LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY PRINCETON, N. J. PRESENTED BY MRS. 3. H. SMITH MORRISTOWN, N.J. Diz'isioii...i2'-'^- L. VO 1 3 Section.T...JA..ij^.O> Every thing conspires to favour the assumption that it was written at Rome, which until a recent period has been the universally received opinion. In the first place, it is clear that the Epistles to the Ephesians, to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the PhiliiDpiaus, all be- long to the same period. As to the first three, it is expressly stated that they were sent together by Tychicus and Onesimus. Comp. Eph. 6, 21. Col. 4, 7-9. Philem. v. 12. And that the fourth belongs to the same period is plain, 1. Because Timothy is mentioned as being with Paul when he wrote to the Phi- lippiaus, and he was with him when he wrote to the Colossians and to Philemon. 2. Because he enjoyed great liberty of preaching at the time when the Epistle to the Philippians was written, PhU. 1, 13 ; and so he did when that to the Ephesians was written. Eph. 6, 20. 3. Because he expresses both to the Philippians and to Philemon the expectation of being soon set at liberty. Phil. 2, 11. Philem. v. 22. If, therefore, one of these letters was written from Rome, they all were. But it is almost certain that the Epistle to the Philippians at least, was written during his imprisonment at Rome. In ch. 1, 12, 13, be says, " The things which happened unto me have fallen out 1* X INTKODIICTIOJSr. rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds are manifest in all the palace and in all other places." Even admit- ting tiiat the word TrpatTojptov here used, does not necessarily re- fer either to the well known pretorian camp at Rome, or to the imperial palace, yet, when taken in connection with what is said in ch. 4, 22, there is little doubt that the reference is to the place of abode of the pretorian guard in immediate attend- ance on the Emperor. The phrase ol Ik t>)s Katcrapos oiKtas, can only mean, those of Gcesarh household; and as they sent their salutations to the Philippians, there is no reasonable doubt that the Epistle to the church in Philippi was written at Rome. If, therefore, it was during the same imprisonment that he wrote the four epistles above mentioned, then it follows that the Epistle to the Ephesians was written from Rome. In the second place, every thing contained in the Epistles to the Ephesians, Colossians, and to Philemon, which are admitted to belong to the same period, agrees with this assumption. 1. The persons mentioned in these epistles are known to have been with the apostle at Rome, but are not known to have been with him at Cassarea. 2. Paul, according to Acts 28, 30, 31, enjoyed liberty to preach the gospel at Rome, but it is not known that he had that liberty in Caesarea. 3. He had at Rome the prospect of being soon set at liberty, which he did not enjoy during his imprisonment under Felix and Festus. 4. The reasons assigned by the few modern critics who refer these epistles to the time of his confinement at Caesarea, have very little weight. It is said that Onesimus, a fugitive slave, would more probably seek refuge in Ccesarea than in a place so distant as Rome ; that it is to be inferred from Eph. 6, 21, that Paul expected the Epis- tle to the Colossians to reach its destination before the letter to the Ephesians came into their hands. This would be the case if Tychicus travelled from Csesarea, not if Rome was his point of departure. Besides, it is said, that Paul cherished the purpose to visit Spain as soon as he obtained his liberty at Rome ; whereas he wrote to Philemon that he hoped to see him soon at Colosse ; whence it is inferred that he could not have been in Rome when he wrote that letter. The two formei INTKODUCTION. XI of these reasons have no force. If the third proves any thing with regard to the date of the Epistle to Philemon, it proves the same respecting that to the Philippians, because in that also he expresses the hope of being soon at Philippi. These expressions only prove that the apostle had been led to postpone the execu- tion of the purpose which he had formed long before of visiting Spain. There soems, therefore, to be no reason to depart from the commonly received opinion that the Epistle to the Ephe- siaus was written from Kome. § IV. The persons to loliom this Epistle was addressed. As to this point there are three opinions. 1. That it was addressed to the Ephesiaus. 2. That it was addressed to the Laodiceans. 3. That it was a circular letter designed for all the churches in that part of Asia Minor. In favour of the first of these opinions it is urged, 1. That the epistle is directed rots ova-iv Iv Etfiea-w to those who are in Ephesus. If this is the true reading, it settles the question, at least so far as this, that whatever may have been its further destination, it was primarily designed for the church in Ephe- sus. That the reading above given is the true one, is proved because it is found in all extant MSS., in all the ancient ver- sions, and in all the Fathers. This array of external evidence is decisive. No critic would venture to alter the text against these authorities. The only opposing evidence of a critical nature is, that it appears from the comment of Basil that the words £v E^e'o-o) were not in the copy which he used, and that in the MS. B. they stand in the margin and not in the text, and in MS. 67, they are inserted as a correction. This is alto- gether insufficient to outweigh the concurrent testimony above mentioned. On all critical principles, therefore, the reading e'v Ee^e'crw must be pronounced genuine. 2. That this epistle was addressed to the Ephesians is proved by the concurrent testimony of the ancient church. This Basil does not question ; he only explains toIs ova-iv in such a way as to show that they were not followed in his copy by the words Iv 'Ec^iaw. These two considerations would seem to Xll INTEODrCTION. be decisive. How came the epistle to be addressed to the Ephesians, if not designed for them ? How came the whole ancient church to regard it as addressed to the church in Eph- osus, if such were not the fact ? It is a fundamental principle in historical criticism to allow greater weight to historical testi- mony than to conjectures drawn from circumstantial evidence. The objections to this view are : 1. That there is evidence that in some of the ancient MSS. no longer extant, the words ii' E(pi(Tw were not in the text. 2. That although Paul was personally so well acquainted with the Ephesian Christians, he speaks as though he were a stranger to them and they to him. The passages, however, cited in proof of this point, admit of an interpretation perfectly consistent with the common hypo- thesis. When Paul speaks in ch. 1, 15, of having heard of their faith and love, he may refer to the intelligence which had reached him at Rome. And the expression in ch. 3, 2, ctye aKovaare does not necessarily express doubt of their knowledge of him or of his being an apostle. 