IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 III 
 
 
 I.I 
 
 L25 i 1.4 
 
 M 
 1.8 
 
 1.6 
 
 DU^+. 
 
 V'^/Tl'W-*- 
 
 1 . 
 
 i iiUlUgiclplllU 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 /. 
 
 m./ 
 
 «f.f 
 
 Jis, 
 
 ^° ce 
 
 / 
 
 5/ 
 
 .<? 
 
 
 ^. 
 
 t/j 
 
 fc 
 
 A 
 
 <^ 
 
 <v 
 
 %' 
 
 ■o^ 
 
 
 ^<b 
 
 V 
 
 
 Cv^ 
 
 ^>. ' ^^ 
 
 <^ 
 
 
 ■^yl U '«Klj 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, NY. I4S80 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
 % 
 
 <?)" 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 

 &^ 
 
 C/j 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Series. 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 Collection de 
 microfiches. 
 
 Canadian Institute for Historical Micr ^reproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best 
 original copy available for filming. Features of this 
 copy which may ba bibliographically unique, 
 which may alter any of the images in the 
 reproduction, or which may significantly change 
 the usual method of filming are checked below. 
 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 
 n 
 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 Coloured covers/ 
 Couverture do couleur 
 
 Covers damaged/ 
 Couverture end .mmagde 
 
 Covers restored and/or laminated/ 
 Couverture restaurde et/ou pelliculde 
 
 Cover title missing/ 
 
 Le titre de couverture manque 
 
 Coloured m-ips/ 
 
 Cartes geographiques en couleur 
 
 Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ 
 Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) 
 
 Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ 
 Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur 
 
 Bound with other material/ 
 Relii avec d'autres documents 
 
 Tight binding may causa shadows Of distortion 
 along interior margin/ 
 
 Lareliure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la 
 distorsion le long de la marge interieure 
 
 Blank leaves added during restoration may 
 appear within the text. Whenever possible, these 
 have been omitted from filming/ 
 II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajout^es 
 lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, 
 mais, lorsque cela ^tait possible, ces pages n'ont 
 pas ita filmies. 
 
 Additional comments:/ 
 Commentaires suppldmentaires; 
 
 L'Institut a microfilme le meilleur exemplaire 
 qu'il lui a ete possible de se procurer. Les details 
 de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du 
 point de vu-9 bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier 
 une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une 
 modification dans la m^thode normale de filmage 
 sont indiqu^s ci-dessous. 
 
 r~~l Coloured pages/ 
 
 D 
 
 Pages de couleur 
 
 Pages damaged/ 
 Pages endommagdes 
 
 Pages restored and/oi 
 
 Pages restaurees et/ou pelliculdes 
 
 Pages discoloured, stained cr foxe( 
 Pages ddcolorees, tachet^es ou piquees 
 
 Pages detached/ 
 Pages ddtachees 
 
 Showthrough/ 
 Transparence 
 
 Quality of prir 
 
 Quality indgale de I'impression 
 
 Includes supplementary materi: 
 Comprend du materiel supplementaire 
 
 idition available/ 
 Edition djsponible 
 
 I I Pages damaged/ 
 
 j I Pages restored and/or laminated/ 
 
 j yf Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ 
 
 I I Pages detached/ 
 
 I y] Showthrough/ 
 
 I I Quality of print varies/ 
 
 I I Includes supplementary material/ 
 
 □ Only edition available/ 
 Seule 
 
 Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata 
 slips, tissues, etc., hav6 been refilmed to 
 ensure the best possible image/ 
 Les pages totalement ou pcirtieilement 
 obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, 
 etc., cnt it^ film^es d nouveau de facon a 
 obtenir la meilleure image possible. 
 
 This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ 
 
 Ce document est film^ au taux de reduction indiqud ci-dessous. 
 
 10X VK 18X 22X 
 
 1 
 
 /I 
 
 I ^ 
 
 12X 
 
 16X 
 
 20X 
 
 26X 
 
 30X 
 
 24X 
 
 23X 
 
 32X 
 
The copy fiim«d hera has baan raproducad thanks 
 to tha ganarosity of: 
 
 Harold Campbell Vaughan Memorial Library 
 Acadia University. 
 
 L'axamplaira film^ fut raproduit grdca A la 
 gAn^rositi da: 
 
 Harold Campbell Vaughan Memorial Library 
 Acadia University. 
 
 Tha imagas appaaring hara ara tha baat quality 
 possibia considaring tha condition and lagibiiity 
 of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha 
 filming contract sp^cificationa. 
 
 Original copias in printad papar covars ara filmad 
 baginning with tha front covar and anding on 
 tha last paga with a printad or iilustratad impraa- 
 sion, or tha back covar whan appropriata. All 
 othar original copiaa ara filmad baginning on tha 
 first paga with a printad or iilustratad impras* 
 sion, and anding on tha last paga with a printad 
 or iilustratad impraaaion. 
 
