Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

¹8. Consider Christs ordination of his Apostles. He chose twelve, whom he Named Apostles: and what was the office of these Apostles, but to Go and teach all Nations? The Gospel was first Preached in Jewry, but afterwards the sound of it came unto us. Out of Zion shall go forth the Law, ²and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Gildas affirms plainly, That Britain received the Gospel in the time of Tiberius, under whom Christ suffered: and that Joseph of Arimathea, after the dispersion of the Jews, was sent of Philip the Apostle from France to Britain, and here remained in this Land all his time. ³Nicephoras adds, That Simon Zealots did spread the Gospel Christ to the West Ocean, and brought the same into the Isles of Britain. Howsoever it was brought hither, of this we are sure; that Christ was first discovered to his Apostles, and from the Apostles was discovered to our fore-Fathers, and from them unto us, and from us will be the discovery to others to the end of the world. O the goodness of God in Christ! What? That repentance and remission of Sins, should be preached in his Name, beginning at Jerusalem; ⁴and afterwards among all Nations? Of what near concernment, O my soul, is this to thee? What art thou but a sinner of the Gentiles? Understand that term! When the Apostle would express the greatest sinners that the World had, he calls them Sinners of the Gentiles; ⁵Why? the Gentiles knew not God, the Gentiles were unacquainted with Christ, the Gentiles walked in nothing but sin; O then what a love is this, that God should ever have thought of good will towards thee? surely this is one of the great mysteries of Godliness, ⁶God manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, seen of Angels, preached unto the Gentiles: What? that sinners, and the worst of sinners, should be made the subjects of the utmost discovery of Christ, and the Gospel of Christ? this is a mystery indeed; had Christ sent his Apostles to proclaim the riches of his Grace to some Jews only, or to some unspotted souls among the Gentiles (if any such were) whose hearts might presently have fallen down before it, this had been something suitable; but, that sinners of the Gentiles, that Children of wrath should be the subject of this great design. O the Mystery! q. d. Go my Apostles into all the Nations of the world;