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Thus, in this early age of Christianity, it might be said, that Christ had "the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his posses+ ed. To bed towns ledt

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But it is evident that this was not) a complete fulfil ment of this promise to the Son. His possession of the heathen, and of the uttermost parts of the earth, was not entire, nor of long continuance.It was soon wrested from him by "the god of this world," and has ever since continued, with the exception of "alité tle flock," under his control. A more complete subjugation of the heathen to CHRIST, than the world has yet witnessed, is therefore to be expected. As this is a future event, the precise time when it will be brought about, cannot be foreseen. We can only compare, in reference to it, the state of the world now, with its state immediately preceding the preliminary fulfilment of the promise in our text; and in this way form our opinion on this subject. If we will delib erately institute this comparison, with existing facts before us, we shall find, that the "signs of the present times" obviously indicate, that a great change in the state of the world, favorable to the interests and universal dominion of the Redeemer over the heathen, is now in actual progress, and that we may thence infer, that this change, which is ultimately to put the heathen, and uttermost parts of the earth, into complete and permanent possession of CHRIST, will, seeing that God is the operator, soon be accomplished. The time will allow me only to hint at the facts and events, to which I allude, and to leave them for enlargement to your own reflections.

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1. The world seems to be fast tending to a state correspondent, as far as is requisite, to that which existed previous to the first spread of the Gospel, when the great body of the human family were reduced to the use of the Greek and Roman languages. By means of commercial, literary, and especially Chris tian and missionary enterprise, mankind are rapidly becoming known to each other; intercourse among the different nations is constantly extending, and with it a knowledge in each nation, of the languages of all the others. By far the largest portion of this enterprize ex *ists in those parts of the world, in which the English language is vernacular. The importance of a knowledge of this language is beginning every where to be felt, and especially in regions occupied by missionaries. Commercial men will probably transact their business, and carry on their correspondence, more generally in this, than in any other language, because the balance of commerce is already on the side of those who use the English language, and this balance is continually increasing. It is probable that the sciences and literature will be more generally taught in this language, than in any other; because there are more books on these subjects, original, or in translations, in this, than in any other language. The great body of missionaries, spread among the populous heathen territories on the Eastern Continent, on the islands of the everal great Oceans, and among the Indian tribes of our own country, speak the English language. Their converts, and a multitude of others in their schools, will, of course, be taught this language, and in all nations, who have no written language, their vernacular tongue will gradually give place to the English, and

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iaman a clean heart, and to renew within him a right spirit; and when he is doing this every day beforefour eyes? Yes, Gop can give the blessing of a new heart to a wild Indian, to a Hindoo, a Turk, a negro, a Hottentot as easily as to the most enlightened, polished, and best educated, in civilized nations. He has done it in instances abundantly sufficient to establish the fact. Now a new heart invariably produces a new character, and always the same character, whether possessed by Jew or Gentile, Indian, Turk, Hindoo, or Hottentot. If then God, for the purpose of fulfilling his promise to his Son, shall give a new heart to all of every nation, which he can do with infinite ease, the work will be done, and the world will then be in the state desired, in the full possession of CHRIST.

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2.1ft is objected by others, that all our men and means are needed at home, to supply the wants of the destitute among ourselves, and the heathen on our own borders, where we may reasonably hope for success; but that we have neither men nor money to send abroad among far distant foreign nations, where the prospect of doing good is doubtful, if not altogether hopeless. In reply to this objection, I would ask those who make it, in the first place, how long this conviction of our own wants, and the wants of the heathen on our own borders, has been felt by them? Whether they felt it before foreign missions were projected? Whether this very measure has not awakened their attention to the subject, and produced this conviction? If so, they must admit that foreign missions have been instrumental of producing important good effects, if not on the heathen, yet on themselves;

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take to be wiser than God, to instruct him in what manner his Gospel can be best propagated ? He has given visible success to our foreign missions, and there by testified his approbation of them. Shall we then cease to do what he approves? Shall we regard man, rather than God? Besides, all our blessings come from Gop; our property, our dispositions to do good, and his Holy Spirit to sanctify our young men for the ministry, and to inspire them with a missionary spirit. To those who improve his gifts, he gives more, Te those who give freely and liberally for the support of foreign missions, he gives also the means of supporti ing domestic missions, and missions among the Indians of our own country; and abundant facts actually show that he has done, this. Those who have done most by their contributions and labors to promote foreign missions, have done most also for those at home. Much duty has been required of them, and God has given them means to do much. Nothing has been lost to our domestic, by our foreign missions. Much, on the contrary, has been gained, as will obviously appear by a retrospection of facts, which have a bearing on this subject, which have occurred since the commencement of foreign missions. Since that period, manifold more has been contributed, and far more effected in building up waste places at home, and introducing civilization, with the Gospel, among the. Indian tribes, than was ever done before in any equal period of time. If what has been said does not convince those who make the objection under consideration, we cheerfully permit them to enjoy their own opinion,claiming only the same indulgence from them which we give, and will expect, as we reasonably may, benefactions and exertions, on

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