"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unlo all nations, and then shall the end come."-Matt. xxiv. 14.

The discourse of our Lord, from which our text is selected, presents to the Church some of the most affecting disclo sures, any where found upon record. These prophetic histories, like the divine promises, were calculated to try the faith of the people of God when made, and confirm their faith when accomplished. have told you before," saith the Lord, "that when it comes to pass ye may be. lieve."

When the disciples saw the tears of their Master-when they heard him foretell the coming desolations, deep solicitude filled their hearts, and they embraced the earliest opportunity to ask a more full explanation of his meaning.

Seated on the mount of Olives, they asked him three questions. "Tell us when shall these things be? What shall be the sign of thy coming? and of the end of the world?

Whether they had any just conception of the extent of their inquiries or not, the Saviour proceeded to answer them all.

He led them to the end of the Jewish dispensation-he portrayed the destruction of Jerusalem-he predicted the spread of the gospel among all nations, and closed with the end of the world. It is the VOL. VIII.

East had, at the birth of Jesus, inquired for him that was born king-John preached and baptised in the wilderness of Judea, saying, "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"-Jehovah, when making inquiry concerning the rage of the heathen and the vain imagination of the people, said, "Yet," notwithstanding all their opposition, "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion," and the kings and judges of the earth were exhorted to submission lest they should perish by a slight kindling of his wrath. Isaiah prophesied, saying, behold, a king shall reign in righteousness-the government shall be upon his shoulder-and the nation and kingdom that will not serve him shall perish.

Jeremiah, when foretelling that a righteous Branch should be raised up unto David, proclaimed the reign of a prosperous king, who should execute judgment

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Daniel, when describing the four great Monarchies of the earth, commencing with the Chaldean and concluding with the Roman Empire, with all their divisions and changes, announced distinctly, that, "In the days of these kings, shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever."

Jesus Christ, evidently proclaimed king in Zion, affirmed that his kingdom is not of this world. He called it by way of description, "the regeneration" -the renovation of the Jewish system of outward means, which had waxed old and was ready to vanish away. The incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of the Messiah, with the coming and work of the promised spirit, produced a revolution and introduced a dispensation, which excelled in glory all the ministrations of Moses.

"The regeneration" is the kingdom of Christ, set up more visibly and extensively among men, having statutes and ordinances and a divine service and a Ministry of reconciliation and the first principles of the oracles of God, repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. "For it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, that repentance and remission of sins should be preached to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

"This gospel of the kingdom," then, must mean the good news of Salvation published among all nations in the name and by the authority of Zion's King. This was good news to the believing Jews, when the Wise Men inquired where their king was born, though Herod was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. This was good news to the shepherds, when the Angel said, "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall

day in the city of David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord." This is good news to the Gentiles, for the promise is to all "afar off," even to as many as the Lord our God shall call. "This gospel of the kingdom" comprehends the statutes, or dinances, officers, privileges and financial concerns of the New dispensation to the Church of God. Among the ascension gifts of the king of Zion were Apostles, and Prophets and Evangelists and Pastors and Teachers, for the work of the Ministry, for the edifying the body Christ.

In this gospel of the kingdom" are to be found the mystery of God and the Father and of Christ-the three-one, that bear record in heaven-the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost-the electing love of the Father-the atonement of the Son-the renewal by the Holy Ghostjustification by faith in the blood of Christ, and sanctification by means of the truth. All this implies the ruined state of man by sin. But by the law is the knowledge of sin and condemnation, by the gospel is revealed the way of Salvation by grace. Where the news of this Salvation comes, the spiritually dead are raised up, the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them. And "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world." This leads to another inquiry.

II. What is meant by the phrase "shall be preached?"

To preach means to proclaim or publish as a herald or crier. To preach "this gospel of the kingdom" is to proclaim publicly and earnestly the religion of besus Christ, with the living voiceto publish the truths of salvation in religious orations, with the tongues of men. Isaiah gives us a fine idea of preaching when he says, "Cry aloud and spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet and shew my people their transgression." And again, Ho, every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat, yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price." Once more, "The

voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord." "The voice said cry. And he said, what shall I cry? All flesh is grass and all the goodliness thereof as the flower of the field-The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever." Matthew gives us a fine specimen of preaching when he says of our Lord "seeing the multitudes -he opened his mouth and taught them, saving, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," and also in the report of the officers that went to arrest him on another occasion, "never man spake like this man."

The Presbyterian Church makes a very just distinction between reading and preaching. "The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching of the word, an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort, through faith unto salvation."

Luke has given us an account of the custom of our Lord. He first read the scriptures and then preached. And when he began to speak, the eyes of all were fastened on him, and they "wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth."

