is against Him, as David once realized to his cost (Psa. 51: 1-4). There is the thought of

deliverance in this word too, for in Luke 4: 18 it is translated `deliverance' and `set at

liberty', and the measure is "according to the riches of His grace, wherein He hath

abounded toward us" (verses 7 and 8). The slight adjustment in punctuation does not

touch the original Greek, for in this there are no punctuation marks.

We have before given a short consideration of the various and great riches which the

prison epistles of Paul make known, and we start here with the riches of God's grace in

which He has (literally) overflowed toward us. Here is no trickle of blessing, but a

veritable torrent! Let us not pass by this lightly. Well may we sing, with Frances Ridley

Havergal: "I could not do without Thee, O Saviour of the lost, Whose precious blood

redeemed me at such tremendous cost", and realizing this afresh, we shall be more ready

to serve Him faithfully.

Verses 8 and 9 continue, "In all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us

the secret (mystery) of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in

Him" (R.V.). It will be noticed that redemption is put into God's secret will, for the good

reason that God did not plan sin and death to enter into His creation, but, foreknowing all

things, He had provided for its eradication in that aspect of His will which He had kept

secret until the right time for its revelation. When God warned Adam that disobedience

would lead to death, He did not reveal to the man that such an eventuality had been

provided for in the work of the Kinsman-Redeemer. This was kept in God's secret will

until its need had become apparent. Without such a provision, the wonderful plan of the

ages which finds its goal in the dispensation of the fullness of the seasons, could never be

realized (verse 10).  The word `fullness', another of the great words of the Prison

Epistles, occurs in Ephesians four times (1: 10, 23; 3: 19; 4: 13). Its basic meaning is

`to fill up' a rent or a gap. The fall of Satan, sin and death, and the failure of the people

of Israel, have indeed made gaps in God's great plan, but in each case He has gloriously

filled these up in His redemptive purpose, so that at the end it reaches a glorious

conclusion unmarred and in all its beauty.

Eph. 1: 10 looks forward to this goal of the final dispensation when everything in

heaven and earth will be filled by the Lord Jesus Christ, Who Himself contains all the

fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2: 9). Then all will come under His headship and

control. The words "gather together in one" represent one word in the Greek "to head up

Since the beginning of time, God has placed the headship over creation in the

power of created beings, possibly unfallen Satan, but certainly Adam and later on Israel

(Psa. 8:; Deut. 28: 13). These have failed and brought untold misery and suffering,

and the way our heavenly Father in His wisdom and prudence will ensure that such

tragedy can never be repeated, is to take such power out of the hands of the creature and

put it in the control of the Creator. Then all rule and authority and power will be

abrogated and He alone will be Sovereign (I Cor. 15: 24). What a magnificent conclusion

to which to look forward! Then indeed the will of God will be carried out perfectly and

completely in heaven and earth, and all problems, personal and world-wide, and in the