 Tha last rscordad frama on aach microficha 
 shall contain tha symbol ^^(maaning "CON- 
 T1IMUED"). or tha symbol V (maaning "END"), 
 whichavar appliaa. 
 
 Mapa. piataa, charts, ate, may ba filmad at 
 diffarant raduction ratios. Thosa too larga to ba 
 antiraly includad in ona exposure ara filmad 
 baginning in tha uppar laft hand cornar, laft to 
 right and top to bottom, aa many framaa aa 
 raquirad. Tha following diagrama illustrata tha 
 mathod: 
 
 Laa imagaa suivantaa ont iti raproduitas avac !a 
 plu& grand soin, compta tanu da la condition at 
 da la nattat* da l'axamplaira film«, at an 
 conformity avac las conditions du contrat da 
 fi^maga. 
 
 Laa axampiairaa originaux dont la couvartura an 
 papiar aat imprimte sont filmte an commancant 
 par la pramiar plat at an tarminant soit par la 
 darni^ra paga qui comporta una emprainta 
 d'impraasion ou d'illustration, soit par la sacond 
 plat, salon la caa. Tous las autres axamplatras 
 originaux sont filmte en commancant par la 
 pramiira paga qui comporta una emprainta 
 d'impraaaion ou d'illustration at an tarminant par 
 la darniira paga qui comporta una talla 
 emprainta. 
 
 Un dee symboles suivants apparaftra sur la 
 domiAre image de cheque microfiche, s«lon le 
 caa: le symbols — •► signifie "A SUIVRE", le 
 symboie V signifie "FIN". 
 
 Lea cartea, planches, tableaux, etc.. pauvent itra 
 filmte d dea taux de reduction diff6rents. 
 Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtra 
 raproduit an un saui cHch*. ii aat filmii d partir 
 da I'angle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche d droita, 
 at da haut an baa, an pranant la nombre 
 d'lmagaa n^assaira. Las diagrammes suivants 
 illuatrant la mithoda. 
 
 1 2 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 

 THE 
 
 
 KINGDOM AND THE CHURCH. 
 
 A REPLY TO A PLYMOUTH BRETHREN TRACT, VVRITTO 
 BY MR. R. T. GRAXT, ON THE ABOVE SUBJECT 
 
 BT TUB 
 
 REV. JAS. CARMICHAEL, 
 
 INCUMBENT OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, CLINTON, C. W. 
 
 -♦•^■•- 
 
 CLINTON: 
 
 PRINTED BY K. HOLMES, AT THE "NEW BRA" OFFICE, ALBERT 3TREET. 
 
 1866. 
 
A short account of the controversy betvveen Mr. Grant and il-e 
 
 anf« /hic"!'''f"'^ t\^u^ information of those parties into whoso 
 
 In Tn V T«fi?"f ' If rr'°"^P""'"^ ^y •^^hers which preceded 
 . in Jul>, 1865, I published a sermon at the requestor some valued 
 ^^ansh.oners on ' The Tares and the Wheat." The sermon was direc- 
 ed against a sect called the Plymouth Brethren, who had long ;reMed 
 the parable froni ,t8 original meaning, in order t'o prop up their vievvs 
 on the subject of a " Pure Church." Their theory being^' That evil 
 of any kind, if sanctioned in the assembly, will quench the .Spirit.'" 
 Ihe parable of the Tares and the Wheat of course stood in thei^r way, 
 
 llZ \Z^''\^^\''^^T'y '^^y ^^^^ ^» t^« expression used in fhe 
 pa ab.e - the field is the world,'' and then boldly stated that it had 
 
 the Lrf.n?-''^ V° '^' ^"^'^'" ^'^"'"''^^ ^' ^'^-^ I" ™y «e^"^0" I ««lied 
 the attention of my congregation to the fact that it was in God's 
 
 fehfnT. ^K?' T ^'^^l ^^^ *^ ^^'^^ ^^^^ 5 that they were to be 
 aIZ ll ^^"-":^f'^\Y"^ \^'^ ^^^^' ''^^ ^^"-'^t eame,'and'that on Hi. 
 
 l.e destroyed. This Kingdom I stated to be the Visible Church, in 
 accordance with the generally received opinion of most cSlan 
 
 TJ /7.^^''\"J?"^^^ ^}'^ «®^T'°'^ remained unan^werel, and then Mr. 
 ri'thi; wi ('^°,7«'-^y «" -p.scopal.an clergyman) answered it, or 
 
 Hther professed to answer it on the part of hi,/ sect. In his reply h,. 
 
 l.devevvth.ng but grapple the pomt as to what the Kingdom of God 
 
 vvas He stated that it could not be the Church ; '^ that the Kingdor^ 
 
 hat thf^r "T' >"-/^'' ^' established when the Lord comes^ 
 
 rpnni I \\ ^ ! r^"^' unc^efined and mystical a statement of course 
 requned explanation, and in a short reply I called on Mr Grant to 
 mform me what our Lord meant by the expression - K ngdom of God 
 or Kingdom" us* d once in the parable and three times in its explana- 
 
 • Prao. Unity Gh., paafe «.— J. N. D 
 
 UiiU, pnge 2 
 
 Unity Gh. 
 
