"they gnafhed upon him with their teeth," like beafts of prey, ready to tear and devour him. St. Stephen, then, had nothing to expect, but immediate deftruction: yet he remained undaunted. The Lord God conferred upon him a more signal honour, than before. Such abundant confolations were administered to the poor perfecuted faint, as enabled him to be collected in the face of his furious enemies, though he feemed to lie at their mercy. The glories of tre heavenly world were unfolded to his view, and he experienced within his enraptured foul a large measure of its bleffedness. What a striking contraft is here exhibited between him and his adverfaries! They felt diabolical tempers, which conftitute part of infernal mifery: he, poffeffing peace and joy unfpeakable, exulted, as if he had been tranflated into the immediate presence of God. Under the full influence of the Holy Ghoft, he difregarded their rage, and looked up with fixed attention, as if he were appealing to the righteous Judge of all. He faw the fplendour, which encircles the throne of God, and the Saviour himself standing at the right hand of the divine Majefty, engaged for his defence, and waiting to receive him. The man of God, fired with a holy transport, and not attending to his own fituation, declared the delightful vifion. The believer, when favoured with heavenly confolations, may frequently be unable to conceal his emotions, and, without confulting the dictates of worldly prudence, may call upon others to admire the greatnefs of his joy. But it is not probable, that finners will credit fuch accounts, as accord not with their own experience. Thus the perfecutors of St. Stephen, fo far from being convinced by his relation of the wondrous fact, were the more incenfed. Confirmed in their former opinion, they concluded that he was a blafphemer, who ought not to be permitted to live. The council broke up in the the utmost confusion: they stopped their ears, that they might not be fhocked by his profanenefs, rufhed upon him with furious rage, and hurried him out of the city, that they might deftroy him by ftoning. It is remarked, that among thofe, who encouraged this violent outrage, was a young man, named Saul, who foon afterwards became a principal pillar of the Church, and preached the faith, which he then hated and oppofed. He gave confent to Stephen's death, and, in teftimony of approbation, defended the gar ments of thofe, who thed his blood. Do we not lament their blind and intemperate zeal? They fuppofed, that they were doing God fervice*, and preC tended a regard to his law. But, alas! they knew not, what were their real principles. O Lord, deliver us from fuch a grievous delufion; and while we profefs to contend for thy truth and glory, fuffer us not to be carried away by the tempers of Satan! We turn our eyes from the madness of the murderers, to contemplate the conduct of the dying faint. With unfhaken courage, with sweet compofure, with lively faith, and fervent love, he clofed his valuable life, and left a bright pattern for the admiration of the Church in every fucceeding age. While they hurled ad upon him the inftruments of deftruction, he looked up in prayer, and commended his foul into the hands of the Saviour, whom he beheld in glory. "Knowto ing, in whom he had believed, and being perfuaded he that he was able to keep that which he committed unto him against that day t," he exclaimed, "Lord Jefus, receive my fpirit.' th d We remark, to whom his folemn petition was addreffed, and we are at no loss to collect his opinion of the divine nature of Christ. He confidered him, evidently, as poffeffed of power to preserve the facred Jdepofit, then intrufted to him, and as "the true God," who demands fupreme reverence and worship. Shall any prefume to infinuate, that this eminent faint, "being full of the Holy Ghott," could die in the very commiffion of idolatry? But this horrible pofition must be maintained, if it be not allowed, that Jefus Chrift is God, equal with the Father. It is obfervable, that Stephen here paid the same adoration to the Redeemer, in delivering up to him the care of his departing foul, which the Redeemer himfelf offered to the Father, when he said, "Into thy hands I commend my fpirit*." Amidst vollies of ftones, which were caft his bruifed body, Stephen continued unshaken in his mind. Confident of his own fecurity, he felt the tendereft compaffion for the perfons, who were bringing upon themselves the guilt of innocent blood, and prayed aloud upon his bended knees, that their heinous offence might not rife up in judgment