And of his kingdom there shall be no end.— So the prophet Isaiah 9:6-7. Unto us a child is born, &c. of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. The kingdom of Christ is twofold. 1. His spiritual kingdom, or the dominion of righteousness in the minds of men. 2. His temporal kingdom, or the outward dispensation of the Gospel, together with an exercise of government over the world, by which all events are managed so as to promote the empire of righteousness in the hearts of believers. This distinction removes the difficulty arising from 1 Corinthians 15.
28.—where we are told, that after the worlds are judged, Christ shall deliver up the kingdom to God the Father;—compared with what Gabriel said to Mary on this occasion, and with the other passages of Scripture, which affirm that our Lord's kingdom shall beeverlasting. His temporal kingdom, or the gospel dispensation, will end with the world, being of no farther use. But his spiritual kingdom, or the dominion of righteousness in the minds of intellectual beings, which he came down to establish, will continue to all eternity. See my Annotations on 1 Corinthians 15.