But Peter standing up with the eleven, and raising his voice, said to them, ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known to you, and observe what I say.

and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you entirely recover'd.

know then, my brethren, it is by him, that the remission of sins is offer'd to you:

The salvation

for mine eyes have beheld the saviour,

and all men shall behold the divine saviour."

Sent

Having heard this, they were appeas'd, and glorified God, saying, God has then granted salvation likewise to the gentiles, on the terms of their repentance.

but Paul and Barnabas told them boldly, you indeed were the first, to whom the word of God was to be preach'd: but since you reject it, and judge your own selves unworthy of eternal life, be assur'd, we shall make the same offer to the Gentiles:

when they were arrived, and had assembled the Church, they related what great things God had wrought by them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles:

Simon has related how God began to visit the Gentiles, to chuse from among them a people consecrated to his name.

but as they oppos'd him with invectives, he shook his garment, and said, "you your selves be answerable for your own destruction, I am clear: and for the future I shall address my self to the Gentiles."

but the Lord said to me, "be gone, for I will send you far hence, even to the Gentiles."

by delivering you from this people, and from the Gentiles to whom I now send thee, to open their eyes,

they answered, he will give those wretches no quarter, and will let out his vineyard to such as shall duly account for the profits thereof.

is God the God of the Jews only, and not of the Gentiles? surely he is of the Gentiles too;

and he received the sign of circumcision, as a seal of the justification by that faith, which the uncircumcised have: that he might be the father of all those who believe, tho' they are uncircumcised, that it might be accounted to them also for righteousness:

You will say then, "were they suffer'd to stumble meerly for their ruin?" no: but that thro' their fall, salvation might be offer'd to the Gentiles, in order to provoke their emulation.

for I tell you, that Jesus Christ was a minister to the Jews, to manifest the veracity of God in fulfilling the promises made to the fathers:

General references

yet some shall come from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south, and shall be entertain'd in the kingdom of God.

so they went out of the city, and came to him.