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all the rest of the earth, and gross darkness the people"."

Yet when, ages after the delivery of this prediction, a star in the heavens announced the rising of the Sun of righteousness, and conducted distant sages to him who, though born "the glory of his people, Israel," was yet to "be a light to lighten the Gentiles" " this prophecy was in part fulfilled ; and in the homage which they rendered to him, God's "name was great among the heathen." More illustriously was this prediction fulfilled, when the "sound" of the inspired heralds of salvation

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going forth into all lands, and their words unto the ends of the earth "," God's "name was great among the Gentiles ;" and they who had offered to sensual deities a sensual and corrupting worship, rendered to the living and true God the incense of praise and thanksgiving, and the pure and spiritual offering of renewed affections and holy lives.

But future ages are to behold the literal and full accomplishment of this prophecy, when" the blindness which has happened unto Israel "" being removed, "they shall look on him whom they pierced," and receive him as their Saviour and Redeemer; and when "the fulness of the Gentiles having come in',' "the north giving up, and the

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south keeping not back," the sons of the spiritual Zion coming from far, and her daughters from the ends of the earth, the fold of salvation shall embrace all the children of men-Then, "from the rising of the sun, even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering. For my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of Hosts."

I. The character of the Gospel dispensation.

II. The promise of its extension and

III. The certainty of this event-as set forth in this passage, are the propositions which I now to illustrate.

propose

I. The character of the Gospel dispensation is displayed in this passage, in two particulars. "God's name shall be great among the heathen."

“Incense shall be offered unto him, and a pure offering."

1. "God's name," the Scripture appellation for his character and attributes", was great among

• Exodus xxxiii. 19. Psalm viii. 1, 9. Ibid. lxxvi. 1. Ibid. xxii. 22. John xvii. 26.

the Gentiles, when, under the Gospel dispensation, they beheld the displays of his power.

What was the spectacle which astonished and converted the Gentile world, and led them to magnify the Lord of Hosts? The Cross of a despised Nazarene was borne by a band of contemned Galileans, taken from the refuse of the people, destitute of learning, of power, and of wealth. And they beheld this Cross obtaining victories which philosophy had never achieved, bringing the lofty imaginations and impure passions of the human heart into captivity to a humble system of faith, and a holy code of morals. They listened to répresentations of the divine nature, character, and attributes, from the lips of fishermen of Galilee, infinitely transcending, in purity and spirituality, all the speculations which their philosophers, by all the powers of genius, had enforced and recommended. The instructions of the marketplace, where the disciples of Jesus had stood at the receipt of custom, far excelled the lectures of the porch, where philosophic sages professed to disperse the lore of ages.

They heard, too, those lessons of divine wisdom, delivered in all the languages of the world by men universally known to be destitute of human learn

ing. They beheld these same preachers of the Cross making all nature attest the truths which they proclaimed. They spake the word in the name of their Master; and the laws of nature were

controlled, and its operations changed and suspended. "God's name was great among the heathen;" for by his mighty hand, and stretched-out arm, by his word, and his power, were all these wonderful works wrought-and they "glorified God, who had given such power unto men"."

2. "God's name was great among the heathen," when, under the Gospel dispensation, he was displayed in all the perfection and splendour of his character and attributes.

Not like the gods whom the Gentiles had ignorantly worshipped, the subjects, and often the sport, of human passions; "but the Father of spirits';" infinitely removed from the grossness of corporeal appetites, and from the agitations of sensual passions; and dwelling in the highest heavens in a region pure and splendid as his own perfect nature; surrounded with light which no man can approach unto; a God wise as powerful, good as holy, merciful as just. Not like some heathen deity, impotently attempting to counteract the decrees of destiny, or mingling in the affairs of men only to perplex them; but ruling over all with power indeed resistless, but with goodness unbounded; the benefactor and the protector of his creatures, hearing their prayers, relieving their wants, succouring their infirmities, soothing their sorrows, and elevating their joys. Beholding him in the per

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fection of his character and attributes, his "name was great" among them—they revered his power, they extolled his goodness.

3. "God's name was great among the heathen," when, under the Gospel dispensation, his will was proclaimed clear, strong, full, and holy.

Then it was that they saw wisdom descend from her celestial abode and convey instruction to the cottage as well as to the palace, to the clown as well as to the sage, to the houseless wanderer as well as to him who reposed in the splendid dome: instruction, not embarrassed by the refinements and distinctions of a metaphysical philosophy, nor encumbered by the learning of the schools, but clear and plain to the humblest understanding-not weak and deficient in its delineations and rules, but strong and perfect in every part of its laws of morals-not laying undue stress on some particular acts of virtue, more clearly delineated and enforced; but full in its exhibition of every part of duty-not tarnishing the lustre of its moral system by the admission, into its hallowed code, of dispositions and principles and acts, hostile to humility, to meekness, and to purity; but shining forth with a lustre as pure as it was splendid, at utter variance with every thing sensual, revengeful, and proud. "God's name was great among the heathen," when they were led to embrace that elevated system of morals which, in the Gospel,

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