,,the ,,kingdom ,,of ,,heaven2 ,,what ,,is ,,it8 ,,by ,,edward ,,burbidge1 ,m4,a4 ,,rector ,,of ,,backwell1 ,,somerset4 ,,published ,,under ,,the ,,direction ,,of ,,the ,,tract ,,committee4 ,,london3 ,,society ,,for ,,promoting ,,christian ,,knowledge2 ,,northumberland ,,avenue1 ,,charing ,,cross2 #d1 ,,royal ,,exchange2 ,,and #dh1 ,,piccadilly4 ,,preface4 ,there is nothing new in the following pages2 except it be that they call popular attention to facts which have been commonly recognised only by scholars4 ,but ,i am aware that their contents will appear novel to many2 and to remove this idea some extracts are here given from the ,commentaries in general use4 #a4 ,bishop ,wordsworth on ,s4 ,matt4 xiii4 #c2 ,this chapter may be described as containing a ,divine ,treatise on the ,church ,militant here on earth4 #b4 ,dean ,alford on ,s4 ,matt4 xiii4 #eb2 ,the seven ,parables compose in their inner depth of connexion1 a great united whole1 beginning with the first sowing of the ,church1 and ending with the consummation4 #c4 ,the ,speaker's ,commentary on ,s4 ,matt4 iii4 #b2 ,it--the ,kingdom of ,heaven--signifies the promised ,kingdom of the ,messiah4 ,hence the expectation of the ,messiah is spoken of as a waiting for the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,our ,lord1 adopts the expression and frequently employs it to denote ,his ,spiritual ,kingdom the ,church4 #d4 ,bishop ,walsham ,how 7,s4 ,p4 ,c4 ,k4 ,commentary7 on ,s4 ,matt4 iii4 #b2 ,it--the ,kingdom of ,heaven--is generally used to signify the ,kingdom of ,christ on earth1 the ,kingdom of the ,gospel1 the ,church of ,christ4 ,i desire also to remove by anticipation a fear that some may feel1 lest1 in regarding the ,gospel as being the good news of the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 the great doctrine of the ,atonement should be forgotten4 ,such an idea is refuted by the words of ,holy ,scripture4 ,for not only is the ,preaching of our ,blessed ,lord1 before ,he suffered1 thus described--see ,s4 ,mark i4 #ad--;but also the teaching of ,s4 ,paul1 in later years1 who gloried in knowing only ,jesus ,christ and ,him crucified--see ,acts xx4 #be4 ,my object has been to provide an answer to two questions4 #a4 ,what did our ,blessed ,lord teach about ,his ,church in ,his discourses8 #b4 ,what is meant by the words of the ,creed1 ,the ,holy ,catholic ,church2 the ,communion of ,saints8 ,may these pages help men to gain an intelligent knowledge of that ,kingdom1 into which our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ has called us4 ,may they lead many to desire the fulfilment of ,his last prayer for us before ,his ,passion1 ,that they all may be one4 ,and may every word in this little book1 which is not in accordance with ,god's will1 be pardoned1 and overruled to ,his ,glory4 ,,backwell1 ,august #ahgi4 ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,,page ,i4 ,,the ,,king',s ,,herald #g ,,ii4 ,,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,the ,,kingdom #ah ,,iii4 ,,the ,,parables ,,of ,,the ,,kingdom #cb ,,iv4 ,,the ,,subjects ,,of ,,the ,,kingdom #ej ,v4 ,,things ,,pertaining ,,to ,,the ,,kingdom #ff ,,vi4 ,,the ,,king ,,on ,,his ,,throne #gf ,,vii4 ,,the ,,parables ,,exemplified ,,in ,,the ,,early ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,church #hh ,,viii4 ,,the ,,essential ,,unity ,,of ,,the ,,kingdom #ii ,,ix4 ,,the ,,holy ,,catholic ,,church #aba ,x4 ,,the ,,communion ,,of ,,saints #ade ,,xi4 ,,conclusion #afj ,neither pray ,i for these alone1 but for them also which shall believe on ,,me through their word2 that they all may be one2 as ,,thou ,,father art in ,,me1 and ,i in ,,thee1 that they also may be one in ,,us2 that the world may believe that ,thou hast sent ,,me4--,s4 ,john xvii4 #bj1 #ba4 ,when ,,thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death3 ,,thou didst open the ,,kingdom ,,of ,,heaven to all believers4--,te ,deum4 ,,thy ,,kingdom come4--,s4 ,matt4 vi4 #aj4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,king',s ,,herald4 ,on ,jordan's banks the ,baptist's cry ,announces that the ,lord is nigh2 ,awake and hearken1 for he brings ,glad tidings of the ,king4444 ,when the ,saviour of the world was about to enter upon ,his public ministry1 the ,jewish nation was startled with the cry1 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is at hand 7,s4 ,matt4 iii4 #b74 ,such was ,god's call to ,his people of old time1 to prepare themselves to take part in the fulfilment of the promises1 on which their faith and hopes were founded4 ,the fulness of the times had come2 and ,christ1 the long-promised and long-expected ,saviour and ,king1 was nigh at hand4 ,and ever since that day1 as the good news of the ,kingdom has spread from land to land1 it has been the portion of the ,lord's people to endeavour to realise their high position in that ,kingdom1 and to discharge their duties loyally to their ,heavenly ,king4 ,but the words--,the ,kingdom of ,heaven--are apt to lead away the thoughts from the present to the future1 from this world to a better one4 ,and since men are not in ,heaven now1 but are surrounded with earthly cares and troubles1 there is danger lest they should forget or be ignorant of the intimate connection which these words have with their daily life as ,christians1 and with its duties1 privileges1 and blessings4 ,and yet the practical importance of this subject to ,christian men and women will be seen clearly after a moment's consideration4 ,for any one1 who is at all acquainted with the words of ,holy ,scripture1 will recall to mind at once the frequent reference to ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven in the ,gospels4 ,and though it will probably seem a somewhat startling assertion to most persons1 yet it is nevertheless a true one1 that from the day when our ,lord began ,his public ministry1 until ,he ascended into ,heaven1 ,his teaching was almost wholly occupied with this one subject--,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,and it is the purpose of the following pages to bring together the various statements about it1 in such a way as to lead to a clear understanding of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven--what it is--and of our position in this ,kingdom1 with its present blessings1 privileges and duties1 and its future glories4 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven--,what is it8 ,there are three things which are necessarily included in the idea of a ,kingdom--a ,king to rule over it2 subjects to be ruled2 and a place where they dwell4 ,and since it is necessary1 if we would enquire into the nature of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 first of all to understand clearly who is the ,king1 and who and where are ,his subjects1 let us begin with taking a general view of these chief points2 and then afterwards enter more fully into the consideration of the various passages of ,holy ,scripture which describe the details of the ,kingdom4 ,the ,jews expected the ,messiah as their ,king4 ,and when the ,wise ,men came from the ,east1 and asked ,where is ,he that is born ,king of the ,jews 7,s4 ,matt4 ii4 #b71 we read that ,king ,herod referred their enquiry to those who were learned in the ,scriptures1 in this form1 ,he demanded of them where ,christ--i4e4 ,messiah1 ,the ,anointed ,one#a--should be born 7,s4 ,matt4 ii4 #d74 ,and that there should be no doubt at all about the person of the ,king1 so long expected1 ,god in ,his providence had arranged that one should go before ,him to announce ,his coming4 ,for ,john the ,baptist acted as a herald going before a king1 proclaiming his approach4 ,and this was the proclamation1 ,repent ye2 for the ,kingdom of ,heaven is at hand 7,s4 ,matt4 iii4 #b74 ,and then the ,herald declared that he was come as foretold by the prophet ,isaiah1 and that the people must prepare at once to receive their ,king1 saying1 ,i am the voice of one crying in the wilderness1 ,make straight the way of the ,lord1 as said the prophet ,esaias 7,s4 ,john i4 #bc2 ,isaiah xl4 #c74 ,the proclamation of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven by ,john the ,baptist defined the exact time in the world's history when this ,kingdom took its rise4 ,and our ,lord afterwards called express attention to this1 saying1 ,the ,law and the ,prophets were until ,john3 since that time the ,kingdom of ,god is preached1 and every man presseth into it#b 7,s4 ,luke xvi4 #af74 ,and because ,john was only the ,herald going before1 and was not himself enrolled as a subject of the ,kingdom1 ,he added1 7after referring to the greatness of ,john the ,baptist71 ,notwithstanding1 he that is least in the ,kingdom of ,heaven is greater than he 7,s4 ,matt4 xi4 #aa74 ,thus we are assured that ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven began from the proclamation of ,john the ,baptist2 and1 therefore1 we know for certain that the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 whose coming he proclaimed1 is the ,king of this ,kingdom4 ,this is the great truth which forms the foundation of all the teaching of the ,new ,testament2 and it is of the utmost importance to have a clear idea of it4 ,the ,lord ,jesus ,christ came to be the ,saviour of the world by becoming ,king of a spiritual ,kingdom of grace and blessing1 whose subjects were to be purchased and redeemed by ,his own ,blood shed upon the ,cross4 ,he was not merely the greatest of ,god-inspired teachers3 but ,he came to found ,god's ,kingdom upon earth1 and to rule in love over the hearts of men of all nations and ages1 and thus prepare them for life everlasting4 ,and when ,nicodemus1 one of the rulers of the ,jews1 thus addressed ,him1 ,we know that thou art a teacher come from ,god1 ,he at once endeavoured to lead him to grasp this truth1 by the abrupt reply1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,except a man be born again1 he cannot see the ,kingdom of ,god2 and again1 ,except a man be born of water and of the ,spirit1 he cannot enter into the ,kingdom of ,god 7,s4 ,john iii4 #b-e74 ,in other words1 men must not merely listen to ,his teaching2 but they must have their eyes opened to see ,him as the promised ,king1 and receive the principle of a new ,life as ,his subjects2 or1 else1 ,his coming would be in vain4 ,taking now as our starting-point the great truth that the ,lord ,jesus ,christ came to found a ,kingdom1 our next enquiry must be respecting the subjects or citizens of this ,kingdom4 ,who are the subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven8 ,one of the woes pronounced by our ,lord against the ,scribes and ,pharisees was for this1 ,ye shut up the ,kingdom of ,heaven against men2 ye neither go in yourselves1 neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in 7,s4 ,matt4 xxiii4 #ac74 ,they would not themselves enter this ,kingdom by accepting ,him as ,christ the ,king2 and they hindered others from doing so4 ,the ,jews had thought themselves to be the subjects of ,god1 whilst all the rest of the world were castaways4 ,but from these words1 as well as from those referred to above1 which were spoken to ,nicodemus1 we conclude that the subjects of ,messiah's ,kingdom are they1 and only they1 who believe and confess that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god 7#a ,s4 ,john iv4 #ae1 v4 #a71 and1 having thus accepted ,him as their ,king1 have been admitted by a formal act into ,his ,kingdom4 ,when the ,herald proclaimed ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is at ,hand 7,s4 ,matt4 iii4 #b71 he was calling upon the whole ,jewish people to enter into it4 ,but the call to enter ,messiah's ,kingdom was not to be confined to the ,jews4 ,it was to be published far and wide throughout the world4 ,the ,prophets had foretold a day when ,the ,gentiles shall come to ,thy light1 and kings to the brightness of ,thy rising 7,isaiah lx4 #c71 and that in the place where it was said unto them1 ,ye are not ,my people1 there it shall be said unto them1 ,ye are the sons of the living ,god 7,hosea i4 #aj74 ,and this was now about to be fulfilled4 ,and in the homage which the ,wise ,men from the ,east paid to the infant ,saviour1 born ,king of the ,jews1 we see the first sign that free and full salvation was henceforth placed within the reach of all the nations of the world without distinction4 ,and thus it came to pass that1 in after years1 the ,apostles addressed their converts1 taken equally from amongst ,jews and ,gentiles1 in such words as these1 ,god hath called you unto ,his ,kingdom and glory 7#a ,thess4 ii4 #ab72 ,god hath translated us into the ,kingdom of ,his dear ,son 7,col4 i4 #ac74 ,in other words1 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is a real ,kingdom1 though a spiritual and heavenly one4 ,the ,lord ,jesus ,christ is ,king1 and all the nations of the world are called to be ,his subjects4 ,and where is ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven8 ,the answer is clear4 ,wherever they are who have accepted the ,king and been admitted as ,his subjects4 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is not as yet in ,heaven1 so far as its subjects are concerned4 ,it is true that the ,king ,himself has ascended ,his throne in ,heaven4 ,and as members of ,christ we share in some degree in the exaltation of our ,head1 so that ,s4 ,paul does not hesitate to say of the ,lord's people here on earth1 ,god hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in ,christ ,jesus 7,ephes4 ii4 #f74 ,but such words seem to apply to that part of our nature to which our hopes and affections belong4 ,so far as our duties and difficulties are concerned1 we are still surrounded with earthly temptations4 ,we are still in a state of trial here1 however much we may be looking for and longing after our home4 ,and ,heaven will not be opened to receive the subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven until the ,great ,day1 when they will be welcomed with the words1 ,come1 ye blessed of my ,father1 inherit the ,kingdom prepared for you 7,s4 ,matt4 xxv4 #cd74 ,christ's ,kingdom is not of this world 7,s4 ,john xviii4 #cf71 as ,he declared plainly to ,pilate when he questioned ,him about ,himself4 ,but for the present we may consider that1 practically speaking1 it is in the world though not of it4 ,for its subjects are not yet in ,heaven3 but are partly at rest in ,paradise2 partly here on earth still warring against evil4 ,we can now express in few words the chief points respecting the nature of that ,kingdom of ,heaven which ,john the ,baptist1 in his office as ,herald1 proclaimed to be at hand4 ,the ,lord ,jesus ,christ came to found a ,kingdom4 ,he is the ,king of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,all who will accept ,him as their ,king--all the men and women and little children in the world1 of every land and of every age--may be admitted as the subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,for ,he died for all 7#b ,cor4 v4 #ae74 ,and ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 though it is a spiritual and heavenly ,kingdom1 is as yet here on earth1 and will not be in ,heaven1 until the subjects of the ,king have been tried and found faithful1 and the number of the elect shall be accomplished4 ,it follows that the statements of ,holy ,scripture respecting ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 which are to be considered in the following pages1 refer not merely to the world to come--to that which we commonly understand by the word ,heaven--but to that ,kingdom which has been founded here on earth2 and into which1 as ,christians1 we have been already called4 ,and the subject becomes of infinite importance to us all1 when it is understood that ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is1 at this present time1 that ,kingdom of grace in which we may obtain salvation through our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,he has called us all to be subjects of this ,kingdom now1 that1 by obtaining a share in ,his precious merits1 we may be brought into a state of present salvation2 and that1 by continuing in this state through ,his grace1 we may be recognised as ,his subjects in that great day1 when the ,kingdom of ,grace will have become the ,kingdom of ,glory ,everlasting4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,christ is the ,greek word which corresponds with the ,hebrew word ,messiah1 meaning ,the ,anointed ,one4 ,amongst the ,jews three classes of men were anointed to their official duties--,prophets1 ,priests1 and ,kings4 ,and the name ,messiah implied that they expected the ,deliverer to bear office in these ways2 and especially as ,king1 the highest of these offices4 #b ,in a similar passage of ,s4 ,matthew the difficult expression occurs1 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven suffereth violence1 and the violent take it by force 7,s4 ,matt4 xi4 #ab72 but the meaning seems to be the same4 ,our ,lord was calling attention to the fact that the expected ,king had come and ,his ,kingdom was open to the eager zeal of such as would seize upon it and press into it4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,the ,,kingdom4 ,this is ,he whom ,seers in old time ,chanted of with one accord2 ,whom the voices of the ,prophets ,promised in their faithful word4 ,we have seen that1 in the providence of ,god1 ,john the ,baptist was sent to proclaim to the world that ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven was at hand1 and to point out the ,king4 ,and as soon as the ,herald had raised the expectation of men by the proclamation of the coming ,kingdom1 our ,lord began ,his public ministry1 the great object of which was the founding of ,his ,kingdom for the salvation of the world4 ,and1 as ,s4 ,matthew tells us1 ,he went about all ,galilee teaching in their synagogues and preaching the ,gospel of the ,kingdom 7,s4 ,matt4 iv4 #bc72 or1 as ,s4 ,mark relates1 ,after that ,john was put in prison1 ,jesus came into ,galilee preaching the ,gospel of the ,kingdom of ,god1 and saying1 ,the time is fulfilled1 and the ,kingdom of ,god is at hand2 repent ye1 and believe the ,gospel 7,s4 ,mark i4 #ad1 #ae74 ,thus the ,king took up and continued the message of ,his ,herald1 only adding to ,john the ,baptist's preaching of repentance the call to believe the ,gospel--to have faith in the good tidings which ,he came to tell of the ,kingdom of ,heaven and of ,god4 ,and from this time to the end of ,his ministry we find that the ,gospel of the ,kingdom was the continual subject of ,his teaching4 ,thus ,s4 ,luke records that ,he declared once to a multitude which would detain ,him1 ,i must preach the ,kingdom of ,god to other cities also2 for therefore am ,i sent 7,s4 ,luke iv4 #dc74 ,and1 a few chapters after1 we read1 ,it came to pass afterward that ,he went throughout every city and village1 preaching and showing the glad tidings of the ,kingdom of ,god 7,s4 ,luke viii4 #a74 ,and then1 after a while1 ,he called ,his twelve disciples together1 and gave them power and authority over all devils1 and to cure diseases4 ,and ,he sent them to preach the ,kingdom of ,god 7,s4 ,luke ix4 #a1 #b74 ,and having thus spent the years of ,his public ministry in publishing the good news of the ,kingdom1 ,he declared towards the end of it1 as ,he was foretelling to ,his disciples the signs of ,his future coming to judgment1 ,and this ,gospel#c of the ,kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations2 and then shall the end come 7,s4 ,matt4 xxiv4 #ad74 ,and what is the ,gospel of the ,kingdom8 ,to form the answer we must look to the general teaching which runs through the ,bible4 ,as soon as ,adam fell from his high estate as ,god's child1 the ,deliverer was promised1 who should bruise the serpent's head 7,gen4 iii4 #ae74 ,ages passed with only a dim hope of a coming ,saviour2 until at length ,god gave to ,abraham the distinct promise that the ,deliverer should arise from his posterity2 saying1 ,in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed 7,gen4 xxii4 #ah74 ,again ages passed2 and ,david was raised up from amongst the descendants of ,abraham1 and of the predicted tribe of ,judah1 and to him the promise was made1 ,thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee2 thy throne shall be established for ever 7#b ,sam4 vii4 #af74 ,we know that princes of the family of ,david succeeded one another on the throne for #dej years1 until the ,jews were carried into captivity2 but we learn from the ,psalms that it had been revealed to ,david himself that this promise was not to be fulfilled in any such earthly and temporal manner4 ,and his faith and hopes are expressed continually in glowing words1 describing a ,kingdom of ,messiah1 which should be universal and without end1 a ,kingdom of righteousness and peace4 ,thus in ,psalm ii4 the nations of the world are represented in rebellion against ,god and the ,messiah4 ,why do the heathen rage1 and the people imagine a vain thing8 ,the kings of the earth set themselves1 and the rulers take counsel together1 against the ,lord1 and against ,his ,anointed 7,ps4 ii4 #a1 #b71 i4e4 ,messiah--,christ4 ,and then the decree of the universal sovereignty of ,messiah is proclaimed3 ,i will declare the decree3 the ,lord hath said unto me1 ,thou art ,my ,son2 this day have ,i begotten ,thee4 ,ask of me1 and ,i shall give ,thee the heathen for ,thine inheritance1 and the uttermost parts of the earth for ,thy possession 7,ps4 ii4 #g1 #h74 ,then in ,psalm xxii1 after the mysterious sufferings of ,messiah have been set forth1 ,his ,kingdom is again proclaimed as universal3 ,all the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the ,lord2 and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before ,thee 7,ps4 xxii4 #bg74 ,and1 to pass over other passages1 in ,psalm lxxii4 ,messiah's everlasting reign of righteousness and peace is described in glowing words3 ,they shall fear ,thee as long as the sun and moon endure1 throughout all generations4 ,in ,his days shall the righteous flourish2 and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth4 ,all kings shall fall down before ,him2 all nations shall serve ,him4 ,his ,name shall endure for ever2 and men shall be blessed in ,him2 all nations shall call ,him blessed#d 7,ps4 lxxii4 #e1 #g1 #aa1 #ag74 ,many years passed2 and then ,isaiah proclaimed in prophecy1 ,behold a ,king shall reign in righteousness 7,isai4 xxxii4 #a72 and in many a glowing passage described the peace and glory of ,his ,kingdom4 ,and ,jeremiah yet more clearly announced1 ,behold the days come1 saith the ,lord1 that ,i will raise unto ,david a righteous ,branch1 and a ,king shall reign and prosper1 and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth4 ,in ,his days ,judah shall be saved1 and ,israel shall dwell safely2 and this is ,his name whereby ,he shall be called1 ,the ,lord our ,righteousness 7,jer4 xxiii4 #e1 #f74 ,and ,daniel was directed to explain the king's dream1 as a vision of earthly empires1 which should be overpowered by the ,stone cut out without hands2 for the ,god of ,heaven shall set up a ,kingdom which shall never be destroyed2 and the ,kingdom shall not be left to other people1 but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms1 and it shall stand for ever 7,dan4 ii4 #dd1 #de74 ,and ,zechariah sang1 ,rejoice greatly1 ,o daughter of ,zion2 shout1 ,o daughter of ,jerusalem3 behold1 thy ,king cometh unto thee 7,zech4 ix4 #i74 ,many years were yet to pass before the fulfilment of these promises should be commenced1 through the setting up of the everlasting sovereignty of ,messiah4 ,but at last the fulness of time was come2 and the ,angel ,gabriel appeared to the ,virgin ,mary at ,nazareth1 and after addressing her as the favoured mother of ,messiah1 declared of her ,son1 ,he shall be great1 and shall be called the ,son of the ,highest2 and the ,lord ,god shall give unto ,him the throne of ,his father ,david2 and ,he shall reign over the house of ,jacob for ever1 and of ,his ,kingdom there shall be no end 7,s4 ,luke i4 #cb1 #cc74 ,this then was the ,gospel--the ,gospel of the ,kingdom--the ,gospel of ,god4 ,the good news was published abroad that the long-promised ,king of the seed of ,david was come4 ,messiah's ,kingdom was to be set up2 and all men were invited to enter in and be saved4 ,the ,king ,himself went forth to preach the good news1 and to describe ,his ,kingdom and the character of ,his subjects4 ,but by what means could ,he persuade the people that ,he was their ,king8 ,we often wonder that the ,jews were so slow to believe in ,him2 but perhaps we do not realise their difficulties4 ,there was one great obstacle which stopped all but a very few from accepting ,him4 ,and it was this4 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven which ,he preached as the ,kingdom of ,messiah was altogether different from anything which they had expected1 because it was a spiritual ,kingdom4 ,no doubt the words of the ,psalmist and of the ,prophets ought to have led them to expect the ,son of ,god as ,king4 ,and1 if they had nurtured any real love of ,god in their hearts1 they would have been ready to become ,his subjects4 ,but it was not so4 ,they expected a conqueror to free them from the yoke of their enemies4 ,and the enemies which ,he came to conquer were spiritual--the great enemy of the whole human race--not the earthly foes of the one race of ,israel4 ,they expected the glory and pomp