longer taught publicly, but contented himself with instructing and comforting the disciples in their own houses, and employed himself privately in settling the affairs of the churches of Asia, before his departure for Macedonia. The apostle, during his long abode in Ephesus and its neighbourhood, gathered a very numerous Christian church, which was as remarkable for the quality, as for the number of its members. According to Strabo, Ephesus was the greatest trading town in Asia, on this side Mount Taurus. It was also the residence of the Roman Proconsul who governed the province of Asia, and the seat of the Courts of Justice; consequently, it was the place to which men of fortune, and learning, and genius resorted. Being thus inhabited, we cannot doubt, that among those whom Paul converted there were people of distinction. In particular, some of the converted, who had formerly been magicians, were men distinguished by their natural parts, and by their literature; as may be inferred from the value of their books, which they burned, amounting to fifty thousand pieces of silver, supposed to be equal to five thousand pounds of our money. The Asiarchs, also, or priests of Diana, who had the care of the games celebrated in her honour at Ephesus, and who are called Paul's friends, may have been converted, or in a disposition to be converted. Nay, the town-clerk, in his speech to the multitude, shewed that he entertained a good opinion of the Christian teachers, and of their doctrine, Acts xix. 37. The church at Ephesus, therefore, merited all the pains the apostle had bestowed in gathering it, and the care which he afterwards took to secure it against the erroneous doctrines, and vicious practices, which the false teachers endeavoured to introduce into it. See Pref. to 1 Tim. sect. 2.

From 2 Cor. ii. 12, 13. we learn, that on leaving Ephesus after the riot, the apostle did not go straightway into Macedonia, but abode a while at Troas, where also he had great success in preaching. Nevertheless, having no rest in his spirit, because he did not find Titus, whom he expected to meet in his way from Corinth to Ephesus, he took leave of his disciples at Troas, and went forward to Macedonia. There Titus, at length, came to him, and made him happy by the account which he gave him of the good disposition of the Corinthians towards him, their spiritual father. In Macedonia, the apostle received the collections which the churches in that province had made for the poor of the saints in Judea; then went to Corinth, where he remedied the disorders which had taken place in that church; and having received their contributions, with those of the other churches of Achaia, he proposed to sail from Cenchrea to Judea. But, understanding that the Jews lay in wait for him in Cenchrea, he altered his resolution, and returned through Macedonia. From Macedonia he went by sea to Miletus, and sent for the elders of Ephesus to meet him there; and when they came, he delivered to them the pathetic exhortation record ed Acts xx. 17-35. then sailed away to Syria. But he no sooner appeared in the temple at Jerusalem, than the unbelieving Jews who had come from Asia raised a great tumult against him, in which he must have been killed if he had not been rescued by the Romans; but which ended in his imprisonment, first in Jerusalem, after that in Cesarea, and last of all in Rome.

SECT. IL-Shewing that the Epistle, which, in our Canon, is inscribed to the Ephesians, was actually written to them, and was not originally inscribed to the Laodi

ceans.

SINCE the publication of Mill's edition of the Greek New Testament, many learned men have adopted his opimon, that the epistle in our Canon inscribed To the Ephesians, was not written to the Ephesians, but to the Laodiceans. This opinion Mill hath endeavoured to sup

port by the following arguments:-1. The testimony of Marcion the heretic, who, as Tertullian reports, said the Epistle to the Ephesians was written to the Laodiceans ;' or called this the Epistle to the Laodiceans.'-2. St. Basil, in his second book against Eunomius, insinuates, that the first verse of the epistle to the Ephesians ran originally in this manner: To the saints who are, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus,' without the words in Ephesus.'-3. Certain passages in the epistle itself, which, in Mill's opinion, are neither suitable to the character of the Ephesians, nor to the habits which subsisted between them and their spiritual father Paul.

