the Scriptures in one way, now he reread
them seeing Christ there.

4. System of doctrine. He may at this time have
wrought out that magnificent system of Christian doctrine
which he afterwards presented to the churches in his
Epistles.

+The Gospel for the Gentiles.+--While Paul was waiting
for the call to his great missionary work there came a
new crisis in the history of the early church, and a new
era was inaugurated. In the tenth and eleventh chapters
of the book of Acts Luke tells us of the conversion of the
Gentile Cornelius, "a centurion of the band called the
Italian band" (Acts 10:1-8), and of the instructions given
to Peter to receive him (Acts 10:9-44).

Cornelius was the first Gentile convert and we note
here the beginning of the preaching of the gospel to the
Gentiles, which was to have such large results. "The
day of Pentecost, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the
call of Cornelius and the foundation of the Gentile church
at Antioch are, if we are to pick and choose amid the
events related by Luke, the turning points of the earliest
ecclesiastical history." How great and epoch making was
this new departure of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles,
and receiving them into the church, is shown in the
eleventh chapter of the Acts (11:1-18) where, when Peter
goes up to Jerusalem, he is put on the defensive and
compelled to explain why he received Cornelius into the
church. When however the matter was fully explained
the early disciples rejoiced over the fact that to the
Gentiles was granted by God repentance unto life (Acts 11:18).

+Paul Brought to Antioch+ by Barnabas, on account of
the revival that had broken out in that city, is another
step which he takes up to his work as the great missionary
to the Gentiles (Acts 11:25-26). It was here that the
disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). It
was from this city that Paul went forth on his missionary
journeys and it was here that he returned (Acts 13:1-3;
14:26; 15:24-41; 18:22; 18:23).

"Antioch was the capital of the Greek kingdom of
Syria, and afterwards the residence of the Roman
governor of the province. It was made a free city by Pompey
the Great, and contained an aqueduct, amphitheater,
baths, and colonnades. It was situated on the Orontes
about twenty miles from the mouth of the river. Its
sea-port was Seleucia. It was intimately connected with
apostolic Christianity. Here the first Gentile church was
formed" (