which are the outward signs of the authority to rule2 and they could not understand the position which ,he claimed to hold who had come in such humility that ,he said1 ,the ,son of ,man hath not where to lay ,his head 7,s4 ,matt4 viii4 #bj74 ,tell us1 they said1 by what authority doest thou these things8 7,s4 ,luke xx4 #b74 ,and1 therefore1 we need not seek far to find the reason of the small success which followed the preaching of the ,gospel of the ,kingdom4 ,only a spiritual power can move men in spiritual things1 and a man must first give himself up to the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit before ,he can take in spiritual truths4 ,if men resist the teaching of ,god1 no evidence will move them4 ,if they hear not ,moses and the ,prophets1 neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead 7,s4 ,luke xvi4 #ca74 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven could not be set up until the ,holy ,ghost was given#e1 because the ,jews were not prepared to accept ,messiah as the ,king of a spiritual ,kingdom2 and only the ,holy ,ghost could move the hearts of men to desire spiritual blessings1 and to hope for spiritual rewards4 ,so our ,blessed ,lord preached the ,gospel of the ,kingdom to unwilling hearts2 and was compelled to upbraid the cities wherein most of ,his mighty works were done1 because they repented not 7,s4 ,matt4 xi4 #bj74 ,only the few received ,him--the few who were babes in spirit--whilst the wise and prudent 7,s4 ,matt4 xi4 #be7 rejected ,him4 ,there were two kinds of evidence to which ,he continually appealed in ,his arguments with the ,jewish rulers in proof of ,his claims upon their hearts4 ,the first was the direct testimony of ,john the ,baptist3 ,ye sent unto ,john and he bare witness unto the truth 7,s4 ,john v4 #cc74 ,for when the ,jews sent priests and ,levites from ,jerusalem to ask him1 ,who art thou8 he confessed1 ,i am not the ,christ 7,s4 ,john i4 #ai1 #bj74 ,the next day ,john seeth ,jesus coming unto him1 and saith1 ,behold the ,lamb of ,god 7,s4 ,john i4 #bi74 ,and he declared that he knew ,him in consequence of the visible descent of the ,holy ,ghost upon ,him at ,his baptism2 and 7said he71 ,i saw and bare record that this is the ,son of ,god 7,s4 ,john i4 #cd74 ,the other evidence was greater witness than that of ,john1 namely1 the miracles which ,he wrought1 for 7said ,he7 the works which the ,father hath given ,me to finish bear witness of ,me that the ,father hath sent ,me 7,s4 ,john v4 #cf72 and though ye believe not ,me1 believe the works 7,s4 ,john x4 #ch74 ,other kinds of evidence were also employed2 such as the direct testimony of the ,father in the voice from ,heaven1 and in the immediate answers to prayer in the working of ,his miracles--,the ,father ,himself which hath sent ,me1 hath borne witness of ,me 7,s4 ,john v4 #cg7--;and also1 the statements of ,holy ,scripture1 describing ,his person and ,his work so clearly that ,he could say to the ,jews1 ,search the ,scriptures2 for they are they which testify of ,me 7,s4 ,john v4 #ci74 ,but we know the result4 ,all the evidences were in vain4 ,the ,jews in general refused to believe in ,him as their ,king4 ,the ruling classes not only rejected ,him1 but they also hindered others from acknowledging ,him4 ,so that ,he cried out against them1 ,ye shut up the ,kingdom of ,heaven against men2 for ye neither go in yourselves1 neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in 7,s4 ,matt4 xxiii4 #ac74 ,and there were but very few exceptions4 ,the ,apostles and the small band of disciples professed their faith in ,him4 ,whom do men say that ,i am8 ,he asked them once2 and they said1 ,some say ,john the ,baptist2 some ,elias2 and others1 ,jeremias or one of the ,prophets4 ,none accepted ,him as ,messiah1 their ,king4 ,but whom say ye that ,i am8 ,he went on to ask2 and ,simon ,peter answered and said1 ,thou art the ,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god 7,s4 ,matt4 xvi4 #ac-af74 ,so also ,nathanael1 the ,israelite indeed1 boldly proclaimed his belief3 ,rabbi1 ,thou art the ,son of ,god2 ,thou art the ,king of ,israel 7,s4 ,john i4 #di74 ,and there was one bright flash of enthusiasm which carried all along exultingly to welcome ,him on ,his last visit to the ,holy ,city2 when the crowds spread branches of the palm-trees1 and cried1 ,hosanna to the ,son of ,david3 blessed is ,he that cometh in the name of the ,lord 7,s4 ,matt4 xxi4 #i74 ,blessed be the ,king that cometh in the name of the ,lord3 peace in ,heaven1 and glory in the highest 7,s4 ,luke xix4 #ch74 ,but it was within a few days after ,his triumphal entry into ,jerusalem that the rulers of the ,jews took the ,lord ,jesus1 and having condemned ,him in their own council for blasphemy1 for professing ,himself to be ,messiah--the ,christ--the ,son of ,god 7,s4 ,luke xxii4 #fg-ga71 they charged ,him before the ,roman governor with treason1 for saying that ,he ,himself is ,christ a ,king 7,s4 ,luke xxiii4 #b74 ,and this accusation1 it may well be noticed1 was not a different charge from the former4 ,all that they did was to put cleverly before the earthly governor the earthly side of the spiritual crime1 for which they had themselves condemned ,him4 ,if ,he was ,messiah1 ,he was their ,king4 ,they condemned ,him for professing to be ,messiah2 a charge on which no civil tribunal could give judgment4 ,but professing to be ,messiah1 ,he professed to be ,king2 and this they represented as an offence against the state1 and to be punished accordingly4 ,and the result was1 that by the ,providence of ,god ,he was not stoned to death1 as was ,his first martyr ,stephen1 on the charge of blasphemy2 but ,he was handed over to the civil power to be crucified for treason1 as claiming to be ,king4 ,and it came to pass1 that after their persistent rejection of ,him1 the ,jewish rulers were compelled to see ,him acknowledged upon the cross as their ,king1 in the words of the superscription containing the charge on which ,he was condemned4 ,his cross became ,his throne1 with ,his title above it1 ,jesus of ,nazareth1 the ,king of the ,jews 7,s4 ,john xix4 #ai74 ,fit throne for ,him who was obedient unto death1 even the death of the cross4 ,wherefore ,god also hath highly exalted ,him1 and given ,him a name above every name1 that at the name of ,jesus every knee should bow 7,phil4 ii4 #f-aj74 ,and all the efforts of the ,jews to alter it were in vain4 ,pilate at length was firm3 ,what ,i have written1 ,i have written 7,s4 ,john xix4 #bb74 ,thus seemed to end the ,kingdom which our ,lord and ,his disciples had been inviting men to join4 ,they could preach no more the ,gospel of the ,kingdom1 for the ,king was put to a shameful death4 ,the chief priests and our rulers delivered ,him to be condemned to death1 and have crucified ,him4 ,but we trusted that it had been ,he which should have redeemed ,israel 7,s4 ,luke xxiv4 #bj1 #ba74 ,so spake even the disciples in their despair4 ,they had trusted1 as they supposed1 in vain4 ,verily ,god's ways are not as man's ways4 ,,footnotes3 #c ,it may be noticed here1 that the expression preaching the ,gospel is used in these passages of ,holy ,scripture in a very wide sense4 ,it is not limited to the preaching of the great doctrine of the ,atonement1 but it refers to the general purpose for which ,christ came2 which was1 to gather all the world into ,his ,kingdom of grace and salvation4 ,see ,bishop ,how's ,commentary on the ,gospels1 under ,s4 ,luke viii4 #a4 7,publ4 by ,s4 ,p4 ,c4 ,k47 #d ,see this very skilfully drawn out in a little devotional ,commentary on ,five ,psalms of the ,kingdom1 by ,rev4 ,g4 ,f4 ,saxby4 ,published by ,j4 ,t4 ,hayes1 ,london4 #e ,see below1 notes on pp4 #ej and #hc4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,parables ,,of ,,the ,,kingdom4 ,what is earth but ,god's own field1 ,fruit unto ,his praise to yield8 ,wheat and tares therein are sown1 ,unto joy or sorrow grown2 99 99 99 99 99 ,grant1 ,o ,lord of ,life1 that we ,holy grain and pure may be4 ,what appeared to be the death-blow of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven was but a necessary step in its formation4 ,the ,king was crucified in weakness1 only to be declared to be the ,son of ,god with power by the resurrection from the dead 7,rom4 i4 #d74 ,and the reason for ,his humiliation has become clear to us1 as expressed in the familiar proverb1 ,no cross1 no crown4 ,the way to ,his exaltation upon the throne of ,his ,kingdom led by the cross4 ,his ,kingdom must be purchased with ,his own ,blood 7,acts xx4 #bh74 ,he must suffer for sins1 that ,he might bring us to ,god 7#a ,pet4 iii4 #ah74 ,but the question now arises1 ,what sort of ,kingdom was it that ,he offered unto men when ,he preached to them the ,gospel of the ,kingdom8 ,has ,he enabled us to form1 from ,his own recorded words1 a definite idea of the nature and character of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven8 ,for the answer we turn naturally to ,his ,parables2 because the form of teaching which ,he most commonly employed was that which is known by the name of ,parable4 ,and we find that fully half of them were ,parables of the ,kingdom2 that is to say1 they either begin with the words ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is like unto such and such things2 or they contain some distinct reference to it4 ,and as the first two of these ,parables were interpreted to the disciples1 we are left in no doubt as to the general meaning of them all4 ,the ,parables of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven#f may be divided into two divisions4 ,those of the first division relate in a general manner to ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven or ,the ,kingdom of ,god1 under its various aspects1 which will be set forth more fully in subsequent chapters2 some parables describing the ,kingdom as it may be seen on earth2 some expressing the inward spiritual reign of the ,king over the hearts of men2 and others teaching that those who fail to use their opportunities as subjects of it here1 will lose the glory of sharing in its perfect state hereafter4 ,and the ,parables of the second division relate to certain special circumstances which affect the position of its subjects4 ,the first division consists of the seven ,parables collected together in ,s4 ,matt4 xiii2 and begins with the ,parable of ,the ,sower1 which was one of those which our ,lord ,himself explained4 ,hear ye the ,parable of the ,sower4 ,when any one heareth the ,word of the ,kingdom1 and understandeth it not1 then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart 7,s4 ,matt4 xiii4 #ah1 #ai74 ,the good news about ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven falls like seed4 ,they who hear about it are like the different kinds of soil on which seed is sown4 ,one pays no heed to what he hears1 and the birds of folly and thoughtlessness carry off1 at once1 that which was sown in his heart4 ,others desire to live as subjects of the ,kingdom here1 and be prepared for its perfect state hereafter1 only they are like stony ground1 or as soil which is foul with weeds and thorns2 they cannot stand against the scorching heat of temptations or petty persecutions1 or else the cares and riches of this world choke the word and make them unfruitful4 ,whilst other men accept the good news of the ,kingdom of ,jesus ,christ1 and bear fruit1 by living as useful subjects of their ,king 7,s4 ,matt4 xiii4 #ah-bc74 ,the next ,parable--,the ,tares--is a very striking one1 because it describes the state of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven as being completely different from what men would have expected4 ,it was the ,lord's own account beforehand of the sad outward appearance of ,his ,kingdom4 ,it described the work of ,god as being maliciously injured and marred by ,satan1 so that good and bad would be found together side by side1 so closely intermingled that it would be impossible to separate them1 or to distinguish between them4 ,and the separation would not be made until the end of the world1 however much men might wish to make it at once 7,s4 ,matt4 xiii4 #bd-cj1 #cf-dc74 ,we may well pause here for a moment to think about the meaning of these words4 ,our ,blessed ,lord was preaching the ,gospel of the ,kingdom4 ,and when ,he began to describe the ,kingdom which ,he came to found1 ,he told ,his disciples at once that it would be very far from being a perfect state1 such as some might dream of4 ,they must expect to see evil growing wild in it1 like weeds in a field of corn4 ,there would be bad subjects as well as good2 and there would be no means of separating them4 ,and as long as this world should last1 the outward appearance of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven would be like a field of wheat and tares growing together4 ,at the same time ,he encouraged ,his disciples with the prospect of boundless success4 ,in the next ,parable--,the ,grain of ,mustard ,seed--,he described1 prophetically1 the outward spread of ,his ,kingdom from very small beginnings1 until the nations of the world should find shelter within it4 ,for though nothing could be less promising of success than the first beginnings of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 yet1 as a spreading tree may rise from the smallest seed1 even so should ,his ,kingdom extend its branches through the world 7,s4 ,matt4 xiii4 #ca1 #cb74 ,and this was not their only ground for encouragement and hope4 ,for this description of the outward extension of the ,kingdom1 taken by itself1 gives a very imperfect idea of its character4 ,he taught them that ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven would exert a spiritual power over the hearts of men4 ,it would be like leaven working in the meal4 ,it would change the hearts of its subjects4 ,the effect would be such as was afterwards described by the ,apostle ,s4 ,paul1 ,if any man be in ,christ1 he is a new creature 7#b ,cor4 v4 #ag74 ,and as leaven goes on working until the whole mass of the meal in which it is hid is leavened1 even so ,he would lead us to understand that one heart truly leavened with the ,gospel of the ,kingdom will affect others2 and that1 silently and unnoticed1 it will extend until it works a moral change in the state of the whole world 7,s4 ,matt4 xiii4 #cc7g4 ,he then went on to describe that as the ,kingdom extended1 men would begin to find out its value2 and for the saving of their souls would gladly give up their worldly prospects4 ,the ,hidden ,treasure and ,the ,pearl of ,great ,price set forth the priceless value of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,the rights and privileges of citizenship are worth more than all the world besides4 ,these two ,parables are alike in that both express the great worth of that of which the ,gospel tells1 viz4 the salvation won by our ,king and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 and given to the subjects of ,his ,kingdom2 but they differ in describing different ways in which men may find it out4 ,one man will find it like a hidden treasure1 as we should say by chance 7,s4 ,matt4 xiii4 #dd74 ,so the woman of ,samaria found the long-expected ,saviour1 when she had only gone to fill her pitcher at the well 7,s4 ,john iv4 #bh1 #bi74 ,others will have to search diligently with the earnest desire to find out what is truth1 and the truth will be brought home to their souls only after long and patient seeking4 ,like as it happened to ,s4 ,paul1 who had long been seeking for ,the ,pearl1 in being more excessively zealous toward ,god1 but who found it not1 until the ,voice ,why persecutest thou ,me 7,acts ix4 #d7 brought him to ,jesus ,christ4 ,furthermore1 these two ,parables both set forth this truth3 that1 if men wish to gain the priceless blessings of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 they must be ready1 as ,s4 ,paul was1 to give up all that they have1 and count all things but loss1 that they may win ,christ 7,phil4 iii4 #h74 ,the character of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven having been thus expressed1 we are carried on in the last ,parable of the series--,the ,draw-net--to the end of this present world4 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is described as catching in its net all1 both good and bad1 who come within its reach4 ,but1 at the end1 the net will be drawn to shore1 and the judgment and separation will be made4 ,the evil will be cast away4 ,the good will be preserved1 and admitted to their reward of joy and glory everlasting 7,s4 ,matt4 xiii4 #dg-di74 ,and ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven being perfected at length1 and not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing 7,ephes4 v4 #bg71 will be seen as the glorious ,kingdom of righteousness and peace described in the glowing words of prophecy4 ,such is the account given by our ,blessed ,lord of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,in the above ,parables we see its nature and character described1 from its foundation to the end of this present world4 ,from ,his own words we learn its history4 ,there is1 first1 the sowing of the seed2 then the apparent spoiling of the design by the intermixture of evil with the good2 then the ,kingdom is seen to have a power of rapid growth and extension1 and a leavening influence over the hearts of men2 then its value is declared to be so priceless1 that men will give up all things for its sake2 and lastly1 we are told of a day when all evil will be purged out1 and it will become a glorious and perfect ,kingdom4 ,but with the exception of this one faint glimpse of eternity1 there is not a word in all these ,parables respecting what we commonly understand by the term ,heaven4 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is here on earth1 and belongs to this present time4 ,it was the will of our ,lord to describe ,his ,kingdom as we know it1 in its present imperfect state here on earth1 in which men have temptations and duties1 as well as great privileges and blessings4 ,whilst of the future condition of ,his ,kingdom in glory1 very little has been revealed4 ,but besides this general description of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 we find other ,parables which describe various circumstances relating to the rejection of the ,kingdom by the unbelieving1 or affecting the position of those who have become its subjects4 ,for instance1 the ,apostle ,peter was doubtful how often a brother should be forgiven1 and our ,lord spoke the ,parable of ,the ,unmerciful ,servant1 teaching that the subjects of ,his ,kingdom1 being themselves in a state of forgiveness1 would forfeit all their blessings if they did not unreservedly forgive their brethren4 ,the debt of sin which the ,king has already forgiven ,his subjects1 in admitting them into a state of salvation1 is as it were ten thousand talents4 ,the debt incurred by any offending brother is but as an hundred pence in comparison 7,s4 ,matt4 xviii4 #ba-ce74 ,again1 in the ,parable of ,the ,labourers in the ,vineyard ,he taught that the subjects of ,his ,kingdom must not grudge one against another1 if a rebel or one who has been neglecting his duty all his life turns and is accepted at the last4 ,the ,king cannot do otherwise than what is right4 ,at the eleventh hour a labourer may be taken on1 and receive his reward4 ,and1 on the other hand1 one who might have been first in the ,kingdom of glory and reward may fall away through an evil spirit of self-glorification1 and become last of all 7,s4 ,matt4 xx4 #a-af74 ,three ,parables follow which were spoken with special reference to the ,jewish rulers1 the ,priests1 and ,scribes1 and ,pharisees4 ,the first of these--the ,parable of ,the ,two ,sons--seems to have been spoken to win them over to a knowledge of their sin and danger1 and1 if it might be possible1 to induce them to accept the ,gospel of ,god1 and to enter the ,kingdom4 ,the ,son in the ,parable who at first said1 ,i will not1 afterward repented and went4 ,even so1 the bold and open transgressors of the law were being won over to repentance1 and were entering in4 ,but the second son who said1 ,i go ,sir1 and went not1 professed a ready obedience and then did not carry it into practice1 but held back and refused to enter in4 ,even so the ,pharisees and others who made good profession of zeal for ,god's service trusted in themselves that they were righteous 7,s4 ,luke xviii4 #i71 and being satisfied with the mere profession1 rejected the counsel of ,god against themselves 7,s4 ,luke vii4 #cj74 ,and ,he thus sorrowfully yet firmly applied it to their own case1 saying1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 that the publicans and harlots go into the ,kingdom of ,god before you 7,s4 ,matt4 xxi4 #bh-ca74 ,they would not be won over2 but1 on the contrary1 their hostility was increased4 ,the consequence was1 that the next ,parable of ,the ,wicked ,husbandmen declared the miserable end which would certainly come upon them in judgment4 ,the ,kingdom of ,god was set forth under the figure of a vineyard--a figure which must have been familiar to them from its frequent use in the ,old ,testament 7,psalm lxxx4 #h-af2 ,isaiah v4 #a-h7--;and the husbandmen1 instead of protecting their master's interests1 were represented as beating his servants and slaying his son4 ,what1 asked the ,lord ,jesus1 will he do with them8 ,and they answered1 to their own condemnation1 ,he will miserably destroy those wicked men1 and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen4 ,and ,he then added these plain words of warning1 ,therefore say ,i unto you1 ,the ,kingdom of ,god shall be taken from you#h1 and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof 7,s4 ,matt4 xxi4 #cc-dc74 ,the enmity of the rulers now reached its highest pitch4 ,they sought to lay hands on ,him1 but they feared the multitude1 because they took ,him for a prophet 7,s4 ,matt4 xxi4 #df74 ,and as they had now clearly determined to reject the idea of the ,kingdom1 which ,he had come to found1 the ,parable of ,the ,marriage of the ,king's ,son was spoken1 describing the call of others into the privileged position which they despised4 ,jesus answered and spake unto them again by ,parables1 and said1 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is like unto a certain king which made a marriage for his son4 ,and when the invited guests refused to come1 ,the king was wroth1 and sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers4 ,then said he to his servants1 ,the wedding is ready1 but they which were bidden were not worthy4 ,who then should be admitted to the feast8 ,those from the highways4 ,the ,gentiles from far and wide should be called to take the place which the ,lord's own people refused to enjoy 7,s4 ,matt4 xxii4 #a-aj74 ,two other ,parables of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven remain to be considered--,the ,wise and ,foolish ,virgins and ,the ,talents--both of which describe the judgment which the subjects of the ,kingdom must be prepared to meet at the last day4 ,the lessons to be learned from them are plain4 ,the foolish virgins1 who were shut out at the last because their lamps had gone out1 are a warning to all who profess the faith of ,christ and have once been earnest in the spiritual service of ,god4 ,they are represented as being shut out1 not for profanity and wickedness2 but for spiritual negligence--for not seeking to keep up the supply of grace through prayer and holy ordinances rightly used4 ,empty lamps were useless4 ,so our ,lord warned ,his future subjects that mere profession of faith and mere outward ordinances1 without the ,spirit1 would be equally useless in preparing them to meet ,his coming at the ,great ,day 7,s4 ,matt4 xxv4 #a-ac74 ,as the ,parable of ,the ,ten ,virgins is a warning against spiritual negligence1 so the ,parable of ,the ,talents teaches the danger of neglecting the outward service of the ,king4 ,the powers and opportunities of usefulness which ,he has given to ,his subjects1 ,he will expect them to use4 ,all must work according to their talents1 or be condemned as unprofitable servants and cast into outer darkness 7,s4 ,matt4 xxv4 #ad-cj74 ,this lesson of warning brings to an end the ,parables which describe the nature and conditions of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven in its present imperfect state4 ,but to these is added a description1 in words of striking clearness1 of the day when this present ,kingdom of grace and trial will be transformed into1 and replaced by1 the ,kingdom of glory and reward2 ,when the ,son of ,man shall come in ,his glory1 and all the holy angels with ,him2 and before ,him shall be gathered all nations2 and ,he shall separate them one from another1 as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats2 and ,he shall set the sheep on ,his right hand1 but the goats on the left4 ,then will ,he appear as ,king indeed1 seated on ,his throne of glory2 and consequently ,he now uses that title plainly of ,himself4 ,then shall the ,king say unto them on ,his right hand1 ,come1 ye blessed of ,my ,father1 inherit the ,kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world 7,s4 ,matt4 xxv4 #ca-cd74 ,thus the full meaning of the words ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is unfolded in the ,gospels4 ,it is a ,kingdom upon earth1 springing from small beginnings1 but intended to include