In this spiritual judgment of the world by his truth or the gospel, the Saviour speaks of his disciples as being associated with him: "Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, (i. e. the work of regenerating or renewing the world by his truth,) when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, (i. e. enter on his government after the abolition of the Law dispensation,) ye also shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." "By the apostles sitting on thrones judging the tribes," says M'Knight, "may be understood their ruling the Christian church by the laws of the gospel, which the Master inspired them to preach." What Christ says, therefore, by this passage is, that as they preached his truth, so they should be associated with him in the government or judgment of the world by that truth.

Correspondent to this, the prophet Daniel (vii. 21, 22,) says: "The Ancient of Days came, and judgment (rule) was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom."

So Paul says (1 Cor. vi. 1,) "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?" i. e. direct, regulate, govern, by the justice and holiness of their lives, and by the wisdom of their teaching and doctrine. So all good men reign with Christ, judging the world, its good and its evil; encouraging and approving the one, and condemning and rebuking the other.

whether good or bad." This makes quite a different thing of it, and illustrates the very argument in hand, by declaring that we must receive in the body for the good and evil we have done; not that we must receive out of the body, for the things that we have done in the body..

I come now in conclusion, to speak of what, perhaps, may be regarded as the most important feature of our inquiry, viz :

III. The End and Results of Christ's judgment of the world.

The day of judgment began with, and is the day of, Christ's mediatorial reign; and it will end when that reign is finished, and the kingdom delivered up to the Supreme and Universal Sovereign and Lord.

The result of this judgment, or reign of Christ, will be revealed in the final destruction of all error and sin, and of every evil thing; in the restoration of all intelligences to God, and the universal prevalence of spiritual harmony, love, and holiness. This is the grand consummation, when Christ "shall see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied."

To this prophets and apostles continually allude; and of this glorious issue, Gospels, and Epistles, and Apocalypse, make mention in glowing phrase, in words of beauty and of power. A few citations will show this.

The Saviour himself has, with singular felicity, associated this judgment of the world and its results, in one sentence. "Now, is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out: and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die." John xii. 32, 33. Here the connection and dependence of the two facts or truths, is perfect. Christ says, that now he will judge or govern the world by his truth and grace; and so govern it as to cast out the spirit of disobedience and sin, which, as a prince or despot, rules in the hearts

of men; and finally through the power of his death on the cross, the power of his atoning love, draw ALL MEN unto him! Such, he declares, is to be the result of his judgment, his spiritual rule- the reconciliation of all souls through him, to God! Glorious, indeed.

To the same end is the witness of Paul, in 1 Cor. xv. 24-28. "For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet, and the last enemy that shall be destroyed, is death, .... then shall the Son also himself be subject to him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." Thus we see that Christ is to judge or rule the world, until every enemy of man, even to the last, which is death, is destroyed. Then shall all souls, subdued to the Saviour by the power of his truth and love, brought into harmony with his law and his spirit, acknowledge him as Lord and Redeemer. And when this is accomplished, then, no longer retaining his authority since the saving purpose, for which he received it, is complete, he surrenders the kingdom back again into the hands of the Father, and God is all in all !

It is very pleasing and instructive to note how perfectly the Ancient Universalist Fathers agree with us of to day, in their interpretation of this and other im portant passages declarative of this sublime conclusion of the Saviour's reign. The following, on the above text, (1 Cor. xv. 22-28,) will illustrate this. It is from Gregory, Bishop of Nysɛa (A. D. 364): "What, therefore, is the scope of St. Paul's dissertation in this place? That the nature of evil shall at length be wholly exterminated, and divine, immortal goodness embrace within itself every rational crea¬

ture; so that of all who were made by God, not one shall be excluded from his kingdom. All the viciousness, that like a corrupt matter is mingled in things, shall be dissolved and consumed in the furnace of purgatorial fire; and everything that hath its origin from God, shall be restored to its pristine state of purity. .. When, therefore, the dominion of sin within us shall be entirely overthrown, every thing must, of course, be subject to him who rules over all; because there can be no opposing inclination in the universe. Now subjection to God is perfect and absolute alienation from evil. Wherefore, when we all shall be freed from sin, and perfectly assimilated to Christ, our first fruits, and made one uniform body with him, then what is called the subjection of Christ is, in reality, accomplished in us; and because we are his body, our subjection is attributed to him who effected it in ourselves. It is manifest that here the apostle declares the extinction of all sin, saying that God will be all in all. For God will be truly all in all, only when no evil shall remain in the nature of things."

Origen (A. D. 230,) says, on the same passage: "What, then, is that subjection with which all things must be subdued to Christ? I think it to be that with which we ourselves desire to be subdued to him; and with which the apostles, and all the saints who have followed Christ, have been subdued to him. For the very expression, subjected to Christ, denotes the salvation of those who are subjected; as David says: 'Shall not my soul be subjected to God? for from him is my salvation.' Ps. lxii. 1. So the great variety of characters, and different orders of beings

which now exist, will, through the goodness of God, their subjection to Jesus Christ, and the unity of the Holy Spirit, be finally restored to one and the same state."1

And it is this view of subjection which enables us to see the force of the declaration: "Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Phil. ii. 9-11.

What a witness this, to the beneficent and blissful results of the Saviour's judgment of the world by the word of his truth, and the spirit of his righteousness. How should all men rejoice that Jesus is our Judge, our Ruler, our Prince; that we are subject to his authority, and that finally, with songs of gratitude and praise, we shall be subject to his law of holiness.

SECTION III.

THE JUDGMENT AFTER DEATH.

The object of the apostle, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, is to show the superiority of Christ and the Gospel, over Aaron and the Law. See chapters viii. and ix. 11-14.

In these passages, and in many others, the apostle shows the law was only the shadow of good things to come; and that its sacrifices, which were only for

'Tract. in dictum Apostoli, "Tunc etiam ipse Filius subjiceretur," &c.; and ORIGEN's De Principiis, Lib. i. cap. 6.