Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 2 · Chapter 2 · Verse and explication 2
Vers. 2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
HE proveth they were thus dead in sins and trespasses from their walking in, and making a daily trade of sin, without striving against it, or any through remorse for it: which wofull walk of theirs he doth illustrate from two guides, which they followed, and by which they were carried-on, and incouraged in their sinfull course. The first was, the universal corrupt course and custom of the world (that is of wicked men in the world, Psal. 17. 14.) in all ages, which had become a Law for them to walk by; The second guide was Satan, who is here called a prince; not only, because there being a number of those unclean spirits, they are joyned as one politick body among themselves under one, who is as prince and head of the rest, Mat. 12. 24. and 25. 41. but also and mainly, because of that power which all the Devils, and chiefly their head and prince, have over wicked men in the world, Joh. 14. 30. 2 Cor. 4 4. even over the children of disobedience, which princely power of his, is described from the place, where by God's permission he doth exercise it, to wit, the region of the air; he doth exercise it also in the earth, and hell, 1 Pet. 5. 8. and therefore these must not be here excluded, but rather included, as being below the region of the air. It is described also from the subjects of his kingdom, to wit, those, who are not only so obstinate in evil, that they cannot be perswaded by any means to relinquish it (as the word in the Original, rendred disobedience, implyeth) but also are judicially given over to disobedience, and fully under the power of it, which is expressed, while they are called children of disobedience, according to the custom of the holy language, whereby those, who are fully given over, and under the power of any vice, are said to be the children of that vice, Hos. 2. 4. concerning which obstinat sinners the Apostle affirmeth that the spirit of Satan did uncessantly and without intermission work most powerfully in them, by driving them unto all manner of evil without any stay or hinderance. See Joh. 8. 41, 44. Doct. 1. The depth of man's naturall misery is so great, that even the renewed Children of God cannot reach it at one view, nor be sufficiently convinced of it, until the Word of the Lord do frequently inculcate and lay it forth in its wofull parcels, yea, and bear-in upon them the truth of it by most convincing reasons, taken from their own sense and experience: for, the Apostle, speaking to the converted Ephesians, seeth a necessity, not only to declare in the general that they had been dead in sins and trespasses, but also to prove it was so, and to point-forth that wofull death at large in this verse; Wherein in time past ye walked, &c. 2. Though even the Regenerate have a body of sin and death dwelling in them, Rom. 7. 24. and do sometimes actually fall in sin, yea, even very grosse sins, 2 Sam. 11. 4. and 12. 9. yet they do not walk in sin, that is, sin is not to the Child of God, as the way to the travellor, so as to make it his daily trade and imployment, Psal. 1. 1. or, to sin without any reluctancy flowing from a spirituall principle against that which he knoweth to be sin, Gal. 5. 17. And so, as to walk after sin, by making sin, and suggestions to sin his guide, whom he doth willingly follow, Rom. 8. -1. although sin may conquer, and carry him as an unwilling captive, Rom. 7. -14. &c. for, Paul maketh their walking in sin an argument to prove that they were dead in sin, and therefore it cannot fall upon the Regenerate; Wherein in time past ye walked. 3. Such is the power of converting grace, that it causes men change their former way and course, though they have been never so much rooted in it, and habituated to it: for, while he saith, Wherein in time past ye walked, he implyeth there was a change wrought, and that they did not so walk in the time present. 4. While Scripture affirmeth that Christ hath taken away the sins of the world, Job. 1. -29. and is a propitiation for the sins of the whole world, 1 Joh. 2. 2. it is no cogent argument to prove, that Christ hath died for all and every one in the world; seing the word world doth not alwayes, when mentioned in Scripture, comprize all who are in the world, but must be astricted to the universality of some certain kind of people in the world, as the nature of the purpose in hand will bear: for, here the world, whose course the unconverted Ephesians did follow, must be the world of unrenewed men only, and cannot be extended so, as to comprehend the godly and renewed, who were also in the world; Ye walked according to the course of this world. 5. The Lord is so far from being moved with the merit or worth of those, whom He doth convert, to bestow converting grace upon them, rather than on others, whom He leaveth in their unconverted state, that He maketh this grace of His to fall upon such as are in no respect better than those whom He passeth by: for, those Ephesians before conversion walked according to the course of this world, that is, they were behind with none in sin and wickednesse. 