God, according to the eternal purpose (R.V. margin "the purpose of the ages") which he purposed in Christ

Jesus our Lord."

Now the Old Testament Prophets knew nothing of all this. They looked as it has been said from the one hill-

top of Christ's "sufferings" to the other hill-top of His "glory," but the valley that lay between was

unknown. They could not track it, and all its mines of wealth were unexplored. The Spirit, by Peter, refers to

this when he says (I Pet. i. 10-12) "of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently,

who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit

of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory

that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves but unto us they did minister the

things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy

Ghost sent down from heaven, which things the angels desire to look into."

But when Christ had been rejected, when atonement had been made, then the message of reconciliation

could be sent forth. Then, and not till then, was that which had been "hid in God" and "kept secret from the

beginning of the world," made known. Then "the eternal purpose of God" was revealed, and the riches of

the valley (this present interval between the sufferings and the glory) were laid bare, that "pilgrims and

strangers," who now are passing through it, may trace and search them out.

And who are these pilgrims and strangers? They are those who once were dead in trespasses and sins (Eph.

ii. 1), but who have been "quickened together with Christ" (ii. 5), and saved by grace (ii. 8), and made fellow-

heirs with Christ (iii. 6), "members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones" (v. 30-32). This is the great

mystery concerning Christ and His Church.

Notice how this (Eph. v. 31) is quoted from Gen. ii. 24, where the words are spoken of the First Adam; and

how true they are in Christ, the second man, the last Adam. While He (as the world thinks) sleeps in death;

while He is absent in the Heavenlies, the Lord God takes from His pierced side an Eve, "all living," to be His

bride! And when she fell, in the first Eve, He, like the first Adam "was not deceived" (I Tim. ii. 14), but unlike

the first Adam He did not charge His bride with transgression! No! He charged Himself with it. He followed

her to the depths of her fall, and knowing all the consequences, He took her sins upon Himself, bore all the

judgment of God's wrath due to her sins, and cleared her from every spot and every stain. Thus "Christ also

loved the Church and gave Himself for it... that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having

spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph. v. 25, 27). Oh what

love! How wondrous in itself, but how blessed to know the truth of all this in our own selves, each one

individually before God. How blessed to know that the heavy debt has been paid, not only when we had

"nothing to pay," but before we even knew that we had contracted the debt! This is good news dear

brethren. This is the Gospel, the glorious Gospel of the grace of God. This is the burden of the Angelic

definition of the Gospel in Luke ii. 11, as revealed in the Divine titles "A Saviour, Christ, the Lord." "A

SAVIOUR," and not a helper. A Saviour for the lost, and not a helper of t hose who can help themselves.

"CHRIST," i.e. God's ANOINTED Saviour, the Saviour whom God had anointed, provided, given and sent,

not some Saviour we have made for ourselves. And then "THE LORD," the Lord of all power and might, able

to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. Yes, this is good news, that God has anointed a

Saviour, and not a helper, who is able to save. The will of God is the source of it all (Heb. x. 7). The work of

Christ is the channel of it (verse 10), and the witness of it in our hearts is the Holy Spirit of God (verse 15).

This is the work of the Holy Ghost in the world now; and in Gen. xxiv. we have a beautiful illustration of His

work in the mission of Eliezer to seek a bride for the only and beloved Son of his master. Like Eliezer He

comes to us now with the tokens of the Father's wealth, and the pledges of the Son's great love (verse 22)

"the earnest of the Spirit." He seeks out the pre -destined bride; He "espouses her to one husband that he

may present her as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Cor. xi. 2); He takes of the things of Christ and reveals them

unto her (John xvi. 14, 15); He shews her "things to come" (John xvi. 13); He teaches her and guides her

unto into all truth (John xiv. 26, xvi. 13). By nature she was buried in idolatry, and now she is led out, and led

on, as a "pilgrim and a stranger" through this world to meet her Beloved. What attraction has the world for

her as she journeys on to meet her Lord? This meeting, and union with Him, is the very object for wh ich she