{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_24759/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_24759","id":"gutenberg_24759","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24759","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Religion/Spirituality","Heaven -- Biblical teaching","Jesus Christ -- Kingdom"],"text":"Produced by Colin Bell, Sam W. and the Online Distributed\nProofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n                THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN;\n\n                     WHAT IS IT?\n\n\n                         BY\n\n                EDWARD BURBIDGE, M.A.\n            RECTOR OF BACKWELL, SOMERSET.\n\n\n PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE TRACT COMMITTEE.\n\n\n                       LONDON:\n     SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE;\n        NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE, CHARING CROSS;\n       4, ROYAL EXCHANGE; AND 48, PICCADILLY.\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\n\nThere is nothing new in the following pages; except it be that they\ncall popular attention to facts which have been commonly recognised\nonly by scholars.\n\nBut I am aware that their contents will appear novel to many; and to\nremove this idea some extracts are here given from the Commentaries in\ngeneral use.\n\n1. Bishop Wordsworth on S. Matt. xiii. 3; \"This chapter may be\ndescribed as containing a Divine Treatise on the Church Militant here\non earth.\"\n\n2. Dean Alford on S. Matt. xiii. 52; \"The seven Parables compose in\ntheir inner depth of connexion, a great united whole, beginning with\nthe first sowing of the Church, and ending with the consummation.\"\n\n3. The Speaker's Commentary on S. Matt. iii. 2; \"It--the Kingdom of\nHeaven--signifies the promised Kingdom of the Messiah. Hence the\nexpectation of the Messiah is spoken of as a _waiting for the Kingdom\nof God_. Our Lord, adopts the expression and frequently employs it to\ndenote His Spiritual Kingdom the Church.\"\n\n4. Bishop Walsham How (S. P. C. K. Commentary) on S. Matt. iii. 2;\n\"It--the Kingdom of Heaven--is generally used to signify the Kingdom\nof Christ on earth, the Kingdom of the Gospel, the Church of Christ.\"\n\nI desire also to remove by anticipation a fear that some may feel,\nlest, in regarding the Gospel as being the good news of the Kingdom of\nHeaven, the great doctrine of the Atonement should be forgotten. Such\nan idea is refuted by the words of Holy Scripture. For not only is the\nPreaching of our Blessed Lord, before He suffered, thus described--see\nS. Mark i. 14--but also the teaching of S. Paul, in later years, who\ngloried in knowing only \"Jesus Christ and Him crucified\"--see Acts xx.\n25.\n\nMy object has been to provide an answer to two questions.\n\n1. What did our Blessed Lord teach about His Church in His discourses?\n\n2. What is meant by the words of the Creed, \"The Holy Catholic Church;\nthe Communion of Saints?\"\n\nMay these pages help men to gain an intelligent knowledge of that\nKingdom, into which our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has called us.\nMay they lead many to desire the fulfilment of His last prayer for us\nbefore His Passion, \"That they all may be one.\" And may every word in\nthis little book, which is not in accordance with God's will, be\npardoned, and overruled to His Glory.\n\n    BACKWELL, _August 1879_.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n\n  CHAPTER                                                   PAGE\n\n     I. THE KING'S HERALD                                      7\n\n    II. THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM                             18\n\n   III. THE PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM                           32\n\n    IV. THE SUBJECTS OF THE KINGDOM                           50\n\n     V. THINGS PERTAINING TO THE KINGDOM                      66\n\n    VI. THE KING ON HIS THRONE                                76\n\n   VII. THE PARABLES EXEMPLIFIED IN THE EARLY HISTORY\n          OF THE CHURCH                                       88\n\n  VIII. THE ESSENTIAL UNITY OF THE KINGDOM                    99\n\n    IX. THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH                             121\n\n     X. THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS                              145\n\n    XI. CONCLUSION                                           160\n\n\n\n\n\"_Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall\nbelieve on ME through their word; that they all may be one; as THOU\nFATHER art in ME, and I in THEE, that they also may be one in US; that\nthe world may believe that Thou hast sent ME._\"--S. John xvii. 20, 21.\n\n\"_When THOU hadst overcome the sharpness of death: THOU didst open the\nKINGDOM OF HEAVEN to all believers._\"--Te Deum.\n\n\"_THY KINGDOM come._\"--S. Matt. vi. 10.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nTHE KING'S HERALD.\n\n    \"On Jordan's banks the Baptist's cry\n      Announces that the Lord is nigh;\n    Awake and hearken, for he brings\n      Glad tidings of the King....\"\n\n\nWhen the Saviour of the world was about to enter upon His public\nministry, the Jewish nation was startled with the cry, \"The Kingdom of\nHeaven is at hand\" (S. Matt. iii. 2).\n\nSuch was God's call to His people of old time, to prepare themselves\nto take part in the fulfilment of the promises, on which their faith\nand hopes were founded. The fulness of the times had come; and Christ,\nthe long-promised and long-expected Saviour and King, was nigh at\nhand.\n\nAnd ever since that day, as the good news of the Kingdom has spread\nfrom land to land, it has been the portion of the Lord's people to\nendeavour to realise their high position in that Kingdom, and to\ndischarge their duties loyally to their Heavenly King.\n\nBut the words--\"The Kingdom of Heaven\"--are apt to lead away the\nthoughts from the present to the future, from this world to a better\none. And since men are not in Heaven now, but are surrounded with\nearthly cares and troubles, there is danger lest they should forget or\nbe ignorant of the intimate connection which these words have with\ntheir daily life as Christians, and with its duties, privileges, and\nblessings.\n\nAnd yet the practical importance of this subject to Christian men and\nwomen will be seen clearly after a moment's consideration. For any\none, who is at all acquainted with the words of Holy Scripture, will\nrecall to mind at once the frequent reference to \"The Kingdom of\nHeaven\" in the Gospels. And though it will probably seem a somewhat\nstartling assertion to most persons, yet it is nevertheless a true\none, that from the day when our Lord began His public ministry, until\nHe ascended into Heaven, His teaching was almost wholly occupied with\nthis one subject--\"The Kingdom of Heaven.\" And it is the purpose of\nthe following pages to bring together the various statements about\nit, in such a way as to lead to a clear understanding of \"The Kingdom\nof Heaven\"--what it is--and of our position in this Kingdom, with its\npresent blessings, privileges and duties, and its future glories.\n\n\"The Kingdom of Heaven\"--What is it?\n\nThere are three things which are necessarily included in the idea of a\nKingdom--a King to rule over it; subjects to be ruled; and a place\nwhere they dwell. And since it is necessary, if we would enquire into\nthe nature of \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" first of all to understand\nclearly who is the King, and who and where are His subjects, let us\nbegin with taking a general view of these chief points; and then\nafterwards enter more fully into the consideration of the various\npassages of Holy Scripture which describe the details of the Kingdom.\n\nThe Jews expected the Messiah as their King. And when the Wise Men\ncame from the East, and asked \"Where is He that is born King of the\nJews\" (S. Matt. ii. 2), we read that King Herod referred their enquiry\nto those who were learned in the Scriptures, in this form, \"He\ndemanded of them where Christ\"--i.e. Messiah, The Anointed\nOne[1]--\"should be born\" (S. Matt. ii. 4). And that there should be no\ndoubt at all about the person of the King, so long expected, God in\nHis providence had arranged that one should go before Him to announce\nHis coming. For John the Baptist acted as a herald going before a\nking, proclaiming his approach. And this was the proclamation, \"Repent\nye; for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand\" (S. Matt. iii. 2). And then\nthe Herald declared that he was come as foretold by the prophet\nIsaiah, and that the people must prepare at once to receive their\nKing, saying, \"I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make\nstraight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias\" (S. John i.\n23; Isaiah xl. 3).\n\nThe proclamation of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" by John the Baptist\ndefined the exact time in the world's history when this Kingdom took\nits rise. And our Lord afterwards called express attention to this,\nsaying, \"The Law and the Prophets were until John: since that time the\nKingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it[2]\" (S.\nLuke xvi. 16). And because John was only the Herald going before, and\nwas not himself enrolled as a subject of the Kingdom, He added, (after\nreferring to the greatness of John the Baptist), \"Notwithstanding, he\nthat is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he\" (S. Matt.\nxi. 11).\n\nThus we are assured that \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" began from the\nproclamation of John the Baptist; and, therefore, we know for certain\nthat the Lord Jesus Christ, whose coming he proclaimed, is the King of\nthis Kingdom.\n\nThis is the great truth which forms the foundation of all the teaching\nof the New Testament; and it is of the utmost importance to have a\nclear idea of it. The Lord Jesus Christ came to be the Saviour of the\nworld by becoming King of a spiritual Kingdom of grace and blessing,\nwhose subjects were to be purchased and redeemed by His own Blood shed\nupon the Cross. He was not merely the greatest of God-inspired\nteachers: but He came to found God's Kingdom upon earth, and to rule\nin love over the hearts of men of all nations and ages, and thus\nprepare them for life everlasting. And when Nicodemus, one of the\nrulers of the Jews, thus addressed Him, \"We know that thou art a\nteacher come from God,\" He at once endeavoured to lead him to grasp\nthis truth, by the abrupt reply, \"Verily, verily, I say unto thee,\nExcept a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God;\" and\nagain, \"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot\nenter into the Kingdom of God\" (S. John iii. 2-5). In other words, men\nmust not merely listen to His teaching; but they must have their eyes\nopened to see Him as the promised King, and receive the principle of a\nnew Life as His subjects; or, else, His coming would be in vain.\n\nTaking now as our starting-point the great truth that the Lord Jesus\nChrist came to found a Kingdom, our next enquiry must be respecting\nthe subjects or citizens of this Kingdom.\n\nWho are the subjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven?\"\n\nOne of the woes pronounced by our Lord against the Scribes and\nPharisees was for this, \"Ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men;\nye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering\nto go in\" (S. Matt. xxiii. 13). They would not themselves enter this\nKingdom by accepting Him as Christ the King; and they hindered others\nfrom doing so. The Jews had thought themselves to be the subjects of\nGod, whilst all the rest of the world were castaways. But from these\nwords, as well as from those referred to above, which were spoken to\nNicodemus, we conclude that the subjects of Messiah's Kingdom are\nthey, and only they, who \"believe and confess that Jesus is the\nChrist, the Son of God\" (1 S. John iv. 15, v. 1), and, having thus\naccepted Him as their King, have been admitted by a formal act into\nHis Kingdom.\n\nWhen the Herald proclaimed \"The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand\" (S.\nMatt. iii. 2), he was calling upon the whole Jewish people to enter\ninto it. But the call to enter Messiah's Kingdom was not to be\nconfined to the Jews. It was to be published far and wide throughout\nthe world.\n\nThe Prophets had foretold a day when \"The Gentiles shall come to Thy\nlight, and kings to the brightness of Thy rising\" (Isaiah lx. 3), and\nthat \"in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not My people,\nthere it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God\"\n(Hosea i. 10). And this was now about to be fulfilled. And in the\nhomage which the Wise Men from the East paid to the infant Saviour,\n\"born King of the Jews,\" we see the first sign that free and full\nsalvation was henceforth placed within the reach of all the nations of\nthe world without distinction. And thus it came to pass that, in after\nyears, the Apostles addressed their converts, taken equally from\namongst Jews and Gentiles, in such words as these, \"God hath called\nyou unto His Kingdom and glory\" (1 Thess. ii. 12); God \"hath\ntranslated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son\" (Col. i. 13).\n\nIn other words, \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" is a real Kingdom, though a\nspiritual and heavenly one. The Lord Jesus Christ is King, and all\nthe nations of the world are called to be His subjects.\n\nAnd where is \"The Kingdom of Heaven\"?\n\nThe answer is clear. Wherever they are who have accepted the King and\nbeen admitted as His subjects.\n\n\"The Kingdom _of_ Heaven\" is not as yet _in_ Heaven, so far as its\nsubjects are concerned. It is true that the King Himself has ascended\nHis throne in Heaven. And as members of Christ we share in some degree\nin the exaltation of our Head, so that S. Paul does not hesitate to\nsay of the Lord's people here on earth, God \"hath raised us up\ntogether and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus\"\n(Ephes. ii. 6). But such words seem to apply to that part of our\nnature to which our hopes and affections belong. So far as our duties\nand difficulties are concerned, we are still surrounded with earthly\ntemptations. We are still in a state of trial here, however much we\nmay be looking for and longing after our home. And Heaven will not be\nopened to receive the subjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" until the\nGreat Day, when they will be welcomed with the words, \"Come, ye\nblessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you\" (S. Matt.\nxxv. 34).\n\nChrist's Kingdom \"is not of this world\" (S. John xviii. 36), as He\ndeclared plainly to Pilate when he questioned Him about Himself. But\nfor the present we may consider that, practically speaking, it is _in_\nthe world though not _of_ it. For its subjects are not yet in Heaven:\nbut are partly at rest in Paradise; partly here on earth still warring\nagainst evil.\n\nWe can now express in few words the chief points respecting the nature\nof that \"Kingdom of Heaven\" which John the Baptist, in his office as\nHerald, proclaimed to be \"at hand.\"\n\nThe Lord Jesus Christ came to found a Kingdom. He is the King of \"The\nKingdom of Heaven.\"\n\nAll who will accept Him as their King--all the men and women and\nlittle children in the world, of every land and of every age--may be\nadmitted as the subjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven.\" For \"He died for\nall\" (2 Cor. v. 15).\n\nAnd \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" though it is a spiritual and heavenly\nKingdom, is as yet here on earth, and will not be in Heaven, until the\nsubjects of the King have been tried and found faithful, and the\nnumber of the elect shall be accomplished.\n\nIt follows that the statements of Holy Scripture respecting \"The\nKingdom of Heaven,\" which are to be considered in the following pages,\nrefer not merely to the world to come--to that which we commonly\nunderstand by the word Heaven--but to that Kingdom which has been\nfounded here on earth; and into which, as Christians, we have been\nalready called. And the subject becomes of infinite importance to us\nall, when it is understood that \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" is, at this\npresent time, that Kingdom of grace in which we may obtain salvation\nthrough our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He has called us all to be\nsubjects of this Kingdom now, that, by obtaining a share in His\nprecious merits, we may be brought into a state of present salvation;\nand that, by continuing in this state through His grace, we may be\nrecognised as His subjects in that great day, when the Kingdom of\nGrace will have become the Kingdom of Glory Everlasting.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[1] Christ is the Greek word which corresponds with the Hebrew word\nMessiah, meaning \"The Anointed One.\" Amongst the Jews three classes of\nmen were anointed to their official duties--Prophets, Priests, and\nKings. And the name \"Messiah\" implied that they expected the Deliverer\nto bear office in these ways; and especially as King, the highest of\nthese offices.\n\n[2] In a similar passage of S. Matthew the difficult expression\noccurs, \"The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent\ntake it by force\" (S. Matt. xi. 12); but the meaning seems to be the\nsame. Our Lord was calling attention to the fact that the expected\nKing had come and His Kingdom was open to the eager zeal of such as\nwould seize upon it and press into it.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nTHE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM.\n\n    \"This is He whom Seers in old time\n      Chanted of with one accord;\n    Whom the voices of the Prophets\n      Promised in their faithful word.\"\n\n\nWe have seen that, in the providence of God, John the Baptist was sent\nto proclaim to the world that \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" was at hand, and\nto point out the King. And as soon as the Herald had raised the\nexpectation of men by the proclamation of the coming Kingdom, our Lord\nbegan His public ministry, the great object of which was the founding\nof His Kingdom for the salvation of the world. And, as S. Matthew\ntells us, He \"went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues and\npreaching the Gospel of the Kingdom\" (S. Matt. iv. 23); or, as S. Mark\nrelates, \"After that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee\npreaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, The time is\nfulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe\nthe Gospel\" (S. Mark i. 14, 15).\n\nThus the King took up and continued the message of His Herald, only\nadding to John the Baptist's preaching of repentance the call to\nbelieve the Gospel--to have faith in the good tidings which He came to\ntell of the Kingdom of Heaven and of God. And from this time to the\nend of His ministry we find that the Gospel of the Kingdom was the\ncontinual subject of His teaching. Thus S. Luke records that He\ndeclared once to a multitude which would detain Him, \"I must preach\nthe Kingdom of God to other cities also; for therefore am I sent\" (S.\nLuke iv. 43). And, a few chapters after, we read, \"It came to pass\nafterward that He went throughout every city and village, preaching\nand showing the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God\" (S. Luke viii. 1).\nAnd then, after a while, \"He called His twelve disciples together, and\ngave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.\nAnd He sent them to preach the Kingdom of God\" (S. Luke ix. 1, 2). And\nhaving thus spent the years of His public ministry in publishing the\ngood news of the Kingdom, He declared towards the end of it, as He was\nforetelling to His disciples the signs of His future coming to\njudgment, \"And this Gospel[3] of the Kingdom shall be preached in all\nthe world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come\"\n(S. Matt. xxiv. 14).\n\nAnd what is the Gospel of the Kingdom?\n\nTo form the answer we must look to the general teaching which runs\nthrough the Bible. As soon as Adam fell from his high estate as God's\nchild, the Deliverer was promised, \"who should bruise the serpent's\nhead\" (Gen. iii. 15). Ages passed with only a dim hope of a coming\nSaviour; until at length God gave to Abraham the distinct promise that\nthe Deliverer should arise from his posterity; saying, \"In thy seed\nshall all the families of the earth be blessed\" (Gen. xxii. 18).\nAgain ages passed; and David was raised up from amongst the\ndescendants of Abraham, and of the predicted tribe of Judah, and to\nhim the promise was made, \"Thine house and thy kingdom shall be\nestablished for ever before thee; thy throne shall be established for\never\" (2 Sam. vii. 16). We know that princes of the family of David\nsucceeded one another on the throne for 450 years, until the Jews were\ncarried into captivity; but we learn from the Psalms that it had been\nrevealed to David himself that this promise was not to be fulfilled in\nany such earthly and temporal manner. And his faith and hopes are\nexpressed continually in glowing words, describing a Kingdom of\nMessiah, which should be universal and without end, a Kingdom of\nrighteousness and peace.\n\nThus in Psalm ii. the nations of the world are represented in\nrebellion against God and the Messiah. \"Why do the heathen rage, and\nthe people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set\nthemselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord,\nand against His Anointed\" (Ps. ii. 1, 2), i.e. Messiah--Christ. And\nthen the decree of the universal sovereignty of Messiah is\nproclaimed: \"I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me,\nThou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of me, and I shall\ngive Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts\nof the earth for Thy possession\" (Ps. ii. 7, 8). Then in Psalm xxii,\nafter the mysterious sufferings of Messiah have been set forth, His\nKingdom is again proclaimed as universal: \"All the ends of the world\nshall remember and turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the\nnations shall worship before Thee\" (Ps. xxii. 27). And, to pass over\nother passages, in Psalm lxxii. Messiah's everlasting reign of\nrighteousness and peace is described in glowing words: \"They shall\nfear Thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all\ngenerations. In His days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance\nof peace so long as the moon endureth. All kings shall fall down\nbefore Him; all nations shall serve Him. His Name shall endure for\never; and men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him\nblessed[4]\" (Ps. lxxii. 5, 7, 11, 17).\n\nMany years passed; and then Isaiah proclaimed in prophecy, \"Behold a\nKing shall reign in righteousness\" (Isai. xxxii. 1); and in many a\nglowing passage described the peace and glory of His Kingdom. And\nJeremiah yet more clearly announced, \"Behold the days come, saith the\nLord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King\nshall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the\nearth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell\nsafely; and this is His name whereby He shall be called, The Lord our\nRighteousness\" (Jer. xxiii. 5, 6). And Daniel was directed to explain\nthe king's dream, as a vision of earthly empires, which should be\noverpowered \"by the Stone cut out without hands;\" for \"the God of\nHeaven shall set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the\nKingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in\npieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever\"\n(Dan. ii. 44, 45). And Zechariah sang, \"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of\nZion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto\nthee\" (Zech. ix. 9).\n\nMany years were yet to pass before the fulfilment of these promises\nshould be commenced, through the setting up of the everlasting\nsovereignty of Messiah. But at last the fulness of time was come; and\nthe Angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary at Nazareth, and after\naddressing her as the favoured mother of Messiah, declared of her Son,\n\"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and\nthe Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David; and\nHe shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of His Kingdom\nthere shall be no end\" (S. Luke i. 32, 33).