christian faith; the case of the penitent thief illustrating the same great truth. When the penitent thief said, 'Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom,' the answer was, 'This day shalt thou be with Me in paradise:' showing that a reliance-a simple reliance on Christ as the Saviour-should bring salvation to him who exercised it, and that without rite or ceremony.

We pass on now to the appeal which Peter made to those Jews who had come up with him from Joppa to the house of Cornelius in Caesarea: Then answered Peter,' (according to the English authorized version), 'Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized which have received the Holy Spirit as well as we ?'

In expounding these words we remark, first, that the verb here rendered 'forbid' is translated in the very next chapter, withstand.' In chapter viii, verse 36, it is translated hinder. In Luke, xi. 52, it is also translated hinder. The general meaning of the original word we believe to be to oppose, to withstand, to hinder, to prevent a thing, or to try to prevent a thing, being done, by using means to defeat what is intended.

In the second place we would remark, that the expression water is, in the original, the water,' which, I apprehend, is figurative of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord uses the same figure in John, vii. 37-39, to point out the Holy Spirit: In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying: If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive.'

In the third place, we would notice, that the baptism referred to was similar to the baptism spoken of in I Cor. xv. 29, where, in the original, persons are spoken of as 'baptizing themselves on behalf of, or for the sake of the dead-on behalf of the spiritual dead, which was the act of persons dedicating themselves to the work of the ministry-the giving themselves up to the service of Christ to go forth and preach the gospel to souls dead in trespasses and sins-to call upon them to repent, and to believe in Christ, that their sins might be forgiven them.

Taking these three particulars into account, we believe, that Peter's appeal to the Jews, who had come up with him,

was to this effect that since the Holy Spirit had been given to Cornelius and his friends in His miraculous influence, given to them in a way which fitted them to teach and preach the gospel, was there any one of them who could oppose, hinder, or try to prevent them giving themselves up to the work of the ministry, the work to which the Spirit had called them by fitting them for it, even though they were Gentiles, although such a thing had not before occurred, and that from the time Christ entered on His ministry as Messiah, seven years previously to that time?

This I believe to have been the drift and meaning of Peter's question to his brethren. It was a singular and important question to put to Jews. The circumstances of the case were so new to them, that they were evidently confounded; and, while they were new to them, the thing was so manifest that heaven's blessing rested upon these Gentiles, whom the Jews had hitherto looked upon as outcasts, or common and unclean, that they could not utter a word in opposition to it-could not oppose it-could not and would not attempt to hinder or withstand it.

The appeal of Peter, then, to his Jewish brethren meeting with no opposition, but being evidently assented to, and assented to as heaven's will and determination, Peter directed, exhorted, them to do as the Spirit evidently intended they should do—give themselves up to the service of Christ, He having fitted them for it. He commanded them,' it is said, 'to be baptized in the name of the Lord.' The same expression occurs in Acts, ii. 38, in the name:' the only two instances of such an expression in the wholeof the New Testament in the original, both which instances I believe to involve the same baptism as spoken of in 1 Cor. xv. 29, it being neither a baptism of water, nor yet that which Christ directed the twelve Apostles to carry out as mentioned in Mat. xxviii. 19.

And now having given what I conceive to be the meaning of the text we conclude, by remarking, first,

1. That the atonement of Christ was for all, though not made manifest at first, but to be 'testified of in due time,' (1 Tim ii. 6). God lingered, as it were, in His love to His faithless people, desirous that they should be benefitted. first; unwilling to cast them off till they had had every opportunity of being saved; that all the first efforts of the

Saviour of the Holy Spirit-of His inspired servants, should be devoted to them. When a remnant, and a large remnant, were discipled to Christ, then He caused His grace to be shown to the Gentiles, making it manifest that Christ gave Himself a ransom for all to be testified, as St. Paul states, 'in due time.' That due time came, when Jehovah no longer could favourably look on a Jew because he was a Jew, nor yet treat a Gentile as an outcast because he was a Gentile, placing both on the same footing in respect to the way of obtaining salvation, and that way being by faith in Christ: a freeing men from all rites and ceremonies of the law, and binding them to a reception of Christ into the heart as the hope of glory if they would be saved, and that in agreement with St. Peter's declaration when he used the keys and unlocked the door of entrance into the kingdom of God, saying, as he did, 'To Him give all the prophets witness that whosoever believeth in йim shall receive remission of sins.'

2. We remark, secondly, while the miraculous outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not now to be expected by any of Christ's followers, it being a special gift connected with the first stage of christianity, and not intended to be continued on after those had passed away who received it from the Apostles, we should bear in mind, that that state, which fitted persons for the reception of it, is the state to which it is our privilege to attain, and which must be attained by us, if we would ever arrive where Christ is gone before us to prepare a place for those who follow Him-love Him-obey Him. This state is pointed out in Scripture as a resurrection from the dead'-'a resurrection with Christ through the faith which is of the operation of God'-a being awakened from a state of sleep -a being quickened from being dead in trespasses and sins'-a being 'passed from death unto life -a being 'translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son :' a being in Christ, and hence delivered from condemnation.

This state is attained by believing on Christ when the Holy Spirit has so enlightend the mind as to the sinfulness of sin, as to bring the individual, who is the subject of such enlightenment, to seek mercy of God through the atoning blood of Christ. This we may all attain and must attain, if we would possess a title to eternal life.

H h

3. We notice, thirdly, as the object of the Spirit of God on imparting miraculous power to Cornelius and his friends, (and the others who received the same power by the laying on of the hands of Apostles), was to make them useful in extending a knowledge of Christ, so it is the duty, as well as the privilege, of every true disciple of Christ to make known the salvation of the gospel as far as lies in his power, and that in unison with those words of Christ to Peter: When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren.' It is by this means that the kingdom of Christ has been advanced, and it is in this way, that it will be advanced. Seek all of you then to help it forward, and that by your life and conversation, as well as by the direct teaching of the doctrines in connection with it. O may hallowed power descend and rest upon you, that you may show forth the praise and glory of Christ-of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.

XLII.

"And the Apostles and brethren that were in Judæa heard that the Gentiles had also received the Word of God. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them. But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying, I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me: upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat. But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth. Bnt the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

And this was done three times and all were drawn up again into heaven. And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Cæsarea unto me. And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house: And he showed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. membered I the word of the Lord, how that He said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as He did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."-Acts, xi. 1-18.

Then re

THE words, in the 18th verse of this passage, evince surprise on the part of those who uttered them at something which had happened; and with which, for the first time, they had become acquainted. They, as Jews, had just received information which they evidently had not been looking forward to, and that in a matter which was contrary to the custom which their nation had pursued from the time they became a people, involving a period of nearly two thousand years, which custom was, that if any one, not descended from Abraham, in Isaac and Jacob, was considered as belonging to the people of God, he should submit to the rite which God had made it imperative on themselves to be the subjects of, as a token that they were in covenant with Himself; and so imperative was it upon them, that every one who was not the subject of it was to be cut off from belonging to His people. When, therefore, it became evident, as they now for the first time learned, that God had received those into His favour who were not the subjects of the rite in question, it did, indeed, astonish themastonish them as a thing unprecedented as establishing a new order of things spiritually in the church of God.

And a new order of things in the church of God had been determined on, though the parties referred to seem to have been ignorant of it; and the time had arrived for its being established-the specific time pointed out for its taking place, or for its commencement, namely, that the Gentiles (persons not circumcised like the Jews) should