Analysis

ANALYSIS.

INTRODUCTION.
A GENERAL STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES.

CHAPTER I.

God's Revelation Of Himself To Men.—The Incarnation the centre of God's actings. — To this all look forward. — Divine actings prior to it. — How men are to know God. — He must make Himself known.—His personal self-revelations in increasing degree as man is ohedient to Him. — The Scriptures the record of the successive revelations of Himself to men.

CHAPTER II.

Revelation And Redemption. — Man having fallen must be redeemed. — Redemption not possible without revelation. — Each dispensation a higher stage both of redemption and revelation. — Redemption a work limited in time, but revelation without end. — The highest revelation when redemption is completed. — Two periods of time, redemptive and post-redemptive.

PART I.

THE REVELATIONS OF GOD TO MEN BEFORE AND UNDER THE THEOCRACY.

CHAPTER I.

The Revelation Of God To Adam In Eden. —Adam's intercourse with his Creator and knowledge of Him. — The commands given Adam. — The Cherubim. — God's manifestation of Himself under sensible forms. — Adam's sin and fall. —The lessons now to be taught him. — The sense of sin.—The submission of his will and God's supremacy. — A kingdom of righteousness in the future.

CHAPTER II.

God's Revelation Of Himself To The Patriarchs. — Expulsion from the garden. — The Cherubim. — Probable worship in their vicinity. — Revelations of the Divine will to the patriarchs. — The Sabbath. — Rite of sacrifice. — Moral separation of the early patriarchs, Cainites and Sethites. — Corruption of morals. — Promise of the Seed of the woman. — Belief in a future redemption. — Spread of idolatry.

— Growth of nations. — Call of Abraham. — Building of Babel. — The dispersion of nations.

CHAPTER III.

The Theocracy. — God's relation to a nation as its King. — Thus able to manifest Himself to the world as the One Supreme God. — Choice of the Jews. — Their separation from other peoples. — Possession of the land He had given them. — Jehovah to be their Law-giver and King. — The blessings to follow obedience. — Their mediatorial position in relation to other nations. — The judgments to come upon them if disobedient. — God's renewed grace if repentant.—Relation of Jehovah to the people.—No human representative of Him.— Under His laws and institutions the nation to be educated. — Jehovah both their God and their King. — Two spheres of His rule. — Their laws suited to their national development. — Mosaic legislation a unity.

— Jehovah's relation to the land. — Its characteristics. —He its owner.

— The people His tenants. — Choice of a capital city.—Possession dependent on obedience.

CHAPTER IV.

Purpose And Significance Of The Theocracy.—God acting in redemption through elections. —A nation here elected. —Two ends to be attained. —The education of the elect people. —God's revelation of Himself by them to the nations. — Truths to be taught the people,

— How to be taught. — Prophetic reference to the Messiah. —Jehovah as dwelling among them. —Its moral effects. — The law of obedience.

— Power of the national witness to Jehovah upon the world. —Effect of His judgments if the people are unfaithful.

CHAPTER V.

History Of The Theocratic People To The Establishment Of The Monarchy. —The wandering in the wilderness. — Its moral effect. — The conquest of their land. — Inability through want of faith to drive out the idolaters. — Want of unity of action. — Temptations to idolatry.—Worship in high places.—The tabernacle set up at Shiloh. — Defilement of His worship. — His judgments and their effect.

— Spirit of prophecy in Hannah.

CHAPTER VI.

The Estarlishment Of The Monarchy And The Davidic Covenant. — Request of the people for a king. — Grounds of this. — Action of Samuel. — Election of Saul. — Relation of the king to Jehovah. — The king to be His servant. — To carry out His will. — Kingly prerogatives.—His priestly character. — Special temptations.

— Personal character an important element in national history.—Sin of Saul.—David, his character.—God's covenant with him.—It looked forward to the Messiah and His kingdom. — National apprehension of this kingdom. — National preparation for it.

CHAPTER VII.