\n\nThis then was the Gospel--the Gospel of the Kingdom--the Gospel of\nGod. The good news was published abroad that the long-promised King of\nthe seed of David was come. Messiah's Kingdom was to be set up; and\nall men were invited to enter in and be saved.\n\nThe King Himself went forth to preach the good news, and to describe\nHis Kingdom and the character of His subjects. But by what means could\nHe persuade the people that He was their King? We often wonder that\nthe Jews were so slow to believe in Him; but perhaps we do not realise\ntheir difficulties. There was one great obstacle which stopped all\nbut a very few from accepting Him. And it was this. \"The Kingdom of\nHeaven\" which He preached as the Kingdom of Messiah was altogether\ndifferent from anything which they had expected, because it was a\nspiritual Kingdom. No doubt the words of the Psalmist and of the\nProphets ought to have led them to expect the Son of God as King. And,\nif they had nurtured any real love of God in their hearts, they would\nhave been ready to become His subjects. But it was not so. They\nexpected a conqueror to free them from the yoke of their enemies. And\nthe enemies which He came to conquer were spiritual--the great enemy\nof the whole human race--not the earthly foes of the one race of\nIsrael. They expected the glory and pomp which are the outward signs\nof the authority to rule; and they could not understand the position\nwhich He claimed to hold who had come in such humility that He said,\n\"The Son of Man hath not where to lay His head\" (S. Matt. viii. 20).\n\"Tell us,\" they said, \"by what authority doest thou these things?\" (S.\nLuke xx. 2). And, therefore, we need not seek far to find the reason\nof the small success which followed the preaching of the Gospel of the\nKingdom. Only a spiritual power can move men in spiritual things, and\na man must first give himself up to the guidance of the Holy Spirit\nbefore He can take in spiritual truths. If men resist the teaching of\nGod, no evidence will move them. \"If they hear not Moses and the\nProphets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the\ndead\" (S. Luke xvi. 31). \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" could not be set up\nuntil the Holy Ghost was given[5], because the Jews were not prepared\nto accept Messiah as the King of a spiritual Kingdom; and only the\nHoly Ghost could move the hearts of men to desire spiritual blessings,\nand to hope for spiritual rewards.\n\nSo our Blessed Lord preached the Gospel of the Kingdom to unwilling\nhearts; and was compelled to \"upbraid the cities wherein most of His\nmighty works were done, because they repented not\" (S. Matt. xi. 20).\nOnly the few received Him--the few who were \"babes\" in spirit--whilst\n\"the wise and prudent\" (S. Matt. xi. 25) rejected Him.\n\nThere were two kinds of evidence to which He continually appealed in\nHis arguments with the Jewish rulers in proof of His claims upon their\nhearts. The first was the direct testimony of John the Baptist: \"Ye\nsent unto John and he bare witness unto the truth\" (S. John v. 33).\nFor \"when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him,\nWho art thou? he confessed, I am not the Christ\" (S. John i. 19, 20).\n\"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the\nLamb of God\" (S. John i. 29). And he declared that he knew Him in\nconsequence of the visible descent of the Holy Ghost upon Him at His\nbaptism; and (said he), \"I saw and bare record that this is the Son of\nGod\" (S. John i. 34). The other evidence was \"greater witness than\nthat of John,\" namely, the miracles which He wrought, for (said He)\n\"the works which the Father hath given Me to finish bear witness of Me\nthat the Father hath sent Me\" (S. John v. 36); and \"though ye believe\nnot Me, believe the works\" (S. John x. 38). Other kinds of evidence\nwere also employed; such as the direct testimony of the Father in the\nvoice from Heaven, and in the immediate answers to prayer in the\nworking of His miracles--\"The Father Himself which hath sent Me, hath\nborne witness of Me\" (S. John v. 37)--and also, the statements of Holy\nScripture, describing His person and His work so clearly that He could\nsay to the Jews, \"Search the Scriptures; for they are they which\ntestify of Me\" (S. John v. 39). But we know the result. All the\nevidences were in vain. The Jews in general refused to believe in Him\nas their King. The ruling classes not only rejected Him, but they also\nhindered others from acknowledging Him. So that He cried out against\nthem, \"Ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for ye neither go\nin yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in\" (S.\nMatt. xxiii. 13).\n\nAnd there were but very few exceptions. The Apostles and the small\nband of disciples professed their faith in Him. \"Whom do men say that\nI am?\" He asked them once; \"and they said, Some say John the Baptist;\nsome Elias; and others, Jeremias or one of the Prophets.\" None\naccepted Him as Messiah, their King. \"But whom say ye that I am?\" He\nwent on to ask; \"and Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the\nChrist, the Son of the living God\" (S. Matt. xvi. 13-16). So also\nNathanael, the \"Israelite indeed,\" boldly proclaimed his belief:\n\"Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel\" (S. John\ni. 49). And there was one bright flash of enthusiasm which carried all\nalong exultingly to welcome Him on His last visit to the Holy City;\nwhen the crowds spread branches of the palm-trees, and cried, \"Hosanna\nto the Son of David: blessed is He that cometh in the name of the\nLord\" (S. Matt. xxi. 9). \"Blessed be the King that cometh in the name\nof the Lord: peace in Heaven, and glory in the highest\" (S. Luke xix.\n38).\n\nBut it was within a few days after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem\nthat the rulers of the Jews took the Lord Jesus, and having condemned\nHim in their own council for blasphemy, for professing Himself to be\nMessiah--\"the Christ\"--\"the Son of God\" (S. Luke xxii. 67-71), they\ncharged Him before the Roman governor with treason, for saying \"that\nHe Himself is Christ a King\" (S. Luke xxiii. 2). And this accusation,\nit may well be noticed, was not a different charge from the former.\nAll that they did was to put cleverly before the earthly governor the\nearthly side of the spiritual crime, for which they had themselves\ncondemned Him. If He was Messiah, He was their King. They condemned\nHim for professing to be Messiah; a charge on which no civil tribunal\ncould give judgment. But professing to be Messiah, He professed to be\nKing; and this they represented as an offence against the state, and\nto be punished accordingly. And the result was, that by the Providence\nof God He was not stoned to death, as was His first martyr Stephen, on\nthe charge of blasphemy; but He was handed over to the civil power to\nbe crucified for treason, as claiming to be King. And it came to pass,\nthat after their persistent rejection of Him, the Jewish rulers were\ncompelled to see Him acknowledged upon the cross as their King, in the\nwords of the superscription containing the charge on which He was\ncondemned. His cross became His throne, with His title above it,\n\"Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews\" (S. John xix. 19). Fit\nthrone for Him who was \"obedient unto death, even the death of the\ncross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a\nname above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should\nbow\" (Phil. ii. 6-10). And all the efforts of the Jews to alter it\nwere in vain. Pilate at length was firm: \"What I have written, I have\nwritten\" (S. John xix. 22).\n\nThus seemed to end the Kingdom which our Lord and His disciples had\nbeen inviting men to join. They could preach no more the Gospel of the\nKingdom, for the King was put to a shameful death. \"The chief priests\nand our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and have\ncrucified Him. But we trusted that it had been He which should have\nredeemed Israel\" (S. Luke xxiv. 20, 21). So spake even the disciples\nin their despair. They had \"trusted,\" as they supposed, in vain.\n\nVerily God's ways are not as man's ways.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[3] It may be noticed here, that the expression \"preaching the Gospel\"\nis used in these passages of Holy Scripture in a very wide sense. It\nis not limited to the preaching of the great doctrine of the\nAtonement, but it refers to the general purpose for which Christ came;\nwhich was, to gather all the world into His Kingdom of grace and\nsalvation. See Bishop How's Commentary on the Gospels, under S. Luke\nviii. 1. (Publ. by S. P. C. K.)\n\n[4] See this very skilfully drawn out in a little devotional\nCommentary on \"Five Psalms of the Kingdom,\" by Rev. G. F. Saxby.\nPublished by J. T. Hayes, London.\n\n[5] See below, notes on pp. 50 and 83.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nTHE PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM.\n\n    \"What is earth but God's own field,\n    Fruit unto His praise to yield?\n    Wheat and tares therein are sown,\n    Unto joy or sorrow grown;\n         *   *   *   *   *\n    Grant, O Lord of Life, that we\n    Holy grain and pure may be.\"\n\n\nWhat appeared to be the death-blow of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" was but\na necessary step in its formation. The King was crucified in weakness,\nonly to be \"declared to be the Son of God with power by the\nresurrection from the dead\" (Rom. i. 4). And the reason for His\nhumiliation has become clear to us, as expressed in the familiar\nproverb, \"No cross, no crown.\" The way to His exaltation upon the\nthrone of His Kingdom led by the cross. His Kingdom must be \"purchased\nwith His own Blood\" (Acts xx. 28). He must \"suffer for sins, that He\nmight bring us to God\" (1 Pet. iii. 18).\n\nBut the question now arises, What sort of Kingdom was it that He\noffered unto men when He preached to them the Gospel of the Kingdom?\nHas He enabled us to form, from His own recorded words, a definite\nidea of the nature and character of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\"?\n\nFor the answer we turn naturally to His Parables; because the form of\nteaching which He most commonly employed was that which is known by\nthe name of Parable. And we find that fully half of them were Parables\nof the Kingdom; that is to say, they either begin with the words \"The\nKingdom of Heaven is like unto\" such and such things; or they contain\nsome distinct reference to it. And as the first two of these Parables\nwere interpreted to the disciples, we are left in no doubt as to the\ngeneral meaning of them all.\n\nThe Parables of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\"[6] may be divided into two\ndivisions. Those of the first division relate in a general manner to\n\"The Kingdom of Heaven\" or \"The Kingdom of God,\" under its various\naspects, which will be set forth more fully in subsequent chapters;\nsome parables describing the Kingdom as it may be seen on earth; some\nexpressing the inward spiritual reign of the King over the hearts of\nmen; and others teaching that those who fail to use their\nopportunities as subjects of it here, will lose the glory of sharing\nin its perfect state hereafter. And the Parables of the second\ndivision relate to certain special circumstances which affect the\nposition of its subjects.\n\nThe first division consists of the seven Parables collected together\nin S. Matt. xiii; and begins with the Parable of \"The Sower,\" which\nwas one of those which our Lord Himself explained. \"Hear ye the\nParable of the Sower. When any one heareth the Word of the Kingdom,\nand understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away\nthat which was sown in his heart\" (S. Matt. xiii. 18, 19). The good\nnews about \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" falls like seed. They who hear\nabout it are like the different kinds of soil on which seed is sown.\nOne pays no heed to what he hears, and the birds of folly and\nthoughtlessness carry off, at once, \"that which was sown in his\nheart.\" Others desire to live as subjects of the Kingdom here, and be\nprepared for its perfect state hereafter, only they are like stony\nground, or as soil which is foul with weeds and thorns; they cannot\nstand against the scorching heat of temptations or petty persecutions,\nor else the cares and riches of this world choke the word and make\nthem unfruitful. Whilst other men accept the good news of the Kingdom\nof Jesus Christ, and bear fruit, by living as useful subjects of their\nKing (S. Matt. xiii. 18-23).\n\nThe next Parable--\"The Tares\"--is a very striking one, because it\ndescribes the state of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" as being completely\ndifferent from what men would have expected. It was the Lord's own\naccount beforehand of the sad outward appearance of His Kingdom. It\ndescribed the work of God as being maliciously injured and marred by\nSatan, so that good and bad would be found together side by side, so\nclosely intermingled that it would be impossible to separate them, or\nto distinguish between them. And the separation would not be made\nuntil the end of the world, however much men might wish to make it at\nonce (S. Matt. xiii. 24-30, 36-43).\n\nWe may well pause here for a moment to think about the meaning of\nthese words. Our Blessed Lord was preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom.\nAnd when He began to describe the Kingdom which He came to found, He\ntold His disciples at once that it would be very far from being a\nperfect state, such as some might dream of. They must expect to see\nevil growing wild in it, like weeds in a field of corn. There would be\nbad subjects as well as good; and there would be no means of\nseparating them. And as long as this world should last, the outward\nappearance of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" would be like a field of wheat\nand tares growing together.\n\nAt the same time He encouraged His disciples with the prospect of\nboundless success. In the next Parable--\"The Grain of Mustard\nSeed\"--He described, prophetically, the outward spread of His Kingdom\nfrom very small beginnings, until the nations of the world should find\nshelter within it. For though nothing could be less promising of\nsuccess than the first beginnings of \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" yet, as\na spreading tree may rise from the smallest seed, even so should His\nKingdom extend its branches through the world (S. Matt. xiii. 31, 32).\n\nAnd this was not their only ground for encouragement and hope. For\nthis description of the outward extension of the Kingdom, taken by\nitself, gives a very imperfect idea of its character. He taught them\nthat \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" would exert a spiritual power over the\nhearts of men. It would be like leaven working in the meal. It would\nchange the hearts of its subjects. The effect would be such as was\nafterwards described by the Apostle S. Paul, \"If any man be in Christ,\nhe is a new creature\" (2 Cor. v. 17). And as leaven goes on working\nuntil the whole mass of the meal in which it is hid is leavened, even\nso He would lead us to understand that one heart truly leavened with\nthe Gospel of the Kingdom will affect others; and that, silently and\nunnoticed, it will extend until it works a moral change in the state\nof the whole world (S. Matt. xiii. 33)[7].\n\nHe then went on to describe that as the Kingdom extended, men would\nbegin to find out its value; and for the saving of their souls would\ngladly give up their worldly prospects. \"The Hidden Treasure\" and \"The\nPearl of Great Price\" set forth the priceless value of \"The Kingdom of\nHeaven.\" The rights and privileges of citizenship are worth more than\nall the world besides. These two Parables are alike in that both\nexpress the great worth of that of which the Gospel tells, viz. the\nsalvation won by our King and Saviour Jesus Christ, and given to the\nsubjects of His Kingdom; but they differ in describing different ways\nin which men may find it out. One man will find it like a hidden\ntreasure, as we should say by chance (S. Matt. xiii. 44). So the woman\nof Samaria found the long-expected Saviour, when she had only gone to\nfill her pitcher at the well (S. John iv. 28, 29). Others will have to\nsearch diligently with the earnest desire to find out \"what is truth,\"\nand the truth will be brought home to their souls only after long and\npatient seeking. Like as it happened to S. Paul, who had long been\nseeking for \"The Pearl,\" in being more excessively zealous toward God,\nbut who found it not, until the Voice \"Why persecutest thou Me\" (Acts\nix. 4) brought him to Jesus Christ. Furthermore, these two Parables\nboth set forth this truth: that, if men wish to gain the priceless\nblessings of \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" they must be ready, as S. Paul\nwas, to give up all that they have, and \"count all things but loss,\nthat they may win Christ\" (Phil. iii. 8).\n\nThe character of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" having been thus expressed, we\nare carried on in the last Parable of the series--\"The Draw-net\"--to\nthe end of this present world. \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" is described as\ncatching in its net all, both good and bad, who come within its reach.\nBut, at the end, the net will be drawn to shore, and the judgment and\nseparation will be made. The evil will be cast away. The good will be\npreserved, and admitted to their reward of joy and glory everlasting\n(S. Matt. xiii. 47-49). And \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" being perfected at\nlength, and \"not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing\" (Ephes. v.\n27), will be seen as the glorious Kingdom of righteousness and peace\ndescribed in the glowing words of prophecy.\n\nSuch is the account given by our Blessed Lord of \"The Kingdom of\nHeaven.\" In the above Parables we see its nature and character\ndescribed, from its foundation to the end of this present world. From\nHis own words we learn its history. There is, first, the sowing of the\nseed; then the apparent spoiling of the design by the intermixture of\nevil with the good; then the Kingdom is seen to have a power of rapid\ngrowth and extension, and a leavening influence over the hearts of\nmen; then its value is declared to be so priceless, that men will give\nup all things for its sake; and lastly, we are told of a day when all\nevil will be purged out, and it will become a glorious and perfect\nKingdom. But with the exception of this one faint glimpse of\neternity, there is not a word in all these Parables respecting what we\ncommonly understand by the term \"Heaven.\" \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" is\nhere on earth, and belongs to this present time. It was the will of\nour Lord to describe His Kingdom as we know it, in its present\nimperfect state here on earth, in which men have temptations and\nduties, as well as great privileges and blessings. Whilst of the\nfuture condition of His Kingdom in glory, very little has been\nrevealed.\n\nBut besides this general description of \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" we\nfind other Parables which describe various circumstances relating to\nthe rejection of the Kingdom by the unbelieving, or affecting the\nposition of those who have become its subjects.\n\nFor instance, the Apostle Peter was doubtful how often a brother\nshould be forgiven, and our Lord spoke the Parable of \"The Unmerciful\nServant,\" teaching that the subjects of His Kingdom, being themselves\nin a state of forgiveness, would forfeit all their blessings if they\ndid not unreservedly forgive their brethren. The debt of sin which\nthe King has already forgiven His subjects, in admitting them into a\nstate of salvation, is as it were \"ten thousand talents.\" The debt\nincurred by any offending brother is but as \"an hundred pence\" in\ncomparison (S. Matt. xviii. 21-35).\n\nAgain, in the Parable of \"The Labourers in the Vineyard\" He taught\nthat the subjects of His Kingdom must not grudge one against another,\nif a rebel or one who has been neglecting his duty all his life turns\nand is accepted at the last. The King cannot do otherwise than what is\nright. \"At the eleventh hour\" a labourer may be taken on, and receive\nhis reward. And, on the other hand, one who might have been first in\nthe Kingdom of glory and reward may fall away through an evil spirit\nof self-glorification, and become last of all (S. Matt. xx. 1-16).\n\nThree Parables follow which were spoken with special reference to the\nJewish rulers, the Priests, and Scribes, and Pharisees. The first of\nthese--the Parable of \"The Two Sons\"--seems to have been spoken to win\nthem over to a knowledge of their sin and danger, and, if it might be\npossible, to induce them to accept the Gospel of God, and to enter the\nKingdom. The Son in the Parable who at first said, \"I will not,\"\n\"afterward repented and went.\" Even so, the bold and open\ntransgressors of the law were being won over to repentance, and were\nentering in. But the second son who said, \"I go Sir, and went not,\"\nprofessed a ready obedience and then did not carry it into practice,\nbut held back and refused to enter in. Even so the Pharisees and\nothers who made good profession of zeal for God's service \"trusted in\nthemselves that they were righteous\" (S. Luke xviii. 9), and being\nsatisfied with the mere profession, \"rejected the counsel of God\nagainst themselves\" (S. Luke vii. 30). And He thus sorrowfully yet\nfirmly applied it to their own case, saying, \"Verily I say unto you,\nthat the publicans and harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you\"\n(S. Matt. xxi. 28-31).\n\nThey would not be won over; but, on the contrary, their hostility was\nincreased. The consequence was, that the next Parable of \"The Wicked\nHusbandmen\" declared the miserable end which would certainly come upon\nthem in judgment. The Kingdom of God was set forth under the figure of\na vineyard--a figure which must have been familiar to them from its\nfrequent use in the Old Testament (Psalm lxxx. 8-16; Isaiah v.\n1-8)--and the husbandmen, instead of protecting their master's\ninterests, were represented as beating his servants and slaying his\nson. What, asked the Lord Jesus, will he do with them? And they\nanswered, to their own condemnation, \"He will miserably destroy those\nwicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen.\" And\nHe then added these plain words of warning, \"Therefore say I unto you,\nThe Kingdom of God shall be taken from you[8], and given to a nation\nbringing forth the fruits thereof\" (S. Matt. xxi. 33-43).\n\nThe enmity of the rulers now reached its highest pitch. \"They sought\nto lay hands on Him, but they feared the multitude, because they took\nHim for a prophet\" (S. Matt. xxi. 46). And as they had now clearly\ndetermined to reject the idea of the Kingdom, which He had come to\nfound, the Parable of \"The Marriage of the King's Son\" was spoken,\ndescribing the call of others into the privileged position which they\ndespised. \"Jesus answered and spake unto them again by Parables, and\nsaid, The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain king which made a\nmarriage for his son.\" And when the invited guests refused to come,\n\"The king was wroth, and sent forth his armies and destroyed those\nmurderers. Then said he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but\nthey which were bidden were not worthy.\" Who then should be admitted\nto the feast? Those from the highways. The Gentiles from far and wide\nshould be called to take the place which the Lord's own people refused\nto enjoy (S. Matt. xxii. 1-10).\n\nTwo other Parables of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" remain to be\nconsidered--\"The Wise and Foolish Virgins\" and \"The Talents\"--both of\nwhich describe the judgment which the subjects of the Kingdom must be\nprepared to meet at the last day. The lessons to be learned from them\nare plain. The foolish virgins, who were shut out at the last because\ntheir lamps had gone out, are a warning to all who profess the faith\nof Christ and have once been earnest in the spiritual service of God.