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that time he will take to himself his great power, and will reign on the earth.

5. With all thefe, goodnefs is very needful; for without this, he would be a tyrant; he is abundant in goodnefs and kindness.

6. How neceffary it is that with all this a king fhould be juft. "He is juft, having falvation." "Juftice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne." "He that ruleth among men must be just." All this and more than tongue or pen can defcribe,is found in the king of glory, the Lord, mighty in battle.

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2. In the thousand years of Chrift's reign, his kingdom will be univerfal; it will extend over all the earth, his government will be the only one acknowledged in all the world.

He now has all power; but there are other governments in the world, contrary to the government he has defcribed in his word; but when all human governments are ground to powder, and driven away; and righteousnefs is only feen in the earth; what glory, peace, and good will to man will then be enjoyed!

That Chrift will have the univerfal dominion, and all nations ferve him is plain. Pfalm 1xxii. 8, 9, 10, 11, "He fhall have dominion alfo from fea to fea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness fhall bow before him, and his enemies fhall lick the duft. The kings of Tarfhifh and of the ifles fhall bring prefents; the kings of Sheba and Seba fhall offer gifts. Yea, all kings fhall fall down before him, all nations fhall ferve him." This place fhews that all nations that are left after the great army is cut off, will ferve and obey Jefus Chrift when he comes to reign on the earth. Daniel fays, that at the time when Chrift overthrows all other kingdoms, and is the only king on the earth to be obeyed, that the faints will enjoy the kingdom with him. This must mean the faints who are raifed from the dead, and thofe who are changed at his coming. Daniel vii. 26, 27, "But the judgment fhall fit, and they fhall take away his dominion, to confume and destroy it, unto the end. And the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatnefs of the kingdom under the

whole heaven, fhall be given to the people of the faints of the most high; whofe kingdom is an everlafting king. dom, and all dominions fhall serve and obey him."

O what glory will then fill the earth, when all nations are under one government, and that one, the government of one king who reigns in righteoufnefs, and his fubjects. all righteous as he is righteous! When the faints thall be heirs of the kingdom all over the world.

3. The government will be altogether righteous.-It is confidered a great bleffing to have a good government; this. will be one thing peculiar to the thoufand years of Chrift's reign on the earth. Jefus will be the judge, lawgiver, king, and Saviour, Ifaiah xxxiii. 17, 22, "Thine eyes fhall fee the king in his beauty. For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will fave us ;" this being the cafe there can be no un juft meafares prevail under him.

David tells us what a bleffing this will be to the poor and helpless, Pfalm 1xxii. 4, 5, 12, 13, 14, "He fhall judge the poor of the people, he fhail fave the children of the needy, and fhall break in pièces the oppreffor. They thall fear thee as long as the fun and moon endure throughout all generations. For he fhall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor alfo, and him that hath no helper. He fhall fpare the poor and needy, and shall fave the fouls of the poor and needy. He thall redeem their foul from deceit and violence; and precious fhail their blood be in his fight.

Ifaiah tells us how this king will judge, when he is the only judge and governor among the nations. Ifaiah xi. 3, 4, 5, "And thall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and he fhall not judge after the fight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears; but with righteoufnefs fhall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth; and he fhall fmite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips fhall he flay the wicked." Such a time as this never has been; but it will come. Some think this was done when Christ was upon the earth before; but then he would not be a ruler nor judge, and instead of aying the wicked, he faid he did not come to destrog

men's lives. He told them his kingdom was not from hence; then he appeared a fervant of rulers, and paid tribute; but in the thousand years it will be very differ

ent.

This government of Chrift will be a great bleffing to the people on account of those who will be in office under this king of glory. Some of these, if not all, will be the raised faints. This Chrift has declared,Matthew xix. 27, 28, "Then answered Peter, and faid unto him, behold we have forfaken all, and followed thee; what fhall. we have therefore? And Jefus faid unto them, verily I fay unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man fhall fit on the throne of his glory, ye alio fhall fet upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Ifrael." This text certainly refers to the thousand years of Chrift's reign on the earth. These are the faints who fhall judge the world for one thousand years. Chrift faid to the Jews; "Therefore your children fhall be your judges,"meaning the apoftles who fhall in the thousand years, judge the twelve tribes of Ifrael, when they return to their land to be ruled by Christ and the apoftles, who will be chief in the kingdom in that day.

