The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 248

Vere. 22-33.-Ideal marriage. "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own hus- bands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the hcnd of the wifo, even ns Christ is the Ilead of the Church: and he is the Saviour of the body. Therefore ns the Church ie subject unto Christ, so lot the wives be to their own husbands iu everything. Hus- bands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gnve himself for it; that ho might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by tho Word, that ho might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy nnd without blemish. 80 ought men to love their wive8 as their own bodies. Ho that loveth his wifo loveth himself. l<'or no man ever yet hated his own flesh ; but nourisheth and cherishcth it, even ns the Lord the Church: for we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this causo shall a man leave his father nnrl mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two Ehall be one flesh. 'l.'his is n great mystery: but I speak concerning C!1rist anti the Church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife sec that she reverence her husband." 'l.'he subject of thi~ passage is Ideal matrimony; or, God's idea of the marriage state. As we look into it, our convictions will deepen that the Divine idea is but very partially, if at all, developed in the matrimonial alliances of modern society. What is marriage? It comes not within the limits of our purpose or space to enter into n full discussion of the grand subject of human marriage. Our readers will find a very learned and exhaustive treatment of this question in Dr. William Smith's 'Dictionary of the Iliblc.' Our remarks mus~ be confinc<l entirely to those pha~c~ of the subject which the passage under review 0~ - 24-8 THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [ott. v. 1--33. - - - - --- ----------------------------- gests. On sll hands it is admitted that marria.,-that is, the union of one man to one woman-is a Divine ordination. Some philosophers see the principle of matrimony running through all nature, not only in the sexual distinction of all animnls, but in the sexual form of all kinds of vegt-table life. But the Bible is our authority. The l1inne institution "f marriage is clearlv tl\ught, both in the Old and the New Testaments. In the opening ~<>es of the~ Divine volume we read these words, "And the Lord God :;;;;id, It is not good that the man should be alone; I "ill make him an help meet for him." _tmd in the New Testament we have these words from the lips of the Son of God himself, "Have ye not read, th.'lt he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said., For this cause shall a man leAve father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matt. x.ix. 4-6). What does the text teach concerning marriage? It teaches- I. That marriage implies MORAL ROYALTY ON THE PART OF THE HUSBAND. Wives are here commanded to submit themselves unto their husbands "as unto the Lord." The husband is here called the" head, of the wife, even as Christ is the Head of the Church," and the apostle concludes the paragraph by saying, "Let the wife see that she reverence her husband." The idea of supremacy, therefore, on the part of the husband is manifest throughout the passage. But what is the rule to be? Not the rule of superior muscular force or intellectual power. Such a rule would be despotism and nothing less. Tne apostle teaches here that the husband's rulership should be similar t.o that rulership that Christ holds over the Church. 1. The husband is to rule by moral influence. How does Christ rule the Church? Not by force, but by love; by the royalty of his character, the sublimity of his thoughts, the Divine grandeur of his &ims. The Church bows lovingly to his authority, because of the supremacy of his excellence. Thus the husband is t.o rule the wife, for " the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the Head of the Church." It is only as the wife sees in her husband true moral grandeur that she can bow loyally to his sceptre and feel a loving reverence in her heart. 2. The husband is to rule for beneficent ends. (1) The rule is to be restorative. " He is the Saviour of the body." This refers to Christ. The Church is his body; he is to it what the soul is to the body-the ever-present, animating, controlling spirit. So the grand object of the husband should be to save his wife-save her from all that is mean and coarse, from all that degrades the character or pains the soul. Her true elevation, and not the gratification of her vanity, or pride, or lower appetites, should be his master aim. (2) This rule is to be universal. "In everything." It is to extend through the whole of domestic life. Indeed, a true moral rule over the heart will extend to "everything" in the woman's life. (3) The rule is to be self-sacrificing in spfrit. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the Church, and gave himself for it." The husband's love should be that of the highest chivalry-a love that shrinks at no sacrifice in order to bless and ennoble the partner of his choice. It must be of the same kind as that which prompted Christ t.o give himself for the salvation of the world. Ay, and he must have the same grand object, too-viz. the perfect cleansing of hie bride from all that is morally corrupt. Christ loved the Church, and gave him- self for it; what for? "Th.at he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washin~ of waw by the Word, that he might present it~ himself a glorious Ch~ch, not he.yin~ spot, or wrinkle, or any 6Uch thing; but that 1t should be holy and without bleIDJsh. h is sud that the glow-<rorm never shines after it has become a parent. Some women iuse the lu.,.re o! 2oll delicacy and refinement under the influence of men whom they call ti:ieir hU6band!i. The aim of the true husband should be to make the character of hie v.i.fe a •• gloriOUJI" character, "without spot or blemish.'' Behold and admire this l.Ji,ioe picture of a true husband! The marriage in which there is not such a husband is no tnui marriage. It is an impious mockery. When a woman in the marriage ceremony of Ch1lrcbes is called upon to obey a man smaller in intellect, narrower in sympathies, and iDferior in moral character to herself, she is called upon to do violence to her nature-to do that, in fact, which the eternal laws of mind forbid her in sincerity and truth ever to perform. Who can admire the contemptible? who can reverence the , m<:an? The man should appear as a morally royal man iu her eyes, or he is no true husband at alL IL That marriage implies HORAL LOVABLENESS ON THE PART OF THE WIFE. ., So Ci:I, V, 1-33.] 'I'Hl<: EPISTLE TO TIIE EPHESIANS. 249