VIII. DISC. wherewith he came to make them free, they, mistaking spiritual for civil liberty, confidently and roundly replied, "We are "Abraham's feed, and were never in bon dage to any man*;" unaccountably forgetting, as it should feem, what they had formerly fuffered in Egypt and Babylon, and the ftate in which they lived, at that very time, under the Roman power. The mention of Heaven's mercy being extended to the Gentiles, always put them beside themselves. Christ only hinted the case of Elijah healing Naaman the Syrian, and that of Elisha being fent to a widow of Sarepta, leaving the application to themfelves. They understood him, and endeavoured inftantly to destroy him. St. Paul, relating the ftory of his converfion, was patiently heard, till he touched upon the circumftance of his miffion to the Gentiles. They gave him audience to this word, " and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with fuch a fellow from the earth, "for it is not fit that he should live "!" 66 a John viii. 33. b Luke iv. 27. Now Now this notion was taken up, in direct DISC. oppofition to their own Scriptures. For they neglected to obferve, what it was very obvious for any one to obferve, who read the Scriptures, that Abraham himself was not chofen and bleffed, merely as Abraham the fon of Terah; but as a fervant of God, tried in various ways, and, in all, found faithful and obedient. They fhould, therefore, have reflected, that his defcendants, of course, stood on the fame foot, and would not be accounted the children of Abraham, when they ceased to do the works of Abraham ". The fame lesson might have been learned from that part of the facred history, which records the rejection of Ishmael the eldest fon of Abraham; and afterward, of Efau the firft born of Ifaac. These transactions evinced, that no dependence could be placed on the incident of being the feed of Abraham; fince, of that feed, for cerd See John viii. 39. VOL. I. P tain DISC. tain reafons, fome have been rejected, while VIII. others were accepted. So it had been formerly; and therefore, in parallel circumftances, fo it might be again. Remarkable, to this purpofe, was the cafe of their ancestors, who came out of Egypt. A promife was made, that they fhould enter into Canaan. But the promise was afterwards revoked, because it was conditional. They fell in the wilderness, and others fucceeded to the inheritance. And why did they not enter into rest? For the fame reason which keeps the Jews out, at this hour; because of their unbelief, and hardness of heart. The light of God's countenance was frequently withdrawn from the Ifraelites, when they finned, and again restored, upon their repentance. Other qualifications were therefore requifite, without which, it little availed them to be of the house and lineage of Abraham. It should have been recollected by the DISC. Jews, that the grand and capital promise VIII. made to Abraham was not limited to his natural pofterity, but, on the contrary, in the most express terms that language could afford, extended to all others. It was the promife of the Seed, that is, the Meffiah, in whom, not Ifrael only according to the flefh, but "ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH fhould be bleffed." And for this reason, the promise was made, previous to the covenant of circumcifion, under which the Jews claimed. In the state of uncircumcifion " Abraham believed God, and "it was counted unto him for righteouf"nefs;" plainly becoming thereby the father of them who fhould afterward believe like him, though not circumcifed; that is to fay, the father of the Gentiles, or "nations of the earth," one day to "be bleffed," in the promised Seed, or Meffiah. DIS C. The Jews trusted in Moses. Wherefore, VIII. then, did they not hear Mofes, and attend to what he had faid to them? In the plaineft words he had told them, 1500 years before, what at length appeared to St. Peter, who, for fome time, had the prejudices of a Jew about him; that "God "did not respect perfons -He had told them, that if they rebelled against their God, they should be "punished, as ftrangers "were punished; and as the nations, fo "should they perish." Nay, he had clearly predicted, that the days would come, when upon their rejection for their abominable iniquities, the Gentiles should be taken in their room, to "provoke them to jealoufy "." Before the time of Moses, their progenitor Jacob had declared, that whenever Shiloh fhould come, "the na"tions would be gathered to him '.' How very bold and explicit Ifaiah continually is upon this topic of light, life, and falvation to be manifefted, through Meffiah, to h f Deut. x. 17. See Acts x. 34. g Deut. vii. 19, 20. i Gen. xlix. 10. the |