th . 6.~^ f Deacons chofin. ’The A'poflles, IhctipableAfe/Termaketh'bothhle&iob findMensOrdination Void. But yet the Ele&- drs ftill ateTruftedWhomto Ele&j and the Or- dainers whom t6 Orckiri j And every Error is not a nullity, where there are the effential qualifications. i . 4-B.utwewill give our felves continually to prayer, and to the mini- riiftry ofthe word. 5. Wherever 'God will blels his Church with EiffiopFin3eed, this will be their life and their deicription, ' ' A 5.Andthe fayingpleafe'dtheWhole multitude : ahd they chofe Stephen, a man full of faith, and of the holy Ghoft,and Philip,and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas, a profelyte of Antioch.; 5. The Realbn ofthe motion, the Authoritymf the Apofties, and the Spirit ofGsd, made them ail imammoufly content. ... 6, Whom they fet before the apo- liles; and when they had prayed, they laid theirhands on them. 6. Prayer to God to acceptand bleisthemjand the Authorizing'them by the fign of Impofition- of Hands. Was the ApoftiesWay'ofOrdination (fflppofing them infl-.urtcd fortheirOffice.) 7. Andthe word ofGod increafed ; and the number of. the difcipleSmultiplied in Jerufalemgreatly j and a. great company ofthe priefts were 0- bedient to the faith. '7. And the fuccefs ofthe Word increafid, and: the number of the Difdpies in JeruJultm grew very'great, and a great Company ofthe Priefts (Or a great Company, and ofthe Priefts fome) were obedient to the Doftrine of Chrift by believing.; , , / i ' 8. And Stephen full of faith and power, did great wondersand miracles.among the people. _■ 8. Stefhtn hayinga great meafure oftheSpirit, was'fill! .of Faith and Power, arid wrought, great Miracles. 9. Then there arofe certain ofthe lynagoguc, which is called the fyna~ gopteof the l ibertines, and Cyreni- ans,,,and Alexandrians, and of them ofCilicia,and of Afia, difputingvVith Stephen. ■■ ‘ ' % jgg I being the pfacefeherethe'fcatftr i i Jim of dllNations tiled atbtrtain times to W w p, aoworidefif A*eraiCountrieshadthat Acts. Stephenaccufed. Ch. 6. feverai Synagogues. Libertines are by moftfup, pofed to beJervsmade free,: Though fome derive the Name from a Countrey, thinking one Letterds changed. jo. And theywere not able to refillthewifdomand the'fpirit bywhich he (pake. i t. Then they fuborned men which faid, We have heard him (peakblafphemous wordsagainftMo- les, andagairift God. r 6, Nete: On fuchteririswe dilutewith Iignant men. Whenthey cannot refift-the Truth they turn Diabolifts, and fuborn Men.to {wearto film Accufations:: 'Malignity, Blood-thirfiy Cruelty, andLying, ate the three Effentialsofa Dia- bolift. 2. It is next to a Miracle ofProvidence, that no greater numbers of Religious Perfons have beenmurdered intheWorld by the way of Perjury and pretenceofHaw,when fohiany thou- faridshate them,:who make no Confcience of falfe Oaths. ......... =■ 1a.And they ftirred up the people^ and the elders, and the feribes, arid came uponhim, andcaught him, and brought himto the council,. ' , ■ 12. Note, When Informersand Perjured Wit- neffes and Council or Judges Were all ofa Minc^ felfeMalignants, blood-thirftymen, itwaseafiq- to foreknow the Sentence. 13. And fet up falfe witnefles,1 whichfaid, This man ceafeth not to fpeakblafphemous wordsagainft this holy place;, and thelaw. 14. For we have heard himfay, that thisJefus of Nazareth Ihalldeftroy thisplace,and (hall change the cuftoms which Mo- fesdelivered us. . 1s, 14. Note. It isvery likely that they heard Stephen fay fomewords of Ghrift’s Abrogation ofthe Law, fromwhich;the Perjured -.gathered their Teftimony, and puttingtheir own fenfe oil his words made Blalphemyofthem, anti did not think they were Petijiiredt'And.,what Man is there that Judges, Juryand,Witpefles may, not Condemn, 'i f they will but^tittheif own fenfe oritheir Words:-' Chrift B>TuftferedbeforeiSfrpheri: And it is no wonder or difltonour to be condemned,as. the gteateft kjaleficlors by fuch Kten: 'therefore, judge ofiffiftory accordingly,; whefe wicked'Men are the-AceufersandJudges: 15.And all that fat lri the council, looking ftedfaftly on him,;law his face asif it had been’the face of an angel.. || | |j - j|g
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