Jefus Chrift mentioned this fame thing under the parable of the nobleman who went to receive a kingdom for himself and to return; Luke xix. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, "He faid, therefore, a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten fervants, and delivered to them ten pounds, and faid unto them occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and fent a meage after him, faying, we will. not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that, when he had returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these fervants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the firft, faying, Lord thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he faid unto him, well, thou good fervant, because thou' haft been faithful in a very little, have thot authority over ten cities. And the fecond came,

faying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he faid likewife to him, be thou alfo over five cities.But these mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither and lay them before me." The meaning of this is easy.

1. Jefus is gone into heaven to receive the kingdom on earth for himself. 2. He left the knowledge of his kingdom with his apoftles, who were commanded to be faithful unto death. 3. He is coming hereafter to reign on the earth, in the kingdom which he will then have even the kingdoms of this world, which will then become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Chrift. 4. The as poftles and others who have been faithful in that which belonged to Chrift, will have authority under Chrift, d ver cities; which he fhall give them; the apoftles will be kings and judges on twelve thrones among the Jews. They will be kings, and Chrift will be king of kings: Paul wrote of this, 2 Timothy ii. 12, "If we fuffer, we fhall alfo reign with him." Thefe are the kings and priests which are spoken of, to whom Chrift will give power over the nations. Rev. ii. 2, 6,-" And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations."

Chap. iii. 21,

"He

that overcometh, will I grant to fet with mein my throne, even as I also overcome, and am fet down with my father in his throne." Chap. i. 6, "And hath made us, kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen."

Ifaiah fpeaks of the officers which fhall be in Chrift's kingdom at this, time of his reign on the earth, which: fhews that the government will be ableffing indeed. Ifaiah lx. 17, 18, "I will alfo make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteoufnefs. Violence fhall no more be heard in thy land, wafting nor destruction within thy borders." Such a time as this never has been; but it will come. Having fuch in authority under Christ all over the earth, furely all nations will call him blessed, who will thus bless, them. Then there will be none to judge for hire, and s divine for money, the prince, the judge, and the great: man, will no more wrap up their mischievous defires.

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74. As the kingdom of Christ will be the only kingdom in the world, which shall fill the whole earth, there will be univerfal peace all over the world. Wars will ceafe to the ends of the earth. Ifaiah has given a beautiful defcription of this particular. He tells us of the Prince of Peace which will rule in that day; Ifaiah, ix. 6, 7, " For unto us a child is born, unto us a fon is given,and the government fhall be upon his fhoulder, and his name fball be called wonderful, councellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father,the Prince of Peace; of the increase of his government and peace there fhall be no end." In chap. ii. 2,

34, He tells us the nature of the peace which fhall be under the reign of the prince of peace on the earth. "And it fhall come to pafs in the laft days, that the mountain of the Lord's houfe fhall be established in the top of the mountains, and fhall be exalted above the hills; and all nations fhall flow unto it. And many people fhall go and fay, come ye, and let us go up to the mountains of the LORD, to the houfe of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the word of the LORD from Jerufalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people, & they fhall beat their fwords into ploughfhares, & their fpears into pruninghooks; nation fhall not lift up fword against nation, neither fhall they learn war any more."

Can there be a more beautiful description given of that univerfal peace which will be on the earth at that time than this?

1. The feat of the government of the whole world is mentioned,-"The mountain of the Lord's houfe.'

2. The law for all nations goes from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerufalem, where all nations refort to be taught the ways of the Lord Jefus.

3. Chrift the judge among the nations, rebuking many people for their wrongs.

4. They in confequence of fubmiffion to his law, have no use for fwords and spears, because wars are at an end all over the world; and foldiers are now making the fwords

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