¶ The euerlastynge ordynaunce and eleccyon of God in sa¦uynge all men thorowe Chryste Iesus his sonne, we are or∣dened vnto good workes. The dominion of Chryste.
CAPI. I.
PAul an apostle of [unspec A] Iesus Chryst, by the wyl of God.
To the Saynctes / whiche are at Ephesus / and to them whiche be∣leue on Iesus Chryste. Grace be with you & peace from God oure father, and from the Lorde Iesu Chryste. Blessed be God the father of oure Lorde Iesus Chryst, whiche hath blessed vs with all maner of spirituall blessynge in heuenly thynges by Chryste, accordynge as he had chosen vs in him, before the foundacions of the worlde were layde, that we shuld be ho∣ly, and without blame before him, thorowe loue. which ordeyned vs before thorow Ie∣sus Christ to be heyres vnto him selfe 'accor¦dynge to the good pleasure of hys wyll, to [unspec B] the prayse of the glorye of his grace, where with he hath made vs accepted thorow the beloued.
By whom we haue redempcyon tho∣rowe his bloude, euen the forgeuenes of syn¦nes, accordynge to the ryches of hys grace: wher of he hathe ministred vnto vs aboun∣dantly in all wysdome, and prudence. And hathe opened vnto vs the mystery of hys wyll, accordynge to hys good pleasure, whi¦che he had purposed in hym selfe, to haue it declared when the tyme was ful come, that he myght set vp all thynges perfectly by Chryste (bothe the thynges whiche are in [unspec C] heuen, and the thynges which are in earth) euen by hym, by whom we are made heyres, and were therto predestinate accordynge to the purpose of hym by whose power al thin∣ges are wrought accordynge to the purpose of hys owne wyll: that we (whiche before beleued in Christ) shulde be vnto the prayse of his glorye.
In whom also ye beleue, for asmuche as we haue harde the worde of trueth, euen the Gospel of your saluacyon: wherin when ye had beleued ye were sealed with the holy spirit of promes, which is the earnest of our in herytaūce for the recoueringe of the pur∣chased possessiō, vnto y• prayse of his glory. Wherfore, I also (after that I hearde of the [unspec D] fayth which ye haue in the Lorde Iesu, and loue vnto all the Saynctes) cease not to geue thanckes for you, makynge mencyon of you in my prayers: that the God of oure Lorde Iesus Christ, the father of glory, may geue vnto you the spyryte of wysdome and of reuelacion by the knowledge of him selfe and lyghten the eyes of youre myndes: that ye maye knowe what the hope is, where vnto he hathe called you, and howe ryche the glory is of his inherytaunce vpon the sainctes, & what is y• exceding greatnes of his power to vs warde, which beleue ac∣cording to the workyng of that his myghty power, whiche he wrought in Christe, when he raysed him from the deed, and set hym on hys ryght hande in heauenly thynges, aboue all rule, and power, and myght and domynyon, and aboue euery name that is named, not in this worlde onely, but also in the worlde to come: and hathe put al thyn∣ges vnder his fete, and hathe made hym aboue all thynges ‡ the heed of the congre∣gacyon, whiche is hys body and the fulnes of hym, that fylleth all in all.