cording to God, we are able to give thanks for all things; we live and we dwell there.

VERSE 21.

It is this spirit of gentleness which recognises Christ in a brother, and that spirit of submission which does not exalt itself; it is when Christians are united and mingle one with another that they realize these things, for individuality is often pride.

VERSES 22-24.

What is said in verse 22-24 is strong; for, as is often the case, the wife may have more wisdom than her husband, but the effect of this wisdom will be for the wife to leave to her husband the place that God has given to him; for if the grace of God acts in the heart, the order which God has established reigns always, and if the wife governs, God is not there. But if this particular wisdom of God is recognised, the order of God is maintained, and blessing is the consequence.

VERSES 25, 26.

There are always in the word positive directions, and it is never well for us not to follow them. We may remark here three things as to Christ and as to the Church, which flow out of the love of Christ for the Church: 1st, He has loved the Church and given Himself for it; 2ndly, That He might sanctify it by the word; 3rdly, That he might present it to Himself a glorious Church, etc.

VERSES 27, 28.

Christ will present the Church to Himself in glory. The order in which these things are placed gives such assurance. Christ does not sanctify the Church before having redeemed it. No, it is when she belongs to Him that He devotes Himself to make her such as He would have her to be. We may remark here, it is not said that God loves the Church; nor is mention made of that loving kindness of God which seeks to save souls, though his goodness is acting towards all men in sending Christ

to them. "He so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but should have everlasting life." But there is another thing which is not properly the goodness of God, either in the sense of providence, nor in that of the love in his nature. God in his counsels desires to enter into a certain relationship with His own people; God desires to have children, and Christ a spouse. They are affections based upon a relationship which exists. If God has made us His children He cannot do less than love us as such; once this relationship established, He cannot fail in it. It is never said that Christ has loved the world, while we have seen that God has loved the world (John iii. 16). See also the character of the providential goodness of God (Jonah iv. 11). This goodness of God, which watches over all His works, is precious; we ought to act in the same way as men, we ought to love everybody (Matt. v., 44-48).

But there is another thought besides that of this goodness of God: there is a love, the consequence of an established relationship. God having set us in this relationship, the affections of God and of Christ flow forth naturally towards us who are the objects of it. God loves His children with a love which will never deny itself. Christ has made himself responsible for all the debts of His spouse; and more, the Church being the spouse of Christ, she has lost Her earthly citizenship and acquired a heavenly one. Christ has become the one responsible for all that His Church has done and will do; the Church, as the spouse of Christ, has lost her individuality, in order that she may pertain to Christ, her heavenly bridegroom. Christ, as the anointed man, felt a distaste for the world; He would none of this world; He could not have His affections there. The Christian, in like manner, ought not to be able to bear the world as to its objects of desire and its walk. Christ has given himself in order to satisfy the justice of God and to conquer, for the Church's sake, the power of Satan; having set her free, He is occupied with her, and as she is not what He desires, He sanctifies her. The spirit of God makes allusion here to a practice among the Jews,

who purified themselves by washing in pure water. It is by the word that Christ cleanses and sanctifies the Church; all the revelation of what God is, is thus applied to the heart. This is why Jesus says: "I sanctify myself for their sakes;" I set myself apart, as being the expression of all the thoughts of God, and I communicate them to mine, that they also may be sanctified through the truth. Christ is not untrue to the thoughts of God. The Word is the means of communicating them, it judges all in us and manifests what is in God. This is what Christ did here below.

The final object of the work of Christ for the Church is to present it to Himself "Glorious, having neither spot nor wrinkle, nor any such thing."

There is reference here to the second Adam and the Church; of which Adam and Eve were the types. Whilst Adam slept, God built for him a wife (this is the literal force of the Hebrew word) and presented her to him when he awoke. It is the same here, whilst Christ is hidden, so to speak in God, God builds the Church, and when it shall be perfected, it will be presented to Christ, or rather He will present it to Himself being God and second Adam at the same time.

It is a precious thing to see that Christ so well knows how to take His measures that there will not be the least thing in His spouse which will not satisfy His heart; she will not have a wrinkle when He presents her to Himself; and this is based upon this, that He has given Himself for her; not only he has given His body unto death, His life, but also Himself. There is nothing in Christ-not an affection, not an element of wisdom, an energy of devotedness, not a thought, a perfection-not one thing in all the self-devotedness of Christ for the Church-upon which the Christian may not count.

VERSES 29-31.

There is in the twenty-ninth verse something more than that which precedes; not only Christ purifies the church by the word, but He nourishes and cherishes it; He considers its weakness; He shews tenderness and love towards it to nourish it as being His own body.

VERSES 32, 33.

It is said in the thirty-second verse, "This is a great mystery." What the apostle had at heart, were the relationships between Christ and the church. We see in the verses which we have just read four things: 1st. Christ gave Himself for the church; 2nd. He sanctifies it by the word; 3rd. He presents it to Himself without wrinkle; 4th. He nourishes and cherishes it, by giving all that He has for it, in order to show how dear it is to Him. He loves it as Himself. It is precious to have the inward consciousness of the affection of Christ for the church. This is an important truth, and it is essential to distinguish the difference of this love, which belongs to relationships which God has established, and the goodness of His nature towards all. The consequence of it is that Christ undertakes the whole work; we are only His, entirely His. It is not a law, but a tie which binds us to another, that is Christ. The moment that the power of man works, it is no longer Christ who has taken all upon Him for us.

CHAPTER VI. 1.

We cannot enter into the force of this expression, obedience in the Lord or according to the Lord, unless we take our place before the Lord with spiritual understanding. Christ, when He was with His mother and Joseph, had the power of the relationship in Himself; this power of judging good and evil led Him to obey. It is in like manner with us: we ought to obey as to that which regards our relationships in this world. We must understand our position in Christ, in order to be able to obey. God formed these relationships from the beginning; natural relationships are of God, but sin has corrupted all. Now this is what the Lord does: He does not bring in a remedy for this state of ruin, but He introduces a new man, having given himself without sin in order to take away sin; and this new man is Christ. It is evident then that this new man recognises what God has done in establishing these natural relationships; but in a manner superior to these very relationships. So when

Christ began His ministry, He recognised nothing in this world; but He submitted to all, as an individual, perfect in the midst of this evil. When He came into this world, He said: "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business.”

Nevertheless, He submitted to those who stood to Him in the relationship of parents, until God called Him to His own proper service. He acted as from God, as superior to the obligation. The Christian, in like manner, by his union with Christ is superior to his obligations, inasmuch as he has with God a new relationship beyond nature; but he recognises this obligation according to the intelligence which this new relationship gives to him, and the consequence is that He is infinitely more obedient, because He obeys as from God. But it is impossible that I do evil as from God, or that I prefer any thing before the authority of Christ. I am made more subject according to the perfection of God in Christ; and likewise by the introduction of the new man, the strength of the obligation is maintained, but according to God. In order to act as Christ did in the world, we need spiritual discernment; God cannot deny the obligations which He has created; but if I act in these relationships, as being from above and not from below, I shall obey with all my heart; but in a superior position, which does not allow of the evil into which I might be drawn by those with whom I am in this relationship, because I could not do evil "in the Lord": it is a most simple principle.

VERSES 2, 3.

Paul refers to this promise, which has often been a difficulty to some, as though temporal promises now belonged to a certain line of conduct. The citation only shews us how much God estimated obedience under the law; however, I believe there is a blessing belonging to obedience to parents. But in the order of the government of God, in the ways of God with us personally in this world, there are important things which modify this. The Jewish system was the expression of the government of God in this world, and the blessing belonged to him who honoured his father and mother.