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of partition, having abolished in His flesh the enmity."

Is this then the great privilege, it may be said, that we are admitted into the commonwealth of the Jews? What art thou saying? "He hath summed up all things that are in heaven, and that are in earth," and now dost thou tell us about Israelites? Yes, he would say. Those higher privileges we must apprehend by faith; these, by the things themselves. "But now,' saith he, "in Christ Jesus, ye that once were far off, are made nigh," in reference to the commonwealth. For the "far off," and the "nigh,” are matters of will and choice only. "For He is our peace, Who made both one.'

Ye, saith he, who were thus called by the Jews. But why when he is about to show that the benefit bestowed upon them consisted in this, in having fellowship with Israel, does he disparage the Israelitish prerogative? He does not disparage it. In essential points he enhances it, but only in these points, in which they had no fellowship, he disparages it. For further on he says, “Ye are fellow-citizens of the saints and of the household of God." Mark, how far he is from disparaging it. These points, saith he, are indifferent. Never think, saith he, that because ye happen not to be circumcised, and are now in uncircumcision, that there is any difference in this. No, the real trouble was this, the being "without Christ," the being "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel." Whereas What is this, "both one?" He does not this circumcision is not "the commonwealth." mean this, that He hath raised us to that high Again, the being strangers from the covenants descent of theirs, but that he hath raised both of promise, the having no hope to come, the us and them to a yet higher. Only that the being without God in this world, all these were blessing to us is greater, because to these it had parts of their condition. He was speaking of been promised, and they were nearer than we; heavenly things; he speaks also of those which to us it had not been promised, and we were are upon earth; since the Jews had a great farther off than they. Therefore it is that he opinion of these. Thus also Christ in comfort- says, " And that the Gentiles might glorify God ing His disciples, after saying, "Blessed are for His mercy." (Rom. xv: 9.) The promise they that have been persecuted for righteous- indeed He gave to the Israelites, but they were ness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," unworthy; to us He gave no promise, nay, we adds the lesser point of consolation, "for so,' were even strangers, we had nothing in common saith He, persecuted they the prophets which with them; yet hath He made us one, not by were before you." (Matt. v: 10-12.) For this, knitting us to them, but by knitting both them compared with the greatness of the other, is far and us together into one. I will give you an less, yet in regard to the being nigh, and illustration. Let us suppose there to be two believing, it is great and sufficient, and has much statues, the one of silver, the other of lead, and force. This then was the sharing in the com- then that both shall be melted down, and that monwealth. His word is not, "separated," the two shall come out gold. Behold, thus hath but alienated from the commonwealth." His He made the two one. Or put the case again word is not, "ye took no interest in," but, in another way. Let the two be, one a slave, "ye had not so much as any part in, and were the other an adopted son: and let both offend strangers." The expressions are most emphatic, Him, the one as a disinherited child, the other and indicate the separation to be very wide: as a fugitive, and one who never knew a father. Because the Israelites themselves were without Then let both be made heirs, both trueborn this commonwealth, not however as aliens, but sons. Behold, they are exalted to one and the as indifferent to it, and they fell from the cove- same dignity, the two are become one, the one nants, not however as strangers, but as unwor- coming from a longer, the other from a nearer thy. distance, and the slave becoming more noble But what were "the covenants of the prom-than he was before he offended. ise?" "To thee and to thy seed," saith He, "will I give this land," (Gen. xvii: 8.) and whatever else He promised.

"

"Having no hope." he adds, "and without God." Though gods indeed they worshipped, but they were no gods: "for an idol is not any thing." (1 Cor. x: 19.)

Ver. 13-15. "But now,' in Christ Jesus, ye that once were far off, are made nigh in the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle wall "["This too is what they should remember, but the Apostle continues the contrast in an independent sentence."-Riddle, in Popular Commentary.—G. A.]

"And brake down," he proceeds, "the middle wall of partition.'

What the middle wall of partition is, he interprets by saying, "the enmity having abolished in His flesh, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances." Some indeed affirm that he means the wall of the Jews against the Greeks, because it did not allow the Jews to hold intercourse with the Greeks. To me, however, this does not seem to be the meaning, but

2 ["The emphatic prononn is used, avròs. But He is not put in opposition to ourselves' having made the peace, but as Bengel says, 'Not merely is He peacemaker, for at the cost of 'Himself' He procured peace,'"'-Meyer.-G. Á.]

