Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-04-14

| carried out Immediately when he gave
| them, so when God told him what to
, do he did it at once. The evidence of
this is that although it was thirty
miles from Ceasarea to Joppa and he
| did not have the command given him
until o'clock one afternoon, by noon
the next day his servants and orderly
covered the distance.
| PETER PREJUDICED BUT PRAYING.
| If it is was on Tuesday afternoon at
! 8 O'Clock that Cornelius had his vision
! in answer to prayer, it was about noon
Wednesday when Peter, hungry ana
! tired, went up on the roof garden TO
wait for dinner and to pray (hours or
prayer were 8, IL and 3O Whlle ne
was waiting. hungry and praying
Peter had a vision in which God an
swered his prayers. There can De NJ
tie doubt but that Peters presence in
the house of Simon, the tanner had
served to shake his confidence in the
correctness of his position. There IS
no doubt about it that he was preJu-
diced. and there is very little doubt
but that the subject of his prayer was
for God to show him whether his
prejudice was right or not.
In such a state of mind 1t is not
remarkable that Peter dreamed OF food
and of clean and unclean things. Often
our waking thoughts give drapery
for our dreams, and dreams have lar
more meaning than we were wont 10
think. To the one who is able to inter
rret them. the dream-life often, not al
wavs reveals the underlying cause OF
III health. which can, therefore De re-
,,,o,,ed when found. So 1t was natural
+ha+ PETER should have dreamed as ne
ala In his dreams, as He did to COT 81
nnIius. God shows the praying one ~
the next step that he was to take ~
BROUGHT TOGETHER. 8
Gods spirit told him to go down ~
stairs and receive the three men VINO
had come seeking him. IL
He gave prompt obedience as Cor !59
nelius had done; went down, received kda
the messengers, and although they ~
were Gentiles, lodged them in the
house the rest of the afternoon and ~
evening Next day he went back with rs
them to the house of Cornelius. There E
Cornelius had gathered his friends, 20
and was waiting for the arrival of ne
Peter to hear from him what God had w
to say to them through him And k2
thus He had brought together Peter
and Cornelius, the two men who need
ed each other and the two men who
had a common need.
When Cornelius related the circum-
stances of his message, and PeterI
heard it in the light of what he had
seen, he began to speak, and in his :
speech he gave to Cornelius just what
he needed-Christ Cornelius was all
that a man ought to be without
Christ, and yet he lacked that which
was essential Cornelius needed PeterI
to show him Christ in His fullness
as the One who would be all and all
to him. Cornelius needed to seeI
Christ as his personal Seviour Peter
needed to see Christ as the world
Saviour regardless of race.
Peters sermon consists of only 215I =
words, and yet in that sermon he pref 3
scented Jesus Christ in His seven-foldI q
aspect as the Messiah, MEDIATOR
Lord, Healer, Paschal Lamb, the LifeI =
Of the World, the Judge, and Saviour. 3
Study his sermon carefully for your-I q
self. With the Jews seven was a perl .
feet number. and in thus presenting
Christ in His seven-fold aspect he
presented Christ to Cornelius as the 4
One who was all and in all. In other
words, he said to Cornelius, "You will
find IN Jesus Christ everything that
you need. Take Him."
While he was speaking the HolyI '
Spirit fell upon Cornelius, his house }
hold, and friends; and thus Cornelius '
not only received the gift of salvation :
himself, but was the means of bring :
ing it in fullness to many.