--either their distance from us, their barbarous and savage manner of
living, the danger of being killed by them, the difficulty of
procuring the necessaries of life, or the unintelligibleness of their
languages.

FIRST, as to their distance from us, whatever objections might have
been made on that account before the invention of the mariner's
compass, nothing can be alledged for it, with any colour of
plausibility in the present age. Men can now sail with as much
certainty through the Great South Sea, as they can through the
Mediterranean, or any lesser Sea. Yea, and providence seems in a
manner to invite us to the trial, as there are to our knowledge
trading companies, whose commerce lies in many of the places where,
these barbarians dwell. At one time or other ships are sent to visit
places of more recent discovery, and to explore parts the most
unknown; and every fresh account of their ignorance, or cruelty,
should call forth our pity, and excite us to concur with providence in
seeking their eternal good. Scripture likewise seems to point out this
method, _Surely the Isles shall wait for me; the ships of Tarshish
first, to bring my sons from far, their silver, and their gold with
them, unto the name of the Lord, thy God._ Isai. lx. 9. This seems to
imply that in the time of the glorious increase of the church, in the
latter days, (of which the whole chapter is undoubtedly a prophecy,)
commerce shall subserve the spread of the gospel. The ships of
Tarshish were trading vessels, which made voyages for traffic to
various parts; thus much therefore must be meant by it, that
_navigation_, especially that which is _commercial_, shall be one
great mean of carrying on the work of God; and perhaps it may imply
that there shall be a very considerable appropriation of wealth to
that purpose.