this expired; and both were admitted by the Father, upon the fame conditions of repentance and faith, into the fellowship of his Son, who was now the univerfal Prince and Saviour. The The body of the Jews, notwithstanding, rejected the Gospel-offer of falvation. confequence of this aggravated infult to the mercy of God, is urged by the Apostles of the Gentiles; "it was neceffary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you, but seeing ye put it from you," be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is fent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.” The expreffion of Jesus, "let the children first be filled," was grounded upon his diftinct foreknowledge of all these circumstances, with refpect both to their progress and final effect in extending the bleffing of Abraham to the Gentiles, and gathering them together with the Jews into one body, and giving access to both by one Spirit unto the Father. • Acts xiii. 45. • Mark vii. 27. ⚫ Ephef. ii. 18. P xxviii. 23. In the great refult of these circumstances, all fucceffively tending to fulfil the falvation of the world, the riches of the divine mercy lay, undiscovered by all, except the Son of God, in whom were hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. By his Spirit, as only-begotten of God, he entered into, and fully comprehended, the compafs and depth of the counsel of peace between himself and the Father, and, being made in the likeness of man, directed and accomplished the scheme. These reflections, which have arisen from a comparison of the conduct of Jesus, as a teacher upon earth, with his own prediction, as a prophet, have tended to fhew, that his prophecy of the call of the Gentiles, had not been drawn from any foregoing revelation from God. Other circumftances alfo, which Jefus has added to the prophecy, have the fame tendency to prove him a real and original prophet. Such are, the views, which he gave, of the prevalence of his Gospel, through the Roman empire, before the fall of Jerufalem; and of its extending to the four winds of heaven, before his last coming. But paffing over thefe, I fhall mention mention only one other evidence, that he acted by a real and perfonal foreknowledge. t This evidence feems to be contained in the words, "thou art Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church ;" and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven."---The fequel of the paffage extends to all the Twelve; but this extract feems exclufively reftrained to Peter. u W The import of the first clause, "thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church," may perhaps be determined from other paffages of Scripture. The faithful, which are styled God's building and " the household of God, are said to be built upon the foundation of the Apoftles and prophets; and the wall of the heavenly city is described, in the book of Revelation, to have twelve foundations, and in them, "the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb." So that, apparently, in whatsoever fense the church would be founded upon Peter, in the fame it would be built upon y all the Twelve. t Matth. xvi, 18. Rev. xxi. 14. and John, who seemed to be pillars. The a The meaning of the fubfequent clause, feems alfo to be eafily affignable. The Pharifees are reproached for shutting up the kingdom of heaven; and woe is denounced to the teachers of the law, for having taken away "the key of knowledge." By parity of expreffion, to lead men into the way of Chriftian falvation, would be properly called, to open for them the kingdom of heaven, and give them the key of knowledge. b To be the rock of the church, and to have the power of the keys, feem therefore the common attributes of the apoftolical office; but the words of faint Peter, to the fynod at Jerufalem, fufficiently imply the real difference, that fubfifted between himself and his colleagues, in both these respects. Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made a Mat. xxiii. 13. Luke xi. 52, b Chrift ftyles himself "the door," and the gates of the Church are described, when once open, as open for ever. Ifaiah 1x. 11. To open the door, denotes preaching the Gospel. If. xxvi. 2. Acts xiv. 27. 1 Cor. xvi. 9. 2 Cor. ii. 12. Coloff. iv. 3. Rev. iii. 8. Non malè forte hùc conferas antiquum ritum tradendi clavum juxta pugillares apud Hebræos in doctorum fuorum promotione; que certè ad conceffam docendi poteftatem spectabat. Marckius in Exercit. 5. Comp. Matth. xxiii. 13. 1 Cor. iii. 5. iv. 1. 2 Cor. iv. 5. vi. 4. d ́Acts XV. 7. choice choice * among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth fhould hear the word of the Gofpel." He juftifies his present forwardness in advifing what conduct they should pursue toward the Gentiles, from the choice, which God had made of him, to take the lead in opening the Gospel to them; and it is generally conceived, that he alludes to these of Jefus. very words According to this interpretation of the words of Jefus to the difciple Peter, they contain an original prophecy, that he should firft open the door of faith to the Gentiles, and, fo far, become exclufively the foundation of the Gentile church, which Chrift, the master-builder, would raise upon the common labours of the Twelve. And accordingly, Cornelius, who, with his family, formed the firft-fruits of the Gentile church, was particularly directed by an Angel, to send for Peter; and that Apostle had already been inftructed, by immediate revelation from ein, i. e. had preferred him to the reft. See Marckius. Exercit. 5. f The foundation, as a part of the building, may be faid to be firft, even with respect to priority of time only. - The word Seuiasov feems compounded in this fenfe by the Seventy. Efdras. vii. 9. ἐθεμελίωσε τίω ἀνάβασιν τω ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶν, he took the first step in afcending from Babylon. 8 See Benfon. Hift. of Plant. Chrift. Vol. I. pag. 234. |