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Let us now see, by comparing posterior prophecies and events, how these promises were accomplished, in the ingathering of the Gentiles. To avoid swel. ling this volume too much, a few only of the prophecies in point will be quoted. A part of these respect Christ personally; and part of them respect Israel as his kingdom. Let us begin with the former. The first which claims to be noticed, is the famous prophecy of Jacob, respecting Judah. Genesis xlix. 10. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, till Shiloh come; and to him shall the gathering of the people be." It is true, the Gentiles are not here expressly mentioned; but they are evidently intended. The next prophecy to be noticed, is in the 2d Psalm, 8th verse. "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheri tance." Another prophecy of a like character occurs in the 72d Psalm. "In his days shall the righteous flourish, (the righteous Israel) and abundance of peace, so long as the sun and moon endureth. He shall have dominion also, from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish, and of the Isles, shall bring presents. The kings of Sheba, and Seba, shall offer gifts. Yea all kings shall bow before him; all nations shall serve him." This cannot intend mere conquest. A voluntary subjection, and service, are undoubtedly intended. Isaiah xi. 10. "And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people, (the Jewish ple) to it shall the Gentiles seek; and his rest, (Israel) shall be glorious." Ibid xlix. 6. "And he said, it is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the preserved of Israel, I will also give thee for a light of the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation to the ends of the earth." Ibid lx. 1, and 3. "Arise, shine, for thy light is come. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light." Daniel vii. 13, 14. "I saw in the night vis

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ions, and behold, one, like the son of man, came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him, dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Malachi i. 11. "For from the rising of the sun, unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles, and in ev ery place, incense shall be offered unto my name; and a pure offering; for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts."* Luke ii. 30, 31, 32. "For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." John x. 16. "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one. fold, and one shepherd."

These passages convey an intelligible meaning.Most undoubtedly they predict the accession of the Gentiles to Christ, not as disconnected from Israel, but as in the midst of them; and their acknowledged king.

Let us now attend to some prophecies which foretold, and promised, the ingathering and union of the Gentiles to Israel, as a society. Such is the prophecy of Isaiah, ii. 2. "And it shall come to pass, in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house, shall be established above the tops of the mountains, and exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." The Gospel is first to be preached by heralds from Israel, and the event of the accession of the Gen

That the Messiah is here intended, we have reason to conclude from Exodus xxiii. 20, 21. "my name is in him."

tiles, is to follow. See also the 49th of the same prophecy, at the 8th verse, and on. "Thus saith the Lord, in an acceptable time, have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation, have I helped thee. And I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant, of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate her. itages. That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that that are in darkness, Shew yourselves; they shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places: They shall not hunger, nor thirst; neither shall the heat, nor sun smite them; for he that hath mercy on them, shall lead them; even by the springs of water shall he guide them. And I will make all my mountains a way, and my high ways shall be exalted. Behold, these shall come from far; and lo, these from the north, and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim. Sing O heavens; and be joyful O earth, and break forth into singing, O mountains; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy on his afflicted. But Zion said, the Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. Thy children shall make haste, thy destroyers; and they that made thee waste, shall go forth of thee." All this is said of Zion, then existing, to whom the prophecy was immediately addressed. It was said, respecting a period to come, a period which was to succeed one of apparent dereliction, which is called an acceptable time, and a day of salvation. This was the gospel day, as we are informed by the express application of the words to that day, by the apostle. II. Corinthians vi. 1,2. "We then as workers together with him, beseech you, that you receive not the grace of God in vain, (for he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted; and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee; behold, now is the accepted time; behold. now is the

day of salvation."). To all this respecting Zion, the prophet adds, 18th verse, "Lift up thine eyes round about; all these gather themselves together, and come to thee; as I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee as a bride doth."

"Lift

See also again in the same prophet, lx. 4, 5. up thine. eyes round about and see; all they gather themselves together; they come to thee; thy sons shall come from far; and thy daughters shall be nursed by thy side. Then thou shalt see and flow together, and thine heart shall fear and be enlarged, because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee; the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee." Zech. viii. 20, to the end. "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, it shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities. And the inhabitants of one city, shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily, to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of Hosts: I will go also. Yea, many people, and strong nations, shall come to seek the Lord of Hosts, in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, in those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a few, saying, we will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you." John xi. 51, 52. "And this

spake he not of himself; but being high priest that year, he prophecied that Jesus should die for that Nation; and not for that Nation only; but that also he should gather together in one, the children of God that were scattered abroad." This prophecy of Caiaphas, being recorded by the Evangelist, as officially given ; and being in agreement with facts, is to be considered as equally authentic with other prophecies.

In exact agreement with these predictions is a clause of the memorable intercessory prayer of Christ, addressed to the Father, just before he suffered; and recorded by John, in the 17th chapter of his Gospel. "Neither pray I for these alone; but for them also which

shall believe on me through their word. That they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one, I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.

Let us now see how the ingathering of the Gentiles agrees with these prophecies.

The commencement of this memorable scene took place in the person, and connexions of Cornelius. Cornelius was a Roman. The account of his conversion is given us in the 10th chapter of Acts. Peter was the instrument of it. A vision, and an extraordinary concurrence of events, were ordered, to impel Peter to this ministry, and to give majesty and notoriety to the event. Peter's preaching was accompanied with a miraculous effusion of the Holy Ghost. For, verse 44. "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord." Thus were the Gentiles, in the first fruits of them, by equality of gifts and grace, united to Christ and his Israel. The next accession from the Gentile. world is mentioned in the following chapter, 19th verse. "Now they which were scattered abroad, upon the persecution that arose about Stephen, travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but to the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene; which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed, and turn