The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 192

their final rroemption. Yon, then, who ha,e the seal of the Holy Spirit of God on you as mar~~ fo: rede~ption, grievo_him not by u~e._~ifyiug conversation. 2, The positiv; of <]hristiarnty. llut such as 1s good for cd1fymg as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear." Tho Christian element in conversation is that a. rccra.rd be paid to edification. \Ve a.re ma.de to communicate with others by speech not that we may_ impose on them, or play with them, or regard them carelessly, but that we may _edify them. There is not only that which is edifying, but edifying for the occasion. And" a. word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." And what constitutes its fitness is not its mere artistic form or reconditeness, but especially a depth of feeling in it, and a. moral discrimination, that make it meet a need and prove a blessing to them that hear. A word of this kind, that may not be wanting in ,,harpness, but can convey comfort too and direction and incitement to good, what an accomplishment it is to be able to speak it! And, however far we are behind, let us strive after the Christian ide.al of conversation which is here placed before us. V. B.w TEllPEB. L Tiu negative of Christianity. "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice." By bitt&ness here we are to understand all want of sweetness of temper. This is indicated by 1rhat are mentioned as its manifestations. It takes the form of wrath, or a sudden outburst of passion. Or it takes the form of the more settled feeling of anger. The WTath, a,,,CJ'Sin, takes the form of clamour, or violent speech. And the anger takes the form of railing, or more deliberate and continued speaking against a brother. And the eru temper in these its manifestations, in all the varieties that belong to it (as is indicared by the word "all"), is represented as having its subsistence in malice, by which we are to understand ill feeling, and that not simply in its worst form, but (as is also indicated by " all") in all its forms. This apostolic analysis of bad temper shows that he regarded it in a serious light. He did not regard it as some would, as a mere physical infirmity. Constitution has to do with it in this respect, that some have more to contend against than others. But, whatever our constitutional temper is, we are bound to bring it under l:i.w to Christ. Bad temper, therefore, is a sin, an unchristian state, of which we a.re to repent, and from which we are, according to the thought here, to be forcibly delivered. For "put away" here is stronger than "put away" in the twenty-fifth verse, and implies the putting forth of something like force upon us (by the stronger than we), in order that we may get rightly away from it. 2. The positive of Christianity. "And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted. forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you." The kindness here inculcated is that good feeling toward others which keeps us from unseemly manifesta- tions, and sweetens our whole bearing as brethren. And this kindness is to extend (where there is occasion) to teruierMss of luart (or, as it used to be in CoL iii. 12, ~th the same allusion as here, " bowels of mercies "). And this tenderness of heart 1s to take the very beautiful and distinctively Christian form offO'T'givingness. FO'T' God_ in Ckri.stforgave us. The allusion is to the historical fact of Christ on~u for all p~t~mg away sin by the sa.cri.fice of himself. Thus God not only showed himself forgmng, bnt actually made forgiveness a gospel reality. It 'is after the manner of the apostle to ground deep human duty. He has especially a satisfaction in fa~g bac.k on the great fact of the atonement. Forgiveness is not :-ID. o~tional m3:tt~r mth us, or .some- thing that we may want without losing our Chr1stiamty ; but 1t 1s that t~ ~h1?h ~e are peculiarly indissolubly bound by the fa.et that God ha.a gone before us ID 1t ID hl5 dealing with' us. Let us, then, have that nobility, g~nerosity of dis:positio~, that emanation from God .himself, which will lead us to forgive those that sin agamst us. -R.F. Vera. 1-3.- Walking worthy of our vocation. "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord," etc. The ver11011, looked at homiletically, suggest the following truths:- L TluT JLUi's EX7ERNAL CONDITION IN THIS WOBLD IS l'IO TBUE TEST OJ!' BIS BEAL -woBTR. A greater man than Paul, greater in; tru~ thought, l?fty aims, disinter~sted sympathies, self-sacrificing love, Christ-like devotion, and philanthropy, ne'!er lived. He was great in himself, great in his spiritual influence, great in the estimation of all capable of appreciating worth. Yet he was a "pri~oner" and doomed to martyrd?m- a condition the most ignominious and painful. This. fact shows : 1, TM corruption o/ OU, IV, 1-32,] THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 191