pass from the law till all be fulfilled." Are we thence to infer that any part of the law shall fail when the heavens and earth do pass away? Paul says, "until the law sin

was in the world." But who will doubt the continuance of sin since that event? The word till then does not necessarily imply any termination to Christ's reign. Neither does the Psalm from which the apostle quotes intimate any such thing. That teaches that all the schemes of his enemies shall be defeated, and that, notwithstanding the utmost opposition to his reign, he shall eventually succeed in putting them all under his feet, and shall thus establish himself in the throne without a rival. It was therefore perfectly proper to say that he must reign till all his enemies are made his footstool, though he was not then to resign his kingdom, but on the contrary was to reign for ever.

The principal objection to this interpretation is furnished by the following passage: "And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject to him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." But I apprehend that this passage, on a careful examination, will not be found inconsistent with the views here advanced. The word layn, rendered "shall be subdued," is not in the future tense but in the second aorist. It is also worthy of remark, that it is but another form of the same verb which in the preceding verse is rendered "put under," while in the 25th verse, which speaks of Christ's putting all enemies under his feet, a different phraseology is employed. Hence I conclude that the apostle here has not in view the event of Christ's subduing all his enemies, but the fact that all things were put under him by the Father. And as to the future in the latter clause of the verse, it may be understood not as a future of time, but merely a logical future denoting an inference. The meaning of the passage may be thus expressed: "And since all things were put under him, it will follow that the Son also himself is subject to him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." It does not appear to be the design of the apostle to show that Christ shall hereafter be subject to the Father, but that he is now subject to him. Admit that the future tense here is only an inferential or logical future, and then the apostle's argument becomes apparent and forcible. In the preceding verse he informs us that all things are put under Christ, the Father excepted.

In this verse he advances a step farther, and informs us that not only is the Father not subject to the Son, but that the Son is even subject to the Father. For if the Father has put all things under the Son, it will necessarily follow that the Son also himself is subject to him who put all things under him. But even should it be insisted that the common translation is correct, it does not necessarily imply that Christ shall hereafter be any more subject to the Father than he is now. According to the reasoning of the apostle in the preceding verse the Son is now subject to the Father, and the common translation implies nothing more than that, hereafter, when all things shall be subdued unto him, he will then also be subject to the Father, even as he is at present. As the Father was excepted when all things were put under the Son, so also shall he be excepted when all things shall be subdued unto him. It appears then that this passage does not even intimate that there will ever be a termination of Christ's kingdom, or that he will ever deliver up his kingdom to the Father. The dominion shall indeed be rescued from his enemies, and restored to the Godhead, but not in any such sense but that his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and that of his kingdom there shall be no end.

It may not be improper however to remark that the kingdom of Christ cannot be in all respects the same after the general judgment as before. While it is literally true that "his kingdom ruleth over all," his government of this world is peculiar "God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself." The more immediate object of his exaltation is to carry forward the interests of his church, to secure a seed to serve him, and to fill the earth with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. This particular branch of his kingly office will of course cease at the end of the world. But this will not affect his official station at the right hand of power. He may still sway the sceptre of supreme dominion, and administer the government of God's universal empire through eternity.

This discussion will now be closed with a few inferences suggested by a consideration of the general subject of Christ's mediatorial reign.

1. We may with certainty infer the Divinity of Christ. He is represented, in the passage at the head of this article, under the character of a king reigning with supreme autho

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rity and glorious success until all his enemies shall be put under his feet. Look, in the first place, at the extent of his reign, and see if that does not prove his Divinity. "All things are put under him." All power or authority in heaven and on earth is intrusted to him. He is made Head over all things to the church. He is exalted above all principality and power, might and dominion, and every name that is named, both in this world and that which is to come. In short, the entire government of the universe is committed to his hands. Now this evidently requires all the attributes of Supreme Divinity. For who but God can wield the sceptre of universal dominion? Who but God can superintend the affairs of a kingdom which embraces that vast number of worlds which modern science has discovered scattered through the immensity of space? Who but God can uphold all things by the word of his power, and roll on the mighty wheels of a universal providence, which shall so control and govern these numerous worlds as to secure the great end of their creation? Who but God can give existence to millions and millions of creatures in constant succession, and sustain them with all their powers-can give impulse and direction to all the mighty movements of the natural and moral world-and can say to every sun and system that revolves in silent grandeur about his throne, Hitherto shalt thou come and no farther? Can any being, not possessed of supreme Divinity, be qualified for a work like this? If all this can be done by a dependent creature, what evidence have we of the existence of an independent Creator?