3. It is objected that the epistle contains no reference to the peculiar circimistances of the Ephesians. It is so general, that it might as well be ad- dressed to one church as another. 4. It contains no salutations from Paul or from his companions to any one in Ephesus. 5, It contemplates exclusively heathen Christians, whereas the church in Ephesus was composed of both Jewish and Grentile converts. The facts on which these last three arguments are founded are undoubtedly true and very remarkable, and cer- tainly distinguish this epistle from all others addressed by Paul to particular churches. They prove, however, nothing more than that the apostle's object in writing this epistle was peculiar. They cannot be allowed to outweigh the direct criti- cal and historical testimony in support of the fact that it was addressed to the Ephesians. In favour of the hypothesis that this epistle was written to the church in Laodieea, it is urged : 1. That Marcion so en- titled it. But Marcion was a notorious falsifier of Scripture. 2. That in Col. 4, 16, it is said, " When this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the JNTEODUCTION. Xlll Laodiceans, and that ye also read ihe epistle from Laodicea." It cannot, however, be inferred that " the epistle from Laodi- cea" was an epistle which Paul wrote to Laodicea ; much lesd that the epistle intended was the one addressed to the Ephe- sians. Paul may have written to the Laodiceans a letter which is no longer extant. 3. It is urged that on this hypothesis all the peculiarities of the epistle can be readily explained. But those peculiarities can be explained without resorting to a hy- pothesis destitute of all historical foundation. The assumption that this epistle was not designed specially for any one church, but intended equally for all the churches in that part of Asia Minor, has met with more favour. This view, first suggested by Archbishop Usher, has been adopted, variously modified, by Bengel, Benson, Mich^elis, Eichhorn, Koppe, Hug, Flatt, Guericke, Neander, Olshausen and many others. The great objection to it is the overwhelming authority in favour of the reading iv E^eo-w in the salutation, and the unanimous testimony of the early church. Perhaps the most probable solution of the problem is, that the epistle was written to the Ephesians and addressed to them, but being intended specially for the Gentile Christians as a class, rather than for the Ephe- sians as a church, it was designedly thrown into such a form as to suit it to all such Christians in the neighbouring churches, to whom no doubt the apostle wished it to be communicated. This would account for the absence of any reference to the peculiar circumstances of the saints in Ephesus. This seems to have been substantially the opinion of Beza, who says : Suspicor non tarn ad Ephesios ipsos proprie missam epistolam, quam ad Ephesum, ut ad cseteras Asiaticas eeclesias transmitteretur. § V. The relation between this Epistle and that to the Colossians. This relation is, in the first place, one of remarkable simi- larity. This similarity is observable, 1. In the occurrence in both epistles of the same words and forms of expressions. 2. In passages which are identical in thought and language. 3. XIV INTRODUCTION. In passages in wtich the thought is the same and the expression is varied. 4. In others where the same topic is more fully handled in the one epistle than in the other. 5. In passages in which different topics follow each other in the same order. In the second place, although there are these striking points of resemblance between the two epistles?, there are no less striking points of difference. 1. While the Epistle to the Colossians has every indication of having been written to a particular congregation and in reference to their peculiar circumstances, the absence of these features is the most marked characteristic of the Epistle to the Ephesians. 2. In the Epistle to the Ephe- sians the doctrinal element prevails over the practical ; in the Epistle to the Colossians it is just the reverse. 3. The main object of the Epistle to the Colossians is to warn the church against " philosophy falsely so called." Of this there is no indication in Vne Epistle to the Ephesians ; the great design of which is to unfold the glories of the plan of redemption as em- bracing both Jews and Gentiles, and designed to be the great medium for the manifestation of the grace and wisdom of God to all intelligent creatures. 4. There are, therefore, topics discussed in the one epistle, to which there is nothing to cor- respond in the other. 5. The order of sequence, or the con- catenation of subjects, except in the case of some particular exhortations, is entirely different in the two epistles. 6. The Epistle to the Ephesians has much greater unity than that to the Colossians. This evidently arose from the different pur- poses with which they are written. In the third place, the two epistles are evidently indepen- dent the one of the other. Each is a complete whole. In each one topic flows naturally from another, the association of ideas in every case being clearly indicated. Neither is a patchwork, but both are a closely woven web. All these characteristics of similarity, dissimilarity, and mutual independence, are naturally accounted for on the as- sumption that the two epistles were written at the same time, the one for a particular congregation, the other for a particu- lar class of readers. INTEODUCTION. XV ^ VI. The Genuineness of the Ejpisile. 1. The epistle announces itself as written by Paul the Apostle. 2. There is nothing in its contents inconsistent with the assumption of his being its author. 3. All the incidental references which it contains to the office, character and circum- stances of the writer, agree with what is known to be true con- cerning Paul. The writer was an apostle, an apostle of the Gentiles, a prisoner, one to whom Tychicus stood in the rela- tion of a companion and fellow-labourer. 