THE EPISTLE

OF THE

APOSTLE PAUL,

TO THE

EPHESIANS.

I. PAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God,

2 to the saints—to them who are at Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus: Favour be to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing,—with the

4 heavenly things in Christ; as he chose us in him before the

5 foundation of the world, that we might be holy and blameless before him in love; having before hand determinately pointed us out for an adoption into the number of children by Jesus

6 Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will; for the praise of the glory of that favour of his with which he

7 made us objects of favour in theBeloved; by whom we have this

8 redemption by his blood—the forgiveness of our sins accord-

9 ing to the richness of his grace in which he hath abounded for us—having with all wisdom and care made known to us this secret of his will, according to that good pleasure of his, which

10 he previously purposed in himself, for the dispensation of the fulness of times, to bring all things again wider one head in

11 Christ, both those in heaven and those on earth—even in him, by whom we, (having been previously marked out in a determinate manner, according to the purpose of him who effecteth

12 all things according to the counsel of his will) were made his

13 inheritance, to the end that we who first trusted in the Christ

Vol. iv. x x

might be for the praise of his glory; and by whom you also, when you heard the word of this truth, the glad tidings of this

14 salvation of yours—by whom you indeed, when you believed, were sealed with the spirit of the promise (that holy [spirit which is an earnest of the inheritance of us—for the complete redemption of the purchase) for the praise of his glory.

15 For this cause, having heard of the faith which you have

16 in the Lord Jesus, and of your love for all the saints, I do

17 not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of the glory, would give you a spirit of wisdom and reve-

18 lation in the acknowledgment of him—that lie would enlighten the eyes of your understanding, that you may see what the hope

19 of this invitation of his is; and what the riches of the glory of this inheritance of his, in the saints; and what the exceeding greatness of this power of his for us who believe, corresponding to

20 the energy of the strength of that power of his which he exerted in the Christ.—Having raised Him from the dead, he set him at

21 his right hand, in the heavenly kingdom, far above all principality and power, and might, and dominion, and every name which is named, not only in this age but in that to come ; and put all things under his feet, and constituted him head over all for the congregation, which is his body—the fulness of him who

II. filltth all in all. And with respect to you, when you were dead in those trespasses, and those sins, in which you for-

2 merly walked according to the course of this world—according to the prince of the power of the air, that spirit which is now working powerfully in the children of disobedience ; among

3 whom when we also were all formerly leading our lives in the desires of our flesh, executing the dictates of the flesh, and the imaginations, and were naturally children of wrath even

4 as the rest; then God, who is rich in mercy, on the account

5 of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in those trespasses, did bring us to life with the Christ,

6 (by grace you are saved) and did raise us up, and place us

7 with him in the heavenly kingdom in Christ Jesus, in order that he might, in the ages which are to come, display the immense riches of his favour by kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you are saved by means of this belief. And

9 even this is not of yourselves ; it is the gift of Ged. It is not because of works ; so that no one can boast. For we are his

10 workmanship, fitted by Christ Jesus for good works, for which God had before prepared us that we might walk therein.

11 Wherefore remember that you were formerly the nations in flesh, those denominated uncircumcision by the nominal cir.

12 cumcision made with hands, in flesh—that you were at that >time without Christ; aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,

and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope,

13 and being without God in the world : but now by Christ Jesus, you, who were formerly far off, are brought near by

14 the blood of the Christ; for he is our peace. He it is, who hath made both one, and who hath demolished the partition wall,

15 having; by his flesh put a stop to the enmity—the law of the commandments [^contained] in positive injunctions; that he might frame the two anew, in himself, into one new man,

16 making peace; and reconcile them both in one body, to God by means of the cross, having by that slain the enmity. And

17 being come he hath proclaimed the glad tidings of peace to you who were far off, and to them who were near.

