July 3

Ephesians i. — 15. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

16. Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

17. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

18. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

19. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

20. Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

21. Far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come;

22. And hath put all things under his feet, and

gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

23. Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Ephesians ii. — 1. And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved);

6. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus;

7. That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us, through Christ Jesus.

The redemption of man is a fact of such stupendous moment, that, to comprehend it, one must be taught of God. As human philosophy failed to conceive the way of salvation, so human wisdom is inadequate to interpret it. The eyes within must be enlightened, the spirit of wisdom must be imparted from above, that we may discern the ineffable glory of Christ, and measure the greatness of his power. We are lain to study the resurrection of Christ as a fact of our human earthly history. But this resurrection was the most potential fact in the history of the moral universe. His resurrection was his enthronement over all powers and all worlds through all the ages.

His resurrection was the lifting of his Church, as his body, to the central position of interest and power in the affairs of this world, and in the issues of the world to come. His resurrection was our quickening from sin, and our exaltation to a life in God. All gracious experiences within our souls, all blessed hopes for our humanity, all glorious promises for the hereafter, date from the resurrection of Christ. Come, thou Spirit of all light and truth! and teach us that knowledge of Christ which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 79, 107.

O God, the Father of glory, who didst raise thy Son Jesus Christ from the dead, and didst set him at thine own right hand in the heavens! in his name we this morning approach thy throne. Withdraw our thoughts and our hearts from this lower world. Purify and raise our affections. Let the light and life and love of heaven flow into our souls. Take us into the deep calm of thine own nature. Fill us with the Spirit of truth and grace, in closest fellowship with thyself.

O God of mercy! we adore thee for the redeeming life and atoning death of thy Son Jesus Christ our Saviour; and, conscious of our own lost and helpless state, we cast ourselves on thy boundless compassion and love. We bow at thy footstool, and with contrition do confess our manifold transgressions. Enter not into judgment with thy servants. Take the burden of sin from our hearts, the guilt of sin from our consciences, and the darkness of sin from our minds. Seal us with thy Spirit; and finally, after this life, bring us to everlasting joy and glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God of the sabbath and of the sanctuary, go with us to thy house of prayer, and there manifest thyself unto us in the fulness of thy grace. Clothe thy ministers with salvation, and let thy chosen people be glad. Bless thy whole Church, and fill the earth with thy glory. Succeed with the demonstration of thy Spirit all the efforts which shall this day be made to enlighten man and to enlarge the kingdom of thy Son.

Graciously be with those whose sabbath shall be spent in the chamber of solitude and sickness. Let the consolations of thy Spirit abound to the children of sorrow and suffering and bereavement; and grant to those appointed unto death a hope full of glory. Thankful for the mercies of the night, we cheerfully commit ourselves to thee.

O Thou that dwellest between the cherubim! shine forth. Let thy glory appear unto thy servants, and grant us the foretaste of eternal joy. And this we beg through Jesus Christ, our only Saviour and Mediator; who, with thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth evermore. Amen.