4. The style, the doctrines, the sentiments, the spirit, the character revealed, are those of Paul. 5. The whole ancient church received it as genuine. As to this point the judgment of the early ages is unanimous. Even Marcion, though he dissented from the common opinion as to its destination, admitted its Pauline origin. 6. Finally and mainly, the epistle reveals itself as the work of the Holy Ghost, as clearly as the stars declare their maker to be God. In no portion of the Sacred Scriptures are the self-evidencing light and power of divine truth more con- centrated than they are here. Had it been first discovered in the nineteenth century, in a forsaken monastery, it would com- mand the faith of the whole church. The genuineness of this epistle, therefore, has never been doubted, except by a few modern critics to whom nothing is sacred. These critics object : 1. That Paul was familiarly acquainted with the Ephesians, whereas the writer of this epis- tle had only heard of their conversion and of their faith and love. This objection is fully met by showing that the ex- pressions referred to, may be understood of information received by Paul, during his long imprisonment, first at Cassarea, and afterwards at Rome; or, on the assumption that the epistle, though addressed to the Ephesians, was designed for a large class of readers, with many of whom Paul had no personal acquaintance. 2. They object that this epistle is merely a verbose imitation of the Epistle to the Colossians. Nothing can be more inconsistent with the fact. The relation between the two epistles, instead of being a ground of objection XVI INTEODUCTIOI^. against either, is a strong proof of the genuineness of both. Of this any reader may satisfy himself by a careful compari- son of the two. 3. It is objected that the epistle contains no reference to the peculiar circumstances of the Ephesians, so that the address and contents are irreconcilable. This ab- sence of specific reference, as before remarked, is accounted for from the design of the epistle as addressed to Gentile believers, as Christians, not as Ephesians. Reuss remarks in reference to such objections, " If Paul wrote friendly letters, these critics say they are spurious, because they are not doctrinal ; and if he wrote doctrinal epistles, they say they are spurious, because not friendly." 4. It is objected that the style is not that of Paul. The very reverse, in the judgment of the vast majority of competent readers, is the fact. There is the same fervour and force of expression, the same length and complication in his sentences, clause linked with clause, till he is forced to stop, and begin the sentence anew. Idem in epistola, says Erasmus, Pauli fervor, eadem profunditas, idem omni?io spiritus ac pectus. De Wette, the originator of these and similar ob- jections, admits that they do not justify the rejection of the epistle, which, he says, contains much that is worthy of the apostle, and which all antiquity acknowledged as genuine. Unfortunately, however, he afterwards retracted this admission. It is to the honour of the German critics, for whom in general, novelty is every thing, the last opinion always being the best, that with the exception of the destructive school of Tubingen, few, if any, of their number attach any weight to the arguments against the apostolic origin of this epistle. 5. The principal objection urged by Baur of Tubingen, in addition to those sug- gested by De Wette, is that the Epistle to the Ephesians con- tains allusions to Gnostic opinions, which did not prevail until after the apostolic age. But, in the first place, the great ma- jority of scholars deny that this epistle contains any reference to Gnostic sentiments ; and, in the second place, even if it did, the Epistle to the Colossiaus afi"ords abundant evidence that principles afterwards developed into Gnosticism, had manifest- ed themselves in the age of the apostles. If it be said that the ENTKODUCTION. XVli allusions in the Epistle to the Colossians to those principles proved that it also is spurious ; that would be only a dictum in the face of all evidence, and utterly subversive of all history. There is no portion of the New Testament the genuineness of which the church has from the beginning, with more cordial unanimity, acknowledged, than that of this epistle. § VII. Contents of the Epistle. The apostle addresses himself principally to Gentile Chris- tians. His object was, 1. To bring them to a just apprecia- tion of the plan of redemption, as a scheme devised from eter nity by God, for the manifestation of the glory of his grace. 2. To make them sensible of the greatness of the blessing which they enjoyed in being partakers of its benefits. 3. To lead them to enter into the spirit of the gospel as a system which ignored the distinction between Jews and Gentiles, and united all the members of the church in one living body des- tined to be brought into full conformity to the image of Christ. 4. To induce them to live as it became a religion which had delivered them from the degradation of their condition as heathen, and exalted them to the dignity of the sons of God. He begins, therefore, with the primal fountain of all spirit- ual blessings. He refers them to their predestination to son- ship, and their consequent election to holiness, before the foun- dation of the world. From this flowed their actual redemption by the blood of Christ ; and the revelation of the divine pur- pose to unite all the subjects of redemption in one body in Christ ; in whom first the Jews, and then the Gentiles, had been made the heirs of eternal life. Cb. 1, 1-14. He next earnestly prays that God would enable them to appreciate the hope which they were thus entitled to cherish ; the glory of the inheritance in reserve for them; and the ex- ceeding greatness of that power which had already wrought in them a change analogous to that efi"ected in the resurrection and exaltation of Christ. For as Christ was dead and deposited in the tomb, so they were spiritually dead; and as Christ waa 2 XVlll INTKODTJCTION. raised and exalted above all creatures, so they also were quick- ened and exalted to a heavenly state in Him. Ch. 1, 15. 