Where shall we attempt to discover the operations or trace the footsteps of the self-existent Jehovah, if we cannot recognise them in these displays of power and perfection? If all these works are only displays of created excellence, those frequent appeals which God makes to his works as an evidence of his existence and perfections are utterly without foundation, and we shall look in vain for any displays of uncreated glory. The exaltation of Christ to the mediatorial throne affords such overwhelming evidence of his Divinity as shall eventually constrain all his enemies to acknowledge that he is Lord, and to bow the knee to him as the King Eternal. He is now covered with the highest possible hon. or and glory. There is intrusted to him a kingdom covering the whole extent of territory ever occupied by the un

numbered worlds of Jehovah's creation. Now who is prepared to affirm that the affairs of such a kingdom can be administered by any being not possessed of every attribute of Divinity? It must be the height of absurdity, not to say impiety, to suppose that God would commit to a dependent being the affairs of such a kingdom-a kingdom too in whose government his own glory and perfections were designed to shine with unrivalled splendour.

Look in the second place at the object of his reign, and see if that does not afford additional evidence of his Divinity. "He must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet." This is one of the immediate objects of his reign, and its accomplishment evidently requires the possession of divine attributes.

The world has ever arrayed all its power and influence against Christ's spiritual kingdom.

The heathen have raged-the people have imagined vain things-the kings of the earth have set themselves, and the rulers have taken counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed; the prince of darkness too has marshalled his legions, and united the forces of earth and hell in one unceasing warfare against the King of Zion ever since his exaltation to the throne, To maintain and advance the interests of his church, notwithstanding this mighty combination of his foes, and effectually to crush this wide-spread rebellion, he must be clothed with Omnipotence.

Under his reign the cause of truth is to be advanced, and the triumphs of the cross to be multiplied, until this entire world shall be won back to its allegiance, Satan and his adherents chained in the pit, and every foe put under the conqueror's feet. In the progress of this work multitudes will be humbled by the mild sceptre of his grace, won back to his service, and made the ever living monuments of his mercy. Others will be subdued by the iron rod of his power, and made the everlasting monuments of his justice. Death too must be destroyed. The dead must be awakened from the undisturbed slumber of centuries-the unnumbered bodies that have crumbled to their native earth must be raised-the widely scattered dust of a thousand generations must be reorganized and reanimated. Then shall Christ pre-eminently lead captivity captive when he shall have open

ed the prison of the grave, led its captives forth, and chained death itself to his triumphal car. Surely works like these demand the attributes of Divinity.

Look in the third place, at the duration of his kingdom, and see if this threefold cord of evidence can be easily broken. It has been contended that Christ possesses only delegated powers conferred for a limited period, and then to be surrendered to the Father; and that no valid argument can thence be drawn in favour of his Divinity. Even admitting the premises in this objection to be true, the conclusion does not legitimately follow, for delegation does not confer capacity. And it would be perfect folly to delegate to Christ such powers as we have been contemplating, if he were not truly Divine, for in that case he could never exercise them. We have shown that the exercise of these extensive powers demands all the attributes of Divinity. But the premises cannot be admitted. That Christ reigns by the appointment of the Father, and that in this sense he possesses delegated powers, is admitted, but that these are conferred for only a limited period, and then to be surrendered, we have shown to be untrue. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. He reigns not as the temporary agent of the Father, but as his duly constituted heir.

When he ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, it was only taking possession of his rightful inheritance as the Son of God. Hear the decree published in heaven on that august occasion: "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee"-this day publicly constituted thee my First-born, the Heir of my kingdom. And now is not the conclusion irresistible that Christ is truly Divine? Do not the boundless extent of his kingdom, the vast objects to be accomplished by his reign, and its endless duration, prove him to be possessed of Supreme Divinity?

2. This subject throws light upon another passage of Scripture which has often been perverted by opposers of the evangelical system of truth. "Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." The apostle Peter here has evidently in view the same event spoken of in the passage which we have considered, when Christ shall have put down all rule, and all