collected fplendor of this world, and to afford happy preludes of their future felicity and dignity.-Come then, brethren, and with open face, as in a glass, behold the glory of the Lord, until you are changed into the fame image, from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord.

19. And I will fet a fign among them, and I will fend those that escape of them, unto the nations, to Tarfhish, Pul and Lud that draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have feen my glory; and they fhall declare my glory among the Gentiles.

The manner in which the nations were to be gathered into the Church of God, and the inftruments to be employed in effecting this great work, are here defcribed. And I will fet & fign among them. By this fign may be meant, the extraordinary gifts and operations of the Holy Spirit, whereby the apoftles demonftrated their Divine million, and approved themselves to the people as the meffengers of God. With these miraculous powers they were furnished, not to promote their own perfonal benefit, but to advance the interefts of the kingdom of Jefus Chrift. Of this fort were the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, working miracles, prophecy, difcerning of fpirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. By thefe fupernatural means, the Holy Ghoft bare witness to their miniftry, and gave efficacy to the gofpel which they preached. Thefe were the figns of an apoftle, as St Paul obferves, writing to the Corinthians, the wonders and mighty deeds wrought among them. According to our Lord's prediction, the most remarkable figns followed them that believed t. Thus did God bear them witness, both with

with figns and wonders, and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghoft, according to his own will; and verified what is here foretold, for bringing the nations to the obedience of faith.

And I will fend thofe that efcape of them, &c. The meffengers that God was to employ in converting the nations were the apoftles and the evangelifts, with their companions, who, having eluded perfecution, went forth with the Divine lamp of the gofpel throughout the whole known world. By thefe feeble inftruments did the invifible, omnipotent hand of Jehovah render the cause of Chriftianity triumphant; and to them, under his bleffing, it owed a confiderable portion of its rapid progrefs and furprizing fuccefs, as the Acts of the Apoftles and their epiftles abundantly teftify. Their found went unto all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world *, -To Tarshish, a city in Cilicia, celebrated for having given birth to the apostle Paul; or Carthage, anciently a powerful city on the coaft of Barbary; or a flourishing city in Spain, which formerly was called by this name. To Pul, that was probably the fame with Philas, an island formed by the river Nile, toward the north border of Abyffinia, on the frontiers of Ethiopia.-Lud may denote the kingdom of Lydia, the chief cities of which were Sardis, Philadelphia, Thyatira, &c. into which the gospel was early introduced. The inhabitants of these countries were, it seems, famous archers, and well fkilled in the use of bows and arrows.-To Tubal and Javan. Tubal was the fifth, and Javan was the fourth fon of Japheth the fon of Noah. It is probable, that the land poffeffed by the pofterity of the former, on the east of the Black Sea, might be called by the name of their progenitor. The Greeks, who are confidered as defcended from Javan, inhabited Achaia, Macedonia, Corinth, Lacedemon, &c.-And the illes afar off. Among these may be reckoned the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, with many others, fituated at a great diftance

from

+

Rom. x. 18.

from the land of Judea. The character of the ple who dwelt in thefe regions is next mentioned.

peo

That have not heard my fame, &c. that have not been made acquainted with my glorious excellencies and mighty deeds; with the report of the gofpel concerning my good will and kindriefs, manifefted to the children of men.-Neither have feen my glory. They have not been favoured with those bright difcoveries of the beauty of my infinite perfections, exhibited in the revelations of my grace, which shine with incomparable fplendor in the face of Jefus Chrift; and confequently have not given me the tribute of esteem and praife, which they justly demand. Into thefe countries, which had not known the true God, but were immerfed in the moft odious fuperftitions, and addicted to the moft atrocious crimes, Jehovah declares that he would fend his fervants, to publish the glad tidings of falvation, and to make known the bleffed gofpel of his beloved Son, wherein his glory is richly difplayed.-The event hath exactly correfponded with this prediction. Sacred and profane hiftory record the faithful accomplishment of this prophecy, in confequence whereof we, my brethren, are affembled to-day in this house, to worship the one living and true God, through the one Mediator, by the one Spirit. Thus faith the Lord of Hofts, ⚫ let your hands be ftrong, ye that hear in these days, thefe words from the mouth of the prophets *.' And let your voices be tuned to fing unto the Lord a new fong, fuch as becomes renewed men to fing in the new heavens and the new earth, which conftitute the kingdom of the Son of God. Publifh his falvation by your words and by your actions, from day to day, until you fhall refume the fublime exercife of praise in the celestial world.

20. And they fhall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord, out of all nations,

Zech. viii. 9.

tions, upon horfes, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon fwift beafts, to my holy mountain Jerufalem, faith the Lord, as the children of Ifrael bring an offering in a clean veffel, into the house of the Lord.

The fignal fuccefs is foretold, which should attend the labours of God's fervants, who were to be sent into all nations, to gather them into the communion of the kingdom of Jefus Chrift. The people to be prefented unto the Lord, are the brethren of those who were fent unto them, children with them of the fame heavenly Father, partakers of the fame Divine nature, walking by the fame rule, united to each other by the bond of charity and fraternal affection, and heirs with them of the fame incorruptible inheritance. All of this description, of whatever country, were to be brought for an offering to the Lord, out of all nations. Thefe holy brethren, diftinguished from those above mentioned, who hated and excommunicated the disciples of Jefus Chrift, were converts from among the Gentiles, who turned from dead idols to ferve the living God Being reconciled to God, through the death of his son, by means of the ministry of the gospel, it is foretold, in allufion to the oblations offered to the Lord under the Mofaic œconomy, that they should be prefented before him, and, with all their powers and poffeffions, devoted to his fervice, that they might be employed to his honour and glory. The manner of their conveyance next deferves attention.

Upon borfes and in chariots, &c. The words literally import, that many of the converts, added to the Church under the New Teftament, were to be people of opulence and refpectability, defirous of becoming members of this great community with all poffible expedition. In their figurative fenfe, they intimate, that those who were joined to the fociety

of

of the faithful, notwithstanding every external difadvantage, fhould have an honourable and pleasant admiffion into the kingdom of God-That people of every nation fhall be confecrated to Jehovah, bringing with them into the Church whatever may prove ufeful and advantageous to themselves and their brethren-And that the tranfition from Pagan fuperftition to Christian worship, from heathen customs to holy obedience, from grofs darkness to God's marvellous light, is not only most remarkable, but that the progrefs is quick and gradual.-The fubject is illuftrated by the following fimilitude. As the children of Ifrael bring an offering, &c. The facred fervices performed by the posterity of Jacob, under the former difpenfa tion, exhibited, in many refpects, an inftructive reprefentation of the fpiritual worship of the Chriftian Church. The offerings brought to the house of the Lord in clean veffels by the Ifraelites, according to the law of the fanctuary, were defigned to prefigure the offering of the Gentiles here foretold, who were to be prefented to God, after having been fanctified by the Holy Ghoft. The clean veffels that contained their oblations, afforded an emblem of minds purified from the pollution of wickedness and hypocrify, accompanied with a good confeffion, a holy converfation, and adorned with thofe external virtues that correfpond to their inward renovated state. apostle feems to have referred to this prediction, where he affirms, That he was made a minifter of Jefus Chrift, miniftring the gofpel of God, that the offering ⚫ up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being fanc ⚫tified by the Holy Ghost *,'-' I beseech you there'fore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present 'your bodies a living facrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable fervice.' By complying with this comprehenfive apoftolical exhortation, delivered in facrifical terms, you make the becoming acknowledgment that you belong unto the Lord, in whom are united the rights of Creator, Preferver,

Rom. xv. 16.

The