or free, Jew and Gentile-But, said the lowly Lamb, "beginning at Jerusalem."-The apostles, as faithful ambassadors for Christ, being filled with the Holy Ghost, obeyed this injunction of their Lord and Master-they were his witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea; but when the Jews spake against the Gospel of Christ, opposed it, contradicted and blasphemed, they were addressed as follows: "It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you; but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo! we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord

commanded us," &c. &c.

Now "when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord," at the same time there was no deficiency in the election of grace, among the Jews-as many of that era as were ordained to eternal life, believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

A church for the living God was established among the Gentiles. In the Apocalypse she is represented by the perfect number seven. She is apostolic in her first age; but leaves, alas! her first love.

In her second stage, she is a prisoner.

In her third, she falls away-admits image worship, and the doctrines of Balaam.

The fourth represents her as struggling for life, and trying to serve God; but not entirely opposed to Jezebel, or the prostitute that calls herself a teacher.

In the fifth her sentence is, that she has a name to live, and is dead.

In the sixth, she has a little strength, keeps the word of the Lord, "Behold he cometh," and owns his name Emanuel-She has a spiritual ear, and

can hear the voice of the Holy One who hath the key of David, "behold I come quickly."

The last (poor Laodicea) is wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked!

Now you will soon have my views of the Gentiles, at the dawn of the day of Messiah's glory.

And first, I shall observe, that the Gentiles, who, in time past, had not believed God, (that is prior to the first advent) did, by obedience to the word of reconciliation, held forth by apostles of the Lord, obtain mercy; Paul says through Jewish unbelief. They have stood upon an eminence, indeed, that has afforded them a prospect of the heavenly land. This eminence is faith, even "the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen. They had at their commencement apostolic teaching; they have had it ever since.* Not only so, but Moses and the prophets are theirs; and by the very mouth of the Holy Lamb, too, they are instructed, admonished, warned and reproved. His ordinances have been entrusted to their keeping; and upon them God hath shed abundantly the influences of the Holy Ghost. Beside all these heavenly gifts, the God of Israel becomes the God of the Gentiles, and makes them equal to his ancient church, in prophecy; for to the Gentiles is given their whole history, in the last canonical book of Holy Scripture, called "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants, things which must shortly come to pass."

"And he sent, and signified it, by his angel, to his servant John; who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw."

* I allude to the Acts and Epistles in the New Testament.

How have the Gentiles behaved?`

How have they improved their dispensation?
These are plain questions.

I shall answer them.

1. I shall notice the church of God among the Gentiles.

She has rent the seamless garment of her Saviour; she has lost the pledge of sacred unity, by adopting other names than the original one, even Christian.

In the first instance, she left her first love. In the second she "played the harlot with the state," changed the ordinance, and broke the covenant of her Lord.t

*

She has often promised reform; and as often broken her vows. In her proceedings, we may see "Israel's contrary walk" again. Like Israel she has long been a "treacherous wife." She has departed from her husband.

Examine her in doctrine.

[Remember I am writing of the "church of God among the Gentiles." I mean that body which holds the forms of Christianity.]

Doctrine. Some of her branches deny the reality of universal redemption by Jesus Christ. He is represented as a hard master, reaping where he has not sown; and gathering where he has not strewed. Others take the opposite extreme of predestination and deny the word of our Lord thereby.

Some separate faith from works; and others pretend to join them together in their belief, but reject both in their discipline over the church, and their ordinary lives and conversation in the world.

*I mean the Sabbath.

+His personal advent to reign upon the earth, over his first Church.

Must I proceed through all the dark chambers of Gentile imagery? Must I draw every dark feature, and present the full portrait?

I have not time.

Suffice to say, that false doctrines, unscriptural modes, usages, and disciplines, have wounded the Blessed Redeemer afresh, in the house of his Gentile friends. And among false doctrines I must say, that I think that which denies his Godhead, is the most devilish of all!!! It amounts to blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, at the first instance. But I proceed no farther, than to say, it is deism lettered by the name of christianity. God will avenge the affront!!! "I will repay saith the Lord."

I come now to say, that the falling away of the Gentiles is to be consummated by the rise and reign of open infidelity; and that from the bottom to the top of the Gentile ladder, I see apostacy, apostacy, apostacy, marked against them, or murder, murder, murder. By these dreadful expressions, I mean that apostacy from God commencing with Annanias, and Sapphira, and ending with the last name that shall join the Beast from the bottomless pit, shall mark the Gentile era with crucifying the Son of God afresh, in doctrine, in custom, and habits of life.

While the church of God among the Gentiles, (bear it in mind that I am speaking of it as nominal) are thus fallen (as a body, composed of a vast variety of "isms,") and lying in her blood, there are some, even in Laodicea, who are still objects of divine love: these, the Amen, the faithful and true witnesses, the beginning of the creation of God, He will rebuke and chasten. He will punish, nay, He will command the enemy to buffet them, that they may learn, in the fires of spiritual tribulation, not to blaspheme the Holy Name into which they

were baptized, when persecution shall wax hot against it. For it is against the name of God and of Christ, that Antichrist will oppose his image, his mark, and the number of his name. It is expressly said by the Holy Ghost, through Paul, that the man of sin shall do this; and the Apostle has very plainly set forth his opportunity that it is embraced by the removal of the mystery of iniquity. As the Apostle Paul says, "mystery of iniquity," and calls that mystery "he," I think no person can deny but it means a false church, a counterfeit of christianity; and I therefore call no name in particular; but leave the designation to Paul to be proved true by the

event.

Thus I have given my views of the Gentile church, which ends in Laodicea.

The non-professing part, come also under consideration. They present a mixed multitude. None of them publicly and by open form acknowledged the Lord Jesus Christ, and confess that he is the Saviour of the world.

I look over the mixed multitude. Are they all unbelieving and unregenerate? May be not. Time will shew. I have known instances of persons living for years, in a pardoned state, without making a public profession of religion. The divisions and sub-divisions of the Gentile church, that have distributed the precious doctrines and ordinances of Christ's gospel, about from pillar to post, are stumbling blocks. They are at a loss which sect to join, and are afraid of the effect of visible union with any, or either party. They pray, they give alms. They believe all that is written, and love the scriptures.

But these characters are scarce. The most part are careless, indifferent, and unbelieving. The scriptures are of less consequence in their estimation,