viii. xxii. 12. b ver. 35. xi. 13. lius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, a ver. 22. ch. 2 a a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed e ver. 30. ch. to God alway. 3 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. 4 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. 5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: 6 he © render, as in ch. i. 10, looked stedfastly. sephus,-36 miles from Ptolemais (a day's It a a centurion] The subordinate officer commanding the sixth part of a cohort, or half a maniple. of the band called the Italian band] i. e. of a cohort levied in Italy, not in Syria. 2. a devout man, and one that feared God] i. e. he had abandoned polytheism, and was worshipper of the true God: whether a proselyte of the gate, or not, seems uncertain. That he may have been such, there is nothing in the narrative to preclude: nor does Meyer's objection apply, that it is not probable that, among the many thousand converts, no Greek proselyte had yet been admitted by baptism into the church. Many such cases may have occurred, and some no doubt had: but the object of this providential interference seems to have been, to give solemn sanction to such reception, by the agency of him who was both the chief of the Apostles, and the strong upholder of pure Judaism. It is hardly possible that the words "of good report among all the nation of the Jews" (ver. 22) should have been said of a Gentile not in any way conformed to the Jewish faith and worship. The great point (ch. xi. 3) which made the present event so important, was, that Cornelius was an encircumcised person. Doubtless also among his company (ver. 24) there must have been many who were not proselytes. gave much alms to the people] i. e. to the Jewish inhabitants, see ch. xxvi. 17, 23; xxviii. 17; John xi. 50; xviii. 14, and elsewhere. prayed to God alway] From Cornelius's own narrative, ver. 31, as well as from the analogy of God's dealings, we are certainly justified in inferring, with Neander, that the subject of his prayers was that he might be guided into truth, and if so, hardly without reference to that faith which was now spreading so widely over Judæa. This is not matter of conjecture, but is implied by Peter's words, "ye know," &c., in ver. 37. Further than this, we cannot infer with certainty; but, if the particular difficulty present in his mind be sought, we can hardly avoid the conclusion that it was connected with the apparent necessity of embracing Judaism and circumcision in order to become a believer on Christ. 3. in a vision evidently] not in a trance, as ver. 10, and ch. xxii. 17,-but with his bodily eyes: thus asserting the objective truth of the appearance. about the ninth hour of the day] It here appears that Cornelius observed the Jewish hours of prayer. 4. for a memorial] i. e. 'so as to be a memorial.'-There has been found a difficulty by some in the fact that Cornelius's works were received as well pleasing to God, before he had justifying faith in Christ. But it is surely easy to answer, with Calvin and Augustine, that Cornelius could not have prayed, without faith. faith was all that he could then attain to, and brought forth its fruits abundantly in his life: one of which fruits, and the best of them, was, the earnest seeking by prayer His : e e ch. xi. 14. lodgeth with one a Simon a tanner, whose house is by the ach. iz. 43. sea side [d he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do]. 7 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; 8 and when he had declared all [f these] things unto them, he sent them to Joppa. 9 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 fch. xi. 5, &c. hour: 10 and he became very hungry, and would have eaten but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, : Rev. xix. 11. 11 and 8 g saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descend-ch. vii 56. ing [unto him], as it had been a great sheet i knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: 12 wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 13 And there i render, tied by four rope-ends. kread and render, all the fourfooted and creeping things of the earth. for a better and more perfect faith. 9. On the morrow] The distance was thirty Roman miles, part of which they performed on the preceding evening, perhaps to Apollonia,-and the rest that morning. By the word rendered the housetop, Jerome, Luther, Erasmus, and others, understand an upper chamber. But why do we not then find here the word which St. Luke so frequently uses for an upper chamber? It was the flat roof, much frequented in the East for purposes of exercise (2 Sam. xi. 2; Dan. iv. 29, marg.),of sleeping in summer (1 Sam. ix. 26, by inference, and as expressed in LXX),-of conversation (ib. ver. 25),-of mourning (Isa. xv. 3; Jer. xlviii. 38),—of erecting booths at the feast of tabernacles (Neh. viii. 16),-of other religious celebrations (2 Kings xxiii. 12; Jer. xix. 13; Zeph. i. 5), of publicity (2 Sam. xvi. 22; Matt. x. 27; Luke xii. 3. Jos. B. J. ii. 21. 5),— of observation (Judg. xvi. 27; Isa. xxii. 1), -and for any process requiring fresh air and sun (Josh. ii. 6). the sixth hour] The second hour of prayer: also of the 11. tied by four rope-ends] Not, as A. V., 'knit at the four corners," but as in margin. The ends of the ropes were attached to the sheet, and, in the vision, they only were seen. These four ends are not without meaning, directed as they are to the four parts of heaven, and intimating that men from the North, South, East, and West, now were accounted clean before God, and were called to a share in his kingdom: see Luke xiii. 29. We must not wander away into childish exaggeration of symbolism as some have done, interpreting the four ends of the four gospels, &c. 12. all the fourfooted and creeping things of the earth] literally not many of each kind,' h Rev. xi. 4: XX. 25. Deut. xiv. 3, 7. came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. 14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any Ezek. iv. 14. thing that is common or unclean. i Matt. xv. 11. unto him again the second time, il ver. 28. Rom. xiv. 14, 17, 20. 1 Cor. [that] call not thou common. x. 25. 1 Tim. 15. Tit. k ch. xỉ. 12. 1 ch. xv. 7. 15 And the voice spake What God hath cleansed, 16 This was done thrice; k 1 and the vessel was received up [m again] into heaven. 17 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, 18 and called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. 