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fhjt'

THE PERPETUITY

THE REIGN OF CHRIST,

THE I.A^ 1 ^I:KM()S I'i. '■.ACHKLi I'.Y

LATE REV, ALEXANDER TOFP, D.D.

TORONTO :

PRESBYTERIAN PRINTING HOUSE, 5 JORDAN STREET.

1879.

REPRINTED FROM THE "CANADA PRESBYTERIAN.

)

* i

THE PERPETUITY

OF THE

REIGN OF CHRIST.

' His name shall endure forever ; ITs name shall be con-
tinned as long as the sun ; and men shrdl be blessed in Him •
all nations shall call Him blessed."— Psalms Ixxii

17.

^|H1S lofty, animated production, is entitl.-'d "A
<A^ Psalm for Solomon." There cun be little doubt
from the whole tenour of the Psalm, and the mould in
which It has been cast,that, whatever part Solomon may
have had m putting it into its prese- t form or shape,
the sentiments and petitions were those of David'
And wuh much probability it may be conjectured and
the statement at the close of the Psalm confirms this,
^ The prayers of David, the son of Jesse are ended")
that he was then on his deathbed, and occupied in his
thoughts with the future reign of Solomon, his son,
and the incomparably more glorious reign of his
greater Son and Divine Lord.

At any rate, there can be no doubt as to the ulti-
mate meaning of the Psalm. It is one that is emi-
nently Messianic; I mean, referring to Jesus Christ,
the Messiah. There may be a few expressions in the

The Perpetuity of the

commencement of it which can bear apphcation to
Solomon, or the government of any earthly kingaom,
and which might be advocated as terminating in him!
But taking the whole Psaiui together, it seems to be a
prophetic delineation of the surpassing greatness and
glory of the Messiah, and also of his kingdom, and
government and work, the elevated inspiration of a
soul thoroughly in union with the purposes of Ciod as
to the triumphant progress and the perpetuitv of the
Church of Christ. Splendid and imposing as Jeru-
salem, the city of the great king became during the
reign of Solomon ; great and decisive as were the vic-
tories with which his arms were crowned ; extensive
and enriching as were the conquests which he made,
and largely as the nation flourished in all the arts of
peace during the greater part of his reign, after the
days Gt I ttle were over ; the language of the Psalm
would be nothing but exaggerated and out of place,
when understood to apply to anything of worldly
grandeur or fame, anything merely human, which had
ever appeared upon the earth. As we begin, and pro-
ceed with the reading of the Psalm, our thoughts are
irresistibly drawn to Him to whom all the law and the
prophets bear witness, even the branch from the
stem of Jesse, growing out of his place to build the
the temple of the Lord, the King reigning in right-
eousness, coming to judge the poor, and reprove with
equity for the meek of the earth, of the increase of
whose government and peace there shall be no end ;
and then, when we read that his subjects shall be as the
grass upon the ground for multitude, that all the nations
shall be blessed in Him, and come to the concluding

Reign of Christ.

words, " Blessed behisglorioiisname forever,and let the
whcle 'iarth be filled with his glory, amen, and amen."
All doubt is dispelled from our minds, and we are
constrained to say. Here, without any question is
the Son of God, Emmanuel, the mighty Deliverer of
our fallen race, the Destroyer of the great destroyer,
He who was to repair the ruins of the fall, and cause
righteousness and truth to pervade and cover the
earth, before whom every knee shall bow, and every
tongue confess that He is Lord.

Though He of whom this is spoken is Lord of all.
He is not an inaccessible king. He enlarges his
kingdom, and subdues subjects to Himself by his own
pergonal call, the call of his Word and Spirit. And
if we have been brought into his kingdom, if it is ours
to glory in Jesus' name above every other, if we regard
it as the highest honour of our life to belong to Him,
and to have been made partakers of his salvation, we
will rejoice in every opportunity given to us to cele-
brate his praise, to acknowledge our obligations to
Him supremely, for all that hath gladdened our hearts
in time, and imparted the certain hope of immortality
and glory beyond the grave, and to do what we can to
honour and extol and commend Him to all around
us. We do so, when in a right spirit we wait upon Him
in the ordinary means of grace ; we do so in the most
effective manner, when in all the relations of life, both
public and private, we so ace in conformity with his
law as to lift up a banner for his truth, and bear testi-
mony to Him as our Lord and Ruler before our fel-
lowmen.