2, 10. He therefore calls upon them to contrast their former con- dition as heathen, with their present state. Formerly they were without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, without God, and without hope. But by the blood of Christ a two-fold reconciliation had been effected. The Jews and G-entiles are united as one body, and both are reconciled to God, and have equally free access to his presence. The Gen- tiles, therefore, are now fellow-citizens of the saints, members of the family of God, and living stones in that temple in which God dwells by his Spirit. Ch. 2, 11-22. This great mystery of the union of Jews and Gentiles, had been partially revealed under the Old Dispensation, but it was not then made known so clearly as it had since been re- vealed to the apostles and prophets of the New Dispensation; whose great vocation it was to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men understand the plan of redemp- tion, hid for ages in God, but now revealed, that through the church might be made known to principalities and powers the manifold wisdom of God. Ch. 3, 1-13. The apostle, therefore, bows his knees before the common Father of the redeemed, and prays that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith ; that they being rooted and grounded in love, might be able to apprehend the infinite love of Christ, and be filled with the fulness of God, who is able to do for us far more than we are able either to ask or to think. Ch. 3, 14- 21. The Gentiles, therefore, are bound to enter into the spirit of this great scheme — to remember that the church, composed of Jews and Gentiles, bond and free, wise and imwise, is one body, filled by one Spirit, subject to the same Lord, having one faith, one hope, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is in, through, and over all. They should also bear in mind that diversity in gifts and ofiice was not inconsistent with this unity of the church, but essential to its edification. For the ascended Saviour had constituted some apostles, some prophets, INTKODrCTION. XIX some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the very pur- pose of building up the church, and through them as the chan- nels of the truth and grace of Christ, the church was to be brought to the end of its high calling. Ch. 4, 1-16. They should not, therefore, live as did the other Gentiles, who, being in a state of darkness and alienation from God, gave themselves up to uncleanness and avarice. On the contrary, having been taught by Christ, they should put off the old man, and be renewed after the image of God. Avoiding all false- hood, all undue anger, all dishonesty, all improper language, all malice, all impurity and covetousness, they should walk as children of the light, reproving evil, striving to do good, and expressing their joy by singing hymns to Christ, and giving thanks to God. Ch. 4, 17. 5, 20. He impresses upon his readers reverence for the Lord Jesus Christ as the great principle of Christian obedience. He applies this principle especially to the domestic obligations of men. The marriage relation is illustrated by a reference to the union between Christ and the church. The former is an obscure adumbration of the latter. Marriage is shown to be not merely a civil contract, not simply a voluntary compact between the parties, but a vital union producing a sacred iden- tity. The violation of the marriage relation is, therefore, pre- sented as one of the greatest of crimes and one of the greatest of evils. Parents and children are bound together not only by natural ties, but also by spiritual bands ; and, therefore, the obedience on the part of the child, and nurture on the part of the parent, should be religious. Masters and slaves, however different their condition before men, stand on the same level before God; a consideration which exalts the slave, and hum- bles and restrains the master. ^Finally, the apostle teaches hia readers the nature of that great spiritual conflict on which they have entered ; a conflict, not with men but with the powers of darkness. He tells them what armour they need, how it is to be used, and whence strength is to be obtained to bring them off victorious. Ch. 5, 21. 6, 1-20. y XX INTRODUCTION. § VIII. Commentaries. The most important modern commentaries on this epistle are the following : Koppe, in the sixth vol. of his Annotations on the epistles of the N. T. Flatt, in a distinct volume. J A. Holzhausen, 1833, pp. 195. L. J. Ruchert, 1833, pp. 306. This is a valuable work, though the author prides himself on his independence not only of theological system, but also of the Scriptures, and writes with a certain air of supe- riority over the apostle. F. H. Meier, 1834, pp. 231, less im- portant. G. C. A. Harless, 1834, pp. 674. This is the most elaborate commentary on this epistle which has yet been pub- lished. It is orthodox and devout, but is wearisome from its diffuseness and lack of force. De Wette, in the second volume of his Exegetisches Handbuch — very condensed, but evinces little regard to the authority of the sacred writers. Olshau- sen, in the fourth volume of his Commentar uber das N. T., devout, able, and mystical. H. A. W. Meyer, Achte Abthei- lung of his Kritisch Exegetischer Commentar liber das N. T. Meyer is, perhaps, the ablest commentator on the New Testa- ment of modern times. His theological stand-point is that of high Arianism. He evinces deference to authority of Scrip- ture, but does not hesitate to impute error or false reason- ing to the apostles. Joh7i Eadie, D.D., Professor of Bib. Literature to the United Presbyterian Church, 1854, pp. 466. This is a work of great research, and contains a full exhibition of the views of all preceding commentators. It is an impor- tant and valuable addition to our exegetical literature. EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIMS. CHAPTER I. THE SALCTATIOX, VS. 1. 2. THANKSGIVING FOB THE BLESSINGS OF BK- DEMPTION, VS. 3-14. PRAYER THAT THE EPHESIANS MIGHT INCREASB IN THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE OF THOSE BLESSINGS, VS. 15— 21. THE SALUTATION. 1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesns, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus : 2. grace 5e to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. COMMENTARY. Y. 1. An wpostle of Jesus Christ. — ^The word apostle is used in three senses in tlie l!Tew Testament. 1. In its primary sense of messeno-er. Jolin 13, 16 (the mes- senger), lie tliat is sent is not greater than he that sent him. Phil. 2, 25, your messenger. 