TEXT. 21 Timotheus, my work-fellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you. 22 I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord. 23 Gaius mine host, and of the whole church saluteth you. Erastus, the chamberlain of the city, saluteth you, and Quartus, a brother. 24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. 25 Now to him, that is of power to stablish you, according to my PARAPHRASE. The who make divisions amongst you*. our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 21 Timothy, my work-fellow, and Lucius and Jason, 22 and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you. I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord. 23 Gaius mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus, the chamberlain of the city, saluteth 24 you; and Quartus, a brother. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. 25 Now, to him that is able to settle and establish you in an adherence to my † gospel, and to that which I NOTES. "Shall bruise Satan," i. e. shall break the force and attempts of Satan, upon your peace, by these his instruments, who would engage you in quarrels and discords. 25+"My gospel." St. Paul cannot be supposed to have used such an expression as this, unless he knew that what he preached had something in it, that distinguished it from what was preached by others; which was plainly the mystery, as he every-where calls it, of God's purpose, of taking in the gentiles to be his people, under the Messiah, and that without subjecting them to circumcision, or the law of Moses. This is that which he here calls τὸ κήρυ/μα Ιησε Χριτό, "the preaching of Jesus Christ; " for, without this, he did not think that Christ was preached to the gentiles, as he ought to be: and, therefore, in several places of his epistle to the galatians he call it "the truth," and "the truth of the gos"pel;" and uses the like expressions to the ephesians and colossians. This is that mystery, which he is so much concerned, that the ephesians should understand and stick firm to, which was revealed to him, according to that gospel, whereof he was made the minister; as may be seen at large, in that epistle, particularly chap. iii. 6. 7. The same thing he declares to the colossians, in his epistle to them, particularly chap. i. 22—27, and ii. 6-8. For that he in a peculiar manner, preached this doctrine, so as none of the other apostles did, may be seen Acts xxi. 18-25, Acts xv. 6, 7. For though the other apostles and elders of the church of Jerusalem had determined, that the gentiles should only keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; yet it is plain enough from what they say, Acts xxi. 20-24, that they taught not, nay, probably did not think, what St. Paul openly declares to 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.) PARAPHRASE. deliver, concerning Jesus Christ, in my preaching, conformable to the revelation of the mystery 26 which lay unexplained in the † secular times; But now is laid open, and, by the writings of the prophets, 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. + Xpórors alwriors" in the secular times," or in the times under the law. Why the times, under the law, were called xpóvar alvor, we may find reason in their jubilees, which were alive, “secula," or "ages," by which all the time, under the law, was measured; and so xpóvos akówɑ is used 2 Tim. i. 9, Tit. i. 2. And so aves 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, by, air, of ages, Isa. xxvi. 4, in the same sense that he is called the rock of Israel, Isa. 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, 71y?, eis Tòv xióra, 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. TEXT. 27 To God, only wise, be glory, through Jesus Christ, for ever. Amen. PARAPHRASE. 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 27 of faith. To the only wise God be glory, through Jesus Christ, for ever. Amen. |