8 For by grace are 8 & 9. And certainly this Gospel A.D. 62. yesaved, throughfaith, Salvation is the Fruit of nothing and that not of your but the pure Grace and Bounty of felves : it is the gift God, making our Faith in Christ's of God:

Religion the merciful.Condition of 9 Not of works, this Happiness. No Man has done lest any man should boast.

any thing to deserve it; it could

not be merited by the utmost Observation of the Ceremonial Law, and so * the Jew could no more pretend to claim it than the vilest Gentile.

10 For we are his 10. Our regenerate State is wholly workmanship, created owing to what God has done for in Christ Jesus unto us in Christ, and by his Religion. good works, which

By this it was his Design to prepare God hath before or.

and enable us to live that Life of dained that we should walk in them.

Purity and Virtue that will qualify

us for Life Eternal. 11 Wherefore re

11, 12, 13. Remember then, and member that ye being stand to it, that though you Genin times patt Gentiles tiles were formerly quite out of the in the flesh, who are Pale of God's Church, without any called uncircumcision by that which is cal Knowledge of the Meffiah promised led the circumcision

to Abraham as the Saviour of all in the flesh, made by Mankind, having little or no Prospect hands,

of spiritual and future Happiness, 12 That at that estranged from the Knowledge and time ye were without Worship of the true God; in fine, Christ, being aliens

you whom the Jewish People, that from the

common- boasted themselves in their divine wealth of Israel, and Laws and Privileges, were wont in strangers from the covenants of promise,

Derision, to call Uncircumcised, Unhaving no hope, and clean and Sinful, are now by Christ's without God in the Religion, taken into Covenant with world.

him, and are his peculiar People as 13 But now in Christ much as they. Jesus, ye who fometimes were afar off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

E

14. While

* Left any Man fould boast, ivce il ris xxuxurere. So that, none can boaft.

A. D. 62. 14 For he is our 14. While they were his enclosed

peace, who hath made Church, you Gentiles were kept at
both one, and hath a distance ; and indeed were no way
broken down the mid- reconcilable to their Ceremonies and
dle wall of partition Worship. But now that Christ by
between us.

his Death hath reconciled us all to
God, the Difference is at an end, and we are all united
into one Church and Society.
15 Having abolith-

15 & 16. For that part of the
ed in his fleth the en-

Jewish Law that consisted of such
mity, even the law of Ceremonies as were designed to keep
commandments, con-
taind in ordinances

, up the Distinction between them
tained in ordinances, and all other Nations, is now, by
for to
self, of twain, one new

the Death of Christ upon the Cross,
man, fo making peace. abolished and become of no further

16. And that he Obligation ; whereby he has made might reconcile both the Way open for Believers of all unto God in one bo- Nations to join with them, and dy by the cross, ha- make up one Christian Church unving slain the enmity der him, the common Head and thereby :

Saviour of us all. 17 And came,

and 17. And accordingly Christ bas preached peace to appointed his Gospel to be preached, you which were afar

as the Condition of Peace and Paroff, and to them that don, as well to the Gentiles that were were nigh

hitherto Strangers to his Church, as to the Jews that had been his ancient People.

18 For through him 18. For by the Sacrifice of his
we both have an ac- Death, all true Believers of every
cess by one Spirit Nation are admitted into Favour
unto the Father.

with God the Father, and become
his true People, all conducted by the fame holy Spirit,
without any further regard to the Jewish Law.
19

Now therefore 19. Wherefore look upon your
ye are no more stran. selves as no longer excluded from
gers and foreigners, the divine Covenant, nor as only
but fellow -- citizens in part Profelytes to it, because of
with the saints, and of
the houdhold of God: your not being Circumcised; but

esteem your selves as fully Privi-
leged, and as much of God's Family as they can be.

20 And are built 20. Believe, for certain, you are 1. D. 62, upon the foundation Members of that Church of the of the Apostles and Messiah which is built upon the Prophets, Jesus Christ Truth of all the Prophecies of the himself being the old, and the Apoftolical Doctrines chief corner.stone.

of the New Testament ; Jesus Christ himself being the Head of this Body, and as it were the chief Corner-Stone of this Fabrick, holding and cementing the two Sides of Jewish and Gentile Believers together. 31 In whom all the

21. Under whose divine Conbuilding fitly framed duct and Influence, all the Memtogether, groweth un. bers of this Christian Society, like to an holy temple in the Stones of a material Building, the Lord.

are so to unite and encrease, as to become the Temple and Habitation of God.

