Acts 7

6. Is invocation proper to the Deity? This is given to Christ (Acts 7): Lord Jesus receive my spirit. 7. Is recumbency and trust peculiar to God the Father?

Resp. There is a twofold glory: 1. The glory that God has in himself; his intrinsic glory. Glory is essential to the Godhead, as light is to the sun: he is called the God of Glory (Acts 7:2). Glory is the sparkling of the deity; glory is so co-natural to the Godhead, that God ca…

It is hard to find both: if one would seek for a faithful man, questionless he may find many; if for a wise man, he may find many; but if he seek for one both wise and faithful, this is rara avis, hard to find: yet it is possible, though not common. Moses, a man learned in all t…

Sure then this kingdom is worth praying for, Your kingdom come. Would God give us a vision of heaven a while, as he did Stephen, who saw heaven opened (Acts 7:56), we should fall into a trance, and being a little recovered out of it, how importunately would we put up this petiti…

As if the patient should be angry with the physician when he gives him a receipt to purge out his bad humors. (Acts 7:54): When they heard this they were cut to the heart, and gnashed on Stephen with their teeth. (2 Chronicles 16:10): Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in…

A pagan sins less than a baptized renegade. (9.) To persecute religion makes sin greater (Acts 7:22). To have no religion is a sin, but to endeavor to destroy religion is a greater.

He that injures me shall add to my reward; he that clips my name to make it weigh lighter, shall make my crown weigh heavier. Well might Stephen pray for his enemies: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge (Acts 7:60). He knew they did but increase his glory in heaven; every sto…

Secondly, I say that Christ is here said to have willed, not as he is God effectually mollifying and converting the hearts of men, but as he was a minister of the circumcision, while he sought the conversion of the Jews by preaching. A place altogether like is in (Acts 7:51), wh…

Now Abraham, at God's commandment, went out of his own Country into this place, to inherit it, and to take possession of it. But it may be objected, He inherited it not; yea furthermore, Stephen says, Acts 7:4. God brought him in, but gave him no inheritance in it, no, not the b…

At Moses' prayer, God's judgments were taken from Egypt: Exodus 7:12, 13, 30, and his wrath appeased toward his people, Exodus 32:11, 14. And some think that Stephen's prayer at his death for his persecutors, was one means for mercy unto Saul, that then consented to his death, A…

We must know that the Mother was the chief doer in this work, and the father though he was not a doer, yet he gave his consent. Now we must remember, that consent is a kind of doing, whether it be in good things, or in evil: for, when Saul did but keep the persecutors clothes th…

Surely, if Moses had written a book of his own, as he was a mere man, and as he was Moses brought up in Egypt: or Paul writ a book, as he was a Pharisee, and Doctor of the Law; they would both have been full of all excellent learning: for Paul was brought up, at the foot of Gama…

Truly, our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ: so that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and saints, make up but one society, or family, where God will dwell, to comfort and solace them: the good angels their guard, to protect and save them (as they did…

Christ by his death has freed me from the whole Ceremonial Law, so that if I consent to rear again what Christ by his death has abolished, I crucify Christ, make myself guilty of his blood, and as much as in me lies, expel him out of the Nation. Now, the Ceremonial Law has his c…

They do serve: They do according to the Law officiate in sacred things; that is, they did so de jure, in their first institution, and continued de facto so to do still. And the word [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩], is applied both to the inward spiritual, and outward instituted holy w…

Together herewith, was a spirit of fear and bondage administered to all the People, so as that they chose to keep at a distance, and not draw nigh to God (Deuteronomy 5:23, 24, 25, 26, 27). 2. That it was given by the ministry and disposition of Angels (Acts 7:13; Galatians 3:19…

So the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, though wrought meerly by acts of power, is called their Redemption. And Moses from his ministry in that work is called [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩], a Redeemer (Acts 7:35). But this Redemption is only metaphorically so called, with r…

He can indeed appear to whom he pleases, by an extraordinary dispensation. So he was seen of Stephen standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7). So he appeared to Paul (1 Corinthians 15:8).

So our Apostle says, that by faith Joseph gave commandment concerning his bones (Hebrews 11:22). And their disposal into a burying place is rehearsed by Stephen as one fruit of their faith (Acts 7:15, 16). Job gives testimony to his faith herein (Job 19:25, 26).

Who can call to mind all the miseries which he underwent in this world, all the reproach and scorn that was cast upon him by his enemies of all sorts, all the wrath that the whole world is yet filled withal against him, but is refreshed, rejoiced, transported, with a spiritual v…

Secondly, there were such as succeeded him, from whom the whole nation in like manner descended, as Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise (Hebrews 11:4). Thirdly, such as were the first heads of their twelve tribes into which the nation was divided, that i…

2. Question: Whether are we to pray to the Son and the Holy Spirit as to the Father? Answer: Invocation belongs to all the three persons in Trinity, and not only to the father, Acts 7:59. Stephen prays, Lord Jesus receive my spirit. 1 Thessalonians 3:2. Now God our father and ou…

Have you any other gift or blessing of God, be it wisdom, strength, riches, honor, favor, or whatever, then look you use it so, as you may be always ready to make a good account thereof to Christ. Lastly, every one must in such manner lead his life in this world, that at the day…

Answer: The word does not afford any particular direction. Our Savior and his disciples prayed in various gestures: kneeling, standing, groveling, looking to heaven, looking down to the earth, sitting, lying, etc. (Luke 11:41; Acts 7). God respects not the gesture, but the affec…

Isidore says that the heathen used the names of image and idol indifferently in one and the same signification. Stephen in his defense in Acts 7:41 calls the golden calf an idol. Jerome says that idols are images of dead men.

