BIBLES NET. COM
Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
on the Whole Bible
Back to Biblesnet.com Home Page
|
[Previous] |
Matthew Henry |
E P H E S I A N S.
CHAP. VI.
In this chapter,
I. The apostle proceeds in the exhortation to relative duties which he
began in the former, particularly he insists on the duties of children
and parents, and of servants and masters,
II. He exhorts and directs Christians how to behave themselves in the
spiritual warfare with the enemies of their souls; and to the exercise
of several Christian graces, which he proposes to them as so many
pieces of spiritual armour, to preserve and defend them in the conflict,
III. We have here the conclusion of the epistle, in which he takes his
leave of them, recommending himself to the prayers of the believing
Ephesians, and praying for them,
| Duties of Children to Parents; Duties of Servants to Masters. | A. D. 61. |
|
|
|
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment
with promise;)
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on
the earth.
4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but
bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters
according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of
your heart, as unto Christ;
6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of
Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same
shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing
threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither
is there respect of persons with him.
Here we have further directions concerning relative duties, in which
the apostle is very particular.
I. The duty of children to their parents. Come, you children,
hearken to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. The great
duty of children is to obey their parents
(v. 1),
parents being the instruments of their being, God and nature having
given them an authority to command, in subserviency to God; and, if
children will be obedient to their pious parents, they will be in a
fair way to be pious as they are. That obedience which God demands from
their children, in their behalf, includes an inward reverence, as well
as the outward expressions and acts. Obey in the Lord. Some take this
as a limitation, and understand it thus: “as far as is consistent with
your duty to God.” We must not disobey our heavenly Father in obedience
to earthly parents; for our obligation to God is prior and superior to
all others. I take it rather as a reason: “Children, obey your
parents; for the Lord has commanded it: obey them therefore for the
Lord’s sake, and with an eye to him.” Or it may be a particular
specification of the general duty: “Obey your parents, especially in
those things which relate to the Lord. Your parents teach you good
manners, and therein you must obey them. They teach you what is for
your health, and in this you must obey them: but the chief things in
which you are to do it are the things pertaining to the Lord.”
Religious parents charge their children to keep the ways of the Lord,
They command them to be found in the way of their duty towards God, and
to take heed of those sins most incident to their age; in these things
especially they must see that they be obedient. There is a general
reason given: For this is right, there is a natural equity in
it, God has enjoined it, and it highly becomes Christians. It is the
order of nature that parents command and children obey. Though this may
seem a hard saying, yet it is duty, and it must be done by such as
would please God and approve themselves to him. For the proof of this
the apostle quotes the law of the fifth commandment, which Christ was
so far from designing to abrogate and repeal that he came to confirm
it, as appears by his vindicating it,
&c. Honour thy father and mother
(v. 2),
which honour implies reverence, obedience, and relief and maintenance,
if these be needed. The apostle adds, which is the first
commandment with promise. Some little difficulty arises from this,
which we should not overlook, because some who plead for the lawfulness
of images bring this as a proof that we are not bound by the second
commandment. But there is no manner of force in the argument. The
second commandment has not a particular promise; but only a general
declaration or assertion, which relates to the whole law of God’s
keeping mercy for thousands. And then by this is not meant the first
commandment of the decalogue that has a promise, for there is no other
after it that has, and therefore it would be improper to say it is the
first; but the meaning may be this: “This is a prime or chief
commandment, and it has a promise; it is the first commandment in the
second table, and it has a promise.” The promise is, That it may be
well with thee, &c.,
v. 3.
Observe, Whereas the promise in the commandment has reference to the
land of Canaan, the apostle hereby shows that this and other promises
which we have in the Old Testament relating to the land of Canaan are
to be understood more generally. That you may not think that the Jews
only, to whom God gave the land of Canaan, were bound by the fifth
commandment, he here gives it a further sense, That it may be well
with thee, &c. Outward prosperity and long life are blessings
promised to those who keep this commandment. This is the way to have
it well with us, and obedient children are often rewarded with outward
prosperity. Not indeed that it is always so; there are instances of
such children who meet with much affliction in this life: but
ordinarily obedience is thus rewarded, and, where it is not, it
is made up with something better. Observe,
1. The gospel has its temporal promises, as well as spiritual ones.
2. Although the authority of God be sufficient to engage us in our
duty, yet we are allowed to have respect to the promised reward: and,
3. Though it contains some temporal advantage, even this may be
considered as a motive and encouragement to our obedience.
