út0 HARMIONY OF ALL REIIGIONS. gospel comes, are called to repentance and salvation. Mat, xxviii. 19. Go teach all nations. Acts xvii. 30. He now com- mands all men every where to repent. Rev. xxii. 17. Whosoever heareth let him say, come ; andwhosoever will, let him come. As for the two dispensations of Abraham and Moses, they were more confined to aparticular family, and to their posterity, which made up the Jewish nation: The nations of the Gentiles, had indeed, some acquaintance with these transactions of God with Abraham and the Jews, partly by their traffic, but chiefly by . their captivities and dispersions. These were greatly useful in- deed, tò preserve and restore the knowledge of the one true God, not only among the neighbouring heathens, but among distant. countries, Greece, Persia, Assyria, Egypt, &c. And as these things prepared the way for their receiving the gospel, so many prophecies of old did plainly foretel that the last dispensation, or the kingdom of the Messiah, should extend to all nations. III. Though the apostles by the general words of their com- mission, which was given them at Christ's ascension ; Mat. xxviii. 18-20. had an early right to preach the gospel to the heathen nations, yet this was made evident to them, by slow de. 'grees, and consequently, their execution of this commission was gradual, according as divine wisdom saw proper, to enlighten them, and as divine providence conducted them. IV. The first public ministration of the gospel in its glory, was to the Jews only : It began at Jerusalem in the days of Pentecost, when the Spirit was poured out on the apostles, and other disciples, in the form of cloven tongues. As they were ordered to begin at Jerusalem ; Luke xxiv. 47. so it was a most illustrious success, which attended the first opening of their com- mission : For, on this great day, three thousand souls were con- verted, that is, among the native Jews, and the proselytes of the temple, or complete proselytes, who were reckoned as natives, though they came from various nations, as appears,'Acts ii. 5- 11. Some time after this, five thousand more were converted at Jerusalem ; Acts iv. 4. and the numberof believers still increased, andmany priests received the faith; chapter vi. 7. V. After this, the gospel was preached to theSamaritan Jews, whose predecessors, were a sort of mingled people, and derived partly from Jews, and partly from heathens ; Acts viii. 5. Then the christian converts proceeded to preach the same gospel in foreign countries, but still to the Jews only, though they dwelt at Phenice, Cyprus, Antioch, ii;c. Acts. xi. 19. VI. The next sort of converts, who were received into the christian church, were such as the scripture calls the devout or worshipping Gentiles, or men fearing God ; many of whom
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