the whole human race within its influence4 ,it is the ,kingdom of ,god1 and yet imperfect1 through the malice of the ,evil ,one1 who is ever striving to spoil ,god's work4 ,and whilst in the world it is not of the world1 but wholly spiritual and divine in its origin4 ,for ,god is ruling over the hearts of its subjects4 ,and ,his rule working and spreading secretly1 like leaven changing the meal1 is intended in ,his loving purpose to convert the whole world unto obedience to ,himself4 ,thus we see that ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is described as being that state of grace and probation into which ,christ's people are called at the time of their baptism1 and in which they are blessed1 and tried1 and made fit for ,his nearer ,presence4 ,but1 at the same time1 we are led to think that a day will come when this present imperfect condition of ,his ,kingdom will be brought to an end2 when those who have been tried and found worthless will be cast out2 and ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven as we know it1 having been purged of all evil1 will become the ,kingdom of ,his glory and joy4 ,and when this shall come to pass1 all the predictions respecting ,messiah's ,kingdom will at length be realised4 ,the everlasting ,kingdom 7#b ,peter i4 #aa7 ordained before the foundation of the world 7,ephes4 i4 #d71 will then have embraced all nations1 so that the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the ,lord1 as the waters cover the sea 7,isaiah xi4 #i74 ,then will the reign of righteousness and peace of ,him1 who is the ,lord our ,righteousness 7,jer4 xxiii4 #f71 appear in all its perfect beauty4 ,god's people will be all righteous2 and inherit the land for ever 7,isaiah lx4 #ba71 even the inheritance of the saints in light 7,col4 i4 #ab74 ,and ,christ1 being at length in every sense the ,prince of ,peace 7,isaiah ix4 #f71 when no foe will be left to be subdued1 and they shall not hurt nor destroy in all ,my holy mountain 7,isaiah xi4 #i71 will then be proclaimed ,king of ,kings and ,lord of ,lords 7,rev4 xix4 #af74 ,and then also our daily prayer ,thy ,kingdom come 7,s4 ,matt4 vi4 #aj7 will have received its perfect fulfilment4 ,for all that is now imperfect in ,his rule will have been set right2 through the conversion of the heathen1 the repentance of the ungodly1 and the sanctification of all who neglect not so great salvation 7,heb4 ii4 #c74 ,the number of the elect will be accomplished4 ,the ,son will have delivered up the ,kingdom to ,god1 even the ,father2 ,god will be all in all 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #bd1 #bh74 ,,footnotes3 #f ,to prevent any doubt arising in the mind of the reader1 it may be well to state that the expressions ,kingdom of ,heaven and ,kingdom of ,god are used indiscriminately and with the same meaning in these ,parables4 ,by comparing ,s4 ,matt4 xiii4 #ca with ,s4 ,mark iv4 #cj and ,s4 ,luke xiii4 #ah it will be seen that ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is ,the ,kingdom of ,god1 and ,the ,kingdom of ,god is ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,s4 ,matthew nearly always uses the expression ,kingdom of ,heaven1 whilst ,s4 ,mark and ,s4 ,luke use the expression ,kingdom of ,god4 #g ,because leaven is commonly referred to in ,holy ,scripture as a symbol of evil1 some have interpreted this ,parable in a very different manner4 ,but the meaning assigned to it above is in accordance with ancient interpretation2 and the other explanation is involved in difficulties4 ,for1 if the leaven represents a corrupting influence1 the ,parable would describe the ,kingdom of ,heaven either as having an evil effect upon the world1 or else as progressing itself towards corruption till the whole is corrupted4 #h ,the ,jewish people and their rulers had formed ,god's ,kingdom upon earth in ancient times2 and they were still ,his chosen people1 who would naturally continue to form a part of ,his ,kingdom1 now that it was to be extended so as to embrace the world4 ,but the privileges which they despised they would lose2 and others who valued them would gain them4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,the ,,subjects ,,of ,,the ,,kingdom4 ,blest are the pure in heart1 ,for they shall see their ,god1 ,the secret of the ,lord is theirs1 ,their soul is ,christ's abode4 ,the ,subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven--who are they8 ,the subjects of a kingdom are1 in a general way1 those who have been born within its limits1 and who submit to its laws and accept its king4 ,but when we enquire into the teaching of our ,lord about the subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 we are met at once with the difficulty that1 in the days of ,his earthly ministry1 the ,kingdom was not yet founded#i4 ,the ,king was only preparing the way for ,his ,kingdom to be set up4 ,and there is necessarily a great difference between joining a ,kingdom in the act of being founded1 and being born under its laws and within its limits4 ,consequently with respect to ,his teaching about the ,subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 two things have to be considered4 ,first1 the conditions under which men are permitted to join ,his ,kingdom2 and1 secondly1 the life which ,his subjects are required to lead4 ,at the very commencement of ,his ministry a divine picture was drawn of the character and life of the true subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,for as ,he went about all ,galilee preaching the ,gospel of the ,kingdom1 there followed ,him great multitudes of people4 ,and seeing the multitudes1 ,he went up into a mountain3 and when ,he was set1 ,his disciples came unto ,him3 and ,he opened ,his mouth1 and taught them1 saying1 ,blessed are the poor in spirit1 for theirs is the ,kingdom of ,heaven 7,s4 ,matt4 iv4 #bc-v4 #c74 ,thus ,he began the ,sermon on the ,mount by declaring the blessedness of ,his subjects1 though they would be very different from those whom the world commonly counts blessed4 ,and the last ,beatitude ended1 as the first began1 with distinct reference to the ,kingdom1 ,blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake2 for theirs is the ,kingdom of ,heaven 7,s4 ,matt4 v4 #aj72 as though to make it clear to ,his hearers that the blessedness spoken of throughout all the verses was connected with ,his ,kingdom4 ,he then addressed those who1 in their hearts1 accepted ,him1 as the salt of the earth2 and as the light of the world 7,s4 ,matt4 v4 #ac1 #ad74 ,they would not only be blessed in themselves1 as ,his subjects1 but they would also be a blessing to others4 ,they were to be the salt which should preserve the world from corruption2 and the light which should lead men to glorify their ,father which is in ,heaven 7,s4 ,matt4 v4 #af74 ,having thus described1 at the beginning of ,his ,sermon1 the general character and office of the subjects of ,his ,kingdom1 our ,blessed ,lord went on to answer a question1 which would doubtless arise in the minds of ,his hearers4 ,would the ,kingdom of which ,he spoke destroy1 or be opposed to the ,law1 under which ,god's ,people had lived from ancient times8 ,the answer was most distinct3 ,think not that ,i am come to destroy the ,law and the ,prophets2 ,i am not come to destroy1 but to fulfil4 ,whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments1 and shall teach men so1 he shall be called the least in the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,for ,i say unto you1 ,that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the ,scribes and ,pharisees1 ye shall in no case enter into the ,kingdom of ,heaven 7,s4 ,matt4 v4 #ag-bj74 ,so far from coming to destroy the ,law1 ,he had come that it might be fulfilled by ,his subjects1 as it had never been fulfilled before4 ,for they would be required to surpass even the ,scribes and ,pharisees in their observance of it1 by keeping it in the spirit1 as well as in the letter2 otherwise they would prove themselves unfit for ,his ,kingdom4 ,and then followed examples of the observance of some of the laws of old--such as the law of purity1 and the law against murder--in this enlarged spiritual sense2 ending with the exhortation1 ,be ye therefore perfect1 even as your ,father which is in ,heaven is perfect 7,s4 ,matt4 v4 #ba-dh74 ,one of the chief ways in which ,god's ,people had failed in their service towards ,him1 was in the spirit in which they had discharged their religious duties4 ,righteousness had become but another name for formality4 ,prayers and alms and fasts had been turned into opportunities for showing off before men1 and for gaining the reputation of sanctity4 ,consequently it was necessary that ,he should lead back ,his hearers to the real meaning of these duties2 and set forth the principle which must guide ,his subjects in all their religious acts--almsgiving1 prayer1 and fasting--namely1 this2 the desire to please their ,father which is in ,heaven 7,s4 ,matt4 vi4 #a-ah74 ,and that there might be no mistake about the kind of rewards which they might look for1 ,he declared that they must lay up for themselves treasures in ,heaven 7,s4 ,matt4 vi4 #ai-ba72 that is to say1 they must love and long for spiritual rewards1 setting their hearts upon higher things than this world can give4 ,and the only way in which they could do this1 was by devoting themselves with their whole strength to the service of ,god4 ,for no half-service of ,god was possible3 ,ye cannot serve ,god and ,mammon 7,s4 ,matt4 vi4 #bd74 ,then if they lived for ,god1 they might lay aside all over-anxious thoughts about this present life4 ,if they really gave themselves up to be ,his subjects1 they would certainly have all things ordered for them for the best4 ,seek ye first the ,kingdom of ,god and ,his righteousness1 and all these things shall be added unto you 7,s4 ,matt4 vi4 #cc74 ,the ,sermon ended with mentioning some of the difficulties which the subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven would have to meet in the practice of godliness4 ,in the first place1 in order to become ,his subjects they would have to enter through a narrow gate1 upon a path which few would find4 ,for whilst1 on the one hand1 ,wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction1 and many there be that go in thereat1 on the other hand1 ,strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life1 and few there be that find it 7,s4 ,matt4 vii4 #ac1 #ad74 ,and when they had entered upon this narrow way1 ,he warned them that they must be on their guard against being misled by foolish professors1 because mere profession of obedience would neither prove them to be subjects of ,his ,kingdom1 nor win for them admission in that day into ,his glory and joy1 ,not every one that saith unto ,me1 ,lord1 ,lord1 shall enter into the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 but he that doeth the will of ,my ,father which is in ,heaven 7,s4 ,matt4 vii4 #ba-bc74 ,therefore they must set to work to do the will of ,god1 and so be true subjects of ,messiah's ,kingdom4 ,and then1 as doers of ,his words1 and not hearers only1 they would be building like wise men upon a rock 7,s4 ,matt4 vii4 #bd74 ,the description thus given by the ,king ,himself of the character and life of ,his subjects sets vividly before us the difficulties which a ,christian must overcome4 ,it may not be always easy to decide whether the expression ,kingdom of ,heaven refers to the ,kingdom as it is now on earth1 or as it will be hereafter in ,heaven2 but it is clear that our ,blessed ,lord would teach in this ,sermon both the difficulty of becoming a professing ,christian at all1 and also the need of earnest strivings after holiness in order that a subject of ,his ,kingdom of ,grace should find a welcome when that ,kingdom shall have become the ,kingdom of ,glory4 ,and when we think of the very different standards hitherto aimed at either by ,jews or ,gentiles1 we see at once the reason which prevented so many of ,his hearers from accepting ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,for it is clear that a man who had been brought up either as a ,jew or as a ,gentile would have to lay aside almost all his previous habits and modes of thought--he must become a new man altogether--to enter in4 ,who then would enter in8 ,who would become subjects of the ,kingdom of ,heaven8 ,the ,lord ,jesus declared at once1 what modern missionary experience still finds to be the case1 that little children were the most likely to become ,his subjects1 and the fittest to enter into ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,some mothers once brought their little ones for ,his blessing2 and when the disciples were hindering their coming1 ,he was much displeased and said unto them1 ,suffer little children to come unto ,me1 and forbid them not2 for of such is the ,kingdom of ,god 7,s4 ,mark x4 #ad74 ,and not only did ,he declare that little children were the most suitable to become ,his subjects2 but ,he said also1 that those who were grown up and wished to enter ,his ,kingdom must become like children to do so4 ,for ,he added1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,whosoever shall not receive the ,kingdom of ,god as a little child1 he shall not enter therein 7,s4 ,mark x4 #ae74 ,and on another occasion ,he expressed ,his thankfulness that only child-like hearts could take in the mysteries of the ,kingdom1 saying1 ,i thank ,thee1 ,o ,father1 ,lord of heaven and earth1 that ,thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent1 and hast revealed them unto babes 7,s4 ,luke x4 #ba74 ,when we read in such passages as these of the difficulty of entering into ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 it becomes very important to remember that the ,kingdom was not then set up2 and that the words were spoken with respect to men who had grown up under other conditions and modes of thought4 ,for whilst the words still apply literally and exactly to the case of converts from amongst the ,heathen1 they are not applicable at all1 in the same sense1 to persons who have long ago entered ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven as children1 and have lived under its influence4 ,thus1 for instance1 when we read that a rich man shall hardly enter into the ,kingdom of ,heaven 7,s4 ,matt4 xix4 #bc71 there is no need to suppose that the rich1 who have grown up as ,his subjects1 have less hope of ,heaven than others4 ,the temptations which come with riches are great1 but the grace of ,god will enable ,his subjects1 whether rich or poor1 to serve ,him faithfully1 if they seek for it4 ,the words clearly referred to the difficulty which the rich ,jew or the rich heathen would find in declaring himself a subject of ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is easier for the poor and the unlearned to become a ,christian1 than for the rich and the learned4 ,in after years ,s4 ,paul found this to be the case at ,corinth4 ,ye see your calling1 brethren1 how that not many wise men after the flesh1 not many mighty1 not many noble are called 7#a ,cor4 i4 #bf74 ,and the same thing is still happening in heathen lands4 ,the chief successes in ,india have been amongst the low castes of ,tinnevelly1 the hard-working ,kols of ,chota ,nagpur1 the simple ,karens of the hills of ,burma2 and amongst the wealthy merchants and the learned ,brahmins converts have been few4 ,experience confirms the truth of our ,lord's teaching4 ,he declared beforehand1 that the rich1 and the learned1 and those who had enjoyed the greatest privileges1 would be the most unwilling to be won over to ,his ,kingdom4 ,and the prediction has been fulfilled4 ,it might have been supposed that1 when at last ,messiah's ,kingdom was set up1 all who had enjoyed the privilege of knowing the true ,god1 and had been taught to expect a ,deliverer1 as their ,king1 would have eagerly sought admission into ,his ,kingdom4 ,but to one who made the remark1 ,blessed is he that shall eat bread in the ,kingdom of ,god1 ,he spoke the ,parable of ,the ,great ,supper1 teaching that many1 who have the opportunity and the invitation will refuse to enter in1 and make all kinds of excuses2 and that others will have their places 7,s4 ,luke xiv4 #ae-bd74 ,and on another occasion ,he warned the ,jews1 that many would come from all quarters of the world1 and sit down in the ,kingdom of ,god 7,s4 ,luke xiii4 #bh1 #bi71 whilst they themselves were thrust out4 ,and we know how literally the warning has come true4 ,and lest any one should be deceived into thinking that it was an easy thing to become ,his subject1 ,he referred again and again to the difficulties which men must be prepared to meet and overcome in entering ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,to those who said that they would follow ,him1 ,he explained that entire devotion of self to ,god would be required of ,his subjects4 ,a man must count the cost beforehand4 ,the dead must be left to bury their dead1 whilst the man fulfils the commission which ,god entrusts to him1 to preach the ,kingdom of ,god2 and ,no man having put his hand to the plough1 and looking back1 is fit for the ,kingdom of ,god 7,s4 ,luke ix4 #eg-fb74 ,but1 on the other hand1 for those who gave up freely all that they loved1 for the ,kingdom of ,god's sake1 the reward should be manifold more even in this present time1 and in the world to come life everlasting4 7,s4 ,luke xviii4 #bi1 #cj74 ,and ,he encouraged the few1 who in their hearts accepted ,him as their ,king1 in such words as these1 ,him that cometh unto me ,i will in no wise cast out 7,s4 ,john vi4 #cg72 ,fear not1 little flock2 for it is your ,father's good pleasure to give you the ,kingdom 7,s4 ,luke xii4 #cb74 ,the thought that the difficulties thus described referred in the first instance to those who were outside of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 may well fill us with thankfulness that we have been brought into the ,kingdom through the piety of our parents1 without even an effort on our parts4 ,we have been so far helped already1 that we have been placed upon the narrow way that leadeth unto life2 and though temptations of many kinds assail to entice us from the road1 and though the difficulties of the way are great1 we have the hope to encourage us1 that1 if we are in earnest1 the grace of ,god the ,holy ,ghost will preserve us1 that we may be welcomed at last as faithful subjects1 and admitted into the ,kingdom of ,glory4 ,but at the same time we must remember that1 in another sense1 the words about the difficulty of entering ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven still apply to ourselves4 ,for we have been admitted as subjects of the ,kingdom1 only that we may loyally serve our ,king2 and we have been placed upon the narrow way1 only that we may struggle up the steep ascent to ,heaven4 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is as yet in an imperfect condition here on earth4 ,here we are in a state of trial and probation1 as well as of grace and blessing4 ,and a day will come when the ,kingdom of ,grace will become the ,kingdom of ,glory4 ,then1 they who have served their ,king1 and proved themselves in the time of their trial to be ,his faithful soldiers and servants1 will be welcomed into the joy of their ,lord4 ,but they who have professed to be ,his subjects1 and have been satisfied with a mere profession1 will cry1 ,lord1 ,lord 7,s4 ,matt4 vii4 #bb-bc71 in vain4 ,therefore1 our ,king still cries to us1 as to ,his hearers before the ,kingdom was set up1 ,strive to enter in 7,s4 ,luke xiii4 #bd74 ,he still bids us build upon the ,rock1 by being doers of the word1 and not hearers only 7,s4 ,james i4 #bb74 ,and ,he still warns us of the dangers of riches2 ,the love of money is the root of all evil 7#a ,tim4 vi4 #aj74 ,for we have still to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world 7,s4 ,matt4 v4 #ac1 #ad74 ,and the standard which ,he has set us is still1 and ever will be1 far above us2 ,be ye therefore perfect1 even as your ,father which is in ,heaven is perfect 7,s4 ,matt4 v4 #dh74 ,the teaching of our ,lord about ,his subjects is thus seen to correspond with what ,his ,apostles1 in time to come1 taught their converts when they addressed them1 as called to be saints 7,rom4 i4 #g1 ,ephes4 i4 #a1 etc474 ,we know that the world would like to find some easier course than this4 ,but it is impossible2 because the subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven are called that they may be ready for the life in ,heaven4 ,and without holiness no man shall see the ,lord 7,heb4 xii4 #ad74 ,in subsequent chapters we shall consider the means provided by the ,king to enable ,his subjects to become such as ,he described them4 ,for the present1 let the thought of our holy calling increase our sense of the infinite love and mercy of our ,king4 ,let us think of ,his own description of ,his work4 ,the ,son of ,man is come to seek and to save that which was lost 7,s4 ,luke xix4 #aj74 ,when we were wandering in the ways of sin1 ignorant of ,god our ,father1 and unfit to be admitted into our home or to enjoy it if admission were possible1 ,he came to seek us out and bring us into ,his ,kingdom4 ,and now that ,he has overcome the sharpness of death and opened the ,kingdom of ,heaven to all believers1 our efforts after holiness are so imperfect1 and our weakness and love of wandering are so great1 that we should be in despair1 if our ,king had not taught us ,his unceasing care4 ,but this ,he has set forth in a well-known series of ,parables2 first1 under the figure of a shepherd finding a stray sheep and calling friends and neighbours to rejoice over its recovery2 then under the figure of a woman finding the lost coin2 and1 lastly1 under the figure of a father welcoming home his prodigal son 7,s4 ,luke xv74 ,therefore1 our position is this4 ,as subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 we are called1 according to our ,lord's own teaching1 to a high and holy life2 and the more we realise this truth the greater do our imperfections appear1 and the clearer becomes our sense of the need of mercy1 as well as help4 ,but the ,king1 who thus described ,his subjects1 has also described ,his enduring love2 and ,his invitation1 still and for ever1 applies to all who feel their unworthiness3 ,come unto ,me all ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest 7,s4 ,matt4 xi4 #bh74 ,,footnote3 #i ,see ,s4 ,matt4 xvi4 #ah4 ,pearson on the ,creed1 p4 #ccf4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,things ,,pertaining ,,to ,,the ,,kingdom4 ,now is there solemn pause in earth and heaven2 ,the ,conqueror now ,his bonds hath riven1 ,and ,angels wonder why ,he stays below2 ,yet hath not man his lesson learned1 ,how endless love should be returned4 ,hitherto our thoughts about ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven have been founded on the teaching of the ,king respecting ,his ,kingdom recorded in the ,gospels4 ,but we must not forget to give attention to the very important time in the life of our ,lord extending between ,his ,resurrection and ,ascension1 during which ,he appeared to ,his ,apostles upon terms very different from those on which ,he had previously associated with them#aj4 ,and though few records have been preserved of ,his instructions to them during this period1 we find this general description1 which very clearly shows the nature of those instructions4 ,in the ,book of the ,acts of the ,apostles1 ,s4 ,luke records that the time was spent in speaking of the things pertaining to the ,kingdom of ,god 7,acts i4 #c74 ,consequently1 though we have not ,his discourses in full1 we know that the subject of them was still the same as in the time past--the good news of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,during the years of ,his public ministry the ,apostles frequently asked their ,lord to explain what they did not understand in ,his teaching4 ,and we may feel sure that1 at this time1 many things must have appeared to them in a new light1 and many sayings must have gained a force and meaning which they had failed to perceive before4 ,and if ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 about which ,he had said so much1 was to be a real ,kingdom1 it is clear that there must have been many things on which they would require instruction1 about the order and government of it1 and about the practical carrying out of ,his loving designs for the salvation of the world4 ,and inasmuch as we find that1 almost immediately after their ,lord's ,ascension1 the ,apostles were fully prepared not merely to preach1 as ,he had done1 the good news of the ,kingdom1 but to call men into it as a ,kingdom already established upon earth1 we conclude that all these matters must have been fully explained to them during these days1 and that these were the things pertaining to the ,kingdom of ,god of which ,he spake4 ,passing by1 for the present1 other questions of difficulty which would very probably arise in their minds1 there are two passages in our ,lord's discourses recorded in the ,gospels which we can hardly doubt were discussed at this time2 because some of ,his words have been preserved to us which connect those passages with what afterwards became the practice of the ,church4 ,the first question of difficulty which would naturally arise out of one of ,his former sayings1 and to which ,he provided the answer1 was this--,what