 \ Brief Remark., pl^lT'" '■'"*''1"»"'«^'"» ^^o"" Church of Kn^, 
 
 39^^/ 
 
tion. H's answer ig now before the public ancf 10 entitLd, " Th* 
 Kingdom and the Church— are they the same?" and Ih'ia tract ic 
 written in reply. 
 
 Mr. Grant'* theory as to the Church may bo summed up thus : 
 The Church is distinct from the Kingdom (page 9) ; it was not in ox- 
 irttence nor could be till the death of Christ ; and in the Church Abra- 
 ham and others have n> part (page 9). 
 
 I call this a theory because it is not Scripture. Mr. C ant has 
 not found it in Scripture. I will dispose of it in a few words. As to 
 the distinction between the Church and the Kingdom, I will deal with 
 it in its proper place. The two other poi-.ts should be met here* 
 
 If the Church (Ecclesia.) did not, or cuuld not exist till after the 
 death of Chiist, why did Stephen, speaking of Moses, state " This is 
 he that was in the Church (Ecclesia.) in the wilderness ?" (Acts 7,88) 
 or why did David say '« I will declare thy name nnto my brethren in 
 the midst of the Church (Ecclesia.) will I praise thee ?"* or why '!,> 
 Mosee speak in the ears of all the Church (Ecclesic-) of Israel ih. 
 words isf his song until they were eaded ?t or why did Od /■ ,b 
 iiaw in the presence of the Church (Ecclesia) at Sina. ; l .^r 
 easy thing for Mr. Grant to say that the Church was not in ex -\ > 
 till the death of Clirist. Of course the Christian Church was 1, 
 (Jod's Jewish Church was. The Church of the wiide' 
 ('hurch of the Law. 
 
 This leads me to Mr. G's second point— that Abriham will have 
 no part in the glorified Church. Has Mr. G. ever read the 3rd chapv 
 ter of Galatians ? — " Know ye, therefore, thai they which are of faith, 
 " the same are the children of Abraham, for the Scripture foreseeing 
 "that God would justify the heathen through /ai7A preached before 
 *' ilie Gospel unto Abraham, saying, in thee slmll all nations be 
 " blessed." So then they which be of faith are blessed with faith- 
 ffil Abraham. If 1 have faith in Jesus Christ I expect to be blessed 
 with faithful Abraham. Mr. Grant does not. I'm very sorry for it. 
 
 Mr. Grant's theory as to 'Mhe Kingdom" is of a more elaborate 
 nature. I have read it very carefully, and I am sorry as a Uterary 
 production that it is not more creditable to the writer and th <sect to 
 which he has allied himself. It is a foolish theory, unsupported either 
 by Scripture or common sense. It leaves a person just as dark on the 
 subject of the Kingdom as if M:r. Grant had never written a special 
 tract to throw light on it. It suits me, however. It proves to me 
 that the " Kingdom of God" in the Tares and the Wheat mu,st mean 
 the Visible Church, according to Mk, Grant's own theory. 
 
 He first refers to Nebuchadnezzar's image vision of the King- 
 doms and to the Millenial Kingdom which ahould break the others to 
 pieces. This Kingdom, he slates, was recognized by both John the 
 Baptist and our Lord in th,e announcement '• That the Kingdom of 
 Heaven was at hand." 
 
 Christ then goes forth and preaches this Kingdom to Uie J^ws, 
 but his labour ends in rejection. Then our Lord and the Kingdom 
 
 • »2nd P»liu., ap. LXX. f Deu. 31-30, «p. LXX. f Deu. 18-16, ap. LXX. 
 
takft a change of position. The setlina: up of the KingJom among the 
 Jews in power is «• deferred^^ or \.\n off, and the Kingdom Isoffered to 
 the world a* large, first by Josus Christ, then by the Apostles at the 
 conversion of Cornelius. But in preaching the Kingdom to the Gen- 
 tiles .lesus adopts a style different from that used when speaking of it 
 to Israel. He does not say " The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand," 
 but He deals in parables or similitudes which all have reference to the 
 Kingdom during his absence from the earth. 
 
