In the days hould be divided into ten kingdoms, &c. of thefe kings, faith he, fhall the God of heaven fet up a kingdom which shall never be deftroyed; and the kingdom fhall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and confume all these kingdoms, and it shall ftand for ever. "This defcription, faith Bifhop Newton, can with propriety only be understood, as the ancients understood it, of the kingdom of Chrift. And in the days of thefe kings, that is, in the days of fome of them. And it must be during the days of the laft of them; because they are reckoned four in fucceffion, and confequently this must be the fifth kingdom. Accordingly the kingdom of Chrift was fet up during the days of the laft of thefe kingdoms, that is, the Roman. The frone was totally a different thing from the image, and the kingdom of Chrift is totally different from the kingdoms of this world. The ftone was cut out of the mountain without hands, as our heavenly body is faid to be a building of God, an houfe not made with hands, that is, fpiritual, as the phrafe is used in other places. This the fathers generally apply to Christ himself, who was miraculously born of a virgin; without the concurrence of a man: but it fhould rather be understood of the kingdom of Christ, which was formed out of the Roman empire, not by number of hands, or strength of armies; but without human means, and the virtue of fecond caufes. This kingdom was fet up by the God of heaven; and from hence the phrafe of the kingdom of heaven, came to fignify the kingdom of the Meffiah. It was fo used and understood by the Jews, and fo it is applied by our Saviour in the New Teftament. Other kingdoms were raised by human ambition and worldly power; but this was the work, not of man but of God. was truly, as it is called the kingdom of heaven. A kingdom not of this world; its laws, its powers were all divine." "As we may presume to say, that this is the only true and genuine interpretation of this paffage, fo likewife it is the most confonant to the fenfe of all ancient writers, both Jews and Christians.”+ * Dan ii. 44. † Diff. on the Prophecies, p. 243, 214. This We know of no Chriftian expofitor who does not confider this as a prediction of the gospel church. But if this church had been fet up more than thirteen hundred years before, why fhould Daniel speak of it as an event ftill future. That we might not be liable to miltake, he foretold the period when it fhould take place. In the days of thefe kings; or during the continuance of one of them, the Roman monarchy, Chrift fhould make his appearance, and fet up his gofpel kingdom. Conformably to this fentiment, we find our bleffed Lord often speaking of the gofpel difpenfation under the metaphor of a kingdom. He ufes the fame language with refpect to his church. When he faid to the Jews, If I caft out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you ;* here he evidently meant the gofpel difpenfation. We think the fame was meant in that folemn threatening denounced against the Jews for their unbelief, in the following words; Therefore fay I unto you, that the kingdom of God fhall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. By which he evidently meant the gofpel difpenfation, with all its privileges and bleffings: not the old Jewish difpenfation and the rites belonging to that. No; thefe, in the fenfe of our Saviour, were neither taken from them, nor given to any others. The Jews ftill retain many of them, and in their prefent fituation exhibit much the fame appearance of vifibility as a church, as they did during the first four hundred years, before their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. Circumcifion was the principal rite by which they were then distinguished from other nations: They are to this day diftinguithed by the fame. Our Lord, upon a different occafion, replied to the fame cavilling Jews, Verily I fay unto you, that the publicans and the horlets go into the kingdom of God before 103. Fer John came unto you in the way of righteoujms, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the karlots BELIEVED him. And had feen it, REPENTED nst afterward that ye might BELIEVE him. As the pharifees де, when зе Matt. xii. 23 ↑ Matt. xxi. 43. Matt. xxxi 31, 32. are here charged with impenitence and unbelief, we may fuppofe that the publicans and harlots who are faid to go into the kingdom of God, were fuch as under the miniftry of John were brought to true repentance, to believe on the Meffiah whom he declared to be at hand, and to be baptized of him. If the kingdom of God, or gofpel church, and the Jewish church were the fame, then these publicans and harlots, before they embraced John's doctrine, yea, and the pharifees too, were all in the kingdom of God! for they undoubtedly all belonged to the Jewish church. The fcribes and pharifees fat in Mofes' feat, and were perfons of the first eminence in the Jewish church; but Jefus faid to his difciples, Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharifees, ye shall in no cafe ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. * Whether the kingdom of grace, or the kingdom of glory be intended in this paffage, this much is evident, that being members of the Jewish church, did not. qualify for either. This argument will be further illuftrated and strengthened by the words of our fuffering Redeemer, when interrogated by Pilate. Thine own nation, faid he, and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me. What haft thou done? Jefus anfwered, MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD! if my kingdom were of this world, then would my fervants fight, that Ifhould not be delivered to the Jews.