Ministry of Peter
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united in one Lord, one faith, one baptism. Diverse temperaments are
modified by sanctifying grace, and the same distinguishing principles
regulate the lives of all. Peter yielded to the entreaties of the believing
Gentiles, and remained with them for a time, preaching Jesus to all the
Gentiles thereabout.
When the brethren in Judea heard that Peter had preached to the
Gentiles, and had met with them, and eaten with them in their houses,
they were surprised and offended by such strange movements on his
part. They feared that such a course, which looked presumptuous to
them, would tend to contradict his own teachings. As soon as Peter
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visited them, they met him with severe censure, saying, “Thou wentest
in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.”
Then Peter candidly laid the whole matter before them. He related
his experience in regard to the vision, and pleaded that it admonished
him no longer to keep up the ceremonial distinction of circumcision
and uncircumcision, nor to look upon the Gentiles as unclean, for God
was not a respecter of persons. He informed them of the command of
God to go to the Gentiles, the coming of the messengers, his journey to
Caesarea, and the meeting with Cornelius and the company collected
at his house. His caution was made manifest to his brethren from the
fact that, although commanded by God to go to the Gentile’s house,
he had taken with him six of the disciples then present, as witnesses
of all he should say or do while there. He recounted the substance of
his interview with Cornelius, in which the latter had told him of his
vision, wherein he had been directed to send messengers to Joppa to
bring Peter to him, who would tell him words whereby he, and all his
house, might be saved.
He recounted the events of this first meeting with the Gentiles,
saying, “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on
us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how
that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized
with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift
as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I,
that I could withstand God?”
The disciples, upon hearing this account, were silenced, and con-
vinced that Peter’s course was in direct fulfillment of the plan of God,
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and that their old prejudices and exclusiveness were to be utterly de-
stroyed by the gospel of Christ. “When they heard these things, they