15

Wherefore I also, having heard of your faith in the 16 Lord Jesus, and love toward all the saints, cease not to

*

give thanks for you; making mention of you in my 17 prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of 18 revelation, in the knowledge of him your mind being enlightened,

that, the eyes of ye may know what is

the hope of his having called you, and what are the 19 glorious riches of his inheritance among the saints; and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty 20 strength, which he shewed in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and seated him at his own right hand in 21 the heavenly places; far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name which is named, not only in this age, but in that also which is 22 to come; and put all things in subjection under his feet, and appointed him head over all things in the church, 23 which is his body, that which filleth up him †† who filleth

the spirit, N.

† Gr. heart, N. m. understanding, R. T.

the eyes, etc., that ye may know, N. In the figurative language of the apostle, all who enjoy the light of divine revelation, whether Jews or Christians, are said to dwell in heaven. See ch. ii. 6. And the unbelieving world are spoken of as inhabitants of earth. But the Jewish notion of heaven, borrowed not from divine revelation, which is silent upon the subject, but from the Oriental philosophy, which they appear to have imbibed in the Babylonian captivity, (see Mr. Lindsey's valuable observations in the Sequel to his Apology, p. 456, and seq.) represented the celestial world as peopled by myriads of beings who were of different ranks and orders,-angels, archangels principalities. powers, etc. Agreeably to this figurative representation, Jesus Christ is said, after his resurrection, to be seated at the right hand of God in heaven, i, e. to be advanced to the highest dignity in the Christian dispensation: above all principality, power and might, etc.; that is, above all the officers and ministers of the Jewish or Christian dispensation, expressed by the well-known phraseology of the present age and the age to come. This interpretation makes the apostle's discourse consistent, intelligible, and pertinent, but it gives no countenance either to the commonly received opinion of the existence of a celestial hierarchy, or the po pular doctrine of the superiority of Christ to angels and other supposed celestials irits "The gospel dispensation," says Mr. Lindsey, p. 464, "is represented under theidea a new regulation of these heavenly communities, in which Christ is placed at thehea of all."

¶ world, N. See N. m.

Or, the fulness of him, N. 1.

CH. all his members with all things. And God hath given life II. to you (who were dead in offences and sins*, in which 2 ye formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the powerful ruler of the air ‡, and of the spirit which now worketh in the sons of disobe3 dience among whom all of us likewise lived formerly, in the desires of our flesh, fulfilling the will of the flesh, and of our minds; and were by nature children of 4 anger, even as others: but God, who is rich in mercy, 5 for his great love with which he loved us, when we were dead in offences, hath given life, I say, to us also) to6 gether with Christ, (by favour¶ ye are saved,) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in the 7 heavenly places ††, through Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his favour¶, in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by favour are ye saved through faith: and this salva9 tion is not from yourselves: it is the gift of God: not

Some connect this clause with the preceding verse. q. d. who filleth all his mem bers with all things, even you, who were dead in offences and sins. See Hallet's Observ. vol. i. p. 49. Chandler in loc.

+ Manner, Wakefield. The state, or constitution, of the gentile world. Newcome. As Jews and Christians residing (figuratively) in heaven, are represented as constituting a polity under the government of angels, principalities, and powers, etc. so the unevangelized world are a polity under the government of a fictitious personage called Satan, the ruler of the air, etc. and his angels. This whole imagery is borrowed from the Oriental philosophy, and is not to be taken in a literal sense. See Mr. Lindsey; ubi supra.

In our original state, before our conversion. Compare Gal. ii. 15. Heirs of the divine displeasure, on account of our actual vices." Newcome. Or, children of anger" may signify persons of wrathful dispositions, as sons of disobedience, ver. 2, means the disobedient.

¶ i. e. gratuitous goodness, N. m.

++ As ch. i. 20, it is said that God hath seated Christ at his own right hand in heavenly places, so here it is also said, that God hath raised us up, and made us sit together in heavenly places. "Where," says Mr. Lindsey (ibid. p. 469.) “it is observable that these Christians are actually supposed to be in heaven, and this change and exaltation to be effected whilst the apostles were alive. No real elevation therefore is intended, either of Christ, or his apostles, or the first Christians; but it is the dress and clothing which the writer gives to the subject, to raise in his readers the most exalted ideas of the gospel, and of the mighty power of God by which it was propagated."

10 from works, lest any man should glory *. For we are his workmanship, having been created through Christ Jesus to good works, in which God before designed that we should walk.