Let us then, in the strength of divine grace, and in

The Perf>riiiiiy of (he

dependence on the divine blessing, seek to contem-
plate the excellence and glory of the great Re-
deemer, and the grounds on which He is entitled to
the transcendent fame which the whole of this Psalm

and our text espec.aliy, ascribes to Him, "His name
shall endure forever," etc.

In addressing you from this passage and opening
up the subject of it, we shall consider (i) His fame
the sources of it, or what it rests upon ; (2) The per'
petu.ty of His fame, and (3) The results of His glori-
ous reign. '^

L Our notice is first directed to the fame or renown
of Christ: "His name shall endure forever" The
name cannot be dissociated from the person When
the name is mentioned or made known, it recalls the
person designated, and by consequence everything
about h.m that is fitted to attract attention and procure
for him esteem. " O Lord, according to thy name, so is
thy pra.se throughout all the earth," i.e., according
as the character and attributes and works of God are
published abroad in the world, according as people
come to know and apprehend aright, God ai,d the
things of God, so will He be praised and honoured.

No ., one who acquires fame does so because of
some great achievements 1 y which he has been dis-
tmguished, or because of the excellence of his charac-
ter, or of some special qualities or dispositions about
him, markmg him out from thegenerality of mankind,
bolomon was renowned for his wisdom. Homer's
fame rests upon his poetic genius. Alexander the
Great, Caesar and Napoleon are celebrated as military
commanders, and because of the conquests which ihey

Keign of Christ.

made. Paul attained the pre-eminent place which he
occupies in the history of the world, from his being
honoured to unfold the doctrines of salvation, and
to set them forth for the guidance of the Church in all
future ages, and by his self-denying, labourious efforts
to build up the Church of Christ among ihe nations of
the earth.

But what are the greatest conquerors, or philoso-
phers, or statesmen, or the highest benefactors of
mankind in material things, whom the world ever
saw, compared with Christ ? Just as the most bril-
liant stars disappear in the heavens, as the sun
rises, and appears in his meridian splendour, so do
all the most renowned on earth fade into nothingness
in the presence of Christ.

On what, then, does his fame rest ? Why is it that
his name will endure, and be continued as long as the
sun 1

I. It rests upon his glorious and divine character.
The work of mediation between God and man required
Divinity in Him who undertook it. For who knows
God and can mediate for God but God "i Who but
one who is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in all
divine attributes, could make adequate atonement and
satisfaction to the justice of the M'>st High for his
violated law? Godhead is as essential as human. .y
to the God-man, the daysman, to lay his hand upon
both, and so make up the peace. Hence you read, —
" In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
wiih God and the Word was God." " He thought it
not robbery to be equal with God.'"' " He is God over
all, blessed for ever." " His name shall bt railed

The Perpetuity of the

Wonderful the Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Ever
^sfng Father, and the Prince of Peace " He is Th,

essentially God s. But on this we need not enlarM

a reaTedTe '"%""""--' ^^''-e that Chris, only
"Tf ^"^' ''°^'«™'-high, we are chargeable with
profanity ,n worshipping Him ; we have no gosMl we
have no hope as sinners. But, blessed L r^
have no such faith. He is Emmanuel "God a^d ;„L
•n two dist.nct natures and one person."

iation a'„H T °r "'""' "■"" "P°" ^is work of humil-
it people Thtr- '"' ^''^""^^ ^""^ "^-'h ^"^

rebels against his authority and laws-undertakine to
do for them what they could never have done for

tZ^fr'T^ '" '"""'^ f" '"«"> ="' 'hat they wet
bound to endure in order to procure salvation MhTsU
the most wonderful of all my -eries ctl', -2

prehlnd i' A^t 'V '°°'^' ^^ ""^"* '° "-
prenena It. And we, of course, can onlv sav th»

ove displayed therein passeth our knowledge' Y« had
L sacred 7"''"' "'™''°"' '" '" « *" know from

:t:rK;:L7"L'^^'HrH™''°^^''''^^

with the counsels of"e::^;,,".f, ^^ V:^^Z

s^U^o'iThrr o tt G ^1 '-' ""--'' "•

within B.y hear." wh\ K '^ '*' ''*^' "'>' '^'^ '=
■n my heart, what but everlasting banishment

Reign of Christ.

from the divine presence awaited the whole human
family ?