\nThey are represented as being shut out, not for profanity and\nwickedness; but for spiritual negligence--for not seeking to keep up\nthe supply of grace through prayer and holy ordinances rightly used.\nEmpty lamps were useless. So our Lord warned His future subjects that\nmere profession of faith and mere outward ordinances, without the\nSpirit, would be equally useless in preparing them to meet His coming\nat the Great Day (S. Matt. xxv. 1-13).\n\nAs the Parable of \"The Ten Virgins\" is a warning against spiritual\nnegligence, so the Parable of \"The Talents\" teaches the danger of\nneglecting the outward service of the King. The powers and\nopportunities of usefulness which He has given to His subjects, He\nwill expect them to use. All must work according to their talents, or\nbe condemned as \"unprofitable servants and cast into outer darkness\"\n(S. Matt. xxv. 14-30).\n\nThis lesson of warning brings to an end the Parables which describe\nthe nature and conditions of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" in its present\nimperfect state. But to these is added a description, in words of\nstriking clearness, of the day when this present Kingdom of grace and\ntrial will be transformed into, and replaced by, the Kingdom of glory\nand reward; \"When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the\nholy angels with Him; and before Him shall be gathered all nations;\nand He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth\nthe sheep from the goats; and He shall set the sheep on His right\nhand, but the goats on the left.\" Then will He appear as King indeed,\nseated on His throne of glory; and consequently He now uses that title\nplainly of Himself. \"Then shall the King say unto them on His right\nhand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for\nyou from the foundation of the world\" (S. Matt. xxv. 31-34).\n\nThus the full meaning of the words \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" is unfolded\nin the Gospels. It is a Kingdom upon earth, springing from small\nbeginnings, but intended to include the whole human race within its\ninfluence. It is the Kingdom of God, and yet imperfect, through the\nmalice of the Evil One, who is ever striving to spoil God's work. And\nwhilst in the world it is not of the world, but wholly spiritual and\ndivine in its origin. For God is ruling over the hearts of its\nsubjects. And His rule working and spreading secretly, like leaven\nchanging the meal, is intended in His loving purpose to convert the\nwhole world unto obedience to Himself.\n\nThus we see that \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" is described as being that\nstate of grace and probation into which Christ's people are called at\nthe time of their baptism, and in which they are blessed, and tried,\nand made fit for His nearer Presence. But, at the same time, we are\nled to think that a day will come when this present imperfect\ncondition of His Kingdom will be brought to an end; when those who\nhave been tried and found worthless will be cast out; and \"The Kingdom\nof Heaven\" as we know it, having been purged of all evil, will become\nthe Kingdom of His glory and joy.\n\nAnd when this shall come to pass, all the predictions respecting\nMessiah's Kingdom will at length be realised. \"The everlasting\nKingdom\" (2 Peter i. 11) ordained \"before the foundation of the world\"\n(Ephes. i. 4), will then have embraced all nations, so that \"the earth\nshall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the\nsea\" (Isaiah xi. 9). Then will the reign of righteousness and peace\nof Him, who is \"the Lord our Righteousness\" (Jer. xxiii. 6), appear in\nall its perfect beauty. God's \"people will be all righteous;\" and\n\"inherit the land for ever\" (Isaiah lx. 21), even \"the inheritance of\nthe saints in light\" (Col. i. 12). And Christ, being at length in\nevery sense \"the Prince of Peace\" (Isaiah ix. 6), when no foe will be\nleft to be subdued, and \"they shall not hurt nor destroy in all My\nholy mountain\" (Isaiah xi. 9), will then be proclaimed \"King of Kings\nand Lord of Lords\" (Rev. xix. 16).\n\nAnd then also our daily prayer \"Thy Kingdom come\" (S. Matt. vi. 10)\nwill have received its perfect fulfilment. For all that is now\nimperfect in His rule will have been set right; through the conversion\nof the heathen, the repentance of the ungodly, and the sanctification\nof all who \"neglect\" not \"so great salvation\" (Heb. ii. 3).\n\nThe number of the elect will be accomplished. The Son will \"have\ndelivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father;\" God will be \"all in\nall\" (1 Cor. xv. 24, 28).\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[6] To prevent any doubt arising in the mind of the reader, it may be\nwell to state that the expressions \"Kingdom of Heaven\" and \"Kingdom of\nGod\" are used indiscriminately and with the same meaning in these\nParables. By comparing S. Matt. xiii. 31 with S. Mark iv. 30 and S.\nLuke xiii. 18 it will be seen that \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" is \"The\nKingdom of God,\" and \"The Kingdom of God\" is \"The Kingdom of Heaven.\"\nS. Matthew nearly always uses the expression \"Kingdom of Heaven,\"\nwhilst S. Mark and S. Luke use the expression \"Kingdom of God.\"\n\n[7] Because leaven is commonly referred to in Holy Scripture as a\nsymbol of evil, some have interpreted this Parable in a very different\nmanner. But the meaning assigned to it above is in accordance with\nancient interpretation; and the other explanation is involved in\ndifficulties. For, if the leaven represents a corrupting influence,\nthe Parable would describe the Kingdom of Heaven either as having an\nevil effect upon the world, or else as progressing itself towards\ncorruption till the whole is corrupted.\n\n[8] The Jewish people and their rulers had formed God's Kingdom upon\nearth in ancient times; and they were still His chosen people, who\nwould naturally continue to form a part of His Kingdom, now that it\nwas to be extended so as to embrace the world. But the privileges\nwhich they despised they would lose; and others who valued them would\ngain them.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nTHE SUBJECTS OF THE KINGDOM.\n\n    \"Blest are the pure in heart,\n      For they shall see their God,\n    The secret of the Lord is theirs,\n      Their soul is Christ's abode.\"\n\n\nThe Subjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\"--who are they?\n\nThe subjects of a kingdom are, in a general way, those who have been\nborn within its limits, and who submit to its laws and accept its\nking. But when we enquire into the teaching of our Lord about the\nsubjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" we are met at once with the\ndifficulty that, in the days of His earthly ministry, the Kingdom was\nnot yet founded[9]. The King was only preparing the way for His\nKingdom to be set up. And there is necessarily a great difference\nbetween joining a Kingdom in the act of being founded, and being born\nunder its laws and within its limits.\n\nConsequently with respect to His teaching about the Subjects of \"The\nKingdom of Heaven,\" two things have to be considered. First, the\nconditions under which men are permitted to join His Kingdom; and,\nsecondly, the life which His subjects are required to lead.\n\nAt the very commencement of His ministry a divine picture was drawn of\nthe character and life of the true subjects of \"The Kingdom of\nHeaven.\" For as He \"went about all Galilee preaching the Gospel of the\nKingdom, there followed Him great multitudes of people. And seeing the\nmultitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His\ndisciples came unto Him: and He opened His mouth, and taught them,\nsaying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of\nHeaven\" (S. Matt. iv. 23-v. 3). Thus He began the Sermon on the Mount\nby declaring the blessedness of His subjects, though they would be\nvery different from those whom the world commonly counts blessed. And\nthe last Beatitude ended, as the first began, with distinct reference\nto the Kingdom, \"Blessed are they which are persecuted for\nrighteousness' sake; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven\" (S. Matt. v.\n10); as though to make it clear to His hearers that the blessedness\nspoken of throughout all the verses was connected with His Kingdom.\n\nHe then addressed those who, in their hearts, accepted Him, as \"the\nsalt of the earth;\" and as \"the light of the world\" (S. Matt. v. 13,\n14). They would not only be blessed in themselves, as His subjects,\nbut they would also be a blessing to others. They were to be the salt\nwhich should preserve the world from corruption; and the light which\nshould lead men to \"glorify their Father which is in Heaven\" (S. Matt.\nv. 16).\n\nHaving thus described, at the beginning of His Sermon, the general\ncharacter and office of the subjects of His Kingdom, our Blessed Lord\nwent on to answer a question, which would doubtless arise in the minds\nof His hearers. Would the Kingdom of which He spoke destroy, or be\nopposed to the Law, under which God's People had lived from ancient\ntimes? The answer was most distinct: \"Think not that I am come to\ndestroy the Law and the Prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to\nfulfil. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least\ncommandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in\nthe Kingdom of Heaven. For I say unto you, That except your\nrighteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and\nPharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven\" (S.\nMatt. v. 17-20). So far from coming to destroy the Law, He had come\nthat it might be fulfilled by His subjects, as it had never been\nfulfilled before. For they would be required to surpass even the\nScribes and Pharisees in their observance of it, by keeping it in the\nspirit, as well as in the letter; otherwise they would prove\nthemselves unfit for His Kingdom. And then followed examples of the\nobservance of some of the laws of old--such as the law of purity, and\nthe law against murder--in this enlarged spiritual sense; ending with\nthe exhortation, \"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which\nis in Heaven is perfect\" (S. Matt. v. 21-48).\n\nOne of the chief ways in which God's People had failed in their\nservice towards Him, was in the spirit in which they had discharged\ntheir religious duties. Righteousness had become but another name for\nformality. Prayers and alms and fasts had been turned into\nopportunities for showing off before men, and for gaining the\nreputation of sanctity. Consequently it was necessary that He should\nlead back His hearers to the real meaning of these duties; and set\nforth the principle which must guide His subjects in all their\nreligious acts--almsgiving, prayer, and fasting--namely, this; the\ndesire to please their \"Father which is in Heaven\" (S. Matt. vi.\n1-18). And that there might be no mistake about the kind of rewards\nwhich they might look for, He declared that they must \"lay up for\nthemselves treasures in Heaven\" (S. Matt. vi. 19-21); that is to say,\nthey must love and long for spiritual rewards, setting their hearts\nupon higher things than this world can give. And the only way in which\nthey could do this, was by devoting themselves with their whole\nstrength to the service of God. For no half-service of God was\npossible: \"Ye cannot serve God and Mammon\" (S. Matt. vi. 24). Then if\nthey lived for God, they might lay aside all over-anxious thoughts\nabout this present life. If they really gave themselves up to be His\nsubjects, they would certainly have all things ordered for them for\nthe best. \"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and\nall these things shall be added unto you\" (S. Matt. vi. 33).\n\nThe Sermon ended with mentioning some of the difficulties which the\nsubjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" would have to meet in the practice\nof godliness. In the first place, in order to become His subjects they\nwould have to enter through a narrow gate, upon a path which few would\nfind. For whilst, on the one hand, \"Wide is the gate and broad is the\nway that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go in\nthereat,\" on the other hand, \"Strait is the gate and narrow is the way\nwhich leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it\" (S. Matt. vii.\n13, 14). And when they had entered upon this narrow way, He warned\nthem that they must be on their guard against being misled by foolish\nprofessors, because mere profession of obedience would neither prove\nthem to be subjects of His Kingdom, nor win for them admission \"in\nthat day\" into His glory and joy, \"Not every one that saith unto Me,\nLord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth\nthe will of My Father which is in Heaven\" (S. Matt. vii. 21-23).\nTherefore they must set to work to do the will of God, and so be true\nsubjects of Messiah's Kingdom. And then, as doers of His words, and\nnot hearers only, they would be building like wise men \"upon a rock\"\n(S. Matt. vii. 24).\n\nThe description thus given by the King Himself of the character and\nlife of His subjects sets vividly before us the difficulties which a\nChristian must overcome. It may not be always easy to decide whether\nthe expression \"Kingdom of Heaven\" refers to the Kingdom as it is now\non earth, or as it will be hereafter in Heaven; but it is clear that\nour Blessed Lord would teach in this Sermon both the difficulty of\nbecoming a professing Christian at all, and also the need of earnest\nstrivings after holiness in order that a subject of His Kingdom of\nGrace should find a welcome when that Kingdom shall have become the\nKingdom of Glory. And when we think of the very different standards\nhitherto aimed at either by Jews or Gentiles, we see at once the\nreason which prevented so many of His hearers from accepting \"The\nKingdom of Heaven.\" For it is clear that a man who had been brought up\neither as a Jew or as a Gentile would have to lay aside almost all his\nprevious habits and modes of thought--he must become a new man\naltogether--to enter in.\n\nWho then would enter in? Who would become subjects of the Kingdom of\nHeaven?\n\nThe Lord Jesus declared at once, what modern missionary experience\nstill finds to be the case, that little children were the most likely\nto become His subjects, and the fittest to enter into \"The Kingdom of\nHeaven.\" Some mothers once brought their little ones for His blessing;\nand when the disciples were hindering their coming, \"He was much\ndispleased and said unto them, Suffer little children to come unto Me,\nand forbid them not; for of such is the Kingdom of God\" (S. Mark x.\n14). And not only did He declare that little children were the most\nsuitable to become His subjects; but He said also, that those who were\ngrown up and wished to enter His Kingdom must become like children to\ndo so. For He added, \"Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not\nreceive the Kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter\ntherein\" (S. Mark x. 15). And on another occasion He expressed His\nthankfulness that only child-like hearts could take in the mysteries\nof the Kingdom, saying, \"I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and\nearth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and\nhast revealed them unto babes\" (S. Luke x. 21).\n\nWhen we read in such passages as these of the difficulty of entering\ninto \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" it becomes very important to remember\nthat the Kingdom was not then set up; and that the words were spoken\nwith respect to men who had grown up under other conditions and modes\nof thought. For whilst the words still apply literally and exactly to\nthe case of converts from amongst the Heathen, they are not applicable\nat all, in the same sense, to persons who have long ago entered \"The\nKingdom of Heaven\" as children, and have lived under its influence.\nThus, for instance, when we read that \"a rich man shall hardly enter\ninto the Kingdom of Heaven\" (S. Matt. xix. 23), there is no need to\nsuppose that the rich, who have grown up as His subjects, have less\nhope of Heaven than others. The temptations which come with riches are\ngreat, but the grace of God will enable His subjects, whether rich or\npoor, to serve Him faithfully, if they seek for it. The words clearly\nreferred to the difficulty which the rich Jew or the rich heathen\nwould find in declaring himself a subject of Jesus Christ. It is\neasier for the poor and the unlearned to become a Christian, than for\nthe rich and the learned. In after years S. Paul found this to be the\ncase at Corinth. \"Ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many\nwise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called\"\n(1 Cor. i. 26). And the same thing is still happening in heathen\nlands. The chief successes in India have been amongst the low castes\nof Tinnevelly, the hard-working Kols of Chota Nagpur, the simple\nKarens of the hills of Burma; and amongst the wealthy merchants and\nthe learned Brahmins converts have been few. Experience confirms the\ntruth of our Lord's teaching. He declared beforehand, that the rich,\nand the learned, and those who had enjoyed the greatest privileges,\nwould be the most unwilling to be won over to His Kingdom. And the\nprediction has been fulfilled.\n\nIt might have been supposed that, when at last Messiah's Kingdom was\nset up, all who had enjoyed the privilege of knowing the true God, and\nhad been taught to expect a Deliverer, as their King, would have\neagerly sought admission into His Kingdom. But to one who made the\nremark, \"Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God,\" He\nspoke the Parable of \"The Great Supper,\" teaching that many, who have\nthe opportunity and the invitation will refuse to enter in, and make\nall kinds of excuses; and that others will have their places (S. Luke\nxiv. 15-24). And on another occasion He warned the Jews, that many\nwould come from all quarters of the world, \"and sit down in the\nKingdom of God\" (S. Luke xiii. 28, 29), whilst they themselves were\nthrust out. And we know how literally the warning has come true. And\nlest any one should be deceived into thinking that it was an easy\nthing to become His subject, He referred again and again to the\ndifficulties which men must be prepared to meet and overcome in\nentering \"The Kingdom of Heaven.\" To those who said that they would\nfollow Him, He explained that entire devotion of self to God would be\nrequired of His subjects. A man must count the cost beforehand. \"The\ndead\" must be left to \"bury their dead,\" whilst the man fulfils the\ncommission which God entrusts to him, to \"preach the Kingdom of God;\"\nand \"No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is\nfit for the Kingdom of God\" (S. Luke ix. 57-62). But, on the other\nhand, for those who gave up freely all that they loved, \"for the\nKingdom of God's sake,\" the reward should be \"manifold more\" even \"in\nthis present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.\" (S.\nLuke xviii. 29, 30). And He encouraged the few, who in their hearts\naccepted Him as their King, in such words as these, \"Him that cometh\nunto me I will in no wise cast out\" (S. John vi. 37); \"Fear not,\nlittle flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the\nKingdom\" (S. Luke xii. 32).\n\nThe thought that the difficulties thus described referred in the first\ninstance to those who were outside of \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" may\nwell fill us with thankfulness that we have been brought into the\nKingdom through the piety of our parents, without even an effort on\nour parts. We have been so far helped already, that we have been\nplaced upon the narrow way that leadeth unto life; and though\ntemptations of many kinds assail to entice us from the road, and\nthough the difficulties of the way are great, we have the hope to\nencourage us, that, if we are in earnest, the grace of God the Holy\nGhost will preserve us, that we may be welcomed at last as faithful\nsubjects, and admitted into the Kingdom of Glory.\n\nBut at the same time we must remember that, in another sense, the\nwords about the difficulty of entering \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" still\napply to ourselves. For we have been admitted as subjects of the\nKingdom, only that we may loyally serve our King; and we have been\nplaced upon the narrow way, only that we may struggle up the steep\nascent to Heaven. \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" is as yet in an imperfect\ncondition here on earth. Here we are in a state of trial and\nprobation, as well as of grace and blessing. And a day will come when\nthe Kingdom of Grace will become the Kingdom of Glory. Then, they who\nhave served their King, and proved themselves in the time of their\ntrial to be His faithful soldiers and servants, will be welcomed into\nthe joy of their Lord. But they who have professed to be His subjects,\nand have been satisfied with a mere profession, will cry, \"Lord, Lord\"\n(S. Matt. vii. 22-23), in vain.\n\nTherefore, our King still cries to us, as to His hearers before the\nKingdom was set up, \"Strive to enter in\" (S. Luke xiii. 24). He still\nbids us build \"upon the Rock,\" by being \"doers of the word, and not\nhearers only\" (S. James i. 22). And He still warns us of the dangers\nof riches; \"The love of money is the root of all evil\" (1 Tim. vi.\n10). For we have still to be \"the salt of the earth\" and \"the light of\nthe world\" (S. Matt. v. 13, 14). And the standard which He has set us\nis still, and ever will be, far above us; \"Be ye therefore perfect,\neven as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect\" (S. Matt. v. 48).\n\nThe teaching of our Lord about His subjects is thus seen to correspond\nwith what His Apostles, in time to come, taught their converts when\nthey addressed them, as \"called to be saints\" (Rom. i. 7, Ephes. i. 1,\netc.). We know that the world would like to find some easier course\nthan this. But it is impossible; because the subjects of \"The Kingdom\n_of_ Heaven\" are called that they may be ready for the life _in_\nHeaven. And \"without holiness no man shall see the Lord\" (Heb. xii.\n14).\n\nIn subsequent chapters we shall consider the means provided by the\nKing to enable His subjects to become such as He described them. For\nthe present, let the thought of our holy calling increase our sense of\nthe infinite love and mercy of our King.\n\nLet us think of His own description of His work. \"The Son of Man is\ncome to seek and to save that which was lost\" (S. Luke xix. 10). When\nwe were wandering in the ways of sin, ignorant of God our Father, and\nunfit to be admitted into our home or to enjoy it if admission were\npossible, He came to seek us out and bring us into His Kingdom. And\nnow that He has \"overcome the sharpness of death and opened the\nKingdom of Heaven to all believers,\" our efforts after holiness are so\nimperfect, and our weakness and love of wandering are so great, that\nwe should be in despair, if our King had not taught us His unceasing\ncare. But this He has set forth in a well-known series of Parables;\nfirst, under the figure of a shepherd finding a stray sheep and\ncalling friends and neighbours to rejoice over its recovery; then\nunder the figure of a woman finding the lost coin; and, lastly, under\nthe figure of a father welcoming home his prodigal son (S. Luke xv).\n\nTherefore, our position is this. As subjects of \"The Kingdom of\nHeaven,\" we are called, according to our Lord's own teaching, to a\nhigh and holy life; and the more we realise this truth the greater do\nour imperfections appear, and the clearer becomes our sense of the\nneed of mercy, as well as help. But the King, who thus described His\nsubjects, has also described His enduring love; and His invitation,\nstill and for ever, applies to all who feel their unworthiness: \"Come\nunto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you\nrest\" (S. Matt. xi. 28).