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your attention particularly to the text. The person here speaking is obviously JEHOVAH, GOD the Father. He speaks to his Son, the Lord JESUS CHRIST, the second person in the Trinity. To him the Father promises to give "the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession."

The phrases, heathen for his inheritance, and uttermost parts of the earth for his possession," are a parallelism, each having the same meaning, and each intended to embrace all mankind. Every nation, people, and tongue, not already belonging to the kingdom of the Redeemer, at some future period, shall be brought under his dominion. CHRIST's inheriting and possessing the heathen, and uttermost parts of the earth, means his enjoying and delighting in them, as his purchase, his property, as a sanctified, obedient people, bringing forth the fruits of righteousness to his praise, and rendering him the homage, service and gratitude due to him as their Lord. In this manner JEHOVAH possessed, in former time, his chosen and pe

The tendency and effects of such new and bold interpretations of Scripture by learned and popular critics, so directly opposite to those which have been uniformly given by the learned in past periods of the Church, I cannot but think are to be deprecated. We are in no small danger, I appehend, at the present period, of imbibing corrupt and fatal errors, presented to the young and ardent mind, under the specious and imposing name of improvements. We are to remember, that things new and ingenious in the sciences generally, in theology especially, are not always to be received as improvements. Theological science being founded on the Scriptures, which are, as they now stand, a perfect and ever-abiding rule of our faith, incapable of improvements similar to those made in other sciences, which have not the guidance and aid of a perfect standard.

culiar people, of whom he says, "Israel is mine inheritance.” Thus he now possesses Gentile believers in CHRIST, constituting the Christian church, who are graffed on the stock from whence the Jews were broken off through unbelief. These are now, as Israel was formerly, "God's husbandry." The Church is CHRIST's inheritance, his "garden," He purchased it with his own blood; dwells in it; protects it by his Almighty power; cultivates it by his Spirit; enjoys,and delights in it. The promise of the text is, that the whole world, at some future period, shall become one universal, purified church, of one heart and one soul, and constitute, in the manner we have described, the "inheritance," the possession" of CHRIST,

The world, since the fall of man, has been, and is still, principally under the immediate dominion of Satan, He is accordingly styled." the god of this world." To reclaim it, and bring it back again to the willing obedience of JEHOVAH, is a work of immense magnitude and Jabor. We are not to expect that the grand adversary will yield his ascendency and control over mankind, which he has so long enjoyed, without a struggle,— a struggle, too, proportioned in skill, strength, and vio lence, to the value and importance, to him, of the dominions he must, resign. The heathen nations, and those now buried in the darkness and delusion of Mahometanism, are a very large proportion of the inhabitants on our globe. These, combined with all the strength, in number and influence, which Satan can col, throughout that part of the world called Christian, constitute a very formidable host, in comparison with which, the real subjects of CHRIST's kingdom are but a "little flock," in themselves feeble and to

man.

human view utterly incapable of contending with the host of their enemies. A contest between these op posing parties has existed ever since the creation of The language of the great Captain of salvation, to this "little flock," for their support and encouragement, has been, "Fear not, I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment, thou shalt condemn." "Fear not, little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." These promises now as in former days, comfort, strengthen, and animate with courage, the friends of the Redeemer; and in view of them they look forward with confident and lively hope, to the period when this contest, however unequal it may now seem, will issue in the complete overthrow of the kingdom of Satan, and the release of the whole world from his thraldom. This mighty monarch this foe to God and man, is, at no distant period, to be hurled from his throne, bound in chains, and cast unto the bottomless pit, there, with his angels, and all those of our race whom he shall have seduced and ruined, to remain in chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Then, in the complete sense of the promise, will "the heathen become the inheritance of CHRIST, and the uttermost parts of the earth his possession."

But how is this wonderful change in the state of mankind to be effected? By what arm, and what means is this victory to be obtained? The answer is in the text: "Ask,” saith the Father to his Son, “and I shall give." It is obvious that man, even the whole

body of Christians combined, could not produce such a change in the world, and gain such a victory over Satan, as has been described. The opposing power, were they to contend alone, would swallow them up quick. GOD, therefore, hath taken the work into his own hands. The Son, and it becometh a son to ask favors of a Father the Son is to ask the Father, who heareth him always, and giveth to him whatsoever he desireth, and the gift promised, great and splendid as it is, and difficult as it may be to obtain it, shall be bestowed on him. Nothing is too hard, or too great, for God to accomplish. He who made the world, and all its inhabitants, whose is the earth and the fulness thereof, can surely change and mould his own work at his pleasure, and give it to whomsoever he pleaseth. At the appointed time, there can be no doubt, that the Father will fulfil his promise to his Son; not arbitrarily, at once, by some great and miraculous exertion of his power; but gradually, in the course which has ordinarily been pursued in effecting smaller changes of this kind, in time past; that is, in the use of means, by the agency of men, raised up in succession, and qualified to be co-workers together with God, in preparing this inheritance for his Son.

A condition of the promise in the text, is, that the Son should ask his Father for the inheritance specified. This asking of the Son is not to preclude our asking for the same thing. We are commanded to do this; to pray that the whole world may be converted to CHRIST, GOD hath declared, that he will be enquired of by his people to do these things. The church, as a body, will ask in union with CHRIST, that this promise may be fulfilled. The Father will hear, and grant the peti

other suitable means necessary, to effect his purpose. But on these topics I may have occasion to enlarge in another part of this discourse.

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Such as has now been given, I conceive, is the meaning of the text. If so, we perceive its obvious and natural application to the occasion on which we are assembled. We have before us, my brethren, for our present consideration, a clear and distinct prophecy of great and good things to come, of the conversion of the whole world to CHRIST,, and of the manner in which this most desirable event is to be accomplished. These constitute the very business in which we are engaged, the very subject for which we are associated, and now convened. We are praying through, and with, the one Mediator,and engaged as fellow labourers with God, that the heathen may become the inheri tance and possession of CHRIST.

The enquiries suggested by our subject, thus opened, which I shall endeavor to answer in the sequel of this discourse, are,

I. When may we look for the mighty change in the state of the world, which is to fulfil the promise in our text, and what indications of it are we to expect?

II What will be the probable means of effecting it?o it?

I. The prophecy under consideration, already, in the days of the Apostles, and subsequently, has had a partial, or, if I may so call it, a preliminary fulfilment, which may be considered as a pattern of the more complete fulfiment of it, which is still future. I am aware that some men deny, that there is any such thing as a

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