Vers. ll-22.-77ie spiritual temple. In the apostle's prayer for the· Ephesians the power of God to us-ward who believe was illustrated first in the experience of our risen and reigning Head, and secondly in the experience of us as risen a.nd reigning members of his mystical body. The unity of the members, however, bas not been as fully brought out in the preceding verses as Paul desired, and so we have in tbe section now before us the subject amplified and completed mainly round the figure of a" spiritual temple." It is this main fi.,crnre which we shall now keep before us. And- L CoSEIDER 'fBE RAW J(ATERliL OUT 011' WHICH TIIB SPIRITUAL TEMPLE I8 TO DE BuILT. (Vers. 11-17.) 'J.'h.is is Gentiles and Jews, the Uocircumcision and the Cir- cumcision., those far off from God and those that were nigh. 'l'he Gentiles were "mthont Goo" (&B~, ;,, .,-;; ,,l,up,p), by which we are not to understand "atheists" in the sense of disbelieving the Divine existence, but simply" without God in the world," as men who cling to the world in its corporate capacity, wherein it ignores the J?ivine sovereignty and lives an alien citizenship. The Jews, on the otb~r hand, ~ere n?mmally citizen.s of the sacred commonwealth, and the covenants of promise were m their bands, and they had hope in consequence. Yet the raw material in both cases was rough and unsightly until the Lord undertook its preparation for the temple wall. Both were under sin, both had to be redeemed from evil, taken out of the quarry of nature and fitted by Divine grace for their place in the building. II. THE FOUNDATION OF THE TEMPLE. (Ver. 20.) The spiritual temple is here said to be bnilt on the " foundation of the apostles and prophets." This, of course, sig- nifies that it is upon the revelation God made through apostles and prophets that the edifice is erected. It is not upon speculations or dreams, but upon" the sure Word of prophecy," that the structure rests. Without the witnesses in the inspired Word, we should have no basis for spiritual unity and no foundation for edification. Hence our deep indebtedness to the sacred writers. We cannot do without "the Book; "we should onlv Le bui!din~ on the sand. UL Tim co1:.?<E!i-STO!-Es. (Ver. 20.) The next consid~ration here is the corner- swLE,1;. Kc,11·, Christ is called here the "chief Cc,rner-stone," that without which the, OII. 11, 1-22,] 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 87
two walls could not be bound into one. He lies at the foundation of the structure, the massive stone, so to speak, which unites the two great walls. Above him and upon him are laid other but minor corner~stones; for every Christian soul who longs to pro- mote unity among men is so far a corner-stone in the great building. Hence the minor honour of .being elements of union is given unto Chris~like souls. But Jesus is tha indispens1Lble Corner-stone. And the apostle shows how Jesus is the bond of union between Jew and Gentile. Both as. under sin needed an atoning Saviour; but only one Saviour and one blood were provided. The Saviour of the Jews was the Saviour of the Gentiles also. Thus both Jews and Gentiles were brought of necessity to the one Saviom; the one sacrifice on Calvary atoned for both; the one blood blotted out the transgression of both; the one crucifixion reconciled both to God, and peace produced between both and God secured at the same time peace with each.other. Jew and Gen- tile are united and brought nigh to God by the one blessed Saviour. IV. -TBE UNITY OF TBE TEMPLE, (Vers. 18, 19.) The seemingly discordant el!'ments are reduced to real harmony, and the unity of the whole is realized in the Spirit which pervades all hearts. For when the Gentiles and the Jews realize access unto the Father by one Spirit, then the alienation has passed away, and citizenship and the family feeling have supervened. It thus appears that" Christian prayer is a witness of Chris- tian citizenship." We squabble about differences until we are united at the throne. It is the united prayer which really is felt to unite believers. Alienation cannot survive union at the throne of the heavenly grace. V. THE AUGUST GUEST WBO INHABITS THE TEMPLE. (Vers. 21, 22.) Every temple is erected for some god as guest. It may only enshrine a phantom or au idol, which is nothing in. the world, and yet the idea in temple-building always is the enshrining of a god. Now, this temple, whose stones are the souls of religious men, and whose unity is realized in religious exercises, is meant to be the dwelling-place of the Holy Ghost.. He docs not dwell in temples made with hands, but he dwells in those temples which are made without hands. The personalities of saintly men become his glorious home, and he condescends to dwell within us richly and to fill us with his fulness. It is the .unifying power of his presence that moulds all into one. The temple grows from within, like every growth in nature. 'l'he guest determines the character of the temple. The Holy Ghost secures a holy temple. To this unity Paul desires the Ephesians to come.-R. M. E.