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TEXT.

4 According as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love:

PARAPHRASE.

may fit us to be partakers of his heavenly kingdom, 4 without need of any assistance from the law, According as he chose us gentiles, upon Christ's account alone, before the law was, even before the foundation of the world, to be his people † under Jesus the Messiah, and to live unblameable lives before him, in all love and affection §, to all the saints, or be

NOTES.

λoyhσas hμãs All which together

be the people of God, by those ordinances, which were that, wherein the enmity between the jews and gentiles consisted, and was kept up; which, therefore, Christ abolished, to make way for their union into one body, under Christ their head. Other passages, tending to the clearing of this, we shall have occasion to take notice of, as they occur in the sequel of this epistle. 4 * 'Ev autų, "in him," i. e. Christ in the former verse it is ἐν πάση εὐλογείᾳ ἐν Χρισῶ. Καθώς ἐξελέξατο ἡμᾶς ἐν αὐτῷ. make up this sense: 66 as it was in consideration of Christ alone, that God " heretofore, before the foundation of the world, designed us gentiles to be "his people; so now the Messiah is come, all the blessings and benefits, we 66 are to receive in his heavenly kingdom, are laid up in him, and to be had "only by our faith and dependence on him, without any respect to the law, or any other consideration.”

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+Ayo," saints," in St. Paul's epistles is known to signify christians, i. e. such as made profession of the gospel, for those were now the people of God.

See in Col. i. 22, this verse explained, where comparing it with the immediately preceding words, ver. 21, one may find a farther reason to take "us," here, to signify the gentile converts, the same thing being applied there solely to the gentile converts of Colosse.

"Affection to all the saints." That this is the meaning, may be seen, ver. 15, where to their true faith in Christ, which he was rejoiced with, he joined τὴν ἀγάπην τὴν εἰς πάντας τὰς ἁγίες, "love unto all the saints." The very same thing, which he takes notice of in the colossians, in the very same words, Col. i. 4. Why love is so often mentioned in this epistle, as chap. iii. 18, and iv. 2, 15, 16, and v. 2, and vi. 23, we may find a reason, chap. ii. 11—22, wherein there is an account given of the enmity between the jews and gentiles, which Christ had taken away the cause of; and therefore, the ceasing of it was one great mark of men's being right in the faith, and of their having true and worthy notions of Christ, who had broke down the wall of partition, and opened the kingdom of heaven to all equally, who believed in him, without any the least distinction of nation, blood, profession, or religion, that they were of before, all that being now done away, and superseded by the prince of peace, Jesus Christ the righteous, to make way for a more enlarged and glorious kingdom, solely by faith in him, which now made the only distinction among men so that all, who agreed in that, were thereby brought to the same level, to be all brethren and fellow-members in Christ, and the people, or sons of God, as he says in the next verse.

TEXT.

5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children, by Jesus Christ, to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

PARAPHRASE.

*

5 lievers, of what nation soever; Having predetermined to take us gentiles, by Jesus Christ, to be his sons t and people, according to the good pleasure of his 6 will. To the end that the gentiles too might praise him for his grace and mercy to them, and all mankind magnify his glory for his abundant goodness to them, by receiving them freely into the kingdom of the Messiah, to be his people again, in a state of peace with him §, barely for the sake || of him, that is his

NOTES.

5* It was not by the observances of the law, but by faith alone in Jesus Christ, that God pre-determined to take the gentiles into the state of sonship, or adoption. This was another particular for which St. Paul blesses God, in the name of the gentiles: the consideration whereof was fit to raise the ephesians thoughts above the law, and keep them firm in adherence to the liberty of the gospel.

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+ Υιοθεσία, σε adoption," or sonship," belonged only to the jews, before the coming of the Messiah, Rom. ix. 4. For after the nations of the earth had revolted from God, their Lord and Maker, and become servants and worshippers of the devil, God abandoned them to the vassalage they had chosen, and owned none of them for his, but the israelites, whom he had adopted to be his children and people. See Exod. iv. 22, Jer. xxxi. 9, Luke i. 54. Which adoption is expressed to Abraham in these words, Gen. xvii. 7, "I will be a "God to thee, and to thy seed after thee;" and to the israelites, Exod. vi. 7, "I will take you to me for a people, and I will be your God; " and so Lev. xxvi. 12, " I will walk amongst you, and be your God, and ye shall be my "people:" and so we see that those whom, Exod. iv. he calls his sons, he calls, in several other places, his people, as standing both, when spoken nationally, for one and the same thing.

