J. H. E B. NOEL S. ROBINS. T. J. JUDKIN C. Мон W. Р Rom within you." en the kingdom of God ," desiring to know the e seasons when so great ould take place, as they n the natural world; when kingdom should be set up ag should reign in rightear Lord in a single sentence all their fond and fanciful He taught them, that the which he came down on establish the only kingdom ne ever will establish here be a spiritual kingdom, a throne shed in the heart, a dynasty lusts, and passions, and evil should be subdued and con1, and every Christian grace and should reign in the peaceful pos: while in this sense, and this by the general outpouring of his in the fulness of time, the Lord shall reign from sea to sea, and hore to shore, in the great spirinange which shall regenerate a world. Lord's own words, in reply inquiry of the Pharisees, conms most fully, and most satisу; "He answered and said, gdom of God cometh not with B Luke 17, xxi.—“ Behold the kingdom of God is within you.” THE heart of man is the same in all | of him, "when the kingdom of GoD places and in all times. Those religious inquiries which affect him least, are usually those which occupy and delight him most. Some contested point of doctrine-some unfulfilled and doubtful prophecy-some mysterious and unexplained doctrine of holy writ, interests and amuses us for hours; while the plain coursethe obvious and unquestionable duty -the vital and undeniable truth will be passed over often without a moment's pause or a moment's meditation. should come;" desiring to know the times and the seasons when so great a change should take place, as they imagined, in the natural world; when a temporal kingdom should be set up and a king should reign in righteness. Our Lord in a single sentence dispelled all their fond and fanciful visions. He taught them, that the kingdom which he came down on earth to establish—the only kingdom which he ever will establish here below-is a spiritual kingdom, a throne established in the heart, a dynasty where lusts, and passions, and evil tempers should be subdued and con Thus it is with the religious world among us at present; thus it was with the religious world of the Jews eigh-quered, and every Christian grace and teen centuries ago. The Pharisees, who virtue should reign in the peaceful poshad, during the whole of our Lord's sessor; while in this sense, and this ministry, turned a deaf ear and a har- only, by the general outpouring of his dened heart to every annunciation of spirit, in the fulness of time, the Lord his divine precepts, to all the simple Jesus shall reign from sea to sea, and and life-giving doctrines of the Gospel, from shore to shore, in the great spirino sooner hear of Messiah's reign, tual change which shall regenerate a and Messiah's kingdom, than they fallen world. came to our Lord to obtain some in Our Lord's own words, in reply formation upon so delightful a subject to the inquiry of the Pharisees, conof speculation, so pleasing an employ-vey this most fully, and most satisment for their fancy. They accord-factorily; "He answered and said, ingly with great urgency demanded the kingdom of GOD cometh not with VOL. V. B observation: neither shall they say lo | frequent than for persons, and perhere; or lo there: for behold the kingdom of GOD is within you." And as if this plain and decisive declaration were insufficient, the Apostle to the Romans, gives us this invaluable comment on it; "The kingdom of GOD is righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." To many, then, I trust, by the aid of the good Spirit of our God, it will be an edifying subject to those among us at least who are in earnest seeking the kingdom of which we speak-to enter a little more minutely into the nature of this spiritual kingdom, which it is the great object of the religion we profess, to establish in the hearts of God's people, and to ascertain whether it be really set up in our own. This is one of the most important considerations that can engage us; for unless we be, in this manner, partakers of the kingdom of grace here, we shall unquestionably be excluded from the kingdom of glory hereafter. To make this subject practically useful, and more expressly so with reference to the habit of self examination, which, valuable at all times, is peculiarly so as preceding and accompanying our coming to the table of the Lord, I shall First, CONSIDER SOME OF THOSE DELUSIONS BY WHICH MEN OFTEN SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN THEM. Then offer ONE OR TWO EVIDENCES BY WHICH THIS IMPORTANT FACT MAY BE ASCERTAINED. And conclude by endeavouring to RECTIFY SOME OF THOSE MISTAKES, BY WHICH MANY, WHO ARE REALLY PARTAKERS OF THIS DIVINE AND sons of good understanding on these matters, to imagine that the means of grace, and the kingdom of grace are synonymous ; that when our Lord said, "the kingdom of Gon is within you," he merely meant, that the Messiah was now come, that the Gospel of truth was now preached to them, and the offers of grace freely made in the midst of them; and carrying on the idea they very naturally argue that this is equally true at the present day; and they argue that if we live in the use of the ordinances of religion we may calculate in safety on the result; that if, indeed, we enjoy the means, there is very little doubt we shall be possessors of the kingdom. Alas! brethren, this is very far, far indeed, from being the fact. This differs widely from the kingdom which " is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Our Lord himself told the Jews, who heard his Gospel and saw his miracles, that "the kingdom of God was come nigh unto them;" but then to these very men he declared, that it would be better in the day of judgment for Sodom and Gomorrah than for them. You may then not only hear all that is to be heard-for the Jews heard the Lord Jesus himself-but you may know all that is to be known of the saving truths of the Gospel, and yet never be a partaker of the salvation of Jesus. Next to this statement of the enjoyment of the means of grace for the possession of the kingdom, we may mention, the mistaken impressions of the blessed results. You may have, BLESSED GIFT, GO ON IN HEAVI- for instance, while under the faithful preaching of God's word, strong and deep convictions of sin; you may leave the house of GOD, Sabbath after Sabbath, full of good resolutions; and First, and briefly, with regard to yet the cares, and pleasures, and tempSOME OF THE COMMON DELUSIONS ❘tations of life may so prevail with you ON THIS SUBJECT. Nothing is more to shake them off, that your cor NESS AND SADNESS FROM THE UNCONSCIOUSNESS THAT THIS BLESSÉDNESS IS THEIR OWN. |