a Metaphor (called Anthropopatheia) is not only called a Stone, but also (by a very emphatical phrase) a Corner-stone, Aiqon akrogwniaion, Mt 21:42; Ac 4:11; 1Pe 2:6. And whereas builders place their strongest and most durable stone in the Corner-foundation, it denotes the firmness, strength, and duration of Christ, the Foundation or spiritual Stone, upon which the whole Church is built. It is said, Isa 3:17, "The Lord will smite the Corner of the head (so the Hebrew) of the daughter of Zion." The exterior angle of an edifice has a prospect to each side, and is put for principality, or the chief ruler, Jg 20:2; 1Sa 14:38; Isa 19:13. Hence it is attributed to Christ, Ps 118:22, expounded, Eph 2:15-17,20, he having the chief over-sight of, as well as he is the principal Foundation to the Church.

    METAPHOR

    I. A Corner-stone sustains and upholds the building; if the corner of the house fall, the whole structure is in danger: "There came a wind from the wilderness, and smote the four Corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, arid they are dead," Job 1:19. Some stones may drop out of the middle of the building, and yet it may stand; but if the Corner or foundation gives way, down it falls.

    PARALLEL

    I. Christ may be compared to a Cornerstone in respect to sustentation; he is the Sustainer and Upholder of the Church, the great Pillar that bears up his elect. The Church's safety, peace, grace, comfort, and salvation is upheld by him: Eliakim was a type of Christ in this. "He shall be fastened as a nail in a sure place. And he shall be for a glorious throne to his Father's house, and they shall hang upon him all the glory of his Father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from vessels of cups, to vessels of flagons," Isa 22:21-24. All believers from small to great, are borne up by, and hang upon Jesus Christ.

    METAPHOR

    II. Corner-stones are the medium by which the walls of the house are united in one building, cut the Corner-stores and the two sides of the house are separated the one from the other.

    PARALLEL

    II. Jesus Christ, that entire and glorious Corner-stone, unites Jews and Gentiles together; he hath made both one. He made them but one entire house and spiritual building; he cements all believers together in one body, Eph 2:14-15, he makes them, one, in mutual love and affection; makes them all partakers of the same grace, and privileges, and salvation.

    METAPHOR

    III. The Corner-stone is for direction in a building, an underworkman is to take rule from hence. All other Stones must be laid level and even with that, not further out nor in. So that being fitly placed, they know how to proceed from thence.

    PARALLEL

    III. Jesus Christ is a believer's direction, he is our rule by which we must proceed in all spiritual things; that which is not done by Christ's command or example, or by plain rule and direction from him, must be all undone and pulled down again; all must run parallel with the line of Christ's doctrine or example: "Learn of me," Mt 11:28. And in another place, said he, "I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you," Joh 13:15. "Having left us an example that we should follow his steps," 1Pe 2:21.

    METAPHOR

    IV. The Corner-stone preserves the house; hence a builder lays strong and firm stones in the Corner; for experience shows, that most of the dangerous rubs and hurts a house is exposed to, usually fall upon the corner of it, and that keeps off hurt and wrong, that otherwise the rest of the building would sustain.

    PARALLEL

    IV. Christ preserves the Church of God: he receives all the rubs of enemies in his own person, which had they met with us, would soon have broken us to pieces, and defaced our souls. It is he who by his strength keeps those great dangers from us that we continually are exposed to from Satan, sin, and wicked men, and the wrath, of God. All our strength and help is in him: what a great mercy it is, that God, the great Builder, hath chosen such a sure Stone for the Corner. "Thou shalt preserve me from trouble, O Lord; from the hands of the wicked preserve me, from the violent man, who hath purposed to overthrow my goings, Ps 32:7; 140:4.

    METAPHOR

    V. As the Corner-stones are the strongest for bearing and preserving, so the fairest stones for beauty and ornament. If the Corner-stones be graceful, rich, and curiously wrought, the whole building is the more comely. Much art and cost is bestowed on the Corner-stones, they are better and more rich usually than any other.

    PARALLEL

    V. Christ is the beauty of all God's Building; as he bears up and preserves, so he beautifies likewise the Church, and all believers. There would be no comelines in the house of God, all would be but as a deformed heap, were it not for this Corner-stone. What is the glory and beauty of the saints to Jesus Christ? "He is fairer than the children of men," Ps 45:2; Eze 16:14. We have no comeliness but what he puts upon us. God hath spared no cost to place such a rare and choice Stone in the Corner. Christ is the Stone curiously wrought, if I may so say, richly and adorned with the divine nature, "Full of grace and truth," Joh 1:14.

    METAPHOR

    I. Other Corner-stones of all material buildings are inanimate, senseless and lifeless things.

    DISPARITY

    I. Jesus Christ is a living Stone, he hath life in himself, and communicates life unto the whole building; and from hence, believers are called "Lively stones," 1Pe 2:5.

    METAPHOR

    II. Corner-stones of a material house, are fashioned and laid by men.

    DISPARITY

    II. Christ is both fashioned, polished, and laid in the spiritual building by God himself; "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief Corner-stone," 1Pe 2:6.