2 Cor. 8, 23, mes- sengers of the churches. ^AirocnoKoL iKKXrjaiatv ; tov- recTTiv, says Chrysostom, vtto eKKkrjaLoiv 7r€/j,(f)0ePT€ii. Theophylact adds /cat ■xetporovrjOivTe'i. 2. In the sense 22 EPHESIANS, of missionaries, men sent by the clmrcli to preach the Gospel. — In this sense Paul and Barnabas are called apostles. Acts 14, 4. 14 ; and probably Andronicus and Junias, Rom. 16, Y. 3. In the sense of plenipotentia- ries of Christ ; men whom he personally selected and sent forth invested with full authority to teach and rule in his name. In this sense it is always used when " the apostles." " tjie twelv^." or " the apostles of the Lord," are spoken of as a well-known, definite class. i They were appointed as witnesses of Christ's miracles, f doctrines, resurrection : and therefore it was necessary that they should not only have seen him after his resur- rection, but that their knowledge of the Gospel should be immediately from Christ, John 15, 26. Acts 1, 22. 2, 32. 3, 15. 13, 31. 26, 16. 1 Cor. 9, 1. Gal. 1, 12. They were not confined to any one field but had a general jurisdiction over the churches, as is manifest from their epistles. — ^To qualify them for this office of authoritatively teaching, organizing, and governing the church, they were rendered infallible by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and their divine mission was con- firmed by miraculous powers. — ^Their authority there- fore rested first on their commission, and secondly on their inspiration. Hence it is evident that none can have the authority of an apostle who has not apostolic gifts. In this respect Eomanists are consistent, for they claim infallibility for those whom they regard as the official successors of the apostles. They are, how- ever, inconsistent with their own theory, and at vari- ance with the Scripture, in making this infallibility the CHAP. I. VEK. 1. 23 prerogative of tlie prelates in tlieir collective capacity, instead of claiming it for each individual bishop. Alo, ^eXrujbaTo^ Geov, hy the will of God. There are two ideas included in this phrase. 1. That the apostleship was a gift, or grace from God^ Rom. 1, 5. Eph. 3, 7. 8. 2. That the commission or authority of the apostles was immediately from God. Paul in Gal. 1, 1, as well as in other passages, asserts that apostle- ship was neither derived from men nor conveyed throua:h the instrumentality of men, but conferred directly by God through Christ. To the smnts which a/re at Ephesus. The Israelites. under the old dispensation, were called saints, because separated from other nations and consecrated to God, j In the Kew Testament the word is applied to believers, not merely as externally consecrated, but as reconciled I to God and inwardly pm'ified. Tlie word ayid^eiv sig- nifies to cleanse, either from guilt by a propitiatory sacrifice, as in Heb. 2, 11. 10, 10. 14, or from inward pollution, and also to consecrate. Hence the aipy f^yo pov- takers of these benejits. Y. 4. All these blessings have their source in the electing love of God. EvXoy^cra'i — Kad(o KoXelv, djdTrrjv dyaTrdv. This clause admits of two interpretations. The word "xapirow, agreeably to the analogy of words of the same formation, signifies to impart %a/jt9 grace. Tlie literal rendering therefore of the words iv y (^dpiri) i'xapiTwaep yfA.d'i would be, with which grace he has graced us, or conferred grace upon us. But as grace sometimes means a disposition and sometimes a gift, the sense may be either, 'Wherein (i. e. in the exercise of which) he has been gracious to- wards us ; ' or, ' With which he has made us gracious or well pleasing.' In the former case, grace refers to the goodness or unmerited favour of God exercised towards us ; in the latter, to the sanctifying effect produced on us. It is the grace by which he has sanctified or rendered us gracious (in the subjective sense of that word) in his sight. The Greek and llomish interpreters prefer tlie latter interpretation ; the great body of Protestant com- mentators the former. The reasons in favour of the former are, 1. Tlie word grace in the context is used in the sense of Jdnd dis])osition on the part of God, and not in the sense of a gift. 2. The verb in the only oilier case where it occurs in the New Testament, is used in the sense of showing favour. Luke 1, 28 : " Hail, thou favoured one ! " 3. Tlio j^arallel passage and analogous expression 2, 4 is in favour of this interpretation. Tliere it is said, " His great love wliercwith he hath loved 40 EPHESIANS, US," and here tlie same idea is expressed by saying, ' His grace wherein lie favoured us, or which he has exercised towards us.' 4. The whole context demands this interpretation. The apostle is speaking of the love or grace of God as manifested in our redemption. He has predestinated us to the adoption of sons to the praise of the glory of his grace ; which grace he has exercised towards us, in the remission of sins. The same idea is expressed 2, Y, where it is said, God hath quickened us, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us, through Jesus Christ. " To make ac- cepted," therefore, here means, to accept, to treat with favour ; or rather, such is the meaning of the apostle's language ; gratia am])lexus est, as the word is rendered by Bengel. To which agrees the explanation of Beza : gratis nos sibi acceptos effeciL This grace is exercised towards us in the Beloved. In ourselves we are unworthy. All kindness towards us is of the nature of grace. Christ is the beloved for' his own sake ; and it is to us only as in him and for \ his sake that the grace of God is manifested. This is a truth which the apostle keeps constantly in view, 2, 5. 6. Y. Y. Y. In whom we have redenvption. In whom, i, e. not in ourselves. We are not self-redeemed. Christ is our Redeemer. The word redemption, utto- \vTp(oai,<;, sometimes means deliverance in the general, without reference to the mode in which it is accom- plished. When used of the work of Christ it is always CHAP. I. VEK. 7. 