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of Judah" (Jer. 31: 31), and make it the very centre of that worship and assembly,
thereby "confounding Judaism" with the truth of the Church of the Mystery, the present
dispensation and calling, in which no covenant new or old finds a place, but a choice and
a promise made "before the foundation of the world".
We send forth this leaflet with the prayer that the Lord may direct its distribution, so
that some, at present distracted by the "inexpressible jumble" entertained by the
successors of such writers as 100: H. Macintosh and Richard Holden, may have their eyes
opened to see "what is the hope of His calling".
A reference to the closing words of J.N.D. in his "Synopsis" on Acts 28:, will
show that he too believed at the setting aside of the Jew, believers enter into
"another sphere on other grounds", yet his followers definitely turn back from this
Kadesh-Barnea, and build upon the epistle to the Corinthians for their assembly and its
communion, and say hard things, as did Israel, of those who have accepted this position
and who have followed out its logical conclusions.
This interim dispensation is called in Eph. 3: 9, R.V. "The dispensation of the
mystery, which from all ages hath been hid in God who created all things."
THE MYSTERY
"WHAT IS THE DISPENSATION OF THE MYSTERY?" (Eph. 3: 9 R.V.)
For the guidance of the earnest inquirer after truth, most books of the Bible contain
one or more key words, which if faithfully accepted and applied, unlock treasures of truth
that must otherwise remain undiscovered. Some time ago attempts were made to teach
that the epistle to the Hebrews and that to the Ephesians taught the same truth, ministered
to the same calling, belonged to the same dispensation. Nevertheless, however many
parallels may have been discovered, no unbiased mind could resist the fact that whereas
the central feature of Hebrews is THE NEW COVENANT, explicitly referable to the
prophecy of Jeremiah (Heb. 8: 8-13; Jer. 31: 31-34); the central feature of
Ephesians is THE MYSTERY, explicitly said to have been "hid in God" (Eph. 3: 9),
and "hid from ages and from generations, but now made manifest" (Col. 1: 26). It is not
our intention to take up this controversy here, but in this booklet it will be our endeavour
to set out as clearly as grace will enable, an answer to the question "What is the
dispensation of the Mystery?" Before considering either the occurrences of the word
"mystery" or its several contexts and connexions, it will be necessary to seek the essential
meaning of the term.
THE MEANING OF "MYSTERY"
In the first place we observe that the Greek word musterion has not been translated,
but carried over from the original and expressed in English letters. The word is derived
from muo "to close, to shut" as the lips or the eyes and so to preserve a secret. This root
mu appears in other languages than the Greek, with much the same significance. "Mute",
dumb, comes via the Latin mutum, the Greek muo and the Sanskrit muka, and so also is