Eph. 3:9

`And to make all men see what is the fellowship (R.V.

"dispensation") of the Mystery, which from the beginning of the world

hath been hid in God, Who created all things by Jesus Christ'.

Col. 1:26

`Even the Mystery which hath been hid from ages and from

generations, but now is made manifest to His saints'.

Col. 2:2,3  `To the acknowledgment of the Mystery of God, and of

the Father, and of Christ; in Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom

and knowledge'.

Col. 3:3

`For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God'.

Under the heading Dispensation1, Ephesians 3:9 has been partly examined.

All that we are concerned with here is that the Mystery is of such a nature

that no amount of human ingenuity, piety or study could ever bring it to light;

it had been purposely and effectively hidden `in God', had been hidden from or

since the ages in and by that same God Who created all things.  Not only so,

but Colossians 1:26 says that this `Mystery was hidden from the ages and from

the generations' and has only now been revealed through the stewardship of Paul

the prisoner.

Two other equally precious references to the hidden things of the Mystery

are: (1) that in Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and

(2) the believer's life is hid with Christ in God.  The same care, the same

covering, the same hiding -place for the Mystery itself is provided for the

life of the believer.  Both safe, both manifested in their own appointed

season, both very closely related to the heavenly glory of the Saviour.

Colossians 2:2 needs a little revision.  The Revised text reads: `The Mystery

of God even Christ'.  There is a series of steps to the goal here which we

should not miss.  Paul's longing for these Colossians, and the labour he put

forth on their behalf was in order that

Their hearts may be comforted.

They may be knit together in love.

Unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding.

To the acknowledgment of the Mystery of God -- Christ.

In Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

For the very real relationship of this blessed assurance with the act and

grace of `acknowledgment' the reader is directed to the article bearing the

title Acknowledge1.  For the fuller explication of the Mysteries here referred

to, the article entitled Mystery3 should be read.  If God hides, as He has, who

can hope to discover the Mystery until He chooses to reveal it? If God hides,

as He has, what can endanger that life which is hid with Christ in God? Riches

of full assurance are here indeed!

High Calling (Phil. 3:14).  For the various callings see Calling1, and for an

examination of the suggestion that Philippians 3:14 should be translated `the

calling on high', i.e. a future summons to glory, see Hope (p. 132), and

High Priest.  Limiting our survey to the epistles of Paul, as we must if we are

to keep within the bounds of our dispensation, we discover that the High Priest

is spoken of very fully in the epistle to the Hebrews, but is never mentioned

in any other of Paul's epistles.  It follows therefore that there is something

peculiar about Hebrews that separates it from the remaining thirteen Pauline

epistles, and the peculiarity of its message is indicated in the article

entitled Hebrews (p. 101), to which the reader is directed.

While there are a number of Hebrew words translated `hope' in the Old

Testament, there is but one basic Greek word so translated in the New Testament