SUMMARY OF DISCOURSE XII. ACTS, CHAP. X.-VERSES 34, 35. SOME men have been bold enough to despise and reject the offer of salvation by the gospel, conceiving themselves authorised by this text to live according to the principles and light of nature: hence worth while to examine its real meaning. It is shown that the Jews had a notion, that the blessings of the promised Messiah were to be confined to themselves; which notion the disciples, and especially St. Peter, entertained: the former however were soon convinced that God had also unto the Gentiles granted repentance unto life (Acts xi. 18), and the latter, comparing Cornelius's vision with his own, expresses his own conviction of the same truth in the words of the text. In his confession, to be accepted with God, has the same meaning as the expression, repentance unto life, in theirs; both mean admission into the covenant of God through Christ: so that the text signifies, that God has not confined his mercies to a particular nation; but that all are capable of inheriting his promises in Christ, who are duly prepared by righteousness and the fear of God.' This farther shown by an examination of the case of Cornelius, and what the acceptance was which he found. He was a Gentile, and one of the best; yet this did not make it unnecessary for him to become a Christian: indeed the vision was sent for a contrary purpose; to inform him where he might seek and find a proper instructor: nor could St. Peter mean that those who did their best, on the light of nature, had no need of any other teacher; else he would not have instructed him in the knowlege, and baptized him in the name of Christ. St. Peter meant that all Gentiles, duly prepared, were capable of the mercies of the gospel, in opposition to his former error, that the Jews only had this privilege. Hence we may learn what is the true notion of that acceptance to which the Gentiles are thus entitled. But a difficulty arises from the terms to which St. Peter limits this privilege; viz. to those only who fear God and work righteousness; which seems to take it for granted that we are possessed of the main thing for which the privilege is given; inasmuch as it is one great end of Christianity to teach us those things. To clear up this matter, a consideration of Heb. xi. 6. recommended: : a man cannot offer himself to God, much less enter into the covenant of his mercy, without a firm persuasion of his Being, and a due notion of his attributes: without this the gospel cannot be so much as tendered to him; for it does not teach, but supposes this doctrine: St. Peter therefore must not be understood as limiting the mercies of God to certain persons of the best character, but rather as declaring the natural order of things it is frequently taught that Christ came to save sinners; and therefore he exhorted to repentance, as John the Baptist did before him. : But should the case of the devout Cornelius incline us to think that St. Peter meant a greater degree of goodness than was commonly to be found, this will show that the best of men stand in need of the assistance of the gospel to secure to themselves the end of their hopes: those who are of a different opinion, are recommended to consider the high moral character of Cornelius, and then ask themselves, why God should send a vision to him and to St. Peter for the purpose of making him a Christian. It may be asked perhaps, what would have become of Cornelius, had he died, as he lived, without coming to the knowlege of Christ? a question of speculation more than profit, and which can no way affect us who are called to that knowlege. We may well take it for granted, that, had he so died, he would have found rest to his soul through God's mercy. It concerns us more to consider, what his case would have been, if he had rejected the call made by St. Peter, and insisted on his own merits and virtue, in opposition to the grace offered him by the gospel: would this have been a pardonable error? could he have maintained his former character, after such contempt? and what would his future works have been worth, after he had renounced that sacrifice which alone could sanctify them? Yet bad as his supposed case would have been, it is the case of those who, having been betimes instructed in the knowlege of the gospel, reject it under the color of preserving the purity of natural religion; for the voice of God is the same, whether he speaks by his Apostles, or by his Angels. DISCOURSE XII. ACTS, CHAP. X.-VERSES 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. THESE words, if not carefully attended to, may seem to carry a sense contrary to the meaning of the Apostle in delivering them. St. Peter in the text declares that God, without respect to any national or personal privileges, was ready to admit all people into the covenant made with Christ Jesus, provided they were duly prepared for such admission. Some from his words have concluded that there is no necessity of becoming disciples of Christ, but that it is sufficient if we live according to the principles and light of nature; forasmuch as 'every one who feareth God, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him :' and thus supported, as they think, by one passage of Scripture, they have been emboldened to despise and reject all the rest as of no use to them, and to put their salvation on their own strength, in opposition to the method revealed and declared by the Son of God. This error is common, as well as dangerous: and since the great regard which some pay to moral virtue is purely opposition to the gospel, it is worth while to examine this passage of St. Peter, and to place his meaning in a true light, that the doctrine of the gospel may not be overthrown by its own authority. The Jews had a notion that the blessings of the promised Messiah were to be peculiar to themselves, and not to be extended to any other nation or people whatever, whom they looked on as aliens from God, and not under his care and protection, as they were. Hence in the Prophets they plead their privilege, and tell God that he is not God of the heathen, but of the people of Israel; which conceit of theirs St. Paul refers to and confutes in his Epistle to the Romans: Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? yes, of the Gentiles also.' The disciples of our Lord, and especially St. Peter, were as deep in this opinion as others; and during our Saviour's abode or earth, they were confirmed in it by what they observed in him: he declared, he was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel:' and when he sent out his disciples to preach, he expressly charged them not to go into the way of the Gentiles, nor to enter into any city of the Samaritans; but to go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel :' and after his resurrection, when he enlarged their commission, and bade them 'Go, teach all nations;' they understood him not, but were inquisitive about his restoring the kingdom to Israel.' After the ascension, the Apostles continued at Jerusalem preaching to their own nation, till, on the persecution of St. Stephen, many fled into other parts, and though they went as far as Phenice, Cyprus, and Antioch, yet they 'preached the word to none but Jews only:' Acts xi. 19. And when St. Peter, admonished by an heavenly vision, had admitted some Gentiles into the church of Christ through baptism, he was called to an account for it by the Apostles and brethren who were in Judea, chap. xi. 1 : nor were they satisfied, till he had told them what vision he had seen, what also Cornelius had seen, and in what a miraculous manner the Holy Ghost was poured forth on the Gentiles, before he ventured to baptize them and then under the astonishment of this conviction they held their peace, blaming his behavior no longer; but glorified God, saying, 'Then hath God also unto the Gentiles granted repentance unto life:' Acts xi. 18. St. Peter himself was equally surprised, when he found, by comparing Cornelius's vision with his own, that God had determined to admit the Gentiles as well as the Jews into the church of Christ; and he expresses himself in the same manner, though not just in the same words, with the Apostles and brethren. They say, 'Then hath God also unto the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.' St. Peter says,' 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.' These two reflexions, as |