Notes on the Old and New Testaments

tion; to lead men to say that if all things are fixed there is no need of effort; that if God has an eternal plan, no matter how men live, they will be saved if he has elected them, and that at all events they cannot change that plan, and they may as well enjoy life by indulgence in sin. The apostle Paul held no such view of the doctrine of predestination. In his apprehension it is a doctrine fitted to excite the gratitude of Christians, and the whole tendency and desigr of the doctrine, according to him, is to make men holy, and without blame before God in love. IF And without blame before him in love. The expression "in love," is probably to be taken in connection with the following verse, and should be rendered */n love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children.' It is all to be traced to the love of God. (1.) It was love for us which prompted to it (2.) It is the highest expression of love to be ordained to eternal life — for what higher love could Grod show us] (3.) It is love on his part, because we had no claim to it, and had not deserved it. If this be the correct view, then the doctrine of predestination is not inconsistent with the highest moral excellence in the divine character, and should never be represented as the offepring of partiality and injustice. Then too we should give thanks that " God has, in love, predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will."

5. Having predestinated us. On the meaning of the word here used, see Notes on Rom. i. 4; viii. 29. The word used (irpoopl^o)) means properly to set bounds before,• and then

Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure ' of his wiU,

to pre-determine. There is the essential idea of setting bounds or limits, and of doing this beforehand. It is not that God determined to do it when it was actually done, but that he intended to do it beforehand. No language could express this more clearly, and I suppose this interpretation is generally admitted. Even by those who deny the doctrine of particular election, it is not denied that the word here used means to pre-determine; and they maintain that the sense is, that Gcd had predetermined to admit the Gentiles to the privileges of his people. Admitting then that the meaning is to predestinate in the proper sense, the only question is, who are predestinated 1 To whom does the expression apply 1 Is it to nations, or to individuals'? In reply to this, in addition to the remarks already made, I would observe, (1.) that there is no specification of nations here as such, no mention of the Gentiles in contradistinction from the Jews. (2.) those referred to were those included in the word "m5," among whom Paul was one — but Paul was not a heathen. (3.) The same objection will lie against tlie doctrine of predestmating nations which will lie against predestinating individuals. (4.) Nations are made up of individuals, and the pre-determination must have had some reference to individuals. What is a nation but a collection of individuals ] There is no such abstract being or thing as a nation; and if there was any purpose in regard to a nation, it must have had some reference to the individuals composing it. He that would act on the ocean, must act on the drops of water that make up the ocean; for besides the collection of drops of water there is no ocean. He that wouM remove a mountain, must act on the particles of matter that compose that mountain; for there is no such thing as an abstract mountain. Perhaps there was never a greater illusion than to suppose that all difficulty is removed in regard to the doctrine of election and predestination, by saying that it refers to nations. What difficulty is lessened'? What is gained by if? How does it make God appear more amiable and good 1 Does it render him less partial to suppose that he has made a difference among nations, than to suppose he has made a difference among individuals'? Does it remove any difficulty about the offer of salvation, to suppose that he has granted the knowledge of his truth to some nations, and withheld it from others'? The truth is, that all the reasoning which has been founded on this supposition, has been merely throwing dust in the eyes. If there is any well-founded objection to the doctrine of decrees or predestination, it is to the doctrme at all, alike in regard to nations and individuals, and there are just the same difficulties in the one case as in the other. But there is no real difficulty in either. Who could worship or honour a God who had no plan, or purpose, or intention in what he did? Who can believe that the universe was formed and is governed without design'? Who can doubt that what Gxxi does he always meant to do] When, therefore, he converts and saves a soul, it is clear that he always intended to do it. He has no new plan. It is not an after-thought It is not the work of chance. If I can find out any thing that God has done, I have the most certain conviction that he always meant to do it — and this is all that is intended by the doctrine of election or predestination. What

God does, he always meant to do. What he permits, he always meant to permit. I may add further, that if it is right to do it, it was right to intend to do it. If there is no. injustice or partiality in the act itself, there is no injustice or partiality in the intention to perform it. If it is right to save a soul, it was always right to intend to save it. If it is right to condemn a sinner to wo, it was right to intend to do it. Let us then look at the thing itself, and if that is not wrong, we sljould not blame the purpose to do it, however long it has been cherished. IF Unto the adoption, &c. See Notes, John i. 12. Rom. viii. 15. IT According to the good pleasure of his will. The word rendered " good pleasure" — (ivSoKia) — ^means a being well pleased; delight in any thing, favour, good-wUl. Luke ii. 14. Phil, i. 15. Comp. Luke xii. 32. Then it denotes purpose, or will, the idea of benevolence being included. Robinson. Rosenmiiller renders the phrase, "from his most benignant decree." The evident object of the apostle is to state why God chose the heirs of salvation. It was done as it seemed good to him in the circumstances of the case. It was not that man had any control over him, or that man was consulted in the determination, or that it was based on the good works of man, real or foreseen. But we are not to suppose that there were no good reasons for what he has thus done. Convicts are frequently pardoned by an executive. He does it according to his own will, or as seems good in his sight. He is to be the judge, and no one has a right to control him in doing it It may seem to be entirely arbitrary. The executive may not have conmiunicated the reasons why he did it, either to those who are pardoned, or to the other prisoners, or to any one else. But we are not to infer that there was no reason for

6 To the praise ** of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath

doing it. If he is a wise magistrate, and worthy of his station, it is to be presumed that there were reasons which, if known, would be satisfactory to all. But those reasons he is under no obligations to make known. Indeed, it might be improper that ♦^hey should be known. Of that he IS the best judge. Meantime, however, we may see what would be the effect in those who were not forgiven. It would excite, very likely, their hatred, and they would charge him with partiality or with tyranny. But they should remember that whoever might be pardoned, and on whatever ground it migbt be done, they could not complain. They would suffer no more than they deserve. But what if, when the act of pardon was made known to one part, it was offered to the others also on certain plain and easy conditions 1 Suppose it should appear that while the executive meant, for wise but concealed reasons, to forgive a part, he had also determined to offer forgiveness to all. And suppose that they were in fact disposed in the highest degree to neglect it, and that no inducements or arguments could prevail on them to accept of it. Who then could blame the executive 1 Now this is about the case in regard to God, and the doctrine of election. All men were guilty and condemned. For wise reasons, which God has not communicated to us, he determined to bring a portion at least of the human race to salvation. This he did not intend to leave to chance and hap-hazard. He saw that all would of themselves reject the offer, and that unless some efficient means were used, the blood of the atonement would be shed in vain. He made us accepted* in the Be loved:

did not make known to men who they were that he meant to save, nor the reason why they particularly were to be brought to heaven. Meantime he meant to make the offer universal; to make the terms as easy as possible, and thus to take away every ground of complaint. If men will not accept of pardon; if they prefer their sins; if nothing can induce them to come and be saved, why should they complain] If the doors of a prison are open, and the chains of the prisoners are knocked off, and they will not come out, why should they complain that others are in fact willing to come out and be saved] Let it be borne in mind that the purposes of God correspond exactly to facts as they actually occur, and much of the difficulty is taken away. If in the facts there is no just ground of complaint, there can be none, because it was the intention of God that the facts should be so.

6. To the praise of the glory of his grace. This is a Hebraism, and means the same as " to his glorious grace." The object was to excite thanksgiving for his glorious grace manifested in electing love. The real tendency of the doctrine in minds that are properly affected, is not to excite opposition to God, or to lead to the charge of partiality, tyranny, or severity; it is to excite thankfulness and praise. In accordance with this, Paul introduced the statement (ver. 3) by saying that God was to be regarded as " blessed" for forming and executing this plan. The meaning is, that the doctrine of predestination and election lays the foundation of adoring gratitude and praise. This will appear plain by a few considerations.

7 In whom " we have redemp-

(1.) It is the only foundation of hope for man. If he were left to himself, all the race would reject the offers of mercy and would perish. History, experience, and the Bible alike demonstrate this. (2.) All the,joys which any of the human race have, are to be traced to the purpose of God to bestow them. Man has no power of originating- any of them, and if God had not intended to confer them, none of them would have been possessed. (3.) All these favours are conferred on those who had no claim oil God. The Christain who is pardoned had no fclaim on God for pardon; he who is admitted to heaven could urge no claim for such a privilege and honour; he who enjoys comfort and peace in the hour of death, enjoys it only through the glorious grace of God. (4.) All that is done by election is fitted to excite praise. Election is to life, and pardon, and holiness, and heaven. But why should not a man praise God for these things! God chooses men to be holy, not sinful; to be happy, not miserable; to be pure, not impure; to be saved, not to be lost. For these things he should be praised. He should be praised that he has not left the whole race to wander away and die. Had he chosen but one to eternal life, that one should praise him, and all the holy universe should join in the praise. Should he now see it to be consistent to choose but one of the fallen spirits, and to make him pure, and to readmit him to heaven, that one spirit would have occasion for eternal thanks, and all heaven might join in his praises. How much more is praise due to him, when the number chosen is not one, or a few, but when millions which no man can number, shall be found to be chosen to life. Rev. vii.

tion through his blood, the forgive-

9. (5.) The doctrine of predestination to life has added no pang of sorrow to any one of the human race. It has made millions happy who would not otherwise have been, but not one miserable. It is not a choice to sorrow, it is a choice to joy and peace. (6.) No one has a right to complain of it. Those who are chosen assuredly should not complau\ of the grace which has made them what they are, and which is the foundation of all their hopes. And they who are not chosen, have no right to complain; for (a) they have no claim to life. (6) They are in fact unwilling to come. They have no desire to be Christians and to be saved. Nothing can induce them to forsake their sins and come to the Saviour. Why then should they complain if others are in fact willing to be saved ] Why should a man complain for being left to take his own course, and to walk in his own way? Mysterious, therefore, as is the doctrine of predestination; and fearful and inscrutable as it is in some of its aspects, yet, in a just view of it, it is fitted to excite the highest expressions of thanksgiving, and to exalt God in the apprehension of man. He who has been redeemed and saved by the love ot God; who has been pardoned and made pure by mercy; on whom the eye of compassion has been tenderly fixed, and for whom the Son of God has died, has abundant cause for thanksgiving and praise. TI Wherein he hath made us accepted. Has regarded us as the objects of favour and complacency, if In the Beloved. In the Lord Jesus Christ> the well-beloved Son of God. Notes, Matt. iii. 17. He has chosen us in him, and it is through him that these mercies have been conferred on us. 7. In whom we have redemption.

