than the Gentiles were, yet the Gentiles from henceforward fhould have the fame Privileges that they had ever had. The Gentiles from henceforward, tho' they were not called till the laft Ages of the World, fhould, upon their Belief in Jefus Chrift, be as much God's peculiar People, as the Jews ever had been, and should have the fame Reward at the Day of Judgment, as if they had been God's People from the Beginning Nay, not only fo, but the Jews, for their Unbelief, their not embracing the Gospel that Chrift preached to them, fhould be caft off from being God's peculiar People any longer: And the Gentiles, that were called at the eleventh Hour, the last Times of the World, fhould be put into their Place, because they did believe in Chrift Jefus, when the others did not. So that the proverbial Saying should here be true, The last shall be first, and the first laft; that is to fay, the Gentiles that were laft called in point of Time, fhould be firft in the Favour of God ; and the Jews that were firft called, fhould be rejected by God for a Seafon; not for ever rejected, but the Gentiles were to be preferred before them, and have their Turn firft; and afterwards, when the Fulness of the Gentiles was come in, then fhould the Jews be again hired into the Vineyard (as both our Saviour intimates, and St. Paul exprefly declares in the 11th Chapter of

the

the Epiftle to the Romans.) So that really in this Cafe, as God ordered the Matter, the last was first, and the first is last; and thus we see it verified to this very Day. And this, I think, is a very clear Account of the firft Sentence in my Text. If any one now should ask a Reafon of this Proceeding of God's, in cafting off the Body of the Jewish Nation from being his People, and taking in the Gentiles for his Church, our Saviour, in this Place, takes Care likewife to give an Account of that; and he doth it in thefe Words, For many be called, and few chofen. The Sense of which is plainly this, Chrift came to preach his Gospel to the Jews in the first place, and to them it was fufficiently preached, and the whole Nation was called and invited to come into it. But tho' they were all thus called, yet few of them did accept of this Call, few of them did embrace the Gospel when it was thus preached. Few of them approved themselves the choice, elect, honeft, fincere People of God, which they pretended to be; and therefore with great Reason was the Body of that Nation to be abandoned, and the Church of God to be gathered from among the Gentiles, who did more readily embrace the Call of Chrift Jefus. This, according to the beft Judgment I can make, is the true and the. full Senfe of this Text, and I

am

am fure I have good Authors to vouch for it.

If you require a Scripture Proof of this, I can give you that too. I have interpreted our Saviour's Words here, The laft hall be fift, and the firft laft, of the Rejection of the Jewish Nation from being the Church of God, and the taking in the Gentiles into their Place: Now, for the Truth of this, I offer another Text of our Saviour's, where he useth the very fame Expreffion: it is in Luke, chap. xiii. ver. 30. There our Saviour is speaking to the Jews; and he tells them how dismal a Spectacle it would be to them, to fee Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God, and they themselves caft out; and Men should come from the Eaft, and from the Weft, and from the North, and from the South, and fhould fit down in the Kingdom of God; and then he adds, Behold, there are laft which shall be firft, and there are first which fhall be laft. This, I think, is pretty fair to our Purpose: But if it be not plain enough, mind how our Saviour himself explains it in another Text, I mean Matt. viii. ver. 11, 12. Many, faith he, shall come from the Eaft, and from the Weft, and shall fit down with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven: But the Children of the Kingdom (that is, the whole

Genera

Generation of Ifrael, who received not the Gospel at the preaching of Chrift and his Apoftles) fhall be caft out into outer Darkness. Sure here is a fufficient Explanation of his laft being firft, and the first laft.

Again, I have interpreted the other Sentence of our Saviour, of the many being called, and few being chofen, to fignify the general Invitation which Chrift first made to the Jewish Nation to believe in him, and the Fewnefs of thofe that came in upon this Invitation. Now, for the Truth of this likewife, I have a Text of the Gospel to refer you to; there is but one other Text where our Saviour ufeth thefe Words, Many are called, but few chofen. And it is likewife at the Foot of a Parable as he ufeth them here; the Place is Matt. xxii. 14. Now I appeal to all Men, that will confider that Parable, whether this Sentence muft not neceffarily have the fame Senfe there, which we do put upon it here. Our Saviour in that Place defcribes the Kingdom of Heaven, or the State of the Gofpel in the World, by the Similitude of a King, that fent forth his Servants to invite all thofe of his Royal City to the Marriage-Feaft of his Son: But these Citizens, when they were invited, refufed to come; made light of the Invitation, and went their Ways, one to his Farm, another to his Merchandize; nay, and the rest took

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the King's Servants and treated them fpitefully, and flew them. Here is a true Description of the Ufage that our Lord Jefus Chrift and his Apostles met with from the Jews, whom he invited to partake of his Supper. Upon this the King faith to his Servants, The Wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy. Go therefore into the High-way, and as many as ye fball find, invite them to the Marriage; and the Event was, that by this Means the Wedding was furnished with Guets. Here now is a plain Account of Chrift's taking in the Gentiles to be the Citizens of his Kingdom inftead of the Jews. Well; after this follows the Aphorifm that we are now upon, For many are called, but few are chofen. What can this refer to, but to the Multitude of the Jews that were invited to Chrift's Religion, and the Fewness of them that embraced it? This was the Defign of the Parable; and, I dare fay, this was the Meaning of that Sentence which concluded it.

But I will offer no more Proof for the Truth of this Account which I have given of my Text, because I would no longer fpend my Time in a Thing that looks like a Controverfy. I think I have faid enough to convince any unbiafs'd Man, that this is the true Sense of our Saviour's Words; and therefore I will now build upon it.

And