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flesh, these are constraining you to be circumcised, only that 13 they may avoid being persecuted for the cross of the Christ;

For even they themselves, being circumcised, do not keep 14 the law; but they wish you to be circumcised that they may

boast in your flesh. But far be it from me to boast, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world is cruci15 fied to me and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circum

cision nor uncircumcision availeth any thing; but a new crea16 tion. And with regard to all who will walk by this rule, on them there will be peace and mercy, even upon the Israel of God.

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For the future let no one trouble me, for on this body of mine I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus.

Brethren, the favour of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

THE EPISTLE

OF THE

APOSTLE PAUL,

• TO THE

EPHESIANS.

I.

PAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, 2 to the saints-to them who are at Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus: Favour be to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing,-with the 4 heavenly things in Christ; as he chose us in him before the 5 foundation of the world, that we might be holy and blameless

before him in love; having before hand determinately pointed us out for an adoption into the number of children by Jesus 6 Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will;

for the praise of the glory of that favour of his with which he 7 made us objects of favour in the Beloved; by whom we have this 8 redemption by his blood-the forgiveness of our sins accord9 ing to the richness of his grace in which he hath abounded for

us-having with all wisdom and care made known to us this secret of his will, according to that good pleasure of his, which 10 he previously purposed in himself, for the dispensation of the fulness of times, to bring all things again under one head in 11 Christ, both those in heaven and those on earth-even in him, by whom we, (having been previously marked out in a determinate manner, according to the purpose of him who effecteth 12 all things according to the counsel of his will) were made his 13 inheritance, to the end that we who first trusted in the Christ

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might be for the praise of his glory; and by whom you also, when you heard the word of this truth, the glad tidings of this 14 salvation of yours-by whom you indeed, when you believed, were sealed with the spirit of the promise (that holy [spirit] which is an earnest of the inheritance of us-for the complete redemption of the purchase) for the praise of his glory. 15 For this cause, having heard of the faith which you have 16 in the Lord Jesus, and of your love for all the saints, I do 17 not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in

my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of the glory, would give you a spirit of wisdom and reve18 lation in the acknowledgment of him-that he would enlighten

the eyes of your understanding, that you may see what the hope 19 of this invitation of his is; and what the riches of the glory of this

inheritance of his, in the saints; and what the exceeding greatness of this power of his for us who believe, corresponding to 20 the energy of the strength of that power of his which he exerted

in the Christ. Having raised HIM from the dead, he set him at 21 his right hand, in the heavenly kingdom, far above all principality and power, and might, and dominion, and every name which is named, not only in this age but in that to come; and put all things under his feet, and constituted him head over all for the congregation, which is his body—the fulness of him who II. filleth all in all. And with respect to you, when you were dead in those trespasses, and those sins, in which you for2 merly walked according to the course of this world-according to the prince of the power of the air, that spirit which is now working powerfully in the children of disobedience; among 3 whom when we also were all formerly leading our lives in the desires of our flesh, executing the dictates of the flesh, and the imaginations, and were naturally children of wrath even 4 as the rest; then God, who is rich in mercy, on the account 5 of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were

dead in those trespasses, did bring us to life with the Christ, 6 (by grace you are saved) and did raise us up, and place us 7 with him in the heavenly kingdom in Christ Jesus, in order that he might, in the ages which are to come, display the im mense riches of his favour by kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you are saved by means of this belief. And

9 even this is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. It is not because of works; so that no one can boast. For we are his 10 workmanship, fitted by Christ Jesus for good works, for which : God had before prepared us that we might walk therein.

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Wherefore remember that you were formerly the nations in flesh, those denominated uncircumcision by the nominal cir12 cumcision made with hands, in flesh-that you were at that time without Christ; aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope, 13 and being without God in the world: but now by Christ

Jesus, you, who were formerly far off, are brought near by 14 the blood of the Christ; for he is our peace. He it is, who hath

made both one, and who hath demolished the partition wall, 15 having by his flesh put a stop to the enmity-the law of the

commandments [contained] in positive injunctions; that he might frame the two anew, in himself, into one new man, 16 making peace; and reconcile them both in one body, to God by means of the cross, having by that slain the enmity. And 17 being come he hath proclaimed the glad tidings of peace to you who were far off, and to them who were near.

18 Because through him we both have access to the father by 19 one spirit, you therefore are no longer strangers, and pilgrims, 20 but fellow citizens of the saints, and of the household of God,

built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus 21 Christ himself being the corner stone, by whom the whole building being united in symmetry is to grow up to a holy temple in the Lord; by whom you also are builded up together with them by the spirit, for an habitation of God.

III.. For this cause, with regard to me Paul the prisoner of the 2 Christ, Jesus, for you the nations; inasmuch as you have 3 heard of the dispensation of the favour of God granted to me

for you that he hath by a revelation made known to me this secret (as I have briefly written above, by the bare read4 ing of which you may perceive my knowledge in this secret 5 of the Christ, which in former generations was not made known

to the children of men as it hath now been revealed to his holy 6 apostles and prophets by the spirit,) That the nations are coheirs, and a joint body, and joint partakers of that promise of 7 his in the Christ by means of the gospel, of which I was made

a minister according to the free gift of God's favour which was granted to me-according to the energy of his power.8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this favour

was granted to proclaim among the nations the unsearchable 9 riches of the Christ, and to enlighten all men with respect to the

dispensation* of this secret, which God who created all things by 10 Jesus Christ had hidden from the ages, in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the prin cipalities and the powers in the heavenly kingdom, by means 11 of the congregation, according to the predisposition of the 12 ages which he made by Christ Jesus our Lord; by whom we

have this freedom of speech, and this access with confidence, 13 by this belief in him; therefore I pray you not to be dejected 14 at these afflictions of mine for you. It is for your glory. For 15 this cause I bend my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus 16 Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and on earth is

named, that he would, according to the riches of his glory, 17 grant you to be strengthened by his spirit for the inner man, 1.8 that, by means of this belief, the Christ may dwell in your

hearts; that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be 19 able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of the Christ which surpasseth that knowledge--that you may 20 be filled with all the fulness of God. Now to him who is able to do infinitely above all that we can ask or conceive, according to that power which is operative in us-to him be the glory in the congregation, by Christ Jesus, through all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen.

IV. I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, beseech you to 2 walk worthy of the call with which you have been called, 3 with all humility and meekness; with long suffering, bearing 4 with one another in love; and endeavouring to preserve the

unity of the spirit by the bond of peace; to be one body and 5 one spirit: as you have indeed been called to one hope of 6 your call. There is one Lord, one belief, one baptism, one 7 God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in you all; and to every one of us there hath been granted in

*I adopt the reading of almost all the manuscripts which have οικονομία.

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