 Mr. Grant does not think it necessary to dwell much on these 
 parablep. He admits th.-.t wheat and tares grow in this Kingdom. 
 He gets slightly sarcastic, and wonders how any one could confound 
 the Church and the Kingdom " because the Kingdom was offered t) 
 the Jews, and who could say the Church was.?" So he quietly ex- 
 communicates Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and consoles himself by 
 the thought that he is in a very different position. 
 
 It will be seen from this outline of Mr. Grant's views that he be- 
 lieves iii a Gentile Church and a Gentile Kingdom, the former united 
 to Christ and pure ; the latter mixed and composed of good and bad 
 people.* But I would ask Mr. Grant where is this mighty o.-ganiza- 
 tion outside of what is generally spoken of as <'the Visible Church?" 
 what road must we take to look for it? what guide book will Mr. G. 
 put in our hand? Could Mr. Grant shew me a holy man a member 
 of God's Kingdom yet who is altogether ou'.side of the Church and has 
 nothing to say to it ? What admits a man into the Kingdom and yet 
 debars him from being a member of the Church ? anJ why, if a man 
 be a holy man, is he left in an impure Kingdom, when as a holy man 
 (according to Mr. Grant) he has a right to belong to the Church ? If 
 in accordance with Plymouth views the good should separate In toto 
 from the evil, in worship, in everything, surely it is impossible that 
 God would shut the door of a pure Church on a holy man and leave 
 him mixed up with evil. men till the second advent. The good man 
 can only be good, because he has faith in Christ, is sanctified by the 
 Spirit, lives, and speaks, and moves as a Christian ; but if he be thus 
 blessed, according to Mr. Grant's own views, he is pait of the " Body 
 of Christ" and could not be a member of the Kingdom at all. If Mr. 
 Grant staled that the members of the Kingdom were altogether xdcked 
 then indeed the case would be different. Put he would°ask sensible 
 Bible readers to belipve that God owns two distinct classes of Chris- 
 tian people. One class~THE Church— is pure, holds no connection 
 with worldly people, and the other class— Kingdom Christians— aie 
 to remain mixed wstt the evil till the second Advent. It would be 
 better, after all, for xMr, Grant to screen himself behind Bishops, 
 Pr:e8t8 and Deaconsf— behind men who wroie sense and read their 
 Bibles— than to broach ideas 80 dishonouring tb God as the covenant 
 Father of his peoplu. In the meantime I would ask Mr. G. to give 
 me, a Gentile, in this Gentile land, a letter of introduction to a Uue 
 Chrxslxan who does not belong to the Body of Christ, does not belong 
 
 • Kingdom and Church, page 8. f Tbe Kingdom and tha Church, page i. 
 
tnl^lTS^::^ ^^fJ* » "J'*5*V"^'*» *«in^*hill shine forth es the 
 *un 111 the Kingdom of the Father."* 
 
 un I f "^^ '*.^^'' ^[•"*> .•''®*"'^ ^^'^u* ^^'e KingdonT. It is not original, 
 J,l^ '. • ^*'" 0">'"ed to mention that the expression '' King- 
 
 flPr^'lLTy^^^^^^ ^^^^ Christ, whether bond or 
 
 h?J .^ or femde, Kingdom Christians or Plymouth Saints ; that if 
 
 'hmV ii . '.'^^''^^^^ '",^" .^'J?^*^^"''"^'"'' t^'^y are members of the 
 
 nl? n, 1 T^ ^^'''' ""'-^ ^"^'*"*^ ^° ^^« «^°^»" of the Church trium- 
 pnaiit nereaiter. 
 
 In cpDosiiion to this most unscriptnral view, I will now proceed 
 
 n iS]?'of i> '"^T"'^ "^ 1^1 ?"^^"h Visible and the Kingdom in .he 
 parable of the Tares and the Wheat, and i„ so domi? take up Mr. 
 «.ranl^s challenge as given on the eleventh page of his tract. 
 
 IJelievhio a<» I do most sincerely thai the " Kingdom" mentionnd 
 
 n the parable nnder diapute refer* to the Christian Church, still I do 
 
 no wish to fall into Mr. Grant's erior and confine the expression 
 
 I. /'v'T' u°?''''- '^hi^" Mr. Grar.t does. His Kingdom from the 
 
 <ia}s ot Nebuchadnezzar to the present moment is the Millenium in 
 
 Its nursery But surely Mr. Grtnl is aware that the expre.ssion when 
 
 used outside of ihe 13th Matthew is ol a much wider application :- 
 
 M.me imes it refers to the Gospel, sometimes to the influence of the 
 
 .pint within a man's heait, at other times to Heaven a? the home of 
 
 itie redeemed and often to the Millenial Kingdom of Christ set up 
 
 alter the second Advent. Of cour,«=e I have nothing to say to these 
 
 »!LTk J VI '?..^hal of proving that nn.ler some circumstances 
 
 the Church and the Kingdom are identical and that the term Kincrdom 
 
 • n the parable ot the Tares and the Wheat refers to the Visible C^hri,- 
 
 tian Church. 
 
