And are the Jews of this day less neighbours to us, than those in our Lord's day were to the Samaritans ? Yet have we seen the perishing condition of that whole nation, without any suitable emotions, or any efforts made by us in their behalf. We may extenuate our fault as we will ; but, in the sight both of God and man, we have been guilty of most grievous in- humanity.
Consider, next, the injustice of our conduct. God has given to us the Scriptures, not for ourselves only, but for the whole world also : his command to all who possess them is, (for we must not limit it to his immediate disciples,) " Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature :" and so far was he from excepting the Jews, that he required a pre- ference to be shewn to them, and particularly enjoined, that the first offer of salvation should be made to ihem\ This preference his Apostles continued to shew, till the obstinacy of the Jews constrained them to manifest towards the Gentiles an indiscriminate regard. But, if we suppose the preference to the Jews to be no longer enjoined, can we imagine that they are to be altogether neglected ? Very different will our judgment be, if we consult what St. Paul has written on this subject : " As ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief, even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy1." The meaning of which passage, I conceive, is this : God withdrew his mercy from his ancient people, that he might impart it to you Gen- tiles ; but, in imparting it to you, he never designed that it should be finally withheld from them : on the contrary, he now makes you the depositaries of his word for their good, that, through the mercy vouch- safed to you, they may be led to a renewed enjoy- ment of the blessings which they in former ages ex- clusively possessed. Thus have they a claim upon us : we are actually " debtors to themm :" and, whilst we withhold from them the blessings which are entrusted
k Luke xxiv. 47. l Rom. xi. 30, 31. m Rom. xv. 26, 27.