ing that Messiah will sit at God's right hand until he gives up" the kingdom;" and that upon his resignation of the co-ordinate reign, he will sit upon a throne which is proper to him as Son of Man. My next inquiry shall be as to the nature of Messiah's reign.

47

CHAPTER V.

THE NATURE OF MESSIAH'S KINGDOM.

"And he shall come again with glory. . dom shall have no end."

whose king

Messiah's

13. &c.;

27; Luke,

ix. 18.

THE first passage which I purpose to ex- Nature of amine, respecting the nature of Messiah's kingdom. kingdom, is Matt. xvi. 13, &c., because I Matt. xvi. believe that the transaction there recorded Mark, viii. was purposely intended by Jesus to correct. the views of his disciples upon that subject; and if we believe that our Lord succeeded, it will follow that thenceforth the apostles understood the nature of the kingdom, though they still remained in ignorance as to the time of its appearance.

Towards understanding the connexion of Connexion. this most important passage, it appears

points.

necessary to bear in mind three prominent Three features:

*The accounts in the three Gospels are interwoven, so as to form one narrative.

First.

Second.

1. The confession that Jesus is the anointed.

2. The promise of Messiah concerning hades.

Third. 3. The opposite principles displayed in Peter's conduct.

Luke, ix. 1, &c.

The first is the remote cause of the transfiguration.

The second is the occasion of Peter's misunderstanding respecting Christ's death.

The third elicits the declaration of its being necessary that a (spiritual) man should renounce his (carnal) self.

The mission of the twelve, with authority over all devils, &c., seems to have raised a general belief that Jesus was connected with Messiah's kingdom; for all supposed him to be one raised from the dead, though none conjectured that the lowly Nazarene could be himself the King of Glory.

The different ideas of the people were probably in consequence of their various traditions. They might have supposed him to be John the Baptist, in consequence of their notion that martyrs were to rise first.

9.

"The King of the world shall raise us up, 2 Mac. vii. who have died for his laws, unto everlasting

life." Or perhaps this notion might have arisen solely with the conscience-stricken Matt. xiv. Herod.

2.

iv. 5.

Some might have supposed him to be Elias, Mal. Elias, from the prophecy of Mal. iv. 5.

15.

sion occurs

Others might have conceived him to be Jeremiah. Jeremiah, because the Jews thought that he was that "Prophet" mentioned in Deut. xviii. Deut. xviii. 15, whom the Lord would raise up (i. e. from the dead); or, at any rate, 66 one of The expresthe old prophets," "that is," says Gill, Zec. vii. 7. "one of the former prophets." The Jews Gill. distinguished the prophets into former and latter. In the Talmud it is asked, Who are the former prophets? Says R. Huna, They are David, Samuel, Solomon, &c.

Our Lord next asks, what view his own disciples had taken of him. To us, perhaps, it seems strange that such an inquiry should have been necessary; but Jesus, before this time, appears to have declared to but one, "and she was a Samaritan," that John, iv. he was the Christ. Simeon learned it by

E

25, 26.

41.

Luke, iv. John, i.

Luke, ii. 26. special revelation; but the devils, who knew it, were rebuked for declaring it. Even John the Baptist, who had received assurance from heaven that Jesus was the Lamb Matt. xi. 2. of God, yet could not see that he was "the coming one." The apostles at first believed him to be the Christ; yet it might not be altogether unnecessary to see whether "hope deferred" had clouded their faith on this point. *

We come now to Peter's declaration"Thou art the Anointed, the Son of the living God:" a short confession, but containing a summary of our faith, in the nature and essence of God, and the person and office of Jesus. But it may be doubtful

* I can hardly believe that the declaration, John, vi. 67-71, as it stands in our text, was before the confession in Matt. xvi. The dropping off of the disciples might have been gradual; and so the speech of our Lord (John, vi. 67,) might have been near the time of the viith chapter of John, which was after Matt. xvi. Nor do we find mention in the other gospels of our Lord's popularity having abated before that period. But perhaps it is better to adopt the reading-"Thou art the Holy One of God."