II. The duty of parents: And you fathers,
v. 4.
Or, you parents,
1. “Do not provoke your children to wrath. Though God has given
you power, you must not abuse that power, remembering that your
children are, in a particular manner, pieces of yourselves, and
therefore ought to be governed with great tenderness and love. Be not
impatient with them, use no unreasonable severities and lay no rigid
injunctions upon them. When you caution them, when you counsel them,
when you reprove them, do it in such a manner as not to provoke them
to wrath. In all such cases deal prudently and wisely with them,
endeavouring to convince their judgments and to work upon their
reason.”
2. “Bring them up well, in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord, in the discipline of proper and of compassionate correction,
and in the knowledge of that duty which God requires of them and by
which they may become better acquainted with him. Give them a good
education.” It is the great duty of parents to be careful in the
education of their children: “Not only bring them up, as the brutes do,
taking care to provide for them; but bring them up in nurture and
admonition, in such a manner as is suitable to their reasonable
natures. Nay, not only bring them up as men, in nurture and admonition,
but as Christians, in the admonition of the Lord. Let them have a
religious education. Instruct them to fear sinning; and inform them of,
and excite them to, the whole of their duty towards God.”
III. The duty of servants. This also is summed up in one word, which
is, obedience. He is largest on this article, as knowing there
was the greatest need of it. These servants were generally slaves.
Civil servitude is not inconsistent with Christian liberty. Those may
be the Lord’s freemen who are slaves to men. “Your masters according
to the flesh
(v. 5),
that is, who have the command of your bodies, but not of your souls and
consciences: God alone has dominion over these.” Now, with respect to
servants, he exhorts,
1. That they obey with fear and trembling. They are to reverence
those who are over them, fearing to displease them, and trembling lest
they should justly incur their anger and indignation.
2. That they be sincere in their obedience: In singleness of
heart; not pretending obedience when they design disobedience, but
serving them with faithfulness.
3. They should have an eye to Jesus Christ in all the service that they
perform to their masters
(v. 5-7),
doing service as to the Lord, and not to men; that is, not to
men only or principally. When servants, in the discharge of the duty of
their places, have an eye to Christ, this puts an honour upon their
obedience, and an acceptableness into it. Service done to their earthly
masters, with an eye to him, becomes acceptable service to him also. To
have an eye to Christ is to remember that he sees them and is ever
present with them, and that his authority obliges them to a faithful
and conscientious discharge of the duties of their station.
4. They must not serve their masters with eye-service
(v. 6)–
that is, only when their master’s eye is upon them; but they must be as
conscientious in the discharge of their duty, when they are absent and
out of the way, because then their Master in heaven beholds them: and
therefore they must not act as men-pleasers–as though they had
no regard to the pleasing of God, and approving themselves to him, if
they can impose upon their masters. Observe, A steady regard to the
Lord Jesus Christ will make men faithful and sincere in every station
of life.
5. What they do they must do cheerfully: Doing the will of God from
the heart, serving their masters as God wills they should, not
grudgingly, nor by constraint, but from a principle of love to them and
their concerns. This is doing it with good-will
(v. 7),
which will make their service easy to themselves, pleasing to their
masters, and acceptable to the Lord Christ. There should be
good-will to their masters, good-will to the families they are
in; and especially a readiness to do their duty to God. Observe,
Service, performed with conscience, and from a regard to God, though it
be to unrighteous masters, will be accounted by Christ as service done
to himself.
