V. 24 within." 2 VI. CHAP. and the keepers standing on the unto the council," Ye men of Is- CHAP. persist in 27 heir duty. after him; he also perished, and all that had been persuaded by him were dispersed. Now I say unto 38 you, Refrain from these men, and let them go on: for if the conThen the high priest asked them, trivance of this business be of men, They nobly saying," Did we not strictly for- it will be destroyed; but if it be bid you to teach in this name? of God, ye will be unable to de- 39 and behold! ye have filled Jerusa-stroy it; and may be found also lem with your doctrine, and wish to be fighters against God." So 40 to bring this man's blood on us." they followed his advice; and after 29 Then Peter and the other apostles calling the apostles up and beating answered, "We ought to obey them, charged them not to speak 30 God rather than men. That Jesus about the name of Jesus, and let who was raised up by the God of them go. And they went accord- 41 our fathers, whom your hands slewingly from the presence of the 31 by hanging him on a cross, that council, rejoicing that they were same Jesus God hath exalted to thought worthy to be shamefully his right hand, to be a Leader and treated for the name of Jesus. a Saviour, to give unto Israel the And daily in the temple, and at 42 strongest encouragement to repent-home, they ceased not to teach and 32 ance, and forgiveness of sins. And to preach the glad tidings that Jesus we are his witnesses of these things; was the Christ. as is also the holy spirit which God hath given to them who obey him." Now when they heard this, they Gamaliel were cut to the heart, and consult ed to kill the apostles. But there stood up in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a teacher of the 34 law, of great reputation with all the people, and bidding the apostles to stay without a little, said leads in heir fa 33 1 By provoking the people to revenge on us the death of Jesus. 2 There were probably two impostors of this name, one before Judas of Galilee, soon after Herod's death, while Archelaus was at Rome; and another in the reign of Clau VI. sons ap Now, in those days, as the dis- CHAP. ciples multiplied, the Grecian Jews · complained against the Hebrews, Seven perthat their widows were neglected in the daily distribution of alms. distribute Upon this the twelve called the alms. whole company of the disciples 2 unto them, and said, "It is not proper that we should leave the word of God, and minister to the VI. VI. CHAP. tables of the poor. Wherefore, Nazareth will destroy this very CHAP. place, and change the customs which Moses delivered unto us." And all who were sitting in the 15 council looked stedfastly at him, and saw his face like the face of an angel. .8 VII. before the Sanhedrim brethren, look out for yourselves, 3 seven men from among you, of good report, full of a spirit of wisdom, whom ye may set over this 4 business; but we will stedfastly continue in prayer, and in the 5 ministry of the word." And this Then the high priest said, " Are CHAP. advice pleased the whole multitude, these things so?" And Stephen and they chose out Stephen, a said, "Brethren and fathers, heark- His speech man full of faith and of a holy spirit, en. The God of glory appeared and Philip, and Prochorus, and Ni-unto our father Abraham, when he canor, and Timon, and Parmenas, was in Mesopotamia, before he and Nicolas, a proselyte of An- dwelt in Haran, and said unto 6 tioch; these they presented before him, Go from thine own coun- 3 the apostles, who prayed, and put try, and from thine own kindred, 7 their hands on them. And the and come into a land, which I will word of God increased; and the show thee.' So he left the land of number of the disciples greatly mul- the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Hatiplied in Jerusalem; and a great ran, whence also, after his father's number of the priests became obe- 'death, God removed him into this dient to the faith. very land in which ye now dwell, 5 but he gave him no inheritance in 2 foot on: yet he promised the pos- 4 Now Stephen, full of the divine History of favour and power, did great won-it; not even so much as to set his Stephen. ders and signs among the people. 9 And some of the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and they of Cilicia and Asia, rose up to dispute with 10 Stephen; but they were not able to resist the wisdom and spirit by 11 which he spoke. Then they suborned men to say, "We have heard him speak wicked words against Moses, and against God;" 12 and they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and these came suddenly upon him, and brought him to the council, and 13 set up false witnesses, who said, "This man ceaseth not to speak wicked words against this holy 14 place, and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of "And God gave him a covenant 8 of circumcision; and accordingly, Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. And 9 the patriarchs, through envy, sold Joseph into Egypt; but God was 10 VII. Gen. Deut. xxii. us? Dost thou mean to kill me, 28 as thou killedst the Egyptian yesterday?" Then Moses fled because 29 of these words, and sojourned in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons. VII. CHAP. with him, and delivered him out of thren, the children of Israel, came CHAP. all his troubles, and gave him favour into his heart; and seeing one of and wisdom, before Pharoah, king them suffer wrong he assisted him, 24 of Egypt, who made him gover- and avenged him, when he was nor of Egypt, and of all his own overpowered, by smiting the Egyp11 family. Now there came a famine tian. Now, he supposed that his 25 over all the land of Egypt and brethren would have understood, Canaan, and great distress, so that that God would give them deliverour fathers could find no sustenance by his hand: but they under12 ance. But Jacob hearing that there stood not. And the next day he 26 was corn in Egypt, sent out our fa-met with two of his brethren fight13 thers the first time; and at the se-ing, and endeavoured to reconcile cond, Joseph was made known to them, saying, "Sirs! ye are brehis brethren, and the family of thren, why do ye hurt each other?" Joseph became known to Pharoah. But he who was in the wrong 27 14 Then Joseph sent to fetch his fa- thrust Moses away, saying, "Who ther Jacob, and all his kindred, se-made thee a ruler, and a judge over venty persons. So Jacob and our fathers went down to Egypt, and died there, and were carried to 16' Sychem, and