"According to the good pleasure of his will;" spoken here in the same sense with what is said Rom. ix. 18, 23, 24. God, under the law, took the nation of Israel to be his people, without any merit in them; and so it is of his mere good pleasure, that he even then purposed to enlarge his kingdom, under the gospel, by admitting all, that of all the nations whatsoever would come in and submit themselves, not to the law of Moses, but to the rule and dominion of his son Jesus Christ; and this, as he says in the next words, " for the praise "of the glory of his grace."

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I do not think, that any thing of greater force can be imagined, to raise the minds of the ephesians, above the jewish rituals, and keep them steady in the freedom of the gospel, than what St. Paul says here, viz. that God, before the foundation of the world, freely determined within himself to admit the gentiles into his kingdom, to be his people, for the manifestation of his free grace, all the

TEXT.

7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace;

8 Wherein he hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence,

9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself:

PARAPHRASE.

7 beloved: In whom we have redemption by his blood, viz. the forgiveness of transgressions, according to the 8 greatness of his grace and favour, Which he has overflowed in towards us, in bestowing on us so full a knowledge and comprehension of the extent and design of the gospelt, and prudence to comply with it, 9 as it becomes you; In that he hath made known to you the good pleasure of his will and purpose, which was a mystery, that he hath purposed

NOTES.

world over, that all nations might glorify him: and this for the sake of his son Jesus Christ, who was his beloved, and was so chiefly regarded in all this; and therefore it was to mistake, or pervert, the end of the gospel, and debase this glorious dispensation, to make it subservient to the jewish ritual, or to suppose that the law of Moses was to support, or to be supported, by the kingdom of the Messiah, which was to be of a larger extent, and settled upon another foundation, whereof the mosaical institution was but a narrow, faint, and typical representation.

7*"We" does as plainly here stand for the gentile converts, as it is manifest it does in the parallel place, Col. i. 13, 14.

8+ That by wácy copía St. Paul means a comprehension of the revealed will of God in the gospel, more particularly the mystery of God's purpose of calling the gentiles, and taking out of them a people and inheritance to himself in his kingdom, under the Messiah, may be perceived by reading and comparing chap. i. 8, Col. i. 9, 10, 28, and ii. 2, 3, which verses, read with attention to the context, plainly show what St. Paul means here.

That this is the meaning of this verse, I refer my reader to Col. i. 9, 10. 9 § I cannot think that God's purpose of calling the gentiles, so often termed a mystery, and so emphatically declared to be concealed from ages, and particularly revealed to himself; and as we find, in this epistle, where it is so called by St. Paul five times, and four times in that to the colossians; is by chance, or without some particular reason. The question was "whether the converted "gentiles should hearken to the jews, who would persuade them it was neces66 sary for them to submit to circumcision and the law, or to St. Paul, who had taught them otherwise." Now there could be nothing of more force to destroy the authority of the jews, in the case, than the showing them, that the jews knew nothing of the matter, that it was a perfect mystery to them, concealed from their knowledge, and made manifest in God's good time, at the coming of the Messiah, and most particularly discovered to St. Paul, by immediate revelation, to be communicated by him to the gentiles; who, therefore, had reason to

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TEXT.

10 That, in the dispensation of the fulness of times, he might gather together in one all things, in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him:

11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predesti

10 in himself *.

PARAPHRASE.

Until the coming of the due time of that dispensation, wherein he hath predetermined to reduce all things again, both in heaven and 11 earth, under one head† in Christ; In whom we be

NOTES.

stick firm to this great truth, and not to be led away from the gospel, which he had taught them.

*See chap. iii. 9.

10 †'Avaxεpaλaoαoba, properly signifies to recapitulate, or recollect, and put together the heads of a discourse. But, since this cannot possibly be the meaning of this word here, we must search for the meaning, which St. Paul gives it here, in the doctrine of the gospel, and not in the propriety of the greek. 1. It is plain in sacred scripture, that Christ had first the rule and supremacy over all, and was head over all. See Col. i. 15-17, Heb. i. 8.

2. There are also manifest indications in scripture, that a principal angel, with great numbers of angels, his followers, joining with him, revolted from this kingdom to God, and, standing out in rebellion, erected to themselves a kingdom of their own in opposition to the kingdom of God, Luke x. 17—20, and had all the heathen world vassals and subjects of that their kingdom, Luke iv. 5-8, Matt. xii. 26-30, John xii. 31, and xiv. 30, and xvi. 11, Eph. vi. 12, Col. i. 13, Rom. i. 18, &c. Acts xxvi. 18, &c.

