again in the second Adam, so that he becomes a new creation in Christ Jesus. The character of this new nature is "righteousness and holiness of truth," in uprightness towards men and purity towards God. Thus the converts are warned of the Ephesian tendency towards the corruption of morals, and have set before them the renewal in righteousness and holiness in contrast with Gentile uncleanness and greediness.

Ver. 25. Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour; for we are members one of another. "Wherefore." Because, that is, of the new nature which they had assumed: because they had put off the old man and had put on the new man, let them bring forth fruit meet for that new character. So now to the end of the chapter we have a series of practical exhortations bearing on the actions of daily life, beginning with one on lying. Putting away, or having once for all put away, lying or falsehood, in the broadest sense of the expression, they are to speak the truth. The negative and positive characteristics are here referred to. There was a habit of falsehood springing out of selfishness, universally prevalent among all heathen nations; still prevalent among and characteristic of all non-Christian nations. This habit they, by their profession of Christ, had put off. The fallen nature is essentially selfish, and selfishness is the essence of sin, for sin is just the preference of self to God. And the selfish nature, disregarding God, disregards anything and everything that interferes with its own selfish aims and ends. This, in the profession of faith in Christ, is put off and put away, and a positive characteristic takes its place in contrast to it, namely, a profound and pervasive regard for truth. "Speak every man truth with his neighbour." This exhortation is strengthened by the statement, "for we are members one of another." How is it that Christians are members one of another? The reference is not to mere social ties, but to the great truth that, being all members of the body of Christ, members of Him who is the Truth and the Life, we are members not merely of one body, but of one another. We are identified with each other in Christ, and this instinctively leads Christians to truth towards one another. "One member could not injure another without injuring himself, as all have a common spiritual life and interest."

Ver, 26. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.

The Bible does not forbid anger in all circumstances. There is a righteous indignation against sin, which the good not only may but ought to feel. We have an example of this in the

case of our Lord Himself, on that occasion when “He looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts." The anger was for the dishonour done to His Father, and His Father's divine law of love. For the offenders, the sentiment was grief or sorrow. But the extent or kind of anger that is permissible is clearly set forth; it must be sinless. Be ye angry, but sin not. Let no passion, or hatred, or bitterness, mingle with it. When anger arises in our bosoms, let us test it at once by this touchstone, Will it stand defence before the judgment-seat of Christ.

Some have thought that the next clause limits the period to which anger may extend. But the mood of mind referred to in it is a totally different one. Wrath means personal irritation or exasperation, and is in this sentence forbidden. Let not the sun go down upon it; do not indulge it even for a day; let it have no existence in your soul. How appropriate this exhortation is we can all see. So also do we all feel the difficulty of acting up to it. But He who is our great exemplar was meek and lowly. No wrath or bitterness had ever any place in his life. And He who calls on us to follow in His footsteps will, in answer to our asking, give us the needed grace and strength to overcome the temptation to wrath, and, in the words of the next verse

Ver. 27. Neither give place to the devil.

Nor yet, or also do not, give room or opportunity to the devil to be active or operative. As Peter puts it, "resist the devil." The great enemy and adversary of souls is here spoken of; he is real and personal, and he is ever active; he goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The apostle has just been speaking of anger and wrath, and he now indicates that the indulgence of such a mood of mind is just providing opportunity for the great adversary to get the advantage of us. This great adversary has many names given him in Scripture, according to the phases of his character desired to be brought before us. His personal name is Satan, "the adversary," embodying his intense hatred and antagonism to God and man. The name "devil" again presents him to us as the accuser or calumniator; and this is the name which is appropriate here, as indicating the advantage he is ever prepared to take of any outburst of unchristian feeling in the followers of Jesus towards their fellow-men. The general exhortation, then, to give him no scope or field to accuse, or no opportunity to carry out his schemes, has here a particular application. Give him no scope in this field—this matter of wrath or anger-to be the devil, the accuser, the calumniator, so far as you are concerned. What

point and force is thus given to the exhortation against wrath! It is held up as the joint of the harness where the devil's arrows find easy ingress. This is the universal testimony of Scripture. "The works of the flesh are-wrath." "Put off all these, anger,

wrath, malice." "Lifting up holy hands without wrath."

This is a most insidious wile or cunning plan of the adversary to ensnare men. The feeling is so natural, and rises so spontaneously in the human heart, and it seems withal to be so right to resent injury, and to be angry with him who injures. In the world's language, it is manly and noble to resent; and he who meekly suffers is a coward and a poltroon. But how different is the language of heaven! Paul could say, "I was injurious, but I obtained mercy." "God hath commended His love towards us, that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." To us, for whom He died, His command is, "Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you; and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you." Thus shall we resist, and give no place to the devil.

Ver. 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.

