wisdom and understanding, for prudence and patience, for humility and meekness: a proud spirit would not agree with an angel, but the humble will agree with any person. CHAP. VI. CHILDREN, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother, (which is the first commandment with promise,) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. Our apostle, in the foregoing chapter, began to treat of relative duties, and concluded that chapter with the duties of husbands and wives; he begins this with the duty of children and parents to each other. And here we have observable, that he be gins with the duty of the inferior first, of the child to the parents, as he did before with the duty of the wife, chap. v. 22. He first puts them in mind of their duty who are to obey; that being the most difficult duty, and the persons concerned in it usually more defective, and the work less easy and pleasing to our nature. Observe, 2. The important duty which children are directed to the duty of obedience and honour: Children, obey: honour your father and mother. This duty of honour and obedience implies inward reverence, and a lawful estimation of their persons, and honouring of them in heart, speech, and behaviour; it implies also outward observance, a pious regard to their instructions, executing all their commands which are not sinful, depending on their counsels, and following their good examples, owning with thankfulness their parents' care and concern for them, and covering the failings and infirmities found in them. Observe, 2. The object of this duty: both parents, not the father alone, or the mother only, but both father and mother jointly. Children, obey your parents; honour thy father and thy mother: as obedience belongeth to all children, of what age, or sex, or condition soever, so are children obliged to obey both parents, the mother as well as the father, yea, she is named first, Lev. xix. 3. her sex being weaker, she is the more subject to contempt; and because the mother, in old age, is liable to be despised, God has particularly guarded about her, by his positive and express command, to free her from contempt, Prov. xxiii. 22. saying, Hearken to thy father which begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. Observe, 4. The noble principle from whence this obedience in children to parents ought to flow, namely, from the fear of God. Obey them in the Lord; that is, in obedience to his command, and in all things agreeable to his obedience: let not your obedience be barely will, fearing his displeasure in case of disnatural and prudential, but christian and religious. Observe, 5. The arguments used by our apostle to excite to the practice of this duty. The first argument is drawn from the equity of it, This is right; that is, the law of God and nature requires it. The great motive, which ought to excite us to the practice of any duty, is not so much the advantageousness, as the righteousness and equity, of the duty, as being commanded by God, and well pleasing in his sight: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. A second argument is, because this is the first commandment of the second table, which has a particular promise annexed to it: This is the first commandment with promise, that is, with an express promise; for every commandment hath both a promise and a threatening implied in it, and annexed to it; but this is the first commandment with a promise expressed, and that is a promise of long life, That thy days may be long; and this promise is always fulfilled, either in kind or in equivalency, either by enjoy. ing a long life on earth, or a better life in heaven. Learn hence, That although our first and chief motive to obedience be the equity and righteousness of what God requires, yet we may, as a secondary encou ragement, have respect to the promised reward, and particularly to the temporal advantage of our obedience. Long life is here promised to children, as an encourage. ment to obedience, which is in itself a very valuable mercy and blessing; and having eyed the command of God in the first place, they may and ought to have respect to the recompense of reward in the next place. 4 And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Here the duty of both parents to their children is laid down. Where note, 1. The apostle's dehortation, or negative precept, Provoke not your children to wrath, that is, Be not too severe towards them, abuse not your parental power over them, provoke them not, nor imbitter their spirits against you; by denying them what is convenient for them, by inveighing with bitter words against them, by unjust, unseasonable, or immoderate correction of them. To provoke or stir up any to sin, especially young ones, and particularly our children, renders us guilty before the Lord of all that sin which they have committed through our provocation: Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath. Note, 2. St. Paul's positive injunction given unto parents, Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Where, 1. He directs to their education, Bring them up. 2. To join nurture and admonition with their education, Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; that is, give them good instruction, withhold not early correction, set before them good example, begin with them betimes, and suffer not the devil, the world, and the flesh, to bespeak them for their service before you engage them for God's; and remember, that there is a tie of nature, a tie of interest, and a tie of religion, which parents are under thus to do: Provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture, &c. 