But he shrunk not from his work in any respect, or
from the terrible conflict with the wicked one. He
obeyed the law not for Himself, but that He might be
able to present a perfect righteousness which shall be
unto all and upon all them that believe. The Messiah
died for sins, but not his own. " He was wounded
for our transgressions, He was bruised," etc.

It is this v/ork of humiliation, and obedience, and
death, which is the source of all the hopes of a well-
founded character which you cherish of everlasting
life and blessedness in heaven. It is to this that as be-
lievers you are indebted for the felt sense of pardon and
peace and reconciliation with God, and all the bene-
fits of salvation. It is this which you propose to re-
member, I trust with true hearts, and with full assur-
ance of faith, at the table of e Lord. It is this which
hath gathered multitudes to Him, saying in truth,
"Ood forbid that I should glory, save in the cross,"
etc. It is this, wherever it is proclaimed and believed,
which makes the earth resound with the praises of
Emmanuel ; and it is this which will fill the mansions
of heaven with the unceasing song of victory and tri-
umph, " ^Vorthy is the Lamb which was slain to re-
ceive power, and riches, and wisdom," etc.

3. The fame of Jesus Christ is derived also from his
glorious resurrection and ascension to the Father's
right hand, as Head of his Church, and Head over
all things to the Church. He laid down his life that
He might take it again. He died and was laid in the
sepulchre with a great stone rolled on its mouth and

The Perpetuity of the

sealed, but it was not po-siblp fho. u

f death. He had rende ed '^Z "" """^' ^« *^«^den
^^^- He had baffled alMh.^' °^'^'^"^^ ^'^ the
^atan so that he could say ^^r^'. ^"^ ^"""i"? of
Cometh and hath nothing in me » h'T.°^'^'' '"'^^^^
enemy on his own ground JT a ^^ "^^^ ^^^ ^^st
of the tomb ; and noTnlln:^ ''"" ^° ^^^ ^^^-ns
should as the nrhTv r ^ remamed but that He

o/ the grave, andm'tt ^7^^ '"^^^ ^^^ ^-^^r!
the assurance that his work s a fin\'l'"'''''^°" ^'^^
one offering up of Hin.e If He hl^h / ""^' ^'^^ ^^^
them that are sanctified '''^'^^' Perfected

.H^^^r:- ;rrei,:;i^^^ --^ of

".ey also shall at len.,h f„^I„ "T^"-' ^'^^"^^nce, that
no* is, in ,he facttha h" '° ''" «''""« "e

- heaven. And consLuenT'r '^''''='^f''^^™"""
'husreco,d»dhisfamTrd !V "."'^ ^'■°^' "^''h
have already mentioned '<»! f'w °'" **''^'' -«
became obedient ' u 'j'""'''^'* "™self and

highly exalted Him " etc ' ^^'■^'"™' «'s° ^iod hath

son°:nd:rafar/i"::' h" ^-'--"d divine per-
nor his people, be ;,g'Ldea .';:;seT''\°'""^^"'P^™
hi3 exaltat.on to his medht , . "^ ''"'"'' ^"'l 'hen
Lord for the -terests ^htc t^°-, - ""-ersal
does the renown of Jesus r«,^"'"^S™""<'s
has experienced the benefits' fv'™'^ ''""" "'="
reigns supreme. He is tl^e r , , ' =-->'vaMon, He

and the altogether lovel7 '!.'.™°"^'""'''""^--'"'i.

'ovely. 1 raise waiteth for Him

Reign of Christ.

1 i

continually in Zion, in his ransomed Church, whcre-
ever any ar'* found doing his will and working his
work. Even the consciences of the ungodly stand in
p ve of the despised Nazarene. Infidels have in their
last moments prayed to Him for mercy. And as one
generation after another passes away, and the songs
of the redeemed are heard more extensively through-
out all the tribes of the earth, so is the fame of Jesus
more loudly celebrated, and his brow encircled with
more numerous crowns, as trophies of his surpassing
and sovereign and victorious grace.

