princes of this world, but the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world to our glory. See 1 Cor. i. 17, to the end, and the whole second chapter of that epistle. Similar modes of expression are common with the apostle. As here he speaks of grace being given (v) in connection with wisdom, so in ver. 17, he prays that the Ephesians may receive wisdom (v) in connection with the knowledge of himself.

The wisdom, then, which the apostle says God has communicated to us, is the divine wisdom in the gospel, the mystery of redemption, which had been hid for ages in God, but which he has now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. See the glorious doxology for this revelation contained in Rom. xvi. 25-27. Indeed, this whole Epistle to the Ephesians is a thanksgiving to God for the communication of this mysterious wisdom. Mysterious, not so much in the sense of incomprehensible, as in that of undiscoverable by human. reason, and a matter of divine revelation. With wisdom the apostle connects górnos, which is here used much in the same sense as dúvεds in Col. i. 9, "That ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding." The verb pgovéw is used for any mental exercise or state, whether of the understanding or of the feelings. In the New Testament it is commonly employed to express a state of the affections, or rather of the whole soul: as in Mark viii. 33, "Thou savourest not the things which be of God;" Rom. viii. 5, "To mind the things of the flesh;" Col. iii. 2, "Set your affections on things above," &c. &c. Hence its derivative, góvnua, is used not only for thought, but more generally for a state of mind, what is in the mind or soul, including the affections as well as the understanding. Hence we have such expressions as górnμa τñs σagnós, “a carnal state of mind;" and φρόνημα τοῦ Πνεύματος, “ a state of mind produced by the Spirit." The word egóns is equally comprehensive. It is

not confined to strictly intellectual exercises, but expresses also those of the affections. In other words, when used in reference to spiritual things, it includes all that is meant by spiritual discernment. It is the apprehension of the spiritual excellence of the things of God, and the answering affection towards them. It is not, therefore, a mere outward revelation of which the apostle here speaks. The wisdom and understanding which God has so abundantly communicated, includes both the objective revelation and the subjective apprehension of it. This is the third great blessing of which the context The first is election; the second redemption; the third is this revelation both outward and inward. The first is the work of God, the everlasting Father; the second the work of the Son; and the third the work of the Holy Spirit, who thus applies to believers the redemption purchased by Christ.

treats.

Ver. 9. God has caused this wisdom to abound, or has communicated it, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, γνωρίσας ἡμῖν τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ. In other words, by the revelation of the gospel.-The word vorgiov, "mystery," means a secret, something into which we must be initiated; something which, being undiscoverable by us, can be known only as it is revealed. In this sense the gospel is a mystery; and any fact or truth, however simple in itself, in the New Testament sense of the word, is a mystery, if it lies beyond the reach of our powers. Comp. Rom. xvi. 25; 1 Cor. ii. 7-10; Eph. iii. 9; Col. i. 26. For the same reason, any doctrine imperfectly revealed is a mystery. It remains in a measure secret. Thus, in the fifth chapter of this epistle, Paul calls the union of Christ and believers "a great mystery;" and in 1 Tim. iii. 16, he calls the manifestation of God in the flesh, "the great mystery of godliness."

In the present case "the mystery of his will" means "his secret purpose," that purpose of redemption which, having been hid for ages, he has now graciously revealed.

According to his good pleasure, κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦ, ἣν προέθετο ἐν αὐτῷ.There are three interpretations of this clause. The first is to make it qualify the word "will:" 'His will, which was according to his good pleasure,'-i.e., his kind and sovereign will. But this is forbidden by the absence of the connecting article in the Greek, and also by the following clause. The second interpretation connects this clause with the beginning of the verse, 'Having, according to his good pleasure, made known the mystery of his will.' The sense in this case is good, but this interpretation supposes the relative "which," in the following clause, to refer to the mystery of his will, which its grammatical form in the Greek forbids. "Which" (v) must refer to "good pleasure" (sudoxía). The third explanation, which alone seems consistent with the context, supposes sidoxía to mean here not "benevolence," but "kind intention," or "sovereign purpose." The sense then is: 'Having made known the mystery of his will, according to his kind intention or purpose' (viz., of redemption) 'which he had purposed in himself.' Instead of “in himself," many commentators read "in him," referring to Christ. But this would introduce tautology into the passage. The apostle would then say, 'Which he purposed in Christ, to bring together in Christ.'