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 eye-service, as 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 things any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. Observe here, 1. The general duty incumbent upon servants: that of obedience to their masters, according to the flesh, that is, in temporal things only; obey your earthly masters in things pertaining to the world, leaving the soul and conscience to God only, who alone is the sovereign Lord of it. Christian liberty is not inconsistent with civil subjection; such as are God's 2. 3. freemen may be servants to men, though not the servants of men; and, as servants, obedience is their duty in all lawful things. Observe, 2. The qualifications and properties of this obedience, which is due and payable from servants to masters. 1. It must be with fear and trembling, that is, with fear of displeasing them; yet they must not act barely from fear, but out of love, both to God and their master. It must be in singleness of heart, in great simplicity and sincerity of spirit, without guile, hypocrisy, and dissimulation. They must eye their great Master in heaven, in all the services they perform to their masters here on earth, not with eye-service. But how should servants have an eye to their great Master in heaven? Ans. They should have an eye to the presence of their great Master, to the glory of their great Master, to the command of their great Master, and to the assistance and acceptance of their Master in heaven. Learn hence, That our eyeing of God in all the services we perform, and making him the judge and spectator of all our actions, will be a singular help to make us sincere and single-hearted in all we do, and in all we design. Again, 4. Their service must be performed with good-will, that is, with cheerfulness and delight, not grudgingly, unpleasantly, or from fear of punishment only; eyeing the Lord Christ in all that That the meanest and basest services and service they do for men. Learn hence, employments, in the place and station which God sets us in, being done with right qualifications, with faithfulness and cheerfulness, from right motives, and for right ends, is service done to Christ, and as him: With good-will doing service, as such shall be accepted and rewarded by to the Lord, and not to men. Observe lastly, The reward which the Holy Ghost propounds, as an encouragement to poor servants in their obedience to their masters, and that is, the assurance of a reward from God, whatever disappointment they meet with from men; knowing that whatever a man doth out of obedience to the Lord, a reward of the same shall he receive, whether he be a poor bond-servant, or a free man and master. Note here, How the basest drudgery of servants, when performed in obedience to God, and with an eye at his glory, is called here a good work, and shall not fail of a good reward. Whatsoever good thing any man doeth: when a poor servant scours a ditch, or does the meanest drudgery, God will reward him for it; for he looketh not at the beauty, splendour, and greatness, of the work, but at the integrity and honesty of the work man; the mean and outwardly base works of poor servants, when honest and sincere, shall find acceptance with God, and be rewarded by him, as well as the more splendid, honourable, and expensive works, of their rich masters: the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9 And ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threat ening knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him. Here the master's duty to his servant is directed to, both generally, and more particularly; in general, he directs masters to do the same things to their servants; not the same things for kind, but for manner of doing them; that is, in obedience to the same command of God, with an eye to the same glory of God, with the same singleness of heart, with the same love and good-will. Here note, that the greatest masters, yea, the greatest prince and potentate upon earth, lie under obligations, in point of duty, to their servants and inferiors; and it ought to be as much their care to discharge their duty sincerely, cheerfully, with good-will, and eyeing their great Master in heaven, as it concerns the poorest sinner to obey them in and after the same manner; Ye masters, do the same things unto them. Next follow the particular directions given to masters; namely, to forbear threatenings; that is, let them not exercise their authority over them imperiously, and with rigour, but mildly, and with gentleness: rule them not tyrannically, but govern with moderation and temper. Lord, how ordinary is it for men in place and power a little above others, to insult over and trample upon others, forgetting that there is one above them, whom they must be accountable unto themselves! Forbearing threatenings, knowing that your Master also is in heaven, with whom there is no respect of persons. Here we have Almighty God described two ways: 1. From his magnificence and stately palace, in which his illustrious glory shineth: Your Master is in heaven; not as if he were only there, and not elsewhere, but eminently there, though every where else. 2. God is here described by his justice and impartiality in judging: There is no respect of persons with him; that is, when the rich master and poor servant come to stand upon a level before him, he will not respect either of them for their outward circumstances, but, as a just judge, reward them both according to their works. Thus our apostle concludes this exhortation to the practice and performance of relative duties, between husband and wife, parent and child, master and servant. He now closes his epistle with a special exhortation to all christians, to look upon themselves as spiritual soldiers, listed under Christ's exalted banner, engaged in a continual warfare with the world, and the prince of the world; and accordingly he bespeaks them in a martial phrase to the end of the chapter. 