LECT. VIII Israel from all nations among whom We read in Acts i. 3, that Jesus was seen of his disciples forty days after his passion, speaking unto them THE THINGS PERTAINING TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Here is an example for our religious teachers. The Great Master considered the things of the kingdom of so much importance, that he devoted his last days on earth to their exposition. How much then does it behove those who profess to be his ministers to instruct the people therein. In Matthew vii. 21, we find the following words: "Not every one that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my father who is in heaven." (Note-The kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are the same thing; because God who sets it up is the God of heaven, and the kingdom when established will be a kingdom that will have come from heaven to earth) Wordy profession will not avail anything in securing an entrance into the kingdom of God. A mere assent to Christian doctrine-an intellectual recognition of gospel truth-will not qualify a man for that high honour. Belief must be accompanied by a hearty performance of the will of God, as made known in the preceptive department of the truth; and this is what few men are equal to. The moral courage that is not frightened at singularity is a scarce thing, especially in matters of principle. Men will rather wink at tricks in trade, and conform to dishonourable practices without end, than boldly avow conscientious conviction, and be considered "soft." Fashion, reputation, and other influences at work in society, briefly summarised by the apostle John, as "the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life," are too powerful with the common run of mortals, to allow of many entering the kingdom of God. The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Cor. vi. 9). "Straight is the gate and narrow is the way, and few there be that find it." Again, in Mark x. 24, we read "How hard it is for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God." James presents the other side of the picture in chapter ii. 5 : "Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him?" Riches come not alone to a man. They surround him with circumstances which are unfavourable to spiritual perception. For this reason a rich man has very little chance of ever becoming an heir of the kingdom of God; not from the simple circumstance of his happening to have becomes riches, but because he subject through them, to many influences of an unfavourable character. It is different with the poor. They may take comfort. To them pre-eminently the gospel is preached; and to them it cannot fail to present many more attractions than to the rich man, because in this life they have little to comfort them. Their days are spent in labour. They manage with difficulty to "provide things honest in the sight of all men," and are strangers to the elegancies and luxuries by which the rich sweeten their lives. They are held in small reputation, have few friends and few pleasures. To them the gospel is glad tidings indeed : it promises them deliverance from all the imperfections and drawbacks of the present life, and possession of riches and honour in the kingdom of God-far greater and more enduring, and certainly not less real than those which are now inherited by the great men of the earth; and in the affectionate belier of this promise, and the moral elevation and spiritual improvement which the contemplation thereof induces, he is blessed with the peace of God that passeth all understanding-a peace that the world knoweth not of-a peace that the world cannot give, and cannot take away. From what has been advanced, it will be manifest that the gospel of Jesus Christ, as made known in the New Testament, is not preached in our churches and chapels. To account for such a state of things, it would be necessary to say more than the limits of this lecture will allow; but there is a certain prediction of Paul's which may throw some light on the subject. It will be found in 2 Tim. iv. 3, 4— "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, [they] having itching ears; AND THEY SHALL TURN AWAY THEIR EARS FROM THE TRUTH, AND SHALL BE TURNED UNTO FABLES." This prediction requires no comment. We observe its fulfilment in the present state of Christendom, and the warning voice to every earnest mind is, in the words of Peter, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation." Like the Christians of old, "Gladly receive the word and be baptised." Steadfastly continue in the apostles, doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers; and when the time appointed arrives, "an entrance shall be administered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter i. 11). LECTURE IX. THE PROMISES MADE TO THE FATHERS (ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB) YET TO BE FULFILLED IN THE SETTING UP OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD N° ON THE EARTH. O attentive reader of the New Testament can be ignorant of the prominence given in the apostolic writings to "THE PROMISES MADE UNTO THE FATHERS." He may not understand what is meant by the phrase, but he can scarcely avoid acquaintance with the phrase itself, as a thing of importance, because it is used in such a way as to show that whatever it refers to, it expresses something that has fundamental relation to the of truth apostolically a scheme delivered. Those who are not New Testament readers, or Old Testament readers either, will know nothing about it. For their benefit and the general elucidation of the subject, we call attention to the state of the matter, by quoting Paul's statement that "Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm THE PROMISES MADE UNTO THE FATHERS" (Rom. xv. 8). This at once brings the subject to a point, declaring a connection between the mission of Christ and that which is styled "THE PROMISES"; and thereby imposing upon us the necessity of recognising the importance of the item and branch of truth so expressed, instead of turning away from the subject with indifference, as is the custom with the majority of religious people, not excepting those professing to be New Testament Christians. If Christ cameto "confirm the promises made unto the fathers, it is obviously of the first importance that we know something about these "My kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertaineth the adop tion, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, AND THE PROMISES" (Rom. ix. 3-4). Speaking more definitely on the subject, he says "Now to Abraham and his seed were THE PROMISES made. He saith not, And to seeds as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal iii. 16, 29). " From this, it is evident that if we would know something about "the promises which Paul had in his eye, we must refer to the history of Abraham, from which he derived his information. With this history most people are familiar; but as a rule, they are ignorant of anything in connection with it which answers to Paul's words in Gal. iii. 16, 29. They know that Abraham emigrated from Chaldea, by divine command, became a settler in Canaan, and that God promised to greatly multiply his