But to these arguments Lardner, who maintains the common opinion, opposes, 1. The agreeing testimony of all the ancient MSS. and versions of this epistle now extant; particularly the Syriac, Vulgate, Persic, and Arabic, all which, without exception, have the words e Eq, in Ephesus, in the first verse. For, as he very well observes, "It is inconceivable how there should have been such a general agreement in this reading, if it was not the original inscription of the epistle."

2. The unanimous consent of all the ancient fathers, and Christian writers, who, without exception, bear witness that this epistle was written to the Ephesians, and never entertained the least doubt of it. This argument is well represented by Lardner, who, after the most accurate search into every thing pertaining to ecclesiastical antiquities, hath thus written, Can. vol. ii. page 394. "That this epistle was sent to the church at Ephesus, we are assured by the testimony of all catholic Christians of all past ages. This we can now say with confidence, having examined the principal Christian writers of the first ages, to the beginning of the twelfth century; in all which space of time, there appears not one who had any doubt about it." of these testimonies, that of Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, in the end of the first century, is very remarkable. In a letter which he wrote to the Ephesians from Smyrna, in his way to Rome, he says, chap. xii. "Ye are the companions in the mysteries of the gospel of Paul the sanctified, the martyr, deservedly most happy; at whose feet may I be found when I shall have attained unto God, who (ay επιτολή, for όλη επισοηλ, as πασα οικοδομη, Eph. ii. 21. is put for λ), throughout all his epistle, makes mention of you in Christ." Muceva imav, makes honourable mention of you;' so the Greek phrase signifies, Matt. xxvi. 13. Mark xiv. 9. Acts x. 4. Ignatius means that Paul commended the Ephesians, and never blamed them throughout the whole of his epistle, as he did some others, in the letters which he wrote to them. This is exactly true of the present epistle to the Ephesians. Moreover, by calling them ouμμusa, companions or partakers of the mysteries of the gospel of Paul, he alluded to those passages in the present epistle to the Ephesians, where the gospel is represented as a mystery made known to the apostle, and by him to them. Ignatius having thus plainly described our epistle to the Ephesians, there can be no doubt of the genuineness of its inscription. For if that epistle was written in the 9th of Nero, and Ignatius's epistle in the 10th of Trajan, as Bishop Pearson supposes, the distance between the two epistles will be only forty-five years; consequently, Ignatius being of age at the time Paul is supposed to have written to the Ephesians, he could not be ignorant of the truth concerning it. But, without citing more testimonies, it is sufficient to observe with Lardner, in the general, "That Irenæus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, and Cyprian, writers of the second and third centuries, quote this epistle as written to the Ephesians, as freely and plainly as they do his epistles to the Romans, Galatians, Corinthians, or any other of the acknowledged epistles of Paul; and that it is quoted, in like manner, by all the writers of every age, Latins, Greeks, and Syrians." Canon ii. page 408.

3. As to Marcion, on whose affirmation Mill lays so

great a stress, Lardner observes, that his credit is very little in an affair of this kind. For Tertullian, who says Marcion called this the Epistle to the Laodiceans,' says also that Marcion rejected the epistles of Paul to Timothy and Titus. And though Grotius has remarked, that in speaking of the epistle to the Ephesians, Marcion had no temptation to falsify, the answer is, All the catholic writers of that age have called this 'the Epistle to the Ephesians,' and they had no temptation to falsify; for they had no interest to serve by it: And if Marcion ever said this epistle was written to the Laodiceans, meaning thereby that it was written, not to the Ephesians, but to the Laodiceans, he affirmed what was false; as we are expressly assured, by the unanimous testimony of men who had no interest to deceive us in this matter, and who could not be deceived themselves.-Farther, though Tertullian hath said that Marcion called this the Epistle to the Laodiceans,' he hath not said that Marcion founded his opinion on the authority of any ancient MSS. he had ever seen. On the contrary, there is reason to believe, that the copy of this epistle which Marcion used, was inscribed, not to the Laodiceans, but to the Ephesians, as Lardner hath shewed. Besides, as it is not said that Marcion founded his opinion on any ancient MSS. he had ever seen, so neither is it said, that any person who had opportunity to know the matter, told him that this epistle was written, not to the Ephesians, but to the Laodiceans. We have good reason, therefore, to believe, with Lardner, that if this was Marcion's opinion, he took it up without inquiry; being led to it, perhaps, as others since his time have been, by the mention that is made, Col. iv. 16. of an epistle from Laodicea.