The grace of Christ takes possession of all classes of characters and changes them. Among these Ephesians there appear to have been some who, before the truth took possession of them, lived by stealing. The mountains near Ephesus were the abodes of bandits. Perhaps some of these, coming into the city to turn to account their ill-gotten gains, heard the word at Paul's mouth, and joined themselves to the Christians. Let the stealer steal no more. Amongst Pagan nations theft was not universally condemned. Much depended on the circumstances of it. But in the Church of Christ no circumstances were permitted to justify it. Cease absolutely it must. Let the stealer steal no more. Clear, distinct, ringing, is the word on that point. But that is not all. What is he to do? Hitherto he has been living on the produce of the industry of others. He must not only cease that now, but be himself industrious, and labour with his hands, his own hands. A fine and forcible contrast to the hands of others, on whose labour he formerly lived. But not any sort of labour is enjoined. His thieving was perhaps laborious enough, but the new labour must be legitimate; in that which is good; to some useful proper end. He is to seek an honest livelihood. Furthermore, Christianity is comprehensive. That he should labour merely to live, would be but mean; a higher end and object of Christian labour is

set forth. The Christian should be a benefactor. He is the recipient of beneficence of the highest order; and he is to make it the object of his own labour, that he may be in a position to give to him that needeth. Worldliness is selfish, Christianity is expansive; its heart takes in the world. The man who has learned to love God manifests that love by loving his neighbour as himself.

Ver. 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.

This is an exhortation against all sorts of foolish as well as filthy talk. The word translated "corrupt "means insipid, worthless, thence putrid or corrupt and obscene. Thus, the apostle exhorts not merely against what is directly vile, but also what is foolish and useless, specifying that the conversation of the Christian should be to the use of edifying; "for edification in respect of need." Whatever the requirement of the hearer may be, let the utterance of the Christian meet it. "Not vague generalities, which would suit a thousand other cases equally well or ill; our words should be as nails fastened in a sure place, words suiting the present time and the present person, being for the edifying of the occasion." The utterance is to be such that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Man's words in themselves cannot give or bestow grace, but God has made speech the vehicle of conveying His blessing. In the highest degree He has imparted this power to His own Word; and correspondingly He has appointed that, through the utterances of Christian men, His grace or blessing may flow to them that hear.

To

In this we have portrayed to us another phase or aspect of the Christian's high calling-that he should ever be a light to those that are in darkness, a teacher to those who are ignorant, a witness of Christ to all with whom he comes in contact. this end he is to be circumspect in his speech, avoiding not only what is grossly scandalous, but all that is foolish, frivolous, and useless as well, ever speaking so that all who hear may be edified and instructed, and may receive through the spoken word the grace or blessing of Christ.

Ver. 30. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

A continuation of the warning of the previous verse; for the meaning surely is, Do not by corrupt or foolish conversation grieve or vex the Holy Spirit of God. A touching evidence of the love of God to us, that inconsistencies on our part grieve His Holy Spirit. Not that we are to suppose such a feeling in

the Almighty as if He was influenced by joy or grief, but these expressions are used to convey to us the great love He has for us, and the deep interest He takes in His own people. It is by the Holy Spirit that He abides with us. So we read, Isaiah lxiii. 10, they rebelled and vexed His Holy Spirit. See to it, then, says the apostle to the Ephesians, that ye do not, by your empty, worthless, or corrupt conversation, thus grieve them. And he enforces the exhortation by a reference to their privilege connected with the Holy Spirit; "whereby," more correctly, "in whom ye were sealed;" not are sealed, but were once for all sealed, with a sealing that was complete and continues potential. Once before Paul had spoken of believers being sealed in Christ; here he says they are sealed in the Holy Spirit. Christ and the Holy Spirit are one, and by the Holy Spirit Christ is revealed in the souls of believers. The Father seals; the Spirit is the seal. His indwelling and His gracious teaching is the seal or sign, and evidence of grace in the heart. This sealing is "unto the day of redemption;" the day when redemption shall be complete in the final deliverance of body as well as soul, and the assumption of both into that place where God wipes away all tears from off all faces, and there will be no more grieving, because no more sinning.

Vers. 31. 32. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven

you.

An appropriate winding-up of this portion of the exhortations. The apostle here groups together in striking contrast the things to be avoided and the things to be cultivated. All bitterness, every form of it, expressed in words or felt in the heart, is opposed to the kindness which is enjoined. Wrath or passion contrasts with tender-heartedness; anger or lasting resentment is met by forgiving one another. It is interesting to notice how the sequence of evil grows. Bitterness is the prevailing frame of mind, and it begets wrath and anger. These in turn give rise to clamour and evil-speaking, as their natural manifestation; malice being the active principle or root of the whole. Chrysostom, quoted by Fawcett, says of a horse carrying anger for its rider, "Bridle the horse and you dismount its rider." So says the apostle: Put away all bitterness. Extinguish the secret fire, which, because it is secret and fed from within, is the more formidable; and cultivate, on the other hand, all the opposite graces. Be ye, become ye. They were not pure yet, there were evil elements in them which had to be