SCRIPTURE PHILOLOGY.

No. X.-OUR LORD'S IDIOMS (Continued).

MATT. iv. 23. "The Gospel of the kingdom."

It is worthy of notice that this description of the Good-news, Gladtidings, or Gospel, as "the Gospel of the kingdom," is peculiar to our Lord Himself. Afterwards His Apostles called it by different names; as, "the Gospel of the grace of God," "the Gospel of God," and "of Christ;" but never "the Gospel of the kingdom."

It teaches us, we think, that by the preaching of our Lord, the kingdom was announced: by the Pentecostal effusion it was introduced and may explain, too, why our Lord's description did not continue in use in the Church.

"THE KINGDOM.”

The first we hear of an exalted kingdom "divers from all others," to be set up by God Himself, is in the Book of Daniel; from whence, and from the prophets in general, as the fountain head, added to our own personal religious experience under the Gospel, our conceptions of the ancient purposes, great transactions, and future intentions of its Divine Founder are derived. We should be fully awake to the power of prophecy in preparing the hearts of all believers, not excepting the Apostles, see Romans i. 2, and xvi, 26, for the mighty things which, "in His own times," God has done amongst us.

66

John Baptist told the people that "the kingdom of heaven was at hand," the Lord told them that "the kingdom" was among them," and that it was 66 'suffering violence," inasmuch as that "all men were pressing into it " prematurely, and before the gates were well open. The Pentecostal gifts flung wide these everlasting doors.

Now, we think this introductory description of the "glad tidings" as "the Gospel of the kingdom" will help us in the serious task we have undertaken in this paper,-namely, to answer the question

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

for surely, dear fellow-teachers, much-nay everything-belongs to our knowing what it is, both in regard to ourselves and our teaching. It is taken for granted that most religious teachers at this time are teachers of the Gospel; but indeed, in regard to the many, it is to be feared that we may be compared to Californian ore: in some specimens there is some five per cent. of the noble metal, in others ten, in others fifty, in others ninety, it may be; but the teaching of us all,

both small and great, ought to be gold in the nugget-nothing but pure gold-"the Gospel of the grace of God," as once delivered to the saints. Nor is there any valid reason why it should not be so; nor shall we have much success if it is not so. It is the Gospel which is the life-giving word, "and the power of God unto salvation," and which, like its Author, acts by its own energy; and the above comparison may help us a little further when we recall the quartzose admixture in most of the hand-specimens of this ore; for, brilliant though the masses be with pure prismatic rock crystal, yet even that is "crushed" by the ruthless, yet wise labourer, because it will enrich neither him nor others. He sacrifices everything to the gold.

Keeping in view the gradually revealed purpose of the great God to establish yet an eternal kingdom-after the failure of Adam'sover which One shall reign for ever, who is henceforth "King of kings, and Lord of lords ;"—that its subjects are to be Adam's sons, and not Angelic beings;-that its locality is to be "a new heaven, and a new earth" when this is destroyed; and "He who made this out of nothing, can surely make that, now there is something to make it out of"-as Athenagoras sings-bearing this in mind, it may help us to say what the Gospel is: and first, since it is evident, now, that it is God's dear Son who is to reign over this kingdom for ever in the sight of his future subjects, and be for ever full of all human sympathies as he is at present, that Son must at some time or other assume the same nature which belongs to them; also, that since at the present time these subjects are "all gone out of the way, and become abominable, none doing good, no not one," it is equally clear that there must be some great things done both as it respects our Holy God, and us sinners; something so great as to reach to the thrones and dominions, and principalties, and powers, in heaven itself (see Col. i. 20)-so vast is the extent of redemption !— in order to reconciliation and propitiation; and in order to a return to dutiful obedience, before a sure foundation is provided for eternal love and allegiance, conferring such obligations as memory shall never forget, and affection never cool down upon through the endless " ages to come" (Eph. ii. 7). It follows that the carrying out in their detail these great things, is "the Gospel."

Now, first, as to the Person, deeds, and words of Christ, when acting in his official capacity as "Saviour of the world;" (for some time, he was about his reputed father's business also ;) we say that it is the Gospel to assert that it is all the same as God, being, doing, and saying them; that this is the "manifestation" of "God as our Saviour," (John i. 18): which accounts for all such words as these "Whatsoever he seeth the Father do, these things doeth the Son

likewise "-" He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father:" and that this, as to the person of Christ, must be seen and taught in order to teach the Gospel. What Christ did for our relief, God did for our relief; and this, we say, must be taught in teaching the Gospel. How sweetly the truth that God is ready to save, comes out in words like these " I will, be thou clean ;" and again—" be it unto thee even as thou wilt."

Gospel, there is a secret in make it tell upon the heart:

Then, as to the freeness of the preaching it in such a way as to a secret that mainly has respect to so opening the door, that any sinner may enter without further difficulty, who is wishing to do so. Teachers want to see, and make others see, with St. Paul, how "where sin abounds, grace does much more abound, (Rom. v. 20). So it comes to pass, that in gazing at this light, so bright that it dazzles, some good men have been led to put forth, as its reflection, unscriptural statements. For instance, we cannot say, with some, that it is the Gospel to teach that "all men are pardoned," either in respect of the first, or any other offence, by the Great Propitiation; for the voice of the uniform testimony of the Word is, that none are forgiven but those who "repent and believe."

