Project Gutenberg's The Kingdom of Heaven; What is it?, by Edward Burbidge

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: The Kingdom of Heaven; What is it?

Author: Edward Burbidge

Release Date: March 6, 2008 [EBook #24759]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN; WHAT IS IT? ***

Produced by Colin Bell, Sam W. and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN;

WHAT IS IT?

BY

EDWARD BURBIDGE, M.A.
RECTOR OF BACKWELL, SOMERSET.

PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE TRACT COMMITTEE.

LONDON:
SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE;
NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE, CHARING CROSS;
4, ROYAL EXCHANGE; AND 48, PICCADILLY.

PREFACE.

There is nothing new in the following pages; except it be that they
call popular attention to facts which have been commonly recognised
only by scholars.

But I am aware that their contents will appear novel to many; and to
remove this idea some extracts are here given from the Commentaries in
general use.

1. Bishop Wordsworth on S. Matt. xiii. 3; "This chapter may be
described as containing a Divine Treatise on the Church Militant here
on earth."

2. Dean Alford on S. Matt. xiii. 52; "The seven Parables compose in
their inner depth of connexion, a great united whole, beginning with
the first sowing of the Church, and ending with the consummation."

3. The Speaker's Commentary on S. Matt. iii. 2; "It--the Kingdom of
Heaven--signifies the promised Kingdom of the Messiah. Hence the
expectation of the Messiah is spoken of as a _waiting for the Kingdom
of God_. Our Lord, adopts the expression and frequently employs it to
denote His Spiritual Kingdom the Church."

4. Bishop Walsham How (S. P. C. K. Commentary) on S. Matt. iii. 2;
"It--the Kingdom of Heaven--is generally used to signify the Kingdom
of Christ on earth, the Kingdom of the Gospel, the Church of Christ."

I desire also to remove by anticipation a fear that some may feel,
lest, in regarding the Gospel as being the good news o