the Psalmist: "Often have they fought against me from my youth, but they could not prevail over me."
The stability of the Christian Church is emphasized in her very inception in that she was founded as an imperial power — a kingdom. Ignore it as the world may; no man who reads and believes the Bible can deny the Church's claim to royalty. Ages before Christianity the kingship of Christ had been foretold, so that even the heathens looked to Judea for their future sovereign, and Israel turned to little Bethlehem for its promised ruler. So minutely had the prophets, especially Isaias and Daniel, described the future king and estimated his kingly dignity, so deeply imbued had the Jews become with this important idea, that, on Christ's approach to Jerusalem, notwithstanding all their jealousy and hatred, we find them going forth in throngs to meet Him, with palms in their hands and crying: " Hosanna to our King, the Son of David." Christ Himself never failed to assert His own kingly authority and the imperial character of the Church He founded. " All power is given to Me," He says, " in heaven and on earth," and to His Apostles He added: " I appoint unto you a kingdom as My Father hath appointed unto Me." Besides giving Peter the keys of His kingdom, that is, the plenitude of His power, He identified Himself with the whole band saying: '7He that heareth you heareth Me, and he that despiseth you despiseth Me and Him that sent Me." Nay, he would have their power even greater than His own, for having previously said that whereas rebellion
