Then Peter opened his Mouth, and faid, Of a truth I perceive that God is no Refpecter of Perfons: But in every Nation he that feareth him, and worketh Righteousness, is accepted with him.

T

HESE Words, if not carefully attended to, may feem 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 perfonal Privileges, was ready to admit all People into the Covenant made with Chrift Jefus, provided they were duly, prepared for fuch Admiffion. Some from his Words have concluded that there is no

Neceflity 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 Righteousness, 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 rest as of no use to them, and to put their Salvation upon their own Strength, 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 Gofpel, 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

and confutes in his Epiftle to the Romans: Is be the God of the Jews only? Is he not alfo of the Gentiles? yes, of the Gentiles alfo. The Difciples 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 observed in him; He declared, he was not fent but to the loft Sheep of the House of Ifrael: And, when he sent out his Disciples to preach, he exprefly 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 House 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 Vision, had admitted fome Gentiles into the Church of Chrift through Baptifm, he was called to an account for it by the Apostles and

Brethren

Brethren who were in Judea, Chap. xi. 1: Nor were they satisfied, till he told them what Vision he had seen, 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 Aftonishment 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, A&ts xi. 18. St. Peter himfelf was equally furprized, 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 just 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 Refpecter of Perfons: But in every Nation be that feareth him, and worketh Righteousness, 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,

Peter, when he fays that in every Nation be that feareth 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 best 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 unnecessary for him to become a Chriftian. The heavenly Vision was not sent to fatisfy him that his Righteousness was fufficient, and

that