Ephesians 4

Ephesians 4:1

OF the Lord] the Italian; prisoner exhort you in the Lord; namely, in his name and authority, or from him. Others, I the prisoner of the Lord exhort you; namely, I that am in this state for his cause as his beleever.

Ephesians 4:3

To keep] to keep the union of all the members of the Church entire, united together by the holy Ghost in a form of spirituall and mysticall body In the bond] as the union of the soul with the body is preserved by the good temperament of the body: and by avoiding the outward wounds and hurts of it.

Ephesians 4:4

One body] namely, mysticall and spirituall, composed of Christ the head, and all beleevers his members In hope] the Italian, in one onely hope; being by your common vocation united in hope of the same goods and eternall life.

Ephesians 4:6

Who is] who hath the soveraign command and power over all things, and is present every where, but is in an intimate way joyned to his beleevers, residing in them by a perpetuall operation of grace and spirit.

Ephesians 4:7

Grace] some singular gift dispensed by Christ more or lesse as he pleaseth, of one kinde or another.

Ephesians 4:8

He saith] namely, the Spirit of God by David, Psal. 68 18.

Ephesians 4:9

Now that he] because he had said, That all was of Christs gift, he proves it by these words of David, That he that distributeth these gifts unto his Church, is one that is ascended; which inferreth that he was first descended; namely, that he had humbled himselfe by taking humane nature upon him, and the shape of a servant: now amongst the persons of the sacred Trinitie, that properly is peculiarly Christs, who was to be abased to be exalted in soveraigne glorie, and from thence to distribute the gifts of his Spirit,Acts 2 33. 1 Peter 1:11.

Ephesians 4:10

Above all] namely, into the highest heaven, the seat of eternall glorie, above all that which the Scripture cals Heaven. See 1 Kings 8, 27. 2 Corinthians 12:2. He might fill] namely, that he may powre down the gifts of his Spirit in all abundance upon his believers who are all, that is to say, the whole bodie of Christ; as Iohn 6. 45. and 12. 32 Ephes. 1. 23. or that he might fill all the world with his knowledge and glorie, Isai 11. 9. or that he may shew himselfe present every where in divine vertue, in the administration of the power which he hath received from God in Heaven and Earth, Matth. 28. 18.

Ephesians 4:11

Some Apostles] He doth not particularly number up all the gifts, but onely touches the principall publike Offices of the Church, whereof the three first were extraordinary for those primitive times, and the two last ordinary and perpetuall.

Ephesians 4:12

For the] being the Church is to be considered, either as a communaltie of a sacred common-wealth, or as a spirituall Temple, or as a mysticall bodie, the ministerie of the Word ought likewise to be referred to these three Heads, namely, that every Believer be prepared and framed by doctrine, discipline, &c. to come into and remain in the communion of Saints, without any breach, deformitie, disturbance, or contrarietie, that the service of God be truely practised therein, and that this bodie do increase and grow strong in faith and other kinde of vertue.

Ephesians 4:13

Till we] so he intimates that the use of the holy ministerie shall last untill the end of the world, and that then it shall be brought to nothing, 1 Corinthians 13:8. All come in] namely, untill we be perfectly united with Christ our Head in full knowledge and fruition of presence, as we begin in this world by faith, 1 Corinthians 13:12. 2 Corinthians 5:7. Unto a perfect] that is to say, being come to the state and degree of perfection in the life everlasting, which shall be to the bodie of the Church, as its ripe and compleat age in respect of its childhood here in the world, 1 Corinthians 13:10-11. Unto the measure] a similitude taken from bodies which are grown to their full growth.

Ephesians 4:14

That we] this depends upon v. 12. and sheweth another use of Gods Word, namely, to defend and keep men from false doctrines.

Ephesians 4:15

In love] the Italian, in charitie] in such sort that the knowledge of the truth may be lively, and active in charitie and good workes Into him] namely, in the communion and vertue of Christ, who is as the root of spirituall subsistencie, and the spring of the influencie of life, and of the spirit, as he sets it down in the next verse In all things] namely, in all the parts of the spirituall life which we have from Christ, which is also taken from living bodies which grow equally and proportionably in all their parts and dimensions.