\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[9] See S. Matt. xvi. 18. Pearson on the Creed, p. 336.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nTHINGS PERTAINING TO THE KINGDOM.\n\n    \"Now is there solemn pause in earth and heaven;\n               The Conqueror now\n               His bonds hath riven,\n    And Angels wonder why He stays below;\n      Yet hath not man his lesson learned,\n      How endless love should be returned.\"\n\n\nHitherto our thoughts about \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" have been founded\non the teaching of the King respecting His Kingdom recorded in the\nGospels. But we must not forget to give attention to the very\nimportant time in the life of our Lord extending between His\nResurrection and Ascension, during which He appeared to His Apostles\nupon terms very different from those on which He had previously\nassociated with them[10]. And though few records have been preserved\nof His instructions to them during this period, we find this general\ndescription, which very clearly shows the nature of those\ninstructions. In the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, S. Luke records\nthat the time was spent in \"speaking of the things pertaining to the\nKingdom of God\" (Acts i. 3). Consequently, though we have not His\ndiscourses in full, we know that the subject of them was still the\nsame as in the time past--the good news of \"The Kingdom of Heaven.\"\n\nDuring the years of His public ministry the Apostles frequently asked\ntheir Lord to explain what they did not understand in His teaching.\nAnd we may feel sure that, at this time, many things must have\nappeared to them in a new light, and many sayings must have gained a\nforce and meaning which they had failed to perceive before. And if\n\"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" about which He had said so much, was to be a\nreal Kingdom, it is clear that there must have been many things on\nwhich they would require instruction, about the order and government\nof it, and about the practical carrying out of His loving designs for\nthe salvation of the world. And inasmuch as we find that, almost\nimmediately after their Lord's Ascension, the Apostles were fully\nprepared not merely to preach, as He had done, the good news of the\nKingdom, but to call men into it as a Kingdom already established upon\nearth, we conclude that all these matters must have been fully\nexplained to them during these days, and that these were \"the things\npertaining to the Kingdom of God\" of which He spake.\n\nPassing by, for the present, other questions of difficulty which would\nvery probably arise in their minds, there are two passages in our\nLord's discourses recorded in the Gospels which we can hardly doubt\nwere discussed at this time; because some of His words have been\npreserved to us which connect those passages with what afterwards\nbecame the practice of the Church.\n\nThe first question of difficulty which would naturally arise out of\none of His former sayings, and to which He provided the answer, was\nthis--What was to be the form of admission into \"The Kingdom of\nHeaven\"? He had said to Nicodemus, \"Verily, verily, I say unto thee,\nExcept a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the\nKingdom of God\" (S. John iii. 5). But what did the words mean? What\nsteps were to be taken by one who wished to enter the Kingdom? With\nwhat use of water would the Holy Spirit's power be connected? Here was\na practical question requiring a decided answer. And we conclude that\nthis was one of \"the things pertaining to the Kingdom\" which were\nspoken of during this time, because we find a brief record of distinct\ninstructions given by our Lord to His Apostles how they were to admit\nmen as His disciples or subjects. No discourse is recorded, but this\nclear commission is handed down by S. Matthew--evidently given in such\na way that the Apostles could not fail to understand its meaning--\"Go\nye and make disciples[11] of all nations, baptizing them in the Name\nof the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost\" (S. Matt.\nxxviii. 19). And consequently Holy Baptism became at once, and has\nbeen ever since, the form of admission into \"The Kingdom of Heaven\"\n(Acts ii. 38-41). And being an outward form, and yet a spiritual act,\nwe have herein both \"the water and the Spirit.\" It is an outward form\nin which there is a ceremonial use of water; and yet it is a spiritual\nact, because united with the most solemn naming of the Name of God, as\nHe has in these last days revealed Himself to man; \"In the Name of\nthe Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;\" and S. Paul does\nnot hesitate to say, \"By one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body\"\n(1 Cor. xii. 13).\n\nThe other question arising out of some words of our Lord, which we\nconclude was discussed and answered by Him during this time, was the\ndifficult one about the meaning of \"the keys of the Kingdom of\nHeaven.\" He had once said, after S. Peter had confessed Him as the\nChrist, \"I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; and\nwhatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and\nwhatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven[12]\"\n(S. Matt. xvi. 19). And the same words about binding and loosing were\nrepeated shortly afterwards to all the Apostles (S. Matt. xviii. 18).\nWe can hardly doubt but that the question must have arisen in their\nminds what the keys of the Kingdom could be whereby the power of\nbinding and loosing was given them. And although no discourse is\nrecorded, it seems that this was another of \"the things pertaining to\nthe Kingdom\" of which He spoke. For S. John, in the brief record which\nhe has given of His first appearance to the Apostles after His\nResurrection, has thus described what occurred:--Suddenly the Lord was\nin their midst, and said, \"Peace be unto you. And He showed unto them\nHis Hands and His Side\" in proof that it was He Himself. And He said\nagain \"Peace be unto you. As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I\nyou.\" And \"He breathed on them, and said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:\nwhose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose\nsoever sins ye retain, they are retained\" (S. John xx. 19-23). And\never since there has been this practical interpretation of the meaning\nof \"the keys.\" Christ's ministers have confidently acted, as having\nbeen entrusted by their Lord with His authority to admit men into \"The\nKingdom of Heaven\" by Holy Baptism, or to defer the act of admission\nuntil after longer probation; to exercise the judicial power of\nexcommunication, or expulsion from the Kingdom, for notorious sin and\nunbelief, as in the case of the incestuous Corinthian (1 Cor. v. 3-7),\nor to re-admit after repentance, as S. Paul decided to do in the same\ncase (2 Cor. ii. 6-10); and to assure all men that in the holy\nOrdinances of the Church of Christ free and full remission of sins may\nbe certainly gained.\n\nWe can readily imagine that many other matters were discussed amongst\n\"the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.\"\n\nIf disciples were to be made in all parts of the world, and were then\nto be taught \"to observe all things commanded\" (S. Matt. xxviii. 20)\nby the King, the question must have arisen, Who were to be appointed\nto teach them? And thus the whole subject of the government of \"The\nKingdom of Heaven,\" and the Orders and duties of the King's Ministers,\nwould be opened.\n\nAgain, the words of institution of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper,\n\"This is My Blood of the new testament[13], which is shed for many\nfor the remission of sins\" (S. Matt. xxvi. 28), pointed both to the\nending of the old covenant, or testament, which was sealed in the\nblood of beasts (Exod. xxiv. 5-8), and to the passing away of the\nJewish ritual and modes of worship. And the question would arise, What\nforms of worship were to be observed by His subjects in place of those\nordained by the Law of Moses? Sacrifices could no longer have their\nformer meaning, when the Lamb of God, to which they pointed the\nworshipper, had been offered upon the Cross. Was \"the breaking of\nbread\" to take the place of all the old sacrificial services?\n\nAnd with the subject of worship, the observance of the Sabbath would\nneed to be considered. Was the Jewish Sabbath still binding on men's\nconsciences? Was the Seventh Day to be observed in accordance with the\nLaw of Moses, or was the First Day of the week to take its place, now\nsacred to the subjects of the Lord Jesus as that on which He rose, and\nto the keeping of which He had seemed to give His sanction, by\nappearing once and again on that day to the disciples as they were\nassembled together? (S. John xx. 19, 26.)\n\nOn all these points[14] we find, in the Book of the Acts of the\nApostles, that the Apostles took at once a definite line of action.\nThey knew what to do, and how to direct their converts. And though we\nhave no record of the words of our Lord, we are confident that the\nApostles were thus carrying out His own teaching[15], under the\nguidance of the Holy Ghost, on all such matters \"pertaining to the\nKingdom of God.\"\n\nAmongst the few words recorded as having been spoken at this time to\nthe Apostles, is this clear promise, \"Ye shall receive power, after\nthat the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto\nMe both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the\nuttermost part of the earth\" (Acts i. 8). And in the power of the Holy\nGhost we find that they went forth to publish the glad tidings of \"The\nKingdom of Heaven.\" And, beginning from Jerusalem, they extended their\nwork gradually to Samaria, and Syria, and to all countries, carrying\nout their Lord's commission, and preaching the good news of salvation\nthrough Jesus Christ, as freely offered to all who would accept Him as\ntheir King, and enter through the strait gate of the New Birth into\nHis Kingdom.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[10] For fuller information about this period, see Bishop Moberly's\n\"Discourses on the Great Forty Days.\"\n\n[11] See the note in the margin of a Reference Bible.\n\n[12] It is well known that the Romanists have sometimes founded their\nargument, in support of the claims of the Papacy, very mainly upon\nthis verse; starting with the assumption, of which there is no proof,\nthat the Pope is the successor of S. Peter, and asserting that a power\nwas hereby given to S. Peter which the other Apostles did not possess.\nThe weakness of the argument becomes clear when it is known that the\nsame words were repeated again to all the Apostles; and that the above\nexplanation, and practical enforcement of them, were equally spoken to\nthem all.\n\n[13] Testament and Covenant are translations of one and the same word.\nThe Bible is divided into the Old and New Testaments, because the Old\nTestament contains the record of God's dealings with men under the Old\nCovenant; and the New Testament declares the New Covenant made with\nall the world through Jesus Christ.\n\n[14] A question may arise in the minds of some, whether it is a\nhistorical fact that the early Christians were in no doubt about the\nsubstitution of the First for the Seventh day? The answer is that,\nfrom the first, there was no doubt about the observance of the First\nDay; but that amongst the Jewish converts the observance of the\nSabbath was permitted for some time, in addition to the Christian\nfestival, and was only gradually discontinued. See Rom. xiv. 5; Gal.\niv. 10; Col. ii. 16; and compare Acts xx. 7; 1 Cor. xvi. 2; Rev. i.\n10.\n\n[15] This view is strengthened by the account given by S. Paul of the\ndirect revelation granted to him respecting the Sacrament of the\nLord's Supper. Not having been amongst the number of His Apostles in\nthe days when He was on earth, S. Paul had received no instructions\nfrom His own mouth. But the defect was supplied by direct revelation.\nHe says, \"I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto\nyou, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed,\ntook bread,\" &c. (1 Cor. xi. 23).\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nTHE KING ON HIS THRONE.\n\n    \"Crown Him with many crowns,\n    The King upon His Throne.\"\n\n\nWhen the time came for our Blessed Lord to return into Heaven again,\nHe ascended in the presence of His Apostles, whilst in the act of\nblessing them; \"and a cloud received Him out of their sight\" (Acts i.\n9). And, we are told, they \"returned to Jerusalem with great joy\" (S.\nLuke xxiv. 52), not sorrowing as before at His being taken from them.\nAnd when we consider what His Ascension implied, we can see that they\nhad good reason for their joy. For the Ascension was the sign of the\nexaltation of the Lord Jesus to His Mediatorial[16] Throne at God's\nright hand.\n\nWhen He was before the Jewish Council He had declared to them,\n\"Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of\npower.\" And the High Priest, hearing these words, cried out, \"He hath\nspoken blasphemy\" (S. Matt. xxvi. 64, 65); because he understood that\nHe was thus openly claiming to be Messiah--the King--of whom David had\nsaid, \"The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand until I\nmake Thine enemies Thy footstool\" (Ps. cx. 1). And inasmuch as He had\npreviously silenced the Pharisees with these same words, asking them\nto explain how David could speak of Messiah as \"my Lord\" (S. Matt.\nxxii. 44; S. Mark xii. 36; S. Luke xx. 42), when He was to be the Son\nof David, we can see that the importance of this passage is very\ngreat. And that for two reasons. First, as testifying that Christ\nshould be no mere human descendant of David, because David calls Him\nLord; and, secondly, as foretelling the Ascension of Christ to the\nThrone at God's right hand. And not only do all the three first\nGospels record the use which He made of this verse to silence the\nJews; but we find also that S. Peter on the day of Pentecost, and also\nS. Paul in his Epistles to the Corinthians and to the Hebrews (Acts\nii. 34; 1 Cor. xv. 25; Heb. i. 13, x. 13), quoted it in support of\ntheir arguments that our Lord was exalted to His Throne. The Apostles\nargued in this way; David had thus clearly foretold the Ascension of\nChrist, and that His Ascension would be to the Throne of power, at the\nright hand of God. Therefore, inasmuch as He had ascended into Heaven,\nHis Ascension was clearly the fulfilment of the prophecy, in order\nthat He might make His solemn entry upon His kingly office, and be\nseated on His Throne. The Ascension was the last crowning proof that\nJesus was Messiah--the King of the house of David--the \"Priest for\never after the order of Melchisedek\" (Ps. cx. 4), that is, \"King of\nRighteousness\" and \"King of Peace\" (Heb. vii. 2).\n\nIn other words, the Apostles maintained that the Ascension of our Lord\nwas the act whereby He ascended the Throne of \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\"\nthe Mediatorial Kingdom of Messiah. And this is the testimony which\nthey have given under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. God \"raised\nHim from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly\nplaces, far above all principality, and power, and might, and\ndominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but\nalso in that which is to come: and hath put all things under His feet,\nand gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church\" (Ephes. i.\n20-22). And we are assured that the Ascension of our Saviour, the Lord\nJesus Christ, implied that He has won the right of sovereignty over\nall the world; and that all mankind are summoned to bow before Him,\nand accept Him as their King. For, because \"He humbled Himself and\nbecame obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross,\" therefore\n\"God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above\nevery name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, and that\nevery tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord\" (Phil. ii.\n8-11).\n\nBut for the successful setting up of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" two\nthings were still needed. First, the overthrow of the enemies of\nMessiah's Kingdom; and secondly, the gift of the Holy Ghost, to induce\nmen to be willing to submit themselves to the spiritual rule of our\nLord Jesus Christ. Consequently when the King had ascended the Throne,\nand all mankind had been given Him as His subjects, He was \"from\nhenceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool\" (Ps. cx.\n1; Heb. x. 13). All who are set against \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" must\nin the end be subdued before Him. And no doubt the wicked amongst men\nwho oppose His rule will, if they turn not, be included amongst these\nenemies. And yet we must never forget that these belong really to the\nnumber of those who were given to Him as His subjects. This is one of\nthe mysteries of the Gospel, that \"whilst we were yet sinners Christ\ndied for us\" (Rom. v. 8), and \"when we were enemies we were reconciled\nto God by the death of His Son\" (Rom. v. 10); so that we are assured\nthat the King in His loving mercy would have the wicked not \"under His\nfootstool,\" but amongst the sharers of His glory. But there are other\nenemies which will certainly be subdued in God's own time; and they\nare the spiritual powers of evil which are hindering men from being\nHis subjects. He will \"put down all rule and all authority and power\"\n(1 Cor. xv. 24) arrayed against Him; even \"the principalities and\npowers and rulers of the darkness of this world\" (Ephes. vi. 12), by\nwhich His subjects are assailed. \"For He must reign till He hath put\nall enemies under His feet\" (1 Cor. xv. 25).\n\nBut the destruction of His foes is not the only, nor the chief result\nof His Ascension. When the King ascended the Throne of \"The Kingdom of\nHeaven,\" \"He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men\" (Eph. iv.\n8), even the gifts by which men might be brought to submit themselves\nto His spiritual rule, and be saved by Him. And inasmuch as only the\nHoly Ghost can change the heart, and make men such as He had described\nHis subjects to be, He had previously explained to His Apostles that\nthere was one gift on which all future success depended, the gift of\n\"the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost\" (S. John xiv. 26). And He had\nassured them, \"It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not\naway, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will\nsend Him unto you\" (S. John xvi. 7).\n\nThey did not understand the words at the time when they were spoken;\nbut at the time of the Ascension they knew that they were to \"wait for\nthe promise of the Father\" (Acts i. 4), of which He had told them; and\nto \"tarry in the city of Jerusalem until\" they were \"endued with power\nfrom on high\" (S. Luke xxiv. 49). Ten days of watching, suspense, and\nprayer followed. At last, \"when the day of Pentecost was fully come,\nsuddenly there came a sound from Heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind,\nand they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with\nother tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance\" (Acts ii. 1-4).\nHitherto the little band of believers had numbered \"about an hundred\nand twenty\" (Acts i. 15) in Jerusalem. But now that the Holy Ghost was\ngiven, who could move the hearts of men and change them, the Apostles\nfound themselves endued with the promised \"power from on high,\" which\nshould give weight to their testimony; and the vast multitude, who\nassembled to listen to S. Peter's sermon, were \"pricked in their\nheart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and\nbrethren, what shall we do?\" (Acts ii. 37).\n\nThe previous instructions which had been given them about \"the things\npertaining to the Kingdom\" (Acts i. 3) were now to be put into\npractice. The Apostles had the answer ready: \"Repent, and be baptized\nevery one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of\nsins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the\npromise\"--of the Holy Ghost, who alone can change the heart and make\nmen to be born again as the children of God--is not to us only, said\nthe Apostle, but \"is unto you, and to your children, and to all that\nare afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with\nmany other words,\" besides those which are recorded, \"did he testify\"\nto the truth about the Lord Jesus being Messiah, the King; and with\nsuch force did he \"exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward\ngeneration,\" that three thousand \"gladly received his word and were\nbaptized\" (Acts ii. 38-41), as subjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven.\"\n\nThus the Kingdom was established amongst men by the power of the Holy\nGhost[17]. A spiritual Kingdom, but none the less a Kingdom upon\nearth. A spiritual Kingdom, not established by any power of man, and\nnot belonging to this world; and yet a Kingdom of which men and women\nand little children were the subjects; \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" as\ndescribed by our Lord in His parables and discourses.\n\nAnd the Kingdom having been thus established amongst men, from this\ntime we find a special name was given to it. Henceforth \"The Kingdom\nof Heaven\" becomes \"the Church.\" It was a word which our Lord Himself\nhad occasionally used with reference to His Kingdom, as when He said,\n\"Upon this rock I will build my Church\" (S. Matt. xvi. 18); but it now\nbecame the common expression. Thus when a persecution broke out\nagainst the Christians, it was thus described, \"As for Saul, he made\nhavoc of the Church\" (Acts viii. 3). So Herod \"stretched forth his\nhands to vex certain of the Church\" (Acts xii. 1); and when S. Peter\nwas imprisoned, \"prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto\nGod for him\" (Acts xii. 5). And throughout the Book of the Acts of\nthe Apostles and the Epistles it is almost always used as the name of\nthe body of believers or subjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven.\"\n\nAt the same time, in order that there might be no doubt that the\nApostles were simply carrying on their Lord's preaching of \"the Gospel\nof the Kingdom\" (S. Matt. iv. 23), and that \"The Church\" which they\nfounded was in very deed \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" in certain passages\ndescribing the character of their preaching we still find a reference\nto the Kingdom. Thus, when Philip preached the Gospel to the\nSamaritans, his work is described in these words, \"When they believed\nPhilip preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God, and the\nName of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women\" (Acts\nviii. 12). And a similar instance occurs respecting the preaching of\nthe great Apostle to the Gentiles, S. Paul. The whole of the latter\nhalf of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles is filled with the record\nof the extension of the Church by the labour of S. Paul in the various\nlands he visited. And he himself continually uses the word \"Church,\"\nboth in his addresses recorded in the Acts of the Apostles and in his\nEpistles to the Churches. Thus, for instance, to the Elders whom he\nhad ordained to take charge of the Church at Ephesus, he says, \"Feed\nthe Church of God which He hath purchased with His own Blood\" (Acts\nxx. 28). And yet when the general character of his preaching is\ndescribed, it is still spoken of as the good news of the Kingdom. For\nto these same Elders S. Paul says, \"And now, behold, I know that ye\nall, among whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God, shall see my\nface no more\" (Acts xx. 25). And the last record of him leaves him at\nRome \"preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching those things which\nconcern the Lord Jesus Christ, no man forbidding him\" (Acts xxviii.\n31).\n\nWe may now briefly sum up the results of the Ascension of our Lord and\nSaviour Jesus Christ. In ascending into heaven He was fulfilling the\nprophecy, to which special prominence had been given in His discourses\nwith His opponents, \"The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on my right\nhand till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool\" (Ps. cx. 1). He was thus\nascending the Throne of the Mediatorial Kingdom of Messiah--\"The\nKingdom of Heaven\"--and having ascended in triumph, \"He gave gifts\nunto men.