ward show.' If they see any one of a life somewhat inconsiderate and uncircumspect, they immediately say, 'He is a reprobate. Take them which way you will, they are offended. If you pipe unto them, they will not dance: if you mourn unto them, they will not lament. They will neither hear bitter, nor sweet. Thus it must ever be with "wisdom," she must be justified of her own children, as Christ saith. And thus does God infatuate and confound the world, still permitting himself to be judged by them; while he, in the meantime still works on, and causes his Gospel to spread its roots, though they be destroyed in their folly. These things I speak, to the intent that we may act cautiously, that we be not carried headlong with them, by judging, after their example, the Word and work of God. For although we may labour under infirmity, yet are we nevertheless sure that the kingdom of God is among us: seeing that, we have his Word, and daily pray to him that his Word may be attended with power, and that we may increase in faith.-Then follows,

To be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the

inner man.

The apostle here uses a force of words, in order that he might leave very little play to Free-will. He prays that they may have might communicated to them from heaven by the Holy Spirit. For the world have their strength and their spirit too: namely, the devil, the prince of this world, who fills with darkness and hardens the hearts of men, and by inflating himself and giving courage to them, he persuades himself that he can break in upon the Christians with ease, and grind them down to destruction. But as the children of this world are courageous and arrogant, so also are Christians; but far more vehemently and powerfully so, through the Holy Spirit; and they are free from all fear whatever of the world, the devil, death, and all things which are against them. This is called spiritual courage.

6

The Hebrew word for spirit may be rightly rendered in Latin, upright mind; that is, which is

confident and courageous. For spiritual courage, is not flesh and blood, but the heart and the very courageous alacrity of the mind. As on the other hand weakness, signifies a mind desponding, dejected, and not able to trust firmly. The meaning of Paul therefore is, This I pray for and desire of God, that ye may have that confident and courageous mind, and that emboldened and heroic spirit, which may be free from all fear, whether poverty, or contempt, or sin, or Satan, or death assail you; and that ye may be persuaded, that no evil, no poverty, can hurt you. The spirit and courage of the world, remain and endure so long only as that in which it trusts is at hand. Hence, there is a proverb among the Germans, 'The pocket gives courage; that is, such confidence always arises from mammon, and secular power; and it is daring and insolent, and conceives great spirit on account of temporal things.

But the former spirit trusts in God only, and has nothing whatever laid up against an accidental necessity, but God alone. Staying wholly on him, it holds up the finger at all opposition, and is strengthened with a mind far more courageous than the world has. This is that strength for which Paul prays; which is not seated in the flesh and blood, but in the inner man. having a heart happy and free from fear, which rests in the goodness and grace of God, fears nothing whatever, and possesses all fulness, riches, and satisfaction; namely, God himself, with all his gracious benefits.

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.

It is

The Holy Spirit puts Christ into the heart, teaches it to know him, lights up its flame, and gives it courage. And what Paul every where aims at, is, to enforce, that no one should attempt to approach God the Father, without apprehending Christ as the only Mediator. Now, when Christ dwells in my heart and directs the whole of my life, although my faith be weak, yet, never mind;-Where Christ is, is not all bone; there is some flesh; and therefore, festers, ulcers, and sins; of which, nevertheless, he is not ashamed; although those great

saints hold their noses lest the smell should offend them. Moreover, where Christ dwells, there is a plenteous fulness, whether the strength be small or great.

And Christ dwelling in our hearts, is nothing else but our knowing him,-what he is, and what good there is treasured up for us in him! Namely, that he is our Saviour, by whom we have attained unto such blessedness, as to call God our Father; and that by him also we have obtained the Holy Spirit, which renders us courageous against all storms. Thus, he dwells in our very hearts. He can be conceived of, and received no where else; for he is not a dead thing, but the living God. But how is he apprehended in the heart? Not by thoughts, but by living faith only. He does not permit himself to be apprehended by works, nor to be received in by the eyes; he will be held by the heart only. If, therefore, thy faith be true faith, and thy foundation solid, thou hast, and thou feelest, Christ in thy heart; and thou knowest also, all things that he doth both in heaven and in earth. Thou knowest, moreover, in what manner he rules all things by his Word. And thou knowest the feelings of those that have Christ, and of those that are without him!

