The angel, in announcing the conception of our Saviour, said, "thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David ; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke i. 31-33.) 3. In his character and attributes, he is worthy of the government, and in his nature he is adapted to it.

1. He is worthy.

...

Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, i. 1-13, say's, (turn to the reference.). Isaiah says, ix. 6, 7, .. (turn to this reference.) Hence, he is worthy.

2. His nature is well adapted to exercise the regal office, in such a kingdom.

The kingdom is the kingdom of the God of heaven. The kingdom is an eternal kingdom.

The kingdom is in this world, and this world is material.

Christ is qualified for authority in the kingdom of God, because he is his Son.

He is qualified for authority in an eternal kingdom, because he is eternal.

He is qualified for authority in this world, because he has redeemed it.

And he is adapted to reign in a material world, because, in connection with his spiritual nature, he also, has a sensible and material body.

That the "Word" was "in the beginning with God," and that the" Word was God," we do believe, and that the Word, since he "was made flesh and dwelt among us," has possessed a body of flesh and bones, we believe

also. The angel, who was sent to Mary, said, "Therefore, that holy thing, which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God." (Luke i. 35.) Christ, while in the days of his humility, slept, waked, sat, walked, rode, labored, rested, rejoiced, and suffered. When appearing to his disciples, after his resurrection, they being terrified and affrighted, supposing that they had seen a spirit, he said, “Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I, myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. Have ye here any meat?" (Luke xxiv. 38, 39, and 41.) And they gave him a piece of broiled fish and of a honey comb. (42d verse.) And in Acts x. 41, we are informed, that he appeared unto his chosen witnesses, his disciples, openly, and that they did both "eat and drink with him after he arose from the dead;" and, having been seen of them forty days, (i. 3,) it was declared, at his ascension, that "This same Jesus" which was taken up into heaven, should "so come," "in like manner," as he was seen to go into heaven. (11th verse.) Christ, in his human nature, then, is man; and also the son of David, because the son of Mary, a daughter of David's line; and, though he is the "Wonderful Counsellor"-the "Mighty God" -the "Everlasting Father," yet, he is the "child born," the "son given;” (Isa. ix. 6,) and, as he is the “root," so, also, is he the "offspring, of David—the bright and morning star,' (Rev. xxii. 16,) and, being the offspring of David, of the race of Adam, he partook of Adam's blood, or life, for the life of flesh is "the blood thereof," (Gen. ix. 4,) yet, without the contamination of Adam's nature, because brought into being by the immediate "power of

the Highest." But this life, the life derived from the blood of Adam, he forever laid down, when he spilled his blood for sinners; and is now animated by his own eternal spirit-for, "so it is written, The first man, Adam, was made a living soul, the last Adam, a quickening spirit"-(1 Cor. xv. 45). Christ is, then, in all respects, qualified to reign and rule, in a kingdom which is eternal and yet material and real. He has been our prophet, is our priest, and will be our king.

Let us inquire who will be the subjects of this king. dom. Our text says, "The kingdom shall not be left to other people," which clearly affirms, that the people of the kingdom shall be a distinct people, a separate, select class of people, with whom other people' shall have no inheritance. Who the other people' are, to whom this kingdom "shall not be left," we are not here expressly told; but, on reflection, we shall certainly come to a definite conclusion, both in regard to the rightful occupants and to these—for, if this kingdom is set up by the "God of heaven," in a sense more peculiar, than he can be said to have set up the other kingdoms, then, the subsects of this kingdom must be peculiarly his, and all that is peculiar in the "other people," may be, that they are not his. This deduction is strictly confirmed by Daniel vii. 18 and 27, where, when speaking of this same kingdom, he says: "But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever." "And the kingdom and dominion, and the 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." The sub

jects of this kingdom, then, are the "saints of the Most High," those who, through much tribulation, have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Rev. vii. 14.)

Therefore, we see, that Christ and the Redeemed by his blood, constitute the executive and the occupants of the kingdom in the text-and the New Jerusalem, we may well expect, will be the metropolis;-the New Jerusalem, and not the "Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children, but Jerusalem which is above" and "is free;" (Gal. iv. 25, 26,)—that city for which Abraham looked," which hath foundations, whose maker and builder is God;" (Heb. xi. 10)-for, when, in revelation, St. John saw this kingdom established, he says "I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."—" And I saw the New Jerusalem coming down from God, out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."—" I saw no temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb, are the temple of it."-" And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.". '-"And the nations of them which are saved, shall walk in the light of it."-" And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither worketh abomination, or a lie, but, they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."-" And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away."

"I make all things new! *** These words are true and faithful. ***** It is done!-I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.—I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But, the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolators, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone"!! (See Rev. xxi.)