Indeed the whole parable will appear (to them that can leave the common road of interpretation, and ingenuously weigh the passages and preface thereof) to aim at Christ's next coming to set up such a kingdom, as shall not only perfect the spiritual deliverance of the Gentiles, but also perform the temporal deliverance of the Jews from their dispersion and corporal miseries. For the natural current of the parable runs thus: Christ being near Jerusalem, the Jews thought the kingdom of God would immediately appear. Doubtless, it was far from their thoughts, in the captive condition they were now in, to expect the appearance of the kingdom of glory in heaven: for the hundreds of promises of their deliverance from the corporal captivity were not fulfilled; and they little minded the kingdom of grace; while the better sort, (viz. the disciples and believers,) had seen it appear already. Therefore it is the other kingdom of Christ, viz. that of his visible power and rule, to deliver them from their corporal enemies, that they supposed would immediately appear. Now to this Christ saith, as it were, "It will not immediately appear; but I must first go into heaven, and there be instated, and crowned King, and after that come again and actually and visibly reign. In the mean while, you, whom I have endowed with gifts, must employ them; and at my return, as a sign of my visible actual power, I will take account of you, and cause mine enemies that oppose my visible reigning to be slain before me." Again bear in mind, that at the ultimate day of judgement Christ receives no kingdom, but resigns all his kingdom, power, and dominion. (1 Cor. xv, 28.)

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Daniel vii, 11-28.

This place throws much light on the parable just noticed. In verses 11 and 12, the four beasts, (that is, the four monarchies ; for it is expounded at verse 17, that the four great beasts are four kings,) are slain; and instead of them Daniel sees in a vision, one like the Son of Man, come with the clouds of "heaven, to the ancient of days, and they brought him near "before him." This notably agrees with the parable which describes Christ as going into a far country, to receive to himself a kingdom, and to return; which return, according to this

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place of Daniel, will be visibly in the clouds. And (saith Daniel,) "There was given to him, that was like the Son of

Man, dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages shall serve him:" just as in Luke, (according to the Greek) he returned receiving the kingdom.* When he visibly returned, he received a kingdom here below; else why did he return ?

Jeremiah xxv, 5, 6.

"Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto "David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, " and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely, and " this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR "RIGHTEOUSNESS."

First, it is evident from the last clause, that the Lord Christ is the person here meant, it being his incommunicable name.s Secondly, it is as apparent, by the whole series of Jeremiah's prophecy, that this relates to the times after Judah's captivity in Babylon, Israel having been carried away captive long before. Lastly, it is beyond all objection, that Christ did never yet so reign upon earth as this text holds forth, as may be made appear with few words.

1st. Christ must reign and prosper; that is, must be every way glorious and successful, so that Judah and Israel shall own him for their king, and call him, "The Lord their righteousness." 2dly. He shall execute justice and judgement in the earth: it is not said, he shall preach justice or judgement, or execute it in heavenly places; but he shall execute it, and upon or in the earth. 3dly. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely, being gathered out of all countries. But the Lord Christ did never yet thus reign: for instead of reigning and prospering in the eyes of Israel and Judah, he was as a branch blasted, a thing accursed,t so that the Jews generally disowned him, proceeding against him as a malefactor, guilty of

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εν τῳ επανελθειν αυτον λαβοντα την βασιλειαν, which Arias renders in redire ipsum accipientem regnum. $ Acts iv, 12; 2 Cor. v, 21. t Isa. liii, 3, 4, &c.

many of the highest crimes. And for matters of justice and judgement in the earth, he refused to meddle with the smallest matters, even to give his opinion touching the adulteress, or to divide the inheritance.u Neither did Israel then or ever return from captivity, and dwell safely: if indeed we might say Judah did, at Christ's first coming in the flesh, which is doubtful, because they were then under the Heathen Roman power as conquered and tributaries.v

Nor may any put this off, with Christ's spiritual reigning; for this he always did from the creation: but this is in the future tense, the days are coming in which he shall reign; which signifies his reigning so as he never did before.

