The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 210

,knote that 8pcoific aot of love whioh ne..-er be Rdmitted even to the thoughts or is immediately in new. And gave him• the imaginRtion. self for us. The Pauline phrase (Gal. ':'er. 4.-And filthiness; a.1uXPJTT1r, im- i. 4; ii. 20; Titus ii. H; 1 Tim. ii 6), plyrng thn\ such things are disgrnoeful, ~iruple. but ..-ery comprehensive: "himself" ugly, revolililg, the opposite of Kall.or, fair, -:111 th...,,.t he was 3S God.all that he beeamo comely, attractive. And foolish talking or r.s )fan, a romplete self~nrrender, a whole jesting, wbiah are not becoming. This would h:rnt offe.ring. ~ For us," not merely on be well understood in sensual, frivolous ,,tU" be!Jalf. but in our room (after ..-erbs of Ephesus; a light, bantering, jesting kind ginng. dying. ete.); this. indeed. being im- of talk, sea.soned with doubl.e e11tendres and J•:i:-J in the idea immediately following of a obscene nllusions, very pernicious in its sacn'.Tice, which, alike to the Jewish and ruoml effect. There is no reason to suppose l'l3,,"1lll mind, con..-eyed the idea of a life that the apostle meant to condemn all play gi'fen in room of another. An offering and of humour, which is a Divine gift, nnd which a sacrmce to God. Offering and sacrifice are in moderation has its own useful place as a. nearly synonymous, but the first probably means of refreshing and invigorating the includes the whole earthly career of Christ spirit; it was the jesting associated with incarnate-his holy life, blessed example, ribaldry that drew his reproof. _Bnt rather gracious teaching, lo'fing companionship, as giving of thanks. Euxa.p,u-rla is somewhat well as his atoning death, which last is more similar in sound to elJTpa1rel\.ia., jesting : the precisely tbe 6uG{a, sacrifice. The offering reason for putting the one in opposition to and sacrifice were presented to God, to the other is not very apparent; the meaning satisfy his justice, fnlfil the demands of his seems to be that, in place of giving vent to law, and glorify his holy and righteoW1 lively feelings in frivolous talk and jesting, go'fernment. For a sweet-smelling savour. it is better for Christians to do so by pour- ~l!U£ion to Noah's sacrifice of e..-ery clean ing out their hearts in thanksgivings to Gotl l=t and of e..-erv fowl-" the Lord smelled for all his goodness. a S'IH'fi sa..-our;;, that is, the whole trans- Yer. 5.-For this ye know well; an appeal ~;ion, not the offering merely, but the to their own consciencell, made confidently, spirit in which it was o:fierro likewise, '\'fas as beyond all doubt. That no fornicator, gratefnl to God. The whole work of Chxk"t, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who and the beautiful spirit in which he offered is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the himself, were grateful to the Father, and kingdom. Covetousness, the twin-brother procure saring blessings for all who by sin of uncleanness, is denounced as idolatry. faith make the offering their own. It is worshipping the ereature more thau the Y ere. 3-21.-Tm: W.ilX SUITABLE TO Creator, depending on vast stores of earthly THE CBlLDREN OF LIGHT. substance in place of the favour and blessing Ver. 3.-But. Another of the remarkable of God. It must receive the doom of the contrast.a of this Epistle; the fumes of lust idolater; instead of inheriting the kingdom, a.re doubly odions in contact with the sweet he must die the death. The doom in this 11avour of Christ's offering. Fornication and verse is ;not future, but present-not shall all impurity, or covetonsnese. The combina- have, but hath, inberitance, etc. ( comp. eh. i. tion of covetousness with sins of the flesb, 1 I, 18). The lust of greed overreaches itself; occurring several times in the apostle's it loses all thnt is truly worth having; it writings (1 Cor. v. 11 ; eh. v. 3; Col. iii. 5), may have this and that-lands, houses, nntl is rather unexpected. m,ove!ia, corntoW!- goods-but it has not one scrap in tho king- ness, means the desire of ha..-ing more, which dom. OfChristandGod. Thetwoarcunited is peculiarly true of sensual sins; but it is in the closest way, as equals, implyiug the not coupled with them by a o:a.l, but dis- divinity of Christ and his oneness with the joined by an f), indicating something of Father in the administration of the kingdom. another claas. In the mind of the apostle, Ver. 6.-Let 110 man deceive you with i;eilEil&lity wu inseparable from greed, un- empty words. No man, whether pagan or natural eraring for more, dissatisfaction with nominal Christian : the pagan defending a what wu enough; hence the neighbourhood life of ple1111urc as the only thing to be had of the two 'lices. Let i1 not be even named with even a smack of good in it ; the Chris- amoug you, a, becometh saint.I. The practice tian mitigating pleasant sins, saying teat of such sins wu ont of the question; but the young must have an outlet for their even liJ)fla.king of them, 1111 matters of ordi- warm feelings, that men in business mW!t nary conversation, was unsuitable for sainlB; put all their Houl into it, and that life must the very conversation of Christians must be be brightened by a little mirth and jollity. pure. The exhortation bean on Christiane As opposed to what the apostle has lnicl in their 11ocial relations; had the apostle down(ver. 5),such words are empty,destitute been treating of the duty of the in,livi,Jual, of all solidity or truth. For on acoouni ot he would have urged that such sin11 should these things the wrath of God oometh on the OH, V, 1-33.] '!'HE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 20()