has a special charge over the
Gentiles. This charge involves the stewardship of a secret (iii. 3),
viz. the inclusion of the Gentiles in the promise of God. He, the
least of all saints, has been allowed to proclaim this secret, a work
which shows to the heavenly powers the wisdom of God corresponding with
His eternal purpose (iii. 10, 11). This bounty of God will ever be
praised in the Church, which is the monument of that bounty (iii. 21).

Chapters iv.-vi. are largely practical. They set out rules of conduct.
But even here doctrine is brought in to enforce practical advice. The
readers are to "walk worthily" of their calling. To do this, they must
realize unity. The principles of unity are magnificently summed up
(iv. 4-6). Then the apostle mentions some means which God has
appointed for the maintenance of unity. Christians have various gifts
from the ascended Christ (iv. 7-8), and some are specially gifted for
ecclesiastical offices (iv. 9-13). These gifts make for the
completeness of the Church, of which Christ is the Head and the Life.
To "walk worthily" also means that everything connected with heathen
habits must be sedulously renounced. The old self must be changed for
the new. A basis for social life must be found in truthfulness,
uprightness, and kindliness (iv. 25-32). Purity must specially be
preserved, impurity being contrasted with love. Light and darkness are
then contrasted, and the sober gaiety of the Christian with heathen
folly and excess (v. 1-21).

St. Paul passes on to speak of the Christian household--the {187}
duties of husband, wife, children, slaves. He seems to pronounce a
great benediction over family life as he compares the union of marriage
to the association of Christ with His Church. Just as in calling
Christ the Head of which the Church is the body, he suggests the entire
dependence of the Church upon Christ, so now in describing the Church
as the spouse of Christ, he suggests that this dependence must imply a
voluntary and conscious submission. The final exhortation vividly
describes the Christian's conflict with evil: to fight victoriously he
will need to be well armoured with the whole panoply of God (vi.
10-20). There is a short personal conclusion in which St. Paul
describes himself as Christ's "ambassador in chains."

ANALYSIS

Salutation (i. 1, 2).

Exposition of God's purpose in adopting the Gentiles as His sons,
chosen by the Father, redeemed by the