The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 178

heathen could not be calculated on; and what Wll.S true in Paul's time is true still. The testimony of missionaries is to this effect, that you cannot rely on the word of the heathen. An interesting fact may here be quoted in illustration. "A Christian Santai wa$ once going through several villages to make an extensive purchase of rice. In the first of the villages hP. got part of what he required, in the second also he got some br.$hts, and~ fort.h, all for C.'\Sh payments. But wl1en he had hrought out his monoy at the last Tillage, he saw thnt he had not enough. He was twelve shillings short oi t.he sum neoe..-;s.'lry to p.'ly what be had bought. It is a tl1iug unheard of among the &'\ntah; to give any goods on credit, so that the man saw that he had no alternative but t.:- ask the seller to ta.ke back twe\"e shillings' worth of the rice. Meantime the seller hnd perreived that be had to do mth a Christian, and as this impression wns confirmed on his directly r1:tting the question, he declared, without more ado, that he would be cont.ent in the mean time with the partial p..'\yment, and would trust to the buyer that he would soon bring him the balance. Unfortunately, the tax-collector came next day to the nllage to collect tbe dues. The man who had given his rice on credit was not able to pay his dues fully at once, and told, by way of excuse, what had befallen him. But tbe official deemed it incredible that a Santai should part with his goods without !!:etting the money for them, His suspicion was confirmed by the fact that the man could give neither the name nor the residence of his debtor, and only took his stand upon this, that he was a Christian, and would certainly pay the twelve shillings ere long. Even the other nllagers did not believe the story, and the collector sentenced the supposed liar to a suitable measure of stripes. A few days after, that Christian returned and paid his debt. His creditor had scarcely recovered from his.undeserved ill treatment; but he forgot his pains throu~h the joy of being able to vindicate himself and his honourable debtor before his neighbours and acquaintances. He called them all t.ogether and said triumphantly, 'You laughed at me lately because I trusted the word of a Christian. There he is. Look well at him. I have riot dunned him for his debt. I knew neither his name nor where he lives, and yet he has come to pay me the twel"8 shillin.,as.'" This interesting circumstance brings out at once the falsehood that erists in heathenism and the veracity fostered by the gospel, Before leaving this first sin, however, it is -well t.o notice on what Paul grounds his appeal for veracity. It is cm our being "members one of another." "Truth-speaking," says Mozley, "is not a univen;:al isolated obli,,oation which we are nnder-a law to say truth under all circnmstances, and in whatever relations we stand to the other party; but it supposes certain relations, -viz. the ordinary relations of man with man, the natural terms of fellowship with man-that we are bound to perform all the offices of humanity to him, and to behave to him as a brother. When we speak of the certain and obvious obligation to sincerity, these are the relations which we suppose; and St. Paul p)a?es the duty of veracity upon its proper basis, and gives the law of truth its proper pos1t10n in the frame and system of morals, when he assigns the duty of truth-speaking this large and deep source, this intelligible connection, and this inclusive rationale." We do not proceed further in the quotation, but he infers that the rclati.ons of man to man may so vary, as when a man turns out assassin, that we are under no obligation to_ te~l truth to him, if it would further his diabolical designs, 2. Sinful anger. This 1s another sin which is prevalent amono- 'UD'.recrenerate men. Paul's appeal implies that there is such a thing as sinless ang;r, ~ is angry with the wicked, for exam~lo, every day. David. again, at the very time when he was calling on God to search him and to try him, could ay calmly in the Divine presence, " Do not I hate them, 0 Lord that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with pf«:t hatred : I coUDt them mine enemies•• (Ps. cxx.xi.x. 21, 22). But a great deal of the anger indulged in, both in heathen and in Christian lands, is sellish passion, and so sinful anger. It is against this selfish phase Paul warns them, and as we are peculiarly open to assa~lts from Satan wh~n thus a~gry, the Ei,hcsians are warned in this connection not to give place to the devil. 3. Laziness. The heathen will not work if they can help it. 'l'hey would rather steal than work. Hence the gospel has always had an important mission in the" exaltation of labour." The monks in the Middle Ages did immense service in this direction, and really prepared Europe for the vast development of modern industry. This is one great . feature also of modern missions, They give an impulse to iudu,strr wherever they OH, IV, 1-32.] THE; EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 177