ness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

8 Wherein he hath abounded

On the meaning of the word here rendered redemption — (airoXvTpu)ais) ' — See Notes on Rom. iii. 24. The word here, as there, denotes that de- Uverance from sin and from the evil consequences of sin, which has been procured by the atonement made by the Lord Jesus Christ. This verse is one of the passages which prove conclusively that the apostle here does not refer to nations and to national privileges. Of what nation could it be said that it had "redemption through the blood of Jesus, even the forgiveness of sins 1" IT Through his blood. By means of the atonement which he has made. See this phrase fully explained in the Notes on Rom. iii. 25. ^ The forgiveness of sins. We obtain ihrough his blood, or through the atonement which he has made, the forgiveness of sins. We are not to suppose that this is all the benefit which we receive from his death, or that this is all that constitutes redemption. It is the main, and perhaps the most important thing. But we also obtain the hope of heaven, the influences of the Hftly Spirit, grace to guide us and to support us in trial, peace in death, and perhaps many more benefits. Still /or^treness is so prominent and important, that the apostle has mentioned that as if it were all. ^ According to the riches of his grace. According to his rich grace. See a similar phrase explained in the Notes on Rom. ii. 4. The word riches, in the form in which it is used here, occurs also in several other places in this epistle. Ch. i. 18; ii. 7; iii. 8. 16. It is what Paley (Horte Paul.) calls "a cant phrase," and occurs often in the writings of Paul. See Rom. ii. 4; ix. 23; xi. 12. 33. Phil, iv 19. Cdl. i. 27; ii. 2. It toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

is not found in any of the other writings of the New Testament, except once in a sense somewhat similar, in James (ii. 5), " Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith," and Dr. Paley from this fact has constructed an argument to prove that this epistle was written by Paul. It is peculiar to him, and marks his style in a manner which cannot be mistaken. An impostor, or a forger of the epistle, would not have thought of introducing it, and yet it is just such a phrase as would naturally be used by Paul.

8. Wherein he hath abounded. Which he has liberally manifested to us. This grace has not been stinted and confined, but has been liberal and abundant. % In all wisdom. That is, he has evinced great wisdom in the plan of salvation; wisdom in so saving men as to secure the honour of his own law, and in devising a scheme that was eminently adapted to save men. Set Notes on 1 Cor. i. 24. ^ And prudence. The word here used {(ppov^ais) means understanding, thinking, prudence. The meaning here is, that, so to speak, God had evinced great intelligence in the plan of salvation. There was ample proof of mind and of thought. It was adapted to the end in view. It was far-seeing; skilfully arranged; and carefully formed. The sense of the whole is, that there was a wise design running through the whole plan, and abounding in it in an eminent degree.

-9. Having made known to us the mystery of his will. The word mystery {nvrr/jpiov) means literally something into which one must be initiated before it is fully known (from fiviw, to initiate, to instruct);

us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath** purposed in himself: and then any thing which is concealed or hidden. We commonly use the word to denote that which is above our comprehension or unintelligible. But this is never the meaning of the word in the New Testament. It means there some doctrine or fact which has been concealed, or which has not before been fully revealed, or which has been set forth only by figures and symbols. When the doctrine is made known, it may be as clear and plain as any other. Such was the doctrine that God meant to call the Gentiles, which was long concealed, at least in part, and which was not fully made known until the Saviour came, and which had been till that time a mystery — a concealed truth — though when it was revealed, there was nothing incomprehensible in it. Thus in Col. i. 26, "The mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints." So it was in regard to the doctrine of election. It was a mystery until it was made known by the actual conversion of those whom God had chosen. So in regard to the incarnation of the Redeemer; the atonement; the whole plan of salvation. Over all these great points there was a veil thrown, and men did not understand them until God revealed them. When they were revealed, the mystery was removed, and men were able to see clearly the manifestation of the will of God. ^ Which he hath purposed in himself. Without foreign aid or counsel. IJis purposes originated in his own mind, and were concealed until he chose to ma^ke them known. See 2 Tim. i. 9. 10. That in the dispensation.

10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times, he might gather together in one all thincrs in

The word here rendered ' dispensation,' olKovojjLia, means properly the management of household affairs. Then it means stewardship or administration; a dispensation or arrangement of things: a scheme or plan. The meaning here is, that this plan was formed in order {ds) or u7ito this end, that in the full arrangement of times, or in the arrangements completing the filling up of t)ie times, God might gather together in one all things. Tindal renders it, "to have it declared when the time was full come," &c. ^ The fulness of times. When the times were fiilly completed; when all the periods should have passed by which he had prescribed, or judged necessary to the completion of the object. The period referred to here is that when all things shall be gathered together in the Redeemer at the winding up of human affairs, or the consummation of all things. The arrangement was made with reference to that, and embraced all things which conduced to that. The plan stretched from before ' the foundation of the world' to the period when all times should be completed; and of course all the events occurring in that uitermediate period were embraced in the plan. ^ He might gather together in one. The word here used — avaK£(pa'Xai6(t) — meaus literally, to sum up, to recapitulate, as an orator does at the close of his discourse. It is from Kt<pa\Yi, the head; or KtcpaXaiov^ the sum, the chief thing, the main pomt. In the New Testament, the word means to collect under one head, or to comprehend several thmgs under one. Rom. xiii. 9.' "It is briefly comprehended, i. e.

Christ, both which are in ' heaven summed up under this one precept," sc, love. In the passage before us, it means that God would sum up, or comprehend all things in heaven and earth through the Christian dispensation; he would make one empire, under one head, with common feelings, and under the same laws. The reference is to the unity which will hereafter exist in the kingdom of God, when all his friends on earth and in heaven shall be united, and all shall have a common head. Now there is alienation. The earth has been separated from other worlds by rebellion. It has gone off into apostasy and sin. It refuses to acknowledge the Great Head to which other worlds are subject, and the object is to restore it to its proper place, so that there shall be one great and united kingdom. % All things, rd jtavTd. It is remarkable that Paul has here used a word which is m the neuter gender. It is not all persons, all angels, or all men, or all the elect, but all things. Bloomfield and others suppose that persons are meant^ and that the phrase is used for tovs ndvTeg. But it seems to me that Paul did not use this word without design. All things are placed under Christ, (ver. 22. Matt, xxviii. 18,) and the design of God is to restore harmony in the universe. Sin has produced disorder not only in mind, but in matter. The world is disarranged. The effects of transgression are seen everywhere; and the object of the plan of redemption is to put things on their pristine footing, and restore them as they were at first. Every thing is, therefore, put under the Lord Jesus, and all things are to be brought under his control, so as to constitute one vast harmonious empire. The amount of the declaration here is, that there is hereafter to be one 3* and which are on earth: even m him, kingdom, in which there shall be no jar or alienation; that the now separated kingdoms of heaven and earth shall be united under one head, and that henceforward all shall be harmony and love. The tilings which are to be united in Christ, are those which are " in heaven and which are on earth." Nothing is said of hell. Of course this passage cannot teach the doctrine of universal salvation, since there is one world which is not to have a part in this ultimate union. ^ In Christ. By means of Christ, or under him, as the great head and kuig. He is to be the great agent in effecting this, and he is to preside over this united kingdom. In accordance with this view the heavenly inhabitants, the angels as well as the redeemed, are uniformly represented as uniting in the same worship, and as acknowledging the Redeemer as their common head and king. Rev. v. 9, 10, 11, 12. ^ Both which are in heaven. Marg. as in Gr., in the heavens. Many different opinions have been formed of the meaning of this expression. Some suppose it to mean the saints in heaven, who died before the coming of the Saviour; and some that it refers to the Jews, designated as the heavenly people, in, contradistinction from the Gentiles, as having nothing divine and heavenly in them, and as being of the earth. The more simple and obvious interpretation is, however, without doubt, the correct one, and this is to suppose that it refers to the holy inhabitants of other worlds. TJie object of the plan of salvation is to prcvduce a harmony between them and the redeemed on earth, or to produce out of all, one great ar.d united kingdom. In doing this, it is not necessary to suppose that any change is to be produced in the inhabitants

11 In whom also we have ob-

of heaven. All the change is to occur among- those on earth, and the object, is to make out of all, one harmonious and glorious empire. y^ And which are on earth. The redeemed on earth. The object is to bring them into harmony with the inhabitants of heaven. This is the great object proposed by the plan of salvation. It is to found one glorious and eternal kingdom, that shall comprehend all holy beings on earth and all in heaven. There is now discord and disunion. Man is separated from God, and from all holy beings. Between him and every holy being there is by nature discord and alienation. Unrenewed man has no sympathy with the feelings and work of the angels; no love for their employment; no desire to be associated with them. Nothing can be more unlike than the customs, feelmgs, laws, and habits which prevail on earth, from those which prevail in heaven. But the object of the plan of salvation is to restore harmony to those alienated communities, and produce eternal concord and love. Learn hence, (1.) The greatness and glory of the plan of salvation. It is no trifling undertaking to reconcile worlds, and of such discordant materials to found one great and glorious and eternal empire. (2.) The reason of the interest which angels feel in the plan of redemption. 1 Peter i. 12. They are deeply concerned in the redemption of those who, with them, are to constitute that great kingdom which is to be eternal. Without envy at the happiness of others; without any feeling that the accession of others will diminish their felicity or glory, they wait to hail the coming of others, and rejoice to receive even one who comes to be united <o their number. (3.) This plan tained an inheritance, " being pre- was worthy of the efforts of the Son of God. To restore harmony in heaven and earth; to prevent the evils of alienation and discord; to rear one immense and glorious kingdom, was an object worthy the incarnation of the Son of God. (4.) The glory of the Redeemer. He is to be exalted as the Head of this united and ever-glorious kingdom, and all the redeemed on earth and the angelic hosts shall acknowledge him as their common Sovereign and Head. (5.) This is the greatest and most important enterprise on earth. It should engage every heart, and enlist the powers of every soul. It should be the earnest desire of all to swell the numbers of those who shall constitute this united and ever-glorious kingdom, and to bring as many as possible of the human race into union with the holy inhabitants of the other world.

11. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance. We who are Christians. Most commentators suppose that by the word " we" the Jews particularly are intended, and that it stands in contradistinction from " ye," as referring to the Gentiles, in ver. 13. This construction, they suppose, is demanded by the nature of the passage. The meaning may then be, that the Jews who were believers had Jirst obtained a part in the plan of redemption, as the offer was first made to them, and then that the same favour was conferred also on the Gentiles. Or it may refer to those who had been first converted, without particular reference to the fact that they were Jews; and the reference may be to the apostle and his fellow-labourers- This seems to me to be the correct interpretation. ' We the ministers of religion first believed, and have

destinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all

obtained an inheritance in the hopes of Christians, that we should be to the praise of God's glory; and you also, after hearing the word of truth, believed.' Ver. 13. The word which is rendered "obtained our inheritance" — K\vp6w — means literally to acquire by lot, and then to obtain, to receive. Here it means that they had received the favour of being to the praise of his glory for having first trusted in the Lord Jesus. ^ Being predestinated. Ver. 5. 1[ According to the purpose. On the meaning of the word purpose, see Notes, Rom. viii. 28. "^ Of Mm who worketh all things. Of God, the universal agent. The affirmation here is not merely that God accomplishes the designs of salvation according to the counsel of his own will, but that he does everything. His agency is not confined to one thing, or to one class of objects. Every object and event is under his control, and is in accordance with his eternal plan. The word rendered worketh — evepym — means to work, to be active, to produce, Eph. i. 20. Gal. ii. 8. Phil. ii. 13. A universal agency is ascribed to him. " The same God which worketh all in all." 1 Cor. xii. 6. He has an agency m causing the emotions of our hearts. " God, who worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." Phil. ii. 13. He has an agency in distributing to men their various allotments and endowments. *' All these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." 1 Cor. xii. 11. The agency of God is seen everywhere. Every leaf, flower, rose-bud, spire of grass; every sunbeam, and every flash of lightning; every cataract and every torrent, all Jeclare his agency; and there is not an object that we see that does not thmgs after the counsel of his own will;

bespeak the control of an All-present God. It would be impossible to afiirra more explicitly that God's agency is universal, than Paul does in the passage before us. He does not attempt to prove it. It is one of those points on which he does not deem it necessary to pause and reason, but which may be regarded as a conceded point in the discussion of other topics, and which may be employed without hesitation in their illustration. Paul does not state the mode in which this is done. He affirms merely the fact. He does not say that he compels men, or that he overbears them by mere physical force. His agency he affirms to be universal; but it is undoubtedly in accordance with the nature of the object, and with the laws which he has impressed on them. His agency in the work of creation was absolute and entire; for there was nothing to act on, and no established laws to be observed. Over the mineral kingdom his control must also be entire, yet in accordance with the laws which he has impressed on matter. The crystal and the snow are formed by his agency; but it is in accordance with the laws which he has been pleased to appoint. So in the vegetable world his agency is everywhere seen; but the lily and the rose blossom in accordance with uniform laws, and not in an arbitrary manner. So in the animal kingdom. God gives sensibility to the nerve, and excitability and power to the muscle. He causes the lungs to heave, and the arteries and veins to bear the blood along the channels of life; but it is not in an arbitrary manner. It is in accordance with the laws which he lias ordained and he never disregards in his agency over these kingdoms. So in his government of mind. He "works" everywhere.

13 That we should he to the

But he does it in accordance with the laws of mind. His agency is not exactly of the same kind on the rose-bud that it is on the diamond, nor on the nerve that it is on the rose-bud, nor on the heart and will that it is on the nerve. In all these things he consults the laws which he has impressed on them; and as he chooses that the nerve should be affected in accordance with its laws and properties, so it is with mind. God does not violate its laws. Mind is free. It is influenced by truth and motives. It has a sense of right and wrong. And there is no more reason to suppose that God disregards these laws of mind in controlling the intellect and the heart, than there is that he disregards the laws of crystallization in the formation of tiie ice, or of gravitation in the movements of the heavenly bodies. The general doctrine is, that God works in all things, and controls all; but that his agency everywhere is in accordance with the laws and nature of that part of his kingdom where it is exerted. By this simple principle we may secure the two great points which it is desirable to secure on this subject, (1.) the doctrine of the universal agency of God; and (2.) the doctrine of the freedom and responsibility of man. ^ After the counsel of his own will. Not by consulting his creatures, or conforming to their views, but by his own views of what is proper and right. We are not to suppose that this is by mere will, as if it were arbitrary, or that he determines anything without good reason. The meaning is, that his purpose is determined by what he views to be right, and without consulting his creatures or conforming to their views. His dealings often seem to us to be arbitrary.

praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ.

We are incapable of perceiving the reasons of what he does. He makes those his friends who we should have supposed would have been the last to have become Christians. He leaves those who seem to us to be on the borders of the kingdom, and they remain unmoved and unaffected. But we are not thence to suppose that he is arbitrary. In every instance, we are to believe that there is a good reason for what he does, and one which we may be permitted yet to see, and in which we shall wholly acquiesce. The phrase " counsel of his own will" is remarkable. It is designed to express in the strongest manner the fact that it is not by human counsel or advice. The word "counsel" — jSouXjy — means a council or senate, - then a determination, purpose, or decree. See Rob. Lex. Here it means that his determination was formed by his own will, and not by human reasoning. Still, his will in the case may not have been arbitrary. When it is said of man that he forms his own purposes, and acts according to his own will, we are not to infei that he acts without reason. He may have the highest and best reasons for what he does, but he does not choose to make them known to others, or to consult others. So it may be of God, and so we should presume it to be. It may be added, that we ought to have such confidence in him as to believe that he will do all thuigs well. The best possible evidence that anything is done in perfect wisdom and goodness, is the fact that God does it. When we have ascertained that, we should be satisfied that all is right.

12. That we should be to the praise of his glory. Should be the occasion or the means r f celebrating

13 In whom ye also trusted^ after that ye heard « the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:

his glory; or that praise should be ascribed to him as the result of our Balvation. ^ Who first trusted in Chiist. Marg., hoped. This is in accordance with the original. The foundation of their hope was the Saviour. Some suppose that the apostle here refers to the Jews who were converted before the gospel was preached extensively to the Gentiles. The reason for this opinion is, that in the following verse he contrasts those to whom he here refers with others whom he was addressing. But it may be that by the word "we" in vs. 11, 12, he refers to himself and to his fellow-labourers who had first hoped in the Saviour, and had then gone and proclaimed the message to others. See Notes on ver. 11. They j^rs< believed, and then preached to others; and they also believed, and became partakers of the same privileges.

13. In whom ye also trusted. This stands in contrast with those who had first embraced the gospel. — % Heard the word of truth. The gospel; called the word or message of truth, the word of God, &c. See Rom. X. 17. The phrase ' the word of truth' means*' the true word or message.' It was a message unmixed with Jewish traditions or Gentile philosophy. If The gospel of your salvation. The gospel bringing salvation to you. % In whom also. In the Lord Jesus. A little different translation of this verse will convey more clearly its meaning. ' In whom also, ye, having heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation), in whom having also believed, ye were sealed,' «fec. The sealing was the result of believmg, and that was the result of hearmg the gospel. Comp. Rom. x. 14, 15. Tf Ye were in whom also, after that ye behoved, ye were sealed * with thai holy Spirit of promise.

sealed. On the meaning of the word seal, see Notes on "John iii. 33; vi. 27. On the phrase ' ye were sealed,' see Notes on 2 Cor. i. 22. ^ With that holy Spirit of promise. With the Holy Spirit that was promised. See John xvi. 7 — 11. 13; xv.26; xiv. 16, 17. It is not improbable, I think, that the apostle here refers particularly to the occurrence of which we have a record in Acts xix. 1 — 6. Paul, it is there said, having passed through the upper provinces of Asia Minor, came to Ephesus. He found certain persons who were the disciples of John, and he asked them if they had received the Holy Ghost since they " believed," ver. 2. They replied that they had not heard whether there was any Holy Ghost, and that they had been baptized unto John's baptism. Paul taught them the true nature of the baptism of John; explained to them the christian system; and they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and "the Holy Ghost came upon them, and they spake with tongues, and prophesied." They were thus sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, '•after they had believed' (Eph. i. 13); they had the full evidence of the favour of God in the descent of the promised Holy Spirit, and in his miraculous influences. If this be the true interpretation, it constitutes a striking coincidence between the epistle and the Acts, of sucji a nature as constitute tlie arguments in Paley's Hora Paulin<B (though he has not referred to this), which shows that the epistle was not forged. The circumstance is such that it would not have been alluded to in this manner by one who should for^e the epistle; and the mention of It in the epistle is so slight, tliat

14 Which is the earnest " of our inheritance, until the redemption * of the purchased " possession, unto the '^ praise of his glory.

no one, from the account there, would think of forging the account in the Acts. The coincidence is just such as would occur on the supposition that the transaction actually occurred, and that both the Acts and the epistle are genuine. At the same time, there is a sealing of the Holy Spirit which is common to all Christians. See the Notes referred to on 2 Cor. i. 22.

