Gentiles received these tidings was immediately made mani- fest : " they heard the Apostle with gladness, and glorified the word of the Lord : and as many of them as were ordained to eternal life, believed e."
Thus, in reference both to Jews and Gentiles, was this pro- phecy clearly and undeniably fulfilled.]
But it will be proper to view these prophecies,
II. As events yet daily accomplishing —
Verily God is yet found of those who sought him not —
[We speak not now of men's conduct after they have re- ceived the grace of God ; for no man who has been made partaker of God's grace can possibly neglect to seek him. But the question is, Whence arose their good desires ? were they of themselves, or of God ? Let this be answered from our Liturgy : " O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed," Yes, it is " God, who of his own good pleasure gives us both to will and to do ;" or, as our article expresses it, " who worketh in us, that we may have a good will, and worketh with us when we have that good will." And here we will appeal to every humble mind, to every one that has found the Saviour in truth ; What was your state when God first stirred you up to seek him ? Were you not careless and unconcerned, or, at least, resting in a mere form of godliness, without any experience of its power ? Did you apprehend him, before he apprehended you ? Did you love him, before he loved you ? Did you choose him, before he chose you? A proud Pharisee may arrogate to himself the glory, and say, that he made himself to differ : but so will not any one who is really taught of God. The true Christian will say with Paul, " It was not I, but the grace of God that was with me." Wherever there is one really united to Christ by faith, and washed in his blood, and renewed by his Spirit, there is one who will say from his inmost soul, " By the grace of God I am what I am."]
On the other hand, thousands who are sought by God with all imaginable tenderness, yet continue in a state of wilful and obstinate disobedience —
[This is the case with the generality of those who bear the name of Christ. God comes to them by his providence, his word, his Spirit, and seeks to turn them to himself: but they pull away the shoulder, and refuse to " hear the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely." For how many years
e Acts xiii. 48.