you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." This passage is distinguished by being often brought forward to disprove the personal reign of Christ with his saints on the earth; though, on such occasions, the quotation commonly stops at the end of the second verse. If the second and third verses, which complete the sense, are considered, then the inference will be different.

Our Lord first teaches, that in his Father's house are many mansions. Next, that one object of his leaving them was to prepare a place for them; to which He adds the comforting assurance, that, if he left them to do this, He would come again and receive them to himself, that they might be for ever together with the Lord.

Other passages of holy writ explain this consistently. St. Paul teaches what our Lord intended by the "many mansions" of which He had spoken, when writing of Abraham,' he says, "For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Of what city he then spoke, he afterwards explained by "the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." And when God (the Father) gave "the revelation of Jesus Christ unto him to shew unto his servants, which He signified by his angel

2

unto his servant John," amongst other things, He shewed him the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven; and when this event had taken place in vision, (which revealed what would occur in the last days,) it is immediately added, " And I heard a great voice out of heaven, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."

Now look fairly in the face of these words, and what do we discover? That when these predicted events take place, the "many mansions" in the city of the living God will have been prepared; that then Christ will come again to receive his people to himself, and that these many mansions shall follow Him, and then He will dwell with them, for then the tabernacle of God is with men, and (to prevent any possible misunderstanding) it is added, " and God himself shall be with them."

1

If the tabernacle of God be with men, it is clear it must be in that place where man's proper seat is found; and where is that but upon the earth?" The earth hath He given to the children of men." 2 And, as it comes down from God out of heaven, in order that the tabernacle of God may be with men, where else can it possibly be? Surely this reasoning is conclusive.

1 Rev. xxi, 2, 10.

2 Psalm cxv. 16.

Another passage, which is supposed to militate against the doctrine of the personal reign on the earth, is the next in order with which we meet, chapter xviii. 36.

Jesus answered,

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My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from hence."

To this fact give all the prophets witness who speak of the nature of Christ's kingdom. It is not worldly, or "of this world." Neither is it from this world, "from hence." It is in its character righteous, as distinguished from all other kingdoms. It is in its origin heavenly, or from heaven. Hence the church prays continually that it may come, and be established in the earth." Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." All other kingdoms in this world are limited as to extent. This shall be universal. For when the stone cut out without hands smites the image, that stone becomes a mountain, and fills the whole earth. Hence "they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." 3

This shall be moreover a kingdom of truth, as

Is. xxxii. 1: lx. 21.

2 Dan. ii. 35.

3 Isa. xi. 9.

well as righteousness, and truth is not the distinguishing feature of this world's policy. Satan is also the god of this world, and our Lord has declared what are his principles.' Thus, Jesus Christ witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate, when he had " said unto Him, Art thou a king then? Jesus auswered, Thou sayest it: a king I am. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I might bear witness unto the truth."

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.

The opening of this book relates in few words the last intercourse which our risen Lord had with his people, previous to his ascension; and of all those sayings, to which He must have given utterance, during the forty days that He was seen of them, and of all that must have passed on those occasions between them, the following was considered by the Holy Ghost as the most worthy of being recorded:

"When they therefore were come together, they asked Him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom again to Israel?" That a time would come when the kingdom should be restored to Israel, and when God would make

John viii. 44.

2 Συ λέγεις ότι· Βασιλευς ἐιμι έγω. Thou sayest it: a king

am I.

Jerusalem the joy of the whole earth, was evident from their prophets. That it would be in the days of Messiah, was a fact deducible from the same source, and was a truth with which the minds of Israelites were familiar. Knowing beyond all question that Jesus was the Messiah, there was, therefore, nothing strange in the enquiry. With what reception, then, did it meet? Did the Lord tell them they were wrong in entertaining such an expectation? Far from it, for by not correcting it as an error, He confirmed it as a truth, which should be fulfilled in its season. But that was not the season. That was the season for another exercise, and a most important one, considering the shortness of the time during which He would be personally with them. Hence He directed their attention from his coming kingdom, (of which He had spoken just before his crucifixion, under the parable of the nobleman going into a far country, to correct the idea that it was nigh at hand,) to the important event which next should happen, as the result of his going to the Father, namely, the coming of the Holy Ghost. That, and not the kingdom, was the doctrine suited to the season, for upon that their fitness for their high calling was dependant; and without that they had no power to be witnesses unto Him, " both in Jerusalem, and in all