15. See then that ye walk circumspectly, &c. Carefully avoiding the dangers which beset them on every side. See Prov. iv. 25-27. ¶ Not as fools, but as wise. "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes; but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise." Prov. xii. 15. The fool is heedless of danger; but the wise seek, both to discover and to shun it.

16. Redeeming the time. Improving the time present and future for useful purposes. The past is irrevocable. We should make a wise use of what remains. "Forestalling opportunity." - Conybeare. "Buying up for yourselves (making your own) the opportunity, the fitting season.' Ellicott.

Because the days are evil. Because Christians were surrounded, in those days, by manifold dangers, arising from persecution, temptation, and evil example, it behooved them to seize every opportunity for moral improvement and growth in grace.

17. Be ye not unwise, &c. See note on ver. 15.

18, 19. Be not drunk, &c. "Throughout the whole passage there is a contrast implied between the heathen and the Christian practice; e. g., when you meet, let your enjoyment consist not

20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church and he is the Saviour of the body.

24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the

in fulness of wine, but fulness of the spirit; let your songs be, not the drinking-songs of heathen feasts, but psalms and hymns, and their accompaniment, not the music of the lyre, but the melody of the heart; while you sing them to the praise, not of Bacchus or Venus, but of the Lord Jesus Christ." - Conybeare.

20. Giving thanks always, &c. Recognizing God as the Father, from whom cometh "every good gift and every perfect gift," James i. 17, the recipients of his bounty should thank him constantly. There seems to be a connection between this and the preceding verse, as if gratitude and thankfulness should be offered psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs." Some understand "all things" to indicate "all persons." If this bo the true interpretation, then the idea is similar to that expressed in 1 Tim. ii. 1.

"in

21. Submitting yourselves, &c. "Order is Heaven's first law;" and that it may exist, there must be proper subordination in civil society. This is the duty enforced and illustrated, in various particulars, in what follows.

22-24. Wives, submit yourselves, &c. See notes on 1 Cor. xi. 3-9. It has been well observed, that, "While Christianity designed to elevate the character of the wife, and to make her a fit companion of an intelligent and pious husband, it did not intend to destroy all subordination and authority."- Barnes.

in everything.

25 Husbands,love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies.

25-27. Husbands, love your wives, &c. "After this exhortation to wives, Paul subjoins one to husbands (comp. Col. iii. 19), on their side, not to abuse their power, but to love their wives, and that so as Christ loves the church, i. e., in self-devoting, self-sacrificing love, which had for its object the sanctification of the church. This self-sacrificing, sanctifying love, Paul requires of husbands also in marriage. Christ wishes to present the church for himself, i. e., for his joy and glory, in splendor and without spot. In portraying the spotless beauty, Paul plainly has in view the image of the bride,- -as Christ purifies and cleanses the church, so likewise a faithful husband wishes to deliver his wife from every moral stain."- Olshausen.

28-30. So ought men to love their wives, &c. There is an allusion here to the formation of the woman from man. Gen. ii. 20-25. The idea is, that the true interests of the husband and wife are identical; hence he promotes his own happiness by making her happy. Christ is the head of the church, here styled his body, and in a more extensive sense, of all men, see note on Rom. xii. 5; and as such he loves all the members of his body and cherishes them; thus also should husbands love their wives and cherish them. 31. For this cause, &c. This is

29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

33 Nevertheless, let every

quoted from Gen. ii. 24, where the original institution of marriage is recorded. See note on Matt. xix. 5.

32. This is a great mystery. See note on Rom. xi. 25. T But I speak concerning Christ and the church. "The ey is emphatic: I, while I quote these words out of the Scriptures, use them in a higher sense." Conybeare. "This, it seems to me, is an explicit disclaimer of any intention to be understood as affirming that the marriage contract was designed to be a type of the union of the Redeemer and his people. The apostle says expressly that his remarks do not refer to marriage at all when he speaks of the mystery. They refer solely to the union of the Redeemer and his people. Marriage is an important, a holy, a noble, a pure institution, altogether worthy of God; but it does not thence follow that marriage was designed to be a type of the union between Christ and the church, and it is certain that the apostle Paul meant to teach no such thing."-Barnes.

