Wright - BT300 W8 1788

and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST, and his APOSTLES, &c. 413 St. PHILIP, the DEACON, an HEBREW CONVERT. IT is fuppofed that St. Philip was a na- tive of Cefarca in Galilee, it being certain that his daughters lived in that city; however, he was one of the feven deacons chofen by the apoftles foon after our Savi- our's refúrreétion. All the Chriflians, except the apoftles, having, after the death of St. Stephen, left Jerufalem, and difperfed themfelves in fe- veral parts, St. Philip went down to preach the golpe] at Samaria, where he wrought many miracles, and converted great num- bers to the faith; he alto baptized them, but being only a deacon, could not admi- nifler the facrament of the Lord's fupper. Ít is probable St. Philip was at Samaria, when the angel direaed him to go to- wards the fouth, to the road that leads from Jerufalem to Old Gaza, an ancient city in the route to Egypt. Philip obeyed the fummons of the heavenly meffenger, and there met with an Ethiopian eunuch, be- longing to Candace, queen of Ethiopia; a perfon who was highly ifteemed by his nriflrefs, as well as intrufted with the care of all her revenues, and who had been at Jerufalem, to worfhip the Almighty in that city. When the chariot of this Ethiopian ap- peared in the fight of Philip, the angelbid him advance towards the ftranger : he im- mediately obeyed, and heard the eunuch reading a paffage of the prophet Ifaiah ; upon which Philip afked him, ifhe under- flood what he was reading? And the eu- nuch anfwered, how Ihould I underfland, except Tome perfon fhouldexplain itto me, defiring Philip, that he would come and fit down by him in the chariot. The paf- fage he read was this : Hewasledas ajheep to theflaughter ; and as a lamb before his 'hearers is dumb, fo he opened not his mouth. Having finilhed the paffage, the eunuch defired to know whom the prophet intend- ed: " Is it, Pays he, hitnfelf the prophet here means, or fome other man ?' In an- fwer to the queftion propofed by the eu- nuch, Philip began to initrua him concern- ing the Redeemer of the world, the man CHRIST JESUS; and afterwards baptized him, and he became a member of the church of CHRIST. The facred writers are filent with regard to the anions of St: Philip, after the time of his baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch : but the Greek ecclelaftical writers fay, that he left Palefline and travelled toTralles, in the Leifer Afia, where he founded a church, of which he was both the bifhop and apoftle ; and where, after long labour- ing in the vineyard of his Mailer, and working many miracles, he flept in peace, and was buried in the church he had caufed to be erefled. St. THADDEUS, the DISCÌPLE. IT is generally fuppofed that St. Thad- deus was the brother of St. Thomas, and one of our Saviour's feventy difcíples. I-le is not mentioned particularly in the evangelical hillory, but in common with the nil of the feventy ; he conftantly at- No. 35. tended the difcourfes, and was an eye- witnefs of the miracles ofhis great Mailer, the Son of the Living God. What the tranfaftions ofThaddeus were, refpefing the propagation of the gofpel, cannot be afcertained, becaufe he has not 5 H been

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