II. — We come now in the second place to notite
the perpetuity of the fame of Christ : 'His name
shall endure," etc. Whatevei is fleeting and uncer-
tain is comparatively of little worth. Permanence
and increase give value to anything which we possess.
The meteor may flash brightly through the sky, and
then disappear in a moment. But the fixed star re-
mains brilliant as before. So earthly fame is often
unstable as the wind. How often amongst men is the
renown of one eclipsed by the superior power Oi- skill
or talents of another! How frequently does it hap-
pen that the idol of a nation to-day, may soon be
almost forgotten or little heeded ! But the name of
Jesus has never faded in its renown. On the con-
trary, just as before his anpearanc , on the earth, the
expectation of his coming only grew in ardour and
intensity, as the fulness of the times approached,
so since He came as the man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief, his kingdom has been advanr
iiig, and his fame has gone on increasing, overshadow-
ing all else, and commanding the homage of tribes

'J he Perpeizaty of the

'from the river unto the^eii^ the

and nations
earth.''

renow'ntra:,:^";''^ '"""""^"^^ ^' "is na^e or

presented as saying " , hav^ iJ^^ , ^" '^ ■■*-

n"«h.y, I have xaUed one chosen o - °" k"" "'^' '^
and when He had gladly undemken-,"' "'' P'°P'"'"
the assurance is given " I w!l, ™ u "'^."™'"'s^ion,
boro, higher than'he kings T hTeanh ™m"^ '"'■
w.il I keep for Him for evermore anH '' ""'''>'

shall stand fast with Him H ' T "'' "tenant

.o endure forever 'a"^ his" hrZ' ^th?'; "^'':
heaven." So also bv tl,« I ^ ^^^^^ '^^

Isaiah. '. When tou 'halt :,arhis "' /"^ ""P""
for sin, He shall see n,s s^ed He .h°n ^"."'^"'"g
-Jays, and the pleasure If ft! r.^" P''"'™^ h'^
his hands." And atain it "-""^ ''""' P™^P«' *»

servant shal, deal ^"ru "em , ^^l^t "' "7. "%
e^c.olled, and be very h.gh' ' ' ''" '"='"^'' ^'"<*

f. m Th? r r tat'^^ht^ "' '"'' "^'"^ "f C"-'
ass.;,ed by the ltron-^l« P' '" P'^^*' "-""gh

andofaiiJ^hl^r r; j;pp~;L« ,-l

"s lustre, it has been more V„H 1 "■'"" '°''"S

His kmgdom ha.hlonr; eTtenZg t:Zlt '""

oTo': «:st^r;rr;-s sr '^d '--r'^"^''-^"^^^

<'evi^",wirl;;^tnmX^ree:ttVai1,r"'•'''^
a:.d between thy seed and her seed 'rh, K "T""'
■rue both in the Old and Net t;s tame „ '" '"'""'
.ha. "he who was born after the flesh oer.^^rr.";!'

Reign of Christ.

who v,as born after the vSpirit." When Christ ap-
peared upon the earth, He came unto his own, and
his own received Him not. Not only did Herod
seek to slay Him in his infancy, not only did Satan
come forth with all his power and malice against
Him, as He entered on his public ministry, but the
Jews, who ought to have been the builders reviled
and persecuted and put Him to death, imagining that
they had crushed out his name forever as an impostor
and deceiver.

But the stone which the builders rejected, became
the headstone of the corner. In his resurrection and
ascension He proved how vain and impotent was their
malice. His Gospel proved ml'^hty to the pulling
down of strongholds. His kingdom hath gene on
from age to age, sometimes bitterly opposed, and
torn, and cast down, as it were in the dust, as if it
would speedily be extinguished, yet rising out of the
ashes of the fire as glorious as ever, only to carry on
and extend its conquests to the increase of the fame
and glory of Messiah.

This, you know, has been the history of the Church
of Christ down to the present time. To many He hath
been " as a root out of a dry ground, having no form or
comeliness, and no beauty wherefore they should de-
sire Him." Many have fallen upon this stone, and
been broken, and upon many it has fallen, only to
grind them to powder; but the name of Jesus still
rises in renown. And if there is anything that ought
to stir the Church of Christ (by this I mean his be-
lieving people everywhere), if there is anything which

