enabled to "stand" against the "principalities and powers" already vanquished by our

glorious Head. Salvation becomes an helmet, righteousness a breastplate, and faith a

shield. How this exhibits the futility of the attempt to meet our spiritual foes with the arm

of flesh! Nothing but resurrection power can overcome in this great conflict. The

practical outworking of the gospel of grace is emphasised in the corresponding members

E and E. death in sin is characterised by "fulfilling the lusts of the flesh." Life in Christ

is at God's right hand.

In the practical section, in contrast to this "walk according to the age of this world,"

we are enjoined to "walk in love."  The lusts of the flesh briefly touched upon in

chapter 5: 3-5. Just as in Eph. 2: we have two walks and their connection with the old

and new creation, so in Eph. 4: 17-25 we have the two walks in connection with the old

man "which is corrupt," and the new man "which is created in righteousness and holiness

of truth." The "afore-prepared good works" of Eph. 2: 10 are echoed by the "working

that which is good" of 4: 28. The temple "fitly framed together" of Eph.2: 19-22 is

answered by the practical exhibition of this blessed unity of the One Body "fitly joined

together" (same word as in Eph. 2: 21).

The temple is builded together by the Spirit; the practical manifestation down here,

after the initial work of the fourfold ministry of 4: 11, builds up itself by love. The

foundation laid by the apostles and prophets in Eph. 2: is Jesus Christ Himself, for other

foundation can no man lay than this, and these preached not themselves, but Jesus Christ

the Lord. This corresponds to the goal of their ministry as set forth in chapter 4:--"the

knowledge of the Son of God." In perfect harmony with the divine plan of this epistle,

the apostle in the doctrinal section calls himself "the prisoner of Jesus Christ" (3: 1), but

in the practical section (4: 1) he calls himself "the prisoner in the Lord."

In the member marked G | f we have the revelation of the mystery, its wonderful

teaching concerning the union of Christ and the church during the present dispensation,

and the central words of the threefold unity of 3: 6, "the same body." This mystery is to

be given a practical exemplification, and this is explained to us in member G | f where

we are told to endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This is

described as a sevenfold unity, commencing with the term "One Body," and having as its

glorious centre "One Lord."

The central place in the epistle is not given to the subject of the mystery, nor the unity

of the Spirit, but to that prayer which revolves around the love of Christ which passeth

knowledge. Here we reach the summit. From this conception of "breadth and length and

depth and height," and with this satisfying "fulness," we may contemplate both the

glorious doctrine stretching away on the one hand to its opening words of grace and

peace, and on the other the practical teaching with its manifestations of unity, its walk in

love, and its conflict with spiritual foes, until it too ends with peace and grace. We have

need of the exhortation given in Heb. 6:, "Let us go on unto perfection." Vast treasures

await us, unclaimed possessions are ahead of us, blessings yet unappropriated are

contained in these epistles of the mystery. It shall be ours, the Lord being our Helper, to

seek to unfold something more of the blessings "exceeding great and precious" which are

ours "in Christ."