Of these, some addressed themselves exclusively to the _Jews_: others ventured so far, as to make an experiment upon the _Grecians_. Unfortunately, these terms are, neither of them, wholly free from ambiguity. By the word _Jews_, may have been meant either Jews by _birth_ and _abode_, or Jews by _religion_: by the word _Grecians_, either Jews who, born or dwelling within the field of quondam Grecian dominion, used the Greek as their native language,--or Greeks, who were such, not only by language, but by religion. In this latter case, their lot was among the Gentiles, and much more extraordinary and conspicuous was the importance of the success. "They which preach the Gospel, should live of the Gospel." Such, in his own words, 1 Cor. 9:14, is the maxim laid down by Paul, for the edification of his Corinthian disciples. To save doubts and disputation, he prefaces it with the assurance--"even so hath the Lord ordained." No great need of support from revelation, seems to attach upon a maxim so natural, and so reasonable: from the time of the first planting of the Gospel, it appears to have been, as indeed it could not fail to be, universally acted upon; saving such few exceptions as a happy union of zeal, with sufficient pecuniary means, might render possible. How, under the Apostolical aristocracy, it had been acted upon in Jerusalem, has been seen already. The time was now come,--for its being established, and acted upon in Antioch. At Jerusalem, under the spiritual dominion of the Apostles, lived a man of the name of _Agabus_. Among the endowments,--of which, in the character of _qualifications_, a demand was by some understood to be created, by the business of propagating the new religion,--qualifications, a list of which, according to his conception of it, Paul, 1 Cor. 12:10, has given us,--was one, which, among these endowments, was called the "_gift of prophecy_":--a gift, under which, as under that of speech in general, particularly when applied to occasions of importance, the faculty of _prediction_--of forming correct judgments respecting future contingencies--would, if not necessarily, very frequently at least, come to be included. In the instance of the _prophecy_ here in question, this same prospective faculty, it should seem, was actually included. The _fact_, for the purpose of predicting, or giving information of which, this useful emissary was, on the present occasion, sent from Jerusalem to Antioch,--was--that of signifying, that there should be a great dearth: an _inference_ deduced from it, was--that, at this same Antioch, for the relief of the brethren at Jerusalem, _contributions_ should be collected, and sent to Jerusalem. ACTS xi. 27-30.