to their condemnation. He cried, "Lord, lay not this fin to their charge.' How amiable the temper here manifefted! What an illuftrious display of the power of divine grace! What a ftriking resemblance between the dying conduct of this holy martyr, and that of the bleffed Redeemer, who, likewife, in his last moments, thus interceded for his murderers, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do +!" The whole of St. Stephen's deportment proved, that he was fuperior to all the menaces and cruelties of his enemies. When he had offered up his devout fupplications for them," he fell asleep:" he met his diffolution with as much compofure, as if he were retiring from the fatigues of the day, and seeking rest and refreshment in fleep for his weary body. Such is the clofe of life to the believer in Jefus. Surely, we are constrained to fay, "Bleffed are the dead, which die in the Lord, from henceforth. They reft from their * Luke xxiii. 46. † xxiii. 34. labours ; labours; and their works do follow them *." «Them, also, which fleep in Jelus, will God bring with him +." The departure of this illuftrious faint, fo glorious and happy to himself, appeared a heavy lofs to the Church, efpecially in fuch a season of violent perfecution. As a teftimony of the high eftimation, in which he was held, " devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him ‡.” It is not wrong to defire, that useful lives may be fpared, or, when they are taken away, to grieve for the many inconveniences, which we may fuftain, and the obftruction, which may be apprehended, to the work of God. But is it thus, that the enemies of true religion die? Their removal is, frequently, an acknowledged bleffing to fociety. "The wicked is driven away in his wickednefs:" and, "when the wicked perish, there is fhouting §." A ferious review of this fingular narration will fuggeft various inftructions. 1. It will confirm us in the belief of the Gofpel. Among other evidences in fupport of our holy faith, we may produce the fufferings of its primitive teachers, as furnishing a very ftrong argument. They, furely, who had the best opportunities of examining, were perfuaded of its truth and excellency, fince they cheerfully endured the severest tortures in its defence. Stephen was the firft, who died in the caufe; but many others foon followed his example. Could they. be actuated by interested views? Did they conduct themselves like impoftors? The holy martyr, whom we here contemplate, plainly found in his last moments the reality and bleffedness of that religion, which he fo powerfully maintained. By the peaceful and triumphant manner of his death, in such circum *Rev. xiv. 13. + Theff. iv. 14. † Acts viii. 1, 2. O 2 ftances flances of bodily pain, he has left an unquestionable proof, that our Redeemer is mighty. Many private Chriftians, likewife, at the hour of their departure, though they fuffer-not by the hand of violence, yet put it beyond a doubt, by their heavenly tempers and lively joys, that their fyftem is not a "cunningly devifed fable," or their faith a vain delufion. O let us liften to their teftimony, and be animated by their example! May our laft end be like their's; and, when we are clofing our eyes upon every thing below, may we be able to fay, "I know that my Redeemer liveth !" 2. It will teach us how to meet the fierceft oppofition for the truth's fake. Our obfervations on this head may be thought ill-fuited to the prefent ftate of things. We grant, that the fame violence of persecution, which occurred in former times, does not now prevail. We allow the candour of the age; we are thankful for the mild and equitable laws, which prevent or punifh any outrage upon our perfons. But there is ftill "the ftrife of tongues," the "trial of cruel mockings," which cannot be reftrained and thefe have confiderable influence in de terring men from a zealous profeffion of religion. Though we are not called to martyrdom, it must be felt as extremely painful to be defpifed and calumniated by thofe, whofe friendship we are anxious to preferve. We learn, however, from Stephen's example, to refift our enemies with prudence and courage. If, like him, we would put to filence the ignorance of foolish men," we fhould be able to give a confiftent account of our faith, and defend our principles. Much wisdom, alfo, will be requifite, in order to adapt our difcourfe to the circumftances, in which we may be placed. Yet let us beware of cowardice, and, while we behold Stephen's intrepidity, determine never to defert the cause of truth, for the fake of conciliating |