    METAPHOR

    III. Other stones may drop, or be driven out of the building, or be greatly marred, defaced, and spoiled.

    DISPARITY

    III. Christ is a Stone that cannot be loosed nor disjointed, nor driven out of God's house, by all the skill of men or devils; nor can be marred, spoiled, or any ways hurt.

    METAPHOR

    IV. Corner-stones in a material house, as they strengthen the building; so they also receive strength from the building, and are some security to the Corner.

    DISPARITY

    IV. Christ, the spiritual Corner-stone, receives no strength from any stone or part of the building; what need hath he of help from any of his saints? What can weak believers add of support to him?

    METAPHOR

    V. Other buildings must have many stones for the Corner, cemented and joined together to complete and finish the superstructure, and those stones that are laid for one Corner, will not serve for every Corner of the same house.

    DISPARITY

    V. Christ the Corner-stone, is but one whole entire Stone, yet every Corner of God's house hath the same Stone; and though the building be raised never so high, yet he fully supplieth. each Corner from the bottom to the top, and there needs no other Corner-stone besides himself,

    METAPHOR

    VI. It is rare to see a material building to have Corners laid with precious stones, as jasper, onyx, diamond, &c.

    DISPARITY

    VI. Christ, the Corner-stone of the spiritual building, is a precious Stone: "Behold I lay in Zion a chief Corner-stone, elect and precious," 1Pe 2:6. No jasper, onyx, diamond, or sapphire, is to be compared to him. He is of infinite worth and value, not only so in the opinion and esteem of others, but really so in himself; hence called the "Pearl of great price," Mt 13:46.

    1. He is precious in himself, being God co-equal and co-eternal with the Father; "The express image of his person," Heb 1:3.

    2. That he is so, it appears, in that he is the choice Diamond, the delight and Jewel of his Father's heart, his only-begotten Son, who lay in his bosom.

    3. He is most precious, in that he is preferred so much above angels, and in his being able to undertake the work of our redemption, which none in heaven or earth had worth enough in them to do. Nothing less than this choice and valuable Jewel or precious Stone would be received, as a sufficient price, to satisfy the justice of God, or make full compensation for sin, the breach of God's holy law.

    4. He is most precious in respect of his qualifications; he hath the fulness of the Godhead in him. "It pleased the Father, that in him all fulness should dwell," Joh 1:14.

    5. Hence said to be "Full of grace and truth; God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows," Heb 1:9. He hath not, say divines, the fulness of parts, but the fulness of degrees: there may be some addition made to that fulness that is in believers; but there can be no addition made to his. There is in Christ, not only enough, the fulness of sufficiency, but also the fulness of redundancy. Angels may have no want, but in Christ is an overplus to redound to others. He hath enough to fill thousands and millions of thousands. "Of his fulness we have all received, and grace for grace."

    6. Christ is precious in the esteem of the holy angels; the angelical host, to honour and show their high esteem and awful respect to him, at his birth sang with a loud voice, "Glory to God in the highest." They adore and worship him continually. All the godly regarded, and will for ever esteem him, as the most precious and inestimable Jewel in heaven or earth. The saints in heaven for ever proclaim his glorious worth and praise; they cry, "Power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory, and blessing to the Lamb for ever and ever," Re 5:11-12. To all the saints on earth he is precious. Paul accounted all things as dung, that he might win Christ, Php 3:8-10. The spouse cries out, "He is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand," Song 5:10. Believers have parted with all things in this world freely for his sake; nay, in love to him, and to show how they did adore and honour him, have been made sacrifices in dreadful flames, rather than they would undervalue or deny his holy name. Christ is precious, very precious, most precious, always precious, altogether precious; precious in his nature, precious in his name, that is as precious ointment poured forth; precious in all his offices; his Spirit, grace, word, ordinances, and promises are precious. Can believers value him enough, who is their Life, life external, life internal, and life eternal? Christ is their light, he is their Mediator, Surety, Friend, Food, Clothing, ornaments, Portion, &c., in a word, he is all in all to them.

    METAPHOR

    VII. A house, though its Corners should be laid with precious stones, and pearl, and all the structure suitable, and so thereby may be more glorious and durable than Corner-stones of other buildings, yet may it moulder away be defaced, lose its beauty, and perish.

    DISPARITY

    VII. Christ being a precious Stone, never loses his strength or beauty, as he cannot be defaced by men or devils; eternity itself cannot dissolve this Stone, nor diminish its brightness, Christ is durable: heaven and earth shall fade away, and wax old, like a garment, but Jesus Christ is still the same, and his years fail not; "He is the same yesterday, to day, and for ever," Heb 13:8.

    METAPHOR

    VIII. Other precious Stones are of a small dimension, and of small weight; you may put many of them, the largest that were ever seen, in a small vessel or cabinet.

    DISPARITY

    VIII. Christ Jesus, the spiritual precious Stone, is exceeding great: as God, he is of infinite dimension, filling heaven and earth with his presence. He is large enough for the whole foundation, and every Corner; this one entire Stone serves for all.

