addressed on this day. And O what a blessing it would be, if you all possessed the frame of mind then manifested by Cornelius and his company! Surely we might hope, in that case, that there should be somewhat of a similar blessing upon us, to the edification and salvation of all our souls. Let us particularly notice, I. What they expected Peter to declare unto them— Cornelius had had a special intimation that Peter was ordained of God to be his instructor in the way of life him, therefore, he regarded as God's Ambassador to his soul: and from him he hoped to hear, without any reserve, all that God had commissioned him to declare. Now, This is the light in which every minister of Christ should be viewed [Though we are not Apostles, yet are we ambassadors of God to the people of our charge, and have the same message to deliver now as the Apostles had in their day. We are to "preach peace by Jesus Christ" We are to declare the sufficiency of Christ to " save all that come unto God by hime And this salvation we are to proclaim indiscriminately to all, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether bond or free1.] " And you have a right to expect the utmost fidelity at our hands— [We are to "keep back nothing that is profitable unto you," but to "declare unto you the whole counsel of God." The express command of God to us is, "He that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfullys." We are to do this, whether men will hear, or whether they will forbear. God says to us, as he did to the Prophet Ezekiel: "Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee: for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel." And, as it is our duty, so it is also our privilege, confidently to affirm, that "what our eyes have seen, our ears have heard, and our hands have handled, of the word of life, that same declare we unto you."] But it is of peculiar importance that we should observe, II. In what frame of mind they were prepared to receive it We see in that assembly of heathens, 1. A reverential sense of the Divine presence— ["Now," said Cornelius," are we all here present before God." And should it not be so with us, whenever we come up to the house of God? As for that irreverent spirit which many betray in the house of God, yes, and which many manifest also when crowding to hear some popular preacher, we cannot but greatly disapprove of it, and bear our decided testimony against it. We should rather resemble the Israelites, when convened to hear Jehovah himself addressing them from Mount Sinai. Surely "God is greatly to be feared, and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him." And then only are we likely to profit from what we hear, when we conceive of God himself as speaking to us; and can adopt the words of Samuel, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth."] 2. A readiness to receive the word without gainsaying [We cannot conceive of one single person in that assembly as disposed to sit in judgment upon Peter's word. They would all receive it with the utmost readiness of mind. And it is in that way that the Gospel should be heard by all. We should "receive it with meekness, as an engrafted word." We see how submissive, so to speak, the tree is to him that engrafts upon it a scion of any kind: so, with entire submission, should we suffer the word of truth to be engrafted on our hearts, in order to its most perfect union with us, and its future production of the desired fruit. St. Paul's representation of this matter is peculiarly instructive. He represents the Gospel as a mould into which we are to be poured, in order that we may receive its entire character upon our souls'. That shews the tenderness of spirit with which we should hear the word, and the completeness of our subjection to it when so received.] 3. A determination of heart to obey it without reserve [That happy company embraced the word, just as the Bereans after them embraced itm. They disputed not about the way of salvation as incredible or insufficient, but believed Jam. i. 21. Rom. vi. 17. m Acts xvii. 11, 12. in Jesus as the true Messiah, the Saviour of the world. Nor should any thing in the Gospel prove a stumbling-block to us. Nothing should be regarded as "a hard saying." However mysterious the declarations of the Gospel may be, we should implicitly embrace it as "the wisdom of God:" and, however self-denying his precepts may be, we should obey them cheerfully, as "holy and just and good." "As new-born babes, we should desire the word" as the proper nutriment of our souls; and we should desire it, "that we may live and grow thereby"." Perhaps the most perfect pattern in the Scriptures is the blind man whom Jesus had restored to sight. After he had been_excommunicated by the rulers of his Church, the Lord Jesus sought him out, and asked him, "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" To which he replied, "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him"?" Now here was no information sought, but in order to its practical effect. And thus should we also be ready, not only to receive the word, but to take it as the entire rule both of our faith and practice.] APPLICATION [Let me now suppose you, my brethren, assembled in the very spirit of Cornelius and his friends. I have the very same message to deliver to you, as Peter