-(P. 123.) What can this possibly mean? I pretend not to understand it. I had indeed said that souls were saved before Christ came in the flesh, on the credit of the price he was then to pay for them. But, if Mr Wood means that Christ is now dispensing saving grace as a king on the credit of the royalty he is to assume at the millennium, as his own, he either imposes upon himself and his readers with words which mean nothing, or he means what is derogatory to the honour of that Princely Saviour who gives repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

But Mr Wood's views are open to another objection. Who would doubt, when he so clearly divides between the present kingdom of grace, and the future millennial kingdom of glory —when he tells us that the one "continues till" the other— that the thing which distinguishes the present kingdom, namely, the saving of souls, would terminate when it gives place to the future one? So far from this, however, the work of salvation is to go on with greater vigour than ever after Christ's second coming, and during his millennial reign. To call the present, then, the kingdom of grace, and the millennial, by contrast, the kingdom of glory, is an abuse of words. Several other inconsistencies might he mentioned. It is said, for example, that "the subjects of Christ's present kingdom are the elect, a hidden number known to God alone, among whom the Redeemer dispenses saving blessings." Will there be no election, then, during the millennial kingdom? Will Christ dispense saving blessings then to every individual of the human race? Let Mr Wood, and those who hold with him, speak out upon this point. If they shrink from this, it will be found that the principle of an election, known to God only, is just as truly in operation during the millennium as now, and that though the number of believers then may be vastly greater, the advantages on the side of godliness will be so prodigious, as to make it more difficult than author of "Plain Papers" goes further, deeming it unscriptural to say that Christ exercises strictly any office at present.—(P. 452.)

now to distinguish between the converted and the unconverted.

I have dwelt the longer on Mr Wood's views, because they are the most recent attempt to put the premillennial scheme of Christ's present kingdom upon an intelligible footing. At the first glance they certainly look well-better than any explanations hitherto offered; but when narrowly examined, I think I have shown them to be derogatory to the honour of Christ, inconsistent with themselves, and, as far as the exposition of them is concerned, not very intelligible.

Here, then, I join issue with these writers, affirming as follows:

PROPOSITION FIFTH:

CHRIST'S PROPER KINGDOM IS ALREADY IN BEING; COMMENCING FORMALLY ON HIS ASCENSION TO THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, AND CONTINUING UNCHANGED, BOTH IN CHARACTER AND FORM, TILL THE FINAL JUDGMENT.

I am far from meaning to say, that the kingdom of Christ was in no sense in being before his ascension in our nature to the right hand of power. On the contrary, the whole grace of the Mediator, in all his offices, is put forth in the salvation of every soul that is saved, as well before his incarnation as after it. In the administration of the new covenant and government of the Church before the fulness of time, there was as real an exercise of the Redeemer's proper sovereignty as there has been since his ascension, or ever will be till the end of time. Still, we are explicitly told that "the Holy Ghost was not given"-up to the period of Christ's ascension" because that Jesus was not yet glorified." (John vii. 39.) All the grace that ever was put forth before the Redeemer's death, was given only on the credit of it. When, however, the great Sacrifice was actually offered, and when, on his presenting himself in the merit of it before the Majesty

on high, it was actually accepted, his title to save was formally recognised, and himself FORMALLY INSTALLED IN OFFICE. "The Holy Ghost was then given, because that Jesus was now glorified,”—given now for the first time, not actually but formally, having its legal ground now for the first time palpably laid in the finished and accepted work of the blessed Surety.

Nor, in saying that Christ's kingdom will continue in its present form till the final judgment, do I mean that it will absolutely terminate, as Christ's kingdom, even then; but only that Christ will not hereafter occupy his throne for the same purposes as now-for putting more souls in possession of salvation, and for perfecting any thing then incomplete in the salvation of his elect.

Nor, yet again, in saying that Christ's kingdom will continue in its present form, from the period of his ascension onwards until the final judgment, do I mean that its progress will be uninterrupted and equable throughout-marked by no mighty changes in its external aspect, in its relative position, and in the development of its internal character; but merely that its external administration will continue the same, -that its constitution, structure, organic form, will remain unaltered, that no new economical arrangements, or change of dispensation, will be introduced from the commencement to the close of its earthly career.

In proof of the proposition thus explained, I take my stand upon the

APOSTOLIC VIEWS OF CHRIST'S KINGDOM,

as contained in the numerous addresses to the Jews which we find in the Acts, and some subsequent statements in the apostolic epistles.

If any where, surely we may expect light here. The one question between the Christian Jews and their unbelieving

countrymen was about THE KINGDOM-what was the nature of it. The overwhelming majority of the Jewish Church and nation rejected the claims of Jesus to be their Messiah, solely because he was not the sort of king they thought they had good reason from the prophecies to look for, and because the kingdom which he announced, and of which he claimed to be the sovereign, was quite different from what they imagined the ancient prophets had foretold. This was definite ground, and it was not taken without deliberation.

When the Baptist announced Messiah's approach, every thing concurred to give weight to his testimony. Guided by the signs of the times, and by the chronological predictions, expectation was every where awake for the first sound of Messiah's footsteps. From all parts of the country they flocked to the man of God, who cried aloud in the wilderness, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand: Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make his paths straight." With profound and breathless attention the motley group listened to the exciting tidings; and harsh as were his accents, rougher though some of his speeches were than the garment which he wore, they willingly bore with them, were with difficulty restrained from mistaking the servant for his Master, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. Presently the Lord himself appears upon the stage; and the Baptist having dutifully handed his disciples over to him, with this noble testimony, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world," retired, and was little more heard of. Thus heralded, the Saviour's ministry opened with every advantage; and crowds followed him, ast they had done the Baptist, "trusting that it was he who was to redeem Israel-saving them from their enemies, and from the hand of all that hated them."

But again they were doomed to disappointment. Every discourse he delivered-every expression he gave of the nature of his kingdom-convinced them more than another that he

was not the king they were looking for, nor his kingdom that which they thought the prophets had assigned to their Messiah. Under this persuasion, the most majestic, miraculous, and moral evidences went for nothing with them. Disappointment settled down into chagrin; chagrin into rage; and rage into a settled determination to deal with him as a blaspheming impostor according to law, who must die the death. It was done. But lo! they had laid the foundations of that kingdom which his forerunner and he had announced as at hand; and this was just the glad tidings which all the apostles went forth among their countrymen to proclaim. The burden of all their recorded addresses is just this, that the nation had misunderstood the prophets, and had mistaken the nature of the kingdom which they predicted; that it was in being while they spoke, and not a kingdom of this world, as they supposed, but a kingdom of Salvation or of Grace; whose foundation was that accursed death which they, in their ignorance, had imagined to be the end of all the claims of its King; and whose Rule, from the seat of his exaltation in the heavens, was purely a mediatorial and saving sway.

If this be a correct representation of the apostles' addresses to their unbelieving countrymen, it obviously cuts up the premillennial view of the kingdom of Christ. Nay, it places the premillennialist and the unbelieving Jew in the same category as respects the question in hand, both holding the same error on the subject of the kingdom which the apostles set themselves to overthrow. The error, say the premillennialists, into which the Jews fell, was that of overlooking the distinction between the first and second comings of the Messiah; the one in suffering, and the other in glory; the one to save men's souls, and the other to erect his kingdom upon earth. As the latter is the theme of most of the prophecies, they were so carried away by the expectation of, and desire for it, that they missed altogether the former, which, though occu