The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 65

by Alford. It is not easy to assign a denote a prophetic rather than o.n act no.I con• different mooning to the two nouns here; dition. This spirit energizes in the " sons some suggest acts of tmnsgreesion for the of disobedience." This designation is strik- one, o.nd sinful tendencies or principles for ing; it denotes persons born of disobedience, the other, but this distinction co.nnot be bred by disobedience, having disobedience carried out -in o.11 other po.ssuges. '£he kill- in their very nature; comp. Rom. viii. 7, ing effect of sin ia indicated. As sine of "The carnal mind is enmity against God," sensuality kill truthfulness, industry, in- and passages where fa.lien man is called a tegrity, o.nd all virtue, so sin generally, rebel (Isa. i. 2; !xiii. 10; Pe. lxviii. 6; Jer. affecting o.s it does our whole nature, kills, v. 23, etc.). It denotes the essential an- or does not suffer to live, the affections and tagonism of man's will to God's, a.rising movements of the spiritual life. A state of from man's devotion to this world and its "death" implies previous life----the raoe interests, and God's regard to what is higher lived before; it implies also a state of insen- and holier-an antagonism often Leid in sibility, of utter powerlessness and helpless- cbeck and suppressed-but bursting out ness. wildly at times in fierce opposition, as a.t Ver. 2.-Wherein a.foretime ye walked the tower of Babel or the crucifixion of a.ocording to the course of this world. The Jesus. The devil inflames man's inherent idea. of a dead creature walking fa not alto- dislike to God's will, and encourages out- gether incongruous. It implies that a kind breaks of it. of life remained suffi.oient for walking ; but Ver. 3.-Among whom we also all once not the true, full, normal life ; rather the spent our life in the lusts of our flesh. The life of a galvanized corpse, or of one walking apostle here brings Jews and Gentiles to- in sleep. The figurative use of walking for gether. "We also," as well ae you-we were living, or carrying on our life, is frequent a.II in the ea.me condemnation, all in a in this Epistle (eh. iv. 1; v. 2, etc.). "The miserable plight, not merely occasionally . course ofthia world," elsewhere" the world," dipping into sin, bnt spending our very lives denotes the present system of things, as con- in the lusts or desires of our flesh, living for ducted by those who have regard only to no noble ends, but in an element of carnal things seen and temporal, and no regard to desire, as if there were nothing higher than God or to the future life. Where there is to please the carnal nature. Fulfilling the spiritual death there is insensibility to these desires of the flesh and of the mind. Desires things. Acoording to the prinoe of the of the flesh, the grosser and more animal power of the air. It is obvious that this is propensities (the flesh, in Scripture, ho.a often equivalent to "the god of this world" a wider sense; see Go.I. v. 19-21); and of (2 Cor. iv. 4), but the explanation of the the mind or thoughts, 6,avo,oiv, the objects term ie difficult. Allusion is ma.de to a that we thought about, whatever they might corporate body, "the power [or, 'govern- be,-tbe waywardness of our thoughts seems ment'] ( l(ovo-la)_ of the o.ir," and to one who to be denoted, the random roaming of the is" prince" of thia government. -Thero is no mind hither and thither, towards this plea- difficulty in identifying the evil one and his sure and tho.t, sometimes serious, sometimes host, of whom Milton gives such gru.phio frivolous, but all marked by the absence of pictures. But why should they be specially any controlling regard to the will of God. connected with the air f The notion, enter- The life indicated is a life of indulgence in tained by some of the Fa.there and others, whatever natural feelings may arise in us- that storms and disturbances of the atmo- be they right or be they wrong. And we sphere a.re ea.used by them, is preposterous; were by nature ohildren of wrath, even as it is unscriptura.l (Pe. cx.lviii. 8) and quite the rest. This is e. subst11nti.e clcrnse, unscientific. The term seems to denote tho.t standing on its own ho.sis, o. scp11rate fact, e7il spirits, who have some power of in- not merely an inference from the previous fluencing us by their temptations, have their statements. The life described would have a.bode in the atmosphere, or at least haunt exposed ue to wroth; but beyond and before it, being invisible like it, yet exercising a this we wero by nature children of wrath. real influence on human souls, and drawing "By nnture" denotes something in our them in worldly directions, and contrary to constitution, in our very being; and " even the will of God. The spirit whioh is now a.e the rest" denotes that this wo.s universal, working in the sons of disobedienoe. The not 11 peculiarity affecting some, but a gene- fa.et that this spirit is still working in others ral feature a.pplicnblo to all. " Children of makes the escape of the Ephesians from him wrath" denotes that we belonged to a race the more striking. He is not destroyed, but which hnd incurred the wrath of God ; our vigorously at work even yet. Though Jesus individuality wus so for absorbed by the beheld him fall from heaven as lightning, social body that we shAred the lot under 11,nd though h11 said thut the prince of this which it had come. If there be something world had been judged, these expressions in this that seoms contrary to jW!lice, that 62 THE EPIS'l'LE TO THE EPHESIANS. [OB. D, 1-,.22,