6. Let faithful servants trust God for their wages, while they do their
duty in his fear: Knowing that whatsoever good thing
(v. 8),
how poor and mean soever it may be, considered in itself,–the same
shall he receive of the Lord, that is, by a metonymy, the reward of
the same. Though his master on earth should neglect or abuse him,
instead of rewarding him, he shall certainly be rewarded by the Lord
Christ, whether he be bond or free, whether he be a poor
bond-servant or a freeman or master. Christ regards not these
differences of men at present; nor will he in the great and final
judgment. You think, “A prince, or a magistrate, or a minister, that
does his duty here, will be sure to receive his reward in heaven: but
what capacity am I, a poor servant, in, of recommending myself to the
favour of God.” Why, God will as certainly reward thee for the meanest
drudgery that is done from a sense of duty and with an eye to himself.
And what can be said more proper either to engage or to encourage
servants to their duty?
IV. The duty of masters: “And you masters, do the same things unto
them
(v. 9);
that is, act after the same manner. Be just to them, as you expect they
should be to you: show the like good-will and concern for them, and be
careful herein to approve yourselves to God.” Observe, Masters are
under as strict obligations to discharge their duty to their servants
as servants are to be obedient and dutiful to them. “Forbearing
threatening; anientes—moderating threatening,
and remitting the evils with which you threaten them. Remember that
your servants are made of the same mould with yourselves, and therefore
be not tyrannical and imperious over them, knowing that your Master
also is in heaven:” some copies read, both your and
their Master. “You have a Master to obey who makes this your
duty; and you and they are but fellow-servants in respect of Christ.
You will be as punishable by him, for the neglect of your duty, or for
acting contrary to it, as any others of meaner condition in the world.
You are therefore to show favour to others, as ever you expect to find
favour with him; and you will never be a match for him, though you may
be too hard for your servants.” Neither is there respect of persons
with him; a rich, a wealthy, and a dignified master, if he be
unjust, imperious, and abusive, is not a jot the nearer being accepted
of God for his riches, wealth, and honour. He will call masters and
servants to an impartial account for their conduct one to another, and
will neither spare the former because they are more advanced nor be
severe towards the latter because they are inferior and mean in the
world. If both masters and servants would consider their relation and
obligation to God and the account they must shortly give to him, they
would be more careful of their duty to each other. Thus the apostle
concludes his exhortation to relative duties.
| The Spiritual Warfare. | A. D. 61. |
|
|
|
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the
power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may
be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth,
and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of
peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be
able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the
Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and
supplication for all saints;
Here is a general exhortation to constancy in our Christian course, and
to encourage in our Christian warfare. Is not our life a warfare? It is
so; for we struggle with the common calamities of human life. Is not
our religion much more a warfare? It is so; for we struggle with the
opposition of the powers of darkness, and with many enemies who would
keep us from God and heaven. We have enemies to fight against, a
captain to fight for, a banner to fight under, and certain rules of war
by which we are to govern ourselves. “Finally, my brethren
(v. 10),
it yet remains that you apply yourselves to your work and duty as
Christian soldiers.” Now it is requisite that a soldier be both
stout-hearted and well armed. If Christians be soldiers of Jesus
Christ,
I. They must see that they be stout-hearted. This is prescribed here:
Be strong in the Lord, &c. Those who have so many battles to
fight, and who, in their way to heaven, must dispute every pass, with
dint of sword, have need of a great deal of courage. Be strong
therefore, strong for service, strong for suffering, strong for
fighting. Let a soldier be ever so well armed without, if he have not
within a good heart, his armour will stand him in little stead. Note,
spiritual strength and courage are very necessary for our spiritual
warfare. Be strong in the Lord, either in his cause and for his sake or
rather in his strength. We have no sufficient strength of our own. Our
natural courage is as perfect cowardice, and our natural strength as
perfect weakness; but all our sufficiency is of God. In his strength we
must go forth and go on. By the actings of faith, we must fetch in
grace and help from heaven to enable us to do that which of ourselves
we cannot do, in our Christian work and warfare. We should stir up
ourselves to resist temptations in a reliance upon God’s
all-sufficiency and the omnipotence of his might.