4. With respect to St. Basil's insinuation, that the words in Ephesus were wanting in the original inscription of this letter, Lardner hath observed, that if any ancient MSS. wanted these words, they were so little regarded as not to be followed by any of those who transcribed the scriptures. For there are no MSS. now extant, in which that reading is preserved. And even though it had been preserved in some, they could have no authority; because the omission of the words, in Ephesus, would make this a general epistle; contrary to chap. i. 15. which shews, that it was addressed to some particular church, of whose faith and love the apostle had heard good accounts, and whom he begged not to faint at his afflictions for them, chap. iii. 13. Contrary also to chap. vi. 21, 22. which shews, that the members of this particular church were well acquainted with the writer, and took such an interest in him as to be comforted by the knowledge of his affairs. Nay, contrary to ver. 23, 24. of the same chapter, where the benediction is given, first to the brethren of a particular church, and then to all who loved our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.

5. To the passages in this epistle quoted to prove that it could not be written to the Ephesians, Lardner opposes a variety of other passages, which agree better to the Ephesians than to any other people; particularly those which shew, that the apostle was well acquainted with the persons to whom he wrote. For example, chap. i. 13. where he says, 'By whom, (Christ), after ye believed, ye were sealed with the spirit of promise.'-Also in the end of chap. i. having spoken of Christ as filling all his members with his gifts and graces, he adds, chap. ii. 1. Even you who were dead in trespasses and sins.'-Chap. iv. 20. But ye have not so learned Christ. 21. Seeing ye have heard him, and have been taught concerning him, as the truth is in Jesus.' Now, could the apostle say these things, unless he had been well acquainted with the persons to whom he wrote ? or rather, unless they had been instructed and endowed with the spiritual gifts by himself?-Farther, if the apostle had not been well acquainted with the persons to whom he was writing, and if they

had not been his own converts, would they have taken such an interest in him, as to make it proper for him to send Tychicus to make known all things to them concerning himself? chap. vi. 21, 22.-To all the former, add chap. ii. 20, 21, 22. iii. 18. in which there are evident allusions to the temple of Diana; which shews still more plainly, that the epistle under consideration was written to the inhabitants of Ephesus.

6. The passages in this epistle which are quoted to prove that it could not be written to the Ephesians, may easily be interpreted consistently with the supposition that it was inscribed to the Ephesians; as shall be shewn in the notes on the passages themselves, chap. i. 15. iii. 2-4.

7. The salutation sent to the brethren in Laodicea, Col. iv. 15. is a strong presumption, that the epistle in the canon, inscribed to the Ephesians, was not directed to the Laodiceans. For the epistle to the Colossians being writ ten at the same time with the supposed epistle to the Laodiceans, and sent by the same messenger, Tychicus, Eph. vi. 21. Col. iv. 7, 8., is it probable, that, in the epistle to the Colossians, the apostle would think it needful to salute the brethren in Laodicea, to whom he had written a particular letter in which he had given them his apostolical benediction?

To conclude, the arguments on the one side and on the other of this question, being fairly weighed, every impartial person, I should think, must be sensible, that Mill's opinion stands on no solid foundation. And therefore I scruple not to affirm, with Dr. Lardner, that the epistle under consideration was not written to the Laodiceans, but to the Ephesians; as the inscription, which is undoubtedly genuine, expressly bears.-If any reader is of a different opinion, he may be indulged in it, because, as Chandler observes, "It is not material to whom the epistle was inscribed, whether to the Ephesians or Laodiceans, since the authority of the epistle doth not depend on the persons to whom it was written, but on the person who indited it; who was St. Paul, as the letter itself testifies, and all genuine antiquity confirms."

