in Jesus as the true Messiah, the Saviour of the world. Nor should any thing in the Gospel prove a stumbling-block to us. Nothing should be regarded as " a hard saying." How- ever mysterious the declarations of the Gospel may be, we should implicitly embrace it as " the wisdom of God :" and, however self-denying his precepts may be, we should obey them cheerfully, as " holy and just and good." " As new-born babes, we should desire the word" as the proper nutriment of our souls ; and we should desire it, " that we may live and grow thereby"." Perhaps the most perfect pattern in the Scriptures is the blind man whom Jesus had restored to sight. After he had been excommunicated by the rulers of his Church, the Lord Jesus sought him out, and asked him, " Dost thou believe on the Son of God ? " To which he replied, "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him0?" Now here was no information sought, but in order to its practical effect. And thus should we also be ready, not only to receive the word, but to take it as the entire rule both of our faith and practice.]
Application —
[Let me now suppose you, my brethren, assembled in the very spirit of Cornelius and his friends. I have the very same message to deliver to you, as Peter delivered to them ;
" I preach to you peace by Jesus Christ" You need
this instruction as much as ever Cornelius did ; for there is no other by which you, or any man living, can be saved p. And
for you it shall be as effectual as it was for him0- O
that you may all receive it as he did! Let there not be amongst you any of that character from whom St. Paul was
constrained to turn in utter despondency1 But hear
and believe, to the saving of your souls.]
» 1 Pet. h. 2. ° John ix. 35, 36. P Acts xi. 14.
i ver. 44. * Acts xxviii. 27.