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fhjt' 
 
A 
 
 I 
 
 THE PERPETUITY 
 
 or 
 
 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 
 
s 
 
 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 
 
lO 
 
 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 
 
12 
 
 '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. 
 
 13 
 
 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 
 
14 
 
 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. 
 
 IS 
 
 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._.. 
 
i6 
 
 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 
 
i8 
 
 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. 
 
 I? 
 
 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 " 
 
20 
 
 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. 
 
 21 
 
 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" 
 
 w 
 
 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." 
 
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