14. Which is the earnest of our inheritance. On the meanmg of this, see Notes on 2 Cor. i. 22. f^ Until the redemption. See Notes on Rom. viii. 23. The meaning here is, we have the Holy Spirit as the pledge that that shall be ours, and the Holy Spirit will be imparted to us until we enter on that inheritance. ^ Of the purchased possession. Heaven, purchased for us by the death of the Redeemer. The word here used — rrcpnroivaig — occurs in the followmg places in the New Testament: 1 Thess. v. 9, rendered "to obtain salvation;" 2 Thess. ii. 14, "to the pbtaining of the glory of the Lord;" Heb. x. 39, "to the

" a peculiar people;" literally,. a people of acquirement to himself; and in the passage before us. It properly means, an acquisition, an obtaining, a laying up. Here it means, the complete deliverance from sin, and the eternal salvation acquired for us by Christ. The influence of the Holy Spirit, renewing and sanctifying us, comforting us in trials, and sustaining us in afflictions, is the pledge that the redemption is vet to be wholly ours. IT Unto the praise of his glory. See ver. 6.

15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

15. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus. This is one of the passages usually relied on by those who suppose that this epistle was not written to the Ephesians. The argument is, that he writes to them as if they were strangers to him, and that it is not language such as would be used in addressing a people among whom he had spent three years. See the Intro. \ 5. But this inference is not conclusive. Paul had been some years absent from Ephesus when this epistle was written. In the difficult communication in those times between distant places, it is not to be supposed that he would hear often from them. Perhaps he had heard nothing after the time when he bade farewell to the elders of Ephesus at Miletus (Acts xx.), until the time here referred to. It would be, therefore, a matter of great interest with him to hear from them; and when in some way intelligence was brought to him at Rome of a very gratifying character about their growth in piety, he says that his anxiety was relieved, and that he did not cease to give thanks for what he had heard, and to commend them to God in prayer.

16. Cease not to give thanks for you. In the prosperity of the church at Ephesus he could not but feel the deepest interest, and their welfare he never forgot. IT Making men^ tion of you in my prayers. Paul was far distant from tl. em, and expected to see them no more. But he had faith in prayer, and he sought that they might advance in knowledge and in grace. What was thr

17 That the God « of our Lord /esus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom ' and revelation ^ in the knowledge of liim:

particular subject of his prayers, he raentions in the following verses.

17. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. The God who has sent the Lord Jesus into the world, and appointed him as the Mediator between himself and man. The particular reason why Paul here speaks of him as * the God of the Lord Jesus' is, that he prays that they might be further acquainted with the Redeemer, and be enlightened in regard to the great work which he came to do. ^[ The Father of glory. The glorious Father, that is, the Father who is worthy to be praised and honoured. IT Marj give unto you the Spirit of wisdom. May make you wise to understand the great doctrines of the religion of the Redeemer. Tf And revelation. That is, revealing to you more and more of the character of the Redeemer, and of the nature and results of his work. It is probable here that by the word ' Spirit' the apostle refers to the Holy Spirit as the author of all wisdom, and the revealer of all truth. His prayer is, that God would grant to them the Holy Spirit to make them wise, and to reveal his will to them. ^ In the knowledge of him. Mar^. for the acknowledgment. That IS, in order that you may more fully acknowledge him, or know him more intimately and thoroughly. They had already made high attainments (ver. 15), but Paul felt that they might make still higher; and the idea here is, that however far Christians may have advanced in knowledge and in love, there is an unfathomed depth of

18 The eyes " of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope '^ of his calhng, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

knowledge which they may still explore, and which they should be exhorted still to attempt to fathom. How far was Paul from supposing that the Ephesians had attained to perfection!

18. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened. The construction here in the Greek is, probably, ' that he may give you (^a3»/^ ver. 17) the Spirit of wisdom, &c. — eyes of the understanding enlightened,' &c. Or the phrase, 'the eyes of your understanding being enlightened,' may be in the accusative absolute, which Koppe and Bloomfield prefer. The phrase, ' the eyes of the understanding,' is a figure that is common in all languages. Thus Philo says, ' What the eye is to the body, that is the mind to the soul.' Comp. Matth. vi. 22. The eye is the instrument by which we see; and in like manner the understanding is that by which we perceive truth. The idea here is, that Paul not only wished their hearts to be right, but he wished their understanding to be right also. Religion has much to do in enlightening the mind. Indeed, its effect there is not less striking and decisive than it is on the heart. The understanding has been blinded by sin. The views which men entertain of themselves and of God are narrow and wrong. The understanding is enfeebled and perverted by the practice of sin. It is limited in its operations by the necessity of the case, and by the impossibility of fully comprehending the great truths which pertain to the divine administration. One of the

19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power ° to us-

first effects of true rehgion is on the understanding. It enlarges its views of truth; gives it more exalted conceptions of God; corrects its errors; raises it up towards the great Foimtain of love. And nowhere is the effect of the true religion more apparent than in shedding light on the intellect of the world, and restoring the weak and perverted mind to a just view of the proportion of things, and to the true knowledge of God. IF That ye may know what is the hope of his calling. What is the full import of that hope to which he has called and invited you by his Spirit and his promises. The meaning here is, that it would be an inestimable privilege to be made fully acquainted with the benefits of the christian hope, and to be permitted to understand fully what Christians have a right to expect in the world of glory. This is the Jirst thing which the apostle desires they should fully understand. ^ And what the riches of the glory of his inheritance. This is the second thing which Paul wishes them to understand. There is a force in this language which can be found perhaps nowhere else than in the writings of Paul. His mind is full, and language is burdened and borne down under the weight of his thoughts. See Notes on 2 Cor. iv. 17. On the word " riches" here used, see Notes on ver. 7. The phrase 'riches of glory' means glorious wealth; or, as we would say, 'how rich and glorious!' The meaning is, that there is an abundance — an infinitude of wealth. It is not such a possession as man may be heir to in this world, which is always limited from the necessity of the case, and which cannot be enjoyed long; it is infinite and inexhaustible. Comp, Notes,

ward who believe, according to the working ' of his mighty power,

» the might of his power.

Rom. ii. 4. The " inheritance" here referred to is eternal life. Notes, Rom. viii. 17. ^ In the saints. Among the saints. Note, 1 Cor. i. 2. 19. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power. On the language here used, comp. Notes on 2 Cor. iv. 17. There is much emphasis and energy of expression here, as if tlie apostle were labouring under the greatness of his theme, and wanted words to express the magnitude of his conception. This is the third thing which he was particularly desirous they should know — that they should be fully acquainted with the power of God in the salvation of men. He refers not merely to the power which he had evinced m their salvation, but also to what the gospel was able to accomplish, and which they might yet experience. The " power" referred to here as exercised towards believers does not refer to one thing merely. It is the whole series of the acts of power towards Christians which results from the work of the Redeemer. There was power exerted in their conversion. There would be power exerted in keeping them. There would be power in raising them up from the dead, and exalting them with Christ to heaven. The religion which they professed was a religion of power. In all the forms and stages of it the power of God was manifested towards them, and would be until they reached their final inheritance. *T[ To US-ward. Towards us, or in relation to us. ^ Who believe. Who are Christians. ^ According to the working of his mighty power. Marg., The might of his power. This should be taken with the clause in the following verse, " which he wrought in Christ;" and the meaning is, that the power which

20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he » raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand inihe heavenly jo/aces,

Grod has exerted in us is in accordance with the power which was shown in raising up the Lord Jesus. It was the proper result of that, and was power of a similar kmd. The same power is requisite to convert a sinner which is demanded in raising the dead. Neither will be accomplished but by omnipotence (see Notes, ch. ii. 5); and the apostle wished that they should be fldly apprised of this fiict, and of the vast power which God had put forth in raising them up from tlie death of sin. To illustrate this sentiment is one of his designs in the following verses; and hence he goes on to show that men before their conversion were "dead in trespasses and sins;" that they had no spiritual life; that they were the "children of wrath;" that they were raised up from their death in sin by the same power which raised the Lord Jesus from the grave, and that they were wholly saved by grace. Ch. ii. 1 — 10. In order to set this idea of the power which God had put forth in their regeneration in the strongest light, he goes into a magnificent description of the resurrection and exaltation of the Lord Jesus, and shows now that was connected with the renewing of Christians. God had set him over all things. He had put all things under his feet, and had made principalities and dominions everywhere subject to him. In this whole passage (ch. L 19 — ^23; ii. 1 —10), the main thing to be illustrated is the POWER which God has shown in renewing and saving his people; and the leading sentiment is, that the same power is evinced in that which was required to raise up

21 Far ' above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come;

the Lord Jesus from the dead, and to exalt him over the universe.

20. Which he wrought in Christ. Which he exerted in relation to the Lord Jesus when he was dead. The power which was then exerted was as great as that of creation. It was imparting life to a cold and " mangled" frame. It was to open again the arteries and veins, and teach the heart to beat and the lungs to heave. It was to difiiise vital warmth tlirough the rigid muscles, and to communicate to the body the active functions of life. It is impossible to conceive of a more direct exertion of power than in raising up the dead; and there is no more striking illustration of the nature of conversion than such a resurrection. IF And set him at his own right hand. The idea is, that great power was displayed by this, and that a similar exhibition is made when man is renewed and exalted to the high honour of being made an heir of God. On the fact that Jesus was received to the right hand of God, see Notes on Mark xvi. 19. Comp. Notes on Acts ii. 33. IT In the heavenly places. See Notes on ver. 3. The phrase here evidently means in heaven itself.