66

"Having abolished by ordinances ? ''2
For he makes a wide distinction between

either then means "faith," calling that an
"ordinance," (for by faith alone He saved us,)
or he means "precept," such as Christ gave,
when He said, "But I say unto you, that ye
are not to be angry at all." (Matt. v: 22.)
That is to say, "If thou shalt believe that God
raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
(Rom. x: 6-9.) And again, "The word is
nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thine heart.
Say not, Who shall ascend into heaven, or who
shall descend into the abyss?
or, who hath
"brought Him again from the dead?" Instead
of a certain manner of life, He brought in faith.
For that He might not save us to no purpose,
He both Himself underwent the penalty, and
also required of men the faith that is by
doctrines.

rather that he calls "the enmity in the flesh,' a middle wall, in that it is a common barrier, cutting us off alike from God.1 As the Prophet "commandments" and "ordinances." He says, "Your iniquities separate between you and Me;" (Isa. lix: 2.) for that enmity which He had both against Jews and Gentiles was, as it were, a middle wall. And this, whilst the law existed, was not only not abolished, but rather was strengthened; for the law," saith the Apostle, "worketh wrath." (Rom. iv: 15.) Just in the same way then as when he says in that passage, "the law worketh wrath, "he does not ascribe the whole of this effect to the law itself, but it is to be understood, that it is because we have transgressed it; so also in this place he calls it a middle wall, because through being disobeyed it wrought enmity. The law was a hedge, but this it was made for the sake of security, and for this reason was called "a hedge," to the intent that it might form an inclosure. For listen again to the Prophet, where he says, "I made a trench about it." (Isa. v: 2.) And again, "Thou hast broken down her fences, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her." (Ps. lxxx: 12.) Here therefore it means security and so again, "I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be trodden down." (Isa. v: 5.) And again, "He gave them the law for a defence." (Isa. viii: 20.)sions employ the word "create," and does not And again, "The Lord executeth righteous acts and made known His ways unto Israel." (Ps.ciii: 6, 7.) It became, however, a middle wall, no longer establishing them in security, but cutting them off from God. Such then is the middle wall of partition formed out of the hedge. And to explain what this is, he subjoins, "the enmity. in His flesh having abolished, the law of commandments."

How so? In that He was slain and dissolved the enmity therein. And not in this way only but also by keeping it. But what then, if we are released from the former transgression, and yet are again compelled to keep it? Then were the case the same over again, whereas He hath destroyed the very law itself. For he says, "Having abolished the law of commandments contained in ordinances." Oh! amazing loving-kindness! He gave us a law that we should keep it, and when we kept it not, and ought to have been punished, He even abrogated the law itself. As if a man, who, having committed a child to a schoolmaster, if he should turn out disobedient, should set him at liberty even from the schoolmaster, and take him away. How great loving-kindness were this! What is meant by,

["The only mode of taking expav in harmony with the context is not as Chrysostom, "but of the enmity which existed between Jews and Gentiles."-Meyer.

"Ev T σapki, 'in the flesh,' does not belong to Thy ex@pav, as Chrysostom construes it but to karapуnoas, 'having abolished.'" So Meyer and Rev. Ver.-G. A.]

"That he might create in Himself of the twain, one new man."

Observe thou, that it is not that the Gentile is become a Jew, but that both the one and the other are entered into another condition. It was not with a view of merely making this last other than he was, but rather, in order to create the two anew. And well does he on all occa

say "change," in order to point out the power of what was done, and that even though the creation be invisible, yet it is no less a creation than that is, and that we ought not henceforward start away from this, as from natural things.

"That He might in Himself of the twain." That is, by Himself. He gave not this charge to another, but Himself, by Himself, melted both the one and the other, and produced a glorious one, and one greater than the first creation; and that one, first, was Himself. For this is the meaning of "in Himself." He Himself first gave the type and example. Laying hold on the one hand of the Jew, and on the other of the Gentile, and Himself being in the midst, He blended them together, made all the estrangement which existed between them to disappear, and fashioned them anew from above by fire and by water; no longer with water and earth, but with water and fire. He became a Jew by circumcision, He became accursed, He

[ The order of the Greek is as follows : τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασιν καταργήσας. Chrysostom has because of the order joined ἐν δόγμασιν with καταργήσας, as its modal definition. But ev δόγμασιν belongs to ἐντολῶν meaning the law of commandments consisting in ordinances,' "EvTOλ@v denoting the 'contents' of thelaw and ev dóyuaoir the 'form' in which they were given" so Meyer-G. A.]

*[ ἐν αὐτῷ : “ This is not equivalent to δί ἑαυτοῦ, as Chrysostom, but it affirms that the unity to be brought about was to be founded in Christ Himself, was to have the basis of its existence and continuance in Him and not in any other unifying principles whatever."-Meyer.-G. A.]

became a Gentile without the law, and was over both Gentiles and Jews.