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. A Our apostle, calling us here forth to the christian warfare, gives forth first the word of encouragement to battle: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. christian, above all men, needs resolution, and a daring courage: if he be possessed with fear, he is unfit to go into the field; if dispirited with strong impressions of danger, how unready for the encounter! Cowards win neither earth nor heaven. But where lies the christian's strength? Verily, in the Lord, and not in himself; the strength of the whole host of saints lies in the Lord of hosts, and accordingly it ought to be the christian's great care, in all difficulties and dangers, to strengthen his faith on the almighty power of God. Observe, 2. A direction given how a saint may come to be strong in the Lord; namely, by putting on the whole armour of God; that is, by being clothed with the following graces, which are hereafter mentioned in this chapter; as, the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, the sword of the Spirit, &c. Now these are called armour of God, because they are of his appointment and institution, and of his make and constitution; and this armour must be put on, that is, our grace kept in continual exercise. It is one thing to have armour in the house, and another to have it buckled on in the field; it is not suffi cient to have grace in the habit and principle, but it is grace in act and exercise that must conquer spiritual enemies. Ob serve, 3. A reason assigned why the christian is to be thus completely armed: That he may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil; intimating, that the devil is one chief enemy we have to combat with in the christian warfare, and that this ene. my is a wily, subtle enemy, discovering his dangerous policy, first by tempting and alluring into sin, and then by vexing and tormenting for sin. But Satan, with all his wits and wiles, shall never finally vanquish (though he may, in a particular battle, overcoine) a soul clad with spiritual armour; nay, he that hath this armour of God on, shall certainly vanquish and overcome him: Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against, &c. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. The apostle mentioned our enemy in the former verse; here he describes the combat in this verse, We wrestle. A christian's life is a perpetual warfare, a continual wrestling; but with what, and with whom? Ans. Negatively, Not with flesh and blood; that is, not only or chiefly with flesh and blood, with human enemies; but we must grapple and contend with angelical powers, with devils, who are principalities and powers, &c. Note here, How the devil and his angels are described: 1. By their prince-like authority and government which they exercise in the world, called therefore principalities and powers, to denote that Satan is a great and mighty prince: a prince that has the heart and knee of all his subjects. 2. By the seat of his empire: he rules in this world, not in the other; the highest the devil can go, is the air; heaven fears him not. And he is a ruler of the darkness of this world: that is, in such sinners as labour under the darkness of sin and ignorance. 3. Satan and his angels are here described by their spiritual nature, called spiritual wickedness, that is, wicked spirits: intimating to us, that the devils are spirits; that they are spirits extremely wicked; and that these wicked spirits do chiefly annoy christians with, and provoke them to, spiritual wickedness. 4. They are described by their residence or place of abode: in high places; that is, in the air, of which he is called the prince. From the whole note, How plainly Christ our captain deals with all his soldiers, and the difference between Christ's dealing with his follow. ers, and Satan with his: Satan durst not let sinners know who that God is whom they fight against, but Christ is not afraid to show his saints their enemy in all his power and strength; well he might, because the weakness of God is stronger than the powers of hell. 14 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; preparation of the gospel of peace; 15 And your feet shod with the 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseand supplication for all verance saints; Observe here, 1. How our apostle having described the enemy in the foregoing verse, and set him forth in all his formidable strength and power, comes forth in the head of his Ephesian camp, gives a fresh alarm, and bids them arm! arm! Take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand in the evil day: intimating that an evil day is before us; that it will be of mighty advantage to us to be able to stand in the evil day; and that without the help of divine armour we cannot stand in that day. The sanctifying graces of God's Spirit are this armour: he that has not these, let his common gifts be never so gay and glorious, he will never hold out to fight the last battle, but fall into the enemy's hand, and be taken captive by him at his will. Observe next, How our apostle comes to describe the armour of God piece by piece, which the christian is to put on before he takes the field against the enemy. Here is the soldier's girdle, his breastplate, his shoes, his shield, his helmet, and his sword, all described; his offensive and defensive wea pons, wherewith soldiers of old used to arm their bodies from head to foot. Now the apostle assigneth to particular graces a use and excellency answerable to these pieces of armour, and shows that there is some resemblance between every grace and that piece of the bodily armour to which it is here compared; but observable it is, that although there be pieces of armour for all other parts of the body, here is none assigned for the back, nor back-parts, because there must be no running away, no hope of escaping by flight in this spiritual warfare: if we turn our back upon our enemy, we lie open to his darts, and are in danger of destruction; if we fight on, we have our second in the field, and are sure of victory, provided we enter the field in order, and stand to our arms, maintain our watch, keep our ground, and appear armed cap-apie, from head to foot, with the several pieces of armour here recommended: the first of which is the girdle of truth, ver. 14. Having your loins girt about with truth that is, sincerity of heart. Doth a girdle or belt adorn the soldier? so doth sincerity adorn the christian. Doth the girdle strengthen the soldier's loins? so doth sincerity strengthen the soul, and every grace in the soul: it is sincere faith, that is strong faith; it is sincere love, that is mighty love. Secondly The breast-plate of righteousness; by which is to be understood the love and practice of universal holiness. But why is this compared to a breast-plate? Ans. Because as the breastplate defends the most principal parts of the body, where the heart and vitals are closely couched together; thus holiness preserves the soul and conscience, the principal parts of a christian, from the wounds and harms of sin, which is the weapon that Satan uses to give conscience its deadly stab with. The third piece of christian armour is the spiritual shoe, fitted to the soldier's foot, and worn by him so long as he keeps the field against sin and Satan: the soldier's way is sometimes full of sharp stones, and sometimes strewed with sharp iron spikes stuck into the ground; the soldier will soon be wounded, or foundered, if not well shod. Therefore the direction here is, Let your feet be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace: that is, maintaining an holy readiness of spirit, and a resolute frame of heart, to undergo any suffering, and endure any hardship in your christian warfare; which frame of spirit being wrought in us by the doctrine of the gospel, is therefore called the preparation of the gospel of peace. The fourth piece of armour recommended above all to be put on, is the shield of faith; this is that grace by which we believe the truth of God's word in general, and depend upon Christ in particular, as crucified, for pardon and life, and this upon the warrant of the promise. But why is faith compared to a shield? Ans. Because, as the shield defends the whole body, so faith defends the whole man; the understanding from error, the conscience from searedness, the will from rebellion against the will and command of God. And as the shield defends the whole armour, as well as the soldier's whole body, it defends the breastplate, as well as the breast; so faith is our armour upon armour, a grace that preserves all other graces whatsoever. The fifth piece. of armour is mentioned, ver. 17. The hel met of salvation; by which the grace of hope is understood, which has for its object salvation, called therefore the hope of salvation. Salvation is the ultimate and comprehensive object of the christian's expectation; and it is compared to an helmet, because as the helmet defends the head, so doth the hope of salvation defend the soul; it keeps the head above water, and makes the christian bold and brave. Hope is a grace of singular use and excellent service to a christian, in the whole course of his christian warfare; it puts him upon noble services, it keeps him patient under the greatest sufferings, and it will enable the soul to wait long for the performance of divine promises. The sixth piece of spiritual armour is the sword, ver. 17. The former were defensive, but this is both an offensive and defensive weapon: such is the word of God. But why compared to a sword? Ans. In regard both of its necessity and excellency: the sword was ever esteemed a most necessary and useful part of the soldier's furniture; of such usefulness, necessity, and excellency, is the word of God, by which the christian doth defend himself, and offend his enemies. But why is it called the sword of the Spirit ? Ans. Because the Spirit was the author of it; the Spirit of God is the inter |