SECT. III.-Of the Occasion of Writing the Epistle to the Ephesians.

DURING the apostle's imprisonment at Rome, among others who were sent to inquire after his welfare, Epaphroditus came to him from the Philippians, and Epaphras from the Colossians. In return for the kindness of these churches, the apostle wrote to them the letters in the Canon of the New Testament, which bear their names. Now, as was observed in the last paragraph but one of the preceding section, seeing he sent his letter to the Ephesians by Tychicus, the bearer of his epistle to the Colossians, and left it to him to give the Ephesians an account of his state, (Eph. vi. 21.); and seeing Epaphroditus, (Philip. iv. 18.), and Epaphras, (Col. i. 7, 8), came from their respective churches, to give the apostle an account of their affairs, and to inquire how matters went with him, may we not suppose, that Tychicus also came on the same errand from Ephesus? especially as we have reason to think he was an Ephesian, from his being appointed by the churches of Asia, of which Ephesus was the metropolis, their messenger, along with Trophimus an Ephesian, (Acts xxi. 29.), to accompany Paul to Jerusalem with the collections, Acts xx. 4. Besides, it appears, that about the time the epistle to the Ephesians was written, some person had given the apostle an account of their affairs; for he tells them, chap. i. 15. That he had heard of their faith and love.' This person, I suppose, was Tychicus, who may have told him likewise of the insidious arts used by the Judaizing teachers, for persuading the Ephesians to join the law of Moses with the gospel. But whoever the person was who gave the information,

he at the same time assured the apostle, that their arts had not succeeded. The Ephesians maintained the faith of Christ in purity, and lived suitably to their Christian profession.

This good news filled the apostle with joy. Nevertheless, knowing how indefatigable the false teachers were in spreading their errors, he wrote to the Ephesians the let ter which bears their name, not to censure them for any irregularity of conduct, as he did the Corinthians, nor for any deviation from the doctrine of the gospel, as he did the Galatians, but merely to prevent them from being impressed with the plausible arguments which the Judaizers used to persuade them to embrace the law of Moses. Of these arguments, indeed, the apostle hath given us no particular account. But, from the things which he hath written, to establish the Ephesians in the faith and profession of the gospel, we may conjecture, that at Ephesus, as in all other places, the false teachers suited their arguments to the passions and prejudices of the persons they addressed. And therefore, because the Ephesians, before their conversion, had been captivated with an high admiration of the heathen mysteries, and with the magnificence of the temple of Diana, and with the splendour of her worship, and took great honour to themselves as keepers of the temple of that idol, and boasted of the privileges which her priests and votaries enjoyed; the Judaizers talked to them in the most pompous manner of the law of Moses, and of its wonderful discoveries concerning the being and attributes of God, the origin of things, the deluge, the general judgment, &c. as far exceeding the discoveries made in the most celebrated of the heathen mysteries. They described likewise the magnificence of the temple at Jerusalem, and the splendour of the worship performed there, according to a ritual of God's own appointment: They praised the efficacy of the atonements made by the Levitical sacrifices, and the advantages which the Jews derived from the oracles of the true God, contained in their sacred books: Withal, they extolled the Jews as the most honourable people on earth, because they were the keepers of the only temple the true God had on earth, and worshipped him in that temple, and had among them an order of men, made priests by God himself, to offer sacrifices for sin, and to perform all the other parts of the worship of God.

