DISCOURSE XII.

ACTS X. 34, 35.

Then Peter opened his mouth, and faid, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of perfons: 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 Apottle in delivering them. St. Peter in the text declares, that God, without refpect 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 fuch admiffion. Some from his words have concluded that there is no neceffity of becoming difciples of Chrift, but that it is fufficient if we live according to the principles and light of nature; forafmuch as every one who feareth God, and worketh righteoufnefs, is accepted with him: and thus fupported, as they think, by one paffage of Scripture, they have been emboldened to defpife and reject all the reft as of no use to them, and to put their falvation upon their own ftrength, in oppofition to the method revealed and declared by the Son of God. This error is common, as well

as dangerous and, fince the great regard which fome pay to moral virtue is purely oppofition to the Gospel, it is worth while to examine this paffage 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 bleffings of the promised Meffias 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 Ifrael; which conceit of theirs St. Paul refers to and confutes in his Epiftle 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 on earth, they were confirmed in it by what they obferved in him: he declared, he was not fent but to the loft sheep of the house of Ifrael: and, when he fent out his Difciples to preach, he exprefsly 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 loft sheep of the houfe of Ifrael: and after his refurrection, when he enlarged their commiffion, and bade them Go, teach all nations; they understood him not, but were inquifitive about his reftoring the kingdom to Ifrael. After the afcenfion the Apoftles continued at Jerufalem preaching to their own nation, till, upon the perfecution 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 vifion, had admitted fome Gentiles into the church of Chrift through baptifm, he was called to an account for it by the Apostles and brethren who were in Judea, chap. xi. 1: nor were they fatisfied, till he told them what vifion he had feen, what also Cornelius had feen, and in what a miraculous manner the Holy Ghoft 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 behaviour no longer; but glorified God, faying, Then hath God alfo unto the Gentiles granted repentance unto life, Acts xi. 18. St. Peter himself was equally furprised, when he found, by comparing Cornelius's vifion with his own, that God had determined to admit the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, into the church of Chrift; and he expreffes himself in the fame manner, though not juft in the fame words with the Apostles and brethren. They fay, Then hath God alfo unto the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. St. Peter fays, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of perfons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteoufnefs, is accepted with him. These two reflections, as they are made upon the fame cafe, one by St. Peter, when he was with Cornelius, the other by the Apoftles and brethren, when St. Peter related the story of Cornelius, fo are they in fubftance the fame: and St. Peter, when he says that in every nation he that fear

eth God is accepted with him, and the Apostles and brethren, when they say that God hath granted to the Gentiles repentance unto life, mean one and the fame thing: and therefore, in the text, to be accepted with God means no more than to have from God the offer of repentance unto life; and both certainly mean our having admiffion into the covenant with God through Chrift Jefus. So that the whole of what St. Peter fays in the text amounts to this: "I now at length perceive that God has "not confined his mercies to a particular nation

only; but that all are capable of inheriting the "promises in Chrift Jefus, who are duly prepared "by righteousness, and the fear of God."

This will farther appear to be the true interpretation, if we examine the cafe of Cornelius, and what the acceptance was that he found. Cornelius was a Gentile, and one of the beft of them; a devout man, and one who feared God with all his houfe, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway and yet his goodness did not make it unneceffary for him to become a Chriftian. The heavenly vifion was not fent to fatisfy him that his righteoufnefs was fufficient, and that he had no need to look out for farther affiftance or direction: on the contrary, it was fent to inform him where he might feek and find a proper inftructor. St. Peter had also a vifion to prepare him to do the duty of an Apoftle to the Gentile centurion; and, when this devout man came to him, in obedience to the heavenly warning, he inftructs him in the faith of Chrift Jefus, and baptizes him with water: upon which St. Peter fays, he finds that men of all na

tions, who do righteously, are accepted with God. He could not poffibly mean, that those who did their best upon the light of nature, had no need of any other teacher: that reflection could never rife from the cafe before him: for why did he then inftruct Cornelius in the knowledge of Chrift, and baptize him in his name? St. Peter therefore certainly meant, that all Gentiles duly prepared were capable of the bleffings of the Gospel through the mercy of God; in oppofition to his former error, that none but Jews had such a privilege. And the Apostle undoubtedly understood that the beft of the Gentiles had need of the Gospel; or else his commendation of the goodness of God amounts to this only, that he perceived that God would give to the honeft-minded Gentiles, who feared him, and did righteously, that which they had no occafion to receive.

From the words and circumftances of the text thus explained we learn what is the true notion of that acceptance, which St. Peter fays the Gentiles of all nations are entitled to through the mercy of God.

But then there arifes a difficulty from the terms to which St. Peter has limited this privilege : for he does not say that men of all nations are accepted of God; but that in every nation he that feareth God, and worketh righteousness, is accepted of him. Now, one great end of the Chriftian religion being to inftruct us in the fear of God, and in works of righteoufness, it may seem ftrange, that in order to the obtaining of this benefit of being duly instructed in the fear of God, and in works of righteousness, it