Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
Duties of Children to their Parents. EPHESIANS VL Of Servants to their Masttrt, duty Is more expressly prescribed to children than to parents; for love descends rather than asceiids. [Ben» GEL.] This verse proves the law in the Old Testament U not abolished. 3. long on the earth—In Exodus 20. 12, " long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee," which St. Paul adapts to Gospel times, by taking away tho local and limited reference peculiar to the Jews in Canaan. The godly are equally blessed in every land, as th« Jews were in the land which God gave them. This prom-
MSS., have them. 31. For this cause—The propagation of the Church from Christ, as that of Eve from Adam, Is the foundation of the spiritual marriage. The natural marriage, wherein "a man leaves father and mother (the oldest MSS. omit 'his') and is joined unto his wife," is not the principal thing meant here, but the spiritual marriage represented by It, and on which it rests, whereby Christ left the Father's bosom to woo to Himself the Church out of a lost world: «. 32 proves this: His earthly mother as mch, also, He holds in secondary account as compared with His spiritual Bride (Luke 2. 48, ig; 8.19-21; 11.27,28). He shall again leave His Father's abode to consummate the union (Matthew ise is always fuia Ued, either literally, or by the substltation of a higher blessing, viz., one spiritual and eternal (Job 5. 26 ; Proverbs 10. 27). The substance and essence o{ the law are eternally In force: Its accidents alone (applying to Israel of old) are abolished (Romans 6. 15). 4» fathers— including mothers; the fathers are specified aa being the fountains of domestic authority. Fathers are more prone to passion In relation to their children than mothers, whose fault is rather over-indulgence, provok* not—irritate not, by vexatious commands, unreasonable blame, and uncertain temper. [Alford.] Colossians 3.
25. 1-10; Revelation 19. 7). tUey two shall he one fleshSo the Samaritan Pentateuch, LXX., Ac, read (Genesis
2. 24), instead of " they shall be one flesh." So Matthew
19. o. In natural marriage, husband and wife combine the elements of one perfect human being: the one being Incomplete without the other. So Christ, as God-man, is pleased to make the Church, the body, a necessary adjunct to Himself, the Head. He is the archetype of the Church, from whom and according to whom, as the pattern, she is formed. He is her Head, as the husband Is of the wife (Romans 6. 5; 1 Corinthians 11.3; 15. Jo). Christ will never allow any power to sever Himself and His bride, Indissolubly Joined (Matthew 19.6; John 10.28, 29; 13. 1).
21, "lest they be discouraged." nnrtnre Greek, "discipline," viz., training by chastening in act where needed (Job 5. 17; Hebrews 12.7). admonition—training by word* (Deuteronomy 6.7; Proverbs 22.6, Margin, "catechise"), whether of encouragement, or remonstrance, or reproof, according as is required. [Trench.] Contrast 1 Samuel
3. 13, Margin, of the Lord—such as the Lord .approves, and by His Spirit dictates. 5. Servants— " slaves." mnsters according to the flesh—in contrast to your true and lieavenly Master (u. 4). A consolatory hint that the mastership to which they were subject, was but for a time [Ciirysostom] ; and that their real liberty was still their own (1 Corinthians 7. 22). fear and trembling—not slavish terror, but (1 Corinthians 2. Z,Note; 2 Corinthians 7.15) an anxious eagerness to do your duty, and a fear of displeasing, as great as is produced in the ordinary slave by " threatenings" (v. 9). singleness—without double-mlndedness, or "eye-service" (v. 6), which seeks to please outwardly, without the sincere desire to make the master's interest at all times the first consideration (1 Chronicles 29.17; Matthew 6.22,23; Luke 11.34). "Simplicity." ft. (Colossians 3. 22.) Seeking to please their masters only so long as these have their eyes on them : as Gehazi was a very different man in his master's presence from what he was In his absence (2Klugs5). men-plcnsers—not Chrlst-
Rather, " This mystery Is a great one." This profound truth, beyond man's poiver of discovering, but now revealed, viz., of the spiritual union of Christ and tlje Church, represented by the marriage union, is a great one, of deep Import. See iVote, I'. 30. So "mystery" is used of a Divine truth not to be discovered save by revelation of God (Romans 11.2d; 1 Corinthians 15. 51). The Vulgate wrongly translates, "This Is a great sacrament," which Is made the plea by the Romish Church (in spite of the blunder having been long ago exposed by their own commentators, CajetAN and Estius) for making marriage a socromeni ;
It is plain, not marriage in general, but that of Christ and the Church, is what is pronounced to be a "great mystery," as the words following prove, "/(emphatic) say it In regard to Christ and to the Church" (so the Greek is best translated). "I, while I quote these words out of Scripture, use them in a higher sense." [Conybeare and HowsoN.] 33. Nevertheless—Not to pursue furtlier the mystical meaning of marriage. Translate a,s Greek, "Do ye also (as Christ does) severally each one so love," <Sc. The words, " severally each one," refer to them in their individual capacity, contrasted with the previous collective View of the members of the Church as the bride of Christ.
