The words to which I would like to call your attention this evening are to be found in Paul's

Epistle to the Romans in chapter 11, reading verses 33 to verse 36, from verse 33 to verse

36 in the 11th chapter of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and

knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out?

For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counsellor, or who have first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again, for on him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen.

In other words, we come to this great doxology, which is found here at the end of this 11th chapter of the epistle to the Romans. It is, beyond any question,

one of the most glorious, wonderful and exalted statements,

which is to be found anywhere in the entire range of the scriptures, of biblical literature.

I could give you many quotations from learned, saintly men of God who studied this epistle

and studied the whole Bible in times past and who have vied with one another in giving

expression to their feelings and thoughts as they have read and have studied this great

taxology. I confine myself to just one,

Henry Alford, a well-known Anglican commentator of the last century. He seems to me, to put it

perhaps better than anybody else. He refers to this as the sublimest apostrophe existing even in the pages

of inspiration itself. The sublimest apostrophe existing even in the pages of inspiration itself.

And I am in entire agreement with that statement.

Amidst all the many sublime passages and glorious climaxes

that are to be found, especially in the writings of this great apostle,

there is, as I say,

nothing which rises to a higher level than this particular one. Well, now the question,

there are a number of questions therefore that faces at once as we read this great statement.

The first one obviously must be this. What led to it? What made the apostle utter this sublime apostrophe? An apostrophe is a kind of ascription of glory to God.

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