men of like passions with ourselves; you will be as grossly mistaken, as we would be, did we expect that even holy persons amongst you, should know and act, as the angels in heaven.-Are we often obliged, in judging of your characters, to admit, that the gold may be real, though mingled with much dross? and have we not a claim, upon you, for the fame candour in judging of ours?

By all this we mean not to infinuate, that troublers of the church may not fometimes be found, in one or another corner amongst ourselves; nor that, if they are such, in the scripture views of the character, you may not wish and pray for their excision: we only intend to caution you against forming your judgments of ministers and elders, upon the opinions of others, especially, if of a different communion from them; upon the prejudice of education; upon such sentiments of your own minds, as may only be raw and indigested; or upon any other rule of judging, whatever, than the written, the unerring, word of God. If that standard was judiciously applied, to every individual, we doubt not, that, in some instances, your former apprehenfions might be found just; at the fame time, it is a thousand to one, but some likewife, most dandled on the popular knee, and thereby least exposed to the lash of your censures, might be found greatly, perhaps grossly, wanting. For, hath not he, who spake as never man did, assured us, that "many who are first shall be last, and the last first?"

Matth. xix. 30.

SER

I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall fit down with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of Heaven.

N

OTHING can Christians, in the performance of duty, than God's promise of success; and, as no part of holy obedience is more interesting than humble endeavours toward the propagation of the gospel, no duties have greater variety of engaging promises annexed to them.

be more encouraging to

If

* This fermon was preached before the fociety in Scotland, for propagating Christian knowlege, at their anniversary meeting, in the High Church of Edinburgh, on Friday, June 6th, 1766.

!

If the design of our meeting be to recommend fuch generous endeavours, as well as to pray for a blessing upon them, the propriety of essaying to illustrate this paffage, will bear no dispute.

Our Lord, who improved every occurrence in providence for the instruction of mankind, took an opportunity, from the faith of a Roman officer, to inform the world, what vast designs of grace his heavenly Father had in reserve toward Gentile finners; and these chearing and charming news he hath transmitted to us in the words of our text.

If the words are a prophecy, in delivering it, our Lord acted as the great Prophet of his church: but if a promise, in making it, he acted as God our Saviour, though dwelling in flesh; than either of which views, nothing can be more expressive of "the obligations we are under, by a believing dependence, to give him the glory of his faithfulness. Doth the Prince of the kings of the earth speak ? And shall we not hear ! Doth wisdom lift up her voice? And shall we not regard!

What we propose, through divine aid, is,

"To illustrate the designs of Grace upon Gen" tile finners, expressed in this passage, with a view to animate your endeavours toward the propaga"tion of Christian knowlege among them."

Though God hath secured the end by immutable promises, duty on our part is not the less incumbent. Though he "will have all men to be sav"ed," means of bringing them "to the knowlege of the truth," 1 Tim. it. 4. are nevertheless to be ufed. And though saving conversion is effected exclusively by himself, we are, in a way of duty, to be "workers together with him," 2 Cor. vi. 1. That God had designs of grace upon Gentile finners sinners, while they made no part of his church, and were not called by his name, appears from their being brought, once and again, into the line which terminated in the Messiah, and thereby becoming such necessary links in the genealogical chain from Abraham to Christ, that without them, the connection would have been broken, the chain incomplete. Accordingly, we find Thamar a Syrian, Matth. i. 3. Rachab a Canaanite, Matth. i. 5. and Ruth a Moabite, Matth. i. 5. all Gentiles, to whom originally pertained neither the adoption nor the glory, numbered among the ancestors of Joseph *.

The designs of Grace under confideration are still more evident from many express attestations of scripture. "I will give thee (said the Father to " his Anointed) the heathen for thine inheritance, " and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy pof"session," Pfal. ii. 8. "The abundance of the "sea shall be converted unto thee; the force of "the Gentiles shall come unto thee," If. Ix. 5. And, "From the rising of the fun, even unto the

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going down of the fame, my name (faith the " Lord) shall be great among the Gentiles," Mal. i. 11. When, therefore, the time was fulfilled, Paul faid to the Jews at Rome, "The salvation of " God is fent unto the Gentiles, and they will " hear it," Acts xxviii. 28.

The cominiffion which our Lord first gave to his apostles contained, indeed, a clause which seemed unfavourable for the nations: "Go not (faid he) " into the way of the Gentiles; and into any city " of the Samaritans enter ye not," Matth. x. 5. But

* These Gentiles are no less among the ancestors of Mary; for, from Abraham to David, the line is the fame as to both.

But then, as the head of apoftolic authority, he took such steps in the exercise of his personal ministry, as plainly shewed, that both Gentiles and Samaritans were eventually to partake of the com. mon falvation. As to the Gentiles, we are informed, by one Evangelist, that Jesus shewed judgment unto them, and caused them to trust in his name, Marth. xii. 18, 21. of which the converfion of the Syrophoenician woman was a striking instance, Matth xv 21, &c. And, with respect to the Samaritans, another Evangelist hath assured us, that by the interpofition of Immanuel's grace, many of them were speedily, but savingly, converted: "He told me (faid one) all things that ever I did;" and, We believe, (faid numbers) for we have heard " him ourselves," John iv. 29, 42.

6.6

"

Nor is this only the doctrine of fcripture in gene. ral, but, undoubtedly, the meaning of this passage in particular. The faith, you see, of a Gentile gave rife to the declaration before us: "I have not

(faid our blessed Lord) found so great faith, no, " not in Ifrael," Matth. viii. 10. And the Jews are called "the children of the kingdom," Matth. viii. 12. to diftinguish them from the people who should come from the east and the weft;" and, as it is in the parallel passage, "from the north and " fouth," Luke xiii. 29.

This very circumstance of their coming from the four cardinal points, is a corroborative evidence, that Gentile finners are particularly intended. Let the redeemed of the Lord, fays the prophet, celebrate his mercy, who "gathered them out of the " lands, from the east and from the west, from "the north and from the fouth;" Pfal. cvii 3. plainly intimating, that finners, not only in Judea, where the posterity of Jacob then chiefly resided,