TEXT. the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in love." PARAPHRASE. whole body, building itself up in love, or a mutual concern of the parts. NOTE. 16 The sum of all that St. Paul says in this figurative discourse is, that Christians, all as members of one body, whereof Christ is the head, should, each in his proper place, according to the gifts bestowed upon him, labour with concern and good-will for the good and increase of the whole, till it be grown up to that fulness which is to complete it, in Christ Jesus. This is, in short, the sense of the exhortation contained in this section, which carries a strong insinuation with it, especially if we take in the rest of the admonitions to the end of the epistle, that the Mosaical observances were no part of the business, or character, of a Christian; but were wholly to be neglected and declined by the subjects of Christ's kingdom. SECTION VII. CHAPTER IV. 17-24. CONTENTS. In this section the apostle exhorts them wholly to forsake their former conversation, which they had passed their lives in whilst they were Gentiles, and to take up that which became them, and was proper to them, now they were Christians. Here we may see the heathen and Christian state and conversation described, and set in opposition one to the other. TEXT. 17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind. PARAPHRASE. 17 This I say, therefore, and testify to you from the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as the unconverted Gentiles walk, in TEXT. 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: PARAPHRASE. 18 the vanity of their minds, Having their understandings darkened, being alienated from that rule and course of life which they own and observe who are the professed subjects and servants of the true God, through the ignorance that is in 19 them, because of the blindness of their hearts; Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lasciviousness, to the committing of all uncleanness, even beyond the bounds 20 of natural desires". But you, that have been instructed in the 21 religion of Christ, have learned other things; If you have been scholars of his school, and have been taught the truth, NOTES. 17 This "vanity of mind," if we look into Rom. i. 21, &c. we shall find to be the apostatizing of the Gentiles from the true God to idolatry; and, in consequence of that, to all that profligate way of living which followed thereupon, and is there described by St. Paul. 18 b This "alienation" was from owning subjection to the true God, and the observance of those laws, which he had given to those of mankind that continued and professed to be his people; see chap. ii. 12. C 19 ПXV, "covetousness," in the common acceptation of the word, is the letting loose our desires to that which, by the law of justice, we have no right to. But St. Paul, in some of his epistles, uses it for intemperate and exorbitant desires of carnal pleasures, not confined within the bounds of nature. He that will compare with this verse here chap. v. 3. Col. iii. 5. 1 Thess. iv. 6. 1 Cor. v. 10, 11, and well consider the context, will find reason to take it here in the sense I have given of it, or else it will be very hard to understand these texts of Scripture. In the same sense the learned Dr. Hammond understands @sov, Rom. i. 29, which, though perhaps the Greek idiom will scarcely justify, yet the apostle's style will, who often uses Greek terms in the full latitude of the Hebrew words, which they are usually put for in translating, though, in the Greek use of them, they have nothing at all of that signification, particularly the Hebrew word y, which signifies covetousness, the Septuagint translate μuos, Ezek. xxxiii. 31, in which sense the apostle uses here. In these and the two preceding verses we have a description of the state of the Gentiles without, and their wretched and sinful state, whilst unconverted to the Christian faith, and strangers from the kingdom of God; to which may be added what is said of these sinners of the Gentiles, chap. ii. 11-13. Col. i. 21. 1 Thess. iv. 5. Col. iii. 5-7. Rom. i. 30, 31. TEXT. 22 That ye put off, concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 and that ye put on the new man, which, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness. PARAPHRASE. 22 as it is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ: That you change your former conversation, abandoning those deceitful lusts where3 with you were entirely corrupted: And that, being renewed in 24 the spirit of the mind, You become new mend, framed and fashioned according to the will of God, in righteousness and true holiness. NOTE. 24 What the waλasos avôpatos, "the old man," that is to be put off, is, and the xaros, avôparos, "the new man," that is to be put on, is, may be seen in the opposite characters of good and bad men, in the following part of this, and in several other of St. Paul's epistles. SECTION VIII. CHAPTER IV. 25-V. 2. CONTENTS. AFTER the general exhortation, in the close of the foregoing section, to the Ephesians, to renounce the old course of life they led when they were heathens, and to become perfectly new men, conformed to the holy rules of the Gospel, St. Paul descends to particulars, and here in this section presses several particulars of those great social virtues, justice and charity, &c. TEXT. 25 Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. V. 1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; PARAPHRASE. 25 Wherefore, putting away lying, let every man speak truth to 26 his neighbour; for we are members one of another. If you meet with provocations that move you to anger, take care that you indulge it not so far as to make it sinful: defer not its cure till sleep calm the mind, but endeavour to recover 27 yourself forthwith, and bring yourself into temper: Lest you give an opportunity to the devil to produce some mischief 28 by your disorder. Let him that hath stole steal no more, but rather let him labour in some honest calling, that he may have 29 even wherewithal to relieve others, that need it. Let not any filthy language, or misbecoming word, come out of your mouths, but let your discourse be pertinent on the occasion, and tending to edification, and such as may have a be30 coming gracefulness in the ears of the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed to the 31 day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with 32 all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forV. 1 given you. Therefore, as becomes children, that are beloved NOTE. 30 "Sealed," i. e. have God's mark set upon you, that you are his servants, a security to you that you should be admitted into his kingdom, as such, at the day of redemption, i. e. at the resurrection, when you shall be put in the actual possession of a place in his kingdom among those who are his, whereof the Spirit is now an earnest; see note chap. i. 14. TEXT. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet-smelling savour. PARAPHRASE. and cherished by God, propose him as an example to your2 selves to be imitated; And let love conduct and influence your whole conversation, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and an acceptable sacrifice to God. NOTE. 2b"Of a sweet-smelling savour," was, in Scripture-phrase, such a sacrifice as God accepted, and was pleased with; see Gen. viii. 21. SECTION IX. CHAPTER V. 3-20. CONTENTS. THE next sort of sins he dehorts them from are those of intemperance, especially those of uncleanness, which were so familiar, and so unrestrained among the heathens. TEXT. 3 But fornication and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not once be named amongst you, as becometh saints: PARAPHRASE. 3 But fornication and all uncleanness, or exorbitant desires in venereal matters, let it not be once named amongst you, as NOTE. 3 The word in the Greek is ove, whichproperly signifies covetousness, or an intemperate, ungoverned love of riches: but the chaste style of the Scripture makes use of it, to express the letting loose of the desires to irregular, venereal pleasures, beyond what was fit and right. This one can hardly avoid being convinced of, if one considers how it stands joined with these sorts of sins, in those many places which Dr. Hammond mentions, in his note on Rom. i. 29, and ch. iv. 19, of this epistle, and ver. 5, of this ch. v. compared with |