was to be the form of admission into ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven8 ,he had said to ,nicodemus1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,except a man be born of water and of the ,spirit1 he cannot enter the ,kingdom of ,god 7,s4 ,john iii4 #e74 ,but what did the words mean8 ,what steps were to be taken by one who wished to enter the ,kingdom8 ,with what use of water would the ,holy ,spirit's power be connected8 ,here was a practical question requiring a decided answer4 ,and we conclude that this was one of the things pertaining to the ,kingdom which were spoken of during this time1 because we find a brief record of distinct instructions given by our ,lord to ,his ,apostles how they were to admit men as ,his disciples or subjects4 ,no discourse is recorded1 but this clear commission is handed down by ,s4 ,matthew--evidently given in such a way that the ,apostles could not fail to understand its meaning--,go ye and make disciples#aa of all nations1 baptizing them in the ,name of the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost 7,s4 ,matt4 xxviii4 #ai74 ,and consequently ,holy ,baptism became at once1 and has been ever since1 the form of admission into ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven 7,acts ii4 #ch-da74 ,and being an outward form1 and yet a spiritual act1 we have herein both the water and the ,spirit4 ,it is an outward form in which there is a ceremonial use of water2 and yet it is a spiritual act1 because united with the most solemn naming of the ,name of ,god1 as ,he has in these last days revealed ,himself to man2 ,in the ,name of the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost2 and ,s4 ,paul does not hesitate to say1 ,by one ,spirit are we all baptized into one ,body 7#a ,cor4 xii4 #ac74 ,the other question arising out of some words of our ,lord1 which we conclude was discussed and answered by ,him during this time1 was the difficult one about the meaning of the keys of the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,he had once said1 after ,s4 ,peter had confessed ,him as the ,christ1 ,i will give unto thee the keys of the ,kingdom of ,heaven2 and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven2 and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven#ab 7,s4 ,matt4 xvi4 #ai74 ,and the same words about binding and loosing were repeated shortly afterwards to all the ,apostles 7,s4 ,matt4 xviii4 #ah74 ,we can hardly doubt but that the question must have arisen in their minds what the keys of the ,kingdom could be whereby the power of binding and loosing was given them4 ,and although no discourse is recorded1 it seems that this was another of the things pertaining to the ,kingdom of which ,he spoke4 ,for ,s4 ,john1 in the brief record which he has given of ,his first appearance to the ,apostles after ,his ,resurrection1 has thus described what occurred3--,suddenly the ,lord was in their midst1 and said1 ,peace be unto you4 ,and ,he showed unto them ,his ,hands and ,his ,side in proof that it was ,he ,himself4 ,and ,he said again ,peace be unto you4 ,as ,my ,father hath sent ,me1 even so send ,i you4 ,and ,he breathed on them1 and said1 ,receive ye the ,holy ,ghost3 whose soever sins ye remit1 they are remitted unto them2 and whose soever sins ye retain1 they are retained 7,s4 ,john xx4 #ai-bc74 ,and ever since there has been this practical interpretation of the meaning of the keys4 ,christ's ministers have confidently acted1 as having been entrusted by their ,lord with ,his authority to admit men into ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven by ,holy ,baptism1 or to defer the act of admission until after longer probation2 to exercise the judicial power of excommunication1 or expulsion from the ,kingdom1 for notorious sin and unbelief1 as in the case of the incestuous ,corinthian 7#a ,cor4 v4 #c-g71 or to re-admit after repentance1 as ,s4 ,paul decided to do in the same case 7#b ,cor4 ii4 #f-aj72 and to assure all men that in the holy ,ordinances of the ,church of ,christ free and full remission of sins may be certainly gained4 ,we can readily imagine that many other matters were discussed amongst the things pertaining to the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,if disciples were to be made in all parts of the world1 and were then to be taught to observe all things commanded 7,s4 ,matt4 xxviii4 #bj7 by the ,king1 the question must have arisen1 ,who were to be appointed to teach them8 ,and thus the whole subject of the government of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 and the ,orders and duties of the ,king's ,ministers1 would be opened4 ,again1 the words of institution of the ,sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper1 ,this is ,my ,blood of the new testament#ac1 which is shed for many for the remission of sins 7,s4 ,matt4 xxvi4 #bh71 pointed both to the ending of the old covenant1 or testament1 which was sealed in the blood of beasts 7,exod4 xxiv4 #e-h71 and to the passing away of the ,jewish ritual and modes of worship4 ,and the question would arise1 ,what forms of worship were to be observed by ,his subjects in place of those ordained by the ,law of ,moses8 ,sacrifices could no longer have their former meaning1 when the ,lamb of ,god1 to which they pointed the worshipper1 had been offered upon the ,cross4 ,was the breaking of bread to take the place of all the old sacrificial services8 ,and with the subject of worship1 the observance of the ,sabbath would need to be considered4 ,was the ,jewish ,sabbath still binding on men's consciences8 ,was the ,seventh ,day to be observed in accordance with the ,law of ,moses1 or was the ,first ,day of the week to take its place1 now sacred to the subjects of the ,lord ,jesus as that on which ,he rose1 and to the keeping of which ,he had seemed to give ,his sanction1 by appearing once and again on that day to the disciples as they were assembled together8 7,s4 ,john xx4 #ai1 #bf47 ,on all these points#ad we find1 in the ,book of the ,acts of the ,apostles1 that the ,apostles took at once a definite line of action4 ,they knew what to do1 and how to direct their converts4 ,and though we have no record of the words of our ,lord1 we are confident that the ,apostles were thus carrying out ,his own teaching#ae1 under the guidance of the ,holy ,ghost1 on all such matters pertaining to the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,amongst the few words recorded as having been spoken at this time to the ,apostles1 is this clear promise1 ,ye shall receive power1 after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you2 and ye shall be witnesses unto ,me both in ,jerusalem1 and in all ,juda1 and in ,samaria1 and unto the uttermost part of the earth 7,acts i4 #h74 ,and in the power of the ,holy ,ghost we find that they went forth to publish the glad tidings of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,and1 beginning from ,jerusalem1 they extended their work gradually to ,samaria1 and ,syria1 and to all countries1 carrying out their ,lord's commission1 and preaching the good news of salvation through ,jesus ,christ1 as freely offered to all who would accept ,him as their ,king1 and enter through the strait gate of the ,new ,birth into ,his ,kingdom4 ,,footnotes3 #aj ,for fuller information about this period1 see ,bishop ,moberly's ,discourses on the ,great ,forty ,days4 #aa ,see the note in the margin of a ,reference ,bible4 #ab ,it is well known that the ,romanists have sometimes founded their argument1 in support of the claims of the ,papacy1 very mainly upon this verse2 starting with the assumption1 of which there is no proof1 that the ,pope is the successor of ,s4 ,peter1 and asserting that a power was hereby given to ,s4 ,peter which the other ,apostles did not possess4 ,the weakness of the argument becomes clear when it is known that the same words were repeated again to all the ,apostles2 and that the above explanation1 and practical enforcement of them1 were equally spoken to them all4 #ac ,testament and ,covenant are translations of one and the same word4 ,the ,bible is divided into the ,old and ,new ,testaments1 because the ,old ,testament contains the record of ,god's dealings with men under the ,old ,covenant2 and the ,new ,testament declares the ,new ,covenant made with all the world through ,jesus ,christ4 #ad ,a question may arise in the minds of some1 whether it is a historical fact that the early ,christians were in no doubt about the substitution of the ,first for the ,seventh day8 ,the answer is that1 from the first1 there was no doubt about the observance of the ,first ,day2 but that amongst the ,jewish converts the observance of the ,sabbath was permitted for some time1 in addition to the ,christian festival1 and was only gradually discontinued4 ,see ,rom4 xiv4 #e2 ,gal4 iv4 #aj2 ,col4 ii4 #af2 and compare ,acts xx4 #g2 #a ,cor4 xvi4 #b2 ,rev4 i4 #aj4 #ae ,this view is strengthened by the account given by ,s4 ,paul of the direct revelation granted to him respecting the ,sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,not having been amongst the number of ,his ,apostles in the days when ,he was on earth1 ,s4 ,paul had received no instructions from ,his own mouth4 ,but the defect was supplied by direct revelation4 ,he says1 ,i have received of the ,lord that which also ,i delivered unto you1 that the ,lord ,jesus1 the same night in which ,he was betrayed1 took bread1 c4 7#a ,cor4 xi4 #bc74 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,king ,,on ,,his ,,throne4 ,crown ,him with many crowns1 ,the ,king upon ,his ,throne4 ,when the time came for our ,blessed ,lord to return into ,heaven again1 ,he ascended in the presence of ,his ,apostles1 whilst in the act of blessing them2 and a cloud received ,him out of their sight 7,acts i4 #i74 ,and1 we are told1 they returned to ,jerusalem with great joy 7,s4 ,luke xxiv4 #eb71 not sorrowing as before at ,his being taken from them4 ,and when we consider what ,his ,ascension implied1 we can see that they had good reason for their joy4 ,for the ,ascension was the sign of the exaltation of the ,lord ,jesus to ,his ,mediatorial#af ,throne at ,god's right hand4 ,when ,he was before the ,jewish ,council ,he had declared to them1 ,hereafter shall ye see the ,son of man sitting on the right hand of power4 ,and the ,high ,priest1 hearing these words1 cried out1 ,he hath spoken blasphemy 7,s4 ,matt4 xxvi4 #fd1 #fe72 because he understood that ,he was thus openly claiming to be ,messiah--the ,king--of whom ,david had said1 ,the ,lord said unto my ,lord1 ,sit ,thou at ,my right hand until ,i make ,thine enemies ,thy footstool 7,ps4 cx4 #a74 ,and inasmuch as ,he had previously silenced the ,pharisees with these same words1 asking them to explain how ,david could speak of ,messiah as my ,lord 7,s4 ,matt4 xxii4 #dd2 ,s4 ,mark xii4 #cf2 ,s4 ,luke xx4 #db71 when ,he was to be the ,son of ,david1 we can see that the importance of this passage is very great4 ,and that for two reasons4 ,first1 as testifying that ,christ should be no mere human descendant of ,david1 because ,david calls ,him ,lord2 and1 secondly1 as foretelling the ,ascension of ,christ to the ,throne at ,god's right hand4 ,and not only do all the three first ,gospels record the use which ,he made of this verse to silence the ,jews2 but we find also that ,s4 ,peter on the day of ,pentecost1 and also ,s4 ,paul in his ,epistles to the ,corinthians and to the ,hebrews 7,acts ii4 #cd2 #a ,cor4 xv4 #be2 ,heb4 i4 #ac1 x4 #ac71 quoted it in support of their arguments that our ,lord was exalted to ,his ,throne4 ,the ,apostles argued in this way2 ,david had thus clearly foretold the ,ascension of ,christ1 and that ,his ,ascension would be to the ,throne of power1 at the right hand of ,god4 ,therefore1 inasmuch as ,he had ascended into ,heaven1 ,his ,ascension was clearly the fulfilment of the prophecy1 in order that ,he might make ,his solemn entry upon ,his kingly office1 and be seated on ,his ,throne4 ,the ,ascension was the last crowning proof that ,jesus was ,messiah--the ,king of the house of ,david--the ,priest for ever after the order of ,melchisedek 7,ps4 cx4 #d71 that is1 ,king of ,righteousness and ,king of ,peace 7,heb4 vii4 #b74 ,in other words1 the ,apostles maintained that the ,ascension of our ,lord was the act whereby ,he ascended the ,throne of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 the ,mediatorial ,kingdom of ,messiah4 ,and this is the testimony which they have given under the inspiration of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,god raised ,him from the dead1 and set ,him at ,his own right hand in the heavenly places1 far above all principality1 and power1 and might1 and dominion1 and every name that is named1 not only in this world1 but also in that which is to come3 and hath put all things under ,his feet1 and gave ,him to be the ,head over all things to the ,church 7,ephes4 i4 #bj-bb74 ,and we are assured that the ,ascension of our ,saviour1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 implied that ,he has won the right of sovereignty over all the world2 and that all mankind are summoned to bow before ,him1 and accept ,him as their ,king4 ,for1 because ,he humbled ,himself and became obedient unto death1 even the death of the ,cross1 therefore ,god also hath highly exalted ,him1 and given ,him a name which is above every name1 that at the ,name of ,jesus every knee should bow1 and that every tongue should confess that ,jesus ,christ is ,lord 7,phil4 ii4 #h-aa74 ,but for the successful setting up of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven two things were still needed4 ,first1 the overthrow of the enemies of ,messiah's ,kingdom2 and secondly1 the gift of the ,holy ,ghost1 to induce men to be willing to submit themselves to the spiritual rule of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,consequently when the ,king had ascended the ,throne1 and all mankind had been given ,him as ,his subjects1 ,he was from henceforth expecting till ,his enemies be made ,his footstool 7,ps4 cx4 #a2 ,heb4 x4 #ac74 ,all who are set against ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven must in the end be subdued before ,him4 ,and no doubt the wicked amongst men who oppose ,his rule will1 if they turn not1 be included amongst these enemies4 ,and yet we must never forget that these belong really to the number of those who were given to ,him as ,his subjects4 ,this is one of the mysteries of the ,gospel1 that whilst we were yet sinners ,christ died for us 7,rom4 v4 #h71 and when we were enemies we were reconciled to ,god by the death of ,his ,son 7,rom4 v4 #aj72 so that we are assured that the ,king in ,his loving mercy would have the wicked not under ,his footstool1 but amongst the sharers of ,his glory4 ,but there are other enemies which will certainly be subdued in ,god's own time2 and they are the spiritual powers of evil which are hindering men from being ,his subjects4 ,he will put down all rule and all authority and power 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #bd7 arrayed against ,him2 even the principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this world 7,ephes4 vi4 #ab71 by which ,his subjects are assailed4 ,for ,he must reign till ,he hath put all enemies under ,his feet 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #be74 ,but the destruction of ,his foes is not the only1 nor the chief result of ,his ,ascension4 ,when the ,king ascended the ,throne of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 ,he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men 7,eph4 iv4 #h71 even the gifts by which men might be brought to submit themselves to ,his spiritual rule1 and be saved by ,him4 ,and inasmuch as only the ,holy ,ghost can change the heart1 and make men such as ,he had described ,his subjects to be1 ,he had previously explained to ,his ,apostles that there was one gift on which all future success depended1 the gift of the ,comforter which is the ,holy ,ghost 7,s4 ,john xiv4 #bf74 ,and ,he had assured them1 ,it is expedient for you that ,i go away2 for if ,i go not away1 the ,comforter will not come unto you2 but if ,i depart1 ,i will send ,him unto you 7,s4 ,john xvi4 #g74 ,they did not understand the words at the time when they were spoken2 but at the time of the ,ascension they knew that they were to wait for the promise of the ,father 7,acts i4 #d71 of which ,he had told them2 and to tarry in the city of ,jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high 7,s4 ,luke xxiv4 #di74 ,ten days of watching1 suspense1 and prayer followed4 ,at last1 when the day of ,pentecost was fully come1 suddenly there came a sound from ,heaven1 as of a rushing mighty wind1 and they were all filled with the ,holy ,ghost1 and began to speak with other tongues1 as the ,spirit gave them utterance 7,acts ii4 #a-d74 ,hitherto the little band of believers had numbered about an hundred and twenty 7,acts i4 #ae7 in ,jerusalem4 ,but now that the ,holy ,ghost was given1 who could move the hearts of men and change them1 the ,apostles found themselves endued with the promised power from on high1 which should give weight to their testimony2 and the vast multitude1 who assembled to listen to ,s4 ,peter's sermon1 were pricked in their heart1 and said unto ,peter and to the rest of the apostles1 ,men and brethren1 what shall we do8 7,acts ii4 #cg74 ,the previous instructions which had been given them about the things pertaining to the ,kingdom 7,acts i4 #c7 were now to be put into practice4 ,the ,apostles had the answer ready3 ,repent1 and be baptized every one of you in the ,name of ,jesus ,christ for the remission of sins1 and ye shall receive the gift of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,for the promise--of the ,holy ,ghost1 who alone can change the heart and make men to be born again as the children of ,god--is not to us only1 said the ,apostle1 but is unto you1 and to your children1 and to all that are afar off1 even as many as the ,lord our ,god shall call4 ,and with many other words1 besides those which are recorded1 did he testify to the truth about the ,lord ,jesus being ,messiah1 the ,king2 and with such force did he exhort1 saying1 ,save yourselves from this untoward generation1 that three thousand gladly received his word and were baptized 7,acts ii4 #ch-da71 as subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,thus the ,kingdom was established amongst men by the power of the ,holy ,ghost#ag4 ,a spiritual ,kingdom1 but none the less a ,kingdom upon earth4 ,a spiritual ,kingdom1 not established by any power of man1 and not belonging to this world2 and yet a ,kingdom of which men and women and little children were the subjects2 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven as described by our ,lord in ,his parables and discourses4 ,and the ,kingdom having been thus established amongst men1 from this time we find a special name was given to it4 ,henceforth ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven becomes the ,church4 ,it was a word which our ,lord ,himself had occasionally used with reference to ,his ,kingdom1 as when ,he said1 ,upon this rock ,i will build my ,church 7,s4 ,matt4 xvi4 #ah72 but it now became the common expression4 ,thus when a persecution broke out against the ,christians1 it was thus described1 ,as for ,saul1 he made havoc of the ,church 7,acts viii4 #c74 ,so ,herod stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the ,church 7,acts xii4 #a72 and when ,s4 ,peter was imprisoned1 prayer was made without ceasing of the ,church unto ,god for him 7,acts xii4 #e74 ,and throughout the ,book of the ,acts of the ,apostles and the ,epistles it is almost always used as the name of the body of believers or subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,at the same time1 in order that there might be no doubt that the ,apostles were simply carrying on their ,lord's preaching of the ,gospel of the ,kingdom 7,s4 ,matt4 iv4 #bc71 and that ,the ,church which they founded was in very deed ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 in certain passages describing the character of their preaching we still find a reference to the ,kingdom4 ,thus1 when ,philip preached the ,gospel to the ,samaritans1 his work is described in these words1 ,when they believed ,philip preaching the things concerning the ,kingdom of ,god1 and the ,name of ,jesus ,christ1 they were baptized1 both men and women 7,acts viii4 #ab74 ,and a similar instance occurs respecting the preaching of the great ,apostle to the ,gentiles1 ,s4 ,paul4 ,the whole of the latter half of the ,book of the ,acts of the ,apostles is filled with the record of the extension of the ,church by the labour of ,s4 ,paul in the various lands he visited4 ,and he himself continually uses the word ,church1 both in his addresses recorded in the ,acts of the ,apostles and in his ,epistles to the ,churches4 ,thus1 for instance1 to the ,elders whom he had ordained to take charge of the ,church at ,ephesus1 he says1 ,feed the ,church of ,god which ,he hath purchased with ,his own ,blood 7,acts xx4 #bh74 ,and yet when the general character of his preaching is described1 it is still spoken of as the good news of the ,kingdom4 ,for to these same ,elders ,s4 ,paul says1 ,and now1 behold1 ,i know that ye all1 among whom ,i have gone preaching the ,kingdom of ,god1 shall see my face no more 7,acts xx4 #be74 ,and the last record of him leaves him at ,rome preaching the ,kingdom of ,god1 and teaching those things which concern the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 no man forbidding him 7,acts xxviii4 #ca74 ,we may now briefly sum up the results of the ,ascension of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,in ascending into heaven ,he was fulfilling the prophecy1 to which special prominence had been given in ,his discourses with ,his opponents1 ,the ,lord said unto my ,lord1 ,sit ,thou on my right hand till ,i make ,thine enemies ,thy footstool 7,ps4 cx4 #a74 ,he was thus ascending the ,throne of the ,mediatorial ,kingdom of ,messiah--,the ,kingdom of ,heaven--and having ascended in triumph1 ,he gave gifts unto men4 ,and upon receiving the great gift which ,he had promised--even the ,holy ,ghost--the ,apostles became endued with the power1 by which alone ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven could be founded upon earth1 and be extended amongst men4 ,and1 from that day forward1 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven may be said to have been established4 ,and as the ,apostles went forth preaching the good news of the ,kingdom of ,god1 and believers were multiplied1 we find that1 under the inspiration of the ,holy ,ghost1 the word ,church was used to express this body of the faithful4 ,and the name thus used in those early days of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 has been generally applied to it ever since4 ,thus we are brought face to face with the practical importance of the teaching of our ,blessed ,lord about ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is ,the ,church of ,christ4 ,the subjects are ourselves4 ,,footnotes3 #af ,see ,pearson on the ,creed1 pp4 #bhc1 #bhe4 #ag ,it is sometimes said that the ,kingdom was founded by our ,lord in the call of ,his ,apostles4 ,but inasmuch as ,he spoke of it as being still in the future1 when ,he said to ,peter1 ,upon this rock ,i will build ,my ,church 7,s4 ,matt4 xvi4 #ah71 and expressly declared that the ,baptism of the ,spirit was the appointed means of entering into it 7,s4 ,john iii4 #e71 it seems more accurate to say that our ,lord founded ,his ,kingdom on this day1 through the descent of the ,holy ,ghost upon the ,apostles4 ,for thus ,his words which specially applied to their own cases were fulfilled1 ,ye shall be baptized with the ,holy ,ghost 7,acts i4 #e2 ,s4 ,matt4 iii4 #aa72 and the gift was then handed on to others in the appointed way1 by which they also might be brought into the one ,body 7#a ,cor4 xii4 #ac74 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,parables ,,exemplified ,,in ,,the ,,early ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,church4 ,to ,him shall prayer unceasing ,and daily vows ascend2 ,his ,kingdom still increasing1 ,a ,kingdom without end4 ,we have seen that our ,lord described in ,his ,parables the general character and nature of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,consequently1 if the ,church established by the ,apostles under the guidance of the ,holy ,ghost is ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 it will necessarily be found to agree with the description thus given4 ,let us therefore now consider how far the history of the ,church1 in the ,acts of the ,apostles and the ,epistles1 agrees with the picture of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven drawn beforehand by the ,king4 ,the ,parable of the ,sower admits of frequent illustration if we understand the seed to refer1 in a general sense1 to the good news of salvation through ,jesus ,christ1 whether it is preached to men outside the ,kingdom or to those within it4 ,the birds are continually carrying off the seed from thoughtless and hardened hearers2 opposition and persecution and temptation still scorch up the seed in others2 and worldliness and love of money still choke that which was beginning to grow well in many hearts4 ,and we can see all these characters1 in