bind all that call on Thy name' (Acts 9:14).

And the apostle himself

confesses in Acts 26:

'I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary

to the name of Jesus of Nazareth' (Acts 26:9).

How Paul bore that Name and suffered for it can be learnt from his

epistles.  How he must have rejoiced as he wrote to the Ephesians of the

ascended Lord, raised far above every name that is named (Eph. 1:21), and to

the Philippians, of the coming day when, at the Name of Jesus, every knee

shall bow (Phil. 2:10).

When he comes to speak of himself as a vessel, he does not speak of a

vessel of gold or even of brass.  So great is the glory of the Name that he

has been chosen to bear, that he speaks of himself as an earthen vessel:

'But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of

the power may be of God, and not of us' (2 Cor. 4:7).

It is possible that he had in mind the story of Gideon with his empty

pitchers and lamps within the pitchers, which were broken before the moment

of victory' (Judg. 7:19,20).  The context of 2 Corinthians 4:6 refers to the

'light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ', and

the suggestion of the broken pitcher may be behind the words of verse 9:

'Cast down, but not destroyed'.  The apostle was ever conscious of his utter

unworthiness when he contemplated his past life and, at the same time, the

glory of the message with which he was entrusted:

'Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace

given' (Eph. 3:8).

It should be a matter for thanksgiving that Paul can speak in this way.

The Scriptures do not present us with impossible saints and inhuman men and

women.  The chosen vessels of Scripture are in themselves 'earthen vessels',

but their enabling is all -sufficient grace (2 Cor. 3:5), and that grace is

still available for every 'earthen vessel' in the service of the Lord.

The last passage to be considered in which the thought of the 'vessel'

is prominent is found in 2 Timothy 2:20,21:

'But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver,

but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to

dishonour.  If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a

vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use, and

prepared unto every good work'.

There must necessarily be different grades of service, and different

ways of assessing them.  The aspect in view in 2 Timothy 2 is that of

devotion, a devotion that expresses itself in 'separation from' and

'separation to'.  There is a purging of the vessel from all contact with

evil, whether with evil persons or with evil doctrines, and there is also a

singleness of heart in the service of the Lord.  The actual service may be

performed among and to men, but in spirit it will be offered to the Lord.

Its language is that of Philippians 2:17:

'Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith,

I joy, and rejoice with you all'.