Origin And Elements Of The Messianic Belief.—Earliest promise of a Redeemer. — How far understood. — Now declared to come of David's family. — The Messianic hope. — Its three elements.

— A universal kingdom of righteousness. — Place of the Jews as Jehovah's elect people in it. — Its administration by a Son of David. — All these elements in the popular conception of the future kingdom.

— Questions as to the person of the Messiah, and His relation to Jehovah. — Higher spiritual blessings to be expected in the Messianic Kingdom. — Thus this kingdom an object of hope.

CHAPTER VIII.

The Preparation Of The Theocratic People For The Messianic Kingdom. — Moral relations of the Theocracy to the Messianic Kingdom. — A stage of preparation for it. — The nation on trial. — So also the house of David. — How far the responsibility felt.

CHAPTER IX.

History Of The Kingdom From David To Its Division.— Tribal jealousies. — Character of David. — Solomon. — His tolerance of idol-worship. — Folly of Rehoboam. —Division of the kingdom.

CHAPTER X.

History Of The Two Kingdoms After The Division.—Loss of national unity. — Its evil effects. —New centres of worship in the northern kingdom at Bethel and Dan.—The two kingdoms hostile. — Idolatry in the northern kingdom under Ahab. — The kingdom of Judah. —Its special advantages. — Its rulers of David's family. —Its possession of the temple. — The appointed worship carried on. — But Judah unfaithful. — First chastisement under Shishak. — General religious tendency downward. — Attempt to restore peace to the two kingdoms by marriage alliances. —Significance of Jehoram's reign. — Idolatry under Athaliah.

CHAPTER XI.

The Messianic Hope From The Division Of The Kingdom To The Time Of Written Prophecy. — Little prophetic mention of the Messiah for near two centuries after David. — Reasons of this.

— The people not prepared to hear. — The Messianic Kingdom not an object of spiritual hope. — Messianic hope in the hearts of individuals.

CHAPTER XII.

Written Prophecy: Its Place And Significance.—Why prophecy should be written down. — Place of the prophet under the Theocracy. — Written prophecy indicated the cessation of the spoken word. — Jehovah about to withdraw from them. — No speedy coming of the Messiah. — Time when prophecy began to be written. — Its peculiar character. — First announcement in Joel of the day of the Lord. — A great day of judgment. — The national overthrow seen in the distance. —All the prophets speak in like manner. —Significance of words spoken to the heathen nations, and written down.

CHAPTER XIII.

History Of The Two Kingdoms To Their Overthrow.—Increase of idolatry in both kingdoms. —Persecutions of the prophets. — Their warnings for the most part unheard. — Progress in national apostasy. — Final overthrow of the northern kingdom. — Transient reformations in Judah.—Help sought alternately from Egypt and Assyria.

— Overthrow of Judah, and destruction of the city and temple.

CHAPTER XIV.

Messianic Belief In The Prophets Down To The Exile. — Written prophecy down to the exile. — Its chief features. — The day of God as impending. — The people to go into captivity. — The restoration of a remnant. — Its reconstitution. — The universal kingdom under Jehovah. — The several prophets in their order. — Joel. — Amos.

— Hosea. — Micah. — Isaiah. — Characteristics of this prophet. — His far vision.—Deep sense of the sins of the people.—A time of penal blindness at hand. — The purification of a remnant. —Its deliverance and glory. — Jeremiah. — The covenant with Israel perpetual.

— The people to be restored. —Mention of the Messiah in these prophets.— Silence of some. — Most distinctly spoken of by Isaiah.—His supernatural character. — Permanence of the Davidic covenant in Jeremiah.

CHAPTER XV.

