upon a life like this? They made the thing, saith he, their “work.”321 Hence their “hardening”
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(ver. 19), hence the “darkness of their understanding.” There is such a thing as being in the
dark, even while the light is shining, when the eyes are weak; and weak they become, either
by the influx of ill humors, or by superabundance of rheum. And so surely is it also here;
when the strong current of the affairs of this life overwhelms the perceptive power of the
understanding, it is thrown into a state of darkness. And in the same way as if we were placed
in the depths under water, we should be unable to see the sun through the quantity of water
lying, like a sort of barrier, above us, so surely, in the eyes of the understanding also a
blindness of the heart takes place, that is, an insensibility, whenever there is no fear to agitate
the soul. “There is no fear of God,” it saith, “before his eyes” (Ps. xxxvi. 1.); and again, “The
fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Ps. xiv. 1.) Now blindness arises from no
other cause than from want of feeling; this clogs the channel; for whenever the fluids are
curdled and collected into one place, the limb becomes dead and void of feeling; and though
thou burn it, or cut it, or do what thou wilt with it, still it feels not. So is it also with those
persons, when they have once given themselves over to lasciviousness: though thou apply
the word to them like fire, or steel, yet nothing touches, nothing reaches them; their limb
is utterly dead. And unless thou canst remove the insensibility, so as to touch the healthy
members, everything thou doest is vain.
“With greediness,” saith he.
Here he has most completely taken away their excuse; for it was in their power, if at
least they chose it, not to be “greedy,”322 nor to be “lascivious,” nor gluttonous, and yet to
enjoy their desires. It was in their power to partake in moderation323 of riches, and even of
pleasure and of luxury; but when they indulged the thing immoderately,324 they destroyed
all.
321 [Namely, “to work all uncleanness,” &c.—G.A.]
322 [From the word used by Chrysostom as the antithesis of πλεονεκτεῖν, namely, μετὰ συμμετρίας (and
compare ἀμέτρως below) it is evident he understood the phrase ἐν πλεονεξί& 139·, as the Revisers of Eng. Ver.
do, “with greediness.” But Meyer denies that the word πλεονεξία ever means anything but “covetousness” in
the New Test. So also Ellicott.—G.A.]
323 [From the word used by Chrysostom as the antithesis of πλεονεκτεῖν, namely, μετὰ συμμετρίας (and
compare ἀμέτρως below) it is evident he understood the phrase ἐν πλεονεξί& 139·, as the Revisers of Eng. Ver.
do, “with greediness.” But Meyer denies that the word πλεονεξία ever means anything but “covetousness” in
the New Test. So also Ellicott.—G.A.]
324 [From the word used by Chrysostom as the antithesis of πλεονεκτεῖν, namely, μετὰ συμμετρίας (and
compare ἀμέτρως below) it is evident he understood the phrase ἐν πλεονεξί& 139·, as the Revisers of Eng. Ver.
do, “with greediness.” But Meyer denies that the word πλεονεξία ever means anything but “covetousness” in
the New Test. So also Ellicott.—G.A.]
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Ephesians 4:17-19