\" And upon receiving the great gift which He had\npromised--even the Holy Ghost--the Apostles became endued with the\npower, by which alone \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" could be founded upon\nearth, and be extended amongst men. And, from that day forward, \"The\nKingdom of Heaven\" may be said to have been established. And as the\nApostles went forth preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God, and\nbelievers were multiplied, we find that, under the inspiration of the\nHoly Ghost, the word \"Church\" was used to express this body of the\nfaithful. And the name thus used in those early days of \"The Kingdom\nof Heaven,\" has been generally applied to it ever since.\n\nThus we are brought face to face with the practical importance of the\nteaching of our Blessed Lord about \"The Kingdom of Heaven.\" \"The\nKingdom of Heaven\" is \"The Church of Christ.\" The subjects are\nourselves.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[16] See Pearson on the Creed, pp. 283, 285.\n\n[17] It is sometimes said that the Kingdom was founded by our Lord in\nthe call of His Apostles. But inasmuch as He spoke of it as being\nstill in the future, when He said to Peter, \"Upon this rock _I will_\nbuild My Church\" (S. Matt. xvi. 18), and expressly declared that the\nBaptism of the Spirit was the appointed means of entering into it (S.\nJohn iii. 5), it seems more accurate to say that our Lord founded His\nKingdom on this day, through the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the\nApostles. For thus His words which specially applied to their own\ncases were fulfilled, \"Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost\" (Acts\ni. 5; S. Matt. iii. 11); and the gift was then handed on to others in\nthe appointed way, by which they also might be brought into the one\nBody (1 Cor. xii. 13).\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nTHE PARABLES EXEMPLIFIED IN THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.\n\n    \"To Him shall prayer unceasing\n      And daily vows ascend;\n    His Kingdom still increasing,\n      A Kingdom without end.\"\n\n\nWe have seen that our Lord described in His Parables the general\ncharacter and nature of \"The Kingdom of Heaven.\" Consequently, if the\nChurch established by the Apostles under the guidance of the Holy\nGhost is \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" it will necessarily be found to\nagree with the description thus given. Let us therefore now consider\nhow far the history of the Church, in the Acts of the Apostles and the\nEpistles, agrees with the picture of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" drawn\nbeforehand by the King.\n\nThe Parable of the Sower admits of frequent illustration if we\nunderstand the seed to refer, in a general sense, to the good news of\nsalvation through Jesus Christ, whether it is preached to men outside\nthe Kingdom or to those within it. The birds are continually carrying\noff the seed from thoughtless and hardened hearers; opposition and\npersecution and temptation still scorch up the seed in others; and\nworldliness and love of money still choke that which was beginning to\ngrow well in many hearts. And we can see all these characters, in\nthose who were first called to be members of the Church of Christ. The\nJews, generally, in all places visited by S. Paul, from whom he was\nforced to turn away in despair of producing any effect (Acts xiii.\n46), were like the wayside on which the seed fell only to be devoured.\nSuch also was Felix, who \"trembled\" as he heard S. Paul reasoning \"of\nrighteousness, temperance, and judgment to come,\" but went away and\n\"left Paul bound\" (Acts xxiv. 25-27); and Agrippa \"almost persuaded to\nbe a Christian\" (Acts xxvi. 28). Of hearers in whom the seed is\nscorched up by the fire of temptation or persecution, we may see\ninstances in Ananias and Sapphira, who fell under the temptation to\nappear zealous whilst being really worldly (Acts v. 3); or in John\nMark, who was disheartened at the seeming difficulties before him,\nand turned back from Pamphylia (Acts xiii. 13), leaving S. Paul and S.\nBarnabas to go on without him. Of those in whom the seed is choked by\nthe weeds of worldliness and love of money, there were many examples.\nSimon Magus, who after renouncing his sorcery and being baptised,\nthought that the power of the Holy Ghost might \"be purchased with\nmoney\" (Acts viii. 19, 20); Demas who \"loved this present world\" so\nmuch that he forsook S. Paul in the hour of danger (2 Tim. iv. 10);\nand the many of whom S. Paul spoke with tears, \"whose God is their\nbelly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things\" (Phil.\niii. 19). And, lastly, of those in whom the seed bears fruit an\nhundredfold, it seems almost invidious to select examples. But such\nwere the martyr Stephen, who prayed for his murderers (Acts vii. 60);\nTabitha, \"full of good works and almsdeeds\" (Acts ix. 36); Cornelius,\nupon whom the Holy Ghost fell even before he was baptized (Acts x.\n46); S. Luke, \"the beloved physician\" (Col. iv. 14), \"whose praise is\nin the Gospel\" (2 Cor. viii. 18).\n\nThe Parable of \"The Tares,\" which described the sad outward appearance\nof \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" was unhappily at once exemplified in the\nearly Church. Amongst the first members of the Church of Christ were\nfound Ananias and Sapphira \"to lie unto the Holy Ghost\" (Acts v. 3);\nand Simon Magus to bring upon himself the rebuke \"thy money perish\nwith thee\" (Acts viii. 20). And, as years passed on, we find S. Paul\nwriting to the Church of God at Corinth to rebuke its members of\nschism (1 Cor. i. 12); of being \"carnal\" and encouraging \"envying and\nstrife and divisions\" (1 Cor. iii. 3); of \"fornication,\" and that not\nmerely in a single instance (1 Cor. v, vi); of tampering with\nidolatrous feastings (1 Cor. viii); of disorders in their religious\nassemblies, and especially of gross profanity in the celebration of\nthe Lord's Supper (1 Cor. xi); of strange misuse of the miraculous\ngifts of the Holy Ghost (1 Cor. xii, xiv); and of denying the great\ndoctrine of the Resurrection (1 Cor. xv. 12). All of these charges\nshow how strongly the tares began at once to grow amongst the wheat.\nAnd, in later years, the same Apostle warns the Elders of Ephesus that\n\"grievous wolves\" will enter in among them \"not sparing the flock\"\n(Acts xx. 29); referring probably to the Gnostic heresies against\nwhich the First Epistle of S. John is mainly directed.\n\nLet us pass on to happier examples. The Parable of \"The Mustard Seed,\"\ndescribing the outward spread of \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" is\nillustrated by almost every chapter of the Acts. Beginning with the\nlittle seed of an hundred and twenty members, the Church increased at\nonce to thousands on the Day of Pentecost (Acts ii. 41, 47). Then, as\nthe increasing numbers required that Deacons should be ordained to\nassist the Apostles, we read that \"the number of the disciples\nmultiplied in Jerusalem greatly, and a great company of the Priests,\"\nrecognising, we may suppose, the fulfilment of the sacrificial types\nin the person and work of the Lord Jesus, \"became obedient to the\nFaith\" (Acts vi. 7). Then by the Providence of God this multitude of\nthe believers was scattered through the persecution which arose about\nStephen, and they \"went everywhere preaching the word\" (Acts viii. 4).\nSo that next \"Samaria received the word of God\" (Acts viii. 14). Then\nthe good news spread to Damascus, and to Antioch in Syria (Acts ix,\nxi. 19).\n\nSuch was the growth of the Church in the first ten or twelve years.\nThen Antioch became a fresh starting-point, and within the next twenty\nyears, under the efforts of S. Paul and S. Barnabas and others, the\nglad tidings spread from Antioch to Cyprus, and from Cyprus to the\ncoasts of Asia Minor (Acts xiii, xiv). Then after extending through\nmany provinces of Asia, the Gospel tree spread forth its branches to\nMacedonia (Acts xvi. 11); and from Macedonia to the ancient cities of\nGreece (Acts xvii, xviii); and from Greece to Italy and Rome, the\ncapital of the world. With this Parable of \"The Mustard Seed,\" we may\nconnect that of \"The Seed growing secretly\" (S. Mark iv. 26, 27), and\nwe may think how little the rulers of the old world imagined, that\nthere was a power at work amongst them, which would change the moral\ncharacter of the whole Empire. The Church of Christ was extending her\ninfluence secretly and unnoticed, or noticed only to be despised by\nthe ruling classes. Yet within three hundred years the faith of Christ\nbecame the professed religion of the Roman Empire.\n\nBut the spread of the Church of Christ was not merely an outward\nextension in the number of professed members. The Parable of \"The\nLeaven\" had set forth the power which \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" would\nexercise over the hearts of men. And of this also we may find examples\nin almost every chapter of the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles.\nSee the leaven working in the first members of the Church, who lived\ntogether in such love and unity that \"they had all things common, and\nsold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every\nman had need\" (Acts ii. 44, iv. 32). Think of the devoted lives led by\nthe Apostles, \"rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer\nshame\" (Acts v. 41) for their Lord's sake. Other instances may be seen\nin Stephen praying for his murderers (Acts vii. 60); in the character\nof Barnabas, \"a good man full of the Holy Ghost and of faith\" (Acts\nxi. 24); in the Elders, who were ordained by S. Paul in the different\ncities which he visited, and who handed on the knowledge they had\ngained to their more ignorant fellow-countrymen, \"feeding the Church\nof God\" (Acts xiv. 23, xx. 28); in the case of Aquila and Priscilla\ninstructing Apollos (Acts xviii. 26); in the Ephesian converts burning\ntheir books (Acts xix. 19); in Lydia taking care of S. Paul at\nPhilippi (Acts xvi. 15); and in the love shown to him afterwards by\nthe Philippians in general, his \"dearly beloved and longed for,\" his\n\"joy and crown\" (Phil. i. 3-8, iv. 1-10). Other signs of the leaven\nworking in the hearts of the faithful may be gathered from a variety\nof expressions in the different Epistles, pointing to the changed\nlives of the members of the Church (1 Cor. vi. 11); whilst the\nApostles were continually urging their converts to let the leaven work\nmore freely upon them, and become more apparent in the holiness of\ntheir lives, in the putting off \"the old man,\" and in the putting on\n\"the new man\" (Ephes. iv. 22, 24).\n\nThe Parables of \"The Treasure\" and \"The Pearl,\" which set forth the\npriceless value of salvation, and the different ways in which it\nbecomes known to men, may be illustrated by several instances in the\nearly history of the Church. One finds the truth, as it were, by\nchance, like some hidden treasure. Such was the man of Ethiopia\nfinding, as he crossed the desert, an apparently chance traveller able\nto expound to him the prophecies of Messiah (Acts viii. 27); and such\nwas the jailor at Philippi, stopped in the act of committing suicide\nto be baptized by his prisoners (Acts xvi. 27, 30). Another finds\n\"The Pearl\" worth all the world besides, only after long search. Such\nwas S. Paul, who sought for it in intense zeal for God, and found it\nin the Voice which said, \"Why persecutest thou Me?\" (Gal. i. 14, Acts\nix. 4). And such was Cornelius, whose prayers and alms called down the\nblessing from above which brought to him the knowledge of His Saviour\n(Acts x. 30-48). Whilst the value which men set upon the discovery was\nshown by the joy with which all things were given up for the sake of\nChrist, when men \"did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of\nheart, praising God and having favour with all the people\" (Acts ii.\n46, 47); when they rejoiced \"that they were counted worthy to suffer\nshame for His Name\" (Acts v. 41); when being expelled with violence\nfrom one city they went on to the next, and, instead of complaints,\n\"the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost\" (Acts\nxiii. 50-52); and when one could say, who had given up all his earthly\nprospects and high position amongst his fellows, \"what things were\ngain to me, those I counted loss for Christ\" (Phil. iii. 7, 8).\n\nThe last Parable of the series, \"The Draw-net,\" referring as it does\nto the final separation at the end of the world, cannot be illustrated\nby example.\n\nOf the other Parables of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" describing special\ncircumstances which affect the subjects of the Kingdom, only one, \"The\nMarriage of the King's Son,\" seems to be capable of illustration by\nexamples. And this is abundantly illustrated throughout the Acts of\nthe Apostles in the history of the extension of the Church. As soon as\nthe Gospel spread to Gentile lands, we find the Jews in general\npersistently refusing to accept the Lord Jesus as Messiah and to\nbecome members of the Church. Thus at Antioch in Pisidia, after the\nglad tidings had been so published that \"almost the whole city came\ntogether to hear the Word of God; when the Jews saw the multitudes\nthey were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were\nspoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.\" Then the literal\nfulfilment of this prophetic Parable followed. \"Paul and Barnabas\nwaxed bold and said, It was necessary that the word of God should\nfirst have been spoken to you; but seeing ye put it from you, and\njudge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the\nGentiles\" (Acts xiii. 44-46). And, in a similar way, the last chapter\nof the Acts of the Apostles records how the Jews in Rome brought upon\nthemselves the warning Words of S. Paul, \"Be it known, therefore, unto\nyou; that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that\nthey will hear it\" (Acts xxviii. 25-28).\n\nThus we find the Parables of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" exemplified and\nfulfilled in the history of the early Church. And any doubt still\nlingering in the mind of the reader, about the Church of Christ being\n\"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" may be dispelled by the clear testimony of\nthe facts recorded in Holy Scripture.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nTHE ESSENTIAL UNITY OF THE KINGDOM.\n\n    \"Elect from every nation,\n      Yet One o'er all the earth;\n    Her charter of salvation,\n      One Lord, One Faith, One Birth.\"\n\n\nIf it is true that our Lord came to found a real Kingdom, and if the\nChurch described in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles is this\nKingdom, it is clear that the quality of Unity or Oneness is essential\nto it. It must belong to the nature of the Church that it should be\nOne; because we cannot conceive in our minds, in any practical sense,\nthe idea of two Kingdoms of Heaven.\n\nThis truth was illustrated by our Lord under the form of a figure. \"I\nam the Vine; ye are the branches\" (S. John xv. 5). The idea of a tree\nimplies oneness, and the branches have no separate existence apart\nfrom the stem. Even so the subjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" can\nexist only through union with Christ Himself; and wherever Christians\nare enrolled, in whatsoever country they may be, all must belong to\nthe same Kingdom, because all are branches of the One Vine.\n\nConsequently, if the Church be \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" then, as it\nspread through the world and different countries received the Gospel,\nwe shall expect to find that the various branches of the Church\nfounded by S. Paul and the other Apostles were not independent one of\nanother, in the sense of being so many separate and distinct bodies,\nbut were all united together, as forming the One Church or Kingdom of\nChrist.\n\nThe question now arises, Was this the case?\n\nGod in His Providence has not left us in any doubt upon this point. We\ncan trace this oneness very clearly in the history of the Church\nduring its extension under the Apostles, as recorded in the Acts of\nthe Apostles. The following incident serves as an example. After S.\nPaul's return to Antioch at the close of his first missionary journey,\na dispute arose about the necessity of teaching the Gentile converts\nto observe the law of Moses. And it was determined by the Church at\nAntioch that \"Paul and Barnabas and certain other of them should go\nup to Jerusalem, unto the Apostles and Elders, about this question.\"\nThe first recorded Church Council was then held to consider the\nmatter; and after full discussion, it was determined to send the\ndecision in a letter after this manner: \"The Apostles and Elders and\nBrethren send greeting unto the Brethren which are of the Gentiles in\nAntioch and Syria and Cilicia.\" Then after stating the case, the\ndecision was thus given: \"It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us,\nto lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; that ye\nabstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things\nstrangled, and from fornication; from which if ye keep yourselves, ye\nshall do well. Fare ye well\" (Acts xv. 1-29). From which it is clear\nthat all the believers in the several Churches of Jerusalem and\nAntioch and Cilicia were brethren together, and fellow-subjects of one\nKingdom, bound to the observance of common laws framed by common\nconsent for the general good government of the whole body. And it is\nequally clear that the ties which held together these various\ncommunities of Christians were the Apostles themselves, who had\nfounded them. The various Churches were one, because their founders\nwere fellow-workers, who acted in concert, taking counsel together.\nBut what bond of union held the founders themselves together?\n\nThe answer to this question shows the ground on which the essential\nOneness of the Church is based. And it is clearly this. The Apostles\nand Bishops who founded the various Churches were all commissioned\nofficers of one King--the King of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\"--and they\nwere commissioned, not to found Churches bearing their own, names,\nindependent one of another, but to extend the King's dominion. And\ntheir authority and power to act were wholly dependent upon their\nacting in the King's Name, and with His concurrence. For when the\ncommission was given to the Apostles to \"go into all the world and\nmake disciples of all nations,\" these words were added by the King,\n\"And lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world\" (S.\nMatt. xxviii. 20). From which we see also that the continuance of the\nUnity was secured, in the same way, through the Apostles' successors,\nafter they themselves should be called to rest. And whilst the\nApostles and Bishops were thus appointed as the agents to extend \"The\nKingdom of Heaven,\" the King Himself was the actual bond of union,\nsecuring the essential unity of the Church, wherever subjects were\nbrought in. One King over all held all together.\n\nAs time passed and various branches of the One Church were formed,\nthere were also other ties which were felt to bind Christians one with\nanother as one body. The Church was a spiritual Kingdom; and by one\nand the same Holy Spirit all had been moved to accept the King, and\nall had been new-born as the children of God. And as all had received\nthe same Holy Spirit, so all looked forward to the same hope of\neternal life; all having been called to enter the same state of\nsalvation, in which the prize was within their reach. All had been\ntaught the same articles of Faith. All had been baptized, with the\nsame form, into the Name of the Blessed Trinity. And so S. Paul summed\nup their bonds of union in these words, \"One Body and one Spirit, even\nas ye are called in one Hope of your calling; one Lord; one Faith; one\nBaptism; one God\" (Ephes. iv. 4-6).\n\nBut the unity of a Kingdom depends, not merely upon having one Head\nand certain general laws and ordinances; but also upon the ready\nobedience of the subjects. \"Every Kingdom divided against itself is\nbrought to desolation\" (S. Matt. xii. 25). An earthly kingdom is strong\nonly when the people are united together in loyally obeying the king,\nand the laws, and officers of the kingdom. It is weak when suspicion\nand factious opposition prevail; or when the subordinate princes\nexercise their authority without respect to the general good. And, if\nit does not fall altogether, it is an unhappy kingdom indeed, when\nthese opposing interests break out into open rupture and civil war.\n\nThe case is exactly the same with \"The Kingdom of Heaven.\" It is\nstrong only as a united Kingdom. And the last prayer of our Lord\nbefore His Passion shows how well the King knew beforehand wherein the\nweakness of His Kingdom would consist, which would hinder it from\ncomprehending the whole world according to His loving design. The\nessential unity of the Kingdom was secured, as we have seen above. But\nstill the strength of His Kingdom, as a united Kingdom, would depend\nupon the loyal obedience of His subjects. And He knew that His\nsubjects would be as much exposed to the evil influence of false\nteachers, as the subjects of an earthly king are to the seductions of\nthe misguided and seditious. And He prayed \"That they all may be one;\nas Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be One\nin Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me\" (S. John\nxvii. 21).\n\nAn unhappy tendency to division was soon manifested in the Church. And\nS. Paul wrote to \"the Church of God which is at Corinth,\" to rebuke\nthem for imagining that the founders of the Church were founding\ncommunities in their own names, forgetting that they were the mere\nministers of the King. \"While one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I\nam of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is\nApollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to\nevery man\" (1 Cor. i. 12; iii. 1-5).\n\nThe tendency to form divisions in the Church which so early appeared,\nincreased rather than diminished as years went on; though it was\nchecked, under the Providence of God, by the frequent persecutions\nwhich broke out against the Christians. The inevitable result\nfollowed. \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" was weak, and unable to maintain\nthe conflict against the heathenism of the world around it, as it\nought to have done. Christendom was divided against itself. The\nNational Churches, which had been founded as Branches of one and the\nsame Church, were engaged in contests between themselves. Then one\nChurch usurped an authority over other Churches, provoking in course\nof time further disunion. And in our own days, after eighteen\ncenturies have passed since the Church was founded, it is calculated\nthat not one-third of the inhabitants of the earth profess the faith\nof Christ. So greatly have the unhappy divisions which prevail amongst\nChristians weakened the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.\n\nBut as Englishmen we are chiefly interested in the Church of our own\ncountry. Consequently, we must now come to the consideration of a\nquestion which, probably, has already troubled the minds of many\nreaders of these pages--If the Church is one, what is the position of\nthose who have separated from their own National Branch of this one\nChurch, or Kingdom of Christ?\n\nIt is a question of much difficulty, because those who have been\noutwardly separated from their brethren have been brought into a\nposition altogether different from any which is described in the New\nTestament. For the subjects of the Lord Jesus Christ are described\ntherein as subjects of one Kingdom, bound together by the closest ties\nof loyalty to the King, and of brotherhood with one another. At the\nsame time, the names by which Christians in this country are divided\ninto Church-people and Dissenters, only add to the confusion. For to\nsuppose, as these names suggest, that Dissenters do not belong in any\nsense to the Church of Christ, is an idea which is repugnant to the\nminds of all who know anything of their work. But though the\ndifficulty of the question is so great, it is hoped that the previous\nchapters will have prepared the reader to see his way to the answer,\nwhich Holy Scripture enables us to form.