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A General Introduction, &c.

IV. He recommends it to them, in Confideration of their Character and Circumftances, to be prudent and circumfpect in their whole Conversation, as those who were inftructed in the Will of GOD; and not to feek for Pleasure in a diffolute Excefs, but guarding against all Intemperance, to make it the delightful Business of their Lives, to exprefs their Gratitude to GOD, under the Influences of the Spirit, by praifing him for all his Mercies in pious and devout Thanfgivings: And while they were thus careful of their Duty to GOD, he also urges them not to be negligent of the Duties which they owed to one another as Members of Society, but to behave with due Submiffion to each other in their feveral Stations. (Ver. 15,--21.) And then,

V. Having hinted at the Relative Duties of Society in general, he defcends to Particulars, and beginning with the Duties of Huf bands and Wives, he recommends it to Hufbands to love their Wives, in Imitation of the Love which Chrift bears to the Church, and preffes upon Wives the correfpondent Duty of conjugal Subjection, in Imitation of the Subjection which the Church pays to Chrift the Head of it: (Ver. 22, to the End.) From whence he paffes on to the mutual Duties of Children and Parents, and of Servants and Mafters, giving fuitable Admonitions to each, and adding proper Arguments to inforce them. (Chap. iv. 1,---9.) And after this, for a Conclufion of the whole,

61

VI. He gives a general Exhortation to them all, of whatever Condition or Relation in Life, to prepare for a ftrenuous Combat with their Spiritual Enemies, by putting on the whole Armour of GOD, and living in the Exercise of those Chriftian Graces that were neceffary for their Defence and Safety: And having among other Things exhorted them to Fervency in Prayer, he particularly recommends himself to their Remembrance at the Throne of Grace, that he might carry on the important Work in which he was engaged with Freedom and Fidelity, whetever he might fuffer for it; and leaving it to Tychicus (by whom he fent this Epifle,) more fully to inform them of every Circumstance relating to him, he clofes his Epiftle with an Apoftolical Benediction, not only to themselves, but to all that love the Lord Jefus Chrift in Sincerity. (Ver. 10. to the End.)

The Apostle Paul begins the Epifle with teftifying in the Atrongest Terms his Joy, that the believing Ephefians were called to the Participation of Chriftian Privileges, in Confequence of GOD's eternal Purpose of glorifying his Grace in their Sanctification and Salvation, through the Blood of his Son, and the Communication of his Spirit. Eph. I. 1,---14.

120

Epb. I. I

1:

2

The Apostle teftifies his Joy and Thankfulness,

to the Faithful in Chrift Jefus

2 Grace be to you, and Peace from GOD our Father, and from the Lord Jefus Chrift.

Sect. 1. who hath interpofed in fo extraordinary which are at Ephefus, and a Manner to form him for it and to employ him in it, addreffeth this Epistle to the Saints who are at Ephefus, even to the Faithful in Chrift Jefus (a), who believe in him as the only Saviour, and in Confequence of their Perfuafion of the Truth of his Gofpel are folemnly and truly devoted to the Service of GOD. This is the Character in which he looks upon you, and with the most affectionate Concern and Value for you, it is his ardent Wish and most fincere and hearty Prayer, that the richest Abundance of Divine Grace and Favour may [be] communicated to you, with all the Happiness and Peace attending it, from GOD our Father, who is the great Original of all defirable Bleffings, and [from] the Lord Jefus Chrift, through whom they flow down to us finful Creatures.

'3

3 Bleffed be the GOD and Father of our Lord Jefus

Chrift,

At the first turning of my Thoughts towards you as Converts to the Gospel, when I fet myself to think of the happy State into which you are brought, as true Belier ers in the Son of God, by this glorious de of holing sorp Difpenfation of Divine Grace, with whatever perfonal Sorrows and Afflictions I may be preffed, I cannot forbear. burfting out into Songs of Praife. Join with me therefore, my dear Chriftian Brethren, and let us all fay from our Hearts, Bleed [be] the GOD and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift (b), who se moholf wil died, odw IUN

(a) To the Faithful in Chrif Jefus. Some have understood this as an Intimation, that the Christs at Ephesus were remarkably faithful to Chrift, in relying on him alone for Salvacion, without that Attachment to the Mofaick Law, which was to be found in fome other Churches, and particularly more among the Galatians. But as he ufes the fame Title when addreffing the Coloffians, (Col. i. 2.) whom yet he reproves on this very 20.) I can lay no Strefs upon that Criticism.

Account. Onesme

1

(b) Bleed be the GOD and Father, &c.] The Length of Periods frequently occurring in the Writings of St. Paul, is one Thing in his Style that contributes much to the Obfcurity of it; of which this Sentence, which runs on through twelve Verfes to the End of this Section, is a remarkable Inftance. But in the Paraphrafe it is abfolutely

I

Chrift, who hath bleffed us with all spiritual Bleffings in heavenly Places in Chrift:

121

that they were blessed with all Spiritual Bleffings.
is now through him become our GoD and Sect. 1.
Father, and bath bleffed us (c), even all that
are Partakers of his Grace, whether Jews Eph. I. 3.
or Gentiles, with every Spiritual Bleffing in
beavenly [Things] in Chrift (d), having gra-
ciously bestowed upon us, in him, and for
his Sake, by the Operation of his Holy Spi-
rit, whatever may conduce to the Happiness
of our Souls now, whatever may prepare
them for eternal Glory, and may feal to us
the joyful Hope and Expectation of it.

