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TEXT.

Gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, (according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began; 26 But now is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations, for the obedience of faith.)

27 To God, only wise, be glory, through Jesus Christ, for ever. Amen.

PARAPHRASE.

cerning Jesus Christ, in my preaching, conformable to the revelation of the mystery, which lay unexplained in the 26 secular times; But now is laid open, and, by the writings of the prophets, made known (according to the commandment of the everlasting God) to the Gentiles of all nations, for the bringing them in to the obedience of the law of faith. 27 To the only wise God be glory, through Jesus Christ, for ever. Amen.

NOTES.

the Ephesians, that the law of Moses was abolished by the death of Christ, Eph. ii. 15. Which, if St. Peter and St. James had been as clear in as was St. Paul, St. Peter would not have incurred his reproof, as he did by his carriage, mentioned Gal. ii. 12, &c. But in all this may be seen the wisdom and goodness of God, to both Jews and Gentiles. See note, Eph. ii. 15.

That the mystery, he here speaks of, is the calling of the Gentiles, may be seen in the following words; which is that which, in many of his epistles, he calls mystery. See Eph. i. 9, and iii. 3-9. Col. i. 25-27.

* Χρόνοις αἰωνίοις, " in the secular times," or in the times under the law. Why the times, under the law, were called χρόνοι αἰώνιοι, we may find reason in their jubilees, which were αἰῶνες, "secula" or "ages," by which all the time, under the law, was measured; and so χρόνοι αἰώνιοι is used 2 Tim. i. 9. Tit. i. 2. And so αἰῶνες are put for the times of the law, or the jubilees, Luke i. 70. Acts iii. 21. 1 Cor. ii. 7, and x. 11. Eph. iii. 9. Col. i. 26. Heb. ix. 26. And so God is called the rock עולמים αἰώνων,of ages, Isai. xxvi. 4, in the same sense that he is called the rock of Israel, Isai. xxx. 29, i. e. the strength and support of the Jewish state: for it is of the Jews the prophet here speaks. So Exod. xxi. 6, לעולם, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, signifies not, as we translate it, "for ever," but " to the jubilee;" which will appear, if we compare Lev. xxv. 39-41, and Exod. xxi. 2: see "Burthogg's Christianity, a revealed Mystery," p. 17, 18 Now, that the times of the law were the times spoken of here, by St. Paul, seems plain, from that which he declares to have continued a mystery during all those times; to wit, God's purpose of taking in the Gentiles to be his people, under the Messiah: for this could not be said to be a mystery, at any other time but during the time that the Jews were the peculiar people of God, separated to him, from among the nations of the earth. Before that time, there was no such name, or notion of distinction, as Gentiles. Before the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the calling of the Israelites to be God's peculiar people was as much a mystery as the calling of others, out of other nations, was a mystery afterwards. All that St. Paul insists on here, and in all the places where he mentions this mystery, is to show, that though God has declared this his purpose to the Jews, by the predictions of his prophets, amongst them; yet it lay concealed from their knowledge, it was a mystery to them; they understood no such thing; there was not any where the least suspicion or thought of it, till, the Messiah being come, it was openly declared, by St. Paul, to the Jews and Gentiles, and made out by the writings of the prophets, which were now understood.

VOL. VIII.

CC

PARAPHRASE AND NOTES

ON THE

EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL

TO THE

EPHESIANS.

002

THE

EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL

TO THE

EPHESIANS;

WRIT IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 63, OF NERO 9.

SYNOPSIS.

Our Saviour had so openly and expressly declared to his disciples the destruction of the temple, that they could by no means doubt of it, nor of this consequence of it, viz. that the έθη, customs or rites of the Mosaical law, as they are called, Acts vi. 14, and xxi. 21, were to cease with it. And this St. Stephen, by what is laid to his charge, Acts vi. 13, 14, seems to have taught. And upon this ground it might very well be, that the apostles and church of Jerusalem required no more of the convert Gentiles than the observance of such things as were sufficient to satisfy the Jews that they were not still heathens and idolaters. But as for the rest of the Mosaical rites, they required not the convert Gentiles (to whom the Mosaical law was not given) to observe them. This being a very natural and obvious consequence, which they could not

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