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in the divine mind. And, from the side of history admitted, He

will bring about complete correspondence to Himself. That is

what He is at in Ephesians 5. Ephesians 1 brings out the great

divine scheme, the divine mind regarding the church.

Ephesians 5 is the death of Christ, the sacrifice of Christ,

delivering Himself up for the assembly, “purifying it by the

washing of water by the word”; all having in view that there

might be a complete answer in correspondence with the side

of divine purpose. And He will do it; that is a great fact. So this

“she” is like ‘this shall be called Woman, because this was

taken out of a man’ (Genesis 2: 23). From the side of history

and redemption accomplished she corresponds to what the

assembly is in the divine mind. This is my point; I want to

emphasize that, that we might be encouraged that, whatever

we have been, the Lord is working to bring about this

comeliness,

“black, but comely”. It will not be black in heaven; however

black we have been down here, there will be no such people in

heaven, none of that at all; everybody will be

comely, all incongruities down here will have gone, and it will

be the comeliness, the suitability, that answers to the divine

purpose. So much then, beloved brethren, for the personality.

What persons we ought to be, as Peter says, “what ought ye

to be?”, 2 Peter 3: 11.

Then alongside of the personality of this woman there is the

side of substantiality. She spoke to no one. She came there

into Simon’s house and she got down at the Lord’s feet behind

Him. She was substantial in her ministry, washing His feet, her

tears, her hair—how comely!

That is the side of substantiality. Oh how comely that was!

There she was, shining, so to speak, in the glory of Christ, but

arrived at from the side of history. It is a wonderful thing,

beloved brethren, that our histories are dealt with by the Lord;