2. In honour —
[It is not the poor only that shall devote themselves to God in that day, but the rich also. Hitherto " not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble have been called8:" but then it shall not be so: for all the great and mighty of the earth " shall bring their sons in their arms, and their daughters (in litters) upon their shoulders ; and kings shall be the nursing-fathers of the Church, and queens her nursing-mothers." As for the enemies of the Church, they shall all be prostrate before her, and " lick up the very dust of her feet : " and God shall be as manifestly revealed among them as ever he was in the days of oldh.
Is it asked, How shall this great change be effected ? We answer, " God will lift up his hand to the Gentiles, and set up his standard to the people : " he will cause the standard of the cross to be erected in every place, and by the influence of his Spirit will reveal his Son in the hearts of men; "making them willing in the day of his power," and rendering " his Gospel the power of God to the salvation of their souls."
Perhaps in this passage there is a more immediate and ex- plicit declaration of the way in which God's ancient people the Jews shall be converted to the faith. We have reason from St. Paul to think, that an extraordinary conversion of the Gentiles shall precede the restoration of the Jews1: and here, it should seem, that God will make the efforts of those Gen- tiles instrumental to the conversion of his once-favoured people: " I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters on their shoulders." Surely this thought should animate us to diffuse as far as possible the knowledge of salvation through the heathen world, that, the Gentiles being made partakers of this grace, the Jews may be provoked to jealousy to seek it for themselves k.]
Let us now contemplate, II. The encouragement it affords us for Missionary exertions — Is such a glorious prospect held forth to us, and shall we be indifferent about it, or entertain a doubt of its being realized in due season? No: we will ex- pect it rather, and by anticipation rejoice in it : for,
1. God is able to effect this great thing — [Were this promised event to be produced by human efforts only, we might well doubt whether it should ever be
e 1 Cor. i. 26. h ver. 23.
» Rom. xi. 25, 2G. k Rom. xi. 11—14.