those who were first called to be members of the ,church of ,christ4 ,the ,jews1 generally1 in all places visited by ,s4 ,paul1 from whom he was forced to turn away in despair of producing any effect 7,acts xiii4 #df71 were like the wayside on which the seed fell only to be devoured4 ,such also was ,felix1 who trembled as he heard ,s4 ,paul reasoning of righteousness1 temperance1 and judgment to come1 but went away and left ,paul bound 7,acts xxiv4 #be-bg72 and ,agrippa almost persuaded to be a ,christian 7,acts xxvi4 #bh74 ,of hearers in whom the seed is scorched up by the fire of temptation or persecution1 we may see instances in ,ananias and ,sapphira1 who fell under the temptation to appear zealous whilst being really worldly 7,acts v4 #c72 or in ,john ,mark1 who was disheartened at the seeming difficulties before him1 and turned back from ,pamphylia 7,acts xiii4 #ac71 leaving ,s4 ,paul and ,s4 ,barnabas to go on without him4 ,of those in whom the seed is choked by the weeds of worldliness and love of money1 there were many examples4 ,simon ,magus1 who after renouncing his sorcery and being baptised1 thought that the power of the ,holy ,ghost might be purchased with money 7,acts viii4 #ai1 #bj72 ,demas who loved this present world so much that he forsook ,s4 ,paul in the hour of danger 7#b ,tim4 iv4 #aj72 and the many of whom ,s4 ,paul spoke with tears1 whose ,god is their belly1 whose glory is in their shame1 who mind earthly things 7,phil4 iii4 #ai74 ,and1 lastly1 of those in whom the seed bears fruit an hundredfold1 it seems almost invidious to select examples4 ,but such were the martyr ,stephen1 who prayed for his murderers 7,acts vii4 #fj72 ,tabitha1 full of good works and almsdeeds 7,acts ix4 #cf72 ,cornelius1 upon whom the ,holy ,ghost fell even before he was baptized 7,acts x4 #df72 ,s4 ,luke1 the beloved physician 7,col4 iv4 #ad71 whose praise is in the ,gospel 7#b ,cor4 viii4 #ah74 ,the ,parable of ,the ,tares1 which described the sad outward appearance of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 was unhappily at once exemplified in the early ,church4 ,amongst the first members of the ,church of ,christ were found ,ananias and ,sapphira to lie unto the ,holy ,ghost 7,acts v4 #c72 and ,simon ,magus to bring upon himself the rebuke thy money perish with thee 7,acts viii4 #bj74 ,and1 as years passed on1 we find ,s4 ,paul writing to the ,church of ,god at ,corinth to rebuke its members of schism 7#a ,cor4 i4 #ab72 of being carnal and encouraging envying and strife and divisions 7#a ,cor4 iii4 #c72 of fornication1 and that not merely in a single instance 7#a ,cor4 v1 vi72 of tampering with idolatrous feastings 7#a ,cor4 viii72 of disorders in their religious assemblies1 and especially of gross profanity in the celebration of the ,lord's ,supper 7#a ,cor4 xi72 of strange misuse of the miraculous gifts of the ,holy ,ghost 7#a ,cor4 xii1 xiv72 and of denying the great doctrine of the ,resurrection 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #ab74 ,all of these charges show how strongly the tares began at once to grow amongst the wheat4 ,and1 in later years1 the same ,apostle warns the ,elders of ,ephesus that grievous wolves will enter in among them not sparing the flock 7,acts xx4 #bi72 referring probably to the ,gnostic heresies against which the ,first ,epistle of ,s4 ,john is mainly directed4 ,let us pass on to happier examples4 ,the ,parable of ,the ,mustard ,seed1 describing the outward spread of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 is illustrated by almost every chapter of the ,acts4 ,beginning with the little seed of an hundred and twenty members1 the ,church increased at once to thousands on the ,day of ,pentecost 7,acts ii4 #da1 #dg74 ,then1 as the increasing numbers required that ,deacons should be ordained to assist the ,apostles1 we read that the number of the disciples multiplied in ,jerusalem greatly1 and a great company of the ,priests1 recognising1 we may suppose1 the fulfilment of the sacrificial types in the person and work of the ,lord ,jesus1 became obedient to the ,faith 7,acts vi4 #g74 ,then by the ,providence of ,god this multitude of the believers was scattered through the persecution which arose about ,stephen1 and they went everywhere preaching the word 7,acts viii4 #d74 ,so that next ,samaria received the word of ,god 7,acts viii4 #ad74 ,then the good news spread to ,damascus1 and to ,antioch in ,syria 7,acts ix1 xi4 #ai74 ,such was the growth of the ,church in the first ten or twelve years4 ,then ,antioch became a fresh starting-point1 and within the next twenty years1 under the efforts of ,s4 ,paul and ,s4 ,barnabas and others1 the glad tidings spread from ,antioch to ,cyprus1 and from ,cyprus to the coasts of ,asia ,minor 7,acts xiii1 xiv74 ,then after extending through many provinces of ,asia1 the ,gospel tree spread forth its branches to ,macedonia 7,acts xvi4 #aa72 and from ,macedonia to the ancient cities of ,greece 7,acts xvii1 xviii72 and from ,greece to ,italy and ,rome1 the capital of the world4 ,with this ,parable of ,the ,mustard ,seed1 we may connect that of ,the ,seed growing secretly 7,s4 ,mark iv4 #bf1 #bg71 and we may think how little the rulers of the old world imagined1 that there was a power at work amongst them1 which would change the moral character of the whole ,empire4 ,the ,church of ,christ was extending her influence secretly and unnoticed1 or noticed only to be despised by the ruling classes4 ,yet within three hundred years the faith of ,christ became the professed religion of the ,roman ,empire4 ,but the spread of the ,church of ,christ was not merely an outward extension in the number of professed members4 ,the ,parable of ,the ,leaven had set forth the power which ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven would exercise over the hearts of men4 ,and of this also we may find examples in almost every chapter of the ,acts of the ,apostles and the ,epistles4 ,see the leaven working in the first members of the ,church1 who lived together in such love and unity that they had all things common1 and sold their possessions and goods1 and parted them to all men1 as every man had need 7,acts ii4 #dd1 iv4 #cb74 ,think of the devoted lives led by the ,apostles1 rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame 7,acts v4 #da7 for their ,lord's sake4 ,other instances may be seen in ,stephen praying for his murderers 7,acts vii4 #fj72 in the character of ,barnabas1 a good man full of the ,holy ,ghost and of faith 7,acts xi4 #bd72 in the ,elders1 who were ordained by ,s4 ,paul in the different cities which he visited1 and who handed on the knowledge they had gained to their more ignorant fellow-countrymen1 feeding the ,church of ,god 7,acts xiv4 #bc1 xx4 #bh72 in the case of ,aquila and ,priscilla instructing ,apollos 7,acts xviii4 #bf72 in the ,ephesian converts burning their books 7,acts xix4 #ai72 in ,lydia taking care of ,s4 ,paul at ,philippi 7,acts xvi4 #ae72 and in the love shown to him afterwards by the ,philippians in general1 his dearly beloved and longed for1 his joy and crown 7,phil4 i4 #c-h1 iv4 #a-aj74 ,other signs of the leaven working in the hearts of the faithful may be gathered from a variety of expressions in the different ,epistles1 pointing to the changed lives of the members of the ,church 7#a ,cor4 vi4 #aa72 whilst the ,apostles were continually urging their converts to let the leaven work more freely upon them1 and become more apparent in the holiness of their lives1 in the putting off the old man1 and in the putting on the new man 7,ephes4 iv4 #bb1 #bd74 ,the ,parables of ,the ,treasure and ,the ,pearl1 which set forth the priceless value of salvation1 and the different ways in which it becomes known to men1 may be illustrated by several instances in the early history of the ,church4 ,one finds the truth1 as it were1 by chance1 like some hidden treasure4 ,such was the man of ,ethiopia finding1 as he crossed the desert1 an apparently chance traveller able to expound to him the prophecies of ,messiah 7,acts viii4 #bg72 and such was the jailor at ,philippi1 stopped in the act of committing suicide to be baptized by his prisoners 7,acts xvi4 #bg1 #cj74 ,another finds ,the ,pearl worth all the world besides1 only after long search4 ,such was ,s4 ,paul1 who sought for it in intense zeal for ,god1 and found it in the ,voice which said1 ,why persecutest thou ,me8 7,gal4 i4 #ad1 ,acts ix4 #d74 ,and such was ,cornelius1 whose prayers and alms called down the blessing from above which brought to him the knowledge of ,his ,saviour 7,acts x4 #cj-dh74 ,whilst the value which men set upon the discovery was shown by the joy with which all things were given up for the sake of ,christ1 when men did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart1 praising ,god and having favour with all the people 7,acts ii4 #df1 #dg72 when they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for ,his ,name 7,acts v4 #da72 when being expelled with violence from one city they went on to the next1 and1 instead of complaints1 the disciples were filled with joy and with the ,holy ,ghost 7,acts xiii4 #ej-eb72 and when one could say1 who had given up all his earthly prospects and high position amongst his fellows1 what things were gain to me1 those ,i counted loss for ,christ 7,phil4 iii4 #g1 #h74 ,the last ,parable of the series1 ,the ,draw-net1 referring as it does to the final separation at the end of the world1 cannot be illustrated by example4 ,of the other ,parables of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven describing special circumstances which affect the subjects of the ,kingdom1 only one1 ,the ,marriage of the ,king's ,son1 seems to be capable of illustration by examples4 ,and this is abundantly illustrated throughout the ,acts of the ,apostles in the history of the extension of the ,church4 ,as soon as the ,gospel spread to ,gentile lands1 we find the ,jews in general persistently refusing to accept the ,lord ,jesus as ,messiah and to become members of the ,church4 ,thus at ,antioch in ,pisidia1 after the glad tidings had been so published that almost the whole city came together to hear the ,word of ,god2 when the ,jews saw the multitudes they were filled with envy1 and spake against those things which were spoken by ,paul1 contradicting and blaspheming4 ,then the literal fulfilment of this prophetic ,parable followed4 ,paul and ,barnabas waxed bold and said1 ,it was necessary that the word of ,god should first have been spoken to you2 but seeing ye put it from you1 and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life1 lo1 we turn to the ,gentiles 7,acts xiii4 #dd-df74 ,and1 in a similar way1 the last chapter of the ,acts of the ,apostles records how the ,jews in ,rome brought upon themselves the warning ,words of ,s4 ,paul1 ,be it known1 therefore1 unto you2 that the salvation of ,god is sent unto the ,gentiles1 and that they will hear it 7,acts xxviii4 #be-bh74 ,thus we find the ,parables of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven exemplified and fulfilled in the history of the early ,church4 ,and any doubt still lingering in the mind of the reader1 about the ,church of ,christ being ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 may be dispelled by the clear testimony of the facts recorded in ,holy ,scripture4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,essential ,,unity ,,of ,,the ,,kingdom4 ,elect from every nation1 ,yet ,one o'er all the earth2 ,her charter of salvation1 ,one ,lord1 ,one ,faith1 ,one ,birth4 ,if it is true that our ,lord came to found a real ,kingdom1 and if the ,church described in the ,book of the ,acts of the ,apostles is this ,kingdom1 it is clear that the quality of ,unity or ,oneness is essential to it4 ,it must belong to the nature of the ,church that it should be ,one2 because we cannot conceive in our minds1 in any practical sense1 the idea of two ,kingdoms of ,heaven4 ,this truth was illustrated by our ,lord under the form of a figure4 ,i am the ,vine2 ye are the branches 7,s4 ,john xv4 #e74 ,the idea of a tree implies oneness1 and the branches have no separate existence apart from the stem4 ,even so the subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven can exist only through union with ,christ ,himself2 and wherever ,christians are enrolled1 in whatsoever country they may be1 all must belong to the same ,kingdom1 because all are branches of the ,one ,vine4 ,consequently1 if the ,church be ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 then1 as it spread through the world and different countries received the ,gospel1 we shall expect to find that the various branches of the ,church founded by ,s4 ,paul and the other ,apostles were not independent one of another1 in the sense of being so many separate and distinct bodies1 but were all united together1 as forming the ,one ,church or ,kingdom of ,christ4 ,the question now arises1 ,was this the case8 ,god in ,his ,providence has not left us in any doubt upon this point4 ,we can trace this oneness very clearly in the history of the ,church during its extension under the ,apostles1 as recorded in the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,the following incident serves as an example4 ,after ,s4 ,paul's return to ,antioch at the close of his first missionary journey1 a dispute arose about the necessity of teaching the ,gentile converts to observe the law of ,moses4 ,and it was determined by the ,church at ,antioch that ,paul and ,barnabas and certain other of them should go up to ,jerusalem1 unto the ,apostles and ,elders1 about this question4 ,the first recorded ,church ,council was then held to consider the matter2 and after full discussion1 it was determined to send the decision in a letter after this manner3 ,the ,apostles and ,elders and ,brethren send greeting unto the ,brethren which are of the ,gentiles in ,antioch and ,syria and ,cilicia4 ,then after stating the case1 the decision was thus given3 ,it seemed good to the ,holy ,ghost and to us1 to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things2 that ye abstain from meats offered to idols1 and from blood1 and from things strangled1 and from fornication2 from which if ye keep yourselves1 ye shall do well4 ,fare ye well 7,acts xv4 #a-bi74 ,from which it is clear that all the believers in the several ,churches of ,jerusalem and ,antioch and ,cilicia were brethren together1 and fellow-subjects of one ,kingdom1 bound to the observance of common laws framed by common consent for the general good government of the whole body4 ,and it is equally clear that the ties which held together these various communities of ,christians were the ,apostles themselves1 who had founded them4 ,the various ,churches were one1 because their founders were fellow-workers1 who acted in concert1 taking counsel together4 ,but what bond of union held the founders themselves together8 ,the answer to this question shows the ground on which the essential ,oneness of the ,church is based4 ,and it is clearly this4 ,the ,apostles and ,bishops who founded the various ,churches were all commissioned officers of one ,king--the ,king of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven--and they were commissioned1 not to found ,churches bearing their own1 names1 independent one of another1 but to extend the ,king's dominion4 ,and their authority and power to act were wholly dependent upon their acting in the ,king's ,name1 and with ,his concurrence4 ,for when the commission was given to the ,apostles to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations1 these words were added by the ,king1 ,and lo6 ,i am with you alway1 even unto the end of the world 7,s4 ,matt4 xxviii4 #bj74 ,from which we see also that the continuance of the ,unity was secured1 in the same way1 through the ,apostles' successors1 after they themselves should be called to rest4 ,and whilst the ,apostles and ,bishops were thus appointed as the agents to extend ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 the ,king ,himself was the actual bond of union1 securing the essential unity of the ,church1 wherever subjects were brought in4 ,one ,king over all held all together4 ,as time passed and various branches of the ,one ,church were formed1 there were also other ties which were felt to bind ,christians one with another as one body4 ,the ,church was a spiritual ,kingdom2 and by one and the same ,holy ,spirit all had been moved to accept the ,king1 and all had been new-born as the children of ,god4 ,and as all had received the same ,holy ,spirit1 so all looked forward to the same hope of eternal life2 all having been called to enter the same state of salvation1 in which the prize was within their reach4 ,all had been taught the same articles of ,faith4 ,all had been baptized1 with the same form1 into the ,name of the ,blessed ,trinity4 ,and so ,s4 ,paul summed up their bonds of union in these words1 ,one ,body and one ,spirit1 even as ye are called in one ,hope of your calling2 one ,lord2 one ,faith2 one ,baptism2 one ,god 7,ephes4 iv4 #d-f74 ,but the unity of a ,kingdom depends1 not merely upon having one ,head and certain general laws and ordinances2 but also upon the ready obedience of the subjects4 ,every ,kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation 7,s4 ,matt4 xii4 #be74 ,an earthly kingdom is strong only when the people are united together in loyally obeying the king1 and the laws1 and officers of the kingdom4 ,it is weak when suspicion and factious opposition prevail2 or when the subordinate princes exercise their authority without respect to the general good4 ,and1 if it does not fall altogether1 it is an unhappy kingdom indeed1 when these opposing interests break out into open rupture and civil war4 ,the case is exactly the same with ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,it is strong only as a united ,kingdom4 ,and the last prayer of our ,lord before ,his ,passion shows how well the ,king knew beforehand wherein the weakness of ,his ,kingdom would consist1 which would hinder it from comprehending the whole world according to ,his loving design4 ,the essential unity of the ,kingdom was secured1 as we have seen above4 ,but still the strength of ,his ,kingdom1 as a united ,kingdom1 would depend upon the loyal obedience of ,his subjects4 ,and ,he knew that ,his subjects would be as much exposed to the evil influence of false teachers1 as the subjects of an earthly king are to the seductions of the misguided and seditious4 ,and ,he prayed ,that they all may be one2 as ,thou1 ,father1 art in ,me1 and ,i in ,thee1 that they also may be ,one in ,us3 that the world may believe that ,thou hast sent ,me 7,s4 ,john xvii4 #ba74 ,an unhappy tendency to division was soon manifested in the ,church4 ,and ,s4 ,paul wrote to the ,church of ,god which is at ,corinth1 to rebuke them for imagining that the founders of the ,church were founding communities in their own names1 forgetting that they were the mere ministers of the ,king4 ,while one saith1 ,i am of ,paul2 and another1 ,i am of ,apollos2 are ye not carnal8 ,who then is ,paul1 and who is ,apollos1 but ministers by whom ye believed1 even as the ,lord gave to every man 7#a ,cor4 i4 #ab2 iii4 #a-e74 ,the tendency to form divisions in the ,church which so early appeared1 increased rather than diminished as years went on2 though it was checked1 under the ,providence of ,god1 by the frequent persecutions which broke out against the ,christians4 ,the inevitable result followed4 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven was weak1 and unable to maintain the conflict against the heathenism of the world around it1 as it ought to have done4 ,christendom was divided against itself4 ,the ,national ,churches1 which had been founded as ,branches of one and the same ,church1 were engaged in contests between themselves4 ,then one ,church usurped an authority over other ,churches1 provoking in course of time further disunion4 ,and in our own days1 after eighteen centuries have passed since the ,church was founded1 it is calculated that not one-third of the inhabitants of the earth profess the faith of ,christ4 ,so greatly have the unhappy divisions which prevail amongst ,christians weakened the ,kingdom of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,but as ,englishmen we are chiefly interested in the ,church of our own country4 ,consequently1 we must now come to the consideration of a question which1 probably1 has already troubled the minds of many readers of these pages--,if the ,church is one1 what is the position of those who have separated from their own ,national ,branch of this one ,church1 or ,kingdom of ,christ8 ,it is a question of much difficulty1 because those who have been outwardly separated from their brethren have been brought into a position altogether different from any which is described in the ,new ,testament4 ,for the subjects of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ are described therein as subjects of one ,kingdom1 bound together by the closest ties of loyalty to the ,king1 and of brotherhood with one another4 ,at the same time1 the names by which ,christians in this country are divided into ,church-people and ,dissenters1 only add to the confusion4 ,for to suppose1 as these names suggest1 that ,dissenters do not belong in any sense to the ,church of ,christ1 is an idea which is repugnant to the minds of all who know anything of their work4 ,but though the difficulty of the question is so great1 it is hoped that the previous chapters will have prepared the reader to see his way to the answer1 which ,holy ,scripture enables us to form4 ,but first let us clear the way by calling to mind the origin of the present lamentable state of things4 ,the difficulty has been created by the inevitable imperfection of all things with which man's freewill is concerned4 ,for ,god clearly intended that ,his ,church should be one2 and that it should work upon the world with the irresistible force of an united ,kingdom4 ,and inasmuch as we find1 in our own days1 that this intention has been frustrated1 there can be no doubt but that it is our duty to do what we can to bring back the conditions of our life here into conformity with it4 ,for ,christian people cannot be content with a state of things which they find to be plainly contrary to ,god's intention4 ,consequently1 in considering this question1 it seems that the right course to take is to give prominence to the bonds of union which still exist between the different bodies of ,christians in this country2 and instead of magnifying the causes and extent of disunion1 to endeavour to draw men closer together4 ,now it is clear from ,holy ,scripture1 that the ,church of ,christ consists of those who have been made subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven2 and we have already seen that our ,lord explained that the form of admission into ,his ,kingdom would be by ,holy ,baptism4 ,therefore1 with respect to so-called ,dissenters1 we conclude1 that all have been brought into the ,church or ,kingdom of ,christ in this land1 who have used the means which ,he ordained for that purpose1 namely1 ,holy ,baptism4 ,and the names assumed by those who separate themselves from their brethren cannot destroy the effects of this great ,sacrament4 ,it appears also that they have become in some degree partakers with their brethren of those bonds of union mentioned by ,s4 ,paul1 ,one ,body2 one ,spirit2 one ,hope2 one ,lord2 one ,faith2 one ,baptism2 one ,god 7,ephes4 iv4 #d-f74 ,though1 unhappily1 their appreciation of some of these bonds of union is slight2 and they are deprived 7either by their deliberate will1 or1 more commonly1 by the accidents of their birth7 of the many privileges which they might enjoy1 through communion with their brethren in the ,ordinances of religion and in the common service of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ#ah4 ,at the same time1 it ought to be clearly understood1 that we have no certain warrant of ,holy ,scripture for more than this4 ,for1 as there is no example in the ,bible of any one professing faith in ,christ1 and yet holding back from being baptized into the ,name of the ,trinity1 it is not possible to describe the position of the unbaptized with any certainty of assurance4 ,the offer of salvation through ,jesus ,christ is thus briefly stated1 ,he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved 7,s4 ,mark xvi4 #af72 that is1 he will be placed in a state of present salvation by being admitted into ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,but the case of any one believing and not being baptized is not contemplated4 ,in the next place1 still confining our thoughts to our own country1 we shall do well to consider that the greater number of those who have separated themselves from us have done so with the hope of thereby doing ,god service2 or else under the idea that the separation is of small importance1 being more a matter of personal choice than of principle4 ,they have forgotten or have been ignorant of the prayer of the ,lord ,jesus--,that they all may be one2 that the world may believe that ,thou hast sent ,me 7,s4 ,john xvii4 #ba7--;forewarning us that the result of divisions would be the spoiling of ,his work for the saving of the world4 ,and1 at the same time1 it is right that we should also call to mind that in many instances in the past history of the ,church in this land1 those