\n\nBut first let us clear the way by calling to mind the origin of the\npresent lamentable state of things. The difficulty has been created by\nthe inevitable imperfection of all things with which man's freewill is\nconcerned. For God clearly intended that His Church should be one;\nand that it should work upon the world with the irresistible force of\nan united Kingdom. And inasmuch as we find, in our own days, that this\nintention has been frustrated, there can be no doubt but that it is\nour duty to do what we can to bring back the conditions of our life\nhere into conformity with it. For Christian people cannot be content\nwith a state of things which they find to be plainly contrary to God's\nintention. Consequently, in considering this question, it seems that\nthe right course to take is to give prominence to the bonds of union\nwhich still exist between the different bodies of Christians in this\ncountry; and instead of magnifying the causes and extent of disunion,\nto endeavour to draw men closer together.\n\nNow it is clear from Holy Scripture, that the Church of Christ\nconsists of those who have been made subjects of \"The Kingdom of\nHeaven;\" and we have already seen that our Lord explained that the\nform of admission into His Kingdom would be by Holy Baptism.\nTherefore, with respect to so-called Dissenters, we conclude, that all\nhave been brought into the Church or Kingdom of Christ in this land,\nwho have used the means which He ordained for that purpose, namely,\nHoly Baptism. And the names assumed by those who separate themselves\nfrom their brethren cannot destroy the effects of this great\nSacrament. It appears also that they have become in some degree\npartakers with their brethren of those bonds of union mentioned by S.\nPaul, \"One Body; one Spirit; one Hope; one Lord; one Faith; one\nBaptism; one God\" (Ephes. iv. 4-6). Though, unhappily, their\nappreciation of some of these bonds of union is slight; and they are\ndeprived (either by their deliberate will, or, more commonly, by the\naccidents of their birth) of the many privileges which they might\nenjoy, through communion with their brethren in the Ordinances of\nreligion and in the common service of our Lord Jesus Christ[18].\n\nAt the same time, it ought to be clearly understood, that we have no\ncertain warrant of Holy Scripture for more than this. For, as there is\nno example in the Bible of any one professing faith in Christ, and yet\nholding back from being baptized into the Name of the Trinity, it is\nnot possible to describe the position of the unbaptized with any\ncertainty of assurance. The offer of salvation through Jesus Christ is\nthus briefly stated, \"He that believeth and is baptized shall be\nsaved\" (S. Mark xvi. 16); that is, he will be placed in a state of\npresent salvation by being admitted into \"The Kingdom of Heaven.\" But\nthe case of any one believing and not being baptized is not\ncontemplated.\n\nIn the next place, still confining our thoughts to our own country, we\nshall do well to consider that the greater number of those who have\nseparated themselves from us have done so with the hope of thereby\ndoing God service; or else under the idea that the separation is of\nsmall importance, being more a matter of personal choice than of\nprinciple. They have forgotten or have been ignorant of the prayer of\nthe Lord Jesus--\"That they all may be one; that the world may believe\nthat Thou hast sent Me\" (S. John xvii. 21)--forewarning us that the\nresult of divisions would be the spoiling of His work for the saving\nof the world. And, at the same time, it is right that we should also\ncall to mind that in many instances in the past history of the Church\nin this land, those who have professed to hold the position of loyal\nsubjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" have seemed to be equally careless\nof this inevitable loss through the separation of their brethren.\n\nWith these considerations in our minds, if we now go on to test our\nopinions by the sure warrant of Holy Scripture, fearlessly taking our\nstand upon its distinct teaching, we shall see how important it is\nthat both so-called Church-people and so-called Dissenters should be\ninduced to study carefully what is recorded therein about \"The Kingdom\nof Heaven,\" or Church of Christ. For, on the one hand, we shall find\nthat Holy Scripture clearly teaches that the Church is a spiritual\nKingdom, and that the only way to receive the benefits of membership\nis by being led and sanctified by the Holy Ghost. And, on the other\nhand, we shall see that Holy Scripture makes it equally clear that our\nLord described His Church as being a real Kingdom, though a spiritual\none; and that this Kingdom was established with distinct laws and\nordinances, by His directions, and under the guidance of the Holy\nGhost. And consequently, if, on the one hand, any are content with the\nname of Church-people without seeking to advance in the spiritual\nlife, they are clearly acting as the Jews, who trusted to being able\nto say, \"We have Abraham to our father\" (S. Matt. iii. 9). Similarly,\non the other hand, if men carelessly weaken \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" by\nforming factions, or so-called denominations, under different leaders,\nand known by the names of their founders, they are clearly bringing\nthemselves under the rebuke of S. Paul, \"While one saith, I am of\nPaul; and another, I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal[19]?\" (1 Cor.\niii. 4); or if they propose to themselves to form a holier society,\nby expelling the tares from the wheat in the Lord's field, they are\ndisregarding the teaching of His parable (S. Matt. xiii. 24-30), the\nmeaning of which cannot be doubtful. And, at the same time, all who\nwill take pains to study Holy Scripture will find that to be a member\nof \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" or Church of Christ, is no mere matter of\nchoice, but of vital importance; because no other way has been\nrevealed whereby we may be saved, but by accepting the Gospel of the\nKingdom, and by being admitted into it, as those first converts were,\nto whom S. Peter said, \"Save yourselves from this untoward generation\"\n(Acts ii. 40, 41).\n\nWe are now in a position to sum up what has been gathered from Holy\nScripture about the essential unity of \"The Kingdom of Heaven.\"\n\nThe idea of a Kingdom implies the necessity of unity. And it was\nprovided that the essential unity of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" should be\nmaintained through the Headship of the one King over all. The King\ncommissioned His Apostles to make all the nations of the world His\nsubjects, and assured them of the authority to do this by promising to\nbe with them and their successors to the end of the world. And\nwherever the Church spread, however defective and imperfect it might\nbe, it was still part of one and the same Kingdom, owning the Lord\nJesus Christ as King. Besides this bond of union, one Holy Spirit was\nworking with more or less success upon all the subjects, wherever they\nmight be; one Hope was held out before all, of salvation; one Faith in\nthe ever-blessed Trinity was taught to all, and professed by all; one\nBaptism enrolled all; one God was the object of the worship of all.\n\nBut the unity of a Kingdom depends not only upon the King and the laws\nand ordinances of the Kingdom, but also upon the loyal obedience of the\nsubjects. And the subjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" have, in past\ntimes, so far forgotten this duty, that it has come to pass that for\ncenturies the great branches of the Church of Christ have had little,\nif any, outward communion or fellowship with one another. And in our\nown country the professed members of Christ are divided into many\nbodies, not only independent of one another, but oftentimes opposing,\nrather than helping forward, the extension and well-being of the\nKingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And the result has been\nthat we have learned by sad experience the reason of the foreboding\ntone of our Lord's last prayer, \"That they all may be one; ... that the\nworld may believe that Thou hast sent Me\" (S. John xvii. 21). The\nmultitudes of men, practically heathen, in the midst of this\nprofessedly Christian land, and the still greater multitudes of men in\nother lands whom the good news of the Kingdom has not reached, are\nproofs of the weakness of the Church of Christ. Christians are not\n\"one;\" and consequently \"the world\" does not \"believe\" in Him whom the\nFather of His great love sent to be its Saviour.\n\nDuring the first few centuries the Church spread rapidly, not only\nthroughout the more civilised parts of the Roman Empire, but also\namongst the rough Celts of Britain and the fierce Teutons of Germany.\nWe may well ask, why did it cease to spread, and why are so many lands\nstill lying in darkness? Since Christ came to be the Saviour of the\nworld, how is it that there are so many millions of Buddhists and\nHindoos in Asia, that to this day it is said that not one-third of the\ninhabitants of the world are; Christians? The answer is, alas! clear.\nThe unity of the One Universal Church of Christ has not been\nmaintained in the full and perfect manner described in our Lord's\nPrayer, \"That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I\nin Thee, that they also may be one in Us\" (S. John xvii. 21).\nChristians have lost the sense of brotherhood, which should bind them\nall together in Christ, of whatsoever nation or language they may be.\nThe Church has ceased to move with the irresistible power of one\nmighty army, acting with one mind for the glory of God.\n\nAll thoughtful subjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" must lament this\nstate of disunion and weakness. And men are striving in different, and\nin some cases opposite ways, to bring about re-union. But when we\nbegin to ask, What is the remedy? we find that we are facing a mighty\nproblem. God's loving purpose for the salvation of the world has been\nmarred by man's wilfulness. His Kingdom, which might have been\nirresistible and have won the whole world for Christ, has been split\nup into many portions, which have been opposing and weakening one\nanother, instead of fighting His enemies. How can these portions,\nafter centuries of disunion, be reunited into one? How can the\nmischief be undone?\n\nIt is beyond the power of man.\n\nYet at the same time we can see that there are certain things which\nall can do to advance the object in view, and to promote re-union at\nleast in our own National Church at home, if not also between the\ndifferent branches of Christ's Holy Church[20] throughout the world.\nBut to do so, two things are clearly necessary. One thing is to have a\nclear grasp of the principle which runs through the whole teaching of\nthe Bible,--that Christ came to found a Kingdom. And the other is to\ndesire unity. If all desired unity, the desired result would certainly\nbe accomplished.\n\nBut one thing is certain. No plan of re-union can succeed which is\nnot based upon the clear teaching of Holy Scripture. \"The Kingdom of\nHeaven\" is there clearly described. First by the King Himself in His\nparables and discourses, before the Kingdom was yet founded; and then\nin the history of the Acts of the Apostles, which tells how the\nKingdom or Church of Christ, which had been purchased with His own\nBlood, was set up under the guidance of the Holy Ghost. And inasmuch\nas no man, nor any body of men, can form a new \"Kingdom of Heaven,\"\nthe only position which a Christian can hold, in agreement with Holy\nScripture, is the position of a subject of that Kingdom which was so\nfounded.\n\nAnd when we call to mind that \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" extended to our\nown land, by the Providence of God, in early days, we see at once that\nour aim, as loyal subjects of the Lord Jesus Christ, must be to win\nback those who have separated from us, to act as fellow-soldiers with\nus in the one great army of our King, serving under the same flag and\nthe same officers, and fighting with united energy for the glory of\nGod.\n\nBut as in an earthly kingdom various opinions may be held by different\npersons and parties, and yet all may be loyal subjects of the same\nKing, and earnestly advancing the well-being of the kingdom, so in the\nspiritual Kingdom of Messiah unity does not mean that all must think\nalike[21]. But there is one necessary condition, namely this,--the\nessential unity of the Kingdom must be kept in view. There can be but\none \"Kingdom of Heaven.\" Consequently, to form separate and\nindependent bodies cannot fail to cause confusion and weakness. To act\nin the Name of the King men must be united. If we, who call ourselves\nby the Name of Christ, desire to spread His Kingdom with the\nirresistible force which belongs to it, we must show to the world\nthat we are all one in interests--in the common hope of Heaven; all\none in faith--in the common belief in the love of God, as it is\nexpressed in the work of redemption, through the Father, the Son, and\nthe Holy Ghost; all one in Baptism into the great Name of the\never-Blessed Trinity; and, above all other bonds of union, all one in\nloyal devotion to the one Lord and King, our Saviour Jesus Christ.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[18] Let me beg every reader of these lines to pause here, and shoot\nup an arrow of prayer that God may lead men to think of the\nblessedness of being united, as sons of one Father, brethren of one\nfamily, subjects of one Kingdom. And I would ask those readers who may\nbe, at present, living in outward separation from the Ancient Branch\nof Christ's Church in this land, to consider with themselves what\ncause there is in their own case to justify, before God, such a\nseparation from their Brethren in Christ.\n\n[19] Consider also S. Paul's earnest words, \"Unto the Church of God\nwhich is at Corinth, with all that in every place call upon the name\nof Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.\" \"Now I beseech you,\nbrethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the\nsame thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be\nperfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.\nFor it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, that there are\ncontentions among you\" (1 Cor. i. 2, 10, 11).\n\n[20] A caution is perhaps needed here to prevent the reader from\nsupposing that any re-union is advocated which would involve union\nwith error. On the one hand, we must \"stand fast in the liberty\nwherewith Christ hath made us free\" (Gal. v. 1). We must firmly refuse\nto accept any other foundation than that of the Creeds, settled by an\nundivided Christendom. And on the other hand, we must set ourselves\nwith equal firmness against allowing any \"Shibboleth\" (Judges xii. 6),\nmade out of exaggerated views of particular doctrines, to cut off\nthose who should be brethren, not only in name but in life.\n\n[21] Truths are many-sided. Men may agree in their belief in truths,\nand yet hold different opinions concerning those truths. Just as men,\nwho live on different sides of a mountain, all look upon the same\nmountain, and yet see different views of it; so men see different\nsides of a truth. To know a truth perfectly men must see it from every\npoint of view. And the power of taking such comprehensive views of\ntruths is granted to few, if any, here on earth. Probably this perfect\nknowledge is reserved for us in Heaven; when all, who have loved their\nLord in sincerity, will find that their controversies with one another\nhere on earth have been due to their imperfect knowledge and limited\nviews of the truths of God.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nTHE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH.\n\n    \"Christ is gone up; yet ere He passed\n      From earth, in heaven to reign,\n    He formed One Holy Church to last\n      Till He should come again.\n\n    So age by age, and year by year,\n      His grace was handed on;\n    And still the Holy Church is here,\n      Although her Lord is gone.\"\n\n\nA question often arises which is, in no little degree, perplexing to\nChristian people. What is the Holy Catholic Church? The words are very\noften in our mouths; for they are repeated continually in the Creed.\nWhat do we mean by them?\n\nThe teaching of our Lord about His Kingdom, and the description of the\nfounding of that Kingdom by the Holy Ghost, acting through the\nApostles, are the materials out of which the answer must be formed.\nAnd it is hoped that the readers of these pages have been led to see\nthis already.\n\nBut there are two ways of dealing with this question: first, as an\narticle of faith; and secondly, as a matter of fact. The Church is an\nobject on which faith is exercised; but if faith is laid aside\naltogether, the facts of the existence of the Church and its rapid\nextension in our own day still remain to be considered.\n\nWe must deal with it first as an article of the faith. \"I believe in\nthe Holy Catholic Church.\" It is an article of faith added to our\nprofession of faith in God, expressing our belief in the reality of\nthe Gospel. It is like saying, in other words, that we believe that\nwhat our Lord preached was literally true, and has come to pass.\nHereby we declare that the Kingdom which He proclaimed is a real\nKingdom, and that we belong to it as His subjects, and share in the\nsalvation which He, the long-promised Messiah, came to bring.\n\nWe have already considered the grounds on which this faith is based.\nWe have seen that the Church founded by the Apostles was in reality\nand truth \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" which was described beforehand by\nour Lord in His parables and discourses, and which He declared could\nnot be entered except through a new birth of the Spirit. And we have\nseen how the Holy Ghost was given according to His promise, first to\nlead men to accept the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ;\nthen to bring them into His Kingdom, new-born as the children of God;\nand then to dwell within them and influence their lives, and prepare\nthem for the presence of their Father.\n\nConsequently, in professing our faith in \"The Holy Catholic[22]\nChurch,\" we are simply expressing the belief of Christians, that the\ngood news which He preached has come to pass, that \"The Kingdom of\nHeaven\" has been founded; and that we, who profess this belief, have\nbeen called to enter it as His subjects, and have been put into the\nway of salvation, wherein we have a present share in His infinite\nmerits, and a good hope of eternal Life through Him.\n\nThe Holy Catholic Church is \"The Kingdom of Heaven.\"\n\nBut we have also to deal with the words \"The Holy Catholic Church\" as\nreferring to a matter of fact. The existence of the Church is a\nhistorical fact, which may be traced down through the eighteen\ncenturies from the times of the Apostles to our own. And we cannot\nrealize in any practical manner what the Holy Catholic Church is,\nwithout some degree of knowledge of its history. Consequently, we must\nnow proceed to consider what the Church is, by the help of the records\nwhich have come down to us.\n\nThe history of the Church of Christ during the greater part of the\nfirst century is within reach of all, because it is contained in Holy\nScripture, in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, and in the\nEpistles. And this Bible history of the Holy Catholic Church may be\ndivided into two periods; the first, whilst the Church was confined\nalmost exclusively to converts from amongst the Jews, and had hardly\nextended beyond the limits of Palestine; and the second, when it\nbegan to spread amongst the Gentiles, in the heathen countries of Asia\nand Europe.\n\nDuring the first period the interest is centred in Jerusalem. On the\nday of Pentecost the foundation of the Church was laid in Jerusalem,\nthrough the conversion of three thousand devout Jews to the faith of\nChrist. And as the Apostles went on preaching boldly to the Jewish\npeople, that the Lord Jesus whom they had crucified was none other\nthan Messiah, of whom their prophets had foretold all things exactly\nas they had happened, the rulers laid hold of them, thinking to\nterrify them into silence. But in vain; for \"the number of the\ndisciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly, and a great company of the\npriests were obedient to the faith\" (Acts vi. 7). Then the persecution\narose about Stephen, one of the newly-ordained deacons; and the\nfaithful \"were scattered throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria,\"\nand they \"went everywhere preaching the word\" (Acts viii. 1, 4). And\nso the Church began to spread under the Providence of God beyond the\nlimits of Judaea.\n\nMeanwhile we find that the Church was growing into a duly organised\nbody. It was not a collection of Independent congregations, but a\nKingdom, ruled by laws and ministers appointed either directly by the\nKing Himself, or under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And its\nsubjects are spoken of under four divisions; Apostles, Elders,\nDeacons, and Brethren. And a brief description of these three orders\nof Ministers and of the general body of brethren will best illustrate\nthe account given in the Acts of the Apostles of what the Holy\nCatholic Church was like during that period.\n\nTo the first order of Ministers--the Apostles and their\nsuccessors--our Blessed Lord had committed His authority to found and\nextend His Kingdom. For to \"the eleven Disciples\" the commission was\ngiven, \"Go ye and make disciples[23] of all nations, baptizing them in\nthe name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;\nteaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you.\"\nAnd then these words were added, showing that the commission was to be\nhanded on by them to successive Apostles for ever: \"And lo! I am with\nyou alway, even unto the end of the world\" (S. Matt. xxviii. 16-20).\nAnd we find that, as years passed on, the Apostles ordained others to\ntake their places; to assist them during their lifetime in the various\ncountries and cities where converts had been made, and to succeed them\nwhen they were gone. The duties of these chief Ministers are clearly\ndescribed in the Epistles, which we possess to two of them, viz.\nTimothy and Titus; being such as the Apostles themselves fulfilled,\nand including the general oversight of all teaching, and matters of\norder, and the ordaining of Elders and Deacons, as S. Paul sums them\nup to Titus: \"For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest\nset in order the things that are wanting, and ordain Elders in every\ncity\" (Titus i. 5). And in the first ages of the Church the number of\nsuch overseers or Bishops was very large; every chief city having one\nto rule over the Church in that place, and to keep up the unity with\nthe whole body.\n\nWe come now to the second order of Ministers, the Elders. When the\nnumbers of the faithful increased, it is clear that the Apostles by\nthemselves would be unable to instruct them in the things commanded by\nthe Lord (S. Matt. xxviii. 20); and we conclude that Elders were\nappointed at once to assist them--probably from amongst the seventy\ndisciples sent out by our Lord (S. Luke x. 1)--because, when mention\nis made of them, S. Luke seems to take for granted that his readers\nwill know who they are. The first mention of Elders in the Church at\nJerusalem is in connection with the alms sent by the Christians at\nAntioch, to relieve their poor brethren in the capital: \"They sent it\nto the Elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul\" (Acts xi. 30). Elders\nare mentioned again as taking part with the Apostles in the first\nCouncil at Jerusalem, when \"The Apostles and Elders came together to\nconsider of the matter\" (Acts xv. 6). And it is made quite clear that\nElders were regarded as a necessary order of Ministers in the Church\nof Christ, by the account given of the return of S. Paul and S.