These discourses, I have said, are not formally stated by the apostle. Nevertheless, as was just now observed, the things which he hath written in this epistle imply, that the Judaizing teachers had amused the Ephesians with speeches of that sort. For, lest the admiration of the heathen mysteries might have made them fond of the law of Moses, whose discoveries they were told exceeded the discoveries in the mysteries; and lest their passion for a pompous worship might have inclined them to embrace the shewy rites of Judaism, or perhaps to relapse into heathenism, the apostle gave them such a sublime view of the Christian doctrine and worship, as could not fail to raise their admiration. Only, in giving it, he did not follow the didactic method, but filled his letter with rapturous thanksgivings to God for the great discoveries made to the Ephesians in the gospel. And having mentioned some of these discoveries, he called them, "The mystery of God's will,' chap. i. 9.-and 'the mystery,' by way of eminence, chap. iii. 3.-and the mystery of Christ,' ver. 4.-and the mystery of the gospel,' chap. vi. 19. and observed, that that mystery was made known to the holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, Eph. iii. 5. not to be concealed, like the heathen mysteries, but to be published, that Jews and Gentiles receiving it, might be gathered together into one church, ver. 10. or fellowship, which he called a heavenly place, on account of the discoveries of heavenly things that were made in it, chap. ii. 6. Next, the apostle prayed that God would enlighten

their understanding, that they might know the greatness and extent of the blessings promised to believers in the mystery of God's will, ver. 18, 19. Then spake of the dignity of Christ, whom God hath made head over all things to the church, and of his power to fill all the members of his church with spiritual gifts, ver. 20-23. And among the rest, even the idolatrous Gentiles themselves, who, notwithstanding the discoveries made in the heathen mysteries, were living in deplorable ignorance and wickedness, chap. ii. 1–13.

Next, with respect to the law of Moses, and the pompous worship performed in the temple of Jerusalem, the apostle told the Ephesians, that they and the rest of the Gentiles, while idolaters, had indeed been excluded from that worship, and of course were strangers to the covenants of promise, and without hope. But the want of these privileges was not to be regretted by them under the gospel; because Christ, by his death, had abolished the whole ordinances of the law of Moses, as of no farther use. And by joining Jews and Gentiles into one new society, or church, the Gentiles were become joint partakers with the Jews in all spiritual privileges, chap. ii. 11-18. And were no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the believing Jews, ver. 19.: And were built with them on the foundation of the prophets and apostles, into a great temple for an habitation of God, chap. ii. 22.-By representing the Christian church under the idea of a temple, the apostle, if I mistake not, insinuated, among other things, that it was intended to be the repository of the mystery of God's will, as the heathen temples were the repositories of the mysteries of the gods to whom they were consecrated.

Farther, the apostle assured the Ephesians, that the mystery of Christ had been made known to him and his brethren apostles, more fully than in former ages to the Jewish prophets; namely, that the Gentiles should be joint heirs, and a joint body, and joint partakers with the Jews, of God's promises in Christ, through the gospel, chap. iii. 3-6. And therefore, they were to give no heed to the Judaizing teachers, who excluded the Gentiles from these privileges, merely because they were not circumcised.-And to the united body of Jews and Gentiles, forming the Christian church, he gave the appellation of the fellowship of the mystery,' chap. iii. 9.; the honours and privileges of which he describes, ver. 15-19. as he doth likewise the bonds by which the members of this fellowship are united; namely, one Lord or head, one faith, one baptism, and one object of worship,' chap. iv. 4-6.: Not omitting the supernatural gifts with which the members of this fellowship were endowed, chap. iv. 11, 12.-Lastly, he expressly prohibited the Ephesians from joining in any of the heathen fellowships, on account of the works of darkness committed in them, chap. v. 11.

Upon the whole, I submit it to my readers, whether the apostle, by representing the gospel in this epistle, no less than five times, under the idea of a mystery, did not mean to lead the Ephesians to compare it with their own mysteries, for the purpose of making them sensible,-1. That, in authority and importance, the discoveries contained in the gospel infinitely exceeded the discoveries made in the most celebrated of the heathen mysteries, and were much more effectual for comforting and directing mankind in their journey through life.-2. That Christ, the head of the Christian fellowship, was much more powerful than all the heads of the heathen fellowships joined together.-3. That the Christian church, in which the mystery of God's will was kept, was a far more excellent fabric than the temple of Diana at Ephesus.-4. That the honours and advantages which the members of the Christian church derived from Christ, their head, far surpassed the honours and advantages which the initiated

