because I did it ignorantly in unbelief' (1 Tim. 1:11-13).

It is this deepening sense of personal unworthiness in the presence of

increasing trust, that made the apostle, in his closing epistles, add the word

`mercy' in his salutation (1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2; Titus 1:4), epistles written

not to the church, but to fellowservants.  When Paul once more says `that I

should preach', the emphasis is not on `I', but on the wondrous grace that could

stoop to use so earthen a vessel.  There is, too, another side to this.  However

humble a man may be, however sincerely he may protest his unworthiness, no

personal opinions either of himself or others can alter or minimize in the

slightest degree a trust that has been given, a call made, a stewardship

granted.  The Paul who could not, and would not magnify himself, did most

rightly `magnify' his `office' (Rom. 11:13).  Even though he was not meet to be

called an apostle (1 Cor. 15:9), he could also say:

`I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles' (2 Cor.

On either side of the opening words of Ephesians 3:7,8 are the words `gift' and

`According to the gift of the grace of God

(Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints)

is this grace given',

and it is in virtue of this gift that Paul can stress with all emphasis, yet

with all humility, the extraordinary nature of his apostleship and ministry.

He

returns, after this momentary pause, to the thing that mattered most, the

substance of the message entrusted to him:

`That I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of

Christ' (Eph. 3:8).

In addition to the emphatic `I' and the repeated reference to `the

Gentiles', the Mystery and its peculiar theme is given a new title `the

unsearchable riches of Christ'.  That they are riches, yea exceeding riches both

of grace and of glory, the two chapters already studied bear testimony.  There

we have read of `riches of grace', `riches of glory' and of `exceeding riches of

grace' (Eph. 1:7,18; 2:7).  These riches are concerned with redemption, with

hope and inheritance and with the glory of the future ages.  The apostle once

more uses the word riches, but this time prefaced by an unusual word,

`unsearchable'.  Moffatt translates the passage `the fathomless wealth of

Christ', which has the merit of bringing to the reader's mind something that is

`past finding out', something extending beyond the usual.  Anexichniastos is a

compound of a negative, ex out and ichnos a footstep, not to be traced out,

untraceable, leaving not a footmark behind:

`Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters, and Thy

footsteps (ichne in LXX) are not known' (Psa. 77:19).

This reference, if it does nothing else, shows that it is not only futile,

but unbelieving to search the Old Testament Scriptures for the teaching of the

Mystery, seeing that God has purposely avoided leaving a `trace':

`God ... which doeth great things and unsearchable' (Job 5:8,9).

`Which doeth great things past finding out' (Job 9:10).