41 to be understood in its strict sense, viz. deliverance by ransom ; because tbis particular mode of redemption is always either expressed or implied. We are re- deemed neither by power, nor truth, but by blood ; that is, by the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus. A sacrifice is a ransom, as to its efiect. It delivers those for whom it is offered and accepted. The words Sia Tov aifxdTop6vr)(nv dicunt, est rerum expetendarum fugiendarumque scientia. And because the sense af- forded by the third mentioned intei-pretation is so appro- priate to the context and so agreeable to other passages of Scripture. The apostle often celebrates the good- ness of God in communicating to men the true wisdom ; not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, but the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world to our glory. See 1 Cor. 1, 17 to the end, and the whole second chapter of that epistle. — Similar modes of ex- pression are common with the apostle. As here he speaks of grace being given (eV) m connection toith. wisdom, so in v. 17 he j)rays that the Ephesians may 44 EPHESIANS, receive wisdom (eV) in connection with the knowledge of himself. The wisdom then which the apostle says God has communicated to us, is the divine wisdom in the Gos- pel, the mystery of redemption, which had been hid for ages in God, but which he has now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Sj)irit. See the glorious doxology for this revelation contained in Rom. 16, 25-2Y. Indeed this whole Epistle to the Ephesians is a thanksgiving to God for the communication of this mysterious wisdom. Mysterious, not so much in the sense of incomprehensible, as in that of undiscoverable by human reason, and a matter of divine revelation. With wisdom the apostle connects p6vT)ai<;, which is here used much in the same sense as crvve(na\ai6(o, summatim recolUgere. In tlie I^^ew Testament it means either : 1. To rednce to one sum, i. e. to sum up, to recapitulate. Kom. 13, 9 : ' All the commands are summed up in, or under, one precept.' 2. To unite under one head ; or, 3. To renew. Many of the Fa- thers adopt the last signification in this ]3lace, and con- sider this passage as parallel with Eom. 8, 19-22. Through Christ God purposes to restore or renovate all things ; to effect a iraXtyyevea-ia or regeneration of the universe, i. e. of the whole creation which now groans under the burden of corruption. This sense of the word however is remote. The first and second mean- ings just mentioned differ but little. Tliej both include the idea expressed in our version, that of regathering together in one, the force of avd, iterum, being retained. Beza explains the word : partes disjectas et divulsas in unum corpus conjungere. — ^Tlie purpose of God, which he has been pleased to reveal, and which was hidden , for ages, is his intention to reunite all things as one harmonious whole under Jesus Christ. Tlie words ra Trdvra, all things, are explained by the following clause : rd iv rot? ovpavoU koI to, errl T77■ ^'^ the things hoped for ; as in Horn. 8, 24, and Col. 1, 5, "The hope laid up for you in heaven." It is then identical with the inheritance mentioned in the latter part of the verse. This, however, is a reason against that interpretation. Tliere are two things which the apostle mentions and which he desires they may know. First, the nature and value of the hope which they are now, on the call of God, authorized to indulge ; and secondly, the glory of the inheritance in reserve for them. It is better, therefore, to take the word in its ordinary subjective sense. It is a great thing to know, or estimate aright the value of a well founded hope of salvation. And what the riches of the glory of his inheritance^ KoX TL The manifestation of the grace of God, i. e. of his un- merited love, is declared to be the specific object of redemption. From this it follows that whatever clouds the grace of God, or clashes with the gratuitous nature of the blessings promised in the gospel, must be incon- sistent with its nature and design. If the salvation of | sinners be intended as an exhibition of the grace of I God, it must of necessity be gratuitous. The words, in the ages to come, iv tol<; alSxri rot? i7r€p^ofievoc<;, are by many understood to refer to the future generations in this world ; secula, aetates seu tempora inde ab apostolicis illis ad finem mundi secu- turas, as Wolf expresses it. Calvin, who understands the apostle to refer specially to the calling of the Gen- tiles in the preceding verses, gives the same explana- CHAP. n. vs. 7, 8, 9. 117 fcion. Gentium vocatio mirabile est divinae bonitatis opus, quod filiis parentes et avi nepotibus tradere per manus. debent, ut nunquam ex liominum auimis silentio deleatur. As however tliere is notbing in tbe context to restrict tbe language of tbe apostle to tbe Gentiles, so tbere is notbing to limit tbe general expression ages to come to tbe present life. Otbers, restricting verse 6tb to tbe resurrection of tbe body, wbicb is to take place at tbe second advent of Cbrist, understand tbe pbrase in question to mean tbe ' world to come,' or tbe period subsequent to Cbrist's second coming. Tben, wben tbe saints are raised up in glory, and not before, will tbe kindness of God towards tbem be revealed. But tbe preceding verse does not refer exclusively to tbe final resuj'rection of tbe dead, and tberefore tbis pbrase does not designate tbe period subsequent to tbat event. It is better tberefore to take it witbout limitation, for all futm'e time. Tbe simplest construction of tbe passage supposes tbat ev 'x^prjaTOTTjTc is to be connected witb ivSei^rjTat ; e'^' riixa j aLjxaTL Tov Xpiarov, hy the hlood of Christ. This clause is explanatory of the words at the beginning of the verse. ' In Christ Jesus, i. e. by the blood of Christ, ye are made nigh.' Without shedding of blood there is no remission and no reconciliation of sinners with God. When Moses ratified the covenant between God and his people, " He took the blood of calves and of goats and sprinkled both the book and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God hath enjoined unto you. It was necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these ; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these." Heb. 9, 19-23. As under * The Eabbins said : Quicunque gentilem appropinquare facit, et pro- eelytum facit, idem est ac si ipsum creasset. Wetstein. 9 130 EPHESIAN8, the typical and ritual economy of the Old Testament the people were brought externally nigh to God, by the blood of calves and goats, through which temporal redemption was effected and the theocratical covenant was ratified ; so we are brought spiritually nigh to God by the blood of Christ, who has obtained eternal redemption for us, being once offered to bear the sins of many, and to ratify by his death the covenant of God with all his people, whether Jews or Gentiles. Vs. 14. 