God the Father." 66 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?"

And because the saints have suffered with Christ, and have also overcome, they shall reign with him in his kingdom. "For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him; if we suffer, we shall also reign with him.” "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." "The seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great." “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." "When the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." 66 Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me.”

This reign of Christ will be a thousand years, and some suppose it may be thousands of thousand; be that as it may, it will, however, be a full display of his mediatorial glory.

These will be times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord-times of restitution of all things of which all the holy prophets have spoken; when the kingdom shall be restored to Israel; and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to Christ and his saints: then, as we pray, the kingdom of God shall come; and his will shall be done in earth as it is in heaven. Here the mediatorial kingdom will be consummated-a visible and full display will be made of its glory; whilst every enemy lies crushed beneath its power. O how glorious! to behold one in human form stand forth in the midst of the redeemed upon the mount Zion of the world to come; the universal conqueror ! with many crowns upon his head! and all things put under his feet! his enemies all made his footstool! even death itself put under him by the resurrection of the just-the resurrection of life!

Secondly: The kingdom, from the hands of the Son of Man completely finished and glorious, will be given up to God; whatever Christ has received, he will restore-what is given to him, he will give back to God: the things concerning me have an end. In this kingdom Christ will thus reign as the Son of David, as the Son of Man, and because he is the Son of Man: therefore, his kingdom is said to be a gift from the Father; for it is the eternal right of God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to reign:

therefore Christ calls it the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of his Father; and it is often said. that he received it of his Father; and therefore, at the end of the thousand years, this kingdom is to be delivered up to God, even the Father; and "then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all."

When all is restored, the heavens and the earth created anew; when king Jesus has had his triumph with all his saints, made an open show of his victory, and consummated his marriage with his fair redeemed bride, with all the guests of heaven in the banqueting chamber of his royal city, the new Jerusalem, and has celebrated the feast and supper of the Lamb, and embraced his bride in the bosom of everlasting love; when this glory which awaits the star of Jacob-the son of David Jesus our Mediator-has fully shone out in the times of the restitution of all things; this perfectly glorious, finished, and completely established kingdom will be resigned up to the triune God. And with the reign of Messiah-with his giving up the crown and sceptre-the volume of the book closes: then God shall be all in all; which is the eternal, unalterable state.

The day of this glorious reign of Christ is that latter day, from the fall of Antichrist and the kingdoms of this world to the closing up of the whole mediatorial scene, Christ Jesus is now glorified, crowned and exalted far above every name: the kingdom is now given into his hands

all things are put under him by his being constituted and crowned king of heaven and earth: but yet all things are not subdued unto him.

The Lord Jesus is crowned with glory and honor, exalted and seated upon the throne of the universe; and the language of prophecy is, “Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet." "But now we see not yet all things put under him :" his enemies are not yet made his footstool; the kingdoms and dominions of this world now hold their power in opposition to him: but when he shall take to him his great power, and shall reign, all things will actually be put under himhis enemies will be made his footstool-the nations that would not bow to the messages of peace in his gospel, will be made to bow to his iron rod for when he comes to reign in the latter day, the beast will be given to the burning flame, the thrones which supported him will be cast down, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven will be given into his hands; and he will reign with the saints, whilst his enemies, who would not have him reign over them, will be slain before his eyes.

This reign of Christ will be on earth. The stone cut out of the mountain, that will become a great mountain, (which is this kingdom,) will fill the whole earth; the kingdom under the whole heaven will be given to the saints, who will reign with Christ; and the reigning of the saints with Christ, mentioned Rev. xx. 4, is plainly on the earth. The new Jerusalem evidently begins with this glorious period, before the kingdom is given up to God; for the Lamb is said to reign in it, and the new Jerusalem is on earth; for the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor unto it. We are taught to

pray, Thy kingdom come: thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth: and we believe in Christ, that all the earth shall be filled with his glory.

As, on earth, he was openly dishonored, despised, and rejected; so, on earth, he will be openly honored, admired, and adored. On earth he was dressed in a mock robe, and crowned with a crown of thorns; and on earth he will be dressed in the robes of his Father's glory, and crowned with that majesty, before which devils tremble, saints bow, and angels veil their faces.

When the king of Israel shall reign on the earth he will be most conspicuous in his heavenly throne-every eye will behold him, as plainly as we behold the sun in the firmament. They who can see the kingdom of Christ, will see him as visibly as Stephen saw him standing on the right hand of God.

in a

The Jews believed that when Christ should come in his kingdom, he would appear glorious Shekinah; and the Scriptures declare, that he will appear in the cloud or clouds of heaven, which are flaming fire, such as surrounded the mercy seat-his throne in Israel.

Thus he will descend upon the mount of Olives-O, with what grandeur! Sinai quaked greatly, when the Lord descended there: but, when he shall step down upon the top of holy Olivet, and his feet shall stand there, that mountain shall cleave in the midst thereof, and flee each way from his presence; yea, all the mountains round about will flee into the sea, and be no more found. Then will be heard a great voice out of heaven-the general shout of angelssaying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,