Thus purified of all the earthly alloy which earthly minds have endeavoured to cast upon it, may we receive with meekness and holiness of heart this portion of the inspired Word which the saints of God, from the day of its date to the present hour, have recognised as the fullest expansion of the wonderfully gracious and tender similitude which runs through the Word of God, to signify the mystical union between Christ and His Church. And in the prayerful study of this holy allegory, we shall find a means of attaining to higher and sweeter communion with Him, who is "fairer than the children of men," into whose lips "grace is poured," who "loveth righteousness and hateth wickedness," and whom "God hath anointed with the oil of gladness;" that out of His fulness we should all receive, even grace for grace; and that He should make us most blessed for ever, even exceeding glad with His countenance.

INTRODUCTION.

"This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the Church."-EPH. v. 32.

Of all the precious truths taught in God's inspired Word, there is none, perhaps, so cheering and delightful to the Christian as that of the close union and relation between the Lord Jesus Christ and His believing people-His Church.

We use the word Church in the sense in which St. Paul uses it in the Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians-that is to say, to describe all those, of whatever age, nation, or calling in life, who have come by faith to Jesus for the pardon of their sins, and who, trusting in Him with their whole hearts. for pardon and salvation, have been washed in his blood from their sins (Rev. i. 3), and given by the Holy Spirit that new birth of the soul, without which no man shall see the kingdom of God. (John iii. 3.) Such persons, and such only, form the true Church of Christ. Man cannot tell their names; but they are all written in "the Lamb's

book of life."

Weak and sinful, and often wandering as they are, they belong to the flock of Christ's sheep, who "hear his voice, and follow Him.” (John x. 27.)

Now, to one who has so come to Jesus and believed in Him, it is blessed to think of Him as the Saviour, making atonement for our sins with His blood; it is blessed, too, to think of Him as the High Priest, who is ever living to make intercession for His people; but, perhaps, we might almost say, it is most blessed of all to think of Him as He is chiefly spoken of in the Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians-as the HEAD of His Church. This is what is called so frequently in all the Epistles "the mystery of Christ ;"* and almost in all the places in which this expression is used, we shall find it followed by some declaration of Christ as "the Head of the body, the Church," (See Eph. iii., and vi 30, 32; Col. i. 27.) The meaning of this is simply that, as Christ died for sinners, so, those sinners who come to Him and put their trust in Him, are considered by God as a part of Christ; they are reckoned as innocent for His sake; they are considered as if they had suffered with Him; God looks at them, not as they are in themselves, but as they are in HIM; and He stands for them before God.

* This "mystery" is connected with the call of the Gentiles; but these passages show that it includes much more than this.

Many comparisons are used in Scripture, especially in the Epistles, to show how closely Christ is united with His people. He is called (as we observed before) "the Head of the body" (Eph. i. 22, 23; and Col. i. 18, 24), and His people the members. He is called "the true vine" (John xv. 1), and His people "the branches, bearing fruit, and abiding in the vine." He is called "the chief corner-stone of the building" (1 Pet. ii. 5—7), and His people the "living stones." They are His. They belong to Him for ever; because He lives, they shall live also. Not one shall be plucked out of His hand. (John x. 28, and xiv. 19.)

But, also, many relations of life are used to make clearer this union of Christ and His Church. He is called the "Good Shepherd" (John x. 11, 14), “the Captain of our Salvation” (Heb. ii. 10), our “Elder Brother" (Rom. viii. 29; Heb. i. 6). But the comparison which the Spirit of God most delights to employ is that of the relation between a husband and his wife.

In the Old Testament, where the Church is not spoken of by name, this comparison is used for the Jews-God's chosen people of old; and, as we are told (Gal. iii. 21) that those "who are Christ's" are "Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise," we may safely apply what is said of the Jews to believing Christians now; and we know how many times it is repeated, "Thy Maker is thy hus

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band: the Lord of Hosts is his name " (Isa. liv. 5);— "I will betroth thee unto me for ever (Hosea iii. 19); and the same in other places. Most especially we find this comparison in the forty-fifth Psalm, which, we are distinctly told in Heb. i. 8, 9, applies to our Lord, and which contains nearly the same descriptions and expressions which we find in the Song of Solomon.

In the New Testament, we find St. Paul (in Eph. v. 25) telling husbands to love their wives "even as Christ also loved His Church, and gave Himself for it ;" and the whole of the latter part of that chapter is taken up in showing that marriage is a type or figure of Christ's union with His people. He quotes the words of Adam when Eve was brought to him, "This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh," showing that these words, which seemed only to apply to Eve, were really a prophecy of that, of which Adam's marriage was only a figure.

And, in the Book of Revelation, the body of true believers called the "Church of Christ" is always spoken of as "the Bride, the Lamb's wife." (Rev. xix. 7, 9; xx. 2, 9; xxii. 17.)

There are many things which even we can see must make this comparison peculiarly fitting and suitable. One or two we may mention here, which may, perhaps, help those who love to study their Bibles to find out more for themselves.

In the first place, a husband is bound to give his