laid in the tomb, which Jacob bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor, the father of Sychem. "Now, after forty years, an an- 30 "Now as the time of the pro-gel of the Lord appeared unto him, Exod. iii. mise, which God solemnly made in the desert of Mount Sinai, in a with Abraham, drew nigh, the peo- flame of fire, in a bush of briers, 18 ple grew, and multiplied in Egypt and when Moses saw it, he won-31 until another king arose, who had dered at the sight; and as he drew 19 not known Joseph. He dealt unnear to observe it well, the voice of justly with our race, and ill-treated the Lord came to him, saying, 'I 32 our fathers, by making them cast am the God of thy fathers, the out their young children, that they God of Abraham, the God of Isaac," 20 might not be kept alive. During and the God of Jacob.' Then as which time Moses was born, a very Moses trembled, and durst not beautiful child, and was brought look, the Lord said unto him, 'Pull 33 up for three months in his father's thy shoes off thy feet, for the place 21 house. And when he was cast out, where thou standest is holy ground. Pharoah's daughter took him up, I have carefully beheld the afflic- 34 and nourished him for her own tion of my people, that are in 22 son; and Moses was instructed in Egypt, and have heard their cry all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and am come down to deliver them; and was mighty in 2 words and in and now come, I will send thee 23 deeds. Now, when he was forty into Egypt.' So this very Moses, 35 years old, a concern for his bre- whom they rejected, saying, Who 17 1 Some of the sons of Jacob were buried His words were weighty, but his utter- from the promise, Gen. xv. 13, 14, that VII. of God, who commanded Moses to CHAP. lxvi. I. CHAP. made thee a ruler, and a judge over us? God sent forth as a ruler, and a deliverer, by the hand of an angel, that appeared to him in the 36 bush. This very man brought out the people, and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the red sea, and in the desert 37 forty years. This is that Moses, who said unto the children of Israel, A prophet, the Lord your God will raise up from among your brethren, as he raised me. Heark38 en unto him.' This very man was amidst the congregation in the desert with the angel, who spake to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, and received from God the 39 true oracles, to deliver them unto us, whom our fathers refused to obey, and rejected, and turned back in their hearts to Egypt, saying 40 unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us; for as to this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is be-secute! yea, they slew those who come of him.' foretold the coming of that righteous man, of whom ye have been the betrayers and murderers; ye, who 53 received the law by the ministration of angels, but kept it not." Amos v. 25. 41 2 "Ye stiff-necked men, of uncir- 51 cumcised heart and ear! ye always resist the holy spirit; as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the 52 prophets did not your fathers per out of the "So they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice to the image, and rejoiced in the works 42 of their own hands. Upon this, God gave them up again to pay religious service to the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets, Have ye offered to me, O! house of Israel, only slain beasts and sacrifices, these forty 43 years in the desert? Nay, but ye took up the tent of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan," Behold, I see the heavens opened, 56 figures which ye_made to worship and the son of man at the right them: therefore I will carry you hand of God." And as he cried 57 away beyond Damascus, even to with a loud voice, they stopped their Assyria and Media. ears, and rushed with one accord upon him, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him; and the wit- 58 nesses laid down their upper gar Now, when they heard these 54 things, they were exceedingly en- He is vio raged in their hearts, and gnashed lently cast their teeth against him. But he city, and being full of a holy spirit, looked stoned. stedfastly towards heaven, and saw 55 a divine brightness, and Jesus at the right hand of God, and said, 44 The tabernacle of testimony was among our fathers in the desert, according to the appointment 'Probably the figure of a star fixed on Hence we may infer that the design of Jews to whom he was then speaking, were VII. CHAP. ments at the feet of a young man him, because he had for a long time CHAP named Saul; and they stoned Ste- astonished them with his magic: 59 phen, appealing to his enemies, but when they believed Philip 12 and also, saying, "Lord Jesus, preaching the glad tidings concern60' receive my spirit." And he kneel-ing the kingdom of God, and the ed down, and cried with a loud name of Jesus Christ, they were voice, Lord, lay not this sin to baptized, both men and women. their charge," and when he had Then even Simon himself 3 believ- 13 said this, he fell asleep. Now, Sauled; and when he was baptized, he gladly consented to his death. kept close to Philip, and was astonished at seeing the great signs, and miracles, which were performed. CHAP. Persecu And they of the church were grievously persecuted on that day, in Jerusalem, and were all scattered ion ensues. abroad, through the countries of Judea and Samaria, except the 2 apostles only; and religious men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul made havoc of the church, going into every house, dragging out both men and women, and de4 livering them up to prison; so the disciples were on this account, scattered abroad, and went about preaching the glad tidings of the word. hilip reaches nd works ebaste. 5 John confer the holy Now, when the apostles at Jeru- 14 salem heard that the people of Sa- Peter and maria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter, and spirit. John, who went down, and prayed i5 for them, that they might receive the holy spirit; for as yet it had 16 fallen on none of them ; but they had only been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then 17 the apostles put their hands on them, and they received the holy spirit. purchase the spirit. Then Philip went down to a Now, when Simon saw that the 18 airacles at tude attended with one mind to the zes many, nd among he rest imon Magus. 2 2 This being a prayer to Jesus, when • Probably, no more than a superior ac- 3 Professed himself a believer. U |