the prejudices of the Apostles, have been admitted to a parti- cipation of all its blessings, by submitting to circumcision first, and afterwards to baptism, provided he had really believed in Christ. There is reason therefore to fear that, notwithstanding his eminent attainments in natural religion, he could not have been saved without faith in Christ ; because the angel that bade him send for Peter, informed him, that Peter should " tell him words whereby he and all his house should be saved V And when the Apostles heard of his conversion to Christ, they exclaimed, " Then hath God to the Gentiles also granted repentance unto life"." If then so devout, so abstemious, so charitable, so zealous a worshipper of the true God, needed to believe in Christ in order to obtain the remission of his sins, how much more must we, who possess not half his virtues ! Even the Apostle Paul, who was, " as touching the righteousness of the law, blameless," " counted it all but loss for Christ x:" moreover, he renounced his evangelical, no less than his legal, righteousness, that he might be accepted through Christ alone y. We therefore may be well assured, that ive must do the same : for in his conduct with respect to this, he has given us an example which all must follow, if they would obtain salvation.
On the other hand, every person who truly receives them, shall certainly be saved. The word " whosoever" is of un- limited import: there is no exception: whether a man be a Jew or a heathen ; whether he have been more or less wicked ; whether he have a longer or a shorter time to live ; whether he have a deeper insight into the mysteries of the Gospel, or be but just initiated into its fundamental truths ; he shall assuredly receive through Christ the remission of his sins, the very instant he is enabled to believe in Christ. Whoever he be that desires to obtain salvation, there is but one direction to be given to him, and that is the direction given by Peter to Cornelius, and by Paul to the affrighted jailor ; " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved2."
To occupy any more of your time in shewing the importance of the doctrines in the text, is superfluous. If it be not de- monstrated by the foregoing considerations, we despair of ever establishing the simplest truth that can be proposed.]
Application —
1. Embrace the doctrines which are thus fully established —
[What is there to be placed in opposition to these testi- monies? Nothing but the unfounded opinions of self-righteous Pharisees. O listen not to their delusions which will only
1 Acts xi. 14. " Acts xi. IS. * Phil hi. G, 7.
y Phil. hi. 8, 0. z Acts xvi. 30, 31.