man and is afterwards reprefented as coming in the clouds of heaven, not from heaven to earth, but from a diftant place to heaven, or to the throne of the Ancient of Days; and when it is faid, that they brought him near before him, it is a remarkable hint at his glorious attendance when he afcended.

In Pf. Ixviii. which contains remarkable predictions of the enlightening of the Gentiles, he who is faid, y. 18. to afcend on high, is defcribed by various diftinguishing characters of the Meffiah. Characters of divinity and of fubordination are mixed together, when he is called the Lord, and at the fame time is reprefented as receiving gifts for men ; as the Meffiah's peculiar influence on the falvation and happiness of finners is implied in the expreffions of "receiving gifts for men, even the rebellious, "that God might dwell among them;" which proves, that it is Immanuel that is fpoken of; and the characters of the prophetic style about the Meffiah, appear in the expreffions concerning leading captivity captive.

Both the Meffiah's refurrection and afcenfion are fuppofed in the prophecies which speak of him as at the right hand of God; whither it was proved already, that Pf. xvi. foretells he fhould go, after coming out of hades; and where Pf. cx. reprefents him as fitting till his enemies be made his footstool, and adminiftering as a prieft for ever. And as a chief thing included in fitting at God's right hand, is incomparable power and authority, this is afcribed to the Meffiah in the above-cited predictions, that speak in the moft magnificent manner of his kingly office, as particularly Dan. vii. 14. glorious appearance on earth, at the end of the world, is foretold in wonderful expreffions in the forecited 19th of Job; where Job fpeaks triumphantly of the fight he fhould have, even with the bodily eye, of his God and Redeemer, ftanding on the earth in the latter day, as a moft bleffed and glorious

His

glorious fight; the diftant hope of which infpired him with transports of joy amidst the most overwhelming diftreffes, and fupported him under the melancholy view of all that the worms fhould do to his body after death.

SECT. II. Of the Mefiah's Church.

To fhew what abundant evidence arifes from the predictions concerning the enlightening of the Gentiles, these predictions may be usefully divided into various claffes, according to the various ways in which they are expreffed; fometimes in promises directed to the Meffiah, to Zion, or to the Gentiles; fometimes in threatenings against the unbelieving Jews, against the abettors of Heathen idolatry, or against the Heathen idols themselves. Thus it is promised to the Meffiah, that whereas it would be a light thing only to restore the preferved of Ifrael, or of the Jews, among whom his labour would be spent, in a great measure, without fuccefs, God would give him for a light to the Gentiles, and his falvation to the ends of the earth; that the nations of the Gentiles, and their kings, fhould hearken to him with reverence, If. xlix. fhould be called by him, and run to him, and be gathered to him at his call; that they fhould feek to him, and honour him; that God would give him the Heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermoft ends of the earth for his poffeffion, If. lv. lii. Pf. ii. ; and that the efficacy of his mediatory offices was to extend to all nations, feeing they fhould all be enlightened, fprinkled, governed, and faved by him.

It is promised to Zion, If. ii. xlix. liv. Ix. that the mountain of the Lord's houfe fhould be eftablished in the top of the mountains, and that all nations fhould flow into it; that the word or law of God that was to enlighten the nations, fhould

go out of Zion; that after Zion had loft many of her former children, multitudes of new children fhould croud and throng into her, fo that fhe behoved to enlarge the place of her tent, and stretch forth the curtains of her habitations; that fhe would even be aftonithed at the abundance of the Gentiles that should be converted to her; and that the house of God fhould be a houfe of prayer for all people.

It is promifed to the Gentiles themfelves, If. xxv. Mal. i. that God would destroy the face of the covering, and the vail that was fpread over all nations, and make a feaft to them all in his holy mountain; that from the rifing of the fun to the going down of the fame, God's name fhould be great among the Gentiles, &c.; that his name fhould be great to the ends of the earth; that all the ends of the earth fhould fee the glory and the falvation of God, and return to him and worship him, Pf. xxii. lxxxvi. 9. ; and that the knowledge of the Lord fhould fill the earth, as the waters cover the fea.

