Brief Exposition of Galatians and Ephesians, Exposition 2 · Chapter 5 · Verse and explication 18
Vers. 18. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excesse: but be filled with the Spirit:
IN this verse are other two of those precepts, which do belong to all Christians in generall, first, that they be not drunk with wine: where by wine is meaned all drink, which maketh drunk, set forth in one of its kinds, which is most generally known. And the Apostle's scope is not to forbid all use of wine; seing it may be lawfully used (as all other good creatures of God, 1 Tim. 4. 4.) for health, 1 Tim. 5. 23. for satisfying thirst, Rom. 12. 20. as also for a Christian and sober chearing up the naturall and vitall spirits upon some singular occasion, Joh. 2. 8. Prov. 31. 6. but he condemneth all excessive and inordinate use of wine, when more of it is taken than either natural necessity calleth-for, or Christian sober recreation and chearfulnesse doth allow, and so much as our bodies and spirits are thereby overcharged in some measure, lesse or more, and so rendered unfit for God's service, Luk. 21. 34. even although the use of naturall reason be not taken away by it, Isa. 5. 22. This disswasive from drunkennesse is inforced from the sad concomitant and consequence of this sin, called here excesse. The word signifieth lavish wasting, and destruction; which wasting destruction is extended elsewhere to the drunkards means, (Prov. 23. 21.) his reputation and credit, (Hab. 2. 16.) his natural strength of body (Prov. 23. 29.) his wit and judgement, (Hos. 4. 11.) yea, and to his soul for ever without repentance, 1 Cor. 8. 10. So that this one word hath a comprehensive sum of all those dreadfull consequences, which do accompany this one sin. Secondly, in opposition to their being drunk with wine, he exhorteth them to be filled with the Spirit of God, to wit, by labouring to have the fruits of the Spirit in all goodnesse, righteousnesse and truth, with joy, peace, and the comfortable sense of His presence abounding in them in a rich and copious measure. Doct. 1. Christians, as in all other things, so in their eating and drinking must be ruled by the Word, and neither by their own appetite, Prov. 23, 1, 2. nor the pleasure of others, Hos. 7. 5. for, he prescribeth a rule for their drinking; Be not drunk with wine, saith he. 2. So pernicious, and perverse is our naturall corruption, that those things, which God hath given to man for his help and good, are perverted by it, for bringing about his hurt, both in soul and body, and outward estate: for, wine, which is given for health and glading the heart of man, (Psal. 104. 15.) is abused to drunkennesse, and consequently to God's dishonour, and the man's own prejudice: so much is supponed, while he saith, Be not drunk with wine. 3. There is no sin more inconsistent with wise, circumspect and conscientious spending of time, than the sin of immoderate drinking is. Experience sheweth it consumeth time, casteth open doors to all wickednesse; burieth shame, which keepeth many from vice; and transformeth a man to a very beast, so that he neither knoweth nor careth what he doth; it is the mother of strifes and lust; driveth to stealing, lying, swearing, and what not? for, in opposition to the duty of walking circumspectly and redeeming the time, he mentioneth this sin of drunkennesse and forbiddeth it; And be not drunk with wine, saith he. 4. Such is the tyrannie of this sin, that where it is once given way to, it carrieth a man headlongs in the service of it, so that he valueth no losse, whether of credit, means, body, or soul, if he may get his bea…tly appetite satisfied: for, Paul supponeth many were given to this sin, though therein was excesse, or destruction, and losse of all the forementioned good things following upon it, while he saith, wherein, or in which being drunk or in which drunkenness there is excess, or losse and destruction. 5. Though a gracious person may through infirmity slip into this sin of drunkennesse, Gen. 19. 32, 33. yet a drunken course of life cannot consist with a mans having the spirit of grace in any plentifull measure; seing He is a spirit of temperance, chastity and moderation, Gal. 5. 23. and not of excesse: for, the adversative particle but, implyeth an opposition betwixt those two, drunkennesse, and enjoying the presence of the Spirit of God; Be not drunk with wine—but be filled with the Spirit. 6. We ought not to rest upon, and content our selves with, a small measure of the graces of Gods Spirit, but are to endeavour to be filled with them, and to have the Spirit of God dwelling richly in us, by actuating all our graces, Cant. 4. 16. and adding one degree of grace unto another; 2 Pet. 3. 18. for, he commandeth them not only to have, but to be filled with the Spirit. 7. What even fleshly sinfull pleasure a man doth find, or imagineth to find from any sinfull course, the same, and much more is to be had in a spirituall and divine manner in the way of grace: and particularly, a copious plentifull measure of the spirit of grace doth work the like effects spiritually, which wine immoderately taken doth bodily; It filleth the soul with joy and gladnesse, Psal. 4. 7. It maketh a man forget his former miseries, Job 11. 16. it enlargeth his heart, louseth his tongue, and maketh him eloquent in setting forth the Lords praises. Luk. 1. 67. 68. for, he recommendeth unto them to be filled with the spirit, as a remedy against their filling themselves with wine, and calleth the one a filling, or ebriety and drunkennesse, to wit, in a spiritual sense, as well as the other, in a bodily sense, because of the likenesse of effects betwixt them.