pretended to derive from the gods, the heads of their fellowships.-5. That the bonds by which the members of the Christian church were united, were more excellent and more effectual for promoting concord and love, than those by which the members of the heathen fellowships were united.-6. That the miraculous gifts bestowed on the apostles, and other inspired teachers in the Christian church, rendered them, as teachers, more respectable than any of the heathen mystagogues, and their teaching more worthy of the attention of mankind than theirs.-And therefore, 7. That it was far more honourable and advantageous to be a member of the Christian church, than to be initiated in the most celebrated of the heathen mysteries; consequently, that the condition of the Ephesians, as members of the church of Christ, was far more happy than their former state; even although they had been partakers in the best of the heathen mysteries, the Eleusinian not excepted.

The epistle to the Ephesians, viewed in the light wherein I have placed it, appears excellently calculated for repressing that vain admiration of the mysteries, which the Ephesian and other Gentile converts still entertained; and for enervating the specious arguments used by the Judaizers for seducing them to observe the law of Moses. This epistle, therefore, must have been of great use for confirming the whole body of the Gentile converts inhabiting the province of Asia, in the belief and profession of the gospel.

Before this section is concluded, it may be proper to observe, that the fourth, fifth, and six chapters of the epistle to the Ephesians are called, by Theodoret, The moral admonition; as containing a more complete system of precepts respecting the temper of mind which the disciples of Christ ought to possess, and respecting the duties which they owe to themselves and to each other, than is to be found in any other of St. Paul's epistles.

other matters contained in it are handled, shew clearly, that it was designed for others besides the brethren at Ephesus.

This remark, concerning the persons for whom the epistle to the Ephesians was designed, may be of considerable use in helping us to judge of some passages. For example, when we recollect that this epistle was directed to the faithful in Christ Jesus,' throughout the province of Asia, many of whom, it is to be supposed, had never seen Paul's face, we shall be sensible of the propriety of his saying to them, even according to the common translation, chap. iii. 2. If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God given to me.' For although the brethren at Ephesus, with whom the apostle abode three years, and many of the inhabitants of the province of Asia, who had heard him preach in Ephesus, Acts xix. 10. must have known that he was appointed by Christ the apostle of the Gentiles, some of the churches of Asia, or at least some of the members of these churches, who had never seen him, may have been ignorant of the miraculous manner in which he was converted, and commissioned to be an apostle. And therefore, his mention. ing these things, together with the revelations that were made to him of the mystery of God's will, in his epistle to the Ephesians, which was designed for their use likewise, may have been very necessary to many, to make them understand what his knowledge and authority as an apostle of Christ were. Accordingly, as if this part of the epistle had been written for a class of readers different from those to whom the foregoing part was addressed, he introduces it with his name: Eph. iii. 1. ‘On account of this, I Paul am the prisoner of Jesus Christ, for you Gentiles,' &c. See, however, the new translation of the passage.—In like manner, by considering the epistle to the Ephesians as designed for all the brethren in the province of Asia, we see the reason why the apostle has handled his subjects in a general manner, without making any of those allusions to particular persons and affairs,

·

Ephesians was designed.

THAT the epistle to the Ephesians was designed for the use, not of the Ephesians alone, but of all the brethren in the proconsular Asia, not excepting those to whom the apostle was personally unknown, may be gathered from the inscription of the epistle, and from the benedictions with which it is concluded. The inscription runs thus, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and to the believers in Christ Jesus:' by which last expression, I understand persons different from the saints in Ephesus;' namely, all the believers in the province of Asia. In like manner, in the conclusion of the epistle, we have, first a particular benediction, chap. iv. 23. Peace be to the brethren,' namely, in Ephesus; then a general one, ver. 24. Grace be with all them who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity,' that is, with all the faithful in the proconsular Asia. For that there was a considerable intercourse between the churches of the proconsular Asia and that at Ephesus, appears from the first epistle to the Corinthians, which was written from Ephesus; where, instead of mentioning the church at Ephesus by itself, as saluting the Corinthians, the salutation is from the churches of Asia in general, comprehending Ephesus among the rest: 1 Cor. xvi. 19. "The churches of Asia salute you.'-Paul, indeed, commonly directed his letters to the churches in the great cities, because they were more numerous than the other churches. Yet that he designed them for all the brethren in the neighbourhood, appears from the inscriptions of his epistles to the Corinthians, as was observed, Prelim. Ess. ii. page 22. To these arguments add, that the fulness and perfection of the moral admonition delivered in the epistle to the Ephesians, as well as the catholic manner in which the

