God, and fave his Soul, he must send for one Peter from Joppa to inftruct him in the Chriftian Religion. But if now, upon his fending for Peter, and hearing what he had to say concerning Chrift, he had ftill continued an Unbeliever, or a Heathen, would God then have continued to accept him? No, by no means; he had fhewed himself unworthy of God's Favour, nor could he in the least expect the Reward of an honeft and religious Man.

The Inference I make from hence is this, That bare Morality or Honefty of Life, without a right Faith, will not fave a Man's Soul, fuppofing that the Man hath Opportunities of coming to the Knowledge of that right Faith, as Cornelius here had. And this Confideration I seriously address to all thofe among us, who think it fo indifferent a matter what Religion or what Faith they are of, provided they are but honeft in their Lives. They think that nothing offends God but the open Violation of thofe Rules of Morality which all the World muft acknowledge themselves obliged to observe, and which it is fcandalous not to obferve. that it is all one to a Man's Salvation, whether he be Turk, or Jew, or Heathen, or Chriftian, fuppofing he be but devout in his Way, and have a regard in his Dealings with others to the Practice of that which is accounted fair, juft, and honourable amongst Men. But this is a grievous Miftake, and

So

of

of moft pernicious Confequence. It is certain, that where-ever God has revealed his Will, and declared upon what Terms he will bestow Salvation upon Mankind, there all Men are, under Pain of Damnation, obliged to embrace his Revelation, and to believe, and profefs, and practise according to the Doctrines of fuch Revelation. And it is certain likewife, that God hath fully and entirely revealed his Will by Jefus Chrift and his Apoftles in the New Teftament; and fo revealed it, as to exclude all Men from the Hopes of Salvation, who, having Opportunity of knowing Jefus Chrift and his Doctrines, do not believe in him. And therefore for any Man to reject this Method of God, and to fay, I hope to be faved by another Way than God hath appointed, is the extreameft Folly in the World: Let every one therefore among us, as they would not be undone to all Eternity, endeavour to instruct themselves aright in the true Religion. All their pretended. moral Honefty will not in the leaft excufe them before God, if, when having Means to find the Truth, they do not embrace it, but continue Infidels or Misbelievers. If they had been born and bred in an Heathen Country, where they had no Opportunity of coming to the Knowledge of God's revealed Will, I know not how far their Juftice and Temperance, and other good moral Qualities, might avail them towards

the

the procuring God's Acceptance. But to live in a Chriftian Country, nay, and to be baptifed into Chrift's Religion, and yet to be Pagans as to their Notions and Opinions; not to believe in Jefus Chrift, but to think to please God in the Way of the Philofophers; there is nothing in the World to be faid in their Excufe for this. And they will at laft find true what our Saviour hath John 3.19.pronounced, that this is their Condemnation (and a heavy one it will be) that Light is come into the World, but they have loved Darkness rather than Light.

IV. The fourth Obfervation I make upon this History is, That God, even in the extraordinary Expreffions of his Kindness to Sinners, in fuch Cafes where he is pleafed to work a Man's Converfion in a miraculous Way, yet hath fuch a Regard to the ftanding ordinary Means of Grace, as even in thefe Cafes to make ufe of them for bringing his Work about. Rather than Cornelius fhould continue an Infidel or Stranger to the true Religion, God was here pleased to fend an Angel from Heaven to direct him to the right Faith and Belief:. This was wholly extraordinary and miraculous. Now it is worthy of our Obfervation, that this Angel doth not take upon him to inftruct Cornelius in the Chriftian Religion, and to teach him what he was to believe concerning Jefus Chrift, and what he was to practise

if he would have eternal Life; (tho' certainly he could very well and very easily have done it) no; but for this he refers him to St. Peter, one of the ftanding publick Minifters of the Gofpel. Send, fays he, ver. 6. for one Simon furnamed Peter; he shall inftruct thee what thou shalt do. And thus it was alfo in the Cafe of St. Paul, who was another remarkable Inftance of a miraculous and extraordinary Converfion, and in many Refpects a greater Inftance than that we have now before us. For to him God did not fend an Angel, as he did to Cornelius, but our Lord Jesus Christ himself vouchfafed to appear to him, and that in the most glorious and astonishing Manner that could be imagined. But what then? Did our Lord inftruct him in the Religion he was to believe? Did he make him a Chriftian? No, not at all. All that he did was to make him fenfible of his Error in oppofing and perfecuting the Chriftian Faith; but for Inftruction and Information in that Faith he referr'd him to a publick Minifter of the Gofpel. The Scriptures tell us, that when St. Paul, trembling and aftonished, faid, Lord, what wouldeft thou have me to do? Acts 9. 6. the Anfwer that our Saviour gave him was not, I will thee; but this, Arife and go into the City, and it shall be told thee what thou fhalt do. And accordingly he was no fooner come into the City, but Ananias a Christian Minifter was ordered to go and wait upon

him,

him, and to inftruct him in the Faith, and
to make a Chriftian of him by Baptifm.
These are illuftrious Expreffions of the
great Value that God fets upon
the ordinary
publick Means which he hath appointed in
the Church, for the bringing Men to Holi-
nefs and Happiness. And they are strong
Proofs of the Obligation that is upon every
Perfon to make use of those Means, let their
Circumftances be what they will. And
therefore let every Man as he loves his Soul
have a care of difufing them, have a care
of withdrawing from them, and most of all
have a care of defpifing them, upon a Pre-
tence that he is above Ordinances, and that
he is too perfect a Chriftian to have need of
fuch carnal Administrations. He who thinks
to be a good Chriftian, and to live accepta-
bly to God merely by the Strength and Vir-
tue of his own private Devotions, or Read-
ing, or Meditation, or upon the account of
any fecret Inspiration, or Impulfes, or Re-
velations, while in the mean time he makes
no Reckoning of God's ftanding Ordinances,
refufes his Communion with the Church,
and lives without publick Prayers and Sa-
craments, as thinking them empty Forma-
lities, fuch a Man is horribly cheated and
abused, and will find at last that he ex-
treamly wrongs his own Soul; because he
doth really put himself out of the common
Way of God's Bleffing. He will not be
content to receive the divine Influences thro'

fuch

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