II. They must be well armed: “Put on the whole armour of God
(v. 11),
make use of all the proper defensitives and weapons for repelling the
temptations and stratagems of Satan–get and exercise all the Christian
graces, the whole armour, that no part be naked and exposed to the
enemy.” Observe, Those who would approve themselves to have true grace
must aim at all grace, the whole armour. It is called the armour of
God, because he both prepares and bestows it. We have no armour of our
own that will be armour of proof in a trying time. Nothing will stand
us in stead but the armour of God. This armour is prepared for us, but
we must put it on; that is, we must pray for grace, we must use the
grace given us, and draw it out into act and exercise as there is
occasion. The reason assigned why the Christian should be completely
armed is that he may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil–that he may be able to hold out, and to overcome,
notwithstanding all the devil’s assaults, both of force and fraud, all
the deceits he puts upon us, all the snares he lays for us, and all his
machinations against us. This the apostle enlarges upon here, and
shows,
1. What our danger is, and what need we have to put on this whole
armour, considering what sort of enemies we have to deal with–the devil
and all the powers of darkness: For we wrestle not against flesh and
blood, &c.,
The combat for which we are to be prepared is not against ordinary
human enemies, not barely against men compounded of flesh and
blood, nor against our own corrupt natures singly considered, but
against the several ranks of devils, who have a government which they
exercise in this world.
(1.) We have to do with a subtle enemy, an enemy who uses wiles and
stratagems, as
He has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls: hence he is called
a serpent for subtlety, an old serpent, experienced in the art and
trade of tempting.
(2.) He is a powerful enemy: Principalities, and powers,
and rulers. They are numerous, they are vigorous; and rule in
those heathen nations which are yet in darkness. The dark parts of the
world are the seat of Satan’s empire. Yea, they are usurping princes
over all men who are yet in a state of sin and ignorance. Satan’s is a
kingdom of darkness; whereas Christ’s is a kingdom of light.
(3.) They are spiritual enemies: Spiritual wickedness in high
places, or wicked spirits, as some translate it. The devil is a
spirit, a wicked spirit; and our danger is the greater from our enemies
because they are unseen, and assault us ere we are aware of them. The
devils are wicked spirits, and they chiefly annoy the saints with, and
provoke them to, spiritual wickednesses, pride, envy, malice, &c. These
enemies are said to be in high places, or in heavenly places, so
the word is, taking heaven (as one says) for the whole expansum,
or spreading out of the air between the earth and the stars, the air
being the place from which the devils assault us. Or the meaning may
be, “We wrestle about heavenly places or heavenly things;” so
some of the ancients interpret it. Our enemies strive to prevent our
ascent to heaven, to deprive us of heavenly blessings and to obstruct
our communion with heaven. They assault us in the things that belong to
our souls, and labour to deface the heavenly image in our hearts; and
therefore we have need to be upon our guard against them. We have need
of faith in our Christian warfare, because we have spiritual enemies to
grapple with, as well as of faith in our Christian work, because we
have spiritual strength to fetch in. Thus you see your danger.
2. What our duty is: to take and put on the whole armour of God, and
then to stand our ground, and withstand our enemies.
(1.) We must withstand,
v. 13.
We must not yield to the devil’s allurements and assaults, but oppose
them. Satan is said to stand up against us,
1 Chron. xxi. 1.
If he stand up against us, we must stand against him; set up, and keep
up, an interest in opposition to the devil. Satan is the wicked one,
and his kingdom is the kingdom of sin: to stand against Satan is to
strive against sin. That you may be able to withstand in the evil
day, in the day of temptation, or of any sore affliction.
(2.) We must stand our ground: And, having done all, to stand.
We must resolve, by God’s grace, not to yield to Satan. Resist him, and
he will flee. If we distrust our cause, or our leader, or our armour,
we give him advantage. Our present business is to withstand the
assaults of the devil, and to stand it out; and then, having done all
that is incumbent on the good soldiers of Jesus Christ, our warfare
will be accomplished, and we shall be finally victorious.
(3.) We must stand armed; and this is here most enlarged upon. Here is
a Christian in complete armour: and the armour is divine: Armour of
God, armour of light,
Rom. xiii. 12.