\nBarnabas from their first missionary journey: \"They returned again to\nLystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, and when they had ordained them\nElders[24] in every Church, they commended them to the Lord\" (Acts\nxiv. 21-23). Their office was to take charge of the different\ncongregations or Churches in the various towns and villages, very much\nas is still the duty of the second order of Ministers in the Church.\nWe may learn this from the words of S. Paul during his last journey to\nJerusalem. Having landed at Miletus, \"He sent to Ephesus, and called\nthe Elders of the Church;\" and when they were come he reminded them\nwhat his teaching had been, and then charged them thus: \"Take heed\ntherefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the\nHoly Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which\nHe hath purchased with His own blood\" (Acts xx. 17-28).\n\nThe appointment of the third order of Ministers--the Deacons--was at\nfirst for a special object; to take the management of the distribution\nof daily necessaries to the widows and needy (Acts vi. 1-6). But,\nfrom the first, the spiritual gifts bestowed upon them were exercised\nin the more distinctly spiritual work of preaching. Thus Stephen's\n\"faith and power\" (Acts vi, vii) stirred up the first persecution; and\nPhilip, another of the first Deacons, by his faithful preaching\nbrought about the conversion of the Samaritans (Acts viii. 5-14), and\nthen laid the first stone in the foundation of the Ethiopian Church\n(Acts viii. 26-38).\n\nThus from the first beginning of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" we find the\nthree orders or classes of Ministers, which have been ever since in\nthe Holy Catholic Church. Apostles and Bishops bearing the Lord's\ncommission to which the promise of His presence was attached; Elders\nor Priests having charge of congregations, as Pastors, to feed,\ninstruct, and lead; and Deacons having special oversight of the relief\nof the poor, but also using their talents to preach as God gave unto\nthem.\n\nThe position and life of \"The Brethren\" are set forth with equal\nclearness. As soon as a man was induced, by the leading of the Holy\nSpirit, to profess his belief in Jesus the crucified--as being\nMessiah, the Son of God, our Saviour--he was baptized according to\nthe Lord's instructions to the Apostles (S. Matt. xxviii. 19). He was\nthus enrolled amongst the subjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" who\nwere commonly spoken of as \"Believers\" _or_ \"The faithful,\" as \"The\nBrethren,\" and as \"Saints.\" In this way multitudes were brought into\nthe Church on the day of Pentecost (Acts ii. 41); thus Philip admitted\nthe people of Samaria (Acts viii. 12), and the Ethiopian officer of\nQueen Candace (Acts viii. 36-38). Thus S. Peter admitted the Gentile\nCornelius, his hesitation to do so having been first removed by the\nmanifest descent upon him of the Holy Ghost (Acts x. 47, 48); and thus\nS. Paul and S. Barnabas continually admitted converts in their\nmissionary journeys. It does not appear that the Apostles themselves\nbaptized; but they directed the act to be administered by an\nattendant. Thus S. Paul took John Mark with him as his \"minister\" on\nhis first journey (Acts xiii. 5), and on other journeys Silas and\nTimothy and others. When Cornelius and his friends were baptized, we\ndo not read that S. Peter baptized them, but \"he commanded them to be\nbaptized in the name of the Lord\" (Acts x. 48); and S. Paul expresses\nhis thankfulness that only a few individuals could say that they had\nbeen baptized by him in person, \"lest any should say that I had\nbaptized in my own name\" (1 Cor. i. 14-17).\n\nThe life of \"The Brethren,\" after baptism, is also described with much\ndistinctness, in a few words which seem to have been recorded once for\nall of the first converts, in formal terms which should be applicable\nto all others: \"They continued stedfastly in the Apostles' doctrine,\nand fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers\" (Acts ii.\n42). And the four particulars thus stated seem to include all the\nduties of the Christian life. Their stedfast attention to \"The\nApostles' doctrine\" implies that they accepted their testimony as the\ntruth necessary for salvation. Their holding to \"the fellowship\" or\ncommunion, implies their unity with the Apostles, and with one\nanother. Their continual observance of \"The breaking of bread\" implies\nthe high position at once given to the ordinance of the Holy\nCommunion, instituted by the Lord Himself as the bond of the New\nCovenant, in place of the sacrifices of the blood of beasts under the\nOld Covenant. And their habitual joining in \"The prayers,\" implies\nthat the assembling of Christians for common worship was practised\nfrom the first.\n\nSuch was the life of the first subjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven.\"\nAnd this record of it in Holy Scripture sets it forth as the pattern\nfor all future generations. It is true that the infant Church was not\nperfect, and, had it been so, it would not have corresponded with the\ndescription which our Lord had given of it in His Parables; but the\nleaven was at work upon the hearts of the believers, and the result\nwas manifest in their lives.\n\nAfter about ten years had thus passed, during which the Church was\nbeing gradually developed as the Kingdom of Messiah in Judaea and\nSamaria, the second period of its history, as recorded in the Bible,\nbegan. And henceforth Antioch became a fresh centre of interest and\nactivity, in consequence of the ordination of S. Paul and S. Barnabas\nas Apostles. \"There were in the Church that was at Antioch certain\nprophets and teachers. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the\nHoly Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto\nI have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid\ntheir hands on them, they sent them away. So they being sent forth by\nthe Holy Ghost, sailed to Cyprus\" (Acts xiii. 1-4). Thus began the\nfirst missionary journey into heathen lands. And from Cyprus the good\nnews of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" spread to Asia Minor, where in the\ncourse of years the seven branches of the Church were founded to which\nwas addressed the Book of the Revelation, vouchsafed to the aged\nApostle S. John (Rev. i. 4). From Asia the Church extended into\nEurope, the Apostles being called thither by the vision at Troas of\nthe \"man of Macedonia saying, Come over unto Macedonia and help us\"\n(Acts xvi. 9). The first victories of the Cross in Europe were gained\nat Philippi and Thessalonica, and thence the good news passed on to\nGreece, and the rich city of Corinth became the Apostle Paul's\nheadquarters for \"a year and six months,\" the Lord having \"much\npeople\" there (Acts xviii. 10, 11). From Greece the Gospel spread to\nRome, the capital of the ancient world. So that we learn from Holy\nScripture, that, within the lifetime of the Apostles, the mustard-seed\nof the Gospel had sprung up and grown into a tree, whose branches\novershadowed well nigh the whole of the then civilised world, as it\nwas known to the Romans.\n\nThe answer to the question, What is the Holy Catholic Church? is thus\nprovided for us in the Bible, whether we regard it as an article of\nthe faith, or as a matter of historical fact. The Holy Catholic Church\nis \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" which was described beforehand by our Lord\nin His parables, which was set up on the Day of Pentecost, and then\ngradually developed into an organised body, under laws and ministers\nduly ordained by the Lord Himself, or under the guidance of the Holy\nGhost; and which then spread from one land to another through the\nexertions of the holy Apostles. The Holy Catholic Church is that\nKingdom whose founding is described, and whose history is commenced,\nin Holy Scripture.\n\nBut the history of the Church is only commenced in Holy Scripture, and\nfor a full explanation of the Holy Catholic Church, regarded as a\nhistorical fact, we need to have this history continued down to our\nown days. Within the limits of this little book, nothing but a very\nbrief outline of the history of the Church is possible. But without\ndoubt every Christian in this country ought to have such a general\nknowledge of this history, as will enable him to understand clearly\nhow the Church of England of to-day is united with the Church of\nApostolic times.\n\nThe history of the further extension of the Church of Christ is\ncontained in the writings of various Christian authors whose books\nhave been preserved to us. Some few of these, such as Polycarp and\nClemens of Rome, were contemporaries with the Apostles, and were\nordained by them. These were followed by Justin Martyr--who in his\n\"Apologies on behalf of the Christians\" gives a full account of their\nmanner of life, and worship, and ordinances--and Irenaeus, and Clemens\nof Alexandria, who lived between A.D. 120 and A.D. 200. Of the next or\nthird century, we have many books by Tertullian, Origen and Cyprian,\ngiving full accounts of the faith and laws of the Christians, their\nsocial life and their worship. And in the fourth century, the\nhistorian Eusebius wrote his History of the Church from the days of\nour Lord down to the reign of Constantine, the first Christian\nEmperor; and many of the great theologians and defenders of the faith\nflourished, whose names may well be \"household words\" with Christians\nof all ages, such as Athanasius, Ambrose, Jerome, Chrysostom, and\nAugustine.\n\nFrom these or other ancient authors we learn that Christianity rapidly\nspread to the northern parts of Africa, to which country many of them\nbelonged; to France, and to Britain, where there was a scattered\nBritish Church whilst the Romans still held the country.\n\nIn course of time, the two great capitals of the Roman Empire\nnaturally assumed the chief importance in the history of the Church;\nand Rome became the chief see of the Western or Latin-speaking Church,\nand Constantinople of the Eastern or Greek-speaking Church[25]. And\nfrom that time forward, down to the Reformation period, the history of\nthe Church is contained in numberless writings of successive authors,\nin the decrees of Popes, in the records of the great monastic orders,\nin the works of the Schoolmen, and in the chronicles of the various\nhistorians. And last, though not least, we find it imperishably\nrecorded in the cathedrals, and abbeys, and parish churches, which\ntell of the inventive genius and taste and skill of our pious fathers\nin the middle ages[26].\n\nBut our interest naturally attaches itself chiefly to our own country,\nand to the records we possess of the Church of England. The Roman\ntroops were withdrawn from Britain about the end of the fourth\ncentury; and in the course of the next two hundred years, the various\ntribes of heathen Saxons who invaded our shores overcame the\nresistance of the Britons and settled in England; and, by their\nvictorious advance, the few that survived of the British Christians\nwere driven to take refuge in the mountains of Wales and the western\ncounties. Toward the close of the sixth century the attention of\nGregory the Great, the good and zealous Bishop or Pope of Rome, was\ncalled to the heathen condition of Saxon England; and A.D. 597\nAugustine was sent over with a band of clergy to convert the Saxons.\nHe landed in Kent, converted Ethelbert the king, and became first\nArchbishop of Canterbury[27]. Shortly afterwards Celtic\nmissionaries--Aidan, Chad, and others--pushed southwards, converting\nNorthumbria and the Midlands; others landed in the southern counties;\nand the English people grew into power as a Christian nation.\n\nAs years passed on, the Bishops, or Popes, of Rome usurped to\nthemselves an ever-increasing authority, which was the cause of many\ncontests between them and successive kings of England; and at the same\ntime many abuses grew up and superstitious practices were mingled with\nthe simple belief of purer ages, and a gradual decay of true\nspiritual religion set in. At length in the sixteenth century the\nEnglish Church asserted its right to reform abuses under its own\nArchbishops and Bishops. Then the Reformation period began. The Pope\nof Rome endeavoured to resist the movement, and to maintain his\nauthority; and upon the people of England refusing to submit to his\nunreasonable and unbearable claims, the rupture between the Church of\nRome and the Church of England resulted.\n\nThe position thus taken by the Church of England must be clearly\nunderstood.\n\nDuring the Middle Ages the various Churches of the west of Europe were\ngradually brought to acknowledge the supremacy of the Popes or Bishops\nof Rome. So that the Pope was able to exercise an authority over all\nthese Churches. Hitherto learning had been confined to a very few. But\nnow, through the invention of printing, the knowledge of Holy\nScripture was rapidly extending; and people were finding not only that\nthe claims of the Pope were without foundation, but also that many of\nthe ceremonies and practices, to which they were accustomed, were\nsuperstitious and wrong.\n\nThis then was the work of the Reformation--to free the Church of\nEngland from the unreasonable claims of the Papal Supremacy; and to\nbring back the faith and worship of the people into harmony with the\nwritings of the ancient Fathers of the Church.\n\nThe result was that new services were compiled in English out of the\nold Latin books, which the people had been unable to understand; and\nmuch that was superstitious was omitted. But the changes were\nintroduced gradually, and as the people were prepared to accept them.\nThe same Parish Clergy, in most cases, ministered as before, only\naccording to the new forms; the Churches were used by the same\nworshippers; the same Creeds were repeated. For the Reformation\ntouched not the ancient Catholic Faith. It only removed the modern\nceremonies and superstitious beliefs which had been added to it.\n\nLike all great human efforts, the Reformation was not unmixed with\nevil; but, at the same time, the blessings gained by our country were\nvery great. And if other countries had succeeded in reforming abuses,\nin a similar manner, no doubt the Church of Christ would have gained\ngreat influence for good, not only in Europe, but also throughout the\nworld. But the power, which the Church of Rome had usurped to herself,\nwas too valuable to be parted with. The Pope denounced the\nReformation, and broke off all communion with our Church and nation.\n\nWhat then became the position of the Church of England? We have seen\nhow the unity of the various branches of the Church was provided for\nby our Lord, through the Apostles and Bishops, to whom He entrusted\nHis commission to extend His Kingdom. And by the Providence of God the\nunity of the Church of England with the Holy Catholic Church has been\nmaintained, notwithstanding this unhappy schism between us and the\nChurch of Rome[28]. Our Archbishops and Bishops still exert as before\nan indisputable authority, as the officers of the King of \"The Kingdom\nof Heaven;\" and having fellowship with them, we know that we are in\nthe same position as the first members of the Church, who \"continued\nstedfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship\" (Acts ii. 42).\nNothing but time separates us from the Apostles and the early Church\nof Christ. What was necessary for the first subjects of \"The Kingdom\nof Heaven\" we enjoy. What they were taught to believe, we believe.\nWhat they were led to hope for, we hope for likewise. The promise of\nour Lord to His Apostles, \"Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end\nof the world\" (S. Matt. xxviii. 20), includes our Bishops, with all\nthe other successors of the Apostles from that day until now.\n\nTo the question, What is the Holy Catholic Church[29]? the answer must\nbe given, It is \"The Kingdom of Heaven\"--the Kingdom of\nMessiah--which, according to His own prediction, has spread from land\nto land through all the world. And when we speak of the Church of\nEngland, we speak of that branch of the one great spiritual Kingdom\nwhich was founded, under God's Providence, in our own land, in ancient\ntimes, and which includes ourselves. For Bishop has followed Bishop,\nand the Gospel has been preached, and subjects have been brought into\nthe Kingdom of Christ, in this favoured land of England, from one\ngeneration to another, from the very beginning of our national life\nuntil our own day.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[22] The word \"Catholic\" is the Greek for \"Universal,\" and expresses\nthe truth that the Church of Christ is open to, and embraces, all the\nnations of the world; because the Kingdom of Messiah was not to be\nrestricted to one nation, but was intended to spread over the whole\nearth. And, consequently, the word also expresses the essential unity\nof the Church, because there can be but one Church which is purposed\nto include the whole race of man.\n\n[23] See the marginal note in a reference Bible.\n\n[24] The word \"Elders\" is in the Greek _Presbyteroi_, from which comes\n\"Presbyter,\" and from the shortened form \"Prester,\" which was once in\nuse, comes our present English form \"Priest.\" The use of this word\n\"Priest\" to translate the word _Hiereus_, which is the name in the\nGreek of the Jewish Minister, and the mistaken idea that the\nsacrifices he offered were propitiatory in the sense that they \"could\ntake away sin\" (Heb. x. 4), have caused much misunderstanding of the\nword, and prejudice against it, which the knowledge of its meaning\nremoves.\n\n[25] In the course of the ninth century a very serious dispute raged\nbetween the Eastern and Western Church. The Greeks had often before\nprotested against the pretensions of the Popes of Rome, and now they\ncomplained that the Latins had introduced the word \"Filioque,\" meaning\n\"and the Son,\" into the article of the Creed respecting the procession\nof the Holy Ghost. The Nicene Creed, as drawn up in the original\nGreek, contains only these words, \"proceeding from the Father.\" The\nLatin Church added \"and the Son,\" without the authority of a General\nCouncil. And though the contest seems to have been about words, rather\nthan any difference of doctrine, at last, after a dispute of many\nyears, it ended in the schism between the Church of Constantinople and\nthe Church of Rome--between the East and the West--which has never\nbeen healed.\n\n[26] See Archbishop Trench's Lectures on Medieval Church History.\n\n[27] He must not be confused with the great theologian, Augustine,\nBishop of Hippo in Africa, who was mentioned above (page 137), and who\nlived two hundred years before.\n\n[28] It need hardly be said that it is a great mistake to use the term\n\"Catholic\" as if it were the exclusive right of the members of the\nChurch of Rome. On the contrary, they have no standing-ground in\nEngland at all; and fall into the number of schismatics here, because\nthey refuse to hold communion with the branch of the Holy Catholic\nChurch in this land.\n\n[29] The Holy Catholic Church may be considered to be\ndivided--speaking generally--into three great divisions. The Eastern,\nor Greek-speaking Church; the Roman, or Latin-speaking Church; the\nAnglican, or English-speaking Church. And now, by the Providence of\nGod, we can see that a mighty responsibility has been laid upon our\nown branch of \"The Kingdom of Heaven.\" We feel sure that with the\nmarvellous spread of the English nation, the Church of Christ ought to\nhave spread with equal rapidity; and past neglect, especially with\nrespect to the great colonies founded in past generations in America,\nbrings us much to answer for. Yet we may take courage when we think\nhow the English-speaking branch of the Holy Catholic Church has spread\nin recent times. North America, Canada, and the West Indies;\nAustralia, New Zealand, and many islands of the sea; South Africa;\nIndia, China, and Japan, all bear witness that the good news of the\nKingdom has been scattered, far and wide, by English-speaking agents\nof the great King. And our Archbishop of Canterbury is the\nacknowledged centre of as wide a sphere of spiritual energy as the\nPope himself.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nTHE COMMUNION OF SAINTS.\n\n    \"The Saints on earth, and those above,\n      But one communion make;\n    Joined to their Lord in bonds of love,\n      All of His grace partake.\"\n\n\nThe history of the extension of the Church of Christ from one land to\nanother, and of the successive victories won by the Cross over heathen\nraces from age to age, gives by itself a very imperfect idea of the\nmeaning of the words \"The Holy Catholic Church.\" Because, with the\noutward extension of the Church, its influence upon the inner man\nneeds always to be considered. For when our Lord described the\nextension of \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" He not only likened it to the\nspread of a tree branching out on every side, but He also declared\nthat it would work as leaven, secretly, by changing the hearts of men.\n\nThis truth may be said to be kept prominently before Christians by\nthe term \"Holy\" being applied to the \"Catholic Church.\" The Church of\nChrist is of necessity and essentially \"Holy.\" We see that this must\nbe so, when we understand what Holy Scripture says of it; that it is\nbuilded entirely by the Holy Ghost (Eph. ii. 20-22); that its members\nare \"called with an holy calling\" (2 Tim. i. 9), \"called to be saints\"\n(1 Cor. i. 2), that is, holy persons; and that a day will come when\nthe Lord Jesus, who \"loved the Church, and gave Himself for it, that\nHe might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the\nword,\" will \"present it unto Himself a glorious Church, not having\nspot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but holy and without blemish\"\n(Eph. v. 25-27).\n\nBut yet we know that at present the Church of Christ is very far from\nbeing perfect. And the mingling together of holy and unholy in the\nChurch is exactly in accordance with the prediction of our Lord\nHimself. For whilst He spoke of the power of His grace to change and\nsanctify the hearts of the subjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" He\nalso expressly foretold that there would be tares in His field\namongst the wheat (S. Matt. xiii. 24-30), which would remain as long\nas the world lasts; and that the Gospel net would enclose bad fish as\nwell as good, and both would be retained in it until the Angels make\nthe separation at the end (S. Matt. xiii. 47-50). The truth of His\nteaching has been confirmed by the subsequent history of the Church in\nall ages. Holy and unholy are together; and though we are forbidden to\nattempt to separate them, we know that there is, as it were, a gulf\nbetween them, which though not impassable is very great. The words of\nS. Paul to the Jews, \"They are not all Israel, which are of Israel\"\n(Rom. ix. 6), apply to God's people still. And as he went on to quote\nfrom the prophet Isaiah, \"Though the number of the children of Israel\nbe as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved\" (Rom. ix. 27),\nso, we know by experience, that it is still the \"remnant\" only, which\nreally live up to \"the high calling of God in Christ Jesus,\" and\n\"press toward the mark for the prize\" (Phil. iii. 14). \"Many are\ncalled, but few chosen\" (S. Matt. xxii. 14).\n\nConsequently, since there are unholy as well as holy members of \"The\nHoly Catholic Church,\" the question arises, What is the portion of\nthose who are, what they are called to be, \"Saints\"? And how shall we\nexpress it? Shall we accept the theory of some who say that there are\ntwo Churches; an outward and visible Church which is a mixed company\nof good and bad; and an inner and invisible Church which is known to\nGod alone, and which consists of the good only? A moment's\nconsideration of what has been pointed out in previous chapters to be\nthe teaching of Holy Scripture, about \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" will\nshow that the idea is untenable; because it is \"The Kingdom of Heaven\"\nwhich is distinctly described as imperfect in its present state here\non earth; and we cannot conceive the idea of two universal Kingdoms of\nMessiah. What then is the teaching of Holy Scripture respecting the\nposition of the \"Saints,\" who really are, what they are called to be,\nholy?