15. These verses contain a confirmation and illustration of what precedes. ' Ye who were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace. He has effected the twofold reconciliation above referred to.' Tliis he has accomplished by abol-4 ishing the law. The law, however, is viewed in a twofold aspect in this connection. First, it was that original covenant of works, demanding perfect obe- dience, whose conditions must be satisfied in order to the reconciliation of men with God. Christ by being made under the law. Gal. 4, 4, and fulfilling all right- eousness, has redeemed those who were imder the law. He delivered them from the obligation of fulfilling its '4 demands as the condition of their justification before 5 God. In this sense they are not under the law. Comp. Kom. 6, 14. 7, 4. 6. Gal. 5, 18. Col. 2, 14. But sec- ondly, as Christ abolished the law as a covenant of 'i works by fulfilling its conditions, so he abolished the I Mosaic law by fulfilling all its types and shadows. He was the end of the law in both these aspects, and there- fore, it ceased to bind the people of God in either of CHAP. n. vs. 14, 15. 131 these forms. Of this doctrine the wliole of the 'New Testament is fulL The epistles especially are in large measure devoted to proving that believers are not under the law in either of these senses, but under grace. Thus it is that Christ is our peace. The aboli- tion of the law as a covenant of works reconciles us to God ; the abolition of the Mosaic law removes the wall between the Jews and Gentiles. Tliis is what is here taught. By abolishing the law of commandments, i. e. the law in both its forms, the apostle says, Christ has, first, of the twain made one new man, v. 15 ; and secondly, he has reconciled both unto God in one body by the cross, v. 16. Tliough the general sense of this passage is plain, there is no little diversity as to the details of the inter- pretation. The Greek is printed for the convenience of the reader. Avr6<; yap iartv tj elprjvi) rj/mcov, 6 irotrjcra'i TO, afi(f)6T€pa ^Vi KoX TO fjLeaoToi^ov tov (fypajfiov \vaa<;, T^v €')(6pav, iv Ty crapKi auToO, tov v6p,ov twv evToXwv iv Soj/jbaai KaTapj7]aa«?'fo'fo'c»7i, the latter noun is explanatory of the former, i. e. (f>pay/jbou is the genitive of apposition. The middle wall which consisted in the hedge, which separated the two parties. Wliat that hedge was is immediately expressed by the word ej(6pav. It was the enmity subsisting between them. 'Having re- moved the middle wall, i. e. the enmity, or their mutual hatred.' By enmity, therefore, is not to be understood the law^ as the cause of this alienation, but the aliena- tion itself; because in what follows the removal of the enmity and the abolition of the law are distinguished from each other, the latter being the means of accom- plishing the former. That e^Opav is to be connected with Xvaa'? and not, as our translation assumes, with Karapjrjaa<;^ is argued first from the position of the words, which favours this con- CHAP. n. vs. 14, 15. 133 struction ; secondly, because the expression Xveuv e^dpav is common, and Karapjelv ex^pav never occurs; and thirdly, because the sense demands this construction, inasmuch as the ambiguous phrase middle wall of par- tion thus receives its needed explanation. The ajDOstle first states, what it was that divided the Jews and Gen- tiles, viz., their mutual hatred, and then how that hatred had been removed. The words eV t?} aapKi avrov^ are not to be connected with Xycra?. That is, the apostle does not mean to say that Christ has removed the enmity between the Jews and Gentiles 5y his jlesh. Tliey are to be connected with the following participle (/carap'yjycra?). " Having by his flesh, i. e. by his death, abolished the law." This is the great truth which Paul had to teach. Christ by his death has freed us from the law. "We are no longer under the law but under gTace. Rom. 6, 14. "We are no longer required to seek salvation on the ground of obedience to the law, which says : " Do this, and live," and " Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them." Christ has freed us from the law as a covenant of works, by being himself made subject to it, Gal. 4, 5 ; by bearing its penalty, Gal. 3, 13 ; by his body, Rom. 7, 4; by the body of his flesh. Col. 1, 22 ; by his cross, Col. 2, 14. In this connection the exj)ressions, " by the blood of Christ," v. 13; "by his flesh," v. 14; " by his cross," all mean the same thing. Tliey are but different modes of expressing his sacrificial, or atoning death, by which the law was satisfied and our recon- 134 EPHESIANS, ciliation to God is effected. The ''abolishing," there- fore, of which the apostle speaks, does not consist in setting the law aside, or suspending it by a sovereign, executive act. It is a causing it to cease; or rendering ' it no longer binding by satisfying its demands, so that we are judicially free from it; free not by the act of a sovereign but by the sentence of a judge ; not by mere pardon, but by justification. Who is he that condemns, when God justifies? Rom. 8, 34. Tlie law which Christ has thus abolished is called "the law of com- mandments in ordinances." Tliis may mean the law of commandments with ordinances — referring to the two classes of laws {evrdkrj and Sojfia), moral and positive ; or it may refer to the form in which the pre- cepts are presented in the law, as positive statutes, or commands, tmv evroXayv giving the contents of the law, and eV S6j/xaai the form. The idea probably is that the law in all its compass, and in all its forms, so far as it was a covenant prescribing the conditions of salvation, is abolished. The law of which the apostle here speaks is not exclusively the Mosaic law. It is so described in various parallel passages, as holy, just and good, as taking cognizance of the inward feelings, as to make it evident it is the law of God in its widest sense. It is the law which binds the heathen and which is written on their hearts. It is the law from which the death of Christ redeems men. But redemption is not mere deliverance from Judaism, and therefore the law from which we are freed by the death of Christ is not merely the law of Moses. Deliverance CHAP. II. VS. 14, 15. 