vealed relates to the economy here spoken of. The second question is, What is here the meaning of the word oixovouía? The word has two general senses in the New Testament. When used in reference to one in authority, it means plan, scheme, or economy. When spoken of one under authority, it means an office, stewardship, or administration of such office. In this latter sense Paul speaks of an oixovouía as having been committed unto him. As the business of a steward is to administer, or dispense, so the apostle was a steward of the mysteries of God. It was his office to dispense to others the truths which God had revealed to him. Many take the word in the latter sense here. The meaning would then be: 'In reference to the administration of the fulness of times,'-i.e., the last times, or Messianic period-the times which yet remain. The former sense of the word, however, is much better suited to the context. The apostle is speaking of God's purpose, of what he intended to do. It was a purpose having reference to a plan or economy of his own,—an economy here designated as that of the "fulness of times." This phrase does not indicate a protracted period-" the times which remain" but the termination of the times; the end of the preceding and commencement of the new dispensation. The prophets being ignorant of the time of the Messiah's advent, predicted his coming when the time determined by God should be accomplished. Hence the expressions, "end of the ages," 1 Cor. x. 11; "end of days," Heb. i. 2; "fulness of the time," Gal. iv. 4; and here, "the fulness of times," are all used to designate the time of Christ's advent. By the "economy of the fulness of times," is therefore to be understood that economy which was to be clearly revealed and carried out when the fulness of time had come.

The infinitive ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι, to bring together in one, may be referred either to the immediately preceding clause, The plan of the fulness of times to bring together in one;'

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or to the preceding verse, 'The purpose which he purposed (in reference to the economy of the fulness of times) to gather together in one." The sense is substantially the same. The verb κεφαλαιόω means “summatim colligere,” ἀνακεφαλαιόω, summatim recolligere." In the New Testament it means either,—1. To reduce to one sum, i.e., to sum up, to recapitulate: Rom. xiii. 9, All the commands are summed up in (or under) one precept.' 2. To unite under one head; or, 3. To renew. Many of the fathers adopt the last signification in this place, and consider this passage as parallel with Rom. viii. 19-22. Through Christ God purposes to restore or renovate all things; to effect a maλyysveσía, or "regeneration," of the universe, i.e., of the whole creation, which now groans under the burden of corruption. This sense of the word, however, is remote. The first and second meanings just mentioned differ but little. They both include the idea expressed in our version, that of regathering together in one, the force of ává, "iterum," being retained. Beza explains the word, "Partes disjectas et divulsas in unum corpus conjungere ;" 'The purpose of God, which he has been pleased to reveal, and which was hidden for ages, is his intention to reunite all things as one harmonious whole under Jesus Christ.'

The words rà Távra, all things, are explained by the following clause : τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, both which are in heaven and which are on earth.-The totality here referred to includes every thing in heaven and on earth, which the nature of the subject spoken of admits of being comprehended. There is nothing to limit these comprehensive terms but the nature of the union to which the apostle refers. As, therefore, the Scriptures speak of the whole universe, material and rational, as being placed under Jesus Christ; as they speak especially of all orders of intelligent creatures being subject to him; as they teach the union of the long-disjected members of the human family, the Jews

and Gentiles, in one body in Christ, of which union this epistle says so much and in such exalted strains; and as, finally, they speak of the union of the saints of all ages and nations, of those now in heaven and of those now on earth, in one great family above; the words, "ALL THINGS," are very variously explained:-1. Some understand them to include the whole creation, material and spiritual, and apply the passage to the final restoration of all things; or to that redemption of the creature from the bondage of corruption of which the apostle speaks in Rom. viii. 19-22. 2. Others restrict the "all things" to all intelligent creatures-good and bad, angels and men, fallen spirits and the finally impenitent. In this view the reduction to unity here spoken of is understood, by the advocates of the restoration of all things to the favour of God, to refer to the destruction of all sin, and the banishment of all misery from the universe. But those who believe that the Scriptures teach that the fallen angels and the finally impenitent among men are not to be restored to holiness and happiness, and who give the phrase "all things" the wide sense just mentioned, understand the apostle to refer to the final triumph of Christ over all his enemies, of which he speaks in 1 Cor. xv. 23–28. All things in heaven above, in the earth beneath, and in the waters under the earth, are to be made subject to Christ; but this subjection will be either voluntary or coerced. The good will joyfully acknowledge his supremacy; the evil he will restrain and confine, that they no longer trouble or pervert his people. 3. Others again understand the words under consideration of all good angels and men. The inhabitants of heaven, or the angels, and the inhabitants of the earth, or the saints, are to be united as a harmonious whole under Jesus Christ. 4. The words are restricted to the members of the human family; and the distinction between those in heaven and those on earth is supposed to refer to the

