The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-04-18
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson IU the international Series
for April 20, 19O2-Peter
and Cornelius.
THE LESSON TEXT.

(Acts 10:34-44)
"a. Then Peter opened his mouth, and
said, OF truth 1 perceive that God is nc
| respecter of persons:
So. But In every nation he that fearetn
| Him. and worketh righteousness, is ac'
cepted with Him.
49, The word which God sent unto the
children of Israel, preaching peace by
Jesus Christ: Gle is Lord of all)
| 81. That word, | say, We know, which was
| published throughout all Judea, and began
from Galilee, after the baptism which John
| preached;
| 49, How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
| with the Holy Ghost and with power; whc
went about doing good, and healing all that
| were oppressed of the devil; for God was
| with Him.
| 80. And we are witnesses of all things
! which He did both in the land of the Jews,
| and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and
| hanged on a tree:
40 Him God raised up the third day, and
| Showed Him openly;
| Al. Not to all the people, but unto Wit
| nesses chosen before of God, even TO us,
| who did eat and drink with Him after He
| rose from the dead.
| A. And He commanded us to preach unto
the people, and to testify that it is He
| which was ordained of God to be the Judge
| of quick and dead.
| 49, To Him give all the prophets witness,
| that through His name whosoever believ-
| eth in Him shall receive remission of sins
"A. While Peter yet spake these words.
the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard
the word.
GOLDEN TEXT.-GOd is no respecter
of persOns.-Acts 1O:34.
OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURAL SECTION.
The two visions. Acts III; l-23
Peter and Cornelius. ............Acts 10:23-34
The Gospel preached. ..........Acts 10:34-43
The Gentiles' Pentecost. ..... Acts 10:44-4S.
TIME.-A. d. 81.
PLACE.-Caesarea, and Joppa.
NOTES AND COMMENTS
Jewish Bigotry.-The Jews regard
ed all other peoples as common and
unclean.' They looked upon them
selves as Gods peculiar, chosen peo-
pie, and upon all others as outcasts
from Gods mercy. The disciples of
Christ we've not as yet emancipated
from this view, and hence the Cos
pei could make but little progress
among the Gentiles. In their recep-
ton of the Samaritan converts, how
ever, they had made long step in
the right direction. But for the
church to become zealously mission
airy, it needed that this barrier
should be broken down altogether.
The Two Visions.-Cornelius' name
does not necessarily prove that he
was of noble birth, though there
were Roman mobiles so named. Mel
Their does his office prove him to
have been of very high standing
among the Romans His almsgiving
indicates that he had some means,
and he may really have been of high
rank. "Openly" seems to indicate
that the vision came to him in broad
daylight when he was awake The
object of the errand upon which he
was to send his servants was left for
Peter to explain when he came. The
messengers were in sympathy with
him in his faith and hope. Peter
needed more teaching to prepare him
for the journey to Cornelius than the
centurion needed to persuade him to
send for him. The vision was in
tended to teach him that Gods spir-
it was not bound by Mosaic restric-
tions. He needed however, the di-
rect and plain directions of verses
10, 90 before he would grasp the
teaching.
Peter and Cornelius.-Since God
had commanded that Peter be sent
for, He seemed to Cornelius worthy
of great respect, so he met him at
the door and bowed to the ground
before him. The gathering that had
assembled at Cornelius invitation
was larger than Peter expected, but
he began by asking in due form
what was wanted.
The Gospel Preached discoy-
cry that Peter announces in verses
"a, 35 was not that sincerity and
unselfishness are the only qualifica-
tions needed to come to God, but
that no race or birth disqualifies a
sincere soul from coming through
Christ. Romans living in Caesarea
might not have learned about Jesus,
but Peter was probably right in sup
posing that his audience knew of the
Lord, since men as much interested
as were Cornelius and his compan-
ions in the Jewish religion would GER
tainly have heard about the new
sect and it's Master. The summary
of the apostolic preaching Tvs. 81
43) is one of the most admirable.
from literary point of view, any
where to be found. 1t shows clear
ly and briefly the character of Jesus.
the quality of His work, the reality
of His death and resurrection. His
final authority and the purpose of
His work, 1t bears the character of
testimony from personal knowledge.
The Gentiles' Pentecost.-The CON
version of the Gentiles to whom
Peter spoke was less distinctly NOR
al than intellectual, their moral sub
mission to God having been made
before. The gift of the Holy Spirit
was sign of their full acceptance
of the Christian faith. The form of
the manifestation was almost exact
~ like that at Penteeost, and was
probably determined by the need
that Peter should be perfectly salts
fled of its genuineness. The bap.
tlsm Following was a matter Of
course; to have refused it would have
been an insult to the Holy Spirit.
PRACTICAL. POINTS.
God is no respecter of persons. No
accident of fortune position or race
commends one in His sight.
That person is acceptable in His
sight who fears God and worketn
righteousness, no matter what his