11

Wherefore remember that ye, formerly gentiles in the flesh, (who are called the uncircumcision by that which is 12 called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands; remember, I say, that ye then) were without Christ, being aliens from the citizenship of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God 13 in the world. But now through Christ Jesus ye, who

formerly were far off, are brought near by the blood of 14 Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one,

and hath broken down the middle wall of partition be15 tween us; (having abolished by his flesh the cause of enmity, even the law of the commandments consisting in ordinances, to make in himself of the two one new 16 man, thus causing peace; and to reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having destroyed by it 17 their enmity ;) and hath come and proclaimed the glad tidings of peace to you that were far off, and to those 18 that were near. For through him we both have access by one spirit to the Father.

19

So then ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of 20 God; having been built on the foundation of the apostles

and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cor21 ner-stone; by which all the building, being fitly framed together, groweth to an holy temple through the Lord: 22 by which ye also are built together, for an habitation of God through the spirit.

* Or, so that no man can glory. N. m.

Jews and gentiles are harmoniously united in that dispensation, which is ratified by the death of Christ, and by which the burthensome ritual of Moses was superseded, as the apostle asserts more particularly in the following verses.

Or, create, N. m.

"In his mystical body, the church." Newcome

CH. 111. For this cause I Paul, a prisoner on account of Je2 sus Christ for preaching to you gentiles; (since ye have

heard the gracious dispensation of God, which is given 3 me toward you; that by revelation the mystery was made 4 known to me, as I have written before in few words, by which, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge 5 in the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the spirit; 6 namely, that the gentiles should be joint-heirs, and a joint body, and joint-partakers of his promise in Christ, 7 by the gospel; of which I have been made a minister, according to the gift of that favour† of God which hath been bestowed on me, according to the mighty working 8 of his power: on me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this favour hath been bestowed, that I should preach among the gentiles the unsearchable riches of 9 Christ; and should clearly manifest to all what is the dispensation of the mystery ‡, which from the beginning of the world was hidden in God, who hath created all 10 things. To the intent that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known, by the church, to the prin 11 cipalities and powers in the heavenly places; according to the eternal purpose which he formed through Christ

The apostle's expressions here, and in ver. 4, seem to indicate that the Christians to whom this epistle was addressed, were not personally known to him; and therefore favour the supposition that the epistle was sent to the Laodiceans, and not to the Ephesians.

+ Gr. gift of the grace, N. m.

fellowship of the mystery, R. T.

The words "by Jesus Christ" in the received text, and inclosed by the Primate in brackets, are not to be found in the Alexandrian, Vatican, Ephrem, or Clermont manuscripts, nor in the Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopic, Italic or Vulgate versions, and are plainly an interpolation, perhaps a marginal gloss introduced into the text. But if they were genuine, archbishop Newcome justly observes that "the sense most suitable to the place is this, Who hath created all things, that is, Jews and gentiles, anew to holiness of life. See ch. ii. 10, 15; iv. 24."

"The angels." See 1 Pet. i. 12. So Abp. Newcome, with the generality of inter preters. But the more probable meaning is, that even the priests and teachers of the Jewish church should see and acknowledge the wisdom of God in the conciliatory spirit of the gospel dispensation. Acts vi. 7. See Eph. i. 20; ii. 6. and the notes there.

according to a pre-disposition of the ages. Wakefield.

12 Jesus our Lord; through whom we have freedom of

speech, and access with confidence by faith in him: 13 wherefore I entreat that ye faint not at my afflictions for 14 you, which are your glory: I say, for this cause I) bow 15 my knees to the Father [of our Lord Jesus Christ,] of

whom the whole family in heaven and upon earth is 16 named, to grant you, according to his glorious richest,

that ye may be strengthened with might by his spirit in 17 the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by

faith; so that being rooted and grounded in love, ye, 18 and all the saints, may be able to comprehend what is

the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, of this 19 mystery; and to know the surpassing love of the knowledge of Christ, so that ye may be filled with all the fulness of God.

20

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly¶ above all which we ask or think, according to the 21 power which worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all generations**, for ever and ever. Amen.

CH. IV. I THEREFORE, a prisoner on account of the Lord, beseech you, that ye walk in a manner worthy of the call2 ing with which ye have been called; with all humility

of mind and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing with 3 one another in love; earnestly endeavouring to preserve 4 the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, even as ye have been called

*heaven and earth, i.e. the body of believers collected from Jews and gentiles. See ch. i. 10, and Mr. Locke's note.

+ Gr. the riches of his glory, N. m.

That is, the exceeding love of God in bringing us to the knowledge of Christ. Locke. This is the reading of the Alexandrian manuscript. See Griesbach, and Lindsey's Second Address, p. 236. The Primate's translation is, the love of Christ which indeed surpasseth knowledge."

Or, into all the fulness of God, i. e. that ye may be admitted into the Christian church. See Schleusner.

¶very abundantly, N. See Wakefield.

** Gr. generations of the age [of ages], N. m