But

of assent and trust, it excludes the idea of merit. If by faith, it is of grace; if of works, it is of debt; as the apostle argues in Rom. iv. 4, 5. Faith, therefore, is the mere causa apprehendens, the simple act of accepting, and not the ground on which salvation is bestowed. Not of works.-The apostle says “works,” without qualification or limitation. It is not, therefore, ceremonial, as distinguished from good works; or legal, as distinguished from evangelical or gracious works; but works of all kinds, as distinguished from faith, which are excluded. Salvation is in no sense, and in no degree, of works; for to him that worketh the reward is a matter of debt. salvation is of grace, and therefore not of works, lest any man should boast. That the guilty should stand before God with self-complacency, and refer his salvation in any measure to his own merit, is so abhorrent to all right feeling, that Paul assumes it (Rom. iv. 2) as an intuitive truth that no man can boast before God. And to all who have any proper sense of the holiness of God and of the evil of sin, it is an intuition; and, therefore, a gratuitous salvation,—a salvation which excludes with works all ground of boasting,-is the only salvation suited to the relation of guilty men to God.

The only point in the interpretation of these verses of any doubt relates to the second clause. What is said to be the gift of God? Is it salvation, or faith? The words zal roûro only serve to render more prominent the matter referred to. Comp. Rom. xiii. 11; 1 Cor. vi. 6; Phil. i. 28; Heb. xi. 12. They may relate to "faith" (ròn), or to the salvation spoken of (ciowoμércu; eñvai). Beza, following the fathers, prefers the former reference; Calvin, with most of the modern commentators, the latter. The reasons in favour of the former interpretation are,-1. It best suits the design of the passage. The object of the apostle is to show the gratuitous nature of salvation. This is most effectually done by saying, 'Ye are not only saved by faith in opposition to works, but your very

faith is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.' 2. The other interpretation makes the passage tautological. To say, 'Ye are saved by faith, not of yourselves; your salvation is the gift of God, it is not of works,' is saying the same thing over and over without any progress. Whereas to say, 'Ye are saved through faith (and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God), not of works,' is not repetitious; the parenthetical clause instead of being redundant does good service, and greatly increases the force of the passage. 3. According to this interpretation, the antithesis between faith and works, so common in Paul's writings, is preserved: Ye are saved by faith, not by works, lest any man should boast.' The middle clause of the verse is therefore parenthetical, and refers not to the main idea, "ye are saved," but to the subordinate one," through faith," and is designed to show how entirely salvation is of grace, since even faith, by which we apprehend the offered mercy, is the gift of God. 4. The analogy of Scripture is in favour of this view of the passage, in so far that elsewhere faith is represented as the gift of God, 1 Cor. i. 26–31; Eph. i. 19; Col. ii. 12, et passim.

Ver. 10. That salvation is thus entirely the work of God, and that good works cannot be the ground of our acceptance with him, is proved in this verse,-1. By showing that we are God's workmanship. He, and not ourselves, has made us what we are. And, 2. By the consideration that we are created unto good works. As the fact that men are elected unto holiness proves that holiness is not the ground of their election; so their being created unto good works shows that good works are not the ground on which they are made the subjects of this new creation, which is itself incipient salvation.

"His" work

Αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα. The position of the pronoun at the beginning of the sentence renders it emphatic. manship are we. He has made us Christians.

Our faith is

not of ourselves.

It is of God that we are in Christ Jesus. The sense in which we are the workmanship of God is explained in the following clause, created in Christ Jesus; for if any man is in Christ he is a new creature. Union with him is a source of a new life, and a life unto holiness; and therefore it is said created unto good works. Holiness is the end of redemption, for Christ "gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works," Titus ii. 14. Those, therefore, who live in sin are not the subjects of this redemption.

Οἷς προητοίμασεν is variously interpreted. The verb signifies properly to prepare beforehand.' As this previous preparation may be in the mind in the form of a purpose, the word is often used in the sense of pre-ordaining, or appointing. Compare Gen. xxiv. 14; Matt. xxv. 34; 1 Cor. ii. 9; Rom. ix. 23. This, however, is rather the idea expressed in the context than the proper signification of the word. The relative is by Bengel and others connected, agreeably to a common Hebrew idiom, with the following pronoun, ofs iv avroîs, “in which," and the verb taken absolutely. The sense then is, 'In which God has pre-ordained that we should walk. By the great majority of commentators ofs is taken for ", by the common attraction, 'Which God had prepared beforehand, in order that we should walk in them.' Before our new creation, these works were in the purpose of God prepared to be our attendants, in the midst of which we should walk. A third interpretation supposes ofs to be used as a proper dative, and supposes Яuãs as the object of the verb: To which God has predestined us, that we should walk in them.' The second of these explanations is obviously the most natural.

Thus has the apostle in this paragraph clearly taught that the natural state of man is one of condemnation and spiritual death; that from that condition believers are delivered by the

grace of God in Christ Jesus; and the design of this deliverance is the manifestation, through all coming ages, of the exceeding riches of his grace.

11.

SECTION II.-Ver. 11-22.

Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the 12. Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and 13. without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who some14. times were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both cne, and hath broken down the 15. middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16. and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the 17. cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the 19. Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, 20. but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and

are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus 21. Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the 22. Lord in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

ANALYSIS.

In the preceding paragraph the apostle has set forth,-1. The moral and spiritual condition of the Ephesians by nature, 2. The spiritual renovation and exaltation which they had experienced. 3. The design of God in this dispensation. In this paragraph he exhibits the corresponding change in their relations. In doing this he sets forth :—

I. Their former relation,-1. To the church as foreigners

and aliens. 2. To God as those who were far off, without any saving knowledge of him, or interest in his promises.→→→ Ver. 11, 12.

II. The means by which this alienation from God and the church had been removed, viz., by the blood of Christ. His death had a twofold effect:-1. By satisfying the demands of justice, it secured reconciliation with God. 2. By abolishing the law in the form of the Mosaic institutions, it removed the wall of partition between the Jews and Gentiles. A twofold reconciliation was thus effected; the Jews and Gentiles are united in one body, and both are reconciled to God.-Ver. 13-18.

III. In consequence of this twofold reconciliation, the Ephesians were intimately united with God and his people. This idea is set forth under a threefold figure:-1. They are represented as fellow-citizens of the saints. 2. They are members of the family of God. 3. They are constituent portions of that temple in which God dwells by his Spirit.-Ver. 19–22.

The idea of the church which underlies this paragraph is that which is every where presented in the New Testament. The church is the body of Christ. It consists of those in whom he dwells by his Spirit. To be alien from the church, therefore, is to be an alien from God. It is to be without Christ and without hope. The church of which this is said is not the nominal, external, visible church as such, but the true people of God. As, however, the Scriptures always speak of men according to their profession, calling those who profess faith "believers," and those who confess Christ "Christians;" so they speak of the visible church as the true church, and predicate of the former what is true only of the latter. The Gentiles while aliens from the church were without Christ, without God, and without hope; when amalgamated with the church, they became the habitation of God through the Spirit. Such many of them truly were, such they all professed to be, and

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