*t>"'

kAiiiiivii.^' v>lil <l^c4.i tXitK^ iwIVwUl ill L/vJiicIIi KJl

The Perpetuity of the

the kingdom and cause of Christ in subserviency to
the grand motive, the constraining influence of the
love of Christ, it is tlie rapidity with which the gospel
is spreading, and taking effect in the great centres of
heathenism and in the islands of the sea— the fact
that whilst Satan is busy sowing the seeds of infidel-
ity and error in professedly Christian lands, stirred up
to all the greater activity, because he knows that his
time is short, yet the truth as it is in Jesus is showing
itself to be mighty to undermine the hoary systems of
idolatory and to convert the rudest savage into the
meek and humble follower of Christ, and thus to give
an earnest of the speedy coming of the time when the
Messiah shall have his kingdom from the rising to
the setting sun. The kings and rulers of the earth
have taken counsel together against the Lord and his
anointed, saying, "Let us break their bands asunder
and cast away their cords from us." " He that sitteth,"
etc. "Yet have I set Him king upon his holy hill of
Zion.'' And then the certain, infallible promise is
added, "Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen,"

etc,

3. We argue for the pepetuity of the name of
(i-iiist, and for the continuance and incr ise of liis
ir.me, from the means which He hath left and put in
operation for the advancement of his cause and king-
dom on the earth. The weapons of his warfare are
not carnal, but spiritual. The battle of earthly war-
riors is with confused noise, and garments rolled in
blood. In this way they generally achieve their con-
quests. But the government of Christ is first in the
hearts and consciences of ivien, and

iiicii O vCi

1 1
Uii

Reii^n of Christ.

their affairs— all that pert;ins to them. And the
sword which He employs for this end is his own
truth-the Word wielded by the omnipotence of the
Holy Ghost. Physical force can never overbear the
conscience, or command the will of man. You may
compel an individual to do certain acts, or to go
through some outward process or piece of work ; but
you cannot by any external power bring the will and
the moral faculties into subjection. That can only be
by the persuasive, quickening, sanctifying influence of
the truth in the hands of the Spirit of God, enlighten-
ing the understanding, renewing the will, and bring-
ing every thought into captivity to the obedience of
Christ. You know how the doctrine of Christ cruci-
tied, as soon as it was proclaimed by the apostles
after the ascension of Christ, and when the promise
ot the Father had been fulfilled in the outpouring of
the Holy Spirit, reached the hearts of thousands on
the day of Pentecost, and as carried into both Jewish
and heathen communities, was effectual to overcome
the most rebellious and depraved and sunk in bar-
barism, making them new creatures in Jesus Christ
and thus partakers of all the precious benefits which
it was designed to convey to those who embraced it
The Word is still the same, as efficacious as ever|
when carried by divine power into the heart. For
saith the Lord by the mouth of his prophet, " As the
rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and
returneth not thither, but watereth the earth,' and
maketh it bring forth: and bud, that it may give seed
to the sower, and bread to the eater; so shall my

Word be tha^ orn*»fK fnt-fV. /-.it. r^( iV •. _i._..

The Perpetuity of the

not return unto me void ; but it shall accomplish that
which I please, and prosper m the thing whereto I
sent it." The Word of Truth, a? administered by his
servants is noticed in another ^jassage, as identified
with, and in fact constituting the grand means for the
salvation of the souls of men. "Whosoever," says the
apostle, "shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved." How then shall they call on Him in whom
they have not believed ? And how shall they believe
in Him of whom they have not heard.-* And how
shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall
they preach, except they be sent.? As it is written,
"How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the
gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things."

This is God's plan for the renovation of our fallen
world. "All flesh is grass, and ail .he glory of man
as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the
flower thereof falleth away : but the Word of the
Lord endureth forever." So the continuance of the
Word or Gosps 1 of Christ as the weapon by which
the kingdom of Christ is to be advanced, shall cer-
tainly secure the stability and permanence of the
Redeemer's fame. " The Gospel is the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth." And ac-
cordingly, wherever the Gospel is published, and the
Cross of Christ is lifted up, there we may say, an en-
sign is presented around which the tribes of earth
shall gather, and thus the grand and glorious consum-
mation will be attained, when "men shall be blessed"
in Jesus, "and all nations shall call Him blessed."

II L — This is the third part of our subject: The
results of Christ's reien.

I\eii^?i oj Ch)isi.

