INTRODUCTION TO THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Here we have "forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake (Ev Xotor) hath forgiven you," in the first quotation, substantially repeated in the second. But in the second the sentence is broken by the interposition of a new clause, "If any man have a quarrel against any;" and the latter part is a little varied; instead of "God in Christ," it is "Christ hath forgiven you."

Ephes. iv. 22-24: "That ye put off, concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness."

Colos. iii. 9, 10: "Seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him." In these quotations, "putting off the old man, and putting on the new," appears in both. The idea is farther explained by calling it a renewal; in the one," renewed in the spirit of your mind," in the other, "renewed in knowledge." In both, the new man is said to be formed according to the same model; in the one, he is "after God created in righteousness and true holiness;" in the other, "he is renewed after the image of him who created him." In a word, it is the same person writing upon a kindred subject, with the terms and ideas which he had before employed still floating in his memory.

In these comparisons we often perceive the reason why the writer, though expressing the same idea, uses a different term; namely, because the term before used is employed in the sentence under a different form: thus, in the quotations under our eye, the new man is katoc ανθρωπος in the Ephesians, and τον νεον in the Colossians ; but then it is because τον καινον is used in the next word, avakaivovμevov, being renewed.

Ephes. v. 6-8: "Because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience: be not ye therefore partakers with them; for ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light."

Colos. iii. 6-8: "For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience; in the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these."

These verses afford a specimen of that partial resemblance which is only to be met with when no imitation is designed, when no studied recollection is employed; but when the mind, exercised upon the same subject, is left to the spontaneous return of such terms and phrases as, having been used before, may happen to present themselves again. The sentiment of both passages is throughout alike; half of that sentiment, the denunciation of God's wrath, is expressed in identical words; the other half, viz. the admonition to quit their former conversation, in words entirely different.

Ephes. v. 15, 16: "See then that ye walk circumspectly; not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time."

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Colos. iv. 5: "Walk in wisdom towards them that are without, redeeming the time." This is another example of that mixture which we remarked of sameness and variety in the language of one writer. Redeeming the time” (εξαγοραζόμενοι τον καιρον), is a literal repetition. "Walk not as fools, but as wise" (Tεpiatete un wc aσopoi, add' ws σopoɩ), answers exactly in sense, and nearly in terms, to "walk in wisdom" (Ev σopia Epiπατειτε). Περιπατείτε ακριβως is a very different phrase, but is intended to convey precisely the same idea as περιπατείτε προς τους εξω. Ακριβως is not well rendered " circumspectly." It means what in modern speech we should call "correctly;" and when we advise a person to behave "correctly," our advice is always given with a reference "to the opinion of others, προς τους εξω. "Walk correctly, redeeming the time," i. e. suiting yourselves to the difficulty and ticklishness of the times in which we live, "because the days are evil.” Ephes. vi. 19, 20: "And (praying) for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds, that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Colos. iv. 3, 4: "Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak."

In these quotations the phrase, "as I ought to speak" (we dei μe daλnoai), the words "utterance" (Aoyoç), "a mystery" (uvorηolov), "open" (avoin and ev avoie), are the same. "To make known the mystery of the gospel" (yvwpisal To μvorηpiov), answers to "make it manifest” (ίνα φανερωσω αυτό); “ for which I am an ambassador in bonds” (ὑπερ οὗ πρεσβευω εν ἁλυσει), to " for which I am also in bonds” (δι' ὁ και δεδεμαι).

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INTRODUCTION TO THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Ephes. v. 22: "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as unto the Lord; 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. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word; 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. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife, loveth himself; for no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church; for we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother, and be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even.as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honour thy father and thy mother (which is the first commandment with promise), that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on the earth. And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men; knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free." And ye, masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening; knowing that your Master also is in heaven, neither is there respect of persons with him."

Colos. iii. 18: "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God: and whatever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done; and there is no respect of persons. Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven."

The

passages marked by italics in the quotation from the Ephesians bear a strict resemblance, not only in signification but in terms, to the quotation from the Colossians. Both the words and the order of the words are in many clauses a duplicate of one another. In the epistle to the Colossians these passages are laid together; in that to the Ephesians, they are divided by intermediate matter, especially by a long digressive allusion to the mysterious union between Christ and his church; which possessing, as Mr. Locke hath well observed, the mind of the apostle, from being an incidental thought grows up into the principal subject. The affinity between these two passages, in signification, in terms, and in the order of the words, is closer than can be pointed out between any parts of any two epistles in the volume.

