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leasure of His wUl, to the praise of the glory ot 'is grace. It is therefore, he further explains, that to them in the abundance of God's grace there has been brought the knowledge of the salvation in Christ, describeii here as the know- ledge of the mystery of the Divine will, according to His "ood-pleasure, which He purposed in Him- self witli reference to the dispensation of the ful- ness of the times, to sum up all tilings in the universe in Christ, — by which phrases the plan of salvation is clearly exhibited as but one element in the cosmical purpose of God. And thus it is, the apostle proceeds to explain, only in pursuance of this all-embracing cosmical purpose that Chris- tians, whether Jews or Gentiles, have been called into participation of these blessings, to the praise of the glory of God's grace, — and of the former class, he pauses to assert anew tliat their call rests on a predestination according to the purpose of Him that works all things according to the counsel of His will. Throughout this elevated passage, the resources of language are strained to the utmost to give utterance to the depth and fervour of St. Paul's conviction of the absoluteness of the dominion which the God, whom he describes as Him that works all things according to the counsel of His will, exercises over the entire universe, and of his sense of the all-inclusive perfection of the plan on which He is exercising His world-wide government — into whicli world-wide government His administration of His grace, in the salvation of Christ, works as one element. Thus there ia kept steadily before our eyes the wheel within wheel of tlie all-comprehending decree of God : fir.st of all, the inclusive cosmical purpose in ac- cordance with which the universe is governed as it is led to its destined end ; within this, the purpose relative to the kingdom of God, a substantive part, and, in some sort, the hinge of the world- purpose itself ; and still Avithin this, the purpose of grace relative to the individual, by virtue of whicli he is called into the Kingdom and made sharer in its blessings : the common element with them all being that they are and come to pass only in accordance with the good-pleasure of His will, according to His purposed good - pleasure, according to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the counsel of His will ; and therefore all alike redound solely to His praise. In these outstanding passages, liowever, there are only expounded, though with special richness, ideas which govern the Pauline literature, and which come now and again to clear expression in each group of St. Paul's letters. The whole doc- trine of election, for instance, lies as truly in the declaration of 2 Th 2" or that of 2 Ti 1" (cf. 2 Ti 2", Tit 3*) as in the passages we have considered from Romans (cf. 1 Co l-'i*-si) and Ephesians (cf. Eph 2'», Col 1-'' 3^"- '», Ph 4'). It may be possible to trace minor distinctions through the several groups of letters in forms of statement or modes of re- lating the doctrine to other conceptions ; but from the beginning to the end of St. Paul's activity as a Christian teacher his fundamental teaching as to the Christian calling and life is fairly summed up in the declaration that those that are saved are God's ' workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God afore prepared that they should walk in them ' (Eph 2'<').
The most striking impression made upon ui by a survey of the whole material is probably the intensity of St. Paul's practical interest in the doctrine — a matter fairly illustrated by the passage just quoted (Eph 21^). Nothing is more noticeable than his zeal in enforcing its two chief practical contents — the assurance it should bring to believers of tlieif eternal safety in the faithful hands of God, and the ethical energy it should arouse within them to live worthily of their vocation. It is one of St. Paul's most persistent exhortations, that believers should remember that their salvation is not committed to their own weak hands, but rest« secure.ly on the
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tiou ol 11,'iir salvation begins in an act of la.ll. on their o»ra | ment. part, which is consequent on the hearing of the gospel, thcr aniiciMtnicnt to salvation itself does not depend on this act o( (uith, nor on anv fitness discoverable in them on the fore- sight of which Ood's choice of them might be supiwaed to bo bSed but (as 1 Th i'S already indicates) both the preaching of the gospel and the exercise of faith consistently appear as steps in the carr)-ing out o( an election not conditioned on their occurrence, but embracing them as means to the end set bv the free purpose of God. The case is precisely the same 'with all subsequent acta o( the Christian life, bo far is St. Paul from supposing that election to life should operate to enervate moral endeavour, that it is precisely Ironi the fact that the willing and doing of man rest on an energizing willing and doing of God, which in turn rest on Uis eternal purpose, that the apostle derives his most powerful and most frequently urged motive for ethical action. That tre- mendous ' therefore.' with which at the openmg of the twellUi chapter of Uomans he passes from the doctrinal to the ethical port of the Epistle,— from a doctrinal exposition the very heart of which is salvation by pure grace apart from all works, and which had just closed with the fullest discussion of the effects of election to be found in all his writings, to the rich exhorW-