A history of the work of redemption. Containing the outlines of a body of…

After this, those foreign Jews that came to Jerusalem, took great notice of the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost, and the wonderful effects of it; and many of them were converted by it, viz. Parthians, Medes, El•mites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Egypt, and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and the strangers of Rome, Jews and Proselytes, Cretes and Arabians. And so they did not only carry back the news of the facts of Christianity, but Christianity itself, into their own countries with them; which contributed much to the spreading of it through the world.

After this, those foreign Jews that came to Jerusalem, took great notice of the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost, and the wonderful effects of it; and many of them were converted by it, viz. Parthians, Medes, El•mites, and the dwellers in Mesapotamia, and in Egypt, and the parts of Libyia about Cyrene, and the strangers of Rome, Jews and Proselytes, Cretes and Arabians. And so they did not only carry back the news of the facts of Christianity, but Christianity itself, into their own countries with them; which contributed much to the spreading of it through the world.

Again, another way that the dispersion of the Jews contributed to the setting up of the gospel kingdom in the world was, that it opened a door for the introduction of the apostles in all place, where they came to preach the gospel. For almost in all places where they came to preach the gospel, they found Jews, and synagogues of the Jews, where the holy scriptures were wont to be read, and the true God worshipped; which was a great advantage to the apostles in their spreading the gospel through the world. For their way was, into whatever city they came, first to go into the synagogue of the Jews, (they being people of the same nation), and there to preach the gospel unto them. And hereby their coming, and their new doctrine, was taken notice of by their Gentile neighbours, whose curiosity excited them to hear what they had to say; which became a fair occasion to the apostles to preach the gospel to them. It appears that it was thus▪ by the account we have of things in the Acts of the Apostles. These Gentiles having been before, many of them, prepared in some measure, by the knowledge they had of the Jews religion, and of their worship of one God, and of their prophecies, and expectation of a Messiah; which knowledge they derived from the Jews, who had long been their neighbours; this opened the door for the gospel to have access to them. And the work of the apostles with them was doubtless much easier than if they never had heard any thing before of any expectation of such a person as the apostles preached, or any thing about the worship of one only true God.