in but poorly with the context, in which the conferred on him by the gospel, than that tenor of the e.poetle'e pre.yer ie the.t e. profusion he ie susceptible of such conformity to Goel. of Divine blessing might be enjoyed by the Who can conceive that man should have Ephesio.ns. If a genitive must be supplied, attained to such 11, capacity by 11, mere pro- may we not conceive the apostle to ha.ve cess of evolution? "So God made man in had in his view the entire provision God ha.s his own image;" and in Christ man is made in Christ for the good of his people, "renewed in righteousness and holiness after so the.t the dimensions would be those of the image of him who createcl him." the gospel storehouse, the ve.st reservoir out Vera. 20, 21.-DoxOLOGY. The study and of which the Church is filled? "Breadth" exposition of the amazing riches of the grace might denote the manifoldness of the.t pro- of God gives birth to an outburst of praise vision; "length," its eternal duration; itd toward the Divine Source of all this mercy, "depth" might be represented by the pro- past, present, and to come. Now unto him fundity of Christ's humilie.tion; e.nd its that is able to do exceeding abundantly "height" by the loftiness of the condition above all that we can ask or think. In to which his people a.re to be raised. To thinking of God it is 11.B if we thought of comprehend this, to understand its existence space-however far our conceptions may e.nd its richness, is to get our faith enlarged, travel, there is still infinity beyond. Paul our expectations expauded; it is through had asked much in this prayer, and thoughts this comprehension the.t "e.11 the saints" can always travel beyond words, yet the ho.ve got their wants supplied, e.nd their excess of God's power beyond both w~s souls filled e.s with marrow and fatness. infinite. Thie e:s:ccss is denoted by a double Ver. 19.-And to know the love of Christ, term of abundance (1ro,ij<Ta1 {nr/p 1r<1VT11 and which pe.sseth knowledge. The love here is ~... ,p,,,.,,.,p,,,.,,.oi,), e.e if the apostle wished to evirlently the love of Christ to ue, e.nd this fill our minds with the idea of absolute may well be specified as a specie.I me.tter of infinity of gracioi:s power in God. Accord- prayer. Knowledge of Christ's love, in the ing to the power that worketh in us, whirl1 sense of an in ward persona.I experience of it is none other than the power " wliich he -its freeness, its tenderness, its depth, its wrought in Christ, when he raised him from patience-is the great dyne.mio of the gospel. the dead" (eh. i. 20). The power that i~ This love is transmuted into spiritual force. actue.lly at work in us has only to be exerted As the breeze fills the se.ils .and bee.re for- a little more to accomplish wonders of sanc- ward the ship, so the love of Christ fills the tification, and confer on us immense spiritual soul e.nd moves it in the direction of God's strength. Unto him be the glory in tbe will. But in its fnlness it passeth know- Churoh in Christ Jesus, world without end. ledge; it is infinite, not to be grasped by Amen. To God the whole credit of the mortnl me.n, e.nd therefore always presenting scheme of grace and the work of grnce as new fields to be explored, new depths to be carried out in his people is due ("Not of fothomed. The.t ye me.y be filled with e.ll works, lest any man should boast"); there- the fulness of God; the.t is, the.t ye may be fore let the· Church acknowledge this, and filled with spiritual grace e.nd blessing to an cordie.lly and openly ascribe to God his d 1e. extent corresponding to e.11 the fulness of Let this feeling be universa.lly encourager! God. Though the finite cannot compare aud cherished in the Church, and let it find with the infinite, there me.y be e. correspon- in the Church services suitable occasions of dence between them according to the ce.pa- breaking forth in song and pr,iyer. Again ci ty of ea.eh. There is a fulness of gracious the apostle's favourite formula comes io- attainment in every advanced believer that " in Christ Jesus," to denote the.t this act corresponds to all the fulnese of God ; of adoration is to be done in immediate every part of his nature is supplied from the connection with the work and person of Divine fountain, and, eo fe.r as a creature ce.n, Christ; for it is he who hW! brought about he presents the image of the Divine fulness. the whole condition of things from which In the human nature of Christ this corre- the e.ct of adoration springs. And thid spondencewas perfect:" In him dwelt e.11 the W!Cription of praise ie not transitory; this fulness of the Godhead bodily;" in the soul view of the Divine clmrncter e.nd actings of the believer there may be e. progressive will never become obsolete or be su perscded movement towards this fulness. No higher by other views; it will claim their conliul Tiew can be conceived of the dignity of ascriptions for evcr-litcrolly, to all the gene- man's nature, and the glorious privileges rations of the age of the agu.
HOMILETICS. Vers.1-13.-God's purpose as to tlie Gtntilcs. This. passage a parenthesis after ver. 1-a reference to Paul's personal history. It contains the explanntlon of his 11-0 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. [oa. m. 1-21,