merely, but in every stage of our journey. The more we are edified, the more undoubtedly shall we walk, as did the disciples at Jerusalem, in the fear of the Lord. Dear brethren! let us cultivate this principle! Let us seek to exhibit it more and more in our life and conversation. And let us remember for our encouragement, that it is closely allied to the highest enjoyment which man or angel can experience, the comfort of the Holy Ghost. Oh the peace the repose of mind-the satisfaction-the positive enjoyment which God has in store for them that love and obey him, which he deals out to them in varied portions, whilst they sojourn in this vale of tears, and of which he will bestow the full and complete fruition in the mansions of the blessed! Would you enjoy much of it now, and secure its ultimate and unending enjoyment hereafter, oh seek it in the paths of holiness -of self-denial-of watchfulness and prayer. So seek, and you shall assuredly find.

117

LECTURE V.

ACTS x. 1-20.

There was a certain man in Cesarea, called Cornelius, a centurion of the band, called the Italian band.

A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:

He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea-side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.

And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually:

And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.

On the morrow as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour.

And he became very hungry, and would have eaten, but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,

And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet, knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:

Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call thou not common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven,

Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean; behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius, had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,

And called, and asked whether Simon which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.

While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.

Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.

In the history before us we enter on a new era of Christianity. Hitherto the gospel had been preached only to the Jews, and converts among them, and among the Samaritans, and proselytes composed the whole of Christ's Church. And in thus delaying to extend the boundaries of the ecclesiastical pale, the Apostles did but accomplish the Saviour's purpose that they should commence their ministry at Jerusalem, and take all possible pains to bring their own brethren and countrymen to the knowledge and belief of the truth, before they promulgated it to the heathen. But the time had now arrived when the "middle wall of partition" between Jew and Gentile was to be thrown down, and all men, without distinction of nation, or language, or creed, were to be invited to the same holy fellowship.

To the accomplishment of this purpose there existed, however, a serious obstacle. The prejudices and habits of the Jewish people were such as to make them shrink

from any thing like a cordial and intimate connection with other people. Nor did the Apostles themselves escape the influence of the general feeling, but hesi tated to invite the heathen to a free and equal participation with the Jews of the blessings of their Messiah's kingdom. The mode by which this obstacle was removed from the mind of the Apostle Peter is very circumstantially related in the passage And may it please God to enable us so to contemplate the several particulars of the narrative as to derive from them lessons of instruction and consolation.

before us.

The individual whom God graciously selected to become the first convert among the Gentiles, was a very remarkable character-so remarkable indeed for his virtues, as to command the esteem of the Jewish people, among whom he had been thrown, and therefore to lessen their reluctance to his admission into the same community with themselves. He is thus