The National Overthrow And The Remnant. — National overthrow foretold by Moses as a consequence of disobedience. — First mentioned in written prophecy by Joel. —Often by the later prophets. —The captivity. — Its elements. — Cessation of the theocratic rule of Jehovah. — His withdrawal from the land and city.—Partial return from Babylon. —Not the restoration of the Theocracy. — Jehovah not dwelling again with them as at the first. —A remnant to return from Babylon. — Purpose of God in this remnant. — The Messiah to be born in His land, and here to present Himself to the people. —His rejection followed by a new dispersion. — Moral conditions of the deliverance of the future remnant.—Mention of the remnant in Isaiah. — God's chastisements to continue till it is found. — Frequent allusions to the remnant in Ezekiel and in other prophets. — Uncertainty as to the time of deliverance, and number delivered. — Relation of the deliverance of this remnant to the salvation of the nations.

CHAPTER XVI.

Messianic Prophecies During The Exile.—Prophets of the exile. — Ezekiel and Daniel, by some, last part of Isaiah. — Ezekiel and the exiles with him. —Effect of the captivity upon the exiles. — He sees in vision Jehovah's departure from Jerusalem. —But He will return. — The two tribes and the ten tribes shall be re-united. — Jehovah will again dwell among them. — Heavy judgments before this takes place. — Gog and Magog. —A new order to be established. —A new division of the land, and new temple. — Second part of Isaiah. — Largeness of these prophecies. — Look beyond the Babylonian exile to the end of the great captivity. — The glory of the Messianic Kingdom.

— Mention of the Messiah. — Daniel. — Place of the Messianic Kingdom among the world monarchies. — The Son of man and Ancient of days. — And His kingdom at the end of the days. — The Messiah a supernatural Being.

CHAPTER XVII.

The Return From The Babylonian Exile, And The ProphEts After The Return. — Return from the Babylonian exile. — Decree of Cyrus. — But few returned. — Stages of rebuilding the temple and city. — Early leaders, Joshua and Zerubbabel. — Later, Ezra and Kehemiah. — Not a national restoration. — Prophets of this time, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. —Distinctive character of their prophecies. — The original theocratic relation not restored. — The day of the Lord yet future. — This the day when Jehovah returns to dwell among them. — Then the Messianic Kingdom to be set up. — Haggai. — His predictions.—Allusions to the Messiah.—Zechariah.

— Use of symbols. —Distinct mention of the Messiah. —The Branch.

— The King riding upon the ass. — Tribulation before the Messianic Kingdom. — The nations to worship at Jerusalem. —Malachi. —Character of his prophecies. —Reproofs of the sins of the priests and the people.—Promise of the coming of the Messiah to His temple.—A preparation for Him needed. — The prophet Elijah. — Destruction of the wicked.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Messianic Beliefs In The Psalms. — Messiah As King. — Psalms as distinguished from prophecies.— Messianic beliefs as found in them. — Frequent mention of the King. —Who He is. — This King in David's Psalms. — Second, twentieth, twenty-first, and one hundred and tenth. — In these he looks forward to his greater Son. — Other Messianic Psalms. — Forty-fifth and seventy-second. — Other Psalms, ninety-sixth to ninety-ninth. —Mention in them of the coming of Jehovah. —No mention of the Messiah. —General result.

CHAPTER XIX.

The Presentation In The Law And Prophets And Psalms Of A Suffering Messiah. — Knowledge of a suffering Messiah. — Its basis in consciousness of sin.—This consciousness twofold.—Of sins personal, and of corruption of nature. — Consciousness of sin before the law. — Promise of the Seed of the woman. — Rite of animal sacrifice. — Ideas of mediation and substitution.—Consciousness of sin under the law. — Knowledge of disobedience by means of the law, of holiness through the manifestation of God's holiness as dwelling among them. —The meaning of sacrifice. —Expectation of an atonement to be made by the Messiah. — How this truth to be taught the people. — The kingly work of the Messiah first to be set forth. — Time when His work as national Redeemer could be presented. — Not till near the Babylonian exile. — Grounds of this. — This redemption and its elements. —Difficulty in setting forth the true nature of His sacrifice. — Fullest revelations made by Isaiah.—Why by this prophet? — His use of the titles of " Holy One " and " God," and of " The Servant of Jehovah." — Differing significations of the last title. — The Suffering One, chap. liii. — Not understood by the Jews as of their Messiah.

