HOMII.Y I.] HOMILIES ON EPHESIANS. 53 sun-beams with the glances of his eyes ; and then were to set him in the very flower of his age, and after that array him in purple and a diadem and all the attire of royalty. It is thus that God hath arrayed and adorned this soul of ours, and clothed it with beauty, and rendered it an object of His delight and love. Such a soul Angels desire to look into, yea, Archangels, and all the holy ones. Such grace hath He shed over us, so dear halh He rendered us to Himself. "The King," saith the Psalmist, "shall greatly desire thy beauty." (Ps. xlv: n.) Think what injurious words we uttered heretofore, and look, what gracious words we utter now. Wealth has no longer charms for us, nor the things that are here below, but only heavenly things, the things that are in the heavens. When a child has outward beauty, and has besides a pervading grace in all its say ings, do we not call it a beautiful child ? Such as this are the faithful. Look, what words the initiated utter ! What can be more beautiful than that mouth that breathes those wondrous words, and with a pure heart and pure lips, and beaming with cheerful confidence, partaketh of such a mystical table? What more beautiful than the words, with which we renounce the service of the Devil, and enlist in the service of Christ ? than both that confession which is be fore the Baptismal laver, 1 and that which is after it ? Let us reflect as many of us as have defiled our Baptism, and weep that we may be able again to repair it. Ver. 6. "In the Beloved,"2 he saith, "in whom we have3 our redemption through His Blood." 4 And how is this ? Not only is there this mar vel, that He hath given His Son, but yet fur ther that He hath given Him in such a way, as that the Beloved One Himself should be slain ! Yea, and more transcendent still ! He hath given the Beloved for them that were hated. See, how high a price he sets upon us. If, when we hated Him and were enemies, He gave the Beloved, what will He not do now, when we are reconciled by Him through grace ? Ver. 7. "The forgiveness," saith he, "of our trespasses. Again he descends from high to low: first speaking of adoption, and sanctification, and blamelessness, and then of the Passion, and in this not lowering his discourse and bringing it 1 Different usages were observed as regards the Baptismal Con fession. In all cases there was one before Baptism. In some places it was made three times ; and in some it was written after it was spoken, vid. Bingham Antique, xi. 7. &c. * [" The designation of Christ by 6 ^yaTrrjueVo? makes us fee the greatness of the divine grace." Meyer. G. A.] 3 [ " More precise elucidation of what has been said, on the bi of experience (eyo/u.ev). "Meyer. G. A.] 4 [ " Through His Blood is a more precise definition of the pre ceding fv S. in whom." Meyer. "We have redemption not r His work without His Person but in His Person which with His work is a living unity." Olshausen in Lange. G. A.J down from greater things to lesser, no rather, hewas heightening it, and raising it from the lesser to the greater. For nothing is so great as that the blood of this Son should be shed for us. Greater this than both the adoption, and all the other gifts of grace, that He spared not even the Son. For great indeed is the forgiveness of sins, yet this is the far greater thing, that it should be done by the Lord s blood. For that this is far greater than all, look how here againhe exclaims, Ver. 7, 8. "According to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us." The abovementioned gifts are riches, yet is this far more so. " Which, "saith he, " He made to abound toward us." They are both " riches " and "they have abounded," that is to say, were poured forth in ineffable measure. It is not possible to represent in words what blessings we have in fact experienced. For riches indeed they are, abounding riches, and He hath given in abundance riches not of man but of God, so that on all hands it is impossible that they should be expressed. And to show us how He gave it to such abundance, he adds, Ver. 8, 9. "In allwisdom and prudence5, hav ingmadeknown unto us the mysteryofHis will." That is to say, Making us wise and prudent, in that which is true wisdom, and that which is true prudence. Strange ! what friendship ! For He telleth us His secrets; the mysteries, saith he, of His will, as if one should say, He hath made known to us the things that are in His heart. For here is indeed the mystery which is full of all wisdom and prudence. For what will you mention equal to this wisdom ! These that were worth nothing, it hath discovered a way of raising them to wealth and abundance. What can equal this wise contrivance ? He that was an enemy, he that was hated, he is in a moment lifted up on high. And not this only, but, yet more, that it should be done at this particular time, this again was the work of wis dom ; and that it should be done by means of the Cross. It were matter of long discourse here to point out, how all this was the work of wisdom, and how He had made us wise. And therefore he repeats again the words, " According to Hisgood pleasure6 which He purposed in Him." 7 That is to say, this He desired, this He tra- 5 [ " In all wisdom and prudence is not to be joined, as Chrys- ostom does, with having made known (yi/wptVa?), because it would thus denote the attribute of God operative in the yvtapifftv, which on account of the wao-jj, every, is not admissible. Paul in making known the mystery had to set forth not the display of grace in itself but as revealed. Hence some definition to the clause, which he made to abound toward us, is necessary and this is the in all wisdom and prudence. " Meyer. G. A.] "[" According to His good pleasure belongs to yvupio-as, stating that God has accomplished the making known in pursuance of His free self-determination, cf. ver. 5." Meyer. G. A.] i j- < Which He purposed in Him, in itself redundant, serves for the attaching of that which follows." Meyer. G. A.]