Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 2 · Chapter 1 · Verse and explication 1 – Verse and explication 2
Vers. 1. PAUL an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the Saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithfull in Christ Jesus: 2. Grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
IN these two Verses is the Inscription of the Epistle, containing, first, a description of the Pen-man; from his name Paul, from his office an Apostle, and call to his office, by the will of God. Secondly, a description of those to whom the Epistle was directed, from the place of their habitation, at Ephesus, and their spiritual state, they were Saints and faithfull, ver. 1. Thirdly, the Apostle's usuall salutation, or comprecation, whereby he prayeth for grace and peace unto them, ver. 2.
Besides what hath been already observed upon the Inscriptions of the Epistles to the Galatians, Philippians and Colossians, Learn, 1. The wisdom of God hath judged it most convenient to teach His People, not immediately by Himself or by the ministry of Angels, but of men like unto our selves: hereby to try His Peoples obedience, Mat. 10. 40. and because their infirmity could not well endure the ministry of others, Exod. 20. 19. For, Paul is imployed by God to instruct those Ephesians by writing this Epistle; Paul an Apostle by the will of God, to the saints. 2. It doth not follow hence, that every man who thinketh himself sufficiently gifted, may take upon him the office of the Ministry, except he be called unto it of God: for, Paul sheweth he was called to the office of an Apostle before he did meddle with it; An Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. 3. The power of God not only can, but also frequently doth gather and preserve a Church to Himself, even where Satan's seat is, and wickednesse of all sorts doth most abound: hereby fulfilling what was long since foretold (Psal. 110. -2.) that Christ should rule in the midst of His enemies; for, there was a Church of Saints even at Ephesus, a City famous for Idolatry and Witchcrafts, Act. 19. v. 19, 24, 34, 35. To the Saints which are at Ephesus. 4. Even those who are Saints and Believers, do stand in need of God's grace and favour both to pardon and subdue sin, seing the best of them are but sanctified in part, 1 Cor. 13. 12. having the dregs of corruption alwayes remaining, and frequently stirring in them, Rom. 7. 23. for, the Apostle's wish in behalf of the Saints at Ephesus and faithfull in Christ Jesus, is, Grace be to you.
Vers. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
THe Apostle's scope being to establish those Ephesians in the sincere doctrine of the Gospel already received by them, and for this end to unfold the grounds and causes of their salvation, together with the freedom of God's grace in Christ, upon which salvation (with all its causes, and every step tending towards it) is founded, he doth first propound the grounds and causes in general, and this not warshly, and in a coldrife manner, but with an open mouth, and a more enlarged heart, by way of thanksgiving to God, whom he describeth from his twofold relation to Christ, as being the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: for, the particle and, in this place, is not copulative of things different, but exegetick of one and the same thing, as Psal. 18. 46. And first, He is a God to Christ, chiefly because of the Covenant of Redemption betwixt God and Christ as Mediator, the mutual conditions of which Covenant are, Is. 53. 10, 11. Joh. 6. 39, 40. And, secondly, He is the Father of Christ, to wit, not only as Christ is God, by an eternal and unspeakable generation, Psal. 2. 7. but also, as Christ is Man, God is His Father by vertue of the personal union of the two natures in Christ, Luke 1. 32—. The reason of which his thanksgiving to God he sheweth to be Gods bestowing of real blessings upon Believers, and those not common or temporal only, but special and spiritual blessings, which tend to a spiritual and supernaturalend; and those not sparingly, but fully, and with an open hand, even all blessings, and this in heavenly places, that is, from Heaven His glorious Throne; or, because those spiritual blessings shall not be consummated and fully perfected, until Believers be in Heaven: all which blessings, he sheweth are bestowed upon Believers in Christ, He, as our Head, Atturney and Advocate (1 Joh. 2. 1.) having received those blessings in our name, and for our behoof, Eph. 2. 6. by whose merit also they are purchased, Isa. 53. 5. In whom, and by vertue of our union with Him and right to Him, we have a right to such of those blessings as we have not yet actually received, 1 Joh. 5. 12. and do come to the possession of these which we already enjoy, Joh. 1. 16. Doct. 1. Though we cannot blesse the Lord, as He blesseth us by bestowing real blessings and favours upon us, which before we wanted, Gen. 24. 35. there being such a fulnesse of blessednesse in God, as nothing can be superadded, Joh 22. 2. Yet it is our duty to blesse Him so, as that being convinced of that blessednesse, of those excellencies which are in Him, and favours which are bestowed upon us by Him, we do not only esteem highly of Him because of those, Luke 1. 