A COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.* CHAPTER I. 1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2. Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. THE Epistle to the Ephesians has ever been regarded as one of the richest portions of the Word of God. It was written by the apostle Paul when he was a prisoner at Rome, about the year 64, and is referred to by himself in chapter iii., verses 3 and 4, as containing in its written statements a clear and distinct evidence of his "knowledge in the mystery of Christ." He had preached the Gospel in person at Ephesus on two different occasions, as we learn by referring to Acts xviii. 19, and xix. 8-10; and being anxious, as every faithful minister must always be, for the spiritual progress and welfare of those whose conversion he had been the instrument of effecting, he addressed to them this epistle, to promote their advancement in holiness and their growth in grace. How delightful to contemplate the apostle rising above his own personal trials and dangers, and occupied entirely by an ardent anxiety for the prosperity of the Church! He commences by stating his name, his office, and his comHis original name was Saul; he was a Jew by mission. *NOTE. [There is a remarkable absence of good commentaries on the Epistle to the Ephesians. Whatever may be the cause, we possess few, if any, of ancient or modern date, which aspire to a high degree of excellence, or display a master's hand. We are therefore the more indebted to the Vol. 64.-No. 325. Dean of Dromore for his outlines of a series of Lectures on this most precious portion of the Word of God. They will extend through a great part of the year, and will, we believe, be gladly received by our readers.EDITOR.] B descent, of the tribe of Benjamin, and a Roman citizen by birth, having been born in Tarsus, a city of Cilicia. It has been supposed by some that he assumed the name of Paul out of compliment to Sergius Paulus, who is mentioned in Acts xiii. 7, 12. But it is, perhaps, more likely that he laid aside the Hebrew name of Saul, and assumed the Roman name of Paul, in order to meet the prejudices of Gentiles among whom he was specially appointed to labour. (Eph. iii. 8.) There would be no deception in this, as he was fully entitled to a Roman appellation. In matters which do not involve or require a sacrifice of principle or a compromise of truth, it is often better to consult or to submit to the prejudices of others, with the view of promoting their everlasting interests, than to expend our time in protracted or useless endeavours to overcome them. (1 Cor. ix. 19—23.) The office which Paul sustained was that of an apostle. This word signifies one who is sent, and in this general sense it is applicable to all persons who are invested with a commission to go forth upon any embassy. Thus Christ is called an "apostle," as well as the "high-priest of our profession," because he was sent by the Father to be the Redeemer and the Saviour of sinners. (Heb. iii. 1.) This title, however, is generally restricted in its application to those who were specially chosen by Christ to be the witnesses to the world of His resurrection from the dead. The truth of the record which God has given of His Son is supported and established by the evidence which the resurrection of Christ affords. (1 Cor. xv. 14-17.) But the resurrection of Christ, as a question of historical fact, is to be proved by the testimony of witnesses; and the apostles were specially selected and appointed to give this testimony. (Acts i. 8, 22; ii. 32; iii. 15.) Now, it is evident that to render them competent and reliable witnesses of His resurrection, it was necessary that they should have seen him after that event, in order that they might be able to testify to the identity of the risen Saviour with Jesus of Nazareth, who had been crucified. Hence, at the election of a successor into the apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, Peter expressly states that the person to be chosen should be one "who had companied with them all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among them, beginning from the baptism of John unto that same day that he was taken up from them into heaven." (Acts i. 21, 22.) Hence also Christ manifested Himself to Paul in His glorified humanity. (Acts ix. 3-5.) In reference to which he subsequently asks-" Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?" (1 Cor. ix. 1.) From all this we may observe how unwarranted are the pretensions of those who claim to be successors of the apostles. The apostles, as such, could have had no successors. They still continue, and shall continue until the close of this dispensation, to discharge their peculiar and assigned office of bearing witness to the resurrection of Christ. During their lifetime, they delivered their testimony in person by word of mouth; but because they could not live until the end of the world, their testimony has been placed upon record and registered in the New Testament by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost; and that record has been entrusted to the Church for safe custody, and to be handed down from age to age; and we now believe in the truth of the resurrection of Christ, not upon the ground of the present testimony of the Church of our day, but upon the ground of the transmitted testimony of the original witnesses, which, we can easily show, has been safely kept and faithfully handed down by the Church from the beginning. But Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ. He and Barnabas were chosen to be apostles to the Gentiles some years after the conversion of the former. (Acts xiii. 2.) And here he introduces himself in this high capacity, as well to give authority to his words, as to ensure for this epistle a welcome reception amongst all to whom Christ was precious; for by this introduction he gives a pledge that he is about to treat of the excellency and the glory of the Saviour, of which every believer will delight to hear. Paul did not forfeit his office because of his trials and persecutions. He was in prison, yet still an apostle of Jesus Christ. Christ is not ashamed to acknowledge His people in their afflictions and distress. He was an apostle "by the will of God." Every office in the Church is filled by the great Head of the Church, and no man has any right to intrude into the sacred office of the ministry unless he be called of God, as was