But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. To give light to this, Paul had represented the story and case of Abraham, and the rest of the Patriarchs, in the verses before, t…

For if you respect the literal name, there were many others that were called Jesus, as well as He, at the hearing of whose names, the grossest idolatry is oftentimes committed, by capping, and bowing, before they know what Jesus is intended and spoken of. For the Apocrypha menti…

But the idolatry forbidden in the second Commandment is, when the worship is directed to the True God, but by false ways and means, which he had never appointed, and which never came into his heart: we commonly call it for distinction sake, Superstition, which is as much as to s…

Besides at the time of his preaching and baptizing, he could not have exercised the office of his Deaconship, by reason of the persecution, which scattered rich and poor and all (Acts 8:1). That which Steven did (Acts 7) was no more than every believer was bound to do, when he i…

The word does not afford any certain direction. Our Savior and his Disciples prayed in diverse gestures, kneeling, standing, groveling, looking to heaven, looking down to the earth, sitting, lying, etc. (Luke 11:41; Acts 7). God respects not the gesture, but the affection of the…

Ans. Invocation belongs to all the three persons in Trinity, and not only to the Father. Acts 7:59. Stephen prays, Lord Jesus receive my spirit. 1 Thessalonians 3:2. Now God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, guide our journey to you.

2. The Spirit also strives immediately with the souls of sinners, and pleads with them, sometimes as a Spirit of conviction, illumination, fear and dread, sometimes as a Spirit of grace, wooing and beseeching. And when his motions are not complied with, there are complaints of m…

In Romans 12:7, 8 him that teaches, him that exhorts, him that rules, and him that shows mercy. In Philippians 1:1 we have Bishops and Deacons; and their institutions with the order of it, we have at large expressed in 1 Timothy 3:1, 2, Bishops and Deacons without the interposit…

But whether this is always the case, or only sometimes — I do not think the learned men will say it is always so, since they are able to produce but a single example where "thus" seems capable of being taken in that way; concerning "if perhaps" they are silent. "If perhaps" perh…

Scripture also implies that the image was large, when it teaches that the Israelites "exchanged their glory for the form of an ox that eats grass" (Psalm 106:20). There is moreover the fact that Stephen affirms that on account of the erection of this calf, "they turned back in t…

Even as that theology was administered in whatever manner, its primary author was the Son of God Himself — the Spirit of Christ moving the holy men who declared it (1 Peter 1:11 and 2 Peter 1:21). He it was who several times manifested Himself to the patriarchs in human form; an…

Fear to strangle the beginnings of the life of grace, for grace may begin at little; and if you quench any motion, conviction, or challenge, you know not if ever you shall meet with the like again, because when He knocked hard at your heart you held Him out and kept Him at the d…

First, for clearing of its meaning. 1. You would not take up our meaning in it so, as if we made every common work that lively means may have on the hearers of the Gospel, to be conversion; the preaching of the Word will sometimes make folks tremble, as we see in Felix, and will…

He is the object of faith (John 14:11): You believe in God, believe also in me. He is the object of prayer (Acts 7:59): They stoned Stephen, calling upon God, saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit — and frequently elsewhere in Scripture he is prayed to, though these two are not…

The fourth and last article, or part of the condition required of the Mediator, is, He made intercession for the transgressors; there was more required of him than to die, and to die such a death for the Elect's sins; He must also make application of his death; and he will do th…

And for clearing of this, we would propose these considerations. 1. That it is a certain truth, that the person that is the Mediator, is the object of our worship, and may be prayed to, because he is God, the second person of the Godhead: And therefore, in Acts 7, at the close,…

The man sees the crown; he is come to the stone wall or the hedge of paradise, and sees the apples of life hanging on the tree, and hears the music of heaven. Stephen (Acts 7:56) said, I saw heaven opened. He goes not away pulled by the hair, but willingly, gladly (Hebrews 11:8,…

Just as Paul complains of the Jews (Acts 13:46), since you have put it away from you, lo, we turn to the Gentiles, we purge and cast out the motions of God's spirit, and cannot endure that any Ordinance should bring us nearer to Christ. (Acts 7:51) You have always resisted the H…

He prays for pardon of their sin, when they use him most wickedly, one that had never done them wrong. And so you read of Stephen, the first Christian Martyr (Acts 7:60), when they flung stones about his ears, he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice: Lord lay not this sin to…

For Moses and the people heard God speaking in the Mount Sinai: that is to say, they heard the angels speaking in the person of God. Therefore Stephen in Acts 7 says: You have received the law by the ministry of the Angels, and you have not regarded it. Also the text in the thir…

Steuen vpbraids the Iewes, that the law was given by the dispensation of Angels, and yet they brake it. Act 7:53. Thirdly, if you offend and breake the law, repent with speede: for that is the desire and ioy of Angels.

Abraham could use no stronger argument to pacify Lot, than this, Let there be no strife between you and me, for we are brethren (Genesis 13:8). Moses used it as a motive to accord two Hebrews: Sirs, you are brethren; why do you wrong one to another? (Acts 7:26). For it is a sham…

Pliny says it was a city of Arabia: but it is commonly placed in Mesopotamia. Which is confirmed by Abraham's voyage, who came from there with his father, when he departed out of Chaldea (Genesis 11:31; Acts 7:4). The profane historians call it Charras in the plural number, and…

And this manner of reprehension is often found both in the Prophets, as also in the book of Psalms: for they knowing themselves to be the holy nation, they swelled in pride against the Lord; as if this honor had been due to them, either in regard of the excellence or merits of t…

So far were they off then from mounting up to heaven by them through faith, that they kept their minds groveling here below, and made themselves believe that God was bound and tied to them: for which cause they served him by halves, indeed, they toyed with him at their pleasure.…