166  S.  PETER'S  SERMON  x  34-35

sciously  'believed  in  Christ.'  But  he  was  not  therefore  without  the
inspiration  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ.  For,  as  S.  Augustine  says  (Ep.  194,
\S\  *the  Spirit  breathes  where  he  wills... in  one  way  he  helps  before
ina welling,  m  another  by  indwelling.  For  before  he  indwells  he  helps
men  to  become  faithful,  those  already  faithful  he  helps  by  indwelling.*
And,  as  we  have  seen,  the  Holy  Spirit  was  at  work  m  bringing  about
the  conversion  of  Cornelius  (verse  101  But,  although  acceptable  to
God,  his  righteousness  was  stiU  imperiect.  For  it  did  not  spring  from
the  highest  motive,  viz.  conscious  faith  in  Christ,  of  whose  work  of
redemption  he  was  ignorant.  It  was  then  acceptable  to  God  in  the
sense  that  it  predisposed  him  for  justification.  Not  that  even  thus
it  had  any  merit.  The  mission  of  the  angel  and  of  S.  Peter  came
of  God's  pure  mercy.  The  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  was  a  *free  gift.'
Cornelius  had  not  earned  that  mercv,  his  goodness  rather  was  a  sign
that  he  was  ready  to  receive  it.  There  were  many  others  at  that
moment  among  the  Gentiles  working  righteousness,  but  only  Cornelius
was  selected  by  God  for  this  conversion.  To  inquire  further  why  God
chooses  this  particular  person  or  that  is  to  lose  ourselves  in  the  in-
scrutable mysteries  of  the  Divine  Being  ^  Further,  we  notice  the
relation  between  life  in  the  church  and  natural  goodness.  Tlie  whole
point  of  the  narrative  is  that  Cornelius  had  not  as  yet  obtained  the
ndl  light  or  eternal  life,  i.e.  the  knowledge  of  God.  But  his  natural
goodness  had  fitted  him  to  receive  *the  word,'  which  God  of  his  free
grace  now  sent  him  ;  and  the  climax  is  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit
with  the  baptism  of  Cornelius,  i.e.  his  reception  into  the  church.  The
icord  of  God  S.  Peter  now  proceeds  to  unfold.
