completeness. The office-bearers of the Church, whether temporary, like the apostles and prophets, or permanent, like pastors, teachers, and evange- lists, are gifts of Christ for this end. As such they are to be received and prized, and all members of the Chnreh are to aim at growth in the direction of perfection. Coming closer to the region of character, the apostle contrasts the prin- ciples of Gentile character with those of the Christian, and on the latter urges that they should walk worthy of their vocation. Personal holiness and purity are urged under the figure of putting off the old man and putting on the new, and on the ground of the oneness of believers as one body, whoso welfare all are bound to seek. The spirit of love and forbearance is specially urged by the consideration that in Christ our Father has forgiven us, and we all ought to be imitators of our Father. Another figure is then taken up-children of light, and similar exhortations are based on it to a. holy life. The apostle proceeds to further exhortation based on the several social relations of Christians as husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants. Being united to Christ, and living in the element of union to him, their character in all these respects should be the very purest possible. Lastly, in the view of all the powers, earthly and spiritual, that were ranged against them and their souls, he exhorts them t-0 put on the whole armour of God, and maintain a vigorous and fearless conflict with the forces of evil. And after a few words about himself, he closes with prayer and benediction, invoking peace and other blessings on the brethren of Ephesus, and grace on all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. The Epistle is marked by a tone of great exuberance and spiritual eleva- tion. The frequent occurrence of such expressions as "fulness," "riches," "abounded," "exceeding riches," "riches of glory," "exceeding abu'l- dantly," and the like, shows that the writer was in the spirit of glowing satisfaction and delight at the thought of God's provision for the wants of sinners. The three Persons of the blessed Trinity are ever present, in the various functions which they fulfil in the economy of Godhead. The foundations of the believer's security and blessedness are laid deep in the eternal counsels of God. The believer is not viewed merely as an indivi- dual, but also, and very specially, in his relation to the Church, both to its Head, Jesus Christ, and also to its members. The moral counsels of the Epistle are searching and salutary. The standard of Christian privilege is very high, but so also is the standard of Christian character. The great aim of the writer is to urge tho Ephesians to aspire to the very highest reach of Christian attainment, and thus bring the greatest revenue of glory to their God and Saviour. No part of Scripture presents in a more striking light the riches of the graco of God, or furnishes his people with stronger inducements to walk worlhy of the vocation wherewith they aro called. c El'IIEHI.U(~. THE EPISTLE OF
PAUL TO THE EPHESIANS. EXPOSITION. CHAPTER 1. Ver. 2.-Graoe unto you and peaoe fro111 God our Father e.nd the Lord J' eSUll Christ. Vere. 1, 2.-ADDBESS AND SALUTATION, As in most of Paul's Epistles, "grace" is Ver. 1.-Paul an apostle of Christ J'esu. virtually the first word e.nd the last (eh. Paul's one but all-sufficient claim on the vi. 24), equivalent to free, undeserved mercy Ephesians is his relation to Christ : he is in all its manifold forms and manifestations. Christ's apostle, not only e.s seut forth by This Epistle is so full of the subject, that it him, but also e.s belonging to him; else- has been called "The Epistle of Grace." where his servant or bondman. He makes The apostle dwells more fully on it than no claim to their attention on the ground of even in the Epistle to the Romans, and his great experience in the gospel, his pro- with e. more jubilant sense of its richneB11 found study of it, or even his gifts, but l\nd sufficiency. Peace is conjoined with rests simply on his being Christ's apostle; grace; they are like mother e.nd daughter, thus recognizing Christ as the only Head of or like twin sisters. Grace is the only the Church, and source of authority therein. foundation of trne peace-whether peace By the will of God, The First Person of the with God, peace of conscience, rest and Trinity, the Fountain of Godhead. has not satisfaction of soul, or peace toward our only devised the whole scheme of meroy, fellow-men. The source of grace and peace but has likewise planned the subordinate is " God our Father e.nd the Lord Jesus arrangements by which it is carried out; Christ." The two are e.lways in apposition thus it we.s by his will thl\t Paul held the e.s the Source of blessing, never in opposi- oflioe of e.n apostle of Christ (see Gal. i. 1; tion. The notion is eminently unscri ptursl Aots xxvL 7; Gal. i. 11, 12). His authority that the Father personally burned with and his dignity as an apostle are thus the anger until the Son rushed in to appe1188; highest that can be : "He that hee.reth you, both are in beautiful harmony in the scheme heareth me." To the ea.in.ta that are at of grace. "God so loved the world, that he EpheS11S, and the faithful in Christ Jesus. gave his only begotten Son," eto. This designation is expanded in the verses Vere. 3-14.-THANXSGIVING l'OR TIIEili that immediately follow. "Saints" means DIVINE ORDINATION TO THE BLESSINGS OJ' set apart for God, and, as the result thereof, GRAOE. In this glorious anthem, in which the persons pure and holy ; " faithful" ( ,..,,..,.o,s) apostle, tracing all to the Divine Fountain, is equivalent to "believers;" while "in enumerates the glorious privileges of the Christ Jesus" denotes the Source of their Church, and blesses God for them, he first life, the element in which they lived, the (ver. 3) states summarily the ground of Vine into which they were grafted. Suoh thanksgiving, expanding it with glowing persons were the heart e.nd nucleus of the fulness in vers. 4-14. Ohuroh, though others might belong to it. Ver. 8.-Blessed be the God and Father of In the fervour of his salutations here e.nd our Lord J'e11111 Christ, who hath blessed us elsewhere, Paul seems to see only the with every blelllling of the Spirit, in heavenly genuine spiritu11l members of the Church; places in Christ. Here we have (1) the though afterw11rds he m11y indic11te that all Author of our blessings; (2) their nature and are not suoh (see Phil. iii. 18). With regard sphere; (3) the Medium through whom we lo the clause, "that are at Ephesus," 11811 have them. 1. The Author is "the God o.nd Introduction. F11ther of our Lord Jesus Christ." J811US EPHESIANS. ~ 2 THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [cu. 1. 1-23.