The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 187

was chargeable. But at the same time, it is true that there were busy mercantile cities in the old heathen world. And a very great amount of energy was spent by heathen peoples on war. It can only be said that their higher energies were not e-allec:. forth, and that none of their energies (not even those directed to ordinarily useful pur- suits) were penetrated with the life of God. They were alienated from that life, self- pleasing having taken the place of the glory of God; and therefore in all their energies there was the coldness of death, the rottenness of the grave. These two clauses on which we have been commenting are closely related. For what is light but the Ji• a of God within the intellectual sphere? And what again is it that utilizes our encre1ics but light? There are subjoined now other two clauses of a causal nature. "Becaw':, of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart." It does not seem natural to connect these two clauses with only the second of the preceding clauses. But rather retaining both in our mind, are we to connect the ignorance t 1a.t is in them with the darkening of their understanding, and the hardening of their be ut with their alienation from the life of God. It is true that ignorance is a form of spiritual darkness, but not otherwise than hardening is a form of spiritual death. Ignorance ia both a result and a cause. And, in so far as it has resulted from a refusal to have ligl t, it is a cause from which there is not dissociated blame. As an abiding state (the res11lt of a previous course), it is a source whence there is a perpetual irruption of darkness within the circle of the thoughts. Hardening of the heart also is both a result and 'I. cause. It has been defined as such a suppression of moral and religious feeling as to, imply a total disregard of Divine calls and warnings, and an insensibility to their importance? In so far as obduracy is formed, it has resulted from disregard of calls and warnings, and therefore it may be assigned as a cause (with which blame is associated) for alienation from the life of God. By cultivating sensitiveness to good we prevent hardening in evil, and therefore hardening is blameworthy. 2. Gentilism in its most ojfensivefwm. "Who being past feeling." This was one form of the hard- ening. The result of a course of dissoluteness was that they were past all feeling, i.e. of shame. That feeling of shame is given as guardian of the purity of the body. But habitually disregarded, it is lost. "Gave themselves up to lasciviousness." Such was their fearful self-abandonment. Instead of abandoning themselves to God (which would have been deliverance from all possible tbraldom), they abandoned themselves to what (with specialty) is called lust. That is, they made a god of lust. They degraded self, their glorious personality, by making it a means to lust. Thus aban- doned to lust, it became their conscious aim or business "to work all uncleanness." And that does not complete the description of their guilt and degradation. For it is added, as indicating the frame of mind in which they wrought uncleanness, that they di~ it "with greediness." And there is no reason to think that this description, or the description in Rom. i., is exaggerated. Not that there were not some virtuous heathen; but impurity was so rife as to be characteristic of heathenism. And when it is con- sidered how it was not an object of public reprobation, and how it was associated with, religion and also with art, it can be understood what foul shapes (amid a certain nfinement and luxury) it would take. Il. EPHESIANS REMINDED HOW GENTILISM IS CONTRADICTED DY CHRISTIANITY, " Ilut ye did not so learn Christ." It will be observed that Christ is not put forward here as our Teacher, but as our Lesson. It is stronger language than is employed by Christ when he says," Learn of me,'' where he puts himself forward as our Example. It corre- sponds to what the apostle says in 1 Cor. i. 23," We preach [not 'concerning,' but] Christ crucified." A lesson is what we have to get into our minds; so wo have, 11s it were, to acquire or get into ourselves, by learning, the person of Christ himself. There is the commencement of the lesson. "If so bo that ye heard him.'' In this clause Christ is put forward as the Teacher of the lesson. They heard him when they were converted. At such a critical time it becomes us to know what we are really doing, under whoso instructioDs we are putting ourselves. A parent sees to his son being_ put to a school or university where he thinks he will get for him satisfactory instruction. So we should be sure, as taught here, that at the great turning-point it was not the voice of a hireling or the mere echo of our own voice that we heard, but the voice of him who has autho- rity to speak to us. There ia the lesson in its conlinuance. " And were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus." This refers to the further instruction which they had  THE EPTSTLE TO THE El'HESIANS. [en. IV. 1-3~.