brought condemnation, the result of God's free gift is a verdict of acquittal from the many trespasses of which the saved have personally been guilty. That which is inherited by us as children of Adam is like the acorn, which in congenial soil grows and spreads into the mighty oak, or like poison put into the spring or source of a river, which poisons the stream in the whole of its course. But so rich and full is the provision of God in Christ that from all the fruits of that "one offence" there is justification.

Verse 17 confirms the preceding statements, and leads to the blessed consummation, bringing in a twofold contrast. The one offence by which death reigned is contrasted with the "abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness," and further, the reign of death is contrasted with the reigning in life. The terrible reign of death is for ever ended as concerns those who are Christ's, and they are not simply brought under the power of life, but are to reign in life. What freedom and power are expressed by the word reign, and what a sphere is life! And this is through the One-the matchless One-thus named in triumph at the close, "even Jesus Christ." Thine, O Lord, is the grace, thine was the work, thine shall ever be the glory!

Verse 18 concisely repeats the unfinished statement of verse 12, and concludes it, though it has been virtually finished in the somewhat parenthetical portion that ends with verse 17; "therefore as through one offence [the result was] unto all men to condemnation; so through one righteous act the result was unto all men to justification of life."* As the one trespass of Adam resulted in the con* This is the rendering given by Mr. Moule, and is substantially the same as the R.V., but the expression one righteous act " seems more definite. Some render es towards, but if it is towards in v. 18, it must be the same all through, and we may ask, Did death spread towards all men only, or actually unto them (v. 12)? The justification is as definitely

demnation and death of all who spring from him, so the one righteous act of Christ, when in obedience to the will of God He offered Himself in all the glory and fulness of His person, results in the blessing of justification of life to all who are His.

The next verse (19) presents the same truth in a slightly different form. Men are treated as sinners on account of the offence of Adam, for they are regarded as such, the word" made" not meaning a change wrought, but rather constituted or appointed. So men are treated as righteous, for they are most truly regarded as such ; "for as through the one man's disobedience the many were constituted sinners, even so through the obedience of the One shall the many be constituted righteous." The "obedience" here must be the same as "the one righteous act" of v. 18, and as the accomplishment of the will of God by "the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (See Ps. xl. with Heb. x.)

But it may be asked, what place is left for the law in this representative system? The answer is, that the law was added to, or superinduced upon, a plan already laid, and that for a subordinate though necessary purpose, namely that the sin that existed might be made manifest as transgression; that what was inherent in that first trespass might be unfolded to man, and so form the dark background for the display of grace; for "where the sin multiplied, there the grace superabounded," rising above all those numberless transgressions into which the first sin,

unto all as was the condemnation; but the important thing is to see clearly that the word "all" in each case is qualified by the "one." We have Adam and his posterity on the one hand, and Christ and those who are Christ's on the other. And throughout the whole passage the word "all" is used in relation to the two heads, the first Adam and the Last; while the expression "the many" is in contrast with "the one," by whose act they are affected.

as a seed unfolding itself, had developed, and justifying all believers from them.

The last verse of the chapter brings us back to the two prominent words of the section, sin and grace, and leads us to another contrast, though one that is very similar to that expressed in verse 17. If "death reigned," it was SIN that reigned in death—death in its threefold stage; separation from God; separation (in due time) of soul and body; and then the fearful consummation, the second death, the final doom of those who never receive grace and righteousness. But in the case of all who do, grace shall reignnot apart from, but through righteousness unto eternal life-life in resurrection glory, the blessed consummation of that salvation of which Christ is the author, to whom, with the Father and the ever-blessed Spirit (through whose grace and power alone any are receivers of grace and the gift of righteousness)—the God of our salvation, be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. W. H. B.

THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD'S POWER.

NOTES OF ADDRESSES.

IN the epistle to the Ephesians the manifestation of power is threefold: (1) the power put forth for us when God raised Christ from the dead (chap. i.); (2) the power wrought in us by the Holy Ghost (chap. iii.); (3) the power put forth by us in conflict and warfare (chap. vi.). We doubtless feel our lack of the second and third manifestations, but what we really need is, a better apprehension of the first.

In Isaiah li. 9, Israel's prayer is "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in ancient days!" God had revealed His arm in bringing them out of Egypt, and in giving them the land; and in the Psalms

reference is again and again made to Jehovah's arm. This will be Israel's cry in the future, and our need is to lay hold on the "arm" of our God now. "Set me as a seal upon thine arm," is the bride's desire in the Song. God would have us turn our thoughts back to the omnipotence of divine power shown in the resurrection of Christ from the dead, when He divested Himself of all that which bound Him, and spoiled principalities and powers. How was this done? Through weakness. Where we fail is in expecting power without the cross; in expecting to live without first dying. We do not realize the power of God, because we are not prepared to follow in the footsteps of · our Lord, and unless we do this, God cannot put forth His power in us.

He who never slumbers nor sleeps, echoes back to Israel the word "Awake." "Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem." This word also occurs in the epistle to the Ephesians, "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." It will cost us something to arouse ourselves, and put on the beautiful garments of resurrection life and power.

(H. G.)

“The exceeding greatness" of God's power to usward who believe, is what we are to know by the Spirit's wisdom and unveiling, even the power that raised up Jesus from among the dead. This power makes us like Him, now inwardly, and hereafter outwardly. Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory. The climax of this will be when we see Him as He is, and are in a moment made like Him. That which makes us like Him now is seeing Him by faith day by day. If our eyes are dim our strength will fail. When the Philistines got Samson under their

power they put out his eyes to hinder any use of his strength. Paul prays for the Ephesians that the eyes of their heart may be enlightened to behold the Pattern to which they are to be conformed.

In writing to the Hebrew saints the apostle reminds them of what they had endured when their eyes were illuminated—they were then like their suffering Lord. God grant that our vision also may be cleared. How can it be? By reading more and more His word, which shows us we were Gentiles, down in the mire, and are still needing the Spirit of God to unveil Christ to us as the Risen One, and ourselves as one with Him.

The apostle's prayer in Eph. iii. is, that we might be strengthened with might in our inner man, and that we might know the love wherewith we are all loved. May we in our hearts be strengthened to receive that love, that we may pour it out on others, and as we do so, God will pour in more.

"The power that worketh in us" is the power of the Holy Ghost. Let us not grieve Him who is the Revealer and Teacher and Strengthener.

(H. D.)

66

LETTERS OF THE LATE MR. J. L. HARRIS.

XXI.

Thoughts on the Psalms.

Surely it will be our blessed occupation in heaven itself to witness the unfolding of Scripture as to the fulness which is in Christ Jesus. The seventeenth Psalm is one I often ponder. None but Jesus can say, except in a very qualified sense, 'Let my sentence come forth from Thy presence, let Thine eyes behold the things which are equal.' It is only as introduced into the grace wherein we stand by faith in Jesus, that we can