— The bearing of these sufferings upon all nations. — Upon the elect people and upon individuals. — Rites of the Day of Atonement and their application. — Zechariah. — Reference in this prophet to the Messiah as suffering. — References in the Psalms.

CHAPTER XX.

The Dead Under The Theocracy. — God's revelations respecting the dead.—Existence of the soul after death. —The general belief of all peoples.—So of the Hebrews. — Mode of its existence.

— Respecting this no Divine revelation. — Reasons for this silence. — First lesson to be taught that death a penalty for sin. — No communication to be held with the dead. — The disembodied state imperfect.

— Silence respecting retribution at death. — Sheol the receptacle of all souls. — Deliverance from it. — This by resurrection. — Resurrection unknown to the heathen. — Patriarchal knowledge of a resurrection.

— Later revelations. — The Psalms and the prophets. — Why these revelations not more full. —The full significance of death not known till the Redeemer died, nor significance of resurrection. — In His likeness the dead to rise. —God's purpose in redemption to be wrought out by the living. — The dead not to be invoked or worshipped. — A partial resurrection to be at setting up of Messianic Kingdom.— Individual happiness subordinate to the Divine purpose. — Distinction between biblical and heathen eschatologies.

CHAPTER XXI.

The Scribes As Successors Of The Prophets, And The MesSianic Hope. — Things in the first temple wanting in the second.

— Spirit of prophecy still continued.—Its cessation with Malachi.— How all earlier revelations of God to be gathered up. — Work of the scribes. — Their relations to the priesthood. — Their growing influence.

— Its injurious bearing on the Messianic hope. — Exaltation of the law. — This made a substitute for the Messiah. — Intellectual pride of the scribes. — Little consciousness of sin or need. — The scribes not able to prepare the Messiah's way. — A prophet must come.— Three great divisions among the people. — The Essenes, Pharisees, and Sadducees.

CHAPTER XXII.

The Messiah In The Apocryphal And Apocaltptic Books.

— Apocryphal books. — Age and origin. — General expectation in them of Jehovah's universal kingdom. —High place of the Jews in it. — Sirach. — Baruch. — Tobit. — Judith. — First Maccabees. — Wisdom of Solomon. —Silence respecting the Messiah. — How explained. —Effect of wars of the Maccabees on the Messianic hope. — The Alexandrian school. — Philo. — Apocalyptic books. — Characteristics.

— Sibylline Oracles. — Henoch. — Psalms of Solomon. — Book of Jubilees. —Apocalypses of Baruch and Ezra. — Place of the Messiah in the Apocalyptic books. — The Apocryphal and Apocalyptic books compared.

CHAPTER XXIII.

The Resurrection And The Judgment. — The Messianic Kingdom And The World To Come. — Duration of the Messianic Kingdom. — Confusion respecting it. — Redemptive and post-redemptive periods. — The final judgment at end of redemption. — In which period the Messianic Kingdom to be placed. — This a time of probation.

— And in the redemptive period. — As such not eternal.—Whether the Old-Testament prophets looked beyond the Messianic Kingdom. — This the great theme of prophecy. — Their divisions of time into preMessianic and Messianic.—A resurrection and judgment at beginning of the Messianic period. — Knowledge of the Jews as to its duration. — Prophetic declarations that it would be without end. — The Messiah to be mortal, or immortal ? — Confusion of Jewish opinions. — Teaching of St. Paul. — Christ to give up the Messianic Kingdom, yet continue universal King. — Thus three periods. — PreMessianic, Messianic, and post-Messianic. — Final resurrection and judgment at the end of the Messianic period. — This world and the world to come. — Original significance of these terms. —Later change of use. — Condition of departed souls not the world to come.

CHAPTER XXIV.

Messianic Beliefs In Our Lord's Day As Set Forth In The Gospels. — Two points. — Belief as to Messiah's person. — As to His work. — Several designations of the Messiah. — Their significance.

