The epistle of the blessed apostle Saint Paule which he, in the time of his trouble and imprisonment, sent in writting from Rome to the Ephesians. Faithfully expounded, both for the benefite of the learned and vnlearned, by Nicholas Hemming ... Familiarlie translated out of Latine into English, by Abraham Fleming. Heerein are handled the high mysteries of our saluation, as maie appeare by the table of commonplaces necessarilie annexed by the same A.F. Perused and authorised.

Verses. 11. 12. &. 13.

11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gen∣tiles in the flesh, & called vncir∣cumcision of them, which are called circumcision in the flesh made vvith hands,

12. That ye vvere, I saie, at that time vvithout Christ, and vvere aliants from the Cōmonvvealth of Israel, and vvere straungers from the couenants of promise, & had no hope, & vvere vvith∣out God in the vvorld:

13 But novv in Christ Iesus, ye vvhich once vvere farre off, are novv made neere by the bloud of Christ.

VVherefore bee yee mindfull, that yee were Gentiles in the flesh, which were called vncir∣cumcision of them that are cal∣led circumcision in the flesh made with hands, bicause at that time yee were without Christ, aliens (or foreners) from the Commonwealth of Is∣rael, and straungers of the testaments of promise, hauing no hope, and without God in the world. But now in Christ Iesu, ye which sometime were farre off, are made nigh in the bloud of Christ.

THis is an other part of the comparison: to wit, of the state of the Gentiles before grace, and vnder grace: which part of the comparison, doth not in verie deed, but after a certaine manner onelie differ from the former: which manner standeth vpon circumstances. Nowe the Apostle saith, that the Gentiles did differ from the people of God in two circumstances: first, in the signe: second∣lie, in grace. In the signe, bicause that, as the Gentiles were vncircumcised, in witnesse of their vncleannesse: so the Iewes had the circumcision of promise. In grace, bi∣cause that, as the Gentiles were (Without Christ,) who is the onelie waie of saluation, (Out of the Common∣wealth of Israel,) that is to saie, not of Gods people, (Straungers from the couenants of promise,) that is to saie, without the witnesses and testaments, wherby God bound himselfe to his people, (Without hope, and with∣out God,) that is to saie, men liuing in the world, vtterlie voide of Gods feare & seruice: so the Iewes had all these things of grace. For they had the promise of the Messias, they were in the Commonweath of Israel, they were heires of the couenants of promise, they had the hope of saluation, and they knewe God.

To this he addeth an Antithesis or opposition, tea∣ching that the Gentiles are now reconciled vnto God, by the bloud of Christ, & receiued into the Commonwealth and houshold of God, through the same Iesus Christ: Yee (saith the Apostle) which once were farre off▪ (namelie from grace) are now made neere, to wit, by the meanes of Christs bloud. All these things serue to this ende, that he might beate downe the pride & ••igh min∣dednesse of the Ephesians: and that he might awake them, to wonder at this so great a treasure: least béeing vn∣thankefull to God, they should fall againe into their olde superstition: that is to saie, least forgetting Christs be∣nefits, they should slide backe from the Gospell, being de∣ceiued with the wilie slights of Sathan and the world. This is the summe of all. Nowe, to touch the circum∣stances of the text particularlie, which néedeth both ex∣pounding, and aduise, we will thus procéede. First, hée willeth the Ephesians to (Remember.) And whie so? Be∣cause, when men are aduaunced from a lowe degrée to a higher, they quicklie & easilie (God wot) forget their for∣mer state. By this aduise therefore, or warning, it is the Apostles minde to humble the Ephesians, & to admonish them of constancie, of continuance, & of thankesgiuing: that they might discharge themselues by their duetiful∣nesse, and giue God the glorie, to whom it doth of right be∣long, for powring vpon them so manie great benefits, and that of his frée goodnesse and liberalitie.

Héerehence haue we also, which liue at this daie, to be warned and well aduised, that because God hath vouch∣safed, of his méere goodnesse, to call vs out of the darke∣nesse of Poperie, into the cléere light of the Gospell, that we liue worthie of so greate grace, and by the hainous∣nesse of our sinnes prouoke not Gods wrath against vs, least he iustlie and deseruedlie take that from vs a∣gaine, béeing vnthankfull, which before he gaue vs of his good grace, when we were, vnworthie. That is a verie

