preached; a fearful thing to pervert the gospel of Christ. (Gal. 1: 7.) "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him: but the prophet which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, even that prophet shall die.” (Num. 18: 19.) No word of God commands men to preach, or to teach, the kingdom of heaven already come; on the contrary, it strictly enjoins them to preach the kingdom of heaven drawing near; to preach the gospel of the kingdom, the glad tidings of the kingdom, the good news of the kingdom of Jesus at hand and drawing very near. The good Lord defend his prophets from speaking a word in his name, which he has not commanded them to speak: for how shall he, who rejected his ancient people for refusing to hear that prophet, not be very angry with the Gentiles, if they presume to speak in his name, an important word, which he has not commanded them to speak? The traditions of the elders, and the folios of the commentators, teach some things which it is no more safe in this age to adopt and follow, than it was in the days when the Lord openly rebuked the scribes and pharisees; "teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." (Mat. 15: 9.) The commandment of God is to all men every where to repent. This duty is incumbent on man, so long as the race of Adam is propagated: and the Lord applied an everlasting argument to induce repentance, which argument will stand the test of time, the scrutiny of the commentators, and the wreck of the world: "Bethink yourselves; for the kingdom of heaven has come near;" was his own word in the begin. ning of the gospel : "Fear God; and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come," is the word of the last angel of the gospel. (Rev. 14:7.) THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IN THE FOUR GOSPELS. Ordinary minds and common readers never suspect that the church is the kingdom of heaven. The common sense of mankind is sufficient to understand, that the kingdom of Messiah is a state of great power and glory, in view of which men should bethink themselves, and turn from their evil ways. They know that in the church, in the gospel dispensation, there is neither power nor glory to induce repentance, and to convert the sinner's heart, or to change the worldling into a child of God, to turn men from the vain pursuits of time and sense, to seek first the kingdom of heaven, to turn the heathen from the worship of idols to serve the living God, and to turn sinful men from Satan to God. Common people understand this. But the learned scribes are instructed to believe, that verily the church is that kingdom, in view of which the Lord commanded all Judea and Jerusalem and Gallilee to repent, to bethink themselves, and turn unto God; and none are accustomed to doubt it in this age, any more than they were accustomed three centuries ago, to. doubt the efficacy of the intercessions of the blessed virgin. The opinion has come down from high antiquity unchallenged. And the church is taken among divines of all sects, to be the kingdom of the gospel, with the same confidence that Jesus our Lord is taken to be the king of the heavenly kingdom. That the reader may behold with me the truth on this point, I will rehearse every sentence in the four gospels, in which the Greek word, Baoilɛia, kingdom, occurs; and let him substitute church in its stead, and see what nonsense this reading would make of the holy word, in the most solemn and interesting exhibitions of divine truth. 66 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven, (the church ?) is at hand." (Mat. 3: 2, and 4: 17, and 10: 7. Mark 1: 14, 15.) "Preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness." (Mat. 4: 23, and 9: 35.) "Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Mat. 5: 3.) [Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the church!] "Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do, and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." [The church ?] (Mat 5: 19, 20.) "Thy kingdom come." (Mat. 6: 10. Luke. 11: 2.) "For thine is the kingdom." (Mat. 6: 13.) Let it be remembered, that a kingdom does not come, on earth, except in the overthrow of one administration, or line of heirs, and in the establishment of another. The kingdom of England came to Ireland, when England's king with a powerful army passed over to Ireland, and subdued it, and made the English law the law of Ireland. And the kingdom of heaven will come with the king of glory and the armies of the heavenly host in the clouds, to expel the tyrant god of this world, and to destroy his strong hold in the heart of flesh, and to administer the law of heaven in the resurrection of the dead and in eternal life. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. (Mat. 6: 33.) "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Mat. 7: 21.) These, however, enter the church. 66 Many shall come from the East and from the West, and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven: but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Mat. 8: 11, 12.) (Luke 13: 28, 29.) "Among men that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist : notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." (Mat. 11: 11. Luke 7: 28.) The amazing stupidity which takes the church for the kingdom of heaven proclaimed in the New Testament, may be pardoned for interpreting this text to mean, that every child, or dotard, or weaker vessel in the church, under the Gospel dispensation, is greater, in the Lord's esteem, than this most eminent Saint. To such an extremity of folly most of the commentators go, on this text, which any sensible child will more correctly expound of the future state, in the world to come. "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." (Mat. 11: 12. Luke 16: 16.) The church suffereth not this violence. "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. If Satan cast out Satan,--how shall then his kingdom stand? But if I cast out devils by the spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." vuas n Baoilɛia Tov Osov (Mat. 12: 25. aça εçoασεv * αρα εφθασεν εφ Luke 11: 20.) Epoαosv prevenit; has come beforehand unto you. "It is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven." Mat. (13: 11.) "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom." (Mat: 13: 19. Mark 4: 11. Luke 8: 10.) "The kingdom of heaven is likened sowed good seed in his field." v. 25. "The kingdom of heaven is like to seed." v. 31. "Is like unto leaven." 30. Luke 13: 18, 20.) unto a man which "The field is the world, the good seed are the children of the kingdom." v. 38. They are citizens of the kingdom in the world to come. "So shall it be in the end of the world; the son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom, all things that offend." judgment and not the church. "Then shall the righteous shine kingdom of their Father." v. 42. not the church. v. 40, 41. This is the forth as the sun in the This is eternal life, and "The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field." v. 44. A thing earnestly to be desired and sought for but the church is not hid. 66 : Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls." v. 45. 66 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind, which when it was full, they drew to the shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be in the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." v. 47 to 51. This in the judgment. "Every scribe instructed unto the kingdom of heaven." v. 52. "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven." (Mat. 16: 19.) Searching five years ago for the foundation of the Pope's claims to supremacy, I was led carefully to consider this text; and here I first discovered, that the doctrine of the kingdom of heaven's being the church, is admirably calculated to provide the triple crown with a wide dominion: but that the kingdom of heaven is the future state, the world to come, of whose keys Peter alone has the promise; and in the Gospel he has only the promise. This view disarms the Pope of his keys at once and forever. "There be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." (Mat. 16: 28. Mark 9: 1. Luke 9: 27.) Peter, James, |