gathered by himself, and in which he had so long resided, and with the members of which he was so intimately acquainted. Such allusions would not easily have been understood by strangers, and therefore they were with great propriety avoided.

SECT. V. Of the Time and Place of writing the Epistle to the Ephesians.

DURING the apostle Paul's imprisonment in Cæsarea, though it lasted more than two years, he wrote no letters, either to the churches which he had planted, or to particular persons; at least we know of none which he wrote. But during his confinement at Rome, having more liberty, he wrote several epistles which still remain. For when the news of his confinement in that city reached the provinces, some of the churches which he had gathered sent certain of their most respected members all the way to Rome, as formerly mentioned, to visit and comfort him, Philip. iv. 18. Col. i. 7, 8. These messengers having given him a particular account of the state of the churches from whence they came, their information gave rise to the letters which the apostle wrote at that time; and which may be distinguished from his other letters, by the mention made in them of his imprisonment and bonds. Wherefore, the apostle's bonds being frequently introduced in his epistle to the Ephesians, chap. iii. 1. 13. iv. 1. vi. 12. there can be little doubt of its being written during his confinement at Rome: But whether in the first or in the second year of that confinement, learned men are not agreed. Many, supposing it to have been written at the same time with the epistle to the Colossians, have dated it in the end of the second year of the apostle's

confinement, at which time we know the epistle to the Colossians was written. And that these two epistles were written about the same time, they prove by observing, that there is a great similarity of sentiment and expression in them; and that they were sent by the same messenger, namely, Tychicus, Eph. vi. 21. Col. iv. 7. But in Lard

ner's opinion, these circumstances are not decisive; because Tychicus may have been sent twice from Rome into Asia by the apostle, with letters, during his two years' confinement; and because several reasons may have rendered it proper for him to write the same things to these churches, especially as a considerable space of time intervened between the writing of the letters in which they are contained. Rejecting, therefore, the late date of the epistle to the Ephesians, Lardner supposes it to have been written in the beginning of the first year of the apostle's imprisonment at Rome. And, in support of his opinion, he offers the two following arguments, Canon, chap. xii.

1. That Timothy, who joined the apostle in his letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, did not join him in his epistle to the Ephesians. True. But might not Timothy, after joining the apostle in the letters mentioned, leave Rome on some necessary business before the epistle to the Ephesians was begun? That this was actually the case, we have reason to believe; for the apostle, in his letter to the Philippians, promised to send Timothy to them soon, chap. ii. 19. And in his epistle to the Hebrews, which was written after his release, he informed them that Timothy was sent away, Heb. xiii. 23. Wherefore, having left Rome before the letter to the Ephesians was begun, his name could not be inserted in the inscription, notwithstanding it was finished in such time as to be sent to Ephesus by the messenger who carried the letters to the Colossians and to Philemon.