I. "Men shall be blessed in linn." This has been,
and will be wherever the Gospel is known and re-
ceived. It is the necessary consequence of the savini:
knowledge of Jesus' name. Voii may, by the pi ogress
of civilization and the arts, communicate material
benefits to those who have hitherto been destitute of
them; but whatever improvement there mav be in
the temporal condition of any man. or communitv of
men, they are left, if destitute of the Gosjjel of Christ,
still strangers to everything whi( h can impart light to
the darkened mind, or peace to the troubled con-
science. When the Gospel comes into a man's heart
with quickening, regenerating, and sanctifying power,
it brings him as it were into a new world. Not only
does he see all things in a different light, but he has
got into his possession a treasure, full of the substan-
tial elenjents of happiness, which he would not ex-
change for all that the world contains, if he had it.
Whatever is precious and excellent comes into a
man's heart as soon as the Gospel comes — pardon,
reconciliation with God, peace of conscience, joy in
the Holy (}host, grace and streiigth according to his
day, comfort and support in the day of trouble, resig-
nation to the divine ..ill at times, triumi)h over the
last enemy, and glo»-y inconceivable in the end. " .Men
shall be blessed in Him,'' This refers to the bless-
ings which come to every believing soul in every
place, and at any time. And for what purpose are
these blessings bes* jwed upon any.'' Is it that they
may rest in self-compla-^ency and satisfaction with
thein? Certainly not. Is it not that they may long

aiiQ pTciy, ciiiCi iciuvji.irj ctHCi i^iVc, IfuU liic aauic uicSS-
B

Thr Pn-petuity of the

iccesT'Ynl',' ""™''u '" ''" '" """"^ "'^>- "->■ have
access, and even to the ends of the earth '

2. It ,s adtled, "All nations shall call Him blessed "
swav 'as '" l'^ "'"'"« ^"bjugation of all to his

All power," He sa,d before his ascension, "all p„„er
IS g.ven unto n>e in heaven and in earth." And "He

M::siTh':ha!', 1 1'^ '"'"'" ••'" "'^'"^ »- f-''° "-

Mess.ah shall be king over all the earth : " In thit
day there shall be one Lord, and his name one"

\Ve cannot, my friends, attempt anything hke a
probable descr.ption of what will be the state of our

°u?ncro"f ■'■«;::' r^ '""'""" «-'<i.when thl i"

iiuence of Him whose name shall endure forever " is

worid" Ts'Ther'r ^'"' "'^-^^ <he empir^^ni
world. Is there anything beautifttl in light > Lisht
s chosen as an emblem of tl.at per.od. Is there an v
thmg beautiful in fertility and power? Fer.ili ! and
power „e chosen emblems of that period iTthere
anything beautiful in order and harmony and pe.ce'
Order and harmony and peace are inenLned as th.
emblems of that time. "The wolf shall dt'lfw'
the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with Oie k

eethe 'f T' "^ >"""« lion, and the atlin .
gether and a Imie child shall lead them The'cow
and the bear shall feed, their young "es shall liZ
down together, and the lion shalUat 3^:7^1 a" o'
aso .Jm," "^ ''"'■ ■^''•■"' P'^y °" 'he hole of the

cockatr 1 H ""x^" '''" ^''"" ""' "'^ "and on he
cockatrice den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all

"IS ™T'=!'"' {- 'he earth shall be ful/of the
■"'"""'" '" '" ^"'■d-' Men "shall beat their

.^il-w-VTiV.L;^K^ KJl LUC

^^■S" '/ Christ.

in,, hooks they shall hang their trumpets in the hall
and learn the art of war no mo,e." T|,e 1 1, of , hi'
moon ,s to be as the li,ht of the sun, ad re 1 of
M,e sun ,s to be sevenfold. Man is to be t e rht of
God, and (;„d is to be the protector of „ n itl

'■Hallll T'/'^r'' •■'' ""= ^°""'' "f "••'">• water'
Hallelujah, for the Lord God On.nipotent rei-^neth
The kingdoms of this v/orld are bernm^ ,K. r
doms of the Lord and his Christ ■■ "*■'"

it h.ZZeTjr"') '""" ""' '"'P"^'--""' '"''i'" '^ 'hat
IndTrv of h." r '?':°"'^'"P'--"« the wondrous name
ana glory of the Lord Jesrs Christ, as that you mav be
constrained to tealize and act in accordance w"^ Is
ca.ms upon you. Think of Him first as dvell ng i^
the bosom of the Father from all eternity equ d and
e terna and omnipotent as Himself, Vou see n "„
tehiehem, a little babe in swaddlmgcio, esand "
m the manorer. Von spp Hin-. ;„ .u , ' *=

