2. D. 33. of the difciples unto them, and faid, It is not reason that we fhould leave the word of God, and serve 3. Wherefore bre- and wisdom, whom this business. lievers of the feveral Countries, and told them they had so much and conftant Work of preaching the Gospel, that they could no longer attend the Diftributi ons to the Poor. 3 & 4. And therefore advis'd them to chufe out feven of the most eminent and proper Perfons, that fhould make this their chief Business, to receive and difpenfe the Charities equally, and prevent all Difputes for the fu4. But we will give ture; that fo they might not be our felves continually interrupted in their Preaching. to prayer, and to the miniftry of the word. 5. And the faying pleafed the whole multitude and they chofe Stephen, a man full of faith, and of the holy Ghoft, and Philip, and Procho 5. To which they readily agreed, and accordingly nominated the Seven of whom Stephen was the moft eminent, for the Strength and Sincerity of his Faith, and the Power of working Miracles. rus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas hands on them. them to it by Prayer 7. And the word of God increased; and the number of the difciples multiplied in Jerufalem greatly, and great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. a 6. These they brought to the Apoftles, giving them fufficient Teftimonies of their Abilities and Qualifications for the Office, who thereupon confecrated and Impofition of Hands. 7. By the Apostles being thus at full Liberty to preach, the Church encreafed everyDay more and more, and a great many of the Jewish Priefts came in and embraced the Gospel. and miracles among tures, and Courage in Preach- A. D. 33. the people. ing, and doing Miracles. 9. Then there arose certain of the fynagogue, which is called the fynagogue of the *Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexan drians, and of them of Cilicia, and of A. fia, difputing with Stephen. 10. And they were not able to refift the wifdom and the fpirit by which he fpake. and baffled before all 11. Then they fuborned men, which faid, We have heard him fpeak blafphemous words against Mofes, and against God. 12. And they ftir red up the people, 9. Against whom there came a Set of Jews, that had a particular Synagogue by themselves, and who from their being Freemen * of Rome, were called Libertines, and pretended openly to contradict, and challenged to difpute with him. 10. But by the Strength of his Reason, and the Gravity, Courage, and Freedom of his Difcoufe, they were filenced the People. 11 & 12, Which inftead of convincing, did fo enrage them, that they hired or perfuaded Witneffes to accufe him of difhonourable Words against the Jewish Religion; and under that Pretence got him apprehended and brought before the Council, and the elders, and the fcribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought bim to the council. 13. And fet up false witneffes, which faid, This man ceaseth not to speak blafphemous words against this holy place, and the law. 14. For we have heard him fay, that 13 & 14. And the Testimony and the ceremonial Law to be this Jefus of Nazareth fhall deftroy this place, and fhall D3 15. And Ver. 9. Außertival, Freemen, or more properly fuch as were born fo of Parents that had Roman Freedom, and fo diftinguished from Liberti, who were not born, but made fuch by Purchase or free Gift. 15. 15. As foon as he was charged with this Crime, there appeared upon his Face (as a Token of his Innocence) a Splendor and a Brightness like that of an Angel, which was vifible to all the Coun cil that were to be his Judges. ! . CHA P. VII. The CONTENTS. The High Prieft fums up the Charge of Blafphemy against the Jewish Law, and demands of Stephen, what he bad to fay to it. Stephen's famous Defence, and Retaliation upon the Jews. The Court exafperated. He is ftoned to Death. 4. D. 33. 1.THEN faid the TEPHEN being thus high priest, Are charged with Blafphemy these things fo against the Jewish Religion, for affirming, That CHRIST would deftroy the Temple, and abrogate the ceremonial Law; the High Prieft asked him, what he had to fay for himself? I. ST To which he answered, That it ought not to be interpreted as Blafphemy against their Religion, or against God the divine Author of it, to affirm either or both of thefe Things. And this he proved to them, by fhowing from their own Scriptures, in the several Periods from Abraham to Mofes, and from Mofes to the building of the Temple, That God never intended to confine his true Worship and Religion to the Land of Canaan, nor his Divine Prefence to the Temple of Jerufalem; that the ceremonial Law was not given to be of neceflary and perpetual Obligation; and that by the frequent Examples of Judgments upon Sins of their Fore-fathers, it was but juft for them who now followed, and exceeded them in obftinate Wickedness, to expect the final Deftruction of their Temple and Nation.* the 2, 3, The READER may take Notice, That this pretty long of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8. He be- 4. D. 33. of this famous Apology of St. Stephen; and that as the Criticks have laboured much about the Phrafeology and Synchronisms of feveral Paffages of it, I have made it my Bufinefs to fhew the Strength and Argument of its feveral Parts, as a juft Defence of himself against his Accufation, which I thought the chief Bufinefs of a PARAPHRASE, and toward which I found but little Help from COMMENTATORS. When bis Father was dead he removed Note, There arifeth a great Difficulty about the Age of Abraham at the Time of this his Removal, as the Hiftory records the Circumstances of it in Gen. xi and xii Chapters. But the Account of Terab's Age in the Samaritan Pentateuch clearly reconciles St. Stephen to Mofes. See Sir Norton Knatchbul in loo A. D. 33. when as yet he had no child. 6. And God fpake * ceptable to God as ours in the Land of Canaan ever was fince. Then again, when God appointed the famous Rite of Circumcifion to Abraham, it was after the grand Promife made to him, and therefore had nothing in it that could make Abraham more worthy, but was only an external Mark, and a Badge of the Covenant, and Relation he bore to God, and so being of no intrinfick Virtue of itfelf, was capable of being omitted or abolished; and if that, then confequently fo must any other of the ceremonial Ufages be. *Rom. iv. the covenant of circumcifion: and fo Abraham begat Ifaac, and circumcifed him the eighth day and Ifaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. 10, 11. 9. And the patri- him out of all his áf flictions, and gave him favour and wildom in the fight of Pharaoh 11. Now there came af fiction; and our fa thers found no fufte. 12. But when Ja- 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 & 16. His next Inftance in the Courfe of their Hiftory, was in Jofeph, his being fold into Egypt by the Emulation of his Brethren; his Wifdom, Piety, Succefs, and Advancement there, as the providential Means of preferving his Family under the great Famine; who all lived and died in Egypt, and had no other Benefit of the promised Land, but to be carried over and buried there. By all which it was clear, That the most defpifed and perfecuted Perfons might be yet the most glorious InGod's People. That the Favour fruments of delivering and faving and Love of God toward his moft eminent Servants, has no Refpect to any particular Country; but that in every Place he accepts of and rewards the Services and Vir |