everlasting peace. Say not in the bottom of your hearts, What have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth, calling us to take up our cross and follow thee? art thou come to torment us? Let it not be said that you hate knowledge, and do not choose the fear of the Lord, lest that dreadful sentence overtake you, "as for those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them, bring them hither and slay them before me." Consider with yourselves, what would you have thought of Cornelius, if he had slighted Peter's message when he came to him? If it had been left upon record that he turned a deaf ear to the heavenly instruction that was brought him, would you not have thought him a very stupid, inconsiderate person, fatally blind to his own interest, unthankful to God, and utterly unworthy of the least degree of mercy from him? And what better are we, if we always resist the Holy Ghost, harden our hearts in unbelief, and continue unconverted under the word of life, by the appointment and grace of God ministered unto us? For God still sends his messengers and ambassadors upon the same errand of converting and saving men, and is still ready to accompany it with his power, and has the same will to make it as effectual to their salvation, as it was to Cornelius. But what I would observe farther to you upon this head is, that though the ministers of the Gospel are chiefly appointed to the work, and watch for your souls as they that must give account, and upon the peril of their souls must keep back nothing that is profitable for you, yet they are not the only persons who are capable of acting in God's stead, and authorized to do it. It is in the power of all others to help every man his brother, by speaking a word in season; and their duty to do it, as God gives them ability; and they will do it, if they have a lively sense of God's mercies in Christ upon their own minds, and of the

dangerous condition of those who are still in the darkness of their heathen state, and who, though in words they' profess Christ, yet deny him in their works, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them. And what is here said more especially concerns masters and mistresses of families, who are certainly as much bound to take care of the souls as the bodies of all that belong to them; whose authority would greatly enforce whatever they do of this kind in God's name, and their words no doubt, in many instances, be blessed to the spiritual, everlasting advantage of their children and servants, and of husband and wife to each other. The seed may perish; but if it is not sown, we are sure it will never grow. God waits for and waits upon man's endeavours in this as he does in other cases, and does not work without them. Therefore, if thou wouldst be a Christian, speak, and hold not thy peace, and know that God is with thee to help thee. Own him in thy family by prayer, and Scripture reading, and let all about thee see that thou art more concerned for their and thine own eternal, than temporal welfare. If thy words fall to the ground, thou hast delivered thy own soul, but thou canst not be entitled to the blessing of faithful Abraham, if like him thou dost not command thy children and thy household after thee, to keep the way of the Lord. Gen. xviii. 19.

Having thus opened the history of Cornelius, and made such observations upon it as I thought worthy of your consideration; I shall another time, with God's help, set before you the words whereby he and his house were saved. The Lord prepare you for it. Read them Acts, x. Come prepared to the ministry of the word; receive it with meekness, with full submission to it, and earnest desire to profit by it; that so the Holy Ghost, whose coming to quicken a world dead in trespasses and

sins, and make ready a people prepared for the Lord, by faith in Christ, and faithful subjection to him, we this day commemorate, may take possession of your souls and bodies, and seal them to the great day of redemption; that by the same spirit we may all rise from our graves with God's mark in our foreheads, and enter into the joy of our Lord.

&c.

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God, who as at this time didst teach the hearts,"

Well, brethren; salvation is the errand upon which Peter is sent, and which Cornelius was beforehand prepared to receive. We may well suppose that the interval betwixt the angel's appearing and Peter's coming to him was an awful, dreadful point of time with him, and could not pass without deep reflection and many a troubled thought. It is probable he thought himself in a good way before, and had never entertained the least doubt concerning his state. And yet he is plainly given to understand that he had every thing to learn, and that God's truth was not yet come to him. He would naturally think with himself, I can have no doubt of the heavenly vision; I saw it evidently; and if what I am told in it is true, I am this moment in a most dangerous condition, and must perish if I die before the saving words are brought to me. Oh, with what concern, and trembling expectation, would this serious man wait for the hour of Peter's arrival! Who would not have wished to see with what eager transport he would run to meet and receive him; and especially, who would not have been present in that little assembly to hear the words of life; who would not but have heard St. Peter preach! He to whom Christ himself gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven-a perfect understanding of the way in which men should be admitted into it, and authority to declare it; he who was an eye-witness of the majesty of Christ, when there

came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;" he who was particularly commanded, when he was converted, to strengthen his brethren; he who had denied his Master with oaths and curses, but nevertheless obtained mercy, and therefore could speak of the pardoning love of God to others with more boldness and assurance; how desirable must it have been to hear him making known the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and receive the words of grace and salvation from his lips! And if nothing of his had been left upon record for the information and comfort of believers in all future ages, how should we have lamented the loss, and thought ourselves unhappy in being deprived of the instructions of so eminent an apostle! Why, blessed be God, here are the words he spoke upon this great, interesting occasion; here is the very sermon, amongst others, which he preached to Cornelius when he opened the kingdom of heaven to him, and in him to the whole body of the Gentiles. And the words of it are as powerful now in God's hands as they were then; the Holy Ghost is still ready to accompany it; and it would as certainly be blessed to your conversion and establishment in the faith, as it was to his, if you could but say with him, “ Now therefore are we all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God;" x. 33. Let us attend; with this belief, that to us is the word of this salvation sent, and that God now commands our attention to it.

Chap. x. 34, 35. "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation, he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him"-accepted, not for his own righteousness; for that Cornelius could not be, as I have before, showed at large, but to God's; to a

righteousness of his appointing, which he freely bestows, and can accept; to a new and holy state of grace, pardon, and the hope of eternal life in and through a Mediator. "For not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saves us by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he sheds on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;" Tit. iii. 5, 6. And his meaning is exactly agreeable to, and well explained by these words of St. Paul, "Is he the God of the Jews only, is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also;" Rom. iii. 29. So that they "who sometimes were far off, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise" (made to the Jews), “ are made nigh by the blood of Christ." And to this sense St. Peter explains himself; for thus he goes on:

Ver. 36. "The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all)" -the word which God sent unto the children of Israel, and which Peter was now sent to preach to the Gentiles, you see, is peace with God by Jesus Christ-for that he is "appointed heir of all things," Heb. i. 2.—" hath all power given him in heaven and earth," Matt. xxviii. 18, to govern, bless, and save mankind; all who come unto God by him, receive him into their hearts by faith, submit to his laws, and take him for their Lord and King to reign over them. So that, let them be what they will in other respects, if they refuse this, there is no other possible way of justification for

them.

Ver. 37, 38. "That word, I say, you know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began fr Galilee after the baptism which John preached: God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Gh and with power; who went about doing good, and