135 from the Mosaic institutions couid not have the ef- fects ascribed to the freedom from the law of which Paul speaks. It could not secure reconciliation tc God, justification, and holiness, all of which, accord- ing to the apostle, flow from the redemption effected by Christ. The antithetical ideas always presented in Paul's writings, on this subject, are the law and grace, the law and the gospel, the system which says: "Do and live," — and the system which says: "Believe and live ; " — as, however, the form in which the law was ever present to the minds of the early Christians was that contained in the Mosaic institutions ; as all, who in that day were legalists, were Judaizers, and as the Mosaic economy was included in the law which Christ abolished, in many cases (as in the passage before us), special reference is had to the law in that particular form. But in teaching that men cannot be saved by obedience to the law of Moses, Paul taught that we cannot be saved by obedience to the law in any form. Or rather, by teaching that salvation is not of works of any kind, but of grace and through faith, he teaches it is not by the specific, ceremonial works enjoined in the law of Moses. It is objected to the above interpretation of this pas- sage, which is the common one, that in order to justify connecting iv hoy/xaai, with ivroXwv (the lav) of com- mandments in ordinances), the article should be used. It is therefore urged that iv Soyfjuacri must be connected with KaTapj7Jaa? vvv aTroKaXixpOr) . . . . ev TTvev/xari. The apostles and prophets of the new dis- pensation were the only classes of inspired men ; the former being the permanent, the latter the occasional organs of the Spirit. They therefore were the only 164 EPHESIANS, recipients of direct revelations. Thej are here called holy in tlie sense of sacred, consecrated. They were men set apart for the peculiar service of God. In the same sense the prophets of the old economy are called holy. Luke 1, 70. 2 Peter 1, 21. The pronoun his in connection with apostles may refer to God as the author of the revelation spoken of, or to Christ whose messen- gers the apostles were. ' My knowledge of the mystery of Christ, which, in former ages, was not made known, as it is now revealed to his apostles,' &c. By the Spirit, i. e. revealed by the Spirit. FIvevfiaTi, though without the article, refers to the Holy Spirit, the im- mediate author of these divine communications. It follows from the scriptural doctrine of the Trinity, which teaches the identity as to substance of the Fa- ther, Son, and Spirit, that the act of the one is the act of the others. Paul, therefore, refers the revelations which he received sometimes to God, as in verse 3 ; sometimes to Christ as in Gal. 1, 12 ; sometimes to the Spirit. Y. 6. Tlie mystery made known to the apostles and prophets of the new dispensation, was elvai ra eOvrj avyKkrjpovofia, kt\., i. e. that the Gentiles are, in point of right and fact, fellow-heirs, of the same body, and partakers of this promise. The form in which the calling of the Gentiles was predicted in the Old Testa- ment led to the general impression that they were to partake of the blessings of the Messiah's reign by becoming Jews, by being as proselytes merged into the old theocracy, which was to remain in all its CHAP. III. VEE. 6. 165 peculiarities. It seems never to have entered into any human mind nntil the day of Pentecost, that the theo- cracy itself was to be abolished, and a new form of religion was to be introduced, designed and adapted equally for all mankind, under which the distinction between Jew and Gentile was to be done away. It was this catholicity of the Gospel which was the ex- panding and elevating revelation made to the apostles, and which raised them from sectarians to Christians. The Gentiles are fellow-heirs. They have the same right to the inheritance as the Jews. The inheritance is all the benefits of the covenant of grace ; the know- ledge of the truth, all church privileges, justification, adoption, and sanctification ; the indwelling of the Spirit, and life everlasting ; an inheritance so great that simply to comj)rehend it requires divine assist- ance, and elevates the soul to the confines of heaven. Hence Paul prays (1, 17. 18), that God would give the Ephesians the Spirit of revelation that they might know what is the riches of the glory of the inherit- ance to which they had been called. They are a-vaawixa ; i. e. they are constituent por- tions of the body of Christ ; as nearly related to him, and as much partakers of his life as their Jewish brethren. The hand is not in the body by permission of the eye, nor the eye by permission of the hand. !N'either is the Gentile in the church by courtesy of the Jews, nor the Jew by courtesy of the Gentiles. They are one body. What in the preceding terms is presented figm-atively /I 166 EPHESIANS, IS expressed literally, wlieu it is added, they are par- takers of his (God's) proviise. The promise is the pro- mise of redemption ; the promise made to our first parents, repeated to Abraham, and which forms the burden of all the Old Testament predictions. Gal. 3, 14. 19. 22, 29. The onlj essential and indispensable condition of jDarticipation in the benefits of redemption is union with Christ. The Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and of the same body and partakers of the promise, says the apos- tle, in Christ, i. e. in virtue of their union with him. And this union is effected or brought about, hy the Gospel. It is not by birth nor by any outward rite, nor by union with any external body, but by the Gos- pel, received and appropriated by faith, that we are united to Christ, and thus made heirs of God. This verse teaches therefore — 1. The nature of the blessings of which the Gentiles are partakers, viz. the inheritance promised to the peoj^le of God. 2. The condition on which that participation is suspended, viz. union with Christ ; and 3. The means by which that union is ef- fected, viz. the Gospel. Hence the apostle enlarges on the dignity and importance of preaching the Gospel. This is the subject of the verses which follow. Y. 7. Of lohich (Gospel) I was made a minister ^' a SittAToi'o?, a runner, servant, minister. Minister of the Gospel, means one whose business it is to preach the Gospel. This is his service ; the work for which he is engaged, and to which he is bound to devote himself. There are two things which Paul here and in the verse CHAP. III. vi^. 7. 8. 167 following says in reference to liis introduction into the ministry ; iirst, it was a great favour ; and secondly, it involved the exercise of divine power. He was made a minister, Kara rrjv Scopeav rrj