\n\nIt is expressed in the words of the Creed, \"I believe in the Communion\nof Saints.\"\n\nThey who live as Christians, that is, as belonging to Christ, enjoy\n\"The Communion of Saints.\" All subjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" may\nenjoy this position of the Saints, if they will. If they are\nunnatural children of their Heavenly Father, if they are disloyal\nsubjects of their King, if they resist, instead of being led by, the\nHoly Spirit, they are hindering God's good-will concerning them, and\nmaking of none effect the sufferings of their Saviour. But if they\nlook up to and love their Father, if they set themselves to serve\ntheir King, if they strive to follow the guidance of the Spirit, they\nare in the way of salvation, and have \"The Communion of Saints.\"\n\nBut what is \"The Communion of Saints\"?\n\nNo little confusion has been brought into the consideration of these\nwords by the very prevalent idea that the Saints are, necessarily,\ndeparted Saints who have finished their course in God's faith and\nfear. But this is not the usual Bible sense of the word. For instance,\nin the Psalms it is commonly used for the name of those who believe in\nand worship God. \"Sing to the Lord, O ye Saints\" (Ps. xxx. 4). \"O love\nthe Lord, all ye His Saints\" (Ps. xxxi. 23). \"The Lord forsaketh not\nHis Saints\" (Ps. xxxvii. 28). And in the Book of the Acts of the\nApostles and the Epistles it is continually used in the same sense,\nfor the Lord's people in general. \"Peter came down to the Saints\nwhich dwelt at Lydda\" (Acts ix. 32). And at Joppa, \"He called the\nSaints and widows\" to him (Acts ix. 41). And S. Paul speaks of his\nwork as a persecutor in these words, \"Many of the Saints did I shut up\nin prison\" (Acts xxvi. 10). And in most of his Epistles he addresses\nthose to whom he is writing as \"called to be Saints\" (Rom. i. 7; 1\nCor. i. 2).\n\nAnother frequent cause of misunderstanding is the idea that \"the\nSaints\" mean only a few very holy persons, who have attained by the\ngrace of God such a degree of perfection, as is beyond the reach of\nthose who live an active life in the world. But this idea also is\nfound to be contrary to the ordinary Bible use of the word. Those whom\nS. Paul addresses in his Epistles as \"Saints,\" are rebuked for almost\nevery kind of sin. The Corinthians, especially, are an instance of the\nimperfections which may yet be found in God's Saints, and may teach us\nhow tenderly we need to deal with the failings of those who are just\nemerging from heathenism in our own days. The First Epistle to the\nCorinthians administers rebukes for schism, fornication, idolatrous\ntendencies, misuse of spiritual gifts, profanation of the worship of\nGod, and misbelief. And even the Saints at Ephesus, who are addressed\nas if they had made great advance in the understanding of the\nmysteries of the faith, are warned to abstain from lying, violent\nanger, stealing, foul speaking, and unkind behaviour (Eph. iv. 25-32).\nFrom which we learn to give a very wide meaning to the word \"Saints;\"\nand to understand by it, Christian people who, with many imperfections\nand frequent falls, are seeking to gain a better knowledge and deeper\nlove of God; and are striving to be led by the Holy Spirit to resist\nsin and advance in holiness.\n\nAnd what is \"The Communion\" which such persons enjoy?\n\nIt is Communion with God, so that their \"life is hid with Christ in\nGod\" (Col. iii. 3). They are declared to be united with God, as a\nbranch is united with its stem; deriving spiritual life--a new and\nhigher life than the natural life which belongs to all--from Him. They\nare \"begotten again\" (1 Pet. i. 3), and \"born of God\" (S. John i. 13);\nand the seed of this eternal life is not left dormant in them, as it\nis in the careless and ungodly; for they remain not as \"children,\" but\n\"grow up unto Him in all things\" (Eph. iv. 14, 15); and letting \"the\nmind that was in Christ Jesus\" (Phil. ii. 5) be in them, and \"being\nstrengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, Christ dwells\nin their heart by faith\" (Eph. iii. 16, 17); and they are advancing\n\"unto the perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness\nof Christ\" (Eph. iv. 13).\n\nThe closeness of this union or communion with God in Christ is\nexpressed more fully by the figure of the body and its members. The\nSaints together form the Body of Christ. \"For as the body is one, and\nhath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many,\nare one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized\ninto one body\" (1 Cor. xii. 12, 13). Christ is the Head: and the\nChurch is the Body. For God \"gave Him to be the Head over all things\nto the Church, which is His Body\" (Ephes. i. 22, 23). So intimately\nconnected are the Saints with their Lord that they are the members of\nChrist--yea, S. Paul does not hesitate to say, \"We are members of His\nBody, of His Flesh, and of His Bones\" (Ephes. v. 30). This is a great\nmystery; but when faith has accepted it, it is seen to be the ground\nof the Christian's strength. He is strong through grace, because his\nstrength is not his own, but is derived from Christ his Lord, with\nWhom through the Spirit he is united.\n\nThe importance of the two holy Sacraments of Christ is in connection\nwith this truth. Holy Baptism is the means ordained for uniting us\nwith the Body of Christ (1 Cor. xii. 13). Holy Communion is the means\nof maintaining this union, and of drawing supplies of grace from Him\n(1 Cor. x. 16, 17), as will be considered more fully presently.\n\nThus through a right use of the means ordained by Christ Himself the\nSaints are His own members[30]. \"Why persecutest thou _Me_?\" said the\nLord to the persecutor of His people. And they have the good hope to\ncheer them, that when the great day of judgment comes, whilst to some\nwho address the Judge, \"Lord, Lord,\" as if they had always served Him,\nit will be said, \"I never knew you, depart from Me\" (S. Matt. vii. 22,\n23); the Saints, on the other hand, will be recognised as being like\nHim--as bearing God's image--and will receive the welcome, \"Come, ye\nblessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you\" (S. Matt.\nxxv. 34).\n\nThe meaning of \"The Communion of Saints\" becomes clearer when we know\nthat \"Communion\" is the same word as that which is more often\ntranslated \"Fellowship.\" The Apostle S. John speaks with great\nclearness about this Communion or Fellowship. Referring to the good\ntidings delivered by himself and the other Apostles about the person\nand work of the Saviour, he saith, \"That which we have seen and heard\ndeclare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us.\" In\nother words, he declares that the Gospel was preached that all might\nenjoy the Communion or Fellowship which the Apostles possessed. And\nthen he goes on to explain with whom they enjoyed this Communion: \"And\ntruly our Fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus\nChrist\" (1 S. John i. 3). And this assertion of the Communion of the\nChristian with God agrees with the words of the prayer of our Lord for\nHis people, recorded by the same Apostle; wherein He prayed, \"That\nthey may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that\nthey may be made perfect in one\" (S. John xvii. 22, 23).\n\nThese thoughts of the Communion of the Christian with God--the Father\nand the Son--would be incomplete, did we not also think of our\nCommunion with the Holy Ghost. For inasmuch as the whole spiritual\nlife of the Christian is due to the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, this\nCommunion with God, which the Christian enjoys, is in reality the work\nand gift of the Holy Ghost. And this is testified to us by the\nfamiliar words of blessing, \"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and\nthe love of God, and the Communion\" (or Fellowship) \"of the Holy\nGhost, be with you all\" (2 Cor. xiii. 14).\n\nFurthermore, \"The Communion of Saints\" describes the fellowship or tie\nof brotherhood which unites Christians together, one with another. For\nif all Saints have Communion with God, it follows that all have\nCommunion one with another in Him. If Christians are really striving\nto be, what they are called to be, holy, they are all one family;\nunited together by the common bond of sonship; \"For ye are all the\nchildren of God by faith in Christ Jesus\" (Gal. iii. 26). Their\nadoption into the one family of God is to them a real relationship.\nAnd this also is expressed very clearly by S. John: \"If we say we have\nfellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie; but if we walk in\nthe light, we have fellowship one with another\" (1 S. John i. 6, 7).\nAnd inasmuch as death does not sever the union between the Saint and\nGod, but rather intensifies it (seeing that S. Paul describes the\nresult of death as the \"being with Christ,\" Phil. i. 23), it follows\nthat \"The Communion of Saints\" is not a fellowship with the living\nonly, but with the departed also. \"All are one in Christ Jesus\" (Gal.\niii. 28); whether Jews or Gentiles, whether living or departed.\n\nHaving now concluded, from the teaching of Holy Scripture, that \"The\nCommunion of Saints\" is that fellowship which Christians enjoy,\nthrough being made one with God, and with one another; we shall do\nwell to consider more carefully about the means by which they are\nenabled to keep up this union, and to maintain the sense of its\nreality from age to age. When our Blessed Lord spoke in the synagogue\nat Capernaum respecting the Bread of Life, He used these words,\n\"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of\nMan, and drink His Blood, ye have no life in you;\" and then He added,\n\"He that eateth My Flesh, and drinketh My Blood, dwelleth in Me, and I\nin Him\" (S. John vi. 53, 56). His hearers had no idea about what He\nmeant by His Flesh and Blood. But in instituting the Holy Sacrament of\nthe Lord's Supper, He explained the words Himself. For \"He took bread,\nand blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to His disciples, and said,\nThis is My Body; and He took the cup, saying, This is My Blood\" (S.\nMatt. xxvi. 26-28). And consequently S. Paul, referring to this Holy\nSacrament, appealed to the Corinthians to remember the bond of union\nwith God, and with one another, in which they were joining, saying,\n\"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the Communion of the\nBlood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the Communion of\nthe Body of Christ? For we being many are one Bread and one Body, for\nwe are all partakers of that one Bread\" (1 Cor. x. 16, 17). And,\ntherefore, we conclude that this Holy Sacrament is the bond of union,\nordained by our Lord Himself, to maintain outwardly and visibly, as\nwell as inwardly and spiritually, \"The Communion of Saints\" with God\nand with one another. And this is clearly expressed by the name \"Holy\nCommunion\" by which we commonly speak of this Holy Sacrament.\n\nDoes any one ask, What is \"The Communion of Saints?\" The answer is\nclear. It is the Communion or fellowship which Christians enjoy with\nGod, and therefore with one another, whether in this world or in\nParadise. And the Sacrament of the Holy Communion is the ordained\nmeans whereby this union is maintained by the Saints on earth.\n\nIt is a sad but manifest fact, that it is in the power of men to\n\"frustrate the grace of God\" (Gal. ii. 21), and to make His good-will\nconcerning them to be of none effect. So that whilst all who are\ncalled to enter the Kingdom of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ are\ncalled to enjoy the blessings which He has gained for us, the\nmultitude make little or no use of His gifts. But all who will, may by\nHis grace be assured of sharing in all the benefits of His Sacrifice.\n\"If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship\none with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us\nfrom all sin\" (1 S. John i. 7).\n\nAnd as the Saints, by virtue of this Communion with God, have the\nassurance of \"The forgiveness of sins;\" so likewise they look joyfully\nforward in hope of \"The Resurrection of the Body\" and \"The Life\nEverlasting.\" For \"The dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which\nare alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the\nclouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the\nLord\" (1 Thess. iv. 16, 17).\n\n\nFOOTNOTE:\n\n[30] Consequently the expression \"in Christ\" or \"in the Lord\" is\nfrequently used to denote the fact of a person being a Christian. Thus\nS. Paul sends greeting to certain, who had been converted before\nhimself, in these words, \"Salute Andronicus and Junia who were in\nChrist before me\" (Rom. xvi. 7); and describes the Christians of\nPalestine, at the time of his visit, as \"the Churches of Judaea which\nwere in Christ\" (Gal. i. 22). And thus of the Christian departed it is\nsaid, \"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord\" (Rev. xiv. 13).\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nCONCLUSION.\n\n    \"From Heaven He came and sought her\n      To be His Holy Bride,\n    With His own Blood He bought her,\n      And for her life He died.\"\n\n\n\"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" what is it?\n\nIt is the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ. It is that\nKingdom which was prophetically set forth by our Lord in His parables;\nthat Kingdom, the subjects of which were described in His teaching,\nand redeemed by His Blood to be His own \"purchased possession\" (Eph.\ni. 14); that Kingdom which was founded through the coming of the Holy\nGhost--being a spiritual Kingdom not of the world, though at present\nin the world--and which was preached from land to land as an Universal\nKingdom, intended to embrace the whole race of man.\n\nThe purpose for which our Blessed Lord came down from Heaven, and\n\"humbled Himself even to the death upon the cross\" (Phil. ii. 8), was\nthat He might found this Kingdom. \"He purchased\" it at no less a cost\nthan \"with His own blood\" (Acts xx. 28). For He \"loved the Church and\ngave Himself for it[31]\" (Ephes. v. 25).\n\nIn other words, the salvation which is proclaimed in Holy Scripture,\nas the great gift of God's love, is offered unto man through the means\nof a Kingdom of which our Lord Jesus Christ is the King, and all the\nmen and women and little children in the world are intended to be the\nsubjects. The Son of God became the Son of Man, that in Him the words\nof the Psalmist might be fulfilled, \"I will give Thee the heathen for\nThine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy\npossession\" (Ps. ii. 8); and those other words (which are quoted by\nS. Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews), \"Thou hast put all things\nunder His feet\" (Ps. viii. 6).\n\n\"But we see not yet all things put under Him\" (Heb. ii. 8). Although\nHe \"gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and\npurify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous of good works\" (Tit. ii.\n14), the perversity of man has spoilt the perfection of His work, and\nhindered the results of His self-sacrifice. Eighteen hundred years\nhave passed, and still His rule is imperfect; and not one third of the\nhuman race, whom He redeemed unto Himself with His own blood, accept\nHim as their King. But in His perfect foreknowledge, this hindering of\nHis work of love for the salvation of man was present from the first;\nand was foretold by Him in part in His parables. And it pleased Him to\nentrust to His faithful people the task of removing and overcoming by\ntheir prayers and exertions the obstacles which opposed His rule.\n\nWhen the Pharisees once asked \"When the Kingdom of God should come, He\nanswered them and said, The Kingdom of God cometh not with\nobservation; neither shall they say, Lo here! or, Lo there! for\nbehold the Kingdom of God is among[32] you\" (S. Luke xvii. 20, 21).\nHis Kingdom was already being set up amongst them, though they knew it\nnot; and ever since those days it has been spreading amongst men. But\nHe knew how strongly the great enemy of God and man would oppose the\nextension of His Kingdom; and how powerful the perversity of man would\nbe to hinder it; and when His disciples asked to be taught to pray,\nthese were the words He bade them pray, \"Thy Kingdom come\" (S. Matt.\nvi. 10).\n\nIt follows, therefore, that it is a matter of great importance that we\nunderstand clearly the meaning of these words. We cannot suppose for a\nmoment that our Lord meant that the Kingdom of God is not _come_ at\nall in this present time. Because many passages, which have been\nalready quoted, have assured us that His Kingdom was founded long ago\namongst men. Moreover, He expressly directed His disciples to assure\nthose to whom they preached, whether they hearkened or not--\"The\nKingdom of God is come nigh unto you\" (S. Luke x. 9, 11).\n\nWhat then is the meaning of the prayer, \"Thy Kingdom come\"?\n\nThe Kingdom of God is come already, and men are everywhere \"pressing\ninto it\" (S. Luke xvi. 16). But His rule over the hearts of men is\nimperfect, and will be so as long as it can be said \"We see not yet\nall things put under Him\" (Heb. ii. 8). Therefore He has taught His\nfaithful people of every age to lift up this prayer--\"Thy Kingdom\ncome\"--that it may be brought to pass that He may rule in all hearts\nsupreme; that the lands which are still heathen may be brought into\nHis Kingdom; and that those who now profess to bear His Name may be\n\"Saints\" indeed. And inasmuch as He \"loved the Church and gave Himself\nfor it,\" not that it might consist of so-called Christians--who in\nheart are worshippers of Mammon, and not subjects of the\nCrucified--but \"that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing\nof water and the word, that it should be holy and without blemish,\"\nthis prayer--\"Thy Kingdom come\"--must continue to ascend until He can\n\"present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle\nor any such thing\" (Eph. v. 25-27). And then at last the cry will be\nraised, \"The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our\nLord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever\" (Rev.\nxi. 15).\n\nWe are taught in Holy Scripture that faith can move mountains of\ndifficulty (S. Matt. xvii. 20), and that the prayer of faith has a\npower to which God has set no bounds (S. Matt. xxi. 22). And the\nsurest way to pray in faith is to be ourselves striving for the\nfulfilment of our prayers.\n\nNow the King Himself declared the source from which the weakness of\nHis Kingdom would arise. When He prayed for His little band of\ndisciples, He added, \"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them\nalso which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may\nbe one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may\nbe one in us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me\" (S.\nJohn xvii. 20, 21). Consequently if we would gain an answer to our\nprayer, \"Thy Kingdom come,\" we want to lead Christian men to think\nthat the saying is true, \"A Kingdom divided against itself cannot\nstand\" (S. Mark iii. 24); and that it is impossible for \"The Kingdom\nof Heaven\" to be strong to win souls for Christ, whilst its subjects\nare forming factions and so-called denominations, and are opposing one\nanother. \"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell\ntogether in unity! For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even\nlife for evermore\" (Ps. cxxxiii. 1, 3).\n\nTo re-unite the divided branches of Christ's Holy Church, or even to\nheal the divisions amongst God's people in our own land, is a work\nwhich is beyond the power of man to accomplish. But if Christians\nwould but be persuaded to see the advantages of unity, and to desire\nto live up to their high calling as God's children--as the one family\nof God--the first step would have been taken which would lead, in\nGod's own time, to the end in view.\n\nFor if the subjects of \"The Kingdom of Heaven\" only realised their\nposition, how great would be the answer to this universal prayer, \"Thy\nKingdom come!\" How would Christ's Kingdom be then advancing in the\nworld! For His Church would be moving, as one mighty army, against His\nfoes, and Christ in His members would be indeed going forth,\n\"conquering and to conquer\" (Rev. vi. 2).\n\nMay He pardon all that is defective in these pages, and bless them to\nthe promotion of His glory. May He grant that those who read them may\nbe strengthened in their own faith, and be themselves prepared for the\ngreat day, when \"The Kingdom of Heaven,\" as we know it, will have\nbecome the Kingdom of Glory; \"when there shall be one flock and one\nShepherd\" (S. John x. 16); and the daily repeated prayer will have\nbeen fulfilled,\n\nTHY KINGDOM COME.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[31] When it is said that Christ died for the Church, it is necessary\nto remember that in His intention the Church included the whole world\n(see S. Matt. xxviii. 19). The wilfulness of man in refusing to\nbelieve cannot alter that intention though it spoils the completion of\nit. \"God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son\"--thus\nthe wideness of His loving intention was set forth--\"that whosoever\nbelieveth in Him should not perish\" (S. John iii. 16)--thus the\nnecessity of man's belief, in order that the intention might be\ncarried out, was announced beforehand.\n\n[32] See marginal note in a reference Bible.\n\n\nTHE END.\n\n\n\n\n_A Prayer for Unity._\n\n\nO God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Saviour, the\nPrince of Peace; Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great\ndangers we are in by our unhappy divisions. Take away all hatred and\nprejudice, and whatsoever else may hinder us from godly union and\nconcord: that, as there is but one Body, and one Spirit, and one Hope\nof our Calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father\nof us all, so we may henceforth be all of one heart, and of one soul,\nunited in one holy bond of Truth and Peace, of Faith and Charity, and\nmay with one mind and one mouth glorify Thee; through Jesus Christ our\nLord. _Amen._\n\n(_From the Book of Common Prayer._)\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nCLARENDON PRESS, OXFORD.\n\nFOR THE SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE.\n\n\n\n\nSociety for Promoting Christian Knowledge.\n\n\nPublications on THE CHRISTIAN EVIDENCES.\n\n\nBOOKS.\n\n                                                                Price.\n                                                                _s. d._\n\n_Theism or Agnosticism._\n    An Essay on the grounds of Belief in God. 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Bonney, M.A.=, Fellow of St. John's College,\n    Cambridge. 18mo.                          _Paper cover_      0  2\n\n_The Truth of the Gospel History confirmed by the Earliest\n  Witnesses after Apostolic Times._\n    A Lecture delivered at Potsdam. By the late =Dr. F. W.\n    Krummacher=. 18mo.                        _Paper cover_      0  2\n\n_A Lecture on the Bible._\n    By the Very Rev. =E. M. Goulburn, D.D.=, Dean of Norwich.\n    18mo.                                     _Paper cover_      0  2\n\n\n*.* _For List of TRACTS on the Christian Evidences, see the Society's\nCatalogue B._\n\n\nDEPOSITORIES: 77, GREAT QUEEN STREET, LINCOLN'S-INN FIELDS W.C., 4,\nROYAL EXCHANGE, E.C.; 48, PICCADILLY, W. LONDON.\n\n\n\n\nTranscriber's Note\n\nThis book contains some archaic spelling, and unusual punctuation and\ncapitalisation. All have been left as printed in the original.\n\nThe author used both Eph. and Ephes. as references to Ephesians; these\nhave been left as printed.\n\nMinor typographic inconsistencies (e.g. use of italics in adverts\nsection) have been corrected without note.\n\nThe advertising material was printed with the author names in bold\ntypeface. This is indicated with = symbols in this version.\n\nIn this version of the text, *.* is used to indicate a reverse\nasterism.","title":"The Kingdom of Heaven; What is it?","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":34629}