in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from

the beginning to the end'.

Everything is not beautiful at present, but `in its proper season' it will

be.  The word `world' is literally the `age', and this so preoccupies the heart

of man, that he cannot comprehend the work of God that goes back before the

ages, and which will go on when the ages have ceased.  The LXX uses an

expressive term ta sumpanta for `everything', all things together, a complete

and completed whole.  Here also we find the Greek word poiema `the work that God

maketh'.  It occurs again in verse 17 allied with `purpose', `every purpose and

every work'.  `The work of God' (Eccles. 7:13) includes apparently things that

at present are `crooked', yet which will be beautiful `in their season'.  Again

poiema is used in Ecclesiastes 8:17 `Then I beheld all (sumpanta) the work (ta

poiemata) of God, that a man cannot find out the work (poiema) that is done

under the sun ... he shall not find it'.  The concealed nature of these poiemata

is indicated in 11:5, where once again the comprehensive sumpanta is found.

Both terms sumpanta and poiemata are used of man as well as of God, for the last

verse of chapter 12 says:

`God shall bring every work (sumpan to poiema) into judgment'.

The choice of the word poieo therefore, in Ephesians 3:11 is in line with

the use of the word in that quest concerning the purpose of the ages which is

found in the book of Ecclesiastes.  To make, or to do, while satisfying many

occurrences, by no means present a full account

of the verb poieo as the following extracts from Grimm-Thayer's Lexicon, will

`With the names of things made, to produce, construct, form, fashion ...

joined to nouns denoting a state or condition, it signifies to be the

author of, to cause ...'.

The fact that poiema becomes in English a `poem' shows that something

beyond mere doing or making is in mind.  What a lovely thought it is, that at

last, out of the agony of the ages, like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis,

there will emerge a poem unto His praise.  A verse from Frances Ridley Havergal

comes to mind, which we can only quote from memory:

`So onward, and yet onward

For the dim revealing show,

That system unto system

In grand succession grow.

That we deemed a volume

But one golden verse may be

One rhythmic cadence in the flow

Of God's great poetry'.

In this most glorious purpose of the ages, the church of the Mystery has

its place and its privileges, among them the apostle brings into prominence

`access'.  In Ephesians 2:18 `access' is placed at the climax of the blessed

privileges that belong to this newly created company.  Here again access is

brought forward as crystallizing in itself all that can be said of this

Christian privilege, and not only so, access is supplemented by boldness and

confidence in 3:12, and is made to rest, not upon our faith in the Lord, but

`through the faith of Him or His faithfulness'.  Having reached this happy

vantage ground, the apostle turns back to the theme with which the chapter

opens, saying: