Verse 4
And he, fastening his eyes upon him, and being affrighted, said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, thy prayers and thine alms are gone up for a memorial before God.
What is it, Lord? ... The use of this word here, and by Peter in Acts 10:14, may not have been in exactly the same manner; but both instances suggest the supernatural nature of what was taking place. That one should have an angel speak to him is beyond all natural phenomena; nor should this fact be lost on believers. The Christian religion is a supernatural religion; and, if the supernatural elements in it can be denied, the entire system is not merely worthless, but detestable.
Incidentally, the popular idea of winged angels is probably derived from the cherubim (Exodus 25:20) and from the seraphim (Isaiah 6:2); but there are no New Testament descriptions of angels with any mention of wings.
A memorial before God ... What interest attaches to these words! Man's natural desire for a permanent memorial may truly be realized, but not in the types of monuments so often erected. The true memorial ascends to the presence of the Father in heaven, and it is made up of the prayers and alms of those who, upon earth, loved God and sought to know and do his will.
Someone has remarked that "Cornelius was a do-gooder"; and while not wishing to deny this at all, this writer would like to point out that there is a remarkable distinction between Cornelius and the "do-gooders" promoting the public welfare today. The difference is this: Cornelius did alms with his own money, whereas another class of "do-gooders" practice all their mercies and charities by spending other people's money, not their own.
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