e kingdom of God should be closely and inseparably linked
together. As the third phase, therefore, in the fulfilment of our
prophecy, John ii. 19 must come under consideration: [Greek: lusate ton
naon touton, kai en trisin hemerais egero auton]. (Regarding the sense
of this passage, and the symbolical meaning of the tabernacle and
temple, compare "_Dissertations on the Genuineness of the Pent._" vol.
ii. p. 514 ff.) "House of God" is, in ver. 14 of the parallel text,
used of the Church, and in parallelism with "kingdom of God,"--a sense
in which it occurs as early as in Num. xii. 7.[5] This _usus loquendi_
is quite common in the New Testament; compare 1 Tim. iii. 15; 2 Cor.
vi. 16; Heb. iii. 6. In the first two phases of the temple of Solomon,
the house consists in the first instance of ordinary stones,--although,
even at that time, the _spiritual_ is concealed behind the _material_;
but in its third phase, the material is altogether thrown off, and the
house is entirely spiritual--consisting of living stones, 1 Pet. ii.
5.--That the expression, "for ever," in the second clause of the verse,
is to be taken in its strict and full sense, is proved not only by the
threefold repetition, but also by a comparison with the numerous
secondary passages, in which the duration of the Davidic dominion
appears as absolutely unlimited. In Ps. lxxxix., for example, where the
promise is repeated, "for ever" corresponds with, "as the days of
heaven" in ver. 30,--with "as the sun" in ver. 37,--and with "as the
moon" in ver. 38. The final fulfilment of this promise is pointed out
by the words of the angel to Mary, in Luke i. 32, 33: [Greek: houtos
estai megas] (compare ver. 9 here), [Greek: kai huios hupsistou
klethesetai] (compare ver. 14), [Greek: kai dosei auto kurios ho Theos
ton thronon Dauid tou patros autou. Kai basileusei epi ton oikon Iakob
eis tous aionas, kai tes basileias autou ouk estai telos.]

Ver. 14. "_And I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to Me.
If he commit sin, I will chastise him with the rod of men, and with the
stripes of the children of men._ Ver. 15. _And My mercy shall not
depart away from him, as I caused it to depart away from Saul, whom I
put away before thee._"

[Pg 141]

Wheresoever God is, in the Old Testament, designated as
_Father_, there is a reference to the deepest intensity of His love,--a
love which is similar to that of a father towards his son. (Compare
remarks on Ps. ii. 7.) Sons