Aaron. Paul did not assume to himself the functions of an apostle, nor merit the office by any superior righteousness of his own, nor procure it by any partiality on the part of his brethren; but he was 66 an apostle by the will of God-of God the Father, who raised the Saviour from the dead" (Gal. i. 1); - of God the Son, who appeared to him on his way to Damascus and said, "He is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and children of Israel" (Acts ix. 15);—and of God the Holy Ghost, who said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." (Acts xiii. 2.) It is an encouragement and a consolation to the ministers of Christ, to know that they have a Divine commission. Thus will their instructions be invested with authority, and command a deferential attention and respect. The superscription of the Epistle follows after the name of the author. It is addressed "to the Saints that are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus." This constitutes the dignity, the excellency, and the blessedness of Christians, that they are saints, and believers in Jesus. These titles imply a real spiritual nobility that shall survive all the fancied honours and distinctions of time; and when the emperors and the monarchs of the world shall have ceased to wield a sceptre, the saints and faithful in Christ Jesus shall reign as kings and priests for ever with Him in glory. Their character is also denoted by these titles. All believers are saints; or, as the word implies, separated by the grace of God to the service of their Redeemer: and all saints have faith in Christ Jesus; for they can say with Paul, "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Their faith is only valuable as it connects them with the saving power of Christ. Ephesus was a city in Asia Minor, remarkable for idolatry of the grossest kind, especially for the worship of the heathen goddess Diana. (Acts ix. 35.) We cannot too much admire the abounding efficacy of Divine grace in establishing Christian Churches in the very capitals of Satan's empire so soon after the crucifixion of Christ. In Rome, where every species of idolatry was countenanced and supported by the ruling powers; in Corinth, where sensuality and impurity of the most revolting description prevailed; and in Ephesus, where the depraved passions of human nature revelled and rioted in the most unrestrained licentiousness, the tree of life was planted within a few years after the ascension of Christ, and brought forth abundant fruit to the praise and glory of God. And yet the ostensible agents of its establishment were a few obscure individuals, without any visible power, or influence, or rank. Nothing but the determination of God to fulfil His purposes of mercy to the world, by the intervention of His omnipotence, can account for such rapid and surprising results. The second verse may be regarded either as a salutation or a prayer. In a salutation we express a desire that our friends may enjoy those blessings which we prize as the first and best. Paul does not give utterance to a wish that the Chistians at Ephesus might be distinguished by worldly dignities, nor by the acquisition of corruptible things, such as silver and gold; but by the attainment and enjoyment of the unsearchable riches of Christ, which the world can neither give nor take away. And so will every believer, who has learned to set his affection on things above, desire for himself and for his friends, and for all mankind, the possession of those spiritual blessings which alone are worthy of the ambition of an immortal being; and though they may be amongst the saints and faithful in Christ Jesus, yet he knows that there can never be a time in the experience of any believer in which he can say that he is satisfied with that measure of spiritual blessings which he has already received. Such, indeed, is the very nature of spiritual blessings, that they always produce a hunger and a thirst for more; and hence, in order to satisfy the desires of the believer, it hath pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell in Christ, in order that His people might receive, out of His fulness, not merely grace at some particular time, but grace for grace-even grace to help in every time of need. If we regard this verse as a prayer, it is an equally suitable exordium to the apostle's letter; and what stronger proof could he have afforded that Christ was regarded by the Church, in the days of Paul, as worthy to be associated with the Father as the object of prayer and the dispenser of the highest spiritual gifts? Our blessed Saviour possesses a oneness of prerogative and ability with the Father to confer the blessings which are here specified by the apostle. And what are these blessings ?-Grace and Peace. By the former we are to understand free sovereign and unmerited mercy under every form and modification in which mercy can be extended to man; for the word "grace" is employed in Scripture as a general designation of every spiritual blessing which a sinner can receive through Christ. Sometimes it is applied to the Gospel as it is "the grace of God, which bringeth salvation." (Titus ii. 11.) Sometimes to the happy position which the justified sinner occupies, as in Rom. v. 2— By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand." And it is constantly used in the sense just stated as the name of any and every blessing which God confers. The literal import of this word is extremely expressive of the liberality of God upon the one hand, and of the indigence of the sinner upon the other. It denotes whatever is given gratuitously and when we recollect that there is not only no constraint upon God to show mercy, but every reason in justice why He should withhold it on account of our rebellion, if He had entered into judgment with us, and that there is not only no merit on the part of man, but sins sufficient to deserve everlasting punishment, if we had been made personally responsible for them; we have reason to magnify that GRACE by which, while the requirements of God's character are fully vindicated, the necessities of man as a sinner are fully supplied. The praises of a ransomed and redeemed Church throughout eternity will not be sufficient adequately to celebrate the exceeding riches of Divine grace! : By "Peace" we understand the inward enjoyment of reconciliation with God, and of all the mercies which the believer receives from the Saviour. This peace is founded |