18 Because through him we both have access to the father by

19 one spirit, you therefore are no longer strangers, and pilgrims, JO but fellow citizens of the saints, and of the household of God,

built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus !1 Christ himself being the corner stone, by whom the whole building being united in symmetry is to grow up to a holy tern- pie in the Lord; by whom you also are builded up together with them by the spirit, for an habitation of God. III. For this cause, with regard to me Paul the prisoner of the v

2 Christ, Jesus, for you the nations; inasmuch as you have

3 heard of the dispensation of the favour of God granted to me for you—that he hath by a revelation made known to me this secret (as I have briefly written above, by the bare read-

4 ing of which you may perceive my knowledge in this secret

5 of the Christ, which in former generations was not made known to the children of men as it hath now been revealed to his holy

6 apostles and prophets by the spirit,) That the nations are coheirs, and a joint body, and joint partakers of tliat promise of

~ -his in the C/irist by means of tlie gospel, of which 1

a minister according to the free gift of God's favour which was granted to me—according to the energy of his power.—

8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this favour was granted to proclaim among the nations the unsearchable

9 riches of the Christ, and to enlighten all men with respect to the dispensation* of this secret, which God who created all things by

10 Jesus Christ had hidden from the ages, in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly kingdom, by means

11 of the congregation, according to the predisposition of the

12 ages which he made by Christ Jesus our Lord ; by whom we have this freedom of speech, and this access with confidence,

13 by this belief in him; therefore I pray you not to be dejected

14 at these afflictions of mine for you. It is for your glory. For

15 this cause I bend my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus

16 Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would, according to the riches of his glory,

17 grant you to be strengthened by his spirit for the inner man,

18 that, by means of this belief, the Christ may dwell in your hearts; that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be

19 able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of the Christ which surpasseth that knowledge—that you may

20 be filled with all the fulness of God. Now to him who is able to do infinitely above all that we can ask or conceive, according to that power which is operative in us—to him be the glory in the congregation, by Christ Jesus, through all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen.

IV. I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, beseech you to

2 walk worthy of the call with which you have been called,

3 with all humility and meekness; with long suffering, bearing

4 with one another in love; and endeavouring to preserve the unity of the spirit by the bond of peace; to be one body and

5 one spirit: as you have indeed been called to one hope of

6 your call. There is one Lord, one belief, one baptism, one

7 God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in you all; and to every one of us there hath been granted in

8 due measure the favour of the free gift of the Christ. Therefore it is said, "Having ascended on high, he hath led capti-

9 vity captive,;"* and "he hath given gifts to men." Now this

10 expression, "//<? ascended" what doth it infer, but that he had first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same who ascended far above all the hea-

Ll vens, that he might fill all; and he hath given some to be apostles, and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and

12 some pastors, and teachers, for the fitting up of the saints; for

13 the work of distribution; for the building up of the body of the Christ, until we all come up to the unity of the belief and of the knowledge of the son of God; to perfect manhood—

14 to a measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ; that we may no longer be infants, tossed like waves, and whirled about by every wind of doctrine, by the cheating sleight of

15 men, by a skill in the art of deceiving: but that maintaining

16 trudi with love, we may grow up in all respects for him, who is the head, the Christ; from whom the whole body being fitly framed together and cemented, provision is made by means of the supply of every joint, according to the proportionate operative power of every part, for an increase of the body— for building itself up in love.

17 This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, that you no

18 more walk, as the rest of the nations do, in the vanity of their mind. They having their understandings darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance

19 which is in them, by reason of the blindness of their heart, have without remorse abandoned themselves to the commis-

20 sion of every uncleanness with inordinate desire. But you

21 have not thus learned the Christ; inasmuch as you have heard

22 him and been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, with re-

23 spect to your former course of life, to put off the old man, which is corrupted by deceitful desires, and to be renewed in

24 the spirit of your mind; and to put on the new man, which in aconforrnity to God is created in righteousness and the holiness

25 of truth. Wherefore, putting away all falsehood, speak truth,

* Ps. 68. 18.

/

26 every one to his neighbour. Because we are members one of another, are you excited to anger? Do not therefore sin.

27 Let not the sun go down on your wrath, nor give the devil an <

28 opportunity. Let the stcaler steal no more; but rather labour, and procure honestly with the work of his hands, that he

29 may have wherewithal to relieve the needy. Let no corrupt discourse proceed out of your mouth—nothing but what is good for edification—of such utility as to be a benefit to the

50 hearers. And grieve not the holy spirit of God by which you

31 have been sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness,

52 and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and detraction, be banished

from among you, with malice of every sort; and be kind to

one another, tenderly compassionate, forgiving one another.

