An excerpt from
John Gill's Expositor
on Ephesians 5:18.
Gill explains that Scripture forbids excessive drinking,
but permits drinking of wine in moderation.
Ver. 18. And be not drunk
with wine, wherein is excess, &c. The sin of drunkenness
here dehorted from, is a custom, or habit, of voluntary excessive drinking
of any strong liquor, whereby the mind is disturbed, and deprived of the
use of reason: though wine is only here mentioned, that being the usual
liquor drank in the eastern countries, yet the same holds good of any other
strong liquor, as of that; nor is drinking wine for necessary use prohibited,
nor for honest delight and lawful pleasure; but excessive drinking
of it, and this voluntary, and with design, and on purpose; otherwise persons
may be overtaken and intoxicated, through ignorance of the strength of
the liquor, and their own weakness; and it is a custom, or habit of excessive
drinking, for not a single act, but a series of actions, a course of living
in this sin, denominates a man a drunkard; and generally speaking, excessive
drinking deprives persons of the use of reason, though not always; and
such are criminal, who are mighty to drink wine, and strong to mingle strong
drink; as are also such, who though not guilty of this sin themselves,
are the means of it in others: the sin is very sinful; it is one of the
works of the flesh; it is an abuse of the creature; it is opposed to walking
honestly; for it persons are to be excluded from the communion of the church;
and, without the grace of true repentance, shall not inherit the kingdom
of heaven: many things might be said to dissuade from it; it hurts the
mind, memory, and judgment; deprives of reason, and sets a man below a
beast; it brings diseases on the body, and wastes the estate; it unfits
for business and duty; it opens a door for every sin, and exposes to shame
and danger; and therefore should be carefully avoided, and especially by
professors of religion:
but be filled with the Spirit;
that is, "with the Holy Spirit", as read the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic
versions; with the gifts and graces of the Spirit: some have been filled
with them in an extraordinary way, as the apostles on the day of Pentecost;
and others in an ordinary manner, as common believers; and who may be said
to be filled with the Spirit, as with wine, or instead of it, or in opposition
to it, when the love of God is shed abroad in their hearts by the Spirit,
which is compared to wine, for its antiquity, purity, and refreshing nature;
and they are filled with it, who have a comfortable sense of it, and a
firm persuasion of interest in it, and are delighted with the views of
it, and are as it were inebriated with it; and they are filled with the
Spirit, in whom his grace is a well of living water, and out of whose belly
flow rivers of it; and who have a large measure of spiritual peace and
joy, expressed in the following manner.
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