— Used with indefiniteness. — General Jewish belief respecting His person. — His work.—National deliverance the most prominent element in popular mind.—How far including deliverance from sin.— How this to bs effected, indistinctly apprehended.—Words of the angels respecting the Messiah to Zacharias. —To the Virgin Mary. — To Joseph. — Utterances of the Spirit by Mary. — By Zacharias. — By Simeon. — By Anna.—Words of the Baptist.

CHAPTER XXV.

The Lord's Own Teachings Respecting His Messianic Work. — The Messianic Kingdom to be established. — The Messiah's Kingdom as distinguished from the Theocracy. — Still future.—To be identified with " the world to come." —Not set up till His return from heaven. — During His absence His children to be tried. — Hated of the world. — The time of great tribulation immediately before His return. — At His return as Judge, He separates the good and evil.— In His kingdom believing Gentiles will have part. — Participation in the kingdom a privilege given to such as He accounts worthy.— Correction of Jewish beliefs. — All power given to the Messiah as the Judge.—He to raise the dead. — His authority over the law.— New truths revealed by Christ. — The mystery of His person. —He Himself to be the source of life. — Thus great enlargement of the Messianic conception. — His silence respecting national restoration. — Reason for this.

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PART II.

THE REVELATIONS OF GOD TO MEN IN THE
CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

CHAPTER I.

The Messiah In Heaven. — The work of redemption to be carried on from heaven by the Messiah. — New relations into which brought by His ascension. — First, to Jehovah. — As the Anointed He becomes His perfect instrument for all future work. — Secondly, His relation to the Jews. — Not now their King. — Their new dispersion. — Teaching of St. Paul as to their national salvation. — Effect of this fall upon the place of the Gentiles. — A new election to be gathered. — In this the Gentiles to have place. — The fall of the Jews the blessing of the Gentiles. —The Jews to be grafted in again. — God's purpose in their election to be fulfilled in them. — Thirdly, to the Gentiles. — Christ's death for all. — The gospel to be preached to all. — Gives His heavenly life to all who believe. — He is both Son of David and Son of man.

CHAPTER II.

The New Election, And Its Calling As The Body Of Christ.

— Purpose of God in the new election. — Its designation as the body of Christ. — Its Head the man Christ Jesus risen from the dead. — Vital relation of the Body and Head. —By this Body the Messiah in heaven carries on His work on earth. —As the Second Adam, a new Head of the race. — The gospel to be preached to all. —In the Church, men brought nearer to God than in the Theocracy. — God revealed in the Son, and the Son through the Church in which dwells His Spirit.

— A higher stage of redemption reached in the Church.

CHAPTER III.

The Two Elections, Jewish And Christian, Compared.— Essential distinction between the elections Jewish and Christian. — Points of comparison. —The Jewish election a nation. —The Christian from all nations. — In the latter a higher knowledge of God. — A deeper sense of sin — A higher spiritual standing as the dwellingplace of the Spirit. — So its ordinances and ministries. — The Jews had the pattern of heavenly things. — The Church has the substance.

— Its higher worship and priesthood.—Higher forms of miraculous powers, a larger measure of spiritual endowments. — The gift of prophecy, of tongues. — The Christian election no mere continuation of the Jewish. —The body of Christ essentially new in life, constitution, and powers.

CHAPTER IV.

