the other; for they alike shall be "for ever Rev. i. 6; see also Rev. xi. 15. Now, how can these passages of Scrip- Mic. iv. 6 ture be met? The only method which I have heard Millennarians attempt is, by saying that at the end of the thousand years Christ would resign David's throne; and that the reign of God, as "All in all," denoted the kingdom of the undivided Trinity, in which Christ would reign for ever. In that case Jesus would not be reigning on the throne of David; it would no more be he who would reign for ever upon David's throne,* than it would be the Father or the Holy Spirit. If the throne of David is to be resigned, it will not endure for ever; and if it is to be established for ever, it will not be delivered up; and we must not attempt to get rid of these plain declarations of Scripture by mystifying and confounding one kingdom with another. * "It would be a necessary inference from what Dionysius stated in his book, that Nepos supposed Christ was to have no kingdom except upon earth.” -Greswell, p. 311. Recapitula tion. Thus, I trust I have shewn that, according to Scripture, there are two reigns in which Messiah will participate, one with the Father, the other with the brethren,-that unlimited in authority, but limited in duration; this limited in authority, but unlimited in duration: the co-ordinate reign is during this dispensation, but the subordinate kingdom shall be established at the second coming of Christ to judge the world; its commencement will be contemporaneous with the resurrection from the dead; and it is concerning this period of glory that all the prophets have spoken since the world began. I purpose now examining some objections; the first is against Christianity generally. I shall subsequently consider the difficulties which are urged against the particular view of Messiah's kingdom which I have brought forward. 193 CHAPTER VIII. OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED. "Beseeching thee, that it may please thee of thy gracious goodness shortly to accomplish the number of thine elect, and to hasten thy kingdom."—Burial Service. urged con fulness for 36, 42, 50, 13. It appears evident that our Lord intended, Christ by his warnings both to the faithful and stant watchunfaithful in the church, that we should be his coming. in daily, ay in hourly expectation of his advent. "Of that day and that hour knoweth Matt. xxiv. no one. Watch, therefore, for ye know and xxv. not what hour your Lord doth come." "The Lord of that [evil] servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and in an hour that he is not aware of." "Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." And when we meet in the apostolic writings such expressions as these, "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed" 66 1 Cor. xv. we shall be changed;" "we which are 52. 1 Thess. iv. asleep ;" 15. Compare 2 Thess. iii. 2. alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are "We which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them (i. e. the sleeping saints), in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air;" and even in the very epistle in which the apostle reproves the Thessalonians for neglecting their daily 10 with ii. callings, upon the supposition that "the day of Christ was impending," yet even there he speaks in language which gives us to understand, that he expected the greater part of those to whom he wrote to be alive at Christ's advent,-" We beseech you, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him." Are we not then led irresistibly to the conclusion, that the apostles and primitive church were brought to this practical state of expectancy, "waiting for the revelation of Jesus Christ?" The sneer of the infidel historian gives unexceptionable testimony to this fact, and at the same time insinuates the objection, which I purpose to consider. He says, "In the primitive church Gibbon. it 29. the influence of truth was very powerfully strengthened by an opinion, which, however may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, has not been found agreeable to experience. It was universally believed, that the end of the world and the kingdom of heaven were at hand;" which, stated in plain language, is as follows: "Christ was Matt. xxii. either himself deceived, or else he, for politic ends, deluded his followers." This blasphemous suggestion springs, like other errors, from ignorance of the Scriptures and the power of God. The expectation of the Christians was not unfounded; there was a possibility of Christ's advent, nay, I should say, that the coming was, in one sense, nearer then than it was five hundred years afterwards; for the second coming does not depend upon a certain number of years being run out, but is revealed as a contingent event. If it depended simply upon time, the apostle would assert a palpable truism: "for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed." Before, however, entering into the proof, I would simply ob |