Ephesians 4:16

By that which] he seemes to mean the divers gifts and callings, especially ecclesiasticall ones, by which the Church is kept in its unitie, and which according as they are stored by Christ himselfe, v. 11. do likewise serve for channels and instruments of communication, by which Christs life and spirit and the spirituall nourishments are parted and distributed amongst all the members According to] according to the proportion of the efficacie of the Holy Ghost, distributed to every believer in a certain measure: See Romans 12:3. 1 Corinthians 12:7; 1 Corinthians 12:11. Of the bodie] as a living bodie doth which hath a limited time of its growing Unto the edifying] namely, each part contributing all it hath, and all that it can do for the common good and advancement of the whole bodie, through charitie, which doth not look to it selfe onely.

Ephesians 4:17

In the Lord] See v. 1 In the vanitie] namely, false discourses, which have much seemingnesse in them, but no ground of truth, and are fruitlesse.

Ephesians 4:18

From the life] namely, from that communication of his Spirit, by which he regenerates his children to his image, Ephes. 2. 1. and by a continuall influence thereof, he doth bear them up in this spirituall life Through the ignorance] he gives a reason of this privation; namely, because of the darknesse of their understanding, and the untamed malice of their heart, whereby they make themselves uncapable of Gods working in them, Iohn 1. 5, 9, 11. and 14. 17 Romans 1:18-19; Romans 1:28. or he meanes, that they are wilfully ignorant, wilfully refusing the light of God, which is proffered them, Iob 24 13. Ezech. 12. 2. Iohn 7. 17. and 8. 43.

Ephesians 4:19

Past feeling] Having lost all remorse of conscience, all fear of Gods udgement, and all just feeling of their punishments With greedinesse] the Italian, with an insatiable desire] or as it were striving how to do most evill, or with greedinesse; to signifie the two most common desires of men, namely, pleasures and goods.

Ephesians 4:21

If so be that] See upon Ephes. 3. 2. By him, the Italian, in him] namely, in his truth, faith, and example; or being in him, namely, making profession of your communion with him in faith and spirit As the truth] namely, in the lively and effectuall manner in which the truth is taught in Christs Gospell to be an internall forme of righteousnesse, Romans 6:1. and a lively seed of regeneration, Iames 1. 18.

Ephesians 4:22

Which is corrupt] which is dissolved and putrified in its concupiscences, and by them goeth into eternall perdition According to the] the Italian, in the concupiscences of seduction] namely, by which he is allured and inticed to sin. See Romans 7:11. Hebrews 3:13. Iames 1. 14.

Ephesians 4:23

In the Spirit, the Italian, by the Spirit] which hath begun this your regeneration by enlightening your understanding in the knowledge and truth of God, to go on from thence to your entire regeneration in heart and affections; God in the order of his grace, following the order which he hath established in mansnature, which is that reason and judgement should go before and govern the wil. See Romans 12:2. Others, n the Spirit] that is to say, in your minde and reason, and so the other part of regeneration should be comprehended in the following verse.

Ephesians 4:24

Put on] namely, that ye be endowed and adorned with these new spirituall qualities by which God re-establisheth his image in you True holinesse] namely, a true, sincere, or firme, and constant holinesse.

Ephesians 4:25

For we are] and therefore as none deceiveth himselfe, so ought we to use entire loyaltie towards our brethren:

Ephesians 4:26

Be ye angry] that is to say, if ye be angry, which is a humane & almost unavoidable infirmitie, yet take heed of running into any excess, Psalms 37:8

Ephesians 4:27

Neither give place] take heed he enter not into your heart by violence of wrath, nor much lesse remain there by an inveterate wrath, which may turne to hatred.

Ephesians 4:29

Corrupt] the Italian, evill; the Greek word signifieth corrupt or putrified, but the Hebrewes use it for any evill thing. See Matth. 7. 17. and 12. 33 To the use] namely, of the hearers, of the time, and of the occasion Minister] namely, that Gods grace or any singular gift thereof may be communicated or confirmed in the hearers.

Ephesians 4:30

Grieve not] a terme taken from men, that is to say] be not rebellious unto it, and do not offend it, so that he withdraw his joy and comfort from you, which is the principall effect thereof, and that he do not depart from you as from an unpleasing habitation.