If the reader would see how the same subject is treated by a different hand, and how distinguishable it is from the production of the same pen, let him turn to the second and third chapters of the first Epistle of St. Peter. The duties of servants, of wives, and of husbands, are enlarged upon in that epistle, as they are in the epistle to the Ephesians; but the subjects both occur in a different order, and the train of sentiment subjoined to each is totally unlike.

3. In two letters issuing from the same person, nearly at the same time, and upon the same general occasion, we may expect to trace the influence of association in the order in which the topics follow one another. Certain ideas universally or usually suggest others. Here the order is what we call natural, and from such an order nothing can be concluded. But when the order is arbitrary, yet alike, the concurrence indicates the effect of that principle, by which ideas, which have been once joined, commonly revisit the thoughts together. The epistles under consideration furnish the two following remarkable instances of this species of agreement.

Ephes. iv. 24: “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness: wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour, for we are members one of another."

INTRODUCTION TO THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Colos. iii. 9: "Lie not one to another; seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge."

The vice of "lying," or a correction of that vice, does not seem to bear any nearer relation to the "putting on the new man," than a reformation in any other article of morals. Yet these two ideas we see stand in both epistles in immediate connexion.

Ephes. v. 20, 21, 22: “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord."

Colos. iii. 17: "Whatsoever ye do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord."

In both these passages submission follows giving of thanks, without any similitude in the ideas which should account for the transition.

It is not necessary to pursue the comparison between the two epistles farther. The argument which results from it stands thus: No two other epistles contain a circumstance which indicates that they were written at the same, or nearly at the same, time. No two other epistles exhibit so many marks of correspondency and resemblance. If the original which we ascribe to these two epistles be the true one, that is, if they were both really written by St. Paul, and both sent to their respective destination by the same messenger, the similitude is, in all points, what should be expected to take place. If they were forgeries, then the mention of Tychicus in both epistles, and in a manner which shows that he either carried or accompanied both epistles, was inserted for the purpose of accounting for their similitude: or else, the structure of the epistles was designedly adapted to the circumstance: or lastly, the conformity between the contents of the forgeries, and what is thus directly intimated concerning their date, was only a happy accident. Not one of these three suppositions will gain credit with a reader who peruses the epistles with attention, and who reviews the several examples we have pointed out, and the observations with which they were accompanied.

SECTION II.

of

There is such a thing as a peculiar word or phrase cleaving, as it were, to the memory a writer or speaker, and presenting itself to his utterance at every turn. When we observe this we call it a cant word, or a cant phrase. It is a natural effect of habit, and would ap pear more frequently than it does, had not the rules of good writing taught the ear to be offended with the iteration of the same sound, and oftentimes caused us to reject, on that account, the word which offered itself first to our recollection. With a writer who, like St. Paul, either knew not these rules, or disregarded them, such words will not be avoided. The truth is, an example of this kind runs through several of his epistles, and in the epistle before us abounds; and that is in the word riches (λovroc), used metaphorically as an augmentative of the idea to which it happens to be subjoined. Thus "the riches of his glory," "his riches in glory," "riches of the glory of his inheritance," "riches of the glory of this mystery," Rom. ix. 23, Ephes. iii. 16, Ephes. i. 18, Colos. i. 27; "riches of his grace," twice in the Ephesians, chap. i. 7, and ii. 7; "riches of the full assurance of understanding," Colos. ii. 2; "riches of his goodness," Rom. ii. 4; "riches of the wisdom of God," Rom. xi. 33; "riches of Christ," Ephes. iii. 8. In a like sense the adjective, Rom. x. 12: "Rich unto all that call upon him;" Ephes. ii. 4: "Rich in mercy;" 1 Tim. vi. 18: "Rich in good works." Also the adverb, Colos. iii. 16: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." This figurative use of the word, though so familiar to St. Paul, does not occur in any part of the New Testament, except once in the Epistle of St. James, ii. 5: "Hath not God chosen the poor world rich in faith?" where it is manifestly suggested by the antithesis. I propose the fre quent, yet seemingly unaffected, use of this phrase in the epistle before us, as one internal mark of its genuineness.

of this

SECTION III.

There is another singularity in St. Paul's style which, wherever it is found, may be deemed a badge of authenticity; because, if it were noticed, it would not, I think, be imitated, inasmuch as it almost always produces embarrassment and interruption in the reasoning.