 The Church of God is characterized by certain marks or notes that 
 It carries with it wherever it goe?. Its most prominent note is, that 
 o it has been committed the Gospel, and ihat through it talvatiou is 
 o be made known to all. It was to the Apostles as founders of the 
 Church our Lord said ''Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, teach- 
 lo^on "^ ^" obseive all things I have commanded yon," (Matt. 28, 
 19-^0) or as Mark (16-15; expresses it : '' Go ye unto all the world 
 and preach the Gospel to every creature." By these words Jes^us 
 .•ommilted His oracles to the Apostles as the founders of the 
 i.hurch, and as His representativas. Now wherever that Church 
 went, or goes, there certain events followed and do now follow 
 consequent on the mode in which the Gospel is leceived. In some 
 cases people do not understand it, in other cases it makes only a slight 
 impression but always some receive it. It matters not to whit p"art 
 ot the w'orld the Church of God goes in a missionary spirit, whether 
 to the burnmg plains of India or the ice-bound coasts of Northern 
 
 • Matt. l»-43. 
 
 k 
 
K 
 
 'eliraei, whewver the Charchof God raites the stantlard of the GobdoI 
 these events are ame to follow. 
 
 Now if the Kingdom and the Church are perfectly di«t»nct how 
 
 comes It to pass that to the Kingdom also is committed the Gospel, 
 
 ^nd that the eflectsof tho Kingdom Gospel are identical with those of 
 
 he Church ? "I do not know that it is necessar) to dwell much on 
 
 the parables," (Matt. 13) writes Mr. Grant.' I suppose he meant, I 
 
 do not think it's mse. But I will dwell on them « Wheh any one 
 
 heareih the words of !he Kingdom,'' said Christ, then certain events 
 
 loliow : some do not understand it, others cannot retain it in the face 
 
 I u-.'""' °*^®''^ *^'°^ '^« deceitfulnoss of riches to choke the 
 
 word, whilst others hear it and bring forth fruit to God's glory. Nojv 
 
 1 ^ul iV^'i-. Of'""™^" sense of Bible readers whether, viewed in this 
 
 Jight, the Kingdom and the Christian Church are not identical. To 
 
 bo li are given the oracles of God-to both God commits the dissemi- 
 
 nation of the Word. They must be idei.ticiil, unless Mr. Grant would 
 
 l.uve us beheve that God has two distinct agencies at work for spread- 
 
 iiig the Gospel-one agency He set in motion when he said to the 
 
 Apostles « Go yp into all the world and preach the Gospel to every 
 
 creature, and the other agency-when, Mr. Grant, and where and 
 
 afvi \T^iV if'P^'^^'.it "^««-k of the Church i. that controversially 
 
 St J led « The ^owerofihe Keys.'' Avoiding anything controversial, I 
 
 Hould simply refer to the fact that God has left power in Hi. Church 
 
 w 'L .h^'m",^'''/ ^" expressed in the wo.ds of Scripture, " Whatsoever 
 
 >e shiul bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye 
 
 snail loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Malt. 18, 18). And 
 
 fj'' "^ ^'t '''V,^^^'^ "^ ^'-^^'hed on them and said unto them : 
 
 Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose soever sins ye remit they are 
 
 ■ emitted unto them, and whose soever sins ye retain, they are 
 
 retained. (John, 20, 22). That these wordi conferred cer«an 
 
 S f °;' K^ ^^""^^ "°. °"'' ^ ^^'"'^ «^" ^'*^"y' however men may 
 ditter as to the nature and extent of the powers conferred. But what- 
 
 rhn'Jh^'ir v^'"' r''^ they belonged to the Kingdom as well as the 
 Lhurch ; the Kingdom gave birth to the power of the keys, and to the 
 same extent as to the Church. A reference to the 16th of Matthew 
 Tn fh T'' r'^ 'H'- . ^■'^' ^^''- ' «o»^ession of Christ, our Lord 
 fhit K °'; that confession He would build His Chiistian Church and 
 hat he ga es of hell would not prevail against it ; and then he added. 
 