Before there was any written revelation, religious instruction was given by preaching-thus Noah was a preacher of righteousness. This method was not superseded by written revelation-the scriptures formed the text book of truth. Moses said, "My speech shall distil as the dew-because I will publish the name of the Lord." David said, "While I was musing the fire burned, then spake I with my tongue." The Apostles had the same spirit of faith" as it is written, I believed and therefore have I spoken, we also believe and therefore speak." The oracles of God ought to be read. The Standards of our Church ought to be read-good books ought to be read; but all this reading comes short of the preaching of the gospel. "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached," and let no man substitute reading in place of this divine appointment. "Faith cometh by

hearing, and hearing by the word of God, but how shall they hear without a preacher?" The preaching of the word is a divine ordinance for the salvation of men. "He that hath my word let him speak my word faithfully-saith the Lord."

When Paul and Silas visited Antioch in Pisidia, they went into a synagogue, and after the law and the prophets were read, Paul by invitation stood up and beckoning with his hand, said, "Men of Israel we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again, as it is also written in the 2d Psalm-Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.' Be it known unto you that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law." Here was the preaching of "this gospel of the kingdom." When Philip heard the Eunuch read in Isaiah, "He is led as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth" he began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus. When Peter visited Cornelius, he spake words by which he and his house might be saved." This was preaching the gospel.

When we pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers, we ought to desire men who will muse till the fire burns, and then speak with their tongues. The church is favored with many excellent writers and good readers, but with few, very few good preachers! "The Spirit of God blesses the reading, but especially the preaching of the word."

Last year the British Churches received a loud call on this subject. Mr. Buyers, at Benares, not only called for additional Missionaries, but stated what kind of talents they ought to possess. Among these talents he particularly mentioned an affluent elocution. To be useful, a man must have preaching talents. It is not the mere linguist, nor the writer, nor the translator, nor the reader, nor the colloquial, nor the argumentative man;

but the fluent and persuasive preacher to whom the heathen listen with uncommon respect and attention.

The great work to be done is to be accomplished by the preaching of this gospel of the kingdom. And this can only be done by men who have piety and learning and zeal. Men who speak from the heart. Men who will go into highways and hedges and streets and lanes, and rouse the attention of a people sunk in spiritual apathy, and buried in superstition. The appeal made to the churches and theological students of Great Britain ought not to be unheeded by us. This appeal ought to be heard by our teachers, that they may not consume the energies of our youth by tying them down to rigid composition and mere reading-that they may not quench the fires of native eloquence by the cramping rules of frigid criticism.

We need good men in every department. Linguists, writers, translators, and readers, all have their appropriate places of usefulness. But we need a large class of men who can do the work of Evangelists, and Pastors, and teachers, by preaching this gospel of the kingdom. We want men like Aaron, who can "speak well." Moses could write well but Aaron was his mouth. We want men whose tongues take the place of the pens of ready writers.

The opinion has become too prevalent that any sort of gospel and any sort of men bearing the name and office of christian ministers will do for the heathen. Where there is church patronage it has often happened that men of inferior character and talents and standing have been forced upon a christian people. Every one is ready to say that this is base and unworthy. But is it not still more unworthy to send unsound and inferior men among the heathen, while men of purest doctrine and best order of preaching talents are induced to remain at home? This is contrary to the example given by the Holy Ghost. When He, the Lord of the harvest, called upon the church at Antioch to send forth laborers, he called for men the best qualified for a foreign

mission. Barnabas and Saul were selected, while Niger and Lucius and Manaen were left with the church. Good, sound men, well qualified to stay at home. So the gospel was soon preached, not only from Jerusalem, round about unto Illyricum, (Rom. xv. 19.) but also "to every creature under heaven." (Col. 1. 23.) This leads to our third inquiry.

III. What is to be the extent of the preaching of this gospel of the kingdom? Our text says, "in all the world." To understand this phrase "in all the world," let us recur to historical facts. Moses has given us the genealogy of the sons of Noah, (Gen. x.) which he closes in these words-"These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations, and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood."

He then gives us the genealogy of Messiah from Shem to Abraham—(Ch. xi.) which he closes with the call of Abraham from Uz of the Chaldees, in these words-" And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Ch. xii.)

The term families in this promise is of the same meaning and extent with the term families in the history. In the history "families" means, not single households but nations-nations descending from the sons of Noah among whom the earth was divided. These families or nations amounted to not less than seventy when the Lord scattered them abroad upon the face of all the earth; and they are called "all the world," because among them was the whole earth divided, and because there is no kindred nor tongue that does not belong to some of them. Amidst the rise and fall and revolution of nations, no one of these original families have become extinct. God overthrew Sodom, blotted out Amelek, destroyed Edom, and sent Ephraim into perpetual and unknown exile. But these were but parts of nations. All the families of the earth to whom the blessing of Abraham belongs still remain, and are called "all the world" and "every creature."— "Go," said our Lord, "disciple all nations." "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.''