delivered to them; "I preach to you peace by Jesus Christ" · You need this instruction as much as ever Cornelius did; for there is no other by which you, or any man living, can be saved. And for you it shall be as effectual as it was for him that you may all receive it as he did! Let there not be amongst you any of that character from whom St. Paul was constrained to turn in utter despondency But hear and believe, to the saving of your souls.] n 1 Pet. ii. 2. q ver. 44. • John ix. 35, 36. P Acts xi. 14. MDCCLXVI. SALVATION OFFERED EQUALLY TO ALL. Acts 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. GOD's purpose of love towards the Gentile world had been made known even from the time that God separated Abraham and his posterity as a peculiar people unto himself. The call of Abraham in an uncircumcised state, and the justifying of him by faith whilst he yet continued uncircumcised, was in itself a sign that God would not ultimately limit his mercies to those of the circumcision: and his declaration, that in Abraham and his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed, was a pledge that in due time all the nations of the earth, Gentiles as well as Jews, should be blessed in Christ. Our Lord had repeatedly informed his Disciples, that "he had other sheep, which were not of the Jewish fold;" and, that "many should come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and sit down with the Patriarchs in the kingdom of heaven;" whilst the Jews, the natural" children of that kingdom, should be cast out." He had given the express command, that "his Gospel should be preached to every creature" and he had actually "given to Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven," that he might open the gates thereof both to Jews and Gentiles. In obedience to this commission, Peter had opened the kingdom to the Jews on the day of Pentecost; but so entirely was he under the power of Jewish prejudice, that, for six years, both he, and all the other Apostles, had forborne to preach unto the Gentiles: nor, till he was overcome by the force of evidence which he could no longer doubt, would he believe that the Gentiles were to be admitted to the privileges of the Gospel. His doubts however being at last removed, he, with a mixture of surprise and joy, acknowledged his former error, and proclaimed the blessed truth which we have just read to you. We propose to state, I. The import of his words Plain as the words of our text appear, they have been very differently interpreted by different persons; some supposing them to be decisive upon points, wherewith, in the eyes of others, they have no immediate connexion. We will endeavour therefore to shew, 1. What they do not mean [They do not, as many imagine, restrict the Supreme Being in the exercise of his grace. God's grace is his own; and he dispenses it according to his own sovereign will and pleasure. That he has done so in former times, it is impossible to deny. Was not Abraham an idolater in the land of Ur? yet "God called him alone, and blessed him." In blessing the seed of Abraham, did God take Ishmael, who was born according to nature? No; but gave Abraham a son in a præternatural way, even Isaac: and limited the blessing to his line. In the seed of Isaac, God exercised the same sovereign grace; choosing, even whilst they were yet in the womb together, the younger son, Jacob, in preference to Esau, the elder; saying, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." Now, whether we suppose these persons chosen to everlasting salvation or not, it is evident that they were chosen to enjoy the means of salvation; and consequently either God is "a respecter of persons,' or the respecting of persons' must mean something very different from the sovereign distribution of God's favours unto men. We all know that God did vouchsafe peculiar mercies to the Jews above the Heathens; as he still does to the Christian world. If this was not wrong formerly, it is not so now but Christ himself made this free exercise of God's grace and mercy, a ground of praise and thanksgiving; and therefore we also may adore God for it, and say, "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes; even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." 6 Neither do these words establish the doctrine of salvation by works. If there be any thing plain in God's word, it is, that God has given us a Saviour, through whose obedience unto death we are to be saved. As the whole Jewish ritual shadowed forth our acceptance through the Great Sacrifice, so the epistles to the Romans and the Galatians were written on purpose to establish this great truth, that we are to be saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and not by any works of our own. Indeed, if salvation were by works, even in any degree, Christ would so far have died in vain. Moreover, salvation could no more be of grace; because works and grace are opposite to each other; the one implying, that salvation is paid us as a debt; and the other, that it is freely and gratuitously bestowed upon us. Now this being the uniform declaration of God throughout the whole Scripture, it is manifest, that this single expression must not be so understood, as to set aside the universal testimony of the written word. a Isai. li. 1, 2. b Rom. ix. 7-13. Matt. xi. 25, 26. |
