and so builds it up with living stones, 1 Pet. 2. 5. Ye are God's building; and building is a progressive work; the church in this world is but in fieri—in the forming, like a house in the building. It is comfort to all those who wish well to the church, that Christ, who has divine wisdom and power, undertakes to build it.
(2.) The foundation on which it is built is, this Rock; Let the architect do his part ever so well, if the foundation be rotten, the building will not stand; let us therefore see what the foundation is, and it must be meant of Christ, for other foundation can no man lay. See Isa. 28. 16.
[1.] The church is built upon a rock; a firm, strong, and lasting foundation, which time will not waste, nor will it sink under the weight of the building. Christ would not build his house upon the sand, for he knew that storms would arise. A rock is high, Ps. 61. 2. Christ's church does not stand upon a level with this world; a rock is large, and extends far, so does the church's foundation; and the more large, the more firm; those are not the church's friends, that narrow its foundations.
[2.] It is built upon this rock; thou art Peter, which signifies a stone or rock; Christ gave him that name when he first called him, (John 1. 42.) and here he confirms it; "Peter, thou dost answer thy name, thou art a solid, substantial disciple, fixed and stayed, and one that there is some hold of. Peter is thy name, and strength and stability are with thee. Thou art not shaken with the waves of men's fluctuating opinions concerning me, but established in the present truth," 2 Pet 1. 12. From the mention of this significant name, occasion is taken for this metaphor of building upon a rock.
First, Some by this rock understand Peter himself as an apostle, the chief, though not the prince, of the twelve; senior among them, but not superior over them. The church is built upon the foundation of the apostles, Eph. 2. 20. The first stones of that building were laid in and by their ministry; hence their names are said to be written in the foundations of the new Jerusalem, Rev. 21. 14. Now Peter being that apostle by whose hand the first stones of the church were laid, both in Jewish converts, (Acts 2.) and in the Gentile converts, (Acts 10.) he might in some sense be said to be the rock on which it was built. Cephas was one that seemed to be a pillar, Gal. 2. 9. But it sounds very harsh, to call a man that only lays the first stone of a building, which is a transient act, the foundation on which it is built, which is an abiding thing. Yet if it were so, this would not serve to support the pretensions of the Bishop of Rome; for Peter had no such headship as he claims, much less could derive it to his successors, least of all to the Bishops of Rome, who, whether they are so in place or no, is a question, but that they are not so in the truth of christianity, is past all question.
Secondly, Others by this rock understand Christ; "Thou art Peter, thou hast the name of a stone, but upon this rock, pointing to himself, I build my church." Perhaps he laid his hand on his breast, as when he said, Destroy this temple, (John 2. 19.) when he spake of the temple of his body. Then he took occasion from the temple, where he was, so to speak of himself, and gave occasion to some to misunderstand him of that; so here he took occasion from Peter, to speak of himself as the Rock, and gave occasion to some to misunderstand him of Peter. But this must be explained by those many scriptures which speak of Christ as the only Foundation of the church; see 1 Cor. 3. 11. 1 Pet 2. 6. Christ is both its Founder and its Foundation; he draws souls, and draws them to himself; to him they are united, and on him they rest and have a constant dependence.
Thirdly, Others by this rock understand this confession which Peter made of Christ, and this comes all to one with understanding it of Christ himself. It was a good confession which Peter witnessed, Thou art Christ the Son of the living God; the rest concurred with him in it. "Now," saith Christ, "this is that great truth upon which I will build my church." 1. Take away this truth itself, and the universal church falls to the ground. If Christ be not the Son of God, christianity is a cheat, and the church is a mere chimera; our preaching is vain, your faith is vain, and you are yet in your sins, 1 Cor. 15. 14, 17. If Jesus be not the Christ, these that own him are not of the church, but deceivers and deceived. 2. Take away the faith and confession of this truth from any particular church, and it ceases to be a part of Christ's church, and relapses to the state and character of infidelity. This is articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae—that article, with the admission or the denial of which the church either rises or falls; "the main hinge on which the door of salvation turns;" those who let go this, do not hold the foundation; and though they may call themselves christians, they give themselves the lie; for the church is a sacred society, incorporated upon the certainty and assurance of this great truth; and great it is, and has prevailed.
2. Christ here promises to preserve and secure his church, when it is built; The gates of hell shall not prevail against it; neither against this truth, nor against the church which is built upon it.
(1.) This implies that the church has enemies that fight against it, and endeavour its ruin and overthrow, here represented by the gates of hell, that is, the city of hell; (which is directly opposite to this heavenly city, this city of the living God;) the devil's interest among the children of men. The gates of hell are the powers and policies of the devil's kingdom, the dragon's heads and horns, by which he makes war with the Lamb; all that comes out of hell-gates, as being hatched and contrived there. These fight against the church by opposing gospel-truths, corrupting gospel-ordinances, persecuting good ministers and good christians; drawing or driving, persuading by craft or forcing by cruelty, to that which is inconsistent with the purity of religion: this is the design of the gates of hell, to root out the name of christianity, (Ps. 83. 4.) to devour the man child, (Rev. 12. 9.) to raze this city to the ground.
(2.) This assures us that the enemies of the church shall not gain their point. While the world stands, Christ will have a church in it, in which his truths and ordinances shall be owned and kept up, in spite of all the opposition of the powers of darkness; They shall not prevail against it, Ps. 129. 1, 2. This gives no security to any particular church, or church-governors, that they shall never err, never apostatize or be destroyed; but that somewhere or other the christian religion shall have a being, though not always in the same degree of purity and splendour, yet so as that the entail of it shall never be quite cut off. The woman lives, though in a wilderness, (Rev. 12. 14.) cast down, but not destroyed, (2 Cor. 4. 9.) as dying, and behold we live, 2 Cor. 6. 9. Corruptions grieving, persecutions grievous, but neither fatal. The church may be foiled in particular encounters, but in the main battle it shall come off more than a conqueror. Particular believers are kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation, 1 Pet. 1. 5.
Secondly, The other part of this charter is, to settle the order and government of the church, v. 19. When a city or society is incorporated, officers are appointed and empowered to act for the common good. A city without government is a chaos. Now this constituting of the government of the church, is here expressed by the delivering of the keys, and, with them, a power to bind and loose. This is not to be understood of any peculiar power that Peter
