those qualities, which are its own peculiar result upon the heart?

Let it then be remembered, that, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, the apostle thus writes :"Without faith it is impossible to please him for he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him." There must be in the mind a persuasion of God's existence, a knowledge of his attributes, before any man can offer himself as a suppliant at his throne, or enter into his covenant of mercy. He must know to whom he comes; he must be encouraged to come by the consideration of God's love; by the desire to please him who rewardeth those that diligently seek his favour. Without this faith, feeble though it may be, the first principles of religion could never become influential upon the heart of any man: nay, rather, it would be impossible that he could accept the message of the gospel. Who that had not the fear of God would regard his offer of mercy and of grace? Who that cared not for his displeasure would be anxious to please him by obedience? The forerunner of Christ preached repentance upon the very ground of the near approach of Messiah's kingdom" Repent ye, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus himself commenced his personal ministry with the same language; and surely under this term "repentance," is in

cluded all that the apostle can here include under the description of him "that feareth God and worketh righteousness." The apostle does not indeed limit the mercy of God to those of the Gentiles who were of the best character and disposition; he does not even intimate that the character which he describes necessarily belonged to some of every nation: but he rather declares, that such persons, wheresoever they might be found, were the best calculated to perceive the necessity and the beauty, the moral fitness, and the admirable adaptation of that plan of redemption which the gospel revealed. And this is at least the natural order of things. A system of doctrines and of precepts addressed to the understanding and the affections, will be readily received, in proportion as the mind is able to perceive their truth, and the heart prepared to acknowledge their excellence.

Nothing, then, in this case of Cornelius, can lead us to conclude, that the covenant of mercy through Christ is a superfluous or unnecessary matter. We are rather taught that the best of men, walking by the light of natural religion, still stand in need of the gospel to open to them that life and immortality which shine only in its revelation. There was in Cornelius a zeal for knowledge, a devotion, a charity, which many who call themselves Christians would do well to imitate many among us would consider him

to have attained nearly the summit of moral excellence and religious observance. Yet to this man God sent a vision, and at the same time another vision to a chosen apostle, in order that the gospel might be preached to him and his household, and that he might embrace the faith of Christ. Was all this done for the accomplishment of a purpose of no importance? Was that Christianity which was thus preached to this devout Gentile, a thing of no value? Was it of no consequence to his salvation whether he should be called to the faith of Christ, or not? Assuredly, when God thus made choice of Cornelius, one of the best of the Gentiles, to show that the Gentiles were capable of receiving his grace, he showed at the same time, that all had need of that grace. For if the best, with all their improvement of their knowledge, and all their cultivation of virtue, still came short of the true knowledge of God, still failed to accomplish the full demands of holiness, what must have been the condition of those dark places of the earth, where the fear of God was unknown, and righteousness had never shone?

Let us not forget to remark that, as the preparation of the heart is from God, so must this centurion have been enlightened by his grace, to adopt that fear of his name, and that practice of righteousness, which he so eminently blessed. The godly motions of the Holy Spirit had wrought

upon the heart of Cornelius; he had yielded in a teachable and child-like humility to the guidance of divine grace he had eagerly embraced that opportunity of learning more of the will of God, which his residence amongst the Jews afforded him he had anxiously endeavoured to conform his life to those precepts which the law of God enforced and this, not with the vain-glory of Pharisaic self-righteousness, but humbly, and in the fear of God. Thus had he acquired that simplicity of mind, which led him to seek the assistance of the apostle, in compliance with the advice of the angelic vision: thus also had he acquired that decision of character, which expressed his readiness to abide by the apostle's injunctions: "Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things which are commanded thee of God."

A question may have arisen in the minds of some persons, whether this devout Gentile, had he never been made a Christian, could have been saved. To enter upon such a speculation, would lead us into discussions which could not but be tedious, and, as to all practical purposes, unprofitable. We may safely leave the salvation of the Gentile world to the mercy of that God who will have all men to be saved; though we cannot pretend to determine to what degree of spiritual blessedness those may be admitted, who could not certainly have acquired all the spiritual

knowledge of which the soul is capable. There is, however, another question, which is most important to each of us :-Would Cornelius have been justified in rejecting the gospel, under the plea that he had already sufficient light and knowledge? Would he have been accepted with God, had he cast aside the promises of mercy through Christ, the remission of sins through his name, and claimed acceptance on the ground of his alms, his fasting, his prayers? Yet this is our own case, if we rely upon our own righteousness, and neglect or refuse the terms of that mercy which the gospel offers to us, as well as to Cornelius. Shall we be told that all modes of faith are equally excellent? that different views of religion are equally correct? that the pride of one man, who rejects the atonement of his Saviour, and the folly of another, who heaps around that atonement his own good works and the intercessions of the saints, are errors equally unimportant, if each of these men be living up to the light of nature, and, as far as possible, "fearing God and working righteousness?" This is to deny the value and the efficacy of Christianity. This is to deny that solemn declaration of Scripture, that "There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved, but only the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." We need not speculate upon the probable condition of those