but in all parts of the world, fhould be the fubjects of converting grace.

If they are to come from all quarters, our Lord's words intimate designs of grace upon Gentile finners near Capernaum, where he had this interview with the centurion; which began to appear, not long after, in the converfion of Cornelius, and his friends at Cefarea to the Chriftian faith, Acts x.

They intimate defigns of Grace upon Gentile finners whole refidence was far from Galilee; for God hath faid, "I will bring thy feed from the east, and

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gather thee from the weft; I will fay to the "north, Give up; and to the fouth, Keep not "back; bring my fons from far, and my daugh"ters from the ends of the earth, If. xliii. 5, 6. Accordingly, having established a connection between the mean and the end, he made provifion that the former should be sent where ever the latter was to be effected, faying to the Apostles, "Go

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ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature;" Mark xvi. 15. and afterwards to Paul," Depart, for I will fend thee far hence un"to the Gentiles," Acts xxii. 21.

They intimate defigns of Grace upon Gentile finners inhabiting continental countries. These, as diftinguifbed from the other parts of this globe, where probably in his eye, who faid, The Lord

hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of "all nations, and all the ends of the earth fhall "fee the falvation of our God," If. lii. 10

And they intimate defigns of Grace upon Gentile finners who inhabit the ifles in the fea. "My righ"teousness is near, (faith the Lord) my falvation "is gone forth, and mine arm shall judge the "people; the ifles fhall wait upon me, and on "mine arm fhall they truft," If. li. 5. And again

it is promised, that "men fhall worship" the

Lord,

J

Lord, "every one from his place; even all the "ifles of the heathen," Zeph. ii. 11. among which the happy ifles where our lot is caft was doubtless numbered.

But if Gentile finners are to be gathered from "the caft and weft, the north and fouth," our Lord's words are expreffive of gracious defigns upon them, as diftinguished by whatever outward. circumftances. As diftinguished, for instance, by nation and language; for he who cannot lie hath faid, "I will gather all nations and tongues, "and they fhall come and fee my glory," If. lxvi. 18. As diftinguished by features and comple xion; for in the prophetical words of David, we are affured, that "Ethiopia fhall foon ftretch "out her hands to God," Pfal. lxviii. 31. point. ing, doubtless, at the numerous, the numberless, fwarthy tribes, which inhabit different countries through Africa, Afia, and America. And diftinguished by their rank and ftation in the world. With refpect to the inferior tribes of men, it is promised, not only that "the deaf fhall hear the "words of the book, and the eyes of the blind "fee out of obfcurity and out of darknefs;" but that "the meek alfo fhall increase their joy in "the Lord, and the poor among men rejoice in "the holy ONE of Ifrael," If. xxix. 19. And with regard to thofe in higher life, "Kings them"felves (fays the Father to his Son, or church) "fhall come to the brightness of thy rifing,” If. Ix. 3. Though not many, according to Paul, yet, from this prediction, it appears, that fome wife men after the flesh, some mighty, and fome noble fhould be called, 1 Cor. i. 26.

Moreover, If Gentile finners are to be gathered from the four winds, our Lord's words are an intimation, that fome who were most unlikely, who laboured

I 2

laboured under the greateft difadvantages, and were loaded with the most enormous crimes, fhould eventually be the fubjects of redeeming grace. Accordingly, of the converts at Corinth, we are told, that fome were "fornicators, idolaters, "adulterers, offeminate, abufers of themselves with "mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, " and extortioners," 1 Cor. vi. 9, &c. And of the Gentile converts at Ephefus, that they "were dead "in trefpaffes and fins; that they walked in them according to the courfe of this world; and that "they were without Chrift, aliens from the com"monwealth of Ifrael, ftrangers from the covenants of promife, having no hope, and without -"God in the world," Eph. ii. 1, &c.

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As our Lord, in this paffage, evidently speaks of gracious defigns upon the Gentiles, fo he affures us, that not one, or a few, but many fuch fhould reap the benefit of them. They may not be many from each of the quarters we have mentioned; they may not be many in particular kingdoms or generations; they many not be many in our day, at leaft, according to our apprehenfion; and they will not be many when compared with the unholy tribes with whom they are mingled in their feveral generations: But, when gathered into one, when fully affembled in the realms of blifs, they fhall make a most refpectable appearance, fhall fwell to an innumerable concourfe. Befides the hundred forty and four thousand which were fealed, the apoftle "beheld a great multitude which no man could "number, of all nations and kindreds, and people, "and tongues," ftanding "before the throne of "God, and before the Lamb," Rev. vii. 9.

The argument, however, for "ftimulating your "endeavours toward the propagation of Chriftian "knowlege among the Gentiles," will appear

in a

ftill

ftill ftronger light, when the richness of the bleffing here promised is duly attended unto. "Many shall "come (faid the incomparable Preacher) from the "east and west, and shall fit down with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven."

If, in ordinary cafes, our zeal for the intereft of others be greater or leffer, according to the importance of the end which we propose to accomplish by the exercise of it, in the prefent cafe, it behovbed, upon that principle, to rife to the highest pitch.

If converting our fellow-men from Heathenifm to Christianity, in general, or to any one diftinguishing mode of religion, in particular, was all that our Lord's words encouraged us to afpire after, the argument would be greatly weakened; becaufe fuch converfions may be frequent where regeneration is not known: But converfion, in its largest fenfe, as comprehending a gracious, a fcriptural, and faving change, being the privilege wrapped up in the bofom of this text, no zeal can be too keen, no ambition too high, no endeavours too great, in order to the accomplishment of it.

With respect to their coming from all quarters, we beg your attention to this general obfervation, That God having connected the mean and the end infeparably together, if the means of converfion are not fent where the finners comprehended in this promife refide, they fhall be brought where the kingdom of God is known.

Nothing to this purpose can be imagined more remarkable, than the repair of finners out of all nations to Jerufalem, when the time to favour Zion, by the effufion of the holy Ghoft, was fully come, Acts ii. 5. Had thofe people (whether they were Jews or Gentiles) remained in their native countries, the knowlege of falvation would not then have reached them; but, because they were to be I 3

converted

converted at Jerufalem, on the day of Pentecoft, they were previously brought, in the providence of God, to that happy place.

The Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and others, came, from their refpective countries, to dwell at Jerufalem, from fecular, poffibly, as well as religious views;-but God brought them, that he might fulfil, in thoufands, Acts ii. 41. at once, the good pleasure of his goodness *. If they, for inftance, had the profecution of trade in their eye, Ged had the more noble purpofe in his, of putting the "pearl of great price" into their poffeffion: If they came to amafs earthly riches, he brought them, that "durable riches and righteoufnefs" might be enjoyed by them; and, if they came for the benefit of dwelling at the metropolis of Judea, God brought them, that they might become "fellowcitizens with the faints," and belong to "the "houfhold of faith."

But though fuch Gentile finners as are comprehended in this promise, refide where the light of the gofpel fhines,-if their converfion is to be effected by other means than what they have access to, without defign in them, they shall be removed to the very place where that mean fhall be enjoyed, and crowned with fuccefs.

The ftory of One fimus, we take to be a ftriking inftance of this.-In the family of Philemon, he had near accefs to the means of grace : But the God of falvation, intending to convert him by the miniftry of another, permitted that unworthy

* This piece of history is not quoted as an instance of God's bringing Gentile finners to the means of converfion, because most, if not all of these might be Jews or profelites; only as a general example of the wifdom of providence in making the places of mens abode fubfervient to their converfion.