This then is what Paul here desires, which works so effectually in the heart, that it produces all that is contained in the Word, sets us free from the tyranny of sin and death, and renders us certain of grace and eternal life! And when a feeling sense of these things touches the heart, it is impossible but that it must lift itself up and become courageous. But he that is destitute of a sense of these things, falls to consulting within himself what is best to be done; whether he should pray to God himself, or get some one else to procure for him this faith and courage.-We have now finished the first part concerning faith. The next is concerning love—

That ye being rooted and grounded in love.

This is a different form of speaking from that to which we are accustomed. Ought we not to be rooted and grounded, and to lay our foundation by faith?

How comes it to pass, then, that Paul assigns this to love? I answer: It is true. But love is the criterion whereby to decide whether or not the faith be true faith, and the heart happy and going forth in alacrity towards God. For where thy believing confidence is so strong, that thou doubtest not in the least that God is thy Father, it will of necessity follow, although thy faith may languish, that it will break forth in thy mouth, actions, and hands, and will assist thy neighbour both in deed and in counsel. This is what Paul here calls laying a foundation, and being rooted and grounded in love; that is, tasting and feeling that we have a faith unctuous and sound. For love is, as it were, a touch-stone, whereby we discover whether faith be true or false; as Peter saith, 2d Epist. i. "Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure." Otherwise, the matter always remains in uncertainty; it floats in the ear and fluctuates in the dreams of the heart, but there is not a firm foundation laid, nor a being rooted and grounded. This is what Paul desires in this two-fold prayer.-First, that we may have in the heart a right faith toward God; and secondly, that that faith may break forth and shew itself in love toward our neighbour.

That ye may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height.

This again is a part of his prayer; wherein, he would have them so to advance, that by faith they may be gladdened and rendered happy toward God, and truly settled and kindled in love toward their neighbour. As though he would have said, After ye have attained unto that strength, go forward and press on with that which ye have begun: pursue with all saints these four things, that ye may increase them, and understand them more day by day. This however is only to be attained unto by faith. Love has not any thing to do in this matter, although it is an assistance, as being an evidence whereby we are assured of our faith.

The learned ones would, from these words, delineate

and measure out to us the holy cross, (about which, however, Paul does not here say one word,) that we may be able to arrive at the exact knowledge of all things concerning it-how long the kingdom of Christ is, how wide, how deep, and how high. But this I attain unto, when my heart is so instructed, that Christ cannot so contract, dilate, and extend himself, but I can follow him; and cannot descend so deep, or rise so high, as that I should be suffered to be torn away from himself and his Word; so that, I know and am persuaded, that wheresoever I betake myself, Christ is there; that he rules in all places; and that, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high soever he may turn himself, either for a time short or long; or, how extensively and distantly soever his going may stretch itself out, I shall every where find him: as David also saith, Ps. cxxxix. "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I fly from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there," &c. His kingdom is eternal; its length, its breadth, its depth, its height, are interminable. If, therefore, I descend into the depths of hell, my heart and my faith say, 'Christ is here.' The sum, therefore, of these things is, whether I sink or whether I rise, you may judge of me as you will, and hurl me here and there, but, wheresoever I am, there I find Christ! For he has in his hand all things both in heaven and in earth, and all things are subject unto him, -angels, the devil, the world, sin, death, and hell!

Wherefore, since he dwells in my heart, my mind remains upright and immovable. Whithersoever the storm may drive me, I cannot perish; for, wheresoever Christ my Lord is, there shall I be. But reason can never come up to this; for if it be but lifted up one cubit's height from the earth, it is driven into despair. We, however, have stronger spirits through Christ, and we know that he is every where, whether honour or dishonour, hunger, weeping or sorrow, life or death, good or evil fall upon us. For this therefore the apostle Paul prays, that, through the grace of God, the Ephe