Ver. 10. This verse is beset with difficulties. The general sense seems to be this: The purpose spoken of in the preceding verse had reference to the scheme of redemption, the design of which is to unite all the subjects of redemption, as one harmonious body, under Jesus Christ.

Εἰς οἰκονομίαν τοῦ πληρώματος τῶν καιρῶν, ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι, x...-The first question relates to the connection with what precedes. This is indicated by the preposition is, which does not here mean "in," as though the sense were, 'He purposed in' (or 'during') 'the dispensation,' &c.; much less "until;" but " as to, in reference to." The purpose which God has re

sure. The latter is to be preferred,-1. Because it agrees better with the usage of the word in the New Testament. In Matt. xi. 26, "Οτι οὕτως ἐγένετο εὐδοκία ἔμπροσθέν σου means, "Because thus it seemed good in thy sight." In Luke x. 21, the same words occur in the same sense. In Phil. ii. 13, rig Ts Eudoxías means, of good pleasure.' 2. The words ɛdoxía τοῦ θελήματος To Jeλparos naturally mean "voluntas liberrima," "beneplacitum," "sovereign purpose;" to make them mean "benevolent will," is contrary to scriptural usage. 3. In this connection it is not the predestinated that are the objects of Eudoxía, but the act of predestination itself. God chose to have that purpose. It seemed good to him. 4. The expressions, "purpose of his will," "counsel of his will," ver. 11, are used interchangeably with that in the text, and determine its meaning. 5. The analogy of Scripture is in favour of this interpretation, because the ground of election is always said to be the good pleasure of God.

Ver. 6. The final end of election is the glory of God. He has predestinated us to sonship, εἰς ἔπαινον δόξης τῆς χάριτος avrou, to the praise of the glory of his grace. That is, in order that in the exaltation and blessedness of his people, matter for celebrating his grace might be abundantly afforded.-It is worthy of remark that here, as in chap. ii. 7, 1 Cor. i. 27-29, and elsewhere, the specific design of redemption and of the mode in which its blessings are dispensed, is declared to be the manifestation of "the grace" or unmerited favour of God. Nothing, therefore, can be more foreign to the nature of the gospel than the doctrine of merit in any form. It is uncongenial with that great scheme of mercy whose principal design is to exhibit the grace of God.

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It is to weaken the language of the apostle to make dóns a mere qualification either of ἔπαινον, “ praise,” or of χάριτος, "grace." It is neither glorious praise nor glorious grace, but "to the praise of the glory of his grace." "The glory of

grace" is the divine excellence of that attribute manifested as an object of admiration. The glory of God is the manifested excellence of God, and the glory of any one of his attributes is the manifestation of that attribute as an object of praise. The design of redemption, therefore, is to exhibit the grace of God in such a conspicuous manner as to fill all hearts with wonder and all lips with praise.

Wherein he hath made us accepted.—The text in this clause is uncertain. Some MSS. have iv, which is the common text; and others. Mill, Griesbach, Lachmann, Rückert, adopt the latter; Knapp, Scholz, Harless, De Wette, the former. If the genitive be preferred, s is for "v, and the phrase ágiv xagirov would be analogous to others of frequent occurrence, as κλῆσιν καλεῖν, ἀγάπην ἀγαπᾶν. This clause admits of two interpretations. The word zagrów, agreeably to the analogy of words of the same formation, signifies to impart xágis, "grace." The literal rendering, therefore, of the words v (χάριτι) ἐχαρίτωσεν ἡμᾶς would be, “ with which grace he has graced us," or conferred grace upon us. But as grace sometimes means a disposition, and sometimes a gift, the sense may be either, 'Wherein,' i. e. in the exercise of which, he has been gracious towards us;' or, 'With which he has made us gracious or well pleasing.' In the former case, grace refers to the goodness or unmerited favour of God exercised towards us; in the latter, to the sanctifying effect produced on us. It is the grace by which he has sanctified or rendered us gracious (in the subjective sense of that word) in his sight. The Greek and Romish interpreters prefer the latter interpretation; the great body of Protestant commentators the former. The reasons in favour of the former are,-1. The word "grace" in the context is used in the sense of kind disposition on the part of God, and not in the sense of a gift. 2. The verb, in the only other case where it occurs in the New Testament, is used in the sense of showing favour: Luke i. 28, "Hail, thou favoured