Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 10, verses 1-16
1 Cornelius, a devout man, 5 being commanded by an angel, sendeth for Peter, who by a vision, 15 is taught not to despise the GentilesJohn, Chapter 6, verses 56-69
32 declareth himself to be the Bread of life to believers, 66 Many disciples depart from him, 68 Peter confesseth him6
6:57 I live by the Father - Being one with him. He shall live by me - Being one with me. Amazing union!
6:58 This is - That is, I am the bread - Which is not like the manna your fathers ate, who died notwithstanding.
6:60 This is a hard saying - Hard to the children of the world, but sweet to the children of God. Scarce ever did our Lord speak more sublimely, even to the apostles in private. Who can hear - Endure it?
6:62 What if ye shall see the Son of man ascend where he was before? - How much more incredible will it then appear to you, that he should give you his flesh to eat?
6:63 It is the Spirit - The spiritual meaning of these words, by which God giveth life. The flesh - The bare, carnal, literal meaning, profiteth nothing. The words which I have spoken, they are spirit - Are to be taken in a spiritual sense and, when they are so understood, they are life - That is, a means of spiritual life to the hearers.
6:64 But there are some of you who believe not - And so receive no life by them, because you take them in a gross literal sense.For Jesus knew from the beginning - Of his ministry: who would betray him - Therefore it is plain, God does foresee future contingencies: "But his foreknowledge causes not the fault, Which had no less proved certain unforeknown."
6:65 Unless it be given - And it is given to those only who will receive it on God's own terms.
6:66 From this time many of his disciples went back - So our Lord now began to purge his floor: the proud and careless were driven away, and those remained who were meet for the Master's use.
6:68 Thou hast the words of eternal life - Thou, and thou alone, speakest the words which show the way to life everlasting.
6:69 And we - Who have been with thee from the beginning, whatever others do, have known - Are absolutely assured, that thou art the Christ.
10
10:1 And there was a certain man - The first fruits of the Gentiles, in Cesarea - Where Philip had been before, Act 8:40; so that the doctrine of salvation by faith inJesus was not unknown there. Cesarea was the seat of the civil government, as Jerusalem was of the ecclesiastical. It is observable, that the Gospel made its way first through the metropolitan cities. So it first seized Jerusalem and Cesarea: afterward Philippi, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Rome itself.A centurion, or captain, of that called the Italian band - That is, troop or company.
10:2 Who gave much alms to the people - That is, to the Jews, many of whom were at that time extremely poor.
10:3 He saw in a vision - Not in a trance, like Peter: plainly, so as to leave one not accustomed to things of this kind no room to suspect any imposition.
10:4 Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God - Dare any man say, These were only splendid sins? Or that they were an abomination before God? And yet it is certain, in the Christian sense Cornelius was then an unbeliever. He had not then faith in Christ. So certain it is, that every one who seeks faith in Christ, should seek it in prayer, and doing good to all men: though in strictness what is not exactly according to the Divine rule must stand in need of Divine favour and indulgence.
10:8 A devout soldier - How many such attendants have our modern officers? A devout soldier would now be looked upon as little better than a deserter from his colours.
10:10 And he became very hungry - At the usual meal time. The symbols in visions and trances, it is easy to observe, are generally suited to the state of the natural faculties.
10:11 Tied at the corners - Not all in one knot, but each fastened as it were up to heaven.
10:14 But Peter said, In nowise, Lord - When God commands a strange or seemingly improper thing, the first objection frequently finds pardon. But it ought not to be repeated. This doubt and delay of St. Peter had several good effects. Hereby the will of God in this important point was made more evident and incontestable.And Peter also, having been so slow of belief himself, could the more easily bear the doubting of his brethren, Act 11:2, etc
10:15 What God hath purified - Hath made and declared clean. Nothing but what is clean can come down from heaven. St. Peter well remembered this saying in the council at Jerusalem, Act 15:9.
10:16 This was done thrice - To make the deeper impression.