THERE were seven things which might have been said of Cornelius, the Roman centurion:—
1. He was nobly born—a scion of the noble Roman house of Cornelia (Acts 10: 1, &c.).
2. He was of exalted rank in the world—a commander of a hundred men—the " centurion of that band called the Italian band.”
3. He was a "devout man.”
4. He was God-fearing—" one that feared God, with all his house.”
5. He was prayerful—"praying to God always.”
6. He was almsgiving—"which gave much alms.”
7. But he was unsaved!
I do not suppose for a moment that he was unconverted; but he was, let me repeat, unsaved. His heart was turned to God; it was yearning after the things of God, but he did not know the work of Christ for his soul, and consequently he was not what Scripture calls "saved." We learn in Acts 11:1414Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. (Acts 11:14), how he was desired by the angel to send for Peter, who would tell him words “whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.”
Now this is no uncommon case. Not that we could point out many who would answer to such a beautiful character as that by which Cornelius is described in Scripture.
But there are not many—and thank God that even this is so—whose hearts are longing after God; who are willing to serve and to please Him, and all the time are without the knowledge of what Christ has done for their souls?
How lovely would such a description be if his soul was producing these things as those which "accompany salvation" (see Heb. 6.). They are the fruits which are the sure indication of life; and not only so, but life in the enjoyment of God's salvation in Christ.
We find therefore very sweetly and blessedly a whole chapter devoted to this one man's case, and we behold the varied ways, the many instrumentalities set in motion by the gracious hand of God, to lead him to the knowledge of Christ.
Angelic visits are seen; visions and trances; messengers going and returning; household gatherings, and the preparation of expectant hearts to hear this message from God.
Four days elapse from the beginning to the end of the chapter, but what a change has taken place within that time! An earnest, devout, God-fearing, prayerful, almsgiving man, religiously seeking to draw near to God, and find His favor and acceptance, in the opening of the chapter; and in the end this same man, leaving the ground of the religious unsaved man—and in heart and conscience taking the ground of the sinner—and at once finding peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ!
What a change was wrought by a few short words—sealed home to his heart by the Spirit of God—from the lips of a servant of Christ; one just a little while ago, and within those four days, most unwilling to speak to a Gentile, or to share that full free grace which is the very essence of the Gospel of Christ We have only the record of three short sermons of the Apostle Peter. His first was a very fruitful sermon, and three thousand souls were won to Christ (Acts 2). The second was absolutely fruitless, and resulted in the speaker of it having himself with his companions placed in the common prison. (Acts 3 and 4.). This, his third sermon, opened up for God the wide and far-reaching Gentile fields, from which such an abundant harvest has since then been gathered to the name of Jesus. What joy and astonishment must have filled his heart when he saw the result in this man and in all his house.
The sermon was short, but teeming with eternal blessing. Peter had unfolded in Acts 2 the glory of Jesus—now "made Lord and Christ." He presented that One who had been known in Israel by " signs and wonders and mighty deeds, which God had done by him "—whom they had crucified and slain, and God had raised from the dead—making Him Lord and Christ—and who had set Him in glory until His enemies were made His footstool, but in whose name salvation was now proclaimed.
Then in Acts 3 he speaks not of His glory but of His grace to His guilty nation. All would now be pardoned if they would receive Him whom they had crucified. He would return with His hands full of blessing, and would turn away every one of them from their iniquities.
But all was refused. Then to this little expectant company—the household and kinsmen and friends of Cornelius—he brings forth His peace.
The glory had convicted and converted thousands, the grace had failed to touch one heart amongst them. But "peace through Jesus" for exercised souls was just the message to meet their need—to calm their troubles of conscience—to lead them gently to the place of "sinners" needing such a message, as the result fully shows us.
We will now look at his message shortly. First, we find "God with tbs." "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were possessed of the devil, for God was with him,” but "whom they slew and hanged on a tree.”
This was the grand and final proof that man's heart was wholly alienated from God-that he was hopelessly lost, for when God in goodness came to this world, he did what you, my reader, if still unsaved, and every unbeliever is doing even to this day—he rejected Him.
But now we find "God for us" in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Evil hearts had cast Him out and slain Him. The power of God raised Him up again.
This resurrection of the Lord Jesus is the great witness that God's righteous claims were fully satisfied as to sin. He offered Himself without spot to God, and God accepted what He presented to Him-proving His full satisfaction in Him by raising Him from the dead, who was “delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification.”
It is the triumph of God in Christ over all the power of Satan. His power is broken. He who had the power of death, even the devil, who kept his victims, through fear of death, all their life in bondage, his power is annulled by the resurrection of Christ, who thus broke the bars of the tomb, and came forth the Conqueror of the enemy. It is the witness of future glory to the believer in Christ, the witness to the sinner of his salvation, fully accomplished by the Lord, and it is also the witness of the judgment of the world.
But now, beloved reader, if you are still a sinner in your sins, mark the blessed consequences to you.
First of all, hear the words of Scripture pronounced by Peter, and receive them by the hearing of faith: “To him (said he) give all the prophets witness that whosoever believeth in him shall receive the remission of sins.”
Now, mark how complete is the testimony to your soul. "All the prophets"—all the Word of God. Doubt it, and you stand convicted of being opposed to the whole Word of God. Receive it with child-like faith, and you enter at once, as did Peter's hearers that day, into all the blessing which follows. Do you doubt your personal interest in it? Then listen to the "whosoever" of the Gospel, that word which describes its universality on the one hand, and yet which excludes every help and every merit of man. High birth won't do, nor worldly rank, nor devoutness, nor even the fear of God, nor will almsgiving, nor prayer. All are set aside as meritorious in procuring this salvation. “Whosoever believeth in him," whosoever confides his soul to Jesus, the Accomplisher of this great salvation, “shall receive the forgiveness of sins." All are blotted out forever.
And now mark how fully God proves it is so.
He proved His acceptance of the work of Christ by raising Him from the dead. He now approves the faith of him who believes He has done so, and that He has forgiven his sins by the third thing presented to us in this precious, blessed Word of God.
He becomes "God in us." The Spirit of God comes to dwell in the pardoned, cleansed, and renewed vessel. God seals His approval of Christ's work by raising Him up from the dead. He seals the soul that believes in this with His Holy Spirit until the day of final redemption.
How is it, then, reader, with you? You may have been like Cornelius, feeling after Him, if, haply, you might find Him but this is past now.
Is it not? The days of earnest seeking of this devout man were over, and he enters the household of God no more a stranger as he had been. The true place for the soul's acceptance is found—the convicted sinner's place; and all is rest in that happy household forever. F. G. P.