46. but also expresse this our high esteem, and that not only in words, whether by speaking to God Himself in the duty of prayer and praise, Psal. 104. 1. or by speaking of Him, and to His commendation unto others, Psal. 34. 3, 4, &c. but also and mainly in our life and actions, 1 Cor. 10. 31. for, Paul doth here blesse the Lord; Blessed be God, saith he. 2. It is a looking to God with respect had to Jesus Christ, which inflameth the heart with such a mixture of love and admiration at His excellencies and worth, that it must of necessity break forth in blessing of Him: God considered without Christ being a consuming fire, to whom there can be no confident approaching by sinfull creatures, neither in the duties of prayer, nor of praise; but the vail of Christ's flesh doth break the beams of His terror, so that we may stedfastly behold His attributes and excellencies, rejoycing in them, and blessing Him for them: for, Paul, while he blesseth God, doth look upon Him through this vail; Blessed be God, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 3. A holy soul, truly sensible of his lost condition by nature, and of God's mercy in his delivery from that wofull state, cannot seriously think, or speak of that subject, but his heart must be inflamed with love to God; yea, and break forth in praises and thanksgiving to Him, when occasion offereth: for, so doth Paul, Blessed be God who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings. 4. Though we are bound to blesse the Lord even for temporal favours, and things necessary for the life which now is, Psal. 107. 8. yet a renewed heart is most taken up with, and blesseth God most for spiritual blessings, and such as concern our eternal welbeing, those being not only most durable, Job. 6. 27. but also most discriminating betwixt the regenerate and unregenerate, Eccles. 9. 1. 1 Joh. 3. 14. for, Paul blesseth God for these blessings; Who bath blessed us with all spiritual blessings. 5. God is the author and worker of all spiritual blessings in a special manner, in so far as He produceth them not by a general providence actuating and concurring with natural principles and powers for producing of such and such effects, (as He is the author even of common blessings, health, riches, honour, and such like Psal. 75. 6, 7.) but by his special grace, whereby He createth in the heart (by nature, dead in sins and trespasses, Eph. 2. 1.) a power to do good, Ezek, 36. 26. and actuateth that power, making it to work, Phil. 2. 13. for, the Apostle ascribeth the production of all spiritual blessings to God, while speaking of God he saith, Who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings. 6. Though God, considered as Creator and merciful upholder of His own creatures, doth bestow temporal blessings upon the world, even upon those who never heard of Christ, Psal. 17. 14. yet, spiritual blessings, such as the saving graces of faith, hope and love, come from God, being considered not as Creator, but in, and with relation to Jesus Christ, who behoved to purchase those blessings of new, before fallen man could acquire either a right unto them, or possession of them: for, saith Paul, it is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings; and again, He hath blessed as in Christ. 7. Spiritual blessings, to wit, those of them which are absolutely necessary to salvation and eternal blessednesse, are linked together, and cannot be separated: where God bestoweth one of those, He bestoweth all, there being a necessary concatenation among them all, Rom. 8. 29, 30. so that they either co-exist, or at least in God's due time do follow one upon another, Philip. 1. 6. for, saith Paul, He hath, blessed us with all spiritual blessings. 8. Though there be some spiritual blessings, such as perfection in holinesse, and the full enjoying of God in glory, the possession whereof is not attained unto by Believers so long as they are here on earth, 1 Cor. 13. 12. yet, because of the Believer's undoubted right unto those blessings (1 Cor. 3. 21, 22.) and God's unchangeable purpose to bestow them, Psal. 84. 11. and because of the first fruits and earnest of those blessings already bestowed upon the Believer (See ver. 14.) and of Christ's having taken possession of those in the Believer's name, chap. 2. 6. he may be as much assured of his full enjoying of them, as if he had them already in hand: for, saith Paul, He hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings, as if all, none being excepted, were already enjoyed. 9. Spirituall blessings are of an heavenly rise and nature, there being no second cause upon earth, or among things created, which doth concur with God in bringing them to passe, as in the production of other natural effects: for, as the word is well rendred, in beavenly places, and better than in heavenly things; so it seemeth the bestowing of those spiritual blessings, is ascribed to God in heavenly places, mainly because their original is only from Heaven, and not from earth; With all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.