apostle represents our souls as by nature dead like Christ's body in the tomb. They are not sick through sin, but dead. And the death of the soul is manifested in the corruption of the nature, so that we live as the world lives, according to the devil's desires, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and becomin" most deservedly the "children of wrath " like others. All this corruption of the nat:i.e is the manifes- tation of the death in sin. But the Spirit, who raised up Christ's body from the tomb, comes to quicken our dead souls. We are quickened together with Christ. The Father in his wondrous love works this miracle within us, so that we are raised out of death into a new life. Now, just as Jesus entered by resurrection into a new because immortal life, so we by resurrection enter into a new and immortal existence. We feel assured that we cannot die, since we have been raised into the new life with Christ. This idea of the death of the soul is found in the ancient and in the modern classics. In such authors as Plutarch, Cicero, Heraclitus, and Persius, as well as in such a modern as the poet Gautier, it may be found; but in them it is an utterance or despair. It is only Paul who can take it and show how the death can be terminated in the victory of resurrection. II. CoNSIDER THE ASCENSION 01' THE BOUL. (Ver. 6.) Not only is the soul raised together with Christ, but it is "made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." In other words, we are made to have an ascension experience as well aR a resurrection experience. Now, when Christ ascended far above all principality and power, he must have entered a joyful experience such as this world could never afford. He would never have enjoyed such a delight had he lingered in a limited world like this. In the same way the risen soul is enabled-to ascend into a seraphic experience, a joy in the Lord such as was never dreamed of. It is to be feared that many have experienced the spiritual resurrection who have not gone on to the experience of the ascension; in other words, they are living lives comparatively joyless. They do not live as if they were already within the golden gates and rejoicing always in the Lord. But the thing is not only possible, it is pre-eminently desirable. The world would be vastly the better of souls that had realized the ascension. III. CoNsIDEB THE BELmVEB'B CONSEQUENT REIGN. (Ver. 6.) For Jesus ascended that he might occupy a throne. And we ascend in spirit that we may be kings of men. It is Christ's purpose that we should be kings and priests unto God and his Father (Rev. i. 5, 6). Now, joyful Christians cannot but influence others for good. They come to their kingdom, and others are glad to submit to their sway. They hold men by the heart and assert a proper sovereignty over others. The reign of Christ is carried out in some measure when we have learned lovingly to reign. IV. THE PURPOSE OF BUCH SPIBITUAL GIFTS IS THAT THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF Gon's GRAOE MIGHT BE RETEALED. (Ver. 7.) For if we had never died in sin, God's mighty power in raising us would never have been appreciated. If the creatures had never fallen, who would have known the wealth of God's love anJ. power in lifting them up again? The physical universe can only illustrate a small part of the power and love of God. It requires the moral universe as a. background to set off the brightness of his redeeming mercy. It is out of a Rinful world the greatest examples of Divine power shall be forthcoming. God is rich in mercy; how rich only sinners can illustrate and with some fulness appreciate. Every risen, ascended, a.nd reigning soul is intended to be a fresh example of the exceeding riches of God's grace.-R. M. E. Vers. 8---10.-Salvation, its root and itsfroit. Paul now proceeds to put the gospel in a nutshell when he tells us that we are saved by grace, through faith, and unto good works. We have in these three terms the whole plan brought out. Let us look at them in their order. L GRACE IB THE ROOT OB CAUBE OF SALVATION. (Ver. 8.) By" grace" is meant the free, undeserved favour of God. It is etymologically the same as "gratis" and " gratuitous; " it occurs in the business phrase, " three days of grace" given in connection with the payment of a bill; it signifies therefore a Divine manifestation to which man has no title. In other words, we do not deserve salvation. 'Ne cau never deserve it. No works of ours could entitle us to it. Yet we a.re saved by grace, by the free and sovereign favour of the Lord. It is most important that wo should have clear views of the cause of salvation. Its cause is the gracious love of God. Its 86 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [en. u. 1-22.
c.1;1~' is ou~i..fo of us, and· 'l\'e have no l>IU't or lot in causing snlvation. It is en&irely ~•f~r:lC'I'• .iJ. FAD'~ rs TRB R.U-"'D OF ~HE REA.RT_ WJIICII RECEIVE!\ _SALVATION. (Ver. 8.) God 1mgb.t conce1nbly save men without askmg us to trust hnu. But would it be worth our _w_hile to get em~ncipated from deser,·ed pu~ishruent to live 011 in perpetual susp1c1on? The fact 1s that to have any comfort m our relations with God, we mu8t trust him. But there is no merit in trusting him. If we refuse him our trust we do binl: grievous wrong. This shows that trusting God is only giving him, his due. Besides, the more we know ourselves the more we realize that faith just as well as salvation is his gift. Had not the Spirit come and transformed our suspicion into trust, we should not have ceased suspecting him. It is a blessed change, but the chan"e 0 is God's gia through the Spirit. • fil Goon WORKS ARE THE FOREORDAINED FBUITS OF:BAL';ATION. (Ver. 10.) A free ,md gratuitous salvation is supposed by some to be a dangerous and immoral doctrine. But the consequences of salvation have been all provided f.or. God saves men t-hat wo may serve him. Good works constitute the out.come, the dividend, the fruit which God. gets from the salvation. "W~ are his workmanship." Just as a mechanic constructs a machine that he may get a carte.in amount and kind of work out of. it; so God saves us that he may get a certain amount and kind of work out of us. Nor has he left it to any hap-hazard. He has foreordained the good works in which we oughi to walk. He has planned our lives as believers. Bushnell wrote a famous sermon in which he tried t.o show that "every man's life is a plan of God.'' We modify the though, and recognize in every believer's life a plan of God. Ev_ery good work is down in God's design, it has its place, and it will exercise its influence. While, therefore, God will save no man for his good works, he saves every soul unto good works. They are the fruit, though they cannot be the root of salvation. Foreordina- tion covers the effects of salvation as well as salvation itself. God's plan -embraces the whole problem, and it is thoughtless to rob him of a single element in the glorious resnlt.-R. M. E.