who have professed to hold the position of loyal subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven have seemed to be equally careless of this inevitable loss through the separation of their brethren4 ,with these considerations in our minds1 if we now go on to test our opinions by the sure warrant of ,holy ,scripture1 fearlessly taking our stand upon its distinct teaching1 we shall see how important it is that both so-called ,church-people and so-called ,dissenters should be induced to study carefully what is recorded therein about ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 or ,church of ,christ4 ,for1 on the one hand1 we shall find that ,holy ,scripture clearly teaches that the ,church is a spiritual ,kingdom1 and that the only way to receive the benefits of membership is by being led and sanctified by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and1 on the other hand1 we shall see that ,holy ,scripture makes it equally clear that our ,lord described ,his ,church as being a real ,kingdom1 though a spiritual one2 and that this ,kingdom was established with distinct laws and ordinances1 by ,his directions1 and under the guidance of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and consequently1 if1 on the one hand1 any are content with the name of ,church-people without seeking to advance in the spiritual life1 they are clearly acting as the ,jews1 who trusted to being able to say1 ,we have ,abraham to our father 7,s4 ,matt4 iii4 #i74 ,similarly1 on the other hand1 if men carelessly weaken ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven by forming factions1 or so-called denominations1 under different leaders1 and known by the names of their founders1 they are clearly bringing themselves under the rebuke of ,s4 ,paul1 ,while one saith1 ,i am of ,paul2 and another1 ,i am of ,apollos1 are ye not carnal#ai8 7#a ,cor4 iii4 #d72 or if they propose to themselves to form a holier society1 by expelling the tares from the wheat in the ,lord's field1 they are disregarding the teaching of ,his parable 7,s4 ,matt4 xiii4 #bd-cj71 the meaning of which cannot be doubtful4 ,and1 at the same time1 all who will take pains to study ,holy ,scripture will find that to be a member of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 or ,church of ,christ1 is no mere matter of choice1 but of vital importance2 because no other way has been revealed whereby we may be saved1 but by accepting the ,gospel of the ,kingdom1 and by being admitted into it1 as those first converts were1 to whom ,s4 ,peter said1 ,save yourselves from this untoward generation 7,acts ii4 #dj1 #da74 ,we are now in a position to sum up what has been gathered from ,holy ,scripture about the essential unity of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,the idea of a ,kingdom implies the necessity of unity4 ,and it was provided that the essential unity of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven should be maintained through the ,headship of the one ,king over all4 ,the ,king commissioned ,his ,apostles to make all the nations of the world ,his subjects1 and assured them of the authority to do this by promising to be with them and their successors to the end of the world4 ,and wherever the ,church spread1 however defective and imperfect it might be1 it was still part of one and the same ,kingdom1 owning the ,lord ,jesus ,christ as ,king4 ,besides this bond of union1 one ,holy ,spirit was working with more or less success upon all the subjects1 wherever they might be2 one ,hope was held out before all1 of salvation2 one ,faith in the ever-blessed ,trinity was taught to all1 and professed by all2 one ,baptism enrolled all2 one ,god was the object of the worship of all4 ,but the unity of a ,kingdom depends not only upon the ,king and the laws and ordinances of the ,kingdom1 but also upon the loyal obedience of the subjects4 ,and the subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven have1 in past times1 so far forgotten this duty1 that it has come to pass that for centuries the great branches of the ,church of ,christ have had little1 if any1 outward communion or fellowship with one another4 ,and in our own country the professed members of ,christ are divided into many bodies1 not only independent of one another1 but oftentimes opposing1 rather than helping forward1 the extension and well-being of the ,kingdom of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,and the result has been that we have learned by sad experience the reason of the foreboding tone of our ,lord's last prayer1 ,that they all may be one2 444 that the world may believe that ,thou hast sent ,me 7,s4 ,john xvii4 #ba74 ,the multitudes of men1 practically heathen1 in the midst of this professedly ,christian land1 and the still greater multitudes of men in other lands whom the good news of the ,kingdom has not reached1 are proofs of the weakness of the ,church of ,christ4 ,christians are not one2 and consequently the world does not believe in ,him whom the ,father of ,his great love sent to be its ,saviour4 ,during the first few centuries the ,church spread rapidly1 not only throughout the more civilised parts of the ,roman ,empire1 but also amongst the rough ,celts of ,britain and the fierce ,teutons of ,germany4 ,we may well ask1 why did it cease to spread1 and why are so many lands still lying in darkness8 ,since ,christ came to be the ,saviour of the world1 how is it that there are so many millions of ,buddhists and ,hindoos in ,asia1 that to this day it is said that not one-third of the inhabitants of the world are2 ,christians8 ,the answer is1 alas6 clear4 ,the unity of the ,one ,universal ,church of ,christ has not been maintained in the full and perfect manner described in our ,lord's ,prayer1 ,that they all may be one1 as ,thou1 ,father1 art in ,me1 and ,i in ,thee1 that they also may be one in ,us 7,s4 ,john xvii4 #ba74 ,christians have lost the sense of brotherhood1 which should bind them all together in ,christ1 of whatsoever nation or language they may be4 ,the ,church has ceased to move with the irresistible power of one mighty army1 acting with one mind for the glory of ,god4 ,all thoughtful subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven must lament this state of disunion and weakness4 ,and men are striving in different1 and in some cases opposite ways1 to bring about re-union4 ,but when we begin to ask1 ,what is the remedy8 we find that we are facing a mighty problem4 ,god's loving purpose for the salvation of the world has been marred by man's wilfulness4 ,his ,kingdom1 which might have been irresistible and have won the whole world for ,christ1 has been split up into many portions1 which have been opposing and weakening one another1 instead of fighting ,his enemies4 ,how can these portions1 after centuries of disunion1 be reunited into one8 ,how can the mischief be undone8 ,it is beyond the power of man4 ,yet at the same time we can see that there are certain things which all can do to advance the object in view1 and to promote re-union at least in our own ,national ,church at home1 if not also between the different branches of ,christ's ,holy ,church#bj throughout the world4 ,but to do so1 two things are clearly necessary4 ,one thing is to have a clear grasp of the principle which runs through the whole teaching of the ,bible1--that ,christ came to found a ,kingdom4 ,and the other is to desire unity4 ,if all desired unity1 the desired result would certainly be accomplished4 ,but one thing is certain4 ,no plan of re-union can succeed which is not based upon the clear teaching of ,holy ,scripture4 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is there clearly described4 ,first by the ,king ,himself in ,his parables and discourses1 before the ,kingdom was yet founded2 and then in the history of the ,acts of the ,apostles1 which tells how the ,kingdom or ,church of ,christ1 which had been purchased with ,his own ,blood1 was set up under the guidance of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and inasmuch as no man1 nor any body of men1 can form a new ,kingdom of ,heaven1 the only position which a ,christian can hold1 in agreement with ,holy ,scripture1 is the position of a subject of that ,kingdom which was so founded4 ,and when we call to mind that ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven extended to our own land1 by the ,providence of ,god1 in early days1 we see at once that our aim1 as loyal subjects of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 must be to win back those who have separated from us1 to act as fellow-soldiers with us in the one great army of our ,king1 serving under the same flag and the same officers1 and fighting with united energy for the glory of ,god4 ,but as in an earthly kingdom various opinions may be held by different persons and parties1 and yet all may be loyal subjects of the same ,king1 and earnestly advancing the well-being of the kingdom1 so in the spiritual ,kingdom of ,messiah unity does not mean that all must think alike#ba4 ,but there is one necessary condition1 namely this1--the essential unity of the ,kingdom must be kept in view4 ,there can be but one ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,consequently1 to form separate and independent bodies cannot fail to cause confusion and weakness4 ,to act in the ,name of the ,king men must be united4 ,if we1 who call ourselves by the ,name of ,christ1 desire to spread ,his ,kingdom with the irresistible force which belongs to it1 we must show to the world that we are all one in interests--in the common hope of ,heaven2 all one in faith--in the common belief in the love of ,god1 as it is expressed in the work of redemption1 through the ,father1 the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost2 all one in ,baptism into the great ,name of the ever-,blessed ,trinity2 and1 above all other bonds of union1 all one in loyal devotion to the one ,lord and ,king1 our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,,footnotes3 #ah ,let me beg every reader of these lines to pause here1 and shoot up an arrow of prayer that ,god may lead men to think of the blessedness of being united1 as sons of one ,father1 brethren of one family1 subjects of one ,kingdom4 ,and ,i would ask those readers who may be1 at present1 living in outward separation from the ,ancient ,branch of ,christ's ,church in this land1 to consider with themselves what cause there is in their own case to justify1 before ,god1 such a separation from their ,brethren in ,christ4 #ai ,consider also ,s4 ,paul's earnest words1 ,unto the ,church of ,god which is at ,corinth1 with all that in every place call upon the name of ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 both theirs and ours4 ,now ,i beseech you1 brethren1 by the name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that ye all speak the same thing1 and that there be no divisions among you2 but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment4 ,for it hath been declared unto me of you1 my brethren1 that there are contentions among you 7#a ,cor4 i4 #b1 #aj1 #aa74 #bj ,a caution is perhaps needed here to prevent the reader from supposing that any re-union is advocated which would involve union with error4 ,on the one hand1 we must stand fast in the liberty wherewith ,christ hath made us free 7,gal4 v4 #a74 ,we must firmly refuse to accept any other foundation than that of the ,creeds1 settled by an undivided ,christendom4 ,and on the other hand1 we must set ourselves with equal firmness against allowing any ,shibboleth 7,judges xii4 #f71 made out of exaggerated views of particular doctrines1 to cut off those who should be brethren1 not only in name but in life4 #ba ,truths are many-sided4 ,men may agree in their belief in truths1 and yet hold different opinions concerning those truths4 ,just as men1 who live on different sides of a mountain1 all look upon the same mountain1 and yet see different views of it2 so men see different sides of a truth4 ,to know a truth perfectly men must see it from every point of view4 ,and the power of taking such comprehensive views of truths is granted to few1 if any1 here on earth4 ,probably this perfect knowledge is reserved for us in ,heaven2 when all1 who have loved their ,lord in sincerity1 will find that their controversies with one another here on earth have been due to their imperfect knowledge and limited views of the truths of ,god4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,holy ,,catholic ,,church4 ,christ is gone up2 yet ere ,he passed ,from earth1 in heaven to reign1 ,he formed ,one ,holy ,church to last ,till ,he should come again4 ,so age by age1 and year by year1 ,his grace was handed on2 ,and still the ,holy ,church is here1 ,although her ,lord is gone4 ,a question often arises which is1 in no little degree1 perplexing to ,christian people4 ,what is the ,holy ,catholic ,church8 ,the words are very often in our mouths2 for they are repeated continually in the ,creed4 ,what do we mean by them8 ,the teaching of our ,lord about ,his ,kingdom1 and the description of the founding of that ,kingdom by the ,holy ,ghost1 acting through the ,apostles1 are the materials out of which the answer must be formed4 ,and it is hoped that the readers of these pages have been led to see this already4 ,but there are two ways of dealing with this question3 first1 as an article of faith2 and secondly1 as a matter of fact4 ,the ,church is an object on which faith is exercised2 but if faith is laid aside altogether1 the facts of the existence of the ,church and its rapid extension in our own day still remain to be considered4 ,we must deal with it first as an article of the faith4 ,i believe in the ,holy ,catholic ,church4 ,it is an article of faith added to our profession of faith in ,god1 expressing our belief in the reality of the ,gospel4 ,it is like saying1 in other words1 that we believe that what our ,lord preached was literally true1 and has come to pass4 ,hereby we declare that the ,kingdom which ,he proclaimed is a real ,kingdom1 and that we belong to it as ,his subjects1 and share in the salvation which ,he1 the long-promised ,messiah1 came to bring4 ,we have already considered the grounds on which this faith is based4 ,we have seen that the ,church founded by the ,apostles was in reality and truth ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 which was described beforehand by our ,lord in ,his parables and discourses1 and which ,he declared could not be entered except through a new birth of the ,spirit4 ,and we have seen how the ,holy ,ghost was given according to ,his promise1 first to lead men to accept the good news of salvation through ,jesus ,christ2 then to bring them into ,his ,kingdom1 new-born as the children of ,god2 and then to dwell within them and influence their lives1 and prepare them for the presence of their ,father4 ,consequently1 in professing our faith in ,the ,holy ,catholic#bb ,church1 we are simply expressing the belief of ,christians1 that the good news which ,he preached has come to pass1 that ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven has been founded2 and that we1 who profess this belief1 have been called to enter it as ,his subjects1 and have been put into the way of salvation1 wherein we have a present share in ,his infinite merits1 and a good hope of eternal ,life through ,him4 ,the ,holy ,catholic ,church is ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,but we have also to deal with the words ,the ,holy ,catholic ,church as referring to a matter of fact4 ,the existence of the ,church is a historical fact1 which may be traced down through the eighteen centuries from the times of the ,apostles to our own4 ,and we cannot realize in any practical manner what the ,holy ,catholic ,church is1 without some degree of knowledge of its history4 ,consequently1 we must now proceed to consider what the ,church is1 by the help of the records which have come down to us4 ,the history of the ,church of ,christ during the greater part of the first century is within reach of all1 because it is contained in ,holy ,scripture1 in the book of the ,acts of the ,apostles1 and in the ,epistles4 ,and this ,bible history of the ,holy ,catholic ,church may be divided into two periods2 the first1 whilst the ,church was confined almost exclusively to converts from amongst the ,jews1 and had hardly extended beyond the limits of ,palestine2 and the second1 when it began to spread amongst the ,gentiles1 in the heathen countries of ,asia and ,europe4 ,during the first period the interest is centred in ,jerusalem4 ,on the day of ,pentecost the foundation of the ,church was laid in ,jerusalem1 through the conversion of three thousand devout ,jews to the faith of ,christ4 ,and as the ,apostles went on preaching boldly to the ,jewish people1 that the ,lord ,jesus whom they had crucified was none other than ,messiah1 of whom their prophets had foretold all things exactly as they had happened1 the rulers laid hold of them1 thinking to terrify them into silence4 ,but in vain2 for the number of the disciples multiplied in ,jerusalem greatly1 and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith 7,acts vi4 #g74 ,then the persecution arose about ,stephen1 one of the newly-ordained deacons2 and the faithful were scattered throughout the regions of ,juda and ,samaria1 and they went everywhere preaching the word 7,acts viii4 #a1 #d74 ,and so the ,church began to spread under the ,providence of ,god beyond the limits of ,juda4 ,meanwhile we find that the ,church was growing into a duly organised body4 ,it was not a collection of ,independent congregations1 but a ,kingdom1 ruled by laws and ministers appointed either directly by the ,king ,himself1 or under the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and its subjects are spoken of under four divisions2 ,apostles1 ,elders1 ,deacons1 and ,brethren4 ,and a brief description of these three orders of ,ministers and of the general body of brethren will best illustrate the account given in the ,acts of the ,apostles of what the ,holy ,catholic ,church was like during that period4 ,to the first order of ,ministers--the ,apostles and their successors--our ,blessed ,lord had committed ,his authority to found and extend ,his ,kingdom4 ,for to the eleven ,disciples the commission was given1 ,go ye and make disciples#bc of all nations1 baptizing them in the name of the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost2 teaching them to observe all things1 whatsoever ,i have commanded you4 ,and then these words were added1 showing that the commission was to be handed on by them to successive ,apostles for ever3 ,and lo6 ,i am with you alway1 even unto the end of the world 7,s4 ,matt4 xxviii4 #af-bj74 ,and we find that1 as years passed on1 the ,apostles ordained others to take their places2 to assist them during their lifetime in the various countries and cities where converts had been made1 and to succeed them when they were gone4 ,the duties of these chief ,ministers are clearly described in the ,epistles1 which we possess to two of them1 viz4 ,timothy and ,titus2 being such as the ,apostles themselves fulfilled1 and including the general oversight of all teaching1 and matters of order1 and the ordaining of ,elders and ,deacons1 as ,s4 ,paul sums them up to ,titus3 ,for this cause left ,i thee in ,crete1 that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting1 and ordain ,elders in every city 7,titus i4 #e74 ,and in the first ages of the ,church the number of such overseers or ,bishops was very large2 every chief city having one to rule over the ,church in that place1 and to keep up the unity with the whole body4 ,we come now to the second order of ,ministers1 the ,elders4 ,when the numbers of the faithful increased1 it is clear that the ,apostles by themselves would be unable to instruct them in the things commanded by the ,lord 7,s4 ,matt4 xxviii4 #bj72 and we conclude that ,elders were appointed at once to assist them--probably from amongst the seventy disciples sent out by our ,lord 7,s4 ,luke x4 #a7--;because1 when mention is made of them1 ,s4 ,luke seems to take for granted that his readers will know who they are4 ,the first mention of ,elders in the ,church at ,jerusalem is in connection with the alms sent by the ,christians at ,antioch1 to relieve their poor brethren in the capital3 ,they sent it to the ,elders by the hands of ,barnabas and ,saul 7,acts xi4 #cj74 ,elders are mentioned again as taking part with the ,apostles in the first ,council at ,jerusalem1 when ,the ,apostles and ,elders came together to consider of the matter 7,acts xv4 #f74 ,and it is made quite clear that ,elders were regarded as a necessary order of ,ministers in the ,church of ,christ1 by the account given of the return of ,s4 ,paul and ,s4 ,barnabas from their first missionary journey3 ,they returned again to ,lystra1 and to ,iconium1 and ,antioch1 and when they had ordained them ,elders#bd in every ,church1 they commended them to the ,lord 7,acts xiv4 #ba-bc74 ,their office was to take charge of the different congregations or ,churches in the various towns and villages1 very much as is still the duty of the second order of ,ministers in the ,church4 ,we may learn this from the words of ,s4 ,paul during his last journey to ,jerusalem4 ,having landed at ,miletus1 ,he sent to ,ephesus1 and called the ,elders of the ,church2 and when they were come he reminded them what his teaching had been1 and then charged them thus3 ,take heed therefore unto yourselves1 and to all the flock over the which the ,holy ,ghost hath made you overseers1 to feed the ,church of ,god1 which ,he hath purchased with ,his own blood 7,acts xx4 #ag-bh74 ,the appointment of the third order of ,ministers--the ,deacons--was at first for a special object2 to take the management of the distribution of daily necessaries to the widows and needy 7,acts vi4 #a-f74 ,but1 from the first1 the spiritual gifts bestowed upon them were exercised in the more distinctly spiritual work of preaching4 ,thus ,stephen's faith and power 7,acts vi1 vii7 stirred up the first persecution2 and ,philip1 another of the first ,deacons1 by his faithful preaching brought about the conversion of the ,samaritans 7,acts viii4 #e-ad71 and then laid the first stone in the foundation of the ,ethiopian ,church 7,acts viii4 #bf-ch74 ,thus from the first beginning of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven we find the three orders or classes of ,ministers1 which have been ever since in the ,holy ,catholic ,church4 ,apostles and ,bishops bearing the ,lord's commission to which the promise of ,his presence was attached2 ,elders or ,priests having charge of congregations1 as ,pastors1 to feed1 instruct1 and lead2 and ,deacons having special oversight of the relief of the poor1 but also using their talents to preach as ,god gave unto them4 ,the position and life of ,the ,brethren are set forth with equal clearness4 ,as soon as a man was induced1 by the leading of the ,holy ,spirit1 to profess his belief in ,jesus the crucified--as being ,messiah1 the ,son of ,god1 our ,saviour--he was baptized according to the ,lord's instructions to the ,apostles 7,s4 ,matt4 xxviii4 #ai74 ,he was thus enrolled amongst the subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 who were commonly spoken of as ,believers or ,the faithful1 as ,the ,brethren1 and as ,saints4 ,in this way multitudes were brought into the ,church on the day of ,pentecost 7,acts ii4 #da72 thus ,philip admitted the people of ,samaria 7,acts viii4 #ab71 and the ,ethiopian officer of ,queen ,candace 7,acts viii4 #cf-ch74 ,thus ,s4 ,peter admitted the ,gentile ,cornelius1 his hesitation to do so having been first removed by the manifest descent upon him of the ,holy ,ghost 7,acts x4 #dg1 #dh72 and thus ,s4 ,paul and ,s4 ,barnabas continually admitted converts in their missionary journeys4 ,it does not appear that the ,apostles themselves baptized2 but they directed the act to be administered by an attendant4 ,thus ,s4 ,paul took ,john ,mark with him as his minister on his first journey 7,acts xiii4 #e71 and on other journeys ,silas and ,timothy and others4 ,when ,cornelius and his friends were baptized1 we do not read that ,s4 ,peter baptized them1 but he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the ,lord 7,acts x4 #dh72 and ,s4 ,paul expresses his thankfulness that only a few individuals could say that they had been baptized by him in person1 lest any should say that ,i had baptized in my own name 7#a ,cor4 i4 #ad-ag74 ,the life of ,the ,brethren1 after baptism1 is also described with much distinctness1 in a few words which seem to have been recorded once for all of the first converts1 in formal terms which should be applicable to all others3 ,they continued stedfastly in the ,apostles' doctrine1 and fellowship1 and in breaking of bread1 and in prayers 7,acts ii4 #db74 ,and the four particulars thus stated seem to include all the duties of the ,christian life4 ,their stedfast attention to ,the ,apostles' doctrine implies that they accepted their testimony as the truth necessary for salvation4 ,their holding to the fellowship or communion1 implies their unity with the ,apostles1 and with one another4 ,their continual observance of ,the breaking of bread implies the high position at once given to the ordinance of the ,holy ,communion1 instituted by the ,lord ,himself as the bond of the ,new ,covenant1 in place of the sacrifices of the blood of beasts under the ,old ,covenant4 ,and their habitual joining in ,the prayers1 implies that the assembling of ,christians for common worship was practised from the first4 ,such was the life of the first subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,and this record of it in ,holy ,scripture sets it forth as the pattern for all future generations4 ,it is true that the infant ,church was not perfect1 and1 had it been so1 it would not have corresponded with the description which our ,lord had given of it in ,his ,parables2 but the leaven was at work upon the hearts of the believers1 and the result was manifest in their lives4 ,after about ten years had thus passed1 during which the ,church was being gradually developed as the ,kingdom of ,messiah in ,juda and ,samaria1 the second period of its history1 as recorded in the ,bible1 began4 ,and henceforth ,antioch became a fresh centre of interest and activity1 in consequence of the ordination of ,s4 ,paul and ,s4 ,barnabas as ,apostles4 ,there were in the ,church that was at ,antioch certain prophets and teachers4 ,as they ministered to the ,lord and fasted1 the ,holy ,ghost said1 ,separate me ,barnabas and ,saul for the work whereunto ,i have called them4 ,and when they had fasted and prayed1 and laid their hands on them1 they sent them away4 ,so they being sent forth by the ,holy ,ghost1 sailed to ,cyprus 7,acts xiii4 #a-d74 ,thus began the first missionary journey into heathen lands4 ,and from ,cyprus the good news of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven spread to ,asia ,minor1 where in the course of years the seven branches of the ,church were founded to which was addressed the ,book of the ,revelation1 vouchsafed to the aged ,apostle ,s4 ,john 7,rev4 i4 #d74 ,from ,asia the ,church extended into ,europe1 the ,apostles being called thither by the vision at ,troas of the man of ,macedonia saying1 ,come over unto ,macedonia and help us 7,acts xvi4 #i74 ,the first victories of the ,cross in ,europe were gained at ,philippi and ,thessalonica1 and thence the good news passed on to ,greece1 and the rich city of ,corinth became the ,apostle ,paul's headquarters for a year and six months1 the ,lord having much people there 7,acts xviii4 #aj1 #aa74 ,from ,greece the ,gospel spread to ,rome1 the capital of the ancient world4 ,so that we learn from ,holy ,scripture1 that1 within the lifetime of the ,apostles1 the mustard-seed of the ,gospel had sprung up and grown into a tree1 whose branches overshadowed well nigh the whole of the then civilised world1 as it was known to the ,romans4 ,the answer to the question1 ,what is the ,holy ,catholic ,church8 is thus provided for us in the ,bible1 whether we regard it as an article of the faith1 or as a matter of historical fact4 ,the ,holy ,catholic ,church is ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 which was described beforehand by our ,lord in ,his parables1 which was set up on the ,day of ,pentecost1 and then gradually developed into an organised body1 under laws and ministers duly ordained by the ,lord ,himself1 or under the guidance of the ,holy ,ghost2 and which then spread from one land to another through the exertions of the holy ,apostles4 ,the ,holy ,catholic ,church is that ,kingdom whose founding is described1 and whose history is commenced1 in ,holy ,scripture4 ,but the history of the ,church is only commenced in ,holy ,scripture1 and for a full explanation of the ,holy ,catholic ,church1 regarded as a historical fact1 we need to have this history continued down to our own days4 ,within the limits of this little book1 nothing but a very brief outline of the history of the ,church is possible4 ,but without doubt every ,christian in this country ought to have such a general knowledge of this history1 as will enable him to understand clearly how the ,church of ,england of to-day is united with the ,church of ,apostolic times4 ,the history of the further extension of the ,church of ,christ is contained in the writings of various ,christian authors whose books have been preserved to us4 ,some few of these1 such as ,polycarp and ,clemens of ,rome1 were contemporaries with the ,apostles1 and were ordained by them4 ,these were followed by ,justin ,martyr--who in his ,apologies on behalf of the ,christians gives a full account of their manner of life1 and worship1 and ordinances--and ,irenaeus1 and ,clemens of ,alexandria1 who lived between ,a4,d4 #abj and ,a4,d4 #bjj4 ,of the next or third century1 we have many books by ,tertullian1 ,origen and ,cyprian1 giving full accounts of the faith and laws of the ,christians1 their social life and their worship4 ,and in the fourth century1 the historian ,eusebius wrote his ,history of the ,church from the days of our ,lord down to the reign of ,constantine1 the first ,christian ,emperor2 and many of the great theologians and defenders of the faith flourished1 whose names may well be household words with ,christians of all ages1 such as ,athanasius1 ,ambrose1 ,jerome1 ,chrysostom1 and ,augustine4 ,from these or other ancient authors we learn that ,christianity rapidly spread to the northern parts of ,africa1 to which country many of them belonged2 to ,france1 and to ,britain1 where there was a scattered ,british ,church whilst the ,romans still held the country4 ,in course of time1 the two great capitals of the ,roman ,empire naturally assumed the chief importance in the history of the ,church2 and ,rome became the chief see of the ,western or ,latin-speaking ,church1 and ,constantinople of the ,eastern or ,greek-speaking ,church#be4 ,and from that time forward1 down to the ,reformation period1 the history of the ,church is contained in numberless writings of successive authors1 in the decrees of ,popes1 in the records of the great monastic orders1 in the works of the ,schoolmen1 and in the chronicles of the various historians4 ,and last1 though not least1 we find it imperishably recorded in the cathedrals1 and abbeys1 and parish churches1 which tell of the inventive genius and taste and skill of our pious fathers in the middle ages#bf4 ,but our interest naturally attaches itself chiefly to our own country1 and to the records we possess of the ,church of ,england4 ,the ,roman troops were withdrawn from ,britain about the end of the fourth century2 and in the course of the next two hundred years1 the various tribes of heathen ,saxons who invaded our shores overcame the resistance of the ,britons and settled in ,england2 and1 by their victorious advance1 the few that survived of the ,british ,christians were driven to take refuge in the mountains of ,wales and the western counties4 ,toward the close of the sixth century the attention of ,gregory the ,great1 the good and zealous ,bishop or ,pope of ,rome1 was called to the heathen condition of ,saxon ,england2 and ,a4,d4 #eig ,augustine was sent over with a band of clergy to convert the ,saxons4 ,he landed in ,kent1 converted ,ethelbert the king1 and became first ,archbishop of ,canterbury#bg4 ,shortly afterwards ,celtic missionaries--,aidan1 ,chad1 and others--pushed southwards1 converting ,northumbria and the ,midlands2 others landed in the southern counties2 and the ,english people grew into power as a ,christian nation4 ,as years passed on1 the ,bishops1 or ,popes1 of ,rome usurped to themselves an ever-increasing authority1 which was the cause of many contests between them and successive kings of ,england2 and at the same time many abuses grew up and superstitious practices were mingled with the simple belief of purer ages1 and a gradual decay of true spiritual religion set in4 ,at length in the sixteenth century the ,english ,church asserted its right to reform abuses under its own ,archbishops and ,bishops4 ,then the ,reformation period began4 ,the ,pope of ,rome endeavoured to resist the movement1 and to maintain his authority2 and upon the people of ,england refusing to submit to his unreasonable and unbearable claims1 the rupture between the ,church of ,rome and the ,church of ,england resulted4 ,the position thus taken by the ,church of ,england must be clearly understood4 ,during the ,middle ,ages the various ,churches of the west of ,europe were gradually brought to acknowledge the supremacy of the ,popes or ,bishops of ,rome4 ,so that the ,pope was able to exercise an authority over all these ,churches4 ,hitherto learning had been confined to a very few4 ,but now1 through the invention of printing1 the knowledge of ,holy ,scripture was rapidly extending2 and people were finding not only that the claims of the ,pope were without foundation1 but also that many of the ceremonies and practices1 to which they were accustomed1 were superstitious and wrong4 ,this then was the work of the ,reformation--to free the ,church of ,england from the unreasonable claims of the ,papal ,supremacy2 and to bring back the faith and worship of the people into harmony with the writings of the ancient ,fathers of the ,church4 ,the result was that new services were compiled in ,english out of the old ,latin books1 which the people had been unable to understand2 and much that was superstitious was omitted4 ,but the changes were introduced gradually1 and as the people were prepared to accept them4 ,the same ,parish ,clergy1 in most cases1 ministered as before1 only according to the new forms2 the ,churches were used by the same worshippers2 the same ,creeds were repeated4 ,for the ,reformation touched not the ancient ,catholic ,faith4 ,it only removed the modern ceremonies and superstitious beliefs which had been added to it4 ,like all great human efforts1 the ,reformation was not unmixed with evil2 but1 at the same time1 the blessings gained by our country were very great4 ,and if other countries had succeeded in reforming abuses1 in a similar manner1 no doubt the ,church of ,christ would have gained great influence for good1 not only in ,europe1 but also throughout the world4 ,but the power1 which the ,church of ,rome had usurped to herself1 was too valuable to be parted with4 ,the ,pope denounced the ,reformation1 and broke off all communion with our ,church and nation4 ,what then became the position of the ,church of ,england8 ,we have seen how the unity of the various branches of the ,church was provided for by our ,lord1 through the ,apostles and ,bishops1 to whom ,he entrusted ,his commission to extend ,his ,kingdom4 ,and by the ,providence of ,god the unity of the ,church of ,england with the ,holy ,catholic ,church has been maintained1 notwithstanding this unhappy schism between us and the ,church of ,rome#bh4 ,our ,archbishops and ,bishops still exert as before an indisputable authority1 as the officers of the ,king of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven2 and having fellowship with them1 we know that we are in the same position as the first members of the ,church1 who continued stedfastly in the ,apostles' doctrine and fellowship 7,acts ii4 #db74 ,nothing but time separates us from the ,apostles and the early ,church of ,christ4 ,what was necessary for the first subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven we enjoy4 ,what they were taught to believe1 we believe4 ,what they were led to hope for1 we hope for likewise4 ,the promise of our ,lord to ,his ,apostles1 ,lo1 ,i am with you alway1 even unto the end of the world 7,s4 ,matt4 xxviii4 #bj71 includes our ,bishops1 with all the other successors of the ,apostles from that day until now4 ,to the question1 ,what is the ,holy ,catholic ,church#bi8 the answer must be given1 ,it is ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven--the ,kingdom of ,messiah--which1 according to ,his own prediction1 has spread from land to land through all the world4 ,and when we speak of the ,church of ,england1 we speak of that branch of the one great spiritual ,kingdom which was founded1 under ,god's ,providence1 in our own land1 in ancient times1 and which includes ourselves4 ,for ,bishop has followed ,bishop1 and the ,gospel has been preached1 and subjects have been brought into the ,kingdom of ,christ1 in this favoured land of ,england1 from one generation to another1 from the very beginning of our national life until our own day4 ,,footnotes3 #bb ,the word ,catholic is the ,greek for ,universal1 and expresses the truth that the ,church of ,christ is open to1 and embraces1 all the nations of the world2 because the ,kingdom of ,messiah was not to be restricted to one nation1 but was intended to spread over the whole earth4 ,and1 consequently1 the word also expresses the essential unity of the ,church1 because there can be but one ,church which is purposed to include the whole race of man4 #bc ,see the marginal note in a reference ,bible4 #bd ,the word ,elders is in the ,greek ,presbyteroi1 from which comes ,presbyter1 and from the shortened form ,prester1 which was once in use1 comes our present ,english form ,priest4 ,the use of this word ,priest to translate the word ,hiereus1 which is the name in the ,greek of the ,jewish ,minister1 and the mistaken idea that the sacrifices he offered were propitiatory in the sense that they could take away sin 7,heb4 x4 #d71 have caused much misunderstanding of the word1 and prejudice against it1 which the knowledge of its meaning removes4 #be ,in the course of the ninth century a very serious dispute raged between the ,eastern and ,western ,church4 ,the ,greeks had often before protested against the pretensions of the ,popes of ,rome1 and now they complained that the ,latins had introduced the word ,filioque1 meaning and the ,son1 into the article of the ,creed respecting the procession of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the ,nicene ,creed1 as drawn up in the original ,greek1 contains only these words1 proceeding from the ,father4 ,the ,latin ,church added and the ,son1 without the authority of a ,general ,council4 ,and though the contest seems to have been about words1 rather than any difference of doctrine1 at last1 after a dispute of many years1 it ended in the schism between the ,church of ,constantinople and the ,church of ,rome--between the ,east and the ,west--which has never been healed4 #bf ,see ,archbishop ,trench's ,lectures on ,medieval ,church ,history4 #bg ,he must not be confused with the great theologian1 ,augustine1 ,bishop of ,hippo in ,africa1 who was mentioned above 7page #acg71 and who lived two hundred years before4 #bh ,it need hardly be said that it is a great mistake to use the term ,catholic as if it were the exclusive right of the members of the ,church of ,rome4 ,on the contrary1 they have no standing-ground in ,england at all2 and fall into the number of schismatics here1 because they refuse to hold communion with the branch of the ,holy ,catholic ,church in this land4 #bi ,the ,holy ,catholic ,church may be considered to be divided--speaking generally--into three great divisions4 ,the ,eastern1 or ,greek-speaking ,church2 the ,roman1 or ,latin-speaking ,church2 the ,anglican1 or ,english-speaking ,church4 ,and now1 by the ,providence of ,god1 we can see that a mighty responsibility has been laid upon our own branch of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,we feel sure that with the marvellous spread of the ,english nation1 the ,church of ,christ ought to have spread with equal rapidity2 and past neglect1 especially with respect to the great colonies founded in past generations in ,america1 brings us much to answer for4 ,yet we may take courage when we think how the ,english-speaking branch of the ,holy ,catholic ,church has spread in recent times4 ,north ,america1 ,canada1 and the ,west ,indies2 ,australia1 ,new ,zealand1 and many islands of the sea2 ,south ,africa2 ,india1 ,china1 and ,japan1 all bear witness that the good news of the ,kingdom has been scattered1 far and wide1 by ,english-speaking agents of the great ,king4 ,and our ,archbishop of ,canterbury is the acknowledged centre of as wide a sphere of spiritual energy as the ,pope himself4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,the ,,communion ,,of ,,saints4 ,the ,saints on earth1 and those above1 ,but one communion make2 ,joined to their ,lord in bonds of love1 ,all of ,his grace partake4 ,the history of the extension of the ,church of ,christ from one land to another1 and of the successive victories won by the ,cross over heathen races from age to age1 gives by itself a very imperfect idea of the meaning of the words ,the ,holy ,catholic ,church4 ,because1 with the outward extension of the ,church1 its influence upon the inner man needs always to be considered4 ,for when our ,lord described the extension of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 ,he not only likened it to the spread of a tree branching out on every side1 but ,he also declared that it would work as leaven1 secretly1 by changing the hearts of men4 ,this truth may be said to be kept prominently before ,christians by the term ,holy being applied to the ,catholic ,church4 ,the ,church of ,christ is of necessity and essentially ,holy4 ,we see that this must be so1 when we understand what ,holy ,scripture says of it2 that it is builded entirely by the ,holy ,ghost 7,eph4 ii4 #bj-bb72 that its members are called with an holy calling 7#b ,tim4 i4 #i71 called to be saints 7#a ,cor4 i4 #b71 that is1 holy persons2 and that a day will come when the ,lord ,jesus1 who loved the ,church1 and gave ,himself for it1 that ,he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word1 will present it unto ,himself a glorious ,church1 not having spot1 or wrinkle1 or any such thing1 but holy and without blemish 7,eph4 v4 #be-bg74 ,but yet we know that at present the ,church of ,christ is very far from being perfect4 ,and the mingling together of holy and unholy in the ,church is exactly in accordance with the prediction of our ,lord ,himself4 ,for whilst ,he spoke of the power of ,his grace to change and sanctify the hearts of the subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 ,he also expressly foretold that there would be tares in ,his field amongst the wheat 7,s4 ,matt4 xiii4 #bd-cj71 which would remain as long as the world lasts2 and that the ,gospel net would enclose bad fish as well as good1 and both would be retained in it until the ,angels make the separation at the end 7,s4 ,matt4 xiii4 #dg-ej74 ,the truth of ,his teaching has been confirmed by the subsequent history of the ,church in all ages4 ,holy and unholy are together2 and though we are forbidden to attempt to separate them1 we know that there is1 as it were1 a gulf between them1 which though not impassable is very great4 ,the words of ,s4 ,paul to the ,jews1 ,they are not all ,israel1 which are of ,israel 7,rom4 ix4 #f71 apply to ,god's people still4 ,and as he went on to quote from the prophet ,isaiah1 ,though the number of the children of ,israel be as the sand of the sea1 a remnant shall be saved 7,rom4 ix4 #bg71 so1 we know by experience1 that it is still the remnant only1 which really live up to the high calling of ,god in ,christ ,jesus1 and press toward the mark for the prize 7,phil4 iii4 #ad74 ,many are called1 but few chosen 7,s4 ,matt4 xxii4 #ad74 ,consequently1 since there are unholy as well as holy members of ,the ,holy ,catholic ,church1 the question arises1 ,what is the portion of those who are1 what they are called to be1 ,saints8 ,and how shall we express it8 ,shall we accept the theory of some who say that there are two ,churches2 an outward and visible ,church which is a mixed company of good and bad2 and an inner and invisible ,church which is known to ,god alone1 and which consists of the good only8 ,a moment's consideration of what has been pointed out in previous chapters to be the teaching of ,holy ,scripture1 about ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 will show that the idea is untenable2 because it is ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven which is distinctly described as imperfect in its present state here on earth2 and we cannot conceive the idea of two universal ,kingdoms of ,messiah4 ,what then is the teaching of ,holy ,scripture respecting the position of the ,saints1 who really are1 what they are called to be1 holy8 ,it is expressed in the words of the ,creed1 ,i believe in the ,communion of ,saints4 ,they who live as ,christians1 that is1 as belonging to ,christ1 enjoy ,the ,communion of ,saints4 ,all subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven may enjoy this position of the ,saints1 if they will4 ,if they are unnatural children of their ,heavenly ,father1 if they are disloyal subjects of their ,king1 if they resist1 instead of being led by1 the ,holy ,spirit1 they are hindering ,god's good-will concerning them1 and making of none effect the sufferings of their ,saviour4 ,but if they look up to and love their ,father1 if they set themselves to serve their ,king1 if they strive to follow the guidance of the ,spirit1 they are in the way of salvation1 and have ,the ,communion of ,saints4 ,but what is ,the ,communion of ,saints8 ,no little confusion has been brought into the consideration of these words by the very prevalent idea that the ,saints are1 necessarily1 departed ,saints who have finished their course in ,god's faith and fear4 ,but this is not the usual ,bible sense of the word4 ,for instance1 in the ,psalms it is commonly used for the name of those who believe in and worship ,god4 ,sing to the ,lord1 ,o ye ,saints 7,ps4 xxx4 #d74 ,o love the ,lord1 all ye ,his ,saints 7,ps4 xxxi4 #bc74 ,the ,lord forsaketh not ,his ,saints 7,ps4 xxxvii4 #bh74 ,and in the ,book of the ,acts of the ,apostles and the ,epistles it is continually used in the same sense1 for the ,lord's people in general4 ,peter came down to the ,saints which dwelt at ,lydda 7,acts ix4 #cb74 ,and at ,joppa1 ,he called the ,saints and widows to him 7,acts ix4 #da74 ,and ,s4 ,paul speaks of his work as a persecutor in these words1 ,many of the ,saints did ,i shut up in prison 7,acts xxvi4 #aj74 ,and in most of his ,epistles he addresses those to whom he is writing as called to be ,saints 7,rom4 i4 #g2 #a ,cor4 i4 #b74 ,another frequent cause of misunderstanding is the idea that the ,saints mean only a few very holy persons1 who have attained by the grace of ,god such a degree of perfection1 as is beyond the reach of those who live an active life in the world4 ,but this idea also is found to be contrary to the ordinary ,bible use of the word4 ,those whom ,s4 ,paul addresses in his ,epistles as ,saints1 are rebuked for almost every kind of sin4 ,the ,corinthians1 especially1 are an instance of the imperfections which may yet be found in ,god's ,saints1 and may teach us how tenderly we need to deal with the failings of those who are just emerging from heathenism in our own days4 ,the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians administers rebukes for schism1 fornication1 idolatrous tendencies1 misuse of spiritual gifts1 profanation of the worship of ,god1 and misbelief4 ,and even the ,saints at ,ephesus1 who are addressed as if they had made great advance in the understanding of the mysteries of the faith1 are warned to abstain from lying1 violent anger1 stealing1 foul speaking1 and unkind behaviour 7,eph4 iv4 #be-cb74 ,from which we learn to give a very wide meaning to the word ,saints2 and to understand by it1 ,christian people who1 with many imperfections and frequent falls1 are seeking to gain a better knowledge and deeper love of ,god2 and are striving to be led by the ,holy ,spirit to resist sin and advance in holiness4 ,and what is ,the ,communion which such persons enjoy8 ,it is ,communion with ,god1 so that their life is hid with ,christ in ,god 7,col4 iii4 #c74 ,they are declared to be united with ,god1 as a branch is united with its stem2 deriving spiritual life--a new and higher life than the natural life which belongs to all--from ,him4 ,they are begotten again 7#a ,pet4 i4 #c71 and born of ,god 7,s4 ,john i4 #ac72 and the seed of this eternal life is not left dormant in them1 as it is in the careless and ungodly2 for they remain not as children1 but grow up unto ,him in all things 7,eph4 iv4 #ad1 #ae72 and letting the mind that was in ,christ ,jesus 7,phil4 ii4 #e7 be in them1 and being strengthened with might by ,his ,spirit in the inner man1 ,christ dwells in their heart by faith 7,eph4 iii4 #af1 #ag72 and they are advancing unto the perfect man1 unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of ,christ 7,eph4 iv4 #ac74 ,the closeness of this union or communion with ,god in ,christ is expressed more fully by the figure of the body and its members4 ,the ,saints together form the ,body of ,christ4 ,for as the body is one1 and hath many members1 and all the members of that one body1 being many1 are one body3 so also is ,christ4 ,for by one ,spirit are we all baptized into one body 7#a ,cor4 xii4 #ab1 #ac74 ,christ is the ,head3 and the ,church is the ,body4 ,for ,god gave ,him to be the ,head over all things to the ,church1 which is ,his ,body 7,ephes4 i4 #bb1 #bc74 ,so intimately connected are the ,saints with their ,lord that they are the members of ,christ--yea1 ,s4 ,paul does not hesitate to say1 ,we are members of ,his ,body1 of ,his ,flesh1 and of ,his ,bones 7,ephes4 v4 #cj74 ,this is a great mystery2 but when faith has accepted it1 it is seen to be the ground of the ,christian's strength4 ,he is strong through grace1 because his strength is not his own1 but is