enemies. The stone cut out of the mountain without hands, which smote the image, (Dan. 2: 34,) was an emblem of Christ's monarchical power, conquering and triumphing over all his and his people's enemies.

At the final judgment day, when Christ shall gather in all his subjects in one glorious company, and transport them into their mansions of bliss which he has prepared for them, then their enemies will be utterly destroyed from the presence of God and the glory of his power. "For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet." 1 Cor. 15:25. Then death and hell will be cast into the lake of fire. Rev. 20: 14. This will be the most signal display of the conquests of King Jesus. After this Messiah will deliver up his kingdom to the Father.

Christ's essential glory is eternal, without beginning and without end; but his mediatory had a beginning after his death and resurrection, and shall have an end. When all the seed are brought in and perfected, all enemies subdued and conquered, Christ shall resign his commission and his people, for whose sake he was commissioned and deputed to the government, unto his Father. 1 Cor. 15:24. When he shall reign with his Father in the glory of the Deity, the Father lays aside his immediate government, that Christ may be all in all; at last Christ shall resign the government to the Father, that God may be all in all, and delight immediately in his people when they shall be fully perfected and free from sin. The power, in regard to these particular ends for which it was conferred on Christ, ceases when these ends cease; but what belongs of right to him as God, or what was given him by covenant as a reward for his obedience, will endure as long as the humanity remains united to the divinity.

§ 12. Now, my dear Benjamin, I fear I shall exhaust your patience, although the subject is most glorious. I shall only add a few words respecting the history of Messiah's kingdom. I am fully aware, that to do any justice to this

part of the subject would fill volumes. The learned and pious Jonathan Edwards, in his History of Redemption, has furnished us with a judicious abridgment of the Messiah's kingdom. But I shall, for the present, refer you to the shortest but most comprehensive description given of it by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. His words are these: 66 The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard-seed, which a man took and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Another parable spake he unto them: The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." Matt. 13:31-33. At first the kingdom of Christ was invisible; exceedingly small and unpromising. From the fall of the first Adam until the exaltation of the second Adam, the real subjects of Messiah's kingdom, the possessors of divine grace, were but few, and mixed with the mere professors of a belief in the Messiah. Still there was a secret working like leaven, and a gradual increase, until the time appointed by the Father for the exaltation and coronation of Messiah was come. Now, to make his kingdom visible, the anointed King sent forth "the rod of his strength out of Zion," accompanied with the effusion of his Spirit, and immediately three thousand of his enemies became the willing subjects of his kingdom, and daily many were added thereunto. That Christ has had, ever since that memorable day, a willing people to serve him wherever the Gospel has been preached, none can deny; and that this kingdom shall, like the leaven, leaven the whole lump; and, like the stone that filled the whole earth, spread and extend till all nations shall be blessed in the Messiah, and all men shall call him blessed, is evident from the predictions with which we commenced this subject, and from many others contained in the sacred volume, and which we shall, God willing, have occasion to consider under the second advent of the Messiah.

13. From what has been said, my dear Benjamin, on the kingly office of the Messiah, we see how glorious a person Jesus Christ is. He who in the days of his flesh was reviled, reproached, persecuted, crucified for our sakes, that same Jesus is now exalted and made a Prince and a Savior, having" a name given him above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Phil. 2: 10, 11. How great the honor to serve such a King! His servants are called vessels of honor, 2 Peter, 2:21; and a royal priesthood, 1 Peter, 29. It is a greater honor to serve Christ than to have kings serve us.

§ 14. It is also a great privilege to have such a King to go to when our enemies threaten to destroy us. Christ can give us power to resist and overcome our corruptions, the snares and temptations of this world, and the fiery darts of the wicked one.

§ 15. This subject encourages missionary efforts.

Is the Gospel to extend to all parts of the earth? then the Gospel must be sent as far. Hence Christ gave the commission. How daring and vain to oppose missionary efforts! To attempt to stop the angel's flying through the midst of heaven with the everlasting Gospel in his hand, is as vain and unsuccessful as to attempt to arrest the motion of the sun in the firmament.

§ 16. How important to submit to Christ's sceptre before it be too late! Psa. 2: 12. "Lest he be angry." It is not good to stir a lion. Take heed lest ye stir up Christ the Lion of Judah against you. Submit to him willingly and cheerfully. All the devils in hell submit to Christ, but it is against their will, and they are his slaves, not his subjects. Submit to him as a King as well as a Savior, obey his commands. Every one belongs to some king. All will be ruled by Christ, whether enemies or friends. None of his

enemies can escape. In my next I shall call your attention to the most interesting and the most important subject in the Bible, namely, the Divinity of the Messiah.

Farewell.

All-hail, the pow'r of Jesus' name

Let angels prostrate fall;

Bring forth the royal diadem,

And crown him Lord of all.

Ye chosen seed of Isr'el's race,
A remnant weak and small!
Hail him, who saved you by his grace,
And crown him Lord of all.

Ye Gentile sinners, ne'er forget
The wormwood and the gall;
Go-spread your trophies at his feet,
And crown him Lord of all.

Let ev'ry kindred, ev'ry tribe,
On this terrestrial ball,
To him all majesty ascribe,

And crown him Lord of all.

O that, with yonder sacred throng,
We at his feet may fall;
We'll join the everlasting song,

And crown him Lord of all.

THE DIVINITY OF THE MESSIAH.

Letter I.

A PLURALITY IN UNITY.

My Dear Benjamin,

§ 1. Having in my former letters shown that all the prophesies in the Old Testament, concerning Messiah's state of humiliation and exaltation, have been fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, (adored be his name,) from which it is evident that he is the Christ the promised Messiah; I intend now, by the help of God, to prove that this Jesus Christ, is truly God. This you know, my dear brother, is a subject of the utmost importance. It was for this, and this only, that the high priest and council considered themselves warranted to condemn Jesus unto death as a blasphemer. They had frequently tried to convict him by bringing forward false witnessés, but could not succeed until the high priest adjured him upon oath, to tell whether he was "the Christ, the Son of God, or the Blessed." Jesus having answered in the affirmative, the high priest rent his garment, as a token of mourning, and said, " What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy." Matt. 26: 62-65. This charge of blasphemy continues to be the stumbling-block of our people to the present day, and the reason why they consider every Christian to be an idolater. But I shall