The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 259

U.10 scone of our conflict with them. The of rightcousneu. Comp. eh. v. 24, for at Jnttcr seems more agreeable to the context, least one element of the righteousness- for "in heo.venly places" docs not denote a. righteousness wrought in us by tbe Holy geogro.phical locality here nny more than in Ghost after the image of Christ. But a eh. i. 3 and ii. 6. When it is sa.id the.t "we more comprehensive use of the term is not have been seated with Christ in heavenly excluded-the whole righteousness that we places,'' the allusion is to the spiritual ex- derive from Christ-righteousness imputed perience of his people: in spirit they nre and righteousness infused. 11t the gate of henven, where their bee.rte Ver. 15.-And having shod your feet with nre full of beo.venly thoughts and feelings; the preparation of the gospel of pee.co. the statement now before us is tbnt, even The metaphor hecomes somewhat difficult in such places, amid their most fervent ex- to follow; the feet have to be shoJ or armed periences or their most snblime services, as with military sandals, and the sandal is they are subject to the attacks of the spirits the fro,µaa-ia, or preparedness of, or caused of wickedness. by, the gospel of peace. The idea seems Ver. 13.-Wiierefore te.ke up the entire to be tha.t the mind is to be steadied, armour of God, the.t ye ma.y be e.ble to with- kept from fear and flutter, by means of--the stand in the ·evil de.y. Some hnve tried to good news of pence-the good news that wo affix e. specific time to the "evil dny" of the are at peace with God; and "if God be for apostle, as if it were one or other of the us, who can be against us?" The Roman days specified in the Apocalypse; but more so.nde.l was furnished with nails that gripped probably it is n general phrase, like "the the ground firmly, even when it we.s sloping day of adversity,'' or "the day of battle,'' or slippery; so the good news of peare iudicat.ing a day thnt comes often. In fo.ct, keeps us upright and firm. any day when the evil one comes upon us Ver. 16.-Witho.l to.king- up tho shield of in force is the evil dny, nnd our ignorance fD.l"th. The ev~«ls was a large oblong shield of the time when such assault me.y be covering a g-ree.t po.rt of tlrn body, not the made is what makes it so necessa.ry for us arr1ris, smo.ller and moro round. Faith, in to be watchful. And having done all, to its widest sense, constitutes this shield- stand. "Having done fully," or "com- faith in God as our Father, in Christ ClB our pleted," is the literal import of ,canp-yarrd.- Redeemer, in the Spirit as our So.notifier 1"'"'• having reference, not only to the and Strnnglhcuer-fuith in nil the promise~, prepamtion for the battle, but to the fighting and especio.lly such promises ns we find in too. The command to be " strong in the Rev. ii. nnd iii. "to him tluit ovcrcometh" Lord" is fitly associated with our" having (comp. promise to Ephesus, Rev. ii. 7). done all," because Jenning on almighty Wherewith ye oho.II be able to quench 1111 strength implies tho effort to put forth the fiery do.rte of the evil one. "Fiery strength by our own instrumentality; when darts" were weapons tipped with inlliim- God's strnngth comes to us it constrains us mnble mnterials, fircbrnnds, curiously con- " to do all" that can be done by us or structed, o.rlaptcd to set on fire. l\Ictaphori- through us (comp. Ps. cxliv. 1; Phil. ii. cally, considerations dr1rtcd into tho minil I 2, 13). We arc not co.lied to do me1·ely as inflaming luet, pride, rovenge, or other evil well as our neighbours; nor even to do well feelings, emnno.tions from tho great tempter, on the whole, but to do all-to leave nothing the evil one. Thr1t such considerations undone that can contribute to the success sometimes stnrt up suddenly in tho mind, of the battle ; then we shall be able to vgainet the deliberate dosiro, sometimes titnnd, or stand firm. even in the middle of holy exercises, is tho Ver. 14.-Stand therefore, having girt painful experience of every Christian, o.nd about your loins with truth. The "stnnd" in must mal<o him thankful for the shield on ver. 13 denotes the end of the conflict: this which they nre quenched. An a.et of faith "stand" is at the beginning. Obviously on Christ, placing the soul consciously in there must be a firm stand at the beginning his presence, recalliug his atoning lovo nnd if there is to be ot tho end. In order to grace, and tho promises or thu Spirit, will this, we must fasten the girdle round our extiug11ish these fiery temptations. Joins-viz. truth, here used in a. compre- Ver. 17.-And take the helmet of salva- hensive sense, denoting honesty; sincerity tion. This is tho head-covering ( comp. I's. of profession in opposition to nil sham, ox!. 7). In 1 Thess. v. 8 we read, "putting levity, hypoc1·isy; and likewise the clement on for an helmet the hope of s:i.lvo.tion." of "truth in Jesus" (eh. v. 21), the sub- The glorious truth that wo-oro sr1ved (comp. stance of the gospel revelation. We are to eh. ii. 5, 8) appropriateu, rested on, rejoiced gird 01uselves in truth, iv 6.A'IJ9eia, e2tab- in, will protect oven so vital a. p,u-t us lho lishing ourselves in that element, wrapping head, will keep us from inlcllccln.il surren- it round us; iv &>..-,e,c~, iitemlly, "girded in der nml rotiuunlistic doulit. And tho sword truth." And havmg put on the breastplate of the Spirit, whiob is the Word of flod. Tho  THE EPISTLE 'l'O THE EPHESIANS. [CH, VI, 1-2•!,