posterity, and make them a great nation in the country where he was then a stranger; they believe that it was promised to him that Christ, the Saviour of the world, should come in his line, and that in this way, through the preaching of the gospel, all nations should ultimately be blessed through him; but they have no idea of any promises which form the groundwork of the Christian faith, or the subject-matter of the gospel. They admit there were promises, but, practically, they consider them past and done with. They consider them as applicable only to the now insignificant events of Jewish history. They certainly have no idea of any 66 promises made unto the fathers," in which they can hope to have any personal interest, or from which indeed, Abraham himself can have any future benefit. They have no idea of themselves or any one else “inheriting the promises made 3,000 years ago to the fathers. The promises, in their estimation, are an affair of the past, a part of the first dispensation which, having waxed old, has vanished away. The thing to be looked for from their point of view, is the thing that, in their opinion, has happened to the fathers themselves and to all righteous men ever since-an event before which all parties are on a dead level, promises or no promises; and that is, going to heaven when death comes, if righteous. They sing and teach their children to sing Where is now the prophet Daniel ? Safe in THE PROMISED LAND. [LECT. IX. land." Paul repeats the statement at the end of the chapter. He says- "These all having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us SHOULD NOT BE MADE PER. FECT" (Heb. xi. 39, 40). What were the promises made to the fathers, the substance of which they did not receive, and which Paul here declares they will not receive until the totality of the chosen ones "from every nation, kindred, people, and tongue' is completed? In answer to this, we affirm that they relate to matters forming the very essence and foundation of the salvation offered through Christ. We do so on the strength of the following testimonies, to begin with "And now I (Paul) stand (before Agrippa's judgment-seat) and am judged for the hope of THE PROMISE MADE OF GOD FATHERS" (Acts xxvi. 6). UNTO OUR "He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats. and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen his servant Israel in remem. brance of His mercy, AS HE SPAKE to our fathers, TO ABRAHAM, and to his seed for ever (Luke i. 51-55). "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David (that is, Jesussee context); as He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began; that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; to perform the mercy PROMISED TO OUR FATHERS, and to remember his holy covenant, THE OATH WHICH HE SWARE TO OUR FATHER ABRAHAM (Luke i. 68-73). " "THOU WILT PERFORM THE TRUTH TO JACOB, AND THE MERCY TO ABRAHAM, WHICH THOU HAST SWORN UN O OUR FATHERS. FROM THE DAYS OF OLD" (Micah vii. 20). These passages show that the promises made to the fathers were unfulfilled at so recent a date as the nearly two first century—that is, thousand years after they were made -and further, that they have reference to the things to be accom plished, through Christ, instead of having, as the generality of religious people suppose, been fulfilled in Jewish history. But, for the better discussion of the question, and to come closer to the subject, let us look at the promises themselves. In seeking for them, we act under the guidance of Paul, who says, "To Abraham and his seed were the promises made." This is an infallible clue: we go to the history or Abraham, and find the following promises recorded THE EARTH BE "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; AND IN THEE SHALL ALL FAMILIES OF BLESSED" (Gen. xii. 1-3). "And the Lord said unto Abraham, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now eyes and look from the place where thou art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, ana to thy seed Christ) for ever. Arise, walk through the land in the length and in the breadth of it; FOR I WILL GIVE IT UNTO THEE (Gen. xiii. 14-17). (See also xii. 7; xv. 8-18; xvii. 8 ) thine "By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord; for because thou hast done this thing and hath not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying, I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore, and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And IN THY SEED SHALL ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED, because thou hast obeyed My voice" (Gen. xxii. 16-18). Paul styles Isaac and Jacob "the heirs with him (Abraham) of the same promise" (Heb. xi. 9). It will therefore lay the foundation more securely to quote the promises made to them, which it will be seen are, as Paul's words give us to understand, identical with those made to Abraham. "And the Lord appeared unto him (Isaac) and said will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto Sojourn in this land, and i thee and unto thy seed I WILL GIVE ALL THESE COUNTRIES, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father" (Gen. xxvi. 2, 3, 4). "And God Almighty bless thee (Jacob) and give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee and to thy seed with thee; that thou 151 mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham" (Gen. xxviii. 3, 4). "I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: THE LAND WHERE. ON THOU LIEST, TO THEE WILL I GIVE IT, AND TO THY SEED, and in thee In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. xxviii. 13, 14). Now, in analysing these "promises made to the fathers," it will be found that they consist of several distinct items, which it will be well to enumerate for the sake of clearness, and the consideration of each of which separately will enable us to see the truth of the proposition that stands as the subject of the lecture, viz., that these promises will only be fulfilled when Christ, having returned from heaven, and raised his people from the dead, reigns in Palestine as universal ruler, to whom all nations will bow in blessed allegiance. Ist. That Abraham's posterity should become a great and mighty nation-This has not been fulfilled in the sense of the promise. It is true that Abraham's descendants, according to the flesh have multiplied and filled a large place in history; but this is not the only event contemplated in the promise, as is evident from Rom. ix. 6-8. The natural Jews from the day that they murmured against Moses and Aaron, in the wilderness, till now, when they reject the prophet like unto Moses, have ever been a stiff-necked, disobedient generation, walking after the ways of the heathen, and persecuting and slaying the servants of God sent to bring them to the right way. This is not the " great nation multiplied above the stars of heaven," that was promised to Abraham; it were no blessing to surround a man with such a race of flesh-born rebels. Paul says, "They are not all Israel which are of Israel, neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children; but in Isaac shall thy seed be called: that is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children |