The Church Not The Messianic Kingdom. — The belief that Christ began to reign when He ascended.—Formula — The Church is the kingdom. — On what grounds believed. — Early became the general belief. — Distinction between Christ's present rule in the Church and over the nations. —The last providential, not immediate. — Christ not now seen as King of the nations. — This future, when He takes His great power, and reigns. — To affirm the Church to be the Messianic Kingdom confounds means and end. — The Church an election. —To be completed and perfected before it can reign. —Also, sets aside God's purpose in the Jews. —Also, confuses the two offices of Christ as High Priest and King. —Also, makes the Church period the last redemptive period. — If so, impossible that the apostle could have desired His speedy coming.—His words respecting the future of the Church. — Sinful and mortal men cannot reign with Christ, nor the dead reign over the living.—Practical applications of the principle that the Church now reigns. — The Church of Rome. — Her head Christ's Vicar, clothed with supreme power. — The Greek Church. — The Reformers. — Their eschatology in substance that of Rome. — Gradual change of belief. — Christ now reigning, but His rule that of a teacher of truth. — His authority moral. — Of the three elements of the Messianic conception, the first only retained. — A universal kingdom of Jehovah.—Claims to infallibility.—Position of the Anabaptists. — Two currents of opinion in our day.

CHAPTER V.

The Eternal Life, And The Dead In Christ. —Jewish belief as to the life in the Messianic Kingdom. — Eternal life. — Term used in Daniel. —In common use in the Lord's Day. —The terms life and death. — Their several meanings. — Eternal life, its elements. — Only applicable to the saints after their resurrection. — Involves fullest communion with God, and highest blessedness forever. — This conception of life not possible till Christ arose. — Disembodied existence imperfect. — Influence of Greek philosophy on Jewish belief. — Expectation of a resurrection before the Messianic Kingdom. —What new elements the Lord added to the Jewish belief. — Prerogative of the Messiah to admit to eternal life. — He as the Messiah to be the source of this life. — Regeneration. — Its nature not understood till after Pentecost. — Those in Christ possess eternal life. — But not secured against death. — This not to be till He returns. — The dead in Christ. — Continue to abide in Him. — Fullness of eternal life through resurrection and translation. — Such only His helpers in the kingdom. — The dead not His helpers. — Error that the body is no essential element of the eternal life. — Undue exaltation of the disembodied condition.

CHAPTER VI.

The Apostasy And The Anti-christ. — Mention of the fallingaway in the Church by St. Paul. — Eevelation of the lawless one, the man of sin. — Like mention by other apostles. — The Antichrist. — The Lord's prophetic warnings. — The beast of the Eevelation.— Spirit of Antichrist. — Its distinctive character. — The Antichrist appears in the Church.—His appearing not a strange phenomenon. — In Him the deification of manhood. — The highest form of human wickedness.—Antichrist as claiming the rule of the world.—His relation to Satan. — The authority given him. Conditions that make a great world monarchy possible. — Signs of its approach.

PART III.

THE REVELATIONS OF GOD TO MEN IN TEE
MESSIANIC KINGDOM.

CHAPTER I.

The Messianic Kingdom: Its Nature And Purpose.—The two elements, revelation and redemption, in the Messianic Kingdom.

— A higher stage of both. — Christ then revealed from heaven in His glory. —And God in Him. —Also, a higher stage of redemption.

— The dead in Christ appear with Him in glory. — The living changed into His likeness. — The Jews, then sanctified as His people, made obedient and holy — All nations blessed under them. — The Messianic Kingdom the last stage of redemption. — The two elections completed and perfected.—God's purpose fulfilled in them. — Three distinct classes in the kingdom. — The glorified Church. — The Jews. — The nations. — Place of each. — Through these elections Christ fulfills His kingly and priestly functions. —A well-ordered system of government.

— Wonderful development of humanity in all good. — True golden age.

CHAPTER II.

The Judicial Actings Of Christ As Prepaeatory To The Kingdom And The Day Op The Lord. — The kingdom period as a day of judgment. — Its beginning and end special times of judicial action.—Two elements in Messianic judgment.—Separation. — Reward.— Process of separation at the Lord's coming.—Prevailing lawlessness at this time. — All free to show what is in their hearts. — God's testimony to His truth the means of separation. — The good and evil in three classes. — The baptized, the Jews, the nations. — Separation to be made in each. —The disobedient and the obedient gathered out. — The disobedient cut off from the earth. — This the day of the Lord. — A time of trial.—Of God's vengeance on the wicked. — All judgment given to Christ. —His words respecting the great tribulation. — Order of this process of judgment in the Book of the Revelation. — The kingdom set up. — The first resurrection.