 - whnL'Iv ^T ""T.^^^^ '}^ ^^y^ "^ ^^'^ Kingdom of Heaven, and 
 J whatsoever thou Shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and 
 whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 
 
 tinct th\T i^l ?^^^"'''l' ^"!! ^^^ Kingdom are totally distinct, (so dis- 
 met that Mr. G. wonders how any one can confound them together) 
 how comes It to pass that to both Church and Kingdom God ha°s com- 
 raitted what controversialists call the power of the keys. This Kingdom 
 that ,8 nothing, compared to the Church ; this Kingdom thai Mr. Grart 
 put into mystery m his first tract and leaves in greater mystery in hii 
 
 • Pag« 8. 
 
Mcond, wh) this Kmnrdom after all hm all the powers of the Church. 
 It bimlM, It Joo8enP, it remil^, it retains. Is i( not apparent that in 
 Matt. 16, 19, the Kingdom of heaven h formally, as elsewhere virtu- 
 ally, idei.tifiec! with thu Church ? (Ecchsia.) 
 
 Bnt thero is anciher most important murk of the Church .vhich 
 requires notice. B^^ptism was and is (JoilV ordained mode of recep- 
 tion into the Christian Chtrch. Previons to His ascension, our Lord 
 commissioned the Apostles to go forth "and teach all nations, bap- 
 tizing them ;n the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost'." 
 Ami on ih3 day of Pentecost Peter said to the Marlled multitude, 
 'Repent and be baptized every or,e of you, ii the name of Jesu^ 
 Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive tht Holy Ghost." 
 Now a reference to the 3rd of .John will sh-iw us that Baptism was 
 also nececsary for reception into the Kingd nn ; for when JNicodemus 
 came to our Loid hetolil him " except a man he born of Water and 'he 
 Spirit he could not enter into the Kinjrdom of God." It was the same 
 in the case ol Philip (Acts 8-19) « when they believed Philip preach- 
 ing the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jems 
 they were baptized, both men and women." If ti.e Kingdom and the 
 Church are not identical, will Mr. Gvant pleas? ex,)lain°wh2ther the 
 baptism administered to thof^e '* who believed the things conce nin<.- 
 the Kingdom" was different from that which admitted a man into the 
 Apostolic Church, and if so, will Mr. Grant kindly inform me 
 where I could now get "Kingdom Baptism" for a child if I did not 
 care to have it made a Church member? 
 
 Again, it is a sure yet saddening fact that the Church of God has 
 ever been mixed with evil. She has ever had her Jndas, ready to 
 take the cup, (i.uke^2, 21)' ever some sinner to be dealt with gently 
 test .le should be swallowed up of over much sorrow. All efforts to 
 render the Church pure lu:ve tailed. The Donatists fried, and failed 
 The Sandemaiiians, Walkerites, Kellyites, &c., all failed ; and the 
 [lymouth Brethren, after thirty years trial, are failing too, for Mr. 
 Henry Grattan Gnmness (who, if not a member, was an admirer of 
 the sect,) states " that the shape of their churches is simply shaps- 
 ** less ; that their system is the mere negation of system, and that the 
 " wear and tear of reality has put their ideal of a Church to the test 
 "and It has fai u.y gone to pieces."! That God for his own wise 
 purpose peimiift thi.s mixture in the Church is plain, for 'iurely He 
 would otherwise have blessed the efforts of men like Kelly, Pope, and 
 Walker. No man could doubt their piety or the prayerful earnestness 
 witn which they embarked in the cause of Church purification. 
 
 Now as with the a3tual uncleniable history of the Church, so with 
 the Scriptural history of the KInmlom. The wheat and the tares, the 
 net cast into the sea, may indeed be the history of the Kingdom, but 
 they are equally the history of the Church, for in some strange way 
 their histories have assumed a twin-iike uni^formity, both are mixed 
 with evil, both either men or angels have de&ired to cleanse, and of 
 
both God has laid, to one by inspiration, to >he other by •tern fact, 
 " make no division." His inspired words on record with reference 
 to the Kingdom are, " Let both grow together until harves'," and his 
 teaching in refere.jce to the Church may bo read in the failures of th» 
 Donatistfl, Sandemanians, Kellyites, Fopeites, and Darbjltes. 
 
 Once more. The history of the Christian Church has been of a 
 peculiar nature. Tho ama'lest of all religious parties in the East, it 
 has swept on for 1800 years, wielding an influence that it would bo 
 impossible fairly to describe. Nations, languages, peoples, and 
 'ongues have received the Gospel committed to its keeping. It speaks 
 lor Jesus in nearly evpry torig;ie, and is fast decreising ihe few 
 remaining languages of the earth which as yet have not pleaded for 
 His atcn-ment. 
 