33. Nevertheless, &c. The apostle resumes the subject of the relative duties of husbands and wives, from which, as was his wont, he had turned aside to speak of Christ's great love to his body, the universal church. What he says here is substantially an emphatic repetition of ver. 22-28.

1. Children, obey your parents, &c. The necessity of order and subordination is further urged in regard to parents and children, and masters and servants. The duty of children to obey their parents, who are their natural protectors, cannot be made more plain by argument. T In the

Lord. That is, so far as the commands of the parents are consistent with the divine law. No parent has a right to command his child to commit sin, or to disobey God, or to violate the established laws of the country in which he resides. With such limitation, children are bound to obey their parents.

2. Honor thy father and mother. See note on Matt. xv. 4. First commandment with promise. "With a promise annexed to it. The promise was, that their days should be long in the land which the Lord their God would give them. It is not to be supposed that the observance of the four first commandments would not be attended with a blessing, but no particular blessing is promised. But the promise of the fifth commandment is a special promise. It does not relate to obedience to God in general, but it is a particular assurance that they who honor their parents shall have a particular blessing as the resuit of that obedience."- Barnes.

3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters, according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

6 Not with eyeservice, as

"Honor thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." Length of days was one of the blessings attached to obedience, under the Jewish law; and in all ages, there can be no doubt that virtue and sobriety have a natural tendency to prolong human life. See note on ver. 2.

4. And ye fathers, provoke not, &c. All duties are reciprocal. If the child is bound to love the parent, the parent is bound to exhibit an affectionate character worthy of love. 1 John iv. 19. If the child is bound to obey the parent, ver. 1, the parent is equally bound to lay no unnecessary, unreasonable burden on the child, which might provoke him to wrath, and excite a spirit of disobedience and rebellion.

Very

In the nurture, &c. Under the influence of the divine commandments. 5. Servants, be obedient, &c. probably the persons here addressed were held in bondage, though the word douλot indicates not only slaves, but those who owe service by virtue of a voluntary contract. See notes on Rom. i. 1; 1 Cor. vii. 21.

6. Not with eyeservice, &c. Not merely while the master's eye is fixed on you, as if your only object was to please him by apparent diligence; but rather yielding faithful service, like a true Christian. The "servant of Christ" will perform his duty cheerfully, whether watched or not. See note on 1 Cor. vii. 22.

men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to

men:

8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

neither is there respect of persons with him.

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spir

8. Knowing that whatsoever good thing, &c. A just recompense of reward will be rendered to all faithful endeavors, without regard to social position. See notes on Rom. ii. 6, 7.

9. And ye masters, &c. "And the masters must use their servants, as fathers were appointed to use their children, ver. 4, not wrathfully and imperiously, but calmly and gently, either as knowing that they themselves have a Master to obey, who commands them to do thus; or knowing that you and they are but fellowservants in respect of Christ, and, indeed, that if masters do not their duty they shall be as punishable before God as any others of the most inferior degree, God favoring or sparing none upon so slight considerations as these, of their being greater men in this world than others." Hammond. 10. Be strong in the Lord, &c. The Ephesians were in the midst of dangers; on the one hand, their Gentile brethren would gladly turn them again to idolatry, and for this purpose were ready, not only to flatter and tempt, but also to persecute them; on the other, the Jews and Judaizing Christians were zealous to bring them under bondage to the ritual law, and

11. The whole armor of God. note on 2 Cor. vi. 7. The figure is military, and is elaborated in the succeeding verses. T The wiles of the devil. The cunning devices of the adversary. See notes on ch. iv. 27; Matt. iv. 1. "The devices of the accuser.". Wakefield. The character of the adversary, here styled diáBolos the devil, is indicated in ver. 12, somewhat in detail.

12. For we wrestle, &c. "For we not only have to wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the authority, against the powers, against the rulers, of this dark age; against the wickedness of spiritual men, in a heavenly dispensation, namely, against Jewish governors, who have a dispensation of religion from heaven, as well as against heathen magistrates, under the darkness of superstition and idolatry."-Wakefield. Flesh and blood. This expression may indicate the fleshly lusts and passions; but more probably the reference is to mankind in general, in contradistinction to those who exercised political or ecclesiastical author