CHAPTER III.

The Messianic Kingdom In The Book Of The Revelation.

— Book of the Revelation. — Its peculiar character. — A book of symbols.— Deals with the spiritual condition of the Church.—Christ's successive actings to prepare it for the kingdom. — The Jews have no place in this book. — Terms symbolically used. — The Messianic Kingdom preceded by marriage of the Lamb. — Nature of this relation. — The binding of Satan.—Duration of the kingdom. — The loosing of Satan. — The last resurrection and judgment.

CHAPTER IV.

The Jews In The Kingdom, And The New Covenant.— Nature of new covenant. — When to be established. — The promises to Abraham the basis of the covenant. — These universal and special. — The last to be first fulfilled. —All to be fulfilled by the Messiah. — The covenant at Sinai. — The law added. — Failure to keep the covenant.

— Its punishment.—Covenant not revoked.—Not fulfilled when Christ came. — The new covenant not a mere repetition of the Sinaitic.

— Not the covenant with the Church. — This a new election. — Provision for renewal of Sinaitic covenant. — Rites of Day of Atonement. — Impossible to fulfill them after the Babylonian exile. — These to be yet fulfilled by Christ as great High Priest. —A day of national repentance to come. — The new covenant then made. — Its elements. — Forgiveness of past sins. —Perfect obedience to God's law. —All obedient. — Under the new covenant the Jews prepared to fulfill God's purpose. — Through them the nations to be taught God's will.

CHAPTER V.

The Last Apostasy And Final Judgment. — The kingdom a time of probation. — Obedience to God of the Jews and nations. — How far perfect. — The last outbreak of wickedness. — Speedy punishment of the rebellious. — The resurrection of all the dead. — Final judgment. — The giving up of the Messianic Kingdom to the Father. — Christ as God-Man abides Universal Lord. — Distinction of relations to God and Christ among the saved during the ages to come.

CHAPTER VI.

The New Heavens And New Earth. — Revelation of God in creation. — Higher revelation through Incarnation. — For man the earth made.—Adaptation to his spiritual education. — Correspondence in the history of man and of the earth. —The curse through Adam's disobedience. — The earth to be renewed through obedience of the Second Adam. — Prophetic words. — What meant by new earth. — Not a new creation. — A restoration and exaltation. — Adapted to the Second Adam. — This change not in conflict with geology. —Not instantaneous. — Probably several stages. — One at establishment of the kingdom. — St. Peter's words refer , to the result when all change is completed. —Probable beginning of the change in the Holy Land. — Thence extends in time to all the earth. — Our solar system. — The universe. — The law of the new creation found in Christ risen and glorified. — A false spiritualism. — Edwards and the future of the earth.

CONCLUSION.

Christianity And Other Religions. — High place of the Incarnation in Christianity. —To be regarded in comparing Christianity with other religions. — Unity and harmony of the Bible. — Offices of the Incarnate Son. — Revealer of God. — Redeemer of men. — Redemption already considered in its several stages. — Degrees of revelation by Christ.— By His words and works when on earth. — By His words and works from heaven through the Church by His Spirit. — By His words and works in the Kingdom at His return.—Also, the glory of His Person then manifested. — Capacity to receive these revelations. — First, by the Jews. —Second, by the baptized. — Last, by those made like Him in the kingdom. — The Incarnation gives assurance that humanity remains ever the same in its elements. — Christ the God-Man risen from the dead. — The body to have part in the glory of man. — Christianity an absolute and universal religion.—Not so heathen religions. — Absolute as including all truth, and universal as embracing all creatures. —All questions respecting man answered by Christianity.—Foreign ideas to be excluded, e.g., the future of the earth and man. — Attempted elimination of the material element. — Unity of the Divine purpose thus destroyed. — The future filled with the glory of Christ risen and glorified. — And of His saints made like Him.