4 According as he hath chofen us in him before the

Now this is all to be confidered, not as
4
what we can pretend to have deserved, but
as the Refult of his free Grace, and the Ac-
complishment of his eternal Purpose of
Love concerning us, according as he bath
chofen us in him (e), even in his well-beloved
Son,

lutely neceffary to break it into many, or otherwife the Period would be drawn out to a much more inconvenient Length, and the Words added to illustrate particular Claufes would incumber, deform, and obfcure the whole.-I have been obliged to take the fame Method in many other Places, and hope I need make no farther Apology for doing it.

(c) Hath blefed us.] It is evident, that the Apoftle means in the Word [us] to include the Ephefians to whom he wrote, the greatest Part of whom were Gentile Converts, as fharing with him and the Jewish Chriftians in their Evangelical Priviledges : And by thus beginning his Epifle with afcribing Thanks to GOD for his Mercies to them, he at once declares his firm Perfuafion of the Calling of the Gentiles, and his hearty Joy in it.

(d) With every Spiritual Bleffing in heavenly [Things] in Chrift.] The Apostle every where reprefents the Graces of the Spirit as fo much preferable to its Gifts, that it appears very surprising, that Dr. Whitby fhould expound the Bleffings here intended as referring entirely to thofe Gifts. They manifeftly take in every spiritual Bleffing, (for fo it is expreffed in the Original, εν πάση ευλογία πνευματικη,) and principally mult refer, not to extraordinary and miraculous Gifts, but to the fanctifying and faving Graces of the Spirit; fuch as Effectual Calling, Juftification by Grace, the Adoption of Children, the Illumination of the Spirit, and all the Graces of the Chriftian Life, which are common unto all Believers, and are communicated to them in all their feveral Branches. And these are Bleffings in the Heavenlies, eu toc erregavions, or in heavenly Things, (as I would chufe to render it, rather than Places,) as they are Things that have a manifest Relation and Refpect to Heaven, and have a Tendency to fit us for it, and to lead us, not to feek after the Enjoyments of this prefent World, but to be converfant about, and to be waiting for, thofe of the heavenly State.

(e) Hath chofen us in him.] I think the Apostle here cannot be understood to intimate, that every one of the Perfons who belonged to the Church of the Ephefians, (or elsewhere to other Chriftian Societies,) in the Bonds of external Communion, was by a particular Decree of GOD perfonally chofen to eternal. Life, and to perfevering Holiness as the Way to it. For he could have no Evidence, that this was the Cafe

VOL.V.

with

122

Being predeftinated to the Adoption of Children,

Sect. 1. Son, before the Foundation of the World was laid; always intending, thot we should be in Eph. I.. 4. all Refpects holy and unblameable before him, and efpecially that we fhould walk in Love (f), that by the Exercise of this facred, Affection to GOD and each other, we might be preferved from the Evils which abound. in the World, and animated to the most worthy, honourable, and useful Behaviour. 5 To this we know God hath appointed us; let us therefore, in Proportion to the Degree in which we find this Temper prevailing in us, look back with Delight to thofe gracious Purposes which the bleffed GOD formed in his own All-comprehending Mind concerning us long before we had a Being; and let us contemplate and rejoice in him, as having predefinated us to the Adoption of Children, and fore-ordained us to be received.

into

the Foundation of the World, that we should be holy, and without Blame before him in Love :

5 Having predeftinated us unto the Adoption of Chil

dren

with Regard to each, without fuch a Revelation as I think none have pretended, and as would very ill agree with other Paffages relating to the Apoftacy of fome who once made a very forward Profeffion, and with the many Exhortations and Cautions which every where occur in his Writings, or with the Declarations Chrift had made concerning the final Ruin that would in Fact attend many who called themselves Chriftians, and fome who bore the highest Offices in the Church, and wrought_the most extraordinary Works. (Compare Mat. vii. 22, 23. and Luke xiii. 26, 27.) I conclude therefore, that he fpeaks of whole Societies in general as confifting of Saints and Believers, because this was the predominant Character, and he had Reafon in the Judgment of Charity to believe the greater Part were fuch: (Compare Phil. i. 7.) Nor did he always judge it neceffary to make Exceptions in Reference to a few Hypocrites who crept in among them, any more than Chrift judged it fo, to fpeak of Judas as excluded, when he mentions the twelve Thrones of Judgment on which the Apostles fhould fit. (Mat. xix. 28.) In this View he fays of them in general, that whether they were Jews or Gentiles they were indifcriminately chofen, not only to thofe prefent Priviledges, which they all as profeffing Chriftians enjoyed, but to real Holinefs and everlasting Glory. And as we are fure there were at Ephefus many Jewish Converts, who were in full Communion with the Church, I can fee no Reafon at all, with fome Commentators of great Name, to limit what the Apostle fays here to the Gentiles. An Addrefs to them alone in this Epiftle would very little fuit that Candor and Love, fo prevalent in the Heart of St. Paul, and fo effential to every true Chriftian- The pious Profeffor Franckius thinks the Apostle fpeaks only of the Jews, till he comes to the 13th Verfe; but from Note (h) below, on Verfe 9. it will appear, that he must be mistaken in this Singularity of Interpretation.

(f) In Love.] This is often infifted upon; and perhaps the rather, to intimate, that now the middle Wall of Partition was broken down, it was of the highest Importance to cultivate mutual Affection without any Regard to the Singularity of the Jewish or Gentile Character.