22 In whom you 22. You Gentile Christians of also are builded toge- Ephesus being now a Part of this ther for an habitation Glorious Fabrick as well as the of God through the Jews: And as God was formerly Spirit.

faid to dwell in the Jewish Tabernacle and Temple, by the Manifestations of himself there to that People ; so may he now, in a much higher and happier Sense, be said to dwell in you, by the Gifts and Graces of his Holy Spirit conferred on you.

CH A P. III.

The CONTENTS.

1

The same Asurances, viz. That the Gentiles are received

into the Church of Christ, continued. He owns and
professeth himself the Gentile Apostle, Commisioned on
purpose to preach the Gospel to them. The Calling of
the Gentile World, a Doctrine not allowed of by the
Jews, nor discovered to the Gentiles themselves in former
Ages, but now clearly revealed to have been always the
Purpose of God; and in this respect is filed a Mystery,
He exhorts them to rejoice in, rather than be discouraged
at, his Imprisonment and Sufferings for this Do&trine.
Prays for their Confirmation and Progress in the Chri-
sian Faith, and blesseth God for his extended Mercies
to Mankind.

I.

For preaching this very Do

A.D. 62, OR this cause,
F
OR

.
+ I Paul ,
the
Erine.

you
prisoner of Jesus Christ tiles are now received into all the
for you Gentiles,

Privileges of the Christian Church,
as well as the Jews, am † 1, Paul, now a Prisoner at
Rome, prosecuted by the Malice of that * People, and
to be tried for my Life.
2 If ye have heard

2 & 3. Nor can you doubt but
of the dispensation I am a Prisoner for your fakes,
of the grace of God, fince you know my divine Com-
which is given me to mission by an express Revelation
you-ward :

from

3 How

+ I Paul, a Prisoner ; i. e. either am now a Prisoner, ( as I have ventur'd to connect it with the ad and 3d Verses ;) or else The Prisoner, and then most probably all the following Verses of this Chapter are one continued Parenthesis, to the first Verse of the 4th Chapter, where the Apostle resumes his Exhortation again in the

very

same Words.
* See Acts xxii, 21, 22. xxvi. 19, 20, 21, xxviii. 17, 20.
ll If ye have heard ; diye uscati, Since
;

have heard.
Se Dr. Mill. Prolegom. $ 72, 73, & c.

3 How that by reve- from God, runs chiefly upon this A. D. 62.
lation he made known very thing, To authorize me to
unto me the mystery, declare this unthought of Mercy to
(as I wrote afore in
few words,

you ; as I briefly explained it to
you before, (Cap. i. 9, 10.)

. 4 Whereby when

4. By Reading and Considering ye read ye may un whereof, as I there did, and shall derstand my

know

now give a further Account of it ; ledge in the mystery you may clearly understand that of Christ)

gracious and surprizing Purpose of God so little expected by the World.

5

Which in other 5 & 6. Viz. That though the ages was not made Heathen Nations had it not exknown unto the fons presly declared to them in former of men, as it is now

Ages, nor could the Jews be revealed unto his ho. ly apostles and pro- Predictions of their Prophets ; yet

brought to apprehend it from the phets by the Spirit ;

6 That the Gentiles it was now clearly revealed and should be fellow heirs, absolutely declared to the inspired and of the fame bo- Apostles of Jesus Christ, that the dy, and partakers of Gentiles should be taken into all his promite in Christ, the Blessings of the Christian Coveby the Gospel : nant, and be united to the Jews, to make up one Church under the Messiah. 7

Whereof I was 7. Of which great and merciful made a Minister, ac. Dispensation God has made me a cording to the gift of Minister, and qualified me for the grace of God gi: preaching and demonstrating the

. ven unto me, by the effectual working of

Truth of it, by the Powers of his
holy Spirit conferred on me.

his power.

8 Unto me, who 8. ], who for my former imam less than the leaft moderate and furious Zeal against of all saints, is this this very Religion, can never fufgrace given, that I

ficiently humble myself, have now fhould preach among the Favour to be made an Apostle, the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of to declare this amazing and extenChrist.

five Love of God by Jesus Christ 9 And toward the Gentile World.

E 3

9. To