Saviour. In the New Testament, however, it is obviously employed with reference to the establishment of the Christian religion by Christ and his apostles. The kingdom of God, observes the late Mr. R. Hall, is "a phrase which is constantly employed in Scripture to denote that state of things which is placed under the avowed administration of the Messiah, and which consequently could not precede his personal appearance. But during his residence on earth, until his resurrection, this kingdom is uniformly represented as future, though near at hand.” (Works vol. ii. p. 190.)

Let us seriously consider the following citations. "If I cast out devils by the spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." (Matt. xii. 28.) That our Saviour did eject demons at that time is unquestionable. The Apostles were directed to say to those among whom they performed miracles, "The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." (Luke x. 9.) The evangelist Luke thus expresses himself, "The kingdom of God is within you." This intimates its existence at the time, in the hearts of believers, and accords with the apostle's statement when writing to the Romans: "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Rom. xiv. 17.) But the true rendering of the ori

ginal is, "The kingdom of God is among you," which is very express as to this point. An attempt has been made to neutralize the force of this declaration, by referring to the occasion of the parable spoken by our Lord respecting the nobleman who went into a far country. He had said to Zaccheus, "This day is salvation come to this house ;" and "because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear;" he, correcting this notion by the representation of the ten talents given to be employed for the benefit of the owner of an estate in his absence. The sense is sufficiently plain. They thought as he had said salvation is come, and as he was going to Jerusalem, that the temporal kingdom which they imagined he came to establish, was about to be set up in the Jewish capital. He intimates that they did not comprehend the nature of his kingdom, for in fact its being revealed or made to appear (which is the sense of the original) in its fullest glory would be at another time, and in a different manner from what they anticipated. The term revealed or made to appear, may be viewed as strikingly illustrative, by contrasting it with the fact of his frequent efforts to conceal his miracles and his glory. In writing to the Colossians, Paul adverts to the conversion of believers, in these words, "who hath delivered

us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." Although, therefore, the kingdom of Christ will be inexpressibly more glorious than it was at its commencement, or than it has hitherto appeared, it seems impossible scripturally to deny its present existence, or that the stone has begun the predicted work of demolition, which will issue in its own expansion into "a great mountain."

For the more complete elucidation of this prophecy, let us advert to the corresponding vision contained in the seventh chapter, which we may do without unduly anticipating the explanations to be hereafter given.

Having represented by symbolical figures, different from those already mentioned, the succession of empires, Daniel describes an appearance which he beheld of " the Ancient of days" coming to judge the power which had been pre-eminent for idolatry, will-worship, and a persecuting spirit, and to take away the dominion of the other nations, though their political existence should be pro longed. This is evidently a magnificent per sonification of the Deity as " the Father ever lasting." The epithet "Son of man" points out with equal precision and certainty, "Christ the Lord," who is represented as coming" in the clouds of heaven" to the Ancient of days,

to receive" dominion, glory, and a kingdom" which should be indestructible. Upon asking of one that stood by for an explanation of this extraordinary scene, the prophet is told that "the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever." It is added that "the kingdom and dominion, and greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him."

Here it is observable that though the Ancient of days is said to give the Son of man a kingdom; the saints are characterized as the saints of the Most High; and in the 27th verse, the kingdom which they possess and which he has given is, nevertheless, still declared to be his kingdom, so that all dominions shall serve and obey him. The reason of this I presume to be, that, as Son of God, Christ will reign over the mediatorial kingdom, which will finally be, as the apostle declares, delivered up to the Father, (1 Cor. xv. 24), at which period the outward form or mode of Messiah's separate government will subside into the universal and immortal empire of Deity. This idea appears to be expressed at the close of the 18th verse by the addition and reduplication of the words "for ever”—“ even for ever and ever."

The saints of the Most High are said to "take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom." The former expression must either signify secular or spiritual subjugation-a military or moral conquest. But the progress of the gospel, or the possession which it will ultimately obtain, cannot be supposed to be by the "right and power" of human prowess. No principle of christianity appears to suggest or to sanction the formation of armies to subjugate nations to its authority, and enforce its establishment by the sword. If, therefore, it be a moral or spiritual dominion, the "taking possession of the kingdom" must imply the prevalence of christianity over secular interests, idolatrous worship, and ecclesiastical domination. Christ will be acknowledged as universal king, and christians, or the saints, constitute his subjects. If the saints, then, are to take as well as hold possession of the kingdom, it must be either by the means of temporal power, or by the diffusion of their principles. Can we, then, in consistence with the nature of Christianity, suppose that this occupation is by any other means than the communication of knowledge, and the promotion of purity, good will, and obedience to Christ?

Let it be further examined what explanation he himself gave of the nature of his kingdom when his mistaking disciples, whose