By A. E. B. (Colossians i was read.)

Chapters 1 and 2 of this epistle give us in the main its doctrinal part, while in chaps. 3 and 4, we get the practical, as based upon the lessons of chaps 1:and 2. This is the way the Holy Spirit presents things in the Epistles-first the doctrine, then the practice which suits it.

In verses i and 2 we get the salutation of the apostle. It is two-fold, " grace and peace."

When our Lord was upon earth He instructed His disciples, in going from place to place and entering a house, to say, Peace be to this house. That was the usual salutation of the East, and His servants were not to be less courteous than others. Indeed whilst the usual salutation might be but courtesy, and only human, theirs was to be real, as became this heavenly errand.

But there is more in this salutation. The work of the Cross has brought in grace. Our Christian dispensation has come in now, fully, and God has unfolded the whole truth. Peace has been made by the Cross, and our glorified Lord sits upon the throne of grace. Our dispensation is characterized by grace; and the inspired salutation is therefore, grace and peace. Grace first, for apart from it there could be no peace. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. We are justified by His grace-one side of justification. We are justified by faith-the other side. The result is peace-wonderful blessing, and precious. But God's desires for us, after we are justified continue in the same order, though to meet another form of need. We are saints now, and according to our needs as such He still extends grace and peace to us as we go through life.

Before Christ came, the manifestation of grace was hindered and limited. It was like the droppings before the shower. Now it flows as a river from God and His throne-through Jesus Christ. Now that redemption is accomplished and our Lord is upon the throne by His Father's side, the Man in His Godhead glory, this salutation comes from both the Father and the Son. In the individual believer's life, as well as in our assemblies, to enjoy this blessing of peace we must first be in the enjoyment of grace. The reason of the many difficulties at times among us, and jarring notes, instead of the peace that the apostle so much desired, is because we are so little in the sense and enjoyment of grace. We use the throne of grace so seldom. The power of that truth molds and influences us so feebly. Peace, we cannot enjoy rightly apart from grace. Further, we could have neither grace nor peace apart from the. work of the cross. He suffered upon the cross that grace and peace might be extended to us as sinners, and then still to us as His redeemed and justified people. When addressed to a person, mercy is added to grace and peace, in the salutation of the Epistles. See i and 2 Tim. and Titus. Grace is God's favor extended to the undeserving. But there is more than favor extended to us. There is pity and compassion in view of weakness and failure; and " mercy " is this pity and compassion of our Saviour-God.

Verses 3 to 8 follow as an introduction. Paul had not labored at Colosse, (2:i). Epaphras was the servant God had used there. At the time of writing this epistle, he was with the apostle-his fellow-servant (vers. 7 and 8). He had given the apostle information concerning them, and especially, concerning their "love in the Spirit." A very beautiful thing to be able to relate then or now. The information thus furnished to the apostle led to thanksgiving on his part, as those verses show; and it served as an introduction to the teaching and exhortations in the body of the epistle.

Next we have the apostle's prayer. There is much in those three verses, as in everything indited by the Holy Spirit. One thought we would especially notice. "Growing by the true knowledge of God." This is very important. It is not simply a knowledge of the Bible, important and valuable as that is in itself. The object in all Bible study is to gain a better and truer knowledge of God. The Word, when studied by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and with prayer, brings the soul into God's presence, and we get the true knowledge of God. This is true sanctification by the Word.

Paul knew the Lord well-perhaps as none since; yet he again and again longed to know Him better. "That I may know Him "(Phil. 3:10). This is the true exemplary spirit of a child of God. There is not the desire for Bible study now that there was years ago. This speaks for itself. Hence, in our gatherings, addresses largely take the place of what was once true Bible study. We must not give this up, or we will suffer serious loss. There have been also abuses in Bible readings; for it has its dangers, if grace does not control the hearts of those who sit together; if the Holy Spirit is grieved and guides not, debates and disputes may arise, and this withers up everything. May the Lord deliver us from these abuses everywhere. We say again, if the Bible is studied by individuals or companies under the Holy Spirit's guidance, we will gather from it a true knowledge of God, and also of Christ. And a right view of Christ will produce small thoughts of self and proper thoughts of others.

In ver. 12 he gives thanks for certain things. The first in order is that we, believers, are made fit for sharing the portion of the saints in light. (This is the true reading of the text by the valuable version of J. N. D.) It spreads before us what we may enjoy now, as well as in the day of coming glory. Our "portion "-see such scriptures as Psa. 119:57; Psa. 16:5. We are saints by God's call and in the light, and in that place God has a portion for us to enjoy. Of course we can only' enjoy it partially here; but by-and-by in all its fulness. We might illustrate it by the grapes, figs and pomegranates, which were brought down from the land, that lay before them as their future inheritance. Thus in the wilderness, they enjoyed a foretaste of their future blessings. (Num. 13:21-25).

Next we see more fully what has been done for us. We have been delivered from the authority of darkness. That is of course where we were, in darkness; and where the world yet is. This authority is Satan's rule. It is the Father who has delivered us; and we who were once under the authority of darkness are now His dear children. Further we are translated into the kingdom of His dear Son, or Son of His love. We have escaped the darkness, and the slavish rule of Satan. We are now in a new
kingdom, one characterized by light, and where the Son of God's love is owned by right the sovereign ruler. This is not Church truth; it is the Kingdom, but none the less an important truth, and one perhaps too much overlooked by us in the past.

Redemption is the next blessing for which the apostle gives thanks. In 5:14 the words, "through His blood," ought to be committed, (see J. N. D.'s version). The thought is quite correct however, and in place in reading Ephesians i:7.The blood is the basis, the foundation of redemption, as well as of all our blessings. Here, in Colossians, the thought is rather that of redemption by power, 1:e., the Lord setting the soul free, liberating it on the ground of the blood. This setting free is by the power of the Holy Spirit and is dependent upon the first, yet it is not the same. One is the basis, the other is what follows. Then there is another redemption yet future. It is by power also. The redemption of our bodies, (Rom. 8:23-25). But the truth of redemption by power in Col. i and Rom. 8 are both on the basis of Eph. i-"redemption through His blood."

It is the Father who delivers (ver. 12) but through the Son (vers. 13, 14 and 15). The remainder of the epistle is strikingly in fulfillment of John 16:13-15. The Spirit has come to glorify Christ, to make known to us His fulness and His glories. In Ephesians it is not so. After it has given the Father's purposes, the Son's glories, it opens up the Holy Spirit's place and work, throughout the epistle.

Verse 15 of our chapter gives us a rich unfolding of the glories of our blessed Lord. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, (J. N. D.'s version). We ought to read with our chapter the first of John and the first of Hebrews. In these three chapters the Holy Spirit gives beautiful teaching concerning the Godhead glories of our Lord. He is the image of the invisible God. This is not likeness. Image is the true representation, and Jesus was that. He was God manifest in the flesh. Adam was made in God's likeness because he was but a creature, but the Son of God was the Creator. By Him all things were created, by Him all things subsist; that is, He upholds all things by the word of His power The smallest insect, the mere blade of grass, are all sustained by Him, who superintends His own creation. Prom creation, the end-eternity itself-was Kept in view as a place for the display of His divine glory. Hence all things were created for Him, for His pleasure, and for His glory.

(To be concluded, D. V., in our next.)