receive a glorious crown, which it would seem should prompt all to be found in the way of their duty, teaching each appropriate truth in its due season, unmoved by the fear or favor of those about us. The condition of such will be blessed: and this blessing is heightened, when viewed in contrast with the reverse of the picture.

Verses 48-51: "But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to cat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

66

The 25th chapter of Matthew is a continuation of the discourse recorded in the 24th; and begins with the declaration of our Savior that, at his second coming-to which the 24th chapter carries us— THEN shall THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN be likened unto ten virgins which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom; and five were wise and five were foolish." This was to be the condition of the kingdom, not in the days of the apostles, but at the second advent.

"While the bridegroom tarried they all slumbered and slept.' "This has been true of the whole church; and so profound was this slumber, that all Christendom had ceased to

look for an immediate return of the Savior, and many supposed he would never return. In the midnight of this stupidity was first preached "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him." Thus it had been predicted; and before Christ could come the second time, his coming must first be preached.

The consequence of such proclamation, we learn by our Savior, will be that all will arise and trim their lamps. The lamps of the wise-who, according to Daniel, will shine as the brightness of the firmamentwill give an abundance of light; but the lamps of the foolish, (wicked,) although trimmed, will contain no oil, and give no light; but will be gone out. They will go to buy, but will go to the wrong place; will place more dependence upon the opinions of men, than upon the word of God; and having no faith in their Bibles, no grace of God in their hearts, will not be in readiness when the Savior comes. It will therefore be said of them, (xxv. 10-13,) "and while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage; and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily, I say unto you, I know you not. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."

Our Savior then compares the kingdom of heaven to a man travelling in a far country, who delivered his goods to his servants according to their several ability, to occupy in his absence. And when their Lord returned he called those servants, and reckoned with them, and rewarded them, as they had been faithful or unfaithful in his absence. He then adds, "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory and before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal."

That will be the closing up of the grand drama of this world's scenes. Then the seven times" will be ended. The "2300 days" will then be completed, and the "sanctuary cleansed." Then Daniel will stand in his "lot" at the end of the "1335 days." That will be the day of "Jubilee," when the

"great trumpet will be blown," and "the mystery of God finished;" and then the "fulness of times" will have come, in the dispensation of which, God will have gathered "together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.”

That is the great and momentous period to which the prophets and apostles looked, and for which end they were inspired; and then they will all have received their reward. The "heathen" will then be given to Christ "for an inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for a possession ;" and there will be "given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations and languages, should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him;" "and the saints of the Most High will possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever." God, having taken out of the Gentiles "a people for his name," will then have returned, and "will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and will build again the ruins thereof, and will set it up."

Christ, "the Son of the Highest, whose right it is to reign," will then have come, and will receive "the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end" and "the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." That will be the time when the kingdom will be restored to all Israel, not those alone who are of Israel, but those also who are of the Gentiles,—and her enemies will no more have dominion over her. David will never more want a son to sit upon his throne forever; for the kingdom of God will then have come, and will be set up. Its territory will be the earth; its subjects all the redeemed, of whom it is said, "the meek shall inherit the earth." Its king will be the LORD OF GLORY; and its capital will be the NEW JERUSALEM.

All things that offend will then be gathered out of the kingdom. The earth will be restored to its Eden state; and the curse will be removed from it; so that instead of the thorn, will come up the fir-tree; and instead of the brier, the myrtle; the wilderness will be like Eden, and the desert like the garden of the Lord. And there will be nothing to hurt or destroy in all God's holy mountain. The covenant that God made with our father Abraham, will then be consummated; the tabernacle of God will then be with men,