The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 110

fomiing power, all without limit, and capable could no\ have been me.de for one pbor of satisfying every ~t, cmving, a'tld p\nnet ; in its indirect bearings we do not ~-enrning of the heart, now and evermore. know what other orders of beings havo 'I'he thought of his having -such riches to rlerived most vital lessons from ·this mani- offer to all made him regard his office M festation of the attributes of God. How- most glorious, raised him far above t11e ever men may scorn the salvation of Obrist point of new from which the world would aud all that belongs to it, the highest in- deFpise it, and filled him with adoring telligences regard it with profound interest. g;atitude to God for having oonfe~red it on By ths Churoh the manifold wisdom of God. him. Through the Church, now constituted,accord- Ver. 9.-.And to make all men see what is ing to the revealed mystery, of Jew and the dispensation of the mystery. Another Gentile, all redeemed by Christ's blood and branch of his office, aud another fruit of renewed by his Spirit, there is exhibited to God's grace in conferring it. He was not the angels the manifold wisdom of God. only to benefit man. but 11lso to .indicate The precise line of thought is this: God, Gw. For "'fellowship of the mystery" from eternity, had a purpose to put .Jew and (AT.), the R ,. has "di;;pensation of the Gentile on precisely the so.me footing, but mystery," founded on the preference of the concealed it for mo.ny a,,cres, until he revealed reading ol,,oroJ,Ua. for which there is a great it in the apostolic age, when he appointed preponderance of authority over ,cou,owla. Paul his minister to announce it. The pur- I t = the apostle's function to show how pose of this whole arrangement was to this mystery had been dispensed~ncealed enlighten the principalities and powers of for a long time and at last revealed. Which heaven in the me.nifoa wisdom of God. from the begimring of the ages bath been hid How in his manifold wisdom 'I In this way. in God. The conneel itself was ,rp,l ,,.;;,., During these .preparatory ages, when .God's a/,{,""'"• before the foundation of the world; gracious dealings were with the Jews the concealment of it lr,,r,l ,,.;;,., al,{,vwv, from only, all kinds of false religions were de- the beginnini( of the ages, when there were veloping among the bee.then, o.nd their intelligent beings capable of understanding diversified influence and effects were be- it-whether angels or men. Whatever the coming apparent in many ways-the rlivcr- angels may have known of the Divine gen t tendencies of men, especially in religious plans, this feature of them was not known matters, were being developed; but in tl,e till revealed to the New Testament Church. new tum given to things by the breaking Who created all things. The reason for down of the middle wall in Christ, the adding thl.9 particnLr designation of God is manifold wisdom of God was shown in not obvious ; probably it is to indicate the transforming many of these most diverse rebtion of the matter in band to the elements, unifying them, building them up ID.ighti~--t works of God. This is no trifling into a great spiritual body, into a holy, matter; it connectB itself with God's grandest most beautiful, most symmetrical temple. Opt:n!.tiom ; it has supremely glorious bear- When all things seem to be flying asunder i.nge.. I; might be 5Uppoeed to have rela- into the most diverse and antagonistic ele- tions only tl:> one raoo and to one period of ments, God gives a new tum, as it were, to time; but it has relations to" all things;" providence, and lo I a glorious symmetrical it is an integral element in God's plan. and harmonious structure begins to rise. The '1tords, by lesus Christ (A..V.), are not Ver. 11.-According to the eternal purpose fonnd in a great preponderance of textue.l which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. authoritiee. The apostle is ever anxious that we should Ver. 10.-To the intent-indicative of the connect these operations of God with the purpose of the remarkable arrangement or profundity, deliberation, and awfulness ot dispensation according to which the eternal an eternal decree, nnd that we should thus Dh-ine purpose, which he.d been concealed contrast them in our minds with many even from the beginning of the ages, was now of the most important works of mcm which made known-thattheremightbeme.deknown are often determineil, on his p11rt, by 11 to the prinoipe.liti.es and powen in the passing event or othor trivial cause. 'fhe heavenly ple.cea; that a lesson might be given verb in this clause is l1rol1J<T<, which he to the unfallen angels. Their interest in made, end it has been debated whether it the scheme of man's redemption is often denotes the original formation of the pur- referred to (1 Pet. i 12). Even the highest pose, or the execution of it under Chri~t. powers of h6aven have yet much to learn With A.V. and H.V., we prefer the former~ respecting God. The dispensation of God's The object of the apostlo is to incllcate that gr!Mle tn man is one of their lesson-books. the purpose existed from eternity; but, Dr. Cha:mers shows (' Astronomical Dis- besides, the meaning of " fulfilled " or cours!,S ') how this m(;(:ts the objection that "exccutecl" can hardly be sustaine<I by so Jr"'3d a sa.r:rifice 8.'l the life of God's Son ho{1JtT•- The closing formula, " in Christ OB. III. 1-21.) THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 107