fai L ! ^h '"■'■■" r^' "' '' ''"'• s^^"' '^'•"p^ °f Wood

' etcied on T"'- 'r "^ """ "«• '« Calvary,
k "\tv r H f ^;°" ''"""" '^™ thieves exclain-

me. And now you see Him as the Lord of -lory
swayng the sceptre of tmiversal sovereignty, and ad-'
dressmg to you the satne invitation as He did to the
people by the shores of the Sea of Galilee "Corle
unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden and I
wdl gtve you rest." And what then is the cal t'o jou
Ll"/:i' rf ^i',f' '-'^ f-'- »h,lst you e>:c,aim, "\T;

'"J

-. .A "

TJu l\>l (uity ofilu-

2. lie tau^^lit the necessity of bein- found in Him,
havin^'^ a personal, srivin<,f interest in those objects for
which the Saviour d ed, and rose and revived. What
inatte''s it if C'hrisl is the suljject and the source of
kno\vl';d.;c to others, if lie is not so to you? What
matters it that lie is the .^<iuice of repentance to others,
if you possess not that repentance yourselves? Par-
don? I' recdoni ? Peace? Salvation? Are any of
you to leniain i;^Mioiant, hardened, ;;uihy, enslaved,
lost? Let me seriously ask you, are you content to
leave th's sanctuary without having- part or lot in the
salvalio:i and ;-;lory aiul fiine of Christ? If his voice
does not say to you on the day of redemption, "Come
ye bles>cd of my F.ither," it will certainly tell you
" Depart from me, ye cursed into e\ erlasting fire."
There are the two state*, no neutral one. " Now,
then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God
did beseech you,'' etc.

3. Do you who are true believers cultivate a grow-
ing attachment to the great Redeemer. Let your love
to Him be written out in legible characters — you know
what 1 mean- in the cb.araclers ol a highly devoted,
self-denying and s))iritual Hie. lie faithful to your
principles ; love II m becau-e He first loved you, be-
cause of what lie is in Himself and what He hat'
done for you ; avow your love, if it be needful, at the
cost of all that is dear, even life itself Vou have no
doubt read within the last few wccks of the terrible
massacre at Isandula in South Africa, when almost a
whole regiment with a lai,,e number of nruive troops
were overpowered by multitu .e-: of Zulus, and cut

k.HJ »» 11 \\ » 1 Ui^^ll '

ri'iciv. y a'iui 111 b.iv.igc u.i! ijtii uy

oome

Rt'ia^n of Christ.

of you may have read loo, that amon^ the bodies of
the slain was found that of tlr. youn- o.tu er whose
duty It was to cany .,nd preserve the cokhus of his
re.t,Mment. And m what concUtion was it found ? It w is
discovered with the da- which he had .worn to defend
wrapped around his body, as if in the prospect of .hat
he saw comin- to himself and his companions in arms
he was resolved that these colours should not be taken
from h,m but in death. Even -... most indifferent
cannot but be fdled wuh admiration of such heroism
and courageous bearing, such fidelity and devotedness
to the honour ofhis sovereign and country, iiiesse-' be
God there have been those in every .-.ge who have
thus borne up and maintained the banner of Christ and
have perished rather than part with it. Oh ! how does
this put to shame the pusillanimous conduct of manv
who wdl allow their profession, iheir tlag, to be
blotted and marred, and rent, by daily inconsistencies,
who w.ll allow their colours to droop and fall frorn
their hands before the tempations of sin and self, and
the world. And yet what is the honour of any
sovereign, or any country, compared with Jerus /lem
the cty of the great King, and the honour of the King
himself.'' ^

My young friends, here is an object worthy of your
noblest ambition, to be on the side of Christ, to main-
tain the fame and honour of Him who is the highest
in heaven. Make that your constant aim in the
strength of the Spirit of God. Think it not enough to
Mng 1 m not ashamed to own mv Lord," but let it be
manifest day bv d"

And to all I s

sa\'

in conclusion, seek to be in Chr

1st.

22 The Perpetuity of the Reign of Christ.

Let that be your glory. Scorn to be ashamed of Him
or his cause. Be resolved his grace to make mention
of his righteousness, and of that only, and to do
what you can that through your instrumentality his
name may be honoured and his cause promoted.
" For his name shall endure forever," etc. " Be thou
faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of
life."