21. Far above all principality. The general sense in this verse is, that the Lord Jesus was exalted to the highest conceivable dignity and honour. Comp. Phil. ii. 9. Col. ii. 10. In this beautiful and most important passage, the apostle labours for words to convey the greatness of his conceptions, and uses those which denote the highest conceivable dignity and glory. The main idea is, that God had manifested great power in thus exalting the I^ord Jesns

22 And hath put * all things under his feet, and gave him to

and that similar power was exhibited in raising up the sinner from the death of sin to the life and honour of believing. The work of religion throughout was a work of power; a work of exalting and honouring the dead, whether dead in sin or in the grave; and Christians ought to know the extent and glory of the power thus put forth in their salvation. The word rendered ' far above' — vnepdvu) — is a compound word, meammg high above, or greatly exalted. He was not merely above the ranks of the heavenly beings, as the head; he was not one of their own rank, placed by office a little above them, but he was infinitely exalted over them, as of different rank and dignity. How could this be if he were a mere man; or if he were an angel 1 The word rendered ^principality^ — apx^ — means properly, the beginning; and then the first, the first place, power, dominion, pre-eminence, rulers, magistrates, &c. It may refer here to any rank and power, whether among men or angels, and the sense is, that Christ is exalted above all. ^ And power. It is not easy to distinguish between the exact meaning of the words which the apostle here uses. The general idea is, that Christ is elevated above all ranks of creatures however exalted, and by whatever name they may be known. As in this he refers to the ' world that is to come,' as well as this world, it is clear that there is a reference here to the ranks of the angels, and probably he means to allude to the prevailing opinion among the Jews, that the angels are of different orders. Some of the Jewish Rabbies reckon four, others ten orders of angels, and they presume to give them names according- to their different ranks and he the head over all things to the church.

power. But all this is evidently the result of mere fancy. The Scriptures hint in several places at a difference of rank among the angels, but the sacred writers do not go into detail. It may be added that there is no improbability in such a subordination, but it is rather to be presumed to be true. The creatures of God are not made alike; and difference of degree and rank, as far as our observation extends, everywhere prevails. On this verse comp. Notes on Rom. viii. 38. ^ Dominion. Gr. Lordship. IF And every name that is named. Every creature of every rank. ^ Not only in this world. Not only above all kings, and princes, and rulers of every grade and rank on earth. ^ But also in that which is to come. ThiSfjefers undoubtedly to heaven. The meaning is, that he is supreme over all.

22. And hath put all things under his feet. See Notes on 1 Cor, XV. 27. ^ And gave him to be the head over all things. Appointed him to be the supreme ruler. ^ To the church. With reference to the church, or for its benefit and welfare. See Notes on John xvii. 2. The universe is- under his control and direction for the welfare of his people. (1.) All the elements — the physical works of God — the winds and waves — the seas and rivers — all are under him, and all are to be made tributary to the welfiire of the church. (2.) Earthly kings and rulers; kingdoms and nations are under his control. Thus far Christ has controlled all the wicked rulers of the earth, and they have not been able to destroy that church which he redeemed with his own blood. (3.) Angels in heaven, with all their ranks and orders, are under his con«

23 Which IS his body, <» the

trol with reference to the church. See Notes on Heb. i. 14. Comp. Matt. xxvi. 53. (4.) Fallen angels are under his control, and shall not be able to injure or destroy the church. See Notes on Matt. xvi. 18. The church, therefore, is safe. All the great powers of heaven, earth, and hell, are made subject to its Head and King; and no weapon that is formed against it shall prosper.

23. Which is his body. This comparison of the church with a person or body, of which the Lord Jesus is the head, is not uncommon in the New Testament. Comp. Notes on ICor. xi. 3; xii. 27. Eph. iv. 15, 16. % The fulness of him. The word here rendered fulness — nMpiona — ^means properly, that with which any thing is filled; the filling up; the contents. Notes, Rom. xi. 12. The exact idea here, however, is not very clear, and interpreters have been by no means united in their opinions of the meaning. It seems probable that the sense is, that the church is the completion or filing up of his power and glory. It is that without which his dominion would not be complete. He has control over the angels and over distant worlds, but his dominion would not be complete without the control over his church, and that is so glorious, that it fills up the honour of the universal dominion, and makes his empire complete. According to RosenmuUer, the w«^rd fulness here means a great number or multitude: a multitude, says he, which, not confined to its own territory, spreads afar, and fills various regions. Koppe also regards it as synonymous with multitude or many^ and supposes it to mean all the dominion of the Redeemer over the body — the church. He proposes to

fulness of him that filleth all in all.

translate the whole verse, ' He has made him the Head over his church, that he might rule it as his own body — the whole wide state of his universal kingdom.' "This," says Calvin (in Zoc), " is the highest honour of the church, that the Son of God regards himself as in a certain sense imperfect unless he is joined to us." The church constitutes the complete body of the Redeemer. A body is complete when it has all its members and limbs in proper proportions, and those members might be said to be the completion^ or the fiUing-up, or the fulness — ir^^putna — of the body or the person. This language would not, indeed, be such as would usually be adopted to express the idea now; but this is evidently the sense in which Paul uses it here. The meaning is, that the church sustains the same relation to Christ which the body does to the head. It helps to form the entire person. There is a close and necessary union. The one is not complete without the other. And one is dependant on the other. When the body has all its members in due proportion, and is in sound and vigorous health, the whole person then is complete and entire. So it is to be in the kingdom of the Redeemer. He is the head; and that redeemed Church is the body, the fulness, the completion, the filling-up of the entire empire over which he presides, and which he rules. On the meaning of The word fulness — rrXrjpwfjia — the reader may consult Storr's Opus cula, vol. 1, pp. 144 — 187, particularly pp. 169—183. Storr understands the word in the sense of fiill or abundant mercy, and supposes that it refers to the great benignity which God has shown to his people, and renders it, "The great benignity of him who filleth all things with good, as he called Jesus from the dead to life and placed him in heaven, so even you, sprung from the heathen, who were dead in sin on account of yOur many offences in which you formerly lived, &c. — hath he called to life by Christ." This verse, therefore, he would connect with the followingchapter, and he regards it all as designed to illustrate the great power and goodness of God. Mr. Locke renders it, "Which is his body, which is completed by him alone," and supposes it means, that Christ is the head, who perfects the church by supplying all things to all its members which they need. Chandler gives an interpretation in accordance with that which I have first suggested, as meaning that the church is the full ' complement' of the body of Christ; and refers to iElian and Dionysius Halicamassus, who use the word ' fulness' or -^Mpwua as referring to the rowers of a ship. Thus also we say that the ship's crew is its * complement,' or that a ship or an army has its complement of men; that is, the ranks are filled up or complete. In like manner, the church will be the filling-up, or the complement, of the great kingdom of the Redeemer — that which will give completion or perfectness to his universal dominion. ^ Of him. Of the Redeemer. ^ That Jilleth all in all. That fills all things, or who pervades all things. See Notes, 1 Cor. xii. 6; xv. 28. Comp. Col. iii. 11. The idea is, that there is no place where he. is not, and which he does not fill; and that he is the source of all the holy and ha^py influences that are abroad in the works of God. It would not be easy to conceive of an expression more certainly denoting omnipresence and universal agency than this; and if it refers to the Lord Jesus, as seems to be indisputable, the passage teaches not only his supremacy, but demonstrates his universal • agency, and hig, omnipresence — things that pertain only to God. From this passage we may observe, (1.) That just views of the exaltation vi the Redeemer are to be obtained only by the influence of the Spirit of God on the heart. Vs. 17—19. Md,n, by nature, has no just conceptions of the Saviour, and has no desire to have. It is only as the knowledge of that great doctrine is imparted to the mind by the Spirit of God, that we have any practical and saving acquamtance with such an exaltation. The Christian sees him, by faith, exalted to the right hand of God, and cheerfiilly commits himself and his all to him, and feels that all his interests are safe in his hands. (2.) It is.very desirable to have such views of an exalted Saviojr. So Paul felt when he earnestly prayed that God would give such \iews to the Ephesians, vs. 17 — 20. It was desirable in order that they might have a right understanding of their privileges; in order that they might know the extent of the power which had been manifested in their redemption; in order that they might commit their souls with confidence to him. In my conscious weakness and helplessness; when I am borne down by the labours and exposed to the temptations of life; when I contemplate approaching sickness and death, I desire to feel that that Saviour to whom I have committed my all is exalted far above principalities and powers, and every name that is named. When the church is persecuted and opposed; when hosts of enemies rise up against it and threaten its peace and safety, I rejoice to feel assured the Redeemer and Head of the church is over all, and that he has power to subdue all her foes and his. (3.) The church is safe. Her great Head is on the throne of the universe, and no weapon that is formed against her can prosper. He has defended it hitj terto

ND you " hath he quickened, in aJ times of persecution, and the past is a pledge that he will continue to protect it to the end of the world. (4.) Let us commit our souls to this exalted Redeemer. Such a Redeemer we need — one who has all power in heaven and earth. Such E religion we need — that can restore the dead to life. Such hope and confidence we need as he can give — such peace and calmness as shall result from unwavering confidence in him who fiUeth all in all.

This chapter is closely connected in sense with the preceding, and should not have been separated fi*om it The great object is to illustrate the subject which was commenced in the previous chapter (ver. 19) — the greatness of the power of God, evinced in the salvation of his people. The great manifestation of his power had been in raising up the Lord Jesus from the dead. That had been connected with and followed by their resurrection, from the death of sin; and the one had involved the exercise of a power similar to the other. In the illustration of this main idea, the apostle observes (ver. 1) that God had quickened those who had been dead in trespasses and sins, and proceeds (vs. 2, 3) to show the condition in which, they were before their conversion. He then observes (vs. 4 — 7), that God of his mfinite mercy, when they were dead in sin, had quickened them together with Christ, and had raised them up to sit with him in heavenly places. He then states that this was not by human power, but was the work of divine power, and that they were the workmanship of God, vs. 8 4* who were dead in trespassea and sins;

— 10. The remainder of the chapter (vs. 11 — ^22) is occupied with a statement o? the privileges resulting fi-om the mercy of God in calling them into his kingdom. The apostle endeavours to impress their minds strongly with a sense of the mercy and love and power of God in thus calling them to himself He reminds them of their former condition when Gentiles, as being without God, and that they were now brought nigh by the blood of Christ (vs. 11—13); he states that this had been done by one great Mediator, who came to break down the wall of partition between the Jews and Gentiles, and who had now made both one (vs. 14 — 18); and he compares them now to a temple raised for God, and to constitute the place of his dwelling on the earth. Vs. 19—22. By all these considerations he endeavours to impress their minds with a sense of obligation, and to lead them to devote themselves to that God who had raised them from the dead, and had breathed into them the breath of immortal life.