euill vnthankfulnesse, when men vouchsafe not to giue men thanks for their good turnes: but farre worse, & more abhominable is that, whereby we shew our selues vn∣thankfull vnto God, who would that his déere son should die for vs, that we might liue. Besides this, when the A∣postle saith thus, (Gentiles in the flesh, and called vncir∣cumcision of them which are called circumcision in the flesh, made with hands,) he noteth two things: First, that the Iewes called the Gentiles, by the reprochfull name of vncircumcision: which Iewes indéed bragged much more than they néeded, of that outward marke in their skinne or flesh. Of this bragging and bosting, there is an example in Genesis:* 1.1 Non possumus, &c. We can∣not (saie the sonnes of Iacob) doe this thing, to giue our sister to an vncircumcised man.* 1.2 Againe, Dauid being full of Gods spirit, speaketh of Goliath in this manner, Et quid, &c. Who is this vncircumcised Philistine, that hee should reuile the hoast of the liuing God? This vncir∣cumcised Philistine shall bee as one of th••m, seeing he hath railed on the hoast of the liuing God. Againe, S. Paule in this place maketh two sorts of Iewes, and two sorts of Gentiles. For some of the Iewes were circum∣cised in the flesh, and in the spirit: as Moses, Aaron, Io∣sue, Phinees, Abraham, Isaach, Iacob, Ioseph, Dauid, Io∣sias, Daniel, Simeon, Nathanael, &c. to be short, all that receiued the outward circumcision of the flesh, with faith∣fulnes of heart in the Messias promised. Some were cir∣cumcised in the flesh onlie: to wit, they which had the out∣ward marke without the spirit, such were manie: yea, the most of y^e Iewes, speciallie at the time of y^e Lords cōming: the first are called (The children of promise:) the last, (The children of the flesh:) which names the Apostle giueth to them both. In like manner Paule maketh two sorts of Gentiles. Some were Gentiles onelie in y^e flesh, hauing vncircumcision, the badge of their Gentilisme: howbeit in spirit they were circumcised: namelie, which

had the vncircumcision of the flesh, with a liuelie faith∣fulnesse in and vpon the frée promise of saluation. In the number of these were Iob, Melchisedech, Iethro, the thrée Wisemen, & all, as manie as trulie beléeued in the Messi∣as. Othersome were Gentiles, both in the flesh & in the spirit: namelie they, who by the outward badge in their flesh, declared y^e vncircumcision & vncleanes of their hart.

Furthermore, where he addeth, (Yee were without Christ, ye were aliants from the Commonwealth of Isra∣el, and ye were strangers from the couenants of promise) these words are ment, & must be vnderstood by compari∣son. For the Gentiles, in respect of the people of Israel, & y^e certein time, are said to be without Christ. Now, in sai∣eng (They were without Christ,) he meaneth that they had not such cléere knowledge of Christ as the Iews had. (And aliants from the Commonwealth of Israel,) that is to saie, (Straungers from the couenants of promise:) by these words he noteth, that the Israelites had their Com∣monwealth diuided & parted from the Gentiles, as one houshold is set asunder from an other. For the Iewes had their couenants, their ordinances, and seruice of God: their promises, their kingdome, and their Priesthood, &c. of which S. Paule speaketh to the Romans. Of this dif∣ference in like maner,* 1.3 the Psalme maketh mention, sai∣eng:* 1.4 Qui annunciat, &c. He sheweth his word vnto Ia∣cob, his statutes and his iudgements vnto Israel. Hee hath not dealt so with euerie nation, neither haue they knowne his iudgementes.

The words which folowe, (And had no hope, & were without God in the world,) are concluded vpon y^e words which went before. For whosoeuer is without Christ, how is it possible he should haue hope. Whosoeuer is without Christ, he indéed is without God: for all that a∣bide not in y^e doctrine of Christ, haue not God. Contrari∣wise,* 1.5 he alone is said to haue God, he (I saie) y^t is in Christ by faith. Herto serueth the saieng of S. Iohn, Omnis qui,

&c. Whosoeuer trangresseth, & abideth not in the doc∣trine of Christ, hath not God. Hee that continueth in the doctrine of Christ, hee hath both the Father and the Sonne.

The comparison which followeth, (Yee which once were farre off, are made neere by the bloud of Christ,) doth signifie the Ephesians, which were before out of the Church, but now, through grace, receiued and brought in∣to the Church▪ and reconciled vnto God by the bloud of Iesus Christ. All these things tend herevnto, as I haue said alreadie, that we remembring so great a benefit of heauenlie grace, should walke in the feare of God: being mindfull, that this our state requireth new maners, and a new life: to wit,* 1.6 That we should liue holilie, and ho∣nestlie, godlie, and vnblameablie in this world, looking for that blessed hope, and comming of the glorie of the great God, and our Sauiour Iesus Christ, who gaue him∣selfe for vs, to redeeme vs from iniquitie, & to cleanse vs a peculiar people vnto himselfe, and followers of good workes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Gen. 34. 14.
• * 1.2

  1. Sam. 16. 26, &. 36
• * 1.3

  Rom. 9. 4.
• * 1.4

  Psal. 147. 19. 20.
• * 1.5

  2. Iohn. 9.
• * 1.6

  Tit. 2. 12. 13. 14.