I come in the 4th Place, to confider the general Character or Defcription of Christ given in those Words, The Defire of all Nations fhall come.

The whole World was at that Time diftinguished by thofe two general Denominations of Jews and Gentiles.

With Regard to the Jews, it is evident, that the Meffiah was the univerfal Defire of that whole Nation. I shall cite a few Paffagesto fhew this-when St. Paul was giving an Account to the Jews of Rome of his Imprifonment and Appeal to Cæfar, he lays, that for the Acts 28. 20. Hope of Ifrael, he was bound with that Chain. That is, the true Caufe of his Profecution, was his having preached every where that Jefus Chrift was that very Meffiah, who had been fo long hoped for, and ardently defired by the whole Nation of the Jews.

7.

And in his Defence, before Agrippa, he Acts 26. 6, pleads the very fame Thing, And now I ftand, and am judged for the Hope of the Promife made of God unto our Fathers, unto which Promije our twelve Tribes, inftantly ferving God Day and Night, hope to come. So that the coming of the promised Meffiah was the conftant Subject of their Prayers Acts 2. 25.and Devotions. St. Luke tells us, that Si

meon

meon a juft and devout Man was, at the Time of Chrift's Birth, waiting for the Confolation of Ifrael. This was the common Phrafe by which they expreffed the Messiah, infomuch that they were wont to swear by their Defire to see the Confolation of Ifrael, as a Teft that they were true Ifraelites. Qur bleffed Saviour confirms this, when he tells his Difciples, that many Prophets and Kings Luke bad defired to fee the Things which they faw," and to hear the Things which they heard. And he tells the Jews, that many Ages before this, Abraham rejoiced to see his Day, John 8. 56. and he faw it and was glad. He saw it in the Promise which God made to him, that in his Seed, which was Christ the Meffiah, All Nations of the Earth fhould be bleffed.

It is evident from these and many other Paffages, that the Meffiah was the Defire and Expectation of the Jews univerfally, and good Reason there was for it, because he was the main Subject of the Prophefies and Promises for many Ages, and all the folemn Parts of their Worship were Types of him, and plainly pointed to him.

With Refpect to the Gentiles, tho' it cannot be faid that they had the fame Grounds

of

IO.

Gen. 22,18

of Defire and Expectation, yet two Things: are evident with Regard to them.

ift, That they had fome Expectations of the coming of the Meffiah into the World.

2d, That all wife and virtuous Men among the Heathens were defirous of those Bleffings, which he brought with him, tho' they did not know the Hand that was to bring them.

Ift, The Gentiles had fome Notions and Expectations of the coming of the Meffiah, in the Ages preceding his Nativity. I do not say that they expected any one to appear with the precife Characters of our Jefus, who was to die for the Redemption of the World, and after his Refurrection, was to set up a spiritual Kingdom, and have all Power both in Heaven and Earth vefted in him; but that they expected fome mighty Prince, endued with extraordinary Power, to appear foon in the World. This has been so often proved out of the Hiftorians of those Times, that I fhall only mention two or three Paffages. The first is out of Suetonius,

"That it was

Suetonius, to this * Effect,
" a very prevailing and conftant Opinion
thorough all the East, that Fate had de-
"creed that fome who were to come out
"of Judæa, should obtain fupream Power
"and Dominion." Tacitus has a Paffage
ftill more exprefs" Many People, fays
"that Historian, were perfuaded that Hints
"were found in the antient Books of the

Priefts, that in that very Age a mighty "Power was to arife in the East, and that "fome coming out of Judaa fhould ob"tain fupream Power and Dominion.

These remarkable Paffages feem to be verified and illuftrated in the Perfon of our bleffed Saviour, who after his Refurrection, afferts his univerfal Empire in thofe Words to his Apostles, All Power is given to me Matth. 28, in Heaven and Earth; Go ye therefore and1s. teach all Nations, &c.

And fome learned Men have thought, that the Prediction of the Return of the Golden Age, which Virgil borrowed from

percrebuerat Oriento toto vetus & conftans Opinio Effe in fatis ut Judæa profecti, rerum potirentur. Sue

tonius in Vita Titi.

+ Pluribus inerat perfuafio, antiquis Sacerdotum libris contineri, eo tempore fore ut valefceret. Oriens, profectiq; Judæa rerum potirentur. Tacitus.

the Sybils, and applies in Compliment to Pollio's Son, pointed originally to the Perfon and Character of our Saviour; for when he describes thofe glorious and happy Times, when Peace, and Concord, and Love should reign thorough the World, infomuch that even the Herds should not be afraid of the Lions, and that no venomous Serpent, or any poisonous and deadly Thing should remain, all these rhetorical Defcriptions feem to be borrowed from the Prophet Ifaiah, who foretelling the Love, and Harmony, and mutual Charity, which the Religion of Christ should propagate thorough the World, ufes thofe fignificant Figures of Speech, Ifai. 11.7,8. The Cow and the Bear shall feed; their young ones fhall lie down together, and the Lion shall eat Straw like the Ox; and the fucking Child Shall play on the Hole of the Alp, and the weaned Child shall put his Hand on the Cockatrice's Den; they fhall not burt nor deftroy in all my holy Mountain.

It is eafy to account for these popular Notions among the Heathens, and to trace them up to their Originals in the old Testament; for the Jews being difperfed and mixed among the Gentiles, by Means of the two Captivities, it is natural to imagine

that