    METAPHOR

    IX. Another precious Stone may have many excellent properties in it; but no one hath all virtues, excellencies, forms, and colours in it.

    DISPARITY

    IX. All manner of perfections, virtues, choice and admirable excellencies, meet together in the Lord Jesus; his brightness is far above the brightness of diamonds, his whiteness excels the whiteness of pearls; and there is no medical virtue or quality in any precious stone, but in a spiritual way is far more transcendent in him. He cures the sight, strengthens and cures the heart, makes fruitful, resists poison, &c. See the metaphors, "Pearl of great price, and Foundation."

    INFERENCES.

    I. FROM, hence we may infer, that the church of God is a very rich and glorious building, as it was foretold it should be: "thou afflicted, tossed with tempests, and not comforted; behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and thy foundation with sapphire," Isa 54:11-12.

    II. Ascribe all the beauty and glory of the Church, and of the saints, to the Lord Jesus.

    III. Bless God for this choice and precious Stone of the Corner. The more excellent Christ is, the more it should draw out and enlarge our hearts to bless and praise God for him.

    IV. For trial. Is Christ precious to you? I shall lay down a few rules, whereby you may try yourselves.

    1. Dost thou own Christ to be very God? He cannot be valued nor esteemed by any, as he is in himself, till they thus account of him, and believe in him.

    2. Dost thou honour, adore, and obey him, as thou dost honour, adore, and obey the Father! "All men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father," Joh 5:23.

    3. Is there nothing here below, which thou valuest and prizest above Christ? An hypocrite hath always something that lies in his bosom, which he esteems and prizes more than Christ: "their hearts go after their covetousness," Eze 33:31. The young man went away sorrowful, because the world was uppermost in his affection. If Christ be truly precious to any, he is superlatively precious to them, Mt 19:22.

    4. If God should bid thee ask what thou wilt, as he did Solomon, what wouldst thou request of him? would it be, thinkest thou, this precious Stone, this Christ, this Pearl of great price, to have a right to him, to be like him, to enjoy him, to be with him for ever.

    5. Is Christ much in your thoughts? "Where your treasure is, there your hearts will be also," Mt 6:21.

    6. Hast thou denied thyself of all things, or art thou ready so to do, and to follow him; For whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do account them but dung that I may win Christ," Php 3:8-10.

    7. Canst thou be satisfied with anything thou dost enjoy without him? Canst thou say, with one in another case, yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as 1 see not or have a clear evidence of my interest in Jesus Christ?

    8. Dost thou build wholly upon him? is he all to thee? dost thou see him all in pacification? it was he that appeased the wrath of the Father, satisfied both law and justice. He is all in justification; "Who is the Lord our righteousness." He is all in election, the first and chief of his Father's choice, the way of it: "He hath chosen us in him," Eph 1:4,7. Is he all to thee for acceptation? "who hath made us accepted in the beloved," Ro 5:5. He is all in conversion; it is he that shows us the necessity of it, that doth quicken and beget us by his word and Spirit: it is he that forms a new spirit in us. Is he all to thee for pardon of sin? he purchased pardon: It is by his own blood, viz., that atonement which he hath made, we come to have our sins forgiven. It is he that gives us a heart to ask it, and a hand to receive it. Is Christ all to thee in respect of every grace? he gives faith: it is he that is the Author and Finisher of it: it is he that "sheds love abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost." All grace is treasured up in him, all grace is communicated to us through him. Is he all to thee in the ministry of the word? it is Christ that is preached, it is he that gives grace to preach, and opens the ear to hear the word preached, and helps the soul to receive the word. Is Christ all to thee in ordinances? the Lord's supper holds forth his death, his body broken, and his blood shed. He is the sum and substance of it. Baptism shows his burial, and his resurrection. In ordinances or duties, art thou not satisfied unless thou meetest with Christ Jesus.

    9. Art thou willing to accept of Christ as the Father offers him? Art thou willing to have him to be thy Prince, as well as thy Saviour! to destroy thy sin as well as to save thy soul?

    10. Dost thou long to be like him? Art thou as willing and desirous to be holy, as to be happy? to live to him here, as well as to live with him hereafter? Is every thing in Christ, or that belongs to Christ, precious to thee?

    V. Reproof; this reprehends those that lay aside, and would build without this precious Corner-stone. Who they are, see metaphor, Christ the Foundation.

    VI. Labour to esteem and highly value Jesus Christ. What are all things without him? if he is not precious to thee, nay thy all, all thy profit by him at last will be nothing at all; what wilt thou do at death?

    Qu. Some may say, what shall we do to get Christ? to obtain him who is so precious.

    Let thy sins go. 2. Let all thy righteousness go in point of dependence, do not trust to that. 3. Let all consultations with flesh and blood go, and close immediately with Christ. 4. Improve the means of grace God is pleased to afford thee, attend upon the ministry of the word. Lastly, here is comfort to all true believers: you that have Christ, have all; and let me tell you, you can never have less than all, for this precious Stone can never be taken away from you, having made the blessed choice, that one thing needful with Mary.