DISCOURSE Y. 810 tle proposes for all mankind in the following verses : Thus, it is made pretty evident, that the good character of the dews, as God's chosen visible church, are applied by the writers of the New Testament to all true christians, even gentiles as well as Jews ; and the evil characters, of the gentile world, are applied to all sinners, in a state of nature andunconverted, as well Jews as gentiles. XV. From all this discourse 'there appears a sufficient rea- son why the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament which' display themercy of Gód to the Jewish nation, are often cited in the New Testament as belonging to true christians, and appli- cable to them, whether Jews or gentiles ; beemise the Jews were,the figure of the true church of God, and the spiritual meaning of those promises is designed to be applied to all, who are the true Israel of God, that is, truly pious, whether Jews or gentiles. See for instance ; Lev. xxvi. 11, 12. I will set my tabernacle or dwelling among you : I will walk amongyou, and be your God, andyou shall be my people; Jer. xxxi. 1. I will be the God ofall thefamilies of Israel, and they shall be mypeople. Which promises are made expresslyto the Jews, in the OldTes- tament ; but Si. Paul applies them to the Corinthianchristians ; 2 Cor. 'ei. 1ß. Iwill dwellin, or among them, and walk among them: I will be their God, and they shall be my people. So again ; Is. lii. 11. Depart ye, depart, go out from thence, touch no unclean thing, tiçc. and the Lord will go before you. I'ltese words are addressed to Jerusalemn and Is- rael only ; but St. Paul addresses the gentile converts in the samemanner : comeout, or departfrom among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, andI will receiveyou, Efc. 2 Cor. vi. 17. AM then he tells them these promises are theirs, chapters vii. 1. So Is. lx. 1. Arise, shine, for thy light is come, is applied to the Ephesian christians ; Eph. v. 14. Awake thou that steepest, and arisefrom the dead, 4-c. And such kind of promises may be used and improved by us gentilechristians ; for they were written for our instruction, that we through patience, and comfort of the . scriptures, might have hope; Rom. xv. 4. and therefore in verse 10. Rejoice, ye gen- tiles, with his people. And in the same manner, the promises of the Old Testa- ment, which are made to the gentiles, may be assumed and pleaded by sinners, who are in a state of corrupt nature, in order to their obtaining grace and salvation, because the gentiles were a type and emblem of them ; Is. xlv. 12. Look unto mefrom the ends oftheearth, and be saved. And Hos. i. 10. andu. 23. which are cited by Paul to the Romans, I will call them my people which were not my people ; chap. ix. 24-20. Where it is said, ye are not my people, there shall they be called the children of the
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