1. And you hath he quickened. The words ' hath he quickened,' or made to live^ are supplied, but not improperly, by our translators. The object of the apostle is to show the great power which God had evinced towards the people (ch. i. 19); and to show that this was put forth in connexion with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and his exaltation to the right hand of God in heaven. See Notes on Rom. vi. 4 — 11. Comp. Col. ii. 12, 13; iii. 1. The words ' hath he quickened' mean, hath he made alive, or made to live. John V. 21. Rom. iv. 17. 1 Cor. xv. 36. ^ Who were dead in trespasses and sins. On the meaning of the word

3 Wherein" in time past ye walked according to the course dead^ see Notes on Rom. v. 12; vi. 2. It is affirmed here of those to whom Paul wrote at Ephesus, that before they were converted they were *dead in sins,' There is not anywhere a more explicit proof of depravity than this, and no stronger language can be used. They were dead in relation to that to which they afterwards became alive — i. e., to holiness. Of course, this does not mean that they were in all respects dead. It does not mean that they had no animal life, or that they did not breathe, and walk, and act. Nor can it mean that they had no living intellect or mental powers, which would not have been true. Nor does it settle any question as to their ability or power while in that state. It simply affirms a fact — that in relation to real spiritual life they were, in consequence of sin, like a dead man in regard to the objects which are around him. A corpse is insensible. It sees not, and hears not, and feels not. The sound of music, and the voice of friendship and of alarm, do not arouse it. The rose and the lily breathe forth their fragrance around it, but the corpse perceives it not. The world is busy and active around it, but it is unconscious of it all. It sees no beauty in the landscape; hears not the voice of a friend; looks not upon the glorious sun and stars; and is unaffected by the running stream and the rolling ocean. So with the sinner in regard to the spiritual and eternal world. He sees no beauty in religion; he hears not the call of God; he is unaffected by the dying love of the Saviour; and he has no interest in eternal realities. In all these he feels no more concern, and sees no more beauty, than a dead man does in the world around him. JSuch is, in fact^ the condition of a sinful world. There is, mdeed, life, and energy, and motion. There are vast plans and projects, and the world is intensely active. But in regard to religion, all is dead. The sinner sees no beauty there; and no human power can arouse him to act for God, any more than human power can rouse the sleeping dead, or open the sightless eye-balls on the light of day. The same power is needed in the conversion of a sinner which is needed in raising the dead; and one and the other alike demonstrate the omnipotence of him who can do it.

2. Wherein. In which sins, or in the practice of which transgressions. ^ Ye walked. You lived, life being often compared to a journey or a race. Note, Rom. vi. 4. % According to the course of this world. In conformity with the customs and manners of the world at large. The word here rendered world — alu)v — means properly age, but is often used to denote the present world, with its cares, temptations, and desires; and here denotes particularly the men of this world. The meaning is, that they had lived formerly as other men lived, and the idea is strongly conveyed that the course of the men of this world is to walk in trespasses and sins. The sense is, that there was by nature no difference between them and others, and that all the difference which now existed had been made by grace. % According to the prince of the power of the air. See ch. vi. 12. Comp. Notes on 2 Cor. iv. 4. There can be no doubt that Satan is here intended, and that Paul means to say that they were under his control as their leader and prince. The phrase, ' the prince of the power,' may mean either ' the powerful prince,' or it may mean that this prince had power over the air, and lived and reigned there particularly. The word * prince' ■

of this world, according to the prince " of the power of the air,

HpxovTa — Archon, means one first in authority and power, and is then applied to any one who has the preeminence or rule. It is applied to Satan, or the chief of the fallen angels, as where he is called * the 'prince — apx^^ — of the devils,' Matth. ix. 34; xii. 24. Markiii. 22. Luke xi. 15; 'the prince of this world,' John xii. 31; xiv. 30; xvi. 11. But why he is here called the prince having power over the air, it is not easy to determine. Robinson (Lex.) supposes it to be because he is lord of the powers of the air; that is, of the demons who dwell and rule in the atmosphere. So Doddridge supposes that it means that he controls the fallen spirits who are permitted to range the regions of the atmosphere. It is generally admitted that the apostle here refers to the prevailing opinions both among the Jews and heathen, that the air was thickly peopled with spirits or demons. That this was a current opinion, may be seen fully proved in Wetstein. Comp. Bloomfield, Grotius, and particularly Koppe. Why the region of the air was supposed to be the dwelling-place of such spirits, is now unknown. The opinion may have been either that such spirits dwelt in the air, or that they had control over it, according to the later Jewish belief. Cocceius and some others explain the word air here as meaning the same as darkness^ as in profane writers. It is evident to my mind that Paul does not speak of this as a mere" tradition, opinion, or vagary of the fancy, or as a superstitious belief; but that he refers to it as a thing which he regarded as true. In this opinion I see no absurdity that should make it impossible to believe 't. For, (1.) the Scriptures abundantly teach that there are fallen,

the spirit that now worketh in the children '' of disobedience:

wicked spirits; and the existence of fallen angels is no more improbable than the existence of fallen men. (2.) The Bible teaches that they have much to do with this world. They tempted man; they inflicted disease in the time of the Saviour; they are represented as alluring and deceiving the race. (3.) They must have some locality — some part of the universe where they dwell. That tliey were not confined down to hell in the time of the Redeemer, is clear from the New Testament; for they are often represented as having afflicted and tortured men. (4.) Why is there any improbability in the belief that their residence should have been in the regions of the air 1 That while they were suffered to be on earth to tempt and afflict men, tliey should have been permitted peculiarly to occupy these regions ] Who can tell what may be in the invisible world, and what spirits may be permitted to fill up the vast space that now composes the universe) And who can tell what control may have been given to such fallen spirits over the regions of the atmosphere— over clouds, and storms, and pestilential air] Men have cc^trol over the earth, and pervert and abuse the powers of nature to their own ruin and the ruin of each other. The elements they employ for the purposes of ruin and of temptation. Fruit and grain they convert to poison; minerals, to the destruction caused by war. In itself considered, there is nothing more improbable that spirits of darkness may have had control over the regions of the airman that fallen man has over the earth; and no more improbability that that power has been abused to ruin men, than that the power of men is abused to destroy each other. No one can

3 Among whom also we " all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the * desires of the flesh and of

the mind; and were by nature * the children of wrath, even as others.

prove that the sentiment here referred to by Paul is not true; and no one can show how the doctrine that fallen spirits may do mischief in any part of the works of God, is any more improbable than that wicked men should do the same thing. The word ^ power'' here — 'power of the air' — I regard as synonymous with dominion or rule; ' a prince having dominion or rule over the air.' — ^ The spirit that now worketh. That still lives, and whose energy for evil is still seen and felt among the wicked. Paul here means undoubtedly to teach that there was such a spirit, and that he was still active in controlling men. % The children of disobedience. The wicked. Col. iii. 6.

3. We all had our conversation. See Notes on 2 Cor. i. 12. Comp. 1 Pet. iv. 3. IT In the lusts of our flesh. Living to gratify the flesh, or the propensities of a corrupt nature. It is observable here that the apostle changes the form of the address from " ye" to " i^e," thus including himself with others, and saying that th^ was true of all before their conversion. He means undoubtedly to say, that whatever might have been the place of their birth, or the differences of religion under which they had been tramed, they were substa.ntially alike by nature. It was a characteristic of all that they lived to fiilfil the desires of the flesh and of the mind. The design of the apostle in thus grouping ymself with them was, to show that he did not claim to be any better by nature than they were, and that all which any of them had of value was to be traced to the grace of God. Thefe is much delicacy here on the part of the apostle. His object waa to remind them of the former grossness of their life, and their exposure to the wrath of God. Yet he does, not do it harshly. He includes himself in their number. He says that what he affirms of them was substantially true of himself— of all — that they were under condemnation, and exposed to the divine wrath. ^ Fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Marg. as in Greek, vnlls. Complying with the wishes of a depraved nature. The 'will of the flesh' is that to which the flesh, or the unrenewed nature of man, prompts; and Paul says that all had been engaged in fiilfilling those fleshly propensities. This was clearly true of the heathen, and it was no less true of the unconverted Jew that he lived for himself, and sought to gratify the purposes of a depraved nature, though it might manifest itself in a way different from the heathen. The 'will of the mind' referred to here relates to the wicked thoughts and purposes of the unrenewed nature — the sins which relate rather to the intellect than to the gross passions. Such, for instance, are the sins of pride, envy, ambition, covetousness, &c.; and Paul means to say, that before conversion they lived to gratify these propensities, and to accomplish these desires of the soul. IF And were by nature. 4>vati. By birth, or before we were converted. By conversion and adoption they became the children of God; before that, they were all the children of wrath. This is, I think, the fair meaning of this important declaration. It does not affirm when they began to be such« or that they were such as soon as

