Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; If you consider how it is that a hempen twine is made strong enough to draw a loaded waggon, or to bear the immense strain of a ship as she rides at anchor, you will see a significancy that perhaps did not occur to you before, in the use which Holy Scripture makes of this work of human art as an emblem. It is formed of many threads twisted together into one cord, and these cords are again combined into one cable. Each thread is in itself so weak, that a child could break, or the slightest weight would burst it; but when the threads are turned into one rope, their united strength is such as would have seemed incredible. "A three-fold cord is not quickly broken." The truth is just before us that union is strength. They who are weak and helpless singly are able to produce a vast result, when they combine their powers. It was in order to restrain His sinful creatures from carrying out what they had combined with the intention of doing, that God frustrated the building of the tower of Babel, and scattered them over the face of the earth, and He gathers together again His elect people in one body in Christ, that by uniting their various energies in one work, and for one end, they may strengthen each other's hands, and effectually "bruise under foot" the powers of darkness. (Bishop Trower.) Parallel Verses KJV: There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;WEB: There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling; |