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CHAP. IV.

And then Peter and John went to their own company, and when they had reported all that the priests and elders had said to them, V. 24. They lifted up their voice to GoD with one accord, and said, LORD thou art GOD, which has made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is, who, by the mouth of thy servant David, hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the LORD, and against his CHRIST.

Ps. ii. V. 2.-The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against JEHOVAH, and against his ANOINTED.

It cannot, I think, be denied, that St. Peter and St. John, and their company, refer to the Second Psalm, and intend to assert that the prophecy contained therein was fulfilled in the conduct of Herod, Pilate, &c. Thus again are these corroborative proofs of CHRIST and JEHOVAH being identified in this prophecy, for in the original JEHOVAH is the Being against whom the rulers are assembled.

CHAP. V.

V. 38.-Refrain from these men, and let them alone, for if this counsel, or this work be of man, it will come to nought; but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it.

PROV. Ch. xxi. V. 30.-There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against JEHOVAH.

ISA. Ch. viii. V. 10.-Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand, for God is with us.

Let Christianity be tried by this proof, and it will stand unshaken like a rock.

CHAP. VI.

V. 10. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he (Stephen) spoke.

ISA. Ch. liv. V. 17.-No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment, thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of JEHOVAH, and their righteousness is of Me, saith JEHOVAH.

The earnestness, the proofs and the constancy, of St. Stephen were all unanswerable, and therefore, to silence him effectually, they stoned him. The infidels since those times act in a very similar manner. The Scriptures are so adapted to all capacities, the essential points are so clearly and distinctly told, that all may attain through them eternal life. To prevent this blessed result, the infidels of these awful times pervert the plainest doctrine and the plainest precepts, and thus they poison the fountain-head of all religious information.

CHAP. VII.

V. 37. This is that Moses which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the LORD your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me, him shall ye hear. 38. This is he (CHRIST) that was in the church in the wilderness with the Angel, which spake to him (Moses) in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers.

EXOD. Ch. xix. V. 3.-And Moses went up unto ELOHIM, and JEHOVAH called to him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel. 17. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet ELOHIM.

I must refer the reader to the tenth chapter of the First Cor., for there the appropriate reference will confirm the explanatory names I have inserted within parentheses. St. Stephen, St. Luke, St. Paul, all in their writings teach us that they believed CHRIST, the MESSIAH, the IMMANUEL, or by whatever name they

designate him, to be the JEHOVAH who was in the cloud, conducting the Israelites through the wilderness, who often spake to Moses face to face; and, in short, they all do their utmost to convince us that CHRIST is the "True GOD."

V. 55. Stephen, being full of the HOLY GHOST, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and JESUS standing at the right hand of GoD, 56. And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.

DAN. Ch. vii. V. 13.—Daniel saw in the night visions, and behold One like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

Through the influence of the HOLY GHOST, St. Stephen was enabled to bear martyrdom, and let us carefully peruse his long address to his persecutors, and learn what was the doctrine he maintained, and for which he was suffering. He certainly did not die, because he merely said that JESUS CHRIST had been on earth. No! it was for maintaining the doctrine of the Divinity of CHRIST, which greatly militated against the prejudices and obstinacy of the Jews. The force of his reasoning and consistency of conduct might make converts, and therefore effectually to silence his persuasive eloquence, they stoned him.

V. 32. And the place of the Scriptures which he (Philip) read was this: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth.

ISA. Ch. liii. V. 7.-He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

Here, as in innumerable other places, we have no

choice in the selection of the reference to the Old Testament, for St. Philip unhesitatingly applies this very interesting prophecy to CHRIST.

CHAP. IX.

V. 3.—As (St. Paul) journeyed, he came near to Damascus; and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven; 4. And he fell on the earth, and he heard a voice saying unto him, "Saul! Saul! why persecutest thou me?" 7. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

DAN. Ch. x. V. 9.-Yet I heard the voice of his words, and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep.

This miraculous conversion of St. Paul should be seriously reflected on. The vision granted him was to arrest his persecution of the Christians, and to make him a chosen vessel to carry the name of CHRIST among the Gentiles.

V. 20. And straightway he (Paul) preached CHRIST in the synagogues, "That he is the Son of GOD."

I have so often called the reader's attention to the Jews' interpretation of the true import of the phrases Son of Man and Son of GOD, that I think it must be superfluous to do more, in this instance, than to refer him to the remarks on St. Mark, chap. xiv. v. 61, and St. Luke, chap. i. v. 35.

V. 22.—And Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very CHRIST.

This assertion conveys to us the faith both of Saul and of St. Luke, who report the fact. "The very

designate him, to be the JEHOVAH who was in the cloud, conducting the Israelites through the wilderness, who often spake to Moses face to face; and, in short, they all do their utmost to convince us that CHRIST is the "True GOD."

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V. 55. Stephen, being full of the HOLY GHOST, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of GoD, and JESUS standing at the right hand of GoD, 56. And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.

DAN. Ch. vii. V. 13.-Daniel saw in the night visions, and behold One like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

Through the influence of the HOLY GHOST, St. Stephen was enabled to bear martyrdom, and let us carefully peruse his long address to his persecutors, and learn what was the doctrine he maintained, and for which he was suffering. He certainly did not die, because he merely said that JESUS CHRIST had been on earth. No! it was for maintaining the doctrine of the Divinity of CHRIST, which greatly militated against the prejudices and obstinacy of the Jews. The force of his reasoning and consistency of conduct might make converts, and therefore effectually to silence his persuasive eloquence, they stoned him.

V. 32. And the place of the Scriptures which he (Philip) read was this: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth.

ISA. Ch. liii. V. 7.-He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

Here, as in innumerable other places, we have no

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