John Trapp on Ephesians 1

CHAP. I. Verſe 1. To the Saints—to the faithfull]

FItly: for it is by faith, that we become Saints, Act. 15.9.

Verſe 2. Grace be to you, and peace] Theſe go fitly together: becauſe we muſt ſeek our peace in the free-grace and favour of God. The Ark and Mercy-ſeat were never ſundred.

Verſe 3. Bleſſed be God] Grattae ceſſat decurſus, ubi gratiarum recurſus. A thankfull man ſhall abound with bleſſings.

With all ſpirituall bleſſings] Wiſdome, prudence, &c. ver. 8. a Benjamins portion, a goodly heritage.

Verſe 4. He hath choſen us in him] Chriſt was Mediatour therefore from eternity, viz. by vertue of that humane nature, which he ſhould aſſume.

That we ſhould be holy] God elected us as well to the means, as to the end. Note this againſt Libertines. For as they Act. 27.31. could not come ſafe to land that left the ſhip: ſo neither can men come to heaven but by holineſſe. Cyrus was moved to reſtore the captivity, by finding himſelf fore-appointed to this glorious ſervice 170. years before he was born, Iſa. 44.28. Should not we likewiſe be excited to good works by this that we were elected to them.

Without blame] Or blot, Epheſ. 5.27. Abſque querela, Luk. 1.6.

Before him] i. e. In purity of heart, 2 King. 20.3.

In love] In ſanctity of life.

Verſe 5. Having predeſtinated us] Interpreters have obſerved that this word that ſignifies to predeſtinate is but ſix times found in the new Teſtament (never in the old) being referred but twice to things, Act. 4.28. & 1. Cor. 2.7. four times to perſons. Rom. 8 29, 30. Epheſ. 1.5, 11. and never applied to reprobates, but to elect perſons only. Howbeit Divines under predeſtination do uſually conſider the decree both of election and reprobation. The doctrine hereof men ſhould not adventure to teach till they have well learned and digeſted it. In the year 1586. Iacobus Andreas the Lutheran, and Theodore Beza conferred and diſputed for eight daies ſpace at Mompelier: the iſſue of which conference was unhappy; Alſted. Chron p. 562. for form that time forward the Doctrine of Predeſtination was much miſuſed and exagitated.

Verſe 6. To the praiſe of the glory] This is the end whereunto it is deſtined: and hence it is called Predestination. Note here that all the cauſes of predeſtination are meerly without us. The efficient, God: the materiall, Chriſt: the formall, the good pleaſure of his will: the finall, the praiſe of Gods glorious grace.

Wherein he hath made us accepted] Gr. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Gratificavit. Vulgata. He hath ingratiated us, he hath juſtified us, made us gracious in his beloved ſonne our Mediatour. And although there be an inequality of expreſſions in duty, Quoad nos, in us, yet there is a conſtancy of worth and interceſſion by Chriſt, propter nos, for us.

Verſe 7. In whom we have redemption] As captive ranſomed at a price. What this price was ſee 1 Pet. 1.19. Should not Chriſt therefore reap the travails of his ſoul, Iſa. 53?

The forgiveneſſe of our ſins] This David counted his crown, and prized it above his imperiall diadem, Pſal. 103.3, 4.

Verſe 8. In all wiſdome and prudence] That properly reſpecteth contemplation, this action. Socrates made no diſtinction betwixt them. For, ſaid he, who ſo knoweth good to practiſe it, and evil to avoid it, he is a man truly wiſe and prudent.Xenophon de dict is Socrat. l 3

Verſe 9. The mystery of his will] That is, the Goſpel, a myſtery both to men, 1 Cor. 2.8. and Angels, Epheſ. 3.10.

Verſe 10. That in the diſpenſation] God is the beſt oeconomick: his houſe is exactly ordered for matter of good huſbandry. [non-Latin text not transcribed].

Gather together in one] Gr. Recapitulate, reduce all to a head, recollect. [non-Latin text not transcribed].

Both which are in heaven] The crowned Saints, and perhaps the glorious Angels, who (according to ſome Divines) being in themſelves changeable creatures (and therefore called Shinan, that is, mutable, Pſal. 68.17.) receive confirmation by Chriſt, ſo that they cannot leave their firſt ſtation, as did the apoſtate Angels. Others think that the Angels ſtand not by means of Chriſts mediation, but of Gods eternall election, and are therefore called the elect Angels.

Verſe 11. We have obtained inheritance] Or we are taken into the Church, as Magiſtrates were by lot into their office. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. On we are made Gods inheritance, as Deut. 32.9. It imports our free and unexpected vocation.