In predictions which contain threatenings against the obftinate, unbelieving Jews, Deut. xxxii. 21. If. lxv. 1. 2. it is foretold, that as they moved God to jealousy with that which is not God, so he would move them to jealoufy with thofe that were not a people; and that whereas God had fpread out his hands all day to a rebellious people, he would be fought of them that afked not for him, and found of them that fought him not. See alfo If. xliii. 21. 22. It is threatened against the obftinate abettors of Heathen idolatry, that they should be put to confufion, Pf. xcvii. 7.; and against the Heathen idols themfelves, that God would famifh all the gods of the earth; and that men would worship him, every one from his place, even all the ifles of the Heathen, Zeph. ii. 11.; and that God would cut off the names of the idols out of the land, that they might no more be remembered, Zech. xiii. 2.

Whereas they who misinterpret the prophecies a

bout

bout the enlightening of the Gentiles, pretend, that they are only meant of fuch converfions of particular profelytes as happened before the days of Chrift, it is evident, from the paffages now cited, and from many others, that however fuch particular converfions might be preparatory and fubfervient to that far more general, national, and extenfive conver fion of the Gentiles, which was the effect of the gofpel, it is only to that more general conversion that the predictions in view are truly applicable: for if fome paffages fpeak only in a more general way of the enlightening of the Gentiles, yet a great many predictions are fo expreffed, as plainly to foretell the converfion, not merely of particular profelytes, but of nations; yea of many nations, of the most barbarous nations, of nations moft remote from Judea, and even feveral particular nations; and, among the reft, those who had formerly been the most inveterate enemies to the Jews, and to their religion, are expressly mentioned as embracing and fubmitting to it.

The converfion of nations, even of many nations, is plainly foretold, when it is faid, that nations that know not the Meffiah, fhould be called by him, and run unto him, If. Iv.; that many nations fhould be fprinkled by him, If. lii.; that many nations fhould be joined to the Lord, and fhould be his people, Zech. ii. 11; and that many people, or nations, fhould fay, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, &c. If. xi. 3.

The prophecies which fpeak of the converfion of all nations, and of the filling of all the ends of the earth, from the rifing to the fetting of the fun, with the knowledge of the Lord, may justly be confidered as complex predictions; a part of which is already fulfilled by the converfion of many nations: and the evidence arifing from this, as was proved before, cannot be justly excepted against on account of what is yet unfulfilled; efpecially confidering,

that

that the prophets do not affirm, that all nations would be converted at once, but plainly fhew the contrary.

That it is not merely the converfion of particular perfons, but of nations, that is foretold, will be farther evident, to whoever duly confiders the predictions contained in the above-mentioned threatenings; particularly the threatenings against the Heathen idolatry, plainly foretelling the total abolition of it in many nations; of which more fully afterwards.

II. As the converfion of nations the most remote from Judea, and of feveral of the most barbarous nations, is foretold in the predictions about God's enlightening the uttermoft ends of the earth, and about his making the owls of the defert, and the dragons of the wilderness, to honour him, If. xliii. 20. xxxv. 7.; fo in various remarkable predictions, the converfion of fome particular countries is foretold in fuch a manner, as implies, that the true religion would become the national religion of these countries, as particularly of Egypt, Affyria, and Ethiopia, If. xviii. 7. xix. from y 18. to the end; Pf. lxviii. 31.; befides various other countries, mentioned If. lxvi. 19. under the ancient names of Tarfhifh, Pul and Lud, Tubal and Javan; for the explication of which names it is fufficient

here to refer to commentators.

III. That the doctrine which was to enlighten the Gentile nations fhould proceed from Judea, while that nation fubfifted, and fhould be firft propagated by teachers of that nation, is evident from the prophecies formerly cited, relating to the time of the Meffiah's coming, and the place of his birth and refidence; and is very particularly foretold in If. ii. 3. where it is faid, that the law or word of the Lord by which the nations were to be enlightened, would go out of Zion and Jerufalem and in Zech. viii. 23. it is faid, that "ten men fhall take hold out

"of