V. And as God hath in Christ forgiven you, be ye therefore

2 imitators of God as beloved children. And walk in love, even as the Christ loved us, and delivered himself up for us, as an

3 offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour. And let not fornication, nor uncleanness of any sort, nor in-

4 ordinate desire, be so much as named among you, as becom- eth saints; nor obscenity, nor foolish talking, nor jesting about

5 things which are unbecoming; but rather thanksgiving. For this you know that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor lewd

6 libertine, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of the Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with vain discourses; for on the account of these things the wrath

V of God is coining on these children of disobedience, be not ye

8 thercforepartakerswiththem. For you were formerly darkness,

9 but being now a light in the Lord, walk as children of light (for

10 the fruit of this light* consists of goodness and righteousness and truth of every sort) proving what is well pleasing to the

11 Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of

12 darkness, but rather reprove them: for as to the things done

13 by them in secret, it is shameful even to mention them. But all these reprehensible things are exposed to view by the light.

14 For it is light which exposeth every thing to view; therefore » ' , —________— .

* This is the reading in sundry- Greek copies and ancient versions. I prefer it, because by continuing the use of the same metaphor it seems most agreeable to the context.

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⁰ A it is said, "Awake thou who sleepest and arise from the dead ^i and the Christ will shine upon thee.* Take heed therefore ₀^> how circumspectly you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time. Because these are evil days, therefore be 17 not without understanding, but intelligent with regard to what ^Vi8 is the will of the Lord. And be not intoxicated with wine in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the spirit when :19 you are speaking to one another, when with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs you are singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord: and give thanks on all occasions for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to the God and Father. ^4 Be subject to one another in the fear of God. >

22 Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the Lord; be-

23 cause the husband is the head of the wife, even as the Christ

24 is the head of the congregation. He indeed is the saviour of the body; but as the congregation is subject to the Christ, so let wives be to their husbands in every tiling.

25 Husbands love your wives, even as the Christ loved the

26 congregation, and gave himself up for it, that having purified

27 it with the bath of the water, he might hallow it; indeed that he might present it to himself as the glorious congregation, having neither spot, nor wrinkle, nor any defect whatever; but that it may be holy and without blemish. In the

28 same manner husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loveth his wife, loveth himself. Now no one

29 ever hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, 50 even as the Lord doth the congregation, because we are members of his body—of his flesh and of his bones. Instead of this,

31 ^liA man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife,

32 and they two will be one jlesh,^" this is the great mystery, I mean in regard to Christ and the congregation. However with

'3 regard to you individually, let every one love his wife as himself, and let the wife reverence her husband. VI. Children, obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother (this is the first commandment

* Es. 60. 1. fGen.2. 24.

3 with a promise) that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayst live long on the earth. '

4 And you, parents, exasperate not your children, but educate them with the discipline and admonition of the Lord.

5 Servants, obey them who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your hearts, as you do the Christ—not with eye-service as men plea- sers, but as servants of the Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, performing service with good will, as to the Lord and not to men; knowing that whatever good any one doth, the Lord will reward him for it, whether he be a bondman or* freeman.

9 And you, masters, observe the same conduct towards them, abating your threats, knowing that you yourselves have a master in heaven, and that with him there is no respect of persons.

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the

11 power of his might. Put on the complete armour of God,

12 that you may be able to withstand the wiles of the devil. Because our conflict is not barely with flesh and blood, but against the principalities and the powers—against the rulers of this dark age, against the spiritual [assaults] of the wicked-

13 ness in the heavenly dispensation; take up therefore the complete armour of God, that you may be able to make resistance in the evil day, and having put a stop to them all, to

14 maintain your ground. Stand, therefore, having your loins

15 girded with truth, and having on the breast plate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the glad

16 tidings of peace, covering all with the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the

17 evil one. Take also the helmet of salvation, and the sword o£

18 the spirit, that is the word of God; in every prayer and supplication, always praying with the spirit (being for this purpose in a continual state of watchfulness and prayer) for all

19 the saints—particularly for me, that to me a word may be given, that with the opening of my mouth, and with freedom am plainness of speech, I may make known the secret of the glut

20 tidings, for which I am performing the office of an ambassa

dor in a chain, that in this situation I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. . .

21 Now that you may know the state of my affairs, and what I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minis-

22 ter in the Lord, will give you a particular account, as I have sent him for this very purpose, that you may know the state of our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.

23 Peace to the brethren and love with faith, from God the

24 Father and the Lord Jesus Christ—this favour be with all them who love our Lord Jesus Christ without any mixture of Corruption. Amen.

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