derived from ,christ his ,lord1 with ,whom through the ,spirit he is united4 ,the importance of the two holy ,sacraments of ,christ is in connection with this truth4 ,holy ,baptism is the means ordained for uniting us with the ,body of ,christ 7#a ,cor4 xii4 #ac74 ,holy ,communion is the means of maintaining this union1 and of drawing supplies of grace from ,him 7#a ,cor4 x4 #af1 #ag71 as will be considered more fully presently4 ,thus through a right use of the means ordained by ,christ ,himself the ,saints are ,his own members#cj4 ,why persecutest thou ,me8 said the ,lord to the persecutor of ,his people4 ,and they have the good hope to cheer them1 that when the great day of judgment comes1 whilst to some who address the ,judge1 ,lord1 ,lord1 as if they had always served ,him1 it will be said1 ,i never knew you1 depart from ,me 7,s4 ,matt4 vii4 #bb1 #bc72 the ,saints1 on the other hand1 will be recognised as being like ,him--as bearing ,god's image--and will receive the welcome1 ,come1 ye blessed of ,my ,father1 inherit the ,kingdom prepared for you 7,s4 ,matt4 xxv4 #cd74 ,the meaning of ,the ,communion of ,saints becomes clearer when we know that ,communion is the same word as that which is more often translated ,fellowship4 ,the ,apostle ,s4 ,john speaks with great clearness about this ,communion or ,fellowship4 ,referring to the good tidings delivered by himself and the other ,apostles about the person and work of the ,saviour1 he saith1 ,that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you1 that ye also may have fellowship with us4 ,in other words1 he declares that the ,gospel was preached that all might enjoy the ,communion or ,fellowship which the ,apostles possessed4 ,and then he goes on to explain with whom they enjoyed this ,communion3 ,and truly our ,fellowship is with the ,father1 and with ,his ,son ,jesus ,christ 7#a ,s4 ,john i4 #c74 ,and this assertion of the ,communion of the ,christian with ,god agrees with the words of the prayer of our ,lord for ,his people1 recorded by the same ,apostle2 wherein ,he prayed1 ,that they may be one1 even as we are one2 ,i in them1 and ,thou in ,me1 that they may be made perfect in one 7,s4 ,john xvii4 #bb1 #bc74 ,these thoughts of the ,communion of the ,christian with ,god--the ,father and the ,son--would be incomplete1 did we not also think of our ,communion with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,for inasmuch as the whole spiritual life of the ,christian is due to the indwelling of the ,holy ,ghost1 this ,communion with ,god1 which the ,christian enjoys1 is in reality the work and gift of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and this is testified to us by the familiar words of blessing1 ,the grace of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and the love of ,god1 and the ,communion 7or ,fellowship7 of the ,holy ,ghost1 be with you all 7#b ,cor4 xiii4 #ad74 ,furthermore1 ,the ,communion of ,saints describes the fellowship or tie of brotherhood which unites ,christians together1 one with another4 ,for if all ,saints have ,communion with ,god1 it follows that all have ,communion one with another in ,him4 ,if ,christians are really striving to be1 what they are called to be1 holy1 they are all one family2 united together by the common bond of sonship2 ,for ye are all the children of ,god by faith in ,christ ,jesus 7,gal4 iii4 #bf74 ,their adoption into the one family of ,god is to them a real relationship4 ,and this also is expressed very clearly by ,s4 ,john3 ,if we say we have fellowship with ,him1 and walk in darkness1 we lie2 but if we walk in the light1 we have fellowship one with another 7#a ,s4 ,john i4 #f1 #g74 ,and inasmuch as death does not sever the union between the ,saint and ,god1 but rather intensifies it 7seeing that ,s4 ,paul describes the result of death as the being with ,christ1 ,phil4 i4 #bc71 it follows that ,the ,communion of ,saints is not a fellowship with the living only1 but with the departed also4 ,all are one in ,christ ,jesus 7,gal4 iii4 #bh72 whether ,jews or ,gentiles1 whether living or departed4 ,having now concluded1 from the teaching of ,holy ,scripture1 that ,the ,communion of ,saints is that fellowship which ,christians enjoy1 through being made one with ,god1 and with one another2 we shall do well to consider more carefully about the means by which they are enabled to keep up this union1 and to maintain the sense of its reality from age to age4 ,when our ,blessed ,lord spoke in the synagogue at ,capernaum respecting the ,bread of ,life1 ,he used these words1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,except ye eat the ,flesh of the ,son of ,man1 and drink ,his ,blood1 ye have no life in you2 and then ,he added1 ,he that eateth ,my ,flesh1 and drinketh ,my ,blood1 dwelleth in ,me1 and ,i in ,him 7,s4 ,john vi4 #ec1 #ef74 ,his hearers had no idea about what ,he meant by ,his ,flesh and ,blood4 ,but in instituting the ,holy ,sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper1 ,he explained the words ,himself4 ,for ,he took bread1 and blessed it1 and brake it1 and gave it to ,his disciples1 and said1 ,this is ,my ,body2 and ,he took the cup1 saying1 ,this is ,my ,blood 7,s4 ,matt4 xxvi4 #bf-bh74 ,and consequently ,s4 ,paul1 referring to this ,holy ,sacrament1 appealed to the ,corinthians to remember the bond of union with ,god1 and with one another1 in which they were joining1 saying1 ,the cup of blessing which we bless1 is it not the ,communion of the ,blood of ,christ8 ,the bread which we break1 is it not the ,communion of the ,body of ,christ8 ,for we being many are one ,bread and one ,body1 for we are all partakers of that one ,bread 7#a ,cor4 x4 #af1 #ag74 ,and1 therefore1 we conclude that this ,holy ,sacrament is the bond of union1 ordained by our ,lord ,himself1 to maintain outwardly and visibly1 as well as inwardly and spiritually1 ,the ,communion of ,saints with ,god and with one another4 ,and this is clearly expressed by the name ,holy ,communion by which we commonly speak of this ,holy ,sacrament4 ,does any one ask1 ,what is ,the ,communion of ,saints8 ,the answer is clear4 ,it is the ,communion or fellowship which ,christians enjoy with ,god1 and therefore with one another1 whether in this world or in ,paradise4 ,and the ,sacrament of the ,holy ,communion is the ordained means whereby this union is maintained by the ,saints on earth4 ,it is a sad but manifest fact1 that it is in the power of men to frustrate the grace of ,god 7,gal4 ii4 #ba71 and to make ,his good-will concerning them to be of none effect4 ,so that whilst all who are called to enter the ,kingdom of the ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ are called to enjoy the blessings which ,he has gained for us1 the multitude make little or no use of ,his gifts4 ,but all who will1 may by ,his grace be assured of sharing in all the benefits of ,his ,sacrifice4 ,if we walk in the light1 as ,he is in the light1 we have fellowship one with another1 and the blood of ,jesus ,christ ,his ,son cleanseth us from all sin 7#a ,s4 ,john i4 #g74 ,and as the ,saints1 by virtue of this ,communion with ,god1 have the assurance of ,the forgiveness of sins2 so likewise they look joyfully forward in hope of ,the ,resurrection of the ,body and ,the ,life ,everlasting4 ,for ,the dead in ,christ shall rise first2 then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds1 to meet the ,lord in the air2 and so shall we ever be with the ,lord 7#a ,thess4 iv4 #af1 #ag74 ,,footnote3 #cj ,consequently the expression in ,christ or in the ,lord is frequently used to denote the fact of a person being a ,christian4 ,thus ,s4 ,paul sends greeting to certain1 who had been converted before himself1 in these words1 ,salute ,andronicus and ,junia who were in ,christ before me 7,rom4 xvi4 #g72 and describes the ,christians of ,palestine1 at the time of his visit1 as the ,churches of ,juda which were in ,christ 7,gal4 i4 #bb74 ,and thus of the ,christian departed it is said1 ,blessed are the dead which die in the ,lord 7,rev4 xiv4 #ac74 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,conclusion4 ,from ,heaven ,he came and sought her ,to be ,his ,holy ,bride1 ,with ,his own ,blood ,he bought her1 ,and for her life ,he died4 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 what is it8 ,it is the ,holy ,catholic and ,apostolic ,church of ,christ4 ,it is that ,kingdom which was prophetically set forth by our ,lord in ,his parables2 that ,kingdom1 the subjects of which were described in ,his teaching1 and redeemed by ,his ,blood to be ,his own purchased possession 7,eph4 i4 #ad72 that ,kingdom which was founded through the coming of the ,holy ,ghost--being a spiritual ,kingdom not of the world1 though at present in the world--and which was preached from land to land as an ,universal ,kingdom1 intended to embrace the whole race of man4 ,the purpose for which our ,blessed ,lord came down from ,heaven1 and humbled ,himself even to the death upon the cross 7,phil4 ii4 #h71 was that ,he might found this ,kingdom4 ,he purchased it at no less a cost than with ,his own blood 7,acts xx4 #bh74 ,for ,he loved the ,church and gave ,himself for it#ca 7,ephes4 v4 #be74 ,in other words1 the salvation which is proclaimed in ,holy ,scripture1 as the great gift of ,god's love1 is offered unto man through the means of a ,kingdom of which our ,lord ,jesus ,christ is the ,king1 and all the men and women and little children in the world are intended to be the subjects4 ,the ,son of ,god became the ,son of ,man1 that in ,him the words of the ,psalmist might be fulfilled1 ,i will give ,thee the heathen for ,thine inheritance1 and the uttermost parts of the earth for ,thy possession 7,ps4 ii4 #h72 and those other words 7which are quoted by ,s4 ,paul in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews71 ,thou hast put all things under ,his feet 7,ps4 viii4 #f74 ,but we see not yet all things put under ,him 7,heb4 ii4 #h74 ,although ,he gave ,himself for us that ,he might redeem us from all iniquity1 and purify unto ,himself a peculiar people zealous of good works 7,tit4 ii4 #ad71 the perversity of man has spoilt the perfection of ,his work1 and hindered the results of ,his self-sacrifice4 ,eighteen hundred years have passed1 and still ,his rule is imperfect2 and not one third of the human race1 whom ,he redeemed unto ,himself with ,his own blood1 accept ,him as their ,king4 ,but in ,his perfect foreknowledge1 this hindering of ,his work of love for the salvation of man was present from the first2 and was foretold by ,him in part in ,his parables4 ,and it pleased ,him to entrust to ,his faithful people the task of removing and overcoming by their prayers and exertions the obstacles which opposed ,his rule4 ,when the ,pharisees once asked ,when the ,kingdom of ,god should come1 ,he answered them and said1 ,the ,kingdom of ,god cometh not with observation2 neither shall they say1 ,lo here6 or1 ,lo there6 for behold the ,kingdom of ,god is among#cb you 7,s4 ,luke xvii4 #bj1 #ba74 ,his ,kingdom was already being set up amongst them1 though they knew it not2 and ever since those days it has been spreading amongst men4 ,but ,he knew how strongly the great enemy of ,god and man would oppose the extension of ,his ,kingdom2 and how powerful the perversity of man would be to hinder it2 and when ,his disciples asked to be taught to pray1 these were the words ,he bade them pray1 ,thy ,kingdom come 7,s4 ,matt4 vi4 #aj74 ,it follows1 therefore1 that it is a matter of great importance that we understand clearly the meaning of these words4 ,we cannot suppose for a moment that our ,lord meant that the ,kingdom of ,god is not come at all in this present time4 ,because many passages1 which have been already quoted1 have assured us that ,his ,kingdom was founded long ago amongst men4 ,moreover1 ,he expressly directed ,his disciples to assure those to whom they preached1 whether they hearkened or not--,the ,kingdom of ,god is come nigh unto you 7,s4 ,luke x4 #i1 #aa74 ,what then is the meaning of the prayer1 ,thy ,kingdom come8 ,the ,kingdom of ,god is come already1 and men are everywhere pressing into it 7,s4 ,luke xvi4 #af74 ,but ,his rule over the hearts of men is imperfect1 and will be so as long as it can be said ,we see not yet all things put under ,him 7,heb4 ii4 #h74 ,therefore ,he has taught ,his faithful people of every age to lift up this prayer--,thy ,kingdom come--that it may be brought to pass that ,he may rule in all hearts supreme2 that the lands which are still heathen may be brought into ,his ,kingdom2 and that those who now profess to bear ,his ,name may be ,saints indeed4 ,and inasmuch as ,he loved the ,church and gave ,himself for it1 not that it might consist of so-called ,christians--who in heart are worshippers of ,mammon1 and not subjects of the ,crucified--but that ,he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water and the word1 that it should be holy and without blemish1 this prayer--,thy ,kingdom come--must continue to ascend until ,he can present it to ,himself a glorious ,church1 not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing 7,eph4 v4 #be-bg74 ,and then at last the cry will be raised1 ,the ,kingdoms of this world are become the ,kingdoms of our ,lord1 and of ,his ,christ1 and ,he shall reign for ever and ever 7,rev4 xi4 #ae74 ,we are taught in ,holy ,scripture that faith can move mountains of difficulty 7,s4 ,matt4 xvii4 #bj71 and that the prayer of faith has a power to which ,god has set no bounds 7,s4 ,matt4 xxi4 #bb74 ,and the surest way to pray in faith is to be ourselves striving for the fulfilment of our prayers4 ,now the ,king ,himself declared the source from which the weakness of ,his ,kingdom would arise4 ,when ,he prayed for ,his little band of disciples1 ,he added1 ,neither pray ,i for these alone1 but for them also which shall believe on me through their word2 that they all may be one2 as ,thou1 ,father1 art in ,me1 and ,i in ,thee1 that they also may be one in us3 that the world may believe that ,thou hast sent ,me 7,s4 ,john xvii4 #bj1 #ba74 ,consequently if we would gain an answer to our prayer1 ,thy ,kingdom come1 we want to lead ,christian men to think that the saying is true1 ,a ,kingdom divided against itself cannot stand 7,s4 ,mark iii4 #bd72 and that it is impossible for ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven to be strong to win souls for ,christ1 whilst its subjects are forming factions and so-called denominations1 and are opposing one another4 ,behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity6 ,for there the ,lord commanded the blessing1 even life for evermore 7,ps4 cxxxiii4 #a1 #c74 ,to re-unite the divided branches of ,christ's ,holy ,church1 or even to heal the divisions amongst ,god's people in our own land1 is a work which is beyond the power of man to accomplish4 ,but if ,christians would but be persuaded to see the advantages of unity1 and to desire to live up to their high calling as ,god's children--as the one family of ,god--the first step would have been taken which would lead1 in ,god's own time1 to the end in view4 ,for if the subjects of ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven only realised their position1 how great would be the answer to this universal prayer1 ,thy ,kingdom come6 ,how would ,christ's ,kingdom be then advancing in the world6 ,for ,his ,church would be moving1 as one mighty army1 against ,his foes1 and ,christ in ,his members would be indeed going forth1 conquering and to conquer 7,rev4 vi4 #b74 ,may ,he pardon all that is defective in these pages1 and bless them to the promotion of ,his glory4 ,may ,he grant that those who read them may be strengthened in their own faith1 and be themselves prepared for the great day1 when ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 as we know it1 will have become the ,kingdom of ,glory2 when there shall be one flock and one ,shepherd 7,s4 ,john x4 #af72 and the daily repeated prayer will have been fulfilled1 ,,thy ,,kingdom ,,come4 ,,footnotes3 #ca ,when it is said that ,christ died for the ,church1 it is necessary to remember that in ,his intention the ,church included the whole world 7see ,s4 ,matt4 xxviii4 #ai74 ,the wilfulness of man in refusing to believe cannot alter that intention though it spoils the completion of it4 ,god so loved the world that ,he gave ,his only ,begotten ,son--thus the wideness of ,his loving intention was set forth--that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish 7,s4 ,john iii4 #af7--thus the necessity of man's belief1 in order that the intention might be carried out1 was announced beforehand4 #cb ,see marginal note in a reference ,bible4 ,,the ,,end4 ,a ,prayer for ,unity4 ,o ,god the ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 our only ,saviour1 the ,prince of ,peace2 ,give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions4 ,take away all hatred and prejudice1 and whatsoever else may hinder us from godly union and concord3 that1 as there is but one ,body1 and one ,spirit1 and one ,hope of our ,calling1 one ,lord1 one ,faith1 one ,baptism1 one ,god and ,father of us all1 so we may henceforth be all of one heart1 and of one soul1 united in one holy bond of ,truth and ,peace1 of ,faith and ,charity1 and may with one mind and one mouth glorify ,thee2 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,amen4 7,from the ,book of ,common ,prayer47 99 99 99 99 99 ,,clarendon ,,press1 ,,oxford4 ,,for ,,the ,,society ,,for ,,promoting ,,christian ,,knowledge4 ,society for ,promoting ,christian ,knowledge4 ,publications on ,,the ,,christian ,,evidences4 ,,books4 ,price4 s4 d4 ,theism or ,agnosticism4 ,an ,essay on the grounds of ,belief in ,god4 ,by the ,rev4 ,brownlow ,maitland1 ,m4,a41 author of ,the ,argument from ,prophecy1 c4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #f ,argument from ,prophecy 7,the74 ,by the ,rev4 ,brownlow ,maitland1 ,m4,a41 ,author of ,scepticism and ,faith1 c4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #f ,scepticism and ,faith4 ,by the ,rev4 ,brownlow ,maitland4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #f ,modern ,unbelief3 its ,principles and ,characteristics4 ,by the ,right ,rev4 the ,lord ,bishop of ,gloucester and ,bristol4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #f ,some ,modern ,religious ,difficulties4 ,six ,sermons preached1 by the request of the ,christian ,evidence ,society1 at ,st4 ,james's1 ,piccadilly1 on ,sunday ,afternoons after ,easter1 #ahgf2 with a ,preface by his ,grace the ,archbishop of ,canterbury4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #f ,some ,witnesses for the ,faith4 ,six ,sermons preached1 by the request of the ,christian ,evidence ,society1 at ,st4 ,stephen's ,church1 ,south ,kensington1 on ,sunday ,afternoons after ,easter1 #ahgg4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #d ,theism and ,christianity4 ,six ,sermons preached1 by the request of the ,christian ,evidence ,society1 at ,st4 ,james's1 ,piccadilly1 on ,sunday ,afternoons after ,easter1 #ahgh4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #f ,the ,analogy of ,religion4 ,dialogues founded upon ,butler's ,analogy of ,religion4 ,by the ,rev4 ,h4 ,r4 ,huckin1 ,d4,d41 ,head ,master of ,repton ,school4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #c #j ,miracles4 ,by the ,rev4 ,e4 ,a4 ,litton1 ,m4,a41 ,examining ,chaplain of the ,bishop of ,durham4 ,crown #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #f ,moral ,difficulties connected with the ,bible4 ,being the ,boyle ,lectures for #ahga1 preached in ,her ,majesty's ,chapel at ,whitehall4 ,by the ,ven4 ,archdeacon ,hessey1 ,d4,c4,l41 ,preacher to the ,hon4 ,society of ,gray's ,inn1 c4 ,,first ,,series4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #f ,moral ,difficulties connected with the ,bible4 ,being the ,boyle ,lectures for #ahgb1 preached in ,her ,majesty's ,chapel at ,whitehall4 ,by the ,ven4 ,archdeacon ,hessey1 ,d4,c4,l4 ,,second ,,series4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #b #f ,prayer and recent ,difficulties about it4 ,the ,boyle ,lectures for #ahgc1 being the ,,third ,,series of ,moral ,difficulties connected with the ,bible4 ,preached in ,her ,majesty's ,chapel at ,whitehall4 ,by the ,ven4 ,archdeacon ,hessey1 ,d4,c4,l4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #b #f ,the above ,three ,series in a volume4 ,cloth boards #f #j ,historical ,illustrations of the ,old ,testament4 ,by the ,rev4 ,g4 ,rawlinson1 ,m4,a41 ,camden ,professor of ,ancient ,history1 ,oxford4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #f ,can we ,believe in ,miracles8 ,by ,g4 ,warington1 ,b4,a41 of ,caius ,college1 ,cambridge4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #f ,the ,moral ,teaching of the ,new ,testament viewed as ,evidential to its ,historical ,truth4 ,by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,a4 ,row1 ,m4,a4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #f ,scripture ,doctrine of ,creation4 ,by the ,rev4 ,t4 ,r4 ,birks1 ,m4,a41 ,professor of ,moral ,philosophy at ,cambridge4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #f ,thoughts on the ,first ,principles of the ,positive ,philosophy considered in ,relation to the ,human ,mind4 ,by the late ,benjamin ,shaw1 ,m4,a41 late ,fellow of ,trinity ,college1 ,camb4 ,post #hvo4 ,limp cloth #j #h ,thoughts on the ,bible4 ,by the ,rev4 ,w4 ,gresley1 ,m4,a41 ,prebendary of ,lichfield4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #f ,the ,reasonableness of ,prayer4 ,by the ,rev4 ,p4 ,onslow1 ,m4,a4 ,post #hvo4 ,limp cloth #j #h ,locke on the ,existence of ,god4 ,post #hvo4 ,paper cover #j #c ,paley's ,evidences of ,christianity4 ,a ,new ,edition1 with ,notes1 ,appendix1 and ,preface4 ,by the ,rev4 ,e4 ,a4 ,litton1 ,m4,a4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #d #j ,paley's ,natural ,theology4 ,revised to harmonize with ,modern ,science4 ,by ,mr4 ,f4 le ,gros ,clark1 ,f4,r4,s41 ,president of the ,royal ,college of ,surgeons of ,england1 c4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #d #j ,paley's ,hor ,paulin4 ,a new ,edition with ,notes1 ,appendix1 and ,preface4 ,by ,j4 ,s4 ,howson1 ,d4,d41 ,dean of ,chester4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #c #j ,the ,story of ,creation as told by ,theology and ,science4 ,by the ,rev4 ,t4 ,s4 ,ackland1 ,m4,a4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #f ,man's ,accountableness for his ,religious ,belief4 ,a ,lecture delivered at the ,hall of ,science1 on ,tuesday1 ,april #bnd1 #ahgb4 ,by the ,rev4 ,daniel ,moore1 ,m4,a41 ,holy ,trinity1 ,paddington4 ,post #hvo4 ,paper cover #j #c ,the ,theory of ,prayer2 with ,special ,reference to ,modern ,thought4 ,by the ,rev4 ,w4 ,h4 ,karslake1 ,m4,a41 ,assistant ,preacher at ,lincoln's-,inn1 ,vicar of ,westcott1 ,dorking1 late ,fellow and ,tutor at ,merton ,college1 ,oxford4 ,post #hvo4 ,limp cloth #a #j ,when was the ,pentateuch ,written8 ,by ,george ,warington1 ,b4,a41 author of ,can we ,believe in ,miracles8 c4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #a #f ,the ,credibility of ,mysteries4 ,a ,lecture delivered at ,st4 ,george's ,hall1 ,langham ,place4 ,by the ,rev4 ,daniel ,moore1 ,m4,a4 ,post #hvo4 ,paper cover #j #c ,analogy of ,religion1 ,natural and ,revealed1 to the ,constitution and ,course of ,nature3 to which are added1 ,two ,brief ,dissertations4 ,by ,bishop ,butler4 ,,new ,,edition4 ,post #hvo4 ,cloth boards #b #f ,christian ,evidences3 intended chiefly for the young4 ,by the ,most ,reverend ,richard ,whately1 ,d4,d4 #abmo4 ,paper cover #j #d ,the ,efficacy of ,prayer4 ,by the ,rev4 ,w4 ,h4 ,karslake1 ,m4,a41 ,assistant ,preacher at ,lincoln's-,inn1 c4 c4 ,post #hvo4 ,limp cloth #j #f ,science and the ,bible3 a ,lecture by the ,right ,rev4 ,bishop ,perry1 ,d4,d4 #ahmo4 ,paper cover #d;d41 or ,limp cloth #j #f ,the ,bible3 ,its ,evidences1 ,characteristics1 and ,effects4 ,a ,lecture by the ,right ,rev4 ,bishop ,perry1 ,d4,d4 #ahmo4 ,paper cover #j #d ,a ,sermon on the ,efficacy of ,prayer4 ,by the ,right ,reverend ,harvey ,goodwin1 ,d4,d41 ,bishop of ,carlisle4 #afmo4 ,paper cover #j #b ,the ,testimony of the ,primitive ,fathers to the ,truth of the ,gospel ,history4 ,by ,t4 ,g4 ,bonney1 ,m4,a41 ,fellow of ,st4 ,john's ,college1 ,cambridge4 #ahmo4 ,paper cover #j #b ,the ,truth of the ,gospel ,history confirmed by the ,earliest ,witnesses after ,apostolic ,times4 ,a ,lecture delivered at ,potsdam4 ,by the late ,dr4 ,f4 ,w4 ,krummacher4 #ahmo4 ,paper cover #j #b ,a ,lecture on the ,bible4 ,by the ,very ,rev4 ,e4 ,m4 ,goulburn1 ,d4,d41 ,dean of ,norwich4 #ahmo4 ,paper cover #j #b 99499 ,for ,list of ,,tracts on the ,christian ,evidences1 see the ,society's ,catalogue ,b4 ,,depositories3 #gg1 ,,great ,,queen ,,street1 ,,lincoln',s-,,inn ,,fields ,w4,c41 #d1 ,,royal ,,exchange1 ,e4,c42 #dh1 ,,piccadilly1 ,w4 ,,london4 ,transcriber's ,note ,this book contains some archaic spelling1 and unusual punctuation and capitalisation4 ,all have been left as printed in the original4 ,the author used both ,eph4 and ,ephes4 as references to ,ephesians2 these have been left as printed4 ,minor typographic inconsistencies 7e4g4 use of italics in adverts section7 have been corrected without note4 ,the advertising material was printed with the author names in bold typeface4 ,this is indicated with symbols in this version4 ,in this version of the text1 99499 is used to indicate a reverse asterism4