Chap. xi. 6, Without Faith it is impoffible to pleafe God: For he that cometh to God, muft believe that he is, and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently feek him: The Meaning of which is, That a Man cannot offer himself to God, much lefs enter into the Covenant of his Mercy, without a firm Perfuafion of his Being, and a due Notion of his Attributes. He must know that he is; otherwise he can never move or advance towards him: He must know alfo that he is a Rewarder of them who diligently feek him; or elfe he cannot be encouraged to move towards him : Which two Articles of Belief infer a juft Fear of God as the fupreme Governor of the World, and a Defire to please him as the Difpenfer of Rewards and Punishments according to the Good or Evil which Men do. This is the Faith, without which, the Apoftle to the Hebrews fays, 'tis impoffible to please God: This is the Faith, with which, St. Peter fays, the Men of every Nation are accepted with him. And in truth thefe Qualifications are fo neceffary to a Man's being accepted with God, and admitted into the Covenant of his Grace through Jesus Chrift, that without them the Gospel cannot be fo much as tendered to him: For upon what Foot would you press Men to become Chriftians

Christians in order to obtain the Mercy of God, who have no Senfe of the Fear of God, and, confequently, no Concern about pleafing or difpleafing him? The Gospel does not teach, but fuppofe this Doctrine: And, was even an Apostle to preach to a Nation perfectly ignorant of God, he must lay by the Gofpel, and first convince the People from Reason and Nature of the Being of God, and the Neceffity of Righteousness in order to deferve his Favour, before he could invite them to embrace the Gospel as the perfect Rule of Righteousness prescribed and ordained by God himself. And therefore, when St. Peter says, that in every Nation he that feareth God, and worketh RighteQufness, is accepted of him, he is not to be.. understood as limiting the Mercies of God to certain Perfons of the beft Character, but rather as declaring the natural Order of Things. It is frequently taught, that our Lord came to fave Sinners; and therefore he began his Preaching with an Exhortation to Repentance in the fame Words that John the Baptist had done before him, Repent ye, for the Kingdom. of Heaven is at hand: Which is as much as if he had faid, Turn to God, and fear him, working Righteousness, that ye may be made

Members

Members of the Kingdom of his Son, which

now approaches.

But, fhould the Cafe of Cornelius, who was a devout Man, fearing God with all his Houfe, giving much Alms, and praying alway, from which Cafe St. Peter makes the Reflection contained in the Text, incline us to believe that he means a greater Degree of Goodness by fearing God, and working Righteousness, than was commonly to be found; and, confequently, that what St. Peter fays can be applied only to the most virtuous and bestdifpofed Heathens; upon this Suppofition, both the Cafe of Cornelius, and the Declaration of St. Peter, evidently prove, that the best of Men stand in need of the Affiftances of the Gospel of Chrift to make themselves fecure of obtaining the End of their Hopes, Glory and Immortality, from God, who is the Rewarder of them who diligently feek him. I would defire those who are of a different Opinion, and think that they have no Reason to trouble their Heads about the Christian Religion, provided they lead good moral Lives, to confider the Character of Cornelius He was devout, and feared God with all his Houfe: He was very charitable, and gave much Alms to the People, and

prayed

prayed to God continually. This, I suppose, they will allow to be a Defcription of fuch a moral Man as they mean: And 1 would ask then, For what Purpose did God send a Vifion to Cornelius, and another to St. Peter, that Cornelius might be made a Christian? Was all this Care thrown away upon a mere unneceffary Point, that might as well have been let alone? Was Cornelius thus called to the Profeffion of the Gofpel, and was it of no Confequence whether he had been called, or no? If God made choice of Cornelius, one of the best of the Gentiles, to fhew that some of them were capable of his Grace, he did at the fame time demonftrate that all had need of it: For, if the best, with all the Light they enjoyed, wanted this Affistance, what could the worft do without it?

It may be asked perhaps, What would have become of Cornelius, had he died, as he had fome time lived, a devout Gentile, in the Fear of God, full of Alms and of Prayers, without having been 'called to the Knowledge of Chrift Jefus? Which Question, if pursued through all its Views, would open a large Field of Discourse, but such as would afford rather Speculation than Profit; fince the Cafe, however determined, could no way affect

Ꮓ

affect us, who have been called to the Knowledge of Chrift Jefus. Let it then be taken for granted, that Cornelius, had he died in the Circumftances before described, would have found Reft to his Soul from the Mercy and Goodness of God: And let this other Question be confidered, which is much more to our Purpose, What would have been the Cafe of Cornelius, if he had rejected the Call, refused to hearken to St. Peter, and had infifted on his own Merit and Virtue, in oppofition to the Grace that was offered him through the Gospel? Would such a Refufal have been a pardonable Error? Could he have maintained the Character of one fearing God with all his Houfe, after fuch an open Contempt of the Divine Call? Could he ever have prayed more to God to guide and direct his Way, after he had absolutely denied to be guided and directed by him? Would even his Alms have been an acceptable Offering to the Almighty, after he had renounced that Obedience which is better than Sacrifice, and which is the only Thing that can fanctify our imperfect Works? If Reason and Natural Religion teach us that it is our Duty to please and to obey God, what Part even of Natural Religion could this Centurion have exercised,

after