The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 154

ness." Whfohis rotting &O(lordinrto the luata Ver. 25--ob. v. 2.-RAoa 011' TD OLD of deoeit. The present participle, ~ip6- MAN AND RoaES OF THE N11:w. ,,.,,,.,v, indiC\'ltes cont.innl\nre or progress in Ver. 25.-Wherefore, putting away fala► com1pti,,n. Sin is n disintegrating dis- hood, speak every man truth with his neigh• i,..,h-ing thing, oausing putridity, and in all bour. Lying or falsehood is pre-eminently <'.a!'<'$. when unchecked, tending towards it. I\ heathen vice, &S missiono.ries in India and D,~,,it is per,:,onilied; it is nn agent of evil, other countries abundantly testify. It is an s,,ndim:: out lusts which seem h=less but attribute offo.llenhumanity: "They goo.stray ore re.,;-llv ruinous-their re.'\l chl\rncter is from the womb, spea1."i.ng lies; " 11,nd one of c()nce.aled; they come as ministersofpleasure, the earliest vices that appear in children is they end as destructive tyrants. Lust of deceit. Not only is it God's will and com- p0,n,r. Just of money, lust of ple.'\Sure, have mand tbo.t we spe,lk the truth, but it is ,ill this cl:iamcter; they are the offspring of peculiarly incumbent on •Christians as deceit, and always to be shunned. children of the light, as followers of him Yer. 23.-And that ye be renewed in the who is the Truth, as having renounced thll spirit of your mind. Between the first and devil, who is tbo father of lies, Another second practical change, derived from being reason is added. For ye are membeTs one of taught by Christ,, the apostle inserts this another. Falsehood is always designed to couns~l applicable to both. This renewal is mislead; but to deceive our own members is the work of the Holy Spirit; how, then, can emphatically wicked. Says Chrysostom it be the subject of an exhortation to us? (quoted by Eadie), "Let not the eye lie to In this sense, ·that we are to prize, long for, the foot, nor the foot to the eye. If there be encourage, watch, this work of the Holy a deep pit, and its mouth, covered with reads, Snirit. feeling it to be most nta.l and shall present to the eye the appearance of c,_~rn,itl, not to be neglected without awful solid ground, will not the eye Ulle the foot sin a::id danger. Usually the Holy Spirit to ascertain whether it is hollow underneath w,,:!.5 in u;, by stirring up our spirit to de- or whether it is firm and resists? Will the s~e and endea,our after holiness; to resist foot tell a lie, and not the truth e.s it is? the5e stri.ings of the Spirit, or even to be And what, again, if the eye were to spy a indifferent to them, is a deadly and most serpent or a wild beast, will it lie to the dan ~erous sin. foot?" ' V~. 2!.-And put on the new man. As the Ver. 26.-Be ye angry, and Bin not. Quo- fruit of inward renewal, let• there be out- tation from the Septoagint version of Pa. ward renovation. A new object is clean, iv. 5. Anger, the feeling and expression of fresh, tidy; let your life have something of displeasure, is not wholly forbidden, but is the same aspect-let your principles, aims, guarded by two checks. Our Lord did not habits, be new, in the sense of being con- ma.ke anger a breach of the sixth command- formed to Christ, who is your life. Whioh ment, but being angry with a brotheT without a.fter God has been created in righteoUSD.ess ca1J,8e, The first check is to beware of and holiness of truth. "After God," equiva- sinning; to keep your anger clear of bitter- lent to " after the image of him that created ness, spite, malevolence, and all such evil him" (Col. iiL 10). 8ome think " the new feelings. The second is, Let aot the sun go man" equivalent to" Christ" (Rom. xiii 14), down on your irritation; examine yourself in constituted the Head of renewed humanity, the evening, and see that you a.re _tranquil. as A.dam of depraved. Ent this would not Eadie quotes Thomas Fnller: "St. Paul co:nspond with the ex:hortation to put off saith, 'Let not the snn go down upon your Le 0ld man, nor sh0old we be exhorted to wrath,' to carry news to the antipodes in pc: c:1 Christ after being exh/Jrted to be re- another world of thy revengeful nature. ne-.;-£:d b the sr,ir.t r,f our rniads. In what Yet let us take the apostle's meaning rather Hcc:£-'c. t:.en., h.a.s the "new man" been than his words-with all possible speed to creat"=".l. 0 The idea presented itself to the depose our passion; not understanding him apr,stle -in (he abstrar...t-tbere has been a so literally that we may take leave to bo c~e:.tio::: of a new man; but concretely, angry till sunset; then might our wrath -we L.a,e to conform to the Dinne creation, lengthen with the days, and mon in Green- in rt:e pect of righteousness aud holiness ; land. where day lasts above 0, quarter of a Tightooumess denoting personal oprightness year, have plentiful scope of revenge. And and fid<:lity to all social duties; holiness, e.s the English, by command of William tLe state oftLe spirit toward God. Tho last the Conqueror, alway raked up their fire, ·words, "of truth," denote the relation of and put out their candles when the curfew righteousness and holiucsd to the truth. The bell was rung, lot us then also quench all words aro op1iosod to "of deceit " in ver. 22. sparks of anger and heat of passion." It is Lust is bred of d~ceit, but righteousneas especially becoming in men, when about to and holiness of truth. 'fbey never decoivo, sleep tho sleep of death, to see that they arc uen:r disappoi11t, arc solid to the eud. iu peace and charity with 11,ll men: it were OH, IV, 1-32.] 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 153