Jews and Gentiles, who, having been so long separated, are under the gospel, and by the redemption of Christ, united in one body in him. The Jews are said to be in heaven because in the kingdom of heaven, or the theocracy; and the Gentiles are said to be on earth, or in the world as distinguished from the church. 5. The words may be confined to the people of God, the redeemed from among men, some of whom are now in heaven and others are still on earth. The whole body of the redeemed are to be gathered together in one, so that there shall be one fold and one Shepherd. The form of expression is analogous to Eph. iii. 15, where the apostle speaks of the whole family in heaven and earth.

The decision which of these several interpretations is to be adopted, depends mainly on the nature of the union here spoken of, and on the means by which it is accomplished. If the union is merely a union under a triumphant king, effected by his power converting some and coercing others, then of course we must understand the passage as referring to all intelligent creatures. But if the union spoken of be a union with God, involving conformity to his image and the enjoyment of his favour, and effected by the redemption of Christ, then the terms here employed must be restricted to the subjects of redemption. And then if the Scriptures teach that all men, and even fallen angels, are redeemed by Christ, and restored to the favour of God, they must be included in the all things in heaven and earth here spoken of. If the Scriptures teach that good angels are the subjects of redemption, then they must be comprehended in the scope of this passage.* But if the doctrine of the Bible be, that only a certain portion * Calvin thinks there is a sense in which good angels may be said to be redeemed by Christ. On this passage he says: "Nihil tamen impedit, quominus angelos quoque dicamus recollectos fuisse, non ex dissipatione, sed primum ut perfecte et solide adhereant Deo; deinde ut perpetuum statum retineant. Quis neget, tam angelos quam homines, in firmum ordinem Christo gratia fuisse redactos? homines

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of the human family are redeemed and saved by the blood of Christ, then to them alone can the passage be understood to refer. In order, therefore, to establish the correctness of the fifth interpretation mentioned above, all that is necessary is to prove, first, that the passage speaks of that union which is effected by the redemption of Christ; and, secondly, that the church alone is the subject of redemption.

2. Secondly, the union here God has purposed "to gather The things in heaven and the

That the passage does speak of that union which is effected by redemption, may be argued,—1. From the context. Paul, as we have seen, gives thanks, first, for the election of God's people; secondly, for their actual redemption; thirdly, for the revelation of the gracious purpose of God relative to their redemption. It is of the redemption of the elect, therefore, that the whole context treats. spoken of is an union in Christ. together all things in Christ." things on earth are to be united in him. But believers alone, the members of his body, are ever said to be in Christ. It is not true that angels, good or bad, or the whole mass of mankind, are in him in any scriptural sense of that expression. 3. The word here used expresses directly or indirectly the idea of the union of all things under Christ as their head. Christ is not the head of angels nor of the material universe in the sense in which the context here demands. He is the head of his body,-i.e., his church. It is therefore only of the redemption of the church of which this passage can be understood. 4. The obviously parallel passage in Col. i. 20 seems decisive on this point. It is there said, "It pleased the Father, ... having made peace through the blood of enim perditi erant, angeli vero non erant extra periculum.” Again, on the parallel passage in Colossians, he says: “Duabus de causis angelos quoque oportuit cum Deo pacificari, nam quum creaturæ sint extra lapsus periculum non erant, non nisi Christi gratia fuissent confirmati. 、... Deinde in hac ipsa obedientia, quam præstant Deo, non est tam exquisita perfectio, ut Deo omni ex parte et extra veniam satisfaciat."

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