The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 274

free play. We are never so safe as when the safety of others has become our gret1t concern. IY. THE CHRISTIAN QUENCHES ALL ASSAULTS OF SAT.AN DY TlIE POWER OP FAITH, c,·er. 16.) Now, Satan's fiery darts belong to the region of seuse. He appeals to passion. He :....ssaults us through the appetites. But faith vanquishes him, and nothing else can ao w. What are we to understand by" faith"? Not assent to propositions; not a mere n':i.l.izing faculty, assuring us of things unseen; but a trust extended to the personal and Dinne Sanour who rnles over all things. This loyalty to an unseen Sovereign enables ,is tc - through the wiles of the arch~neruy, enables us to see how narrow are Satan's ;:mits, and bow- wide the order and interests of our Saviour's kingdom. We are thus ,r.in,;p:,rted to the wider relations of the spiritual world, and the temptations through sense and passion fall euingui.shed at our feet. As we live by faith in him who rules ,be uninm,e and dwells within us, Satan finds himself defeated. v. Tm: CHRISTIAN'S 11.E.AD IS COVERED BY THE .ASSURANCE OF SALVATION. (Ver. 17.) It has been supposed that a victorious spirit will make men careless in the battle-field. Dut is it so? If soldiers believe themselves destined to be victorious, they will strain every nerve to make themselves so. Tbe flush of victory in their heart gives power in the contest. Now, it is when we have got assurance of victory through our indwelling Lord that we can do valiant things for Wm. Suppose that a. soldier goes to battle with head exposed, and no helmet protecting it, his anxiaty a.bout self will destroy his fighting power. But give him his pickelhaube, and he passes into the fight free from self-care and with the one idea. of doing his very best to win the battle. So is it with the assnrance to which faith is meant to lead us. YL THE CmiISTI.AN WIELDS, AS HIS ONLY OFFENSIVE WEAPON, THE WoBD OF GoD, (Ver. 17.) This is the sword with which he is to lay around him. The Bible is a. wonderful weapon. It cuts men and devils to the heart. It enters into the very joints and ma.now. There is no such discerner of the thonghts and intents of men's hearts. Sow, when we consider that jorr.e is only the preliminary to reason-individuals or natons fight first and then make up peace upon some pretence of principle-we see that what Christianity does is to keep strictly to the sphere of reason, and to refuse all Eeduction inr.o the field of brnte force. The doctrine of non--resistanu is the highest of all tribntes to the reasonableness of Christianity. '.!.'he Christian, then, who masters most thoronghly the Word of God will be the most powerful among his fellows. For after all. this inspired Word is ahead of all human wisdol!l. It is the crown and anticipation of hnman genius. If we have mastered it in the spirit, we a.re a.head of our time and sball understand what we can best do for our generation. VII. TJIE CJIBISTI.AN IS .ALWAYS PRAYERFUL, .AND ESPECIALLY FOB HIS FELLOWS. (Vers. 18--24.) The fight in which a. Christian is engaged is not for his own hand. H is a fight for a. common cause, and in the struggle we are never a.lone. It is a fight for the most part upon our knees. But as we wrestle, it is not for personal blessings only or chiefly, but for blessinga to be conferred on others too. Our own garden is best kept when we can think of other gardens too. Hence Panl claims an interest in the Ephesians' prayers, believing tbat they will fight their battle best if they remember him. And thus as the Epistle closes we see how Christianity emancipates us from self, and makes us pray with a large public spirit and with our eye on the common weaL-R. M. E. Vers. 1--4.-The dutia of chudren and parents. L DUTY .oF CHILDREN. "Children, rJbey your parent8." 1. Sphere in which the obedience is to take place. "In the Lord." It was said in eh. v. 21, as determining the character of the whole subjection that there is between hnman beings, that it is to be "in the fear of Christ." That is to be inter- preted as meaning that, in each case, Christ is to be regarded as the authority (behind the ,isible) before which those who are subjected are to bow. The husband, we have reen, represents Christ (so far as it goes) to the wife. And so the parents represent Christ to the children. .And then only can the children obey in the Lord when they regard their parents as placed over them in the Lord. In baptism parents acknowledge tliat their children belong to the Lord as standing over thorn. And, in accordance with this, children are to look to their parents as standing in the place of Christ to them, and to obey them as though they were obeyiug Christ. 2. Natural ground of tlie duty OB. VI. 1-24.] 'l'HE EPIS'l'LE '1'0 'l'HE EPHESIANS. 2i5