"One new man," saith he, "so making peace.

Peace for them both towards God, and towards each other. For so long as they continued still Jews and Gentiles, they could not have been reconciled. And had they not been delivered each from his own peculiar condition, they would not have arrived at another and a higher one. For the Jew is then united to the Gentile when he becomes a believer. It is like persons being in a house, with two chambers below, and one large and grand one above: they would not be able to see each other, till they had got above.

Making peace,' more especially towards God; for this the context shows, for what saith he?

Ver. 16. "And might reconcile them both in one body unto God through the Cross.'

He saith, not merely "might reconcile," (zavakkážŋ) but "might reconcile thoroughly" (àzozatailážy1)indicating that heretofore human nature had been easily reconciled, as, e. g., in the case of the saints and before the time of the Law. "In one body," saith he, and that His own, "unto God." How is this effected? By Himself, he means, suffering the due penalty..

us, and hath effected it, that we should again fall back into enmity! This enmity no fresh Baptism, but hell itself awaits; no fresh remission, but searching trial. The mind of the flesh is luxury and indolence, the "mind of the flesh" is covetousness and all kinds of sin. Why is it said the mind of the flesh? While yet the flesh could do nothing without the soul. He does not say this to the disparagement of the flesh, any more than when he says the "natural man,' (1 Cor. ii: 14.) he uses that expression to the disparagement of the soul, for neither body nor soul in itself, if it receive not the impulse which is far above, is able to achieve any thing great or noble. Hence he calls those acts which the soul performs of herself, "natural; vytá" and those which the body performs of itself " carnal." Not because these are natural, but because, inasmuch as they receive not that direction from heaven, they perish. So the eyes are good, but without light, will commit innumerable errors; this, however, is the fault of their weakness, not of nature. Were the errors natural, then should we never be able to use them aright at all. For nothing that is natural is evil. Why then does he call carnal affections sins? Because whenever the flesh exalts herself, and gets the mastery over her charioteer, she produces ten thousand mischiefs. The virtue of the flesh is, her subjection to the soul. It is her vice to govern the soul. As the horse then may be good and nimNothing can be more decisive, nothing more ble, and yet this is not shown without a rider ; expressive than these words. His death, saith so also the flesh will then show her goodness, the Apostle, hath "slain" the enmity. He when we cut off her prancings. But neither hath "wounded" and "killed" it, not by giving again is the rider shown, if he have not skill. charge to another, nor by what He wrought Nay he himself will do mischief yet more fearonly, but also by what He suffered. He does ful than that before named. So that on all not say "having dissolved," he does say "hav-hands we must have the Spirit at hand. This ing cancelled," but what is stronger than all, being at hand will impart new strength to the "having slain," so that it never should rise again. How then is it that it does rise again? From our exceeding depravity. For as long as we abide in the body of Christ, as long as we are united, it rises not again, but lies dead; or rather that former enmity never rises again at all. But if we breed another, it is no longer because of Him, who hath destroyed and put to death the former one. thou, forsooth, that travailest with a fresh one. 66 For the mind of the flesh,” saith he, "is enmity against God;" (Rom. viii: 6.) if we are in nothing carnallyminded, there will be no fresh enmity produced, but that " peace" shall remain.

"Through the cross having slain the enmity thereby."2

MORAL. Think then, how vast an evil is it, when God hath employed so many methods to reconcile

Ellicott that it not only strengthens but hints at a restoration to [Meyer says the aró strengthens the notion of reconciliation. primal unity, the aró meaning again.-G. A.]

"After he shall have slain the enmity &c.;' for it is inserted in the second half of the affirmation of design and is correlative το ποιῶν εἰρήνην.”—Meyer.G. Α.]

rider; this will give beauty both to body and soul. For just as the soul, while dwelling in the body, makes it beautiful, but when she leaves it destitute of her own native energy and departs, like a painter confounding his colors together, the greatest loathsomeness ensues, every one of the several parts hastening to corruption, and dissolution:-so is it also when the Spirit forsakes the body and the soul, the loathsomeness which ensues is worse and greater. Do not then, because the body is inferior to the soul, revile it, for neither do I endure to revile the soul because it hath no strength without the Spirit. If one need say anything at all, the soul is deserving of the greater censure than the body; for the body indeed can do no grevious harm without the soul, whereas the soul can do when the one is even wasting away, and has much without the body. Because, we know, no wantonness, the soul is busily employed. Even as those sorcerers, magicians,

"And He came and preached peace to you that were far | Archangel on the mission, because to repair so off, and peace to them that were nigh, for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit unto the Father. So then ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the chief corner-stone. whom each several building, fitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord. In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit."