Wherefore become not unwise, but understanding what is the will of God.

“For indeed intemperance in this renders men passionate and violent, and hot-headed, and irritable and savage. Wine has been given us for cheerfulness, not for drunkenness. Whereas now it appears to be an unmanly and contemptible thing for a man not to get drunk. And what sort of hope then is there of salvation? What? contemptible, tell me, not to get drunk, where to get drunk ought of all things in the world to be most contemptible? For it is of all things right for even a private individual to keep himself far from drunkenness; but how much more so for a soldier, a man who lives amongst swords, and bloodshed, and slaughter: much more, I say, for the soldier, when his temper is sharpened by other causes also, by power, by authority, by being constantly in the midst of stratagems and battles. Wouldest thou know where wine is good? Hear what the Scripture saith, "Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto the bitter in soul." (Prov. xxxi. 6.) And justly, because it can mitigate asperity and gloominess, and drive away clouds from the brow. "Wine maketh glad the heart of man" (Ps. civ. 15), says the Psalmist. How then does wine produce drunkenness? For it cannot be that one and the same thing should work opposite effects. Drunkenness then surely does not arise from wine, but from intemperance. Wine is bestowed upon us for no other purpose than for bodily health; but this purpose also is thwarted by immoderate use. But hear moreover what our blessed Apostle writes and says to Timothy, "Use a little wine for thy stomach's sake, and thine often infirmities." This is the reason why God has formed our bodies in moderate proportions, and so as to be satisfied with a little, from thence at once instructing us that He has made us adapted to another life. And that life He would fain have bestowed upon us even from the very beginning; but since we rendered ourselves unworthy of it, He deferred it; and in the time during which He deferred it, not even in that does He allow us immoderate indulgence; for a little cup of wine and a single loaf is enough to satisfy a man's hunger. And man the lord of all the brute creation has He formed so as to require less food in proportion than they, and his body small; thereby declaring to us nothing else than this, that we are hastening onward to another life. "Be not drunk," says he, "with wine, wherein is riot"; for it does not save but it destroys; and that, not the body only, but the soul also.”

“Above he forbade the oldness of carnal deceits; here he exhorts to the contrary newness. And first he exhorts to the newness contrary to deceit; second, to the newness contrary to excess, at "and be not drunk," etc. The first part is divided into three. First he leads them to the caution contrary to deceit; second he shows the newness of this caution, at "redeeming the time," etc.; third he teaches the manner of this caution, at "therefore do not become," etc. He says therefore, "so then" — namely, from what has gone before — "see how you walk carefully." Caution is a certain condition of prudence, by which someone avoids the impediments to the things to be done, and all ought to have this caution. Proverbs 4:23: "Let your eyes look straight on, and let your eyelids go before your steps." But this pertains to the wise, and therefore he says "not as unwise" — namely, those who do not know how to avoid impediments. Psalm 75:6: "All the unwise of heart were troubled." "But as wise." Ecclesiastes 2:14: "The eyes of the wise man are in his head; the fool walks in darkness." Some say: "if not chastely, yet cautiously." But the Apostle does not take it in this way; rather he says "carefully," as if he were saying: beware of men contrary to chastity. He shows the necessity of this caution when he says "redeeming the time," etc., which can be expounded in two ways. For someone sometimes redeems his own thing by giving gifts or something in exchange for it, just as someone is said to redeem his vexation by giving gifts, or money, or by giving up something of his own right. He says therefore: this whole present time is a time of calumny, and therefore be redeeming the time, "because the days are evil." From the time Adam sinned, snares impelling to sin have always stood ready. But it was not so in the state of innocence, in which man did not need to abstain from anything lawful, because in his will there was nothing impelling him toward sin. But now we must redeem the time, "because the days are evil," that is, we ought to avoid the malice of the days, to guard beforehand against the evil day, as is said in Ecclesiastes 7:15, and also to abstain from certain lawful things. 1 Corinthians 10:23: "All things are lawful for me, but not all things edify." It is in this manner that someone is said to redeem his vexation, because he lets something of his own right go to waste. Or otherwise: "redeeming the time," etc. It happens sometimes that someone lives in sin for a great span of his lifetime, and this is lost time. But how will he redeem it, since man is not sufficient to pay off what is owed? I respond: it must be said that he ought to devote himself to good works all the more, the more he formerly pressed on in evils. 1 Peter 1: "For the time past is sufficient to have fulfilled the will of the Gentiles, for those who have walked in excesses, wine-drinking bouts, desires," etc. But the first exposition is better. Then when he says "therefore do not become," etc., he teaches the manner of this caution, saying: "therefore" — namely, so that you may be able to redeem the time — "do not become imprudent." Note that there is a difference between wisdom and prudence. For prudence is a certain wisdom, but not universal wisdom. Proverbs 10:23: "But wisdom is prudence to a man." For he is called wise without qualification who has it in him to order all things; but he is called wise in a qualified sense who has it in him to order those things concerning which he is wise. 1 Corinthians 3:10: "As a wise architect I have laid the foundation." For it belongs to the wise man to order, as is said in Metaphysics I. But everyone who orders looks to an end; therefore he is wise without qualification who knows the end, or who acts for the sake of the universal end, namely God. Deuteronomy 4:6: "For this is your wisdom," etc. For wisdom is the knowledge of divine things, as Augustine says, On the Trinity IV. But prudence is the providence of a particular thing, namely, when someone orders his own deeds. And therefore "wisdom is prudence to a man." For this reason, then, he says: "do not become imprudent, but understanding," etc. Just as speculative reason orders and judges concerning things to be known, and it is necessary to hold conclusions and judge them by means of principles, so too it is in things to be done. Now this first principle, by which we ought to judge and regulate all things, is the will of God; and therefore the intellect, in moral and divine matters, ought to have the will of God as its principle, because, if it has this as its principle, the intellect becomes prudent. Deuteronomy 32:29: "O that they would be wise and would understand," etc. This the Lord taught, Matthew 26:42: "Your will be done."”

“Speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs,.... By psalms are meant the Psalms of David, and others which compose the book that goes by that name, for other psalms there are none; and by "hymns" we are to understand, not such as are made by good men, without the inspiration of the Spirit of God; since they are placed between psalms and spiritual songs, made by men inspired by the Holy Ghost; and are put upon a level with them, and to be sung along with them, to the edification of churches; but these are only another name for the Book of Psalms, the running title of which may as well be the Book of Hymns, as it is rendered by Ainsworth; and the psalm which our Lord sung with his disciples after the supper, is called an hymn; and so are the psalms in general called hymns, by Philo the Jew (n); and songs and hymns by Josephus (o); and , "songs and praises", or "hymns", in the Talmud (p): and by "spiritual songs" are meant the same Psalms of David, Asaph, &c. and the titles of many of them are songs, and sometimes a psalm and song, and song and psalm, a song of degrees; together with all other Scriptural songs, written by inspired men; and which are called "spiritual", because they are indited by the Spirit of God, consist of spiritual matter, and are designed for spiritual edification; and are opposed to all profane, loose, and wanton songs: these three words answer to the several titles of David's Psalms; from whence it seems to be the intention of the apostle, that these should be sting in Gospel churches; for so he explains speaking to themselves in them, in the next clause: singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord; singing, as it is a distinct thing from prayer, so from giving of thanks, which is mentioned in Eph 5:20 as another duty; it is not a mental praising of God, for it is called speaking, and teaching, and admonishing, but it is a praising of God with the modulation of the voice; and is rightly performed, when the heart and voice agree; when there is a melody in the heart, as well as in the tongue; for singing and making melody in the heart, is singing with, or from the heart, or heartily; of as elsewhere, "with grace", and which the Alexandrian copy reads here; that is, either with gratitude and thankfulness, or with grace in exercise; and the end in view should be the glory of God. (n) De Mutat. Nomin. p. 1062. & alibi. (o) Antiqu. l. 7. c. 12. sect. 3. (p) T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 94. 1.”

“Wherefore be ye not unwise - Μη γινεσθε αφρονες· Do not become madmen. Here is a most evident allusion to the orgies of Bacchus, in which his votaries acted like madmen; running about, tossing their heads from shoulder to shoulder, appearing to be in every sense completely frantic. See the whole of the passage in Livy, to which I have referred on Eph 5:12. But understanding what the will of the Lord is - It is the will of God that ye should be sober, chaste, holy, and pure. Get a thorough understanding of this; acquaint yourselves with God's will, that ye may know how to glorify him.”

“Wherefore--seeing that ye need to walk so circumspectly, choosing and using the right opportunity of good. unwise--a different Greek word from that in Eph 5:15. Translate, "foolish," or "senseless." understanding--not merely knowing as a matter of fact (Luk 12:47), but knowing with understanding. the will of the Lord--as to how each opportunity is to be used. The Lord's will, ultimately, is our "sanctification" (Th1 4:3); and that "in every thing," meantime, we should "give thanks" (Th1 5:18; compare above, Eph 5:10).”