goe to the Gentiles. But then Act. 13. 46. they fore∣tell
them what they are to doe, Paul and Barnabas
waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of
God should first have been spoken to you (which referres,
I suppose, to the precept of Christ, that made it neces∣sary)
but seeing ye have put it from you, &c. loe we
turn to the Gentiles. And when v. 47. they urge the
Lords commandment for so doing, it is not this parting
precept of Christ, but one out of the prophet Isaiar,
c. 49. 6. I have set thee to be a light to the Gentiles, &c.
And the same I conceive before intimated, v. 40, 41.
Beware lest that come upon you (Jewes) which is spoken
of in the prophet, Behold yee despisers and wonder and
perish, for I work a work which you shall in no wise be∣leive,
&c. that is, upon the Jewes despising and holding
out obstinately against the preaching of the Gospel, v.
45. 'twas prophecied that they should be destroyed,
and about the same time the Gospel should be re∣moved,
and preach'd to the heathen world, An incre∣dible
thing which should amaze the Jewes, and be
matter of great wonderment to them, (and so it is said
of them upon the like occasion of the Christian Jewes,
that they were astonyed c. 10. 45.) What was thus
foretold at Antioch by S. Paul is again repeated c. 18.
6 to the Jewes at Corinth, where upon their resisting
and blaspheming, he shakes his garment (an embleme of
their approaching ruine, like the shaking off the dust
from their feet;) and tells them, From henceforth I will
goe to the Gentiles, and presently enters into the house of
Justus a prosclyte, v. 7. This is after most fully done to
the Jewes at Rome, at the conclusion of the Acts c.
28. 28. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salva∣tion
of God is sent to the Gentiles, but that again upon
the obduration of the Jewes, v. 26, 27. All this makes
it appear that after Christs death the Gospel was by the
Apostles to be first preach'd to the Jewes to convince
them of their sinne of crucifying Christ (enlarged also
to the Samaritans by Christs command, Act. 1. 8. who
were, in their worshipping at mount Gerizzim, schis∣maticks,
and so separated from the Jewes, but other∣wise
were Jewes in religion) and that was a doing till
about the time that that fatall destruction fell upon that
nation, ch. 10. 23. But this not exclusively, but inclu∣sively
also to the preaching to all the nations and people
of the world, as the phrase is taken in the greatest lati∣tude
(when the Jewes should first have express'd their
obstinacy sufficiently) For so the words, as they are
repeated in S. Mark, must necessarily signifie, Goe into
all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature, to
those of the synagogue first, and then to others also.
Thus S. Luke hath set it down most distinctly, ch. 24.
47. that repentance and remission of sinnes should be
preached to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, where
Judaea in which Jerusalem is, is one of the all nations,
and they are to begin at Jerusalem, and from thence
first preach through all other parts of Judaea (and even
in the heathen cities) first of the native and proselyte
Jewes in their synag••gues, and proseuchae, (before
they went to the Gentiles) and so generally they con∣tinue
to doe, till the time of the destruction of that
people. The second argument for this rendring of the
word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, so as that it may primarily point to the Jewes,
is that of S. Paul, Gal. 2. viz. that S. Peter was intrusted
with the Gospel of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉, that is to preach
the Gospel particularly to the Jewes, and so again it
there appeareth of James and John, that they betook
themselves to the circumcision, that is, to the Jewes, v.
9. And 'tis observable how farre S. Peter was from un∣derstanding
this prec••pt in this place to oblige him at
that time (not long after Christs ascension) to preach to
the Gentiles, for in the b••sinesse of Cornelius Act. 10.
'tis clear, that he did not yet think it lawfull for him to
preach to that one Gentile, and for the commission of
Christ he repeats it thus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
v. 42. he commanded us to preach to the people, that is,
to the people of the Jewes (as the Rulers of the people
and Rulers of Israel are all one, and as that nation is
call'd 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the people, and as 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Act. 10. 41.
signifies all the Jewes) and 'tis manifest that before he
would venture to preach Christ to that one heathen.
God saw it necessary to send him a Vision, and by that
instructed him that the Gentiles were not to be look'd
on by him any longer as profane (or not to be conversed
with) but might be preach'd to, as well as the Jewes.
And this God confirm'd by sending down the holy Ghost
on these first fruits of the Gentiles, Cornelius and h••s
company (as he had done on the Apostles the first fruits
of the Jewes) to testifie this his pleasure from heaven
immediately. And accordingly v. 45. the beleiving
Jewes were astonished when they heard of this, and ch.
11. 1. 'tis said that the Apostles &c. in Judea heard of
this, and v. 2. they call Peter in question about it, and
he is fain to give them an account of his Vision, and the
descent of the holy Ghost upon them, as a testimony that
so 'twas to be, v. 16. and by that they are convinced
v. 18. and not till then.
[ c] V. 20. End of the world] It hath formerly been said
(Note on Mat. 24. c.) that there was a double age
famously spoken of among the Jewes, the then present
age, and the future age, or the state of things under
the Messias, from that time to the end of the world.
According to this, the destruction of that state. or end
of the first age, is taken notice of, as a famous period,
and is set down in that very style, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the
consummation, or conclusion of the age, Mat. 24. 3. and
Mat. 13. 40. where 'tis more distinctly, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
of this age, and so again Heb. 9. 26. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
the conclusion of the ages, in the Plurall, those last times,
Heb. 1. 2. wherein Christ came into the world. But
then other places there are, where it may be taken in
another sense, as Mat. 13. 43. where it may well sig∣nifie
the end of this other age, the conclusion of the world,
and so here Christs promise of his being with the A∣postles
unto the end of the world. For its to be observed
that this age being the Christian state or kingdome of
Christ, that doth most distinctly begin at his r••surrecti∣on,
all power being then given to him v. 18. and this
being the last age (no other state to succeed this,) it
followes necessarily, that this age then beginning, shall
not conclude, till the end of the world, And conse∣quently
Christs promise hath no other period to deter∣mine
it, but instates a power on the Apostles, and their
successours by this mission, and assisting and backing
them in the execution of their office, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
all the daies, the whole term of this new age.