verfion of Cornelius (as the men of Cyprus and Cyrene did to other Proselytes of the Gate foon after the converfion of Cornelius was known '); and then only Paul and Bar'nabas, and they not without a special revelation and commiffion given to Saul for that purpose, which Saul also seems to receive with fome reluctance: nor does he even then obey it, till Sergius Paulus first, and the idolatrous Gentiles at Antioch in Pifidia afterwards, defire these two apostles to preach to them: no more than Peter did to Cornelius, till he not only fent messengers for Peter, but in perfon defired Peter (and by the direction of an angel) to preach to him. Thus though the Holy Ghoft revealed all truth to the apostles, that was proper and necessary for them, on his first defcent; yet this mystery of calling the Gentiles was still concealed from them a great while; cither they, or the rest of the Jewith church, or the Jewish nation, or all of them, not being as yet able to bear it. I hope I may be pardoned, if I make a digreffion - here, in order to account for fo furprizing an appearance as the late discovery of this mystery carries with it; especially fince it will be of use in the following Effays. THAT the apostles themselves were not able to bear the discovery of this mystery fooner, * Acts xi. 19, 20. • Ibid. xxii. 18-22. appears appears very plainly from what I have just now obferved of the conduct of Peter, Paul, and Barnabas, even on the late revelation which God made of this mystery to them. How little the Jewish Christians could bear the reception of the devout Gentiles into the church, appears likewise from what I have but just observed happened at Antioch and Jerufalem, AND the malice and envy of the Jewish nation at the reception of the Gentiles, our Saviour describes and foretells in the person of the elder brother, in the beautiful parable of the Prodigal font. And St. Luke takes notice accordingly of the envy they were filled with at Antioch in Pifidia, on finding the gospel was going to be preached to the Gentiles, and that the Gentiles were disposed to receive it, Acts xiii. 45. And we have a like instance of their envy, Acts xiv. 2-20. and xvii. 5. 13. xviii. 12, 13. Paul complains, that the Galatians were made his enemies by the Jewish teachers, " because he told them "the truth":" that is, that they must not submit to any of the laws of Mofes; or that " if they were circumcifed, Chrift could " profit them nothing"." And he gives it as Luke xv. 25-31, Gal. iv. 16. the 66 the character of the Jews, and, as I suppose, of fome who had believed (or of fome who, as St. John fays, went out from among " them *); that they forbid them to fpeak " to the Gentiles, that they may be saved." So that God in his providence faw fit to let the gofpel be well received by the Jews, and settled among them, before it was to be. offered to the Gentiles; left that should still have created fresh prejudices in the minds of the Jews against it, and have obstructed (at leaft among them) the reception and furtherance of the gospel, if it had not occafioned the apoftacy of fome of them from it. God ordered things therefore so, that the gofpel fhould not be preached to the profelyted Gentiles till the great converfions among the Jews were over; nor to the idolatrous Gentiles, till the Jews at Jerufalem would not receive the teftimony of Paul (or of the apostles) about Chrift, and were found every where as ready to reject it, and even with the fame disdain and blafphemy, as they did at Antioch in Pifidia. And then indeed, when there was but a small remnant of them left that was to be saved, and that the rest were very near filling up the measure of their 1 John ii. 19. 7 Acts xxii. 18. * Ibid. xiii. 45. 1 Theff. ii. 16. iniquity, and becoming ripe for a total destruction, this offer was made to the whole body of the Gentiles; that so God might yet try the last and the rougheft, method with the Jews, and provoke them to receive the gofpel, if it were but from emulation and jealoufy; as St. Paul's manner of speaking to them imports, Acts xiii. 46. and xxviii. 28. and as he expreffly asserts in the ixth and xiith chapters of his Epistle to the Romans. This was the 'natural tendency of fo wife and gracious a conduct towards this nation; though, through their wicked temper, it had a quite contrary effect, and made them mad with rage against the gospel. All which was agreeable to Mofes's prediction, quoted by St. Paul, " I will provoke you (Jews) to jea" loufy by them that are no people; I will " provoke them to anger by a foolish nation." And as this was agreeable to these predictions, so was it likewife highly fuitable to those perfections, which the Almighty always claimed the praise of from this people: " That the " Lord is a God gracious and merciful, flow " to anger, and of great loving-kindness, repenting him of the evil, and waiting to be gracious to the children of men." Nor was it less agreeable to the amazing methods of patience and tenderness, which he had taken 66 66 Deut. xxxii. 21, • Rom. x. 19. all all along with them, in order to reclaim them; still trying the gentler means first: till they rejecting him after all, justified his rejecting them for a feafon. ALL which was done for our instruction and caution, on whom the ends of the world are come. And we shall be very much wanting to ourselves, if we do not, from the whole story of that people, draw the moral that is so evidently and beautifully held out in it, for the improvement and reformation of mankind; that no ritual performances, promifes, or external privileges, will entitle any nation or person to the Divine protection and favour, without national or personal virtue and religion. This is the truth that St. Paul evidently deduces from several remarkable occurrences in the Jewish history d; and which may be as justly inferred from all the rest. Which if a divine of a very four wit, in the last age, had but attended to, it would fure have prevented a very petulant passage which we find in one of his fermons: "That God " chose this perverse people, as Socrates did " his wife Xantippe, only to exercise his " patience." But to return from this digreffion. Whatever difficulty there may be, after all that I 1 Cor, x. 1-15, d |