THE ARGUMENT Ephesus was the most considerable city of the lesser Asia; famous, first for sin, witchcraft, Acts 19:19, idolatry (especially the worship of Diana, Acts 19:24), and persecution, 1 Cor. 15:32, 1 Cor.

The faithful; this may be understood either: 1. By way of restriction, of those that are sincere and constant to Christ, and so not only saints by profession, but true to their profession; or rather: 2.

Blessed be; i.e. thanked, praised. We bless God when we praise him for, and acknowledge him in, his excellencies or benefits. Who hath blessed us; hath vouchsafed or communicated, all spiritual blessings to us.

God blesseth us with all spiritual blessings according as he hath chosen us; election being the fountain from whence those blessings come, so that God doeth nothing for us in carrying on the work of our salvation, but what he had in his eternal counsel before determined.

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children; having appointed us unto a state of sonship and right to glory. This seems to be more than the former, a greater thing to be the sons of God, and heirs of heaven, than to be holy.

To the praise of the glory of his grace: glory of his grace, by a usual Hebraism, for glorious grace, i.e. large, abundant, admirable. The praise of this grace the apostle makes the end of God’s choosing and predestinating us to the adoption of children.

In whom; in Christ, God-man, the immediate worker of this redemption; for though the Father and the Spirit concurred to it, yet the redeeming work was peculiarly terminated in the Second Person.

Wherein, in which grace before mentioned, he hath abounded toward us; i.e. out of abundance of grace in himself, (called riches of grace, Eph. 1:7), he hath bestowed upon us wisdom and prudence. The like expression we have, 1 Tim. 1:14.

Having made known unto us; having revealed to us outwardly by the preaching of the gospel; inwardly, by the illumination of the Spirit. The mystery of his will; the whole doctrine of grace and salvation by Christ, which is a secret to others, and had still been so to us, had not God discovered it…

Some copies join the last clause of the former verse with this, leaving out the relative which, and concluding the sentence at good pleasure, and then read: He purposed in himself, that in the dispensation, & c.; but most read it as our translators have rendered it, only some understand an…

In whom we; we apostles and others elect of the Jewish nation, we who first trusted in Christ, Eph. 1:12. Have obtained an inheritance; are called, or brought into the participation of an inheritance, or have a right given us to it as by lot: in allusion to the twelve tribes having, in the division…

That we should be to the praise of his glory; either: 1. Passively, that the excellency and greatness of God’s wisdom, power, grace, mercy, &c. might be shown forth in us by our being predestinated, called, sanctified, saved: or rather: 2.

In whom ye also; here is a defect of the verb in the Greek, which may be supplied either from Eph. 1:11, which seems to be the principal verb in the sentence, and then it must be read: In whom ye also have obtained an inheritance; or from Eph.

Which is the earnest of our inheritance: the Spirit, given to and dwelling in believers by his gifts and graces, is the earnest or pledge whereby their inheritance is secured to them; as men are secured the payment of a promised sum, by a part given beforehand in earnest for the rest.

After I heard; he was an eye-witness of their first believing, but here he speaks of their increase and constancy in the faith since, of which he had heard by others. Of your faith in the Lord Jesus; i.e.

Cease not to give thanks for you; for your faith and love, and all the spiritual blessings God hath bestowed upon you. Making mention of you in my prayers; I not only acknowledge what ye have received, but pray that what is yet lacking in you may be made up.

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ; he is the God of Christ not according to Christ’s Divine nature, but his human, and as Mediator, in which respect he was subject to the Father.

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, viz. by that spirit of revelation: and so this clause explains the former. What the eye is to the body, that the understanding is to the soul. He prays for a further degree of illumination for them.

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe; he means that power of God which is put forth in the whole of our salvation, from first to last: not that absolute power whereby he can do whatsoever is possible to be done; but his ordinate power, or power joined with his…

Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead; i.e. the power God exerciseth toward believers is such as that was whereby he raised up Christ from the dead.

Principality, and power, and might, and dominion: these terms are sometimes applied to magistrates and men in authority here in the world, Titus 3:1, Jude 8 sometimes to angels; to good ones, Col. 1:16; to evil ones, Eph. 6:12, Col.

All things; either all his enemies, as Ps. 110:1, all except the church, which is said to be his body; or all things more generally, of which he spake before, angels and men; all are made subject to Christ, 1 Pet. 3:22.

Which is his body; i.e. a mystical one, whereof every member is influenced by the Spirit of Christ the Head, as in the natural body the members are influenced by spirits derived from the natural head.