Armour of righteousness,
2 Cor. vi. 7.
The apostle specifies the particulars of this armour, both offensive
and defensive. The military girdle or belt, the breast-plate, the
greaves (or soldier’s shoes), the shield, the helmet, and the sword. It
is observable that, among them all, there is none for the back; if we
turn our back upon the enemy, we lie exposed.
[1.] Truth or sincerity is our girdle,
It was prophesied of Christ
that righteousness should be the girdle of his loins and
faithfulness the girdle of his reins. That which Christ was girded
with all Christians must be girded with. God desires truth, that is,
sincerity, in the inward parts. This is the strength of our loins; and
it girds on all other pieces of our armour, and therefore is first
mentioned. I know no religion without sincerity. Some understand it of
the doctrine of the truths of the gospel: they should cleave to us as
the girdle does to the loins,
This will restrain from libertinism and licentiousness, as a girdle
restrains and keeps in the body. This is the Christian soldier’s belt:
ungirded with this, he is unblessed.
[2.] Righteousness must be our breast-plate. The breast-plate secures
the vitals, shelters the heart. The righteousness of Christ imputed to
us is our breast-plate against the arrows of divine wrath. The
righteousness of Christ implanted in us is our breast-plate to fortify
the heart against the attacks which Satan makes against us. The apostle
explains this in
Putting on the breast-plate of faith and love. Faith and love
include all Christian graces; for by faith we are united to Christ and
by love to our brethren. These will infer a diligent observance of our
duty to God, and a righteous deportment towards men, in all the offices
of justice, truth, and charity.
[3.] Resolution must be as the greaves to our legs: And their feet
shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace,
v. 15.
Shoes, or greaves of brass, or the like, were formerly part of the
military armour
the use of them was to defend the feet against the gall-traps, and
sharp sticks, which were wont to be laid privily in the way, to
obstruct the marching of the enemy, those who fell upon them being
unfit to march. The preparation of the gospel of peace signifies
a prepared and resolved frame of heart, to adhere to the gospel and
abide by it, which will enable us to walk with a steady pace in the way
of religion, notwithstanding the difficulties and dangers that may be
in it. It is styled the gospel of peace because it brings all
sorts of peace, peace with God, with ourselves, and with one another.
It may also be meant of that which prepares for the entertainment of
the gospel, namely, repentance. With this our feet must be shod: for by
living a life of repentance we are armed against temptations to sin,
and the designs of our great enemy. Dr. Whitby thinks this may be the
sense of the words: “That you may be ready for the combat, be shod with
the gospel of peace, endeavour after that peaceable and quiet mind
which the gospel calls for. Be not easily provoked, nor prone to
quarrel: but show all gentleness and all long-suffering to all men, and
this will certainly preserve you from many great temptations and
persecutions, as did those shoes of brass the soldiers from those
galltraps,” &c.
[4.] Faith must be our shield: Above all, or chiefly, taking
the shield of faith,
v. 16.
This is more necessary than any of them. Faith is all in all to us in
an hour of temptation. The breast-plate secures the vitals; but with
the shield we turn every way. This is the victory over the world,
even our faith. We are to be fully persuaded of the truth of all
God’s promises and threatenings, such a faith being of great use
against temptations. Consider faith as it is the evidence of things
not seen and the substance of things hoped for, and it will appear
to be of admirable use for this purpose. Faith, as receiving Christ and
the benefits of redemption, so deriving grace from him, is like a
shield, a sort of universal defence. Our enemy the devil is here called
the wicked one. He is wicked himself, and he endeavours to make
us wicked. His temptations are called darts, because of their
swift and undiscerned flight, and the deep wounds that they give to the
soul; fiery darts, by way of allusion to the poisonous darts
which were wont to inflame the parts which were wounded with them, and
therefore were so called, as the serpents with poisonous stings are
called fiery serpents. Violent temptations, by which the soul is set on
fire of hell, are the darts which Satan shoots at us. Faith is the
shield with which we must quench these fiery darts, wherein we should
receive them, and so render them ineffectual, that they may not hit us,
or at least that they may not hurt us. Observe, Faith, acted upon the
word of God and applying that, acted upon the grace of Christ and
improving that, quenches the darts of temptation.