INTRODUCTION TO THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

This singularity is a species of digression which may probably, I think, be denominated going off at a word. It is turning aside from the subject upon the occurrence of some particular word, forsaking the train of thought then in hand, and entering upon a parenthetic sentence in which that word is the prevailing term. I shall lay before the reader some examples of this, collected from the other epistles, and then propose two examples of it which are found in the Epistle to the Ephesians. 2 Cor. ii. 14, at the word savour: "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. (For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish; to the one we are the savour of death unto death, and to the other the savour of life unto life; and who is sufficient for these things?) For we are not as many which corrupt the word of God, but as of sincerity, but as of God; in the sight of God speak we in Christ." Again, 2 Cor. iii. 1, at the word epistle: "Need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or of commendation from you? (Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men; forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart.)" The position of the words in the original shows, more strongly than in the translation, that it was the occurrence of the word σToλŋ which gave birth to the sentence as follows, 2 Cor. iii. 1: Eɩ μn χρήζομεν, ὡς τινες, συστατικών επιστολων προς ύμας, η εξ ύμων συστατικών; ἡ επιστολη ήμων ύμεις εστε, εγγεγραμμένη εν ταις καρδίαις ἡμων, γινωσκόμενη και αναγινωσκόμενη ύπο πάντων ανθρωπων φανερούμενοι ότι εστε επιστολή Χριστου διακονηθεῖσα ὑφ' ήμων, εγγεγραμμένη ου μελανι, αλλα πνευματι θεου ζωντος, ουκ εν πλαξι λίθιναις, αλλ' εν πλαξι καρδίας

σαρκιναίς.

Again, 2 Cor. iii. 12, &c., at the word vail: "Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: and not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished. But their minds were blinded; for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, which vail is done away in Christ; but even unto this day, when Moses is read, the rail is upon their heart; nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away (now the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Eberty). But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not."

Who sees not that this whole allegory of the vail arises entirely out of the occurrence of the word, in telling us that "Moses put a vail over his face," and that it drew the apostle away from the proper subject of his discourse, the dignity of the office in which he was engaged? which subject he fetches up again almost in the words with which he had left it: "Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not." The sentence which he had before been going on with, and in which he had been interrupted by the rail, was, "Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech." In the Epistle to the Ephesians the reader will remark two instances in which the same habit of composition obtains; he will recognise the same pen. One he will find, chap. iv. 8-11, at the word ascended: Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles," &c.

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The other appears, chap. v. 12-15, at the word light: "For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret: but all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light (for whatsoever doth make manifest, is light; wherefore he saith, Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light): see then that ye walk circumspectly."

SECTION IV.

As our epistle purports to have been written during St. Paul's imprisonment at Rome, which lies beyond the period to which the Acts of the Apostles brings up his history, and as we have seen and acknowledged that the epistle contains no reference to any transaction at

INTRODUCTION TO THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

Ephesus during the apostle's residence in that city, we cannot expect that it should supply many marks of agreement with the narrative. One coincidence, however, occurs, and a coincidence of that minute and less obvious kind, which, as hath been repeatedly observed, is of all others the most to be relied upon.

Chap. vi. 19, 20, we read, "Praying for me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds." "In bonds," ev áλvou, in a chain. In the twenty-eighth chapter of the Acts we are informed that Paul, after his arrival at Rome, was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him. Dr. Lardner has shown that this mode of custody was in use amongst the Romans, and that whenever it was adopted, the prisoner was bound to the soldier by a single chain: in reference to which St. Paul, in the twentieth verse of this chapter, tells the Jews, whom he had assembled, "For this cause, therefore, have I called for you, to see you and to speak with you, because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain,” tηv åλvoi taνTYV περίκειμαι. It is in exact conformity therefore with the truth of St. Paul's situation at the time, that he declares of himself in the epistle, peoßevw ev áλvσel. And the exactness is the more remarkable, as áλvoç (a chain) is no where used in the singular number to express any other kind of custody. When the prisoner's hands or feet were bound together, the word was deopot (bonds); Acts xxvi. 29. When the prisoner was confined between two soldiers, as in the case of Peter, Acts xii. 6, two chains were employed; and it is said, upon his miraculous deliverance, that the "chains (åλvσuç, in the plural) fell from his hands.'

If it can be suspected that the writer of the present epistle, who in no other particular appears to have availed himself of the information concerning St. Paul delivered in the Acts, had, in this verse, borrowed the word which he read in that book, and had adapted his expression to what he found there recorded of St. Paul's treatment at Rome; in short, that the coincidence here noted was effected by craft and design, I think it a strong reply, to remark that in the parallel passage of the Epistle to the Colossians the same allusion is not preserved; the words there are, "praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds," di' ó kaι dedeμai. After what has been shown in a preceding section, there can be little doubt that these two epistles were written by the same person.