nians, as a great and new doctrine, namely, "that God hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained: whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."

Having shown that the power of Jesus Christ is a subsisting power at this time, the next question is, as to its duration. Now, so far as it respects mankind in this present world, we are assured that it shall continue until the end of the world. Some of the texts, which have been adduced, prove this point, as well as that for which they were quoted; and they are confirmed by St. Paul's declaration, 1 Cor. xv. 24. "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father:" therefore he shall retain and exercise it until then. But farther, this power is not only perpetual, but progressive; advancing and proceeding by different steps and degrees, until it shall become supreme and complete, and shall prevail against every enemy and every opposition. That our Lord's dominion will not only remain unto the end of the world, but that its effects in the world will be greatly enlarged and increased, is signified very expressly in the second chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. The apostle in this passage applies to our Lord a quotation from the Psalms: "Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet:" and then draws from it a strict inference: "For in that he put all things in subjection under him, he left nothing that he did not put under him." And then he remarks, as a fact, "But now we see not yet all things put under him :" that complete entire subjection, which is here promised, hath not yet taken place. The promise must, therefore, refer to a still future order of things. This

doctrine of the progressive increase and final completeness of our Lord's kingdom is also virtually laid down in the passage from the Corinthians already cited: "He must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet." For that this subjugation of his several enemies will be successive, one after another, is strongly intimated by the expression, "the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

Now, to apprehend the probability of these things coming to pass, or rather to remove any opinion of their improbability, we ought constantly to bear in our. mind this momentous truth, that in the hands of the Deity time is nothing; that he has eternity to act in. The Christian dispensation, nay, the world itself, may. be in its infancy. A more perfect display of the power of Christ, and of his religion, may be in reserve; and the ages which it may endure, after the obstacles and impediments to its reception are removed, may be, beyond comparison, longer than those which we have seen, in which it has been struggling with great difficulties, most especially with ignorance and prejudice. We ought not to be moved, any more than the apostles were moved, with the reflection which was cast upon their mission, that since the "fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were." We ought to return the answer which one of them returned: that what we call tardiness in the Deity, is not so; that our so thinking it, arises from not allowing for the different importance, nay, probably, for the different apprehension of time, in the divine mind and in ours; that with him a thousand years are as one day-words which confound and astonish human understanding, yet strictly and metaphysically true.

Again; we should remember, that the apostles, the

very persons who asserted that God would put all things under him, themselves, as we have seen, acknowledged that it was not yet done. In the mean time, from the whole of their declarations and of this discussion, we collect, that Jesus Christ, ascended into the heavens, is, at this day, a great efficient being in the universe, invested by his Father with a high authority; which he exercises, and will continue to exercise, until the end of the world.

Thirdly, he is the same in his office. The principal offices assigned by the Scriptures to our Lord in his glorified state, that is, since his ascension into heaven, are those of a mediator and intercessor. Of the mediation of our Lord, the Scripture speaks in this wise: "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus:" 1 Tim. ii. 5. It was after our Lord's ascension that this was spoken of him; and it is plain, from the form and turn of the expression, that his mediatorial character and office was meant to be represented as a perpetual character and office, because it is described in conjunction with the existence of God and men, so long as men exist: "there is one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ." "Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name." "At that day ye shall ask in my name:" John xvi. 24, 26. These words form part of our Lord's memorable conversation with his select disciples, not many hours before his death; and clearly intimate the mediatorial office which he was to discharge after his ascension.

Concerning his intercession, not that which he occasionally exercised upon earth, when he prayed as he did most fervently for his disciples, but that which he now, at this present time, exercises, we have the

"But

following text, explicit, satisfactory, and full. this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood:" by priesthood is here meant the office of praying for others. "Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for us." No words can more plainly declare, than these words do, the perpetuity of our Lord's agency : that it did not cease with his presence upon earth, but continues. "He continueth ever: he ever liveth: he hath an unchangeable priesthood." Surely this jus tifies what our text saith of him, that he is "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever;" and that not in a figurative or metaphorical sense, but literally, effectually, and really. Moreover, in this same passage, not only the constancy and perpetuity, but the power and efficacy of our Lord's intercession are asserted : "He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him." They must come unto God: they must come by him and then he is able to save them completely.

These three heads of observation, namely, upon his person, his power, and his office, comprise the relation in which our Lord Jesus Christ stands to us, whilst we remain in this mortal life. There is another consideration of great solemnity and interest, namely, the relation which we shall bear to him in our future state. Now the economy, which appears to be destined for the human creation, I mean, for that part of it which shall be received to future happiness, is, that they shall live in a state of local society with one another, and under Jesus Christ as their head; experiencing a sensible connexion amongst themselves, as well as the operation of his authority, as their Lord and governor. I think

it likely that our Saviour had this state of things in view, when, in his final discourse with his apostles, he tells them: "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also:" John xiv. 2, 3. And again, in the same discourse, and referring to the same economy, "Father," says he, "I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me :" for that this was spoken, not merely of the twelve, who were then sitting with Jesus, and to whom his discourse was addressed, but of his disciples in future ages of the world, is fairly collected from his words, (xvii. 20.) "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me, through their word." Since the prayer here stated was part of the discourse, it is reasonable to infer, that the discourse, in its object, extended as far as the prayer, which we have seen to include believers, as well of succeeding ages, as of that then present.

Now concerning this future dispensation, supposing it to consist, as here represented, of accepted spirits, participating of happiness in a state of sensible society with one another, and with Jesus Christ himself at their head, one train of reflection naturally arises; namely, first, that it is highly probable there should be many expressions of Scripture which have relation to it secondly, that such expressions must, by their nature, appear to us, at present, under a considerable degree of obscurity, which we may be apt to call a defect: thirdly, that the credit due to such expressions must depend upon their authority as portions of the written word of God, and not upon the probability,