4 But Goa, who is rich in

they were born, or that they were such before they became moral agents, or that they became such in virtue of their connection with Adam —•whatever may be the truth on these points; but it affirms that before they were renewed, they were the children of wrath. So fiir as this text is -concerned, this might have been true at their very birth; but it does not directly and certainly prove that. It proves that at no time before their conversion were they the children of God, but that their whole condition before that was one of exposure to wrath. Comp. Rom. ii. 14. 27. 1 Cor. xi. 14. Gal. ii. 15. Some men are bom Jews, and some heathen; some free, and some slaves; some white, and some black; some are born to poverty, and some to wealth; some are the children of kings, and some of beggars; but, whatever their rank or condition, they are born exposed to wrath, or in a situation which would render them liable to wrath. But why this is, the apostle does not say. Whether for their own sins or for the sins of another; whether by a corrupted soul or by imputed guilt; whether they act as moral agents as soon as born, or at a certain period of childhood, Paul does not say. ^ The children of wrath. Exposed to wrath, or liable to wrath. They did not by nature inherit holiness; they inherited that which would subject them to wrath. The meaning has been well expressed by Doddridge, who refers it " to the original apostasy and corruption, in consequence of which men do, according to the course of nature, fall early into personal guilt, and so become obnoxious to thedivine displeasure." Manymodern expositors have supposed that this has no reference to any original tendency of our fellen nature to sin, mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, or to native corruption, but tharit refers to the habit of sin, or to the fact of their having been the slaves of appetite and passion. I admit that the direct and immediate sense of the passage is that they were, when without the gospel, and before they were renewed, the children of wrath; but still the fair interpretation is, that they were born to that state, and that that condition was the regular result of their native depravity; and I do not know a more strong or positive declaration that can be made to show that men are by nature destitute of holiness, and exposed to perdition. IT Even as others. That is, 'do not suppose that you stand alone, or that you are the worst of the species. You are indeed, by nature, the children of wrath; but not you alone. All others were the same. You have a common inheritance with them. 1 do not mean to charge you with being the worst of sinners, or as being alone transgressors. It is the common lot of man — the sad, gloomy inheritance to which we all are born.' The Greek is, bi Xonrdi — ' the remainder, or the others,' — including all. Comp. Notes on Rom. v. 19. This doctrine that men without the gospel are the children of wrath, Paul had fully defended in Rom. i., ii., iii. No truth, perhaps, is more frequently stated in the Bible; none is more fearful and awful in its character. What a declaration, that we * are by nature the children of wrath!' Who should not inquire what it means 1 Who should not make an effort to escape from the wrath to come, and become a child of glory and an heir of life 1

4. But God, who is rich in mercy. On the use of the word rich by Paul, see Notes on ch. i. 7. It is a beautiful expression. * God is rich

6 Even * when we were dead m sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by ^ grace ^ ye are saved;)

in mercy;' overflowing-, abundant. Mercy is the riches or the wealth of God. Men are often rich in gold, and silver, and diamonds, and they pride themselves in these possessions; but God is rich in mercy. In that he abounds; and he is so rich in it that he is willing to impart it to others; so rich that he can make all blessed. *[[ For his great love. That is, his great love was the reason why he had compassion upon us. It is not that we had any claim or deserved his favour; but it IS, that God had for man original and eternal love, and that love led to the gift of a Saviour, and to the bestowment of salvation.

5. Even when we were dead in sins. Notes, ver. 1. Comp. Rom. V. 8. The construction here is, ' God, who is rich in mercy, on account of the great love which he bare unto us, even being dead in sin, hath quickened us,' &c. It does not mean that he quickened us when we were dead in sm, but that he loved us then, and made provision for our salvation. It was love to the children of wrath; love to those who had no love to return to him; love to the alienated and the lost. That is true love — the sincerest and the purest benevolence — love, not like that of men, but such only as God bestows. Man loves his friend, his benefector, his kindred — God loves his foes, and seeks to do them good. ^ Bath quickened us. Hath made us alive. See ver. 1. ^ Together with Christ. In connection with him; or in virtue of his being raised up ftom the grave. The meaning is, that there was such a connection between Christ and those whom the Father had given to him, that his

6 And hath raised " us up together, and made us sit together in heavenfy places iti Christ Jesus;

resurrection from the grave involved their resurrection to spiritual life. It was like raising up the head and the members — the whole body together. Comp. Notes on Rom. vi. 5. Everywhere in the New Testament, the close connection of tlie believer with Christ is affirmed. We are crucified with him. We die with him. We rise with him. We live with him. We reign with him. We are jomt heirs with him. We share his sufferings on earth (1 Pet. iv. 13), and we share his glory with him on his throne. Rev. iii. 21. ^ By grace ye are saved. Marg., by whose. See Notes on Rom. iii. 24. Paul's mind was full of the subject of salvation by grace, and he throws it in here, even in an argument, as a point which he would never have them lose sight of The subject before him was one emi nently adapted to bring tliis truth to mind, and though, in the tram of his arguments, he had no time now to dwell on it, yet he would not suffer any opportunity to pass without referring to it.

6. And hath raised us up together. That is, we are raised from the death of sin to the life of religion, in connection with the resurrection of Jesus, and in virtue of that. So close is the connection between him and his people, that his resurrection made theirs certain. Comp. Col. ii. 12. Notes, Rom. vi. 5. IF And made us sit together. Togethei with him. That is, we share his honours. So close is our connection with him, that we shall paitake of his glory, and in some measuir? do now. Comp. Notes on Matt. xix. 28, and Rom. viii. 17. ^ In heaven-' ly places. See Notes on ch. i. 3.

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of nis grace, in his kindness " toward us through Christ Jesus.

The meaning is, that he has gone to the heavenly world as our Head and Representative. His entrance there is a pledge that we shall also enter there. Even here we have the anticipation of glory, and are admitted to exalted honours, as if we sat in heavenly places, in Virtue of our connection with him. ^ In Christ Jesus. It is in connection with him that we are thus exalted, and thus filled with joy and peace. The meaning of the whole is, ' We are united to Christ. We die with him, and live with him. We share his sufferings, and we share his joys. We become dead to the world in virtue of his death; we become alive unto God in virtue of his resurrection. On earth we are exalted to honour, peace, and hope, in virtue of his resurrection; in heaven we shall share tiis glory and partake of his triumphs.' 7. That in the a^es to come. In ill future times. The sense is, that vhe riches of divme grace, and the iivine benignity, would be shown in Jie conversion of Christians and their salvation, to all future times. Such was his love to those who were lost, that it would be an everlasting monument of his mercy, a perpetual and unchanging proof that he was goodj The sense is, we are raised up with Christ, and are made to partake of his honour and glory in order that others may forever be impressed with a sense of the divine goodness and mercy to us. ^ The exceeding riches of his grace. The abounding^ overflowing riches of ^ce. Comp. Notes, ch. i. 7. This IS Paul's favourite expression — an expression so beautiful and so full of meaning that it will bear often to be

8 For by grace ^ are ye saved through faith; " and that not ** of yourselves; it is the gift of God:

repeated. We may learn from this verse, (1.) That one object of the conversion and salvation of sinners, is to furnish a proof of the mercy and goodness of God. (2.) Another object is, that their conversion may be an encouragement to others. The fact that such sinners as the Ephesians had been, were pardoned and saved, affords encouragement also to others to come and lay hold on life. And so of all other sinners who are saved. Their conversion is a standing encouragement to all others to come in like manner; and now the history of the church for more than eighteen hundred years furnishes all the encouragement which we could desire. (3.) The conversion o^ great sinners is a special profif of the divine benignity. So Paul argues in the case before us; and so he oflen argued from his own case. Comp. Notes 'on 1 Tim. i. 16. (4.) Heaven, the home of the redeemed, will exhibit the most impressive proof of the goodness of God that the universe fiirnishes. There will be a countless host who were once polluted and lost; who were dea(J in sins; who were under the power of Satan, and who have been saved by the riches of the divine grace — a host now happy and pure, and free from sin, sorrow, and death — the living and eternal monuments of the grace of God.

8. For by grace are ye saved. By mere favour. It is not by your own merit; it is not because you have any claim. This is a favourite doctrine with Paul, as it is with all who love the Lord Jesus in sincerity. Comp. Notes on R?)m. i. 7; iii. 24. IT Through faith. Grace bestowed

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

through faith, or in connection with believing. See Notes on Rom. i. 17; iv. 16. ^ And that not of yourselves. That is, salvation does not proceed from yourselves. The word rendered that — TovTo — is in the neuter gender, and the word faith — rttcf-r'tj — is in the feminine. The word " that," therefore, does not refer particularly V) faith, as being the gift of God, Dut to the salvation by grace of which he had been speaking. This is the interpretation of the passage which is the most obvious, and which is now generally conceded to be the true one. See Bloomfield. Many critics, however, as Doddridge, Beza, Piscator, and Chrysostom, maintain that the word ' that' (-rovro) refers to '•faitW (TttWis); ^^^ Doddridge maintains that such a use is common in the New Testament. As a matter of gramvi^r this opinion is certainly doubtful, if not untenable; but as a matter of theology it is a question of very little importance. Whether this passage proves it or not, it is certainly true that faith is the gift of God. It exists in the mind only when the Holy Ghost produces it there, and is, in common with every other Christian excellence, to be traced to his agency on the heart. This opinion, however, does not militate at all with the doctrine that man himself believes. It is not God that believes for him, for that is impossible. It is his own mind that actually believes, or that exercises faith. See Notes on Rom. iv. 3. In the same manner repentance is to be traced to God. It is one of the fruits of the operation of the Holy Spirit on the soul. But the Holy Ghost does not repent for us. It is our own mind that repents; our own heart that feels; our own eyes that weep — and without this there can be no true reoentance. No one can repent

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto

for another; and God neither can nor ought to repent for us. He has done no wrong, and if repentance is ever exercised, therefore, it must be exercised by our own minds. So of faith. God cannot believe for us. We must believe, or we shall be damned. Still this does not conflict at all with the opinion, that if we exercise faith, the inclination to do it is to be traced to the agency of God on the heart. I would not contend, therefore, about the grammatical construction of this passage, with respect to the point of the theology contained in it; still it accords better with the obvious grammatical construction, and with the design of the passage to understand the word " that" as referring not to faith only, but to salvation by grace. So Calvin understands it, and so it is understood by Storr, Locke, Clarke, Koppe, Grotius, and others. IT It is the gift of God. Salvation by grace is his gift. It is not of merit; it is wholly by favour.