After the counſell of his own will] God doth all by counſell, and ever hath a reaſon of his will: which though we ſee not for preſent, we ſhall at laſt day. Mean-while ſubmit.

Verſe 12. Who first truſted] It is a ſingular honour to be firſt in ſo good a matter. Hope is here put for faith, whereof it is both the daughter, and the nurſe.

Verſe 13. After that ye beleeved] They 1. Heard. 2. Beleeved. 3. Were ſealed, i. e. full aſſured. Aſſurance is Gods ſeal, faith is our ſeal. God honours our ſealing to his truth by his ſealing by his ſpirit. We yeeld firſt the conſent and aſſent of faith, and then God puts his ſeal to the contract. There muſt be the bargain before the earneſt.

Verſe 14. Which is the earnest] Not the pawn, but the earneſt, Quia pignus redditur, arrha retinetur, ſaith Hierome. A pawn is to be returned again, but an earneſt is part of the whole ſum, and aſſures it. We here have eternall life, 1. In praetio. 2. In promiſſo. 3. In primitijs.

Verſe 15. Your faith in the Lord Jeſus] Love is the fruit of faith: therefore the Apoſtles pray for increaſe of faith, that they might be able ſeven times a day to forgive an offending brother, Luk. 17.5. See the Note there.

Verſe 16. Making mention of you] Whether a Miniſter ſhall do more good to others by his praiers or preaching, I will not determine (ſaith a grave Divine) but he ſhall certainly by his praiers reap more comfort to himſelf.

Verſe 17.Saints progr. by D. Tailour. The Spirit of wiſdome and revelation] So called, becauſe he revealeth unto us Gods depths, and reads us his riddles, 1 Cor. 2. He illightens both the organ and object: he anoints the eyes with eye-ſalve, and gives both ſight and light.

Verſe 18. The glory of his inheritance] The glory of heaven is unconceivable, Revel. 21. ſearch is made thorow all the bowels of the earth for ſomething to ſhadow it by. No naturall knowledge can be had of the third heaven, nor any help by humane arts, as Aristotle acknowledgeth. The glory thereof is fitter to be believed, then poſſible to be diſcourſed.

Verſe 19.De [illegible: 1 letter]ulo text. 99 And what is the exceeding] Here is a moſt emphaticall heap of moſt divine and ſignificant words to expreſſe that which can never ſufficiently be conceived or uttered. A ſix fold gradation the Apoſtle uſeth to ſhew what a power God puts forth in working the grace of faith. Indeed this power is ſecret, and like that of the heavens upon our bodies, which (ſaith one) is as ſtrong as that of phyſick, &c. Yet ſo ſweet, and ſo ſecretly inſinuating it ſelf with the principles of nature, that as for the conveyance of it, it is inſenſible, and hardly differenced from that of the principles of nature in us. Therefore the Apoſtle praieth for theſe Epheſians here, that their eyes may be enlightned to ſee the power that wrought in them, &c.

Verſe 20. Which he wrought in Christ] God puts forth the ſame almighty power in quickning the heart by faith, that he did in raiſing up his Son Chriſt from the dead. It muſt needs then be more then a morall ſwaſion that he uſeth. Chriſt wrought the Centurions faith, as God: he wondered at it, as man. God wrought, and man marvelled: he did both, to teach us where to beſtow our wonder.

Verſe 21. Far above all principality] Quantum inter ſtellas luna minores. Oh doe but think with thy ſelf (ſaith one) though it far paſſe the reach of any mortall thought, what an infinite inexplicable happineſſe it will be to look for ever upon the glorious body of Jeſus Chriſt, ſhining with incomprehenſible beauty: and to conſider that even every vein of that bleſſed body bled to bring thee to heaven: and that it being with ſuch exceſſe of glory hypoſtatically united to the ſecond perſon in Trinity, hath honoured and advanced thy nature above the brighteſt Cherub.

Verſe 22. To be the head over all things] That is, All perſons, all the elect, as Gal. 3.22. Chriſt is head over Angels too, but in another ſenſe then over the Church, viz. 1. As God he giveth them whatſoever they are or have. 2. As Mediatour alſo, he maketh uſe of their ſervice for the ſafety and ſalvation of the Church. They holy Angels are great friends to the Church, but not members of it. For Chriſt took not on him the nature of Angels, but the ſeed of Abraham, Heb. 2.16. Beſides, he ſanctified his Church, and waſhed it with his bloud, Epheſ. 5.26. But this he did not for the Angels, &c. See the Note on verſ. 10.

Verſe 23. The fulneſſe of him] That is of Chriſt, who having voluntarily ſubjected himſelf to be our head, accounts not himſelf compleat without his members. In which reſpect we have the honour of making Chriſt perfect, as the members doe the body.