† By this declaration Jefus has given an indelible character to his church; and which must forever diftinguish it from the Jewish church. The latter was not only organized as a body politic, but its men of war were marshalled, and frequently led to the fight by military chieftains. It must be evident to every candid mind that the Jewish church, in every stage of it, notwithstanding it contained fome true believers, was principally of this world. This must be the cafe with every other church, formed strictly upon the principles of infant memberfhip, whether they are admitted by circumcifion or baptifm. We appeal to the common fenfe of Chrif † John avili. 35, 36. * Matt. v. 20. tians, whether, to admit the hypothefis laid down by the Pædobaptifts, that all the children of believers have a right to membership in the gospel church, would not, if put in practice, make fuch as are of the world, a vast majority in moft churches? Are not the baptized, in moft Pædobaptift congregations, to those who actually take upon then felves a voluntary profeffion of religion and give evidence that they are real Christians, as two to one? Probably a much greater majority. If these are all included in the Chriftian church, (and they must be, or their argument is loft) can it be faid, that fuch a church is not of this world? We might with as much propriety fay, that a town-meeting was not of this world, because a number of the qualified voters were Chriftians. For in the latter there would probably be about the fame proportion of Chriftians, as in the former. It would be an infult upon the understanding of men, to attempt to maintain the two oppofite points, that new-born infants must be admitted to membership in the Chriftian church, and that the church was neverthelefs not of this world, but a fpiritual body. A man who could believe this, would have but little difficulty in believing transubstantiation, or any other abfurdity. No man who examines with candour the hiftory of the Jewish church from the days of Abraham, till the deftruction of their nation and temple by Vefpafian, but what must conclude, that the true believers at any period would have been, when compared with the whole nation, only a small minority! a remnant according to the election of grace. They were fo few, and fo unknown in the time of Elijah, that he thought he was left alone. And notwithstanding the anfwer of God happily convinced him of his mistake, yet the number mentioned were few compared with the thoufands of Ifrael and Judah. Can we fericufly fuppofe that it was the intention of Jefus Chrift to continue this church in its then vifible form, or to fet up another like it? Does the New Teftament lead to fuch a conclufion? Does not the language of Chrift and his apostles confirm exactly the oppofite? Ye are the light of the world, faid Jefus to his little church. A city that is fet on an hill cannot be hid.* If ye were of the world, the world would love his orun ; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chofen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. This is the manner in which our bleffed Lord defignated his difciples. The particular manner in which they were brought to an intereft in the bleffings of this kingdom, is thus expreffed by the apoftle to the Coloffians: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and bath tranflated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. Every perfon who claims the privilege of the Chriftian name, ought to be able to give the fame reafon of his hope. Such perfons may fay with the apostle, Wherefore que receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, or grant us grace, whereby we may ferve God acceptably. None but fuch as experience renewing grace, poffefs any one of these qualifications. No others are lights in the religious world. No others have been tranflated from the darkness of the world and fin into the kingdom of God's dear Son. No others have received this immoveable kingdom. When the Saviour afked his difciples their opinion concerning himself, Peter anfwered, Thou art the Chrift, the Son of the living God! And Jefus anfwered and faid unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I fay unto thee, thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my church; and the gates of hell fhall not prevail against it. The Jewish church did not believe that Jefus Chrift was the Son of God. They confidered and treated him as an impoftor. They charged him with blafphemy, and faid, he being a man made bimfelf God. But every truly enlightened Chriftian can fubfcribe with Peter, Thou art the Chrift, the Son of the living God. The rulers of the Jewish church blafphemously replied to him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and haft a devil? This was the infulting language of the leaders of that very church, which we are + Col. i. 13. *Matt. v. J4. † John xv. 19. |