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ciliating the esteem of its oppofers. What have we to fear, if we ferve the Lord Chrift?

The prefent hiftory teaches us, likewife, to unite with an immovable firmness the exercise of meekness and love. Stephen complained not of the injurious treatment, which he received. Inftead of throwing out any bitter invectives, he teftified his readiness to pardon, by commending his murderers to the mercy and forgiveness of God. By fuch a fingular display of forbearance and kindness, he brought more credit to the Gospel, than he could have done by any other arguments. Have we learnt to fuffer with a fimilar difpofition? Ah! how much do we difhonour the cause of Chrift by the peevishness of our spirit, and the keenness of our refentment against thofe, who reproach or infult us! Or rather, do we not prove, that we have not yet underflood the extent of that holinefs, which our religion requires?

3. It encourages us to expect fufficient ftrength and comfort, under all our perfecutions for righteoufnefs' fake. This primitive martyr ftands as a witness for the grace and faithfulness of his divine Mafter, who will never abandon or deceive his upright fervants. That ancient promise is verified in the case of every fincere believer: "As thy days, fo fhall thy strength be *." And will not this fuffice us? If the world frown, yet Jefus will fmile: if they curfe, He will command a bleffing. Whatever may be taken from us, for our attachment to him, He will make an abundant compenfation. Though the most numerous and powerful adverfaries declare against us, we may exult in dependence on his veracity, and fay, "The Lord is on my fide, I will not fear t.'

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We need not, we ought not, to ftagger at the most terrible appearances of death. We perceive in St. Stephen's countenance, how Jefus can lighten the

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dark.

dark valley, and, even in that tremendous paffage, fill our fouls with peace and joy. Why fhould we not hope to maintain fuch a holy confidence? This, at leaft, the grace of our God can bestow. But we fhould extend our view beyond the prefent scene, and contemplate the Saviour, waiting to receive us to manfions of eternal bleffednefs. Let us perfevere in faith and patience, and foon fhall the gates of heaven be opened for our honourable admiffion. « If we

fuffer, we shall alfo reign with him*.” For thus he addreffes every Chriftian foldier, enlifted under his banner, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life t.'

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We pray, therefore, with our church;

"Grant, O Lord, that in all our fufferings here upon earth, for the teftimony of thy truth, we may fteadfaftly look up to heaven, and by faith behold the glory that fhall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghoft, may learn to love and bless our perfecutors, by the example of thy firft Martyr Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to thee, O bleffed Jefus, who standest at the right hand of God to fuccour all those that fuffer for thee, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.".

★ 2 Tim, ii, 12. † Rev. ii, 10.

Collect for St. Stephen's day.

SAINT PAUL.

CHAP. IX.

SECT. I.

Paul, his extraction and education-a bigotted Pharifee -perfecuted the Church-fuddenly stopped by an ap pearance of Chrift-fubmitted to him-truck blind recovered his fight-baptized by Ananias-preached Chrifl-what to be concluded from his converfion.

THE

HE Lord God frequently accomplishes his pur poses by fuch inftruments, as are thought weak and contemptible, and thus proves, that his caufe is not indebted to any human abilities for fupport. But, at fome times and for fpecial purposes, He is pleafed to felect perfons of admired endowments, whom infidelity would gladly have claffed amongst its advocates, and to render them of extenfive fervice to the interefts of Christianity. Alas! how often do fplendid gifts become a fnare and a curse, not to the poffeffors only, but to fociety, being employed in defence of erroneous and deftructive principles! How different is the cafe, when they are confecrated to the Lord, and devoted to the ufe of the fanctuary! Then indeed they appear truly excellent, deferve our highest esteem,, and contribute to the temporal and eternal happiness. of men.

Such reflections arife from the confideration of the character now before us. St. Paul was furnished with large intellectual powers, and ample attainments> in literature, which would have done credit to any caufe

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caufe. But it is our province to contemplate the Chriftian, rather than the Scholar, and to adinire, not fo much his natural genius and abilities, as "the exceeding grace of God in him." That grace ftamped a dignity and worth on all his qualifications, and gave them their proper direction and employment. Let us hear his own grateful acknowledgment; "By the grace of God I am what I am *." None ever hone with greater luftre than he did, after he had once entered on the fervice of Chrift: none feem to have arrived at a higher degree of perfection, or to have been honoured with more extenfive usefulness in the world. We thank God for the amazing effects of his preaching, and especially for his infpired compofitions, which conftitute a confiderable part of the New Teftament, and which will defcend as an ineftimable bleffing to ages yet unborn. May we all partake of the fame fpirit, and learn from his example and exhortations to yield ourselves to the Saviour with the warmest affections and unreserved obedience!

Saul, for fuch was his name originally, was born at Tarfus in Cilicia, and, through peculiar favour granted to the natives of that town, entitled to the freedom and privileges of a Roman citizen +. He fprang from Jewish parents, and boafted that he could trace his defcent from Abraham, and had conformed to all ritual injunctions; "circumcifed the eighth day, of the ftock of Ifrael, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews 1." He was taught the common business of a tent-maker §; but we cannot therefore conclude, that he was confined to any fervile labour, or placed in a mean fituation . He enjoyed the advantages of a liberal education; being well

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2 Cor. xi. 22. Phil. iii. 5. § Acts xviii. 3.

It was customary with the Jews, even the most opulent, to train. up their children to the knowledge of fome trade, by which they might be able to earn their support in life, if they should be reduced to difficulties.

inftructed

inftructed in the learning of the times, and furnished with a confiderable share of reading in the Greek and Latin writers.

Probably at an early age, he went to Jerufalem, to acquire the neceffary acquaintance with Jewifh literature, with the principles of his own religion, and the most generally received interpretations of the Old Teftament. For thofe purposes he was under the care of the celebrated Doctor, Gamaliel, and, as his pupil, "brought up at his feet." There he made confiderable proficiency in his ftudies, and foon difcovered a zealous attachment to all the Mofaic inftitutions. Such an attachment might be greatly increased by the influence of his tutor : at least, he came out from under his care a rigid, bigotted Pharifee. He laid an undue stress on the obfervance of Jewish ceremonies; and, as he could not bear to hear of their abolition or infufficiency, he imbibed, with his first rudiments, a fpirit of oppofition to the Gofpel. He thought, and it feemed to be a firm and well-grounded conviction, that it was his bounden duty to exert himself against the Chriftian faith; "that he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jefus of Nazareth *."

He acted, as would generally be allowed, fincerely, and according to the dictates of his confcience, while he perfecuted, and wished, if poffible, to extirpate, the profeffors of this new religion. But the plea of fincerity and confcience will not excufe him. It was his fin, as it is the fin of many, not to be better informed a blamable and corrupt difpofition of mind prevented him from giving the Gospel a ferious attention and fair examination. He must have had many opportunities of being acquainted with its evidence, during his refidence at Jerufalem: but he previously determined to reject a system, which totally fubverted his proud principles, and therefore obftinately refused

* Acts xxvi. 5, 9. Gal. i. 14.

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