10. For we are his workmanship. We are his making — rcolr^ixa. That is, we are created or formedhy him, not only in the general sense in which all things are made by him, but in that peculiar sense which is denoted by the new creation. See Notes on 2 Cor. v. 17. Whatever of peace, or hope, or purity we have, has been produced by his agency on the soul. There caimot be conceived to be a stronger expression to denote the agency of God in the conversion of men, or the fact that salvation is wholly of grace. IF Created in Christ Jesus. - On the word created, see Notes on 2 Cor. v. 17. ^ Unto good works. With reference to a holy life; or, the design for which we have been created in Christ is, that we should lead a holy food works, which * God Tiath be-)re ^ ordained that we should walk in them.

11 Wherefore remember, that

life. The primary object was not 10 bring us to heaven. It was that we should be holy. Paul held perhaps more firmly than any other man, to the position that men are saved -by the mere grace of God, and by a divine agency on the soul; but it is certain that no man ever held more firmly that men must lead holy lives, or they could have no evidence that they were the children of God. IT Which God hath before ordained. Marg., prepared. The word here used means to prepare beforehand, then to predestinate, or appoint before. The proper meaning of this passage is, ' to which (oJf) good worl^ God has predestinated us, or appointed us beforehand, that we should walk in them.' The word here used — rtpofrotaa^w — occurs in the New Testament nowhere else except in Rom. ix. 23, where it is rendered 'had afore prepared.' It involves the idea of a previous determination, or an arrangement beforehand for securing a certain result. The previous preparation here referred to was, the divine intention; and the meaning is, that God had predetermined that we should lead holy lives. It accords, therefore, with the declaration m ch. i. 4, that he had chosen his people before tlie foundation of the world, that they should be holy. See Notes on that verse. H That we should walk in them. That we should live holy lives. The word walk is oflen used in the Scriptures to denote the course of life. Notes on Rom. vi. 4.

11. Wherefore remember. The design of this evidently is, to excite a. sense of gratitude in their bosoms for that mercy which had called

ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who ai'e called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

them from the errors and sins of their former lives, to the privileges of Christians. It is a good thing for Christians to ^ remember^ what they were. No faculty of the mind can be better employed to produce humility, penitence, gratitude, and love, than the memory. It is well to recall the recollection of our' former sin's; to dwell upon our hardness of heart, our alienation, and our unbelief; and to remember our wanderings and our guilt, until the heart be affected, and we are made to feel. The converted Ephesians had much guilt to recollect and to mourn over in their former life; and so have all who are converted to the Christian faith. ^ That ye being in time past. Formerly — (Ttots.) % Gentiles in the flesh. You were Gentiles in the flesh, i. e. under the dominion of the flesh, subject to the control of carnal appetites and pleasures. ^ Who are called Uncircumcision. That is, who are called 'the uncircumcised.' This was a term similar to that which we use when we speak of ' the unbaptized.' It meant that they were without the pale of the people of God; that they enjoyed none of the ordinances and privileges of the true religion; and was commonly a term of reproach. Comp. Judges xiv. 3; xv. 18. 1 Sam. xiv. 6; xvii. 26; xxxi. 4. Ezek. xxxi. 18. ^ By that which is called the Circumcision. By those who are circumcised, i. e. by the Jews. ^ In the flesh made by hands. In contradistinction from the circumcision of the heart. See Notes or. Rom. ii. 28, 29. They had Eternally adopted the rites of the true religion, though it did not follow that

12 That at tliat time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and

they had the circumcision of the heart, or that they were the true children of God.

12. Ye v)ere without Christ. You were without the knowledge of the Messiah. You had not heard of him; of course you had not embraced him. You were living- without any of the hopes and consolations which you now have, from having embraced him. The object of the apostle is to remind them of the -deplorable condition in which they were by nature; and nothing would better express it than to say they were " without Christ," or that they had no knowledge of a Saviour. They knew of no atonement for sin. They had no assurance of pardon. They had no well-founded hope of eternal life. They were in a state of darkness and condemnation, from which nothing but a knowledge of Christ could deliver them. All Christians may in like manner be reminded of the fact that, before their conversion, they were "without Christ." Though they had heard of him, and were constantly under the instruction which reminded them of him, yet they were without any true knowledge of him, and without any of the hopes which result from having embraced him. Many were infidels. Many were scoffers. Many were profane, sensual, corrupt. Many rejected Christ with scorn; many, by simple neglect. All were without any true knowledge of him; all were destitute of the peace and hope which result from a saving acquamtance with him. We may add, that there is no more affecting description of the state of man by nature than to say, he is without a Saviour. Sad would be the condition of the world without a Redeemer— sad is the state of that por-

strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

tion of mankind who reject him. Reader, are you without Christ 1 ^ Being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. This is the second characteristic of their state before their conversion to Christianity. This means more than that they were not Jews. It means that they were strangers to that polity- — rioxitiCa — or arrangement by which the worship of the true God had been kept up in the world, and of course were strangers to the true religion. The arrangements for the public worship of Jehovah were made among the Jews. They had his law, his temple, his Sabbaths, and the ordinances of his religion. See Notes on Rom. iii. 2. To all these the heathens had been strangers, and of course they were deprived of all the privileges which resulted from having the true religion. The word here rendered commonwealth — jtoU' T'Ettt — means properly citizenship, or the right of citizenship, and then a * community, or state. It means here that arrangement or organization by which the worship of the true God was maintained. The word aliens — aTCr}%%otfitu>iJiivoi — here means merely that they were strangers to. It does not denote, of necessity, that they were hostile to it; but that they were ignorant of it, and were, therefore, deprived of the benefits which they might have derived from it, if they had been acquainted with it. ^ And strangers. This word — ^sj/o$ — means properly a guest, or a stranger, who is hospitably entertained; then a foreigner, or one from a distant country; and here means that they did not belong to the community where the covenants of promise were enjoyed; that is, they were strangers to the privileges of the people of God. IT The covenants of promise. See Notes on Rom. ix. 4. The covenants of promise were thase various arrangements which God made with his people, by which he promised them future blessing's, and especially by which he promised that the Messiah should come. To be in possession of them was regarded as a high honour and privilege; and Paul refers to it here to show that, though the Ephesians had been by nature without these, yet they had now been brought to enjoy all the benefits of them. On the word covenant, see Notes on Gal. iii. 15. It may be remarked, that Walton (Polyglott) and Rosenmiiller unite the word * promise' here with the word ' hope' — having no hope of the promise. But the more obvious and usual interpretation is that in our common version, meaning that they were not by nature favoured with the covenants made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, &c., by which there was a promise of future blessings under the Messiah. If Having no hope. The apostle does not mean to affirm that they did not cherish any hope, for this is scarcely true of any man; but that they were without any proper ground of hope. It is true of perhaps nearly all men that they cherish some hope of future happiness. But the ground on which they do this is not well understood by themselves, nor do they in general regard it as a matter worth particular inquiry. Some rely on morality; some on forms of religion; some on the doctrine of universal salvation; all who are impenitent believe that they do not deserve eternal death, and expect to be saved by justice. Such hopes, however, must be unfounded. No hope of life.in a future world can be founded on a proper basis which does not rest on some promise of God, or some assurance that he will save us; and these lopes, therefore, which men take up they know not why, are delusive and vain. % And without God in the world. Gr. a^soi — atheists,- that is, those who had no knowledge of the true God. This is the last specification of their miserable condition before they were converted; and it is an appropiate crowning of the climax. What an expression! To be without God — without God in liis own world, and where he is all around us! To have no evidence of his favour, no assurance of his love, no hope of dwelling with him! The meaning, as applied to the heathen Ephesians, was, that they had no knowledge of the true God. This was true of the heathen, and in an important sense also it is true of all impenitent sinners, and was once true of all who are now Christians. They had no God. They did not worship him, or love him, or serve him, or seek his favours, or act with reference to him and his glory. Nothing can be a more appropriate and striking description of a sinner now than to say that he is ' without Grod in the world.' He lives, and feels, and acts, as if there were no God. He neither worships him in secret, nor in his family, nor in public. He acts with no reference to his will. He puts no confidence in his promises, and fears not when he threatens; and were it announced to him that there is no God, it would produce no change in his plan of life, or in his emotions. The announcement that the emperor of China, or the king of Siam, or the sultan of Constantinople, was dead, would produce some emotion, and might change some of his commercial arrangements; but the announcement that there is no God would interfere wiin none of his plans, and demand no change of life. And, if so, what is man in this beautiful world without a God] A traveller to eternity without a God! Standing over the grave without a God! An immortal

13 But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the blood « of Christ.

being without a God! A man — fallen, sunk, Yuined, with no God to praise, to love, to confide in; with no altar, no sacrifice, no worship, no hope; with no Father in trial, no counsellor in perplexity, no support in death! Such is the state of man by nature. Such are the eflTects of sin.

13. Bui now in Christ Jesus. By the coming and atonement of the Lord Jesus, and by the gospel which he preached. ^ Ye who sometimes were afar off. Who vf ere formerly — TtotB. Tindal translates it, a whyle agoo. The phrase afar off — ^axe^civ — means that they were formerly far off" from God and his people. The expression is derived from the custom of speaking among the Hebrews. God was supposed to reside in the temple. It was a privilege to be near the temple. Those who were remote fi-om Jerusalem and the temple were regarded as far off from God, and hence as peculiarly irreligious and wicked. See Notes on Isa. Ivii. 19. % Are made nigh. Are admitted to the favour of God, and permitted to approach him as his worshippers. ^ By the blood of Christ. The Jews came near to the mercy-seat on which the symbol of the divine presence rested (Notes on Rom. iii. 25), by the blood that was offered in sacrifice; that is, the High Priest approached that mercy-seat with blood and sprinkled it before God. Now we are permitted to approach him with the blood of the atonement. The shedding of that blood has prepared the way by which Gentiles as well as Jews may approach God, and it is by that offering that we are led to seek God.