3. That Christ recovered this kingdom, and was re-instated in the supremacy and headship, in the fulness of time (when he came to destroy the kingdom of darkness, as St. Paul calls it here) at his death and resurrection. Hence, just before his suffering, he says, John xii. 31, "Now is the judgment of this "world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out." From whence may be seen the force of Christ's argument, Matt. xii. 28, " If I cast out devils by "the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you:" for the jews acknowledge that the Spirit of God, which had been withdrawn from them, was not to be given out again, until the coming of the Messiah, under whom the kingdom of God was to be erected. See also Luke x. 18, 19.

4. What was the state of his power and dominion, from the defection of the angels, and setting up the kingdom of darkness, until his being re-instated in the fulness of time, there is little revealed in sacred scripture, as not so much pertaining to the recovery of men from their apostacy, and re-instating them in the kingdom of God. It is true, God gathered to himself a people, and set up a kingdom here on earth, which he maintained in the little nation of the jews till the setting up the kingdom of his Son, Acts i. 3, and ii. 36, which was to take place, as God's only kingdom here on earth, for the future. At the head of this, which is called the church, he sets Jesus Christ his Son: but that is not all, for he, having by his death and resurrection conquered Satan, John xii. 31, and xvi. 11, Col. ii. 15, Heb. ii. 14, Eph. iv. 8, has all power given him in heaven and earth, and is made the head over all things for the church, [Matt. xxviii. 18, and xi. 27, John iii, 35, and xiii. 3, Eph. i. 20-22, Heb. i. 2—4,

TEXT.

nated according to the purpose of him, who worketh all things, after the counsel of his own will:

PARAPHRASE.

came his possession and the lot of his inheritance,

NOTES.

and ii. 9, 1 Cor. xv. 25, 27, Phil. ii. 8-11, Col. ii. 10, Heb. x. 12, 13, Acts ii. 33, and v. 31. In both which places it should be translated "to the right "hand of God."] Which re-instating him again, in the supreme power, and restoring him after the conquest of the devil, to that complete headship, which he had over all things, being now revealed under the gospel, as may be seen, in the text here quoted, and in other places; I leave to the reader to judge, whether St. Paul might not, probably, have an eye to that, in this verse, and in his use of the word ανακεφαλαιώσασθαι. But to search thoroughly into this matter (which I have not in my small reading, found any where sufficiently taken notice of) would require a treatise.

It may suffice at present to take notice that this exaltation of his is expressed, Phil. ii. 9, 10, by all things in heaven and earth bowing the knee, at his name; Which acknowledgment of which we may see farther explained, Rev. v. 13.

his honour and power was that, perhaps, which the proud angel that fell, refusing, thereupon rebelled.

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If our translators have rendered the sense of άvaxepaλaσoba, right, by I gather together into one," it will give countenance to those, who are inclined to understand, by " things in heaven and things on earth," the jewish and gentile world: for of them St. John plainly says, John xi. 52, "That Jesus should "die, not for the nation of the jews only, but that also avvayάyn eis "v, he should gather together in one, the children of God that were scattered abroad," i. e. the gentiles, that were to believe, and were, by faith, to become the children of God; whereof Christ himself speaks thus, John x. 16, "Other sheep "I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they shall hear 66 my voice, and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." This is the gathering together into one that our Saviour speaks of, and is that which very well suits with the apostle's design here, where he says in express words, that Christ makes Tà άupórɛρa “v, makes both jews and gentiles one, Eph. ii. 14. Now, that St. Paul should use heaven and earth, for jews and gentiles, will not be thought so very strange, if we consider that Daniel himself expresses the nation of the jews by the name of heaven, Dan. viii. 10. Nor does he want an ex66 powers of heaample of it, in our Saviour himself, who, Luke xxi. 26, by "ven," plainly signifies the great men of the Jewish nation; nor is this the only place, in this epistle of St. Paul to the ephesians, which will bear this interpre tation of heaven and earth: he who shall read the fifteen first verses of chap. iii. and carefully weigh the expressions, and observe the drift of the apostle in them, will not find that he does manifest violence to St. Paul's sense, if he understands by "the family in heaven and earth," ver. 15, the united body of christians, made up of jews and gentiles, living still promiscuously among those two sorts of people, who continued in their unbelief. However this interpretation I am not positive in; but offer it as a matter of inquiry, to such who think an impartial search into the true meaning of the sacred scripture the best employment of all the time they have.

11 * So the greek word ixλnpwnue will signify, if taken, as I think it may, in the passive voice, i. e. we gentiles, who were formerly in the possession of the devil, are now, by Christ, brought into the kingdom, dominion, and possession

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