The Royal Family of the Kingdom.

The members of the Royal Family are in the aggregate styled "The Christ's House" in the New Testament. They are "the Sons of Zadok," the children of the promise, who, in the Christ, are counted as the seed of Abraham and David. It will be a numerous family; though, as compared with the totality of the Sons of Adam, from among whom they will page 50 have been redeemed, they will be but a "little flock;" the few who find eternal life amongst the many who seek to enter in. They are the "144,000 redeemed from the earth," not that there art; only so many thousands. This is a representative number, a definite for an indefinite. They are "the meek" who "shall inherit the earth;" "the poor in spirit" to whom pertains "The Kingdom of God."

None will be of this number Who do not Believe in this Kingdom, for it is he that believes "the Gospel" and is baptized, shall be saved; "he that believes not shall be Damned"—Mark xvi. 15-16; and the subject matter of the Gospel consists of the things of the Kingdom, and name of Jesus the Christ. "According to your faith be it unto you." Hence he whose "faith" embraces what God has not promised, gets nothing but confusion of face; while he who Believes the Promises will realise them if he faint not. The poor in this world, "rich in faith," are the heirs of the gospel kingdom. They become "inheritors" when they rise from the dead, and receive the blessing—life for evermore—Luke xx. 35. Then "they possess the kingdom under the whole heaven" and "rule on earth," as kings and priests to God, with the Christ for a 1000 years. This is the testimony of Daniel and John; and he that does not believe it, has no right to be regarded as a believer of the Gospel, he is faithless of "the testimony of God." These, the Saints, are the aristocracy of the kingdom under the New Covenant. Being immortal, they possess it for ever, for it is "not to be left to other people," that is, to successors. There are inferior civil orders in the kingdom, as well as ecclesiastical, which stand between them and the peoples. These inferior officials are styled "the Prince's Servaxts," while the Immortals are styled "his Sons." When the Prince of Israel bestows a gift upon the former, they can only possess it till "the year of liberty;" but if he present a gift to any of the latter, it continues his for ever. Though his "brethren" they become his "sons," as the children whom God shall have given him, when he shall raise them up from amongst dead ones, for being the substitutionary testator of the Will,—thus standing in the Father's place, who has appointed him to raise the First Fruits from the dead,—he can then say to them, "Ye are my Sons, this day have I be- page 51 gotten you" from the dead. "God," says Paul, "will raise^*

us up by Jesus, so skull we be the Prince's Sons, of whom Ezekiel speaks.