The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 214

of his family, thongh his ssnng powel' can of way, but to do e'l'erything tbl\t he bo D<'n>r C<-.me ne,ar the high len-1 of Christ's. lie'l'es will advnnce her well-being, espe- A hu~band ret"kl- of these obligations ciRlly in the highest sense. He finds her ,;rtu,.11..- C.."ftSE'S to hani anv olaim on the polluted (comp. Ezek. xvi.), and bis great Embjt><"tion of the wife &Dd the fiunily. The instrwnent of oleansing is •• the Word" wry r,.,mpnriron of the husband to the &- (oomp. John :s:v. 8; :s:vii. 5)--the Word in o.11 ,;olll' implies that, while there is a certain its searching, humbling, rebul-ing, correct- ,n1alo~-. there is a still greater contrast. ing, informing, stimulating, refreshing, oon- This is implied in the first word of the soling power. There is no express allusion following verse. Be~een the lines we read to baptism, Tcii >..ouTp<p Toii 61laTos is explained this thought: "Not that the parallel between by •v ~~µaT1, "the Word" being the great Christ's saving function and the husband's sanctifying medium, and baptism a figure extends to the highest things." (1 Pet. iii. 21). Ver. 24.-Bn.t [it exists so far as w enforce Ver. 27.-That he might present to him- this exhortationJ as the Chlll'Oh is subject to self the Church glorious. The ultimate end, Christ, so let the wives be to their hnsbands to which ver. 26 is introductory. Christ in everything. Let there be e. subjection in both gives and takes the bride ; be presents the one case parallel to that in the other, for her to himself-the day of his espousals such is the Divine will o.nd purpose. Any being in the st.--.te of glory (Rev. xxi. 2), subjection due to the husband must be modi- and all the training of this life being de- fied bv what is due to God, for as the signed to fit her for that condition. She hn,ba.nd may not require for himself, so the becomes glorions at last through assimila- wife may not gini to him, what is God's: tion to himself (2 Cor. ill. 18; John xvii. 22). God's will is para.mount over all. Of the Not having spot, or wrinkle, or llllY such three wills that may be in collision, viz. thing. The idea is that of a body perfectly God's. the husband's, and the wife's-the free from blemish, typical of a soul per- dnt..- of the wife is to take them in this fo•ctly delivered from sin-of a cha.meter order, having regard first to God's, next to perfected in all grace and goodness. But her husband's., and last to her own. that it should be holy and without blemish. , er. 25_-Rnsbands, love your wives, even The same trnth·expressed in positive form, as Christ also loved the Chnnlh, ll.lld gave him- which in the preceding clause is expressed self for her. The husband's duty to the wife in the negative. Nothing could more clearly is enforced by another parallel-it ought to denote perfection of !character-the full correspond to Christ's love for the Church. development of the character with whatever This parallel restores the balance; if it of variety may arise from differences in should seem bard for the wife to be in sub- natural gifts and constitution, or convey a jection, the spirit of love, Christ-like love, more glorious idea. of the destiny of re- on the part of the husband makes the duty deemed humanity. To be, as it were, tho easy. Christ did not merely pity the Church, bride of Christ is e. high destiny in point of or merely desire her good, but loved her; condition; but it would be miserable if eh~ her image was stamped on his heart and her racter did •not tally with condition; this name gnirnn on his hands; he desired to agreement, however, is secured; for the ha'l'e her for his companion, longing for a Church is to be holy and without blemish. return of her affection, for the establish- Ver. 28.-Even so ought husbands alBo to ment of sympathy between her and him. love their own wives aa their own bodies. And he gave himself for her (comp. ver. 2), A new illnstmtion is introduced here to wowing that her happiness and welfare throw light on the bearing of the husband w-ere dearer to him than his own-the true to his wife, and the oin-01s seems to refer, not test of deep, real lo'l'e. to what goes before, but to what follows Ver. 26.-That he might DI1Ctify her, (comp. in ver. 33). Re that loveth hie own having cleamed her by the washing of water wife loveth himself. His wife is part of with the Word. The immediate object of himself, so thnt not to love her as himself Christ was to cleanse Ler, and for this end is not only e. sin ngainst law, but e. sin he used the Word as a purifying agent, against nature. washing her by means of it. The difference Ver. 29.-For no man ever hated hie own between selfish and unselfish love is seen 11.esh ; but nonrisheth and oherisheth it, even here: a selfish lover cares for his wife in as ChriBt alBo the Chnroh. To hate one's hill own interest-like Samson, desires to wife is aa irrational as to bate one's owu flesh, have her simply because she plea&lB him, and as, on the other hnnd, men constantly and, in his converHe with her, thinks, not nourish and cherish their :flesh, protecting of her good, but of his own enjoyment; but it from hurt, seeking to heal it when hurt, the Jove of an unselfidh lover constrains e.nd generally to promote its welfare e.nd Lim to seek her good, to do nothing that comfort, so ought husbands to act towards will hurt her and damage her in any manner their whee. In this aspect of the CllBO, too, oit. v. 1.....33,J THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 213