him to have erred. But this can hardly be imagíned, without also accusing him, as the Jews did, of falsehood and blasphemy. For certainly, after the vision mentioned above, whoever believes him to have spoken truth cannot possibly think that he fell into so gross an error. If neither his unparallelled and glorious privilege on the present occasion, nor his being full of the Holy Ghost, as we are told he was, be a sufficient pledge of sound and right faith, it is very hard to know what to rely upon. For my part, I cannot conceive stronger securities than these, nor a plainer assertion of the divinity of our Lord. Let not man, weak, shortsighted, fallible man, think of setting up poor subtilties and false refinements against the authority of Heaven so clear, and evident, and striking. His last prayer, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge," is a close imitation of his divine master in the hour of suffering. If such things be not irrefragable testimonies both to the truth of the Gospel, and to its wonderful effects upon the mind, of pa tience and charity and Heavenly love, I know not what can be so. To us, my brethren, I trust in God, they not only stand for solid proofs, but likewise for bright examples; to teach us mercy and forgiveness toward our worst enemies, fortitude and resignation under our severest trials. Let us, like the first martyr, look up to Heaven for though not blessed with a sensible vision of our Lord's glo

ry, yet a lively and vigorous faith, joined to fervent prayer for the support of divine grace, is able to sustain and console us under every affliction, cruelty, and injustice, which we have to encounter in this wicked world. It will prove a sovereign remedy to all the evils of life, by whatever hand inflicted, if we can with just assurance say, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another,"

LECTURE VI.

CHAPTERS VIII, IX.

THE

HE martyrdom of St. Stephen, spoken of in the last Lecture, had a circumstance attending it, which I there passed over, as being closely connected with the principal subject of this Lecture upon the conduct and conversation of St. Paul, as related in the 8th and 9th chapters of the Acts: They

cast him (Stephen) out of the city, and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul." The proceeding, as I observed already, was irregular, yet retained somewhat of the legal form, as we may understand both from their casting him out of the city to stone him, and from the particular mention of the witnesses; who by the law against idolaters were to cast the first stone, and then to be followed by all the people. In preparing themselves for this active duty, it seems they laid aside their garments, giving them in charge to some violent zealot till the service was performed. Such

an one was Saul, as we learn from his history, and still more fully from his own confession, particularly these words, "When the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him."

The eighth chapter opens with an account of this consent, and of a great persecution at the same time against the church at Jerusalem, in which Saul bore a principal part; so that all the christians were scattered abroad through Judea and Samaria, except the Apostles, who were endued with such a degree of courage, that they had rather stand their ground and abide the event. But a mysterious Providence can easily confound the rage and malice of man; can bring strength out of weakness, and good out of evil. For this persecution, although it dispersed almost the whole body of Christians, yet, against the hope and design of its authors, not only spared the lives of the Apostles, but likewise became in the hand of God an instrument to spread and propagate the Gospel; by sending forth members of the church into different regions, who taught, preached, and worked miracles. Of these teachers Philip, who was probably one of the seven Deacons spoken of in the 6th chapter, went down to the city of Samaria, where he made many converts, and gave great joy to the city. The principal believer gained over by

him was Simon, called Magus, from his using magic or sorcery: "To whom they all gave heed from the least to the greatest," saying, this "man is the great power of God," that is, as I would understand, enabled to perform the same mighty works as if God were aiding and supporting him. The kind of magic here spoken of, was thought to consist in the invocation and assistance of spirits, most generally evil spirits. We have good reason to suppose, that it arose first in Egypt; for the writings of Moses, the earliest history now extant in the world, relate a famous contest between him and the magicians of that country. And from the Egyptians without doubt it passed to the Jews (who were fond of imitating the worst practices of neighbouring nations) either directly, or by their intercourse with Babylon during the captivity: for by that time it had obtained footing through a great part of the East. Simon was deeply skilled in this study, and by means of it had done many wonderful things, so as to bewitch the people, to charm them into a wild admiration and full confidence of his power. Yet so strong is the force of truth, that this very same people soon deserted their great magician, upon seeing the works of Philip, and hearing him preach the kingdom of God. Nay, Simon himself, unable to withstand so great evidence, believed also; and with the rest was baptized in, or into, the name of Christ Je