 Ht-i gain the literal history of the Church is i('entical with the 
 Scriptu:-i, account of the Kingdom. " The Kingdom of Heaven is like 
 *• to a i,rain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field, 
 " which inueed is the leaet of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the 
 " fi, reo ^l amoLg herbs and groweih unto a tree so that the birds of 
 "the au co;T»e and lodge in the branchefi thereof." If the Visiblo 
 Church and the Kingdom' are not iiip!?:! al will Mr. Grant txp'ain 
 how their distinct histories are so p^; :;;Afly .".like. 
 
 The Kingdom of God then is possessed of the following notes or 
 remarks in common with the Visible Christian Church :— 
 
 THE VISIBLE CHRISTIAN CHLRCII 
 
 1— IIa» arisen from sms^ll beginnings to a 
 
 mighty power. 
 2— BaptisMi is ihe seal of admission into 
 
 ilic Cliiirch. 
 3— The Church has power io bin',1, loose. 
 
 remit, and retain. 
 4— The Church is the guardian of the 
 
 Gospel. 
 6 — The Church has e^er been mixed with 
 
 evil. 
 6— The Clmrch i« the Church of God on 
 
 earth. 
 
 THE KINGDOM 
 
 1 — Has arisen from small begmiiings to ■ 
 
 miohty power 
 4 -Bnpt'sm is tne seal of admission iirto 
 
 the Kingdom. 
 3— The Kingdom has power to bind. 
 
 loose, remit, and retain. 
 4— The Kingdom i* the guardian of the 
 
 Go^ipel. 
 6— The Kingdom will ever be mixed 
 
 with evil. 
 6 — The Kingdom is the Kingdom of God 
 
 on earth. 
 
 A glance at the ^\ove tabl? (which could be easily enlarged) will 
 prove, I think, to the .eailers of this tiact that in mr-iy places in the 
 New Testament the expression '* Kingdom of God or Kingdom" refers 
 to tlifc Christian Church. 
 
 The question now drise.s : in what sense is the expression King- 
 dom of God or Kingdom used in the 13lti chapter of Malthew, in the 
 parable of the tares and the wheat— wluU Kingdom Is it in which God 
 sees Rl to let the evil giow side by side with the good 1 It cannot 
 mean t^e Kingdom of Cod in a man's heart, (14 Ro., 17) for our 
 Christian life must be spent in tearing up and battling against ail thh^ 
 would dishonour Jpsus ihare. Neither can it refer to '^e3Vt:i ; thb,« 
 will be nothing to pluck up in Heaven— dogs are without, it is only 
 the pure that enter iti. Well, can it mean tne Millenial Kingdon, qf 
 Christ? Impossible, and for two clear reasons— first, it is on iha. 
 fcecond Adyenl of Christ that the Kingtiom vi'iU be cleansed a,n\\ tha 
 
m 
 
 tares cast out, and the setting up of the Millenial Kingdom is subse- 
 quent to the seconu advent and the cleansing of the mixed kingdom : 
 51 J secondly, there will be no tares in the Millenial Kingdom : sin 
 may exist as the exception, but godliness will be the general tule : 
 hatan wil be bound ; the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth 
 as the waters cover the sea ; all men shall know the Lord, from the 
 least to the greatest, ft can only mean, then, that Kingdom which 
 men enter by Baptism, where they hear the Gospel, and whose min- 
 ifetermg servants have a right to declare and pronounce to God's 
 people the absolution and remission of their sins, This Kin^rJom 
 
 iTe'tsth :f'M^H'^''\^'"'"'''^ 9"'^*'^" C'^"-h' ^.ill, according to 
 fnif. f ^^\^^^'-\ t)e purged and cleansed and purified frorn all 
 U ngs that offend, at the spcond coming of Jesus Chri.st-lhen, but not 
 fill then, and consequently the Plymouth theory of " A pure Church" 
 is wrong Irom beginning to end. 
 
 i.^^I ^•°?^'' "°^ ^''^^ ^" "°^^^^ ^ "^^^^er in connection with this con- 
 troversy by no means creditable to Mr. Grant and his advisers. I 
 
 rli«oin.^.oV"i ?'?''"'■ ^° '.'^^'' '^'^ P"^'^° t" ^"PPO'^e I stated that no 
 d sciphne should be exercised in the Church. I defy Mr. Grant to 
 
 fr.nfil?'' '^"^^"^V" VT^'^S ' ^^^^ ^""^^ published which could 
 mih r>l° '"^^°r lY^ ' ^^"'^^^ ^^'^ necessity or value of discipline 
 mw whh i , "'' ^"^'' *° ;'• ^^^'"^" ^ ''^''^^ of »^'>e«li"g i" the same 
 FnllrK ^> "'•'"''"■^ ^^ ^f ^^°^^ -'^"^^ ^^'^ being allowed to congregate 
 togeiher, what in the world have either cases to say to discipline ? 
 