[5.] Salvation must be our helmet
(v. 17);
that is, hope, which has salvation for its object; so
The helmet secures the head. A good hope of salvation, well founded and
well built, will both purify the soul and keep it from being defiled by
Satan, and it will comfort the soul and keep it from being troubled and
tormented by Satan. He would tempt us to despair; but good hope keeps
us trusting in God, and rejoicing in him.
[6.] The word of God is the sword of the Spirit. The sword is a very
necessary and useful part of a soldier’s furniture. The word of God is
very necessary, and of great use to the Christian, in order to his
maintaining the spiritual warfare and succeeding in it. It is called
the sword of the Spirit, because it is of the Spirit’s inditing
and he renders it efficacious and powerful, and sharper than a
two-edged sword. Like Goliath’s sword, none like that; with this we
assault the assailants. Scripture-arguments are the most powerful
arguments to repel temptation with. Christ himself resisted Satan’s
temptations with, It is written,
Matt. iv. 4, 6, 7, 10.
This, being hid in the heart, will preserve from sin
(Ps. cxix. 11),
and will mortify and kill those lusts and corruptions that are latent
there.
[7.] Prayer must buckle on all the other parts of our Christian armour,
We must join prayer with all these graces, for our defence against
these spiritual enemies, imploring help and assistance of God, as the
case requires: and we must pray always. Not as though we were to do
nothing else but pray, for there are other duties of religion and of
our respective stations in the world that are to be done in their place
and season; but we should keep up constant times of prayer, and be
constant to them. We must pray upon all occasions, and as often as our
own and others’ necessities call us to it. We must always keep up a
disposition to prayer, and should intermix ejaculatory prayers with
other duties, and with common business. Though set and solemn prayer
may sometimes be unseasonable (as when other duties are to be done),
yet pious ejaculations can never be so. We must pray with all
prayer and supplication, with all kinds of prayer: public, private,
and secret, social and solitary, solemn and sudden; with all the parts
of prayer: confession of sin, petition for mercy, and thanksgivings for
favours received. We must pray in the Spirit; our spirits must
be employed in the duty and we must do it by the grace of God’s good
Spirit. We must watch thereunto, endeavouring to keep our hearts
in a praying frame, and taking all occasions, and improving all
opportunities, for the duty: we must watch to all the motions of our
own hearts towards the duty. When God says, Seek my face, our
hearts must comply,
This we must do with all perseverance. We must abide by the duty
of prayer, whatever change there may be in our outward circumstances;
and we must continue in it as long as we live in the world. We must
persevere in a particular prayer; not cutting it short, when our hearts
are disposed to enlarge, and there is time for it, and our occasions
call for it. We must likewise persevere in particular requests,
notwithstanding some present discouragements and repulses. And we must
pray with supplication, not for ourselves only, but for all
saints; for we are members one of another. Observe, None are so
much saints, and in so good a condition in this world, but they need
our prayers, and they ought to have them. The apostle passes hence to
the conclusion of the epistle.
| The Conclusion. | A. D. 61. |
|
|
|
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may
open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may
speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
21 But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do,
Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord,
shall make known to you all things:
22 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye
might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.
23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God
the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in
sincerity. Amen.