Neither can we say it is the Gospel to affirm that the passion of the cross did not reconcile God to man, but was provided only to reconcile man to God. Doubtless it is the original and spontaneous love of God that provided the Lamb "before the foundation of the world," which, in the fulness of time, was slain for us. But then there are attributes and perfections in such an one as God, that need to be propitiated before man can be again raised above angels to be glorified for ever. The proclamation of His name and nature to Moses affirms this-" the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, . . who will by no means clear the guilty." Common sense, enlightened from above, teaches us it must be so; and the knowledge is confirmed by a thousand other Scriptures. The teaching of the word ought to be more closely studied on the topic of reconciliation. We seize the sound, rather than the sense of some of the several texts where it is mentioned, and we say, "see, it no where says that God was to be reconciled to man, but only man to God." But now, dear fellow-teachers, let us turn to Heb. ii. 17; "It behoved Him to be a merciful and faithful High Priest, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." What do these words teach but that God had to be reconciled? Besides, what is atonement?. The great atonement, or "sacrifice for sin," was not made and offered to man, but for man to God; and of course for the purpose of reconciliation.

It is but a shadowy objection to say that this statement (like some others, perhaps,) makes it out "that God was our enemy, and Christ our friend," for it embodies, also, the fact that the whole. great scheme originated in the spontaneous love of God to man, and that its transactions in detail teem with that inscrutable depth of wisdom and commiseration which is "the love of God, shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost that is given to us." When it is written, then, "that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them," it really means that God, who was the Creditor, became also the Debtor; He took upon Himself all the responsibility, and He cancelled the bond.

There is one other error we need to guard against in teaching the Gospel, namely that we do not make faith (and it is true and living faith we always mean)-that we do not make faith a condition of salvation—a work on our part to be performed; for there is but one condition of salvation, namely, that One should "suffer, the just for the unjust," and bring us unto God. Or if we should prefer to say there are two, namely, one atonement, because "We bave done what we ought not to have done," and "one obedience," because "We have left undone what we ought to have done "--why, both these the Apostle comprehends in the expressive phrase, "became obedient unto death;" and it is clear that one and both conditions were fulfilled by our most adorable substitute, the Mediator between God and man. Faith is no condition, it is only the re-action of the heart

on God.

The sum, then, of the apostolic statement of the Gospel is this: that forasmuch as a propitiation has been made for sin, and "not for original sin only, but also for all the actual sins of man," (as our prayer-book so faithfully teaches,) between God and man-to speak of God for His part-there is now no displeasure to fear, no wrath to dread, no fiery terrors to alarm, for God is in Christ. But where, between man and God-to speak of man for his part-there is still alienation, and enmity and dread, the sinner is out of Christ, and "we beseech him in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God," or in other graphic words, to throw himself at once and confidingly, like the returning prodigal, on his father's love, assured that under any circumstance he shall hear no other "upbraiding" than this,-" bring forth the best robe and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet-for this my son was dead, and is alive again ; he was lost, and is found." And this unconditional surrender, we say, is faith-faith of the best kind-faith that delivers us from the

guilt, power, and pollution of sin-the very "faith that cometh by hearing;" and this the hearing that cometh by this "word of God." "God's love in Christ," says Leighton, "is a sea; fear not to cast thyself into it, for in so losing thy life, thou shall keep it unto life eternal."

Tenby.

6. £. 5.

THOUGHTS ON RELIGIOUS SUBJECTS.

JONAH'S RELUCTANCE.

In a good man, and a prophet, as Jonah was, it surprises us to find resistance to the command of God; and such resistance as emboldened him to remonstrate with God first, and then to endesvour to get away from "His presence."

It seems to be the common opinion that the after anger, which he defended and justified, was caused by his self-importance as a prophet, and his amour propre, as a man, being grievously wounded by the failure of his prediction. This was not the reason; for if Nineveh had been destroyed they could not, and if Nineveh was converted they would not despise the prophet. In the last case, on the contrary, they would esteem him the greatest of men. (We are told by travellers that "his sepulchre is with them unto this day," if we do not mistake.)

We take his flight to Tarshish, " from the presence of the Lord," to bear illustration by the flight of our debtors to Boulogne; he wanted to get out of the realm. In the promised land God reigned in the person of "the Presence," or Shechinah; and so the Holy Land was the land of miracle and revelation, and immediate interference in human affairs. Thus it is called, in 2 Chron. xiii. 8, "the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of David." And hence the spontaneous fruitfulness of certain years; the healing virtue of Jordan in certain cases; the sacredness of the "two mules' burden of earth" for Naaman's altar of sacrifice; and the many other instances of special regard and sanctity.

Jewish enmity to Gentile favour seems to have been intense in Jonah, and to be sufficient to explain the whole. "Pour out thine indignation on the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the nations that have not called on thy name; for they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place." "Blessed shall be be that rewardeth thee, as thou hast served us." And truly, when