Eph. 4 Eph. 4:1–6 Paul exhorteth to those virtues which become the Christian calling, particularly to unity, Eph. 4:7–16 declaring that Christ gave his gifts differently, that his body the church might be built up and perfected in the true faith by the co-operation of the several members with one…

The prisoner of the Lord; in the Lord, a Hebraism: it is as much as, for the Lord: see Eph. 3:1. Beseech you that ye walk worthy; proceed constantly and perseveringly in such ways as suit with and become your calling, 1 Thess. 4:7, 1 Pet. 1:15; see the like expression, Rom. 16:2.

With all lowliness, or humility; submissiveness of mind, whereby we esteem others better than ourselves, Phil. 2:3. A virtue peculiar to Christians, unknown to philosophers: see Acts 20:19, Col. 3:12–13.

The unity of the Spirit; either unity of mind, or spiritual unity, as being wrought by the Spirit, and then he means that unity he spoke of, Eph. 2:14–16, Eph. 3:6, whereby is intended the mystical body of Christ. In the bond of peace; i.e.

There is one body; i.e. the church of Christ, Eph. 1:23, Col. 3:15. And one Spirit; the self-same Spirit of Christ in that body by which all the members live and act, 1 Cor. 12:11, 1 Cor. 12:13.

One Lord; Christ, viz. as Redeemer, Head, and Husband of the church, to whom, by God’s appointment, she is immediately subject, 1 Cor. 8:6, John 13:13, Acts 2:36. One faith; i.e. one object of the faith of all believers, viz. the doctrine of salvation, which is but one.

One God; God is here taken personally for the Father, the other two Persons being before mentioned, Eph. 4:4–5. And Father of all; of all believers. Who is above all; not only in the excellencies of his nature, but especially in his sovereign dominion over the church.

But unto every one of us is given grace; either by grace he means gifts which are not common to all believers, but proper to some, according to their various functions and places in the church, Rom. 12:6, 1 Cor. 12:11.

Wherefore he saith; the psalmist. When he; Christ, God manifested in the flesh: and then what was spoken by the psalmist prophetically in the second person, is spoken by the apostle historically in the third.

Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first? The apostle interprets the psalmist, and concludes that David, when he foretold Christ’s glorification, or ascending up to heaven, did likewise foresee his humiliation and descent to the earth: q.d.

He that descended is the same also that ascended: he saith not, he that ascended is the same that descended, lest it should not be thought that Christ brought his body with him from heaven; but, on the contrary, he that descended is the same that ascended, to show that the Son of God did not by his…

And he gave; distributed several gifts, (which are spoken of in general, Eph. 1:7), according to his Father’s appointment, who is said to set in the church what Christ is here said to give, 1 Cor. 12:28. Objection. Nothing is here said of gifts, but only of offices. Answer.

For the perfecting of the saints; either for the restoring and bringing them into right order, who had been, as it were, dissipated, and disjointed by sin: or rather the knitting together and compacting them more and more, both in nearer union to Christ their Head by faith, and to their fellow…

Till we all come, or meet; all we believers, both Jews and Gentiles, (who while in the world not only are dispersed in several places, but have our several degrees of light and knowledge), meet, or come together, in the unity of, &c.

That we henceforth be no more children; i.e. weak in the faith, unstable in judgment, children in understanding, 1 Cor. 14:20; such as need teaching, and strengthening: see Rom. 2:20, 1 Cor. 3:1, Heb. 5:13. Tossed to and fro; light and unconstant, like ships without ballast, tossed with every wave.

But speaking the truth in love; or, following the truth in love: q.d. Not only let us not be seduced by the craftiness of men, but constantly adhere to, and persevere in, the belief of the truth, joining love with it, in which two the sum of Christianity consists; and this will be a means of our…

From whom; Christ the Head, Eph. 4:15. The whole body; the mystical body, or church of believers, whereof every true saint is a member, Rom. 12:4–5. Fitly joined together; viz. in the right place and order, both in respect of Christ the Head, and of the members respectively.

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord; I beseech or adjure you by the Lord: see the like, Rom. 12:1, Phil. 2:1. That ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind; their minds themselves, and understandings, the highest and noblest faculties in them, being…

Having the understanding; the mind as reasoning and discoursing, and so their ratiocinations and discourses themselves. Darkened; as to spiritual things.

Who being past feeling; having lost all sense and conscience of sin: a higher degree or effect of the hardness before mentioned, 1 Tim. 4:2. Have given themselves over unto lasciviousness; voluntarily yielded themselves up to the power of their own sensuality and lasciviousness, so as to be…

But ye have not so learned; so as to walk as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of your minds, &c. Christ; the doctrine of Christ, or rule of life prescribed by him.

If so be that ye have heard him; either heard Christ speaking to you in the gospel, Heb. 12:25, and then the sense will be the same as in the following clause; or heard him preached to you, and then it may refer to the outward hearing of the word.

That ye put off; a usual metaphor, taken from garments (implying a total abandoning, and casting away, like a garment not to be put on again): it is oppesed to putting on, Eph. 4:24, and is the same as mortifying, Col. 3:5, crucifying, Gal. 6:14.

And be renewed; viz. more and more, being already renewed in part. In the spirit of your mind; i.e. in your mind which is a spirit: see 1 Thess. 5:23, 2 Tim. 4:22. He means the superior powers of the soul, where regeneration begins, and which the philosophers magnified so much, and thought so pure.

And that ye put on; the same metaphor of a garment as before, to show the intimateness of the new man with us, and its being an ornament to us. The new man; i.e. a new disposition or constitution of the whole man, called the new creature, 2 Cor. 5:17, and a divine nature, 2 Pet. 1:4.

Wherefore putting away lying; all fraudulency and dissimulation, and whatever is contrary to truth. Speak every man truth; not only speak as things are, but act sincerely and candidly. For we are members one of another; i.e. to or for one another, and therefore must be helpful to each other.

Be ye angry and sin not: by way of concession, rather than by way of command: q.d. If the case be such that ye must be angry, yet see it be without sin.

Do not give advantage to the devil to possess your hearts, and put you upon more and greater evils: see Luke 22:3, John 13:27, Acts 5:3.

Let him that stole steal no more; stealing is understood largely for seeking our own gain by any way, defrauding others, whether by taking away, or unjustly detaining what is theirs. But rather let him labour; i.e. diligently and industriously, as the word imports.

Let no corrupt communication; unprofitable, unsavoury, not seasoned with the salt of prudence, Col. 4:6, Mark 9:50. To the use of edifying; Gr. to the edification of use, by an hypallage, for, to the use of edifying, as our translators render it, implying, that the great use of speech is to edify…

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God; viz. by corrupt communication. The Spirit is said to be grieved when any thing is done by us, which, were he capable of such passions, might be matter of grief to him; or when we so offend him as to make him withdraw his comfortable presence from us: see Isa.

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger; these all seem to relate to the inward affection, as the two following to the effects of it in the words. Bitterness may imply a secret lurking displeasure at another, or rather a confirmed and permanent one; wrath, the first boiling up of the passion,…

And be ye kind; sweet, amiable, facile in words and conversation, Luke 6:35. Tender-hearted; merciful, quickly moved to compassion: so we have bowels of mercies, Col. 3:12.