2. Lardner's second argument for the early date of the epistle to the Ephesians is, that in his letters to the Philippians and to Philemon, the apostle expresses his hope of being soon released; whereas, in his letter to the Ephesians, he does not give the most distant insinuation of any such expectation. But the apostle, in his epistle to the Colossians, makes as little mention of his release as in his epistle to the Ephesians. And yet all allow that that epistle was written and sent along with the epistle to Philemon, in which the apostle expresseth the strongest hope of that event. He did not think it necessary, it seems, to mention his enlargement in his letter to the Colossians, because he had ordered Tychicus to inform them of it: Col. iv. 17. All things concerning me, Tychicus will make known to you.' For the same reason he may have omitted mentioning his release to the Ephesians, as may be inferred from Eph. vi. 21. Now, that ye also may know the things relating to me, and what I am doing, Tychicus will make known to you all things.' The phraseology here deserves notice, That ye also may know; which I think implies, that at this time the apostle had ordered Tychicus to make known all things concerning him to some others, namely to the Colossians; consequently that the two epistles were written about the same time. And as Tychicus and Onesimus, to whom the apostle delivered his epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, were to take Ephesus in their way, he gave them his letter to the Ephesians likewise, and ordered them, when they delivered it, to enjoin the Ephesians to send a copy of it to the Laodiceans, with directions to them to send a transcript taken from their copy to the Colossians. Tychicus, therefore, and Onesimus, taking Ephesus in their way, delivered the apostle's letter to the church in that city, as they were directed, then proceeded with the letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, which when they delivered, their commission was at an end.

If the epistle to the Ephesians was written, as I suppose,

soon after the epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, the mention which is made of the apostle's release in his letter to Philemon, will lead us to fix the writing of the three epistles to the end of the second year of the apostle's confinement at Rome, answering to a. n. 60 or 61.

SECT. VI.-Of the Style of the Epistle to the Ephesians.

THE critics have observed, that the style of the epistle to the Ephesians is exceedingly elevated, and that it corresponds to the state of the apostle's mind at the time of writing. Overjoyed with the account which their messenger brought him of their faith and holiness, chap. i. 15. and transported with the consideration of the unsearchable wisdom of God, displayed in the work of man's redemption, and of his astonishing love towards the Gentiles, in making them partakers through faith of all the benefits of Christ's death equally with the Jews, he soars high in his sentiments on these grand subjects, and gives his thoughts utterance in sublime and copious expressions. At the same time, he introduces various deep, and hitherto unknown doctrines, to which he gives the appellation of mysteries, in allusion to the occult doctrines which the Greeks dignified with the name of the mysteries of this or that god, and on the knowledge of which the initiated in these mysteries highly valued themselves. In short, this epistle is written as it were in a rapture. Hence Jerome, on chap. iii. says, "Nullam epistolam Pauli tanta habere mysteria, tam reconditis sensibus involuta, quos et apostolus nosse se gloriatur."

Grotius likewise entertained an high opinion of this epistle; for he says, it expresseth the sublime matters contained in it, in words more sublime than are to be found in any human language: "Rerum sublimitatem, adæquans verbis sublimioribus, quam ulla unquam habuit lingua humana." This character is so just, that no real Christian can read the doctrinal part of the epistle to the Ephesians, without being impressed and roused by it as by the sound of a trumpet.

SECT. VII. Of the Eleusinian and other heathen
Mysteries, alluded to in this Epistle.

I. THE apostle Paul, in this and in his other epistles, having often alluded to the heathen mysteries, and having condemned them all, on account of the shameful things practised in them, Eph. v. 11, 12. it is proper, both for understanding his allusions, and for shewing the propriety of his censure, to give, in this section, some account of these famed institutions.

Bishop Warburton, from whom I have taken the greatest part of this account, in his Divine Legation, b. ii. sect. 4. informs us, That each of the heathen gods, besides the worship paid to him in public, had a secret worship, to which none were admitted but those who were prepared by previous ceremonies. This secret worship was termed the mysteries of the god; which, however, were not performed in all places where he was publicly worshipped, but only where his chief residence was supposed to be. According to Herodotus, Diodorus, and Plutarch, who, in support of their opinion, appeal to the most ancient testimonies, these mysteries were first invented in Egypt, whence they spread themselves into most countries of Europe and Asia. In Egypt, they were celebrated to the honour of Isis and Osiris; in Asia, to Mythras; in Samothrace, to the mother of the gods; in Boeotia, to Bacchus; in Cyprus, to Venus; in Crete, to Jupiter; in Athens, to Ceres and Proserpine, thought to be the same with Isis and Osiris; and in other places to other gods, to an incredible number. The most noted of these