Here, I. He desires their prayers for him,
Having mentioned supplication for all saints, he puts himself
into the number. We must pray for all saints, and particularly for
God’s faithful ministers. Brethren, pray for us, that the word of
the Lord may run and be glorified. Observe what it is he would have
them pray for in his behalf: “That utterance may be given unto
me; that I may be enlarged from my present restraints, and so have
liberty to propagate the faith of Christ; that I may have ability to
express myself in a suitable and becoming manner; and that I may
open my mouth boldly, that is, that I may deliver the whole counsel
of God, without any base fear, shame, or partiality.” To make known
the mystery of the gospel; some understand it of that part of the
gospel which concerns the calling of the Gentiles, which had hitherto,
as a mystery, been concealed. But the whole gospel was a mystery, till
made known by divine revelation; and it is the work of Christ’s
ministers to publish it. Observe, Paul had a great command of language;
they called him Mercury, because he was the chief speaker
(Acts xiv. 12),
and yet he would have his friends ask of God the gift of utterance for
him. He was a man of great courage, and often signalized himself for
it; yet he would have them pray that God would give him boldness. He
knew as well what to say as any man; yet he desires them to pray for
him, that he may speak as he ought to speak. The argument with
which he enforces his request is that for the sake of the gospel he was
an ambassador in bonds,
v. 20.
He was persecuted and imprisoned for preaching the gospel; though,
notwithstanding, he continued in the embassy committed to him by
Christ, and persisted in preaching it. Observe,
1. It is no new thing for Christ’s ministers to be in bonds.
2. It is a hard thing for them to speak boldly when that is their case.
3. The best and most eminent ministers have need of, and may receive
advantage by, the prayers of good Christians; and therefore should
earnestly desire them. Having thus desired their prayers,
II. He recommends Tychicus unto them,
He sent him with this epistle, that he might acquaint them with what
other churches were informed of, namely, how he did, and what he did;
how he was used by the Romans in his bonds, and how he behaved himself
in his present circumstances. It is desirable to good ministers both
that their Christian friends should know their state and that they
should be acquainted with the condition of their friends; for by this
means they may the better help each other in their prayers.–And
that he might comfort their hearts, by giving such an account of
his sufferings, of the cause of them, and of the temper of his mind and
his behaviour under them, as might prevent their fainting at his
tribulations and even minister matter of joy and thanksgiving unto
them. He tells them that Tychicus was a beloved brother and faithful
minister in the Lord. He was a sincere Christian, and so a brother
in Christ: he was a faithful minister in the work of Christ, and he was
very dear to Paul, which makes Paul’s love to these Christian Ephesians
the more observable, in that he should now part with so good and dear a
friend for their sakes, when his company and conversation must have
been peculiarly delightful and serviceable to himself. But the faithful
servants of Jesus Christ are wont to prefer the public good to their
own private or personal interests.
III. He concludes with his good wishes and prayers for them, and not
for them only, but for all the brethren,
His usual benediction was, Grace and peace; here it is, Peace
be to the brethren, and love with faith. By peace we are to
understand all manner of peace–peace with God, peace with conscience,
peace among themselves: and all outward prosperity is included in the
word; as if he had said, “I wish the continuance and increase of all
happiness to you.” And love with faith. This in part explains
what he means in the
by grace; not only grace in the fountain, or the love and favour of
God, but grace in the streams, the grace of the Spirit flowing from
that divine principle, faith and love including all the rest. It is the
continuance and increase of these that he desires for them, in whom
they were already begun. It follows, from God the Father, &c.
All Grace and blessings are derived to the saints from God, through the
merit and intercession of Jesus Christ our Lord. The closing
benediction is more extensive than the former; for in this he prays for
all true believers at Ephesus, and every where else. It is the
undoubted character of all the saints that they love our Lord Jesus
Christ. Our love to Christ is not acceptable, unless it be in
sincerity: indeed there is no such thing as love to Christ, whatever
men may pretend, where there is not sincerity. The words may be read,
Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in
incorruption, who continue constant in their love to him, so as not
to be corrupted out of it by any baits or seductions whatsoever, and
whose love to him is uncorrupted by any opposite lust, or the love of
any thing displeasing to him. Grace, that is, the favour of God, and
all good (spiritual and temporal), that is, the product of it, are and
shall be with all those who thus love our Lord Jesus Christ. And it is,
or ought to be, the desire and prayer of every lover of Christ that it
may be so with all his fellow-christians. Amen, so be it.
|
[Previous] |
Matthew Henry |
|
Back to Bibles Net . Com – Online Christian Library Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary – Free Download |
Copyright 2008. Bibles Net. Com. All Rights Reserved.