19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, P three men seek thee. 20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing for I have sent them. 21 Then Peter went down to the men [ which were sent unto him from Cornelius;] and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the m ver. 1, 2, &c. cause wherefore ye are come? 22 And they said, m Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, n ch. xxii. 12. and "of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into ་ : 1 render, Those things which. n read, and immediately. m omit. P Some of our oldest MSS. omit three: the Vatican MS. reads two. a omit, with all our oldest authorities. nor some of all kinds :' in the vision it 'added because of transgressions' (Gal. iii. note. o ver. 45. ch. xi. 12. his house, and to hear words of thee. 23 Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow ↳ Peter went with them, away • and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And the morrow after they entered into Cæsarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends. 25 And tas Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped [him]. 26 But Peter took him up, saying, P Stand up; I myself also am a man. pch. xiv. 14, 27 And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together. 28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for 4 a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. 29 Therefore came I read, he rose up and. t render, when Peter had come in. had in His divine arrangements brought 25. worshipped] St. Luke, observes Bengel, has not added "him;" doubtless from an euphemistic motive. It was natural for Cornelius to think that one so pointed out by an angel must be deserving of the highest respect; and this respect he shewed in a way which proves him not to have altogether lost the heathen training of his childhood. He must have witnessed the rise of the custom of paying divine honours first to those who were clothed with the delegated power of the senate, and then, even more conspicuously, to him in whom the imperial majesty centered. 26. I myself also am a man] This was the lesson which Peter's vision had taught him, and he now begins to practise it :-the common honour and equality of all mankind in God's sight.-Those who claim to have succeeded Peter, have not imitated 15. Rev. xix. 10: xxii. 9. John iv. 9: ch xi. 3. xviii. 28. Gal. ii. 12, 14. rch. xv. 8, 9. Eph. iii. 6. s render, was waiting. uomit: not in the original. this part of his conduct. See Rev. xix. 10; 28.] Ye (emphatic) know: i. e. you, of all men, [best] know: being those immediately concerned in the obstruction to intercourse which the rule occasioned. how that it is an unlawful thing, or how unlawful a thing it is:' better the former. There is some difficulty about this unlawfulness of consorting with those foreigners who, like Cornelius, worshipped the true God. It rests upon no legal prohibition, and seems, at first sight, hardly consistent with the zeal to gain proselytes predicated of the Pharisees, Matt. xxiii. 15, and with other, Jewish and Rabbinical, notices cited in my Greek Test. But, whatever exceptions there may have been, it was unquestionably the general practice of the Jews, to separate themselves in common life from uncircumcised persons. We have Juvenal testifying to this at Rome in his Satires,-that the Jews "would not shew the way except to their fellow-religionists, nor guide any but a circumcised person to a fountain of which he was in search." And Tacitus says that "they cherished against all mankind the hatred of enemies, they were separate in board and bed," &c. and] (not, but God hath shewed me,' as A. V.) · Ye, though ye see me here, know, how strong s ch. i, 10. t Matt. xxviii. 3. Mark xvi. 5. Luke xxiv. 4. u ver. 4. Dan. x. 12. x Heb. vi. 10. I [y unto you] without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for: I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me? 30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, 31 and said, Cornelius, "thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of [one] Simon a 2 Chron. xix. tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee. 33 Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. 34 Then Peter opened his I perceive that God is no in every nation he that y Deut. x. 17. 7. Job Rom. ii. 11. 1 Pet. i. 17. z ch. xv. 9. Rom. ii. 13. 27: iii. 22, 29: x. 12, 13. Gal. iii. 28. 1 Cor. xii. 18. mouth, and said Of a truth Eph. ii. 13, respecter of persons: 35 but 18: iii. y omit. the prejudice is which would have kept me away: and I, though entertaining fully this prejudice myself, yet have been taught, &c.' The stress in reading must be laid on me. 30. until this hour] viz. the hour at which he was then speaking, which probably was the sixth, the hour of the mid-day meal, which was the only one partaken by the Jews on their solemn days. in bright clothing] In Luke xxiii. 11, where the same word is used in the original, the brightness was in the colour: here, probably, in some supernatural splendour. The garment might have been white (as in ch. i. 11) or not,-but at all events, it was radiant with brightness. 33. all things that are commanded thee of Of a truth I perceive] For the first time I now clearly, in its fulness and as a living fact, apprehend (grasp by experience the truth of) what I read in the Scripture (Deut. x. 17; 2 Chron. xix. 7; Job xxxiv. 19).' 35.] but gives the explanation,-what it is that Peter now fully apprehends: but, as opposed to God being a respecter of persons in its now apparent sense. in every nation, &c.] It is very important that we should hold the right clue to guide us in understanding this saying. The question which recent events had solved in Peter's mind, was that of the admissibility of men of all nations into the church of Christ. In this sense only, had he received any information as to the acceptableness of men of all nations before God. He saw, that in every nation, men who seek after God, who receive His witness of Himself without which He has left no man, and humbly follow His will as far as they know it,these have no extraneous hindrance, such as uncircumcision, placed in their way to Christ, but are capable of being admitted into God's church though Gentiles, and as Gentiles. That only such are spoken of, is agreeable to the nature of the case; for men who do not fear God, and work unrighteousness, are out of the question, not being likely to seek such admission. It is clearly unreasonable to suppose Peter to have meant, that each heathen's natural light and moral purity would render him acceptable in the sight of God:-for, if so, why should he have proceeded to preach Christ to Cornelius, or indeed any more at all? And it is equally unreasonable to find any verbal or doctrinal difficulty in the expression worketh righteousness, or to suppose that righteousness must be taken in its technical and imputed sense, and therefore that he alludes to the state of men after becoming believers. He speaks popularly, and certainly not without reference to the character he had heard of Cornelius, which consisted of these very two parts, that he feared God, and abounded in good works.-The deeper truth, that the preparation of the heart |