known wh(\t ie the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which i~ Christ in yon, the Hope ?f glory." '!'here is glory in nature; the sun is a glorio11s object. 'l'horo was glory In the Mosaic economy (with all its limitatior.1s). But in thi, mystery God was pleased, and had it in view, to make known the riches (the highest form, the greatest ailluence) of glory, This was a display such as was not given else- where. 'l'he sphere of this display was among the Gentiles. The darkness of the backgrouncl, therefore, added to the glory; but it was a glorious thing in itself. It is here described as "Christ in yot:, the Hope of glory." Stress is not to be laid on "in you." The first meaning is" among you," and" in you" only comes in under that. 'l'he stress of the thought is to be laid on this-that to them, in the hopelessness of heathenism, Christ came as the great Hope-bringer. In Christ ( not in his doctrine here, but in his Person) they had the forgiveness of sins, they had the beginning of redemp- tion. Ilut what they had of Christ was only the earnest of what they would yet have. What they looked forward to in the future with hope was glory (differing from the glory previously mentioned only in that it respects persons and not things). This glory is to be thought of as the highest efflorescence of our being, from the Christ within, which is synonymous with full redemption. 4. The breadth of his duties !M charged with the mystery. "Whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ.'' There was the broadest of all subjects, viz. Christ, who has already been presented as the First, the Midst, the Last, in the universe and in the Church. This Christ they spoke of, not in a whisper (or only to the initiated), bnt proclaimed that men widely might hear, This bold presentation of Christ was not one-sided. There was the preparing the way for Christ in admonishing (showing the need for repentance and urging to repentance), and then, as complementary to that, there was the building up in Christ in teaching (pre- senting Christ for faith in his qualifications and in his work). And in this they observed a universality; for it is said, with the emphasis of repetition, "admonishing every man and teaching every man.'' And having emphasized" every man," it is added (still having respect to universality)," with all wisdom." It was a point with the Gnostics that wisdom was to be kept back from the many. According to the apostle's teaching, there was no oligarchy of intellect (the few who had perception). There were no exclu- sive possessors of the Divine wisdom. 'l'here was universality in the Divine offer and intention. Another point with the Gnostics (as with others) was that only the few, the select spirits, could come to perfection; the many must be content with a lower attainment, a lower heaven. But the apostle did not go upon such principles. He saw perfection (the highest form of human existence) opened up for every roan in Christ (the ideal Man), and therefore he sought to present (under God, to whom pre-eminently it belongs to present) every man perfect in Christ. 5. The spirit in wliich he dis- charged his duties. "Wherennto I labour also, striving according to his working, which ·,rnrketh in me mightily." There is a recurrence from" we" to" I'' (with individualiz- ing effect). '!'he apostle introduces a favourite metaphor of his. He painfully exercised himself in training for the conflict, and then he went down to the arena and engaged iu the conflict. Thus he comes back to the sufferings with which he started. The pro- clamation of the gospel (so broad) was a proceeding with painful accompaniments. But, iu the midst of all, he rejoiced because be was not left to his own strength, bnt was supernaturally supported. 'l'bere was an unseen Master beside him, nerving him as he laboured (in training) and strove (in the lists) ; and so he laboured and strove, not according to his own poor working, but according to his (Christ's) working that worked in him mightily,-R. l~.
Introduction. Throughout this Epiolle St. Paul is dealing with the twofold evil that had arisen in the Colossian Church-an error half Judaic, half Gnostic; an error that was theological and practical. It arose from the wrong conception of matter as inhHently evil, and as consequently demanding intervening me,liators between the material system of things and God, and as making abstinence from contact with material things, as far as might be possible, very incumbent on the godly. '!'his error has its modern analogies in sncerdotnlism and in pietism. To combat the error then and now the plenitude of Christ must be preached-Christ the Fulness; therefore the ail- sufficient Mediator; therefore, too, the all-sufficient Consecralor of the matefril system. GO THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. [OR, I, 1-29,
The errors of the ritualist and of the recluse are both met by this great fact of the }'lcnitude of Christ.-U. Il. T.