6. As the generall corrupt custom and example of those with whom we live, or who have lived in the former ages of the world before us, is a strong incitement and sufficient excuse in the minds of many to follow the multitude in doing evil without further enquiry; So it argueth a man to be yet in an unrenewed estate, when he maketh the example of others the highest rule, according to which he walketh, and laboureth to conform himself unto it more than to the will of God: for, the Apostle sheweth the general custom and course of the world, was the rule by which they walked, and an encouragement to them in their walk, and maketh this an argument to prove they were then dead in sins and trespasses; Wherein (saith he) in time past ye walked according to the course of this world. 7. All men in their unrenewed state, are very slaves to Satan, whose wofull motions and suggestions they follow, and whom they resemble and imitate in their sin and wickednesse: for, so much is implyed, while he saith, They walked according to the prince of the power of the air, that is, the Devil. 8. Though the Devils and fallen Angels have alwayes an hell, horror and torment in their conscience whereever they are, 2 Pet. 2. 4. yet they are not alwayes in hell, that place of torment, which is prepared for Devils and Reprobates, Mat. 25. 41. they are also present in the earth and air, and there through divine permission have no small power, even so great, as they are able to move the elements, bring down fire upon earth, Job 1. 16. raise storms, Job 1. 19. to smite mens bodies with several diseases, Job 2. 7. yea, and to take away the lives of men (Job 1. 19.) and beasts, Mark 5. 13. which power of theirs in its exercise, is alwayes over-ruled and limited by God, Job 1. 12. and 2. 6. in so far, as His most holy and over-ruling providence doth thereby bring about His own design and purpose, which is either to execute deserved judgment upon the wicked, Mark 5. 13, 17. or, to exercise and try the godly, Job 1. 12, &c. for, Satan is called Prince of the power of the air, that is, who hath power in the air. 9. As the Devils are of a spiritual nature and substance, and cannot be seen by bodily eyes, but when they appear cloathed with bodies, which belong not naturally unto them, but for a time are assumed by them, 1 Sam. 28. 14. So, the way by which Satan doth impart his temptations unto us, is not alwayes sensible, but often unperceivable by the outward senses; he doth most certainly tempt to sin, and yet the tempted sinner perceiveth him not: for, as this spiritual and unperceivable way of tempting doth follow upon his spirituall and immateriall substance; So also the words, rendred the spirit which worketh, may relate either to his nature, as being spiritual, or to his way of working, while he tempteth, to wit, by way of inspiration and a kind of breathing; the words may be so constructed as to bear either, though the first be mainly intended; The spirit that now worketh, or, his spirit now working. 10. Though there have been, and yet are some fair flourishes of praisworthy vertues and actions seemingly good in men unrenewed, Rom. 2. 14. yet every unrenewed man, and chiefly those who are come to age and understanding, are very slaves to sin, and so addicted to the actual service, though not of all and every sin in particular (for, that were impossible) yet of some one idol or other, whether of their pleasure, profit, or credit; that they cannot but go on in the service of it, without all possibility of being reclaimed by any created strength: for, so much is implyed, while unregenerate men are called children of disobedience, that is, men addicted and given over to disobedience, so that they cannot be perswaded to relinquish it. 11. Satan's way of working in, and with obstinate godlesse sinners, is most efficacious and powerfull: he cannot indeed work any change upon the will, by creating new principles or habits in it, which before were not, as God doth, Jer. 31. 33. but, he can not only tempt to sin, by propounding aluring baits and objects to the outward senses, or inward fansie, which he may do to any man, whether good or bad, 2 Sam. 11. 2. but also, when God judicially giveth over a sinner unto Satan, withdrawing even His restraining grace from him, Then doth Satan multiply his temptations without any intermission, useth the utmost of created endeavours, whereby and through God's up-giving the sinner formerly mentioned, and because of the seed and root of all sin, which is in the sinner by nature, there is no sort of wickednesse, unto the acting whereof Satan will not get him willingly driven and carried: for, saith he, The spirit which now (that is, even in the mean time, constantly, and without intermitting the shortest moment, or now) worketh in the children of disobedience; the word doth signifie to work with pith and efficacy. 12. Though even the godly are not free from being tempted by Satan; yea, nor yet from yeelding sometimes to his temptations, 1 Chron. 21. 1, 2. yet, he doth not work efficaciously in them, and so, as is described in the former Doctrine: for, he astricteth this way of Satans working to unregenerate men; The spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.