 LIZ.T ""'T^ °"*"'''; °f discipline. I was not speaking of Church 
 nierribers ; f was speaking of any well known drunl;ard (lober for the 
 
 ew rinnr s'^ / ''""T ^°.*^''"-'^'^ «f'^' ^^ whom I WOUld tluOW OpCH my 
 
 hZ ^'o^-^' ^""'l«y after Sunday, and hand him a prayer book to enabli 
 
 rsenee o'f ^m/.V' '^' ^^^'-''^t' ^''- ^""'^'y ''^'^^ ^'^^^ ^^e continued 
 ftll^ ? M ^T,^ ""/" "' ^^'^ assembly would quench the Spirit.* 
 ' or^ev^. wl'i'l' ^^^.; Comforter which abides wi.l. the child of God 
 '^ ImnH 7 -'''^^^ V"^ J''^ ^^' '"'^'^'^ ^yhelhex- he kneels beside a 
 
 diunkd.d or a saint. Jt would be too hard to rob me of my heri^a-e 
 -because my next door neighbour had nolliing ,o say to il" 'hHs 
 to M 1^1"' I was battling for and will «lill Lttle for. According 
 -re^aiim,'S'/-^T" " ^^"^••'"'1*'^^ ^^ '''^ «^'''I«^t degree in any con"- 
 clrau fmm^ll^'''''^'''."-''"f "' ''^'^'' '^"^'-"^^''^ tl'« Brethren -with- 
 ev^Pnf '"^"' '?''^VP ^'"'^^'' P" '" "« 1''^^'^^ ^' Cliristian worship 
 
 da?e^en p/'T:"' T^ "'"'^i'' " '^'''' ^''"''S^' O' ^'1" i'^"«"ity that noni 
 Churr-1 nf r . ^\T\'''^''' "^*"' l"0""'^"ce their Shibboleth. The 
 His d os/p ;:^n ?"°^'' ''h '' ^"'^'""''^ "« '■•« '"o""^''^'- 5 n« had indeed 
 f hi «Jr "' "T"'! '""'' o^^'" »1'^^ "e could wield discipline 
 
 tie scourge of a word the look that could rend the heart ; but oUskfe 
 
 "comT;,n?o. ^'^V^';f«•^«^^ to callthem with the lovely words, 
 be irCathoMc?' rnr;''t?7" you rest." And shall dis Church 
 tasteful To Mr Crnn? cf°n '^r^ ^^P'" ^ '^P^^' '^'^ «*^»t«'^«e so dis- 
 lasieiul to Mr. Grant : " f he Comforier which abides with the child 
 
 • rrnfctical Unh>- of Uie Church, pnge G. 
 
n 
 
 « of God for ever will be with him just as much whether he kneels 
 " beside a drunkard or a iaint.''* 
 
 As to discipline amonj? communicant?, of course it should be usedj 
 but w;th prayerful care. We may warn, rebuke, and admonish, andj 
 in some cases, excommunicate, but we have no right to excommuni- 
 cate as long as the erring one promises amendment, or to excommu- 
 nicate any one simply because he does not come up to Mr. Darby or 
 Mr. Grant's re-ulntion standaid of piety. The rule of the Church of 
 lingland is pla.n enough on the subject. Its e.tcommunication is not 
 a tearing up, but a discipline of mercy which, whilst it excommuni- 
 cates, does 60 ni the earnest hope that the sheep will return to the 
 fold, where a kind voice is ever wailing \o welc me it. 
 
 I.astly I would notice Mr. Grant's puny argument based on the 
 expression *' on this rock I will build my Church." 
 
 He says: <^ Could our Lord say ' / tvill build my Church » if it 
 was built before ?" I reply it is not likely our Lord would, inasmuch 
 as the Christian Church, was not built before ; but God's Church was. 
 In proof of this I refer Mr. Grant to the texts already quoted in this 
 tract as found in the Septuagint version of the Scriptures. A sliohi 
 acquaintance with that version will at once shew him that the word 
 " Ecclesia" is perhaps as common a term in the Old Testament as it 
 is in the New. 
 
 I now leave Mr. Grant with a firm conviction that he believes in 
 a Visible Church just as much as I do. His Kingdom in which the 
 good and bad are mixed is the \i8ible Church. He may not call it so> 
 but perhaps he Will yet see that any religious orf,anization to which 
 God has committed the Gospel, the power of the Keys and into which 
 men are admitted by Baptism, must be the Church and nothing else, 
 and when he comes to see this then he will remember that the^heat 
 and the tares are to grow together in that kingdom till the second 
 advent, and that Messrs. Darb>, Stanley, Macintosh, and others, have 
 been rushing in the face of Scripture for the last thirty years in striv* 
 ing to make the separation. 
 
 • Tare« and Wheat, pago 7.