I shall now bring forward three other texts, which it is sufficient to read only, without any comment, to shew that Christ will visibly appear at the great restauration of his Church. I will only premise, in regard to all three, that the things contained in them have never yet been fulfilled; and that they are wholly unsuited to the general opinion of the character of things, as they will be after the final day of judgement.

Zechariah ii, 10-12,

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for lo I come, and " will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many "nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in the midst of thee, &c; and "the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the Holy Land, " and shall choose Jerusalem again." Compare this with Zech. xiv, 4-9. "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives," -" and the Lord shall be King over all the "earth: in that day there shall be one Lord, and his name one."

Micah, iv, 1-8.

"In the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of "the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the " mountains, and many nations shall come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord."-" And He shall judge

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among many people, and rebuke the nations afar off; and they " shall beat their swords into ploughshares: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; but they shall sit every man under his vine, and under "his fig-tree, and none shall make them afraid."-" In that day " I will assemble her that halteth, and will gather her that was "driven out, and her that I have afflicted, and I will make her "that was cast off a strong nation, and the Lord shall reign over “them in mount Zion, from henceforth and for ever."

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Zephaniah iii, 14-20.

Sing O daughter of Zion; shout O Israel, &c. the Lord hath "taken away thy judgements, he hath cast out thine enemy.

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The King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee, &c. " In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not, &c. "the Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save,

" he will rejoice over thee with joy. I will gather them that

are sorrowful. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict "thee; I will gather her that was driven out; and I will get "them praise and fame in every land, where they have been put " to shame, &c."

From the foregoing Scriptures I would have the reader observe, that Christ must be a king visibly, i. e. it must visibly appear that he is a king, or else men that are only influenced by their senses, and not by the Spirit nor by faith, will never be convinced: whereas the main intent of Christ's visible appearance is, that the kings of the earth, and all men drowned in sensuality, shall come and submit to his kingdom.w

And is there not reason that the KING of kings, the Son of Man, should be as completely and apparently King, as the kings that are under him? They have not only authority by writs, warrants, proclamations, &c. to punish or encourage by their officers; but they are visibly crowned, sit in the throne, bear the sceptre, and are attended upon all just occasions with a visible power. It is but equity therefore that Christ also should not only have sovereign authority, but also a visible power, so as he may visibly appear to his very enemies to be "King over all the earth." Yea, as earthly kings have a providential care over all their subjects, even to the punishing of the rebellious; so also have they their secret way of insinuation and ingratiating towards their favourites; and their manifest glorious presence at court, in the metropolitan and most magnificent place of the kingdom. Therefore, this at least must be equally allowed to Christ: viz. a providential power over all the world; a spiritual efficacy over his kingdom of grace, or visible Church; and a visible glorious reigning over all his true saints.

But Christ is not now King in glory in the highest heavens with and over all his saints; for all shall not be there (even according to the common tenet) till the Lord Christ hath resigned all his power. And then (according to the common tenet again,) when he hath brought all the elect souls to their bodies by a resurrection, and changed them whom he finds alive at his coming, and so brought them all to ultimate glory, just then he lays down all his authority, and delivers up the kingdom! so that he doth not reign with and over all his saints in ultimate glory at all.

But, according to the foregoing Scriptures, he must be a visible King of visible glory over the Church, made very glorious upon earth at his next appearance, before the ultimate judgement. It is a great comfort to those departed, that their bodies shall not lie in the grave so long as to the ultimate judgement, when all the wicked shall be raised; (as is evident, by comparing verse 2, &c. of Rev. xx, with verse 8, &c.) and it is a great comfort to them who shall be alive at his coming, and that have waited for him faithfully to the last and worst of the tragedy of evil times.

Finally, Christ must as visibly succeed in government the four metalsy and the four beasts, (both signifying the four monarchies,) as these four did visibly precede him in government.a "The God of heaven shall set up a kingdom, which " shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to