I have given an explanation to the case of Cornelius, you have just yet to comment on my explanation. I have shown, in the Bible, that baptism is for the remission of sins. Until you can prove to me that we are saved before our sins are remitted, then you can't prove that salvation happens before baptism. Period.
"Cornelius received the Holy Spirit as a sign to the Jewish Christians that Gentiles could be saved as well. There are only two instances where the Holy Spirit manifests itself as it did with Cornelius, the other being when the apostles spoke at Pentecost."
You might include John the Baptist and Jeremiah to this list but, of course, they were under the "old covenant".
This is a typical Arminian construct. God works differently in the life of one but He doesn't work that way for the rest of us. I'm sorry but I reject this type of argument. People use it in all sorts of different ways just to "prove" their case. There's always an exception and that exception list grows awfully long and varies depending on who you talk to.
God works exactly the same way in everyone's life. God show no partiality. Period.