ple.'tsers (cf. Galatians 1. 10; 1 Thessalonians 2. 4). doing the will of God—the unseen but ever-present Master : the best guarantee for your serving faithfully your earthly master alike when present and when absent, from the heart—?i7., soul (Psalm 111. 1 ; Romans 13. 5). 7. good will —expressing his feeling towards his master; as "doing the will of God from the heart" expresses the source of that feeling (Colossians 3. 2;i). "Good will" is stated by Xenophon (Economics) to be the principal virtue of a slave towards his master: a real regard to his master's interest as if his own, & good will which not even a master's severity can extinguish. 8. any man Aoeth— Greek, "any man shall h.tve done," t. e., shall be found at the Loi-d's coining to have done, the same—In full payment. In heaven's currency, shall . . . receive—(2 Corinthians 5.
CHAPTER VI.
' Ver. 1-24. Mutual Duties of Parents and Children: Masters and Servants: Our Life a Wartare: The Spiritual Armour Needed against Spiritual Foes. Conolusion. 1. obey—Stronger than the expression as to wives, "submitting," or "being subject" (ch.5. 21). Obedience Is more unreasoning and Implicit; submission is the willing stibjcctiori of an inferior in point of order to one who has a right to command, in the Lord—Both parents and children being Christians "in the Lord," expresses the element In which the obedience Is to take place, and the motive to obedience. In Colossians 3.20, It is, "Children, obey your parents mall things." This clause, "iu the Lord," would suggest the due limitation of the obedience required (Acts 5.29; cf. on the other hand, the abuse, Mark
10; Colossians 3. 25; but all of grace, Luke 17. 10.) bond or free—(1 Corinthians 7.22; 12. 13; Galatians 3. 2S; Colossians
3.11.) Christ does not regard such distinctions In His present dealings of grace, or in His future judgment. The slave that has acted faithfully for the Lord's sake to his master, though the latter may not repay his faithfulness, shall have the Lord for his Paymaster. So the freeman who has done good for the Lord's sake, though man may not pay him, has the Lord for his Debtor (Proverbs 19. 17). 9. the same things—3/ii/ai4 mutandis. Show the same regard to God's will, and to your servants' well-being, in your relation to them, as they ought to have In their relation to you. Love regulates the duties both of servants and masters, as one and the same light attempers varioud colours. Equality of nature and faith is superior to distinctions of rank. [Bengel.] Christianity makes all men brothers: of. Leviticus 25. 42, 43; Deuteronomy 15, 12; Jeremiah 34,14 as to how the Hebrews were bouud to treat
7. 11-13). right—Even by natural law we should render obedience to them from wliom we have derived life. 2. Here the authority of revealed law is added to that of natural law. which Is. . .promise—The "promise" Is not made the main motive to obedience, l>ut an Incidental one. The main motive is, because It Is God's will (Deuteronomy 5. 16, "Honour thy father and mother, as the Lord thy God COMMANDED thee"); and that it Is so peculiarly, is shown by His accompanying It "with a promise." Ant—in the decalogue with a special promise. The prom Ihi lu the second commandment Is a generalone. Their 3aC