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hold, that Old Testament saints and believers who have lived since the day of Pentecost shall not be together in glory; — and that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are not members of that Church which is the Bride and the Lamb's Wife. Both the present verse, and the one following, and the kindred passage in Matthew, (Matt. viii. II.) appear distinctly to contradict this notion.
29. — [Thify shall come.'] This verse describes the calling of the Gentiles of all nations, and people, and tongues into the Church. They are to sit down in the same kingdom with the patriarchs and prophets.
[East.,.we8t,.,north.,,south^ Bengel suggests the idea that these points of the compass are intentionally arranged thus, to show the order in which the Gentiles would be called in all over the world. It certainly is a fact that the Gospel first took root in Syria and Asia Minor, then spread on to the West of Europe and along the shores of the Mediterranean, then tinned north- ward to the Scandinavian nations and Britain, and since that time has spread, wherever it has spread, toward the south, in Africa, Asia, South America, and the South Pacific Ocean.
30. — [nere are last,,, first,,, are first,. Mist!] This is a proverbial expression which was literally fulfilled when the Gt>spel was first preached, and has often been fulfilled since, both in churches and individuals. The Jews who were first became last, and the Gentiles who were last became first. The churches of Asia Minor and Africa were called first, and were famous when Britain was only a field for missionaries. But now those churches have become last, and the British Churches fill the foremost position in Christendom. And they too, " if they continue not in God's goodness, will be cut off." (Bom. xi. 22.)