A 5:2.

The children's walk (`be ye imitators of God' 5:1).

The Father's motive must be the children's example.  How can we ever hope

to attain such selfless love in this life?  Even with the aid of the Spirit and

all abounding grace, such love seems beyond us.  But the very recognition of

this will but separate and exalt the great primary cause of all causes, the

Father's love.

Chapter 5:1,2 makes it clear that the Father's love, which was before all

time, and the love of Christ, which manifested itself in its fulness when He

gave Himself for us, are associated together as purpose and means are

associated.  Again, when once the apostle was assured of the love of the saints

one to another, he could pray for their further enlightening.  The benediction

with which the epistle closes, is `love with faith'; the rich mercy of God

towards us flows from His great love (Eph. 2:4), and the climax prayer (Eph.

3:14-21) reaches out to `the love of Christ which passeth knowledge'.

One of the most precious titles of the Saviour in the epistles is `The

Beloved' (Eph. 1:6), in Whom we are accepted.  The only other occurrences of

agapao in Ephesians are found in 5:25-33.

Whatever our business and whatever the circumstance, let us remember `His

great love', reminding ourselves that we can only love Him, because He first

loved us.  Our acceptance, even as our calling, originates in love, and a

loveless walk can only belie our calling.  The Father's all-comprehensive motive

should in measure be the motive of His children, it should be in love.

`Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children' (Eph. 1:5).

Predestination.-- It is impossible for the mind to dwell upon this term without

it being influenced by the word `destiny'.  Destiny calls up the idea of fate,

inexorable and unalterable, and so we have the expression of this in the

Westminster Confession which reads:

`That the number of those predestinated to life, and of those foreordained

to death, is so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased

or diminished'.

It is difficult to see how any one holding such a doctrine could ever

preach the Gospel of salvation, could ever contemplate the `plucking' of even

`one brand from the burning', or why anyone should bother to preach at all.  The

overshadowing of the word `destiny' is plainly marked, and many of the advocates

of Calvinism are Necessitarians.  In a letter to Archbishop Cranmer, the

reformer, Melanchthon complained:

`At the commencement of our Reformation, the stoical disputations among

our people concerning fate were too horrible'.

We have in our library a treatise on `Necessity' by Toplady, the writer of

the hymn `Rock of Ages', who does not hesitate to quote ancient pagan

philosophies to support his high-Calvinism.